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Show Page 3 StatesmanCampus News Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Scholar suggests attraction a 'hidden force' Briefs Campus & Community By LINDSAY ANDERSON staff writer The nature of attraction in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" was the topic of the English Department speakers series at the Haight Alumni Center Monday. Speaker Mary Floyd Wilson, the director of English graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discussed desire in Shakespeare's comedy. "Nature still has her bias," Wilson said. "Perhaps we need to consider whether nature possesses a different logic of desire, one that has nothing to do with gender. I would like to suggest that the logic of attraction in 'Twelfth Night' and in many of Shakespeare's comedies has an affinity to create a discourse on magnetism." Wilson focused her lecture on the idea of the lodestone, which is a magnetic mineral form of iron, and how some "hidden forces" can act as a lodestone to attract things to them "While gender discussions of desire often focus on the allure of appearances, cross-dressed or otherwise, and the power of the gaze, particularly notions derived from neo-platonic philosophies of love, magnetic attractions can have their bases in hidden forces or unseen causes," Wilson said. "So in the pre-scientific world of the Renaissance, it was believed that the sympathetic, but idiosyncratic virtues and qualities hidden in plants, animals, stones and humans had the power to draw other things, animals and humans to them." "Twelfth Night" deals with several relationships, pairing up the four main characters in a complicated love trial, Wilson said, but _ "the primary emotional bond in the play is between the twins, Viola and Sebastian." Wilson said the other characters are astonished at the similarity and magnetism of Viola and Sebastian. "Antonio's response reminds us that the bond . between the twins may be more than superficial or even familial," Wilson said. "They look as though they have made a division of themselves like an apple cleft in twain." This scene reminds people of Aristophanes's Speech from Plato's Symposium, which states that someone could cut humans in half, which would produce a world of halves, Wilson said. "A world of halves seeking halves, when one of them meets his other half, the actual half of himself, the pair are lost in the amazement of love, friendship and intimacy," Wilson said. "If twins were conceived as divisions of single cells, then it makes sense that they would seek to return to their other half, even as a force of magnetism." "We characterize love often as magnetic. We suggest that people have chemistry of a sort," Wilson said. "The difference, I contend, between early modern conceptions of magnetic attractions among people, and modern thought, is almost a degree of literalism. Modern characterizations of romantic chemistry, more often than not, attempt to capture something supremely non-scientific, more metaphorical. By contrast, early modern ideas rest on foundational suppositions, Utah named Best Managed State M A R Y FLOYD W I L S O N talks about attraction between people using Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" as an example. Wilson spoke Monday at the Haight Alumni Center as part of the English department speakers series. CAMERON PETERSON photo. that nature operates on a logic of unseen material connections that are not yet explained, that will diminish as scientific inquiry becomes more prominent." In conclusion, Wilson said "Twelfth Night" Meetings: Open under law H continued from page 1 "Just because a meeting can be closed doesn't mean it should be closed," Smith said. "I think people are dismissing the gist of what the open information act is for. Open is better." Tiffany Evans, ASUSU adviser, said the AOF meetings were closed by last year's Academic Senate due to an incorrect interpretation of one of the exemptions. She said she was unaware the meetings were closed, as she normally does not attend them. The AOF is financed by student tuition and is designed to provide money for students who need financial help to attend conferences or to further other academic pursuits, Abernethy said. Abernethy said when he and the rest of the Academic Senate were trained by last year's leaders, they were told these meetings should be closed, and the current Academic Senate operated under that presumption. He said because the AOF meetings discuss personal financial matters of individuals, the meetings were closed to keep that information private. "We were told these were closed-door meetings," Abernethy said. "It seemed last year's (Academic Senate) came up with it on their own and never consulted any advisers." Smith said tradition was no reason for closing a meeting, saying, "They have no basis for closing that meeting. That does not fall under the criteria to close a meeting. The presumption under the statute is the meeting is open. If there is a quorum of the government entity present, there is a presumption the meeting is open." The closing of meetings also violated the ASUSU Constitution, which has no provisions for closing a meeting. On the contrary, in Article II, Section 5 of the ASUSU Constitution, under procedures, both the ASUSU Executive Council and the Academic Senate must "conduct and publicize open meetings, which shall be advertised no less than 24 hours prior to the meeting time." At another point in the ASUSU Constitution regarding financial reports, it states, "Financial reports from any organization spending ASUSU funds shall be made available to any member of the ASUSU." Because all students at USU are members of ASUSU, the reports from the meetings should be released to students anyway, negating the reason for closing the meetings. Within an hour of learning the details of the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, Abernethy investigated why the meetings were closed to begin with and talked to university legal counsel to learn there was no reason to keep the meetings closed, and he subsequently declared all meetings to be open. "That was what was passed on and there was a belief since they were translating that as a per- produces a desire in its audience to have an unexplainable bond that reaches beyond the boundaries of proof. The next lecture in the department of English's series will be at 7 p.m. on April3attheUSUEccles Conference Center. Mark Doty, the only American poet to win Great Britain's T.S. Elliot. Prize, will be the speaker. 'lindsay.anderson@aggiemaiiusu.edu -. t Election: Code violated IJ continued from page 1 sonnel issue," Evans said. "I commend Kevin for his thorough research. He also wanted to clarify that with the legal counsel on campus. Kevin wanted to do that because he had some senators saying the same thing. It's all clarified and I apologize for that confusion. This is good. Every now and again you need to re-look at things and make sure things don't go by the wayside. This has been a perfect example of checks and balances." Abernethy said he thinks having the AOF meetings open to the press and public is a good thing because it allows students to see other students benefiting from the funds. Evans agreed, saying, "Academic Opportunity Fund is something we would want to know because this is such a great thing." Upon learning ASUSU rectified the situation, Hunt said, "I'm glad the student officers reconsidered their decision and are allowing access. Their decision shows good judgment and an appreciation of the value of openness 'and transparency." The Academic Opportunity Fund meetings are held, when required, on Monday evenings following the Academic Senate meetings in the Senate Chambers on the third floor the Taggart Student Center and are open to the public. -seth.h@aggiemail.usu. edu system placed over the election committee to prevent this same thing from happening to someone in the future. "Our campaign didn't have the opportunity to wear our shirts to the game," Munns said. "When we got there, other people were wearing their shirts. I asked the elections chair to address this, and she attempted to do so, and then she came back to me and told me I could go get the T-shirt, but we weren't there to campaign. We were there to enjoy the basketball game. Even if we had left the basketball game, we could not have been able to re-enter because you can only swipe your cards once," he said. Munns said each candidate was told to read and know the bylaws, so he felt the decision of the elections committee was unfair. Jodie Savage, elections committee chair, said the committee did agree to let some of the students running for office wear their shirts to the game. The decision to do so was not made public because the elections committee felt the students who thought to ask about it should get the advantage, Savage said. Munns said he felt the decision of the elections committee was unfair, and one of his main motives was to make sure they were held accountable. "Obviously we feel like this affected the outcome of the elections," Munns said. "We are not going to be the sore loser who tries everything we can just to get in office. We are just proving that there needs to be a change." •debrajoy.h@aggiemail.usu.edu Fire: Extinguishers not in plan 3 continuedfrompage 1 the damage could have been lessened. He said the deputy fire marshal, one of the first to arrive on the scene, discharged fire extinguishers but wasn't able to directly target the engine compartment. Because of this. Bell said, "Even if there were extinguishers in the parking terrace, no one would have been able to get close enough to the fire to put it out." Bell said he doesn't want students trying to put out a fire, even if extinguishers are available, especially one similar to the fire Thursday. He said the materials from which cars are made can be very dangerous, leading to possible unconsciousness, severe inju- ries to eyes, skin, lungs and even death. "Since students are not trained as firefighters, nor do they have the protective ensemble that firefighters wear, bunker gear, SCBAs, masks, gloves, etc., that firefighters wear to protect themselves from the extreme heat and smoke, and they lack the necessary tools to open a car hood when there is an intense fire burning within the compartment," he said. "They have no business trying to put the fire out. They are only asking to get themselves hurt or killed." The State of Utah has been named the best managed state in the nation, based on the • most authoritative and respected review of States, the Pew Center on States' 2008 report. Utah's top spot with the highest grade point average is an improvement over the State's previous No. 2 ranking. "Utah taxpayers are definitely getting the best bang for their buck," Governor Huntsman said. "We continue to work like never before to cross boundaries in state government to create an infrastructure that is effective and efficient." Utah received the only solid 'A' in money management, thanks to a cooperative and proactive approach in dealing with state financial issues. "Utah is a very good example of a state whose strong focus on making sound financial decisions is paying dividends for its citizens," said Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, of whichthe Grading Performance Project is a part. "Utah is thinking about the future in all its decisionsfrom the maintenance of stateowned buildings to its employees' post-retirement health care-all to ensure that the state's critical work for the public gets done." "This honor isn't based on a single decision, but a culture of fiscal responsibility and prudent innovation, said Senate President John Valentine. "It's the boring work that pays the bills. Utah's officials work quietly but diligently to maintain a standard of excellence and it's nice to see the state get some recognition for those efforts. Top notch fiscal management is a team effort." "We work well together between the legislative and executive branch and there is a spirit of cooperation," said House Speaker Greg Curtis. "We strive to do what's best for the citizens of the State of Utah." Utah was also recognized for its performance management. The State's recent balance scorecard initiative and performance website, http://performance.utah.gov, promote continuous improvement and greater transparency in state government. The Grading the States 2008 Report's findings are developed in partnership with Governing Magazine. Logan lawyer now a district court judge Utah Governor Jon Huntsman announced today the appointment of Kevin K. Allen to serve as a judge on the Utah First District Court. Upon confirmation by the Utah State Senate, Allen will replace Judge Gordon J. Low. "It is an honor for me to nominate Kevin to the bench. He is well qualified for this position and will be an excellent addition to our judiciary," Governor Huntsman said. "Kevin has a genuine desire to serve the people of our great State and his distinguished previous experience proves he will carry on the admirable service of Judge Gordon Low." Allen is currently the senior partner with Allen and Ericson, P.C. in Logan, Utah. Previously Allen was a partner with Barrett and Daines, P.C. in Logan and a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. "It is an honor to be selected to serve the citizens of the First District Court in this capacity," said Allen. "I appreciate Governor Huntsman's confidence and look forward to working with the great attorneys and judges of the First District." -arie, k@aggiemail. usu. edu HCompiled from staff and media reports |