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Show WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012 C aucus continued from front second-lowest voter turnout rate. "Only Hawaii had a smaller percentage than Utah," Seamon said. "How does Utah go from having one of the highest to the secondlowest? It has a lot to do with Utahns feeling like their vote doesn't matter." Seamon pointed out that in local elections, such as city council or county seats, individual votes absolutely do matter. An example of this was seen in 2011 when a city council race in Provo was decided by 11 votes. In 2002, Jim Matheson won re-election by less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the vote. Despite Utah's overwhelming political leanings, significant statewide elections sometimes come down to a narrow margin. For Utahns wanting to get involved in politics, the best 5 THE SIGNPOST M ustache continued from front way to do so is to attend caucus meetings and nominate someone whose viewpoints and political agenda they agree with. Utah is one of two states that do not offer alternatives to get on the ballot. In other words, the only way to get elected into any political office is to be nominated at caucus meetings. In 2010, Sen. Bob Bennett ran for re-election in the state senate after three terms. However, due to Utah's unique laws, Utah Republicans decided they wanted someone else on the ballot. This was the year Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee ended up being nominated to run for the senate. "This demonstrates that it does not matter how powerful you are or how long you've been in office," Seamon said. "In Utah, you cannot get your name on the Farr Better QualiOr....Farr Better Price! 2466 Washington Blvd. Ogden Ut (801) 621-7666 www.farrsjewelrycom 10% off on bridal settings purchase upon presentation of valid school I.D. ballot without going through the caucus and convention process." Another fact most Utahns might not know is that the delegates elected from each precinct are usually average people. "It is the delegates in that district who get to choose the candidate," Seamon said. "As few as 80 people get to pick the replacement for an entire district. . . . Make sure your voice is heard when it comes to representing your neighborhood. Go and voice your opinions on what is important to you." Voter registry and information about caucus meetings are available at www. vote.utah.gov. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.corn. ing whether I should or should not grow a mustache, maybe after they read the resolution, they're more inclined to take the initiative and grow the mustache," Gardiner said. The resolution will be voted on during the senate meeting on March 19, and students can come in and argue their side. Men and women are both welcome to come and voice their opinions. Once all the opinions have been heard, the senators will take a vote on the resolution. "For those of us who think mustaches are disgusting, we need to be able to get people to come in and have our back, so this is not passed," Barber said. Some of the candidates who are running in the senate elections this week were there to observe a senate meeting. Gardiner said that despite the topic of the resolution, it was good training for the candidates to be able to see how a resolution gets passed or denied. During Mustache March, the bookstore display case has mirrors with different types of mustaches on them, including the Gentlemen and the Fire Marshall mustaches. The first 75 people to take a picture of themselves in the mirrors and post it on the WSU Bookstore Facebook page will receive a free bendable mustache. " (It's important) just to recognize the ability and maturity level of those who are able to grow a mustache," Gardiner said. "I think it's important to know what our senate's views on the whole Mustache March are and that we support it. We welcome mustaches during the month of March, and I think it's a great thing to do." tral Africa." WSU STAND member Zachary Stickney was the primary contact for Invisible Children. After watching the Kony 2012 documentary online, he contacted Invisible Children and asked them to come speak at WSU. A number of campus organizations participated in Monday night's event. Among them was the Center for Unity and Diversity, the Multicultural Center, the Nontraditional Student Center, and the Women's Center. "I was really impressed with the amount of community we got out here," Stickney said. "Just community members, and that's something we haven't really seen to this extent before this event, so I was really happy about that." Stickney talked about his desire to continue the campaign against Kony at WSU, as well as canvas school grounds with Kony 2012 posters and start an online community. "I bought the action kit that they had available," he said. "And what I'm thinking about doing is seeing if I can get some kind of online campaign on Facebook through our Weber State STAND group and just see if we can get some movement going that way." Stickney said he looks forward to continuing the campaign and bringing awareness to the situation in Africa. He said he is encouraged by the deadline attached to the campaign, which is designed to encourage everyone to spread the word and take action quickly to get Kony arrested. "What's really impressed me the most about this group has really been this whole idea of 'let's make it happen this year," he said. "And I think that's really important to getting people involved in it, because if you just sort of look at something as an indefinite problem that's going to keep going and you don't set a firm goal, I think it can set you back in some ways." Those who desire to get involved were being encouraged last Monday night to buy the Kony 2012 action kits, which included bracelets and other materials on how to spread the word, share the Kony 2012 documentary that is available online for free and to donate money to help forc- es on the ground in Africa that are tracking Kony and rebuilding communities. Those interested can also join Invisible Children as volunteers. Sunee Washom is a fulltime volunteer with Invisible Children and has sacrificed her semester to travel around the country with Nimaro. "I actually saw a presentation. I saw Invisible Children's first documentary" Washom said. "Just coming from a community where looking outside of ourselves wasn't common, it really struck a chord with me." Both Washom and Nimaro will continue traveling through the Western United States, and plan to reach 50,000 people with their message. Nimaro said she believes that the more people know about Kony, the more people will pressure the international community to arrest him and stop the conflict. "We believe in the power of the people like you," she said. "We can make a difference in human life." and foot massagers. The most attended booths seemed to be Eagle Gate College and Intermountain Therapy Animals. Students could line up for five-minute backand-shoulder massages from EGC massage therapy majors, or sit on stability balls while talking to personal training majors. The booth also held drawings for students to win free hour-long massages. Students also flocked around the dogs and cats at the Intermountain Therapy Animals table. Fritz, a Bernese Mountain Dog and Great Pyrenees mix, clamored to lick passersby and lean against their legs. His handler, Natalie Virell, said therapy dogs, chosen for their obedience, friendly dispositions and strong trust bonds with their handlers, can actually offer a variety of therapeutic services. "Our goal is pets helping people, basically," she said. "There's a lot of different ways animal-assisted therapy can be used. It can be used for emotional needs, like in counseling centers; it can be used with kids and elderly; it can be used with wounded warriors from overseas after they get back from war; it can be used in physical therapy; it can be used in assisted living - I mean, there's a million ways." Students from Ogden High School attended the fair as part of a leadership conference for AVID and the Future Educators of America. Amber Fast, a sophomore from the high school, said her favorite booth was the therapy animals. "I like the dogs," she said, ". . . 'cause dogs are just friendly, and no matter if you're sad or anything, they're always there for you." The fair also included booths from Employee Wellness, Student Wellness, the Outdoor Program and Campus Recreation, local business Grateful Pose, Basics Sports Medicine, the Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, and KWCR. The radio station took a break from its usual upbeat music to play Celtic and classical music used in stress relief. "The purpose (of the fair) is to show people all of the different ways that they can relieve stress," Lindeman said, "because I think we all have stress .. . and if you don't deal with it in an appropriate way, it can take over." Comment on this story a wsusignpost. corn Ug anda continued from front Kony 2012 campaign, which aims to raise awareness of Kony's actions in order to put pressure on the international community to track Kony down and arrest him. After a documentary screening on the conflict, Nimaro lectured that while northern Uganda is relatively peaceful now, the war has moved onto the Central African Republic. She stressed the need to raise awareness about atrocities happening there. "What I faced during the time of the war is what is happening to the communities in Central Africa," she said. "Their properties are being looted, their children are being abducted and forced to fight as child soldiers. Their houses are being set on fire. A number of killings are taking place in Cen- Comment on this story at wsusignpost.corn. St ress continued from front CONGRATULATIONS STUDENTS FOR A RECORD BREAKING 2356 VOTES IN THIS YEARS STUDENT ELECTIONS formation. Probably the biggest one was school that stresses them - I think probably 50 percent of the students were stressed out by school." Lindeman and her group chose vendors based on what students said was stressful or comforting to them. Each booth provided pamphlets and information on the vendor's services, as well as refreshments, free items and giveaways. Because so many students reported being stressed with schoolwork, Academic Support Centers and Programs manned a booth with information for tutoring on campus. The Community Involvement Center promoted volunteering opportunities, including its upcoming Cardboard Camp out on March 23, touting the motto that giving service lowers stress. Since 48 percent of students reported that money management was a stressor for them, Wells Fargo hosted a booth with tips for financial freedom. Students could also go into the Lair to try out equipment from the Stress Management Lab located in the Swenson-Stromb erg Complex, including an inversion table, chi machine, diffuser, and back Comment on this story at wsusignpost.corn. |