TeleStroke program is making gains for patients and physicians

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

It has been six months since Logan Regional Hospital incorporated the new stroke diagnostic and treatment technology, TeleStroke, and it is paying off for patients and physicians.

“We use the services all the time and it has been worth it,” said Anne Anderson, the stroke coordinator at Logan Regional Hospital.

 TeleStroke is a program where hospitals can have a stroke neurologist skype-in within four minutes to consult with physicians and patients. For Logan Regional Hospital, the consulting specialist is usually from Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.

“This is very highly sensitive and very digital accurate equipment,” Anderson said. “The doctor can hear even the slightest whisper if the patient can’t talk very loud and can even see the drool on the patient’s mouth.”

Timing is an important factor when it comes to strokes, so the hospital staff is setting goals to achieve using the new technology.

“It is estimated that 32,000 brain cells die every second if they do not have adequate blood flow,” Anderson said.

With that in mind, Logan Regional’s goal with stroke victims is to reduce the time from when the patient enters the facility to the time they are treated with clot busting medication by 15 minutes.

In September nearly 40 patients used TeleStroke and were diagnosed with either a stroke or a mini stroke, Anderson said.

Those patients and nurses who have used TeleStroke have seen a difference in the confidence of the patients.

“I think the patients like it because they know they are getting a really specialized opinion on their condition and they are able to talk with the doctors face-to-face” said Tana Loan, a registered nurse who has experience with TeleStroke. “Patients have responded really well.”

The positive response has brought the topic of expansion to the stroke department.  While there are not yet details of expansion, “it’s in the works and we hope to get a clinic where we can use the technology for follow-up appointments with patients where they can talk to the specialist and don’t have to travel,” Anderson said. 

Shop Healthy Program joins with Hispanic community

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

Beginning next year, the Shop Healthy Program will partner with the Hispanic community to continue its efforts to promote healthier living. 

On Thursday, Jennie Murr, the dietician for Bear River Health Department, met with owners of La Ranchera and La Racherita to make plans encouraging healthier shopping by placing whole grain, low fat and low sodium items near check-out stands.

“The owner was very excited about being able to promote healthier items in both stores,” Murr said.

According to Holly Budge, the public health resource manager for Bear River Health Department, the goal of the Shop Healthy program is to change the retail environment and help people buy foods that are better for them.

Three local stores in Cache Valley began making changes last September. Macey’s, Theurers Market and the Island Market have changed check-out isles to have healthier snacks such as apples, nuts and water.

There has also been signage placed around the store to prompt buyers to choose healthier products.

In a report done by the Center for Disease Control, 86 million adults have pre-diabetes and nine out of 10 people with pre-diabetes don’t know they have it. 

“If we don’t do something to treat all those pre-diabetic cases then that’s our next epidemic,” Budge said.

Just three months into the program, the health department is happy with the success thus far and is looking for it to grow and include more businesses.

“This has been a great program to get started in our community,” Murr said. “I am hopeful that it will continue to expand.”

Faster care to be available come January

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

 

According to the National Emergencies Medical Services Information System, it takes nearly 9.5 minutes for an average ambulance to arrive on the scene where a patient is in need and more than 30 minutes for a patient to get to a hospital.

 

Now patients can receive care in a matter of seconds.

 

Beginning next month, Logan Regional Hospital will use a program called telehealth. This new technology allows patients to FaceTime with a physician and receive care and diagnostic treatment.

 

“We plan to implement this on a limited basis in January to SelectHealth patients and then expand it broadly to the community in 2016,” said Jana Huffman, the regional operations officer for Cache Valley Intermountain Healthcare.

 

Huffman said patients who use the telehealth program will be treated as if at an Instacare facility, but it will be in their own home using FaceTime. There will be a physician on call 24/7 to answer such calls.

 

“One of the biggest advantages for something like this would be for a physician to provide care to patients without the need for them to travel,” said Takiko May, a hospitalist trained in internal medicine at Logan Regional Hospital.

 

Telehealth will be for mild to moderate sicknesses such as colds, fevers, urinary tract infection and sprained ankles. For major illnesses where x-rays and labs are needed, patients will need to visit a facility for further care.

 

In order for patients to receive these services, they will need to submit an online credit card payment before the FaceTime appointment.

 

“It is a retail healthcare service, so they have a basic fee for the visit you pay upfront before the start of the visit,” Huffman said.

 

It is not anticipated a majority of patients will begin to use it, but the hospital is hopeful for it to grow.

 

“It is expected that 1 to 2 percent of patients will use this over time,” Huffman said.

Allergist now available in Cache County

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

 

In a county where agriculture plays a role in livelihood, allergies can be a problem, but traveling to find treatment is no longer a struggle in Cache County.

 

Four months ago Dr. Scott Dickson’s started working as Cache County’s first allergist and the clinic has been working to serve more clients.

 

“I’m not as busy as I would like to be, but that is to be expected with starting a new practice,” Dickson said.

 

Dickson and his staff see about seven patients daily, but hope to increase that number to 15 in the next few months.

Before July, Logan Regional Hospital had been looking to employ an allergist for the Budge Clinic because of the demand in the valley. The closest allergist was previously in Ogden.

 

“The main reason Logan was looking to recruit and hire an allergist was for residents’ convenience,” Dickson said.

 

Dickson said he has seen patients who have been suffering from allergies for years and now because of the convenient location they can be treated.

 

Local doctors and physicians are trained to deal with mild to moderate allergies and asthma, but a certified allergist allows for more services such as a methacholine challenge, patch testing, skin testing and drug challenges are offered to patients without the travel.

 

Alecia Lee, a resident of Cache County, is grateful for the convenient care that is offered with having an allergist.

 

“I’m able to go outside and go on hikes now,” Lee said. “I am able to enjoy being outdoors and not worry about my allergies acting up because of the care I have been provided.”

 

Dickson, originally from Cache Valley, is looking forward to the coming years as he serves the public.

“I think over time more people will learn about our clinic and we will be able to help more people,” he said.

AquaWorx bounces back to original number of patients after temporary decline

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

When a local hospital purchased two underwater treadmills, the number of patients at AquaWorx Physical Therapy and Fitness dropped, but the facility is seeing a rebound after three months.  

AquaWorx is the original location in Cache County which offered these treadmills to the public.

“I knew when the hospital’s pools opened because we suffered a little dent in numbers, but it’s back to normal now,” said Michelle Harmon, the administrator of AquaWorx Physical Therapy and Fitness.

Harmon said client visits have recovered to around 200 to 250 a week. These numbers include physical therapy patients and those with a gym membership. This client load keeps the staff of three physical therapists and assistants busy.

Many patients who left to try another physical therapy facility ended up returning to AquaWorx, bringing the numbers back up.

“I know we had patients who went up to try the pools at the hospital, but just came back to AquaWorx,” Harmon said.

According to Harmon, the AquaWorx facility operates differently than any other physical therapy and fitness location in the valley.

“What sets us apart the most is our consistency and our attention to the little details,” she said.

AquaWorx holds a weekly staff meeting to discuss goals and ideas on how to show better customer service and be more attentive to patients.

“It’s in the little things,” Harmon said. “I know we have staff members who are focused on learning everyone’s name who walks through the door.”

Krista Thunell, a Cache Valley resident, has been going to the gym facility for more than two years. She enjoys the environment and everyone she meets.

“After retiring I decided I need to start working out,” she said. “I love this place because everyone is so nice and friendly.”

Additional information about AquaWorx can be found at http://www.sunshineterrace.net/physical-therapy.

Midtown and Bear River Mental Health will work together

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

Bear River Mental Health and Midtown Community Health Center will come together beginning next year to provide mental health services to the Cache Valley community.

Announced earlier this month, Midtown clinic will be taking over the current Cache Valley Community Health Clinic on Jan. 4 to serve the public with physical and now mental needs.

According to Reed Ernstrom, the CEO of Bear River Mental Health, the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic’s limited weekly hours of operation made it difficult for Bear River to work with them in providing mental health services.

The Cache Valley clinic is open two days a week. Midtown will be open Monday through Friday.

Bear River has eight facilities in Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties that provide services such as therapy for individuals and groups, psychological testing and rehabilitation, skills development, stress management, crisis management and peer support.

 “We are excited to have Midtown come,” Ernstrom said. “Those with serious mental issues have a life expectancy of 25 years less than the normal population. With this in mind, we are happy to continue to help the public.”

Midtown is a federally funded, non-profit health clinic and will offer treatment and care for low income individuals and families.

“It is particularly difficult for uninsured individuals to access treatment. We want to be part of providing that access,” said Lisa Nichols, the executive director for Midtown Community Health Center.

Cache County’s second spine specialty clinic is celebrated

By Mikala Lindhardt

The grand opening of Logan Regional Hospital’s Budge Clinic on Nov. 7 included a celebration for Cache County’s second spine specialty clinic.

“There has been an increase of spine patients and more of a demand for doctors, thus creating a need for a new clinic,” said Colin Roper, a medical assistant for the spine clinic.

Due to the rise in patients Logan Regional Hospital saw fit to not only have an orthopedic clinic, but have a separate office to deal with spine injury patients located in the Budge Clinic.

The spine center was previously located in the hospital and patients were required to pay a hospital fee. Now patients can be seen faster and treated by spine specialist without the hospital fee, Roper said.

“With extra space we can have more physicians and help more patients,” Roper said.

The spine treatment clinic has two spine surgeons and three non-operative spine providers, physiatrists.

The clinic sees patients with every kind of ailment and many of them are referred by other physicians in the Budge Clinic, emergency department at Logan Regional and surrounding clinics.

“We treat anyone with neck and back pain no matter how the injury was sustained,” Roper said.

The out-patient clinic offers a variety of services including, steroid injections, surgery consultations, therapy, electro diagnostic testing, diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound and sports medicine.

“The fluoroscopy machine, also known as a live x-ray, is a huge asset to our new clinic,” Roper said. “Using this machine, our doctors can accurately get medicine in the spine where it needs to be.”

Dr. Jake Carlson, a spine specialist at the clinic, believes in the importance of keeping the spine healthy.

“There are a lot of things people can do to keep their spine healthy,” he said. “Avoiding obesity and keeping their core muscles strong are both important.”

The spine clinic stays busy with patients and procedures even with competing Alpine Orthopedic Specialists.   

“We usually have a full schedule every day,” Roper said. “On any given day we could do about 16 injections using the fluoroscopy room.”

Poole and Willis Orthodontics opens new office in Providence

By Mikala Lindhardt

After more than a year of construction, Poole and Willis Orthodontics opened up its fourth office in Providence on Nov. 3.

“We chose to build an office in Providence because a lot of our patients are from that area and we want to better serve our patients. It also seems like there is a lot of growth out that way,” said Dr. Craig Willis, an orthodontist for Poole and Willis Orthodontics.

A date for an open house is currently pending for spring of next year when the weather is nicer, said Kacee Mattinson, the marketing coordinator for the office.

The design of the Providence building is similar to the other three office locations throughout the valley. There is a waiting room for patients and a larger room built where the three doctors and their staff work together to provide orthodontic care, including an office for the doctors, Mattinson said.

“We just love to serve our patients and being in Providence it helps us serve that end of the valley with our patients that are that way,” said Dr. Morris Poole, an orthodontist at Poole and Morris Orthodontics. “We love all our patients.”

Lily Holbrook, a patient at Poole and Willis Orthodontics, also enjoys the new office.

“I love this office so much,” she said. “Everyone there is really kind and they helped me find my way around the new office, but mostly I like how close it is to my school.” 

The three other locations are Logan, Smithfield and Preston, Idaho.

“Once we get more settled into our office out there we are planning on getting another 3-D imaging machine like the one we have in our Logan location,” Willis said. “It is such an amazing technology and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with it.”

Poole and Willis Orthodontics is currently accepting new patients at the Providence office. The new location is open Monday through Friday.  

Underwater treadmills speed up patients’ recovery time

Mikala Lindhardt

http://www.mikalalindhardt.blogspot.com/2015/11/underwater-treadmills-speed-up-patients.html

 

Individuals who have been injured, are recovering from surgery or are suffering from pain can now see faster improvement due to the two new underwater treadmills at Logan Regional Hospital.

“Patients report that they are sensing a faster improvement in progressing off crutches, walking with a good walk and progressing with running because of the water workouts,” said Kevin Hall, a physical therapy assistant at Logan Regional Hospital.

Dave Callaway had back surgery and a hip replacement and used underwater therapy treatment for both recoveries.

“I am a firm believer in the underwater treadmill,” he said. “It really is a lot easier on your body. It unloads the weight from your body and you can do more activities.”

Patients are able to begin water therapy sooner after surgery than they could have started physical therapy without water.

“Those who use the underwater treadmill are about a month to six weeks ahead of those who walk on land because the water takes weight off the injury,” said Lori Olsen, a Logan Regional physical therapist.  

The wheelchair-accessible floor of the pool allows for all patients to participate.

“They are very fun,” Olsen said. “The amazing thing about the pools is they can accommodate for so many different levels for patients.”

The physical therapy staff has seen patients ranging from 5 years old and up.  

“The therapists actually get in the water with the pediatric patients,” Olsen said.

Pediatric patients with neurological damage find these pools helpful because they help the patients promote normal walking and movement.  Those who are young and athletic have been treated to speed up recovery time after an injury and the older patients can benefit from the pools to help relieve pain, Olsen said.

The treadmills not only have an adjustable floor, but they have underwater video camera capability.

“These cameras help patients watch themselves run and walk to see their form,” Olsen said.

The hospital has seen a 5 percent increase in physical therapy patients, through referrals from doctors and friends of patients, since the HyrdoWorx equipment arrived in July.

According to Olsen, Logan Regional is still learning about the treadmills and their capabilities with every new patient.

“The next step will be to advertise the benefits and some success stories,” Olsen said.

Cache Valley Community Health Clinic to be under new management

By Mikala Lindhardt

Cache Valley Community Health Clinic will be closing its doors next month to transition to new management under Midtown Community Health Center. This change will bring more treatment options and greater public access.

“Intermountain felt like transitioning to Midtown would allow patients to have more constant and consistent care with more hours and services available,” said Cathy Nielson, the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic coordinator.

The Cache Valley clinic is currently open Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Midtown Community Health Center will have longer hours of operation, Monday through Friday, to better accommodate patients.

These extended hours will “dramatically improve access to primary health care services for underserved populations,” said Lisa Nichols, the executive director for Midtown Community Health Center.

Midtown will also have additional treatments available in order to serve a larger variety of needs.

“We will provide a broader range of services including treatment for acute and chronic illness, prevention care, prenatal care, behavioral health therapy and assistance enrolling in Medicaid and the Marketplace,” Nichols said.

During the 23 years the Cache Valley Community Health Clinic has been open to the public it has provided dental care, women’s services, dermatology services and routine health check-ups by volunteers in the community.

Midtown is a federally funded, non-profit health clinic and will continue to offer what has already been available and more.

“We will continue to support them and their efforts to provide free and reduced care to residents of Cache Valley,” said Jolene Clonts, the director of human resources at Logan Regional Hospital.

The last day of operation for the current clinic will be Dec. 10. This will allow time for Midtown to transition and be ready to open its doors Jan. 4.

Shooting in Oregon spikes interest for the Workplace Violence Training

By Mikala Lindhardt

Public safety officials at Utah State University met with employees on Wednesday to discuss what to do if someone was shooting at people on campus.

The meeting came in response to increased requests for training in the wake of the Oct. 1 shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College.

Utah State emergency management coordinator Judy Crockett said there has been an ongoing push to provide the Workplace Violence Training workshop to everyone on campus about how to respond to an “active shooter” situation, but the need really “comes to light when there is a shooting.”

“With this shooting in Oregon, it really pushed the training to be active again,” Crockett said. “These trainings are not mandatory and someday I would like to see them be mandatory, but we have a good portion of the university that does this training.”

Crockett facilitated the Wednesday session alongside Capt. Steve Milne of the Utah State University Police Department.

The 8 a.m. employee training featured a 20 minute video about what to do in the event of an active shooter, as well as a discussion centered on three main concepts — run, hide and fight.

“We can’t tell you what to do because you are the one in the situation,” Crockett said. “You’re the one that’s going to have to make the decision, but we feel like we can give you knowledge as a tool to help you make the decision.”

In the event that someone comes onto campus and begins shooting, Utah State has technology set up to send out an emergency email to warn students and employees on campus.

“I can have people informed with four clicks of the mouse on my computer,” Crockett said.

But Milne would rather never have to send out such a message.

“One of the things we really try to do is to be proactive,” he said. “We don’t want to do all this training when it happens; we would like to prevent it from happening.”

That’s why students, professors and employees can submit a “student of concern” form to USU if they feel threatened. That form will go to the Utah State Behavioral Intervention Team to proceed with further action.

“They take a look what happened with a complaint and decide from there,” Crockett said.

More information on what to do in response to a person who is shooting or brandishing a weapon on campus is available on the USU Department of Public Safety website.

 

 

Changes are made to USU’s Honors Program

By Mikala Lindhardt

The Utah State University Honors Program has seen changes throughout the past few weeks with higher enrollment and a new service-learning scholarship award.

The program has a highest number of students this fall than in years past with 680 currently enrolled.  

“We are trying to get more visibility and get more people involved, like the faculty, students and organizations, so we can make more opportunities for our students,” said Amber Summers-Graham, the honors program coordinator.

Throughout the years, scholarships and awards have been added to the program, the newest being the Elaine Alder Service-Learning Scholarship Award established a few weeks ago, said Summers-Graham.

“This annual award will recognize a stellar honors student engaged in service-learning,” Summers-Graham said. “They will have significant service accomplishments.”

The requirements for the service-learning scholarship include 400 hours of community service, nine credits of service-learning course work, a capstone project, a service-learning portfolio and a meeting with a service-learning advisor. The sophomore or junior honors student chosen will be awarded the $1,000 scholarship.

The University Honors Program director, Kristine Miller, said this new scholarship, along with the honors program, “helps students by showcasing their outstanding achievements and encouraging them to continue challenging themselves to make a difference.”

Miller had the task of starting a new honors program in 2014. She changed the title from the Departmental Honors Program to the University Honors Program.

“With the University Honors, it’s more of a relationship with the entire university as a whole,” said Summers-Graham. “We are becoming more visible university wide and it has truly become a more university program.”

The honors program is based on four pillars of education. The pillars include critical thinking, independent research, interdisciplinary learning and civic engagement.

“Everything that we do, our breadth classes and the capstone project, is to engage these four pillars,” Summers-Graham said. “This is kind of the foundation and what it does will be different for each of the students.”  

Summers-Graham said the honors program committee is there to act as a support and a guide for students as they identify what they hope to accomplish.

“We are there to help them prepare for what comes next and discover what they want to be,” Summers-Graham said.

 

Utah State creates canine category for homecoming week activities

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

For the first time dogs were invited to join the annual 5K Bull Run, held this year for Utah State University’s homecoming week, as registered participants.

 

“This race, which has been billed as a family outing, can include everyone in the family, including the family dog,” said Josh Paulsen, the marketing director for the Alumni Center. “We ended up having close to a 15 percent increase in attendance this year than last year.”

 

According to Paulsen, the university was consistently getting the same number of people for the 5K. By including the canine category, event organizers sought for more students, faculty and alumni to get involved.

 

“We thought we could draw in a new audience with this addition and it would also be fun to add a fun element with people dressing up their dogs and all,” Paulsen said.

 

The annual 5K run and the new dog walk were free to the public. However, participants could purchase a Utah State bandana for $5. The money earned from these sales covered the cost of the event, and the additional profit was given to the USU Spirit Squad.

 

Paulsen said, approximately $2,200 was raised this year.

 

"All donations that come from USU's campus and the surrounding Cache Valley area are greatly appreciated," said Madison Maners, the public relations and marketing director for USU student Association. "We could not do the things we do without the support of our community."

 

Paulsen said he and his committee feel this event is an enjoyable family outing. They hope people had fun dressing up their dogs and participating in an enjoyable fundraising race.

 

"We are planning on doing the race again next year," he said. "We're excited to see if we can grow it."

 

USU responds to law changes to prevent sexual assault

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

Utah State University's program for educating students about sexual assault expanded this semester to include all regional campus students throughout the state in response to law changes that took place in July.

 

University President Stan Albrecht said in a letter to students, this online course will empower you to make well-informed decisions about issues that affect your college years and beyond.

 

According to the Clergy Act and Title IX Guidebook, a legislative compliance checklist and prevention best practices packet, as of July 1 colleges and universities will be required to offer primary prevention and awareness programs to all incoming students and employees, in addition to ongoing campaigns.

 

Associate vice president for student services, Eric Olsen, said this action will include new transfer students, new freshmen and new graduate students.

 

Last year the university’s main campus used Haven, a computer program aimed at teaching students about sexual assault, as a trial in preparation for this year’s law change.

 

A three-year contract with was signed this year, Olsen said.

 

“USU is required to offer the training and the goal is to have as many students as possible go through the training because we feel it is important,” Olsen said. “As we deal with cases of sexual assault, the perspective I have is maybe if some of these individuals would have gone through the training it may have been prevented.”

 

In an email to students, Albrecht said the course is set up with an anonymous pre-survey, six modules and an exam which have been estimated to last about an hour long. After a 45 day intersession, participants will receive an anonymous post-survey via email.

 

Olsen said the purpose of the pre-survey is just to see what the students understand about sexual assault and the training modules are to help them recognize and learn about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The post-survey is to see if they retained what was taught.

 

Last year there were 2,000 students and employees that went through the Haven program. This year the university is expecting those numbers to increase due to the expansion of the program to other campuses, Olsen said.

 

“We sent out about 7,000 emails this year,” Olsen said. “Hopefully we will be creating a culture of caring and awareness for students and employees. If we can prevent one sexual assault, then it’s worth it.”

 

National Geographic photographer to make appearance at USU

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

Nineteen months of preparation will pay off when, on Sept. 29 when National Geographic photographer, James Balog comes to the Utah State University campus to tell the public of his photographic mission across the Arctic.

 

Since February 2014, the university has prepared for Balog’s visit to educate students and the Cache Valley community about professional photojournalism, said Becky Winstead, a staff assistant for the department of art and design.

 

Balog, with his 35-years of photographic experience, is coming to share his work with the Utah State community.

 

The university will hold a screening of the film "Chasing Ice" to introduce students and community members to Balog's work. The film follows Balog on his mission to the Arctic for National Geographic. The 75 minute documentary is the result of years filming the Extreme Ice Survey, “the most wide-ranging, ground-based, photographic study of glaciers ever conducted” according to the “Chasing Ice” synopsis.  

 

Jim Urquhart also works for National Geographic as a freelance photographer. He believes in the importance of exposure for students.

 

“Right after you come out of college you are probably the least equipped you will ever be in your career,” Urquhart said. “There is a huge dose of reality when you get out and we can get people prepped for that.”

 

Winstead said she hopes students see this as an opportunity to learn from someone who has been where they are and can help them be inspired.

 

It is that inspiration that photojournalists, like Urquhart, believe students need.  

 

“As a professional photojournalist I want the next generation of journalists to come up and kick my ass every day,” Urquhart said. “I want the best storytelling out there. I want people to come out of school driven and passionate about stories they believe in.”

 

On Wednesday at the Caine Performance Hall on the university campus there will be a screening of “Chasing Ice” as a preview to the Sept. 29 lecture and radio talk show on Utah Public Radio from Balog.

 

Utah State brings back tradition to celebrate

By Mikala Lindhardt

Aggie Fest, traditionally the biggest event during Week of Welcome at Utah State University, was the main focus this year. The additional effort put into the event by planning staff paid off with nearly 3,000 people in attendance Monday night, exceeding organizers’ expectations.

“We definitely had the highest attendance we have had in a while,” said Stefanie Brooksby, the program coordinator for students involvement and leadership.

Each year the vice president of programming for the USU student association has goals in mind for student activities and upcoming events. This year the goal was to bring back tradition by making Aggie Fest activities the main attraction during the week.

Sawyer Hemsley, elected 2015-2016 vice president of programming, and his staff arranged for blow-up toys, free food, an outdoor movie, face painting and more. Businesses throughout Cache Valley became involved and used it as advertising, Brooksby said.

"It was more of a welcome to school and welcome to campus festival,” Brooksby said. “I think it really set the tone for the upcoming events throughout the week.”

Kaitlin Young, a junior at Utah State, was impressed with Aggie Fest and the events that were there.

“There were so many fun activities they had going on throughout the week, but Monday activities were my favorite,” she said. “It was a great way to start the school year off right, meeting new friends and enjoying the best USU has to offer.”

This same programming committee will be in charge of upcoming campus events throughout the semester. You can stay informed following @utahstatesa on Twitter, or get involved by attending the Tuesday meetings for volunteer event coordinators at 6:30 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center. Upcoming events include Homecoming week and “The Howl”, a Halloween celebration.
 

Record breaking numbers for enrollment doesn’t stop USU from soaring

By Mikala Lindhardt

Utah State University is soaring with the largest enrollment in school history with 1,500 more students than last year, leading to changes in the mandatory Student Orientation, Advising and Registration, also known as SOAR, program.

Craig Whyte, the associate director of enrollment and recruitment, said SOAR had a historical year with a couple hundred more students.

“I do know SOAR had a record year because every incoming freshman student must complete SOAR,” he said. “They have had a busy summer, helping students with their registration and orientation.”



SOAR program coordinator, Jacob Van den Akker, said the SOAR office staff and the A-Team, current students at USU who are assigned to help incoming students, added more courses and increased class sizes, but were still able to maintain a 6-to-1 student adviser ratio. 

“We are starting up an orientation for regional campus students too," Van den Akker said. "All the incoming students will go through an online orientation, and then their campus may do additional on-campus orientation programming."

The program is designed for incoming freshmen and transfer students to help get them better aquatinted with the resources, policies and expectations on the Logan campus, Van den Akker said. He said students get the chance to have their questions answered directly and receive help signing up for classes for the first time.

Skyler Killian, a freshman, said his experience at SOAR was positive overall, but he felt overloaded with information.

“Sometimes it feels as though they just throw the information out there instead of showing us the application,” he said.

Van den Akker said students are anticipated to be overwhelmed after a full day of information, which is why they are encouraged to ask for clarification.

“Then we follow up with a couple of emails inviting them to continue to ask questions,” Van den Akker said.

He emphasized the role the program plays in helping students feel confident in beginning their college experience.

“You can go through college without anything, you can even be successful, but the amount of time to be successful is exponentially larger when you are not set in the right direction,” Van den Akker said.