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Show Lady 'Cats snag third straight Big Sky win WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY See page 6 We hit the motherload McBride lands 24 new signees "We hit the motherload this year," McBride said. "We're trying to stabilize this program The Weber State University from the bottom up. That way Football Team has officially we can be good for the next six to reloaded seven years." for the 2009 McBride season. On "We have some aimed his Wednesday, recruiting great quality in the e f f o r t s WSU Head Coach Ron recruiting class. This primarily at McBride defensive hosted his fifth is easily the most prospects. annual signing athletic group of WSU returns day party, only four of announcinghis kids I've recruited at 11 defensive starters from new incoming Weber so far." last season's freshman Big Sky class. Thanks to tireless - Ron McBride, C o n f e r e n c e recruiting Championship WSU Football Head Coach efforts from his squad and the coaching staff, WSU coaching McBride managed to sign 20 staff tried to shore up those high school seniors to national holes, signing 12 defensive letters of intent. players of 20 total high school By Matt Gerrish sports editor I The Signpost Street cars Weber thanked at Capitol signees. Highlighting the defensive signees is 275-pound defensive tackle Bijon Mostoufi from Honolulu, Hawaii. New Defensive Line Coach Inoke Breckterfield's ties to Hawaii helped land Mostoufi, who is hailed for his extraordinary strength, capable of bench pressing over 435 pounds. "We hit a home run on defense," McBride said. "We loaded up on defensive linemen as well as offensive linemen too. Games are won or lost in the trenches so you can never have too many of those." In addition to signing five defensive linemen, the Wildcats landed a plethora of speedy defensive backs. One of those defensive backs is Quaid Morris Comprehensive university praised by Utah legislators By Molly Bennett correspondent I The Signpost PHOTO BY CATHERINE MORTIMER j rut SICNCOSI from Nampa, Idaho. Quaid, a Weber State University Head Football Coach Ron McBride ad. . .. , , dresses Wildcat fans and alumni on Wednesday during his fifth c See Motherload pa^e r5 . . . . , „. . ,. 1 .. annual National Signing nDay Party at Stewart Stadium. SEASON OF LOVE in Ogden? Public transportation rails discussed for WSU By Jessica Schreifels idea of protecting the environment by riding mass transit was one of the Ogden got the commuter most interesting aspects of rail. Talks of gondolas were the speech. widely criticized. But are "I especially enjoyed streetcars the way to go for the discussion about Ogden City when it comes to the greenhouse gas public transportation? reduction that street cars Jeffrey Wood says yes. can cause," Bentley said. Wood, the program "I am also interested in associate/GIS specialist for urban planning and the Reconnecting America, spoke idea of transit-oriented at Weber State University development, where Thursday about the idea people can walk to work or of streetcars and how they walk to the grocery store." would help the city increase Another important business and connect the city aspect a streetcar system together. would bring for Ogden "You're not just building would be to connect areas a line," Wood said about the like McKay Dee Hospital potential streetcars coming and WSU to downtown to Ogden, "you are shaping a Ogden. Rachel Coleman, development." a WSU geography senior Wood emphasized that who was in attendance at on other projects, once a the speech, thought this line was built throughout was an important element the city, business boomed for mass transit to bring. surrounding the line, "There is nothing to affordable housing was connect Weber State and built around the line, and McKay Dee Hospital to the overall value of property that central area, which I increased once the line was think is important because put into use. they are working so hard The presentation about to make this downtown streetcars was sponsored area a place where people by both the WSU Faculty want to come to," she said. Senate Environmental Issues "I'm all about connecting Committee and the WSU areas. I think it's good Environmental Club, and was because they started presented as part of the "Focus connecting downtown, on the Nation" event that was but now they also need to going on all week, in hopes to try to start and connect raise awareness of the need to an important part of the reduce carbon emissions. community with Weber "Mass transit does so State University to another many good things for the part of the community environment," said Chris with downtown Ogden." Bendey, president of the Wood encouraged Environmental Club. "It gets ci tizens and students people outof their cars, cleans interested in streetcars up the air and makes people to become involved with thinkabouttheirenvironment their city and voice their and their neighborhood in a opinions. To find out more different way as well." about what Ogden is doing Wood also spoke about the in conjunction to streetcars positive effects mass transit and other plans to help has for the environment in Ogden grow, go to www. Ogden. smartgrowthogden.org. "Itsnotjustatransportation issue," he said. "It's a planetary Comment on this story at issue." editor-in-chief I The Signpost Bentley said Wood's wsusignpos t. com. R. NATAL[R fU'TIAKS Two Weber State University students dip marshmallows and banana pieces into a chocolate fountain during VVSU's first Bridal Fair Wednesday. The fair was held in the Shepherd Union Building, and had vendors from the Ogden-area providing ideas for WSU students. For a full story on the event, turn to page 5. Weber State University President Ann Millner began her presentation to Utah legislators by thanking them for helping make Elizabeth Hall a reality at WSU. But, throughout the presentation Thursday, most of the expressions of gratitude came from the legislators. Milner stated that WSU is 57th in the top 100 community college providers of Associate's degrees in the nation. That is out of 5,000 to 6,000 community colleges, according to Millner. At that point, Representative Kory Holdaway (R-Taylorsville) stopped the presentation to thank Millner. "That's incredible/' Holdaway said. "I don't want to just gloss over that. It says so much for all we do." More thanks came from the Higher Education Appropriation Subcommittee when Millner mentioned the WSU Nursing program, which is the largest program at X WSU and currently accounts for more than 900 students at the university. Last year, there were 10,085 undergraduates from the College of Health Professions. But, as Senator John L.Valentine (R- Utah County) said, "Weber does more than teach nursing." Millner said in an interview that it was her purpose in the presentation to show the comprehensive nature of WSU. She said the university was recently cited on the Princeton Review for educational quality, student-faculty interaction and undergraduate research, service learning and communitybased projects. It was also on the 2009 list of America's Best Business Colleges in the West as one of the top 20 public master's degree programs in the West. See Capitol page 5 NPR journalist encourages hope Juan Williams gives message about diversity and the change of the United States' culture By Ryan Smeding correspondent I The Signpost Nationally acclaimed Journalist Juan Williams spoke to students and faculty in the Wildcat Theater Wednesday as part of the Convocations series. Emphasizing how students could find their place in the world during this important moment in history, Williams related the race and election of president Barack Obama to the changing political face of America, and how these pivotal events came forth. Michelle Howard, a WSU computer science professor, said she thought the speech was inspiring and very realistic to what is going on in society right now. •'What is your role in this time of history with the election of President Obama," Williams asked the audience, "and why was it that everybody climbed on the sense of change as the defining feature of the election? What is it about change that makes it such a positive political commodity? Where and who are you in that history or change, and how will you fit in?" Williams explained that younger people's openness for political change may come from the major changing events that they have witness in their lifetime. He said that in the last 10 years, America has impeached a president, had two controversial presidential elections, suffered the horrors of the 9-11 attacks and been involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other events. He said that during Obama's campaign, the then-presidential nominee was able to tap into youth voters in a way no other candidate has before. "One hundred years ago," Williams said, "... (Ogden) was probably just a small agriculturally based economy. Soon you had the advancement of some infrastructure, and then came World War II. With the advancement help of the GI Bill, education was now readily available, giving the need for a See Hope page 5 PHOTO BY BRYAN BUTTERF1ELD I flil SH . Juan Williams spoke Wednesday in the Wildcat Theater about living through history and the change America is experiencing. |