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Show Monday, Oct. 17, 2011 UtilhStat•SIIL "Campus Voice Since 1902" • Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Today's Issue: Campus News Occupy Wall Street spreads to Salt Lake City. Page 1 Features Find out what dance performers plan to "thrill" Logan with a show inspired by a Michael Jackson classic. Page 4 Sports Howl organizers bring big changes BY CHRIS LEE news senior writer This year Howl organizers will lower the limit of tickets sold, change the setup of the line to get in and provide a more diverse array of entertainment. There will be less tickets sold for USU's annual Halloween party the Howl, said Kellen Hansen, activities director for the Student Traditions and Activities Board (STAB). He said this year's carnival-themed dance party, entitled "CarnEvil," will be limited to 6,000 people, as opposed to last year when about 7,000 people attended. "Last year, you couldn't get from one place to the other in a timely fashion," Hansen said. With less people and more spread-out activities, Hansen said he hopes the event will be less cramped and more enjoyable. In addition to live bands, such as Cartel, who will play in the TSC ballroom, Hansen said there will be a variety of entertainment such as a dance in the Fieldhouse, carnival games and dancing clowns. The organization of the line is different this year, he said. It will be split into two lines, both going into the west entrance of the TSC. Hansen said the split will facilitate a faster-moving line while giving more space for USU Police to work if any issues surface. One of this year's goals for the THE HOWL, will feature clowns, acrobats, fire-breathers and other performers to fit the "CarnEvil" theme. Event organizers say fewer tickets will be sold this year, the line to get in will be modified for efficiency and entertainment will be provided to those waiting in line. Photo courtesy of Molly Critch field Howl is to make the line more streamlined, said Kevin Webb, program coordinator and STAB adviser. The bottom floor of the TSC will be designated for costume and ID checks. "We're breaking up where they get their prop check done and their ID check and where we're going to take their tickets and wristbands," Webb said. "(It) should make things faster and more streamlined." Hansen said students will be provided with entertainment while waiting in line. "Before you even get into the building you'll get to see some pretty cool stuff," he said. Some of the cool stuff includes fire breathers and fire dancers, Hansen said. The line will be filled with pyro-technicians, who intend to hype people up for the dance inside. Live bands are scheduled to play in the TSC Ballroom, Hansen said. Attendees can also watch dancing clowns or play carnival games in the TSC International Lounge. "We're going to have carnival games," Hansen said. "We're going to have 20 games that are full-sized carnival games," Hansen said. "We've got some prizes for them, (attendees) don't have to pay for them, they just show up and they play the games, from milk bottle toss to dart See CREEPY, Page 3 Occupy Wall Street movement comes to SLC Movement members discuss organizing occupation in Logan BY BRACKEN ALLEN staff writer See who USU Hockey beat 12-4 in their Saturday game. Page 8 Opinion "Is crapping on cop cars protected under the First Amendment? After founding U.S. politicians were done arguing over its parameters, the First Amendment consisted of five tenets regarding the voice of the American public — the freedoms of speech, lobby, assembly, press and petition." Page 10 Interact Now! Today: Yu p, you can review issues from the entire semester. It's easy: Added Value! Get Ready. It's only days before you'll be cheering on your team in the Spectrum. Twenty pages of info inside! Online exlusives, blogs, a place to comment on stories, videos and more. Free Classfieds, too. www.utahstatesman.com Thousands of people are protesting "corporate greed" around the world in a pair of movements called Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together. Under the slogan "We are the 99 percent," members of the Occupy movements say corporations — who they say represent the remaining 1 percent — have an unfair level of influence on society and damage the livelihoods of everyone else. "There are multibillionaires on Wall Street, yet we have people making less than minimum wage," said Leska Mackie, a senior at USU who said she follows the Occupy movements and hopes to attend some of the events. Beginning with a protest on Wall Street in September, the movement has now spread to cities across the globe. The first group to demonstrate away from Wall Street was the group Occupy Chicago, which organized outside the Federal Reserve Bank. Occupy Together has staged events in more than 1,400 cities, including cities in Italy and Greece. There is also a discussion on Occupy Together's official website of organizing an occupation in Logan. Utilizing social media websites like Twitter and Facebook, Occupy Together and Occupy Wall Street, which work in "solidarity" with one another, have published demands and announced events. Among Occupy Wall Street's official demands are campaign finance reform, including the reversal of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the forgiving of all student loans and the shutdown of the Federal Reserve. For a complete list of Occupy Wall Street's demands, see Briefs on page 3 "These protesters have a core set of complaints that I think are valid — the unholy alliance between corporations and government," said USU Professor Randy Simmons, who teaches economics and finance. "They mistakenly think that it is capitalism, but what they really are pro- testing is corporatism." Simmons said many students simply want student loans to be forgiven and want to escape paying for their own life choices. While the protesters' concerns are legitimate, the group does not provide any suitable answers, he said. "The unholy alliance between big business during this administration and the last one is sickening and frightening," Simmons said. "The occupiers, however, do not have good answers. In fact, the most common answer is more government, unless Republicans run the government. "Many have a magical view of how economies work and assume that putting 'the people' in charge will magically make things better," he added. "Many are genuinely worried that 'fat cats' control the economy — these view most economic activity as See MAGICAL, Page 3 OCCUPIERS IN SALT LAKE CITY march holding signs expressing their views and demands. Occupy Salt Lake is part of a global movement working against "corporate greed." The movement began in New York City in September and has since spread. AP photo Scholarship reqs. may become more stringent BY LIS STEWART staff writer Admission standards at USU remain the same despite all-time high enrollment, but scholarship standards for incoming freshmen will continue to change, said Admissions Director Katie Nielsen. "I think more than the admission standards changing, it has been the scholarship standards that have changed," Nielsen said. Scholarship standards tighten every couple of years to accommodate the higher numbers of applications from incoming freshmen, she said. The university aims to keep the changes as minimal as possible to avoid straining parents and students, she added. Admissions staffers work with families to ensure students are financially able to come to college, Nielsen said. "A lot of what we do is sitting down with families and saying, 'Okay, let's walk through and see how we're going to pay for it," Nielsen said. The number of full-time students increased by 2.1 percent this fall from last year, according to figures released by the Utah System of Higher Education. Nielsen said enrollment has increased dramatically in the last three years, bouncing back from a 3.4 percent dip in 2005. Although USU's averages climbed higher than the state's as a whole, the growing trend seems to be slowing down. This is the smallest amount of enrollment growth See STANDARDS, Page 2 |