Howlers talk to ASUSU

The Finals Week Howl is well on its way to becoming tradition.

After a presentation given to ASUSU by the event's founders, Karilyn Flake, ASUSU's traditions director, said the Finals Week Howl is an event they will be supporting.

"This is obviously something we are going to want to back. Tradition is unifying and that is what this is doing," Flake said.

The event's creators, students Adam Cox, Eric DeFries, Jonathan Kidd and Christopher Young, presented the pros and cons of such a tradition to the ASUSU Executive Council on Tuesday in hopes of receiving the organization's approval to continue the aspiring tradition.

Aside from providing an outlet for stress, Cox said the Finals Week Howl would help define USU and add to its personality.

"What defines Utah State? Immediately I think of the Howl, Mardi Gras, the personality of Utah State. This is what Utah State has always been about. Tradition matters and having a good time matters, too," Cox said. "It will also give USU an edge on other universities so we should be open to new traditions."

DeFries said other pros include unification, differentiation and fun.

The only foreseeable cons the group could see the Finals Week Howl having are legal issues and confrontation with the library staff.

"Some people worried, especially the librarians. There was a pretty strong reaction," Young said. "We don't want this to be a defiance thing. We don't believe it really has the implications people have accused it of having."

DeFries said they simply intended for USU students to stop whatever they were doing at a certain time and howl. They never meant for the howl to only take place in the library and cause so much controversy.

"We only wanted to tell all our friends, wherever they were, to howl in a unified manner, to let off steam," DeFries said.

After the four students finished their Power Point presentation, members of ASUSU offered suggestions on how to host a more successful howl and to keep it in control.

Council members suggested more publicity, controlling the noise to a certain amount of time, moving the event out of doors, and singing the Scotsman afterward.

Flake said, "How great would it be to be howling, howling, howling and then singing the Scotsman?"

There must be a focus on howling wherever you are, Flake said. It should not necessarily take place in any one specific location, she stressed.

While Young said they were not willing to change certain things, the group was open to the suggestions offered. Young said they did not want to take away the principle of howling - feeling unified, relieving stress and having fun.

Kidd said this will be something students can look back and remember. Like becoming a True Aggie and singing the Scotsman, this will bring students together as they stand howling. Kidd said, "It doesn't matter what kind of student you are. You can howl."

-ariek@cc.usu.edu