Months after budget cuts threatened the existence of USU Press, an acquisition agreement with the University Press of Colorado was finalized, keeping operations running as usual.
Michael Spooner, USU Press director, said the press will be a subsidiary of the University Press of Colorado, which is a "consortium" of university presses. By combining with USU Press, the University of Colorado Press will see their collections almost double.
"If we hadn't found this arrangement, the press would have closed," said Richard Clement, USU dean of Libraries. "It's an extraordinarily unusual kind of arrangement and it's a forward-looking arrangement."
USU needed to address a budget cut in the state funding for higher education, Spooner said. and USU Press was one of the units on campus that received a small amount of state funding that may need to be cut.
From that decision, he said a lot of possibilities presented themselves.
Kellyn Neumann, editorial assistant at USU Press, said the acquisition wasn't happening because the press was in financial trouble.
"A lot of people think they were closing us down because we weren't financially stable," Neumann said. "We were actually doing a lot better than most university presses. We make quite a profit every year."
Darrin Pratt, director of University of Colorado Press and acquiring editor, said he sees only benefits in acquiring the USU Press.
"USU Press is a well-run business with strong scholarly lists that dovetail nicely with our own regional history and also take us in new directions (such as) communications and folklore " Pratt said. "By joining forces, we hope to create economies of scale that will benefit both the UPC and the USU (Press) list over the long term."
University Press of Colorado will take on all the financial obligations, Clement said, and USU Press will continue publishing the quantity of books it has in the past.
Two professors share gender studies award
BY CATHERINE BENNETT editor in chief
Each year, USU's Center for Women and Gender presents the Dis~inguished Professor Award to a professor with high achievement in gender-related research and organizations, but this year choosing the professor most worthy of the award was no easy task.
Chris Hailey, associ ate dean in the College of Engineering, and Deborah Burns, a professor in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, both received the award after the selection committee deliberated and arrived at a stalemate.
gives out an annual Distinguished Professor Award. This year the committee could not decide between two candidates, so the two are sharing the award. Deborah Burns (above) is a professor in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. Chris Hailey (right) is the associate dean in the College of Engineering. The two were chosen for their involvement in gender-related research and organizations. DE.LAYNE LOCKE photo
"We want to thank our family members and our colleagues and our students who have made our work really satisfying and fulfilling," Burns said, speaking on behalf of Hailey, as well.
Traditionally. the recipient of the annual award gives a lecture to faculty and staff members, but this year the lecture took the form of an interview in which the women each asked one another questions that revealed their pasts and experiences, leading up to their current accomplishments.
Ann Austin, director of the Center for Women and Gender, said the award was developed in 1992 and has since been presented to
women with expertise in many areas, including biology, sociology and business.
"I was very honored by a group of women to hold this title several years ago," Eddy Berry, a sociology professor, said. "But I was never as fearless or as powerful as Deborah (Burns)."
Burns is the author of 62 publications, both books and scholarly articles, and has received multiple awards from USU, including Faculty Member of the Year.
Hailey has been ID engineering -a traditionally male-dominated profession - for many years, and is now a mentor to female engineering students in the College of Engineering as adviser of the Society of Women Engineering, Austin said. The organization has been recognized by the national SWE program. Hailey values gender inclusiveness in the engineering profession, Austin added.
Hailey began the Q-and-A by asking Burns what she believed her greatest accomplishments were. Burns said she was most proud of her work dealing with discrimination and minorities.
"More recently, one of the hardest things I have done is deciding to address the issue of sexual orientation with public school teachers," Burns
See WOMEN, Page 3
Federal grant money to fund hybrid vehicles
BY ALLEE EVENSEN features editor
new hybrid vehicles.
The vehicles were purchased by various departments across campus, said Nat Frazer, president of the Sustainability Council. He said Kevin Phillips, former manger of fleet and resource recovery for the transportation department, was looking for available government grants and came across the $2000-per-car rebate. "(The departments) were not expecting it," Frazer said. "They didn't know about it."
According to a statement from Parking and Transportation Services, the only stipulation in getting the grant money is the hybrid vehicles display a rear window decal which has a Clean Cities logo and reads "Clean Advanced Technology Vehicle."
In 2010, USU President Stan Albrecht approved a Climate Action Plan aimed at reducing the
school's carbon footprint. He signed the policy requiring all vehicles purchased to be hybrids or "right-sized" for the departments that use them Frazer said last year the university spent around $650,000 on gasoline. If it could cut the amount of gasoline used by 10 percent by using sustainable methods, it will save a significant amount of money, he said "We're trying to keep costs at the university
under control by spending less on energy and lowering our carbon footprint," he said.
It fits into an overall plan to lower carbon emissions not contribute to Cache Valley air conditions and lower energy costs, Frazer said, adding that university vehicles are generally used for basic around-town driving.
"If you're just trying to go to a meeting, you See HYBRID, Page 2
Annual banquet increases malnutrition awareness
BY ROUCHELLE BROCKMAN
news senior writer
The idea of a "Hunger Banquet " may seem counterintuitive on its surface, but that's what organizers called a banquet held in the TSC Ballroom to introduce 58 diners to information about fighting hunger and malnutrition in both local and international settings.
About a dozen participants enjoyed a three-course meal Monday night, courtesy of University Catering, but most participants were assigned a meager dinner of some combination of beans, rice and a tortilla. Some were not even given forks or spoons to eat with.
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the disparity between developed and developing countries' standards of nutrition, said Eunicia Villamil the event's organizer and director of the campus organization Students
Together Ending Poverty or STEP.
"It's a great event to raise awareness about conditions outside our country," said Doniell Mojazza, a junior majoring in international studies. "We're pretty spoiled here in the U.S."
The event raised $250, which is more than the average monthly salary of a nurse in the Philippines, according to Jenis Doria, founder of IHELPImproving Health , Education and Livelihood in the Philippines. The proceeds from the banquet will be donated to Doria's organization. Doria, who is originally from the Philippines and now lives in Utah, founded IHELP in 2006.
•) From Page 1
Doria attended the banquet and said though there are about 800 million people worldwide who go to bed hungry every night, she wants people "to approach the problem in smaller segments."
She encouraged students to help Utah's 150,000 impoverished children by volunteering in food banks and soup kitchens. She also encouraged students to plant gardens and share their produce with those in need.
According to the World Hunger Education Service website in 2010 more than half of the world's hungry lived in Asia and the Pacific. The next largest region of malnourished people was Sub-Saharan Africa, then Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by the Near East and North Africa; the smallest populations of hungry people live in developed countries. The site also stated that undernourished children are also likely to suffer up to 160 days of illness per year.
Doria said she experienced hunger while growing up in the Philippines.
She said her father died when she was young, and her mother got a job delivering rice in order to feed the family. She said her mother would collect the individual grains of rice that would fall out of bags and onto the floor of the delivery truck. Her mother would then take that rice home, clean it and feed it to her family, she said.
"My goal tonight is not to make you feel guilty about hunger," Doria said, "but to ask what you can do to help."
Along with Doria's presentation, the audience viewed entertainment by the USU West African Drum and Dance Ensemble. Food was provided by University Catering, which donated about $150 worth of food to the event Villamil said.
USU has been hosting the Hunger Banquet for at least five
years, said Angela Terry, a STEP member who helped organize the event.
The Hunger .Banquet is based on a similar event hosted by BYU, said Rachel Rawlings, secretary of the Service Center Council.
"The event at BYU is much bigger," Rawlings said. "I think a
Students at the event Monday said they heard about the
through Facebook, posters and word -of-mouth - rouchellebrockman@gmail.com
Colorado collection doubles in size after joining forces with USU Press
"We think that it is the best of all possible solutions," he said. "We certainly don't want to see a shutdown. We have 40,000 books in a warehouse in Chicago, and we don't want to send those to the pulper."
There are 90 university presses throughout the country, Clement said, and a lot of faculty members don't have a press where they teach. There are thousands of universities in the U.S., he said, and the fact that USU is
one of those universities puts it in an elite group.
"It will give the combined organization almost $1 million in sales," Clement said, "In business, when you are able to have a larger organization, there are more things you can do. It's called scale. What we can
versity's research mission in that way."
Professors must publish their research in order to advance in their careers, Spooner said, and sometimes they use scholarly presses to do this. USU Press publishes faculty members' research from Utah as well as other states and countries. do with this larger operation are things like better advertising, marketing and it's one of those win-win situations."
"It is a membership," Spooner said. "There are eight universities in Colorado that joined together to support that university press. Utah State will become the ninth member of the consortium.Those nine institutions are pooling research."
USU Press staff members are now considered employees of University Press of Colorado, Spooner said, and will telecommute from Logan's campus.
The university has a "stake" in its press because it gives USU a national and international reputation, Spooner said, and members of University of Colorado Press like the set-up, because USU diversifies UCP 's list of research titles.
work to do
"We have so many vehicles, this is not something you can do overnight," he said. "We will always be looking for opportunities to take advantage ofa grant."
He said the university provides aggressive maintenance and inspection on its fleet s of cars and buses, and the department has signed on to do a sustainability rating program in order to assess how it's doing The vehicles run on a combination ofgas and electricity and are
'Tm certain there are nearly 1,000 faculty members across the country who owe some part of their tenure or promotion to USU Press, because they have published with us in the last 20 years," Spooner said. "A lot of our books have multiple chapters and each chapter is written by a different faculty member."
A research university must prove they are having an impact in the realm of research Spooner said. USU Press gives national recognition to scholarly research conducted throughout the state. "We add some depth and diversity to their publications," Spooner said.
Neumann said researchers won't experience more difficulty getting their work published. However, those seeking publication will have to get approval from both USU and University Press of Colorado, she said.
catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu
part of a fleet of more than 50 sustainable-use cars the university owns. On average, a hybrid vehicle costs around $5,000 more than a regular vehicle, said Kevin Phillips, former manager of fleet and resource recovery for the transportation department. He said the point of the grant is not to entirely pay for the cars, but to aid the school in its sustainability efforts.
He said because of the amount of carbon monoxide buses release, transportation is a large part of the university's goal to be more sustainable
"We hope that it won't be the last grant (we receive)," Phillips said. "We hope to (continue) purchasing these vehicles. The advantages will far outweigh the disadvantages " - allee.evensen@aggiemail.usu edu
March 7, 2012
•
• From Page 1
Center for Women and Gender rewards professors for recent work
said. ,She said her research also addresses how religion plays in dealing with heterosexism and sexual orientation in public schools.
Burns asked Hailey when she initially began addressing the gender
issues she observed in engineering.
"I never thought about prejudice or discrimination at the start of my career," Hailey said. "I was proud of the work I accomplished and felt fairly well supported. As a faculty member, I began to see there were
DEBORAH BURNS AND CHRIS HAILEY are the recipients of the Di~tinguished Professor Award from USU's Center for Women and Gender. Both professors have benefitted women by doing extensive work and research in their fields. DELAYNE LOCKE photo
PoliceBlotter
Friday, Feb. 24
• USU Police responded to 700 N. 800 East to assist a motorist with a flat tire. The driver was taken by police to his residence to get a jack to change the tire.
Saturday, Feb. 25
• USU and Logan City Police responded to a utility problem behind a home owned by USU on the corner of 500 N 700 East. Upon arrival police discovered a tree down, hanging above the roadway. USU Facilities responded and cut the tree down with a chain saw and removed debris from the roadway.
• USU Police responded to a report of a smell of marijuana in the Lundstrom Center where a band was playing. Police arrived and detected an strong odor of burnt marijuana inside the building but the show had 200 people present. Logan City Police arrived to assist and monitor the area. No arrests were made.
Sunday, Feb. 26
very few (female students) in the classes. I was wondering if there was discrimination going on, and I began to think more deeply."
Later on Tuesday evening the Center for Women and Gender awarded Bonnie Pitblado, USU professor of archaeology, with the Early Career Achievement Award and English Professor Patricia Gantt with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Negotiating a career in a man's world has certainly carried unique challenges,'' Pitblado said in her address to the audience. "It's hard to convey the joy that I feel when I am able to share what 1 know with men and women alike I kind of like bucking gender trends in archeology."
As a young archaeologist, a man Pitblado worked with told her women were less respected than men in the work place, she said. Since then, she has been determined to make a name for herself and her research.
Gantt teaches her English classes using many works published by famous female writers and teaches multicultural literature, a class that dissects texts depicting diverse backgrounds, said Jamie Huber,
program coordinator for the Center of Women and Gender.
"It is customary to acknowledge the strong women on whose shoulders we all stand," Gantt said. "My grandmother raised children in the Great Depression and put five of her children through college." She said when she was young she was reminded, "You have the blood of pioneer women floating through your veins," and the prominence of women in this statement has been meaningful to her since.
In addition, students who've worked on projects specifically supporting women, were recognized in the Spotlight on Students -a new addition to the annual award event. Lindsay Nemelka, an English student, wrote the poem, "To a Pot of Soup," that was read to the audience, and natural resources student Heather Winegar encouraged sustainable living in women's lives as well as the community. Finally, Brenna Wernersbach promoted healthy sexuality to Cache Valley individuals and organizations.
- catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu. edu
Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies.
The maxim "you're never too young to plan your retirement"is the theme for a Wednesday, March 7, session offered by Financial Planning for Women at USU Organizers invite those in a younger demographic to get a head start to jumpstart their retirement planning while still in their 20s and 30s. Those attending the session will receive a copy of the book Get a life: Personal Finance in your Twenties and Thirties. The seminar is offerld March 7 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at USU's Taggart Student Center, Room 336. Financial Planning for Women is a monthly educational seminar and is open to all. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch. Programs are free and registration is not required. For information, contact Jean Lown, (435) 797-1569, jean.lown@usu.edu. Information is also available at the website or blog.
Biofuels program
wins national award
The U.S. Military may soon produce some of its own fuel by growing biofuel crops on land surrounding bases.
Monday, Feb. 27
• USU Police responded to the Housing Facilities Building for a fire alarm. The alarm was set off by dust in a detector for the ventilation system cleaning.
• USU Police assisted Logan City Police with a dead animal call. A cat had been hit in front of the Nutrition and Food Science building. Officers removed the animal and disposed of it.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
• USU Police responded to a suspicious odor call in the Fine Arts Center. Police searched the area and found the suspicious odor smell was coming from a microwave in Room 202. It seems that the food that was cooking in the microwave had a distinct smell to it.
• USU Police responded to the Stan Laub Indoor Training Facility on a fire alarm. There were several individuals in the building practicing soccer.
• A concerned parent called and asked USU Police to check on their child to ensure she was OK. The student was contacted and was informed to contact her parent.
The alarm was activated after an individual kicked a soccer ball which accidentally hit the fire alarm pull station.
Wednesday, Feb. 29
• USU Police responded to the new Ag Science building on a report of unauthorized people on the roof. When Police arrived they were informed that the people had vacated the roof already and were not in the area A padlock was placed on the roof hatch so this would not be repeated.
• USU Police responded to the Biology and Natural Resources building for a medical assist. the subject tripped on a stair. The subject was not transported to the hospital.
Thursday, March l
• USU Police investigated an accident that occured in the mtersec1ion of 700 N 800 East. A passenger car was cited for failure to yield after stopping at a red light. The car made a right turn and hit the front end of a USU bus
•>Compiled by Megan Allen
Romney wins five states on Super Tuesday
WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney squeezed out a win in pivotal Ohio, captured four other states with ease and padded his delegate lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination but was forced to share the Super Tuesday spotlight with a resurgent Rick Santorum.
On the busiest night of the campaign, Romney scored a home-state win in Massachusetts to go with primary victories in Vermont and in Virginia - where neither Santorum nor Newt Gingrich was on the ballot. He added the Idaho caucuses to his column.
Ohio was the big win, though, and the closest contest ofall as the Republican rivals battled for the chance to face Democratic President Barack Obama in November.
Santorum countered crisply, winning primaries in Oklahoma and Tennessee and the North Dakota caucuses - raising fresh doubts about Romney's ability to corral the votes of conservatives in some of ' the most Republican states in the country.
Ohio was the marquee matchup, a second industrial-state showdown in as many weeks 'between Romney and Santorum. It drew the most campaigning and television advertisements of all 10 Super Tuesday contests and for good reason - no Republican has ever won the White House without carrying the state in the fall.
After trailing for much of the night, Romney forged ahead in a count that stretched past midnight. With votes tallied in 99 percent of the state's precincts, he led by about 12,000 out of 1.1 million cast.
Gingrich had a victory in his column, too - his first win in more than six weeks. The former House speaker triumphed at home in Georgia, but a barrage of attack ads by a super PAC supporting Romney helped hold him below 50 percent and forced him to share the delegates.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul pinned his hopes on Alaska as he scratched for his first victory of the campaign season.
Santorum waited until Oklahoma and Tennessee fell into his column before speaking to cheering supporters in Ohio. "This was a big night tonight," he said. "We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South, and we're ready to win across this country."
In all, there were primaries in Virginia, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Caucuses in North Dakota, Idaho and Alaska rounded out the calendar.
Romney picked up at least 183 of the 419 Super
Tuesday delegates at stake. Santorum gained at least 64, Gingrich 52 and Paul at least 15.
That gave the former Massachusetts governor 386, more than all his rivals combined, a total that included endorsements from members of the Republican National Committee who automatically attend the convention and can support any candidate they choose. Santorum had 156 delegates, Gingrich 85 and Paul 40. It takes 1,144 delegates to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer.
The split of the states ensured that the most turbulent Republican presidential campaign in a generation would continue.
Already, the candidates were looking ahead to the next contests, Kansas and Wyoming caucuses on Saturday, followed by Alabama and Mississippi primaries on March 13.
Ohio Republicans were a party divided, based not only on the popular vote but also on interviews with voters as they left their polling places.
Santorum outpolled Romney among Ohioans with
incomes under $100,000, while Romney won among those with six-figure incomes and up. Romney won among working women, Santorum among women who do not.
Santorum won among self-described conservatives, while Romney outpointed his rival among those who said they are moderate or liberal.
In interviews in all the primary states, Republicans said the economy was the top issue and an ability to defeat Obama was what mattered most as they made their Super Tuesday choices.
They also indicated nagging concerns about the candidate they supported, even in Massachusetts, There, one-third of all primary voters said they had reservations, and about three-quarters of those voted for Romney.
Gingrich's victory was his first since he captured the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21, and the former House speaker said it would propel him on yet another comeback in a race where he has faded badly over the past six weeks. ·
USU Extension, in collaboration with The Louis Berger Group, was recently awarded the Outstanding Sustainable Planning, Design or Development Initiative by the Federal Planning Division for the "Feasibility of Energy Crops Grown on Army Lands" proposal.
The plan and award will bring biofuel crops on military bases one step closer to reality.
The Federal Planning Division of the American Planning Association invites planners working for and with federal agencies to reimagine federal landscapes at all ; scales, from highways to national • parks, from military installations to intrastate watersheds.
According to Dallas Hanks, dire£tef of-the Center for Agronomic and Woody Biofuels, which is part of USU Extension, the award gives the concept important national exposure and access to federal agencies that can push the program along.
"The Department of Defense manages more than 30 million acres; about 4 million of those acres could potentially be used to produce 400 million gallons of renewable biofuels annually for use by military vehicles," Hanks said. "This not only saves the military money but it replaces petroleum with a renewable, cleaner fuel resource. We are working with eight bases, seven Army and one Air Force, where we hope to start producing biofuels soon."
'From the Top' taped with live audience
Utah Public Radio's newest program will be taped in front of a live audience in Utah.
In January, UPR began airing the popular classical music program From the Top twice a week. Weber State University in Ogden will host a taping of the show March 8, to be broadcast nationally in April 2012. From the Top's host Christopher O'Riley will present performances by talented young musicians on the stage at Weber State University's Browning Center for the Performing Arts in Ogden, Utah.
From the Top is an hour-long program showcasing some of America's best young musicians. Each weekly program features five high-caliber performances along with interviews, sketches and games. Taped before live audiences in concert halls from Boston to Honolulu,·the show is now in its 12th broadcast year.
The policy ofThe Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find in error, please contact the editor at 797-1742, statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu or come in to TSC 105. ..
As Travis Flitton stood on the edge ofa story building, he took a deep breath before preparing to jump. Once he had 'eked off the wall, he knew he had to comto the trick or he could be seriously mjured.
To do the double drop, Travis hung from the wall off the building with both his feet and hands secured. He kicked off the wall, did a front flip and landed on the ground.
Flitton is a parkour enthusiast. Parkour is an extreme sport or type of training to learn how to get around obstacles swiftly and smoothly. It includes rolling, jumping, vaulting, climbing and running. Many people, like Flitton, enjoy the challenge and the adrenaline rush.
"That moment when I kicked off the wall and had to commit to the trick was the scariest thing in parkour I've ever done in my life," said Flitton, a sophomore majoring in psychology and exercise science. "If you don't push offthe wall in this trick, you will fall on your face."
Although his landing wasn't perfect, Flitton said he finished his trick uninjured.
'1 landed it. I didn't rotl anytlung, and I didn't break anything," Flitton said. "It was a bit of a rough landing, but it turned out OK."
David Harris works at Altius Gymnastics Academy, where parkour classes are taught every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. At these classes, Harris said safety is emphasized.
"There are some general guidelines to follow," Harris said. "You need to know what you're doing and have a foundation. There is a progression for every skill."
Caleb Mairs is a freshman who said he's tried parkour. He said he fust became interested in the sport in high school. Though he's never taken a class, he said experience as a cheerleader and a gymnast lend to his affinity for parkour.
He said newcomers to the sport should try it in a gym first.
"There are plenty of gyms in Logan, so I would try that before going to test it out on the cement," he said.
Mairs said he has fallen on his head a number of times while trying new tricks. Flitton said people who have never done
uld learn the basics first. ffic most common mistake is going too big too fast. My advig: is to learn to roll, Flitton said. "In a sti ·tuation, if you're cahn, you can get yo into a better situation Ifyou bail out ·ck, you know you're not going to and you're going to get hurt."
Hams said he's been doing kour for about ne~ He said h!S biggest piece of advice· 'When in trouble do the double, when m doubt tuck it out."
Thts means m tncky situation, an individual should curl up into a ball and, whether going forward or backward, he or she can spin and roll out of it to stay safe, he said. A tuck is similar to a back flip, he said.
Flitton said he was once out with a group of friends doing parkour on a jungle gym in a park. The friends were hopping on the monkey bars and one of them did a long jump. He slipped and fell, because the sprinklers were recently on and the group didn't realize it. Flitton said his friend fell back onto the bars and landed face first on the ground.
Flitton said he's also done parkour on campus at USU. One time he and three friends jumped off the second story of the parking terrace by the Taggart Student Center. He said his friends decided they could make the trick if they hurled themselves over the edge, flipped, landed and rolled on the ground.
Tyson Mertlich, a junior majoring in psychology who's been doing parkour for seven years, said a friend of his had a dangerous experience while scaling a building with multiple tiers. He didn't realize how dusty the building was, so he slipped and fell, he sai~.
"You need to know your limits and (not) do anything stupid," Mertlich said. "Be aware of your surroundings and make sure they aren't dusty or wet."
Mairs said there are a lot of rules to follow, but parkour is still a fun thing to do.
"I think it is cool how people do stuff without pads, and how they just run around and it's totally wild," Mairs said. "The coolest thing I've ever done would probably be scaling my own house."
- victoria.hepworth@aggiemail.usu.edu
QUINN LOBDELL, AHSEANTE' HICKS AND TYSON MERTLICH
· BY NATASHA BODILY · assistant features editor
With two degrees under her belt, Shelly Hansen thought finding a job would be easy. After graduating from USU with an FCHD degree, she moved to Texas where her family is from.
When she arrived in Houston, Hansen said she began her job hunt.
"I probably applied for like 20 positions at different residential facilities," she said, adding that she wanted to work with troubled teens or individuals struggling with addictions.
"I didn't think it would be so difficult - I have my ' degree," she said.
After months of working at a restaurant and interviewing for different positions, Hansen said she was ready to give up.
"This economy is so terrible. But a lot of places are cutting back on staff to save money," she said.
Finally, she found a receptionist position at a facility, but it was not her dream job by any means, she said.
"I didn't go to school for eight years to end up filing documents and answering the phone," Hansen said.
She said she completed a degree in musical theater at Southern Utah University before moving up to Logan.
"I knew music wasn't going to be a career for me, I just love the environment," she said. "But I also have always wanted to help people."
Hansen said the FCHD program at USU was really
grapple with future
incredible for her and her professors were encouraging and helpful. However, she isn't planning to go · back to school for a third degree.
"I really don't feel it's worth it at this point," she said. "I already have student loans up to my eyeballs."
Student loans were also a struggle for Melissa Trump, who graduated from BYUIdaho with a degree in psychology.
"I know everyone says that you need to_get a master's in psychology, but I just don't have the money," she said.
She said, after paying out-of-state tuition for five years, she had quite a bit of debt to pay off.
'Tm not even halfway out of debt, and I had been working full-time throughout school."
Trump said she applied for jobs in the Rexburg, Idaho, area but thought location-was the problem, so she decided to move to Salt Lake City.
"I figured there would be more options in a bigger city," she said. "But none of the places I applied to - and I'm talking piles of applications - wanted to hire me."
She said she felt she was well qualified for the positions she applied to, but nobody was hiring.
"I had a 3.7 GPA and I rocked my GRE, even though I can't go to grad school now,'.' she said. "But I'm happy with where I am now."
She said she nannies for a small family and loves the
For m8st of my, life, when l'W! hESird someone mention the word scone, I've automatically assumed they were talking about fried bread dough served with honey-butter. When I learned about the other k.kind of scones - sometJ:times called English or tea ~ones -I thought they t eemed dry, boring and ,,~eant for stuffy tea parties. Despite that, I decided to give them a chance, and I was shocked about how wrong I was. Scones are actually moist, delicious breakfast or brunch treats with an endless amount of possibility. They're like biscuits but sweeter. They're similar to muffins because of the variety of fruits, nuts and other things you can use to flavor them. This is a basic recipe Cfor a plain scone with two variations: raspberry vanilla and chocolate orange.
Be sure to read the directions for each kind · before you get started so you know when to add the extra ingredients. If you're · feeling creative, you can try your own ideas for additions. Almost anything will work as long as it doesn't throw off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients. Good options include chopped or dried fruit, nuts, poppy seeds, chocolate chips and flavored extracts, as well as glazes or sugar to sprinkle on top. Have fun creating your own customized scones.
SCONES
egg
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 6 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and orange zest, and whisk together.
With the laq!e holes of a box grater, grate the frozen stick of butter. Add 1/3 of the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss until well coated. Repeat two more times until all of the butter has been added and is well coated with the flour mixture.
Use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until a crumbly mixture
twin girls she takes care of.
"I wouldn't say my degree was a waste by any means. I will always have that knowledge with me, and it's useful. I just wish I didn't have to pay thousands of dollars for it."
Emily Daines, who graduated from USU in secondary education, said she knows she's not alone among the group of graduated students who can't get jobs in their fields.
"I applied for probably eight to 10 positions, but I didn't really want to put up with the Utah education system," she said.
Now, Daines works at Five Napkin Burger in the upper west side of New York City.
"It's frustrating. I'm a college graduate, and I'm working at a restaurant," Daines said. "You think going into education there are always teachers need, but they have all these requirements."
She said underemploy-
ment is a common thing,
"I think it's a generation thing. A lot of us are graduated and working in jobs that don't relate to our field."
According to the GhanaWeb.com nearly 45 percent of graduates from universities and other institutions are jobless. These graduates, the site states, are between the ages of 22 and 25.
"The most upsetting part is that I really thought the four years I put into studying would pay off," Hansen said. "I definitely wouldn't take it back. My college experience was great socially. I just thought getting a degree guarantees a job. But no."
"I don't feel it's hopeless. Maybe someday I'll get my dream job. Maybe not, but I've realized I can't base my happiness on if I have a career job," Trump said.
natashabodily@gma·il.
forms, then stir in the chocolate chips. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and egg with a fork until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredient mixture with a fork until large dough clumps form.
Use your hands to press the dough (while in the bowl) into a ball. The dough will seem pretty dry but, as you press it, will come together. If you need to, flick a few drops of water into the bottom of the bowl to get the combination to adhere.
Turn the doughball out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently pat into ·a round about 7 1/2 inches across and 3/4 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the round into eight equally sized wedges. On the parchment-covered baking sheet, place the wedges about 1 inch apart.
Note: You can also make one batch of dough into two rounds to make smaller scones.
See BISCUITS, Page 6
Think USU is boring? The Power Rangers don't
I recently returned from a regional conference in which I had the task of proposing Utah State to host an annual event in the fall. Essentially, our group was trusted with bragging USU up as much as possible. We spent weeks doing research and preparing for what I felt to be a riveting presentation, putting in every conceivable effort to, as the young people of society would put it, "Wow 'em." From most angles, it looked like a great success for us.
Sadly enough, we fell short of our goal to get the event, losing to another school for reasons I can't fully define. Also, they prom-
ised a water park. And water parks are cool. Drat. I guess we just didn't fit the mold the region wanted for the event, which got me thinking: ls USU really that interesting to people? Are we, dare I say it, a boring campus?
The answer is no. I say this with great emphasis because I came to a realization that I wish I would have realized when presenting for this conference. Life on the USU campus can be directly likened to the life of the deportments (~l 11111sic and theatre arts prescnr
1-1C
the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Yes, the very 1990s teen superhero sensation themselves.
It 's true, and I'm about to prove it to you. Buckle up. First and foremost, no super-team can function without an all-things-exciting headquarters. For the Power Rangers, that headquarters was a desert-dome, robothosted haven known as the Command Center.
For us Aggies, look no further' than the Merrill Cazier Library. It has everything a headquarters needs. We have technology branches fit with hundreds of computers, small think tank rooms on every floor and even a robotic book sorter that gives us access to every file on every evildoer this side of Hollywood Hogan. We even have an observatory just across the lawn: No doubt the library is definitely your one stop crime fighting shop.
Next, we are• going to need a place for some incredible battle sequences - after all there is no sense in having super heroes if there aren't villains. If we think for just a second, the Quad is a no-brainer.
It's enclosed enough that evil-doers can pop out of
Page 5
seemingly anywhere and stage an attack. It is a welltrafficked area, promoting a charging, panicked horde of innocent bystanders from almost sure danger. Most importantly, it has just enough open space to invite rangers to fight overgrown monsters with their always reliable, enormous robotic battle Zords. Heck, we even have an engineering program that could potentially build a Zord. Don't think they haven't tried. Battlegrounds, found.
Of course, the Rangers are going to need a means to morph. into their color coded and all too super gear. Well, um, I'm sure we have large enough bathroom stalls somewhere. That one was easy. Wait, it gets better. If you want to even train to become a Power Ranger, there are several martial arts classes offered at your leisure. It's as if Zordor:i, the Rangers' wise bodiless leader, himself created this place.
Speaking of Zordan, we've got that as well. Have you ever heard Professor Michael Ballam's singing voice? Pretty deep, wouldn't you say? It's eerie, I know, but don't try and deny it.
Finally, after a full day of planning at the Merrill Cazier Command Center, morphJng into your superself, seeking out the musically inclined Zordan for advice and protecting a worried public from an onslaught of bad guys on the Quad, it's always important to remember that you are still a young adult in need of a place to relax anp re-energize at the end of every episode. The Rangers themselves had "Ernie's Youth Center," a hip-to-be-square hangout where a smoothie bar meets a karate dojo, topped off with a well-lit dance floor and arcade. vyell. Hmm. Alright, so we don't exactly have that. But remember when I said we had an observatory? That's interesting, isn't it? So there we are, a campus akin to our favorite teen c rime fighters. I don't think anyone can deny that our campus is interesting. Now all we need is a water park. Water parks are cool.
- steve.schwartzman@aggiemail.usu.edu
American scones similar to biscuits
Bake until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes for full size, or 10-13 for the smaller size.
Orange Chocolate (variation):
Add 1 teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest to the dry ingredients before whisking.
Stir 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough after you've incorporated the butter. Serve drizzled with a glaze made with powdered sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Raspberry Vanilla (variation):
Add the pulp from 1 vanilla bean to the dry ingredients. You may need to use your fingers to work it in and separate the vanilla beans evenly. Add 1/4 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen) to the dough after you've incorporated the butter. Be careful not to stir too much or the scones will turn pink instead of having a pretty marbled look. Sprinkle with coa,rse vanilla sugar (or any sugar) before cutting and baking. - jenn.nelle@gmail.com
BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor
The USU men's basketball team is in the midst of a three-game winning streak and with a 61-60 win over Hawaii, the Aggies clinched fourth seed heading into the Western ~thletic Conference tournament.
"I think we're excited about the · tournament, we hopefully have some momentum," USU head coach Stew Morrill said. "Although, as I've always said, it's not about how you played last week or the last two weeks, its about how you play this week. As far as going in excited and in a good frame of mind, I think that we will do that."
The fourth seed will pit the Aggies against the fifth-seeded Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
"You still have to go play, and the four-versus-five game is probably the most evenly matched game that there is," Morrill said. "Louisiana Tech has been on a real roll. You watch them
play last weekend and, boy, they played really well. .They won at Fresno (State) and almost won at Nevadathey were ahead at halftime and ahead in the second half."
The Bulldog defense may still prove problematic for USU.
"Their press is at times a fullcourt-on-the-ball-when-you-take-itout-of-bounds press," Morrill said.
"And at other times it is kind of threequarter court, faster press, where they will trap you and see if you will turn it over. They will also run and double you at times in the half court, so they present a variety of looks that we have to prepare for in the next two days of practice. Our scout squad has a full plate."
USU swept the season series with Louisiana Tech, winning 69-65 in Ruston,.La., and 77-63 in Logan. Overall, USU is 14-2 all time against LTU, including a 2-0 record in the WAC Tournament. See MEN'S, Page 10
BY CURTIS LUNDSTROM staff writer
The Western Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament kicks off Wednesday, with eight teams competing for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Utah State will head into competition as the conference's No. 2 seed behind top dog, Fre~no State. The Aggies finished the season with a 20-8 record and an 11-3 mark in WAC play.
Up fust for USU is the University of Nevada on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
The Wolf Pack finished the season with a 7-22 record overall this season, including a 3-11 record in conference play. Utah State swept the two meetings this season, 91-69 at home Jan. 21 and 84-72 in Reno, Nev., Feb. 16.
"The first time we played them they didn't have Kayla Williams," USU head coach Raegan Pebley said. "We feel like this is a very good team that we're getting ready to play. They are coming
Senior forward Ashlee Brown (Chandler, Ariz.) helped lead Utah State to a pair of home wins against Hawai'i (8564) and San Jose State (84-71). Against the Rainbows, Brown had 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for her ninth double-double of off of two great wins. They've got great tournament history as well, I think we've got a difficult first-round draw." Junior guard Devyn Christensen ' leads three fellow Aggie players in double figures in scoring at 20 points per game. Senior forward Ashlee Brown averages 14.4 points per game, and senior guard Brooke Jackson averages 12.1 points per game.
February Athlete of the Month is Preston
"She has definitely been a huge spark for our team
Medlin
This past week, for example, Medlin averaged 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 58.3 percent from the field (14-24), 50.0 percent from three-point range (8-16) anp was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line. On the season, Medlin ranks first in the WAC in three-point shooting (.435), third in scoring (16.6), sixth in free throw shooting (.795), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64), 10th in assists (3.13), and 11th in overall shooting (.500), He was also named to the WAC First Team in post-season honors.
Jones wins all-around
BY MEREDITH KINNEY sports senior writer
Utah State gymnastics honored seniors Haley Hogan and Rebecca Holliday on Monday for Senior Night, but it was a sophomore who stole the spot}jght against Brigham Young University.
USU's Paige Jones won the all-around with a career-high 39.200. She shared the vault title and claimed sole possession of the beam title on her way to the win.
Despite Jones' big night, the Aggies fell to BYU in the dual meet 193.675-195.525, The Aggies opened up the meet on vault and pushed through low start values to score a 48.300 on the event.
"We actually had a great vault," Richards said. "We changed a few things this week, and we actually had a higher start value than we have in the past."
Jones said the gymnasts are aware every vault is important.
"We have to really make our values count, because we don't have some of the higher start values," Jones said.
Freshman Sarah Landes flipped for 9.75 before Jones stuck the landings of both her ' vaults perfectly to score 9.850.
On bars for the first rotation, BYU hung three scores
SOPHOMORE PAIGE JONES
BYU. CURTIS RIPPLJNGE.R photo . higher than 9.8, including a 9.850 from sophomore Raquel Willman, who tied with Jones for the win. After sliding to second last week, the Aggies are back atop the Western Athletic Conference on bars but struggled to post high scores on the event.
"Going into bars we felt very confident," Richards said. "I don't know what happened. That's not our typical team." On beam Utah State freshman Ashley Follett landed a career-high 9.775. Hogan matched Follet's score for her own career best in the event. BYU once again posted three scores of9.800 or
"For now we will figure it out," Richards said. "We'll come out in these next two meets and try to boost that score up a little bit."
BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor
season. Guard Preston Medlin earned first-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors as a sophomore when the league announced the awards Sunday. Senior guard Brockeith Pane earned honorable mention honors, and junior forward Kyisean Reed earned WAC all-newcomer team honors.
With Medlin's honor, Utah State has now had 21 first-team all-conference selections over the past 13 seasons. For USU, this is the 13th straight year it has had at least one first-team all-league selection. Overall, Utah State has had nine first-team all-WAC players in its seven years in the league.
"I thought it was awesome that Preston Medlin, as a sophomore, was named first-team all-league," USU head coach Stew Morrill said. "I think he definitely deserved it. You look at his shooting percentages and his points per game and all the things that he did for us, he had a great sophomore year."
Medlin averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and shot 50.0 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from 3-point range and 79.5 percent at the free-throw line.
He currently ran"ks first in the WAC in 3-point shooting, third in scoring, seventh in free-throw shooting, ninth in assist-toturnover ratio (l.64), 10th in assists and 10th in overall shooting. Overall, Medlin has scored in double figures a team-leading 26 times this year, including in each of his past 14 games.
Pane averaged 12.4 points and 3.97 assists and shot 40.8 percent from the field, 30.3 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent at the free-throw line.
He currently ranks fifth in the WAC in free-throw shooting, seventh in assists and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.40). Pane· has scored in double figures 22 times this year to rank second on the team behind Medlin (26). '
For Pane, this is the second straight year he has been honored by the WAC, as he was named to the league's first team as a · junior.
Reed averaged 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.10 blocks per game and shot 61.7 percent from the field and 63.6 percent at the free-throw line. He currently ranks first in the WAC in field-goal shooting, sixth in blocked shots and 13th in rebounding.
"The nature of it is, that you always hope coaches will vote as many of your guys as possible," Morrill said. "We had three guys recognized, and we're appreciative of that. Brockeith (Pane) as an honorable mention and Kyisean (Reed) as a newcomer, all of that is a positive for those guys and certainly for our team." Nevada's Deonte Burton was named the WAC Player of the Year, and Louisiana Tech's Raheem Appleby was named the Freshman of the Year. Nevada's David Carter earned the WAC Coach of the Year.
- ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.e~u
Senior hockey players to compete in national tournament for final time
BY MEREDITH KINNEY sports senior writer
When the Aggies head to Florida for the ACHA National Tournament, it will be the last time two Aggies will take the ice in a Utah State uniform. The two seniors marked their careers not with flashy plays but by being a solid part of the
AGGIE SENIOR JEREMY
MARTIN takes a shot during practice at the Eccles Ice Center. CODY GOCHNOUR
Utah State hockey core. Aggie defenseman Jeremy Martin played for Utah Valley University before transferring to USU when that team dissolved in 2009. Cache Valley native David Reeve is the only Cache Valley local on the Utah State team. Martin was described by USU head coach Jon Eccles as a "silent leader."
The Vancouver, British Columbia, native started • playing hockey as a kid and rode the levels up through college. ·
He played college hockey for Utah Valley and is the last of the four players who came to Utah State to graduate from UVU when the team fell apart. Martin said he doesn't regret making the move to USU.
"I am definitely happy to be up here," Martin said. "I don't know what would have happened if I stayed down there. My life would have been a lot different."
Eccles said Martin's graduation is bittersweet.
"They were a group of players who you hate to play against but then when they came and played with us we loved it," Eccles said. "They brought so much to the team with their intensity and skill."
Each year since the transfer the Aggies have
SENIOR DAVID REEVE is one ofthree seniors who will play their last game in an Aggie uniform at the ACHA National Tournament later this month. CODY GOCHNOUR photo graduated UVU play~rs. The first to go was Micheal Douglas, then last year USU lost David Wyman and Seth Armitage. Now Martin's time is up. "It was a fun time and it's been kind of hard," Eccles
said. "It's been sad to see them go."
Eccles said Martin's intensity and work ethic on the ice will be missed. "He has so much passion and works so hard out there," Eccles said. "Even
when
Martin
"Every
Martin
"They
After
"It
Wednesday, March 1, 2012
• From Page 7
Men's team not top seed for first time since 2007
"When you play Louisiana Tech, you are looking at a different type of game than you often see. There is a lot of pressure going on, there is a lot of overplay going on," Morrill said. "They're smaller at times out there, but they're very, very quick, and they use that quickness to their advantage by their style of play. We can't go into the game and turn it over 25 times and expect to win. We've got to take care of the ball against those type of quick athletes and that kind of pressure."
This is the first time in five years USU (17-14, 8-6) will not be the top seed in the WAC tournament. The last time USU was the fourth seed in a conference tournament was in 2007 when it defeated Hawaii (73-70) and No. 9 Nevada (79-77), before losing at New Mexico State (72-70) in the WAC championship game.
The Aggies are 5-6 all time as the No. 4 seed in conference tournaments and have
advanced to the championship game twice. They lost both championship games - in 1996 and in 2007. 0-Yerall, this is the seventh time in school history that USU has entered postseason play as the No. 4 seed.
"We won it one year when we were third," Morrill said.
"This is year seven for us in the WAC, and I don't remember the lowest seed that has won the tournament. It may only be as low as third, there may have been a four, but the further down the order you are in terms of your seed and how you finished the regular season over the long haul, it has been proven to be harder for those teams to win it.
"It can happen, you just have to believe it can happen, and what we will stress is the fact that we've played every team in our league - for the most part tough - and had chances to win every night out, maybe with the exception of at New Mexico State. That
means that you can play with people, you just got to string some good games together. Hopefully we can do that."
Utah State is 12-4 all time in the WAC Tournament and has advanced to the championship game five times in its first six years in the league, including winning the tournament championships in 2009 and 2011.
Under Morrill, USU is 25-7 in postseason conference tournaments and has won six tournament championships. During the past 12 years, USU has played in its conference's postseason tournament championship game 10 times.
USU is also 16-14 (.533) all time in quarterfinal games, including a 5-0 record since joining the WAC.
In other quarterfinal matchups Thursday, thirdseeded Idaho (18-12, 9-5) will play sixth-seeded Hawaii (15-15, 6-8) in the first game of the day, at 1 p.m., followed by second-seeded New Mexico
State (23-9, 10-4) playing seventh-seeded Fresno State (13-19, 3-11) at 3:30 p.m.
The third quarterfinal game will feature top-seeded Nevada (25-5, 13-1) against eighth-seeded San Jose State (9-21, 1-13), at 7 p.m., followed by the Aggie game against LTU at 9:30 p.m.
The semifinals will be played Friday, at 7 p.m., with the winner of the Idaho vs. Hawaii game facing the winner of the New Mexico State vs. Fresno State game. The other semifinal game, at 9:30 p.m., will have the winner of the Nevada vs. San Jose State • game playing the winner of the Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech game.
The championship game of the WAC Tournament will be played Saturday, at 10 p.m., and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
-
ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu
• From Page 7
Women looking for title
offense: field goal percentage (46.4 percent), free throw percentage (78.7 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (42.3 percent).
Three Aggie players rank in the top 10 in the WAC in 3-point percentages: Sophomore guard Jennifer Schlott at 48.3 percent (second), Christensen at 44.1 percent (third) and Jackson at 40.4 percent (fourth).
Jackson leads the conference in field goal percentage at 56.5 percent, and Christensen is tops in free throw percentage at 94.7 percent. Christensen and Brown were named to the First Team All-WAC ob Monday, and Brown was named Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Year.
"Ashlee
BY TAVIN STUCKI sports editor
The
and running backs coach.
'Tm thrilled to be coaching with him again," Sanford said. "I have a lot of respect and admiration for him as a football coach. It is a great honor to be a part of not only his staff but a part of Utah State Aggie football."
Sanford began coaching in 1977 as a graduate assistant for the University of Southern California. Since then he has served in a variety of positions with the San Diego Chargers, Notre Dame, Purdue, Army, Long Beach State and Virginia Military Institute.
Andersen said Sanford is
SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 vs. Southern Utah 6p.m.
the right path. Yes, the Jazz need to shake things up. As one friend put it, they need a "youth movement," and although it might sound like ~ome hip phrase from the ' 70s, it really is what they need. Too many times this season, the Jazz have looked out of sync and lethargic. At the start of the season, people shrugged it off as just an after-effect of the lockout - myself included. That certainly seemed to be the case, too, after the Jazz shrugged off their early season defeats and threw together a nice string of wins and had one commentator calling them "the hottest team in the NBA."
Now, at 18-19, they're as cold as ice. That lethargy is back and more evident than ever. has to Something change.
It's time to let the young players inject some energy and passion into this squad.
Do you ev~r look at the facial expression of Al Jefferson and Devin Harris
and wonder "how on earth can we win with guys who look so disinterested?"
They play the whole game with the same demeanor and look on their face.
Nothing ever changes. I never feel like they are going to come through in the clutch, becaus.e by the way they act and look it seems they don't think they will, either. How can Utah develop a championshipcaliber team when its socalled best players play like that? They can't.
First, the Jazz need to find a new starting point guard. Harris hasn't done the job. Since leaving Dallas, he hasn't done anything except play for losing teams. Earl Watson is a great backup point guard bwt not a starter. Every championship team for as long as I can remember has had a great guard - point or shootingand the Jazz have neither. So, besides finding a suitable point guard, it's ' also time to sit Raja Bell down and let Alec Burks take over the starting roll. Burks has had some really good moments. this season, and he can't do much worse than Raja has since coming back to Utah. Just let him play. With that being said, C.J. Miles also needs to go. What does he give the Jazz? Yeah, I don't know either.
Al Jefferson has played on one winning team his entire career and that was his rookie season. In short,
he's a perennial loser. His offense is good but replaceable. His defense is bad and also replaceable. He needs be traded. Let Millsap and Favors take care of things down low. Millsap has been the best Jazz player the last two seasons, and Favors can be better than Jefferson on offense and defense. That's not to mention that their combined salary is less than Jefferson's, and a lower salary is something every NBA team wants.
Next, let Gordon Hayward play more and give him the ball more. He just needs confidence; he'll be a quality forward in the NBA. Finally, stop drafting and acquiring white, un-athletic big men. The NBA is dominated by athletic black g!,JYS that can dunk and shoot. If you're white and you want to succeed in the NBA, you .have to be athletic or be able to shoot. The big men the Jazz get can't do either. We don't need any more Ostertags, Fesenkos, Koufouses or Kanters.
Please, Utah, for my sanity, as well as every other Jazz fan's, change things up.
- Spencer is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. He supports Manchester United and hopes to live long enough to watch the Cubs win a World Series. Send comments to eliason. wright3@aggiemail. usu.edu.
Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com
OurView Spring Break is for homebodies, too
As another Spring Break approaches, freshmen in their second semesters at college are ready for another break, seniors are ready to get the heck out of here, and the rest of us are sitting around in limbo asking ourselves, "What am I going to do this year for Spring Break?"
Then, another question arises: Is it really necessary to come up with some elaborate plan to fill a single week without classes before we come right back to snowy, windy, gloomy Logan for another two months of unbelievable fun in classes?
Some of you may only have a few miles to travel to see friends or family. The Outdoor Recreation Program crew is heading dowrYlo Moab for the break, which is actually a great idea if the weather is nice. To them, we wish the best of luck - some of us have been rafting on the Colorado in March, and all we can say is wear some warm, non-cotton clothingenjoy. Others might be gearing up for March Madness, getting their brackets lined up. It's probably safe to assume Erik Mikkelsen is going to take advantage of the week by going on seven dates with seven different lucky ladies. It also might be somewhat safe to assume Christian ThraJ'p is going to visit his family to receive some last-minute support and a couple of pats on the back from his parents and siblings. What is everyone else going to do? Kidnappings are on the rise in Mexico, MTV's Spring Break shenanigans are long played out and plane tickets to anywhere worth visiting are upwards of at least $500. If money is of no object and you're not worried about the sadness you'll experience after jet-setting to some magical, exotic locale just to return to Cache Valley's perma-inversior:1, then go ahead, fly away to your paradise. We'll be here when you get back with open arms and a warm mug of hot cocoa. The rest of us normal folk will probably hunker down for a week with a mailbox-full of Netflix videos and a kitchen full of junk food. We may even wear the same set of pajamas the whole time and only shower enough times to remind ourselves that we're not still sleeping. That's right, Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow, which means in the rest of the hemisphere there are six more weeks - from Groundhog Day - of winter; and in Cache Valley spring doesn't come until summer time. Have a great Spring Break.
Obama more vulnerable than Republicans think
Real ~lear Politics has President Barack Obama lead- Nat '[Voice ing Mitt Romney, the 'likely Republican presidential nomi- What others are nee, by 4.6 percentage points saying about issues. in its poll average. Pollster.com gives Obama a similar lead. The bettors at lntrade.com give the Democrats a 60 percent chance of retaining the White House. And Republicans are growing more pessimistic. George Will of the Washington Post thinks they should throw in the towel. The conventional wisdom has moved substantially in the president's favor in recent weeks, but the underlying circumstances of the election have not. The Republicans still have a good shot at winning the presidency. Start with Obama's poll numbers, which are mediocre. His job-approval rating has been trending upward since October, but is still below 50 percent. More people disapprove than approve of his performance on health care and on the economy - two issues likely to be critical in the election. A Gallup/ USA Today poll recently found that among swing-state voters, Romney is actually beating Obama. Even in state polls that have Obama ahead, his numbers are weak: He's below 46 percent in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Iowa. And almost 60 percent of Americans believe the country is "on the wrong track," which typically doesn't bode well for an incumbent president.
All these numbers could keep improving for Obama if the economy keeps improving, too. The conventional wisdom depends on both straight-line projections coming true. The economy, however, faces considerable downside risk. An Israeli strike on Iran could send oil prices soaring. Europe's sovereign-debt crisis may worsen, and spread to America. And even an improving economy will not be, by historical standards, a strong one. No incumberit has won re-election with unemployment of more than 7.2 percent since Franklin Roosevelt. Unemployment has a surprisingly weak correlation with election outcomes - but the data set doesn't •) See NATIONAL, Page 12
Forum Letters
ASUSU is all talk, no action
To the editor:
I realize that I am a little late for the elections this year, so let's call this a head start on my campaign for the 2013-14 school year. Under my presidency, USU will enjoy a year of perfect bliss. My first action will be to demolish the HPER Building and replace it with a pond. That pond will be filled with ducks, and those ducks will be filled with joy. The people can feed the ducks, but they are all allergic to
Letters to the editor• A public forum
wheat gluten, so be sure that your bread is gluten-free. I will build a skyscraper one hundred stories tall in the shape of an arm. The arm will be very muscular and the hand will be in a fist, showing that USU means business. It will, in fact, be called "This Means Business Building," since Jon Huntsman already took "The Business Building." up. He'll also die if there's a gas leak warning you to get out.
Every day we will gather on the Quad for ultimate Frisbee. The losing team has to work in Uncle Kendall's Happy Time Mine where they will dig for fun and smiles. Don't forget the canary. He will whistle a happy tune while you work to keep your spirits
We will party, party, party, all day long and drink root beers and sarsaparilla - which we will pronounce "sarsparilly." If you choose not to party I will have my fun cop? beat you within an inch of your life. But they'll do it out of love, so you can't be mad. Most importantly, I will fulfill very few of these promises and it will be a quiet year in the ASUSU halls, because, let's face it - that's the way it is and always will be.
Kendall Pack
Let Americans omit pledge's religious phrases
In 2007, a group of 50 students attending Boulder High School in Boulder, Colo., marched out of class when the school conducted the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and said their own version, omitting "under God."
Seeing the pervasiveness of religion, and recognizing and respecting their right to practice or not practice as they see fit, the students took a stand.
"Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God," Emma Martens, president of the Student Worker activist club, said.
At the time, Martens spoke for thousands of students who feel the same way across America. They are not alone. More and more often, adults and young adults are taking a secular viewpoint regarding the Pledge of Allegiance and other religious issues.
A group of conscious youth calling attention to a national issue deserves kudos in and of itself, particularly, when concerning such a sensitive issue: But responses viewable on chat forums, as well as letters to newspapers, generally expressed sentiments of shock and indignation. How dare the uppity American youth defile the building blocks upon which we collectively stand? The increasing acceptance of secularism in the Pledge of Allegiance is often perceived as a general lack of respect for the flag, the nation it represents and the armed forces who sacrifice to protect shared freedoms.
Although, I'm sure at times the omission of "under God" is carried out by snarkyteens who like to cause a stir, but for the most part I believe these students are demonstrating their knowledge on the principle of separation of church and state. This idea, which seems to be sinking further into the dark pores of the religious rights sponge, is a deeper issue than a few simple words in the Pledge of Allegiance.
There seems to be a predominant notion that the U.S. is a Christian nation - founded by forefathers who worshipped the JudeoChristian monotheistic god - and remains blessed because of the righteousness of its predominantly Christian inhabitants.
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the forefathers were deists who believed in a god who does not interfere with our daily lives. They practiced no particular religion; Benjamin Franklin is often quoted as saying that lighthouses are more helpful than churches. And regardless of their personal spirituality, they all believed that freedom of religion should be maintained at all costs, including the privilege to not worship a god.
A recent study that polled both
• See LIZZEN, Page 12
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•)From NATIONAL, Page 11
include many examples of elections with joblessness in today's range Confident judgments about how the economy will do, and how it will affect the election, shouldn't be trusted.
Our expectations about what the race will look like in the fall are distorted by what it looks like now.
"Our primary is not much fun to watch - it's pretty .messy, and it's pretty bruising," says Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. "Once there's a one-on-one race between our nominee and the president, all of that changes overnight." Republicans will unify, he predicts, "because four more years of Obama is an untenable thought for any conservative."
The likelihood that conservatives would fail to turn out for Romney is overblown. Conservatives clearly have serious reservations about him. But come November they will be choosing between a candidate who favors.tax cuts, the repeal of Obama's health-care law, and the appointment of conservative Supreme Court justices, and a candidate who opposes each of those things. In competitive presidential races, conservatives always turn out for the Republican.
The back-and-forth of the Republican primaries has driven up Romney's "negatives" - that is, the percentage of Americans who say they have an unfavorable view of him. This trend is widely held to be indicative of how costly the primaries have been for him. But is it really?
Some of the people who report unfavorable views of Romney are conservatives who are currently supporting candidates his campaign has savaged, but who will vote for him in November. Many
of the rest are people who were bound to have a negative opinion of Romney by then anyway.
Everyone expects a negative campaign on both sides. The bitter primary may just have fast-forwarded the increase of Romney's negatives. Even with high negatives, and even without the ability to drive a message that damages Obama, Romney is only a few points behind Obama in the polls.
Sean Trende, the senior elections analyst for Real Clear Politics, pointed out last November that Obama's poll numbers have tended to rise when he has been out of the headlines. Obama's recent gain has conformed to the pattern. Republicans have been absorbed in recent months with internal battles, and political coverage has been, too. Obama won't be able to stay invisible in the fall.
Romney isn't a natural political talent, and he has had trouble winning the blue-collar support that he will need in November. But Obama also lacks an easy rapport with these voters, and his own political skills are overrated.
He may well win re-election, as most incumbents do. But if he is favored to win, he isn't heavily favored. In recent weeks, both E.J. Dionne Jr. of the Washington Post and Albert R. Hunt of Bloomberg View have warned Obama's team against overconfidence. They're right. The more Obama thinks the election is his, the less it will be.
- This column was prepared by Ramesh Ponnuru of the Bloomberg News
From LIZZEN, Page 11
Americans and Canadians indicated that when given a description of an untrustworthy person, atheists and rapists were rated about the same. I am convinced our forefathers would roll in the proverbial grave if they knew this. With more than 500 million atheists worldwide, this poses a significant prejudice toward a major group of people.
It could be argued that since this is a democratic nation made up mostly of religious peoples, the insertion of "under God" was a fair practice of religious freedom. After all, it wasn't included in the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954 when Congress voted to include it. Unfortunately, though, religious freedom has become a legal beast in and of itself. Religions have heavily capitalized on their protected statuses. While bringing in huge amounts of income - often spent on shady or politically motivated expenditures - denominations remain untaxed. Employers are obligated to make accommodations for any sincerely held religious belief, no matter how ridiculous it may be.
Those who question the wide legal berth granted to religion are often criticized as ignorant, close-minded and big-
oted - making the brave Colorado teens' decision to speak up even more important. In a time when pronouncing oneself as atheist is even more politically suicidal than coming out of the closet as gay, any opportunity to more clearly define the blurred line between church and state is a good opportunity.
Is the Pledge of Allegiance going to be changed anytime soon? Probably not, since we do live in a predominantly religious nation. But it is important to remember, above all, that the pledge is something we recite, not something we are governed by. We can show our loyalty to the nation by saying it, but it does not dictate our laws or morals. When atheists choose to omit "under God" when they recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it doesn't make them disloyal, untrustworthy or attention-hungry; it means they are exercising their right to religious freedom.
- Liz Emery
The Joke's On YOUI
Check it outl Take a look at this cartoon the only thing missing is the punch line, the big finish, the gagl You need to supply that for readers of The Statesman. We post those on our website, www. utahstatesman.com, as soon as we get them and folks can vote for their fave! Winner will receive a restaurant gift certificate! Here are the gags received for this week's cartoon:
"I've heard offoreign tax shelters before but this is new to me "
"It looks like the anal probes are deductible but there is a limit on travel expenses" "I don't think this business travel expense of two million light years is gonna fly."
"This ten thousand dependents thing is gonna draw a red flag."
"Ah! Mr. Za'Taripach Looks like you still owe the government a couple million dollars for the Roswell cover-up."
"Yes, Mr !334#97*!, we file our work alphabetically, but your name looks more like a zip code and what's this about the Union of Separatist Galaxies?"
"I will have to double check, but I'm not sure donating to Occupy the World Foun dation counts as a charitable contribution."
today is Wednesday March 7, 2012. Today's issue ofThe Utah Statesman is dedicated to Kaitlyn Oifford, a freshman majoring in art from Bountiful Utah.
Almanac
Today in History: On this day in 1876 29-year-old Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his revolutionary new invention- the telephone.
Weather
High: 41• Low: 19• Sides: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of morning snow showers.
Forecast: 15% Off with Student IV on regular-priced Items! c;,1/t-11Jc.:. lij~s4 N Main St.. Sm,thfi~ Just 5 minutes down the road! Reservations/ 435-563-9179
Wednesday March 7
Annual Spring Book Sale! USU Library, all books only 25 cents, only 3 days.
RRR Auction- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, 6 p.m., 244 S Main, Live auction.
Nature Night at Stokes Nature Center, 4-7 p.m., 2696 East Highway 89 Logan Canyon 'The Pirates of Penzance' at the Morgan Theater at 7:30 p.m. March 7-10.
Thursday March 8 Logan Unplugged, acoustic music night, 8 - 10 p.m. at Sultans Tavern 205 So. Main Annual Spring Book Sale! USU Library, all books only 25 cents, only 3 days.
Lost Treasures of Utah State University Exhibit 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Big Band Swing Club, 7 p.m., HPER 215 •> 'The Pirates of Penzance' at the Morgan Theater at 7:30 p.m. March 7-10.
Friday March 9
Last Day to Drop Classes (W on transcript) and Last Day to change to P/ D+/D/F •> Annual Spring Book Sale! USU Library, all books only 25 cents, only 3 days.
Lost Treasures of Utah State University Exhibit 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. •> 'The Pirates of Penzance' at the Morgan Theater at 7:30 p.m. March 7-10.
Clarinetist Tad Calcara performs, 4-5 p.m. The Cache Valley Stargazers, 7:30 p.m. Room 244 of the ScienceEngineering-Research (SER) Building.
Dropping classes You Need to Know: Registration dates to March 9, Room 244 of the remember: March 9-Last Science-Engineering-Research Day to Drop Classes (W on (SER) Building The meeting transcript) and Last Day to will feature a talk by Dr. Shane change to P/D+/D/F; March Larson from USU entitled "The 10-May- No Dropping of Dark Side of the Sky: Seeing, Classes Permitted; March 12-16 protecting and recovering the - Spring Break (No Classes held) night sky:' USU students have created The Utah State Film Club a Pre-Occupational Therapy and Caine College of the Arts club. If students "like" USU invite you to submit your films to Pre-O.T. club on facebook, they'll the Logan Film Festival. You are find out when our meetings invited to submit any film you are, what service projects were have produced since 2009 for our doing, and information that we've upcoming festival in April. For provided about Occupational more information, please visit Therapy. They can also visit the www.loganfilmfestival.com. website at http://usupreotweebly. Friday, March 9, Master com/. Going into the field? Get guitarist Kris Krompel will informed about it. perform from 6-8 p m. at Pier 49 Pizza Pie Cafe will donate San Francisco Style Sourdough 25 percent of food purchases Pizza, located at 99 East 1200 on Monday, March 5 through South Kris is one of the most Thursday, March 8 for a versatile professional musicians sustainable development project in the valley, and this is a rare in rural Ecuador. Just be sure chance to hear him perform to bring in the fundraising card a solo set without his band. when you order (available in the No cover charge. Katie Jo will ENVS department office-NR perform Saturday night from 6-8 201, or online: http://www. p.m. Katie Jo is one of the best camaronescommunitycoalition. acoustic singer/songwriters in org/files/5613/3013/2084/PPC_ the valley; you'll love her soulful FundraiserCards.pdf 100 percent style. of the money raised is going RRR Auction- Reuse, toward sustainable development Reduce, Recycle 6 p.m. 244 S in a rural community in Ecuador, Main. RRR Auction has a LIVE with the main focus being auction evef)'. Wednesday night construction of a community at 6 pm till done with a LIVE center and completion of a Auctioneer, Food Vendors, Lots potable drinking water project. of goods to be sold and fun to Live Music at Caffe Ibis be had. Please stop by early and by Robert Linton, 'This music browse the auction and sign up breathes life into the stillness' - to be a bidder. See you there! Come enjoy the music stylings of The Intensive English Robert Linton (acoustic) Friday, Language Institute (IELI) March 9, 4:45-6:45pm, 52 Federal awards two $500 scholarships Ave. Local favorites Old Ephraim each year to former students who String Band, Joe Morales and have completed all of the IELI Katie Henderson will put a smile Level 4 course and are currently on your face and a bounce in studying for a bachelors degree your step with their infectious at USU. The scholarship will bluegrass music. Free show. be awarded on the basis of Bluegrass intercultural involvement, Sunday, March 11, noon-2pm. academic scholarship, and The Cache Valley Stargazers financial need. are holding their monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday,
