Sunday, April 1, 2012

Undeterred, Adam Vail looks to next challenge

His life has been one of hardships and unexpected challenges. Despite these experiences, Adam Vail is still striving to make a difference.

And none of that has changed now that the 33-year-old Utah State University student — a married father of five — has failed to win the student government presidency.

“I’ll be completely honest, I did not expect to lose,” Vail said. “I was very confident. But you know sometimes things happen that cause you to re-evaluate and just maybe focus a little more on your current situation. What we’re currently doing is what’s best for our family.”

Family hardship is not a new thing for the Vail family.

While living in Mesa, Ariz., Vail’s three-month-old daughter suffered a stroke. At the time, Vail’s boss took him and his family off of the company insurance plan. That was when he decided he needed to go back to school.

Shortly after beginning his studies at Utah State University, Vail’s family would face another unexpected challenge. His mother suffered two strokes that left her partially paralyzed and unable to speak.

He and his family stepped in to help. Adam picked up another job so he and his family could welcome his mother into their home, see to her needs and even cover her medical expenses — she had no insurance at the time.

“It’s taught our kids so much about caring for others and service,” said Tiffany Vail, Adam’s wife. “So that’s been great, but family encompasses so much more than the five kids at home and the mother-in-law -- it encompasses all the people we take care of.”

Despite these personal challenges, the Vails have still made time to serve others.

Tyler Tolson, Adam Vail’s friend and a former president of ASUSU, has seen the type of service his friend has rendered.

“He once had a neighbor who was an older gentleman who was going through physical therapy and his insurance cut out. His therapy was going to cost him a few hundred bucks,” Tolson said. “So what did Adam do? He went over and learned from the therapist how to give the gentleman the therapy. So for the man’s remaining days, every morning at 6 a.m., he’d go over and give him the therapy.”

“I just think that it’s the type of commitment that he gives to people in general,” Tolson said. “That’s the type of man that Adam is.”

Undaunted that he failed to win in this year’s elections, Vail, an exercise science major with aspirations for medical school, is considering running again next year.

“Next year is a long ways away. So a lot can happen in a year as to whether we would run again or not,” Vail said. “I am passionate about this university and I am passionate about making a change in people’s lives.”

Jessica Jolley, Victoria Hepworth, Parker Jeppesen, Katie Carter, Adison Pace, Julia Stock, Joe Bagnes, and Matthew Skabelund contributed to this article.

Blind USU student fights to make USU better for all

For the past five years, 28-year-old Chad Floyd, a student at Utah State University, has been a regular at Swing Dancing Wednesdays at Cache Valley Fun Park.

But among those packed into the dance hall, Floyd is unique: He has been legally blind since he was four.

For more than 20 years, Floyd has been adapting to his disability in everything he does — from swing dancing to his involvement at USU. Even though his life may be difficult at times, he said, he has never let his visual impairment discourage him.

Chris Axtell started swing dancing with Floyd after volunteering as an assistant through a program facilitated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Floyd’s challenges aren’t limited to his blindness, Axtell said.

“He has replaced his liver, removed his gall bladder and has lots of health problems—plus he is blind, but that doesn’t stop him,” Axtell said. “He does things just like people with sight. It's incredible.”

When people first see that he is blind, Floyd said, they are often skeptical about his abilities.

"I just go out there and dance with them and have fun,” Floyd said. “Not to brag, but most of them tell me I’m really good.”

USU student Grey Homack supports that claim.

“And I have to admit he is quite the ladies’ man too,” Homack said.

Regardless of whether Floyd is on or off the dance floor, he said he has become comfortable with his disability.

According to Floyd, he is hoping to make USU a place where disabled people can engage in programs and activities with a higher level of independence and also become comfortable with their disabilities.

Mary Whyte, arts senator at USU, has known Floyd since April of last year when he joined the Arts Council. According to Whyte, Floyd is working on making a more broad range of art programs more disability friendly. Right now it is just in the approval stage.

Floyd’s proposed project is aimed to make performances in the theater and concert hall more applicable to the hearing and visually impaired, as well as improvements in the art museum.

“I feel that we can do a better job at making those with disabilities more comfortable attending programs done by the arts,” Floyd said.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Herald-Journal weathers criticism from some sources

Ryan Bird wasn’t impressed.

After being featured in The Herald Journal about his involvement in Herm’s Inn, a new restaurant in a recently restored historic building in Logan, Bird felt that he was inaccurately portrayed.

“They didn’t even ask what my role is,” Bird said. “They said I was the manager when I am actually one of the five owners.”

Bird didn’t feel as though the Logan-based newspaper’s reporter adequately prepared for the interview — and he isn’t alone in feeling misrepresented. The Herald Journal — Cache County’s primary professional news-gathering organization — often finds itself on the wrong side of public opinion.

Doug Snow, an assistant principal at Logan High School, said The Journal wrote an article about the new truancy policy at Logan High School that led readers astray.

“The reporter came and got the entire story from me and then omitted much of the information,” Snow said. “The Herald Journal made it sound like a strictly negative thing and it’s not.”

The Herald Journal didn’t include the positive reinforcement the school uses to reward good attendance, according to Snow. This was apparent to Herald Journal readers as well.

I found Sunday’s article (“LHS to fine hall loiterers”) light on supporting information,” said Ed Rogers, a Herald Journal subscriber, in a letter to the editor on Feb. 21.

“I had so many phone calls from parents after the story came out,” said Andrea Connor, the attendance secretary at LHS.

Many readers are disenchanted with the local paper — and letters to the editor often reflect a frustrated tone.

“Shame on you for not upholding your own rules and regulation and letting political bias guide your selection of the letters to the editor to be printed,” said Ashley D’Antonio, a Cache Valley citizen, in a letter to the editor on Feb. 14.

“Strangely, though, a couple of weeks ago in this paper when information was given about each of the final six candidates, did you notice, as I did, that he (Doug Thompson) was the only one about whom no information was given? I trust this was just an oversight on the part of The Herald Journal and not a deliberate omission, because the many contributions made by him during his time as mayor ought to be well known by the people of Logan,” said Ross Allen, a Cache Valley citizen, in a letter to the editor on Nov. 1, 2011.

Managing editor Charles McCollum said negative feedback is common for community newspapers.

“We get a lot of complaints — usually about the play of stories, some are about the errors,” McCollum said. “If someone points out an error we correct it.”

McCollum said the newspaper rarely fact checks its reporters’ work — and some believe that practice could run contrary to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.

The code calls on journalists to “test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error.”

But Christopher Harper, associate professor of journalism at Temple University, said most newspapers depend on reporters to do their own fact checking.

Ana Daraban, who works in the breaking news and data center at The Salt Lake Tribune, said that’s similar to policies at the state’s largest newspaper.

“Nearly all of the fact-checking is done by the reporter. Then the section editors and copy desk personnel get into the scene and they double check items,” she said.

Even with the best of reporters, producing a daily newspaper that meets the standards and expectations of all of its readers is a difficult task.

The Herald Journal produces its news product with the support of reporters who don’t have college degrees, McCollum said.

“We have had tons of journalism students over the years,” he said. “They work part-time and not many people with a degree in journalism want to work part-time.”

Journalists don’t need degrees, necessarily, according to Harper. There is no license given to a journalist. Reporters are simply expected to adhere to the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Brooks Jackson, director of Factcheck.org concurs.

“It's just a matter of sensible quality control,” Jackson said. “It's a bad thing to the extent that incorrect information gets passed along. When there's too much, it's just bad journalism.”

Jill Dean, Kyndall Peterson, Paige Sjoblom, Aaron Griffiths, Cambria VandeMerwe, Heather Foster and Lauren Handy contributed to this story.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Sen. Hatch hosts forum in Logan, affirms president's citizenship

Sen. Orrin Hatch held a question-and-answer event in Logan on Thursday as part of his campaign for re-election.

Hatch, who is serving his sixth term as U.S. senator from Utah, said he would likely be the Senate Finance Committee chairman if he is re-elected — and if the Republicans take control of the Senate.

“One reason I’m running again is because of the finance committee, that’s the most important committee in Congress. There are many changes that need to be made and 60 percent of all spending is in that committee,” Hatch said. “We need Orrin Hatch as chairman of that committee.”

The other Utah delegates don’t have the seniority to achieve a rank such as finance chairman, according to Terry Camp, Republican Party area captain over Cache, Box Elder, Rich and Morgan counties.

The chairman has sole power of the agenda — and it’s been 90 years since a Utah senator has been in this position,” Camp said.

Hatch said his re-election would be beneficial for Utah.

“I’m not just trying to hold onto this position,” Hatch said. “I’ve been there a long time and because of that, we can make a lot of things happen in Utah that are for the better.”

If re-elected, Hatch would be the president pro tempore — the senator with the longest record of continuous service in the majority party.

“The biggest reason Hatch will win is because he will be the finance chairman if the Republicans take over the Senate,” Camp said. “Utah will have no seniority if he doesn’t get in.”

At the event, an audience member expressed concern that President Barack Obama is not a citizen of the U. S.

“Every indication, including the paperwork, shows that the president is a U. S. citizen,” Hatch said. “However, he isn’t as committed to America as he should be. He doesn’t see America as being exceptional. He wants us to be like Europe.”

Another concern from the audience was that Obama is cutting back on the U. S. military.

“I don’t agree with what he’s doing. He’s cutting back on our nuclear arsenal at a time when Iran is developing nuclear weapons,” Hatch said. “A number of other countries are in turmoil and he’s not doing what needs to be done.”

According to Hatch, the Republicans need to take control of the presidency in order to improve the economy.

“We have more debt than we have revenue, that’s one of the reasons why I support Mitt Romney,” Hatch said. “He has extensive business experience and he’s the only one that can beat this president.”

Kyndall Peterson, Jill Dean, Lauren Handy, Cambria VandeMerwe, Heather Foster, Aaron Griffiths and Paige Sjoblom contributed to this report.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Hazing scholarship was a scam, officials urge caution

Alana Hill thought she was being helpful.

In an attempt to aid fellow members pay for school the ASUSU assistant director of student involvement sent out an email to the Greek community last month.

But the email — about an anti-hazing scholarship —was quickly caught and recognized as a scam.

“To be honest I did not have any idea,” Hill said.

Hill’s recipients weren’t alone. Many employees received the pitch, which asked applicants to write and essay and include a $5 submission fee.

“I became curious because I received several of the messages in spite of not being in a position at the university that has anything to do with scholarships or other academic matters,” said Bob Bayn, of the USU information technology security team.

Patti Kohler, USU’s scholarship coordinator, said there is no way to know how many students actually received emails from their advisers and applied for the scholarship because they would have done so independently.

The email may have been particularly well targeted to USU students, even if it that wasn’t the scammer’s specific intent. Hazing awareness has been at the forefront of USU’s agenda since the death of Michael Starks in 2008.

Kohler does not think that these two things are related. “I’d be surprised if they even knew about Mike Starks, they probably just chose something that sounded noble and cold and applicable and then sent it by email to tens of thousands of people,” she said.

Students should always be wary of scholarships which require an application fee, Kohler said.

An email was sent to USU employees warning them about the legitimacy of the scholarship. Mark Kantrowitz, founder of finaid.org, called this a “promotional scholarship.”

Promotional scholarships are publicity attempts by the sponsor’s commercial website, Bayn said.

There is no reason to believe students have lost their faith in the USU scholarship office, or the IT department, Bayn said.

“Each applicant loses $5 at most. And, to the credit of the scholarship program, the applicant does need to find the university's hazing policy and submit a copy with their application,” he said. “So the applicant does gain some awareness of the hazing policy at USU, even if they aren't likely to win a randomly drawn scholarship.”

Students are cautioned by university officials to use good judgment when applying for scholarships.

Riley Jo Justesen, the Alpha Chi Omega membership programmer, said her sorority had received the email to apply for the scholarship. Justesen said she even started to apply for the scholarship, but did not get far enough to pay the fee.

“I just know that people need to be really careful,” Justesen said, “because you know scholarships are a good way for people to scam people these days.”

Justesen said that at least four of her sorority sisters applied for the scholarship last semester. She was not sure how many more sisters applied this semester.

“I honestly got it forwarded from admissions,” Justesen said. “I got a forward from some other folks in student services and just passed it along.”

Justesen said the scholarship felt legitimate because it had been sent to her by so many different university instructors and employees.

“USU cannot thoroughly evaluate all scholarship offerings that students may encounter,” Bayn said.

David Thomas, Brie Geller, Mackinzie Hamilton, Marissa Shields, Ashley Howell and Danielle Manley contributed to this report.