LETTER: Don’t replace campus sheep

Editor,

I am a 1998 graduate from the College of Agriculture. I was recently reading the article on The Statesman online about the university replacing sheep with high school students.

May I remind President Kermit L. Hall that Utah State is the land grant university for Utah. It first started as an agricultural college. I agree that as a university, USU needs to grow and make every possible attempt in improving the educational opportunities for perspective students. However, the College of Agriculture must not be replaced or overlooked anymore. Our country depends on agriculture; let’s not replace the sheep with more students.

I encourage Hall to consider relocating the sheep and not replacing them. Let’s not forget, we cannot eat high school students. Animal science, plant science and other agricultural sciences must be supported by the president of the university and others in the community. One set of sheep were removed from the university back in 1997-1998 as part of the Navajo Sheep Project. Let’s not lose another great resource for the animal science students. I encourage the university to find ways to keep the sheep at the university and not replace them with high school students.

Lesley A. Swanson