<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Melanie Fenstermaker, Author at The Utah Statesman</title> <atom:link href="https://usustatesman.com/author/melanie-fenstermaker-2/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://usustatesman.com/author/melanie-fenstermaker-2/</link> <description>USU's Student Newspaper</description> <lastBuildDate>Sat, 03 Dec 2016 20:38:55 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <image> <url>https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-screen-shot-2017-10-19-at-4.33.29-pm-32x32.png</url> <title>Melanie Fenstermaker, Author at The Utah Statesman</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/author/melanie-fenstermaker-2/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Police Chief Steven Mecham to retire: A look at his 35-year career at USU</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/police-chief-steven-mecham-to-retire-a-look-at-his-35-year-career-at-usu/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2016 22:57:26 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[FBI National Academy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Latter-Day Saints]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Steven Mecham]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Steven Milne]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Howl]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU Police Department]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22010851</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>On New Year’s Eve, Utah State University’s police chief will celebrate more than just the new year. At midnight, Chief…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/police-chief-steven-mecham-to-retire-a-look-at-his-35-year-career-at-usu/">Police Chief Steven Mecham to retire: A look at his 35-year career at USU</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On New Year’s Eve, Utah State University’s police chief will celebrate more than just the new year. At midnight, Chief Steven Mecham will officially retire from his 35 years with the on-campus police department.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This year, he plans to enjoy the holiday with family board games and movies, as long as students don’t create a disturbance. If they do, he’ll put on his badge, head back to campus and celebrate by facilitating a few last arrests to finish his career.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But he hopes that doesn’t happen.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Fortunately there’s no activities for campus on New Year’s Eve,” he said. “I hope that doesn’t change this year.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham looks forward to retirement. He wants to catch up on golf, travel, spend time with family and maybe serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his wife, Darlene. But that’s not to say he hasn’t enjoyed his years on the force.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s just been a great place to work,” he said. “It’s been good for my family and I’ve just loved it here.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Looking back on his career, Mecham says, the 35 years at the campus police department have “flown by” in a way they never do when he’s looking toward the future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, as Mecham begins to pack his office, he can look back at the memories he’s made and the moments that led him to Cache Valley years ago.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010858" style="width: 267px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010858" class="wp-image-22010858 size-medium" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992-257x300.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992-257x300.jpg 257w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992-855x1000.jpg 855w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992-335x392.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992-1050x1228.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1992.jpg 1199w" sizes="(max-width: 257px) 100vw, 257px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010858" class="wp-caption-text">Steven Mecham in 1992.</p></div> <p><b>Coming to Cache Valley</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although Mecham has been in the profession for 39 years, he says “nothing really specific” drew him to law enforcement. He had a friend who was a police officer at Rick’s College </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">now known as BYU-Idaho</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and Mecham thought it sounded like a good job.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When he came home from serving a two-year LDS mission in Anaheim, California, he signed up for the law enforcement program at Rick’s College.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “I just fell in love with the profession 39 years ago,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham earned an associate’s degree in law enforcement from Rick’s College in 1976. In 1977, he was hired as a patrol officer at Rick’s College.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010857" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010857" class="wp-image-22010857 size-medium" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1979-300x218.jpg" alt="1979" width="300" height="218" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1979-300x218.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1979-335x244.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1979.jpg 550w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010857" class="wp-caption-text">Steven Mecham worked at Rick’s College — now known as BYU Idaho — in his early career. This photo was taken in 1979.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Four years later, he heard Utah State University was starting its own police department. He got the job as a patrol officer in 1981, and was one of nine officers who were hired to get the department running.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham had only two of his six children at the time, and he said his wife was “very pregnant” with their third. As his family grew in size, his love for Cache Valley grew as well.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Cache Valley is just a beautiful, beautiful place,” he said. “We’ve always had great neighbors, good friends.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham was promoted to sergeant shortly after he was hired, but his full-time job didn’t stop him from pursuing an education. He finished a degree at BYU in justice administration in 1986, went on to earn a master’s degree from USU in social science in 1990 and graduated from the FBI national academy in 1992. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That year, he was chosen to be USU’s chief of police. Over the years, he’s watched the police department and the university grow and change.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s been a great ride,” he said. “I’ve made lots of good memories.”</span></p> <p><b>Chief Mecham’s Memories</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of Mecham’s favorite memories come from his days as a patrol officer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said the city didn’t send many patrols to the university in the 80s, so when he first arrived the university had a big problem with alcohol </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">students passing alcohol around Greek Row, drinking liquor openly at sporting events and holding parties on campus </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— h</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">e made lots of arrests in</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010863" style="width: 179px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010863" class="size-medium wp-image-22010863" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/steve-milne-1-169x300.jpg" alt="Chief Steven Mecham, who has always been a big fan of Utah State University sports, watches a softball game with USU's mascot, Big Blue. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong." width="169" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/steve-milne-1-169x300.jpg 169w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/steve-milne-1.jpg 306w" sizes="(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010863" class="wp-caption-text">Chief Steven Mecham, who has always been a big fan of Utah State University sports, watches a softball game with USU’s mascot, Big Blue. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">his early years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As a young officer, that was a lot of fun to make a lot of arrests </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">not hardcore arrests, just alcohol arrests,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham said he remembers making a lot of arrests at Tequila Day every year. Tequila Day was held at one football game every year in the 80s, usually when the team played the University of Utah or Brigham Young University.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The event wasn’t university-sponsored, but the school allowed it to be promoted in the student center. Mecham said he still doesn’t understand the logic of the advertisement because USU has always been a dry campus, and he is happy the university stopped allowing advertisements and that Tequila Day has been forgotten.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One fun part of Tequila Day, Mecham said, was dressing in plain clothes and arresting students by surprise. Mecham said he was once sitting in the student section dressed in plain clothes when a student next to him sat down and pulled out several mini bottles of tequila.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I pulled out my badge and said, ‘Come with me,’ and he was pretty bummed, but the look on his face was priceless,” Mecham recalled.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the chief hasn’t enjoyed every event on campus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not sad that I’ve been to my last Halloween Howl,” he said with a chuckle.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010856" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010856" class="wp-image-22010856 size-medium" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-300x225.jpg" alt="Chief Mecham, Sergeant Jessica Vahsholtz, Captain Steve Milne and Sergeant Joe Huish sit around before the Halloween Howl, USU's most popular party of the year, in October 2016. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong." width="300" height="225" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-300x225.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-72x54.jpg 72w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-335x251.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016-1050x788.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-5-howl-2016.jpg 1869w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010856" class="wp-caption-text">Chief Mecham, Sergeant Jessica Vahsholtz, Captain Steve Milne and Sergeant Joe Hush wait around before the Halloween Howl, USU’s most popular party of the year, in October 2016. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although the Howl brings a lot of mischief to the university, Mecham said it still makes USU students look good.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s our biggest day of the year for arrests and most, the vast majority of those arrests, do not involve USU students, so that’s kudos to our students who are wise enough to not drink alcohol,” he said. “Most universities wouldn’t be able to throw a party like this.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham said alcohol problems have decreased over the years. Officers no longer dress in plain clothes at sporting events and more students are aware of the consequences of consuming alcohol on campus. But he’s watched other problems increase.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said the number of students with emotional and mental illnesses has increased over the years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The number of students we’ve seen who have threatened suicide or have sought help because they have suicidal thoughts has just skyrocketed over the years,” he said. “It’s sad and it’s hard. There’s just too many students feeling that way and hopefully things will start changing and students will start seeing that there’s help, there’s reason to live and there’s happier days ahead.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham said the officers try to help students through those suicidal thoughts, and work closely with student affairs and the counseling center to help students work through mental illness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said the department has also been more attentive to the possibility of an on-campus active shooter situation because of increasing incidents around the country.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s been kind of sad to watch that happen across the country, and of course sad when it happens on a college campus, but the reality is it can happen anywhere,” he said. “It can happen here today or tomorrow and nobody I think can consider themselves immune, so we have to prepare.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham said these and other prominent issues at USU, such as sexual assault, are at the forefront of the officers’ minds. For the most part, though, he considers USU a safe place.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Overall at Utah State University, we have not a had a lot of the real hardcore crime and that’s a good place to be,” he said.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010859" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010859" class="size-medium wp-image-22010859" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/office-photo-graduation-2015-300x133.jpg" alt="Sergeant Travis Dunn, Officer Andy Barnes, Chief Mecham, Captain Milne, Sergeant Joe Huish, Officer Travis Robson and Officer Kim Ellis prepare to enforce the law at Utah State University's 2015 graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong." width="300" height="133" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/office-photo-graduation-2015-300x133.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/office-photo-graduation-2015-1000x444.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/office-photo-graduation-2015-335x149.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/office-photo-graduation-2015-1050x466.jpg 1050w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010859" class="wp-caption-text">Sergeant Travis Dunn, Officer Andy Barnes, Chief Mecham, Captain Milne, Sergeant Joe Huish, Officer Travis Robson and Officer Kim Ellis prepare to enforce the law at Utah State University’s 2015 graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong.</p></div> <p><b>Service and Safety</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every week, among more serious incidents like car accidents and rape investigations, campus police officers respond to lockouts, jump starts and other minor issues on campus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Steven Milne, the captain of the department, said the USU police responds to more service calls than most other police departments.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We do far more general service calls than we did in the old days. A lot of that’s because of (Mecham),” Milne said. “Are they really in the realm of the police department? I don’t know, but he pushes that. He wants people to call us. He’s quick to say, ‘Absolutely.’”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since his first day on the job, Mecham has believed officers should care about and serve the campus community in any way they can.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Milne said Mecham tells officers, “Don’t just sit in the car all day. Get out and interact with your community and get to know the people you’re serving and protecting.”</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010860" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010860" class="size-medium wp-image-22010860" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010-300x289.jpg" alt="Ryan Barfuss, Chief Mecham and Officer Chad Vernon of the Logan City Police march against rape while wearing high heels at Walk a Mile in Her Shoes in 2011. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong." width="300" height="289" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010-300x289.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010-1000x964.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010-335x323.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010-1050x1012.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-6-walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2010.jpg 1454w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010860" class="wp-caption-text">Ryan Barfuss, Chief Mecham and Officer Chad Vernon of the Logan City Police march against rape while wearing high heels at Walk a Mile in Her Shoes in 2011. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong.After Mecham was made chief, he created a bicycle patrol program.</p></div> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I felt like that was one way to get officers closer to people,” he said. “We’re human. They can stop and talk to us. I think that provides a sense of safety and security. You can be safe, but if you don’t feel safe, you’re not safe.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And safety is Mecham’s top priority. He’s happy that USU is frequently ranked among the safest college campuses in the nation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It speaks well of our citizens; it speaks well of our law enforcement,” he said. “Really I think it speaks to the overall quality of citizens that we have in the valley. Good people, good schools, good opportunities.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham said one challenge of enforcing laws in a safe community is avoiding becoming complacent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When you work in a department like ours when there’s not a lot of bad crime</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">—</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">we’re so grateful for that</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">—</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">but it could happen tomorrow,” he said. “It demands that we train. Even though it may not happen, we train as though it would happen tomorrow.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Judy Crockett, the department’s emergency management coordinator, said Mecham encourages officers to adjust their work schedules to make time for education.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He is very, very supportive of furthering your training and doing whatever he can to help you and support your job,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In case there’s a campus-wide crisis, Mecham also encourages officers to join focus groups in the valley and get to know other members of law enforcement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He’s very attuned to the fact that, just being a small department, that if we ever have a big emergency, we’ll be relying a lot on the outside agencies. So he works to make sure those lines of communications are established,” Milne said.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010861" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010861" class="size-medium wp-image-22010861" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-300x223.jpg" alt="Fire Marshal Jason Winn, Captain Milne, Lieutenant Shane Sessions, Chief Mecham, Office Sutton Hanzalik demonstrate their strength before the 2009 Special Olympics torch run. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong." width="300" height="223" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-300x223.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-1000x742.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-72x54.jpg 72w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-335x249.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009-1050x779.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-7-special-olympics-torch-run-2009.jpg 1889w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010861" class="wp-caption-text">Fire Marshal Jason Winn, Captain Milne, Lieutenant Shane Sessions, Chief Mecham, Office Sutton Hanzalik demonstrate their strength before the 2009 Special Olympics torch run. Photo courtesy of Heather Strong.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mecham also cares about his team. He makes sure the officers have personal needs taken care of and have time to spend with family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have a firm belief that if people are happy at home, they’ll be better employees,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those he’s been in charge of are grateful for his influence on the department.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He’s very calm and easygoing. He’s very service-oriented,” Crockett said. “He’s just a good man.”</span></p> <p><b>Making space for a new chief</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In December, Mecham will pack up his graduation diplomas. He’ll pack up the pictures of his grandchildren, the knick knacks on his window sill, and the handfuls of Snoopy dolls </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">one representing almost every year he was chief at USU </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">sitting by his desk.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22010862" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22010862" class="size-medium wp-image-22010862" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-1-300x225.jpg" alt="Chief Mecham poses with his wife, Darlene." width="300" height="225" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-1-72x54.jpg 72w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-1-335x251.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/heather-strong-1.jpg 723w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22010862" class="wp-caption-text">Chief Mecham poses with his wife, Darlene.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He’ll do so confident that his coworkers and friends will move on without him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A nationwide search for a new chief has already begun, and the hiring committee will review applications in early December. If a replacement isn’t immediately found, Milne will temporarily fill the position.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m confident that whoever steps into this office will understand a college environment, what we need to be and what we need to be prepared for,” Mecham said. “I’m confident that they’ll continue on in a new path and probably move to new heights.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The campus police department will hold a farewell party for Mecham on Dec. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Alumni House. Everyone is invited to attend.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">—</span><a href="mailto:melmo12@gmail.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">melmo12@gmail.com</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">@mcfenstermaker</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/police-chief-steven-mecham-to-retire-a-look-at-his-35-year-career-at-usu/">Police Chief Steven Mecham to retire: A look at his 35-year career at USU</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Utah State names Noelle Cockett new president</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/utah-state-names-noelle-cockett-as-new-president/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2016 02:55:07 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blake Lyman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Board of Regents]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Joyce Albrecht]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Noelle Cockett]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Stan Albrecht]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah State University]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22009903</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>At a meeting in front of colleagues and friends Wednesday, Noelle Cockett accepted an invitation from the Board of Regents…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/utah-state-names-noelle-cockett-as-new-president/">Utah State names Noelle Cockett new president</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At a meeting in front of colleagues and friends Wednesday, Noelle Cockett accepted an invitation from the Board of Regents to lead Utah State University as the new president.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Together, we will make USU an institution whose future is boundless and bright,” Cockett said, beaming.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In January, Cockett and her husband, John, will formally take the reins from President Stan Albrecht and first lady Joyce Albrecht to head Utah State University.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Out of the four finalists selected, Cockett was the only incumbent from the university. She has worked closely with Albrecht and other administrators at USU since she was named executive vice president and provost in 2013.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She says she admires the work Albrecht has done and hopes to “build on the successes Stan and Joyce have established.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Today I pledge to the USU community that as president I will tirelessly devote my skills, experience and energy to keeping this institution true to its land-grant mission, to doing everything possible to increase its success and impact, and to ensuring that the university flourishes and continues its tradition of excellence in years to come,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to being the only incumbent, Cockett was also the only female candidate. Now, Cockett will be USU’s first female president. In fact, Cockett is one of only a handful of female presidents who have served at public universities in Utah’s history.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to her bio on the university’s website, Cockett grew up on a beef cattle ranch in eastern Montana. She has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Montana State University and a master’s and doctorate degree in animal breeding genetics from Oregon State University.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cockett spent five years as a research geneticist in Nebraska, and was then hired as an assistant professor at USU in 1990.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My husband John and I arrived in Cache Valley in 1990, intending to remain only a few years; however, I soon learned how very special Utah State University is and came to realize this is exactly where I wanted to be, both professionally and personally,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She was promoted to associate professor in 1993 and full professor in 1996. According to her bio, she has also served as the Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cockett said she’s had a dream to be the president of the university. During the years she worked at the school, she said she grew to admire Albrecht’s leadership and the greatness of the university.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Like so many others over the 128 years of USU’s existence, I have developed a love and passion for all that Utah State is,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As university provost, Cockett worked closely with Albrecht and other university administration. In October, Albrecht tasked Cockett with leading a sexual assault prevention task force.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Albrecht said Cockett has his “absolute, full support” and said she has a “great experience ahead of her.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would just urge our administrative team, our faculty, our students, our staff, our boards — and I’m confident that they all will — to support our new president as they have supported me,” Albrecht said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Albrecht, who announced his retirement in February, will have served as president for almost 12 years when he officially steps down in 2017.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The four finalists, who were announced on Oct. 19, were interviewed in the days preceding the announcement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They were Don Blackketter, the chancellor of Montana Tech; Keith Miller, a former faculty member at the New President Academy at the American Association of State College and Universities; and Mark Rudin, who has been the vice president for research and economic development at Boise State University since 2007.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Oct. 26, the candidates were interviewed by four groups of university affiliates, including students, faculty, staff and the Board of Regents. Interviews with each candidate lasted about 40 minutes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Blake Lyman, a member of a group of about 30 students who represented the student population, said the groups asked the candidates specific questions about how they would lead the university.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lyman said the interviewers took rigorous notes about the candidates’ potential strengths and weaknesses, then submitted the information to the Board of Regents.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I definitely think it was fair and needed,” he said. “We each got a chance to really get into some meaty issues. We really got to know the candidates and what they brought to the table.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Board of Regents ultimately chose the president, and students didn’t vote on the matter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cockett said she is grateful for support from students and colleagues, and hopes to help them continue to see growth and success.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our outstanding staff, administration, trustees, and many friends will keep the message alive that USU is an institution of greatness,” she said.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">–melmo12@gmail.com</span></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">@mcfenstermaker</span></em></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/utah-state-names-noelle-cockett-as-new-president/">Utah State names Noelle Cockett new president</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Finalists for new USU president announced</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/finalists-for-new-president/</link> <comments>https://usustatesman.com/finalists-for-new-president/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 19 Oct 2016 18:24:42 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ashley Waddoups]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Board of Regents]]></category> <category><![CDATA[James Morales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Noelle Cockett]]></category> <category><![CDATA[president]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Stan Albrecht]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22009642</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Eight months after Utah State University President Stan Albrecht announced his retirement, Utah’s Board of Regents has announced the finalists…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/finalists-for-new-president/">Finalists for new USU president announced</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eight months after Utah State University President Stan Albrecht announced his retirement, Utah’s Board of Regents has announced the finalists for his replacement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The four finalists, who were announced on Oct. 19, have full bios displayed on the </span><a href="https://higheredutah.org/four-finalists-named-in-utah-state-university-presidential-search/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Board of Regents website</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Here’s a bit about them, compiled from the bios:</span></p> <p><b>Don Blackketter</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been the chancellor of Montana Tech since 2011. He was the Dean of the College Engineering at the University of Idaho from 2008 to 2011. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming.</span></p> <p><b>Noelle Cockett</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been the Executive Vice President and Provost of Utah State University since 2013. She was the Dean of USU’s College of Agriculture from 2002 to 2013. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in animal genetics from Oregon State University.</span></p> <p><b>Keith Miller </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">was a faculty member at the New President Academy of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities from 2012 to 2015. From 2001 to 2004, he was vice president and provost of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in public speaking from the University of Arizona. He also received a Ph.D. in education from same university.</span></p> <p><b>Mark Rudin</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been the vice president for Research and Economic Development at Boise State University since 2007. He was the senior associate vice president for Research Services at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas from 2005 to 2006. From Purdue University, he earned a master’s in health physics and a doctorate in medicinal chemistry.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the Board of Regents, the finalists will be interviewed on Oct. 26. James Morales, vice president of Student Affairs, said the goal is to put a new president into office by the beginning of 2017. Until a successor is chosen, Albrecht will retain his position as president.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morales says the president is important because he has direct influence on every aspect of the university.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That position is incredibly influential,” he said. “This is the person that helps lead the university forward in fulfilling its mission to serve students as a land-grant institution. Because the president is the person that is sort of charting the course of where we’re going to go in the future, every student will be affected by where he or she chooses to take the institution, whether he or she honors, effectively, our mission as an institution.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ashley Waddoups, the president of the Utah State University Student Association, said via email that she’s pleased with President Albrecht’s leadership and hopes students will recognize the importance of choosing a new president.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Through President Albrecht’s leadership, students have been incredibly empowered and listened to. In comparison, I’ve talked to students from schools across the nation that have university presidents that won’t even take time to meet with them,” she said. “The university president impacts every facet of student life.”</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The board released no information about other applicants, citing their privacy. The board has also said the media will not be allowed to interview any of the candidates, and that all information discussed in the interviews with the search committee will remain confidential. For more information about the search process, visit </span><a href="https://usustatesman.com/choosing-usus-new-president/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://usustatesman.com/choosing-usus-new-president/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/finalists-for-new-president/">Finalists for new USU president announced</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://usustatesman.com/finalists-for-new-president/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>USU’s Space Dynamics Lab built cameras for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usus-space-dynamics-lab-built-cameras-for-nasas-osiris-rex-mission/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2016 23:24:11 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bennu]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matt Sorensen]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NASA]]></category> <category><![CDATA[OSIRIS-REx]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rocket]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space Dynamics Lab]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Space Travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22008374</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>For the past four years, scientists at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Lab have spent much of their time designing…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usus-space-dynamics-lab-built-cameras-for-nasas-osiris-rex-mission/">USU’s Space Dynamics Lab built cameras for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the past four years, scientists at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Lab have spent much of their time designing and constructing cameras for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Thursday night, the rocket finally lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and scientists gathered with their families to celebrate years of hard work.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was pretty surreal,” said Matt Sorensen, who worked on wiring for the cameras. “I’ve seen other rocket launches, but I think it meant a lot more because I had so much time invested in this particular launch. So to see it take off, it was pretty exciting.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The OSIRIS-REx mission was designed to rendezvous alongside Bennu, an asteroid near Earth, and take pictures of the surface.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jessica Jensen, who was in charge of finances for SDL’s camera project, said nearly 60 people helped create the cameras that will provide imaging of the asteroid’s surface. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The mission will also pick up a small sample of the asteroid and bring it back to Earth to analyze. Jensen says this piece of the asteroid will be no larger than 60 grams, or the size of a Snicker’s bar.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to a university press release, that Snicker’s-bar-sized piece of rock could reveal a great deal about the solar system. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The press release says scientists believe Bennu has a good chance of crashing into Earth in the late 22nd century, so studying the asteroid’s chemical and physical characteristics could help future scientists know what kind of impact Bennu would make on the planet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bennu may also contain natural materials — such as water, precious metals and organics — that could one day fuel space missions, the release says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last, it says the asteroid may contain the “molecular precursors to the origin of life and the Earth’s oceans.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">OSIRIS-REx will be in space for about seven years. It’s expected to meet up with Bennu in 2018, start to make its way back to Earth in 2021 and land in Utah in 2023.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Darin Partridge, director of the C4ISR sector of SDL, asked all the eight-year-old children to raise their hands before the rocket launched.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I want you guys to remember this day, OK?” he said. “Because when we get this back, you’re going to be about 15 years old. And when you look at the newspaper that day, this is going to be in it, and you’re going to say, ‘I remember being eight years old, watching this thing launch.’”</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Until then, scientists from the lab and their families will no doubt keep a close watch on OSIRIS-REx as it travels through space to meet Bennu.</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usus-space-dynamics-lab-built-cameras-for-nasas-osiris-rex-mission/">USU’s Space Dynamics Lab built cameras for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>USU Will Hold Memorial For Student Killed in Plane Crash</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usu-will-hold-memorial-downed-aviation-student/</link> <comments>https://usustatesman.com/usu-will-hold-memorial-downed-aviation-student/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2016 17:58:11 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Aviation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Crash]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Frank De Leon Compres]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Killed]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pilot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007845</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>On Thursday, Utah State University’s aviation program will hold a memorial and vigil for Frank Marino De Leon Compres, a…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-will-hold-memorial-downed-aviation-student/">USU Will Hold Memorial For Student Killed in Plane Crash</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Thursday, Utah State University’s aviation program <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/132621883839561/">will hold a memorial and vigil</a> for Frank Marino De Leon Compres, a 21-year-old aviation student <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/">who was killed in a plane crash on Tuesday.</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The memorial will be held at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic church at 6:30 p.m., followed by a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. on the northwest corner of the Quad on USU’s campus. A shuttle will be available at the Taggart Student Center starting at 5:45 p.m. to take students to the church in Hyde Park.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Compres, a student from the Dominican Republic, was the USU International Student Council <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-22007834 alignright" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-de-leon-200x300.jpg" alt="Frank de Leon" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-de-leon-200x300.jpg 200w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-de-leon-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-de-leon-335x503.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-de-leon.jpg 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />President. He was a member of the Dominican Republic Student Association and a resident assistant at Davis Hall.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://usustatesman.com/?s=Luis+Armenta">Luis Armenta</a>, Compres’ friend and USU’s diversity VP, said Compres was well-loved by his friends at the university.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The thing about Frank is he had a sincere love for his fellow international students, and that pushed him to be a better leader than I feel most others would be,” Armenta said. “I just feel a tremendous loss that Utah State University, specifically international students but also domestic students, lost such a great leader.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://usustatesman.com/?s=Andreas+Wesemann">Andreas Wesemann</a>, a USU aviation professor, said Compres was heavily involved as an honors student in USU’s aviation program. He was a part of both the maintenance program and the professional pilot program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He met, in one way, everybody in our program,” he said. “Frank was such an energetic, outgoing individual.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was the first fatality since the program began in 1939, Wesemann said. This year, there were 180 students in the professional pilot program and an additional 68 students studying airplane maintenance.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wesemann said the cause of the crash is still unclear. He said the weather was fair that day, the university’s airplanes were carefully maintained and Compres was a well-prepared student who had earned his private pilot’s license. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Safety Board are investigating the crash, but Wesemann said it could be weeks until the cause of the crash is clear.</span></p> <p>He said planes have been grounded at the university’s airport until students can be briefed about safety guidelines, and grief counselors are available to help students through the tragedy.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Frank passed away doing what he loved,” Armenta said. “Let’s not think so much about his passing away, but let’s honor his life in how we live this next year, and truly dedicate this next year to Frank.”</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-will-hold-memorial-downed-aviation-student/">USU Will Hold Memorial For Student Killed in Plane Crash</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://usustatesman.com/usu-will-hold-memorial-downed-aviation-student/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Aviation student dies in plane crash near Hyrum</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/</link> <comments>https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 22:34:29 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[airplane]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cache Valley]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Crash]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[plane]]></category> <category><![CDATA[USU Aviation]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007815</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>A Utah State University aviation student, Frank De Leon Compres, was killed in a plane crash near Hyrum on Monday…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/">Aviation student dies in plane crash near Hyrum</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A Utah State University aviation student, Frank De Leon Compres, was killed in a plane crash near Hyrum on Monday afternoon.</p> <p>De Leon Compres was a 21-year-old senior and a resident assistant at Davis Hall. He was a member of the Dominican Republic Student Association and the USU International Student Council president.</p> <div id="attachment_22007829" style="width: 170px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007829" class="wp-image-22007829 size-full" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank.jpg" alt="Frank De Leon Compres" width="160" height="160" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank.jpg 160w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/frank-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22007829" class="wp-caption-text">Frank De Leon Compres was the USU International Student Council President.</p></div> <p>There was no one else in the plane and no other injuries. Tim Vitale, executive director of public relations at USU, confirmed that De Leon was a fully licensed private pilot and was working on earning additional ratings at the time of the crash.</p> <p>“This is extremely heart wrenching,” Vitale said. “This was a really, really good kid. Our hearts go out to the family most importantly at this time. This was someone who had a presence here and had contact with many aspects of university life. We’re very sad to hear about this tragedy.”</p> <p>The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.</p> <p>More details will be added as they are made known.</p> <p>-melmo12@gmail.com</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/">Aviation student dies in plane crash near Hyrum</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-plane-crash-near-hyrum/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>People are more willing to talk about LGBT issues at USU, program coordinator says</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/people-willing-talk-lgbt-issues-usu-program-coordinator-says/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2016 20:45:43 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus Crime]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Brooke Lambert]]></category> <category><![CDATA[LGBT]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Transgender Awareness Week]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah State University]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007779</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>When Brooke Lambert became the USU LGBT program coordinator four and a half years ago, she said many people in…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/people-willing-talk-lgbt-issues-usu-program-coordinator-says/">People are more willing to talk about LGBT issues at USU, program coordinator says</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Brooke Lambert became the USU LGBT program coordinator four and a half years ago, she said many people in Cache County didn’t know what LGBT meant.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since then, the United States has legalized same-sex marriage. Many people are pushing for open bathroom laws and anti-LGBT-discrimination laws, creating a strong dialogue about these issues worldwide.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, Lambert said most USU community members know that LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, and they’re willing to discuss it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You know, one of the biggest differences I’ve seen in the last few years is that people are just way more willing to talk about LGBT issues,” Lambert said. “Four and a half years ago it was something that people didn’t really want to talk about, or they were uncomfortable talking about it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She said the school’s LGBT ally program has nearly doubled since 2012, and the support makes LGBT community members feel safer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People are more willing to come out now,” she said. “They feel safer. They feel like they have the support that they need. Because more people are willing to come out, everybody kind of knows somebody. Once you are able to put a face to the LGBT community, I think people are way more willing to reach out and say, ‘What can I do to make it better?’”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And USU has become more sensitive to LGBT needs. In 2015, the university opened the Aggie Recreation Center, which has the school’s first-ever gender-neutral locker room. Lambert worked with the architect and pushed for the room to be built.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This year, the university will allow students to use their preferred names on class roles and school identification cards instead of their given names. Lambert said these changes are advantageous to transgender students because they don’t have to ask their professors to change their names. She said some transgender students find that confrontation uncomfortable because </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She is leaving USU this year for a new position in the LGBT office at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She says she will miss USU, but she’s looking forward to her new job.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22007780" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007780" class="size-medium wp-image-22007780" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905-300x254.jpg" alt="This is Brooke Lambert is 2012, shortly after she was hired. She'll be leaving soon to work at the Univeristy of North Carolina Wilmington." width="300" height="254" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905-300x254.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905-1000x848.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905-335x284.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905-1050x890.jpg 1050w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2684028-1186828905.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-22007780" class="wp-caption-text">This is Brooke Lambert is 2012, shortly after she was hired. She’ll be leaving soon to work at the Univeristy of North Carolina Wilmington.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lambert’s favorite part of being LGBT program coordinator was seeing students gain confidence and get involved.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Seeing somebody who’s just now come out and they’re a little nervous, and then two or three years down the road they’re confident, they feel good about themselves, they’re doing all of these wonderful things,” Lambert said. “That’s definitely the best part of the job.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hardest part of Lambert’s job, she said, was to see students struggle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Maybe they don’t have the support at home, or they feel like their identities aren’t being validated at home. That’s devastating sometimes to hear what they’ve been through.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After she leaves, she hopes the university will continue to have a strong social program for LGBT students so they can find friends and support. She hopes the university will continue to promote events like transgender awareness week the week of November 20, which is transgender day of awareness. She wants the program to grow and eventually get a bigger space.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lambert did her undergraduate and graduate degree at USU. She’s lived in Logan for 13 years. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s a great place. I’ve been here a long time,” she said. “Utah State and Logan is always going to have a special place in my heart. I really hope that things continue to move forward in a positive direction.”</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/people-willing-talk-lgbt-issues-usu-program-coordinator-says/">People are more willing to talk about LGBT issues at USU, program coordinator says</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>USU student found dead near Alta</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-falling-off-cliff/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2016 22:17:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Campus News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alta]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cecret Lake]]></category> <category><![CDATA[death]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hiking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Jersey]]></category> <category><![CDATA[undergraduate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Unified Police]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah State]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007654</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>A Utah State University student was found dead at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff near Alta, Utah on Wednesday.…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-falling-off-cliff/">USU student found dead near Alta</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A Utah State University student was found dead at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff near Alta, Utah on Wednesday.</p> <p>Investigators suspect 22-year-old Amanda Marie Caseiro from New Jersey slipped on a wet trail.</p> <p>Caseiro told friends Tuesday night that she went hiking in the Cecret Lake area, officials say. When she did not return, her boyfriend called police. A helicopter was used to locate her body.</p> <p>More information will be added as it is released.</p> <p> </p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/usu-student-dies-falling-off-cliff/">USU student found dead near Alta</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Bicycle Brent brings Logan community together, teaches acceptance</title> <link>https://usustatesman.com/bicycle-brent/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Melanie Fenstermaker]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2016 19:54:18 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[All]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Diversity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Brent Carpenter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cache Employment Center]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cache Valley]]></category> <category><![CDATA[disabilties]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kae Lynn Beecher]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Linda Carpenter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Logan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Tami Wilson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Utah]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://usustatesman.com/?p=22007642</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Even if they don’t know his name, most everyone at Utah State University immediately recognizes Brent Carpenter. Brent has gained…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/bicycle-brent/">Bicycle Brent brings Logan community together, teaches acceptance</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even if they don’t know his name, most everyone at Utah State University immediately recognizes Brent Carpenter. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brent has gained a reputation for riding his stuffed animal-decorated bike around campus, honking his horn, waving to everyone and handing out copies of the paper. Brent is so well known in Logan that he’s been nicknamed “Bicycle Brent.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But his impact on the community reaches far beyond waves and smiles. Brent, who is 67 years old and has cerebral palsy, has been highly involved in the community for years.</span></p> <div id="attachment_22007644" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"> <div class="media-credit-container alignleft" style="max-width: 310px"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007644" class="size-medium wp-image-22007644" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0187-300x199.jpg" alt="Brent Carpenter is 67 years old, but he still rides his bike everywhere he goes. " width="300" height="199" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0187-300x199.jpg 300w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0187-1000x665.jpg 1000w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0187-335x223.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0187-1050x698.jpg 1050w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><span class="media-credit">Samuel Brown</span> </div> <p id="caption-attachment-22007644" class="wp-caption-text">Brent Carpenter is 67 years old, but he still rides his bike everywhere he goes.</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brent first moved to Logan in the early 1980s, said his sister Tami Wilson. It was at that point that he found the Cache Employment and Training center, an organization that strives to help people with disabilities become more independent through life and professional skills training.</span></p> <p>The center helped him get a job at the Junction at Utah State University, where he quickly gained friends and admirers for his positive attitude and desire to love and serve everyone.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the 2002 Olympics,<a href="https://usustatesman.com/bucket3/light-the-fire-within/"> the community nominated Brent to carry the Olympic torch</a>. He ran through the stadium in front of thousands of spectators who were all chanting his name and honking bicycle horns.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“His parents were crying, they were so proud of him,” Wilson said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://usustatesman.com/bicycle-brent-retires-from-the-junction/">Brent retired in 2009</a>, after working at the Junction for just over 30 years, but he’s never stopped visiting campus. He spends at least one day per week on campus, handing out newspapers and saying hello to everyone he passes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since he’s retired, Brent has been the face of “Bike with Brent,” an event that brings hundreds of Utahns of all ages and abilities together for a ride. The event is a fundraiser for the Cache Employment and Training Center, the organization that helped Brent find his job at the university.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The most recent Bike with Brent event was on June 10 at Willow Park, and more than 750 people showed up to support him and the organization. Brent signed people’s t-shirts and led the ride.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He’s just a great person to lead this bike ride, this walk that we have,” said Kae Lynn Beecher, CETC director. “People come out to support him, and by supporting him they’re supporting people with disabilities.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brent loves Bike with Brent, said his sister, Linda Carpenter. </span></p> <div id="attachment_22007645" style="width: 209px" class="wp-caption alignright"> <div class="media-credit-container alignright" style="max-width: 209px"> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-22007645" class="size-medium wp-image-22007645" src="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0251-199x300.jpg" alt="Most everyone in Logan knows and watches out for Brent Carpenter. He's been nicknamed "Bicycle Brent" and "Logan's Goodwill Ambassador."" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0251-199x300.jpg 199w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0251-665x1000.jpg 665w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0251-335x504.jpg 335w, https://usustatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dsc0251-1050x1579.jpg 1050w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" /><span class="media-credit">Samuel Brown</span> </div> <p id="caption-attachment-22007645" class="wp-caption-text">Most everyone in Logan knows and watches out for Brent Carpenter. He’s been nicknamed “Bicycle Brent” and <a href="https://usustatesman.com/bucket3/column-brent-carpenter-logans-goodwill-ambassador/">“Logan’s Goodwill Ambassador.”</a></p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Brent was very excited,” she said. “He called me at 10:15 last night to talk about it, he was so excited. He gets excited every year.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brent not only loves the events he’s involved in, he loves Logan in general. Wilson said he calls Logan “my town.” And the city loves him in return.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Logan in general has improved his life,” Wilson said. “He would just wither if he moved from Logan. He loves it so much. It’s kind of incomprehensible about how much people love him and how they watch out for him.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Community members really expressed their concern for Brent in 1995, when someone attacked him and beat him up. The man attacked him, Wilson said, because he thought Brent was gay. The city wouldn’t stand for that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The year that someone hurt him, beat him up, it was like the valley about came unglued,” Wilson said. “The county prosecutor was totally irate. The people of Cache Valley rallied around him.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since then, the city has watched out for him, and Wilson says the Carpenters are grateful for that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wilson said she loves hearing how much people care about him. She said someone started a Facebook page for him, and he has more than 2,000 followers who comment about him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People who have moved away from Logan still comment and say they miss him, and they say whenever they hear a bike horn they expect to see him,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wilson said Brent is an inspiration to her and the people in Cache Valley.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The biggest thing, I think, is he teaches people not to be so judgmental and to accept people that are a little bit different,” she said. “He teaches acceptance, that’s for sure, and compassion. And to be happy. Life’s not that bad.”</span></p> <p><em>Editor’s note: The Statesman seems to write about Brent Carpenter every few years. In each one there are lots of fun stories about him, ranging from giving his coworker Betty Boop things on her birthdays to accidentally walking in on someone in the bath to give her a copy of the paper. To see a list of stories, <a href="https://usustatesman.com/bucket3/?s=brent+carpenter">click here.</a></em></p> <p>The post <a href="https://usustatesman.com/bicycle-brent/">Bicycle Brent brings Logan community together, teaches acceptance</a> appeared first on <a href="https://usustatesman.com">The Utah Statesman</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>