OCR Text |
Show Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Page 12 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Aboutik OurView Editor in Chief Patrick Oden Just get out of here feel is nothing quite like the excitement you feel as you stand at the gas station filling the tank, cooler in the trunk and friends screaming "shotgun" in concert. The morning a road trip begins is magical. In contrast, there is nothing quite as depressing as listening to tales of wonder and adventure from friends and acquaintances upon their return, when you decide to spend Spring Break playing "Call of Duty." There is no sense for it really. This is college, and you only get four of these. Make Spring Break count. Many of the fondest memories you will have from college will be born of Spring Break. Whether filled with sin and debauchery or a meditative, soul-searching trek, it exists to banish the demons of spring fever, letting us get it out of our system in one intense yet short span, so we may return to our studies in earnest. Whether enlightened or hung over, if done right you should welcome a quiet night of reading a textbook upon your return. Planning a proper Spring Break trip at the last minute may seem like a logistical nightmare but it doesn't have to be. There are only a few things you really need to get the ball rolling and once inertia has built, the rest comes easy. A car, a friend or four to shove in it, a credit card and a road map is about all you need. Spin a bottle, roll the dice or roshambo, whatever your method of selection, pick a destination, or not, and start putting some highway behind you. Logan isn't really close to anywhere worth spending Spring Break, but it isn't far either. Let's explore some options. Reno, Nev., it's only nine hours away and the Aggies are playing in the WAC tournament. Hotels are cheap, drinks are free at the gaming tables, and the food and showgirls are plentiful and not as spendy as Vegas. Speaking of Vegas, only eight hours away, through some of the most scenic and desolate landscape Utah has to offer lays the oasis of the West, Las Vegas. No the Aggies aren't there, but this time of year there are bargain rooms to be found and the streets are flooded with coupons that make some the best entertainment in the nation quite affordable. Magic, music, comedy or burlesque, Vegas has something for everyone. Keep heading west from Reno or Vegas and within five hours you hit sand. It may not be swimming weather, but San Francisco and southern California offer plenty to entertain a landlocked Loganite for a few days. Chow down on some Dim Sum in Chinatown or play some volleyball on Venice Beach. And don't forget the roller coasters. Amusement parks are spread throughout the state and feature some of the highest rated roller coasters in the world. Jackson, Wyo., and Yellowstone National Park are always a treat. Great skiing, mountain biking, hiking and lots of wild animals to chase around make the three-and-a-half-hour drive a no brainer if you're a nature lover. If nature and powdery slopes are your thing, head east and take a tour of Colorado. Ft. Collins claims the largest number of microbreweries in the country, and Vail and Aspen are the perfect place to melt your parents' plastic. Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Sure it's pretty much just a giant ditch, but if you haven't seen it, it's worth the trip. The East Rim sits in the Navaho Nation, and they are great people to spend some time chatting with, truly hospitable and friendly. They say you can see it from space, but if you're not planning to be an astronaut, there are vantage points every few miles that offer spectacular scenic views. However you decide to spend your Spring Break, we hope you'll make the most out of it. Get some great pictures for Facebook, create some blog fodder and, most importantly, come back with a good story. Ask Miss Jones Dear Miss Jones, I am in need of a little advice. While preparing my living arrangements for this school year last spring, I readily jumped into an apartment contract with one of my roommates. Living in dormstyle housing, I had no indication of what was to ensue. Fast-forward a few months to the present, and my morning wake-up call has become the stench of overcooked tilapia wafting into my bedroom six feet from the stove top. Suppressing my nausea, I enter the kitchen, greeted by singed dishtowels, lettuce pulverized into the ceramic tiles, paper towels strewn about as far as the eye can see and sink full of dishes piled high as Mt. Saint I See JONES, page 13 News Editor Rachel A. Christensen Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Benjamin Wood Sports Editor Connor Jones Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Mark Vuong ForumLetters Letters to the editor • A public forum Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Steve Sellers Web Editor Karlie Brand Running for ASUSU: Much harder than it looks To the editor: A recent opinion was published in The Utah Statesman making a point that being elected to ASUSU is as easy as showing up and being voted in, and all one has to do is give out candy and look good. A question of whether students on ASUSU can make any real difference at Utah State was brought up as well. It is obvious that whoever wrote this opinion has never spent a month, week, day or even a minute in the shoes of someone running for office or someone that is currently on ASUSU. Standing in front of an A frame and talking to everyone walking by is part of what a candidate does when running for office, and to some it looks like an easy task, however, most candidates would disagree. Junior Alicia Watterson, who ran for Programming VP, said, "Try standing out by your sign for hours when it's (freezing) and snowing!" And that's not to mention the hours of preparation that go into a campaign before elections week. Some candidates start working on their campaigns up to six months in advance. Hours and hours daily are put into a campaign for these candidates. Watterson said she would spend all night after school and all weekend working on her campaign. What people also forget to think about is that these candidates go to school full time and most have full- or part-time jobs, as well. Running for ASUSU is not easy, not simple and not always fun. Why do you think more people don't run? It's hard, and hard things aren't appealing for students who don't have motivation and determination. Once students does go through the sleepless nights, standing for hours with a smile plastered on their face, spending money and time trying A to get a vote and is elected, the hard work has only just begun. Students put in a lot of time, energy and effort into their positions so they can make life better for the other students at USU. Scholarships are awarded to students on ASUSU, and the students who receive them work for what they are given. ASUSU PR Director Allie Anderson said, "This isn't a free ride. We all work really hard and put in a lot of time for the scholarships we receive." It's not easy balancing full-time school, work and ASUSU every day. Some argue that a scholarship is wasted on these positions, but what these people don't realize is that these students make a difference for everyone else at USU. Why shouldn't that deserve a scholarship? What about students who receives scholarships just for writing a nice essay? What do they do for the rest of the student body? Not only do students on ASUSU put many hours a week into their position, they have to keep a certain GPA and try to balance their lives between work, school, and all the other things going on. Students should also be aware that if they have a goal, there is funding available to them through ASUSU. Re-elected President Tyler Tolson said, "I want to help make students' dreams come true. I hope any student who has an idea will come talk to me so I can help them make it happen." ASUSU wants students to know they do have the ability to make a change and help students attain their ambitions. ASUSU officers work hard in order to make life better and more enjoyable for students at Utah State University. This facet of involvement encourages those seeking a change to come get involved and make it themselves. Jacob Spencer As a matter of faith s a kid I never really understood why I went to church. Sunday school was mostly a time for songs and games. Going out to play some days was nice, but we did that in regular school. Regular service varied depending on whom I was going with, from traditional choirs to rock bands, between collection plates and sacrament or a combination of all of them. Getting older meant sometimes sitting with a different "teacher" every week who was no older than I or just sitting in the pews and hearing about the local football games. I was always told in school that religions of the old world were just ways of explaining weather. I didn't see the difference between those old tales and what I was being taught in church, so I didn't see the relevance. If it was all just stories, then why did the ceremony matter? I grew up questioning a lot, especially whether I'd involve my children in religion. The cynicism I saw in my culture promoted not involving kids in "indoctrinating" things like faith or organizations of any kind, and doubt settled harder in my mind. Looking back, I don't think the cynicism I saw was entirely misplaced. It was an extreme reaction, but its source had some truth. The cynics were afraid for the child's welfare, and the threat of the child being brainwashed into a bigot or consuming robot. Children have growing minds and imaginations that should be nurtured, and this new generation saw constructs like religion to be a threat to that nurturing. I didn't know how to process it all then, but I think I was compelled because the fear was realistic. Children are massive responsibilities, and the cynics were aware of that. What they were trying to confront was an environment of immorality or lack of wonder in kids, instilled by institutions and faith. Interestingly a lot of my generation followed the advice, but didn't get the meaning behind it. For more than 25 years, I've watched as kids are viewed more and more as accessories, or raised like they are the center of the universe. Parents I knew didn't "indoctrinate" their kids, they barely seemed to be raising them outside of new toys and fancy stuff. My generation invented the phrase "television is the best babysitter," which seemed clever and funny at the time, but became common practice a few years later. I still empathize a bit with the cynics. I do think strong child-rearing involves teaching young minds to think and wonder, to question and understand their world and not follow authority blindly. But I don't think that means just letting children loose with expensive gadgets to just figure it out for themselves without structure or guidance. The people I saw following the cynical method forgot the cynical source, that children are a massive responsibility, not a toy or convenience to be avoided when it's not fun. Where religion comes in, I've discovered, is in being that structure and facilitating it. Almost every faith's traditions have viewed childbirth and children as miracles of innocence (or with Christianity, as close to innocent as mortal man can get). Abraham's world centered around his beloved son Isaac. Isaac was Abraham's greatest gift after his covenant with God and in his sacrifice, also Abraham's greatest test of faith. In Norse traditions, the child was the source of honor and immortality for the parents and ancestors. For some faiths also, the greatest of punishments is via children (enslavement, death, betrayel, etc.) Children are incredibly important, but religion and its values shouldn't just spoil them. What they should do is prepare them for the world and mold them into great persons. This has been known philosophically (as far as we have writing) in the West since Plato's Republic. Children don't grow up in a vacuum where their personalities and actions have no consequences. Some values religions use are practical social methods but others are to ensure a good person no matter the circumstance. What faith, as an authoritative tradition, should do is promote humility (to understand one's place and question judgments) while still fostering individuality, creativity and thoughtfulness. Of course, a tradition can only do so much without tangible parents. Leaving children to be raised by ritual is no different than leaving them in front of a "Spongebob" marathon. I've I See FAITH, page 13 About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups - or more than one individual - must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters - no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.aggietownsquare.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. (Link: About Us.) Sound Off Leave your comments on the stories and columns you find in The Utah Statesman at aggietownsquare.com |