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Show CampusNewsL Briefs HORSIN' AROUND CAMPUS Parking on campus open over break All student parking areas on Utah State University's campus will be open to the public from March 13 -17. However, rules at the parking terrace north of the Taggart Student Center will be enforced from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. as well as all staff lots. No shuttle services will be provided. For more information or questions, contact Parking and Transportation Services at 797-3414. MS Walk provides winning opportunity Callic Grover/caltiann@cc.usu.cdu RECIPIENTS OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD receive a tour of Utah State University's campus by means of two horse-pulled carriages. The tour went from the Student Living/Learning Center to the Merrill-Cazier Library and ended at the new recital hall. Recipients of the award were Melanie P. Raymond, Robert B. Murray, Josey Barnes Wayman, Martell Menlove and Sumner M. Swane. Utahns who participate in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's MS Walk will have the opportunity to win a brand new IPOD. Participants who register and turn in $180 to the National MS Society by St. Partrick's Day, March 17, will be entered to win an IPOD. The MS Walk will be held in various cities throughout the state. For more information contact Brittany Clarke at 801-493-0113 ext. 111. i i i Faculty works to have voice heard BY MARIE MACKAV Assistant News Editor Members of Utah State University's Faculty Senate approved a motion Monday to begin exploring different options to work with the Legislature in receiving more compensation for higher education. Faculty Senate President Derek Mason introduced the idea to the Faculty Senate as a result of this year's legislative session. "This is to show that a faculty voice is important," Mason said. President Stan Albrecht said he was very satisfied with most outcomes of this year's session, but he was disappointed that more money wasn't allotted for compensation and retention among institutions of higher education. "The glass is more than half full, there were pieces that were essential is this session that were addressed," Albrecht said. "We just feel that we absolutely have to have some flexible retention dollars." Provost Ray Coward cau-, tioned the senate that any reso- lution to the state Legislature needs to be written with the consideration that USU is still connected to other institutions throughout Utah. "We have not been able to break us out of the pack," he said. "We're joined at the hip with other institutions." Many legislators have a difficult time giving compensation to one university because they feel if they give to one institution, they have to give money to the rest, Coward said. Faculty Senate member Steve Aust said the faculty should say something to the Legislature because he feels USU's voice is not being heard. In particular, the Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, that will expand the economic possibilities throughout the state, was written mostly by businesses in Utah and not educators. In other business, Faculty Senate approved placing a proposal on the agenda as an action item for April's meeting that would offer employee benefits to same-sex couples. -mmackay@cc.usu.edu • GREEK See page 7 4 "Substantially something that did lower enrollment was fewer out-of-state students," Mecham said. "That's where they find their niche. As tuition goes up, out-of-state students go down." About 2 percent of USU students are members of a Greek house, said Paul Creech, president of Sigma Chi. At other universities nation-wide, that number can be 30-60 percent, he said. The difference in involvement can be attributed to different cultures, Mecham said. Different regions of the country have different ideas about Greek membership. For example, in the South, "you're Greek or you're not involved on campus," Mecham said. She said legacies can develop within sororities in the South, with mothers, daughters, grandmothers and aunts all participating in the same chapter at the same institution. "On the East coast and in the Midwest, if you're not a member of a Greek organization, you have no social life, you're bored, you're not productive," said Steve Morrill, president of Sigma Nu. One of the biggest challenges to Greek recruitment efforts in Utah is overcoming stereotypes of fraternity and sorority life. "The dominant culture being what it is, sororities and fraternities are inclusive of that," Mecham said. "You're not going to see that type of behavior, especially at USU." The negative image of Greek houses is what led Sigma Phi Epsilon, a fraternity that began recruiting members at USU in 2003, to disassociate from the InterFraternity Council at USU in an attempt to escape the stereotype. Other houses put their efforts into getting their names out in connection with charities and activities to change the image they have. Fraternities and sororities are chapters of national organizations. These organizations require their members to do community service, support a charity, be involved on campus and maintain their grades. Morrill said the good done by these chapters is often overlooked and overshadowed by stories about wild parties and hazing incidents. "Everyone thinks we're just hanging out," he said. "The Greeks as a whole probably honestly do more than people realize." "There are people who drink and who smoke, but that's not what the organization is about. That's a personal choice," Creech Natural resource finalists decided Editor's note: These candidates were left out ofMondays edition ofASUSU elections. • Jay Price said he wants to voice all ! concerns of Natural Resource students ! as well as provide them with realj world and hands-on NR management experience. He also wants to get recy- , cling bins for all offices on campus, \ get more bins for hallways and boost ' waste reduction efforts. In addition, he , also hopes to ensure USU does its part to improve air quality in the valley by promoting other forms of transportation. "As a senator, I commit to help students, faculty and staff understand our stewardship of conserving natural resources and do our part to reduce our ecological footprint as an institution," Price said. James Stuart plans to promote faculty, alumni and student interactions out of the classroom, encourage handson learning, represent and support the natural resources students and organizations, improve working relationships between departments and colleges and create a working organization of team leadership while promoting creative thinking and learning. "The quality of our education depends on us. We must learn to overcome the imaginary restrictions that hold us back to maximize learning experiences. It is a matter of perception," Stuart said. i Nature writer to speak at Utah State SlGMA N U FRATERNITY as well as other fraternities and sororities at Utah State University are facing a steady decline. said. "People are not going to go through initiation just to go to a party." Morrill said Greeks at USU raise money for and give support to charitable organizations such as the Huntsman Cacner Institute, Best Buddies, Sub for Santa, domestic violence awareness and the Children's Miracle Network. Greeks also help with campus activities such as Homecoming. Morrill said his chapter alone has 18 active members and did 500 hours of service last semester. Creech said being in a fraternity in Utah can be hard, and they are careful during rush, or recruiting, to not offend people. "We are a little more sensitive to those stereotypes at USU," he said. Creech said members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often hesitant to consider joining a fraternity because they don't want to be involved in what is considered typical frat-boy activities. However, he said once they have seen what Greek life really has to offer, they often stay. Morrill said the beginning of a new fraternity chapter, Pi Kappa Phi, has helped the recruitment efforts of the entire Greek community this year. "It helped us out because, in Utah, people usually don't want to come see, but with a new frat, they think they can come start it up," he said. Once they have seen what it's all about, he said even the ones who don't make it into Pi Kappa Phi want to try to join other fraternities. "The best way to break down that stereotype, having so many LDS students on campus, is to do things with LDSSA (Latter-day Saint Student Association)," Morrill said. He said when either the school or LDSSA has an activity or service project they need help with, they call the Greeks. Both Creech and Morrill said they have several members of the LDS Church in their fraternities. "We have a good relationship with our bishop," Creech said. "We have him over quite a bit and even hold ward functions here at the house." Creech said he enjoys being in his fraternity because of the friendships he's made and the opportunity to be involved on campus. Cena Pope, president of the PanHellenic Council, the organization that is over all the sororities at a school, said that although enrollment has gone down, the quality of the Greek community hasn't suffered. "When it comes to the integrity of an organization, it comes to not the number of members, but the quality of members," she said. -ella@cc.usu.edu Robert Michael Pyle, a nationallyrenowned nature writer and author ; of 12 books, will read from his work and provide advice to aspiring writers in three public events at Utah State University March 20-22. The events are sponsored by the department of English at USU and funded by the | Marie Eccles Caine Foundation and the Utah Humanities Council. Pyle, who is this year's Moyle Q. Rice Lecturer, will participate in a Roundtable discussion at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 20, in FAV 262. He will conduct a master class in the Quinney Library at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 21, and will give a public reading at 7 p.m. in the Haight Alumni Center on Wednesday, March 22. Pyle earned a doctorate from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has worked at Yale's Peabody Museum and as a butterfly conservation consultant. He was also a land steward for The Nature Conservancy. His books include "Wintergreen" (1987), which addresses the topic of damage caused by logging in Washington's Willapa Hills, and "Chasing Monarchs" (1999), a travelogue that focuses on monarch butterflies. "Wintergreen" was the winner of the 1987 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Marina Hall at 797-3858. • Compiled from staff]m and media reports |