Potato Expo 2010

Wandering and wondering through the Pond Student Union often bears fruits, or, in this case, vegetables, namely Idaho’s most famous, the potato.

A habit I’ve grown into the last 10-plus years working at ISU is to poke my nose around in the Pond Student Union. Every January the annual Idaho Potato Conference, which runs in conjunction with the Eastern Idaho Ag Expo held in Holt Arena, is something worth checking. If you missed it this year, try next. It runs through noon Jan. 21.

It is everything potato. I picked up a free miniature chocolate baked potato as a gift to my departing boss. I tested a foam, life-sized Russet potato stress squeezer thing. Organizers were giving out free samples of tater tots, smiling deep-fried mashed potatoes and French fries. I sampled the smiling deep fried mashed potatoes and they were excellent. My buddy gave me a free copy of “Spudman” magazine and I now have a bumper sticker on my car that says “Proud to be a Spudman.” Exhibitors on hand were showing off dozens of variety of potatoes. This is a Mecca of sorts for an Idahoan, where potatoes and the products that help grow them are exhibited in splendid wonderment. I’ve rarely felt as close to my potato heritage.



This is one more example of how Idaho State University is a center for this community, the region and the state. The Unions attract an incredible variety of events and people. Annette Lattin, event service coordinator for ISU scheduling and events services, says that her office handles 5,000-plus reservations per year in the Student Union facilities. A single event may require more than one reservation for different rooms, etc., but that is still an impressive number – on average, about 14 different reservation per day during a year. The Student Unions host everything from the Women’s Holiday Fair and a quilt show, to a giant gun show and high school debate tournaments.

I recommend poking your nose into some of these events to see what’s going on. The rewards can be many, from hearing an amazing speaker during the Frank Church Symposium, to eating a juicy tater tot dripping with ketchup.

Written By Andy Taylor

Reed Gym Expansion

Bengal Nation, get ready to get buff in the new ISU campus recreation center. I recently took a tour of the facility with Doug Milder, director of Idaho State University Campus Recreation, along with ISU photographer Julie Hillebrant and Magic Jim, the camera guy. (see accompanying photos, video if you please)

Milder couldn’t contain his excitement (and we have the video to prove it) about the 32,000-square foot, $7 million expansion of the Student Recreation Center – funded by the generous Associated Students of Idaho State University at Reed Gymnasium. Construction is proceeding right on schedule.

I won’t pull an “Apocalypse Now” and say “There’s nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning,” but I will say just the smell of this new construction is hopeful, a mix of some of the paint being sprayed by a worker combined with fresh dust, that definitely hinted to my senses that something new is going on. There are also workers all over getting stuff done so the work was being completed before our eyes.

The building construction should be completely finished by the end of April. Students will be able to begin using the facility no later than July 1, and perhaps sooner, depending on how long it takes to acquire and install equipment and add the finishing touches to the facility. An official “grand opening” ceremony will be held in September when a fuller contingent of students, faculty and staff are back on campus.

Facilities at the new two-story structure will also include a large multi-purpose recreation room, cardio machines and exercise areas, campus recreation offices, bathrooms upstairs and down, a lobby area, lounge areas and an equipment checkout area. New exercise equipment will also be purchased.

I was impressed by the overall spaciousness of the two-story structure that features a lot of room and open spaces, characteristics that many others have commented on, according to Milder. You won’t feel claustrophobic here pounding your weights or pedaling away on a new-fangled exercise machine. A great feature of the top floor, which I hate, is the inside view of the adjacent tennis courts. It is bound to create greater competition and use of the tennis facility, which means I will have a harder time reserving courts to hone my unhoneable game. Thus, when using this facility it is recommended you use the cardio machines and weights that border the big windows on the outside of the building so you can look at all the outside stuff. Who knows, perhaps a Northern Harrier or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk will fly by and you can tell your friends about it?

“A lot of people have asked me how this stacks up to our sister institutions Boise State University and the University of Idaho,” notes Milder. “Our new facilities are very comparable and on par with theirs, and they are a quantum leap forward from what our students had previously.”

I hardily concur with him. There will be a lot of new places of Bengals and Bengalettes and Bengalites, and Bengalezeans to get fit, trim and happy. It will also be a great recruiting tool for new students. It is so impressive in its rotundness and siren call to exercise that even madly addicted texters will put down their phones long enough to move muscles and sweat.

Counting the tennis center and student gymnasium that contains the climbing wall, the total ISU Student Recreation Center offers about 100,000 square feet of recreational facilities for students, and that doesn’t count the Reed Gym swimming pool. Come July, there are no more excuses for ISU students not to exercise, although some probably still won’t.

It’s not always possible to get a guided tour, but those curious about the facility can get some good looks of it from the outside, feeding dreams of buffer, more aerobic Bengals for the future.

Written By Andy Taylor

Chung Park and the Idaho State Civic Symphony

Photo Taken By Bill Schaefer, Idaho State Journal

ISU has tons of built-in advantages for me as an orchestral conductor. Foremost among them, of course, is the amazing facility we have at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, but the main advantage is the quality of people I have to work with. Many people look at my job and may think that it's pretty much about showing up, waving the baton around and watching the magic of music unfold, but the actual gritty truth is that my job is about 60 percent administrative and 40 percent artistic. Sometimes the line between the two is fuzzy, but I don't think that it's nearly as glamorous as it looks when people come to a concert. I don't mind this at all. That people can come to a concert confident of a good show with big-league production values is a great feeling for me, and I know we're on the right track as we've already had three sold-out performances this year. In fact we're anticipating a totally sold-out season, most likely a first for our organization.

Photo Taken By Christopher Davis

None of this would happen if I didn't have great people collaborating with me on these projects (and every single concert is its own project). The people I work most closely with at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, Bill Wiench and Bill Stanton (or, I know this is corny, but "The Bills") are about as top-notch as they come. To say I am lucky to work with people of this quality is a gross understatement. They're the ones who truly make everything look smooth and easy. To find people who value their craft as seriously as they do but are also easy to work with is no small feat. Also, I'm blessed to work with very fine colleagues at the Music Department. Since I've arrived, every full-time member of the department has performed with the orchestra as a soloist or an orchestra member, and most of the part-time faculty have as well. This is a testament to the collegiality and quality of our faculty, and it provides a great working environment for our students. I believe very strongly that our public universities provide a viable alternative to private colleges and universities, and my colleagues are proof of that. I think one could spend a lot of money and still not receive the one-on-one attention and fine instruction that my colleagues offer.

Photo Taken By Joe Klein, Idaho State Journal

Lastly, I want to speak about the collaborative community/university aspect of the Idaho State Civic Symphony. The symphony is supported financially by a symphony board who raises money for the ongoing operation of our orchestra. They not only provide money for guest artists, but they have also contributed many of the instruments (like the timpani) and all of the chairs and stands you see on stage at Jensen Grand Concert Hall. The university provides the fantastic facilities of the Stephens Performing Arts Center, and I think I have the best office in America. The amazing views of the natural splendor of the Portneuf Valley take my breath away every time. Collaborations like ours are a model for the future of orchestral music in small to mid-sized communities in the US. There is, of course, the fact that this collaboration saves money, but that's not the most important thing. The best part about it is that it brings the university and community together, giving both stakeholders a sense of ownership in what happens. We have professors sitting next to amateur musicians in the orchestra, the symphony board working with upper administration at ISU and the people of Southeast Idaho coming together to watch the fruits of this collaboration in our amazing hall. My life goal is to bring people together to create understanding and genuine connections that cut across all of the lines that might separate us from each other. That I get to do that for a living is truly a privilege.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNsn3CDwvE

Written By Chung Park

Student Has Unique Experience at Joan Baez Concert

This is a few paragraphs written by Idaho State University student, Anna Siddoway, as she describes her experience meeting Joan Baez. Anna is can be seen in the third picture as the girl in the background holding the record. You can read the story put in the local newspaper by going to here: Daily KOS News Story






When I learned that Joan Baez was coming to Idaho Falls, I knew it was an event I couldn’t afford to miss, even if I literally couldn’t afford it. My mother and I bought tickets as soon as possible and we invited my dad and my brother to come along too. I also thought it would be cool if I could get a vinyl copy of one her albums to have her sign if I was lucky enough to meet her. At first I had my doubts, but coincidentally, as the events earlier that day played out, my family and I showed up an hour before the show. As we were circling the streets trying to find our way to the Colonial Theater, we approached a crowded street corner. We couldn’t believe it. It was Joan Baez having a friendly conversation with some local Vietnam War veterans who were protesting her show. As we approached the crowd, I interrupted her conversation and she was gracious enough to sign my vinyl copy of Diamonds and Rust. I bashfully thanked her and told her how much I loved her music. She was even gracious enough to sign one of the protester’s signs, but she insisted that she sign only the back. As the crowd dispersed and as Joan Baez walked away, we were all in shock to what just happened.

A week later, the Post Register, printed an article of the event. As I read it, I discovered that I had only caught the tail end of the conversation. What I had thought was a friendly conversation had actually started out as an argument. The article mentioned that she was in tears afterwards, but I never would have known because she had composed herself so well. During the show, Joan Baez even dedicated a song to the protesters, calling them her friends. I can’t help but think what a beautiful, classy and gracious woman.

ISU-Meridian Health Science Center

ISU-Meridian Health Science Center is now up and running. The offices were opened to the public on August 5th. On August 18th, over 90 students attended the first of two orientation sessions. The building is amazing and will be a great place for students and staff. Julie Hillebrant was there to take some pictures of the new center.

Exterior of the ISU-Meridian Health Science Center

Students taking a tour of the student mall area of ISU-Meridian

Students attending the first of two orientation sessions

Jason Hinkle makes last minute adjustments to the sign

The modern architecture and design of ISU-Meridian gives the open feel of an urban loft

Students attending the new student orientation

Stay Tuned!

The blog is now officially up and running. It might be a week before we have some good stuff posted on here, but stay tuned.