With a historically conservative stronghold and a sizable homosexual population, people in Salt Lake City and at the U foster strong opinions on both sides of the debate on gay marriage.

It would have been a lot easier to write this column if Oregon hadn't rolled up more than 200 rushing yards and 31 points on the Ute defense Saturday.

Coming into this season, most Utah fans were skeptical about how productive the Utah offense could be. After all, the Utes have a new and inexperienced (at the Division-I level anyway) quarterback running the show and a new offensive coordinator calling the shots.

The Utes started conference play last week with consecutive wins against Air Force and San Diego State. The wins give them 16 straight victories against conference opponents dating back to last September. The last conference foe to deal Utah a defeat was Wyoming, in the second conference game of last season. The Utes have a chance to extend that streak to 17 when BYU invades Crimson Court on Friday at 7 p.m., for the first Deseret First Duel of the season.

Kjeldsberg, a renowned pathologist, started in the pathology department at the U's School of Medicine 38 years ago, and served as chairman of the department from 1993 to 2004. He was named chairman and CEO of ARUP in 2003, in July he stepped down as CEO but continues to sit as the chairman of the board.

The U School of Medicine is bucking the trend and hiring new professors, but that doesn't mean would-be medical students have more opportunities to attend class.

The Sundance Film Festival has been premiering and marketing independent films for about 30 years. It is also the center of two courses offered here at the U.

Students looking to fulfill a humanities credit now have a more animated class option. Writing about the Simpsons, which debuted last spring, offers students the chance to explore the cultural contexts of post-modern satire, according to the course guide.

The class Does Extraterrestrial Intelligence Exist? uses a scientific method to theorize where E.T. could be and how to contact him.

A special topics anthropology class teaches students the roles humor and laughter play in society. Ewa Wasilewska, a professor of anthropology, developed the course after Linda Adams of the Middle East Center asked her to do a lecture on humor in the Middle East.