Published in the Utah Statesman February 16, 2009
To celebrate Engineering Week, the USU Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section is sponsoring the second Annual Ms. Engineering Queen Pageant Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in the TSC Sunburst/International Lounge. The competition is open to any female engineering major, and anyone is invited to watch the competition.
Sara Driggs, SWE section president and senior in mechanical aerospace engineering, said the idea for the pageant came after members watched the Miss America Pageant last year at the SWE Regional Conference in Pasadena, Calif.
“All of a sudden the idea hit us all at once, ‘We should do a pageant at Engineering Week,’” she said. “We had three weeks and we pulled the whole thing off. This year it’s really exciting to do it again.”
Driggs said the pageant consists of three sections: the “Engi-Nerd” competition, where contestants dress up like nerds; the business attire competition and the evening wear competition. This year, she said, they are also adding a nerdy man competition for male engineers, who will also escort the women in the evening wear competition.
Driggs said the Ms. Engineering Queen Pageant is one of many activities sponsored by SWE, a national organization designed to help collegiate and professional women in engineering succeed and advance. The USU section, which has doubled in size from 25 to 49 members this past year, has put on professional development workshops, holiday parties and given presentations about engineering to junior high school-aged girls interested in math and science.
Driggs said meeting with the young girls was one of the section’s favorite activities.
“We introduced the idea of engineering to junior high-age girls,” she said. “It’s really neat.”
Each year, Driggs said the chapter also travels to the SWE Regional Conference, which was held in Albuquerque, N.M., this year. Driggs said of the 60 collegiates from five states in attendance, 16 were USU students.
“USU had a really nice presence,” she said. “Everybody knew USU was there.”
Driggs said the conference includes workshops, speakers and a career fair to help students network with professionals that may not be aware of USU or visit Utah.
"Something good always comes from the conference,” she said. “Somebody gets an internship or an interview ... or opportunities they would not have had otherwise.”
Amy Jo Bowdidge, mechanical aerospace engineering senior, is also involved with SWE as the Regional Collegiate Representative (RCR). She and one other representative in Southern California are responsible for about 34 SWE sections in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Southern California.
“Regional Collegiate Representatives are the connection from membership to the national level of the society,” she said. “I’m their voting voice.”
Bowdidge said she informs sections of new items to be voted on and the new ideas and things discussed at a national level and then votes on the issues.
Bowdidge said SWE is an important organization because it helps create a level playing ground for women in engineering. She said the society has about 21,000 collegiate and professional members, which creates many valuable networking opportunities.
“As collegiates we can look at the SWE professionals, see the paths they took and how they got there,” she said. “It’s really cool to have that community. It’s a good way to connect with other women and network.”
Bowdidge said she is proud of the growth the USU section has experienced.
“This year I was really proud of our section. We doubled in membership and had a huge presence in (the SWE conference) in Albuquerque,” she said.
Driggs said the SWE’s greatest strength is in its accessibility to all women engineers.
“I think SWE is awesome,” she said. “Most important, anyone in the college of engineering – married, single, collegiate, professional, freshman or graduate – anyone can join SWE.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
A weekend on the road: less than 30 miles from Logan
Published in the Utah Statesman February 13, 2009
Sick of watching a movie, hanging out at home with friends or going out to dinner for entertainment? How about snowshoeing, going on a food sampling tour, jumping around at a tumbling gym or exploring beautiful Logan Canyon? These are just a few of the dozens of things students can do within just a half hour of Logan.
Starting a little more than a half hour north of Logan near Preston, Idaho is Riverdale Resort Hot Springs, one of many natural hot pools around Cache Valley. Besides “five pools of wonderful naturally warm water,” in the summer, the resort also features a junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, camping and RV sites, picnic shelters, a bed and breakfast and two hydro tube slides (www.allidaho.com/mall/riverdale).
Although several of the amenities are only open in the summer, the toasty natural pools make Riverdale a great place to visit in chilly winter months.
About 15 miles northeast of Preston is the Oneida Narrows, a canyon reservoir perfect for tubing in the summer. Cheryl Hobbs, long-time Preston resident and student at BYU-Idaho, said floating the Oneida Narrows is one of her favorite summer activities.
“There’s just enough rapids that it makes it really fun,” she said. “There are also a couple of small waterfalls you go over.”
Hobbs said she recommends floating the canyon in the warmer summer months because the water can get pretty cold. Besides simply tubing the canal, Hobbs said she has also seen people float the river on air mattresses and kayaks.
Hobbs said there are also many reservoirs and lakes near Preston that are perfect places for swimming, campouts, picnics and bonfires. She said her favorites are Glendale, Lamont and Twin Lake reservoirs, all within about 15-20 minutes of Preston.
A little closer to Logan there are several world-famous food factories and plants, including Gossner’s Cheese Factory in Logan, Pepperidge Farm and Casper’s Ice Cream factories in Richmond. These factories are great places to visit for tours, free samples and to purchase inexpensive factory “seconds.”
Gossner’s Cheese Factory, located on 1051 N. 1000 West in Logan, processes 1,900,000 pounds of milk into cheese daily, according to their Web site, www.gossner.com. The factory offers samples of cheese spreads, world-famous squeaky cheese and flavored shelf-stable milk. While there, purchase a case of individual 8-ounce cartons of flavored milk in chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, vanilla and several other flavors.
Pepperidge Farm Factory is located at 901 N. 200 West in Richmond. According to their Web site, www.pepperidgefarm.com, their thrift store, the only one in the western United States, offers inexpensive factory seconds of products like Milano cookies or Goldfish.
Finally, Casper’s Ice Cream factory is located at 11805 N. 200 East in Richmond. The factory offers tours and inexpensive Fatboy Ice Cream bar factory seconds. The Casper’s Malt Shoppe in Providence is also a delicious place to stop for a treat anytime.
Free food is always a poor college student favorite, and other food-related ideas include bread samples at the Old Grist Mill and Great Harvest, chocolate samples at The Bluebird Restaurant and samples at Sam’s Club for members.
Want to see a movie? Instead of going to a regular theater, check out The Reel Time Theatre, a small theater on 795 N. Main that shows unique, independent films.
Visit the Cache Valley Fun Park, well-known among USU students for Monday and Wednesday night swing dancing. Besides dancing, the Fun Park also has bowling, a laser tag arena, Utah’s largest indoor soft playground and a roller rink. Roller skating is only $2 on Tuesday nights if students bring their own skates.
Jodi Burton, junior in public relations, said she purchased roller skates at the D.I. a few years ago and has used them well at the Fun Park’s $2 Tuesdays and around Logan.
“Roller skating is an inexpensive, fun activity that can be done almost anywhere,” she said. She also said another great place to roller skate, long-board, bike, walk or run for free is on the river walk by the Logan River Golf Course on 550 W. 1000 South.
Besides offering exercise equipment, dance and aerobics classes, racquetball and basketball courts and a swimming pool, the Sports Academy on 1655 N. 200 East is also home to a little-known gem of Logan – High Point Gym. This tumbling gym offers gymnastics equipment and three world-class trampolines that can launch a person about 30 feet in the air. College and adult open gym nights are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
The Rock Hauss, an indoor climbing gym, is directly across the street from the Sports Academy on 1780 N. 200 East. This gym has about 12,000 square feet of climbing area. A day pass is $13 for students and monthly climbing passes are also available.
The Gardener’s Market each Saturday from May through October is another fun activity in Logan. The market is held at Pioneer Park, located on 200 E. 100 South and features local art, music and fresh homegrown produce.
Students looking for activity ideas don’t have to look farther than Utah State’s own campus. Sledding and ice blocking down Old Main Hill, and playing ultimate frisbee, soccer and flying kites on the Quad have always been student favorites on campus.
The Outdoor Recreation Center (ORC), located at 1050 N. 650 East is another great place resource for students interested in doing anything outdoors.
Pete Timmons, English literature senior and ORC employee, said the center rents “practically anything” a person would need to enjoy the outdoors at a very reasonable price. This includes anything from mountain bikes to cross-country skis to yurts and zero-degree sleeping bags. Timmons said one of the most popular rental right now is snowshoes, only $10 for an entire weekend.
“Every weekend we’ve been sold out of snowshoes,” Timmons said.
He also said ORC employees are happy to suggest places to hike, bike, ski and camp. For more information about ORC rentals, visit their Web site at www.usu.edu/orc.
Logan Canyon is less than 5 minutes from campus and offers a host of year-round activities and possibilities. Stokes Nature Center, Second Dam, the Wind Caves hike, the Bear Lake Overlook trail and dozens of other trails for hiking, biking and snowshoeing are right at students’ fingertips. For a complete Logan Canyon scenic byways guide, visit www.byways.org/explore/byways/2001/ for more information.
Willow Park Zoo, located at 419 W. 700 South in Logan, is another fun activity year-round, featuring dozens of birds, mammals and reptiles for only a $1 admission.
Moving south of Logan, Porcupine Reservoir is a great place for fishing, camping, swimming and cliff diving during the summer.
American West Heritage Center, located at 4025 S. Highway 89-91 in Wellsville, offers activities year round like star-gazing, pony and wagon rides and several cultural exhibits. For more information on their schedule and activities at www.awhc.org.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Sick of watching a movie, hanging out at home with friends or going out to dinner for entertainment? How about snowshoeing, going on a food sampling tour, jumping around at a tumbling gym or exploring beautiful Logan Canyon? These are just a few of the dozens of things students can do within just a half hour of Logan.
Starting a little more than a half hour north of Logan near Preston, Idaho is Riverdale Resort Hot Springs, one of many natural hot pools around Cache Valley. Besides “five pools of wonderful naturally warm water,” in the summer, the resort also features a junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, camping and RV sites, picnic shelters, a bed and breakfast and two hydro tube slides (www.allidaho.com/mall/riverdale).
Although several of the amenities are only open in the summer, the toasty natural pools make Riverdale a great place to visit in chilly winter months.
About 15 miles northeast of Preston is the Oneida Narrows, a canyon reservoir perfect for tubing in the summer. Cheryl Hobbs, long-time Preston resident and student at BYU-Idaho, said floating the Oneida Narrows is one of her favorite summer activities.
“There’s just enough rapids that it makes it really fun,” she said. “There are also a couple of small waterfalls you go over.”
Hobbs said she recommends floating the canyon in the warmer summer months because the water can get pretty cold. Besides simply tubing the canal, Hobbs said she has also seen people float the river on air mattresses and kayaks.
Hobbs said there are also many reservoirs and lakes near Preston that are perfect places for swimming, campouts, picnics and bonfires. She said her favorites are Glendale, Lamont and Twin Lake reservoirs, all within about 15-20 minutes of Preston.
A little closer to Logan there are several world-famous food factories and plants, including Gossner’s Cheese Factory in Logan, Pepperidge Farm and Casper’s Ice Cream factories in Richmond. These factories are great places to visit for tours, free samples and to purchase inexpensive factory “seconds.”
Gossner’s Cheese Factory, located on 1051 N. 1000 West in Logan, processes 1,900,000 pounds of milk into cheese daily, according to their Web site, www.gossner.com. The factory offers samples of cheese spreads, world-famous squeaky cheese and flavored shelf-stable milk. While there, purchase a case of individual 8-ounce cartons of flavored milk in chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, vanilla and several other flavors.
Pepperidge Farm Factory is located at 901 N. 200 West in Richmond. According to their Web site, www.pepperidgefarm.com, their thrift store, the only one in the western United States, offers inexpensive factory seconds of products like Milano cookies or Goldfish.
Finally, Casper’s Ice Cream factory is located at 11805 N. 200 East in Richmond. The factory offers tours and inexpensive Fatboy Ice Cream bar factory seconds. The Casper’s Malt Shoppe in Providence is also a delicious place to stop for a treat anytime.
Free food is always a poor college student favorite, and other food-related ideas include bread samples at the Old Grist Mill and Great Harvest, chocolate samples at The Bluebird Restaurant and samples at Sam’s Club for members.
Want to see a movie? Instead of going to a regular theater, check out The Reel Time Theatre, a small theater on 795 N. Main that shows unique, independent films.
Visit the Cache Valley Fun Park, well-known among USU students for Monday and Wednesday night swing dancing. Besides dancing, the Fun Park also has bowling, a laser tag arena, Utah’s largest indoor soft playground and a roller rink. Roller skating is only $2 on Tuesday nights if students bring their own skates.
Jodi Burton, junior in public relations, said she purchased roller skates at the D.I. a few years ago and has used them well at the Fun Park’s $2 Tuesdays and around Logan.
“Roller skating is an inexpensive, fun activity that can be done almost anywhere,” she said. She also said another great place to roller skate, long-board, bike, walk or run for free is on the river walk by the Logan River Golf Course on 550 W. 1000 South.
Besides offering exercise equipment, dance and aerobics classes, racquetball and basketball courts and a swimming pool, the Sports Academy on 1655 N. 200 East is also home to a little-known gem of Logan – High Point Gym. This tumbling gym offers gymnastics equipment and three world-class trampolines that can launch a person about 30 feet in the air. College and adult open gym nights are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:30 to 10 p.m.
The Rock Hauss, an indoor climbing gym, is directly across the street from the Sports Academy on 1780 N. 200 East. This gym has about 12,000 square feet of climbing area. A day pass is $13 for students and monthly climbing passes are also available.
The Gardener’s Market each Saturday from May through October is another fun activity in Logan. The market is held at Pioneer Park, located on 200 E. 100 South and features local art, music and fresh homegrown produce.
Students looking for activity ideas don’t have to look farther than Utah State’s own campus. Sledding and ice blocking down Old Main Hill, and playing ultimate frisbee, soccer and flying kites on the Quad have always been student favorites on campus.
The Outdoor Recreation Center (ORC), located at 1050 N. 650 East is another great place resource for students interested in doing anything outdoors.
Pete Timmons, English literature senior and ORC employee, said the center rents “practically anything” a person would need to enjoy the outdoors at a very reasonable price. This includes anything from mountain bikes to cross-country skis to yurts and zero-degree sleeping bags. Timmons said one of the most popular rental right now is snowshoes, only $10 for an entire weekend.
“Every weekend we’ve been sold out of snowshoes,” Timmons said.
He also said ORC employees are happy to suggest places to hike, bike, ski and camp. For more information about ORC rentals, visit their Web site at www.usu.edu/orc.
Logan Canyon is less than 5 minutes from campus and offers a host of year-round activities and possibilities. Stokes Nature Center, Second Dam, the Wind Caves hike, the Bear Lake Overlook trail and dozens of other trails for hiking, biking and snowshoeing are right at students’ fingertips. For a complete Logan Canyon scenic byways guide, visit www.byways.org/explore/byways/2001/ for more information.
Willow Park Zoo, located at 419 W. 700 South in Logan, is another fun activity year-round, featuring dozens of birds, mammals and reptiles for only a $1 admission.
Moving south of Logan, Porcupine Reservoir is a great place for fishing, camping, swimming and cliff diving during the summer.
American West Heritage Center, located at 4025 S. Highway 89-91 in Wellsville, offers activities year round like star-gazing, pony and wagon rides and several cultural exhibits. For more information on their schedule and activities at www.awhc.org.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Every penny counts: Coupon swap allows students to save their money
Published in the Utah Statesman February 16, 2009
With the state of the economy, many students are doing everything they can to save a few bucks. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is helping out with the development of a coupon swap service, available for free to all students; male and female, traditional and re-entry.
Patricia Stevens, director of the Women’s and Reentry Student Center, said the program, which was actually her husband’s idea, was recently created to help students who may be tight on money.
“Given the state of the economy we’ve had a lot of students who are in more dire straights than they’ve been in the past,” she said. “This is a way to help them with not only groceries, but with other supplies.”
Stevens said all they ask is that students bring newspaper and mailer ads to the Women’s and Reentry Student Office (TSC 315). Their student workers then clip and categorize the ads in folders for any student to look through and take.
“We have made it very easy,” she said. “They’re divided into categories. We have coupons for restaurants, pets, portraits, health, cleaning products, non-edibles and business, baby, paper and storage products. You name it, we got it.”
Stevens said she hopes more students will begin taking advantage of the valuable service.
“It adds up,” she said, “it really does.”
Nicole Brown, junior in public relations, said she tries to use coupons whenever she can.
“I think it’s a great chance to save money, and in the economy we have anytime I can save money is good,” Brown said.
Brown said she usually looks through the supermarket ads that come in the mail and then uses them at places like Smith’s Marketplace, which rewards their shoppers with extra coupons if they use the coupons at their store.
“Sometimes it seems trivial to cut coupons out, but if you think about the money you’re saving it’s totally worth it,” she said.
Melanie Burr, junior in elementary education, said she was always taught to use coupons and find the best deal.
“When I was younger, my mom always told us if we wanted the good sugar cereal we had to find a coupon for it,” she said.
Burr said besides using ads in the Sunday paper, she often visits www.grocerysmart.com, a Web site that shows the best deals in local grocery store ads. Burr said she can often find lots of things for free just by paying close attention to the ads.
“I use coupons because it’s important to be wise with your money and it’s just an easy way to save money,” she said.
Stevens said she encourages all students to utilize the coupon swap service. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Stevens said she also strongly suggests students apply for the Women’s and Reentry scholarships, all due March 31. For more information visit the center’s Web site at www.usu.edu/womencenter/.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
With the state of the economy, many students are doing everything they can to save a few bucks. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is helping out with the development of a coupon swap service, available for free to all students; male and female, traditional and re-entry.
Patricia Stevens, director of the Women’s and Reentry Student Center, said the program, which was actually her husband’s idea, was recently created to help students who may be tight on money.
“Given the state of the economy we’ve had a lot of students who are in more dire straights than they’ve been in the past,” she said. “This is a way to help them with not only groceries, but with other supplies.”
Stevens said all they ask is that students bring newspaper and mailer ads to the Women’s and Reentry Student Office (TSC 315). Their student workers then clip and categorize the ads in folders for any student to look through and take.
“We have made it very easy,” she said. “They’re divided into categories. We have coupons for restaurants, pets, portraits, health, cleaning products, non-edibles and business, baby, paper and storage products. You name it, we got it.”
Stevens said she hopes more students will begin taking advantage of the valuable service.
“It adds up,” she said, “it really does.”
Nicole Brown, junior in public relations, said she tries to use coupons whenever she can.
“I think it’s a great chance to save money, and in the economy we have anytime I can save money is good,” Brown said.
Brown said she usually looks through the supermarket ads that come in the mail and then uses them at places like Smith’s Marketplace, which rewards their shoppers with extra coupons if they use the coupons at their store.
“Sometimes it seems trivial to cut coupons out, but if you think about the money you’re saving it’s totally worth it,” she said.
Melanie Burr, junior in elementary education, said she was always taught to use coupons and find the best deal.
“When I was younger, my mom always told us if we wanted the good sugar cereal we had to find a coupon for it,” she said.
Burr said besides using ads in the Sunday paper, she often visits www.grocerysmart.com, a Web site that shows the best deals in local grocery store ads. Burr said she can often find lots of things for free just by paying close attention to the ads.
“I use coupons because it’s important to be wise with your money and it’s just an easy way to save money,” she said.
Stevens said she encourages all students to utilize the coupon swap service. The Women’s and Reentry Student Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Stevens said she also strongly suggests students apply for the Women’s and Reentry scholarships, all due March 31. For more information visit the center’s Web site at www.usu.edu/womencenter/.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
This Old House
Published in the Utah Statesman January 30, 2009
On 250 W. Center Street sits a 102-year-old home rich with Logan and Aggie history. Today it is owned by S. Eugene and Christie Needham, but the historic mansion that was originally built by David Eccles has housed his family, the USU football team, a USU fraternity and a sorority over its lifetime.
The home currently features 13 bedrooms, a small ballroom, loft, study, chandelier-filled dining room and many quirky nooks and crannies. But as different groups have occupied the home over the years, the dynamics of the layout have been altered.
According to the Utah Historic Encyclopedia, a prominent Utah businessman, David Eccles, first built the home for his second plural wife, Ellen Stoddard, and their nine children in 1907. Scott Needham, senior in computer science, grew up in the home with his seven brothers and three sisters. He said Eccles was not pleased with how extravagantly the home had been built.
“He was very disappointed they had spent this much money on it,” he said. “He felt it was excessive.”
The encyclopedia said Eccles passed away in 1912, not long after the home was built, and his family continued to reside there. Needham said the family sold the home to Utah State University in 1948 and it started out housing the USU football team. He said the university named the home “Kerr Hall.”
“The reason (the house) worked so well (for the university) is because there used to be a street car that went all the way up to campus, so it worked just fine,” Needham said.
After the football team, a fraternity and then a sorority occupied the home.
“(The home) could have easily fit 20 people,” Needham said. “The third floor was originally a ballroom ... but when the university took it over they built rooms. There used to be eight rooms up there.”
Before they even put up walls for bedrooms, Needham said the university never actually used the ballroom.
“It was more of a playroom,” he said. “The kids played basketball up there. They had hoops.”
Needham said other fraternities and sororities were also housed on Center Street at the time. When his parents purchased the home from the university in in 1970, he said the historic home had become quite beat up from housing college students.
“At the time it was very under appreciated in value. It sold for the price of a normal home,” he said.
Needham said his family spent quite a bit of money restoring the home to reflect more of its historic value. However, he said there are still remnants of the home’s ‘wild college days’, particularly the bathrooms.
“There are multiple showers in the basement,” he said. “Not a lot of people get community showers in their house.”
Another quirky feature of the old home is the swimming pool-shaped room in the basement, now used for storage. At first one might think it is simply a uniquely designed room, but Needham said his basement used to have a swimming pool.
“My parents didn’t believe this for many years until they had people convincingly tell them that there was actually a swimming pool down here for a while,” he said.
The home is now filled with distinct and interesting artwork created by S. Eugene Needham, who also owns S.E. Needham Jewelers, The Book Table and Books of Yesterday on Main Street Needham said the artwork contributes to the home’s unique feel.
“People always comment on the paintings,” he said. “Every room has a little different feel.” Needham said the old, large house used to terrify him as a small child.
“When I was young I was convinced this house was haunted, but no longer. I can go anywhere in this house anytime time of day, alone. I didn’t used to be able to do that. I was terrified,” he said.
Today the house has quieted down significantly, as most of Needham’s siblings have grown up and have families of their own. Now, however, their children are taking advantage of the fun, old house.
“We’ve got about 20 nieces and nephews, and this place gets used by them,” he said.
Needham said the house continues to get used by college students as he invites friends over for dance parties and summer parties in the backyard.
Two years ago when the house turned 100, Needham said his family hosted a big party to celebrate.
“It was pretty cool,” he said. “We had some of the original Eccles that actually lived here come – it was fun.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
On 250 W. Center Street sits a 102-year-old home rich with Logan and Aggie history. Today it is owned by S. Eugene and Christie Needham, but the historic mansion that was originally built by David Eccles has housed his family, the USU football team, a USU fraternity and a sorority over its lifetime.
The home currently features 13 bedrooms, a small ballroom, loft, study, chandelier-filled dining room and many quirky nooks and crannies. But as different groups have occupied the home over the years, the dynamics of the layout have been altered.
According to the Utah Historic Encyclopedia, a prominent Utah businessman, David Eccles, first built the home for his second plural wife, Ellen Stoddard, and their nine children in 1907. Scott Needham, senior in computer science, grew up in the home with his seven brothers and three sisters. He said Eccles was not pleased with how extravagantly the home had been built.
“He was very disappointed they had spent this much money on it,” he said. “He felt it was excessive.”
The encyclopedia said Eccles passed away in 1912, not long after the home was built, and his family continued to reside there. Needham said the family sold the home to Utah State University in 1948 and it started out housing the USU football team. He said the university named the home “Kerr Hall.”
“The reason (the house) worked so well (for the university) is because there used to be a street car that went all the way up to campus, so it worked just fine,” Needham said.
After the football team, a fraternity and then a sorority occupied the home.
“(The home) could have easily fit 20 people,” Needham said. “The third floor was originally a ballroom ... but when the university took it over they built rooms. There used to be eight rooms up there.”
Before they even put up walls for bedrooms, Needham said the university never actually used the ballroom.
“It was more of a playroom,” he said. “The kids played basketball up there. They had hoops.”
Needham said other fraternities and sororities were also housed on Center Street at the time. When his parents purchased the home from the university in in 1970, he said the historic home had become quite beat up from housing college students.
“At the time it was very under appreciated in value. It sold for the price of a normal home,” he said.
Needham said his family spent quite a bit of money restoring the home to reflect more of its historic value. However, he said there are still remnants of the home’s ‘wild college days’, particularly the bathrooms.
“There are multiple showers in the basement,” he said. “Not a lot of people get community showers in their house.”
Another quirky feature of the old home is the swimming pool-shaped room in the basement, now used for storage. At first one might think it is simply a uniquely designed room, but Needham said his basement used to have a swimming pool.
“My parents didn’t believe this for many years until they had people convincingly tell them that there was actually a swimming pool down here for a while,” he said.
The home is now filled with distinct and interesting artwork created by S. Eugene Needham, who also owns S.E. Needham Jewelers, The Book Table and Books of Yesterday on Main Street Needham said the artwork contributes to the home’s unique feel.
“People always comment on the paintings,” he said. “Every room has a little different feel.” Needham said the old, large house used to terrify him as a small child.
“When I was young I was convinced this house was haunted, but no longer. I can go anywhere in this house anytime time of day, alone. I didn’t used to be able to do that. I was terrified,” he said.
Today the house has quieted down significantly, as most of Needham’s siblings have grown up and have families of their own. Now, however, their children are taking advantage of the fun, old house.
“We’ve got about 20 nieces and nephews, and this place gets used by them,” he said.
Needham said the house continues to get used by college students as he invites friends over for dance parties and summer parties in the backyard.
Two years ago when the house turned 100, Needham said his family hosted a big party to celebrate.
“It was pretty cool,” he said. “We had some of the original Eccles that actually lived here come – it was fun.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Scholarships: How to get one
Published in the Utah Statesman January 26, 2009
Between tuition, fees, books, housing, transportation, food and many miscellaneous costs, college is anything but inexpensive. But with help from scholarships and other forms of financial aid, earning a college degree doesn’t have to break the bank.
Patti Kohler, scholarship counselor in the USU Financial Aid Office, said there are both incoming freshmen and continuing scholarships available from USU. Incoming freshmen entrance scholarships are given by the admissions office and are non-renewable. Most continuing student scholarships come from individual departments within the university, many of which have upcoming deadlines.
“It’s really crucial students get applications in (soon),” Kohler said. “Many department deadlines are the end of January and the beginning of February for the following fall.”
Undeclared continuing students are somewhat out of luck, Kohler said.
“If students have not yet declared a major they are kind of in limbo until they do so,” she said. “They’ll have to wait until they have declared a major if you didn’t receive an entrance scholarship.”
However, if departmental scholarships are not yet an option, Kohler said various groups on campus also offer scholarships.
“The Women’s Center, Multicultural Center, honors and other groups give out scholarships from small amounts to significant amounts,” she said. “Class year and major don’t matter – they look at financial need, personal circumstances, that type of thing.”
Deadlines for these scholarships are also upcoming and Kohler suggested students look into them and apply as soon as possible.
Sarah Poole, sophomore in accounting, received two scholarships from the Women’s Center totaling about $2,400 when she transferred to USU this past school year. She said they were extremely helpful in funding her education and various related expenses.
“I received two scholarships from the Women’s Center and a tuition scholarship from admissions,” she said, “and, oh my gosh, it helped a ton.”
Once her tuition had been paid, any extra money left the school direct deposited into her USU balance account to pay for other various expenses.
“I could use (the extra money) for anything related to school- my apartment, a computer and books. That was really nice,” she said.
When receiving a scholarship from the Women’s Center, recipients are required to complete 10 hours of service in the community each semester. Poole said she completed the hours by helping with the Special Olympics and the After-School Club at Woodruff Elementary School.
Poole said she recommends applying for as many scholarships as possible even when the process may seem tedious.
“Scholarships are hard because they take a lot of time (to apply for), but there are a lot of scholarships out there if you just apply,” she said. “My advice is just to throw your information out there and apply for as many as you can. If you have a special interest or ability there is probably one that would fit your type.”
Kohler also suggested checking the Financial Aid Web site, www.usu.edu/finaid, which provides links to other legitimate private scholarship opportunities. She warned against any scholarship search engine that requires applicants to pay for their service, most of which are not reputable.
One of the only scholarship search engines she recommends is www.fastweb.com, a Web site where students input information about themselves and the engine lists scholarships they qualify for.
“Fastweb is an acceptable, reputable place to go,” she said. “As far as we know we have had no complaints about misuse.”
Kohler said students should start preparing to apply for departmental scholarships available to juniors and seniors as soon as they have declared a major.
“(Freshmen) should go talk to their department to find out what the qualifications (for scholarships) are so they can start working towards them; GPA, service, some want to fulfill certain classes ... it just depends on the scholarship,” she said.
Luke Bell, freshman in economics, received the Presidential Scholarship as well as a leadership scholarship upon entrance to USU this past fall. The Presidential Scholarship pays for tuition and fees for four years, and the leadership scholarship provides a $300 stipend each semester for one year. He said the scholarships have been extremely helpful in aiding his transition to college life.
“(Having the scholarships) has just been really nice because I don’t have to work my freshman year in college,” he said. “It’s given me a chance to adjust a bit.”
Bell received his leadership scholarship by talking with the admissions director about additional funding. Although admissions does not handle continuing student scholarships, he said talking with whomever the scholarship is associated can definitely help.
“If you can get a face to the application it helps a lot because they know who you are and that you are interested,” he said. “They’ll see that you’re willing to put forth a little effort.”
Kohler also said just because a student’s GPA isn’t super high it does not mean they are not going to get a scholarship. Students can find scholarships not completely dependent on GPA.
“A lot of private scholarships are service oriented,” she said. “I know we have a strong service culture here at USU, and a lot of things USU students do qualify for requirements.”
Kohler said students are welcome to talk to her if they have questions. Kohler said she cannot tell students exactly what scholarships they qualify for, but can steer them in the right direction.
Kohler also strongly suggested students apply for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if they qualify for additional grants or loans. For more information or to apply, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Between tuition, fees, books, housing, transportation, food and many miscellaneous costs, college is anything but inexpensive. But with help from scholarships and other forms of financial aid, earning a college degree doesn’t have to break the bank.
Patti Kohler, scholarship counselor in the USU Financial Aid Office, said there are both incoming freshmen and continuing scholarships available from USU. Incoming freshmen entrance scholarships are given by the admissions office and are non-renewable. Most continuing student scholarships come from individual departments within the university, many of which have upcoming deadlines.
“It’s really crucial students get applications in (soon),” Kohler said. “Many department deadlines are the end of January and the beginning of February for the following fall.”
Undeclared continuing students are somewhat out of luck, Kohler said.
“If students have not yet declared a major they are kind of in limbo until they do so,” she said. “They’ll have to wait until they have declared a major if you didn’t receive an entrance scholarship.”
However, if departmental scholarships are not yet an option, Kohler said various groups on campus also offer scholarships.
“The Women’s Center, Multicultural Center, honors and other groups give out scholarships from small amounts to significant amounts,” she said. “Class year and major don’t matter – they look at financial need, personal circumstances, that type of thing.”
Deadlines for these scholarships are also upcoming and Kohler suggested students look into them and apply as soon as possible.
Sarah Poole, sophomore in accounting, received two scholarships from the Women’s Center totaling about $2,400 when she transferred to USU this past school year. She said they were extremely helpful in funding her education and various related expenses.
“I received two scholarships from the Women’s Center and a tuition scholarship from admissions,” she said, “and, oh my gosh, it helped a ton.”
Once her tuition had been paid, any extra money left the school direct deposited into her USU balance account to pay for other various expenses.
“I could use (the extra money) for anything related to school- my apartment, a computer and books. That was really nice,” she said.
When receiving a scholarship from the Women’s Center, recipients are required to complete 10 hours of service in the community each semester. Poole said she completed the hours by helping with the Special Olympics and the After-School Club at Woodruff Elementary School.
Poole said she recommends applying for as many scholarships as possible even when the process may seem tedious.
“Scholarships are hard because they take a lot of time (to apply for), but there are a lot of scholarships out there if you just apply,” she said. “My advice is just to throw your information out there and apply for as many as you can. If you have a special interest or ability there is probably one that would fit your type.”
Kohler also suggested checking the Financial Aid Web site, www.usu.edu/finaid, which provides links to other legitimate private scholarship opportunities. She warned against any scholarship search engine that requires applicants to pay for their service, most of which are not reputable.
One of the only scholarship search engines she recommends is www.fastweb.com, a Web site where students input information about themselves and the engine lists scholarships they qualify for.
“Fastweb is an acceptable, reputable place to go,” she said. “As far as we know we have had no complaints about misuse.”
Kohler said students should start preparing to apply for departmental scholarships available to juniors and seniors as soon as they have declared a major.
“(Freshmen) should go talk to their department to find out what the qualifications (for scholarships) are so they can start working towards them; GPA, service, some want to fulfill certain classes ... it just depends on the scholarship,” she said.
Luke Bell, freshman in economics, received the Presidential Scholarship as well as a leadership scholarship upon entrance to USU this past fall. The Presidential Scholarship pays for tuition and fees for four years, and the leadership scholarship provides a $300 stipend each semester for one year. He said the scholarships have been extremely helpful in aiding his transition to college life.
“(Having the scholarships) has just been really nice because I don’t have to work my freshman year in college,” he said. “It’s given me a chance to adjust a bit.”
Bell received his leadership scholarship by talking with the admissions director about additional funding. Although admissions does not handle continuing student scholarships, he said talking with whomever the scholarship is associated can definitely help.
“If you can get a face to the application it helps a lot because they know who you are and that you are interested,” he said. “They’ll see that you’re willing to put forth a little effort.”
Kohler also said just because a student’s GPA isn’t super high it does not mean they are not going to get a scholarship. Students can find scholarships not completely dependent on GPA.
“A lot of private scholarships are service oriented,” she said. “I know we have a strong service culture here at USU, and a lot of things USU students do qualify for requirements.”
Kohler said students are welcome to talk to her if they have questions. Kohler said she cannot tell students exactly what scholarships they qualify for, but can steer them in the right direction.
Kohler also strongly suggested students apply for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if they qualify for additional grants or loans. For more information or to apply, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Students make money simply by taking notes
Published in the Utah Statesman January 23, 2009
Why not make money for something students already do, all while helping someone else at the same time? This is what students are able to do if they volunteer or work as a note-taker for the USU Disability Resource Center (DRC).
Tina Peck, service coordinator for the DRC, said note-takers are essential for providing accommodations for certain students who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have various learning disabilities.
She said students can either volunteer to take notes for classes they are already enrolled in or work as a paid note-taker for classes outside their own schedules. Volunteer note-takers receive $15 per credit ($45 for a three-credit class) in the form of a gift certificate to the USU Bookstore at the end of the semester, Peck said while paid note-takers receive hourly wages for taking notes in classes, they are not enrolled and don’t have to take tests or complete assignments for. Either way, it’s not much extra work, she said, and in many cases it’s something students are already doing.
“It’s not that difficult,” Peck said. “We ask for average notes from a classroom for the general population. If you’re taking notes in your class already, as long as you are able to read them they will likely work.”
Peck said the note-taking process if very simple. After taking notes for a class, students photocopy their notes at the Disability Resource Center, she said. DRC employees then scan the notes on the computer for the students needing the services to access, she said.
Brent Patterson, senior in computer science, is a student who benefits from the note-taking services.
“Because I’m deaf, when the teacher presents I have a choice of either paying attention but not writing, or writing notes and missing what the teacher is saying,” he said. “So with the note-taking service, I’m able to have both.”
Patterson said he uses the notes for homework help and to study for tests. He said the volunteer can also benefit from helping others because their note-taking skills often improve.
Ashlee Newman, junior in early childhood education, has been a volunteer and paid note-taker for six classes in the last year and said it has been a simple, but rewarding, thing to do.
“I love it,” she said. “You already have to take notes anyway; why not get paid at the end of the semester?”
Newman said the gift certificates she has earned to the bookstore have been well-used.
“I love it because I can buy Aggie attire, children’s books and textbooks when I need to,” she said.
Newman said she also enjoyed working as a paid note-taker because she was able to attend a class outside her major and learn new things, all while helping someone else and not having to worry about tests or assignments.
“It was gratifying knowing that I was doing service for someone who couldn’t do it for themselves,” she said. “I have some friends who are receivers of the service and it’s been a relief for them.”
Pamy Hard, junior in social work, has volunteered as a note-taker for the DRC every semester but one since she was a freshman. She said she enjoys the opportunity to help others in such a simple way.
“I just like to help somebody else out,” she said. “It takes probably 15 minutes out of my day. I’m taking notes anyway. All I have to do is walk over to the DRC, copy the notes off and drop them in the box.”
Students can volunteer to be note-takers by signing up on the announcement sheet passed around in many classes, or by visiting the Disability Resource Center office in room 101 of the University Inn.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Why not make money for something students already do, all while helping someone else at the same time? This is what students are able to do if they volunteer or work as a note-taker for the USU Disability Resource Center (DRC).
Tina Peck, service coordinator for the DRC, said note-takers are essential for providing accommodations for certain students who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have various learning disabilities.
She said students can either volunteer to take notes for classes they are already enrolled in or work as a paid note-taker for classes outside their own schedules. Volunteer note-takers receive $15 per credit ($45 for a three-credit class) in the form of a gift certificate to the USU Bookstore at the end of the semester, Peck said while paid note-takers receive hourly wages for taking notes in classes, they are not enrolled and don’t have to take tests or complete assignments for. Either way, it’s not much extra work, she said, and in many cases it’s something students are already doing.
“It’s not that difficult,” Peck said. “We ask for average notes from a classroom for the general population. If you’re taking notes in your class already, as long as you are able to read them they will likely work.”
Peck said the note-taking process if very simple. After taking notes for a class, students photocopy their notes at the Disability Resource Center, she said. DRC employees then scan the notes on the computer for the students needing the services to access, she said.
Brent Patterson, senior in computer science, is a student who benefits from the note-taking services.
“Because I’m deaf, when the teacher presents I have a choice of either paying attention but not writing, or writing notes and missing what the teacher is saying,” he said. “So with the note-taking service, I’m able to have both.”
Patterson said he uses the notes for homework help and to study for tests. He said the volunteer can also benefit from helping others because their note-taking skills often improve.
Ashlee Newman, junior in early childhood education, has been a volunteer and paid note-taker for six classes in the last year and said it has been a simple, but rewarding, thing to do.
“I love it,” she said. “You already have to take notes anyway; why not get paid at the end of the semester?”
Newman said the gift certificates she has earned to the bookstore have been well-used.
“I love it because I can buy Aggie attire, children’s books and textbooks when I need to,” she said.
Newman said she also enjoyed working as a paid note-taker because she was able to attend a class outside her major and learn new things, all while helping someone else and not having to worry about tests or assignments.
“It was gratifying knowing that I was doing service for someone who couldn’t do it for themselves,” she said. “I have some friends who are receivers of the service and it’s been a relief for them.”
Pamy Hard, junior in social work, has volunteered as a note-taker for the DRC every semester but one since she was a freshman. She said she enjoys the opportunity to help others in such a simple way.
“I just like to help somebody else out,” she said. “It takes probably 15 minutes out of my day. I’m taking notes anyway. All I have to do is walk over to the DRC, copy the notes off and drop them in the box.”
Students can volunteer to be note-takers by signing up on the announcement sheet passed around in many classes, or by visiting the Disability Resource Center office in room 101 of the University Inn.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Celebrity Obsessions
Published in the Utah Statesman January 21, 2009
What is so fascinating about Britney shaving her head, Brangelina adopting another child or what Beyonce wore on the red carpet?
Sian Smith, sophomore in social work, said she thinks it’s because we find their lives so much more interesting than our own.
“I think a lot of times we think our lives are boring,” she said. “I read magazines and watch ‘Entertainment Tonight’ because I think it’s a fun way to get out of my normal life of going to class and work.”
Smith said her biggest celebrity “obsession” is for Miley Cyrus, or Hannah Montana, teen-bopper from the Disney Channel.
“I started watching her show (‘Hannah Montana’) in 2006, and went from just watching the show, to buying magazines she’s on the cover of, to Googling her every day,” she said.
Smith attended Cyrus’ concert at the Energy Solutions Arena in 2007 and saw her perform at the Stadium of Fire this past July. At one point, Smith jokingly said she planned on naming her first-born daughter “Miley Sian.”
However, Smith said her “obsession” has been curbed to a more normal stage now that she is so busy with school and work, but that she still admires Cyrus for her “down-to-earth personality.”
“I like the fact that you hear all about these celebrities getting drunk and shaving their heads ... Cyrus has had her little scandals, but I think she’s a good role model to kids,” Smith said. “Her parents are her best friends and she hangs out with her sister all the time. She’s just like a normal kid making millions of dollars a year.”
Misty Woodbury, sophomore in nursing, said she doesn’t often purchase celebrity magazines, but definitely enjoys occasionally checking up on the latest gossip.
“I love passing the magazine section of the grocery store, picking one up and seeing what’s going on with my celebrity friends,” she said.
In particular, Woodbury said she enjoys anything about the actor Will Smith.
“I think he’s a very good actor and particularly good looking,” she said.
Woodbury said she thinks American’s are so obsessed with celebrities because it gives us something interesting to talk about.
“American’s like gossip and because the celebrities are a bit more crazy than the run-of-the-mill guy or girl, it’s just interesting to talk about their lives,” she said.
Lauren Cundick, junior in accounting, said she thinks American’s obsess over celebrities because we see their movies and think their lives must be just as glamorous.
“I think we idolize these actors because we see them in cool roles in movies that are fiction. We want to be like them and live their fantasy lives that we see in the movies, because movies usually work out in the end.”
Cundick said her favorite celebrity is Tom Hanks.
“I can’t remember too many movies that haven’t been good that he has done,” she said. “Whether it’s an action thriller like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ or a chick flick with Meg Ryan it is fantastic.”
She said she likes that Hanks stays out of the gossip. He’s just classy,” she said.
Christian Hathaway, undeclared sophomore, however, said celebrities are the last thing he’s paying attention to.
“I think American’s obsession with celebrities is the biggest joke of all time,” he said. “People need to quit living someone else’s life and live their own.”
Hathaway said he thinks people don’t understand that celebrity’s lives are not as wonderful as the magazines and TV shows portray them to be.
“Celebrities are all beautiful and Photoshopped and edited and they are portrayed as something they’re not a lot of the time,” he said.
Hathaway said he “tries to keep himself aloof” from the celebrity gossip.
Smith said she agrees celebrity stalking isn’t healthy, but that there isn’t anything wrong with being interested in a celebrity’s life.
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with being being fascinated with someone else’s life,” she said. “However, when it gets to a point when you’re obsessive ... that isn’t healthy.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
What is so fascinating about Britney shaving her head, Brangelina adopting another child or what Beyonce wore on the red carpet?
Sian Smith, sophomore in social work, said she thinks it’s because we find their lives so much more interesting than our own.
“I think a lot of times we think our lives are boring,” she said. “I read magazines and watch ‘Entertainment Tonight’ because I think it’s a fun way to get out of my normal life of going to class and work.”
Smith said her biggest celebrity “obsession” is for Miley Cyrus, or Hannah Montana, teen-bopper from the Disney Channel.
“I started watching her show (‘Hannah Montana’) in 2006, and went from just watching the show, to buying magazines she’s on the cover of, to Googling her every day,” she said.
Smith attended Cyrus’ concert at the Energy Solutions Arena in 2007 and saw her perform at the Stadium of Fire this past July. At one point, Smith jokingly said she planned on naming her first-born daughter “Miley Sian.”
However, Smith said her “obsession” has been curbed to a more normal stage now that she is so busy with school and work, but that she still admires Cyrus for her “down-to-earth personality.”
“I like the fact that you hear all about these celebrities getting drunk and shaving their heads ... Cyrus has had her little scandals, but I think she’s a good role model to kids,” Smith said. “Her parents are her best friends and she hangs out with her sister all the time. She’s just like a normal kid making millions of dollars a year.”
Misty Woodbury, sophomore in nursing, said she doesn’t often purchase celebrity magazines, but definitely enjoys occasionally checking up on the latest gossip.
“I love passing the magazine section of the grocery store, picking one up and seeing what’s going on with my celebrity friends,” she said.
In particular, Woodbury said she enjoys anything about the actor Will Smith.
“I think he’s a very good actor and particularly good looking,” she said.
Woodbury said she thinks American’s are so obsessed with celebrities because it gives us something interesting to talk about.
“American’s like gossip and because the celebrities are a bit more crazy than the run-of-the-mill guy or girl, it’s just interesting to talk about their lives,” she said.
Lauren Cundick, junior in accounting, said she thinks American’s obsess over celebrities because we see their movies and think their lives must be just as glamorous.
“I think we idolize these actors because we see them in cool roles in movies that are fiction. We want to be like them and live their fantasy lives that we see in the movies, because movies usually work out in the end.”
Cundick said her favorite celebrity is Tom Hanks.
“I can’t remember too many movies that haven’t been good that he has done,” she said. “Whether it’s an action thriller like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ or a chick flick with Meg Ryan it is fantastic.”
She said she likes that Hanks stays out of the gossip. He’s just classy,” she said.
Christian Hathaway, undeclared sophomore, however, said celebrities are the last thing he’s paying attention to.
“I think American’s obsession with celebrities is the biggest joke of all time,” he said. “People need to quit living someone else’s life and live their own.”
Hathaway said he thinks people don’t understand that celebrity’s lives are not as wonderful as the magazines and TV shows portray them to be.
“Celebrities are all beautiful and Photoshopped and edited and they are portrayed as something they’re not a lot of the time,” he said.
Hathaway said he “tries to keep himself aloof” from the celebrity gossip.
Smith said she agrees celebrity stalking isn’t healthy, but that there isn’t anything wrong with being interested in a celebrity’s life.
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with being being fascinated with someone else’s life,” she said. “However, when it gets to a point when you’re obsessive ... that isn’t healthy.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
Legal advice available to students
Published in the Utah Statesman January 12, 2009
People often hear about lawsuits against huge companies for millions of dollars. But Bruce Ward, an attorney hired by ASUSU to help students with legal problems, said anyone can sue about almost anything. However, he was quick to add that not everyone can win a lawsuit.
Ward acts as a legal adviser for students, and although he doesn’t act as the attorney for students, he helps direct them to where they can find help.
“I don’t solve problems as much as I find solutions for problems,” he said.
Ward said his services are available to all USU students, and he helps with anything from divorce to landlord/tenant questions to various legal paperwork issues.
In order for someone to sue another person Ward said they must:
1 – Have a cause of action, or a basis to file a lawsuit. This gets the lawsuit started. Ward said this may be a breach of contract, assault/battery incident.
2 –Go to court – most often in small claims court. In Logan that would be Logan Municipal Court, which he said is self explanatory and easy. Ward said small claims court are designed to be used without an attorney.
3 – Set a court date, show up with witnesses and evidence to prove cause of action previously established.
4 – If the cause of action is proven, then judgment is enforced and bills are paid, reconciliation is made. Ward emphasized this was a very oversimplified explanation; there are often complications at court that make this not as easy as a four-step process.
Ward said one of the main problems he talks to students for is landlord/tenant problems.
“Smart students will take photos of all the rooms in their apartment to have a record of what it looks like when they move,” Ward said. “They should send a copy to their landlord about the damages already there.”
Ward said by taking before and after photos, students won’t be liable for damages landlords may accuse them of making in their apartments. By taking these precautionary steps they will be able to prevent a lot of trouble.
“Most students move in, get busy, go to Dominoes, go to a movie, hang out with friends and don’t take the hour at the beginning and hour at the end to take photos,” Ward said.
Ward said although he still sees students about landlord/tenant problems they have decreased significantly over the years. When he first began, he said as much as 75 percent of the cases he advised were about concerns with apartments and contracts. He said because there were more students than apartments, students had to deal with bad landlords.
“There were more students than there were apartments,” he said. “(Today) students have a lot more options to choose from ... they used to have to put up with a lot more.”
Ward said courts are trying to become easier for the average person to understand and navigate.
“(The courts) try to keep things user friendly,” he said.
Ward encouraged students to use him as a resource. He said the services he offers are greatly underused. Students can call his office to set up appointments for Thursdays between 5 and 9 p.m. and are always welcome to call and see if they can solve the issue over the phone.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
People often hear about lawsuits against huge companies for millions of dollars. But Bruce Ward, an attorney hired by ASUSU to help students with legal problems, said anyone can sue about almost anything. However, he was quick to add that not everyone can win a lawsuit.
Ward acts as a legal adviser for students, and although he doesn’t act as the attorney for students, he helps direct them to where they can find help.
“I don’t solve problems as much as I find solutions for problems,” he said.
Ward said his services are available to all USU students, and he helps with anything from divorce to landlord/tenant questions to various legal paperwork issues.
In order for someone to sue another person Ward said they must:
1 – Have a cause of action, or a basis to file a lawsuit. This gets the lawsuit started. Ward said this may be a breach of contract, assault/battery incident.
2 –Go to court – most often in small claims court. In Logan that would be Logan Municipal Court, which he said is self explanatory and easy. Ward said small claims court are designed to be used without an attorney.
3 – Set a court date, show up with witnesses and evidence to prove cause of action previously established.
4 – If the cause of action is proven, then judgment is enforced and bills are paid, reconciliation is made. Ward emphasized this was a very oversimplified explanation; there are often complications at court that make this not as easy as a four-step process.
Ward said one of the main problems he talks to students for is landlord/tenant problems.
“Smart students will take photos of all the rooms in their apartment to have a record of what it looks like when they move,” Ward said. “They should send a copy to their landlord about the damages already there.”
Ward said by taking before and after photos, students won’t be liable for damages landlords may accuse them of making in their apartments. By taking these precautionary steps they will be able to prevent a lot of trouble.
“Most students move in, get busy, go to Dominoes, go to a movie, hang out with friends and don’t take the hour at the beginning and hour at the end to take photos,” Ward said.
Ward said although he still sees students about landlord/tenant problems they have decreased significantly over the years. When he first began, he said as much as 75 percent of the cases he advised were about concerns with apartments and contracts. He said because there were more students than apartments, students had to deal with bad landlords.
“There were more students than there were apartments,” he said. “(Today) students have a lot more options to choose from ... they used to have to put up with a lot more.”
Ward said courts are trying to become easier for the average person to understand and navigate.
“(The courts) try to keep things user friendly,” he said.
Ward encouraged students to use him as a resource. He said the services he offers are greatly underused. Students can call his office to set up appointments for Thursdays between 5 and 9 p.m. and are always welcome to call and see if they can solve the issue over the phone.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
USU Students Create Training Materials In Egypt
Published in the Utah Statesman January 12, 2009
USU students crossed cultural barriers and thousands of miles to successfully create two training programs for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization that provides economic and humanitarian aid to countries across the globe. Collaboratively, the sixteen students created more than 80 hours of PowerPoint and 1,300 pages of textbook training content to deliver at a training program in Cairo, Egypt.
Joanne Bentley, assistant professor in the ITLS department and USAID project supervisor and mentor, said the “huge undertaking” joined undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. students from both the business and education colleges and three programs, accounting, business administration and instructional technology, within those colleges – a first for a USU study abroad trip.
“This is a monumental thing to have the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services and the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business to work together on this scale of project,” she said. “Never had two colleges collaborated on such a large scale project.”
Joanne said the students were asked to complete the project by Jed Barton, a USAID controller stationed in Egypt and a former Aggie. She said the project began at the end of last summer and students started working on the content at the beginning of fall semester.
“It was a mad dash to get the project all done on time. It’s a lot of pages to edit and document and format,” she said. “The students did a fabulous job – they worked so hard. At the end of the time we left Cairo they handed in all the deliverables on time in very high quality.”
Rosalie Gricius, graduate student in business administration, was one of the students able to participate in the project and on the trip. She said the two training programs the students created were to help USAID accountants and voucher examiners standardize their accounting practices. She said the team worked through documents sent by USAID employees, mostly non-English speakers, and organized them into two courses.
While working on the project and preparing to go to Egypt, Gricius said the team tried to become more aware of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Egypt.
“We know cultures see different things different ways. Some things acceptable in our culture are not acceptable over there,” she said.
Gricius said the students spent a lot of time making sure pictures, diagrams and even the color of the text were internationally appropriate, “not just indicative of United States culture.” She said the students also spent time learning about Egyptian culture and even some Arabic. While in Egypt, they were careful to dress appropriately and be respectful of the Egyptian culture.
Gricius said the students arrived in Egypt in two groups; one Nov. 14 and one Nov. 26. Of the 16 students who worked on the project, 11 were able to travel to Egypt. When the first group arrived, they found the training materials weren’t exactly what the trainers had in mind, due in large to assumptions on both sides and the cultural and distance barriers they faced when developing the program.
“Working cross culture and long distance, there were things we hadn’t talked about,” she said. “They did have a different focus on what the priority and training were going to be.”
Joanne further explained the programs the IT students had helped developed were a little too complicated and technologically advanced for some of the international trainers that weren’t very familiar with PowerPoint.
“We were creating PowerPoint based on American paradigm,” she said. She said the international USAID trainers wanted the presentations to use bright colors, with “cutesy” graphics, something not typical of any U.S. industry business presentation.
“It was like kindergarten on cultural steroids,” Joanne said. “It’s not what we would have designed for an industry.”
Joanne compared it to the first time many young U.S. students use PowerPoint or other computer programs; wanting to use all the colors and graphics available.
However, she said with help from the very talented IT students, they were able to completely recreate the PowerPoint and create the materials the trainers had envisioned.
Gricius agreed and said although it was a lot of work to change the PowerPoint, the trainers were very pleased with the students end product.
“They ended up being very happy with our finished product,” she said. “There’s always going to surprises, you just have to be cool and chill about it. We did have a misunderstanding, but I don’t know if it could have been avoided.”
Joanne said she was very pleased with how hard the students worked to fix the problem.
“International work has done best when you have relationships of trust, and that was really reinforced for the students on this project,” she said. “As we were able to meet the deadlines and give the deliverable even under unanticipated circumstances they trusted us more and more to work with them again in the future.”
Patrick Bentley, master’s student in the IT program and one of the team leaders (who is also Joanne’s husband), said he learned a lot about assumptions while working on this project.
“When we got over there we had assumed certain things and they had assumed certain things,” he said. “It didn’t work out how we thought it would ... but it helped a lot because it forced us to work hand in hand with people from all nationalities from all different countries from USAID.”
Besides working on the presentations and textbooks, Patrick also developed a “Train the Trainer” program to help some of the international USAID trainers. He said they originally planned on teaching this course when they first arrived in Egypt, but because of the complications with the materials the course had to take be pushed aside.
However, Patrick said depending on the 2009 USAID budget, he hopes to be able to travel to South Africa to teach the course later this year, which would also function as his Ph.D. project.
Joanne said it was amazing to meet and interact with the USAID trainers that had come from all over the world.
“Every person who attended the training and presented speaks English as a second language,” she said. “The USU team and the three Americans who work in Cairo were the only people who speak English as a first language out of the 78 people who worked on the project.”
Besides working very hard on the project, Gricius said the students also had the opportunity to travel around Cairo, visiting the Pyramids of Gizo, the Cairo museum, the Citadel and the Nile Delta area.
“It was really fun to see the differences in culture ... it was interesting to see people and watch how they live. They’re wonderful people.”
The Bentley’s both said they were very happy to be able to participate in this huge project.
“The impact of this project globally is really phenomenal,” Joanne said.
“Now it’s kind of sinking in,” Patrick said. “This really is an international, global thing that helps countries worldwide.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
USU students crossed cultural barriers and thousands of miles to successfully create two training programs for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization that provides economic and humanitarian aid to countries across the globe. Collaboratively, the sixteen students created more than 80 hours of PowerPoint and 1,300 pages of textbook training content to deliver at a training program in Cairo, Egypt.
Joanne Bentley, assistant professor in the ITLS department and USAID project supervisor and mentor, said the “huge undertaking” joined undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. students from both the business and education colleges and three programs, accounting, business administration and instructional technology, within those colleges – a first for a USU study abroad trip.
“This is a monumental thing to have the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services and the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business to work together on this scale of project,” she said. “Never had two colleges collaborated on such a large scale project.”
Joanne said the students were asked to complete the project by Jed Barton, a USAID controller stationed in Egypt and a former Aggie. She said the project began at the end of last summer and students started working on the content at the beginning of fall semester.
“It was a mad dash to get the project all done on time. It’s a lot of pages to edit and document and format,” she said. “The students did a fabulous job – they worked so hard. At the end of the time we left Cairo they handed in all the deliverables on time in very high quality.”
Rosalie Gricius, graduate student in business administration, was one of the students able to participate in the project and on the trip. She said the two training programs the students created were to help USAID accountants and voucher examiners standardize their accounting practices. She said the team worked through documents sent by USAID employees, mostly non-English speakers, and organized them into two courses.
While working on the project and preparing to go to Egypt, Gricius said the team tried to become more aware of the cultural differences between the U.S. and Egypt.
“We know cultures see different things different ways. Some things acceptable in our culture are not acceptable over there,” she said.
Gricius said the students spent a lot of time making sure pictures, diagrams and even the color of the text were internationally appropriate, “not just indicative of United States culture.” She said the students also spent time learning about Egyptian culture and even some Arabic. While in Egypt, they were careful to dress appropriately and be respectful of the Egyptian culture.
Gricius said the students arrived in Egypt in two groups; one Nov. 14 and one Nov. 26. Of the 16 students who worked on the project, 11 were able to travel to Egypt. When the first group arrived, they found the training materials weren’t exactly what the trainers had in mind, due in large to assumptions on both sides and the cultural and distance barriers they faced when developing the program.
“Working cross culture and long distance, there were things we hadn’t talked about,” she said. “They did have a different focus on what the priority and training were going to be.”
Joanne further explained the programs the IT students had helped developed were a little too complicated and technologically advanced for some of the international trainers that weren’t very familiar with PowerPoint.
“We were creating PowerPoint based on American paradigm,” she said. She said the international USAID trainers wanted the presentations to use bright colors, with “cutesy” graphics, something not typical of any U.S. industry business presentation.
“It was like kindergarten on cultural steroids,” Joanne said. “It’s not what we would have designed for an industry.”
Joanne compared it to the first time many young U.S. students use PowerPoint or other computer programs; wanting to use all the colors and graphics available.
However, she said with help from the very talented IT students, they were able to completely recreate the PowerPoint and create the materials the trainers had envisioned.
Gricius agreed and said although it was a lot of work to change the PowerPoint, the trainers were very pleased with the students end product.
“They ended up being very happy with our finished product,” she said. “There’s always going to surprises, you just have to be cool and chill about it. We did have a misunderstanding, but I don’t know if it could have been avoided.”
Joanne said she was very pleased with how hard the students worked to fix the problem.
“International work has done best when you have relationships of trust, and that was really reinforced for the students on this project,” she said. “As we were able to meet the deadlines and give the deliverable even under unanticipated circumstances they trusted us more and more to work with them again in the future.”
Patrick Bentley, master’s student in the IT program and one of the team leaders (who is also Joanne’s husband), said he learned a lot about assumptions while working on this project.
“When we got over there we had assumed certain things and they had assumed certain things,” he said. “It didn’t work out how we thought it would ... but it helped a lot because it forced us to work hand in hand with people from all nationalities from all different countries from USAID.”
Besides working on the presentations and textbooks, Patrick also developed a “Train the Trainer” program to help some of the international USAID trainers. He said they originally planned on teaching this course when they first arrived in Egypt, but because of the complications with the materials the course had to take be pushed aside.
However, Patrick said depending on the 2009 USAID budget, he hopes to be able to travel to South Africa to teach the course later this year, which would also function as his Ph.D. project.
Joanne said it was amazing to meet and interact with the USAID trainers that had come from all over the world.
“Every person who attended the training and presented speaks English as a second language,” she said. “The USU team and the three Americans who work in Cairo were the only people who speak English as a first language out of the 78 people who worked on the project.”
Besides working very hard on the project, Gricius said the students also had the opportunity to travel around Cairo, visiting the Pyramids of Gizo, the Cairo museum, the Citadel and the Nile Delta area.
“It was really fun to see the differences in culture ... it was interesting to see people and watch how they live. They’re wonderful people.”
The Bentley’s both said they were very happy to be able to participate in this huge project.
“The impact of this project globally is really phenomenal,” Joanne said.
“Now it’s kind of sinking in,” Patrick said. “This really is an international, global thing that helps countries worldwide.”
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
The Hurd- Bridging the gap between students and athletics
Published in the Utah Statesman January 7, 2009
As the largest club on campus, the student spirit club, the Hurd, is making some noise.
In its third year, membership in the Hurd has increased from about 750 members in 2006 to almost 1,400 members and counting this year. Megan Darrington, Hurd president/ASUSU spirit chair and junior in public relations, said she and her committee have been working hard to create activities and contests to increase support of USU athletics, including offering a scholarship for the student that shows the most support of USU athletics.
“Hurd was created to enhance student life for USU athletics,” Darrington said. “It gives students the opportunity to get actively involved in USU athletic programs.”
Darrington said the Hurd sponsors weekly coach’s shows during fall semester featuring sports announcer Al Lewis, USU football coach and several football players. Members are encouraged to ask questions and get involved with the show, which also offers free food and giveaways.
Darrington said the Hurd will begin hosting a weekly sports night this semester at the Nelson Fieldhouse. Along with more free food, Darrington said the sports nights will also include games and activities with a USU varsity or club team. These activities will include anything from movie nights to pingpong tournaments to member giveaways. Darrington said the Hurd committee hopes that if students get to know the players better, they will want to see them in action at their games.
“There is more of an incentive to go to games if (students) know the players,” she said. “(Hurd) bridges the gap between student athletes and students in general.”
Beyond the weekly Coach’s Show and sports nights, the Hurd also sponsors tailgating parties, away parties, roadtrips and many free giveaways.
New this year, Darrington said Hurd has also implemented a point system for members to earn a scholarship for supporting USU athletics, especially club teams. Members get points for all the games they attend, and at the end of the year the Hurd member with the most points will receive a scholarship.
“The main motive (for the scholarship) is to get people to go to the games. The point system helps club sports in general,” Darrington said.
She said the goal for the point system is to encourage students to attend games and then get “addicted” to a sport.
Besides many great activities, Hurd members also receive a T-shirt, discount to hockey games and discounts to various businesses in Cache Valley when they join, all included in the yearly $25 fee. Members also earn one year of membership to the Big Blue Club and the USU alumni spirit club every year they are members of Hurd.
Darrington said the Hurd recently showed its power and support of USU athletics at the Utah State vs. BYU basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Dec. 6. Aggie fans are renowned for their loud and rowdy cheering at games, and members of Hurd are the solid foundation to Aggie fans, she said. The BYU game was no exception, and although Utah State lost, many USU students took the hour and a half drive down to Salt Lake to cheer on their Aggies, Darrington said, including hundreds of Hurd members.
“USU sold all the student tickets (to the BYU game) and over 300 Hurd members were in the first few rows,” Darrington said.
Hurd members were able to purchase the USU vs. BYU tickets early, one of the many “perks” Darrington said not many other students are given.
Darrington, who has been involved in the Hurd since it began in 2006, said about half of the Hurd members are freshmen.
“Joining Hurd is a great way for freshmen to get involved and meet new people and discover what it’s like to be an Aggie,” she said.
However, Darrington said the Hurd is definitely not just for freshmen, but a club that all Aggies can enjoy.
Ryan Baylis, freshman in broadcast journalism, said he joined Hurd because he had been to a USU basketball game in high school and saw how involved and excited Hurd members are at games.
“I joined because I wanted to be more involved in athletics,” Baylis said. “I get to meet tons of people who share the same love for the sports that I do.”
Baylis also said being able to meet the coaches at the coach’s shows and enjoying plenty of free food are added bonuses in being a member of the Hurd.
Ryan Stewart, undeclared business freshman, said he joined because he knew he would be going to all the football games and tailgating parties and he wanted to meet others who were as excited about Aggie athletics as he was.
“I get to meet other people that are really involved, too,” Stewart said. “There are a lot more fun people in the Hurd ... you get way more pumped for athletics. Before games (we) get all decked out. That is probably the best part.”
Stewart also said discounts to things like hockey games and restaurants around Logan are added bonuses for being a member of the student spirit club.
Darrington said it is never too late to sign up for the Hurd. The club has set a goal to have 2,000 members by the end of spring semester.
“It’s not too late to ever sign up,” Darrington said. “There are so many athletic events to attend.”
If students aren’t sure if they want to join, Darrington said students are welcome to come to Hurd events to see if they like the club. She said they also hope members will bring their friends and roommates.
“We always encourage members to bring friends. You get to be involved and meet new people,” she said.
Darrington said she has loved being involved with the Hurd.
“I have an amazing committee and I love being involved with Aggie athletics,” she said.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
As the largest club on campus, the student spirit club, the Hurd, is making some noise.
In its third year, membership in the Hurd has increased from about 750 members in 2006 to almost 1,400 members and counting this year. Megan Darrington, Hurd president/ASUSU spirit chair and junior in public relations, said she and her committee have been working hard to create activities and contests to increase support of USU athletics, including offering a scholarship for the student that shows the most support of USU athletics.
“Hurd was created to enhance student life for USU athletics,” Darrington said. “It gives students the opportunity to get actively involved in USU athletic programs.”
Darrington said the Hurd sponsors weekly coach’s shows during fall semester featuring sports announcer Al Lewis, USU football coach and several football players. Members are encouraged to ask questions and get involved with the show, which also offers free food and giveaways.
Darrington said the Hurd will begin hosting a weekly sports night this semester at the Nelson Fieldhouse. Along with more free food, Darrington said the sports nights will also include games and activities with a USU varsity or club team. These activities will include anything from movie nights to pingpong tournaments to member giveaways. Darrington said the Hurd committee hopes that if students get to know the players better, they will want to see them in action at their games.
“There is more of an incentive to go to games if (students) know the players,” she said. “(Hurd) bridges the gap between student athletes and students in general.”
Beyond the weekly Coach’s Show and sports nights, the Hurd also sponsors tailgating parties, away parties, roadtrips and many free giveaways.
New this year, Darrington said Hurd has also implemented a point system for members to earn a scholarship for supporting USU athletics, especially club teams. Members get points for all the games they attend, and at the end of the year the Hurd member with the most points will receive a scholarship.
“The main motive (for the scholarship) is to get people to go to the games. The point system helps club sports in general,” Darrington said.
She said the goal for the point system is to encourage students to attend games and then get “addicted” to a sport.
Besides many great activities, Hurd members also receive a T-shirt, discount to hockey games and discounts to various businesses in Cache Valley when they join, all included in the yearly $25 fee. Members also earn one year of membership to the Big Blue Club and the USU alumni spirit club every year they are members of Hurd.
Darrington said the Hurd recently showed its power and support of USU athletics at the Utah State vs. BYU basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Dec. 6. Aggie fans are renowned for their loud and rowdy cheering at games, and members of Hurd are the solid foundation to Aggie fans, she said. The BYU game was no exception, and although Utah State lost, many USU students took the hour and a half drive down to Salt Lake to cheer on their Aggies, Darrington said, including hundreds of Hurd members.
“USU sold all the student tickets (to the BYU game) and over 300 Hurd members were in the first few rows,” Darrington said.
Hurd members were able to purchase the USU vs. BYU tickets early, one of the many “perks” Darrington said not many other students are given.
Darrington, who has been involved in the Hurd since it began in 2006, said about half of the Hurd members are freshmen.
“Joining Hurd is a great way for freshmen to get involved and meet new people and discover what it’s like to be an Aggie,” she said.
However, Darrington said the Hurd is definitely not just for freshmen, but a club that all Aggies can enjoy.
Ryan Baylis, freshman in broadcast journalism, said he joined Hurd because he had been to a USU basketball game in high school and saw how involved and excited Hurd members are at games.
“I joined because I wanted to be more involved in athletics,” Baylis said. “I get to meet tons of people who share the same love for the sports that I do.”
Baylis also said being able to meet the coaches at the coach’s shows and enjoying plenty of free food are added bonuses in being a member of the Hurd.
Ryan Stewart, undeclared business freshman, said he joined because he knew he would be going to all the football games and tailgating parties and he wanted to meet others who were as excited about Aggie athletics as he was.
“I get to meet other people that are really involved, too,” Stewart said. “There are a lot more fun people in the Hurd ... you get way more pumped for athletics. Before games (we) get all decked out. That is probably the best part.”
Stewart also said discounts to things like hockey games and restaurants around Logan are added bonuses for being a member of the student spirit club.
Darrington said it is never too late to sign up for the Hurd. The club has set a goal to have 2,000 members by the end of spring semester.
“It’s not too late to ever sign up,” Darrington said. “There are so many athletic events to attend.”
If students aren’t sure if they want to join, Darrington said students are welcome to come to Hurd events to see if they like the club. She said they also hope members will bring their friends and roommates.
“We always encourage members to bring friends. You get to be involved and meet new people,” she said.
Darrington said she has loved being involved with the Hurd.
“I have an amazing committee and I love being involved with Aggie athletics,” she said.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu
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