Arm wrestlers to compete in Ed Week tournament
Education Week will kick off Monday with the Aggie Arm Wrestling Tournament in the International Lounge. The tournament will begin at 11: 30 p.m. and end at 2 p.m.
Any student who wants to participate can sign up at the HPER office until Monday. The entry fee is $5 dollars, and all of the money will be donated to a scholarship fund for a student the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.
“There will also be super matches between the football players, cheerleaders, and Big Blue will go against someone too,” said Laken Kennington, the HPER representative on the student council of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Resources.
There will be three brackets for men: lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight. The weights competing in each bracket will be determined at the event. Women will also have a bracket.
The first prizewinner of the each of the competitions will receive $100. Second place will receive $50 and third place will receive $25.
This is the first Aggie Arm Wrestling Tourney at Utah State.
“We hope it becomes a tradition,” Kennington said.
The theme of Education Week is “Elevated.”
“Our college is so widespread,” said Ashley Sorenson, student council president for the college. “We have everybody from educators to pre-med students, so we got to together and chose ‘Elevated,’ because we want to be elevated in body, mind and service – it encompasses all of it.”
There will be a weeklong service project to incorporate the theme. Students can donate school supplies to children who live at the base of Mt. Everest.
“Everything they have has to get backpacked to them,” Sorenson said.
The school supplies can be dropped off at boxes located in the HPER, the Education building and the Lillywhite building. There will also be boxes at all the week’s events.
On Tuesday, hot cocoa will be served between the HPER and Education building at 11:30 a.m.
Students can also participate in the Utah State University Spelling Bee at 7 p.m. in the TSC International Lounge.
The next day the International Lounge will be filled at 11:30 a.m. with the USU version of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”
“All the events are held in the TSC, so all the students can join in,” said Mike Rees, education senator.
Ultimately, Rees said the goal is to promote the Emma Eccles Jones College. The college is nationally renowned for its Early Childhood Education Program, Special Education Program and Education Program.
“We also have a number of nationally-recognized professors,” Sorenson said.
Thursday will feature of those professors, Dr. Richard Gordon, who teaches sports psychology at USU.
“He is one of the better speakers on campus,” Rees said.
Gordon is a professional sports psychologist who has traveled with the US Olympic ski team and been on the PGA tour with professional golfers.
“This will be one of those hidden gem speeches we have here on campus this year,” Rees said.
He will be speaking on how to “elevate” one’s career and life in the TSC Ballroom at 6 p.m.
The week will end with a Scholarship Benefit Concert in the Ballroom at 7 p.m. The bands Military Genius, Children of the North, Filthy and the McNastys and Little Barefoot will be featured. Admission at the door is $1.
All money raised during Education Week will be put toward a scholarship for a student in the college.
“It will go to student who really needs it,” Sorenson said.
The fundraising is new this year.
“As senator, I wrote it into my charter, so every education senator after me is expected to continue raising money for a scholarship,” Rees said.
T-shirts will be on sale during the week featuring Education Week’s theme. All the proceeds will also go to the scholarship fund.
– katrimw@gmail.com