Students get chance to air views
It was a soapy afternoon on the Taggart Student Center patio yesterday.
Students jumped on the pink-papered platform labeled “soap box” to vent their concerns, complaints, and appraisals for Utah State University and the nation.
The Brutally Honest program was hosted by the Public Affairs Board of the Associated Students of USU to increase the civic involvement of students at USU.
Comments ranged from parking issues to the nuclear waste being stored in Tooele county.
One student was upset about the housing not cleaning out the ashtrays on campus, resulting in cigarette-filled grasses.
Laura Bennett, a junior majoring in environmental sciences, echoed this complaint when she spoke about the lack of ashtrays on campus.
“I’m a smoker,” she said. “There are not enough ashtrays on campus and I don’t want to have to throw them on the ground.”
Students are not only upset with the lack of ashtrays, but also the lack of parking. David Homer, a junior majoring in social work, presented a unique view of the parking situation on campus. He said he was pleased with wheelchair accessibility on USU’s campus until the changes this year. He said he wants the handicap spaces to go back to the way they were.
The lack of parking close to campus was mentioned many times at the Brutally Honest program. One student said she gets to campus at 7:30 a.m. and still has to park by the church.
“Why can’t we build up rather than out?” said Natalie Paul, a student who wondered why there can’t be another parking terrace on campus.
Student Tammy Johnson asked why there can’t be a centralized lost-and-found. She lost her scriptures during the first week of classes, and after looking through the various, and often locked, lost-and-founds around campus, was unable to find them.
Adam Mansfield, a student at USU, said he was unhappy with the storage of nuclear bombs and waste in Tooele county. He said he plans on voting to do something about the waste and challenged the student body to join together to make a difference, because he feels he can’t on his own.
“It only takes a few of us to make a difference,” he said.
Mansfield’s comments opened the “soap box” to international issues. State chairman of College Republicans Tom Robins said he is sick of hearing liberals say they care for the poor but are against the war in Iraq. He reminded the crowd on the patio how Iraq was before the United States stepped in.
“So we haven’t found weapons of mass destruction, but what about the mass graves of destruction?” Robins said.
Robins mentioned many cases of horror in Iraq including the poverty and lack of freedoms in Iraq before our troops arrived. He said he knows change will take a long time, but freedom in Iraq will flourish in time. He finished his comments with a few words for his liberal counterparts: “If you’re a liberal, stop hugging a tree!”
Gabriel White, the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences senator, echoed Robins’ words about Iraq.
“We as Americans need to remember that soldiers there are dying for freedoms we take for granted every day,” White said.
Shouts from concerned and pleased students were heard for an hour and one-half at the TSC patio. At a table in front of the “soap box” sat a member of the board, Erin Forsberg, taking note of what students had to say. Another table next to the “soap box” had more members of the board taking forms of written complaints and concerns that will be handed over to Les Essig, student advocate of ASUSU, who will take the pages of comments to the many administrative boards he sits on.
“I represent students to the administration,” Essig said.
ASUSU Executive Vice President Ariel Thrapp walked around during the event and persuaded students to sign a pledge to vote in the local election this November.
The underlying message of the “soap box” speeches is that students need to make a difference. More Brutally Honest programs will be held later in the year as Essig, and other ASUSU committees continue their commitment to listening and acting on behalf of the USU student body.
-ireneh@cc.usu.edu
Tom Robins participates in the Brutally Honest activity on the TSC Patio on Tuesday. Robins spoke on his “Soapbox” about the war in Iraq and how President Bush is doing what is needed to help Iraq and out country. (Photos by John Zsiray)