Monday, April 20, 2020

USU student life may not return to normal for 12-18 months

By Sydney Kidd and Harley Barnes
Student life at Utah State University may not be normalized for as long as 18 months, school officials warned during a virtual town hall held Friday morning. Nonetheless, there will be no postponement of tuition increases.
“I wish we could but it’s not gonna be possible,” said the university’s president, Noelle Cockett. 
Cockett said a common misunderstanding was that the university was saving money by putting courses online, when in reality it was more expensive.
According to Cockett, there will be a limited number of students in face-to-face classes, and students should expect protection measures such as personal protective gear and the use of plexiglass to separate people. Temperature screenings could also be implemented.
According to Robert Wagner, the vice president of academic and instructional services, the university is preparing for several different scenarios come fall. Cockett said she expects groups of 20 to 25 people will be allowed, with classes of up to 100 if the situation considerably improves.
It is unclear how this will affect fall sports, but Cockett said she does expect certain events to occur during fall semester — those events might just be smaller than usual.
“The numbers and the freedom that we experienced will not occur,” Cockett said. “It is not a simple switching a flip. We won’t go from this self-isolation, small groups, delivery of class remotely, working remotely, to suddenly our campus as usual… That’s not how this will move forward.”
Wagner announced admissions will be handled on a case-by-case basis for current seniors who have not taken the ACT or SAT. 
“I’m confident that we will be able to adapt,” he said. 
Along with the adjustments the university is making for students, Cockett said there would be no non-resident tuition charged for the summer semester and leniency would be granted for students trying to obtain residency.
According to the university, for the time being, time spent outside of Utah will not impact residency status at the university. 
Until restrictions for COVID-19 are lifted, students may leave the state and it will not count against their residency.
Cockett does ask that students not travel to places with a high infection rate. 
“That could expose you,” she said. “It could expose your family. It could expose people back on our campuses and centers.”

Utah State researchers on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus

By Taylor Cripe
Utah State University antiviral researchers are hard at work helping the National Institutes of Health develop and test antiviral drugs for efficacy against COVID-19.
“We are working frantically, yet cautiously and carefully at the same time,” lead investigator Bart Tarbet said.
Tarbet, a research professor in USU’s Department of Veterinary Science, has worked in antiviral research for more than 25 years, and has worked on other antiviral projects such as the H1N1 “swine flu” strain.
So, are there currently any medications or drugs that work effectively against COVID-19? According to Tarbet, the short answer is no.
The best defense against the strain of virus causing the current pandemic, he said, is to allow physicians to safely treat their patient however they see fit. He added physicians should be able to prescribe their patients “off label” drugs, which means they can be used in a manner not specified by the Food and Drug administration.
However, Tarbet also warned that people should not be fooled by misinformation — for example, the rumors floating around about hydroxychloroquine, ​an anti-malaria drug that has been much touted by ​President ​Donald ​Trump that some people have claimed might be a “cure” for COVID-19. “The hard truth is there is no evidence this is effective,” Tarbet said.
The researchers in USU’s biosafety laboratory are testing licensed drugs and antiviral compounds to see what can be used against this new strain of virus. According to Lynnette Harris, a professor for the USU College of Agricultural and Applied Sciences, it’s important to understand that antiviral compounds are different from antibiotics and vaccines. Antibiotics destroy disease-causing pathogens and vaccines prevent the disease before infection. Antiviral drugs just stop the virus from spreading in the body.
“We are basically taking drugs that have already been tested and approved and trying to find a faster way to get them to people,” Harris said.
In terms of what this looks like, Tarbet said to picture all developed drugs in a line “waiting for their turn.”
“If we find something that we think could be successful in the coronavirus fight, we simply move it to the front of line and test it more aggressively,” he said.
Tarbet and his colleagues are using hamsters and mice to test their drugs. The rodents have human DNA inserted in them to mimic symptoms in humans.
“We want people to understand we are using the animals humanely,” Tarbet said. “There is no perfect model to test for disease in humans. However over 25 years of research has shown rodent models are very successful.”
Harris agreed and added, “the greater good will be curing someone from a deadly disease.”
According to Tarbet, the rodents are being used to see how a drug will metabolize and break down in the human body. If a hamster has damage to its lungs because of the virus, and a drug improves its health, the researchers have higher confidence the same will be true for humans.
Neither Harris nor Tarbet would name the drugs currently being tested, and warned it would be a slow process.
“Finding the right drug is like trying to pinpoint a moving target,” Harris said.
Tarbet said the best bet is to work with drugs already in circulation because a brand new drug that is designed specifically for COVID-19 could take more than ​10 ​years to be developed.
“We hope people understand we are working with something we have never encountered before,” he said. “The only thing I can compare it to is the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.”
Harris also understands people may be tempted to compare COVID-19 to influenza because the “typical flu” is what people are familiar with, but said the two diseases act very differently. She added misinformation on social media has only made these incorrect assertions worse.
Tarbet said this pandemic is a lesson in what happens when the conversation is run by politicians instead of scientists.
“The regular flu, which we have treatments for, is an upper respiratory illness,” Tarbet said. “However, this virus goes deep in the lungs and acts more like pneumonia. Very often this doesn’t get conveyed, and it doesn’t make sense because the virus doesn’t care about politics. We can’t have federal and state leaders saying different things.”
As to the question of whether there will be a resurgence in the fall, Tarbet said there is no way to know, but warns COVID-19 is not following migratory patterns like influenza.
“Influenza has a reservoir in migratory birds, which is why it occurs in different hemispheres at different parts of the year​,​" he said. “However, this disease has found a safe reservoir in humans and doesn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon.”
Despite the gloomy outlook, Harris said people should not be discouraged and said researchers are working tirelessly to find a solution.
“We will get through this,” she said. “No one is more anxious to get this done than these researchers.”

Parents in large families make working from home work for them

By Luke Diamond
Ed Hegemann is still following his normal morning routine.
The only difference is that now, when says goodbye to his family of seven, he looks for a quiet place to work from within the noise of his home instead of the silence of his office near Utah State University’s campus.
For parents across the nation facing a "new normal" during the coronavirus pandemic, working from home can be a challenge. For parents in the state with the highest number of children, however, there are unique challenges — and opportunities.
“It sounded impossible to work from home,” said Hegemann, the director of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Logan Institute of Religion. “I got interrupted so many times in Zoom meetings by my kids asking me if they could jump on the tramp or watch a movie. But now that I’ve found a quiet place, I get a lot done.”
For many parents, finding a secluded space to work from has been crucial to their productivity. But for parents with larger families, finding a quiet place to work from has led them to different parts of their homes that are not meant to be converted into offices.
“It certainly has been different,” said Chad Simon, a professor at Utah State University and a father of six. “What I do is I go down into one of my children’s empty bedrooms and I pull out my laptop and I can be kind of sequestered.”
Other parents work a tag-team system of passing children between each other when they are occupied.
“It’s been stressful with the kids,” said Nate Farnsworth, while shoeing one of his four children from his room and being asked to speak quieter by his wife. “I have to try to tell them that even though I’m here, I am not the one to ask if they can watch a movie or play on the iPad. They can go to Mom.”
Regardless of the distractions present in a large family, many families are enjoying more time together at home.
“With all five kids home, we are at our fill capacity,” Hillary Campbell said. “But it is a beautiful mess.”

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Are 'stay-at-home' orders justified? Two political science professors weigh in

By Libbie Anderson
The need to protect people from a global pandemic with clear and consistent policies is more important than who orders those policies. 
That’s according to two political science professors from Utah State University, who said that state legislators should focus on what’s important as they enter a special session to discuss the validity of local stay-home orders later this week. 
Laura Gamboa-Gutierrez explained that U.S. society has long accepted certain limitations to personal freedoms in order to protect the lives of others.
“There is no question that the stay-at-home orders impede the public’s right to assemble,” said Gamboa-Gutierrez, an assistant political science professor at Utah State. “But so do many other laws and ordinances that we abide by every day, as well as laws and orders that have been implemented throughout history in the U.S. during extraordinary times.”
Gamboa-Gutierrez said choosing to implement stay home stay-home orders depends on what and how many personal rights would be affected and what kind of safety threats the public is facing.
“I think the human cost of the pandemic vastly outweighs the cost of ordering people to stay at home temporarily,” Gamboa-Gutierrez said. “When asked if I think people should be ordered to stay at home, except for essential traveling, to protect everybody from COVID-19, my answer is yes.”
For Gamboa-Gutierrez, the validity of “stay-home” and “shelter-in-place” depends on whether the community risk is high enough, the order has a set deadline, it has been ordered with the approval and supervision of court and oversight agencies, and it can be appealed.
“Rather than questioning whether these orders impede a public’s right to assemble, we should be asking if these orders are justified,” Gamboa-Gutierrez said.
Michael Lyons agreed that what’s most important is for policies to be well thought out and consistent among jurisdictions. That, he said, is more important than whether the order is enforced at the state or local level.
“The bottom line is how policies work with the stage the virus is at and what is needed at the time,” said Lyons, an associate professor of political science at Utah State.
If, however, lawmakers choose to implement a statewide shelter-in-place order, Lyons suggested life wouldn’t change much from how people are already coping.
“We’re so close to a stay-at-home order anyway,” Lyons said. “I don’t see lockdown in Utah being that meaningful because businesses and schools are closed and people are already staying at home.”
Lyons did acknowledge that counties with high rates of coronavirus cases, such as Summit County, are in a completely unique position with greater urgency to keep people under a shelter-in-place order.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

USU begins second round of applications for hardship funds

By Taylor Cripe
Earlier this week, Utah State University re-opened its application process to allow students affected by COVID-19 to apply for hardship funds.
The ability to apply on USU’s Division of Student Affairs website was muted for several weeks after the university received a surge of applicants following the school’s closure.
According to Utah State's vice president of student affairs, James Morales, the Student Emergency Hardship Fund is now Utah State University COVID-19 Emergency Hardship Resources and has shifted its criteria to meet the needs of students specifically affected by the pandemic.
“We don’t just give out money,” Morales said. “Based on their immediate needs, some students may get a dining card for free meals at USU instead.”
Fortunately for the second round of applicants, the odds of approval are high. Ninety-three percent of students who applied for the first round of funds were approved for some help by the university. However, Morales added that students should exhaust all other possibilities before applying.
“If you are coming to us first, we may ask you to look for help elsewhere,” he said.
Hardship criteria includes situations like students losing a job, large medical bills or their parents getting hours cut at work. For the foreseeable future, the hardship must be linked to COVID-19.
For students like junior Amy Cox, the university’s decision to re-open the application process provided a ray of hope in a difficult situation.
“I was so disappointed when they closed the website a few weeks ago,” Cox said. “At the moment I have essentially no money.”
Cox, whose job included short-term gigs like tutoring and catering, was immediately affected by business shutdowns around the state.
“I’m behind on my last tuition installment and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about rent next month,” she said.
Cox applied for the COVID-19 Emergency Hardship Fund as soon as it opened and hopes to hear back within the week.
Another student, junior Maddie Soto, received around $700 from the emergency fund and said getting the money meant the world to her.
“I’ll get the government stimulus check, but even that won’t be enough to make up for unemployment,” Soto said. “Every little bit helps.”
According to Soto, students are required to submit receipts as proof of payment for living expenses and asked to write a thank you note to their donor.
“Students should understand this is a one-time thing,” Morales said. “It’s meant to help with immediate needs so students can get back on their feet and figure out what they are going to do.”
According to USU’s website​ $20,442 has been raised for the COVID-19 student fund so far. However, according to Morales, this is just one segment of the funds supplied by the university, as well as generous donations from faculty and alumni.
“We have been doing this for seven years,” he said. “Each year the need grows and each year the university tries to give more money to help students.”
Although funds are limited and not every student will benefit, Morales said students should remember everyone is in this together.
“This is unprecedented for all of us,” he said. “But there will be an end to this, and we will get past it.”
After getting approved for funding, Morales said students should hear back within the week, but advised that students with direct deposit may get money quicker. The amount of money allocated for students is also on a case-by-case basis.

Logan restricts access to skatepark — and some residents are very unhappy

By Julianne Kidd
Any other warm spring day would bring the sound of kids shouting and boards scraping against concrete. Avid skateboarders, bikers and rollerbladers would normally be found congregating at the city’s skate park, anxious to be outside after a long Cache Valley winter.
But now Logan is deep into COVID-19 quarantine measures and the Fairview skatepark is a ghost town.
The skate park was shut down March 31 with the rest of the city’s playgrounds, a decision made by the Parks and Recreation Department to guard against the threat of coronavirus. But the city’s decision does not sit well with those who would like to be at the park rather than cooped up in their homes.
Among those who oppose the city’s decision is Chad Moulton, a student at Utah State University. He believes city leaders have taken a step too far in trying to control the spread of the virus.
“The city’s actions demonstrate that they believe their residents are incapable of making their own healthcare decisions,” Moulton said. “I can see the logic in closing down the rec center and having other city employees work from home so that the employees aren’t risking exposure at work, but the playgrounds and the skate park require no employees.”
Moulton wishes the city had simply given recommendations and left the decisions to residents and their families.  
“Their closure says ‘we know better than you and we're taking away your choice,’” he said.
Karly Alder lives around the corner from the skate park and said the neighborhood has “had a different feel” since the park closed. She said it has been “too quiet” without kids socializing at the park. “Of course it’s disappointing,” she said.
“I go to the park to practice on my skateboard, to socialize with others and watch some amazing tricks people can do,” Alder said. “I witness tons of people enjoying the skate park; it's definitely loved by many.”
The department’s director, Russ Akina, explained that the closure comes from a plea from the public to enforce stricter restrictions and from guidelines recommended by state and county entities.
“The skate park was closed in response to observations shared by the public to the city of skaters not exercising social distancing,” Akina said.
City council member Amy Anderson said that because of the large crowds that can gather at the park, it is hard to ensure proper safety measures are followed. “The skate park, since it is difficult to maintain social distancing and cleaning just like playgrounds, was closed and remains closed,” Anderson said.
Akina​ said he​ understands the disappointment the closure brings to users. “I would much rather have all our park amenities accessible to the public, especially after being inside for the winter,” Akina said.
Yet, he pointed out that now is the time for people to come together and make some unpleasant sacrifices.
“We understand how deadly this virus is and really need the public's voluntary compliance until things get better,” Akina said. “And, they'll only get better if everyone does their part.”
The skate park is located directly behind the city swimming pool near the Cache County Fairgrounds, making access to the park convenient for youth and their parents. But park access is hardly convenient now due to cement barricades the city has placed at the park’s entrances. Large construction signs also dot the edges of the skate park warning violators to stay out or risk prosecution.
Cement barricades may be able to keep cars out, but any person looking to visit the park can easily access the premises by foot. So how far would the city go in enforcing the park’s closure?  
Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen said that the “obvious” course of action would be to “cite and arrest” those who do not heed the closure signs. But so far the police department has not needed to take such action.
“We try to offer simple education as to why the closures are mandated and ask for cooperation and compliance,” Jensen said. “If simple education does not work, greater measure can then be sought out.”
There is no clear date when the skate park and other playgrounds will reopen. Akina noted that all city-owned park amenities, not just playgrounds, are “subject to closure” according to how the pandemic situation evolves.
“Where discretion has been extended to the city, such as park amenities currently open to the public, this may change at any time as the effects of the coronavirus evolve,” Akina said.
Akina and the city council made clear that the closure is of playgrounds and park facilities, areas where sanitizing and disinfecting is hard to manage. Park fields, trails, and dog parks are still open for the public. Logan leaders encourage residents to get outside and use these areas — at a safe distance, of course — while soft quarantine measures are in place.
The parks department announced Tuesday morning that pavilions and picnic tables will now be included in the park closure.

Logan cancels Fourth of July Freedom Fire Celebration due to COVID-19

By Sarah Murphy
Logan’s annual Fourth of July Freedom Fire Celebration has been cancelled in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The fireworks celebration, which dates back to 1993, was originally scheduled for July 3 at Utah State University’s Maverik Stadium. Last week Logan’s Parks and Recreation Department decided to shut down the event, and on Monday the department released an official statement about the decision.
“This event has been here for decades, at least for the past 25 years I've been in Logan,” said the department’s director, Russ Akina. “It's frustrating and disappointing to curtail what we normally do.”
With preparations for the event beginning in January of this year, officials have found the cancellation process difficult.
“I was asked to draft a news release about the decision last Thursday,” department spokesperson Debbie Harvey said. “The whole process just makes me sad. This is a great community summer event. It’s a tradition for many families in Cache Valley, including mine.”
Parks and Recreation workers are not the only ones disheartened by the announcement.
“I’ve grown up going to the Fourth of July celebration with my family,” Logan resident Katelyn Everton said. “I think that disappointment is the best way to sum up what we’re all feeling.”
Some Fourth of July celebration newcomers are also feeling the letdown.
“This is my first summer in Logan,” USU junior Chloe Neuberger said. “I’d heard from friends about the big firework celebration they always have on Fourth of July and I was so excited to go but now I am way bummed.”
Officials said they took the community's potential disappointment into account. Ultimately, however, the deciding factors were restrictions on mass gatherings at public events in the coming months, efforts to be sensitive about asking for sponsors when local businesses may be struggling, and the disruption COVID-19 has had on the event's planning.
“There was a lot of thought and consideration put into this decision,” Harvey said. “It was not taken lightly by the administration.”
Everton said that despite the disappointment, she does not find fault in the department’s decision.
“I think we’re all sad and a little bummed out but we understand why it has to happen,” she said. “I’ve found it's easy to get angry or upset at the effects of this pandemic but it’s not like the Parks and Recreation Department can control it. It’s not their fault.”
Other community members echo​ed​ Everton's acceptance of the situation.
“Sure it’s disappointing,” Neuberger said. “But I figure that there will always be next year.”

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Utah State art museum finds ways to bring art to the community

By Emma Feuz
Staff members at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art are finding ways to bring art to the community at a time when creativity and human connection might be more important than ever.
Although its physical building has been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the museum continues to feature new programs and access to the exhibits. According to public relations and marketing coordinator Phillip Brown, the museum’s social media pages remain active—with each post featuring a work of art. Online visitors can also take a virtual tour of the exhibits on the museum’s website.
“I think it’s really interesting that art has always been a way for people to connect with each other and share ideas and for other people viewing art to engage with that,” Brown said. “I think it's interesting to see how many people are turning to the arts as we all are socially distancing.”
The museum is also providing online resources for teachers, including lessons that combine art and science. One such resource is a “junior curators” program in which students can create their own exhibitions using PowerPoint tools, Brown said.
The museum is also encouraging community members to get outside and tour Utah State University’s sculpture walk. With proper social distancing, the walk will serve as the museum’s monthly community art day, Brown said. The sculptures will be available online for those who cannot make the trip to the university.
The importance of the museum’s efforts has not been lost on the art community.
“I think that visual art, like music and dance and performance, takes us out of the day-to-day experience for a moment,” said Anthony Lott, an art professor at Utah State. “It connects us to another human being, potentially across many years or many miles.”
Lott noted the current crisis is part of a long history of events that have tested human resolve.
“Humans have weathered difficult times and in them found beauty and connection and love,” he said. “We can take inspiration from what others like us have endured.”
Brown hopes so.
“Art in some ways can help us talk. Art can give us a break. It's always been community-focused,” he said. “Museums are like libraries. The whole community can come and benefit. The museum can still serve that kind of a function.”

Utah college student launches face mask fundraiser to help the homeless

By Lance Johnson
An Ogden-Weber Technical College student is funding her effort to provide unhoused Utahns with food and protective masks by selling her homemade masks to those who can afford it.
“I initially funded the project myself, unsure if it would be a one-time thing,” said Brittanya Blanck, the 22-year-old student behind the project. “But more people wanted to get involved, donate, and it has gotten a lot bigger.”
Blanck’s bags for the homeless consist of face masks, gloves, water, sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, and other miscellaneous essentials that she is able to afford.
The service project was developed after another project at Habitat for Humanity was shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“That night I was thinking of what I am going to do now,” Blanck said. “I remembered that my grandma, who recently passed away, had a lot of fabric that my grandpa was willing to give me.”
That same night she looked up face mask patterns and began sewing masks for the homeless.
“The next day I went out to buy bread, peanut butter, jelly, fruit, and Emergen-C,” Blanck said. “I have a friend who also donated a bunch of gloves and masks, which we are able to use while my masks were still being finished.”
She dropped off the first batch of prepared bags to the Volunteers of America Homeless Youth Resource Center in Salt Lake City, and surrounding areas.
“My first response was to help the kids,” Blanck said. “We then went to Pioneer Park and ran through the streets looking for homeless people to give bags to. It was really cool to see everyone so excited to get the bags.”
That excitement fueled her desire to keep making more bags, but she needed additional funding—so she began sewing and selling additional masks for $7 each to friends and other people in her community.
Blanck also asked friends to help spread the word across the social media platforms she does not use, including Twitter and Facebook.
Chelsie Pachuca and Anthony Trueba were among those who shared the project with their own followers.
“It’s amazing what she is doing for the community, to be so selfless in such a terrifying time,” Pachuca said. “Social media is the best way to spread what she is doing, it was the least I could do to help her.”
Trueba agreed, and said service is a part of who Brittanya is.
“She’s stepping up in a legitimate time of need to help others, when most people are focused on how they can help themselves,” Trueba said. “She’s the type to give away anything she has to help someone else, regardless of her situation. If she has something to give she will.”
Blanck has a history of service, volunteering at Youth Conservation Corps, the Catholic Community Services food bank and the Canyon View School Life program. She has also been member of AmeriCorps, a voluntary civil society program, since September 2019. Her college training has provided her with carpentry and construction skills that she’s used to help build homeless housing through Habitat for Humanity.
Since launching last week, Blanck has prepared more than 260 bags for the homeless. She hopes to double that in the coming weeks.
Blanck understands what it is like to be unhoused.
“I was homeless between 14-15 years old, up until I was 20 years old,” Blanck said. “I initially tried to couch surf, but ultimately became homeless.”
Her experience is the reason she wants to be an additional source of help for those who are unaware or unable to utilize other resources.
“I never utilized any state programs or anything like that, though I should have,” Blanck said. “I wasn’t that informed; I didn’t know resources were there to help. I was always so scared they would put me into the foster care system like a lot of my friends were.”
Blanck eventually found support in a friend, who allowed her to stay with her for four months.
“I was able to get a job at a bakery, and saved all my money to be able to afford my own place,” Blanck said. “I also found a program that allowed me to get my high school education, a full diploma.”
COVID-19 uncertainty has affected the number of volunteers showing up to help feed the homeless, and displacement has also put unhoused people at even greater risk.
“Homeless people are being displaced from shelters having to shut down,” Blanck said. “They are not getting the food they normally were, and a lot of people have stopped volunteering to cook for them. It has really taken a big impact on them.”
Blanck hopes people recognize the gift that is the ability to social distance.
“Social distancing is a privilege,” Blanck said, “It means you have a home and running water, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that. Many homeless people don’t have access to running water; they can’t wash their hands.”
She hopes others will be inspired to volunteer and help in their communities, but also recognized the importance of self-care.
“People are worried about themselves and their family,” Blanck said. “Which is important, you can’t help others if you are not in a place to.”
Blanck expressed gratitude for all donations and volunteers helping in her mission to make homeless Utahn’s a little bit safer during COVID-19 — and after.
“This has all helped me better myself and better my community,” Blanck said. “I want the homeless to know that they are cared for and valuable.”
Individuals interested in mask orders and volunteer opportunities can contact Blanck at brittanyablanckpolitical@gmail.com, and financial contributions can be made via Blanck’s Venmo account, @BrittanyaBlanck. Updates on the project are available via Blanck's Instagram Story at https://www.instagram.com/brittanyablanck.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

COVID-19 crisis is a crash course in coping skills for many students

By Dalton Renshaw and Marcus Lamb
For many university students, keeping up with classes, work and social obligations can be stressful enough. Now, students are trying to do all of that while dealing with the stresses of life in a time of pandemic, too — and without the same resources they typically have on campus.
“The hardest part for me is the lack of structure and schedule I have now,” said Alek Nelson, one of thousands of Utah State University students who moved back home once classes were moved to an online format. “Before, I always knew what I was doing, what time it was and where I needed to be.”
The shift has been hard on his mental health.  
“I've been doing yoga and meditation in the mornings and walking around to help with anxiety,” he said.
Nelson feels fortunate that his job allowed him to work from home and remain isolated from the public. Others don’t have that same luxury. 
Sydney Dahle had to make the tough decision to move back to St. Louis, where she has recommenced her previous job at Target.
“Being amongst a pandemic is even scarier when I’m back working at a grocery store where people are all around me every day,” Dahle said. “I’m having to work a lot of hours because many people are quitting or staying home because of the pandemic. Unfortunately, that has meant my schoolwork has been on the back burner and I haven’t been doing very well.”
This has also led to a decline in her overall mental health wellness.
“I haven’t really been keeping my mental health in check because I’m working three jobs and doing school,” she said. 
Utah State offers mental health services to its students at the Logan and USU Eastern campuses through Counseling and Psychological Services, most of which are free of charge. Like most other programs on campus, however, CAPS had to make a shift to a completely online format.
Office manager Kailee Benson said CAPS has had some success connecting with students in the new format, but the shift has nonetheless been a challenge.
“We do have sources online for the students to use,” Benson said. “For new patients and long-term ones, they can contact us by phone, of course, or by Zoom telehealth sessions. If they want to set up an appointment, they can call us as well. But if they aren’t close to the campus at all then we recommend looking for assistance closer to their home.”
While Utah State’s mental health resources are available to students out of state, Dahle said she had not used them.
“I think honestly at this point, the Utah State resources wouldn’t benefit me and I wouldn't have time for therapy or anything like that,” she said. “It’s mostly just me trying to remind myself to slow down and use what methods I learned from therapy previously.”

Friday, April 10, 2020

Is coronavirus having a positive impact on Cache Valley’s environment?

By Taylor Cripe and Lindsie Wharf
One of Utah’s most notoriously polluted environments might experience a significant change for the better this summer.
If shutdowns and social distancing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic continue in coming months, Cache County could see reduced concentrations of air pollutants, said air quality expert Randy Martin, a professor in Utah State University’s College of Engineering.
In particular, Martin will be watching closely to see what happens to the valley’s ozone levels.
While the ozone layer acts as a shield for earth, direct contact with ground-level ozone—which is formed when pollution from cars, factories and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight—is bad for plants, animals and humans. According to the EPA, exposure to ozone levels of greater than 70 parts per billion for eight hours or longer is unhealthy. Cache Valley generally “bumps right up against that number,” Marin said.
If people reduce travel this summer, Martin said, it will tell researchers a lot about how driving habits impact ozone levels in Cache County.
Martin and two Utah State colleagues, Roger Coulombe and Roslynn Brain, wrote in 2016 that Cache Valley has generally exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard of up to 17 poor air quality days per year. Since 2016, Martin said, Cache Valley has been doing better because of regulation on businesses — but there is still a problem with inversion.
Most of Utah’s population lives along the Wasatch Front, surrounded by mountains on all sides, creating a “bowl.” During the winter, cold air often becomes trapped in the valley, which, according to Martin, causes everyone to “swim in their own soup,” or constantly breathe in pollutants stuck in the valley.
“Because winter is over, it’s going to be difficult to see if the effects of coronavirus have any impact on inversion,” he said, “however, it does impact us significantly in other ways.”
Martin says the Utah Department of Transportation has reported a 25 to 30 percent reduction in emissions statewide since people began limiting their movements for school, work, entertainment and recreation in response to the pandemic.
The state previously implemented restrictions to reduce overall pollution by requiring 1.6 tons less of pollutants be emitted in the air every day. Now, Martin said, Utahns are creating 3.1 fewer tons of pollutants each day.
“Basically, we are currently doing almost twice what the state requires of us,” he said.
Does that represent a silver lining to the weeks of isolation and economic loss resulting from businesses shutting down in the state?
Awbrey Burgess thinks so. The senior at Utah State University, who is studying geography, said the pandemic has demonstrated that air pollution can be mitigated when people are more thoughtful. 
“The Earth is getting a break right now,” Burgess said. “Moving forward, we should be thinking about how to balance the economy with the environment. Doing simple things like walking more and not driving a car everywhere.”
Utah State geoscience education professor Blair Larsen agreed.
“Air pollution and industrial emissions are down for a number of sectors, which leads to better air quality and overall public health,” Larsen said. “At the same time, the pandemic is forcing people to focus on the benefits of their local recreation opportunities.
That, Larsen said, is one positive outcome from a negative experience.
“As with most things, if people pause to think a bit more before they take action, then we can decrease the negative effects and increase the positive effects,” she said. “For example, as we spend time hiking nearby trails, we can appreciate their beauty and resolve to maintain them better in the future.”
But Larsen said these sorts of positives should not be thought of as mitigating the negative ones related to the crisis. And Martin agreed. Despite the good that may come to Cache Valley from better air quality, Martin said he “doesn’t want to pin a rose on the situation.”
“We need to look at silver linings," he said, "and the silver lining here is we have proof that driving is a major problem for the environment.”
The main takeaway for now, Martin said, is a better understanding of how economic and environmental interests can be balanced.
“If we can learn to drive less and balance this out,” he said, “it will be a good thing going forward.”

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Cache Valley officials urge public to wear masks or stay home

By Sydney Kidd
Health officials in Cache Valley have a message to people who don't want to wear cloth masks in public: Listen to the CDC.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 safety protocols to recommend people wear “cloth face coverings” when going to public places like the grocery store or pharmacy, where it can be difficult to maintain social distancing rules.
How has that advice gone down in Northern Utah? A quick trip to a Logan grocery store will answer that question: Many people are clearly less than enthusiastic about adhering to the new guidelines.
“I think if it makes you feel better, then do it,” Utah State University student Kaden Anderson said. “But if the CDC says it doesn’t stop you from getting it, what's the point?”
Bear River Health Department spokesperson Holly Budge said the guidelines aren’t meant to protect the person wearing the cloth face covering, but the people they are surrounded by. She noted that people who have coronavirus can be asymptomatic and not even know they are infecting others.
“What we have to remember with coronavirus is we're not just doing this to protect ourselves,” Budge said. “We're doing it to protect others.” 
Budge said people who don’t want to cover their faces in public simply shouldn’t go out at all.
“Please just stay at home,” she said.
Logan Regional Hospital spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald said that an asymptomatic person with COVID-19 who ignores the CDC guidelines could put high-risk individuals in danger.
“For the safety of those around you, you should take it seriously,” Fitzgerald said, “and realize that if somebody else gets sick that's of an older population with the underlying health issues as well, it's very serious for them to get this sickness and can potentially lead to death.”
Healthcare workers are also at risk. That was further evidenced today by the announcement of a new COVID-19 cluster affecting healthcare workers in Hawaiʻi.
“It's not fair,” said Foeata Baclayon, who works as a nurse in Hawaiʻi, noting that just one non-compliant person in a community can cause a ripple effect. “We're the front lines here. We're taking care of patients who do have COVID-19, so we're working really hard. The hospitals are not equipped to handle the whole world… so, when you have the public really not caring about it, it directly affects health care.”

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

BYU-Idaho student feels ‘peace of mind’ after Salt Lake County Health Department response fuels trending topic

By Lance Johnson
A Brigham Young University-Idaho student is feeling “peace of mind” after her dispute with a roommate over coronavirus precautions went viral.
“I thought it would only be seen by my friends,” said Chelsea Fonseca, the 20-year-old BYU-Idaho student behind the viral post.
After the Salt Lake County Health Department responded via Twitter, though, Fonseca found an army of online supporters. “After about a few hours I saw that the numbers kept going up,” she said.
Fonseca is immunocompromised. She has asthma, and an autoimmune disease that affects connective tissues called scleroderma. She has liver problems as a result of her autoimmune disease medication.
But when Fonseca expressed concerns about her roommate's decision to continue inviting her boyfriend over to their shared student housing apartment, the roommate's reply was unsympathetic. 
“I am glad that you are seeking to stay safe in this pandemic," the roommate's message read. "That’s very wise. However, you can’t prevent me from having people over. So, you can expect to see Brett over often. :) and if that’s an issue for you, you can stay in your room. 6+ feet of distance will definitely keep you out of the viruses (sic) way.”  
Fonseca, known as Twitter user @Chels_FAC14, posted a screenshot on Monday to vent.
On Tuesday, David Skorut, the multimedia coordinator at the health department, was answering questions submitted to the department’s Twitter account, @SaltLakeHealth. When made aware of Fonseca’s post, Skorut wrote, “Brett could do his part in flattening the curve by visiting virtually! #StayHomeBrett.” 
A fall 2019 graduate of the University of Utah, Skorut belongs to an age group many feel isn’t taking the COVID-19 crisis seriously. He said he shares in that disappointment.
“I felt that it perfectly summarized the experiences I’ve had pleading with certain friends and family the past month,” Skorut said. “I wanted to respond to what seemed to be a shot in the dark tweet from a random person on the internet in a way that let them know someone was out there listening to them.” 
That same day, Utah resident Kate Whitaker, known as @poetickate on Twitter, responded to the post from Salt Lake Health. She wrote, “We should get #StayHomeBrett trending.” 
“I was upset when I saw the tweet, because the roommate’s text was so passive-aggressive and left very little room for understanding or compassion,” Whitaker said. “And I was like, well, maybe if this roommate sees how many people agree her boyfriend should stay home right now, that might change her mind.” 
Soon, the hashtag #StayHomeBrett was a trending topic across Twitter.
The post had received more than 18,000 retweets and 209,000 likes as of Wednesday, and the response led to users sharing Fonseca's post across other social media platforms. 
“The next day I had friends who aren’t even on Twitter messaging me on Instagram about it, and I realized it was everywhere,” Fonseca said. “I’ve received a lot of messages of people saying they’re dealing with the exact same thing.”
Fonseca is encouraged by the conversation her tweet seems to have started. 
“There is a huge group of people that is speaking up about staying home, and about their own experiences being immunocompromised and being at risk,” Fonseca said. “They feel like they can speak up, and stand up for themselves and I’m glad I was able to inspire that.” 
Skorut did not expect his response to spark a viral hashtag.
“I did not expect the reaction at all,” Skorut said, “but after seeing the responses, I think many people, young people included, are feeling the frustration that I do, and getting a part in the conversation with #StayHomeBrett was their way to express that.” 
Fonseca is also concerned by young adults who are not taking COVID-19 seriously. 
“We have other countries as examples of the catastrophe they have experienced because of COVID-19, and yet here we are treating it like it’s just another flu, which it isn’t,” Fonseca said.
She hopes her post, and accompanying hashtag, will help people realize how their choices can affect others.
“I really hope others will start taking action in helping to flatten the curve,” Fonseca said, “and that they realize that everyone is at risk of catching the virus, but not everyone will be able to survive it.” 
Fonseca now has no regrets about the post. 
“When I saw the tweet went viral, I felt really bad because I never intended for it to be seen by everyone,” Fonseca said. “But knowing that it’s helped raise awareness gives me some peace of mind. We are all responsible for slowing the spread, and I feel like I’m doing my part the very best I can.” 
As for her roommate and the now infamous Brett, Fonseca hasn’t heard much. 
“I haven’t heard from my roommate; we just aren’t speaking,” Fonseca said. 
But, she noted, “I haven’t seen Brett around." 
Yes, it appears that #BrettStayedHome after all.

Arts professors struggle to bring classes online

By Emma Feuz
While weeks have passed since an order to move all classes online, some teachers from Utah State University’s art school are still struggling to create learning experiences that are comparable to the ones they’ve left behind.
Many art, music and theater classes at the Caine College of the Arts are performance- or project-based. And while online formats can work well for lecture-based classes, courses requiring lab work or live performances are hard to duplicate on the internet.
“Unfortunately, ensemble classes do not have the kind of technology yet to make them as effective as they need to be,” choral professor Cory Evans said.
Evans has taken different approaches for each of his classes in the wake of the online-only order, which came in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. He has been able to continue some courses with video lectures, while others he has canceled entirely.
“Ideally, this may showcase to our administrators that nothing can take the place of live, face-to-face interaction and rehearsal,” Evans said.
Arts professors have been utilizing many different tools in an effort to make classes as normal as possible. Video chat programs such as Zoom and FaceTime have allowed professors to critique students’ musical performances. Theater students, meanwhile, are able to use those programs to rehearse with each other. Others have been taking advantage of the many recordings, museum tours and play performances that have been publicly released due to COVID-19.
“Overall, because I am a music major, the quality of my classes went way down when we transitioned online,” said Tanner Pruett, a student at the university. “The only way to improve, in my opinion, would be to have some kind of optional in-person lessons for people who are not sick, but I don’t think that will happen.”
Theater department head Adrianne Moore acknowledged that much has been lost in the transition.
“Is it as good as face-to-face? No,” Moore said. “But my faculty has worked really hard at figuring out the best way to do this.”
The switch has prompted quite a bit of creativity among teachers. Evans is creating a video compilation of individual students singing in nature by themselves as a response to the virus. Moore is preparing her students for the professional world where video auditions are common.
“If this runs into the fall semester,” Evans said, “then I will need to really scramble to think of new and unusual ways to provide the needed credit and instruction for the students.”
With no certainty as to how the pandemic will progress, Moore said it’s hard to know what the department will do moving forward.
“There are so many things that we just don't know,” said Moore, who is retiring this year. “This is not what my last semester was supposed to look like.”

Students react to first confirmed COVID-19 cases at Utah State University

By Taylor Cripe
The revelation that at least three members of the Utah State University community have contracted COVID-19 has students worried about further spread of the disease.
“The virus being at USU is much more concerning,” junior Camaree Burnside said following a Tuesday announcement that one employee and one student had contracted the disease caused by coronavirus. That announcement was followed Wednesday by a university statement indicating that another student had also tested positive.
Burnside said the virus’ confirmed arrival among members of the Aggie community has reinforced her fears about coronavirus.
“It makes you wonder if you already had it, or if you could still get it,” Burnside said.
By some research estimates, as many as 50 percent of coronavirus carriers may be asymptomatic, potentially spreading the disease without even knowing they have it.

Senior Natalie Peterson said it was only a matter of time before ​more ​cases appeared at the university.

“There are definitely more people infected than we know,” Peterson said.
She is frustrated that more people are not following Center for Disease Control guidelines, which encourage people to distance themselves from anyone outside of their household, wash their hands often, and proactively clean and disinfect anything that others might touch.
“Numbers in Logan are increasing,” Peterson said, “which proves that people aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing and following CDC guidelines.”

According to the university, the employee who contracted COVID-19 has not been on campus for more than 14 days, the first student confirmed to have gotten the disease lives off campus and the second student is now out of state. However, the university cannot verify whether the three individuals were exposed to other members of the community before developing symptoms.
“I know this information may cause our students and employees concern, and I want to reassure you that we are working hard to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” USU President Noelle Cockett said in a statement. “We’ll get through this by treating each other with compassion and doing our part to prevent the spread.”
The arrival of new cases at USU may lead to an increase in safety precautions.

USU is at Level 2 of its Infectious Diseases Response Plan. Although school ​leaders​ do not know if, or when, they will be moving to a Level 1, university spokesperson Emilie Wheeler said​​ they are “actively preparing for it.”
If USU moves to Level 1 in the response plan, even more employees will be instructed to work from home. Employees who cannot do their work from home, but are “non-essential,” will be paid through COVID-19 administrative leave, according to a March 28 update from USU.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Latter-day​ Saint missionaries return home — to quarantine

By Harley Barnes
Thousands of missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-​d​ay Saints ​are adjusting to a sudden and unexpected shift in lifestyle after being shipped home ​in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 
The church announced last week that missionaries nearing the end of their service would come home to stay​;​ others would return home to ​a two week quarantine before being temporarily reassigned to a new mission.
Gunner Harward returned from ​a mission in Texas ​on March 23. ​T​he most difficult thing​, he said, ​has been shifting from being busy to being in quarantine.
“The only thing I’ve really struggled with is just having things to do, just because when you’re a missionary you have your whole day planned out,” he said.
Harward​ said​ the change has brought ​about ​many decisions ​about school and work, changes he wasn​'​t planning to make so early. 
He is not alone.
Gentry Mower came home from Kentucky after serving for ​10 months. Mower was a student at Utah State University before her mission, and will return in the ​f​all.
“I was planning on starting school in the spring, so it’s a totally different change of plan for me,” she said.
Mower ​said the ​reality that she was headed home didn’t sink in until she was on the airplane.
The transition from missionary​ to "civilian"​ ​life can be a struggle ​under any circumstances. Returned missionary Aubree Hessing is worried that an unexpected early departure might make these struggles worse.
Hessing said missionaries may feel a sense of failure for getting sent home early, even though it was not in their control. 
“I feel like we have that outlook in the church that if you come home early you kind of failed,” she said. “I think I would have felt that way if I got sent home early.”
Hessing is also worried for the people the missionaries were teaching.
“You don’t know the next time they’ll be taught or if they’ll lose interest at that time,” she said.
For the foreseeable future, the church's missionary training centers will be teaching prospective missionaries online before they are sent to their assigned areas. The church is evaluating the risks for missionary work, and has not yet announced when missionaries will be sent back to the field.