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Show Monday, Aug. 29, 2011 Page 18 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OurView A b ou tU S Editor in Chief Water we fighting for? Catherine Meidell A number of things changed on campus while we were away for the summer, but one thing seems to stand out more than others. Unfamiliar contraptions were built into the Taggart Student Center's drinking fountains - a strange invention that had us puzzled when we first discovered it. Looking more closely at it, we noticed the outline of a water bottle and a small spout where we assumed water was dispensed. We brought our water bottles to campus for the first time in months, simply to test the device. Though this water is the same water we once drank from the fountain, it tasted much sweeter. Thank you, water gods. It is now possible to fill water bottles up twice as fast, and we are doing it in style. Okay, so we know the real reason for these dispensers revolves around encouraging students to stop buying water bottles, which is a worthy cause. Of course, buying water can become expensive, and we don't have that kind of cash lying around. It promotes ecofriendly behavior while keeping our wallets happy. The dispenser allows the entire water bottle to fill, while the water fountain only allows half the bottle to fill until the tilt of the bottle causes the water to flow back out of the top. There has been talk of taking this water bottle movement even further, and it toes the line. We are all in favor of giving students the option to decide whether or not saving the environment is on their priority list. Give students the option, and we believe they will more often than not make good decisions. Banning the sale of water bottles on campus completely, simply, does not make sense. Perhaps, we are being stubborn, but when our options are whittled down to one option, we feel rather confined. What will happen to the students who care less about preservation? When someone passes out on the sidewalk, we will know why. Dehydration. It comes down to this: don't tell students what they can and cannot do. Prompt them to do the right thing. Make saving the earth convenient. This is why it was wise to install more efficient water dispensers that prompt students to carry water bottles. Let's not take it to the extreme. Thank you for the go-green enthusiasm, but at the same time, no thank you. USU administration a step above the rest Welcome home Aggies. Logan has missed you. We are going to have a great year together. This summer I realized some great things about our institution. As part of my role, I have the opportunity to sit on the executive board of the Utah Student Association. This board is made up of the student body presidents from all the institutions of higher education across the state. As I listened to their issues, I have been grateful for the great executive team here at Utah State University, led by President Stan Albrecht. As I have represented the students on many different councils and committees, I have been amazed by their focus on student success that comes from each of our leaders. Many universities throughout the nation are putting a lot of focus on faculty research while undergraduates are stuck being taught by graduate students. However, here at USU the needs of the students drive everything that happens. Our administration really does have our best interests in mind. With the unique opportunity of possessing a great administration, student involvement is important. We cannot pass up the ASUSU View ERIK MIKKELSEN opportunity to shape our college experience into something great. Each year more and more students finish college with some sort of degree placing them in an increasingly competitive job market. In 2010 there were 3.3 million degrees awarded by public and private institutions. With these kinds of numbers coming out of colleges, and the number of jobs available dropping every year, a person needs more than just a completed college degree to keep up with the competition. The difference between the person who gets the job and the person who doesn't is now defined by how well one applicant has differentiated him or herself from the others. The time to start that differentiation is now. Those students who stand apart from the competition are students who took the initiative to not only get through college, See RESUME, Page 19 News Editor Rob Jepson Assistant News Editor Megan Allen Features Editor Kellyn Neumann Assistant Features Editor Allee Evensen Sports Editor Tavin Stucki Assistant Sports Editor Tyler Huskinson Copy Editor D. Whitney Smith Photo Editor Ani Mirzakhanyan ForumLetters Reduce number of feral cats To the editor: Feral and homeless cat populations need to be reduced out of concern for birds and other wildlife and out of a compassionate desire to reduce suffering. Trap-neuter-return (TNR) is a method of reducing the number of feral cats by neutering breeding colonies. TNR is not always appropriate, for example, where endangered species need to be protected from cat predation, but TNR is proving effective in many situations including on university campuses. On the USU campus TNR has reduced the numbers of cats near the Junction. The program was initiated in 2003-04 with the trap- ping and neutering of about 22 cats by the USU Pre-Vet Club. From then until the present, the colony has been managed by volunteers organized by Aggie Cats. I'm told there are currently four cats in the Junction Colony. Now, apparently USU plans to attempt to relocate those four Junction Colony cats. If this neutered colony is removed, cats that are not neutered are likely to become re-established in the area and feral cat numbers will again increase. In 2004 it was illegal to feed cats on USU's campus, but this could not be enforced and the cat population was increasing. The conditions that led to a cat population problem in 2004 are still present at the Junction. The area remains attractive to cats, and people still feel compelled to feed cats in the absence of a managed program. Letters to the editor • A public forum It is both expensive and risky to relocate feral colonies. Moving the Junction cats will be costly and puts them in danger. Also, the Junction cats have provided a rodent-control service around the Junction. If the Junction cats are creating problems, the problems need to be clearly identified and potential solutions - including but not limited to relocation - evaluated. To my knowledge, a basic decision-making process has not taken place. The state of Utah has passed legislation encouraging TNR in appropriate situations. USU's relocation of a successful TNR colony should not take place without an investigation and opportunity for alternative solutions to be proposed. Molly Hysall Let's hear some chatter For a large fraction of students at USU, the woes and triumphs of dating are always simmering in their minds. It seems as though our success as individuals partially revolves around our success in capturing the attention of members of the opposite sex. I assume this has a lot to do with why the column written by Richard Orcutt that ran in the Statesman last semester prompted the most discussion - it focused on this very subject: dating. Perhaps our readership will skyrocket if we switched up the game a bit and compiled a newspaper that resembles Teen Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. In fact I know Statesman content, whether it is in print or on the web, would be tweeted more often if "Wild" Bill Sproat's latest breakup was spattered across the top of the front page. If this is what you are interested in, tough luck. I advise you to download some newsworthy applications on your iPhone and start worrying a tad more Taking 4F the Soap Box CATHERINE MEIDELL about the bigger picture. In case you were not aware, you are now paying a sum of 25 cents per credit hour in your student fees - which total just over $400 - so the sustainability council can talk about ways in which USU can become more ecofriendly. Hopefully it's not all talk. This fee may not seem like a big to-do and could most likely be found lurking in hidden corners of students' cars. This isn't the point. Which organizations will ask students to increase their enrollment fees next? If the Sustainability council can do it, shouldn't everyone else? Are they more important, or did they simply just have the courage to ask? What are we willing to pay for, and what makes those things more important? The truth is very few students ask themselves these questions. Maybe I need to face the facts - students just don't care. However, I refuse to believe this. I have met too many intelligent young people attending this institution. These people have opinions about university policies and regulations but would rather listen to themselves groan than groan in a public forum. I understand the therapy of talking to oneself, but that does not make it productive. If I could challenge every student to do one thing this year, aside from surviving group projects, it would be to become a proactive student. Find out what ASUSU executive council is talking about. Find out how they are spending your money. Without your feedback they will continue to make decisions based on what they believe you want this university to be, rather Assistant Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson Editorial Board Catherine Meidell Rob Jepson Kellyn Neumann Tavin Stucki D. Whitney Smith Steve Kent 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 e-mail 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 statesrnan@aggiemail.usu.edu , or click on www.utahstatesman.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. CommentBoards See MEDIA, Page 19 Join the conversation @ utahstatesman.com Online poll What will you do with your $20 from the Outdoor Recration Program? • • Use it for a date Go on a weekend adventure with a group of friends I'll forget about it Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman.com to cast your vote. |
