Out with the old…
As another year ends, another leader must fill in.
With only a year, it’s difficult for a president to feel he has made a difference in his leadership time at USU.
“Coming into it there’s so many things you want to see happen, so many things you don’t really know are possible, and you don’t really know what some of the issues are either,” Associated Students of USU President Noah Riley said.
One of the projects Riley was able to begin was a USU radio station online that will expand in the next year to digital radio.
“It’s something that the students haven’t really seen yet, but it takes time,” Riley said.
He is working with KUSU to get a student, digital radio feed, and next year’s president, Peter McChesney, is excited about the possibilities for students with the new digital radio station.
“What a better way to pioneer the technology of the future to get college students involved, because they’re the ones that are going to be going out there and using it later on,” McChesney said.
The feed will have three channels on it, and one of those will be for student programing, but getting the support of KUSU was hard to do.
“At the beginning of the year, Troy Smith and I went over to KUSU and talked to them about the possibility of a student radio station, working with them, and they were very cold to us,” Riley said. “They didn’t want help. They didn’t want the students to be a part of it. With their new director (Cathy Ives), the atmosphere has really changed, and we’re really excited about it. We’re excited to be a part of that.”
Before Riley’s term ends, he wants to help spread the word about the new station and the new radio classes offered through the journalism department.
Right now the radio station is streaming music online at www.radio.usu.edu. But those involved want to improve the Web site and make it more interactive.
Another project Riley worked on was The New York Times Readership Program.
“I think it’s just kind of brought a little bit more life to campus, and the students are a little more aware of what’s going on in the world,” he said.
The three papers that are now available on campus are The New York Times, The Salt Lake Tribune and The Herald Journal.
USU Provost Raymond Coward provided funding for the papers and has worked at other universities and seen it work for them.
“I really like his outlook on it. We want them to provide The New York Times, but also the local paper to have them civically engaged as well,” Riley said.
Riley said he would also like to update the kiosk (square-type posting board by the Quad and the Eccles Conference Center) with a roof and a better way to post items.
“I think that’s something that will not detract at all from the things that I want to do,” said McChesney.
Another continuing project for ASUSU is trying to create a more student-friendly campus. One part of that project is providing new and updated campus maps.
Not only are those involved going to improve maps and signs by buildings, but they are also going to try to make a way to link to a map from schedules on Banner.
Riley said he doesn’t want to kick students who smoke off campus, but rather let them spread out to other areas, besides the Taggart Student Center patio.
One of the areas would be the second floor patio of the TSC. Riley would like to have furniture, like tables and chairs, put up there to help spread smokers out.
McChesney said he would like to carry through with those projects, but he also has a few to add for this upcoming year.
He said he wants to increase scholarship opportunities for those who don’t have high grade-point averages. McChesney also wants to expand the work study program to more students and improve academic advising.
His biggest project for next year is to inform students of what ASUSU can do.
He’s planning on staying in Logan and making connections with people on campus before school starts up in the fall, something Riley did last summer as well.
With all of the campaigning and College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences senator responsibilities, McChesney has been very busy.
“I’ll be honest, my classes are lagging a little bit right now. It’s been a very tough month because the week before the primary elections, I got very sick. I was in bed for days, and I wasn’t eating much at all,” McChesney said.
He didn’t get a chance to do homework until Spring Break but was busy again the next week, when he was in charge of HASS Week.
Riley’s presidency is coming to a close, and he said he hopes he was able to accomplish many things.
“I really don’t know if I’m better suited than my opponents that I ran against last year,” Riley said. “But I’ve given a lot to the office and the school.”
Tiffany Evans, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, said, “Noah always has the right thing to say at the right time.” She also said the ASUSU council for this year was very cohesive and worked together well, and she attributed most of that to Riley.
She said she was also impressed with McChesney because he talked to people about topics on his platform before he even ran for president.
“He kind of reached out, got and idea of what he could do before he ran,” she said. “He’ll do a stellar job.”
She said the students at USU don’t “play” student government.
“There are not students like this across the country, across the board. We are very fortunate on this campus to have wonderful students,” Evans said. “These two are just a reflection of the high quality and of the experience and the wonderful students that are that make up Utah State University,” she added.
Riley said the same thing about the administrators for the university.
“I think that we could not work with a better administration. I have just been really surprised time and time again at their willingness to speak with students,” Riley said.
-ranaebang@cc.usu.edu