December 10, 2002 Utah State
in the News
WHARTON:
NORTHERN UTAH IS HOME TO A CULT CLASSIC -- THEY ALL SCREAM FOR
AGGIE ICE CREAM
The most famous ice cream at Penn State University's creamery
is Paterno Peach, named after legendary Nittany Lions' football
coach Joe Paterno. While Rocky Road might be a more appropriate
flavor for Utah State University's recent gridiron exploits,
the Logan school's Aggie Ice Cream would hold its own in any
flavor competition. Available only on campus and at one or two
establishments that go to great lengths to sell it, Aggie Ice
Cream possesses the kind of culinary cult following usually
reserved for certain types of sushi, coffee or chocolate. People
go out of their way to find the little store on the east side
of USU's campus where it is sold. (Salt Lake Tribune, 12/07/02)
click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12072002/utah/9119.asp
U. STUDENT JOINS
ELITE IN RHODES GROUP
Jane Domek didn't live long enough to see her daughter, Gretchen,
become a Rhodes Scholar. But she was there in spirit as the
University of Utah pre-med major learned Sunday she was among
32 American college students who will spend the next two years
studying at Oxford University. ... Said Utah State University
President Kermit Hall, chairman of the Utah Rhodes committee
that picked Domek to represent the state at the national competition,
"She's a powerful combination of intelligence, forthrightness,
humility and common sense. I'm absolutely thrilled she won and
not at all surprised." (Salt Lake Tribune, 12/09/02) click
on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12092002/utah/9541.asp
WATER-FUND BATTLE
IS BOILING IN UTAH: LEAVITT WORKING ON A COMPROMISE WITH EDUCATION
BUDGET
In the contentious debate over money for water or education,
the wheeling and dealing with Gov. Mike Leavitt has already
begun. The one doing the most dickering one month before the
2003 general session of the Legislature? That might be Leavitt,
who met quietly one recent Saturday with Utah water officials
to hammer out a compromise. They left with the promise that
Leavitt would not pursue his original plan to replace the current
system in which property taxes subsidize water rates. ... "People
pay attention to price," said Keith Criddle, the head of
the economics department at Utah State University. (Deseret
News, 12/09/02) click on:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019505,00.html
BUDGET WOES THREATEN
CLIMATE CENTER
Donald T. Jensen has driven to Wellsville, about 12 miles south
of the Utah State University campus, to carry out maintenance
on weather instruments set up at the USU Animal Science Farm.
The devices send weather updates to USU, some of them every
few seconds. They track air temperature, precipitation, sun
intensity and ground temperature at different depths. The last
is important to farmers who need to know when the soil is warm
enough to plant crops. (Deseret News, 12/09/02) click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019535,00.html
FIRM ADDS VIDEO
BOARD, SCOREBOARDS AT USU
Trans-Lux, a Logan company that creates integrated multimedia
systems, has designed and installed a new LED video board in
the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at Utah State University with funds
raised from a USU-Coca Cola contract. The company also installed
new scoreboards in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, Chuck and Gloria
Bell soccer field and LaRae and LeGrand Johnson softball field
in September. The new equipment cost $1.4 million. The 20-foot
tall video board and ribbon ring, called the "RainbowWall,"
weighs almost 12,000 pounds and hangs in the center of the Spectrum.
The equipment shows highlights, statistics and advertisements
during basketball and volleyball games as well as gymnastic
meets but can function at any event held in the Spectrum. (Deseret
News, 12/09/02) click on:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019066,00.html
USU STUDENT WINS
AWARD FOR POSTER ON GRAVITY
Lara Anderson, a Utah State University senior with a double
major in physics and mathematics, took first place in the Dirac
Centenary Conference poster contest held at Baylor University
in Waco, Texas. She won a cash award for her poster that detailed
the possibility of putting gravity into a super-symetric context.
(Deseret News, 12/09/02) click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019067,00.html
USU SENIOR FEELS
PAIN OF ORPHANS
Although she can no longer work in Romania with the young orphans
and sick children she met last summer, 21-year-old Caryn Bingham
continues efforts to help those less fortunate than herself.
Bingham is a Utah State University senior from Payson, Utah,
studying family and human development. She is involved with
several organizations on campus, including the LDS Student Association
and the Associated Students of USU’s presidential cabinet.
(Herald Journal, 12/09/02)
USU WOLF REPORT
PROVOKES GROWLS
That howling you've been hearing hasn't all been coming from
wolves prowling Utah's mountains. Rather, it is coming from
ranchers and farmers, sportsmen and wolf advocates, biologists
and lawmakers. It seems everyone has an opinion on wolves, usually
on one extreme or another. But there are two points upon which
all agree: The wolves will be coming in greater and greater
numbers, like it or not, and their arrival will stir a public
debate over wildlife the likes of which Utah hasn't seen in
decades. In fact, wildlife biologists at Utah State University
are now stirring that debate with a voluminous report titled
"Wolves in Utah: An Analysis of Potential Impacts and Recommendations
for Management." (Deseret News, 12/08/02) click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019248,00.htm
CRYING WOLF: ANIMAL’S
ARRIVAL RAISES PACK OF ISSUES IN UTAH
Wolf No. 253 surely didn’t expect to cause such a stir.
But the private trapper who caught the black male on Nov. 30
near Morgan opened a Pandora’s box of conflict in Utah.
What’s next for wolves here is unclear, except that federal
officials won’t bail the state out next time. ... Utah
State University wildlife professor Mike Wolfe served on that
committee and said that many residents who attended the presentations
“thought there was a plot afoot that DWR was going to
reintroduce the wolf into Utah.” The group’s research
indicated Utah could easily support 50 wolves. But none of the
information about habitat or predation made a dent with audiences.
(Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
UTAH STATE STUDY
ANTICIPATED EVENT
It played out exactly as the Utah State University research
team expected. Two wolves, either a mating pair or a couple
of bachelors on the prowl, quietly made their way from Yellowstone
Park to Morgan County in a matter weeks. If the wolves had been
left alone and had stayed put, experts say, they could have
made a home in the mountains east of Ogden in some of Utah’s
best habitat. (Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
STUDENT EVALUATIONS
OF USU FACULTY GO ONLINE
Students at Utah State University aren’t the only ones
on campus paying attention to their scores at the end of each
term. Before the final grades are posted by their professors,
students have the opportunity to anonymously evaluate the performances
of their teachers, and, unlike the students, the educators’
scores are posted online for the world to view. (Herald Journal,
12/08/02)
FINGERS AT USU
FIRMLY CROSSED
A letter from Governor Mike Leavitt to all educators throughout
the state has given Utah State University President Kermit L.
Hall little solace in the face of potential budget cuts. On
Nov. 22, Hall e-mailed Leavitt’s letter to USU employees,
informing them of an estimated $80 million to $140-million budget
shortfall in the state’s budget. A continuing national
economic downturn will make it impossible for the state to reach
its current estimate of revenues unless action is taken, Leavitt
said. (Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
A SIGN OF CHRISTMAS:
SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN GET TIME TO VISIT SANTA
Sitting on Santa’s lap can be an exciting and scary prospect
for little ones with Christmas wishes, especially for youngsters
with special needs. The thought of taking 6-year-old Cory Mortensen
to the mall to fight the crowds and wait in line to see Santa
Claus didn’t hold much appeal for his mother, Tammy. Luckily
for this Richmond family with a special needs child, there was
an alternative solution this year. Cory cautiously climbed onto
Santa’s lap Saturday afternoon at Utah State University’s
Center for Persons with Disabilities to put in his request for
a set of Matchbox cars. (Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
USU TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATIONS ENHANCES LEARNING EXPERIENCE
A select group of Utah State University faculty and staff are
staying at the forefront of technological innovations to enhance
the learning experience. University Executive Vice President
and Provost Stan Albrecht makes sure these accomplishments are
recognized with the Golden Mouse Award. This year’s recipients
are Chad Bingham, Kathy Bayn and the Utah State Music Department.
(Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
USU ACCEPTING
AWARD NOMINATIONS
The USU/Community Associates is now accepting nominations for
their seventh annual recognition award. It will be given to
two individuals during their spring social. The USU/Community
Associates award was designed to recognize individuals or couples
who have made significant contributions that benefit Utah State
University or the Cache Valley community. (Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
USU ALUMNI PRESENTS
EVENING OF X-MAS FUN
Bring the family, bring friends and have some fun with the
Utah State University Cache County Alumni Chapter. The chapter
will present an evening of laughter and entertainment to help
raise scholarship money for Cache County students. James Arrington,
a well-known writer, director and actor in the Intermountain
region, will present his play “The Farley Family Christmas”
at this fund-raising event. (Herald Journal, 12/08/02)
USU PHYSICS STUDENT
WINS POSTER CONTEST
A Utah State University senior with a double major in physics
and mathematics took first place in the Dirac Centenary Conference
poster contest held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Sept.
30. Utah State student Lara Anderson, the winner of the cash
award, submitted a poster explaining in detail the possibility
of putting gravity into a super-symetric context. (Herald Journal,
12/08/02)
HUZZAH FOR MUSICA
RESERVATA
Musica Reservata gives new meaning to the term "golden
oldies." The Logan-based ensemble specializes in music
from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque times, played on now-exotic
instruments such as the sackbut, the shawm and the psaltery.
... Musica Reservata grew out of a collaboration between keyboardist
Ruth Helm and flutist Leslie Timmons. A shared love of Baroque
music led them to add a cellist and form a Baroque trio. Around
that time, Timmons studied the recorder in London, and when
Helm's late husband, Bill, took a sabbatical at Cornell University
from his job as a Utah State University fisheries professor,
she took advantage of the opportunity to study the harpsichord
there. (Salt Lake Tribune, 12/08/02) click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12082002/arts/9102.asp
NEWS
Wildlife biologists at USU say the state could support up to
700 wolves. (KSL, newscast, 5:30 p.m., 12/08/02)
2 BOX ELDER SMART
SITES TO RECEIVE NEW COMPUTERS
Two Box Elder County Smart Sites will get new computers to
help them create more high-tech jobs in the northern part of
Utah. Five will be given to the Shoshone Smart Site and 10 will
be presented to the Box Elder County site, David Harmer, executive
director of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development,
said Thursday at the Box Elder County Technology Expo. Harmer
said the computers will help the tribal Smart Site start on
its plans to work on data-processing contracts. The expo also
was the site of presentations of winners of the SmartUTAH Electronic
Community Award. Recipients include Phil Windley, chief information
officer; Rod Linton, deputy director of the Utah Division of
Business Development, director of the Utah Office of Technology
and Science and co-founder of Iomega Corp.; Frontier; and the
Box Elder County Education Center. The expo was organized by
Box Elder County Economic Development, the Joint Bear River
Area and Brigham City Area Chambers of Commerce, Utah State
University Brigham City, Bridgerland Applied Technology College
and SmartUTAH. (Deseret News, 12/07/02) click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450019103,00.html
USU EMPLOYEES
TO GET HOLIDAY LEAVE
Following a year of nipping and tucking in answer to state
budget cuts, Utah State University is leaner and meaner than
ever before. But USU employees will not be without Christmas
cheer, insists President Kermit Hall, who is closing the university
from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.
The one-time closure represents a gift of three working days
off at full pay between Christmas and New Year's Eve "in
appreciation for the dedication of the university's employees,"
said Hall. For the safety and maintenance of the campus, certain
personnel such as police will be required to work on those days.
(Salt Lake Tribune, 12/07/02) click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/dec/12072002/utah/9120.asp
NEGATIVES AT
NIKE TOLERATED: TROUBLEMAKERS ARE OFTTIMES REWARDED, FIRM'S
V.P. SAYS
Quiz time: What would you call a company that sometimes rewards
rebellious behavior by employees, lacks a strong corporate structure,
has occasional troubles with accountability and sometimes leaps
unsuccessfully into business ventures? How about . . . Nike?
The company with the "swoosh" logo has become a global
giant by having a corporate culture that indeed leads to those
problems but also has many more positives that outweigh those
negatives. So says Curtis Roberts, a Utah native and Nike's
vice president of global strategic planning. For example, the
company rewards teams' innovation, such as those who went against
the Nike's original decisions and instead produced shoes that
ultimately would be sold to NASCAR drivers and pit crews. It's
a "rebel as hero" mentality. "We're learning
to live with the downside because what it creates is a sense
of the organization that if somebody cares enough and has enough
passion about an idea, they will not let go until they see it
through," Roberts, a graduate of Ogden High School and
Weber State University, said Thursday at the International Business
Seminar at Utah State University. (Deseret News, 12/06/02) click
on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,450018921,00.html
USU TOUTS NEW
LANDSCAPING
The tractors are gone. The trenches are filled in, and yards
and yards of construction fencing has been taken down. For the
most part, the visible signs of construction of Utah State University’s
new heat plant have been erased. One telling sign of the change,
though, is the open area that remains around the university’s
wide, central sidewalk. Beneath the slab of cement hides an
intricate system of tunnels supporting the institution’s
heat and cooling facilities. (Herald Journal, 12/06/02)
‘MOCKINGBIRD’
CLOSES THIS WEEKEND
Utah State Theatre (UST) will present “To Kill A Mockingbird,”
from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, as the
second production of the 2002-03 season. Adapted from the literary
piece into a stage production by Christopher Sergel, the American
classic opens the holiday season with a two-week run at Utah
State University. (Herald Journal, 12/06/02)
THE FARLEYS REUNITE
FOR CHRISTMAS
James Arrington will perform his “Farley Family X-mas”
at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 at USU’s Morgan Theater. Arrington,
well-known playwright, director and actor in the Intermountain
region, will present the one-man performance at Cache County
Aggie Chapter’s scholarship fund-raising event. (Herald
Journal, 12/06/02)
HOLIDAY ON THE
RADIO
At Utah Public Radio, the 14 days of Christmas means the station’s
holiday programming begins 14 days prior to Christmas Day. Starting
Thursday, Dec. 12, KUSU FM (91.5 FM) and KUSR (89.5) are airing
holiday selections, capped on Dec. 25 by Christmas music from
National Public Radio. (Herald Journal, 12/06/02)
AGGIES IN PARADISE
The remnants of the Big Island Invitational, the Hilo Shootout,
now involves just four teams rather than the eight that used
to travel to Hilo every Thanksgiving weekend for a decade. In
addition to the Aggies, Vermont and Drake joined host school
Hawaii-Hilo for the first year of the scaled-down version. ...
Upon receiving the wooden bowl for winning the tournament, USU
forward Spencer Nelson immediately proclaimed it to be his new
“four-star cereal bowl.” (Herald Journal, 12/06/02)
NEWS
A USU student, Troy Bobo, crashed into a power line while parasailing
in Logan. (KTVX, newscast, 5:30 p.m., 12/05/02)
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