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Show Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 Page 10 VieW S 0 Pi111110111 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OurView Win or lose, it's a great time to be an Aggie Most avid Aggie fans are accustomed to a certain routine every year. They support and cheer on Aggie football only to watch a season full of expectations and hope go down the drain. Then a special time of year comes around, where there is Aggie Men's Basketball to cheer up the souls of those who just watched the football team end up on the bad side of a beatdown. Things are a little different this year, however. As difficult to understand as Aggie football has been, they have given fans something to cheer about. Even though it's a long shot, the Aggies could be bowl eligible, but no football win could compare to the epic beatdown they laid on BYU in front of a national audience. Even though the Aggies were less than stellar on the field after that victory, they have pulled off back-to-back wins, including one on the road. It's a great time to be an Aggie, especially tonight. Aggies will be going up against Cougars in another epic battle, except this time the battle will be on the hardwood, and it's not in friendly territory. It's not our job to predict a winner or poke fun at another university, but we will say that it is important to cheer on the Aggies and wear that true Aggie blue with pride. The Cougars are No. 23 in the nation for a reason, and the Aggies will need every bit of support from fans to be victorious. No matter where you are you should be tuned into the game and yelling with all your might. For those at the game, you better consider yourself a member of the Spectrum on Wheels. Full artillery must be let loose as far as cheers and chants go. "I believe that we will win", the constant annoying drone while BYU is on offense and all other chants based on bone-headed actions from the opponent are expected. In all honesty the Marriott Center is a tough place for visiting opponents to play, but the Aggies have a not-so-secret weapon named Wild Bill Sproat. What will he have in his bag of costumes this time? Whatever he chooses, it will definitley be distracting to the Cougars. The elements are all there for an upset but, win or lose, "Utah State, Hey Aggies all the way! Go Aggies! Go Aggies! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Hey Sigs, get the Ep out of Section F A night at the spectrum during basketball season is - The 'Low truly a sight to behold. Sure, Down it may not be the biggest arena in college basketball, but for its size, it gets respectably exciting and loud. The yellow, autumnTYLER BARLOW inspired seats of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum transform into a sea of Aggie blue as most loyal members of the student section wear game-day shirts, or at the very least, something blue. The color of the opponent is viewed as disgraceful if seen in the hallowed seats reserved for USU students. Saturday night, however, saw a purple and red stain in the form of a flag waving in the most hallowed of sections, Section F. It was not a flag of Weber State University, the opponent for the evening. Rather it was a small contingency of USU students who seem to think that they show support for their team by waving their fraternity flag, that of Sigma Phi Epsilon. I do not have anything against fraternities. It is a lifestyle for college that some students choose, and they have every right to. The service they do is admirable and the academic achievements, particularly those of the USU chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, are impressive. However, I do have a problem with flashing your colors at a school sporting event. It is bad enough at football games when they wave the flag on the same pole as a Utah State flag. A symbol of exclusivity has absolutely no place at an event for all students. If promoting your fraternity is the reason for such displays, remember that you have Greek week to celebrate your supposed elite status. For the other 14 weeks of the semester, join the 18,000 students at Utah State to cheer for your team in unity. Let's talk a little more about the color of the flag. Allow me to reiterate. On Saturday night, the Utah State men's basketball team was playing against Weber State. Remember: They bleed purple. So, the idea of waving a purple flag in the very heart of the student section just doesn't make much sense. I imagine there were several stu- CI See UNITY, page 11 MI.IEVS \M MAW NU)! WE (01 VAIIZ. MESSAQE• FROM INION ON, OM Kumeit ORE ?MOM( IS .10436 1. Aboutik Editor in Chief Benjamin C. Wood News Editor Catherine Meidell Assistant News Editor Megan Bainum Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Kellyn Neumann Sports Editor Adam Nettina Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Chelsey Gensel Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson Undergraduate research at Utah State Celebrate! Undergraduate that they have engaged in research at Utah State turns independent research with Faculty 35 this year, and it's been a a faculty mentor - a higher figure than many other terrific time to reflect and Voices to look forward. Since USU research universities. Magazine featured the anniBut undergraduate versary in its spring issue, research doesn't rest on its we've been hearing lots of laurels of being the secstories from alumni who ond-oldest program in reach back to their halcyon the nation (MIT was first). undergraduate days and reminisce about Over the past decade, the undergraduate the difference undergraduate research research program has continued the URCO made to them. Grants, doubling the amount of funds I'm in a particularly good position to offered to students, but other enhancehear these stories as I oversee the underments have been added: a transcript graduate research program, which was designation for Undergraduate Research formalized in 1975 under the leadership of Scholars; an undergraduate research day visionary Glen Taggart, President of Utah at the State Capitol; support for students State, but clearly was active well before to attend the National Conference on that time. Undergraduate Research, Posters on the Take Ken Abel ('61), for instance. He Hill in Washington, D.C., and the Utah credits Dr. Norman Bauer, professor of Conference on Undergraduate Research; chemistry, for supporting him in writing awards for outstanding undergraduate an undergraduate thesis. As researchers and their menAbel put it, "Were it not for tors; and the Research Fellows my undergraduate research "All of this Program that offers immediate activities (which, incidentally, makes it easier immersion into research expepaid my living expenses and for students to riences for new students. And tuition), it is doubtful that I forthcoming, a new underwould have remained in sci- get their hands graduate research journal, ence. I discovered an aptitude on imporDiscover, created in cooperation with our Library's Digital for multidisciplinary science/ tant research engineering and for nearly Commons. opportunities 50 years designed, built, and In addition, ASUSU genused the equipment of sci- - no matter what erously supports students to ence in projects ranging from their major." present at professional conferbacterial warfare defense to ences through its academic medical research, which led opportunity fund; likewise, to dozens more publications, reports, and ASUSU granted the funds to develop webpatents." sites that offer students information about It was this kind of student-faculty col- and access to undergraduate research laborative research that provided the enviopportunities. To date, almost a dozen ronment for the farsighted Undergraduate units on campus have created or enhanced Research & Creative Opportunities Grant their websites. All of this makes it easier for Program (URCO) still in existence today. A students to get their hands on important beneficiary was Clark Winchell ('76), who research opportunities - no matter what received one of the first URCO Grants to their major. do biological research with the guidance of USU's modest investment in undergradBiology Professor Jim Gessaman. Winchell uate research has had big pay-offs: an notes, "I received two URCO grants, and envious record of acceptances to profesthey were instrumental in forming my sional schools and funded assistantships undergraduate experience. I learned a lot to graduate studies; an increased number about research and how things work, par- of students earning prestigious scholarticularly about how to prepare a project so ships such as the Goldwater; enhanced job it came to completion." offers that arise from excellent letters of Winchell underscores what higher edu- reference from faculty with whom students cation scholar George Kuh has document- have worked closely. While I've been hearing from our early ed: undergraduate research is a "highimpact" practice that has positive influ- alumni and beneficiaries, more recent ences on students. His National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) found that 26 CI See OPPORTUNITY, page 11 percent of graduating seniors at USU note Assistant Photo Editor Alison Ostler Web Editor Tyler Huskinson Editorial Board Benjamin C. Wood Catherine Meidell Courtnie Packer Adam Nettina Chelsey Gensel Tyler Huskinson 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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