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Show UVU REVIEW LIFE B3 COLUMNIST Cam A view from over the hill By Marinann Castillo Staff Writer mygroovygrandma. blogspot.com on campus Eric Stonestreet, the natural 'class clown' and star of ABC's 'Modern Family' made an appearance at UVU on April 7. He answered any questions students had for him. The 'Modern Family' star spoke at UVU campus By Sean Stoker Staff Writer sean.stokerl@gmail.com As a teen from the mean wheat fields of Kansas, Eric Stonestreet dreamed of becoming a clown. At the tender age of fifteen, he started performing in clown makeup and a purple afro wig at children's birthday parties, parades and other local events. At one such event, he found that the supply of balloons he used to hand out to kids had run out. Two small kids approached him hoping for balloons of their own. As a consolation prize, he offered the two kids a couple shamrock stickers from a St. Patrick's Day gig he had recently put on. Satisfied, the kids skipped away and Eric thought that was that. Minutes later, a friend approached him in a panic. "Eric! Are you handing out stickers to these kids?" Not sure what the problem was, Eric pulled out his stickers to inspect them more closely. To his horror, he realized that the shamrocks he had given away were superimposed with the phrase, "F%!K me, I'm Irish." Mortified, Eric stammered out as best he could, didn't know. I just wanted to make people laugh!" Undeterred by this speed bump in his quest for comedy, Eric Stonestreet continued looking for success, finally finding it in his wellknown role as Cameron Tucker on ABC's hit sitcom "Modern Family." For those unfamiliar with the series, it centers around a large, nontraditional family, including: The elderly patriarch, who is married to a hot young Columbian bombshell with a tween-aged kid of her own; his gay son and his son's partner--Stonestreet--together with their Vietnamese adopted daughter; and the patriarch's daughter, who belongs to the only traditional family. Stonestreet's character, Cam, is a lovable man-diva, full of sassy wit and manipulative charisma. Arguably a large part of the draw of his character is the stark contrast between his moments of measured pleasantry and his full-fledged meltdowns and freak-outs. Having quite the following among the Wolverines, Eric Stonestreet graced our halls with his presence and spoke to nearly 400 UVU students on Apr. 7, inviting all in attendance to ask him any question they pleased. Stonestreet roused cheers from the audience as he entered, which quickly gave way to laughs. He projected a persona that was at once dynamic while at the same time self-deprecating, evidenced by his remark that LAURA FOX//UVU REVIEW he hoped the podium was "bomb-proof" because he believed he was "about to bomb" his speech. Much of the discussion centered around the life of an actor and the experiences Stonestreet has had working on what "Adweek" called one of the 100 most influential TV shows. Due to the nature of the "Modern Family" premise, there was some discussion of what impact the show has had on the LGBT community. Eric Stonestreet, a strait actor, portrays Cam, a gay man, opposite costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Cam's partner Mitchell. STONESTREET 86 Limitless vision The story of a student who is far more than he appears to be By Amanda Holtman Assistant Life Editor @HollmanAmanda PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF GRAY Michael Gray poses for his senior pictures. His wheelchair and communication board give him the independence to go to UVU. Michael Gray is like any other student; he enjoys watching sports, plays computer games and works hard in his schoolwork—only he does everything while using a power wheelchair and a special touch-screen computer called a DynaVox. Gray was born with cerebral palsy. As a result, he has little control over his muscles and is nonverbal. He surfs the Internet, does all of his homework and even talks by typing with his nose on his communication board. "We are limited not by our abilities, but by our vision. This is my philosophy," Gray said. It is this thinking that continues to drive him to do whatever he sets his mind to. In high school, Gray made the honor roll every term, took physics as a sophomore and pre-calculus as a junior. Most students who take these courses work through the problems by hand; Gray had to carefully analyze each step in his head to solve each problem. "The patience and intelligence this must have required is phenomenal," said Darci Rhoades who worked with Gray at American Fork High School and teaches upper track physics. His dependence on technology and his ability to work out complicated projects in his head drove him to want to pursue a degree in digital media with an emphasis in Internet technologies. He loves the independence that this degree would allow him to achieve. He enjoys the process of making websites and he would be able to work from home if needed. As a freshman, he has already done an internship with Shae Goodwin and Associates. He attended and wrote reports on AFHS football and basketball games that were published on the company's community sports blog. The summer after graduating from AFHS , he participated in a Young Entrepreneurs Startup Camp. He and his teammates developed a business plan for a communication device that used modern technology but would be more cost effective. LIMITLESS B6 There aren't many things I don't absolutely love about being a student at Utah Valley University, but parking is definitely one of them. And I don't think I am the only one who feels that way. It has been a topic of heated discussion in many of my classes. In reality, does purchasing a parking pass mean I can always get a space for my car? Not unless I exhibit parking stalker behavior. And I must admit I have gotten pretty good at it. There is true strategy in victoriously stalking people for their coveted spot, and it means you have to be aggressive. First, you must arrive at least 15 minutes before you actually need to start walking to class. Find a spot next to a sidewalk where students are leaving the building and going to their cars. Be sure your vehicle is facing the direction your prey will be walking, so you can follow them to the actual parking lot you want to end up in. Now wait for your stalkee. When a potential candidate walks by the side of your car, quickly roll down your window and politely ask if they are actually parked in the lot you desire. This is essential, because chances are they had to use the lot in the north forty and are just passing through. Once you have verified they are a qualified target, ask for permission to follow them directly to their spot. I use the following phrase, "Can I please parking stalk you?" and that has done the trick. Put your vehicle in gear and slowly move forward, being sure to follow your victim closely without actually running over them. Be certain to put your blinker on to indicate you are going to use their spot, or another determined parker may try to steal it right out from under you. As you pull into the coveted parking space, smile kindly at the line of cars waiting, as if to say, "Oh, sorry! You have been waiting for a spot for thirteen minutes too?" Now cautiously exit your vehicle. You may want to walk as closely as possible to the previously parked cars surrounding you. This should provide a buffer so you can avoid being hunted down by the other exasperated students, who are also late for class because they can't find a parking place. This semester I try to park above the Gunther Trades Building so that I can get to my 9:00 class in the Computer Science Building. However, many times I have ended up parking way out there in the lot on the very east edge of campus. I can even make the claim that I have used the space furthest from campus. That's fun. However, it is only after I have become desperate, and have unsuccessfully stalked for the maximum time possible. But hey, on the bright side, who needs to go to the gym for exercise when you need to park at UVU, right? |