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Show *rii^iii&fe<flfitew Program Seeking mentors Briefs >RlTA From page 7 USU president will visit Idaho on tour BY ARIE KIRK Staff Writer The Utah State Financial Aid Office is now offering students a chance to get paid for mentoring local elementary and junior high school students. The Logan City School District Mentoring Program is an afterschool course designed to assist elementary and middle school students by assigning them with a mentor who plans educational and life-enhancing activities for them. The program has partnership with the Utah State University Financial Aid Office that allows mentors to be paid if they participate through a work-study program and meet certain qualifications. Shane Frazier, mentoring coordinator for Logan City School District, said, "It's a when-win situation, meaning that when adults get involved with local kids, everybody wins." Research done by Michael Karcher, associate professor at the University of Texas, has proved students don't do as well in school when they do not have encouragement, Frazier said. "Once a little person has a broad knowledge base and someone who believes in them, the sky is the limit," he added, A mentee, the person being mentored, spends four hours with their mentor a week. Two hours are scheduled for academic lessons and the other two hours are for enrichment activities. The enrichment activities are planned by the staff and are usually things that the mentee would not do normally with family. Mentees are recommended by their teachers to participate in the program. Teachers choose students who would benefit the most from one-on-one time with an adult. "The mentees come from all different backgrounds, whether it be ethnicity or other things like that," Frazier said. Mentors and mentees are paired based on similar interests and personalities. Ethnicity and gender are also factors. Mentor Heele Mascaro said, "Working with the kids is so much fun and I've learned a lot. It's great to see them get older, grow closer with them and to see them succeed in school. Working with kids isn't always fun and games. It can be a challenge as well." The Logan City School District Mentoring Program began in April. Frazier expects they will help 70-100 students throughout the 2005-2006 school year. Logan City School District receives federal grants allowing them to provide mentor programs for students. Students interested in mentoring through work study can contact Todd Milovich in USU's Financial Aid Office at 797-0190. -ariek@cc. usu.edu Jessica Alexander/jalexander@ctusu.edu Bus DRIVER TfTO RODRIGUEZ embraces Barbara Johnson in Lake Jackson, Texas. Johnson, a Katrina victim staying in Texas, had to evacuate again because of a Hurricane. hopes of getting back in to survey the damage to their property, but state officials sealed off the borders and weren't letting anyone in. But all it took was a scan of the Intracoastal waterway to see a hint of the damage: refrigerators and even a few coffins from the areas above-ground cemeteries bobbing in the water. Standing in the hot sun outside Abbeville, evacuees from thefloodedreaches of Vermilion Parish stared at the ground, shoulders stooped, clearly exhausted. Many recalled seeing deer stuck on levees and cows swimming through seawater miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Tracy Savage, a 33-yearold diesel technician, said his house was four feet underwater. "All I got now is my kids and my motorhome," he said, camouflage jeans stuffed into galoshes. He was able to salvage a toolbox and a few life vests Sunday, but not much more. "We've never had this much water, we've just never seen it." After a briefing with Blanco in Baton Rouge, President Bush said: "I know the people of this state have been through a lot. We ask for God's blessings on them and their families." Just across the state line, Texas' Perry toured the badly hit refinery towns of Beaumont and Port Arthur area by air Sunday. "Look at that," he said, pointing to a private aircraft hangar with a roof that was half collapsed and half strewn across the surrounding field. "It looks Flooding from Rita continues Officials reported Sunday that Hooding is still extensive in parts of Louisiana and along the central coastline. The storm-surge flooding pushed water up to nine feet in some homes. • Reported flooding f River crested above minor flood height CAMERON VERMILUON SOrti 0 50km Gulfcf Mexico TERREBONE AP SOURCE: ESRI like a blender just went over the top of it." He said the region has been secured by law enforcement, but does not have water and sewer services available. He urged residents to stay out for now, though the statewide picture was better. "Even though the people right here in Beaumont and Port Arthur and this part of Orange County really got whacked, the rest of the state missed a bullet," Perry said. In contrast to Katrina, with its death toll of more than 1,000, only two deaths had been attributed to Rita by Sunday - a person killed in north-central Mississippi when a tornado spawned by the hurricane overturned a mobile home and an east Texas man struck by a fallen tree. Two dozen evacuees were killed before the storm hit in a fatal bus fire near Dallas. In Houston, which along with coastal Galveston was spared the brunt of Rita, officials set up a voluntary, staggered plan for an "orderly migration" with different areas going home Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to avoid the massive gridlock that accompanied the exodus out. But while the return appeared to be going well Sunday with traffic moving briskly, not all Texans were happy with a slow return home. John Willy, the top elected official in Brazoria County, southwest of Houston, said he would ignore the state's staggered return plan. • "I am not going to wait for our neighbors to the north to get home and take a nap, before I ask our good people to come home," he said in a statement. "Our people are tired of the state's plan! They have a plan too and it's real simple. They plan to come home when they want." Crude oil and gasoline futures traded lower Sunday, a response to news Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 Blotter Friday, Sept. 16,2005 Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005 • Police responded to the Merrill Library on the report of an individual who woke up in his office with a broken, bloody nose, and no memory of how it occurred. Logan City Emergency Medical Services responded and transported the victim to the hospital. Investigation is continuing. • Just before 1 a.m., USU Police assisted Logan City Police by providing back up at a fraternity house. One minor was issued a citation for possession of alcohol. • Police responded to the Natural Resources building in two minutes for a report of a fire in the trash dumpster. The fire was started by someone dumping hot coals in the trash dumpster. The flame was extinguished by the USU Fire Marshal. No damage was reported. • A concerned student reported to USU Police that he believed he was a victim of identity theft. The investigation is continuing. • An individual contacted USU Police to report a noise problem. The individual stated that several members of a fraternity where on Old Main Hill chanting profanities. Police are investigating. that damage to refineries was relatively light. The 255,000-barrel-per-day Valero Energy Corp. plant in Port Arthur appeared to be the most heavily damaged, facing at least two weeks of repairs from significant damage to two cooling towers and a flare stack. Still, a rapid recovery for refiners hinges on power being restored to parts of Texas and Louisiana where facilities are concentrated. The area's primary utility, Entergy Corp., said 271 high-voltage transmission lines were down and 275 substations out o service, and there was no immediate timeline of when power would be restored. Residents of Beaumont have been told it could be as long as a month. In New Orleans, the U.S. Corps of Engineers moved rocks and sandbags into the holes that broke open in the Industrial Canal levee as Rita closed in, flooding the already devastated Lower Ninth Ward. Workers believe that once the breaches are closed, the Ninth Ward can be pumped dry in a week, far more quickly than initially projected. With most of the city spared significant new damage from Rita, Mayor Ray Nagin immediately renewed his plan to allow some residents to return to drier parts of the city. Those areas - including the once-raucous French Quarter - could eventually support a population of at least half ot its pre-Katrina population of about 500,000 residents. Sunday, Sept. 18,2005 • USU Police responded to a fire alarm at Mountain View Tower in under one minute. Police found that the alarm had been set off by someone trying to cook popcorn in the microwave. • USU Police assisted Logan City Police with a DUI arrest that took place at First Dam. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005 • Police responded to the Cashier's Office in the Taggart Student Center for a possible credit card fraud by a student to pay their tuition. Police are investigating at this time. • USU Police responded to the Fieldhouse to take a theft report that a pool cue bridge had been stolen from the Bull Pen in the Fieldhouse. The bridge was taken after hours. Police are investigating. Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005 Thursday, Sept. 22,2005 • USU Police assisted Logan City Police by looking for a suicidal individual that could possibly be around the USU Campus. The individual was later found at Willow Park and transported to Logan Regional Hospital. • USU Police responded to the Taggart Student Center for a medical assist. An individual in the computer lab was complaining of shortness of breath and feeling faint. Logan City Paramedics were called, and after an evaluation, the patient was transported by Police to the InstaCare clinic. • Police responded to Mountain View Tower on a report of alcohol use. Four individuals all over the age of 21, were contacted and the alcohol was confiscated and disposed of. • Police made contact with an individual near the Ag Science building. The individual was cited for minor in possession of tobacco. Compiled by Aaron Folk. All police blotters can be found at www.utah statesman.com Utah State University President Stan Albrecht will lead a university delegation on a multi-day tour to southeastern Idaho communities in an effort to re-establish traditional ties the university has long had with the region. The tour begins Thursday in Preston and continues Oct. 4-6, spending a day each in the Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Malad areas. Called the Road Scholars Tour, the president will bring some of the university's best professors and scholars "on the road" with him to teach in high schools. Albrecht and other USU administrators will meet with school principals, administrators and counselors to solicit input about higher education issues and about USU in particular. Albrecht also has scheduled luncheons at each stop with community leaders to gather feedback about how USU is fulfilling the community's educational needs. Open houses are scheduled each evening of the tour to give prospective students and their parents the opportunity to meet the president and representatives from all the colleges and support organizations at USU. "We have long-standing ties with southeastern Idaho communities," Albrecht said. "We have thousands of alumni still in the region. Many of our best professors are from the area, and we continue to attract some of our best students from Idaho. Most important of all — these are our neighbors and friends. It's our turn to visit them." Plans for Albrecht inauguration set Utah State University students and others will celebrate a milestone that has only occurred 15 times in the school's 117-year history - the inauguration of a president. For President Stan L. Albrecht, the investiture is set for Friday, Oct. 14, although other celebrations leading up to the event are also planned. Albrecht, a Utah native who steps into his role with more than 35 years experience in higher education, wants the focus of the inaugural festivities to be on the university and its students. The inauguration theme is "transformation," and several activities are planned for inauguration week, Oct. 10-14, highlighting the university and its strengths. The new Caine School of the Arts in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences will be featured, as will the new Merrill-Cazier Library. "We have many reasons to celebrate Utah State University, and the students are a big part of that," said Albrecht. "The celebration theme, transformation, gives us the opportunity to highlight the university's progress from its agricultural roots to the major research university it is today. It has undergone many changes and continues to transform the lives of students who study here." Utah State orchestra schedule announced Four programs make up this year's orchestra season at Utah State University, announced conductor and director Sergio Bernal. Highlights of the 2005-06 season include "Sleeping Beauty," a production offered in conjunction with the Cache Civic Ballet, featuring Tchaikovsky's cherished score. Also planned is a concert titled "Russian Portraits," an event that puts guest faculty soloist Jessica Guided directly in the spotlight in Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto," an all-time favorite and masterpiece. Keeping with the Russian theme is Mussorgsky's famous "Pictures at an Exhibition " Guest artists during the season include Luis Biava, former resident conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra; John Miller, principal bassoonist of the Minnesota Orchestra and one of the world's leading concert bassoonists; faculty bassoonist Dennis Hirst, a prote"ge" of Miller; and USU's director of choral studies, Cory Evans. "The orchestra is playing better than ever, and I look forward to collaborating with Sandy Emile and the Cache Civic Ballet in 'Sleeping Beauty.' The input from our guest soloists looks extremely promising," Bernal said. • Compiled from staff and media reports |