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LDS institute moderates USU's 'party school' label By
Andrew Bryan LOGAN -- You won't find them at frat houses or keggers, but you will find them dripping in a fruity gelatinous mess as they slide down a 300 foot Jell-O slide. College kids having clean, creative fun without the beer? Coeds working on service projects and dancing instead of hangovers and hoopla? Definitely, the presence of the Logan LDS Institute of Religion at Utah State University has made the student environment different from most campuses. The registrar's office at USU estimates that of the 17,000 students enrolled on campus nearly 80 percent are LDS. Because of the LDS majority, the moral standards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints create a different culture from most other schools. Instead of innumerable beer bashes and sorority house raids, USU organizations compete for the greatest number of students attending dances, conservative concerts, and service projects. Friday Institute activities, which mainly consist of dances, have been a large draw away from the other campus activities. "It's the Institute, it's the church, and it's guys looking for girls and girls looking for guys," said Andy Dilley, last year's ASUSU Activities Vice President. Dilley explained that the Institute provides consistency for the LDS students, who tend to flock to others who share the same moral standards. He also says the Institute draws a younger, more conservative crowd. "We have learned to target an older, more diverse group of people," said Dilley. "We do things at ASUSU that the Institute would never do. Things like showing rated R movies or having a drag queen contest provide an outlet for people who don't like the Institute activities. On the weekend the Institute provides evening activities only Friday night. This is due to an agreement made with USU because of the lack of student support for campus activities. The Institute took Friday and USU made Saturday their main activity night. Dilley admits that the Institute activities have much greater attendance on Friday nights than any weekend campus activity except sporting events. The irony is most sports occur on Saturday, leaving no real opportunity for alternative campus activities to thrive on the weekend. The Institute also affects other community social outlets. A local dance club boasted of its "fresh music, great DJs," and a dance floor that "isn't a gym," but could not attract the dancers from the gym floor of the Institute. The owner did not know why potential patrons would choose such a "shabby place." But it isn't just a dance hall. The Institute provides community service projects (usually weekly), sports tournaments, regular activities for international students, singing groups, and activities for married students. There is opportunity for involvement in almost every LDS niche. "Students just feel comfortable coming here," said Gary Sampson, LDSSA (Latter-day Saint Student Association) adviser. "Over 7,000 students are enrolled in Institute; they are the crowd that comes to the activities. If the crowds come here, then other people come here too." Sampson agrees with Dilley, saying it is mostly a younger crowd that attends because they find a familiar comfort of home at the Institute. He added that they eventually find a niche of friends there. Many LDS students agree with Sampson but understand there are additional factors contributing to the popularity of the Institute. "The cost of activities is really cheap compared to other activities," said McKenna Olsen, 20, of Logan. "The added bonus is that people don't have to worry about alcohol or immodest dress." Many individuals say that the Institute and the overall influence of the LDS Church does a lot more than draw crowds from alternative activities. "We used to be known as a party school, but that has all changed," said Steve Mecham, USU chief of police. Mecham does not deny the LDS influence in decisions such as going to a dry (alcohol-free) campus. He believes that the improvement in the education at USU and the clean activities at the Institute are factors to a clean-natured culture for the students in Logan. Some people do not feel it is appropriate to attach a party school label to USU. "USU a party school? I think that is all in the eye of the beholder," writes Erica Thomas, a Cache Valley native now living in Provo, on the Hard News Café discussion forum. She feels the party-school label comes from BYU students who aren't allowed in girls' bedrooms. Sam Springer, a Texas native attending USU writes, "A person who enjoys party hopping while getting completely wasted, and trying to bite the tires off of a car after a fifth of Jack [Daniels] might not find that as readily available here in Logan." Sampson concluded that the LDS influence is something much more encompassing. "If it weren't for the gospel and mechanisms like the LDS stakes and the Institute, the local police force would be larger and busier, and there would be a lot more therapists," said Sampson. "The activities keep things clean and bishops and Institute teachers are great cost-free counselors." That statement may be true for the majority here at USU. There are many students, though, that feel the LDS saturation leads to ostracism of minorities. "In my opinion, the native Utah LDS students are ignorant, at best, and need to understand that there are actually people and things in the world that are outside of Utah...believe it or not," writes Jennifer Ward. "My overall experience here at USU has lead me to believe this school is not one with an acceptance demeanor," says Elsha Kirby, agreeing with Ward. Though Ward feels many Utah LDS students are ignorant, she agrees with the general consensus that the LDS influence is a good one. "I am not afraid to walk home from the library at night...as I might be at another university. I think that it does have a lot to do with the large number of LDS people that are here. Logan is, for the most part, safe," said Ward.
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