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Show VOLUME XXXVI • NO. 19 THE STUDENT VOICE OF UTAH VALLEY STATE MONDAY • APRIL 9 • 2007 Natural history spring excursion Jared Magill Assistant News Editor A group of 24 UVSC students, faculty and staff took a five-day trip to Death Valley, California for the 2007 spring Natural History Excursion from Wednesday, Mar. 21 until Sunday, Mar. 25. Natural History Excursions are one credit hour biology classes "Biology 202R" that take students on a journey to some of the most remarkable destinations in the region. Staff members from the Outdoor Education department along with a group of professors of botany, geology and paleontology visit the key points of educational interest and lead students through discussions about the local plant life, geological formations and fossils present at the given locale. Members of this spring's excursion entered Death Valley via Titus Canyon, a deep slot canyon with a dirt road running along the canyon floor, to camp at Furnace Creek campground. "We just kind of car camped and went to all the sites," said Outdoor Education Coordinator Kim Reynolds. The instructor for the excursion, professor of geology Danny Horns said that the unique and still active volcanic and geologi- cal features found in the Death Valley area make it an interesting place to study. "Death Valley is very unusual," said Horns. "Geologically it's similar to Utah Valley in terms of layering and the type of rock that makes up the bedrock. But, it's more extreme in every respect." Students were guided through all the major points of interest within the Death Valley area and asked to write down the information presented by faculty members. "The only thing I ask them to do is keep a trip journal, so they learn better by writing the information down instead of just listening to it," Horns said. One of the points of interest visited by the group was Ubehebe Crater, a relatively young half-mile See EXCURSION • A7 Student fled Afghanistan SPORTS Real Salt Lake John Ditzler Executive Editor Najibullah Niazi works in between classes Monday through Friday in UVSC's department of integrated studies and the Center for the Study of Ethics. Several years ago the native Afghani was still living in the country of his birth, working as a translator for Utah-based, freelance journalist Scott Carrier. When Carrier's article on Afghanistan, post-9/11, and the US's military response to the Taliban regime was published in HARPER'S MAGAZINE, a price was put on Niazi's head. Working with UVSC's director of integrated studies Scott Abbott, as well as UVSC's Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Bill Cobb, Carrier was able to help Niazi secure safe passage between Afghanistan and the United States and enroll in UVSC's business management program in the spring of 2007. Niazi's experiences became the cover story of the Salt Lake City Weekly's Jan. 25, edition entitled, "A Stranger in Zion." Carrier's article, "After the Fall, Letters From Afghanistan" (April 2002), was selected for the 2003 edition of The Best American Travel Writing. Niazi shares some of his experiences growing up in Afghanistan and migrating to the United States: New additions to Real Salt Lake have the team talking about the playoffs. Can Freddy Adu and a new goalie help RSL make the postseason? Story on D1. Baseball The baseball team is finally getting some games at home. Can they take advantage of playing at Wolverine Stadium? Story on C1. LIFE Edited movies Edited movies still in the making: If you cried when CleanFlicks dosed, you'll want to read what its former owner, Daniel Thompson, is doing now on B1. Theatre Attention theater lovers: If you have a short attention span, hurry and turn to B1 before you forget. NEWS TOMS's shoes Blake Mycoskie's dream is rapidly becoming a reality, with over 40,000 pairs of his shoes sold. Read more on A6. Mark Johnston/College Times Giant clouds of various colors of dry paint dust rose into the sky over the beautiful Hindu Temple two Saturday afternoons ago. Read more about the Holi festival held annually in Salem, Utah on page A3. UVLink The saddest thing we hear students say is'nobody told me'" said Joanna McCormick. Read more on this confusion on A2. OPINIONS What can one person do? Former UVSC student David Ssejinja has formed a foundation to help the people of Uganda. But just how much good can one person do? find out how and why UVSC students should make a difference through humanitarian aidonA5. High-ranking Mexican government official speaks to students at UVSC Spencer Shell Assistant News Editor Mexican government official Jeffrey Jones, the recently appointed agricultural undersecretary for Mexico, came to Utah Valley State College Apr. 2 to speak to students about trade issues between Mexico and the U.S. Jones is a member of UVSC's National Presi- dential Advisory Board and was in Utah for the bi-annual meeting. During the event, Jones spoke about his position on Mexico's development and on immigration. "Development is not based on natural resources. Human development is based on human capitol," said Jones. Legal or illegal, Jones expressed that he feels immigration is something that North America should not rely on. "It is not in our interest to lose our human capitol [...] Keep the people on the Mexican side; we need those people to build our country." Jones emphasized the importance of building integration between Canada, the United States and Mexico. "North America, to be competitive, needs to work together," said Jones. "Each of the three countries has many assets. Mexico has many good things to bring into this equation. "All of my efforts as a senator have been to build integration in North America." Whatever the problem See OFFICIAL-A3 COLLEGE TIMES: Talk about being a young person in Afghanistan and experiencing the rise to power of the Taliban regime. In October of 2001, US troops began the process of ousting the Taliban regime in response to terrorist attacks against the United States, Sept. II, 2001. Share your perspective as that occurred while you lived in Afghanistan. NAJIBULLAH NIAZI: Afghanistan has a very conservative culture, due to the religion of Islam. It was not always as much the case as it is today in Afghanistan. The religion of Islam stipulates that female believers can wear a scarf in their hair. After two decades of war and violence in Afghanistan, women were generally terrified of attracting unwanted attention by male strangers; we experienced living in a war zone. Women felt safer covering their faces and bodies from head to toe to avoid being raped in the middle of so much violence. Later, warlords manipulated this-manipulated the teachings of the Qur'an, enforced stricter and stricter policies in order to exercise greater conSee STUDENT-A4 |