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Show Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 Scalia: Justice says system flawed StatesmanCampus News Page 3 Briefs street Speak 3 continued from page 1 system, Scalia said. He said he would prefer that the people rewrite the Constitution rather than a judge, but said he thinks the ideal situation would be as in the past where qualified lawyers rewrote the Constitution. The Constitution is a guide that was created for a dynamic commercial republic, Anthony Peacock, associate professor of political science, said. The founders anticipated problems but they structured it to be able to accommodate different situations in the future, he said. This is the first year a political conference of this kind has been held and they hope to be able to do it again in the future, Peacock said. The total attendance of the conference was 1,700 people between the Ballroom, the Sunburst Lounge and the TSC Auditorium. The focus of the conference was to discover what the meaning of liberty is, to expose students to some of the current issues and get them interested in politics, he said. Campus & Community What did you think of Justice Scalia? "I thought it was very intersting. A lot of people misunderstand the point ofview he comesfrom" "I have a lot ofrespectfor him. It was great he could come" -Kyle Hoyt, senior in political science -Kate Bennion, sophomore in political science and economics "I think the legislation should be up to the people so it was a Breath of fresh air to hear the justice say that" 7 was impressed with how down to earth he is" -Micail Mann, undeclared freshamn -monica.swapp@aggiemail.usu. edu With contributing writers Debra Hawkins and Lisa Christensen -Mark Rasmuson, senior in philosophy and religious studies Award: USU wildlife specialist receives extension award El continued from page 1 "People are living in the world of bats, deer, squirrels, skunks and raccoons," Schmidt said, and most human/wildlife interactions involve those animals. Responding to wildlife questions is complicated by the reality that there are different approaches and philosophies in dealing with wildlife. "The challenge is to tailor the response give people a range of options," he said. "These are real people and they deserve our best effort to answer their real concerns." Once a question has been submitted, the response is peer reviewed by two specialists. Schmidt's job is to manage and oversee this process. The team has an average response time of under 48 hours. "If someone's asking about how to get raccoons out of their attic, this only works because we respond so quickly," he said. If the question has a broader application, it goes through another review process and is published on the Web site. A rapid response isn't the only objective, however. Research-based, reliable counsel is the ^oal. "This is especially important where pesticides are involved," he said. Many common practices in the past are now known to be dangerous. "Twenty years ago, extension meant basi- cally one thing: pamphlets," he said. With a limited number of researchers on any given topic, limited opinions would be passed around and plagiarized in communities across the U.S., he said. Now the extension Web site solves this problem with its Wikipedia-inspired, dynamic, revisable interface, he said. While Schmidt focuses on the wildlife damage aspect of extension, there are also community, farm, disaster, family and youth categories. "I've asked questions to it," Schmidt said (he inquired about how to better control apple moths). "I've learned from participating how to give people the information they need." Schmidt said that the quality of the system as well as the efficiency of the people running it was the biggest contributor to the honor. "We won this award because, on a shoestring budget, we've developed a personalized, high-quality response system. That's where the rubber hits the road. Whether you've got deer eating your flowers, or coyotes chasing your cats around the neighborhood, extension can probably help. This is real information for real people and real problems," he said. ROBERT SCHMIDT, WILDLIFE SPECIALIST, has -ben.abboU@aggiemail.usu.edu worked on the Center of Wildlife Damage Management Web site for five years, photo courtesy of ROBERT SCHMIDT Bikes: Aggie Blue Bikes offers to help students fix bikes 3 continued from page 1 of me I will be in here all the time because my bike has so many problems. Plus, it's free. I don't want to pay 200 bucks somewhere else for the same thing and not learn anything along with it." Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes has several goals in its service. "(We want to) get more people on more bikes, more often," Christensen said. "If we ___ accomplish that there will be benefits to follow; students "A lot of people can become have old bikes they healthier as they exercise, just don't want they will gain anymore. They give stronger safethem to us and we ty awareness, they can help fix them up and improve the loan them out." air quality here in Cache Speak U p Adorn Christensen, Aggie Valley, and it Blue Bikes also has grea* financial results for them as they can save a lot on fuel costs." Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes first started on Sept. 5, 2005. He said there were concerned community members that wanted to improve the air quality in Logan.The community members started the Utah State Community Bike Coalition and changed some policies, so that bikes were allowed on the sidewalks on campus. It started off with one employee and nine bikes, now there are more than 100 bikes and they have gained about 11 employees per year, he said. Aggie Blue Bikes operates by community donations of bikes and grants, Christensen said. He said they also have a USU Police agreement that if bikes are abandoned on campus for a certain amount of time Aggie Blue Bikes can have those bikes. "A lot of people have old bikes they just don't want anymore. They give them to us and we fix them up and loan them out," he said. Students can borrow bikes for a full semester. The bikes have to be returned by Thursday of finals week, but they can borrow one again when they return for the spring semester, Christensen said. "Cycling really just is a great way to get around, it benefits the valley as well. Cache Valley's air quality is a problem, so when you ride a bike you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping the residents of the valley as well," he said. "Its satisfying to feel like we are really making a difference." Christensen said Aggie Blue Bikes one-onone tutorials are available anytime they are open, which is Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Wednesdays when they close at 4 p.m. They are located on campus between the Military Science building and the Fieldhouse. "We really just want to get the word out there so students can take advantage of this great opportunity," Christensen said. Septon said the service is easy as well as welcoming. "The staff are very friendly and very willing to help. Don't be afraid to come in," she said. "I've learned so much and I'm sure anyone that comes in will learn a lot too. It's just really fun and it's a great opportunity to learn skills you can keep forever." -s.k.b@aggiemail.usu.edu Science graduate research grant open The National Science Foundation invites you to apply for the 2009 Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) competition. This program offers up to 3 years of graduate school support worth over $120,000 to each awardee - last year 913 awards were granted. Benefits include a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 annual cost of education allowance, a one time $1,000 travel allowance, and access to TeraGrid supercomputing facilities. U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents at or near the beginning of their graduate st udy seeking research-based Master's and/or PhD degrees in NSF-supported science (including social science and psychology) and engineering disciplines are eligible to apply. The application process is expected to open in August 2008 and close early November 2008. USU gets the gold for being healthy The Utah Department of Health has recognized USU Student Health and Wellness Center with the 2008 Healthy Campus Gold Medal Award. "It's great to be recognized for the efforts Utah State puts into helping students, faculty and staff with a balanced healthy life," said Ryan Barfuss, prevention specialist at the USU Student Health and Wellness Center. "It is a team effort from many campus organizations to support a healthy campus." USU received the award for its efforts to influence campus norms by considering policies to restrict tobacco sales and tobacco advertising, promoting smoke-free environments, increasing opportunities for physical activities and raising awareness of health-related issues USU received the Bronze Award for the 2004-2005 academic school year and received the Silver Award for the 2005-2006 academic school year. "It's great to see the continued efforts bring even more results toward improving health on Utah State's campus," Jim Davis, Student Health and Wellness director, said. The Healthy Campus Awards program was part of the Healthier You 2002 Legacy Awards program developed in conjunction with 2002 Olympic Games. The awards were part of an effort to leave a lasting legacy of better health for Utahns. In addition to campuses, the Healthier You Legacy Awards also recognize achievement in grade school, community and worksite settings. Entrepreneurs to compete at UofU DAVID GRIFFIN A N D RYAN KEEPER, work on loaner bikes in Aggie Blue Bike's wrenching department. Students can go to Aggie Blue Bikes to learn how to repair and maintain their own bikes, Adam Christensen, Aggie Blue Bikes program. CODY GOCHNOUR photos wrenching ~r: _x — dvoca The Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (UEC) is kicking off its 2008-2009 competition on September 18, 2008 at the University of Utah's Officer's Club. This event is the first of many educational forums offered to guide young entrepreneurs along the intense and rewarding process of starting their own businesses. The UEC is a statewide business plan competition, administered by University of Utah students, that awards $40,000 in startup funding to the winning team. "The kick-off is one of the most important events we have planned for the year," says Sam Clarke, UEC Chair. "This is our way to get to know the potential participants and inspire them as they begin the process of forming their companies and writing business plans." This year's kick-off will feature guest speaker Hanko Kiessner, founder and CEO of Packsize Corporation. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Packsize Corporation specializes in creating on-demand packaging solutions for businesses in North America and Europe. {MCompiled from staff and media reports |