Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/530037
ByLindsayWhitehurst The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY OneUtah university is giving students glued to their cellphones a place to call their own: a designated lane for texting while walking. The neon green lanes painted on the stairs to the gym at Utah Valley Univer- sity were intended as a light- hearted way to brighten up the space and get students' attention, spokeswoman Melinda Colton said Thurs- day. And it worked. A picture of the lanes — which divide the stairs into sections for runners, walkers and tex- ters — created widespread buzz on social media this month after it was posted online. Though the lanes are limited to the school's rec- reation center, 22-year- old student Tasia Briggs wouldn't mind seeing them catch on across campus. "There's nothing worse than walking behind some- one who's texting, and you can't get around them and go anywhere," Briggs said. She added smartphone messaging — whether through texts, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram — is a big part of how her gen- eration communicates, and it's cool to see the college acknowledge it. Utah Valley University is in Orem, 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, and has an enrollment of about 31,000. Student Chelsea Meza, 22, says the lanes touch on a cultural reality in an age of ubiquitous cellphones. "It's kind of funny. You walk down the hallway and instead of saying hi, every- one is walking and texting," she said. Though the lanes weren't designed to curb a texting problem on cam- pus, about half of students who see the lanes really use them, Meza said. Though Colton says she hasn't heard of the concept at any other colleges, it's not the first time anywhere that it's been tried. The Chinese city of Chongqing last year cre- ated a smartphone sidewalk lane that was intended to be ironic while also remind- ing people that staring at phones while on the go can be dangerous. Officials said they got the idea from a similar stretch of pavement in Washing- ton, D.C., created by Na- tional Geographic Televi- sion as part of a behavior experiment. The smart- phone lanes attracted at- tention there too, but peo- ple using their phones gen- erally didn't notice them. At Utah Valley University, the idea came from a group of students and staff who wanted to spice up a gray staircase in the new Student Life & Wellness Center, said Sam Hadlock, a student de- signer on the team. The typographic design installed June 7 was a fa- vorite of student govern- ment leaders. The concept is a bit different from the red-brick-and-ivy aesthetic typically associated with university campuses, said Hadlock, a 26-year-old re- cent graduate. "I think it's fun, and great to see current design on a university campus," he said. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS School creates 'texting lane' for phone-focused walkers ASSOCIATEDPRESSPHOTOS A Utah Valley University student walks up the bright green lanes painted on the stairs to the gym at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah. Utah Valley University spokeswoman Melinda Colton said the green lanes were intended as a lighthearted way to brighten up the space and get students' attention. Utah Valley University student Jody Nelson walks down the green lanes painted on the stairs from the gym at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah. ASSOCIATED PRESS Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller talks about the state's plans to repeal a decade-old ban on deep fryers in public school kitchens in Austin, Texas. By Paul J. Weber The Associated Press AUSTIN, TEXAS It's about freedom, not the fries. So says new Texas Ag- riculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who announced Thursday that the state is repealing a decade-old ban on deep fryers in public schools — an unappetizing reversal to national health advocates, school nutrition- ists and even his predeces- sor in the post. Miller, a self-described "pot-bellied" calf-roper and former teacher, says his fo- cus is firmly on combatting childhood obesity. But he says government mandates have failed to make kids healthier in Texas, where roughly two- thirds of residents are considered overweight or obese. He is also relaxing re- strictions on certain soft drinks in campus vend- ing machines, saying that school districts need flexi- bility. "You got a boy that goes to Anson High School — he plays in football, he plays both (offense and de- fense) — he can't make it on 870 calories. That boy burns 3,500 calories a day," Miller said. "He gets home, he hauls hay and milks cow and moves irrigation pipe. Then there's another child that's not active athletically. They may be into academ- ics or band or some other extracurricular. Eight-hun- dred-seventy calories may be fine for that kid." Experts say they can't recall other states making similar reversals, and the American Heart Associa- tion says the changes fail to provide a healthy school environment. It was among dozens of groups, school leaders and voters who wrote let- ters of opposition to Mill- er's agency, which admin- isters the federal National School Lunch and Break- fast programs in Texas schools. "It sends the message that food prepared in a deep-fat fryer is accept- able," wrote Leslie Boggs, president of the Texas PTA. Miller says critics are missing the point that Texas is simply giving schools the option of reinstalling deep fryers if they want starting July 1. He conceded that his de- cision is mostly symbolic and that few schools might take advantage of the re- laxed rules — since the state won't be the one buying new fryers for cash-strapped schools. Like practically all Texas Republicans last year, Miller partly ran on fight- ing what the GOP candi- dates call federal overreach. But he believes fried foods are OK in modera- tion and says it would be nice to grab a carbonated drink from a vending ma- chine during a basketball game. His five-point plan for curbing childhood obesity includes expanded farm-to- school programs in campus meals. The National School Lunch Program puts caloric ceilings on meals — high school lunches max out be- tween 750 and 850 calories, and saturated fat must be less than 10 percent of to- tal calories. That makes it unlikely that schools will resume deep-frying, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the Mary- land-based School Nutrition Association. "Limits on calories and fat pretty much ended fry- ing in school foods," she said. Texas repeals ban on deep fryers in schools 'FREEDOM' FRIES Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. •DR.ASATO&DR.MARTIN • FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE CO. • DOLLING INSURANCE • GUMM'S OPTICAL SHOPPE • OLIVE CITY QUICK LUBE • QRC • WALMART • TEHAMA CO. DEPT. 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