This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The good news is that after University of Utah football fans were deprived of having the words to their "Utah Fan (Man?)" fight song appear on the scoreboard during the season opener, the lyrics reappeared for the second game Saturday.
The U.'s sports-marketing department told me for last week's column that the words were omitted in the first game because the school had sold all the ad space on the scoreboard that day — and not because of controversial wording changes in the off-season.
So the bad news — with the lyrics' reappearance showing "fan/man" on the scoreboard — is that ad sales apparently were down for the second game.
Ute fans still thirsty • The good news is that after half the concession stands were closed during the first U. game, causing long lines and forcing some fans to miss significant chunks of the contest, the concessions were at full service for week two.
The bad news on this sizzling day is that the public drinking fountain on the west corridor near Portal 12, and next to guest services, not only was blocked by a vendor selling bottles of water — as it was for the opener — but was covered by a black plastic garbage bag with a box over it.
Apparently, the vendor took those extra measures after Jeff Salt, a season ticket holder and Crimson Club member, stepped around the counter and filled his water bottle during the first game.
Salt did it again during the second game, lifting the box and plastic bag and filling his bottle to the dismay of the vendor employees trying to block the fountain.
Salt noticed an unblocked fountain farther down, but it had a line of at least 30 people waiting to get a drink.
Kissing tradition prompts complaints • Not everyone was amused at East High's Hello Assembly when a skit sponsored by the Parent Teacher Student Organization featured a group of 15 freshman girls sitting on the stage blindfolded as members of the football team walked up and kissed them. Fifteen freshman blindfolded boys then were kissed by cheerleaders.
East Principal Paul Sagers told me that a long-standing tradition has been to have the football players on stage blindfolded and then be kissed by their mothers. The faculty adviser has been out for medical reasons and things were a little disorganized this year, said Sagers, so the student officers changed the skit.
After some complaints, Sagers said the kissing skit will be omitted from future Hello Day assemblies.
The next generation • A Herriman High American government teacher had a poster of Barack Obama hanging in his classroom when students arrived on opening day this year.
A student took exception to having to look at the president of the United States while sitting in class.
He complained to his parents. They went ballistic. The controversy exploded on Twitter.
Maybe a Ted Nugent poster would be more acceptable.
See no evil • A Bingham High English teacher was confronted for including books on her reading list that a parent described as containing pornography and dark themes.
The questionable books, which have been approved by Jordan School District, are "The Hunger Games," "Speak," "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" and "Paper Towns."
I can see the Utah Eagle Forum's Gayle Ruzicka getting involved here.