LETTER: Summit is open to students

Editor,

In reference to the Oct. 29 letter under the headline “Summit leaves students out,” we wish to make abundantly clear that the Cache Valley Community Benchmark Summit welcomes both students and faculty and encourages their attendance at the day-long event Oct. 29.

There was much discussion about the best time to hold the summit. Because the Benchmark Summit involves both university and community members, the consensus was that more community members could participate on a week day than on a weekend. Students unable to devote an entire day to the summit are welcome to come when they can.

We hope this summit will spill over into public forums and town hall meetings that will eventually lead to the formation of smaller groups, including academic, political, public and social. Student involvement in any of these groups is welcome.

As President Kermit L. Hall said about the summit, the result will be the emergence of tangible, workable steps – a new benchmark – from which to build a far-reaching Cache Valley community actively engaged in improving its economy, environmental sustainability and human

diversity. Students who want to be part of this unique opportunity, even partially during the day of the event and in workgroups following, are encouraged to sign up. They may do so by going to www.usu.edu/benchmarksummit.

John DeVilbiss