January marks the start of Utah’s state legislative session, which will determine higher education funding and other important issues for the 2012-13 academic year. “The major issue every year is the budget,” said Neil Abercrombie, director of government relations at USU. While the governor won’t release his budget proposal until Dec. 12, Abercrombie said he’s optimistic about the coming year. “It is too early to tell, we are going into the ses-sion in a better position than we have the last few years,” he said. In past legislative sessions, the budget has had to be revised mid-session to account for budget shortfalls, Abercrombie said. This year, he said, things are on track and revenues have come in as forecast, if not slightly higher. “We will begin this year moving forward to 2013,” he said. Revenue numbers are projected up about $400 million, but there’s a lot of need for that money initially, Abercrombie said. Mandatory expendi-tures for public education, medicare and others need resolution first. “A top priority for President Albrecht and the system of higher education is compensation for employees,” Abercrombie said, adding that it’s been years since employees had a salary increase, and many state employees have actually had their benefits reduced. Other major priorities include obtaining additional funding for USU regional campuses and the distance education program. Abercrombie said these funds would be used to enhance the programs and degrees available through these campuses. USU Administration is working closely with the University of Utah on an engineering initiative that would result in additional investment in

engineering scholarships and faculty employment, he said. According to Abercrombie, the legislature has placed a priority on funding programs and degrees with an economic return or lead to suc-cessful job placement. A current challenge is the lack of money available for new building projects, Abercrombie said, though special effort has been made to make buildings for USU Eastern and the Brigham City campus high priorities. During the legislative session, students work-ing with the Government Relations Council will be involved in lobbying for USU interests. Kirsten Frank, ASUSU executive vice president, is involved in preparing these students for their roles. “We are making sure our lobbyists are super prepared and feeling very confident,” she said. Frank and the GRC have worked to make sure those involved understand USU’s goals and priori-ties, as well as rules and decorum surrounding the legislative process, she said.

“I think there will be a big emphasis on educa-tion this session,” she said. Lobbying chair Tyson Hall said, “The state Legislature knows that lowering the cost of education is the single most important issue for students. “I would expect that there will be some initiatives to find creative solutions to deal with rising costs in education. For example, Sen. Steve Urquhart, the chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, has come up with some creative long-term and short-term solutions to help bring down the cost of education.” Abercrombie said USU is working closely with Urquhart in his efforts to increase graduation rates across the state. The session begins Jan. 23, and Abercrombie said the process is open to students who want to be involved. Those interested can also listen to or watch committee meetings online.

– kstubbs88@gmail.com

Plagiarism is increasing at universities across the country, along with a more casual attitude toward cheating, according to a recent study done by The New American, a world news magazine. An earlier survey by CNN stated more than 75 percent of students engage in serious cheating, and more than half have engaged in plagiarism. Smartphones, the Internet and a growing number of students who don’t find anything wrong with cheating are the major reasons for the rapid rise, according to the study. “I doubt USU is at over half,” said Eric Olsen, associate vice president for student services. “But plagiarism is definitely a big deal here, and it is increasing.” Last year USU had 26 reported cases of academic dishonesty, said Krystin Deschamps, student conduct coordinator, but that number only represents the proportion of cheaters who get caught. “Many students don’t get caught, and many students get caught by their professors but aren’t reported to us,” Olsen said. “It’s a

big unknown.” Part of the plagiarism problem yet to be tackled is the fact that educators and admin-istrators don’t have a real handle on just how often it occurs, he said. Another difficulty, Deschamps said, is some students do not know what plagiarism is, or they don’t realize the major negative consequences that come from such academic fraud. Deschamps said international students, especially Chinese students, are much more likely to engage in plagiarism than others. American concepts of intellectual property don’t translate readily to students from a country where individualism is anathema, she said. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the task of educating Chinese students about American ethical standards is something universities across the country are dealing with. In Delaware, one Chinese student memorized four Wikipedia entries so he could regurgitate whichever one seemed most appropriate on an in-class essay, the report said.

Tenured professors can now be fired with greater ease by department heads and deans, due to a policy adopted in November by the Utah Board of Regents. This change man-dates periodic evaluations for faculty on tenure. This is not the first time the board has attempted to alter tenure, said Holly Braithwaite, director of communications for the Utah System of Higher Education. Last year, a bill was introduced that proposed to get rid of tenure completely but got killed early on. Part of the reason committee members and others do not want to get rid of tenure is because it has been a part of education for a such a long time, Braithwaite said. “It is an old practice, and is the process by which a new faculty member must show that he or she is capable of teaching well, doing credible research and providing some

service to the institution, such as writing grants,” she said. The requirements to become tenured are not uniform, and vary widely by department, according to the USU faculty tenure handbook. Once achieved, however, tenure largely protects those faculty mem-bers from being fired. The revised policy will modify this policy, making a thorough post-tenure review mandatory in all universities. It also makes it possible for tenured faculty to be fired for “just cause,” such as incompetence in the classroom, or program or depart-ment closures, Braithwaite said. This change affects all eight pub-lic institutions of higher education in Utah. “We want faculty to do their best so students can do their best,” Braithwaite said. “The purpose is to strengthen instruction so students are better served.” Students and faculty have varied

UtahFriday, Dec. 9, 2011

www.utahstatesman.com

StatesmanThe

Campus News

Features

USU students reminisce about family holiday traditions.Page 3

Sports

What do USU Eastern’s academic programs have to offer Logan stu-dents?Page 2

The semester is ending and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is just around the corner.Page 5

Today’s Issue: Tenure immunity diminished BY EVAN MILLSAPstaff writer

Plagiarism on the rise at USU and nationwideBY EVAN MILLSAPstaff writer

Legislative session afoot, USU preparingBY KYLE STUBBSstaff writer

in the political science department, has been teaching for 44 years. The Utah Board of Regents adopted a new tenure policy in November, which mandates periodic perfor-mance review of tenured professors. KATRINA ANNE PERKINS photo

Utah Board of Regents votes to relegate immunity of tenured professors

is done using the Internet and technology. HOLLY REYNOSO photo illustration See CHEATING, Page 2

See APATHY, Page 2

begins Jan. 23. Neil Abercrombie, USU’s director of gov-ernment relations, said he predicts the major issue will be the state budget. USU will work closely with Utah Sen. Steve Urquhart on increasing graduation rates, Abercrombie said. AP photo

Interact Now!

Today: A look behind the scenes at a unique theater experience.

Added Value!

Online exlusives, blogs, a place

to comment on stories, videos

and more. Free Classfieds, too.

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Three things to do before

you leave for the holiday:

With the merging of the former College of Eastern Utah and USU came the merging of school credits for the two universities. Vice Chancellor of USU Eastern Greg Benson said, “Everything we do at CEU is now USU. There is not even an issue of credits transferring, because all credits are now USU credits.” The merging of credits means students could easily transfer from Logan campus to USU Eastern or vice versa, without having to worry about credits transferring, Benson said. Credits earned in Price, Vernal, Moab and other regional campuses are the same credits as Logan campus credits, including USU Eastern, he added. The ability to switch between universities pro-vides several benefits for students, Benson said. “Tuition for a full year at USU Eastern is roughly half of what students pay in Logan,” he said. “It was decided to retain the community college tuition rate for the first two years, then once you move past those first two years, you pay off the regular USU rates for the upper-division courses.” Benson said it could benefit students to transfer to USU Eastern for one or more semesters in order to save money while completing their lower-division courses. Aside from saving money, Benson said, transferring to USU Eastern could be beneficial in multiple ways. “You’re not going to find everything in Price that you find in Logan, but degrees like business, biology, education, math education, psychology, wildlife science, social work, associate degrees, minors and certificates (are offered).” In addition to many of the same degrees offered at the Logan campus, USU Eastern offers a selection of certifications and technical degrees not necessar-

ily offered at USU, Benson said. “This brings something into USU that wasn’t there before,” Benson said. “At USU Eastern there’s automotive technology, welding, heavy equipment trucking, cosmetology, nursing, and it’s where you come and get intensive study in a career and techni-cal field.” He said students in the school’s welding program routinely place first in state competitions, and sometimes go on to national and international competitions. Other than welding, Benson said, the last two years, two students won state and national competi-tions for radio broadcasting. Something else USU Eastern offers is the division of workforce education, Benson said. “Those are non-credit offerings that are more geared to short term and very focused kinds of job training. We have several hundred students a semester enroll in these courses. It’s intense and it’s shortened. We do a lot of training and re-training of coal miners.” Another benefit of attending USU Eastern is the geographical location of the campus, which provides students an opportunity to study geology, archeology and paleontology, he said. Regional Campus and Distance Education Vice President Justin Watkins said he feels the policy is sound. “Really, there was nothing negative that came out of it. The change is good because now they get to take USU classes, and they get funding,” Watkins said, “It gives them more ability to do things.” Director of the Office of Analysis, Assessment and Accreditation Michael Torrens said enrollment at USU Eastern for fall of 2011 was 2,323 students with 106 transfers to the school.

– amber.murdoch@aggiemail.usu.edu

VP tapped for USDA Advisory Committee

BriefsCampus & Community

-Compiled from staff and media reports

Mark McLellan, USU’s vice president for research and dean of the School of Graduate Studies, has been appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to one of the U.S. department of agriculture’s top advisory boards. The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics board advises the Secretary of Agriculture and land-grant colleges and universities on policies about effective federal agri-cultural research and education. McLellan said he is privileged to receive such a prestigious recogni-tion by the Secretary of Agriculture. He said he was selected because of his background as a food sci-entist, but this appointment is an opportunity to support agriculture programs at USU itself as well as Utah’s associated agricultural industries. Utah has a proud tradition of agriculture, spanning animal pro-duction and fruit and vegetable industries, and the state also hosts numerous industries focused on value-added foods and diet enhancement.

Campus closed Dec. 26-30 This holi-‐

day season

we will have

a reduction

in work

time around

the holiday

break. The

University

will be closed on Friday, Dec. 30. As

you know the campus is already closed

(holidays) Dec. 26-‐29. With our stu-‐

dents away, and only one scheduled

workday that week, this reduction

makes good sense in terms of mini-‐

mizing infrastructure costs such as

heating and lighting.

I also recognize that for the third

consecutive year many sacrifices

have been made by our faculty and

staff who have seen small or no sal-‐

ary increases. Deans and directors

should assure that mission-‐essential

staff remain during the day of Dec.

30. Please also remember that this

will not be an ongoing process, but is

appropriate this year.

Utah State is a great place, and we

continue to make significant strides.

Our success in research and academ-‐

ics, in teaching and learning, and

in recruitment and enrollment is a

ref lection of your commitment—

a combined effort of faculty and

staff—to an environment conducive

to student success. I appreciate what is

being done in all areas of the univer-‐

sity.

College of Natural Resources Holiday Concert will feature Libbie Linton, a folk music artist, Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in the TSC International Lounge. The event is free of charge for all students and the general public. Libbie Linton is a Logan native now living in Salt Lake City who will be bringing a guest musician to accompany her. Nate Sorensen and Riley Holgate from the local band Battleschool will kick off the event. Seafinch, a musician from Provo, Utah, will conclude the concert. Each will play original songs mixed with holiday favorites. The Natural Resources College will sell its T-shirts for $1 at the auditorium entrance. Come enjoy free local music that will get you in the mood for the holiday season.

– catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu

College of NR puts on holiday show

The policy of The Utah Statesman

is to correct any error made as soon

as possible. If you find something you

would like clarified or find in error,

please contact the editor at 797-‐1742,

statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu or

come in to TSC 105.

ClarifyCorrect

CampusNews Friday, Dec. 9, 2011Page 2

USU Eastern offers unique courses, degreesBY AMBER MURDOCHstaff writer

opinions on the new changes. Eric Willeitner, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering, said he likes the change. “Some teachers get pretty crazy,” he said. “After so many years of being tenured, they do whatever the heck they want.” It’s good for professors to be constantly evaluated on their performance, said Heather Clawson, an elementary education major. “How good a teacher is doesn’t depend on how long he or she has been a teacher,” Clawson said. “You are only as good as your most recent performance. For example, when I was younger, one of my teachers had been teaching forever, but she was mental. She told us she was Pocahontas’ grandmother, and on our spelling tests she would spell words wrong. When we corrected her, she would say, ‘I was just testing you guys.’” Such teachers — no matter their status or how long they have been at an institution — need to be fired, Clawson said.

However, many tenured professors claim tenure is a vital and necessary part of an institution, Braithwaite said. “Tenure has a positive tradition in higher educa-tion,” Braithwaite said. “Some of our institutions would not be able to attract talented faculty without the ability to confer tenure. It has protected faculty who study and advocate controversial points of view.” Tenure is definitely a positive thing, said Mary Stewart, another elementary education major. Her father is a professor at Utah Valley University, she said, and without tenure, he would have no job security. Justin Jenson, an animal science professor, agreed with Stewart’s claim that tenure provides protection, but said this kind of job safety is not necessarily a posi-tive thing. “It seems to me like once a professor is on tenure, they have reached untouchable status, and then they don’t care about their performance anymore,” Jenson said.

Abass Al Sharif, a non-tenured statistics professor, said he doesn’t think tenure was always a bad thing but certainly needs reform. “I think (tenure) is good for teachers,” Al Sharif said. “This means you proved with your research you are good, but at the same time a lot of teachers get lazy. Maybe we don’t get rid of tenure, but we definitely need to change, like, the criteria and the way it functions.” Tenure, and any changes made to it, is something students should pay attention to, Braithwaite said. “The issue of a quality professoriat has a large impact on student learning,” she said. “Low-quality professors have major negative effects on departments and on students’ attitudes toward subjects.” “When I was a student,” Jenson said, “my classmates used to joke, ‘Yeah, you can go talk to the professor, but he won’t help you — he’s tenured.’”

– evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu

“Previously the students who were most likely to cheat were those from the former Eastern bloc countries,” Olsen said. “They did whatever they needed to get ahead.” This is a tendency, Olsen said, that now seems to be more preva-lent with Chinese students. However, plagiarism is certainly not associated with only one group, Olsen said, but is widespread across the board. He said the one common denominator in plagiarism is the use of technology. Brigham Young University recently exposed a network of large-scale, high-tech, sophisticated cheating rings, Olsen said. Though, nothing like that has ever come to light at USU, there have been rumors, he said. A far more common form of cheating is when desperate students resort to copying and pasting from the Internet. “We see a lot of freshman English

papers plagiarized from online sources,” Olsen said. “Some students unknow-ingly copy from their own professors’ dissertations and research papers. The majority of plagiarism we deal with is far from sophisticated.” Images are also often stolen, Deschamps said. Although many students do not consider it stealing, when students use re-blogging sites like Tumblr and Pinterest without citing the original creator, it is plagiarism. “The Internet is both my greatest tool and my biggest problem,” said art major Denice Brown. “I use the Web to help put my name out there and to sell my work, but then it is much more difficult to keep my art from being stolen.” The Internet is where most students plagiarize from, but it is also increas-ingly how administrators catch those who cheat, Deschamps said. Websites like turnitin.com help identify stolen

works and catch those who plagiarize. Once students do get caught, they face serious consequences, Olsen said. If it is their first infraction, they are placed on academic probation; but more importantly, they usually have a nota-tion placed on their transcript. “Let’s say you are a journalism major and you are applying for a job at The New York Times, but you have a nota-tion on your degree that says ‘plagiarism violation,’” Deschamps said. “You are probably not going to get that job.” Students who plagiarize have their credibility seriously damaged, Olsen said. “If you cheat in classes — especially those of your major requirement — then there are far-reaching consequences, more than just that class. Professors talk to each other, and it will take a student who cheats a long time to live it down.” A lot of students have a casual atti-

tude toward plagiarism, but it’s a serious thing, Deschamps said. “You have to almost feel sorry for some of them,” she said. “They plagia-rize as a spur-of-the-moment thing, but when they get caught, their academic career is hugely affected for the long term.” The good news is repeat offenders are extremely rare, Olsen said. “The majority of students I usu-ally deal with are embarrassed and repentant,” he said. “Either they become amazing at plagiarism and don’t get caught anymore, or they really do change their ways — because as far as I know, almost all of them never cheat again.”

– evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu

From Page 1

Students and faculty say tenure leads to laziness, apathy

From Page 1

Cheating rings exposed at BYU, cheating at USU less organized

USU EASTERN OFFERS SOME PROGRAMS not available at the Logan campus, said USU Eastern Vice Chancellor Greg Benson, including technical degrees. EVAN MILLSAP photo

STAN ALBRECHT

Music to your ears

GWEN GATES, A JUNIOR MAJORING IN MUSIC THERAPY, rehearses with her violin prior to “Symphonie Fantastique” on Thursday. CODY GOCHNOUR photo

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A&EDiversions Friday, Dec. 9, 2011Page 3

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A holiday to remember Families like USU student Andy Glenn’s sit around in the dim of a candlelight dinner eating finger foods, such as pita bread, rolled up meats and pieces of cheese, in remembrance of a Christmas feast that may have taken place centuries ago. Glenn, a pre-med sophomore, said this holiday tradition, the “Nazareth Supper,” has always been important to his family, because it takes them into a setting that reminds them Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. They also eat partially raw fish, and offer cooked fish to those who won’t eat it raw. “It’s kind of just reminded us about what Christmas really is,” Glenn said. “During Christmas, you see the trees and decorations everywhere and it’s Santa and all his elves, but that kind of gives us another boost to remember it’s really about Christ.” After the meal, Glenn said his family reads the story of Christ’s birth from the book of Luke in the Bible. When they were younger, he and his siblings would act out the story with puppets. Often, Christmas traditions are centered around desserts and feasting. Some students’ families have special breakfasts they look forward to all year. A breakfast food unique to Dustin Young’s Christmas mornings is cheese, broccoli and egg rolled up in dough and baked in the oven. Young, an undeclared sophomore, said the presence of this food will always be a reminder of Christmas morning. “I can’t eat orange rolls on any day but Christmas,” said Jeff Niebergall, a

freshmen majoring in engineering. “If I do eat one, I feel like I have to open presents right afterward.” Adding to the holiday value of giv-ing, students such as freshman Rachel Johnson remember their mothers cook-ing in mass production for neighbors and friends. Johnson, who is majoring in bioengineering, said her mother is a whirlwind in the kitchen before Christmas, making at least 14 batches of classic caramels for everyone she knows. Classic Christmas movies and books find their way back into families’ living rooms on Christmas Eve, said Devin Harris, a sophomore majoring in business. His grandfather reads 1950s versions of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Night Before Christmas,” — both copies have pages dangling from the spine. “He reads them with the actions and different voices,” Harris said. “My grandpa is sick this year, so it’s been on my mind a lot thinking about not being able to hear the stories at Christmas. It would be weird not to have them.” Traditions can be as simple as sit-ting down to a difficult puzzle during holiday family gatherings, said Anna Vincent, a sophomore majoring in social work. It creates a time when the whole family can focus on one goal at the same time, she said. “Every Christmas we get a set of Legos and make something together, like a castle,” she said. “It helps us be together and have time to bond.” Lexie Horton’s family bonds with music, she said, playing instruments from the guitar to the piano to the viola, while other family members sing. “We have this talent show at my grandma’s house,” Horton said, “and we mostly play Christmas music.

Sometimes, I really look forward to it. One time, my dad and uncle sang a duet of a random song; I think it was ‘Johnny B. Goode’.” Some students admitted their Christmas traditions are typical of American culture, but Zachery Pope, a freshman majoring in aerospace engineering, said he doesn’t think having unique traditions is the most impor-tant part of the holidays. “It’s nice to have tradi-tions,” Pope said, “but that’s not necessarily the most important part of the holidays — it’s more important to spend time your family.”

–catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu

University artwork travels to California

BY CATHERINE MEIDELL

editor in chief

A collection of art from Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art has made its way to California to be part of the Getty Research Institute initiative “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980.” Victoria Rowe Berry, the executive director of the museum, said she has known about the initiative since the

Getty Research Institute secured image rights from the museum and photo-graphed several pieces of art. Berry said this is the first big connec-tion the museum has made to the L.A. art scene, and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art has been collecting Western art for 30 years — including art from Utah, California, New Mexico as well as the Pacific Northwest. The museum has loaned out 13

pieces to other venues as part of the Getty Research Institute initiative and has shared images from its art catalogue, Berry said. “There are 60 venues, and in almost every venue there is someone that we have in our collection. This is big,” Berry said. “I doubt we’ll see anything quite like this again.” Deb Banerjee, a curator at the museum, said she went to six of the

“Pacific Standard Time” venues in four days. She said she was excited to see the connection to USU. “Every time I turned around a cor-ner, I’d see work from one of our artists,” Banerjee said. She said the Getty Research Institute initiative did an incredible amount of detective work and research to put together their exhibits and find little known works by prominent artists. Berry said the work the institute has done is invaluable to students on cam-pus. Since the museum is located at a university, its curators focus on research and student projects. Research has produced letters from family, history about artists’ lives and notes from the artists themselves. These pieces of information can bring new meaning to old works and help students understand the meaning of the artist’s work, Berry said. The Getty Research Institute has condensed works of art included in the initiative exhibits as well as catalogued information about the pieces. “Having 18 or so volumes that talk about the artists — why they made the art — that is a resource that is going to be phenomenal to help students under-stand it better, and for us to understand it better,” Berry said. The exhibit gives students many tools to learn more about art, Berry said, and it is important to look back at the period between 1945-1980, which is showcased. She said looking at the past provides a more complete understanding of current artwork. By looking at the information the Getty Research Institute has provided, students can make con-nections about the world around them, she said. “Where did it come from?” Banerjee asked. “How did it grow? What is the precedence for what is happening — not just in the art world, but the visual world around us? Film, television — it all came from somewhere, they were all influenced by things.” Rachel Middleman, a professor of art history at USU, said the amount of infor-mation and interpretation on the work

involved with the initiative has increased exponentially since the Getty foundation started the project. She said it is crucial for young artists to understand the recent history of contemporary art and how it fits into the world of art today. In terms of history, Middleman said art in the West is starting to compete with artistic hubs like New York City. The initiative helps art in the West gain more visibility, she said, and artists in Los Angeles and other parts of the West have made groundbreaking and innova-tive advances. “People should appreciate it and see it as inspiration,” Middleman said. “You don’t have to live in New York to do art.” The Getty Research Institute began research 10 years ago, Berry said, and its leaders wanted to look at what was hap-pening in California during the post-war boom. Research shows that many artists escaped the traditional network of art in New York City and went west, Berry said. Some artists were drawn toward Hollywood, where they could be involved in theater and set design in addition to other art. Researchers and curators quickly got on board with the $10 million Getty project. “It was very exciting for scholars and curators to look at this time period and look at what was unique that was happening in California,” Berry said, indicating why financial support was so strong for the project. Students who want to see art from the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art that was loaned to the Getty Research Institute can see it catalogued in the museum lobby. Pieces from “Pacific Standard Time: 1945-1980” provided by the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art will be featured in an on-campus exhibit, fall 2012. Those interested in other pieces from the Getty initiative can download a free smartphone application that details pieces in the exhibit.

– marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu is a work from USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison

Museum of Art, which is inlcuded in “Pacific Standard Time: Los Angeles Art 1945-1980,” an exhibit at the Getty Research

Institute in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art

BY MARISSA SHIELDS

staff writer

Thinkstock photo

A&EDiversions Friday, Dec. 9, 2011Page 4

Curl up with a book this break Hopefully by now you are all whittling away at your homework assignments and getting ready for a month-long break from studying. If your semester was anything like mine, nothing sounds better than doing as little as possible over the break. However, watching all that TV will eventually become tiring, and I have two perfect books for you to curl up on the couch with.

“Gideon’s Gift,” by Karen Kingsbury This is one of those books that takes only a couple hours to read, but one that stays in your mind for weeks. It is a short book, but it packs a punch in meaning. I prom-ise it will make you cry every time — in a good way. People say I’m heartless. I never cry from watching movies, I get more upset when the horses die in mov-ies than people and I gag at sappy love stories. Yet, this book brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. “Gideon’s Gift” centers around two characters. Gideon is a young girl with soulful eyes who also has leukemia. Earl is a homeless man who is cruel to those

around him and attempts to forget his past. These two characters meet when Gideon volun-teers with her parents at the mission and decides Earl is her project. Her mission is to make him smile.When her first attempt doesn’t work, Gideon is discouraged but decides to try even harder. She works for her neighbor to earn enough money to buy Earl a Christmas present. Gideon doesn’t know how the small red pair of gloves she gives him will eventually change both of their lives. I don’t want to spoil the end for you, but the barely cheesy finish to the book is swallowed up in good writ-ing and sympathetic charac-ters. At 143 pages, it doesn’t seem like enough to estab-lish a meaningful story and

develop well-rounded char-acters, but Kingsbury suc-ceeds beyond measure.

“The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey,” by Susan Wojciechowski For those of you with children, this is a must-read Christmas bedtime story. For those of you who don’t have children, read it anyway.“The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey” is a chil-dren’s book I grew up with, and one I plan to read to my own children. My mom and my sister still cry every time we read it. Jonathan Toomey is a grumpy widower carpen-ter who hates Christmas. A widow and her son, who recently moved to town, come into his shop one December day to have a Nativity scene carved to replace the one lost in their move. Her son is interested in carving and Jonathan allows him to sit and watch every day while he carves a new piece, as long as he promises to be quiet. Like other little boys, the young boy cannot stay quiet for long and soon pipes up to tell Jonathan what he is doing wrong and

how the pieces should look. The boy eventually warms Jonathan’s bitter heart, and the story ends with him enjoying life again. Though the story is short and simple, the message is sweet, and the illustrations make everything worth it. The pages are beautiful, and the illustrator really captured the characters’ personalities in his paintings. Anyone who has an appreciation for the Nativity and great artwork will love this book as much as I do. So there you have it. If you haven’t felt the holiday spirit enough yet, these two books can fill the void and warm your insides. Hot cocoa might do that better, but cuddle up on the couch with both and I promise you can’t go wrong.

– Kellyn is the features edi-tor for The Utah Statesman,

and a senior majoring in English with an emphasis

in literary studies. She loves reading both her Kindle and paperback novels. Feedback

can be sent to kellyn.neu-mann@aggiemail.usu.edu

Seeing as it’s the Christmas season, this week I’d like to dis-cuss a few of my favorite guilty holiday movie pleasures.

‘Ernest Saves Christmas’ This is a silly film from the late 1980s. Don’t expect a deep or moving message like you’d get from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” After Santa flies into Orlando, he gets picked up by taxi cab driver Ernest (Jim Varney), a Christmas fanatic. As their ride progresses, Santa informs Ernest he is on his way to turn a chil-dren’s television host into the next Santa. Confusion occurs when a run-away teenage girl joins Santa and Ernest. Santa accidentally leaves his magic sack with Ernest, leav-ing him to track Santa down. Ernest takes on a plethora of disguises in his search, includ-ing an employee of the gover-nor, a snake rancher and an old woman. It’s all ridiculous and hilarious. You can watch it to make fun of it. Know what I mean?

‘All I Want For Christmas’ Cute and adorable Hallie O’Fallon (Thora Birch, “Patriot Games”) steals the show in her quest to reunite her divorced par-ents. She is a spunky kid willing to go all the way to the top and ask Santa Claus to give her that extra special gift. Realizing Santa may not be up to the challenge, Hallie’s brother Ethan takes matters into his own hands. Collaborating with his first teenage crush Stephanie, they plan and execute an elaborate scheme to separate the siblings’ mother from her fiancé and bring their parents back together in a single night. The comedy and chaos that ensue will have you rolling on the floor. The story is familiar, but the actors add a level of silliness that makes this film enjoyable.

‘The Christmas Secret’ If you’ve ever heard of this movie, I’d be shocked. Inspired by his experience of being saved by a flying rein-deer as a child, college professor Jerry McNeil (Richard Thomas, “The Waltons”) devotes his life to researching flying squirrels. One of the students in his class brings him a book written by a scientist from the 1800s

documenting the science of fly-ing reindeer. Intrigued by this idea, Jerry feverishly studies the book and gathers evidence looking for proof so he can change the world. When he decides to trav-el to Alaska to gather empirical evidence, his plane crashes and soon after he wakes up at the North Pole. I like this movie because it attempts to explain the anatomy and engineering of reindeer. It also teaches a touching lesson about family and is full of come-dic moments. If you can find it, I’d suggest you watch it.

‘White Christmas’ Finally, “White Christmas” rises to the top of the list as my favorite Christmas movie. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play musically talented military men Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who join forces after World War II and become a dynamic duo — famous all over the country. Through a letter supposedly from an old war buddy, the two run into gifted sister act Betty and Judy Haynes, played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, respec-tively — Yes, Rosemary Clooney is the mother of George Clooney. “White Christmas” is full of songs from Irving Berlin. The dance numbers showcase talent rarely seen in movies today. The chemistry between the characters is phenomenal, the comedy is superb and the songs are memorable. If you only see one movie this Christmas season, let this be the one. It’s perfect for solo viewing, a date or for an entire family.

— Spencer Palmer is a gradu-ate student working toward an

MBA with a recent bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Email

him at spencer.palmer@aggi-email.usu.edu.

The incredible, edible home

“UP HOUSE,” BY HILARY WARNER ROBINSON AND ROSALYN WARNER, is displayed at Coppin’s Hallmark

as part of the 12th annual Parade of Gingerbread Homes. Downtown Logan businesses will feature the edible homes from Dec.

2-30. HOLLY REYNOSO photo

Remembering holiday classics

StaffGuy XXXX“Gideon’s Gift” &

“The Christmas Miracle”

Kellyn Neumann

Book Review

Curl up with a book this break“Gideon’s Gift” &

“The Christmas

Holiday movies

Spencer Palmer

movie Review

Bring this Ad With You for the Special!

www.utahstatesman.com

FridaySportsFriday, Dec. 9, 2011

Page 5

Intramural champions

BY TAVIN STUCKIsports editor

All winter intramural championship games were held Wednesday, Dec 8. Jenzu defeated Ridin’ Solo 6-5 to claim the women’s league title and commemora-tive T-shirts Wednesday night. “It feels really great,” sopho-more Casey Patrick of Jenzu said. “I feel like I’m on top of the world right now. It was a tough game. We just never gave up.” Ridin’ Solo had a halftime lead, but Jenzu held up with tough defense and possession to get the victory. Scissor Me Timbers beat Gryffindor 10-5 in the co-rec final. Made up entirely of super-visors and referees from the intramural sports staff, Scissor Me Timbers built up a 6-2 halftime lead and kept the foot on the pedal in the second. “It feels so good,” Scissor Me Timbers’ Jill Firnage said. “We just like to pass the ball around — get good shots off.” The senior majoring in physical education had to leave the game briefly after taking a corner kick straight to the head, but returned in the sec-ond half. “I got rocked in the face,” Firnage said. “It feels good to come back with a victory.” Qatar rolled over the Panthers 9-2 in the men’s league final. The team made up of inter-national students built up a three-goal lead at half, amid clapping and chanting from its support section.

– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu

TouchBaseAggieSchedules

Women’s Basketball

Basketball

Football

Gymnastics

Hockey

BY TAVIN STUCKIsports editor

The Utah State football team will face the Ohio Bobcats in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Dec. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Boise, Idaho. The Bobcats are 9-4 on the season, including a 20-point win over the Western Athletic Conference’s New Mexico State at the beginning of the season. Ohio also blew a 20-point lead in the second half of the Mid-American Conference Championship game, to lose by three to Northern Illinois. USU head coach Gary Andersen said because of Ohio head coach Frank Solich’s ties with Nebraska, where he helped win three national champion-ships as an assistant coach, the Bobcats will have good coaching. “I know they are going to be well coached,” Andersen said. “Anybody who follows college football is well aware of his past, and what he has been able to do as a head football coach is very special. It will be a very good football team we are playing.

They are used to going to bowl games, and they are used to winning.” The Bobcats are quarter-backed by sophomore Tyler Tettleton. The Oklahoma native has thrown for more than 3000 yards with a 63.6 percent

completion rate and 26 touch-downs this season, but threw three interceptions in the loss to NIU. Ohio has three receivers with five or more touchdowns, and senior running back Donte Harden is 61 yards away from

breaking the 1000-yard mark this season. The high-powered offense should be a good challenge for the USU defense, led by senior linebacker Bobby Wagner, which allows 4.9 yards per play. Wagner said he has watched

some film on Ohio’s offense. “Their offense is pretty good,” Wagner said. “I’m excited to play them. I’m excited to be in the first bowl game we’ve had for a long time. I’m excited for all the events that will take place.” Ohio’s defense allows roughly 350 yards of total offense per game. Aggie running back Robert Turbin said Utah State will run the ball anyway. “We’ve got a lot of tough-minded guys at the running back spot and on the O-Line,” Turbin said. “It’s tough when they know you’re going to run the ball. We kind of have the mindset that it doesn’t matter who we play, and whether they know we’re going to run the ball or not, we still want to run the football.” Turbin promised students and fans during halftime of a basketball game Nov. 30 that Utah State will win the bowl. A good running game against the Bobcats will be essential for the Aggies to make Turbin’s promise true.

Taking Bobcats’ temperature

JUNIOR QUARTERBACK ADAM KENNEDY will start for the Aggies in the Famous Idaho

Potato Bowl against Ohio. Kennedy is undefeated as a starter for USU. CODY GOCHNOUR photo

Basketball in full swing during winter breakBY TYLER HUSKINSONassistant sports editor

Utah State will play eight games over the holiday break, including the Athletes in Action tournament, sponsored by Gossner Foods. The schedule has six home games and two road games. Also, conference play will begin Jan. 5 at home against Fresno State. Here’s a rundown for each matchup:

Wichita State – Wichita, Kan., Dec. 10

The Shockers will be a tough task. Wichita State 6-2 defeated then No. 20 University of Nevada, Las Vegas 89-70 at home and barely fell to No. 15 Alabama. Senior guard Toure’ Murry aver-

ages 13.8 points per game to lead a trio of Shockers who are averaging double digits. Joe Ragland and Garrett Stutz average 11 points per game and three other Wichita State players average just under 10 points per game. Utah State defeated Wichita State 68-58 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, as part of the ESPNU Bracketbuster.

Seattle – Logan, Dec. 17

After its journey to Wichita, USU will be at home for four consecutive games. The Aggies will face a future Western Athletic Conference foe in the Seattle Redhawks. Senior guard Aaron Brussard leads Seattle in scoring with 14

The end is final-ly near, and while we’re all busting our butts to study for finals, I thought it fitting to take a look back at a semester of Aggie sports. At The Statesman, we’ve come a long way from the three-person sports staff that started the year and our teams have, too. These are my favorite things The Statesman has reported in the past four months. The soccer team had a historic season with its 15-5-2 record, as the best ever by a Utah State soccer squad. The women played amaz-ingly well all season and even made an appear-ance in the NCAA tournament. Three of their five losses were at the hands of good soccer schools like Tulsa, BYU and Oklahoma State, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. We saw the breakout performance from freshman forward Jade Tarver, who wowed fans with her quick feet. Senior goalkeeper Molli Merrill climbed to No. 11 in the NCAA goalie standings and senior Shantel Flanary shattered records all season long. Utah State hockey is ranked No. 1 in the West and rightfully so. The Aggies debuted rookie tal-ent in Brian Gibbons, who has become one of their leading scorers. Earlier this season, the Aggies beat D-I powerhouses Lindonwood and Michigan State, showing that their talents go far beyond the reach of their D-II ranking. Oh, and Tyler Mistelbacher and Jeff Sanders are having the best seasons of their Utah State careers. The volleyball team found they had some young talent when star Josselyn White injured her ankle. Freshmen Rachel Orr and Kaitlyn Van Hoff stepped up and showed off their skills. The two played great for the Aggies and, even though the team didn’t have the great sea-son they did last year, the young talents that broke through this season give a lot of hope for the future. If any Utah State team deserves a shout-out, it is the men’s cross-coun-

try team, led by Brian McKenna. For the sixth time in seven years, the team took home a WAC title. McKenna won his second individual title. The senior also got an at-large bid for the NCAA championships and placed 63rd in the nation. Also deserving recognition is Daniel Howell. Howell placed fourth at the WAC championships and received first-team all-WAC honors along with Brian McKenna and his younger brother Kyle McKenna. Yes, that’s right, Brian McKenna has a brother running for Utah State. The best part is that Kyle just a freshman. No recap of Aggie sports would be complete without mention of the Utah State football team. For the first time in my three years at USU, there’s more buzz about football than basketball. To start the season off, Anthony Calvillo, for-mer USU quarterback, broke the all-time passing record with more yards than any quarterback ever and the news about Aggie football only got better. Sure they had their ups and downs, but they wowed fans with their performances against Auburn for three-and-a-half quarters at least. Everyone fell in love with Chuckie Keeton. I seem to remember someone even vowing to name their first child Chuckie — I think I’ll hold him to his word. Then tragedy struck when Keeton went down with a sting-er in the Hawaii game. Then everyone fell in love with Adam Kennedy. The freshman stepped in for the Aggies and led them to an imposs ib le v i c t o r y

over the Wahine. Now just a few weeks later the Aggies are headed to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Sure the Aggies may have set the record for most games decided by a touchdown or less and are the cause of high blood pressure across Cache Valley. It’s a rough life being an Aggie fan, but it’s worth it in the end. See you in Boise.

– Meredith Kinney is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and an avid

hockey fan. She hopes one day to be a big-shot sideline report

working for ESPN. Send comments to meredith.

kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu

Looking back at Aggie Athletics in fall 2011

Meredith Kinney

A

Tomboy’s

Take

See GOSSNER, Page 6

See FOOTBALL Page 7

SENIOR POINT GUARD BROCKEITH PANE looks to pass during a game in

the Spectrum earlier this season. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo

For Your Princess

S.E. Needham Qualityat Internet Pricing

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011Page 6 StatesmanSports

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE GUARD PRESTON MEDLIN scored a team-high 13 points against Utah Valley Dec. 6. JAMIE CRANE photo

BY CURTIS LUNDSTROM

staff writer

The Utah State women’s basketball team faces a six-game holiday schedule from Dec. 10 to Jan. 7. The schedule includes two games on the road and four home games before conference play starts Jan. 12. Here’s a rundown for each matchup:

Idaho State – Pocatello, Idaho, Dec. 10

When these two teams met last season, ISU came out of the Spectrum with a 12-point victory and ended a five-game Aggie winning streak. The 5-4 Bengals are led by sophomore guard Lindsay Reed, who is averaging 11.8 points per game in nine starts this season. USU will look to avenge last year’s loss behind senior forward Ashlee Brown. Brown is currently fourth in the WAC in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. She’s also fifth in rebounding with 8.4 rebounds per game and second in field-goal percentage at .502 percent.

BYU – Logan, Dec. 17

The two teams met twice last season, once in the regular season and once in the NIT tournament. Both games were played in Provo, and the Aggies suffered significant defeats on both occasions. The Cougars are led by sophomore guard Kim Parker, who averages 13.7 points per game and heads a balanced offense with seven players that average at least 6.6 points per game.

Northern Arizona – Logan, Dec. 19

The Lumberjacks are 5-4, following a double-digit victory over CS, Fullerton at home Dec 4. Junior guard Amy Patton leads the team in both scoring, at 13.4 points per game, and rebounding at 7.8 per game. UNA comes to Logan looking to avenge last season’s overtime loss to USU.

Boise State – Boise, Idaho, Dec. 22

When the two teams met at the Spectrum last month, senior guard Brooke Jackson had 27 points to lead the Aggies to a 97-86 shootout victory. The Broncos fell to 3-2 and currently hold a 5-4 record after a loss to Seattle University Dec. 4.

Asbury University – Logan, Jan. 3

The Eagles boast three players who average at least 10 points per game, despite a 5-8 record. Asbury, a liberal arts institu-tion in Kentucky, has a team that averages 76.2 points per game, while shooting 31.9 percent from the field.

Utah Valley University – Logan, Jan. 7

The 2 p.m. game will conclude non-con-ference play. The Wolverines are currently 3-3 and winless on the road. Utah State won in Orem last season and will look to repeat that performance at home.

What to watch for:

Utah State’s offense has multiple options on the offensive end, with five different players averaging at least 8.5 points per game. Junior guard Devyn Christensen leads the WAC in free-throw percentage at 86.1 percent, and is ninth in 3-pointers made, at 1.4 per game. Jackson is one of two Aggie players averaging double digits in scoring at 12.8 points per game. The transfer from Arizona is also shooting 42 percent from the 3-point line in eight starts, and trails only Brown in minutes played for the Aggies. The Aggies lead the WAC in blocks per game, at 4.2, and are second in both field-goal percentage, at .422 percent per game, and assist-to-turnover ratio with a 0.9 rate.

– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.eduJUNIOR GUARD DEVYN CHRISTENSEN looks to score in a game against Boise State University. She was named preseason second-team all-WAC this year. KIMBERLY SHORTS photo

points per game, while Eric Wallace averages 10.5 points per game. Seattle is 2-4 on the season but the Redhawks have tradi-tionally been successful in basketball, despite not having a conference affiliation.

Athletes in Action Classic – Sponsored by Gossner Foods

This season’s greatest test at home might come during the Athletes in Action Classic sponsored by Gossner Foods. This season the Aggies welcome St. Peter’s, Kent State and and University of Texas, Arlington. St. Peter’s won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last sea-son, and Kent State is perennially one of the top mid-major basketball programs. Arlington is a future WAC foe from the same conference

as Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. The Aggies fell to Corpus Christi on the road earlier this season 58-55 in overtime.

Mississippi State – Starkville, Miss., Dec. 31

The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 18 and might be the most difficult opponent USU faces all season. The Aggies will not likely see Mississippi State in the Spectrum, because head coach Stew Morrill began schedul-ing games against tougher opponents with no return-game guarantee last season.

Fresno State – Logan, Jan. 5

USU will open WAC play the week before school begins with a home series against Fresno State. The Bulldogs are 4-5 with losses to future-WAC member University of Texas, San

Antonio on Nov. 22, and Manhattan on Nov. 21. This game will be the final game between the two schools as members of the WAC, because both Fresno State and Nevada are leaving at the end of the season to move to the Mountain West Conference.

Nevada – Logan, Jan, 7

The Wolf Pack has a decent overtime win 76-73 over the University of Washington on Dec. 2, but also lost by 22 at home to Missouri State in the first game of the season. Nevada also lost to BYU 76-55 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 25.

– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu.

From Page 5

Gossner Classic will likely host best home competition for Utah State this season

Women’s B-ball warms up Aggies will play six games over holidays

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 Page 7StatesmanSports

Goalie back in the net BY MEREDITH KINNEY

sports senior writer

When Aggie goalkeeper Bryce Scherschel stepped into net in mid-November, the sophomore had not seen game action since last year’s ACHA National Tournament in March. He picked up a victory that night, marking his return to hockey. “All the guys in the locker room were saying ‘Let’s play really defen-sively and help him out,’” Scherschel said about his return to the ice. “They did. All the defensemen and the forwards played very well.” Back on the ice, he said, he is happy to report he has no pain. “No pain, no side effects,” Scherschel said. “I have full range of motion. It was a good game to come back on.” After playing nationals last season with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, Scherschel decided to have surgery to repair his hip. “I guess in layman’s terms, my ball and socket wasn’t fitting together right.” Scherschel said. “I played nationals with a cracked pelvis and I also had a torn labrum, so the surgeon had to sew that up as well.” Scherschel said the injury was unavoidable. FIS is a birth defect that limits the range of motion, something problematic for a goal-tender who relies on his flexibility to stop shots. “I think it was something I was

born with,” Scherschel said. “I’m not sure if my other hip has it, too. But more than anything I think it was overuse.” He said he has no regrets about playing through pain to help out his team on its biggest stage. “I’m sure if you talk to any other athlete, they’ll tell you you’re expected to play through pain,” Scherschel said. “Especially at that level, you kind of want to get in as many games as you can.” The Calgary, Alberta, native opted to have the surgery in Salt Lake City soon after the end of last season and spent months in rehab to come back this season. Scherschel said the road to recovery was a long one. The engineering major spent time working with physical therapists in Canada and then returned to the states for this school year, working with Alys Staten, the hockey team’s trainer. For the first 30 days after the surgery he couldn’t put any weight on the repaired leg. “The first month after surgery I was on crutches,” Scherschel said. “I couldn’t do anything — it was non-weight bearing.” At two months he started walk-ing again, and by the fifth month he was back on the ice. He has now played five games for the Aggies and has a .89 save percentage. The question now is how he will fit into a four-goalie system? This off season, the Aggies

brought in Allesandro Mullane and Russell McKay. Those two, along with four-year veteran Cody Palmer, have established a strong goalie staff for USU. Scherschel said he’s just trying to find a place on the team. “Coming back, I expect no change from what has been happen-ing; there are going to be no guar-antees,” Scherschel said. “The four of us are going to have to compete every week to see time in the net. The team’s very fortunate to be in a situation where we can put anyone in net and still be successful.” Scherschel said he knows it’s going to be a battle. While on injured reserve, three goalies fought each week to play. “When I was on the IR, it was a battle every week between the three of them to see who would be getting the starts for the upcoming weekend,” Scherschel said. He said adding a fourth player into the mix isn’t going to change that. Despite being in pain most of last season, Scherschel had 11 starts for the Aggies. As a freshman, he had a .93 save percentage and got the opportunity to be in net for Utah State during its national bid. “I was lucky last year that as a freshman I was able to start two of the three games at nationals, but there are no guarantees of what’s going to happen this year,” Scherschel said.

– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu

AGGIE GOALKEEPER BRYCE SCHERSCHEL had surgery after a femoroacetabu-lar impingement syndrome diagnosis in the 2010 postseason. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo

“Yes, maybe I shouldn’t have said it that way,” Turbin said. “I usually don’t guarantee those kind of things. I said it because I’m confident. I’m confident in this team. I’m confident in our fans — more so than any other fans in college football. “I want to bring home a trophy just for our fans. I want them to be confident in us, too. And if we lose, well, then I guess I’m an idiot. If we win, I’m not. I’m willing to take that risk.” For the seniors on the USU football team, the bowl game will be the last time they wear an Aggie uniform. “I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet,” senior line-man Funaki Asisi said. “From what I do feel, it feels

great. It’s a feeling of accomplishment. It makes you appreciate all the hard work. Even though we had heartbreakers and stuff like that this year, it’s worth it now.” Wide receiver Eric Moats is another who will play his last game in Boise, Idaho. “It’s kind of weird when you say ‘last game,’” Moats said. “This is kind of all over my head at the moment, but it’s been great. I love all the guys on the team and I’m really happy that I ended up coming here. It’s been all worth it now that we got that bowl game.”

– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu

From Page 5

Football team to play in Boise Dec. 17Indoor Soccer

IntramuralResults3-0n-3 Basketball

What started a com-munity’s dream to create a family-friendly theater 15 years ago became a reality in 1995. In Collinston, Utah, Old Barn Community Theatre was ready for business. Two hundred seats outline the Old Barn’s stage in a square formation, which allows view-ers to see the productions from all angles, making some feel they are part of the action. Jolynn Jex, who spent 10 years on the theater’s board of directors, said the barn was drafty when it opened in the beginning, but after all the work that was put into it the outcome was rewarding. It was used to house the StageStop Theatre a few years before, but needed a lot of work to get it ready to perform in, Jex said. Tasks that needed completion include putting in new seats, new carpet, black curtains behind seat-ing areas, dressing rooms, outside lighting and technical improvements, such as a new soundboard, Jex said. She said volunteer efforts made the revamp possible. Those who participate in Old Barn productions from actors to sound techs do so volun-

tarily. Ticket and concession revenue goes toward theater upkeep and producing the next show, Jex said. The history of the Old Barn dates back to pioneer days in the 1860s, when Ben Hampton and William Godbe were look-ing for a way to cross the Bear River ford by ferry, according to the Utah State History website. A bridge was built on the river right next to the Old Barn and the original building was used as a stage barn. Over time, people started to travel by train more often when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed and the ford cross-ing wasn’t as widely used. The Old Barn has hosted a variety of shows, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “A Christmas Carol.” Each show takes a lot of effort from everyone involved, said Laura Hull, the holiday production director. The production is Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”. Hull said directing takes a lot of time. For this produc-tion, which plays Dec. 2-17, the actors auditioned in September. They had more than 30 rehearsals. The music for the show comes from Irving Berlin

classics, but coming up with the music outline started in the spring, she said. Getting everyone’s costumes ready was another big challenge for every show. After actors were selected, people in charge of costumes decide what period or place the play will depict and and then buy the fabric, Hull said. Hull designs and creates most of the plays’ costumes. For “White Christmas,” Hull said she looked for 1950s retro patterns. There are about six people who sew the costumes together and make the actors look like they stepped out of the scenes they are portraying. Hull said it’s not unusual for entire families to be involved with productions, whether acting or behind the scenes. Carol Greer, who worked on “A Christmas Carol,” said the Old Barn is a great place where parents can take their kids and introduce them to theater. Students who are interested in theater, or just want something fun and active to do, should check out what this entertain-ing and historic theater has to offer, Greer said.

— trinaland7@gmail.com

SpecialFeatures Friday, Dec. 9, 2011Page 8

Christmas in the

BarnBY KATRINA ANNE PERKINSphotographer

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES IN THE OLD BARN perform a scene in their current production “White Christmas.” The play’s last showing will be Dec. 17. KRISTINA ANNE PERKINS photo

THE OLD BARN COMMUNITY THEATRE in Collinston, Utah, opened for business in 1998, but the barn itself is more than 100 years old. KRISTINA ANNE PERKINS photo

AN ACTRESS PERFORMS the “White Christmas” song “Let Me Sing and I’ll Be Happy.” KRISTINA ANNE PERKINS photo

NEW SEATS WERE ADDED to the Old Barn Community Theatre. The seats have always been situated in rows on each side of the wooden stage. They were constructed this way make the audience feel a part of the performance. KRISTINA ANNE PERKINS photo

A WALL LEADING INTO THE THEATRE is covered in horseshoes. Each horseshoe represents someone who has donated money so the Old Barn Theatre can continue its community tradition. KATRINA ANNE PERKINS photo

Pathem™ Puzzle Solution

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SpecialFeaturesFriday, Dec. 9, 2011 Page 9

BY RICHARD FAUSSET, JAMES OLIPHANT AND STEPHEN CEASARLos Angeles Times (MCT) Once more there were gunshots, a lockdown and a campus community trapped in offices and classrooms, waiting in fear. Once more, there was ter-ror at Virginia Tech. Less than five years after a deranged undergraduate carried out the bloodiest shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history, the sprawling, picturesque campus between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains was paralyzed Thursday by an incident that left a university police officer dead, as well as an unidenti-fied man reported to have been the shooter. Many details were hazy Thursday night; police would divulge neither a motive nor the names of the victims. Nor would they confirm that the case was, as reported by several news outlets, a murder-suicide _ even though the university told students and employees in the late afternoon that there was “no longer an active threat,” and a

state police sergeant encour-aged media to “read between the lines” when asked if the gunman was still at bay. While the tally of dead did not approach the 32 killed on April 16, 2007, by Seung-Hui Cho, the resurgence of fear and grief could not be mea-sured in numbers. “It’s unimaginably sad,” Andrew S. Becker, associate chair of the Foreign Languages and Literatures department, who had left campus 30 minutes before the news of the shooting, said in an email. “ ... Those who lost loved ones or friends on April 16, 2007 now have the scars opened, again. I feel for the families of the two we know have been killed.” Thursday’s shooting came on the same day that university officials, including the campus police chief, were in Washington, D.C., appeal-ing a $55,000 fine by the U.S. Department of Education for the school’s failure to provide a “timely warning” in response to the 2007 tragedy. Federal officials criticized officials for waiting more than two hours after students were shot in a dorm before sending out an email warning.

Since the Cho shooting, however, the school took the lead among American universities in implementing a sophisticated emergency notification system. Praised Thursday by school officials as highly effective, it alerted fac-ulty and students on phones, desktops and social media outlets moments after the first shooting occurred. “Gun shots reported _ Coliseum parking lot,” it said. “Stay Inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help.” It occurred on a campus sleepier than usual. Thursday was a “reading day,” the cram day before final exams, with no classes scheduled. Authorities said that around 12:15 p.m. EST, a four-year veteran officer with the campus police was conducting a routine traffic stop in a parking lot near the Cassell Coliseum arena, when a gun-man approached the officer and fired at him in view of several witnesses. The suspect then fled across campus as officials put out a description: white male, gray sweat pants, gray hat with neon-green brim, maroon

Gunshots, death again at Virginia Tech

Putin planning image change to calm Soviet fears after election

hoodie with backpack. They had essentially described the campus every-man. But eventually, a second body was found in another parking lot, and a weapon was recovered. The voluntary lockdown that had kept students and employees at their desks for hours _ in many cases posting Facebook updates on their status _ was lifted before sundown. At a news conference late Thursday afternoon, officials emphasized that the investigation was ongoing, and that many of the details required further confirma-tion. Virginia State Police Sgt. Bob Carpentieri said it was “a possibility” that the crime was connected to a robbery the night before in nearby Radford, Va. A number of students said they felt adequately warned by officials employing the new emergency response system. Freshman Bronwyn Foley, 18, of Salem, Va., was crossing the broad green Drill Field at the center of campus when sirens began blaring.“I immediately received a text message that told me what was happening and to go back

to my dorm,” she said. Ryan Waddell, 21, a junior from Virginia Beach, Va., said that since 2007, students are well aware of the safety proce-dures, which are explained to them during orientation. However, it is nearly impossible to ensure 100 percent safety at a large, open campus like Virginia Tech, with its city-sized enroll-ment of more than 30,000. Earlier this year, Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, in his appeal of the

federal fine to an administra-tive judge, accused “federal bureaucrats” of “Monday-morning quarterbacking at its very worst” in criticizing the school’s response to the Cho shooting. In a statement Thursday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said his department wanted to do “everything possible to help prevent future threats to campus safety, both in Virginia and across the country.”

POLICE REACT to gunshots at Va. Tech campus, from this file photo from 2007. /AP photo

BY SCOTT ROSE(c) 2011, Bloomberg News

MOSCOW - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plans to change his public image after more than a decade as Russia’s top politician to stem discontent over Sunday elec-tions that may hurt his bid to return to the Kremlin. Putin, 59, who is run-ning for the presidency next year, told party officials in charge of regional outreach on Tuesday that he is willing to change his stance on “stra-tegic priorities” and overhaul his Cabinet, according to a transcript published by the government. In an election marred by complaints of violations, including ballot-stuffing, the ruling United Russia party lost 12 million votes, or more than a quarter of the support it garnered four years ago. Three nights of protests since the balloting sent stocks and the ruble tumbling. “We’ll see the new Putin before the elections, 100 per-cent,” said Sergei Markov, a former United Russia Duma deputy who heads the Institute of Political Studies. “If nothing is done, the down-ward trend will continue. Putin must stop it.” Thousands of people took to Moscow streets in the two days after the vote to protest election results, with another mass rally planned. Police said they also detained about 90 people at unsanctioned demonstrations Wednesday night in the capital and St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. About 300 people were detained in Moscow in each of the previous two eve-nings. The election lacked fair-ness as United Russia benefit-ed from uneven access to state resources and media coverage, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a Monday report. Observers noted evidence of ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities at the polls, it said.

The

Solidarity movement, an umbrella opposition group, plans to stage a rally Saturday near the Kremlin, which may attract 10,000 people or more. Russians have the right to protest provided that they act within the law, Putin told members of his All-Russia People’s Front Thursday in Moscow. The group of sup-porters, which includes social and professional groups, was created this year to renew United Russia’s Duma ranks amid dwindling support for the party. “The election results clearly demonstrate the cur-rent regime’s shrinking sup-port,” Vladimir Pantyushin, chief economist for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States at Barclays Capital in Moscow, said in an e-mail yesterday. “Without substantial political reforms, this trend is likely to continue, we believe, raising the risk of more violent and widespread protests in the near future.” The improvement in living standards since Putin became president in 2000 means the demonstrations are “unlikely to pose a significant threat to the ruling elite,” Vladimir Tikhomirov, an economist at Moscow-based Otkritie Financial Corp., wrote in an emailed note. “The average Russian has a great deal to lose and is there-fore disinclined to take to the

streets,” Tikhomirov wrote. “This makes the Russian situation completely different from the recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.” The premier backed the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev after his maximum second-consecutive term ended in 2008. Putin’s support has waned as stalling wage growth and the government’s failure to curb corruption

repels voters. “Of course, people expect a Putin 2.0,” Dmitry Peskov, the premier’s spokesman, said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. posted on its website on Dec. 5. “It’s obvious that the party will have to reinvent itself and Putin, as a candidate for another presidential term in this country, will have to pres-ent new ideas, proposals and make new alliances.”

Putin may devote more time to public dialog on policy, according to Markov. He may also take more ideological positions, such as supporting traditional values, he said. “Putin himself is fairly conservative, and while he’s someone capable of change, he’s less so than he used to be,” said Igor Bunin, the presi-dent of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow-based research institute. “His

entourage is also conservative. There are basically no mod-ernizing types left.” Putin “has to reposition himself and his policies,” Roland Nash, chief investment strategist at Moscow-based Verno Capital which manages $175 million of assets, said in a an e- mailed response to questions. “He will have to become more interventionist and more of a politician.”

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Answers elsewhere in this issue!

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 9, 2011

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Thursday’s Puzzle SolvedBy Robert W. Harris 12/9/11

(c)2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 12/9/11

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Cache County Sub for Santa is seeking those that would like to sponsor a child/children for the Christmas season. !If you are interested in helping provide Christmas for those in need, contact the Cache County Sub for Santa office at 752-6315 (office hours: 9 - 6 p.m. Monday-Friday ). !Gifts must be delivered to the drop-off sites by December 9th. !Cash donations are also appreciated. !Send donations to: !Cache County Sub for Santa, PO Box 4603, Logan, UT !84323. !You may also select a child or a family from the Shopko Sharing Tree beginning Friday, November 25th.

Pickleville’s Christmas Show is December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 19, 23 (Two shows on the 23rd, matinee at 1:30p.m.) in the Eccles Conference Center, Utah State University. $16 Adults, $12 Children. Pickleville Christmas is back again, now more hilarious than ever. Written by T.J. Davis, this unique, family-fun show will light the fire of Christmas under any “Grinchified-Scroogie-Bum” in town and is sure to become one of your favorite Holiday traditions for years to come.

On Dec 9th Acoustic artist Becky Kimball will perform from 6:00 to 7:00pm at Pier 49 San Francisco Style Sourdough Pizza. She will be followed by one of the most talented young performers in Cache Valley, Keiyana Osmond, who will perform at from 7:00 to 8:00pm. Take an evening to come hear them; you won’t be disappointed! Pier 49 Pizza is

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Today’s Issue

Today is Friday, Dec. 9, 2011. Today’s issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Susan Keeley, a fresh-‐man majoring in ele-‐mentary education from Star Valley, Wyo.

WeatherHigh: 30° Low: 11°Skies: Sunny with no

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Today in History: British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, and his wife, Princess Diana. Major explained the royal couple were separating “amicably.”

Almanac

Utah StatesmanThe

Holiday Boutique- 10 to 4 p.m. Swaner EcoCenter

Gymnastics Blue and White Exhibition-1 p.m. HPER

Senior Violin Recital of Emily Williams-5 p.m The Performance Hall

Twentieth Century- 7:30 p.m. Morgan Theatre

True Aggie Night- 11:45 to 1 .a.m

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located at 99 East 1200 South. There is no cover charge; everyone is welcome. On Dec. 10 Singer/songwriter Cherish Tuttle returns to Pier 49 San Francisco Style Sourdough Pizza from 6:00 to 8:00pm. If you’ve never heard Cherish before, you won’t want to miss this chance to hear one of the valley’s most talented performing artists. Pier 49 Pizza is located at 99 East 1200 South. Everyone is invited. Come enjoy some excellent music and pizza! Dec. 9-12 from 5 to 9 p.m. Live Nativity Benefit for the Cache Food pantry is a recreation of the New Testament story of Christs birth in the setting of a early 20th Century Barn and Farm Yard. Live actors, a camel,donkeys,sheep and other farm animals help make this a oportunity to contemplate the humble circustances of Christ birth. Located at 2800 South 800 West in Nibley 2 miles south of Renegade sports. The suggested admission is One canned food item per person or $2 per person over 4yrs/ Families $10. Everyone welcome regarless of ability to contribute. Scout Saturday - Dec 10 Webelos and Cub Scouts 10:00am-12:00pm; Boy Scouts 1:00pm-3:00m Cost: $6.00 for Webelos and Cub Scouts, $10.00 for Boy Scouts SNC’s registered Scout counselor presents a day of geology just for Scouts! Cub Scouts and Webelos can earn their geology badge in the morning session, while Boy Scouts will earn their geology badge in the afternoon. Registration required (by Dec. 3 for Boy Scouts). For more information,