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Show GIVING THE GIFT OF BOWL GAMES SATIRE Choose wheels over heels T BY TALON CHAPPELL /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY CHRIS SAMUELS C hristmas came early for the Utes this year as players, coaches and staff filed up the stairs from the weight room at the Eccles Football Facility to the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl gift suite held in the facility's media room. For both the players who have never experienced a bowl game before and for those experienced players who have missed out on the bowl amenities over the past two seasons, it was a welcome sight and a feeling reminiscent of those Christmas mornings when you used to run up or down the stairs to gaze upon your bounty of gifts. For quarterback Travis Wilson? A new pair of headphones. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen? A mix-master for his children. The offensive line? State-of-the-art reclining chairs complete with two drink holders and multiple USB ports for their electronic devices. Running backs coach Dennis Erickson? He's been to so many bowl games that he said he could no longer keep track of whether his appliances are ones he's bought or ones he's received as bowl gifts. While there is still unfinished work to be taken care of in the desert of Las Vegas next weekend, Christmas was definitely in the air at the football facility as players picked gifts and talked about their holiday plans after the game next Saturday. Receiver Kenneth Scott, after giving away his gifts to other players, said he was going to be doing a lot of traveling after the bowl game. "I'm going back home to California to go see everybody," Scott said. "See all my family and friends I haven't seen in a while, then go to my girl's house in Oregon and spend Christmas there. Then in January I get to go to Texas to see more family, so those are my travel plans for the holidays." Linebacker Jason Whittingham said he would rather spend the holidays closer to home but hinted a vacation might be in the works later in the offseason. "I'll probably just visit family a lot," Whittingham said. "I don't get to visit them that much during the season because it's all about football for three or four months, so it will be nice to see everyone again and just relax during the holidays. I think it would be great to go to Disneyland, but we'll see what happens." 10 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014 } Many players said they plan on relaxing with family and friends over their holiday break. For some, like defensive end Nate Orchard, the break won't be as easy. After winning the Ted Hendricks award — awarded to the nation's best defensive end — earlier this week, the highly touted lineman will spend his offseason training, working out and preparing for the Reeses' Senior Bowl Game as well as a possible NFL Combine spot later in the spring. While waiting for his wife to join him in picking out their bowl gifts, Orchard said even a couple days relaxing in Las Vegas after the game would be enough of a break for him. "I don't know what I'm doing over Christmas yet," Orchard said. "Hopefully I'll get to spend a few extra days in Vegas after the game, which would be nice. Either way, I just want to enjoy myself a little bit before I start training after the holidays." What was the most popular holiday plan among the players? Going down to Las Vegas and ending their season with a victory over the Colorado State Rams. Surely, that would be a bowl gift that all Utah fans can enjoy this holiday season. t.chappell@chronicle.utah.edu @TalonChappell raveling from building to building on this campus is perhaps the biggest challenge U students face. Human legs are just not cutting it anymore. Of course, there is the university bus system, which is so punctual and comfortable that celebrities — who wish to remain anonymous — have called it "operational': as well as the highly convenientTRAX line, but many people have come up with new and innovative ways to commute. Many employ the classic bicycle as a means of transportation. Because of their highly innovative and new-age appeal, bikes seem to be the most popular alternative to walking among American youths. Plus, the bike you ride can say a lot about you. There are the hipsters and their fixies, the pretty girls and their cruisers, the professionals and their road bikes and, of course, the granola crew and their mountain bikes.The only problem is, bikes are highly coveted among students, which requires a rider to keep his or her two-wheeled vehicle locked up at all times. That, and some just aren't hip to the style — even though bike helmets are totally "in" this season. "Bikes are lame': said U student Joseph Wheeler. "That cute girl from English class will probably never ride on your handlebars, so you can toss that fantasy out the window. Oh, and I know you may think people appreciate your courtesy bell ringing when you pass by, but seriously, a bell? You may as well put streamers on the handlebars and a playing card in the back tire if your goal is to be the lamest kid on the playground" So maybe bikes aren't the best thing in the world. This may be the reason why there are so many skateboards and longboards on campus. There is an ever-increasing number of "flow bros" riding all over campus at ungodly speeds. Boarding is by far the safest mode of transportation on campus, as the absence of a braking system allows boarders to ollie their way through obstacles. Sometimes this includes unplanned stunts. "One time this guy just fell right in front of me:' said U student Sally Walker. "But he did a flip right before he hit the pavement, so that was kind of cool' However, the best part about longboards and skateboards is arcing turns across walkways so that no one else can occupy them.That, and no one looks cooler than when they are cruising by on their boards without a single care in the world. There are also students who ride around on Razor scooters. "Just having the sheer courage to sacrifice your reputation to ride a children's toy really says something about a person': said Scooter Jones, avid scooter user. "Everybody is jealous of the person who walks into class carrying their scooter, hitting everyone that breaches their five-foot radius. The portability of the scooter is astounding. It's a wonder more people don't use them": Maybe it's because their mobility is no match for the convenience of roller blades. "It is one thing to put your feet on wheels, but to put wheels on your feet? That is genius': said Blade Johnson, president of the U's roller blading club. "It doesn't get more practical than having to remove your shoes for travel and then having to put them back on whenever you enter a building. It is by far the most efficient form of transportation on campus:' At this rate, the only other option is a "Big Wheel" tricycle. "There has not been a Big Wheel sighting on campus yet': said Blade, "but it is bound to happen sometime, and when it does, I will be the first one to hop on the trend." letters@chronicle.utah.edu Being too sensitive may create barriers n the past few weeks it's become nearly impossible NAFISA to stumble upon a news report and not hear words of protest in Ferguson or of racial and ethnic conflict in various parts of the globe. It seems that in today's world, where the size of religious followings are slowly growing and people of various ethnicities are moving across borders in search of better lives, sensitivity to diversity is an important element in being a global citizen. But despite its good intentions, cultural sensitivity is somewhat MASUD misguided, illuminating the differences among citizens instead of our similarities. According to The Huffington Post earlier this year, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at a Florida school and criticized this same issue, saying, "My sadness is that we are probably today more race and difference-conscious than I was in the 1960s, when I went to school." A distinction must be made between being aware of diversity and losing the ability to cooperate because we can't overlook those differences. In the same lecture Thomas describes himself as one of the first and only black students in a predominantly white institution, and that race seemed to be less prominent an issue in the time of his schooling than it is today. Culture in itself represents a group of people based on shared characteristics such as political ideology, race and faith among others. It can't be denied that these groupings have culminated into terms we use today, such as African-American and LGBTQ+ culture. But a problem arises when we attribute the established characteristics of a specific culture to every person that could possibly fit within its parameters, regardless of whether or not they actually do. It's here in this space of misinformation that harmful generalizations thrive, welcoming violence in the form of discrimination and hate crimes. According to the National Institute of Justice, the word "hate crime" was only coined in the 1980s by journalists and advocates speaking out against offenses directed towards See STEREOTYPE page 12 11 |