September 18 & September
19, 2003 Utah State in the News
Friday, September 19, 2003
UTAH ARCHIVISTS
SEEKING STORIES ABOUT U.S. VETS: TALES ARE BEING COMPILED FOR
NATIONAL PROJECT
Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of war veterans
are going to work, playing with the dog, cutting the grass,
living out their lives like anybody else — and yet, there's
something different about these people. Beneath the placid veneer
are stories of blood and grime and horror and humor and camaraderie
and honor and pain. Stories that, in many cases, have been lying
dormant for decades. Randy Williams wants to get those stories
out. She is curator of the Fife Folklore Archives at Utah State
University, a partner with the Library of Congress in the nationwide
Veterans History Project, whose purpose is to gather veterans'
oral histories and record them before it's too late. The project
is for veterans of all wars. ... Talk to anyone involved in
the program and you quickly discover how deeply they feel about
it. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bateman is pursuing a master's
at USU and has collected seven veterans' oral histories. "I've
been in the Air Force 24 years and participated in all kinds
of deployments and exercises and gone to war, but talking to
these folks is extremely humbling," he said. Bateman went
to Afghanistan after 9/11 and fought, and "what we did
seemed pretty momentous at the time, but it pales compared to
some of the things these people did." (Deseret News, 09-18-03)
Click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,510054972,00.html
LEGISLATORS TOUT
MARRIAGE CLASSES
A draft bill that would encourage marrying couples in Utah
to find out exactly what they're signing up for was endorsed
Wednesday by an interim legislative committee. Couples who get
premarital training would get a $20 break on the marriage license
fee for attending eight hours of education in communication,
conflict management and financial management. Rep. Roz McGee,
D-Salt Lake and sponsor of the legislation, said her goal is
to create an incentive for people to get at least a rudimentary
understanding of marriage before entering the most personal,
in-depth relationship society sanctions. ... Premarital counseling
is regarded as a good idea, with 92 percent of Utah residents
in a recent survey conducted by Utah State University saying
it is very or somewhat import for couples to formally prepare
for marriage. (Deseret News, 09-18-03) Click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,510054975,00.html
ONE QUESTION:
WILL LEAVITT GET MUCH LEEWAY?
A big question is how much independence Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt
would have if he is confirmed as head of the Environmental Protection
Agency. The Bush administration has developed a reputation for
centralizing decision-making at the White House. "I am
concerned about how much leeway he will be given at EPA to implement
some of the good thinking he's doing," said Joanna Endter-Wada,
a Utah State University environment professor. She credits Leavitt
with exerting leadership "to break the Gordian knot of
tough debates we have in the West" over managing public
lands and other resources. (USA Today, 09-18-03)
Thursday, September 18, 2003
SIGNS GET SMALLER
FOR LOGAN STANDARDS
Poles with advertisements on them will have to be shorter,
paintings on exterior business walls will have to be smaller
and banners that hang above Main Street to announce community
events will have to shrink a bit. ... Signs and banners hung
by Utah State students before student government elections were
frequently mentioned in August's public meetings regarding code
changes. ... Nielsen said that controlling the signs is a step
toward improving the sometimes strained relationship between
students and neighbors. However, the council chose to keep USU
election signs under the same regulations as city election signs.
... "The election is moving further into the community.
Our concern is obstruction and safety,” said Tiffany Evans,
director of student activities at USU. (Herald Journal, 09/17/03)
STUDENT DEFAULTS
WAY DOWN: RATE AMONG UTAH COLLEGE ALUMNI HAS DROPPED TO 3.8%
The Education Department said Tuesday that the nation's student
loan default rate dropped to an all-time low of 5.4 percent,
capping an astounding turnaround since it hit a high of 22.4
percent in 1990. And for the first time ever, no school in the
nation is facing losing eligibility for federal loan programs
because of default rates that are too high. That comes after
1,200 schools lost such eligibility nationwide during the past
decade. Even better news locally is that the default rate among
alumni of Utah colleges was just 3.8 percent, almost a third
lower than the national average. Rates for some of the larger
Utah schools ranged from 0.7 percent at Brigham Young University
to 2.3 percent at both the University of Utah and Utah State
University. (Deseret News, 09/17/03) Click on: http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,510054807,00.html
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