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Show U Wednesday, Sept. 16,2005 797-1762 statesman@cc.usu.edu www.utahstatesman.com Utah Statesman Homecoming dance in need of update, not canceling Staff Editor in Chief Brooke Nelson News Editor Aaron Falk There's no denying something needed to be done about the Homecoming dance. Student leaders were smart to look at the trends and then notice something _ _ _ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ just wasn't right. Numbers were flllT V l P W declining and the dance is expen- l/UI sjve V1CW g u t t n e action taken to simply :*sk cancel the dance seems more than just a little absolute. The Homecoming dance is tradition - and it should stay that way. We are not advocating all activities on campus must remain on the calendar forever, even as attendance drops with every year; programming should evolve with the student body. But there are simply certain traditions that make us who we are and the Homecoming dance is one of them. Frankly, there's been a few too many assaults on tradition for comfort in just the few weeks school has been in session. In addition to canceling Homecoming, ASUSU also modified True Aggie Night, a tradition that has been USU-unique since 1916. We are not implying there is a conspiracy to destroy the traditional activities at USU. In fact, we applaud the decision to include President Stan Albrecht's inauguration into the Homecoming activities. This celebration has the potential to be a very unifying event for our campus. There is merely concern that recent changes are indications of a trend that will continue the rest of the year, rather than being one-time proposals. And let's not forget traditions are unifying, too - activities like the dance bring alumni together as well as students. It's possible the Homecoming dance needed to change, but it didn't need to be done away with. Other options to make the dance more student and cost friendly were available and should have been pursued more aggressively. Furthermore, traditions should never be about the money. Since when is an activity required to make money to remain a tradition? ASUSU should take a closer look at what they just toss aside. In the future, we encourage them to find ways to mesh current needs with heritage. Merrill will be missed On Monday, the new and expanded Merrill-Cazier Library is set to open. With the new addition, the completed building will be over double its initial size, resulting in a new 304,000 square-foot facility. If you were looking to make a comparison, most college apartments are around 20 square feet. Construction for the $40-million building began in the spring ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ of 2003 and has continued ever since. I remember passing the construction that Jon Cox took place day after day last year and cursing that big crane up in the sky. The sooner that library was built woula mean the sooner they would tear down my friend the Merrill Library. It is in the Merrill that I study, mingle and study some more. I spend more time in that building than likely anywhere else Middle i on campus. Who doesn't enjoy the orange carpet and the occasional wildlife (mice) Ground seen scooting around? It's a lot less trendy than the much newer Sci-Tech Library. For some reason, I just feel a lot more at home in the Merrill. Many frustrating days have been brightened as I pass the large wooden sign at its entrance quoting the proverb, "And with all of thy getting, get understanding." Maybe all that hard work is worth it in the end. Granted, not all of my time was spent there studying. We all need a good intermission from time to time. Here's a suggestion. In case you're a little bored in the library, try this. Sneak books with embarrassing titles into people's backpacks. Try for example a title such as "Raging Hormones" or 'The Psychology of Stalking." Then, when they walk out of the library, the alarm will go off and the library worker will search through their backpack only to find the tell-all title. It works great with friends, but it's also a good way to meet new people, too. I've tried it. Once I stuck a menopause book in a girl's backpack without her realizing it until the alarm sounded. Now, every time we pass each other on campus, we point at each other and say, "Menopause, huh?" Such good times can be enjoyed in the new library all the same — until campus security busts us — but it will lose just a little bit of flavor, thafs all. The Merrill Library has been around a long time — since 1930 to be exact. My grandparents used to study together there as students. My parents did the same. And I have too. You see, this campus has a lot of history. And any time we say goodbye to a piece of that history, we lose a little bit of what makes this university so special. You don't see a building like Old Main on every college campus. In fact, Old Main is the oldest academic building still in use in Utah, originally completed in 1902. The Quad was originally used as farmland for the Agricultural College, as it was then known. Later, it would function as a home field for the college's football team. The David B. Haight Alumni Center was built as a model of a farmhouse, home to a few dairy cows. Students riding to campus would tie up their horses there while they went to class. Later, the various college > MERRILL See page 13 Assistant News Editor Marie MacKay Features Editor Steve Shinney Assistant Features Editor Emma Tippetts Sports Editor Andrea Edmunds Assistant Sports Editor Bryan Hinton Diversions Editor Matt Wright Letters to the Editor Good in Gulf Coast being overlooked Editor, Being from Louisiana, I have a rather strong interest in the recent hurricane disaster and relief efforts. It seems that almost no one wants to talk about anything except how "badly" Louisiana and Mississippi responsed to this emergency. The problem with this is that these two states, along with others such as Texas and Georgia, have done an incredibly large amount of work to help these people. For instance, in Lufkin, Texas, a public zoo was opened to all Copy Editor Lindsay Kite Photo Editor refugees, free of charge. They were fed, all day long, and the gift shop was opened up, also Free of charge, so that the children could have toys to play with. Events like these have been taking place all over the southern states. People and businesses have been going out of there way, left and right, to do everything that they can for these people. What many people seems to have forgotten is that there were approximately one million people who were evacuated before the storm and are currently spread out across the South. Yes, it is tragic that people were left behind and that ifs taken so long to help Roberts: a nice guy with a dark side John Roberts sure is lik- "and yet none of these comable. In his confirmation ments are modest or humble." hearings he comes across as Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., smart, pleasant and thought- quizzed Roberts about a case ful -- whether he's discussing he was involved in as a young the complexities lawyer in the of a legal case " " attorney generor his own vision al's office under of a justice. ~n Ronald Reagan. Handsome and [Oifier Voices - J It was brought by with large, piercblack residents of ing eyes, he exudes sincerity. Mobile, Ala., who for more And anyone who can stay than 70 years had been tryawake and appear interested ing unsuccessfully to elect through three hours of sena- a black city council memtors' speeches wins points ber. Because voters elected from me. council members citywide, He also has a knack for rather than by district, the saying the right thing, as city's white majority was able when he told the Senate to defeat any black candidate, judiciary committee that a even those from all-black judge should show humility neighborhoods. and modesty in interpreting After the Supreme Court the law and dealing with his ruled that the Voting Rights colleagues. But the hearings Act required minorities to brought out a darker side of prove that the system intendRoberts, what Sen. Edward ed to discriminate, a very Kennedy, D-Mass., called difficult thing to do, Congress the "mean-spirited view" tried to change the act so that infused some of his writ- that plaintiffs would only ings, and what Sen. Dianne have to prove that the system Feinstein, D-Calif., saw as a had a discriminatory impact. contradiction between the Roberts joined the adminisappealing things he's saying tration's efforts to block the now and positions he's taken in the past. 1 Nat ! View "You speak about modesty and humility," Feinstein said, • Matthew Areno Judge Roberts speaks There were moments of humor and even what might pass for candor during some contentious exchanges. But, for the most part, the confirmation hearings of John G. Roberts Jr. to be chief justice of the United States have been carefully scripted, with few if any surprises. Given the stakes - the first hearing on a Supreme Court nominee in 11 years and the first for chief justice in 19 years - the posturing by some senators and the frequent evasiveness by Judge Roberts was predictable. But after a day of opening statements ana two days of interrogation, the senators and the public had at least a picture of Judge Roberts - as he chose to present himself. His impressive credentials for the job - including clerking for the late William H. Rehnquist, whom he has been named to • SPEAKS • ROBERTS see page 13 see page 13 Michael Sharp Assistant Photo Editor Jessica Alexander Editorial Board Brooke Nelson Katie Ashton Aaron Falk Bryan Hinton Marie MacKay Michael Sharp Steve Shinney About letters • Letters should be limited to 350 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. 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STOP eAfir^i \jJAfLN\it46 • ^ • v them, but there is a whole lot of good that is going on down there that people should know about. Not everything down there has been bad. And for those who think the destruction of New Orleans was an act of God because New Orleans is a "city of sin," give it up. The only people who think that are those who have never been to New Orleans and their only exposure is from the videos of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. You know as much about New Orleans as you do about God's will, so please keep it to yourself. * . . . . * /OKUJ • My social life - roommates, dating, etc. • Homework is a priority - there's always a way to find time • Gaming/TV/computer - anything electronic and visual is addicting Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman.com to cast your vote. ~7—*** >3 Check out these links on www.utahstatesman.com: Local TV listings Faculty evaluations Comics Activities and events Classifieds Weather Archives |