By Scott Garrard

It all started for me in January 1995. A group my high school buddies and I piled up in my car for a road trip to Logan, Utah. We were just a few months away from graduating and, at the time, most of us had already decided on where we were going to be attending college the following fall. I had my selection narrowed down to either BYU (gulp) or Utah State. It just so happened that those teams were playing that evening in the Spectrum, so I officially announced that I would attend the winner of that night's game.

The game was not even close. I do not remember the score but Utah State destroyed BYU that night. The crowd noise was insane and the atmosphere was electric. My experience here at Utah State began that night, and like many others, concluded Saturday at graduation.

Now this is not meant to be some sappy graduation speech about how each and everyone of us graduates is going to make some kind of historic impact on society. This, on the other hand, is more of an observation of what took place over the last several years at Utah State. Those who graduated Saturday have seen some very special events take place on campus. These events have varied from the momentous to the down right hilarious.

This graduating class is the last one that will have enjoyed the experience of the Quarter System. Before the switch to semesters, classes consisted of basically an 11-week cram session. When the quarter stated, a student had the comfort of knowing that in just a few weeks, the class would be over. Comprehensive finals were a piece of cake, tuition was cheaper, and school did not start until late September.

One of the first major news stories that most of this graduating class encountered at Utah State consisted of President George Emert and a conference table that cost more than most luxury cars. Add this story with Emert's fateful announcement that the University of Idaho would beat USU in football, and one can easily see why President Kermit Hall, Emert's successor, has been so popular in his first few months in office.

The Utah State Basketball team went to three NCAA tournaments in four years, highlighted by a win against Ohio State in the opening round this past season. On the flip side, the football team has not enjoyed the same kind of success. In 1997, when most of this graduating class consisted of freshmen, the football team won the Big West Conference and went to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. Unfortunately that would consist of the major highlight during the past four years.

Over all this graduating class has experienced a great deal of change. Let's check the stats over the past four years:

3 Football Coaches.
2 Basketball Coaches.
2 Athletic Directors.
2 University Presidents.
1 Demolished Widstoe Hall.
4 Tuition increases

For most of this class, it all kicked off in September 1997. For others, like myself, it started a little earlier. Yet regardless of when the members of the graduating class of 2001 started their experience at Utah State, I am sure most of us would agree that it has been one heck of a ride.

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