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Show Logan, Utah * Campus Voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Wednesday, Jan. 18^2006 Election packets available now BY JACOB ROSKELLEY Staff Writer With goals set, the theme picked and elections quickly approaching, packets are now available for students wanting to run for positions on the Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council. The theme for this year's election is "we want you." Students said they appreciate the annual elections because peer representation at the university is a necessity. "It's good to have someone like me out there who has a little bit of say," said Emma Frost, a senior majoring in fine arts. But while students say they understand the importance of student government positions, voter turnout has been rela- tively low in recent years. According to records kept by former election committee chairs, voter turnout has decreased over the past few years and so has the number of candidates running for office. Holly Scott, the ASUSU public relations director, said she hopes to reverse those trends. Scott said the reason she hopes to increase voter turnout is because that would mean that "the students on campus are really having a say in who they want to be their voice." Another goal she has is to get candidates that are qualified and who will do a good job once in office, she said. In order to reach these goals, Scott said she is planning on posting more signs and posters around campus to make students aware of elections. Making students aware of who is running, on the other hand, is up to the candidates themselves, she said. Scott hopes that candidates can help students realize the importance of the ASUSU Executive Council. "The Executive Council affects students," Scott said, "because they are the ones that are able to voice opinions and they have the authority to get the ball rolling." Logan Ipsen, a junior majoring in animal science, said he is planning on running for Agriculture senator. He said he has traveled and met with students and representatives of other universities from around the country. "My pride as an Aggie has increased and has built a desire to represent the Agriculture student body," Ipsen said. Election packets can be picked up in the Student Involvement Center located in the Taggart Student Center Room 326. The packets include a list of important dates, a declaration of candidacy form, a list of offices available, the election by-laws, a food policy form and a list of frequently asked questions. The filing deadline is Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. Those that want to be kept informed about elections and the candidates that are running should keep their eyes open, Scott said. Students should check ASUSU's Web site (a-station.usu.edu) for updates. Paying attention to posters and taking the time to meet candidates around the campus are other good ways to stay informed, she said. -jacobr@ccusu.edu Statesman file photo USU POLICE RESPONDED to 80 non-emergency calls from call boxes located • around campus in 2005. Still, police say the boxes are worth the trouble. Prank calls aside, phones do more good than harm BY CANDLES' LIGHT BY LIN'DSAY KITE Copy Editor Though they may be used more by pranksters and curious kids than was originally intended, the emergency call boxes located throughout campus are still serving important purposes every day. USU police responded to 80 calls triggered from the phones in 2005, the majority of which were false alarms and non-emergencies, Lt. Steve Milne said. "But even if 79 of those calls were false alarms, it is still worth it to respond to all of them because one of those could be a life-threatening emergency," he said, recalling an instance of a tennis player who suffered a heart attack and was able to receive assistance when police responded to the alarm. Rachel Brighton, coordinator for USU's Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAV1) Office, said the phones serve even more of a purpose on campus than what they are meant to be used for. "Whether or not the phones are used to report emergencies every day, their presence still sends a clear message that violence, especially violence against women, is not tolerated at USU," ^Brighton said. 1 According to a 2003 report on sexual assault by the Department of Justice, 34 percent of completed rapes and 45 percent of attempted rapes £ake place on college campuses nationally. • In an effort to address this problem at USU and provide another element of safety, a group of students in a mid-'80s Anthropology of Sex and Gender class came up with the idea to add emergency phones throughout campus, Professor •Richley Crapo said. '• Crapo, a professor in the department of sociology, social work and anthropology who taught A candlelight vigil was held to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tuesday night in the TSC Sunburst Lounge. "As one individual flame lights another, which in turn lights another, our flames together reach upward and fill the room, much as Dr. King's dream filled a people. As we share our candlelight tonight, may we remember that dream," said Jennifer Gowon of the Black Student Union. Photos by CallieGrover • CALL BOX see page 3 USU Extension student body president's life a 'juggling act' BY ALISON BAUGH ; Staff Writer ; Janae Burger is as busy as any other mother with three kids under 6, but she also is in charge of 1,200 other students. Serving as the student body president of the Brigham City Extension campus, Burger plans activities and programs for the area's students and manages to do it all while raising her own family. Taking care of her family, attending school, having a husband in the military and serving as the student body president 10-20 hours per week seems like an impossible feat. "It's a juggling act," Burger said. When her husband was deployed four years ago, Burger was left with two small children and found herself "extremely lonely and bored." She said she had always had a dream of returning to school to obtain her degree, but when she started back, she had no idea she would continue. Burger said she did continue on and became involved with student government her second year, sticking with it through, this, her senior year. "I've always had my opinion," she said, noting that now she is using that opinion, along with the opinions of the rest of the student body, to make a difference. BC Extension Executive Director Andy Shinkle said, "She is a tremendous help to the students. She is concerned about the welfare of the students and is an advocate for their voice." Burger said she enjoys staying busy and wouldn't trade the distraction it brings when her husband is deployed. She also said she enjoys helping the students and being able to relate to those who also are raising families while attending school. She said, "I am actually a first-generation college student, but since I've started going [to school], my mother-in-laws returned to school." The student government provides eight activities per semester to the Extension student body and their families. The biggest of those activities is "Angels for Christmas," where Extension sponsors families in need for the holiday. When Burger began working with this program three years ago, she said three families including 21 children were helped. She excitedly said that this year, 196 families with 567 children were able to enjoy Christmas gifts. More than 450 volunteers showed up to help wrap the 2,600 presents, she said. "We had 30 tables deep by five wide piled with presents," Burger said. She also said the extra 30-40 hours per week were worth it to see how. well the program succeeded this year. Burger said her favorite part about serving as the student body president is that the executive directors care about the student voice. "As long as it's reasonable, they let us fly with our ideas. As long as we go to them with a proposal and a good reason, for the most part they are very supportive of the things we want to do," Burger said. "She instigated the creation of a fitness center and a limited-service bookstore," Shinkle said of Burger's contributions to helping the BC Extension to better serve the needs of the students. "She is a phenomenal person," former student body president Kiersten Hewitt said. "She gives 110 percent to anything she commits to." -albaugh@cc.usu.edu |