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Show • • Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 Page 10 V —Free Speech Zone Opinions on this page (columns, letters unless otherwise identified are not from Utah Statesman staff, but from a wide variety of members of the campus community who have strong opinions, just like you do! This is an open forum. Want to write something? Contact: statesman@aggiemailusu.edu Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.0 a statesman.com O urView Abo ut US Editor in Chief Campus Recreation needs a makeover Catherine Meidell Copy Editor D. Whitney Smith News Editor W e've always been told to never judge a book by its cover, but the truth is everyone does it anyway. In this case, the book is Utah State University. We have a great campus, we really do. People love it here. We live in a gorgeous area, and campus has a rich history, which adds to its charm. However, there are some areas that are lacking. There are some facilities that are old and don't necessarily have the same function they were intended to have. Some buildings don't fulfill purposes with the same success they once did. The HPER Field is a disaster. Even atrocious, if you will. Have you ever played a game of flag football or taken a P.E. class held there? The ground is hard, the grass is sparse and there are holes everywhere. The field was built over a parking lot, and you can tell whenever your feet hit the ground. The solution? Artificial turf. Campus Recreation is looking to provide students with better facilities and grounds, recreating what we have now to be something we can be proud of. Of course, this turf will only become a reality through student approval. In the next student body election there will be a vote to charge students a one-time fee to lay 250,000-square-feet of turf on the fields between the HPER Building and the Spectrum. That much turf will cost the university roughly $2 million. One time. When you do the math, it's not an overwhelming sum per person. Turf is a beautiful thing. It has the exact same function as grass but requires so much less effort. There will be no need to water it, which saves money; no one will ever have to replant or weed it, which saves money; and it will make the fields accessible for longer periods of time. The better quality of a turfed field would make intramural and club sports easier and better, as well as P.E. classes. Between this and the potential Aggie Recreation and Community Center, USU will have a better cover to be judged by. When people decide where they're going to go to college, a huge factor is the physical appearance of the campus. As they come around the corner of 700 North, turning onto Aggie Bull-evard, imagine how they'd feel if the first thing they saw was the state-of-the-art, new building with surrounding fields covered in turf. Instantly, they will be attracted to campus. The nicer the campus, the more attention and credibility we receive as a university. When you look at the facilities and equipment on other campuses nationwide, or even just in Utah, we are behind. There are students who will choose another schools down South, solely because there are better recreational options. We don't want that, now, do we? Stingy tippers get served It's unethical for restauLizzen rants to pay waitresses and waiters less than minimum Up wage, regardless of the tips they earn during their shifts. Did you know that the majority of servers in Utah earn only $2.13 an hour? And, in almost all restaurants, servers are required to tip the other staff a percentage of their sales — not their tips? This means when a server is tipped poorly or stiffed outright, they actually lose money; and the restaurant gets out of paying not only the servers minimum wage, but often the hostesses, bussers and bartenders as well, all at the expense of the servers. The restaurant industry makes its money from the labor of the servers. Why, then, is it allowed to pay its employees less than other businesses do? Most servers end up making more than minimum wage through tips over the course of a month. If they don't they are still not adequately compensated by the restaurant for the amount of work they perform. Some days, I've gone into a shift, done all of my opening sidework and then spent several hours waiting for tables, only to have one table tip $1. When this happens, I make no money, but I'm still obligated to set up the restaurant so it makes a profit. Then, if I have a good shift on another day, I'm not compensated for wasting my time on the slow day. Many managers require servers to do manual labor LIZ EMERY See REWARD, Page 11 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 ForumLetters Homecoming spirit strong To the editor: I attended Homecoming Weekend, and though dismayed by the Aggie football team's uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again, I was more than impressed by an energy, enthusiasm and, most importantly, the unity I felt on campus like I have never felt before. This includes my years from 71 to '75, when USU's athletic teams were highly ranked nationally, in both football and basketball. What a sight to see a sea of blue throughout Romney Stadium and to hear the enthusiastic, coordinated cheers and the unison with the repeated throng of "The Scotsman." More than once, it brought tears to the eyes of this old, true-blue Aggie. There was a feeling there that stretched beyond the stadium — a palpable feeling that permeated my skin as I walked the campus on both Friday and Saturday, as I attended the parade and rubbed shoulders with students and alumni alike — a feeling reflected in another cheer I repeatedly heard over and over at the game: "I believe in Utah State." There is, it seems to me, an elevated character among the student body and an attendant cornmitment to excellence. The quality of you current Aggies is refreshing and inspiring, and I thank you for that. In the post-game radio coaches show, Coach Anderson said something I thought was profound. He Photo Editor Ani Mirzakhanyan Letters to the editor • A public forum said, in essence, we'll begin winning these games when we deserve to win them as a team, as players, as a coaching staff. The good news is the student body already deserves those wins, and I see signs that our football team is getting there. Keep the faith, fellow Aggies. Big Blue will be back — and in so many ways is already back — because you, collectively deserve it, will demand it, will get it. Not just on the football field but throughout all of your endeavors in school and in life. Go Aggies. I believe in Utah State. rude statements. So what, because it is about the LDS religion it is OK for her to write this because it is not a minority here? No, it is not OK. I would argue that a lot of readers were offended and/or infuriated by this article, as I know I was. It was over the top and not based on facts, but rather opinion. Now I understand this is in the opinion section, but some opinions are best kept to oneself, especially when it would be seen as offensive and incorrect to a large portion of the audience who will read it. If Ms. Emery thinks the culture here is "obnoxious" because of the predominant religion, Jim Ackerman perhaps she should relocate to somewhere with different views. I would appreciate if this continued to be an unbiased publication, rather than one which publishes articles slamming To the editor: one group or another. Cult opinion too biased I thoroughly enjoy reading The Statesman; I think it tends to be a great newspaper offering many interesting articles. However, after reading Liz Emery's article about the LDS religion being a cult, I am somewhat disinclined to read it in the future. I feel that this newspaper should be completely unbiased in its publications. Emery's article was a complete slam against the LDS church and its members, whether she intended it to be or not. I found it completely disrespectful and I am in awe that it was published. If an article like this were published about a number of other minority groups, it would be found inappropriate and she would be forced to make an apology for her biased, Lyndsey Griffin Street painting is vandalism I would like to start by thanking our grounds maintenance crew for the tireless efforts they contribute to our beautiful campus. This is the third campus I have attended, and I have visited countless others; without a doubt, Utah State tops the list for impeccable grounds maintenance and landscaping. Maybe it's the manicured beauty I have come to expect that amplified my disgust upon walking through the area where See LETTERS, Page 11 NAsA WANTS To ilVoW 6giii""cs°"mmtfoir4k-sivecto it* MooN... INSire Assistant Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson Web Editor Steve Kent Editorial Board Catherine Meidell D. Whitney Smith Rob Jepson Tavin Stucki Steve Kent Ani Mirzakhanyan Kellyn Neumann About letters • Letters should be lim- ited to 400 words. letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They • All 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 statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. com for more letter guidelines and a box Online poll Will USU beat BYU in Friday's game? Yes. Hands down. No, I lost faith after the Homecoming game. I don't care either way. Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman. com to cast your vote and see results from this straw poll. |