OCR Text |
Show 1101.y WAR GO[S THE U IS THE PLACE FORA DIVERSE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE BnION I) SPORTS H ey, Utes! We all know there's really no contest when it comes to rivalry between the U and BYU. BYU fans will always try to plead their case, but we know which school truly reigns supreme. On that note, let's take a closer look at the U's dominance over its southern rival. Location, location, location.The U is at the heart of good Utah living. We are minutes from both our most happening city and the majority of Utah ski resorts, including the soon to be 7,000-acre resort combination of Vail-bought Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons, which, when completed, will serve as the largest ski resort in the nation. BYU's Provo headquarters hardly competes in this area, with the notoriously small Sundance as its sole resort. Salt Lake City is also home to downtown attractions that just don't exist in Provo. We have an abundance of bars, unique eateries, clubs and many musical venues that Provo doesn't offer. And if that wasn't enough, SLC makes it easy to get to them with the public TRAX system and bicyclefriendly downtown streets. Adding to our supremacy, our football team actually belongs to a conference, and it's the Pac-12 — arguably the most elite overall conference in the nation. BYU's football team declared independence in 2011 after serious NCAA conference rearrangements occurred in 2010. The problem with this setup is that it becomes difficult to schedule games with top-notch teams, especially when you don't win many of them. The only independence BYU really achieved in this move was from national recognition. Academically, the U and BYU are very competitive, or so I've heard. Traditionally, BYU has been regarded by some as a better university when it comes to scholarly education. But while the U has yet to overtake BYU in overall academic rankings, we trump them, along with most universities, with our medical school and research programs, where we were the first to successfully implant an artificial heart.The U has also produced multiple Nobel Prize winners, including Mario Capecchi, who contributed immensely to the field of genetics. The U prides itself in its promotion of diversity and individual beliefs and thought, as stated in its mission statement. As students at the U, we are encouraged to broaden our knowledge and understanding, challenge the status quo and enrich our educational experiences. Try that down south and it will most likely lead to termination either academically or professionally, as the case may be. In Octo- ber of last year, Lynn K. Wilder wrote an article for an online news site based in New York about her experience as a BYU professor who found her own salvation outside the Mormon faith, but was unable to express it in a healthy way. For two years she and her husband had to drive hours each Sunday to attend a Christian church without getting caught and turned in by Provo locals. How does that happen in the 21st century? While the rivalry is fierce between these two universities, I don't think I'll get much resistance on campus when I say the U is the place to be. I believe education is about more than grades and a degree. And while we're highly recognized in many academic areas and advancing rapidly in many more, the U offers a progressive learning environment, a happening, top-notch lifestyle and an overall balanced university experience that can't be offered elsewhere. letters@chronicle.utah.edu UTAH: THE BETTER SCHOOL FOR MORMONS BY EMILIE TREPANIER /STAFF WRITER PHOTOS BY CHRIS SAMUELS T he Utah-BYU rivalry may have started with football, but it has grown into something much more. The first scrimmage between the two schools was on April 6, 1896, when the Utes beat the Cougars 12-4. For the next 94 games, the U has triumphed, winning a total of 56. These days, however, the rivalry is alive in every season except football. As a freshman looking into both schools, the admittance into the U is easier. Not just because the U does not have an honor code, but because BYU has a stricter acceptance rate. In 2012, the average GPA of admitted freshmen at BYU was 3.81. At the U, the GPA ranged from 3.31 to 3.87. While the U has an 80 percent acceptance rate, BYU's is closer to 50 percent. According to U.S. News and World Report, BYU is overall ranked No. 62 on college rankings, whereas the U is ranked No. 129. Breaking it down to rankings within departments, types of students at the U and BYU differ greatly. The U attracts mostly students in engineering, psychology and science. BYU attracts more students in communications, English and law. The location of the two schools says much about the student body as well. The U is located in the center of Salt Lake City, while BYU is located in the heart of Provo. Morgan Lami, a freshman in English teaching and French at the U, said she is passionate about the rivalry between the two schools, which she said has expanded into much more than just sports and football. "I think the rivalry is perfect" Lami said. She said it was playful and she can get a "cathartic experience as well as a fun one." Lami said the fact that the rivalry is called the "Holy War" shows how there is a bit of battle when it comes to religion. She said that is probably where her own rivalry with BYU stems from. Lami said, growing up in Utah, she was sometimes judged by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this is why she has Ute pride, although she does have friends who attend BYU. "They have really good programs," Lami said. She said she was interviewed by Yale and Harvard graduates who now teach at BYU and that she thinks it is a little frustrating how BYU has 4 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 } many Ivy League alumni professors. Lami said, all in all, the U was just a better fit for her. She said the religious classes and honor code at BYU were not made for her. Tarryn Aubuchon, a sophomore in communication at BYU, said her aunt goes to the U, and the two have a mini family rivalry. "I knew at the Y I would be surrounded by students with high values that would help me strengthen my testimony" Aubuchon said. "But I find both to be good schools. I've been on the U's campus a handful of times, and the atmosphere is different. I'm glad I chose BYU." She said BYU was the less expensive college option for her. Sage Mack, an undeclared freshman at the U, said she has a greater fondness for the U because it is in the city. Having family members at BYU, she said the rivalry with her is somewhat small. Mack said she likes the U better, but for the most part she "doesn't really care" Mack said she likes the atmosphere of Salt Lake City. "People are generally more relaxed" she said. e.trepanier@chronicle.utah.edu @emiliedeeann U tah offers a better experience for student members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than its rival, church-owned BYU. Having been a U fan most of my life, I could come up with a number of reasons why Utah is superior to the school down south. But most of those reasons are old clichés. Divisive talking points — which inevitably boil down to religion, such as BYU's Honor Code, or Utah fans' drunken classlessness — always lead to the same black-and-white generalizations. So instead of stating the obvious — that BYU is a good school for Mormons and that Utah's a good school for everyone else — I am making the case that the U is, ironically, a better fit for LDS students. During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln was known for filling his cabinet with his political opponents so he would be surrounded by alternative ideas. This is what is missing at BYU, aside from caffeinated sodas, of course. Although there is some variation in political beliefs, 99 percent of the students are LDS, so there is almost no variation in religious beliefs. The result is a giant comfort-zone of ideological hegemony in which students' beliefs are never seriously challenged by their classmates or their professors. Former President of the LDS Church and U graduate Gordon B. Hinckley once shared an analogy in which he compared faith to the muscles in his arm. "If I use them, they will grow stronger. If I put them in a sling, they become weaker" he said. By going to school in an environment such as BYU's, LDS students are not putting their "faith muscles" through as much of a workout as they can at the U. They don't have as many chances to defend their beliefs or convictions because no one questions them. They don't have to turn down a beer because they'll likely never be in a situation where one will be offered to them. They don't often have to answer questions about church policies because they are rarely questioned. At the U, however, LDS students have chances every day to exercise moral courage by standing up for the things they believe in, in environments much more critical than that of BYU. I, for one, enjoy being in class with students who have a diverse range of opinions and beliefs and who respectfully challenge and question some of the things that I taught growing up. It gives me a chance for introspection, to ask myself, "Do I really believe what I say I do?" It is in answering such questions that one exercises their "faith muscles" most effectively. If memorizing verses of scripture or church history facts are your thing, then BYU and its required religion courses would be a great fit. But for those LDS students who want to strengthen their faith by testing it as an ambassador of the church in "hostile" territory, this is the place for them. letters@chronicle.utah.edu yeet# tenire dedywd cieetedio-ni 157 S. Main Street (801) 359-0192 mckaydiamonds.com Awe /9(9 |