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Show Battle draws blue blood from students Today is Friday, Aug. 31,2007 By LIZ WILSON staff writer Breaking News Hundreds of USU students have shown their dedication to the school by donating blood this week. The annual Blood Battle between USU and the University of Utah is almost over, and Aggies have literally been bleeding for the cause. The annual drive began Monday and ends Friday as part of ASUSU's Week of Welcome, Each year the two universities battle it out to see who can get the most blood donations at the end of one week, and this year's ASUSU goal is 1.000 units of blood. USU has won this six-year tradition every year so far. But this year, the University of Utah is trying a different strategy. At the start of the competition, the two universities made an agreement to both have their blood drives during the first week of school to even the playing field. This year, however, the University of Utah is holding its blood drive the week of the USU vs. University of Utah football game. ASUSU member and Service Center core council secretary, Julie Ung, explained that this year USU is in it to win it. "We're shooting for 1,000," Ung said. "I'm really confident." K I M E L W O O D , a graduate student from Logan studying animal science, gave blood Thursday in the After three days, USU had succeeded in getTaggart Student Center, Elwood said she has given blood around 10 times. She was one of hundreds of Though leading 10-3 at the half, the Aggies fell 23-16 to UNLV, Thursday night in their home opener. Campus News students to participate in the annual Blood Battle between USU and the University of Utah. USU has won every battle thus far. The blood drive ends Friday. Julie Ung, ASUSU member and Service Center core council secretary, said she is confident the school will reach there goal. TYLER LARSON photo \lSee BATTLE, page 3 The Day on the Quad provides a break from the first week of classes and introduces students to organizations and businesses in the valley. • . - \ \ ":•-• • - * • ' v • ' • www.utahstatesman.com Logan, Utah Utah State University - ; • Features Robotic camera Background checks now cannot get down required for employees 7th hole in mine vent anything like that from happening at USU, Menlove said. senior writer The State Board of Regents has set policy for the bill, but some implementation Students won't have to worry their teachissues have been left to the university to ers are murderers or convicted sex criminals decide, said Fred Hunsaker, vice president thanks to new background checks that have of Finance and Campus Operations. He has been put in place by the state Legislature. talked with many of the departments and Ronda Menlove, Vice _ ^ _ ^ ^ _ gathered considerable inforProvost for Regional mation for other universities' Campuses and Distance programs. A committee is Ed and Utah House reprebeing formed to make the sentative, has helped pass final implementation deci"This is a noa bill that will require new sions for USU, and Hunsaker employees at universities to brainer, we don't said it will probably meet have background checks. within the next week or two. want convicted The university may also these decisions criminals working will beAmong submit current employees whether the univer9 to checks if there is a reain schools. ' sity or the job applicants sonable cause. If anything will have to pay for the tests, incriminating is found, the which range from $15 to $75 Ronda Meniove, Utah depending on the depth. applicant or employee will be able to tell his or her side House representative "In the current era, (backbefore any action is taken. ground checks) appear to be "It is our goal to make the university the right things to do," Hunsaker said. safe and protect the students and faculty," The bill was put into action July 1, 2007, Menlove said. after being unanimously approved by both Other institutions have implemented such the House and the Senate with a few mempolicies, and Menlove said she has been bers absent. Menlove said while implemenconcerned that USU didn't have any policy. tation will take time due to costs and paperShe believes it may even help recruitment work, soon everyone will have been checked. because students and parents will feel safer. "This is a no-brainer, we don't want She cited a time a few years ago when a pro- convicted criminals working in schools," fessor at Penn State was found to be a conMenlove said. victed murder after having taught at several -alison.baugh@aggiemail.usu.edu universities. These background checks will help preBy ALISON BAUCH For Pete Schropp and his wife, making cheese all starts with spending time with the "girls/' their cows. ^ / ^ Page 6 Sports The USU football team struggles in the second half but shows improvement over last season. Page 11 Opinion "Are we getting 'sold' something we don't really understand or appreciate?" ^ ^ : $ Page 18 '^i.i *' SpeakUp Today in History: In 1997, Princess Diana died in Paris' Pitie-Salpetiere Hospital from injuries sustained in a car crash earlier in the day as she was chased down by paparazzi. In 1888, Jack the Ripper killed his first vjctim, a prostitute. Weather I High: 90 Low: 56 I Skies: Mostly sunny takies with 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. HSeeMINE,page3 USU offering new degree specialization ByARlEKIRK news editor A/manac SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A video camera lowered down a seventh hole Thursday in search of six miners trapped Aug. 6 in a huge cave-in found only 2 1/2 feet of clear space and a pile of rubble and mud 7 feet high, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said. The seventh hole started plugging up with mud and rubble at a rate of 5 feet per hour, making it impossible for technicians to get a special robotic camera 1,856 feet down into the mine to look for signs of the men, who haven't been heard from since the collapse, said Rich Kulczewski, an MSHA spokesman. It's not known if the six men survived. Another hole drilled earlier also was tried, but the mud and rubble conditions were similar, he said. "That was a disappointment. There's no doubt about it," Kulczewski said at a news conference in Huntington. The robotic camera is 8 inches wide, going down holes only a fraction wider, but if it can get down one of them, it has the ability to maneuver as much as 1,000 feet into the mine. After the crews broke through the seventh hole about 4:15 a.m. Thursday, they rapped on the drill steel to try to signal the miners, but there was no response. A decision was made to lower the robotic camera Thursday evening into a hole drilled Aug. 18 - despite an earlier determination that there was a high risk of losing the robotic camera in the effort, Kulczewski said. There was no estimate of how long that would take. "We haven't given up, but we're running out of possibilities," Kulczewski said. USU is now offering a new degree specialization in speech-language pathology. The doctorate-level emphasis was added this year because of a demand nationwide for speech-language pathologists. The department of communicative disorders and deaf education also received new doctoral level faculty that has allowed them to expand their programs, said Ron Gillam, a professor in the department. "There are a number of reasons why this program is needed. There is a shortage of doctoral level speech-language pathologists across the nation," Gillam said. "The department of communicative disorders and deaf education has grown rapidly. We now have a critical mass of doctoral level faculty who have active research programs. This enables us to offer a strong doctoral training program." To receive the degree, students are required to take 67 credits of doctoral seminars and graduate courses, Gillam said. They must also have internships involving teaching, grant writing, researching and publication. He said doctoral dissertation must also be completed. The program helps students learn to become teachers and help people who struggle in developing language and speech, said Tim Slocum, professor in special education and chair of the Disability Disciplines Doctoral Program. Those who get doctorate degrees typically become professors at universities, Gillam said. A small number also work in clinics. Aside from benefiting the field, Gillam said this will be an advantage to the university as well. "We hope that this specialization will increase the capacity for research, training, service and grant development in a critical area of the College of Education and Human Services," he said. "Increasing doctoral training should enhance the national reputation of the department." Slocum said only one student has enrolled so far. However, he said he does not expect the program to see large amounts of students in the coming year. He also said programs of this level are typically small in number. "This program is never going to be huge. We are talking dozens," Slocum said. "Down the road there may be five to 10 graduate students. It will grow to that size. Doctorate programs are always really small." Doug Petersen, the only student currently working to receive a degree in speech-language pathology, said he is very excited USU is offering this emphasis. "I was accepted to many prestigious schools in the field, but just the attention I was going to receive here and the line of research the professors and faculty do here at Utah State is so close to my personal interests, I couldn't deny it," he said. With the help of Gillman, Petersen said he is researching language impairments in bilingual children. He also said he is working on an early childhood screening that can predict whether or not the child will have reading problems in the future. "The brilliance of it is that the child doesn't have to be able to read for us to know if they will have problems later," Petersen said. "This is to enforce the method of prevention to help the child before they have DOUG PETERSEN is the problems." first student to enroll in the After completdoctorate-level emphasis of ing his doctorate, speech-language pathology. Petersen said he wants to continue conducting research and would like to teach at a university. "It is a perfect marriage of the continuing work at universities," he said. "I want to make a difference and help children. I want to hav£ a broader impact and thereby help thousands of children." . , !{ -arie.k@aggiemail.usu.edu NOELLE &ERLAGE photo |