Campus and community briefs
Logan Masons hold open house
For the first time in many years, residents of Cache County will have an opportunity to see inside the Logan Masonic Center, home to the local chapter of the Freemasons.
An open house at 118 W. 100 North in Logan will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1, from noon to 2 p.m., hosted by Harmony, Lodge 21 of the Free & Accepted Masons of Utah; Clara Barton, Chapter 16 of the Order of the Eastern Star of Utah; and Bethel 12 of Job’s Daughters International.
A presentation on Freemasonry and the additional organizations will be given inside the Masonic Lodge room, furnished as for a meeting. There will be a short video, time for questions and light refreshments. Inquiries for further information may be directed to Andrew Phillips, president of the Utah State University Masonic Club, at aphillips@cc.usu.edu, or to Arthur Reilly, state public relations chairman, at avalon@networld.com.
Professor wins writing award
The Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation named 10 recipients of the 2003 Whiting Writers’ Awards Thursday. The awards, which are $35,000 each, totaling $350,000, have been given annually since 1985 to emerging writers of exceptional talent and promise.
Award recipient Christopher Cokinos, an assistant professor of English at Utah State University, drew on his knowledge of the natural world to write “Hope is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds.”
“Our dedicated selection committee has singled out these writers in early career – six fiction writers, two non-fiction writers, one poet and one playwright – not for a published or unpublished book alone, but for their distinct accomplishments and the potential the selectors saw for continued excellence,” said Barbara K. Bristol, director of the Writers’ Program. “We hope this recognition will help them along their way.”
The 2003 recipients were announced at a ceremony at the New York Public Library in New York. Robert L. Belknap, president of the foundation, and trustee Peter Pennoyer presented the 10 writers with their awards.
Cokinos is at work on another book of nonfiction about meteorites and the people who become obsessed with them. He is a recipient of a Lila Wallace/Readers’ Digest Fund Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and has published a book of poems, “Killing Seasons.”
Sigma Phi Epsilon comes to USU
Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) is starting a new chapter at Utah State University in November. SigEp has more than 212,000 living alumni, more than 261 chapters nationwide, and more than 15,000 members in college, to date.
SigEp is based on a comprehensive, award-winning, leadership program that eliminates pledging. This program is called the Balanced Man Program, which recognizes and answers the changing needs of the college student as he progresses toward graduation. The Balanced Man Program, coupled with the national fraternity’s annual leadership development academies, builds balanced leaders for the world’s communities.
Anyone who is interested may contact Ryan Jacobsen at 1-800-313-1901, extension 311, or e-mail r.jacobsen@sigep.net.
State plant society to meet Saturday
The statewide Utah Native Plant Society annual meeting will be held Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. Richard Shaw, director emeritus of the Intermountain Herbarium will speak about pollination, and a New World pot luck dinner will be served.
The meeting will be held at the Old Grapevine Restaurant, 129 N. 100 East in Logan. All members, prospective members and their guests are welcome, and encouraged to bring a dish featuring ingredients originating in the Western Hemisphere. Contact Tami Coleman at (435) 258-0303 or petetami@hotmail.com, or Steve Ripple at (435) 752-2732 or limax-maxumus@comcast.net.