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Show Monday, Jan. 25, 2010 Page 10 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurView AboutUS Editor in Chief Patrick Oden Watch for falling ice News Editor Rachel A. Christensen Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell L iving in Logan has officially desensitized us all as to when road conditions are less than ideal. So what, it's just black ice, right? Not only is it black ice, it's black ice that's covering an entire section of the roadway. It might have escaped the attention of many who do not keep up with Logan news, but an avalanche stuffed up a section of Logan Canyon, covering a 20-foot span and piling up to four feet. Don't fret little ones. No one was hurt, but had someone been there, something tragic could have taken place. What makes the terrifying experience of driving in and around Logan even worse are the hills of doom located around campus. It's probably wise to avoid them completely from November through March. Are we equipped well enough to handle these road conditions or are we overly confident that nothing will happen because we've become so accustomed to driving on sheets of ice. It's a safe bet that the most treacherous places in Logan are apartment parking lots. Drivers who are not blessed with all-wheel drive should probably start saying their prayers more often. It's not uncommon to see someone start up their Volkswagen Beetle on a thick patch of ice and helplessly try to get anywhere. Although it is rather hilarious, how much time is spent trying to convince our cars to work with the cold weather? When we add up the minutes taken scraping ice crystal off the windows and waiting for the heater to produce something tolerable, we're already late for class. Luckily, Utah drivers are absolutely harmless. They never try to fit into the small distance between two cars without using their blinker. Utah drivers are so patient and loving we're sure many of us are eager to brave the slick roads during our daily commutes. Oh wait, I was thinking of a different place, Utah drivers are the maniacal ones. Forget that there are avalanches, parking lots are ice skating rinks and ice on the roads is seemingly invisible, we've had so much experience driving in these conditions it shouldn't be a problem, true? False. The fact of the matter is, accidents can never be predicted, especially during the winter time. It doesn't matter how wonderful a driver is, anyone can plow into a snowbank in the blink of an eye after hitting ice the wrong way. So, to all drivers, next time you are cruising through the snowy terrain, watch your heads or else an iceberg might fall on it. Nothing better to do D espite having used the Internet since AOL first laid the world at my fingertips, and having used Microsoft Office daily during a 10year professional career, the CIL exams kicked my ass. Well, the ones I have attempted anyway. Two Cents Worth I imagine I am a lot like many of you in at least two ways relative to this topic: I am overly confident about my computer skills and I tend to procrastinate. My CIL exams will be complete by May, just in time for graduation. We're college students, we access our abilities relative to our task, and, based on this calculation, we allow three minutes fewer than our deductions would suggest we should. Now this isn't always bad, and I will try to avoid giving advice that I wouldn't follow, but the CIL exams aren't something to play with. These exams are about precision. In a world of technology that provides multiple ways to accomplish just about everything, with the CIL exams, there is only one right answer. No matter how ridiculous, they are a part of your graduation requirements - deal with it. That being said, what in blue blazes are the CIL exams anyway? Can we send an e-mail, can we use the Internet? Do we know how to sort a spreadsheet? Do we know that identify theft is illegal? I mean, really, when was the last time a professor let you turn in a five-page handwritten essay, and for the love of all that's holy - spell check - why would you ever want to? I've made it through four years of college without having to create a PowerPoint presentation. I can create one, sure. The point is, I taught myself when the need arose. It's not that complicated. Doesn't college teach us critical thinking? Aren't we resourceful enough to figure out how to use Word? If there is a justified element of the exams, it is the portion that tests our ability to use our library's thorough, yet complicated, research system. I never used the system much personally, but if I'm not mistaken, everyone is still required to take English 1010 and 2010, and you get enough instruction there to make it through the cyber maze. Look, if you can't use Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Benjamin Wood Sports Editor Connor Jones Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Introducing you to ASUSU Student Advocate Tyler Haws H ello all, and welcome back to the new semester. First and foremost, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Tyler Haws and I am your student advocate for this year. Let me explain my position. I sit on the ASUSU Executive Council that meets every Tuesday in the Senate Chambers on the third floor of the TSC as a voting member for legislation to benefit student life at USU. I am your ombudsman, which is basically the mediator between you and the administration. This is something of extreme importance for you as students. I sit on 23, and counting, committees to represent you. I sit on committees that deal with auxiliary services - such as parking, the Taggart Student Center policy board - to ones dealing with classrooms, such as the Course Evaluations committee. I also sit on many diversity and concern committees, such as the Gender and Minority committee, Stater's Council and Student Advisory Board. Being on these committees, I need to know what students' opinions are on these issues. Generally, I work on polling individuals for their opinions on the issues. I am trying to improve the polling and surveying process, and so I have decided to start up a Facebook group. It will be called the "Voice Your Concerns and Initiatives", so be on the 11 I I 1•610 lookout for that in the near future. I will post survey links for students to take, so I'll have more feedback for my meetings. Next, I am you advocate. What I mean by this is that I act on your behalf. If there is a concern that we can change, let's do it. Or, if you have an initiative that could benefit the student body, I can help set you up with the right people to talk to. I have really tried to improve this by creating a centralized online location that these concerns and initiatives can be voiced. It is a box in the lower left-hand side of the ASUSU Web site, www.usu.edu/asus . There are different initiatives, too, that I may see in my meetings I attend, in which case, I will help different organizations of the university draw proposals for money, if that is what they need or provide them with access to an arena where they will be heard. Did you know that there are legal services available to students? Free legal advice is available through my position. A lawyer meets with students in my office every Tuesday at 5 p.m. So if you are interested in advice regarding landlord tenant relations, divorces, criminal matters, traffic matters or whatever else, call 797-2912 to schedule an appointment. Lastly, and definitely more of the administrative part of my position, I chair the Student Fee Board. The board is com- TYLER HAWS prised of 15 to 16 of your fellow classmates that vote on proposed increases and decreases of the student fees. Administrators and the corresponding student chair present justifications and proposals for fee increases or decreases to the board and the students votes on it. After we vote on it, it is given as a recommendation to USU President Stan Albrecht, who has the final say. We actually just had the meeting Jan. 19. The amount the fee board recommended was a $9.87 increase, so it was quite a conservative year and we are proud of that. I pride myself on helping my fellow classmates and try to represent them to the best of my abilities. My door is always open, and I would love to talk about whatever is on your mind. My office hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 10:20 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. My office is TSC 340. Tyler Haws can be contacted by e-mail at hawzie@ gmail.com MORE BAILOUTS!!! WRY AM I NOT SURPRISED "ftli5 VVOULD HAFFEN? Ili Air it COMMIE Cisleat STRUCK VOWN W OO 0 00 • word processing software and the Internet, you wouldn't have made it into college. If you're dead set on stealing someone's identity, you're going to do it regardless of your understanding of Web ethics. And here is the perfect spot to drop the F-bomb: I ( ■ 1 1.1■—i. on ',1,11■11111mumsaimat5 4 ,10111fitit4131IL t Facebook. You should just be able to friend request the university to prove your online competence. If anything, the university needs to update things a bit. I've stayed within close proximity of the technology curve, at least to the extent a normal person would, but there are some areas where I could use a little help - such as how can I use my Blackberry to post to my blog, Twitter and Facebook all at once. And how do I sync my !See CILs, page 11 Mark Vuong Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Steve Sellers Web Editor Karlie Brand About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). 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