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Show Senior Night Aggies take victory in final home game of season UtahSta e s Utah State University • Logan, Utah n At the voting booth Officials say new ASUSU campaign rules didn't affect turnout BY PAUL CHRISTIANSEN staff writer Handshakes were frequent, pats on the back were given among opponents and victory parties were held last week as USU students decided and voted on student body representatives for the 2013-2014 school year, but the number of voters in the ASUSU general elections was down significantly from 2012. There were 3,890 students who voted in the general election this year. In 2012, 5,272 students cast a ballot. Some members of the election committee believe this stems from this being the first year since 2010 where no initiatives appeared on the final ballot. "In my opinion, this is primarily because we did not have any fee increases, referendums or initiatives that were on the final ballot," said Abigail Kingsford, ASUSU public relations director. "We those initiatives. This year, there weren't any such proposals drawing student concern. Revisions were made to election bylaws in December. Rules were instituted forbidding couponing" — a practice in which candidates hand out campaign fliers printed on coupons to local businesses. At the time the changes were made, members of the bylaws committee didn't know what effect the change would have on voter turnout. The committee is now confident the changes to the bylaws didn't directly affect the number of voters. "I don't think bylaws were a determinant of voter turnout," Hunt said. "I have not heard of anyone who didn't vote because they didn't get a coupon." With elections now over, the committee will begin reviewing and 6‘ STUDENTS CAMPAIGN on campus during ASUSU elections in February. DELAYNE LOCKE photo did have a higher turnout in our primary elections than we did last year. I think the reason why we had a higher turnout in the primaries this year than we have in the past is because we had more candidates than we have in the past." There are a lot of factors influencing voter turnout each year, according to Academic Senate President Jordan Hunt. Students are less likely to vote in an election when there aren't any big initiatives on the ballot. Last year's campaigning for the Aggie Health and Wellness Center and the Aggie Recreation center was extensive, Hunt said. Many students showed up to express their point of view and voice their support or contempt for ►See ASUSU, Page 2 Pow Wow vital to Native American culture BY LIS STEWART staff writer Members of the USU Native American Student Council worked to keep culture alive in hosting the 40th annual Pow Wow on March 1-2 in the Fieldhouse. Jason Brough, NASC president, said events like the Pow Wow show the world that Native Americans are not going anywhere. "Native Americans, you know, we have suffered many generations of cultural and physical genocide," Brough said. "The fact that we're still having our powwows, the fact that we're having our sacred ceremonies is extremely vital to the survival of our culture." Dancers and drummers from Utah, Idaho and as far as Washington competed in different categories over the weekend. Vendors lined walls inside the Fieldhouse, selling jewelry, clothing and food as drummer groups sang and the dancers competed in their various categories. Stacie Denestosie, recently crowned Miss American Indian USU, led the Grand Entry, or first dance of the PowWow. Even if Native Americans at USU do not come from a background that teaches them about culture, they can participate in NASC and learn more, Denestosie said. The Pow Wow is a place to teach the youth, she said. "Lead by example. The youth see their elders there dancing and representing who they are, and where they come from, and I think that's just a really good platform for the younger generation to get involved," Denestosie said. A Navajo, Denestosie lived on a reservation the first four years of her life and then moved to Smithfield. She said she stays connected to her culture through her extended family, which is very traditional. Her family raises livestock, and she went through a womanhood ceremony when she turned 15. Culture and not necessarily traditions are important to Blade Garlow, a freshman lacrosse player who grew up on Cattaraugus Reservation in New York. Garlow lived on the reservation until he was 14 and moved to Utah to play lacrosse for USU. The reservation Garlow grew up on is well off and members living there have benefits like not having to pay taxes, free health care and training for athletes, he said. Other than the benefits, living on the reservation was like living anywhere else, Garlow said. However, one reservation differs from another, Garlow said. "I think our rez is really well off, so it's not a big difference as compared to out West," Garlow said. "Our rez has a lot of nice stuff and a really lot of nice resources." Denestosie, who lived on the Navajo reservation, said education is different there than in the public school she attended in Cache Valley. "They have a lot more education based around being Navajo and just integrating that into everyday school," A POWWOW DANCER PERFORMS during USU's 40th annual Pow Wow. DELAYNE LOCKE photo *See more photos from the Pow Wow, page 12 ►See DANCE, Page 2 Family of deceased USU student urges others not to text and drive LORI SCHAFER staff writer SHAUNA SAUER, mother of deceased USU student Taylor Sauer, tells her experience of the night Taylor Sauer died and encourages people to put down the phone while on the road. SAMANTHA BEHL photo On Jan. 14, 2012, USU student Taylor Sauer was driving while messaging a friend on Facebook. She was killed in a traffic collision. Friday, Sauer's family put on an awareness meeting at The Junction called "Put it Down: Don't Let Your Send be the End," to promote safe driving and prevent others from suffering the same loss they did one year ago. Sauer was on her way to her house in Idaho and was driving 80 to 85 mph in a 75 mph zone when she collided head-on with a truck going 15 miles an hour. There were no signs of Sauer touching the brakes. She was killed instantly. Her final message to her friend was "I can't discuss this matter now. Driving and Facebooking isn't safe!" The friend Sauer sent her last words to was unaware Sauer was driving until he received the message. "Don't do anything you're uncomfortable with," said Kali Phillips, a sophomore majoring in health education. "Don't ever be uncomfortable, because that's the biggest sign something is wrong." Phillips was with Taylor on her final day. She had been dropped off back at her residence hall shortly before Taylor left to return to Idaho. "We had the discussion with Taylor, 'Put the stinking phone away,' but it's a college student," said Shauna Sauer, Taylor's mother. "You guys live on your own. It's a choice you have to make. You're going to make your own decisions." The Sauer family began speaking out about their cause and telling their story on Taylor Sauer's birthday on April 19, 2012. "Someone asked if we were interested. We met as a big extended family to decide if this was something we wanted to do," Shauna Sauer said. "We knew if ►See TEXT, Page 3 |