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Show Friday, March 9, 2012 Page 4 A&ECIllif•FSII ■ Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com BY DREW VAN DYKE staff writer To some, the phrase "Logan nightlife" is an oxymoron. Aside from Walmart, many feel there are few after-hours attractions in Cache Valley. With the recent closure of Club 435 and a low percentage of alcohol drinkers, late night activities in Logan seem limited to entrées at Village Inn or rentals at the nearest Redbox. "A lot times when people think of Logan, they think there is only bowling, movies or campus activities," said Stephen Andersen, a junior majoring in exercise science. "I don't necessarily believe that. I think there is a lot to do. It just takes a little initiative and someone who is willing to organize something." Although Andersen was initially frustrated by the lack of options, he said he eventually organized Tubbin' Tuesdays, a weekly hot-tub get together for residents and friends at his apartment complex. Andersen represents one of many USU students who are working to reverse the latenight stigma. Other students, like Thomas Anderson, a junior majoring in biology, search out forms of entertainment when school-sponsored activities are sparse on the events calendar. "I think it is important to have alternatives to school activities and Facebook where people can actually mingle," Anderson said. "Getting together and relying on conversation as the main form of entertainment allows people to make real friendships." Witnessing the scarcity of genuine human interaction and nightlife opportunities, Anderson said he and his roommates opted to hold occasional dinner parties to stimulate meaningful conversation. Now held every other month, the dinners have led to new contacts and strengthened friendships, he said. "Sometimes, the pretext that a social event is based on precludes the socializing," Anderson said. "By only playing games or watching a movie, you may prevent people from socializing at all. We've been doing these dinner parties as a very casual way to interact with people." Though Anderson prefers smaller more intimate nightlife events, there are others who welcome the masses. "If people don't make an effort to throw parties and host events, there is nothing to do here," said Julie Tukuafu, a junior majoring in marketing. "My good friend, Natalie Thatcher, and I started doing crepe parties because it was is as much about competition as it a fun weekend gathering and it is about confections. brought all of our friends togethContinuing a tradition that er." began with his cousin in 2005, Although the parties began he said he hosts a weekly dessert with only a small number of night as part of an eight-week crepes, condiments and their dessert tournament. closest comrades, she said the "Each Thursday, there is a difmonthly event has since grown to ferent dessert that everyone tastes become a popular Sunday soiree. and scores from one to 10," he "We started by just testing it said. "After eight weeks and eight out, and it turned into an instant different desserts, the top four success," she said. "At the last scores go to the playoffs." crepe party, we had somewhere While the culinary contest between 100 (and) 150 people filallows for the weekly consumptering in and out of our house — tion of sweets, it also provides that's a ... load of people." participants with the opportunity With the growing number to expand their social network, he of attendees, however, comes a said. growing demand for food, she "My cousin came up with the said. dessert tournament for the sole "All the girls in our house purpose of meeting a cute girl. split the cost," Tukuafu said. Now they're married and live in "Normally we spend $25 each to Tucson, Ariz.," Thompson said. supply the strawberries, bananas, "So I mainly do it to give people a toppings and other ingredients to chance to meet coeds and eventumake the crepes." ally an eternal companion." In addition to monthly crepe For students who are not nights, Tukuafu and her roominterested in dinners, desserts or mates also host unofficial dodgedating opportunities, dancing is ball games every other week at an another option. LDS church building near camNate Julian, a junior majorpus. ing in marketing, is one of three Colton Thompson, a junior individuals who repeatedly host majoring in parks and recreation, "dirty 30s," which are spontaneregularly hosts a function comous, random dance parties that parable to crepe night. However, last 30 minutes. Using a set of Thompson said, a successful party mobile speakers and laptops, Julian and his friends, Paul Jones and Bryson Bellaccomo, provide sound for each gathering. "The dances are not super big, but we have a decent crowd every time, and there is a pretty good following," Julian said. "With dance music becoming a lot more mainstream, more people are interested. We usually have 50 to 100 people." Though every dance party used to be held at Julian's house, he and his friends have enjoyed switching up the venue, he said. "Now we're trying out different spots," he said. "We did our last one in one of the tunnels at First Dam." There is a variety of underground activities to choose from each weekend, so Julian said the biggest problem he and others face is efficiently publicizing their events. Although it is sometimes unintentional, many functions are kept under wraps unless students know the event organizer, he said. "If people who put together these kinds of events could publicize them more, everyone would be aware of the options that really they have on a Friday night," Anderson said. – drevandizzle@gmail.com Finding the spring in Spring Break BY KRISTI LAMBERT staff writer Many student organizations at USU will be opting out of the cold and windy weather of Logan for a warmer Spring Break involving rock climbing and hiking across the red rocks, sun tanning on white beaches, snorkeling in the ocean and engaging in various service projects. Emily Blotter, a senior majoring in biochemistry, arrived in Maui, Hawaii, last week, along with 60 other sun seekers. "I'm just excited to see the sun and have nothing to do with school for a week," Blotter said. "I graduate in May so I just need a break." Blotter said most of the people in Hawaii with her heard about the trip by word-ofmouth. The trip was organized by Daniel Barrello, a USU graduate who works as a travel agent. Before working as a travel agent, Barrello said he planned trips to Jamaica, Oahu, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and an annual Havasupai hike. Last summer, Barrello and a friend went around the world using $2,000 in airfare vouchers. By mid-March, he said, he will have traveled around the globe twice. "Guess I just don't have the ability to stay put," Barrello said. "In the beginning, motivation for planning was self-centered. Back in high school, homework was virtually non-existent, and my mind was free to dream up experiences I was dying to have. "Nowadays, motivation is somewhat the same but with a twist. Corny as it may sound, I have come to believe that travel is essential to true education. Traveling has provided some of the most pivotal experiences in my life." Drawing from his travel experiences, Barrello said he believes to be competitive in the global market, individuals must have a global awareness. "Americans sometimes are seen as ignorant, rude and just plain out of touch with the rest of the globe," he said. "I realize the party in Maui this break probably won't give anyone the experience of canoeing across the Okavango Delta with a native, but at least it gets them off the motherland." The Maui trip has a price tag of about $640 per person, Barrello said, adding that he's found condos equipped with kitchens and a fleet of minivans to accommodate travel. Individuals will provide their own food, however. Spencer Pugmire, a senior majoring in biology, said he went to Oahu with Barrello two years ago. "The memories from last time are just so vivid," Pugmire said. "It's funny because CHARITY ANYWHERE participants prepare to make the group's annual trip to Mexico in 2010. Photo courtesy of Charity Anywhere it's only a week long, but I will never forget Hawaii. I love the hikes. It's so beautiful with the jungles — there are no scary bugs like Africa — but everywhere you turn it's beautiful and always a picturesque moment." This isn't the first out-of-country Spring Break trip Blotter has taken. She said last year she traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, for a humanitarian trip with the Charity Anywhere Foundation. "I was debating to go to Hawaii or Mexico this year," Blotter said. "I would love to go to Mexico again. I learned about different cultures and how everyone is the same but also unique. It was fun to be immersed in that culture. The friends that I met there (were) the best because that kind of activity drew in similar types of people." Gordon Carter, the president and founder of the Charity Anywhere Foundation, said six or seven years ago USU students who had volunteered in the past started a new club chapter. Kaden Harding, a senior majoring in biochemistry, has been the club president of USU's chapter of Charity Anywhere for more than a year. Harding said he has traveled to Mexico with the foundation four times and has developed a love for providing service. "It's really fulfilling," Harding said. "You get to forget about yourself, school and life and just give your time to other people. One thing I've enjoyed is learning from the other volunteers and seeing how much joy they get from helping others." While in Tijuana, volunteers build houses for the poor and perform dental work, Carter said. "This is not a classy, fancy or highbrow type of experience. We stretch the dollar as much as we can," he said. "We are mostly about work, but we will probably go play soccer with some local kids or go to the beach." According to Charity Anywhere's website, the mission statement of the foundation is "to give ordinary people the lifechanging opportunity to provide needed medical care, dental services and basic shelter to less-developed countries, while See VOLUNTEERS, Page 6 |