Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU The Utah Statesman Students 4-1-2011 The Utah Statesman, April 1, 2011 Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/newspapers Recommended Citation Utah State University, "The Utah Statesman, April 1, 2011" (2011). The Utah Statesman. 166. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/newspapers/166 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Students at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Utah Statesman by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Friday, April 1, 2011 UtahThe Campus Voice tatesman SUtah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com since 1902 Controversial bill repealed after public outcry paid for with Utah tax dollars to the individu- By ROB JEPSON als or organizations who are requesting the staff writer records. Members of the legislature who initially After weeks of national attention, statewide voted for HB 477 said they did so in order to protests and intense public scrutiny, House Bill protect their private communications and not 477 was repealed March 21 ending its short- to prohibit citizens from accessing their legisla- lived but notorious legislative lifespan. The tive business. now-repealed bill would have amended Utah’s Logan representative Curt Webb, said one Government Records Access Management Act legislator received a request for all of his e- (GRAMA) to restrict the public’s access to leg- mails from February to November of last year, islators’ communications exchanged via e-mail, totaling 50,000 e-mails. Webb said the expense chat, text message or video conference. associated with sorting through the e-mails to USU College Libertarians president Just determine which qualified as public and which Hinh who helped coordinate students’ efforts to qualified as private totaled $14,000, which was repeal the bill, said the bill essentially changed paid for using state tax dollars. legislators’ communications from being public “Government that isn’t transparent isn’t unless proven private, to being private unless good government,” Webb said, “But ... you have proven public. to make a decision. Do those who are making “What I found most disturbing was that it the request need to pay the cost associated with shifted the burden of disclosure to the public. retrieving them, or is that something that you Before, it was the burden of the government to want the public to pay?” justify why public documents were to be kept Webb was one of only three representatives secret. With HB 477, the burden would now be who did not vote in favor of the repeal. He said on the public to explain why it is in the public’s his decision was based partly on principle. interest to disclose,” he said. “We knew when we passed the bill that the The bill also shifted the expense associated HOUSE BILL 477 WAS repealed March 21. Logan representative Curt Webb was one of three with sorting through e-mails and other digital -See BILL, page 3 representatives to vote against repealing the bill that would have restricted public access to electronic messages from the legislative lawyers who are records. BRECK BYNGTON photo General ed classes play vital role in education chunk of general education requirements, it is University.” fessor of philosophy at Harvard, discussed co- By ARIANNA REESE necessary to make sure that general education “General education is a 20th-century chairing a task force with Menand to reform staff writer within is efficient and of higher quality. phenomenon,” Menand said, “and in some general education at Harvard. “By bringing in Louis Menand and Alison respects, it’s the most modern part of the mod- Simmons said in reforming the general General education should address what Simmons,” Huenemann said, “we help to think ern university.” He said general education pro- education courses, the committee had to come students are interested in and what they need about the quality issue, to think about new grams attempt to answer the question, “What up with goals and the ways to achieve them to to know as human beings, said Louis Menand ways of doing things. Hopefully we’ll be able does every college graduate need to know?” best help students. and Alison Simmons, visiting Harvard profes- to keep the general education experience good Menand discussed the history of generals “The first thing that we noted is that only sors. or even better, but also be able to afford it.” and touched upon both their successes and 10 percent of Harvard graduates go on to be Menand and Simmons spoke to faculty Menand is an English professor at Harvard failures at Columbia University and Harvard. academics … that’s not very many,” Simmons and students Thursday in a lecture entitled University and author of the Pulitzer Prize Many general education classes emerged at the said. “We thought, ‘Why are we devoting so “General Education and its Discontents.” winning novel, “The Metaphysical Club.” He universities around the time of World Wars I much of our energy trying to teach these stu- Charlie Huenemann, associate dean of is also the literary editor at “The New Yorker” and II, providing students with general knowl- dents to become little versions of ourselves?’” the college of humanities and social sciences and a contributing editor for “The New York edge about war and the world around them. In Simmons said that, rather than devoting (HASS), said Menand and Simmons spoke as Review.” many ways, these efforts launched the popu- teaching to bringing students into their dis- part of an ongoing series on general educa- The lecture centered on ideas from his larity of general education courses, Menand tion within the college. HASS is fairly new, he more recent novel, “The Marketplace of Ideas: said. said, and because the college provides a large Reform and Resistance in the American Following Menand, Alison Simmons, pro- -See LECTURE, page 3 Milne: Theft is number one problem on campus garbage cans, minus the expensive stuff.” By DAN SMITH He said theft is not out of control at USU but senior news writer it does occur on a weekly basis. Other times, potential thieves will look for weaknesses in Theft on campus, varying from items being building security to take advantage of the fact taken off desks to breaking into buildings, is that nobody is around. the number one problem Capt. Steve Milne, of Staff assistant Amy Wilberg, who works Utah State Police Department, said is dealt with in the dean’s office in the Emma Eccles Jones all year round at USU, in part because students Education Building, recently reported random aren’t aware of the danger and don’t take the objects missing from a few different offices, necessary precautions to prevent it from happen- including a water bottle, a mug and two banan- ing. as. “You don’t see serious crimes but theft is our “It’s just really dumb things,” she said. “We’re number one problem, it always has been in the cautious of what we leave out.” 29 years that I’ve been here,” Milne said. “A lot She said there is usually always somebody of it could be corrected from people taking bet- there during the day and the office gets locked ter care of their property – keeping it locked up at 5 p.m., so she thinks the items could be disap- or out of sight.” pearing at night. He said when he goes to eat at a campus Most of the time when security is compro- eatery he notices students will place their back- mised in a building, Milne said it is because packs at a table to save their place. Sometimes people are not careful enough when they leave to they leave their things unattended for more than make sure the door closes all of the way behind 10 minutes. them. Situations like this make it easy for people “In 2009, we had an individual that was com- who are desperate for cash to steal the unguard- ing up out of Las Vegas, he would take a road ed property, he said. trip and he would go knock off the vending “They pick the stuff up and they walk off to machines,” Milne said. “This guy was a pro at BUILDING SECURITY HAS BEEN compromised because of doors and windows that are left a place that’s more secure and they start going open, Capt. Milne said. Theft occurs on a weekly basis and ranges from mugs being stolen off desks to through it and take what they want,” Milne said. -See LOCKS, page 4 breaking into vending machines. BRECK BYNGTON photo illustration “A lot of times we find the stuff discarded in the Inside This Issue 4/01/11 Utah State www.utahstatesman.com defensive USU’s Museum of lineman get- Renter’s Guide, Bridal Guide, Anthropology offers a ting adjusted and 2011 Spring Coupon quiet study haven and to new Book are all available for community workshops. scheme as viewing and printing on our spring foot- web site. Page 5 ball puts on pads. Official Student Newspaper Page 8 of Utah State University • “It’s All The News You Need!” 2 2 Friday, April 1, 2011 Page 2 World&Nation Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com ClarifyCorrect Fight for control of FLDS church begins The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A rival church elder their faith. would like clarified or find unfair, is fighting to keep jailed polygamous sect leader Four days later, Jeffs attempted suicide by trying please contact the editor at 797-1762 Warren Jeffs in charge of his Utah-based church to hang himself in jail.