Students "Light Up" on USU Campus

By

Justin Ecung

You see them everywhere. Standing outside the library in the freezing cold, outside of the Taggart Student Center and numerous other places around the Utah State University campus. It’s no secret that there are numerous students that smoke on campus, but why? They must know the many side effects of smoking that can affect their overall health, so why do they continue to light up daily?

            Six out of fifteen students interviewed at USU have tried smoking or currently smoke. The majority of these individuals are completely aware of the many dangers associated with smoking, including the large number of annual deaths linked to smoking. Like smokers of any age, many college students are actively trying to quit.

For Christopher Thorton, college and smoking go hand in hand. Thorton, a junior studying business at USU, never smoked in high school, but found himself smoking once college classes started. He doesn’t smoke much over the summers, but as soon as a new semester starts, he is back to four or five cigarettes a day. Thorton has noticed that smoking has affected certain aspects of his social life and is trying to quit.

            “At first I just smoked when I would go out to party and drank: it was just the thing to do. After awhile I realized that I was smoking more often, but I never really thought it was a problem until certain girls didn’t want to date me. I hated the constant odor of cigarettes that lingered on my clothes throughout the day or at a party; but not enough to make me want to stop,” Thorton said.

            Consequently, it was something else which made him choose to stop. The young college student realized that his social smoking habits were affecting his overall health.

            “My parents don’t smoke and they were becoming very concerned. I started coughing a lot and whenever I went to the gym to workout I noticed that it was extremely difficult to catch my breath. I always knew that smoking could cause cancer and other diseases, but you really don’t think about that when you’re young. But having a tough time breathing was enough for me,” said Thorton.

            Thorton has begun making  efforts to stop smoking. He has stopped buying cigarettes and does his best not to smoke when he drinks with friends.

            Alexis Jordan, a junior at USU studying engineering, is another student who chooses to smoke regularly. However, although she isn’t a social smoker, she finds herself smoking just as much as Thorton, if not more.

            “I didn’t start smoking until my second year of college,” Jordan said. “Sometimes I get really bad test anxiety before a big exam and before one exam I was freaking out at the library. Some of my friends were going out to smoke and I was so desperate to calm down and relax I decided to join them. The next thing I knew, I found myself buying cigarettes and smoking daily just to deal with the many stresses of being a college student.”

            Instead of speaking to a counselor on campus about her test anxiety, Jordan chose to keep her academic challenges to herself. Her recent smoking habit provided a short-term solution to her anxiety.

            “At first smoking was great. Whenever I got anxious or nervous about a test I would just step outside, have a smoke and it would calm me down. I would walk back in the library thinking that I’m just going to do the best I can do, and continue studying,” Jordan said.

            However, Jordan’s frequent smoking concerned her roommates and friends. Brenda Sosa, Jordan’s roommate and high school friend, felt as if Jordan was becoming too dependent upon smoking.

            “It seemed like she was always smoking,” Sosa said. “Every time I came home from class or even late at night I would look out our window and see Jordan outside again smoking. It was becoming too much of a crutch for her.”

            Sosa decided to speak to Jordan about her growing concern, and the two plan on speaking with an academic advisor about how to cope with test anxiety.

Alcohol Found in Student’s Suite at Local Apartments

By

Justin Ecung

Last Tuesday, Jason Washington, a tenant at a local apartment complex in Logan, Utah, was found to have several bottles of alcohol in his apartment. 

Although Washington is over the age of 21, he still came under the scrutiny of both the apartment manager and the owner because alcohol is not allowed in the apartment complex. Consequently, the Texas native now must face a review board and explain why he should not be forced to leave the apartment complex for violating the alcohol policy.

            “I swear this doesn’t make any sense at all,” Washington said Saturday afternoon. “It’s not like I broke the law, gave alcohol to minors or was being really loud and obnoxious. Apparently one of my roommates saw a few bottles of alcohol in my room and felt the need to tell the apartment manager.”

            The apartment complex has a very strict policy on alcohol and other controlled substances. A list of guidelines is listed on each refrigerator and clearly states that there will be no consumption of alcohol, smoking or drugs on the property.

            “There are rules in place for a reason. We need to protect the property and make sure nothing is damaged as well as keep in mind the fact that we rent to mostly students. Therefore, we need to help promote a healthy student environment for them and we simply can’t do that if there are wild parties going on, and people being loud and drinking,” Micah Allen, the apartment manger, said.

            Apartment staff members were alerted when one of Washington’s roommates saw several bottles of alcohol in his room one evening. Washington was getting ready to meet with some friends to go to a party when he remembered to take the trash out. The college senior then left the room temporarily and forgot to close the door. His roommate saw the bottles and called Allen the following morning.

            There are mixed feelings amongst other residents in the apartment complex as to whether or not the apartment owners are taking the correct actions. While some individuals feel that Washington should be forced to leave for not following the alcohol policy, others feel that the punishment doesn’t exactly fit the crime.

            “It’s kind of funny how there are all these problems over a few bottles of alcohol,” Steven Williams, another resident, said. “He didn’t break the law, but he might have to leave the apartments because he violated the drinking policy. If anything, they should just make him help out with upkeep around the apartment and just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

            However, other tenants, the majority of whom are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe the punishment fits the crime.

            “Drinking is dangerous. There can’t be a ton of drunk people running around the apartment, making noise. Washington knew the rules and he chose not to follow them. On the rental agreement that all of us had to sign before we moved in I’m pretty sure it states that we will not have alcohol on the grounds of the apartment. There’s also a paper placed on all of our refrigerators that serves as a reminder that we can’t drink or smoke in our apartments. He had to have known the rules and he chose to break them.” Jessica Parks, another tenant, said.

            Washington is meeting with Michael Thompson, one of the owners of the property to discuss the incident. Although both individuals feel that it is a minor issue, it still needs to be discussed.

            “With this being Washington’s first offense we most likely will not ask him to vacate the property due to a breach of the rental agreement he signed over the summer. We understand that the majority of the tenants we rent to are college students, but the rules are in place for a reason: to protect myself as an owner and those living in the apartments,” Thompson said.

            Although disciplinary actions most likely won’t be taken, Washington has learned from this ordeal.

            “I understand that the rules are there for our safety, but I might not necessarily agree with them. Regardless, while living here I know I have to follow all the rules and guidelines set in place by the owners,” Washington said. 

Some Lessons aren't Learned in a Classroom

By

Justin Ecung

There isn’t anything quite like college; in most cases, it’s a teenager’s first time away from home. They have the opportunity to make their own decisions without coming under the scrutiny of their parents: a time where they can experiment and discover who they really are.

            Roxanne Summers, a sophomore at Utah State University, enjoyed the freedom of college, but perhaps enjoyed it a little too much. The Virginia native drank heavily, greatly affecting her academic performance and her relationship with loved ones. Nevertheless, she was able to regain her focus and realized why she was in college.

            “I definitely got carried away with all of the partying,” said Summers. “My weekends would start Thursday night and would end Monday morning.”

            Consequently, Summers regularly missed classes, failed to study and rarely completed homework assignments. Her grades plummeted, eventually resulting in the young college student being placed on academic probation. Despite having a tutor, Summers still failed to successfully pass her classes.

            “I would never see her in our math class,” Bryan Williams, one of Summers’ classmates said. “It was frustrating because she would always ask me and other people in our class to help her do homework at the last minute. It wasn’t fair because we went to class and took notes everyday and she just didn’t.”

            Eventually, Summers’ drinking habits caught up with her. While living on campus in the Living and Learning Center, she was caught with alcohol on three separate occasions. Fortunately for Summers, no legal actions were ever taken despite the fact she was underage. Instead it was recommended that she receive counseling to help her realize the dangers of alcohol, and how greatly it affected her life.

            “Summers needed help, and just handing her over to local police wouldn’t suffice. We had to get her involved in some type of counseling program to increase her alcohol awareness. Simply having her pay fines and tickets was not enough,” Summers’ residence advisor said.

            Summers’ counselor, Donald Wright, helped her realize the many potential dangers that heavy drinking posed. The two met twice a week to help Summers overcome her drinking problem.

            “[Summers] is a really smart girl who just lost sight of the real reason she was here going to school: to earn a college degree. She fell into the trap of going out and partying which eventually led to her meeting with me to help her get pass these issues that were affecting her life,” Wright said.

            Summers took her counselor’s advice and began making attempts to stay away from drinking and partying. She began focusing more on her studies and distancing herself from her friends. Accordingly, her grades improved.

            “The first thing I had to do was stop hanging out with my old friends because I knew that it would be more difficult for me to say no to going out. I decided to distance myself and put all my energy into studying: the busier I was the less I thought about what I was missing out on. I began working more closely with my teachers and started going to church,” Summers said.

            Church became a safe haven for Summers. It was a place where she could get away from everything and reflect on the type of girl she was and the young woman she hoped to become. She confided in the priest at her local church, and soon discovered her appreciation for volunteering and helping others.

            “[Summers] became one of our most common volunteers,” Father Pedro Arroyo said. “She enjoyed working with children, and the kids enjoyed spending time with her. I knew about her problems with alcohol in the past, but she was on the track to recovery and it was my responsibility to help.”

            It’s been 11 months since Summers last alcohol offense. She has made the decision to be completely sober and has not had a drink since. Through the support of her family and those close to her, she was able to improve academically and is currently on the honor roll at USU. Although, Summers path to recovery has been difficult, it has been worth it.

            “Looking back on things I never really get the whole appeal of drinking. You go out, get drunk and spend the next day in bed regretting it. I still go out to parties, but you don’t have to drink to have fun. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished this past year and look forward to see what else I can do,” Summers said.

            

Sigma Chi Prepares for National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week and More

By

Justin Ecung

      

          

      

          With National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week quickly approaching at the Utah State University campus, student clubs and organizations are making their last preparations for their planned events. Sigma Chi, one of the fraternities on campus, not only has a busy and informative week planned, but this group of young men have taken alcohol awareness a step further; truly taking a firm stance on alcohol at USU.

            The men of Sigma Chi emphasized that involvement on campus and in the community is at the forefront of the many things they wish to tackle this semester.

            “We’re planning on working with Ryan Barfuss, vice president for student services, and the Student Health and Wellness Center to spread alcohol awareness. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a car that has been used to encourage the knowledge of alcohol abuse parked on our front lawn,” Chase Casillas, a Sigma Chi pledge, said.

            The fraternity also plans on having a very large number of student volunteers at The Howl, one of the largest Halloween parties in the state of Utah.

            In October of 2010, local police noticed a steady rise in the number of arrest made and alcohol citations at the howl. Sigma Chi plans on spending the evening helping with security and anything else The Howl staff may need them for.

            “If everything goes as planned, I’ll be the head of security at the howl and the majority of those in the security line will also be fraternity brothers. It’s an opportunity not only to help the university, but also crack down on a problem that has been greatly affecting the campus,” Casillas said.

            However, the fraternity’s efforts to rid the campus of the growing alcohol problem won’t stop at the conclusion of Alcohol Awareness Week. Members of Sigma Chi have met with Ryan Barfuss and the Chief of the Logan Police Department to discuss how individuals of age can enjoy alcohol responsibly. Every weekend members and friends of the fraternity take advantage of its Sober Sig program.

            “The Sober Sig program is something we use to keep everyone at our house safe. The program consists of a group of individuals who are responsible for: making sure no one under the age of 21 is drinking, making sure everyone at the house is at least 18, patrolling the property, keeping out people that don’t go to the university and providing rides and escorts home to anyone that may need them,” said Mathew Thomas, risk manager of Sigma Chi.

            Due to the strict alcohol policy at their house, individuals have been turned away and asked to leave parties. Nevertheless, when these people are asked to leave, it’s for their own safety and that of others.

            Furthermore, Thomas will also be teaching classes on the prevention of alcohol abuse to individuals that have been cited for alcohol violations. The majority of these individuals will be students under the age of 21 who have been ticketed as a minor in possession of alcohol.  

            “The class won’t necessarily condemn drinking alcohol, but rather show individuals how to enjoy it legally and responsibly. It’s no secret that while in college kids are going to be around alcohol, so knowing how to be safe around it is key,” Thomas said.

            The fraternity also works with the student services office and the student health and wellness center to promote a more knowledgeable organization. Those in leadership positions throughout Sigma Chi have deemed it necessary that all members should be aware of the possible dangers alcohol consumption can pose.

            “We meet with Ryan Barfuss twice a year to discuss alcohol policies and procedures in our house. We also do a presentation to encourage the spread of alcohol awareness. At our most recent presentation a member from the Logan police department was present,” Colby Campbell, president of Sigma Chi, said.