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Show it-—^-: - ^ I I I J U M I • II»I»IHIIII Wednesday, [March Z20Q7M • "" tah Statesman News TSC food policy now more student-friendly BY KATIE REEVES Staff Writer The Polynesian Student Union held a luau catered by the Pauni family, of "Extreme Makeover" fame, at the Taggart Student Center last Saturday. With the old TSC policy, the Paunis would not have been able to cater the event. According to the former policy, student groups are required to use USU Catering Sendees when events are held in the TSC. However, a new food policy was recently passed, changing this rule. The new policy was passed by the TSC Policy Board in February. The Board is comprised of members of ASUSU, faculty, administration and alumni. They are responsible to update and review the policies in the TSC. The new policy will officially take effect July 1. It will allow student groups to use off-campus caterers for events held in the TSC or on the TSC Patio. The new policy was first considered when Tabitha Perkins, ASUSU programming vice president and chair of the TSC Policy Board, found that students were moving events from the TSC to get lower prices. Speak Up 'The Taggart Student Center is just that, a student center. We wanted to make sure it was as student friendly as possible/' ShaunKjar, ASUSU diversity and organizations VP In an attempt to bring the students back to the TSC, the Policy Board approved the revisions. "The Taggart Student Center is just that, a student center. We wanted to make sure it was as student-friendly as possible," said Shaun Kjar, ASUSU campus diversity and organizations vice president. Perkins explained that the new policy really does two things. First, it.gives permission to groups that bring in pizza and other fast food for group events in the TSC to do so. Second, for any large event or banquet, it ensures that the students are getting the best deal. With the new policy, students will be able to decide if they want to use USU Food Services or if they want to use outside catering. Groups will need to get approval from USU Food Services to use outside catering. Any food purchase more than $150 will require a quote to Food Services. These rules are in place so that USU Food Services can try to stay competitive. The new policy is the effect of students complaining and talking to ASUSU about changing the policy. Perkins said, "This is a great example of how students working with the administration can make things happen." -katreeves@cc.usu.edu Utah vets may get better health info SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah soon could have a full-time employee dedicated to informing 160,000 military veterans about benefits possibly available to them. The Legislature recently passed a bill changing the name of the Division of Veterans Affairs to Department of Veterans Affairs. It also carries $250,000, with a portion going toward informing veterans about health-care benefits and compensation. It would take effect July 1, if signed into law by Gov. Jon Huntsman. Veterans Affairs director Terry Schow said 16.6 percent of-Utah veterans, or 26,000, are enrolled in some type of health-care program through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Only 9.1 percent of Utah veterans are getting compensation and pensions available to people with service-related disabilities, he said. That amounts to about $150 million a year. Schow said more veterans would receive benefits if they knew about them. In the past, Utah's annual outreach budget has been about $75,000. Part of the problem in notifying veterans is that about 1,600 are homeless, according to the VA. Without a mailing address, some veterans who may qualify for benefits don't know about them. Another hurdle: Unless veterans already are getting services through the VA, the government doesn't know them, Schow said. He hopes that will change as the VA gathers information from the driver-license division. Schow said there also is a reluctance to seek benefits because some veterans believe it's akin to welfare instead of realizing it's something they earned. "They don't like that stigma," he said. AP photo VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY J I M NICHOLSON, right, along with Senators, from left, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, and Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., applaud President Bush's speech at the American Legion 47th National Conference in Washington, Tuesday, March 6,2007. Wildfire lawsuit settled SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America has agreed to pay $330,000 and plant 9,000 tree seedlings to settle a lawsuit with the state over a wildfire that burned 14,200 acres, officials said Tbesday. "With the cash component and these other elements we think that's a substantial recovery for the taxpayers," Utah Assistant Attorney General Mike Johnson said. Seventeen Scouts, ages 12 to 14, were working on a wilderness-survival badge at Camp Tomahawk in the Uinta Mountains in eastern Utah. There were two 15-year-old counselors but no adults present. At that time, in June 2002, there was a state ban on fires because of dry conditions. The Great Salt Lake Council also had its own restrictions. Utah law requires people who start fires to pay for fighting them and reclaiming the land. When the lawsuit wasfiled,the state was seeking $606,000 to cover its costs. Besides the money and seedlings, the Scouts agreed to add education programs to teach boys about wildfires, according to the Utah Attorney General's Office. Separately, the Scouts are being sued by the federal government, which spent more than $12 million to fight the fire. A trial that was scheduled to begin Monday was postponed with no new date set. In depositions in that case, Scouts said they extinguished a fire with water, urine and dirt and slept next to the site. But in ordering a trial, a federal judge recently said there was no evidence that Scouts or the teen counselors conducted a "cold-out test." In that test, someone can safely run a hand through the coals and ashes. • MEDIA From page 7 to their parents and be careful about what they put on the Internet - or else people like Profnet's founder might track them down. Potential employers may also view any information listed in social networks. "When I was a child I wanted to be McGuyver" and "Kermit Lovers Unite" may not be groups you want a potential employer to see in your Internet history. Niederhausern's impressive online resume almost landed him a job with Xbox. According to Forbush, the Internet is not only a wonderful social networking and information tool but is also likely to become the key platform for business meetings. Profnet allows journalists to send out queries to service subscribers when they are in need of a news source with expertise in the area they're reporting on. MySpace and other social networks may possess a more eye catching format but operate on many of the same levels. "Profnet is something of a social network but it's different because it doesn't show you other [user's] networks," Forbush said. But the Internet is evolving as both a toy and a tool. Forbush said he predicts the social networking tool will become the "most powerful tool available to professional communicators." "It's a technology that is taking every sector by storm," he said. Check out and create your own 'MyObama Space/ The ambitious presidential candidate took a note from Internet savvy teens and created his own version of a social network. With an all-too-familiar looking format, my.barackobama.com allows parishioners of the Obama doctrine to associate with fellow supporters, advertise their own myBarack fundraisers and create myBarack groups. Sound familiar? The University of Florida runs a social networking website for alumni with group names such as 'Communigators' capitalizing off the mascot. The program U of F uses was recently acquired by USU. Forbush asked if Aggie students, faculty and alumni be encouraged to create their own myAggie homepage. Listening to the communications pioneer discuss the future of communications technology is like listening to someone describe a sci-fi movie at its best. Forbush foresees digital conference rooms with wall sized screens displaying thumbnails of all the group's participants and cameras being able to distinguish who on the screen a user is looking at. In fact, the online business president is writing a sci-fi/ public relations book guessing about the technology of 2036. Whether technology is embraced, embarrassing or energizing, it's here to stay. Forbush said users and the future work force are faced with a new concept of networking. -jfullmer@cc.usu.edu Jeffs asks for venue change in rape trial SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Attorneys for polygamist leader Warren Jeffs are seeking to have charges against him dismissed or have his trial moved to Salt Lake County, in motions filed TAiesday. Jeffs, 51, is president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a sect of almost 10,000 who practice polygamy in arranged marriages. Jeffs is facing an April trial on state felony charges of rape as an accomplice for arranging and performing a 2001 marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her adult cousin. In the motion to dismiss the charges, Jeffs' attorneys said prosecutors failed to prove during a preliminary hearing last year that Jeffs was aware that the girl objected to having sex with her husband. On Tuesday, Jeffs' attorneys also filed for a change of venue. Most members of the FLDS church live in the twin cities of Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah. Hildale is in Washington County, where Jeffs is being jailed and the trial is scheduled. The motion cites "the nature of the community in Washington County" along with the seriousness of the offense as reasons Jeffs trial should be moved. His attorneys contend he's being prosecuted for his religion. A message left after hours for Jeffs' attorneys TYiesday was not immediately returned. In another motion, Jeffs' attorneys say Utah's statute on rape as an accomplice is "unconstitutionally vague." "Because of the sweeping application of the statute, prosecutors and courts may use it to discriminate against members of the defendant's religion, where marriage between young couples is common," the motion states. Prosecutors claim they can prove Jeffs twice ordered the girl to submit sexually to her cousin. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. A message left after hours for Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap was not immediately returned Tuesday. Jeffs is also facing felony charges in Mohave County, Ariz., for other arranged marriages. He's expected to be extradited there following the Utah case. Briefs Campus & Community \ Deadline for teen engineers next week USU is hosting the 18th annual Engineering State program June 11-14 for all local, national and international high school students. The application deadline is March 16. The program is designed to give students a glimpse of various engineering professions through an in-depth, hands-on experience. Participants will have the opportunity to build relationships with experienced faculty and staff from every department in the College of Engineering, and will be treated to a tour of the state-of-theart Space Dynamics Laboratory and USU's new engineering building. "Students will learn about new engineering technologies and solve common problems using today's innovations and strategies," said Scott Hinton, dean of the College of Engineering. "They will also work with Utah State's nationally acclaimed faculty and make new friends in the process." Engineering State provides students with opportunities to explore the most up-to-date strategies, tools and engineering technology. Go-carts, canoeing,.swimming and friendly competitions are part of the week and students can win prizes and apply for university scholarships. The $100 application fee covers housing for the week in university housing and all meals. Qualified applicants must be high school students entering their junior or senior year in Fall 2007, have a strong interest in math, science, technology or aviation and display citizenship excellence on their scholastic record. For more information, or an online application, visit www.engineering. usu.edu/estate or call Kathy Peacock at 435-797-2843. Ecologist speaking on river restoration The USU Ecology Center is hosting Emily Bernhardt, a lead scientist with Duke University. Bernhardts research focuses on aquatic biogeochemical cycling in the face of human modification of the landscape, and she has been a major voice in thefieldof ecosystem ecology and river restoration. During her visit, Bernhardt will be giving two seminars as part of the Ecology Center Seminar Series. The first seminar, "Restoring Rivers One Reach at a Time - the challenge of restoring reaches to manage catchments" will take place Wednesday, March 7 from 6 - 7 p.m. The second seminar, "Propagation and Dissipation of Upstream Signals through River Networks" will be given on Thursday, March 8 from 3 - 4 p.m. Both seminars will be held in the USU in the Natural Resources (NR) building room 105. All are welcome to attend both seminars. For more information, visit the Ecology Center Web page www.usu.edu/ecology/index.htm. . Heritage Center has animal home contest The American West Heritage Center announces is second annual animal homes contest. Presented in conjunction with the USU Museum of Anthropology, the contest asks participants to create models of animal homes. The model homes can be either natural-oriented, such as a bird's nest, or fantasy-oriented, such as an apartment for a grizzly bear. Entrants could also submit traditional structural homes like bird houses or dog houses. Models should be no larger than four feet by four feet. Deadline for entries is March 31. Models should be brought to the Heritage Center with the title of the model and the name, age, and contact information of the entrant. Prizes will be given to the winners of each age category: ages 5-9,10-15,16 and up. "For our Baby Animal Days event, we thought it would be fun to explore the homes that animals live in," said David Sidwell, program director at the Heritage Center, "We also thought we'd leave it wide open so kids could use their imaginations if they wished." Models will be displayed at the Baby Animal Days, April 5-7 at the Heritage Center on Hwy 89-91 in Wellsville. They may be seen at some point at USU's Museum of Anthropology soon. For more information, contact David Sidwell at dsidwell@awhc.org. ^Compiled from staff and media reports |