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Show Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 Utah Campus Voice since 1902 1S Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Committee votes to eliminate CIL tests By CATHERINE MEIDELL news editor The motion to remove Computer and Information Literacy (CIL) tests from graduation requirements was passed in a 14-2 vote Tuesday morning through the General Education subcommittee. The motion will be brought to the Education Policy committee in December to further its progress so that it may be implemented by the summer of 2011. "What was decided by the committee was there has been a transition and a change in what students need," said ASUSU President Tyler Tolson. "When the CIL tests came up, students weren't really computer literate, so this was a great track to take, but now students are coming to school computer literate." Removing CILs from graduation requirements is two years in the making, and issues caused by the tests were first brought to the foreground by 2008-09 ASUSU president Grady Brimley and his council. "In theory, people were supposed to take the CIL by the end of their freshman year so they could move efficiently through the rest of their coursework," said Norm Jones, General Education subcommittee chair. "But, people weren't taking it on time and weren't able to graduate." He said students sending in appeals stating they could not graduate because of their CILs was common, and attaching CIL requirements to English classes was leaving seats empty in those classes. Tolson said a few people on the committee were alarmed by the majority vote that passed the ban of CIL requirements because their jobs are directly related to CIL testing. However, if the CILs are no longer required after the upcoming vote by the Educational Policy committee, Tolson said his hope is to still have a computer literacy resource center to help students who need those skills. If the removal of the tests is passed through all the committees, the $30 CIL fee will be removed. "If it's a needed resource, I don't think the university will have a hard time sending funding that way," Tolson said. Freshman elementary education major Kallyn Austin said she has taken two of her CILs so far because it was required in a freshman orientation class. "I know how to use my computer," she said. "I don't need silly little tests to tell me what I need to know about my computer. If you've never used a computer in your life before, I guess it is beneficial." Shahriar Kabir, a graduate student in management information systems, said he was required to take the CILs to graduate and believes they are necessary to USU students' education. "They shouldn't cancel it," Kabir said. "I think everyone needs to have some computer literacy. There are a lot of basic things that look simple, but doing it yourself and finding things on the programs takes practice." One of the proposals for the future is to have a diagnostic test that sums up all the tests. "It has also been proposed that the ethics portion of the CIL tests be retained after seeing a couple hundred copy-and-paste plagiarisms," Jones said. The committee discussed saving the ethics portion of the CILs as a test to gain access to the library. "We remain concerned that everyone has computer literacy, but this particular method wasn't working," Jones said. — catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu Art Barn transforms to make way for museum By ROUCHELLE BROCKMAN staff writer The USU Museum of Anthropology, currently located in Old Main, will be moving to the Art Barn, located near the Vet Science Building and parking lot next to the TSC, in Fall 2011. "There are lots of exhibits (the museum) wanted to do but were limited by space," said Jon Alfred, department of history graduate student. The current museum has approximately 2,000 square feet of display space. The move will expand that about five times over, Alfred said. Wheeler and Alfred gave a lecture on the Barn and museum Saturday. They have been assisting Dr. Bonnie Pitblado, anthropology program director, in researching the Barn's history. Alfred said the Art Barn, formally the Horse Barn, was originally built in 1893 where Widtsoe Hall currently is located and housed then University President Widtsoe's buggy. The Barn was also used to house the university stallion. The university brought the horse from Fort Douglas and used it to improve herds throughout the valley, Alfred said. In 1919 the Horse Barn was torn down and rebuilt in its current location. It housed horses until the 1950s. The livestock were removed from campus in 1955 and the Barn stood empty until 1959, Alfred said. In 1959 the fine arts department facilities sustained serious damages from a kiln explosion. The fine arts department petitioned the University to remodel the Barn for the use of art instruction to replace space damaged in the explosion, Alfred said. I See MUSEUM, page 4 THE ART BARN WILL BE renovated to display the artifact and replica collections in the anthropology museum. It is set to be complete Fall 2011. MAKAELA HERRAN photo ISC president proposes new seat in ASUSU executive council Orr confirmed this number is actually 1 of 14.5 students By JESSICA SWEAT staff writer A bill proposing the creation of a new position on the ASUSU executive council was presented at Tuesday's council meeting. International Student Council President (ISC) Christian Orr presented the bill along with bill sponsors Trevor Nelson, graduate student vice president, and Brent Crosby, executive vice president. The passage of the bill would allow for an elected international vice president to sit on the ASUSU executive council and act as International Student Council President. The bill states that currently 1 of every 16 students on the Utah State University main campus are international students. and said it is consistently becoming smaller as the international student population grows. Orr said with a large student population, more direct representation is necessary and currently absent. The bill states international student needs are different than that of sub-cultures and U.S. minorities and cannot be met by sharing one representative, the diversity vice president. The position would also remove budget stewardship from the diversity vice president and claim stewardship over cultural and ethnic orgnizations that are not U.S. Minorities. The bill also states that integration between ASUSU sponsored events and international events rarely occurs. If the position were created, the bill requires that equal rights and privileges be given to the position as well as being integrated into Spring 2011 elections. However, only international students will vote to elect the new position. After the bill was presented to the council, President Tyler Tolson opened up a council discussion. Orr was also invited to sit in and discuss. Questions asked inquired about sole election versus entire student body and if there was valid reasoning for a diversity chair as well as an international chair. Academic Senate President Tanner Wright asked, "Can't they work together toward the same goal?" I See POSITION, page 4 Smokeout aims to prevent tobacco use the Taggart Student Center basement Nov. 17 and in the By RHETT WILKINSON staff writer ABOUT 23,000 SMOKERS reside in Utah and 14,800 children are exposed to secondhand smoke regularly. ARMEN HOVSEPYAN photo Inside This Issue 9/02/09 The art guild is hosting a combined print sale and studio stroll this week. • While most Americans are aware that the fourth Thursday in November is designated as a day to give thanks, many may not know that one week earlier, another national day is set apart to rally against an addiction that kills every 6.5 seconds, said Prevention Specialist Ryan Barfuss. The Great American Smokeout, a day designated to encourage people to quit smoking tobacco, will be recognized across the United States on Nov. 18, and the USU Student Health and Wellness Center is taking part. Booths will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Aggie men's basketball travels to Provo today to take on the BYU. Merrill Cazier Library atrium Nov. 18, with advice, support and information about key ways to quit smoking. "If we can help just even one person get on the path of a smoke-free life then we have done our job," Barfuss said. He said tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue. While the number of tobacco users in Utah is significantly lower than the national average, there are more than 230,000 users in the Beehive State, about 10.5 percent of the statewide population, Barfuss said. Nearly 14,800 children in Utah are exposed to secondhand smoke within their own I See HABIT, page 3 Check out What's Your Line, our new contest on page 13. Win prizes, get famous, just for giving us the caption to a cartoon. It's dead easy! Official Student Newspaper of Utah State University • "It's All The News You Need!" |