OCR Text |
Show Monday, April 11, 2011 Page 10 VieW Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OurView AboutUS Editor in Chief We've been telling you, it's time to listen Benjamin C. Wood Copy Editor Chelsey Gensel S ometimes college students live in a bubble. The world could collapse around us and many of us wouldn't know it. Though The Statesman did an article about the construction behind the HPER, we still get questions. Though we wrote an article about who won what positions in ASUSU, we still get questions. It seems as though issues that affect almost every student - budget cuts, HB 477 and ASUSU elections - do not lead to discussion by the student body, but one article about how we all fail at dating just won the award for most-commented article of the year. Why is it that a topic that would be front page news for checkout line tabloids causes such a stir, but other main events go unnoticed? We challenge this university to raise the standard of awareness. We challenge students to prove the rest of the world wrong in their thinking that today's young adults don't care about real issues. In line with the student elections this year, SPEAK. Speak out on the issues. You all have opinions. But how are we supposed to form logical opinions without educating ourselves first? An opinion is not an opinion if it cannot be defended. Be ready to stand up for what you believe in. Pick up a newspaper and read more than the comic and gossip sections. Know the issues, and know how they will affect you. We are the future of this state and country. Some of these issues may not directly affect you now, but they will affect all of us eventually. Just once this semester get your nose out of the (Face)books and act. Write a letter to your legislators telling them how important your classes are to you. Run over to the library on Fridays between 12 and 1 p.m. for Verbatim, a chance to say whatever you want on camera. Read the newspaper and comment on the articles. Send feedback to writers and answer opinion polls. Just do something. Most of us will only be in college once. Take advantage of the fact that you have access to free newspapers three times a week. Be grateful for instant news, whether it is online, print or through our new Statesman App. Be responsible for your future, and do it by reading The Statesman, because it's just that good. Preparing to say goodbye to Glenn This past week, the Fox news network lost my alltime favorite of their targets. That's right everyone, Glenn Beck and Fox have decided to see other pundits. This certainly doesn't mean he's disappearing ANNA J. HARRIS from our airwaves. I feel that I can step back comfortably and embark on a journey down the path of absurdity only Beck could construct. First we'll start with climate change. "One might think we're on the road to the Hitler youth," Beck said on the subject of teaching the science of climate change and carbon emissions in schools. "Al Gore's not going to be rounding up Jews and exterminating them. It is the same tactic, however. The goal is different. The goal is globalization ... And you must silence all dissenting voices. That's what Hitler did. That's what Al Gore, the U.N., and everybody on the global warming bandwagon (are doing)." - May 1, 2007. Now those of us who have taken courses on the matter know what a scientific consensus is. I believe we also recognize that a peer review journal or the Kyoto protocol and "Mien Kampf" don't really bear any resemblance to one another. Or, you have what Beck said about gun control: "I went to the movie this weekend with a gun. And surprise, surprise, I didn't kill anybody!" Why yes, Glenn, that is a bit of a surprise considering this little gem: "I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. ... No, I think I could," Beck said in 2005. Or, there's always this one: "You know, we all have our inner demons. I, for one - I can't speak for you, but I'm on the verge of moral collapse at any time. It can happen by the end of the show." - Nov. 6, 2006. Bright Blue Dot !See BECK, page 11 News Editor Catherine Meidell Assistant News Editor Megan Bainum Features Editor Kellyn Neumann Assistant Features Editor Kasey Van Dyke Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Assistant Sports Editor Tyler Huskinson ForumLetters Get educated about water To the editor: For those of us who remember life without bottled water, it is sad, pathetic, and frustratingwhen consumers spend money on water packed in a throw-away plastic bottle. The bottle is made from petroleum and shipped across the country - wasting more petroleum - and then 80 percent of the bottles end up in landfills or incinerators. Even worse, much of the supposedly recycled bottles are shipped to developing nations like India - wasting more petroleum in the process - where they add to the pollution problem. While consumers routinely claim to be immune to advertising, bottled water is a classic example of "manufactured demand," using scare techniques and images of pure fantasy to entice buyers. Pepsi's Aquafina and Coke's Desani are simply filtered tap water sold at 2,000 times the price of tap water. Despite its advertising claims and images of pristine sources, Fiji water is lower quality than Cleveland's tap water. Imagine paying 2,000 times the price of gas for your car. Yet consumers succumb to this insanity daily. Logan has some of purest water on the planet coming out of our taps. Don't be a schmuck. Save your money and the environment; use a steel water bottle. Watch the eight minute video and kick the bottled water habit: http://sto ryofstuff.o rg/b ottledwater/ Jean M. Lown Defending differential Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson Letters to the editor • A public forum place for three years now, and enrollment at the Huntsman School of Business has actually increased. Enrollment among undergraduates has increased by 4.4 percent since 2008, and enrollment among graduates has increased by a whopping 53.4 percent. The Huntsman School of Business is not after "hotshot egomaniac" professors. Rather, the school is merely responding to the increase in demand among students who are seeking an increasingly valuable degree from a college that is committed to providing its students with the best possible resources. To the editor: Connor Child There have been a number of articles in the Statesman about differential tuition at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. It appears that the writers have already made up their minds that it is a bad thing. In light of this, I think it would be good to hear about it from a business student's perspective. It was mentioned several times that differential tuition might turn some students away from the Huntsman School of Business. All of these statements were made without any statistical backing. Differential tuition has been in Chess set brightens day To the editor: I noticed a few days ago that a chess set has appeared in the Hub on campus, floating from table to table and encouraging "pick-up" games of chess. I wanted to take a moment to thank who ever left the chess set here. It has brightened my day in the past few days. Andrew Hamblin Check in with spring's Newsmakers Pr The end is near, my friends, and while there may still be snow on the ground, it is, in fact, spring BENJAMIN and time to honor this semester's Newsmakers. From the Chief WOOD I do believe that he will act in the way he believes is best for USU. I offer my congratulations for his win which came at the heels of record voter turnout and candidate numbers - and to the other elected members of ASUSU. As a parting note, however, I would remind Mikkelson of some of the campaign promises he made. Do not surround yourself with "yes" men, of which you have a house full, reach out beyond your narrow comfort zone and put students first - whatever that means. Erik Mikkelson With my time at USU rapidly vanishing and Richard Orcutt the possibility of my as-yet-unselected succesLetters to the editor and online commentsor taking the Hugs and Kisses approach to ing were nearly nonexistent when Richard ASUSU/Statesman relations, I stopped me in the parking terfeel the need to give a lesson in race and pitched me a guest the first rule of media: Elected "...the hot mess column. I get a lot of pitches and officials are subject to greater we call elections usually am forced to say no, but public scrutiny. thanks to ASUSU officers dropat USU isn't Mikkelson ran a well-orgaping the ball and USU faculty refusing to answer my e-mails, nized and aggressive campaign about substance; that compensated for his lack of it's a four-day I had holes to fill. And, it only a substantive platform, under- thunderstorm of took me about two sentences whelming performances in Orcutt's column on dating sidewalk squawk- into in Logan to know I was holding the debates and general lack of innovative ideas. Am I con- ing, empty something people might actucerned that the former presially read. and backdent of an elitist and exclusion- door dealing..." So we published "To the ary organization is now at the single ladies in Logan," and helm of the group charged with watched our website explode. reaching out to and representing each Aggie? Within three days there were 100 comments Of course. But the hot mess we call elections online and it had been "liked" by 680 people. at USU isn't about substance; it's a four-day Take a look at some of the other articles on thunderstorm of sidewalk squawking, empty utahstatesman.com and you'll notice most promises and backdoor dealing ultimately are lucky to get a comment from the writer's coming down to who is able to accumulate mom. the largest number of acquaintances to hound Orcutt received mail, congratulating and their friends for votes with little to no consider- condemning, from home and abroad. One ation of actual policy. letter came from the Dakotas, and a southern All negativity aside, our president-elect is an intelligent, capable student who loves Utah CI See WEBB, page 11 State - SigEp is this university, after all - and ises prom- Assistant Photo Editor Alison Ostler Web Editor Rob Jepson Editorial Board Benjamin C. Wood Catherine Meidell Kellyn Neumann Matt Sonnenberg Chelsey Gensel Rob Jepson 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). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual —must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters —no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. corn for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. Online poll Who is your favorite Newsmaker? • • • • President-elect Erik Mikkelson. Richard Orcutt. Basketball seniors. Curt Webb. Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman. corn to cast your vote and see results from this straw poll. |