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Show Wednesday. March 26, 2008 StatesmanCmmm News Page 3 Briefs Variety of issues concerning Utah State Campus & Community discussed by legislative representatives ByARIEKIRK news editor State legislative representatives visited campus Monday to discuss the 2008 legislative session and review the issues regarding USU that were debated during this year's session. State senators Lyle Hillyard and Peter Knudsen discussed issues including university salaries, education programs, health care and energy costs with state representatives Jack Draxler, Fred Hunsaker, Ronda Menlove and Curt Webb at a luncheon in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. "There are very important things that take place for Utah State in the capital," Hunsaker said. While not everything was accomplished that USU might have wished, and funding might not have increased as much as in previous years, he said, "This year is still a very good year." Webb stressed the focus local legislators have on USU. He said matters like the economy and health care are closely tied to higher education. "There's an energy there," he said. Hillyard addressed employee compensation implemented during the session. He said state and higher education employees received a 3 percent salary increase to account for the escalating cost of living. Some expressed concern during the question-and-answer period that people are not able to offset the increasing cost of living, even with the salary increase. To this, one representative said it is affecting everyone and that state legislators are trying to help. However, he said, "I don't mean to sound cold but, welcome to the club." Hillyard also reviewed the 9.9 percent increase higher education employees received to help with health insurance. According to the state budget overview, higher education employees ineligible for changes in health benefits received the increase for health benefit premiums. During the session, Hillyard also pushed and passed the Regents Scholarship that will award $1,000 for higher education to students who demonstrate a strong work ethic by taking rigorous courses in high school. Draxler addressed the $43,750,000 given to USU for the new agriculture building and then discussed the funding he helped achieve for postsecondary education for inmates. He said USU has given a number of bachelor's degrees to inmates, and with the funding passed, inmate education programs will be able to continue. He said inmates receiving degrees reduces their chances of returning to jail. Draxler also said by funding this now, it saves Utah residents money in the future because fewer funds will be needed for inmates and facilities. While all agreed a lot had been done for USU during the session, Knudsen said difficult problems are yet to come. "Things aren't as rosy as you think. We have some serious challenges," Knudsen said. Many things may have been accomplished during the legislative session that are beneficial to USU and the surrounding community, but Knudsen said people have the future to consider. "What's it going to be like next year?" he asked. He said one of the most important issues people are going to face is the cost of energy. "I put up a little flag of warning. We need to be working on the energy issue better than we are," Knudsen said. Menlove, however, disagreed and said she believes one of the hottest issues will be health care. Hunsaker agreed saying, "This is not an issue that is unique to Utah State and is not unique to Utah. It is a national problem." The senators and representatives agreed there are a number of other issues that must be monitored, like the growing number of universities in the state and the special interests and earmarks of legislators. The legislative representatives said USU would continue to be one of their main focuses and said USU is one of the most respected institutions in the Legislature. Menlove complimented USU's "activism and leadership skills." Draxler said, "Utah State's credibility is excellent. I hope it continues. That way, it makes it a lot easier when people realize work is being done." -arie.k@aggiemail. usu. edu The science of ice cream Bigfoot: author continues study H continued from page 1 SCIENCE COUNCIL MEMBERS LANCE PFUEGER, TRISTIAN PARRY, H A N N A H SPINNER, along with the Dean of the College of Science, Mary Hubbard, served ice cream to students on Monday as part of Science Week. Other activities include the movie"! Am Legend," tonight in theTSC Ballroom at 7 and 9:30 p.m., a SK run and star party on Saturday CAMERON PETERSON photo Division on Virginia Tech settlements RICHMOND, Va. (AP) vidual." - Those close to the vic"I'm inclined to believe tims of the Virginia Tech this will not be settled by mass shootings offered April 15th," O'Dell said. "I mixed reactions Tuesday think there are too many to a proposed multimilquestion marks in the prolion-dollar state settlement posed offer." and whether it will properSeung-Hui Cho, a menly honor their loved ones. tally disturbed student, Families of the victims killed two people in a have until Monday to say dormitory just after 7 a.m. whether they'll accept University officials did not the settlement, which send an e-mail alert until would give $100,000 to more than two hours later representatives of each of —just before Cho killed the 32 killed and ensures 30 others in a classroom that families will have the building across campus chance to talk to the gover- and then committed suinor and university officials cide. about the shootings. Twenty-two families Under the prohave filed notice with the posal, a copy of which state that they may sue. was obtained by The They have until April Associated Press, 16 tofile.Families of all $800,000 would be availdeceased victims and the able to injured victims. survivors would be eligible They and the families of for a payout under the those killed could seek settlement. additional money from By accepting the proa $1.75.million hardship posal, family members fund. would give up the right Roger O'Dell, whose to sue the state governson Derek was among two ment; Virginia Tech; the town of Blacksburg, where dozen wounded April 16, said while he considers the Virginia Tech is located; Montgomery County; proposal a very reasonand the New River Valley able offer, he is concerned Community Services about how the money Board, which provides would be split among the mental-health services in survivors. The proposal the area. only states that the money would be distributed Cho had been ruled "based on a matrix accept- a danger to himself durable to the commonwealth, ing a court commitment with a maximum payment hearing in 2005 and was of $100,000 to any indiordered to receive outpa- tient mental health care. He never received the treatment. Diane Strollo, whose daughter Hilary was shot three times but is back at Virginia Tech, said she believed the negotiations were ongoing. "The families want accountability, justice and change," she said. "We have yet to see it." O'Dell said there is no consensus among the families regarding the offer, though many feel it's "good in a number of respects." "It's totally across the board as to how people feel. Some people feel that there is no wrongdoing and therefore there's no obligation by the state or the university to be paying anybody anything," O'Dell said. "At the other end, there's some who feel that this agreement — proposed settlement agreement — doesn't go nearly far enough and there needs to be much more money put into it." The total cost of the proposed settlement, including attorneys' fees and a $1.75 million fund for charities, comes to about $8.5 million, plus the cost of reimbursing and paying for medical and psychological treatment for victims' families and survivors. In October, the families and surviving victims received payments ranging from $11,500 to $208,000 from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up in the days after the shootings to handle donations that poured into the school. In contrast to the Virginia Tech shootings, attorneys say there is little to indicate lawsuits might be pending against Northern Illinois University over its response to a Feb. 14 attack on campus. In that case, former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, opened fire in a lecture hall, killingfivepeople before killing himself. Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner, who has won several high-profile lawsuits, said the school might avoid being sued because there's no indication of glaring shortcomings in its security response. Police entered the NIU lecture hall just minutes after the shooting began, and the school launched its emergency alert system — sending out e-mails and posting messages on Web sites to notify students a possible gunman was on campus — before authorities could confirm the gunman acted alone and was dead. have accounts of a hairy wild man, which he said could be early accounts of Bigfoot. He showed pictures of masks, tribal statues and paintings from different centuries and cultures, and he pointed out the possible correlations to primates and Bigfoot and the differences between both. He said depictions of a creature with very big, human-like hands and feet were showing up in various styles of pictographs. "No history is without myth. No myth is without history," Meldrum said. Sometimes stories were told to serve as a warning to children to not stay out late because of the dangers in the woods, he said. "Are these just boogie man stories? Are these just things the natives tell their kids to keep them in line?" Meldrum asked. "Are these just stories or do they have some thread of truth?" Meldrum showed possible Bigfoot footprint casts and showed the differences in what are believed to be real and fabricated prints. The evidence in the footprints is what he said he finds most compelling. He discussed the realities of the video recording of Bigfoot walking into the woods and said even though people have come out and said they were in a Bigfoot suit, the reality is the body proportions just don't match up for it to be a human in a costume. Meldrum told the students at lunch after the lecture that he became interested in Bigfoot as a young boy. He said it was when the video of Bigfoot walking in the woods emerged that he became curious about Bigfoot. That curiosity developed more in later years as his study of science and primates slowly turned into a study of Bigfoot, Meldrum said. He continues his research on Bigfoot and the evidences to support his theory, he said. For more information and to see pictures of possible Bigfoot footprints, access Meldrum's web site at www.isu.edu/-meldd/ fxnlmorph.html. -n.drue.t@aggiemail.usu, edu Hunger Banquet set to teach about poverty The STEP (Students Together Ending Poverty) and Aggies For Africa clubs are teaming up to hold a Hunger Banquet this Thursday, March 27 at 6 p.m. This is an eye opening learning experience that no one will want want to miss. The cost is only $2 per person, so it will make a great activity for a dull Thursday , night. When coming, all will have the oppor\ tunity to get experience for a small moment some of the conditions that millions of people live through each day. Attendees will also be amazed when they hear the story of Claude Kadisi, a USU MBA student who is a former refugee of Congo. Donations of canned goods and clothing will be accepted at the door, but will not replace the door charge of $2. Grab a friend or date and come have a good time while opening our minds to the world around us. The banquet will be held in the Walnut Room of theTSC. NPR reporter to give Media and Society lecture After 17 years as the afternoon voice of NPRs newscasts, Corey Flintoff is stepping out from the newscaster's booth to be a correspondent with the NPR Foreign Desk. Flintoff began a temporary stint on the Foreign Desk in the summer of 2005, reporting from Iraq, Jerusalem and Haiti. As correspondent, Flintoff reports for NPR's newsmagazines and the world news section of NPR.org. The lecture is sponsored by the department of journalism and communication, the Associated Students of Utah State University, the department of political science and Utah Public Radio. The event isfreeand open to the public. ASUSU, the journalism and communication department, and Utah Public Radio are collaborating to start a student-run radio station on campus this spring. Utah Public Radio is a service of the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (HASS) at Utah State University, broadcasting a mix of information, public affairs, and fine arts programming 24 hours a day throughout most of Utah and into southern Idaho through a network of 31 translators. In Cache Valley, UPR is heard on KUSU (91.5 FM) and KUSR (89.5 FM). Tofindbroadcast stations in other cities, visit www.upr.org , . SLC Marathon wants more college students Students from USU now have the opportunity to display their school pride and demonstrate their endurance as part of the Salt Lake City Marathon University Marathon Melee program. As a result, students from five Utah universities can register to participate in one of several marathon events and receive a student discounted rate for the April 19 race. The Salt Lake City Marathon is hosting the First Annual Marathon Melee in an effort to encourage further participation from local college students. Student organizations from Dixie State College, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University will recruit individuals who want to participate in marathon events, including the marathon, half-marathon, 5K and Bike Tour. "For many of our race participants, there is a cause, a reason, an experience fueling each runner's ambition," said Scott Kerr, race director for the Salt Lake City Marathon. "We hope this University Marathon Melee will create a bond between runners and among the students and alumnifromeach university to provide each participant with a truly unforgettable experience." The Marathon Melee is a competition to see which Utah school can recruit the most students, faculty, staff and alumni to participate in the various events. Runners and cyclists from Utah's universities are encouraged to swarm the Salt Lake course dressed in school colors ranging from blue, red and purple. Preceding the event, each university will recruit participants during the weeks leading up to the marathon. On-campus recruiting methods rangefrom26.2-hour fundraising dances to "running telegrams." Individuals who are interested in participating are encouraged to register through their university or online at www.saltlakecitymarathon. com. Current students must register with their university organizers in order to qualify for student pricing. The Salt Lake City Marathon hit the ground running in 2004 and has quickly become one of the favorite new marathons on the endurance racing circuit. The Marathon, Half-Marathon, 5K Run/Walk, Bike Tour and Kid s Marathon are hosted by Devine Sports, a world leader in endurance sports. For more details, registration forms and training information, please visit the SLC Marathon Web site at www.saltlakecitymarathon.com. [MCompifed from staff and media reports |