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Show StatesmanCampus News Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010 Page 3 Documentary highlights USU student Briefs Campus & Community By MI KAYLA RICH staff writer "Miss Navajo," a documentary showcased in the Taggart Student Center Monday, features USU's Crystal Frazier. The documentary follows Frazier in her journey preparing and competing for Miss Navajo Nation, a 55-year-old pageant that encompasses Navajo culture, traditions and language. Frazier didn't get the crown but did win first runner-up. Frazier isn't the typical type to fit a pageant contestant. The mechanical engineering major is admittedly shy and a tomboy. The documentary shows her learning to be proficient in the Navajo language and traditional Navajo customs, such as sheep butchering. The documentary is by Billy Luther, whose mother is a former Miss Navajo. While judging the Miss Northern Navajo pageant, his mother took interest in Frazier. Luther approached Frazier about the documentary, but at the time she was unsure of competing in the pageant. "Before I had even said that I wanted to do it or had even thought about doing it, mother decided we were doing Miss Navajo," Frazier said. The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Special Founder's Prize at the Traverse City Film Festival. Frazier has since traveled the world to showcase the documentary, visiting most major cities in the U.S. and many places abroad. Though the documentary follows Frazier's journey, it also shows former Miss Navajo participants who talk about the pageant and its importance in preserving Navajo culture. The pageant isn't all about beauty: it's about being proficient in traditional Navajo tasks, such as weaving. The documentary reveals the worries of the Navajo nation, such as preserving its culture and language. The pageant is important in preserving Navajo culture and language because it promotes the language and traditonal skills, Frazier said. After the documentary was shown Monday, Frazier gave a short talk about Navajo history and expressed concern at the low percentage of college graduates within the Navajo people. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, only approximately 7 percent of Navajo were college graduates, Frazier said. She also noted that because of the low graduation rate, the percentage of families living in poverty is higher for the Navajo people. Frazier offered advice to fellow minorities, saying to work no matter the circumstances in life, because they will get through it if they know how to work. - mikayla.rich@aggiemail.usu.edu HASS announces annual awards The annual College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Awards have been announced, and USU assistant professor of English and folklorist Lisa Gabbert has been named Humanist of the Year. Other awards include Dennis Hirst, music, Creative Artist of the Year; Shannon Browne, assistant practicum director and assistant clinical professor, Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of the Year; Anita HarkerArmstrong, graduate instructor; Stephanie Malin, Graduate Instructor of the Year; Karin de Jonge-Kannan, Lecturer of the Year; Kathy Allen, staff sssistant III, Outstanding Classified Employee; Sue McCormick, budget officer, and Suzann Winn, adviser, Outstanding Professional Employees; Kayla Woodring, student, outstanding undergraduate researcher; Cacilda Rego, associate professor, outstanding undergraduate research mentor; Javier Dominguez, assistant professor, outstanding researcher and Matthew Sanders, assistant professor, Teacher of the Year. CRYSTAL FRAZIER, sophomore in mechanical engineering, addresses the audience after a showing of "Miss Navajo." The documentary follows Frazier's run for Miss Navajo Nation in 2005 and was shown as part of Native American Week. CODY GOCHNOUR photo Edited volume highlights undergrad English research BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS Why shouldn't undergraduates in English studies have the same opportunities as those in the sciences to benefit from undertaking real research that can inform and have an impact on practitioners in the discipline? They should and can, according to editors Laurie Grobman and Joyce Kinkead, who have produced this collection titled "Undergraduate Research in English Studies" to showcase the first steps being made to integrate undergraduate research into English studies and, even more important, to point the way toward greater involvement. Kinkead is associate vice president for research and professor of English at USU. Kinkead is joined by other USU authors in the volume. Christie Fox, director of honors, explores the connections between honors programs and undergraduate research. English professors Christine Cooper-Rompato, Evelyn Funda and Kinkead offer a chapter, co-authored with undergraduates Amanda Marinello and Scarlet Fronk, that details how faculty and students collaborate. Kinkead said, "One of the real pleasures in writing this book was working closely with — ASUSU ELECTIONS colleagues in the department and on campus." Undergraduate Research in English Studies is a groundbreaking collection - the first book ever that focuses on student research in English - that aims to mobilize the profession of English studies to further participate in undergraduate research, an educational movement and comprehensive curricular innovation that is "the pedagogy for the 21st century," according to the Joint Statement of Principles composed by the Council on Undergraduate Research and the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research. Natalie Marie Hatch, who works with Paul Crumbley on the May Swenson Project, also served as research assistant on the book. "Natalie was particularly helpful with our references section," Kinkead said. "She has a passion for scholarship, and it is, in fact, for students such as Natalie that we wrote this book." Some contributors discuss the importance of mentoring, how to conduct research responsibly and avenues for disseminating research and scholarship locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. Others provide case studies of undergraduate research in literature and in composition and rhetoric. PoliceBlotter It's time to pick next year's Associated Students of USU (ASUSU) representatives. Here's what you need to know to get involved. Primary elections: The presidential debate will take place at noon, Wednesday, Feb. 24, in the TSC Hub. • Voting in the primary election will be open from 7 a.m. Feb. 24 to 3 p.m. Feb. 26. Primaries winners will be announced Feb. 26, 3 p.m. in the Hub. Final elections: The presidential debate will take place at noon, Monday, March 1, in the TSC Hub. ▪ Voting in the final election will be open from 7 a.m. March 1 to 4:30 p.m. March 3. Final winners will be announced March 3 at 5 p.m. in the Hub. How to vote: • Voting is done online. Log on to www.usu. edu/asusu, click on the vote link and cast your vote. Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 Saturday, Feb. 13 Monday, Feb. 15 Thursday, Feb. 18 • USU Police responded to Old Main Hill for a noise complaint. Upon arrival, officers contacted a large group of individuals that admitted to being very loud. The group apologized for being loud and left the hill. • An individual called the police to report that her wallet was stolen from the Junction Feb. 14, during the afternoon. Police are investigating. • USU Police responded to the parking lot on the east side of the Communicative Disorders building on a minor traffic accident. There was damage to both vehicles, but no one was hurt. • USU Police responded on the report of an auto burglary from the green 2 parking lot east of the Mountain View Tower. A set of skis and a pair of ski boots were taken from the vehicle sometime between 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 1 and 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 13. • USU Police received a report of a stolen bicycle, taken from the bicycle racks in front of Living Learning Community Building C. The bicycle is a Gary Fisher and is black, blue and gray. Police are investigating. • USU Police responded to the report of males climbing over the south fence of the stadium. Contact was made with five males inside the stadium. The males were kicked out and warned for trespassing. Sunday, Feb. 14 • USU Police responded to Highway 89 to assist Logan City to watch for a suspect vehicle. The vehicle was involved in a traffic accident before it reached the campus. No further action was taken by USU Police. • USU Police responded to assist Logan City Police with an animal problem at 1085 N. 800 East. A deer with broken hind legs was in the yard of the residence. The animal was eventually removed from the property by LCPD. Tuesday, Feb. 16 • USU Police received a report of a fire alarm at Mountain View Tower. Upon arrival, police observed that there was no audible alarm coming from the building. It was discovered that there was a problem in the system. Electronics and Telephone Services repaired the problem. No further action was taken. • USU Police received a report of a stolen cell phone from the Fieldhouse. Police are investigating. Wednesday, Feb. 17 • The USU Police Department was dispatched to a fire alarm at the Publication, Design and Production building. It was determined that the alarm sensor was dirty, causing a false alarm. Facilities reset the alarm and replaced the sensor. Friday, Feb. 19 • USU Police was dispatched to the Living Learning Community on the smell of burnt marijuana coming from one of the rooms. Police are investigating. • The USU Bomb Squad was called to assist North Logan Police with some old military explosive containers that were found in a crawl space under a home. Further investigation found the containers were empty and posed no threat. • USU Police received a delayed report of a residential burglary. The victim only wanted the incident documented. El Compiled by Rachel A. Christensen Heritage Center hosts volunteer orientation The American West Heritage Center in Wellsville is holding its annual Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, March 13. New and returning volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. for the annual pancake breakfast and introduction to opportunities for the coming year. The orientation is an introduction to the opportunities that exist for pioneer wannabes and others. The event is free to the public, and Heritage Center staff have taken great pains to provide fun, familyoriented activities for all to enjoy and find informative. The Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers for its programming. Luckily, most volunteers agree that volunteering is fun. Potential volunteers can expect to do hands-on activities at the orientation in many of the various areas available. For more information about the Volunteer Orientation or any volunteer or service opportunity at the American West Heritage Center, contact Lorraine Bowen 245-6050, extension 24, or e-mail her at lbowen@awhc.org. Science Unwrapped explores red rock When taking in the spectacular vistas of Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion and other national parks of Utah's famous red rock landscapes, visitors often wonder how the landforms got so high and so deep. For more than a century, geologists have wrestled with these two main conundrums about the 130,000-square mile Colorado Plateau: how it was uplifted and how it eroded. Geologist Joel Pederson explores these questions at the Science Unwrapped presentation "Cutting Canyon Country: The Origins of Utah's Red Rock Landscapes" Friday, Feb. 26, at USU. His talk, hosted by the College of Science, begins at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130, of the Eccles Science Learning Center. Admission is free and open to all ages. Pederson, associate professor in USU's department of geology, says much of the science of geology has grown out of research of the Colorado Plateau, which covers a strikingly scenic area spanning the Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. The presentation is part of Science Unwrapped's "Origins" series, which began in January and continues through the spring. For more information, call 7973517, visit www.usu.edu/science/unwrapped or find Science Unwrapped at USU on Facebook. LI Compiled from staff and media reports |