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Show Carroll signs for NBA draft UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Page 5 Logan, Utah • Campus voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Wednesday, April 25,2007 Pi Kappa Phi holding book exchange Undergrade present at conference BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS Just how healthy is a food product that is labeled "smart" or "lean"? What is the difference between "organic" and "all natural"? On the surface, food labels seem to steer consumers to good choices. Are they reliable? Tvvo USU students presenting at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in San Rafael, Calif., April 12-14, found that labels cannot always be trusted. Their poster on "The Confusing World of Product Claims: A Review and Analysis of Consumer Food Labels" attracted a crowd. Vikki Carlisle and Margo Farnsworth, both majors in the College of Business working with faculty mentor Professor Kenneth Bartkus, were surprised themselves by what they found when they looked beyond the surface of the label to the reality of ingredients. "A label claim that the product is 'no-fat' does not necessarily mean that there is zero fat, but that the fat content per serving is below a specified level," noted Carlisle. Added Farnsworth, "Companies use creative visual techniques that can create misleading impressions. In spite of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, consumers still need to be aware and wary of labeling." For those talking to Carlisle and Farnsworth, another surprise was forthcoming: The two are only freshmen. "I was being recruited to a graduate program in health administration, and it sounded great, but I told them that it would be a few years before I could consider graduate school," Farnsworth said. Joyce Kinkead, associate vice president in the Office of Research, cannot recall an NCUR meeting where first-year students were accepted to present. "This is really a benchmark for Utah State," she said. "We have a number of Research Fellows in the • NCUR see page 4 BY D I LEWIS News Editor Tyler LafsonAmlarson@ccusu.edu THE USU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES is moving up in ranking. The college was recently ranked 26th out of 1,200 education colleges nationwide by U.5. News & World Report. College of Education ranked 26th in nation BY ALISON BAUCH Staff Writer The College of Education and Human Services was recently ranked 26th in the nation. U.S. News & World Report magazine used a report of 1,200 graduate colleges of education to complete this ranking, Dean Carol Strong said. While USU's college has been in the top 50 for nine years, this was its biggest jump going from 35th last year to 26th this year, Strong said. While the rankers focus mainly on the graduate programs, Strong said they also look at the undergrad programs, as the two support each other. The magazine looks at the research done in the college, the quality of faculty, the quality of students and the number of admissions compared to degrees issued. They also talk to superintendents and get their opinions about where the best new teachers come from, Strong said. Also increasing in ranking was the external funding received by the college. They moved from third to second, Strong said. This means only Teacher College at Columbia University got more funding than USU's College of Education and Human Services. "We are ahead of some impressive programs," Strong said, citing these programs as the ones at Penn State and Texas State. Strong said about half of this external funding was secured by the Center for Persons with Disabilities. Around 60 percent of all of the funding comes from fed- Speak Up Comments to remember^S "We resolved to build a foundation, invest in research and good faculty long ago, and the benefits are now paying off" Carol Strong, dean of the College of Education eral agencies. Strong credited the fact that the college has a specific person who watches out for grants and proposal opportunities and then lets the professors know as one reason it is able to obtain so much money. There isn't a specific area or thing Strong credits to making the program so successful, but she said it is a combination of great faculty and students doing great things and this continuing cycle. "We resolved to build a foundation, invest in research and good faculty a long time ago, and the benefits are now paying offT"-Strong said. Jim Doward, interim department head and professor, said there are a few different benefits that come from receiving such a high ranking. "People know about the institution and the college," Doward said. This will help recruitment efforts and bring in quality students, he said. A snowball effect happens and more students are interested in the program. When this happens, Doward said the college administration can be a little pickier about who gets in and, as such, maintain that high level of student quality. As rankings have been rising over the past few years, Strong said she hopes that soon USU will be in the top 25. For now she is proud of what the college has accomplished, saying there is no other college of education in the intermountain region or the desert Southwest to receive and maintain such high rankings. -albaugh@cc.usu.edu Students selling or buying books might want to hold on until the start of next semester. The Pi Kappa Phi fraternity is holding their second book exchange on the first week of fall semester. The book exchange is run by members of the fraternity, said Ryan Pooler, the social chair for Pi Kappa Phi. They got the idea from Brad Larkin, a senior in entrepreneurship, who said he saw similar book exchanges when he went to Weber State University. "While at Weber, I saw several of the clubs and organizations doing the same thing over there, and it was a huge success," Larkin said. "If the students use it, altogether it can be a wonderful thing for everybody. We're hoping those students who saw it last semester will come back this semester." Larkin said the book exchange is like a consignment sale. Students pay $1 and sign a contract to have Pi Kappa Phi watch over the books for a week. In the contract, students specify what price they want to sell their book for. Larkin said if the book sells, the fraternity takes a 10 percent fee and writes a check to the student for the remainder. If the book does not sell, the student gets the book back. Pooler, a sophomore in biology, said, "A lot of the students that participated last semester really liked it, and a lot said they'd be happy to do it again. We got a lot of positive feedback." Last year the fraternity sold about 100 books, totaling nearly $2,300 in checks written to students selling books, Larkin said. He said the fraternity barely covered their costs but said the book exchange definitely has potential the key is getting students involved." Students benefit from the book exchange because they "are getting the best value for the books they buy," Pooler said. He said those selling books are getting a better return for their books, and when "students purchase books, they're typically getting less than in the Bookstore for used." And it's not just students benefiting, Pooler said. The fraternity hopes to raise $1,000 for a charity called Push America to help children with disabilities. The university has been very supportive of the book exchange, Pooler said. The book exchange runs from Aug. 27 to Aug. 31 in the Merrill-Cazier Library Room 101 from 9 am. to 3 p.m. -dilewis@cc.usu.edu Graduating on top - a look at the valedictorians BY ARIE KIRK Assistant News Editor After five years at USU, Scott Davis is graduating as valedictorian with a major in history and minors in Latin, Greek and French. Davis said he hopes to continue his education in a religious studies program or after taking a year off M.J.JM.LJLJ of school. He wants to get a PhD in religious studies and eventually teach early Christian history at a university level. Because of a strict work ethic and his love for history, Davis said he is driven to work with perfection. "I have a definite passion for history and the work I do," he said. "You need to make sure your work is dead on and you are not being slothful. Do work for its own sake, not because the professor wants it." Davis spent three semesters studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany; Annecy, France; and at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. Aside from seeing the world, he said the time he spent away from USU allowed him to really get -to know himself. While attending USU, 23-year-old Davis created the Edith Bowen Latin Club, a weekly after-school program for elementary school students. He said he began the club to offer a much-needed opportunity for children to learn Latin. He said it also gave senior Latin students at USU the experience of teaching classes. Davis said, overall, his experience at USU has been enjoyable. He said he is most appreciative of the faculty's kindness and their encouragement of his academic and professional goals. In leaving a last word for his fellow Aggies, Davis said it is important for students to act with integrity. He also said college is a growing experience from which students should not shrink. "It certainly has been a growing experience. It has allowed me to focus on what I want to do in graduate school and my profession," he said. "The stress and the pressure will change the kind of person you are. Be excited. Be welcoming of those changes and don't be afraid to develop. Expanding your horizons is not something to be afraid of." -ariek@cc. usu.edu BY ALISON BAUCH Staff Writer The College of Business has chosen Thomas Colligan as this year's valedictorian. Colligan is majoring in accounting and will start the graduate program this fall. He will continue to work for Junior Engineering on campus during his graduate schooling. After graduating, he h ° P e s t 0 work for one of t h e l a r g e s t four a c c o u n t i n g firms. Eventually he would love to become a partner in one of these firms. Yet with it taking 13 to 15 years to accomplish this, Colligan doesn't know if he will be able to stick with it that long, but it is definitely something that he plans on working toward. A Riverton native, Colligan said he came to USU "basically so I could move." While this may have been his initial motive, he has enjoyed his time at USU, especially attending sporting events. "I even went to all the football games last year, .and I'm still a fan," Colligan said. Colligan's interests include not only watching sports, but also playing them. At his home, the Anniversary Inn, he and his wife get ESPN, and he said he is sure his wife loves that they get it for free. The couple closes the books at night and then checks people in who arrive Jomie(rane/jQmiecrane@ccusu.edu SCOTT DAWS IS THE HASS valedictorian. He is a history major with Greek, Latin and French minors •VALEDICTORIANS see page 3 |