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Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 Page 3 Congressional candidates debate their views Briefs Campus & Community Applications/or URCO grants due By BECKA TURNER staff writer Students were able to participate in live, heated politics on Friday at a congressional debate held on campus. Civic Awareness Week at USU was capped off by this event with the 1st District congressional candidates: Rob Bishop, the Republican incumbent; Morgan Bowen, of the Democratic Party; and Joseph Buchman of the Libertarian Party. "This is the first time that these candidates have debated this season," said Jackson Olsen, a senior in political science and the president of the Government Relations Council at USU. The debate was held Friday in the HUB at 12 p.m. Many students and members of the community were there to support the event endorsed by the Rock the Vote campaign. Greg Probst, freshman in political science, said he found out about the debate through his classes. Danielle Brown, sophomore in English, said that she came because Probst told her about it and that she was there to support Bishop. "I've always been impressed with him. He is very personable," she said. Yalemi Morales, senior studying biochemistry, was there, however, to support Bowen. "He's a great speaker, he is bringing out the democratic demographic in Logan," she said. "He is inspiring us." She came to the debate because she wanted to see more of what Bowen had to say, she said. The Congress hopefuls debated many issues and presented their platforms. Each candidate was asked what they believed the number one issue facing America was. Bowen said the nation is a slave to its debt. He elaborated on the economy and its current condition, and said Americans spend more than $700 billion dollars in foreign oil every year and that the US economy is hooked to the energy crisis. Bishop said he believed that the current energy crisis was the biggest issue facing Americans today. Because of the increase in the price of oil, Americans will see an increase in the price of natural gas and food this winter, he said. "This country can solve problems and become self-sufficient," Bishop said. "Within Americans there is a core creativity and we need to turn to that to find solutions." Buchman believes that Americans have a "loss of consciousness" and have become apathetic towards the government. He said Americans are being taxed for things that they are not aware of. Buchman says that citizens need to be more involved in governmental processes. "It's time to return America back to the ROB BISHOP, MORGAN BOWEN A N D JOSEPH BUCHMAN debate politics during a Congressional candidate debate Friday in the hub as a part of Civic Awareness Week. The election for these candidates will be held the same day as the presidential election, Nov. 4. CODY GOCHNOUR photo Americans," he said. The candidates each proposed what they would do to help solve the current economic state the nation is in. Bowen said that the price of housing around the nation has sky-rocketed and many people are buying homes that they cannot afford. He said Americans cannot afford to have the banking industry bail them out of financial crisis. "We need to look at stopping predatory lending and get back on a more sound market," he said. Bishop focused on government spending and that Americans cannot afford to be taxed because of profligate governmental spending. Buchman focused on federal spending as well saying that the national debt is a direct cause of federal spending and will be a huge burden on the coming generations. The candidates each discussed the nations health care crisis. They each had a different idea on how it should be handled. Bowen said he thinks Americans need to look at what other countries are doing and what is working for them and implement the things that are working into our own society. Bowen said that the problem with the health care system in the United States is due to big corporations controlling Congress and touched again on the importance of getting money out of politics. Bishop said he thinks the nation can't start from scratch but must implement some new ideas into the health care system to make is sustainable. He said the solution is to put free-market enterprises into the existing system which will give individuals more options and allow health care to become more affordable. Buchman said if elected, he would do nothing to fix it because he doesn't believe health care should be sanctioned by the federal government. "Just because (the federal government) can do it, doesn't mean we should, or that we can in an effective way. Health insurance should be free market," Buchman said. The debate focused on what each candidate disagreed with the others on and on off-shore drilling on which each candidate presented ideas. After the debate the floor was open to questions which is when things got really heated. Bowen and Bishop squared off on what to do with storing nuclear waste in Utah. During the debate of this question, Bowen accused Bishop of participating in lobbying by being paid off by Energy Solutions. Bishop said that through his experience in Congress, he has become accustomed to being misrepresented and made it known that lobbying is a legal act. Chris Tracey, senior in public health, posed the question. "I feel like I got my question answered by Bowen, that the federal government can control because of its supreme power. I felt that Bishop just beat around the bush and wouldn't really give an answer," he said. Robby Tanner, junior in human resources, however, was satisfied with Bishop and said after the debate he felt Bishop is who he would vote for. "He is honest. He's been on the same platform for six years and hasn't changed," he said. "I love that he wants Utah to have the power." The Congressional Debate provided a way for students to become involved with politics and become educated in the variety of opinions and perspectives as displayed at the event. -beck. turner@aggiemail usu.edu Space: Director They pavedparadise to put up a parking lot retires in Oct. H continuedfrom page 1 systems, including some satellites used by the U.S. Air Force and NASA according to USU Space Dynamics Laboratory Web page. With these winning scores, "it will be hard to fill his shoes," said Ames. The man to fill those shoes is Douglas Lemon. As a Utah State alumnus, Lemon has worked as the director of lab strategies at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the past 30 years. He will begin his service on Oct. 20,2008. PoliccBlotter • USU Police responded to a fire alarm at the Living Learning Center Building B. Upon arrival police observed a thick cloud of smoke coming from one of the apartments. Upon further investigation police learned a resident had plugged a fog machine, causing the fog to activate the smoke. • USU Police responded to a vehicle in a gravel pit. Officers stopped the vehicle and identified the driver. The driver had just been driving around campus and followed the road up into the coal pit. • USU Police located three male individuals skateboarding in the parking lot of the Stadium. Police warned the individuals of the USU skateboarding policy. TUesday Sept. 16,2008 • Police responded to an intrusion alarm at the Bee Lab Greenhouses. The alarm was activated by an unknown source. The building was checked and secured without any further problems. • Police are investigating a report by USU parking that a parking gate was damaged by two USU students. Police do know who the students are and their actions were caught on video. Poet to read work as part ofseries Poet Robert Wrigley will read from his work as the next guest in the Department of English Speaker Series at USU Friday, Sept. 26. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Haight Alumni Center on campus (approximately 650 N. 800 East). The event is free and all are invited. Wrigley has published seven books of poetry, including "The Sinking of Clay City," "Moon in a Mason Jar," "What My Father Believed," "In the Bank of Beautiful Sins," "Reign of Snakes," "The Lives of Animals" and "Earthly Meditations." He has won two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in addition to the Frederick.Bock Prize from "Poetry" magazine, the Wagner Award from the Poetry Society of America, five Pushcart Prizes and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives with his wife, the writer Kim Barnes, and their children, near Moscow, Idaho. The USU Department of English Speakers Series was established to promote the value of arts and humanities in American public life. The series features faculty writing and research accomplishments and noted visiting authors and scholars sharing their work. Next up is Julie Staggers. She'll read from her work at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the USU Haight Alumni Center. For more information call 797-3858 or e-mail marina.hall@usu.edu. Lectures for afterschoolprograms N A T I O N A L " P A R K " I N G DAY, where landscape architecture students turned six parking stalls around campus into mini parks for the day, was held Friday Sept. 19. The goal of the event was to raise awareness of the over pave~chelsieh@aggiemail.usu.edu ment of landscape at the cost of open lands and parks. CAMERON PETERSON photos Monday Sept. 15,2008 The Undergraduate Research & Creative Opportunities Grant Program funded by the Office of Research has been helping students achieve their goals and dreams since 1975. Grants fund the creation of sculpture, the investigation into alternative fuels, the relationship of sagebrush and cattle, and the translation of classic manuscripts. URCO Grants give students in any field of study the opportunity to do independent research on a project of their own design, supervised by a faculty mentor. Information about the grants, which may be submitted in the Oct. 15 round or the Feb.15 round, is available at http:// research.usu.edu/undergrad/ htm/funding-opportunities/urco. The site also includes sample applications. • USU Police responded to a fire alarm at the Nutrition and Food Sciences building. Some customers and employees were told multiple times to evacuate while the alarm was going off They all reluctantly evacuated the ice cream retail store. The alarm was set off by burnt toast. • USU Police received a report that a university employee has received a threat from a faculty member. Police responded to the location of the threat and later spoke with the faculty member and warned him concerning this incident. • USU Police received a report that a university employee found a substance they think might be marijuana. Police investigate and seized the suspect item. Wednesday Sept. 17,2008 • USU Police received a complaint by a student for fliers being left on vehicles from an outside business. Police are investigating for littering, soliciting and business licensing laws. • USU Police were called to a traffic accident involving a car and a bicycle near the Fine Arts Center. Police arrived and gathered witness statements and documented the scene while the ambulance crew worked on the victim and transported her to Logan Hospital. • USU Police responded to the Living and Learning Center an elevator alarm. When police Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 arrived the elevator was operating normally with no one stuck inside. The alarm was reset without further incident. • USU Police stopped a motor scooter for a revoked and expired registration. After the stop police discovered the driver did not have a motorcycle endorsement nor did he have current proof of insurance. The motor scooter was towed. Thursday Sept. 18,2008 • USU Police spoke with an individual who was living out of his vehicle in the Spectrum parking lot. Police informed the individual about the university policy regarding loitering around campus. The individual stated that he understood and would not violate the policy again. •USU Police responded to a fire alarm at Summitt Hall. This alarm was caused by a resident burning some food in their apartment. The alarm was silenced and reset without further problems. •USU Police received a report of a theft of a black and silver Hewlett Packard laptop computer. The laptop had been left in the Hub. Police are investigating. H Compiled by Debra Hawkins USU Extension co-sponsors the 2008 Afterschool Utah Association's Jump Start Afterschool Training Conference, intended for those who work with school-age children in out-of-school-time programs. The conference is Sept. 26 and 27 at the UVU Sorensen Student Center, 800 West University Parkway in Orem, and offers workshops, booth presentations and idea sharing for afterschool programming. Keynote speaker is Tracey Ballas of School-age NOTES, .a national publication for afterschool professionals, who will address building positive relationships with parents and families. "The conference will provide a variety of ideas and professional training that can be easily implemented in local afterschool programs," said Lindsey Jewell, USU Extension 4-H educator. "It will also allow afterschool professionals to network with each other." Extension will sponsor a booth and presentation by Tonia Dattage, USU Extension 4-H afterschool program assistant, featuring the After School Online Resource Center, A SORCE, an online library that includes afterschool activity plans, check-out kits, planning tools and links. A SORCE is also a hub where ideas and lesson plans can be submitted, reviewed and published. Conference registration fee is $50 and includes membership with the Afterschool Utah Association for 2008-2009. naCompiled from staff and media reports |