The band “Anberlin” played Friday night at the Utah State University end of year bash. The concert took place in the street on Aggie Bull-evard. The band went on around 9 p.m. after local openers played.
The band arrived in Logan around 2 p.m. Band members Deon Rexroat and Christian McAlhaney wished they had more time to explore the city.
“Sometimes it’s really hectic and we’re flying a lot,” Rexroat said. “For example, this weekend we have flights at six in the morning every day. After the show we will probably just try to sleep a bit because thats like a 4 o’clock lobby call.”
“We are usually gone ten months out of the year, it’s kind of just the name of the game when you’re in a band,” McAlhaney said. “It goes hand in hand, being on the road and being a musician.”
The members of the band are used to the lifestyle of being on tour. When they aren’t traveling, they are waiting for shows to start.
“We only work an hour out of the day on stage you know give or take sound checks or other stuff so the rest of the day it’s like, whatever you want to do,” McAlhaney said.
McAlhaney, Rexroat and the other members of the band try to do something positive with that time.
“The last tour we were on in the states we worked with an organization called Down Time that works specifically with bands,” McAlhaney said. “We basically did a bunch of charity work during our day. We organized with local charities in the cities and they would set it up, then we would say ‘hey if you want to meet the band were going to go work in this community garden today’ and then fans would come and help.”
The band in between tours plays at many colleges all over the country.
“We play at Universities a lot, we were at purdue last weekend and USC a couple weekends ago,” Rexroat said.
Although the group travels a lot, McAlhaney tries to explore every place he goes.
“Logan is beautiful. I might walk around the campus and see what’s going on,” McAlhaney said. “We usually try to explore the city we’re in, like if we’re over seas, we try to see the sights.”
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Freedom Writers Presentation Feat. Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell, author of “The Freedom Writers Diary,” spoke Wednesday night in the Taggart Student Center ballroom at 7 p.m. The presentation was followed by a book signing and included the awarding of a freedom writers scholarship to a local Cache Valley teacher.
Gruwell started the presentation with a clip from the movie based off of her story, “The Freedom Writers.”
“They hated reading, they hated writing, they hated each other and the only thing that brought them together was their hatred of me,” Gruwell said.
Gruwell went on to talk about how everyday she would leave her privileged Newport Beach lifestyle and commute 45 minutes to the inner-city school she worked at in Long Beach, Calif.
She tried to gain the support of her co-workers but everyone had already given up on any chance these inner-city kids had.
Gruwell talked about a time when she tried to rally a co-worker into helping her get new books for her students that better applied to them.
Books about kids in a war. Books like “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
“This co-worker of mine proceeded to tell me that in a school district of 97,000 students, I have the lowest 150 the kids that weren’t supposed to make it,” Gruwell said.
With gang warfare and riots that happened every day, Gruwell described her students as having acknowledged the fact that, like many of their friends, they probably wouldn’t make it to their 18th birthdays.
“Most of my kids knew what it felt like at the age of 14 to have a bullseye on their chest,” Gruwell said.
“I realized my kids weren’t raising a glass to celebrate, they were pouring 40s over graves.”
Students Nikki Woodring and Makenzie Stevens, who attended the presentation found it hard to grasp that what Gruwell spoke of could happen in America.
“That happened, that happened in real life in our country no less,” Stevens said.
“I think that when you watch the film it’s just fiction but hearing her speak put it into perspective, that was real life,” Woodring said. “That really happened.”
Gruwell made it very clear through the entire presentation that though all these terrible things had happened to these kids, this story has a happy ending.
“It’s about that 'aha' moment when you know a kid gets it,” Gruwell said.
Gruwell started the presentation with a clip from the movie based off of her story, “The Freedom Writers.”
“They hated reading, they hated writing, they hated each other and the only thing that brought them together was their hatred of me,” Gruwell said.
Gruwell went on to talk about how everyday she would leave her privileged Newport Beach lifestyle and commute 45 minutes to the inner-city school she worked at in Long Beach, Calif.
She tried to gain the support of her co-workers but everyone had already given up on any chance these inner-city kids had.
Gruwell talked about a time when she tried to rally a co-worker into helping her get new books for her students that better applied to them.
Books about kids in a war. Books like “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
“This co-worker of mine proceeded to tell me that in a school district of 97,000 students, I have the lowest 150 the kids that weren’t supposed to make it,” Gruwell said.
With gang warfare and riots that happened every day, Gruwell described her students as having acknowledged the fact that, like many of their friends, they probably wouldn’t make it to their 18th birthdays.
“Most of my kids knew what it felt like at the age of 14 to have a bullseye on their chest,” Gruwell said.
“I realized my kids weren’t raising a glass to celebrate, they were pouring 40s over graves.”
Students Nikki Woodring and Makenzie Stevens, who attended the presentation found it hard to grasp that what Gruwell spoke of could happen in America.
“That happened, that happened in real life in our country no less,” Stevens said.
“I think that when you watch the film it’s just fiction but hearing her speak put it into perspective, that was real life,” Woodring said. “That really happened.”
Gruwell made it very clear through the entire presentation that though all these terrible things had happened to these kids, this story has a happy ending.
“It’s about that 'aha' moment when you know a kid gets it,” Gruwell said.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Guitar Ensemble
Theme songs. Jazz music. Rock ‘n’ roll.
That is what could be heard by any who walked the halls of the Taggart Student Center Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at Utah State University.
The event included a large guitar ensemble of 26 people. Most were students taking the guitar ensemble class that USU provides, with a small number of members who just love to play.
A small ensemble of about 10 members performed next and was followed by two different groups that joined together to perform in a band at the event.
Nick Miner, the drummer for one of the bands, thought the event went well.
“After all that hard work and practice, I’m really happy it went as smoothly as it did,” Miner said.
Nathan Baum, a guitar major at USU, thought the event was well worth his time.
“This is what I want to do for a living,” Baum said. “This is what I love and I’m really happy that the school provides that opportunity for me.”
Miner said the students got together every Tuesday to prepare for the event.
“After hours of preparation, I thought the night was a success,” Baum said. “I can’t wait to do it again next semester.”
That is what could be heard by any who walked the halls of the Taggart Student Center Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at Utah State University.
The event included a large guitar ensemble of 26 people. Most were students taking the guitar ensemble class that USU provides, with a small number of members who just love to play.
A small ensemble of about 10 members performed next and was followed by two different groups that joined together to perform in a band at the event.
Nick Miner, the drummer for one of the bands, thought the event went well.
“After all that hard work and practice, I’m really happy it went as smoothly as it did,” Miner said.
Nathan Baum, a guitar major at USU, thought the event was well worth his time.
“This is what I want to do for a living,” Baum said. “This is what I love and I’m really happy that the school provides that opportunity for me.”
Miner said the students got together every Tuesday to prepare for the event.
“After hours of preparation, I thought the night was a success,” Baum said. “I can’t wait to do it again next semester.”
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
ORP's Milk Crate-Stacking Competition
Students climbing milk crates is not a sight that is seen everyday at Utah State University.
The crate-stacking competition took place Friday in the Nelson Fieldhouse. The event was put on by USU’s Outdoor Recreation Program.
The rules were simple: Stack a crate then climb it to stack another one.
But for USU student Steven Bennett, it was harder than it at first seemed. He reached the 10-crate mark and fell shortly after. Bennett’s girlfriend, Zoey Fishburn, reached 19 crates before she fell and was caught, mid-air, by the person on the other end of her belaying line.
“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Bennett said. “It's a rush being on those crates. You are totally free doing your own thing, holding yourself up, and keeping your balance but at the same time, you are safe if you fall. It takes a lot of balance and after a while your legs start to shake because you start to get sore.”
For Fishburn, the activity was an endeavor to get over a fear of heights.
“After Steven fell and I got past the 10-crate mark, I was so excited to keep going. I was really scared, even though you’re harnessed in it’s still a scary feeling, but I just kept going,” Fishburn said.
Troy Benallie, who is a junior at USU, won the competition with a total of 25 stacked crates.
“I would definitely crate stack again,” Bennett said. “It was really fun but I’m bummed out that I only got 10 crates.”
The crate-stacking competition took place Friday in the Nelson Fieldhouse. The event was put on by USU’s Outdoor Recreation Program.
The rules were simple: Stack a crate then climb it to stack another one.
But for USU student Steven Bennett, it was harder than it at first seemed. He reached the 10-crate mark and fell shortly after. Bennett’s girlfriend, Zoey Fishburn, reached 19 crates before she fell and was caught, mid-air, by the person on the other end of her belaying line.
“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Bennett said. “It's a rush being on those crates. You are totally free doing your own thing, holding yourself up, and keeping your balance but at the same time, you are safe if you fall. It takes a lot of balance and after a while your legs start to shake because you start to get sore.”
For Fishburn, the activity was an endeavor to get over a fear of heights.
“After Steven fell and I got past the 10-crate mark, I was so excited to keep going. I was really scared, even though you’re harnessed in it’s still a scary feeling, but I just kept going,” Fishburn said.
Troy Benallie, who is a junior at USU, won the competition with a total of 25 stacked crates.
“I would definitely crate stack again,” Bennett said. “It was really fun but I’m bummed out that I only got 10 crates.”
Monday, April 23, 2012
Common Hour
The next time no one shows up for a midday performance on campus, Utah State University student government will have fewer excuses.
Next year at USU, class schedules will be conducted a little differently. The “common hour” that was voted on in the 2011-2012 campus elections will take effect. The time slot designated for common hour will be on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Jessica Hansen of the registrar’s office was positive about the change.
“It gives the ability to gather the students at one time, to do independent lectures,” Hansen said. ”The students will have the ability to do student activities like when we do our elections, students will have the ability to hear their candidates, but it’s very much up to the students to decide what they are going to do with this hour to make it more beneficial to them.”
Luke Ensign, the future committee head in charge of determining what events take place, said that they are going to try to have something for everyone.
“The beautiful thing is we have so many possibilities about it,” Ensign said. “We want to feature things like local businessmen for the business college and so on. We want there to be something for every individual college.
Christian Thrapp, student body president for the 2012-2013 school year said the time will be spent well and encourages students to attend.
“The common hour will definitely allow us to put different attractions, speakers and events during that time that students will be able to attend so it’s going to up the quantity of students that show up to these events and it will help out a lot,” Thrapp said.
There is some concern involved that the students will turn that time into lunch hour but overall, Ensign and other supporters remain positive that the time will be spent well.
“We are paying for it with our student fees,” Ensign said. “In the end it has to be the students that want to go and participate to make it happen.”
Next year at USU, class schedules will be conducted a little differently. The “common hour” that was voted on in the 2011-2012 campus elections will take effect. The time slot designated for common hour will be on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Jessica Hansen of the registrar’s office was positive about the change.
“It gives the ability to gather the students at one time, to do independent lectures,” Hansen said. ”The students will have the ability to do student activities like when we do our elections, students will have the ability to hear their candidates, but it’s very much up to the students to decide what they are going to do with this hour to make it more beneficial to them.”
Luke Ensign, the future committee head in charge of determining what events take place, said that they are going to try to have something for everyone.
“The beautiful thing is we have so many possibilities about it,” Ensign said. “We want to feature things like local businessmen for the business college and so on. We want there to be something for every individual college.
Christian Thrapp, student body president for the 2012-2013 school year said the time will be spent well and encourages students to attend.
“The common hour will definitely allow us to put different attractions, speakers and events during that time that students will be able to attend so it’s going to up the quantity of students that show up to these events and it will help out a lot,” Thrapp said.
There is some concern involved that the students will turn that time into lunch hour but overall, Ensign and other supporters remain positive that the time will be spent well.
“We are paying for it with our student fees,” Ensign said. “In the end it has to be the students that want to go and participate to make it happen.”
Friday, April 20, 2012
Kony 2012 Panel
The sights one sees everyday may be different this Saturday as the Kony 2012 event Cover the Night will take place. The streets may be covered during the night with pictures of Joseph Kony by supporters of the movement in an effort to make him infamous.
A panel discussing the issues in Africa, as well as the Kony epidemic, took place Monday at 12:30 p.m. in Utah State University’s Taggart Student Center auditorium.
The Kony 2012 YouTube video spread across the world with nearly 100 million hits and has caused a lot of controversy in the media.
The movie’s main goal is to bring awareness of the atrocities that Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army have committed against central Africa, namely Uganda.
Jason Russell, USU’s current programming vice president, saw the Kony 2012 video and knew he had to do something to help.
“There are about 15 of us who meet every week and discuss what we can do to help,” Russell said.
The panel evolved from these discussions where the group decided to make a spin off the slogan Cover the Night by having a Cover the Week at Utah State University.
One of the main concerns from the panel was the video-generated phrase, “make him famous.”
Patricia Ayaa, a panel member from Uganda, was particularly concerned by the term.
“In Uganda, people don’t see him as a celebrity like everyone else does,” Ayaa said. “People are wearing the name of a mass murderer on their wrists.”
The panelists and audience members discussed how to fix a seemingly unfixable problem. The panel ended with the idea that there is no current solution available and that the only thing to be done is repair.
“It may take a few years for the countries that Kony recently invaded to recover,” Ayaa said. “But it will take Uganda decades.”
A panel discussing the issues in Africa, as well as the Kony epidemic, took place Monday at 12:30 p.m. in Utah State University’s Taggart Student Center auditorium.
The Kony 2012 YouTube video spread across the world with nearly 100 million hits and has caused a lot of controversy in the media.
The movie’s main goal is to bring awareness of the atrocities that Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army have committed against central Africa, namely Uganda.
Jason Russell, USU’s current programming vice president, saw the Kony 2012 video and knew he had to do something to help.
“There are about 15 of us who meet every week and discuss what we can do to help,” Russell said.
The panel evolved from these discussions where the group decided to make a spin off the slogan Cover the Night by having a Cover the Week at Utah State University.
One of the main concerns from the panel was the video-generated phrase, “make him famous.”
Patricia Ayaa, a panel member from Uganda, was particularly concerned by the term.
“In Uganda, people don’t see him as a celebrity like everyone else does,” Ayaa said. “People are wearing the name of a mass murderer on their wrists.”
The panelists and audience members discussed how to fix a seemingly unfixable problem. The panel ended with the idea that there is no current solution available and that the only thing to be done is repair.
“It may take a few years for the countries that Kony recently invaded to recover,” Ayaa said. “But it will take Uganda decades.”
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Men parading around in high heels.
This was the scene on USU campus last Thursday as the eighth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes took place.
The event started in the Taggart Student Center with booths from organizations like Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, or RAINN. With more local programs such as Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information, better known as SAAVI, and the Cache County Child and Family Support Center.
Codie Thurgood, a SAAVI student intern, said the event is a great way to bring light to a problem that is not commonly talked about.
"What I want people to take away from Walk a Mile is that this is an issue that should not just be ignored,” Thurgood said. “I also want people to take away that as we start to take a stand and raise awareness we will be able to stop sexual assault, rape and gender violence. Everyone plays a part in being able to achieve that goal.”
"We're raising awareness and making sure people know what’s going on,” said
Abbey Webb, an intern for SAAVI who was running one of the booths.
Samantha Reed said she realizes the importance of the issue and volunteered her time for the event.
"We’ve got a whole fraternity walking in shoes and raising awareness," Reed said. "It sends off a message that students need to be aware on campus."
This was the scene on USU campus last Thursday as the eighth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes took place.
The event started in the Taggart Student Center with booths from organizations like Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, or RAINN. With more local programs such as Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information, better known as SAAVI, and the Cache County Child and Family Support Center.
Codie Thurgood, a SAAVI student intern, said the event is a great way to bring light to a problem that is not commonly talked about.
"What I want people to take away from Walk a Mile is that this is an issue that should not just be ignored,” Thurgood said. “I also want people to take away that as we start to take a stand and raise awareness we will be able to stop sexual assault, rape and gender violence. Everyone plays a part in being able to achieve that goal.”
"We're raising awareness and making sure people know what’s going on,” said
Abbey Webb, an intern for SAAVI who was running one of the booths.
Samantha Reed said she realizes the importance of the issue and volunteered her time for the event.
"We’ve got a whole fraternity walking in shoes and raising awareness," Reed said. "It sends off a message that students need to be aware on campus."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)