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Idolizing
23 students compete for audience
of 1,000;
only 4 remain to compete for title of Idol
Michelle Hansen, a senior communication major from Fort
Collins, Colo., sings Natural Woman Monday night during
the “SUU Idol” activity, which is part of
Homecoming Week.
ANNIE BROWN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
By JESSICA SAHELY
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Homecoming Week was jump-started Monday night when 23
students performed in the Ballroom of the Sharwan Smith
Center, all competing for a shot at the title of SUU Idol.
Each student had 3 minutes to sing a song of their choice
in front of a panel of judges, friends and peers, an experience
that would make anyone nervous.
Michelle Hansen, a senior communication major from Fort
Collins, Colo., said the experience was nerve racking
and exciting.
“I feel like I did as good as I could; I feel I
did my best,” Hansen said. “There’s
a lot of competition tonight. Everyone is so good.”
The event, which replaced the Homecoming Talent Show,
drew a crowd of some 1,000 students, said Mindy Benson,
director of student activities.
“That’s a huge amount for our Homecoming kick-off
and we love that,” Benson said. “It helps
make the rest of the week successful. It was everything
we wanted it to be. It brought in a whole new energy,
and we were still able to showcase the talent at SUU.”Josie
Beth Baxter, vice president of student activities, said
she
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was overwhelmed by the turnout.
“We’ve had a really good turnout; it’s
incredible, ” Baxter said. “I’m pleasantly
surprised by the number of students who’ve come out
to support this activity. I think we have a lot of school
spirit, and I’m pleased with the results.”
The event lasted just over two hours, and after the final
contestant performed, five of the 23 competitors received
a phone call at midnight, notifying them that they advanced
to the next round.
The five students who advanced were Hansen, Kellen Jones,
a freshman communication major from Heber City; Courtney
Gardner, a senior theatre arts major from Blackfoot, Idaho;
Marissa Sevy, a junior interior design major from St. George;
and Heather Jo Garrison, a junior theatre arts major from
Sandy.
Tuesday night during the “Random: the Game Show”
that took place in the Ballroom, the five finalists performed
in between the game
shows. At the end of the evening, students were invited
to vote for the one person they thought should advance to
the next round.
Wednesday night at the Craig Karges event in the Ballroom,
it was announced that Gardner was the eliminated contestant.
The remaining four each performed a song of their choice
from a Broadway show prior to the 1970s.
Today at 11:55 am. in the Living Room, another contestant
will be excused, and the remaining three will perform again.
On Friday at 11:55 a.m., again in the Living Room, a third
contestant will be dismissed; then the remaining two will
perform an REO Speedwagon song.
Benson said there will be a member from the band REO Speedwagon
to give feedback to the performers Friday in the Living
Room.
Students will then have until 5 p.m. to vote for whom they
think should be eliminated.
That night at the beginning of the REO Speedwagon concert,
the winner will be announced, and the SUU Idol will perform
in the Centrum Arena as an opening act for the group.
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Backpacks weigh
down SU students
By MARIAM SHABANA
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Going to college is the start of aches and pains, and for
the college student who carries a heavy backpack, it’s
a signal for a visit to the doctor’s office.
“Sometimes people get back aches or shoulder strains or
tendinitis or those kind of injuries besides being tired of
carrying a backpack all day,” said Kay Messerly, the director
of Student Health Services.
“We found that it can do some damage, especially in the
shoulder area, and cause problems with the back,” said
Karen Whittemore, a Cedar City family nurse practitioner.
In a survey conducted by the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons, 58 percent of orthopedic practitioners reported seeing
patients complaining of back and shoulder pain caused by heavy
backpacks, according to its Web site www.aaos.org.
“Most of them don’t realize that it is the backpack
that is causing the trouble,” Messerly said. “Some
say, ‘I just wake up and my back hurts or when I went
home my back started to ache’ or something. Quite often
they don’t realize that the backpack is the cause of the
trouble.”
Both Messerly and Whittemore warned about carrying a backpack
on just one shoulder.
“If you carry the back pack on one shoulder that is the
one that gets all the strain,” Messerly said. “If
you balance the load and put both arms through the straps and
keep it so that it is even on your back it certainly would lessen
the strain on either sides.”
“If you’ve got the backpack just on one shoulder,
then you have got the weight just on that one side and that
is going to cause more pressure on the back and on the shoulder,”
Whittemore said. “If you use it on both shoulders that
is going to distribute the weight better.”
“My advice to students about backpacks, it could be just
to balance the load and bring it down to the bare minimum that
you must have with you in the backpack,” Messerly said.
“Try not to carry a lot of other things so that you can
balance that backpack between the sides.”
According to the academy’s Web site, an orthopedic surgeon
involved in the survey recommended people adopt the following
guidelines when using a backpack:
The backpack’s weight should not exceed 20 percent of
a person’s body weight. Use a hip strap for heavier weights.
Use a backpack’s straps, firmly tightened, to hold the
pack 2 inches above the waist.Engage in exercises to condition
back
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Nick Sidwell, a freshman psychology major from Salt
Lake City, struggles with a large backpack. Backpacks
that are overloaded or worn improperly can cause back
problems.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY
ANNE McCONNELL / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL |
muscles (ask a doctor for advice). Use the correct lifting
techniques (bending with both knees when picking up a heavy
backpack).
Place the heaviest item close to the back. Backpacks should
be neatly packed and kept in order. Consider buying a backpack
with wheels.
“Three steps that prevents back injuries — lighten
the backpack, find one that has wheels that drags along behind
you, or some other alternative backpack that is less straining
on your back and shoulders,” Messerly said.
“If you are going to use a backpack use it with both shoulders,”
Whittemore said. “Try to make sure that the weight is
evenly distributed. Make sure you wear it on both arms. If you
have got a lot of heavy object dragging it on the wheels would
make sense to cause less injuries.”
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