Category Archives: Education

ASUU Elections Lead to Election of the “Passionate” Open Party

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Every spring semester students at the University of Utah run campaigns, vote and decide on the new administration for the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU)., the student government of the U of U. Throughout the year ASUU hosts free concerts, food, movies, dances, parties and more for students. The events are all free to students because student fees and tuition costs pay for all of the events, including stipends for key members of ASUU.

This semester, Geneva Thompson was elected as ASUU President through the Open Party, one of the student-run campaigns. The elections typically take place over the course of a few weeks, and no one is able to campaign before the allotted time. Or they will be disqualified. Students vote via their Campus Informational System (CIS) pages, and majority rules.

ASUU is divided into several areas, including Presenter’s Office, which puts on the majority of events for ASUU throughout the year, the Student Legislature, which consist of the student Senate and student Assembly, and the Executive Cabinet. In all, there are roughly 200 students involved in student government each year, which does not include the number of volunteers and student clubs and organizations. All members of the Student Legislature are elected each spring by the students of the colleges they represent and serve for a term of one year.

Hilary Roberg was selected as the ASUU Director of Campus Relations, which is a part of the Executive Cabinet for the 2012-2013 school year, and her various duties include presenting as needed for different groups who are curious about ASUU, participate with Homecoming, inform student groups about elections, student group trainings and running the Student Choice Awards. Roberg’s “main goal is to strengthen the connection between ASUU and its student groups.”

Roberg first got involved in ASUU as an Assembly Representative for the college of Science in 2010-2011. From there she got to know many of the inner-workings of ASUU and make some meaningful connections with student groups.

The elections did not run as smoothly as they could have this year, and the Fresh Party, the Open Party’s main competitors, was disqualified from running. They were charged with campaigning through the Greater Good Alliance as a front for the Fresh Party before the campaigns had officially started. The Fresh Party was thought to be the party of the greek system. When asked by the Chronicle about the disqualification, Geneva Thompson, ASUU President-elect, said, “I think we missed out on a lot of the fraternities that just didn’t feel that energy.,” referring to the elections after the Fresh party was disqualified.

Roberg continued to praise the Open party for their diversity, drive and passion when it comes to ASUU. “The only thing I can really say is to watch this administration. They are all exceptionally suited for their positions and have very ambitious plans.”

Marriot Library Celebrates The Life Of Edward Abbey

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By: Bradley Hunsaker

An audience of about 150 people packed the Gould Auditorium in the Marriot library Sunday to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Edward Abbey, author of “Desert Solitaire” and “The Monkey Wrench Gang.”

“I haven’t read many of Abbey’s works,” said Jordan Ripplenger, an environmental studies major at the University of Utah. “But he seemed like he lived an interesting life.  Almost like a modern day Thoreau.”

The event’s main purpose was to open up a new exhibit dedicated to Edward Abbey.  The exhibit will hold many of Abbey’s works including rare first-edition publications donated by Eric Hvolboll.  Hvolboll donated most of the collection to the library back in 2008.  Through a 30-year period he has looked for rare Abbey works wherever he could find them.  He told the audience he became addicted to Abbey’s work after reading a proof for “Desert Solitaire” and seeing how much was removed before the book was published.

Hvolboll told the audience he was happy to find a resting place for the collection.  He talked about how he looked into many Universities such as the University of Arizona and Stanford before deciding that the University of Utah was the place for this collection to be.  Hvolboll wasn’t the only person happy to see his collection put to good use.

“This is the best print collection in the whole area,” said Gregory Thompson, director of Special Collections here in Utah. “We now have the ability to study Ed’s writings including a lot of his non-published works.  It will also be important in bringing scholarship opportunities and the students getting educated in Abbey’s works.”

The opening of the exhibit was kicked off by a speech given by a long-time friend of Abbey’s, Ken Sanders.  Sanders is a rare book collector and has worked with Abbey on many different occasions.  Most of Sanders’ presentation came from Eric Temple’s documentary “Edward Abbey: A Voice in the Wilderness.”  The presentation included a lot of audio clips from Abbey himself explaining points of his life and his works.

“My point here today is to let us see Edward Abbey and hear Edward Abbey.  Ed didn’t need anyone to speak for him and 22 years after his death he still doesn’t,” said Sanders at the start of the presentation.

Sanders wanted to emphasize to the audience that Abbey’s works live on and should inspire people to act on a lot of the environmental issues today.  He gave the specific example of legislatures planning on taking back 30 million acres of federal lands within the state and using them for exploration, energy and greed.

Although Abbey never considered himself a naturalist, nor did he even know what a naturalist was, through his works he inspired environmental extremist groups such as Earth First.  He never really condoned the extreme ways of bringing environmental reform but he always emphasized people standing for the cause of the wild.

“The wilderness needs no defense!  Only defenders,” said Abbey in one of the audio clips during the presentation.

Albeit Sanders said he and Abbey did acknowledge the need for exploration, gas, oil and energy, he called it a trade-off for the precious land that is left.  He warned the audience to find the balance between consumption and the wilderness remaining before we consume too much.

“As Ed said, ‘Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell,’” said Sanders.

During his life Abbey wrote more than 23 books of both fiction and non-fiction.  His most famous is “Desert Solitaire” which documents his life as a park ranger in Moab’s Arches National Monument.  The book is about his experiences and thoughts during that time, mirroring Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden.”

At the time Abbey’s works starting getting popular he said he only had one main goal when it came to his writing, “I want to write one good book if possible,” said Abbey. “I’m not trying to do anything more than that.”

The exhibit, “Brave Cowboy: An Edward Abbey Retrospective,” opened to the public Sunday and will remain open until April 27.  The exhibit can be found on the fourth floor of the Marriot Library.  Features include signed copies of Abbey’s works, his contracts and correspondence with his publishers and other documents about Abbey’s life.

Edward Abbey lives on at the University of Utah

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By: Kristin Bingham

“I am going to try to let you see Ed Abbey and Hear Ed Abbey,”said local and rare book dealer Ken Sanders.

Sanders, a member of Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, spoke to many listeners about Abbey at the event that took place in the University of Utah Gould Auditorium of the Marriott Library March 4th, 2012. Sanders is currently a full time bookseller with other works including a project on Abbey.

The event also includes an exhibit, including a 174-piece collection containing everything Ed Abbey.  The collection includes first edition publications, signed editions, contracts with publishers, magazine and news articles about Abbey as well as posters of books that have become movies. The exhibit with Abbey’s collection took place on the fourth floor after Sander’s speech.

Eric Hvolboll, Attorney and book collector, donated the 174 piece collection containing pictures, films and books of Abbey to the U of U. Hvolboll had other universities fighting over his collection like Arizona State and Standford.

“I chose Utah because it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Hvolboll.

After recognizing such an honor, Sanders began to tell the story of a true legend.

“I am going to try to let you see Ed Abbey and Hear Ed Abbey,” said Sanders as he mentioned that he has not spoken about Abbey so publically. Sanders did just that after his friends passing of about two decades ago.

Edward Abbey, an American author, passed away March 14, 1989. Even though Abbey is no longer among us, books that he wrote like The Monkey Wrench Gang still thrive about.

Throughout Abbey’s life he wrote 20+ books. Millions of copies sold.

“Ed your selling books better dead than you ever did,” said Sanders.

“The Monkey Wrench Gang”, published in 1975, one of Abbey’s most popular, caused a lot of commotion amongst readers. With characters trying to blow up Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam, Abbey wanted it to come across satirically but to make a point as well. He wanted to enforce how important our environment is.

The Monkey Wrench Gang’s environmental content of sabotage inspired Earth First, which is a non-governmental organization formed in 1979, aims at protecting the wilderness. Abbey didn’t like being considered an environmentalist, but definitely played a part in environmental movements, especially since a lot of his writings had to do with the environment, like Deseret Solitaire, which illustrates the beauty of the Southwest, especially Utah where he worked as a ranger.

Kevin Pang On Mortal Kombat, Interviewing & Bacon

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by RYAN LITTLEFIELD

When he was 13, Kevin Pang loved two things: Mortal Kombat and bacon.  The video game inspired him to begin writing as he strove to write about video games for a living.  Pang eventually accepted a job for the Chicago Tribune, where he began eating and writing about food; but interviewing is how Pang got his job today.

Offering to share his knowledge of interviewing techniques, which contributed to his success, Pang gave a speech in a news writing class at the University of Utah last Tuesday.

Being prepared and knowing the topic is the number one rule of interviewing, according to Pang.  It is important to ask follow-up questions and to clarify each question. While interviewing, it is important to listen and absorb. While taking notes, write simple prompts.

Pang believes the three best questions to ask in an interview are why, what do you mean, and how can you be sure?  Each of these explains motives and character, clarifies, and begs for complex explanations.

The final interviewing technique Pang offered to students is when an interviewee offers no comment.  Reply with, “I feel bad putting a no comment in the story because I feel the readers will think your trying to hide something; so let’s talk about it.”  Interviewing requires journalists and public relations professionals alike to be tough, yet compassionate and friendly.

Although Pang never achieved his teenage dream of reviewing video games for a living, his interviewing techniques led him to become a credible food critic who loves his job.

“I write about things that I like,” like cheap foods and restaurants, “that’s what interests me, so that’s what I want to write about,” said Pang.  He also suggests all writers find something they are passionate about – then write about it.  Oh, and always add bacon.

Professor gives a lesson on ethics and morals

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By: Kristin Bingham

Associate professor and lecturer Jim Fisher illustrated the difference between morals and ethics through comical stories and examples for a news writing class Tuesday.

“I thought that ethics and morals were a little different but didn’t realize how different they really are-I thought they always overlapped,” said strategic communication major Ryly Larrinaga, who was present during his speech.

Fisher shared stories to help clarify where ethics is needed in reporting. One of the stories he shared was called Sunday, published for the Columbia Missourian Sunday Magazine. Sunday really touched on how to write a genuine story that could turn controversial when ethics aren’t considered.  The story is about John Hamilton who is a swimming coach at Hickman High School. The story discusses his success as a coach but also how he has touched hundreds of lives.

Among the different aspects of ethics that Fisher discussed, he really emphasized that gut feelings may be the best thing in determining what is ethical.

“Morals and morality seem to have conscience, religion and rules. Ethics is the process of making a choice, what is the best decision at the time,” said Fisher.

Overall Fisher’s lecture helped to clear up some of the confusion between morals and ethics. Ellen Lewis, a student among the news class who heard his speech, had this to say: “Fisher changed my point of view. Morals have a conscience-you can still be immoral and practice good ethics.”

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING FOR LOVE YOUR BODY WEEK

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by Andrew S. Jones

SALT LAKE CITY – A local organic-certified farmer stressed food quality and color when considering nutrition to a group of students at the University of Utah annex building Tuesday, Feb. 28 in commemoration of Love Your Body week.

David Bell is the co-owner of Bell Organic, a local organic farm that has been situated in Draper, Utah for the last fourteen years. Wearing a light dress hat and exposing his chest through an opened plaid shirt, Bell shared how his lifestyle and food appetites have changed since being a famer and the impact simple things can have on students.

Bell was invited as a keynote speaker in a week’s worth of events called Love Your Body, Love Your Land week, presented by a student committee that collectively identifies themselves as SPEAK. SPEAK is an acronym that stands for Students Promoting Eating Disorder Awareness and Knowledge.

“Guess what, fresh-everything tastes better,” Bell said while passing around a tray of two large Spanish tortillas made only of freshly-grown produce from his farm. He said his rule-of-thumb centers around fresh ingredients and that freshness equates to better nutrition and taste.

While the ambient sounds of crunching and hearty swallows filled the room, Bell spoke openly about his experience becoming a farmer and the impact it has played on his and his family’s lives. What started out as a small 4-by-8 foot all organic garden in the backyard of Bell’s Sugar House area home, turned into a half-acre plot he and his wife Jill purchased when they decided to go into the business of farming together. The plot used to be an old dairy farm in Draper, Utah. These decisions came about while Bell was between jobs and without any prior farming experience.

“I had heard that a half billion people in China were being fed by one-half acre farms,” Bell said, before explaining how he felt Salt Lake County could sustain something similar just fine with the available resources, population, and perceived demand. The venture has since become a success. Now just over 25 acres in size, the farm also hosts a community supported agriculture program (CSA) that feeds more than 150 households every week during the farming season, all while following federal regulations to maintain an all-organic crop.

Bell also shared that there are plenty of side benefits to farming that he enjoys besides just the fresh food. He particularly enjoys being in shape and staying tan throughout the season while admitting that his weight fluctuates by as much as 20 pounds offseason.

“In the offseason I work as a real estate agent,” Bell said, just before jokingly stating “I have both the most overcompensated and undercompensated jobs in America.”

“While SPEAK is focused on body, this year we also wanted to include your land; hence the title and Mr. Bell,” said Brittany Badger, a graduate student studying health promotion and education under Reel. This is Badger’s third year being involved with SPEAK and Love Your Body week. While taking a sigh of relief after the day’s event and presentation, when asked what she thought of the tortilla, there was no hesitation. “It was amazing,” she said, “It may have been the best thing I’ve eaten.”

“This is the tenth anniversary of SPEAK and Love Your Body week,” said SPEAK founder and faculty advisor Justine Reel, Ph.D and assistant professor in the Department of Health at the University of Utah. “It started off with just four students who wanted to get involved,” she said while elaborating on how she feels the endeavor has evolved into a successful medium to reach out to students struggling with eating disorders. Reel also explained that the Love your body, love your land events share the same week as the National Eating Disorders Awareness week and therefore makes the events even more significant and in-line with the group’s mission.

According to the SPEAK homepage, the group is made up of many diverse students who promote self-esteem, self-efficacy, healthy body image, and healthy eating habits. Their mission is to promote awareness of eating disorders and body image issues through educating diverse populations, developing strategies for prevention, providing resources for treatment, and conducting relevant research.

For more information about SPEAK, visit http://web.utah.edu/speak.html

The new role of college students

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Why they may be the answer to many of the world’s problems

By Rebekah-Anne Gebler

SALT LAKE CITY—“The Story of Stuff” video was created by one person, Annie Leonard, and a small team of co-workers in 2007.

Almost five years and more than 15 million views later, that video “is one of the most watched environmental-themed online movies of all time,” according to the organization’s website, http://www.storyofstuff.com. With its easy-to-follow cartoons and understandable lingo, this is understandable.

Leonard’s efforts were extensive but those by college students don’t need to be.

Why college students’ actions are so integral to helping the planet was the topic of discussion at a lecture conducted by library accountant Carrie Brooks on February 29. The discussion was about a different video by Leonard called “The Story of Broke” and was part of the Green Bag Lunch Series held at the University of Utah’s Marriott Library.

“The Story of Broke” talked about where the majority of the money in the economy is going versus where it could be going.

Leonard said that instead of spending money on fixing problems, that money should be spent on preventing them.

The prime models for this need of priority changes are college students. Many are pressured daily as to where—and on what—they will spend their money.

“It’s just frustrating…There’s money to do it. It’s just a change of priorities,” said attendee David Maxfield, a senior library specialist.

Maxfield refers to the struggle that college students face daily. With consistently new technology from iPads to crackle nail polish, college students are enticed into spending money on things they want while the economy is begging for that money to be spent on preventing problems.

That’s why Brooks said that education is the main focus of lectures like the Green Bag Lunch Series.

“So many people have no idea why or what or how these things happen,” said Brooks, referring to today’s economic problems.

College students are also the influencers in this plan as well. Many students are at a point in their lives where they have to make their own decisions for the first time.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 30.4 million 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college or university as of 2009.

Even if only 10 percent of those students were living outside of their parents’ home, that is still more than 3 million people who are flying solo in making their own decisions since leaving the nest.

The University of Utah’s Marriott Library recognizes that so many students are at a crossroad with their decisions. They act as the center and the source of sustainability for the campus, said Brooks.

Efforts like “The Paper Project”—a campus-wide recycle effort—and “Just Fill It!” –a water bottle-filling station project—were both started at the Marriott Library and were funded by Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund (or SCIF) Grants to aid students in their sustainability efforts.

The faculty and students involved in the campus’ sustainability efforts have created simple ways to help change many students’ habits.

Students can find resources on simple changes they can make in their lives, what the U. is doing to “Go Green,” and even give suggestions for new ideas to further these efforts on the “Greening the Marriott Library” webpage at http://www.lib.utah.edu/info/green/.

College students may feel pressured by the many different options of where to spend their time and money, but through simple actions, they can be the solution for tomorrow’s problems.

University Hosts Olympic Memorial Exhibition

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By Colton Stanger

The J. Willard Marriot Library at the University of Utah will host a free Olympic Experience Exhibition during the month of February, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the Olympic games held in Salt Lake City.

The collection is located on the fourth floor of the library and is a multi-media exhibit.  The collection includes thousands of documents, hours of video, books and magazines centered on the games and tens of thousands of photos.  The records are organized from the early attempts to secure the games to the games themselves.

The Special Collections Department has asked members of the community to donate any pictures or memorabilia they might have.

“We’d love to see more donations from the public,” said Roy Webb, multimedia archivist at the library.

The exhibition is focused at the university, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and housed the athletes in what are now the student dorms.  This makes the university the ideal center of the Exhibitions.

Other events in the city include month long exhibitions at the Alf Engen Ski museum and a photographic display at the Kimball Art Center, both located in Park City.  There is also a one-day display at the Gateway Center Grand Hall on February 18.

R. Ammon Ayres

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MY STORIES:

MY RESUME

-Professional Experience

2011- Currently              Warehouse Manager, Age Sciences, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Responsibility for preparing order shipments together.
  • Overlook the operation going on, and comply to management needs.

2011 Summer   Technician, Platinum Protection, American Fork, Utah

  • Responsible for installing new, and replacing pre-existing, alarm systems.
  • Often travel to clients homes replace a system, or complete service tickets.

2010-2011    Transition Trainer, Granite School District, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • I had a vast array of responsibilities, from supervising to creating documents.
  • The gifts program is a program working with special needs students.

2010 Summer   River Guide, Teton Whitewater. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  • Guide Rafts down the Snake River safely.
  • Transport, and move deliver rafts from point A to point B

2009-2010                                 Delivery Driver, Hudson Home Health Equipment. American Fork, Utah.

  • Deliver beds, oxygen tanks, and other equipment to in home patients.

2009 Summer                                                                   River Guide, Boy Scouts of America. Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Give scout troops instruction on how to go down river in canoe, ensure safety of scouts, go over again and again on how to make it down the river.
  • Give tour of camp, give assistance to the troop I am hosting.

2007-2009                                        Volunteer Missionary – LDS Church. Eugene, Oregon

  • Gained leadership skills working with other volunteer missionaries.
  • Learned how to work with others, in such ways as how to change my way of working to make a better team.
  • Learned how to work hard, and serve others.

ABOUT ME:

I am a sophomore at University of Utah, and former student alumni of the Salt Lake Community College. Within the last year I have dedicated my studies and efforts to become a dentist. My efforts include taking prerequisite classes for dental school, and acquiring a degree in the communications department.

I am married to a wonderful woman named Abigail Ayres, we have been married for two years, and have been enjoying life. We met in Jackson Hole Wyoming, while working as river guides on the Snake River.There are currently no children in the picture, but hopefully they will come within the next couple years.

Over the past ten years, I have gained professional experience through many different companies. My professional skills came at a young age when I acquired a paper route. With that job I learned the importance of getting the job done right the first time, and the importance of punctuality.

Utah police team with FBI to battle against gang membership

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Story and slideshow by MARISSA HUNTSMAN

Salt Lake Valley is home to more than a top university; gang membership is at a peak within the valley with more than 50 active gangs, according to Salt Lake City Police.

According to the Salt Lake City Police website, 13 city police departments have teamed up with the FBI to form two task forces that are charged with formulating a plan to combat this growing problem.

Many residents of the Salt Lake City Valley remain unaware of the far-reaching effects of the gangs within the mountain ranges. However, many of these gangs are not from here.

Instead Salt Lake City is dubbed a “Secondary Gang City”  by the Metro Gang Unit, due to the national nature of the gang as stated by the Safe Street Violent Crime Initiative issued by the FBI. The major gangs with influential ties with California include the Sureños and Norteños.

One approach that police are doing is the creation of unified task forces that combine the representatives from local and state agencies along with the FBI. This is a new organization to hit the state of Utah but is not for the rest of the nation. Due to incredible results in other areas of the nation, the unique gang plague that afflicts this state could benefit from a long-term, proactive task force.

Just as with any aspect of the Salt Lake Valley, there is a great diversity of the membership of the gangs. According to the Metro Gang Unit website, not all of the gangs are organized by race or ethnicity. So the task forces also watch for groups such as the motorcycle gangs the Barons and Sundowners.

The Safe Streets Gang Task Force “involves the combined efforts of local and federal resources,” said Task Force Commander Richard Brede in an interview.

With recent efforts resulting in arrests and seizure of heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine, the Safe Street Gang Task Force is making headway in the fight against the drug trade within the state.

An important aspect of the task force is the ability of Brede’s 17 officers to go anywhere in the Valley to investigate gang crime. This mirrors the ability of the gang members in Utah who travel from one area to another.

This is a recent change that is allowing residents to witness that the police are working against the gang crime in their neighborhoods.

The effectiveness of this task force is evident in the application of avoiding duplication during an investigation. Time is not wasted explaining the circumstances to police officer after police officer. The process has been streamlined, providing for a seamless application to solve drug crimes, according to the FBI website.

Another advantage of FBI involvement is the experience that the FBI brings to the situation due to its nature of investigating organized crime. According to Brede, street gangs have steadily been increasing their ability to remain under the radar.

Another common trend being observed regarding membership in Salt Lake Valley gang organizations is the recruitment of members young enough to be attending high school. With gang members walking the hallways of schools, the availability of drugs to teens has never been greater.

“The most common drugs I catch students with are marijuana and cocaine,” said Officer Lyman Smith, the resource officer at  West High School in Salt Lake City. Students are often caught in their cars, school restrooms, or behind churches.

Smith states that catching students using or dealing involves a constant officer presence around the school. Constant hall monitoring during classes by the school’s security team assists with keeping the drugs out of the school.

On the other hand, Resource Officer Thurston, who works at Lone Peak High School in Alpine, states that the majority of tips regarding drug deals and students using comes from fellow students.

Students involved in illegal activity brag to their peers about their newest purchase. Word travels through the grapevine and it eventually surfaces on Thurston’s radar.

These types of anonymous tips have assisted Thurston and the American Fork Police with recent arrests of students meeting in the wooded area behind Lone Peak High School.

The difference between these two schools is evident due to the culture of each school. West High School is known as a school that has many members of multiple gangs walking its hallways. The students at this school are aware of this and do not bring unwanted attention to themselves.

On the other side, the culture of the Alpine school is one in which gangs is not a familiarity and thus the culture allows for students to report crimes they see or hear about in class.

Once these students have been caught by the officers, they are cited and both schools suspend students for a period of time based on the number of occurrences per student.

Much of the information regarding teen gang and/or drug involvement stems from the information learned through the resource officer at local high schools. “These officers are the front men on the battlefield,” Brede said. “They provide necessary information that cannot be gained through other means.”

After the citation has been issued, the Metro Gang Unit steps in to provide support for the teen. The unit’s current movement against gangs is the Salt Lake City Gang Project, which police forces are using to decrease the presence of gangs especially within the school system. However, the task force runs into difficulties when convincing a teen to return to high school rather than make hundreds in one night selling drugs, said detective Nate Clark in an interview with the Deseret News.

This unit features a three-pronged approach when dealing with gangs: prevention, education and suppression, said Detective Thomas Loevlie of the MGU. The last five years have featured the unit focusing on prevention and education. The main direction of education is focused toward young children beginning in fourth grade through programs such as D.A.R.E.

Education is also directed toward the parents of these children. “The media and general public blame bad parenting for the rise in gang activity,” Loevlie said. The unit educates parents to get involved with their children. An involved parent is another layer of protection for the child.

The approach is very different from that of past police forces. It features building a rapport with the teen. Spending more time interviewing the teen offenders and understanding why they have turned to gangs and/or drug involvement.

“Teens have perfected the methods they use to hide gang involvement from adults but this combination of agencies brings new methods to stop and identify gang members,” Loevlie said. “Allowing us to step in and educate the teen.”

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Northern Utah Left to Clean up the Remins from Last Week’s Storm

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Story by Kaitlyn Christensen

With winds reaching 102 mph Wednesday night, thousands were left without power and property damage in Northern Utah.
The results of the storm have been devastating for residents. Power lines and trees were blown over leaving damage to properties and residences without power for almost 48 hours.
“Thursday morning was a huge surprise for my family and me. Our fence blew away like a parachute and the part of our fence that happened to not be blown away was toppled on by our neighbor’s tree. It was a very frustrating experience, we were without power for most of Thursday and now that we have to repair the fence,” said Ashley Eppich about her experience with Wednesday’s storm.
In a statement, Orrin Hatch said, “I want to extend my compassion to Utahans’ who have been impacted by today’s significant wind storm.  It is always disheartening to witness the havoc Mother Nature can wreak on buildings, homes, cars and other personal belongings and my heart goes out to those who now face major repairs and structural damage.”
Residents of Northern Utah came together over the weekend to clean up the results of Wednesday’s storm.
On Sunday many volunteers donated their time and equipment to help all residents remove debris and repair damage to help get their town back to normal.
“It was a miraculous sight to see the community coming together to help one another in this time of need. What would have taken two months ended up taking eight hours on Sunday,” said Kaysville Mayor Steve Hiatt.
Many LDS Churches canceled their services on Sunday to have members volunteer their time to help with the clean up.
Not only did citizens offer their manpower and time, but also the Utah National Guard and many privately owned businesses offered equipment, machinery and manpower to help get the community back on track.
“Luckily, my next door neighbor owns his own landscaping company, he and his crew used their trucks and equipment to help me clean up my yard and anyone else who was in need of help. People I didn’t know were helping me make repairs to my fence and patio. It is great to see people come together in a time like this,” said Ryan Ludlow.
All of the debris cleaned up left residents numerous piles of waste to remove.
“It was an enormous amount of waste,” said Hiatt.
Many cities had set aside temporary landfill for its residents to remove any green waste or other materials.
In Kaysville, between 100-150 volunteer trucks were lined up to drop off the waste that they had collected.
These temporary landfills were temporary closed on Monday to begin the “recovery operations” of moving all of the collected debris from the temporary landfill to the real landfill.
Those who were not removing debris and repairing damage were passing out drinks and food.
“Our community came through, as Utahans, we know how to put others before ourselves,” said Hiatt.

Save The Earth

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Story by Lyndsay Frehner

Everyday there are approximately 130 million phones that are thrown away.  In five hours, one million plastic cups are used on airline flights.  Every hour, roughly 2.4 million pounds of plastic are flowing from rivers into the oceans of the world.
In a recent lecture at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on Dec. 1, 2011, Chris Jordan presented photographs on the impacts of mass consumption.
Jordan showed many pictures depicting the large volumes of waste that humans produce every day.  There is absolutely now boundary to how much people actually throw away.  “Where is the Grand Canyon of our waste?” said Jordan.
The amount of garbage that is thrown away is innumerable.  As human beings,  “we can only comprehend small numbers,” said Jordan.
Resulting from all the waste that is produced there is a toll on the environment and its surrounding areas.
Midway Island is one of the places that have been affected.  Midway Island is out in the Pacific Ocean and thousands of miles from the closest land.  One of the native birds is the albatross.  These albatrosses, however, are dying.
For the albatross, their main food source is fish from the ocean.  Unfortunately they can’t differentiate between plastic and fish.  This causes the birds to eat what the humans throw away.  With the plastic inside their stomachs, they slowly die of starvation or dehydration.
These birds are dying because of human waste.  Humans use multiple objects such as: plastic, cell phones, paper bags, toothbrushes, lighters and even cars.  When thrown away, the objects get put into the garbage or even into a river or the street.  The problem with throwing garbage into water sources is that it will eventually end up in the ocean.
Jordan has begun documenting these effects on Midway Island.  From one of his personal experiences, Jordan witnessed a small bird slowly dying.  It was hard for him to not feel sorry for the creature.  How could one not feel sympathetic?
As a mentor to Jordan, Terry Tempest Williams said,  “You never get over grief.  You need to learn to embrace it and come to love it.”  This was in response to his question on how to cope with the effects humans are having upon the small habitat of Midway Island.
“If we’re terrified of grief, we’re terrified of silence,” said Williams.  One must learn to feel sorrow for their actions, but not be afraid to speak out.  There are changes that need to be made.
Hannah Culbertson, certified nursing assistant, said “Pretty soon the future generations will be blaming their president for this problem when it’s really our fault right now.  We know how to change, but we’re not doing it.”
Jordan has documented these dying and decaying birds so as to help the citizens of the world become more aware of what is going on.  There is an intense need for change.
“Think about the relationship between the one and the world.  I really don’t make a difference because I’m one in seven million,” said Jordan.  There is nothing more disappointing than seeing the effects of a decision and knowing there isn’t much to do.
“How do we bare the truths of the times we live in?” asked Jordan.  As a society, working together is an integral part of saving the earth and its inhabitants.  Recycle the 2.4 million pounds of plastic instead of watching it float away to the ocean.
For more information on these bodies of work or Chris Jordan, please visit http://www.chrisjordan.com.

Cyprus Basketball’s Future Looks Promising

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Story by Marquis Newman

Cyprus Basketball’s Future Looks Promising

The 2011-2012 Cyprus boys basketball team has had a slow start to the season starting 0-3, but their future potential looks promising. This is due to a strong group of upcoming sophomores and the leadership of a talented junior, Connor Squire.

The Cyprus Pirates have struggled early in the season, losing to Jordan, West, and long time region rival Granger. This slow start hasn’t come as a shock due to the fact that the Pirates have no starters returning from last season. “It’s going to take a while for these kids to get the feel,” said head coach Robb Collins while discussing his team’s slow start.

Collins believes that his team will be ready to compete when it becomes time to start region play.

“We’re becoming more aware and getting a better understanding of my philosophy as a coach… we’ve got our work cut out for us, but if we focus on team chemistry and work together we can still be successful and go to the state tournament,” said Collins.

Part of Cyprus’s struggles this season is that they do not yet have a third scoring threat. Squire, point guard for the team, is averaging 16.67 points per game and senior forward Austin Henriod contributes by scoring 8.33 points per game, but after those two players Cyprus doesn’t have anybody else averaging more than 6 points. Defenses are able to game plan around stopping Henriod and Squire, and the rest of the team is not taking advantage of their opportunities.

Squire has played very well in the pirates’ first three games. Squire is the tenth leading scorer in 4A and has made 7 threes over that three game span. Squire said he believes “we can be a good team…if we play physical this year we can make [the state tournament].”

Squire has found that leading a team isn’t easy, especially as a junior. “The seniors sometimes don’t respect what I have to say… It’s a struggle to become a leader, all you can do is lead by example and not become frustrated when people screw up,” said Squire.

Squire has worked hard over the summer to make himself a better player, and it is obvious by his play on the court. “I realized what I needed to do to make myself better and I tried not to take any days off,” said Squire.

The coaching staff feels very optimistic about the future of this team with the emergence of what Collins calls “a very talented and athletic sophomore class.”

Point guard Josh Jackson and forward Parker Loutensock lead the sophomore group, both have played extensive varsity minutes this season.  Collins said that both sophomores are “recognizing that they can be big contributors to our team and are working very hard to get better in practice.”

“I think with the upcoming sophomores Cyprus has potential to be a good program,” said Tre Smith, the Cyprus Sophomore coach, former Cyprus player and former University of Utah basketball player.

Smith believes that if the sophomore group prioritizes school and basketball they will be pretty good. “We made the state tournament in 2010 with a really good group of kids and I see the same potential with our younger kids…I’m very excited to see what the future holds,” said Smith.

Students from all over the world choose the University of Utah

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Story by Max Lennardt

“The University of Utah is a well known institution within the academic world. We are the only Research 1 University in the state of Utah. The University of Utah is also ranked among the top 25 public U.S. Research Universities and No. 82 in the world for academics,” said Moana Hansen, a graduate advisor in the mechanical engineering department, on the topic why so many international students choose the University of Utah.
There is a total of 2,097 international students from 91 different countries at the University of Utah. Most of them come from China, Korea, and India.
“There is an emerging middle class in these Asian countries, but not enough good institutions for the need for good education. Especially in Korea, it is prestige to have a degree from the United States,” said Sabine Klahr, the director of the international center.
According to a 2010 academic ranking of world universities in China, the University of Utah is ranked No. 47 in the U.S. and No. 82 in the world.
“The rankings definitely speak volumes, and these are aspects that prospective international applicants consider when selecting a University. International students are also attracted to the low cost of attendance compared to other universities, which can provide for a better quality of life. Quality of life can be attributed to the weather, affordable housing, transportation, outdoor recreation, and many other factors,” said Hansen.
The majority of the international students study business, science or mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering is especially popular since the University of Utah is ranked No. 67 in the nation according to a 2011 U.S. News and World Report, which is highly attractive for students from all over the world.
International students are interested in specific research areas that the Department of Mechanical Engineering has to offer such as: Robotics and controls, thermal fluids and energy systems, design, ergonomics and manufacturing systems and solid mechanics.
”International students are also aware of our faculty members, who carry a strong reputation within the academic community for their innovation and contributions to research. Overall, our faculty, research and funding really set us apart from other institutions,” said Hansen.
According to Klahr, all the international students contribute to global development, diversity and internationalize the campus. “International students are really important for diversity reasons. I believe the U.S needs to be more connected. Other countries are more open, and the U.S. needs to be more diverse and is still to isolated,” said Klahr.
Klahr grew up in Germany and lived all over the United States before she moved took the position as the international director at the University of Utah.
“All students can learn from another. American students have the chance to learn about different cultures, and the international students have the opportunity to experience the American way of live,” added Klahr.
There are 10 international clubs on campus like the Chinese, Japanese, African or Muslim student association, and the cross culture club, where Americans and international students meet and can learn from each other.
Most of the international students are degree-seeking students. “The majority of students are not exchange students. Most come for a degree and are with us for the long haul,” said Julie Scott, the office manager in the international office. A data sheet, presented from the international office showed that there are around 1,000 master or PhD seeking international students and around 1,300 undergrads.
”Eighty percent of the international applicants were admitted to the PhD program while 20 percent were admitted to the master’s program”, said Hansen.            Some International students even decide to stay and work in the U.S. for a 1-year period in their field of study. “Those in a STEM major (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) can qualify for an additional 17 months of employment. If the employers love these employees, they can hire them on an H-1B visa, and some can eventually qualify for a Green Card,” said Scott.

Being a Firefighter is Not an Easy Job

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By: Laurie Carlson

“If you are a person who says you are going to do something you do it. Being a firefighter definitely takes some devotion to the job. One of the biggest parts of the job is having integrity,” said Chris Wood B-shift fire captain of South Salt Lake station 43.

 
A firefighter is someone who is dedicated and perseveres when things are at their toughest point.

 
“To be a good firefighter you need to be able to work as a team, know your job well and know your teammates jobs’ well. You need to be eager to learn and continue to move forward with education throughout your career. “

 
“We put others before ourselves but keep our own safety first. It falls on the captain to send us home safe,” said Israel Estares, a firefighter who works on Wood’s crew.
The day-to-day job of a firefighter is never the same.

 
“We train, we shop, we cook, workout, as well as give tours and do inspections.  We eat and – hopefully – sleep.  We get called to everything.  We could be called to a cat in a tree, to sick people, to fires.  That’s the fun of the job when the siren goes off it could be anything,” said Jared Christensen, a firefighter who works on Wood’s crew.

 
They could be back in five minutes or they might not ever come back.

 
“You could go pick up a drunk man off the street and 10 minutes later you could be holding a dead baby.  You could be so far into a fire you can’t even see your hands.  In a 24 hour period I have run from 1 to 47 calls.  You just never know,” said Jared Christensen.

 
Wood has been a firefighter for 15 years and has been fire captain for 8 years.

 
“The first time I talked to him I knew that he was very knowledgeable about his career and what he does as a captain,” said Jennifer Christensen Granite Technical Institute (GTI) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) teacher who works with Wood.

 
Wood not only works at the fire station as captain but he also helps students at the GTI gain more insight from a firefighter point of view.

 
Jennifer Christensen said, “Chris has helped with my EMT classes in setting up their ride alongs and working with them so they know what is expected. Chris stands out as a captain because he works well with everyone and cares about the people he works with.”

 

.
Estares went on to say, “Our captain is just like anyone, he has strengths and weaknesses just like you and I. The strengths I see in Captain Wood are his ability to communicate with anyone in any situation professionally. “

 
Wood also has good common sense. He leads by example and would never ask anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself.

 
Jared Christensen said, “Chris is one who always has our back and our best interest in mind.”

 
“Chris is one who I know takes care of the people that he works with. I know that if anything were to happen to any of them that they would be okay and Chris would do everything in his power to make sure that they were safe,” said Jennifer Christensen.

 
One of the jobs of a fire captain is to make sure they have training with their crew. Wood schedules trainings for his crew on every shift they have.

 
“We train so that we make safe, smart, stressful decisions while performing a high risk job,” said Estares.

 
Some of the things they do every day to make sure they and everyone around them are safe are always checking the trucks and the gear.

 
One situation that happened to the crew where they could have died was when they were in a house doing a search for people.

 
“It got to the point where it was super smoky so much so you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face,” said Jared Christensen.

 
They were searching and Jared Christensen was the second guy on the hose line. The guy in front was holding the nozzle and the third guy was pushing hose to them.

 
“We were going down the hallway and right as I leaned forward to sound the floor with an ax, me and the guy in front fell through the floor where the whole basement was on fire,“ said Jared Christensen

 
They then started screaming to the third guy on the hose line who luckily was a big dude so he was able to pull them up back through the hole in the floor.  By that point the two of them were completely disoriented and followed the hose line out.

 
“We didn’t even know we were outside yet when we were actually on the driveway,” said Jared Christensen

 
“Wood has a very close relationship with his crew members and has a very strong devotion to his career choice.  He has backed them up and supported them on thousands of calls,” said Jennifer Christensen.

Students Gain a Glimpse into the State of the US Economy

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Story by Sean Gustafson

“There is no way out of this crisis,” Floyd Norris told students at the University of Utah on Oct. 26, 2011, when talking about the current condition of the United States’ economy; clarifying his statement Norris, the chief financial columnist for the New York Times, continued by stating, “at least not simply.”

Norris began his lecture by comparing the current U.S. economy with previous economic hard times and some of the lessons that have came about from those time periods.

“One of the things I [have] learned [in school] was that it was never really consented what caused the Great Depression.”  Norris continued with because there wasn’t that consensus, it played a major role for what has been going wrong recently.

Norris continued because there wasn’t this consensus on what lead to the Great Depression and later recessions, people didn’t understand the economy. People would continue to spend more than they could afford, banks made poor loans choices and all together people were and still are ignorant to financial matters.

Expanding on this, Norris added, “A lot of the suffering we are undergoing now… was brought about by people who bought homes they should have never purchased and paid more than they could have afford.” People, not understanding beyond the basics of finances and debt, foolishly feel victims to the plague of credit-debt that still haunts many today.

When asked for further clarification on these matters, Norris responded with “I think people assume… a well operating economic and financial system; and if you assume it you won’t pay any attention to it.”

Another point Norris spoke about was that “when credit is easy, it’s a lot of fun.”
Expanding on that statement, student Laurie Carlson said, “If you don’t have credit than you can’t get anywhere.” Carlson continued by expressing with good credit one can buy the houses they want, get their dream car, and receive better loan rates.

When asked about whether or not they understood the topics discussed at the lecture, a lot of the students attending had expressed they had known either very little about finance and the economy or nothing at all beforehand. “I didn’t understand a lot of the technical terms.” said student Halley Hamman.

Despite the swimming in this sea of confusion, there were students who still found the lecture benefitting. Some students took this event as an eye-opening opportunity, such as student Marquis Newman, who expressed because he had a hard time following the lecture he believed he “should learn more about finances.”

Neela Pack, the Student Body President for the University of Utah, said that she felt the lecture was “supper successful.” It got student to think on matters that they wouldn’t normally think about. Pack added that the students were lucky to have such an “esteemed and well respected journalist” talking on such matters.

At the conclusion of the lecture Norris, expressed his optimism for the future when he stated that he believed the economy “will come around.” Norris exclaimed that there were problems before, and there will continue to be problems.

After illustrating the example of Steve Jobs and all he has done, Norris concluded, “this [market of ours] is an amazing system to produce stories like that.”   [539]

New Media: the Future of Journalism

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Story by Kourtney Mather

With today’s technology, the reader is quickly becoming the journalist and vice-versa. This was the main topic of Thursday’s KUER live broadcast of “Radio West.”
In this broadcast, Doug Fabrizio, Matthew Ingram, Holly Mullen, Matthew LaPlante and Holly Richardson, all journalism professionals, discussed the ways in which journalism is evolving to keep up with today’s technology.
The cause of this phenomenon is partially because of how quickly information is spreading over the Internet through these networking sites.
“The media is all of us now,” LaPlante stated, “it starts to shift before the [professional journalists] can even get off their butt and go at it.”
This is because the news is such a constant thing. Nowadays readers are likely to get news off of Twitter hours before CNN reports the story. Once a story breaks, readers want updates as soon as they happen, and Twitter provides the perfect setting to announce spur-of-the-moment newsbreaks.
“New stories just kind of evolve, they don’t really begin and end,” Ingram said.
So what does this sudden eruption of self-proclaimed journalists mean? Journalists must learn to use blogs, Facebook, Twitter and any other social networking sites as a tool.  Any news story posted for a particular journalistic medium must also be posted on Twitter as a headline, or a link to the actual story on Facebook.
Journalism has become much more than simply reporting the news. The audience is now very closely interacting with current events. Before the popularity of Facebook, blogs and Twitter came about, journalism was simply a “shot in the dark” according to Ingram.
“Blogging transformed the way I thought about what I did because of the feedback,” Ingram said. “It became a process instead of a product. If you have comments and feedback, it affects the way you do your job: it becomes part of your job.”
These social networking sites, however, gray the line between libel laws, making them hard to decipher. Where do libel and privacy laws place in new media?
“You can’t sue the whole world, it’s not as simple as printing a retraction…libel law and those things are also in the process of evolving,” said Ingram.
This leaves writers to do their own self-editing and to be wary of First Amendment issues from younger and younger ages.
So how does classic journalism fit in with technology? LaPlant still believes that there is a place for it: “It’s a moment of reflection and pause,” he said, explaining that newspapers/magazines take news at a slower, less stressful pace.
Overall the discussion was informative for anyone connected with social networking or journalism.
“I like the aspect of the reader becoming the reporter,” said Meish Roundy, a journalism major at the University. “It really opened my eyes to the tools that are available for anyone to use.”
Some attending the event, however, were not so happy with the overall message.
“I think all these networking sites like Facebook or Twitter…make being a journalist so much more complicated,” said Sarah Hillam, a student at the University of Utah. “You are always having to keep up with changing technology.”
Whatever their viewpoint, aspiring journalists are going to have a lot of new technology to keep up with, with the increasing number of smart phones and tablets on the market.
LaPlante, however, gave advice for these future reporters when he said “be meaningful, be accurate, be relevant, be impactful.”
For more information, or to listen to this broadcast visit: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news.newsmain/article/184/0/1868030/RadioWest.%28M-F..11AM..and..7PM%29/102711.The.Rise.of.the.Audience.

Word Count: 583

The Ever-Changing Classroom: Technology Today

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Story by Kourtney Mather

Technology is a constantly changing subject in today’s world. Every year new gadgets and apps come out, changing a wide spectrum of possibilities: from how jobs are done, to how cultures worldwide operate.  One area in which technology is changing is education; how materials and information are communicated to students, and how students learn and do their homework.
Today it is common for a student to find course materials, assignments, quizzes, and teachers’ comments all online.  This makes interacting with a teacher possible without ever speaking face-to-face.
In the duration of the last eight years alone, technology has progressed dramatically, increasing and improving with each consecutive year.
“We still used WEBCT back then,” said a 2003 University of Utah graduate, Jason Carter, of his college days. “They would mostly use it for syllabi and notes. In my senior year they starting putting quizzes up online too.”
This has not only made life more convenient for students, but it has sped up the learning process in classrooms, as well as making schooling an option for students who have difficult a schedule to work around.
“In 2002 most students showed up to class with a notebook and a pen,” explained Cory Stokes, the director of the Technology Assisted Curriculum Center at the University of Utah. “Many of today’s students walk into class with laptops or smart phones served by a high-speed wireless connection. They can access documents or look up information in a second – often answering their own questions.”
Stokes continues to explain the benefits of technology in school, “Perhaps the biggest technological advancement has been the explosion of fully-online classes, which sets students free to work class around the rest of their schedule.”
Even some of the older generation believes that that it would have been nice to have technology in their day. Forty years ago, everything was done with a paper and pencil, and the Internet was only a vague idea that few had heard of.
Jane Ridd, a class of 1970 graduate from the University of Utah said of today’s technology, “It would be so much more convenient, you wouldn’t have to get yourself through a storm to turn in your paper. When I was in school, an overhead projector was considered high tech.”
With technology progressing so quickly, it’s nearly impossible to imagine what a classroom may be like in even twenty years.  Stokes, however, did give a good idea of what to expect in the next couple years for the university.
“The new Canvas course system will replace the WebCT system by summer 2012,” Stokes explained. “Students can tell Canvas where they want to receive many different kinds of messages from their classes. You might have Canvas send your class announcements to Facebook and due date reminders as a text to your phone. Students will also like the Canvas mobile app when it is release this spring.”
While these changes are easy to imagine and close at hand, one thing is for certain about the far off future: technology will continue to progress and improve classroom communication and organization for years to come.

Word count: 547

Mixed Reviews on Safety of New Paths

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By Stephanie Graves

Mixed Reviews on Safety of New Paths

With the completion of the HPER bicycle path at the University of Utah, some students and faculty view this as a progressive step towards the future for transportation at the University.  Others believe that the hilly terrain of the University’s campus make these paths a recipe for disaster.

“I have never been hit by bikers, but I have seen a couple of close calls,” said Chris Bond, a business student at the University of Utah.

Bond frequently treks across campus and especially on the new bike path created along the HPER highway.

“I have noticed that the majority of the time when there is a close call, it is often due to lack of communication from the cyclist or reckless driving,” said Bond.

With the implementation of the new bicycle paths, there is an opportunity to reduce the number of cyclist/pedestrians accidents.

The new bike path, which is located along HPER Mall and University Street had been “in the works” for 3 years and was completed early last year.

“The HPER Mall bicycle path was the only path on campus constructed last year. Salt Lake City Transportation reduced University Street to one lane each way and installed bicycle lanes,” said Chad Larsen, University Commuter Services Manager.

The new bike path was constructed to ease campus traffic and create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists to maneuver around campus. Many students are not observing the signs designating the paths as “bicycles only.”

After witnessing a cyclist skid to the ground on approaching the newly constructed path, architecture student Kaleb Larsen said, “You don’t realize there is a dangerous situation until something like this happens.”

Even though there was a campus-wide release informing students that the cyclist/boarder/scooter speed limit is 10 mph, there is rarely enough numbers among the campus police to constantly monitor these paths and cite offenders.

“Many bicycle incidents and crashes are underreported to the (campus) police department,” said Chad Larsen.

And while it is those involved in the accidents duty to report these incidents, they rarely do.

With the development of this new bike path, Chad Larsen believes that the path will reduce bicycle and pedestrian conflicts and allow the cyclists to ride to their destination more efficiently.

Even though this new bicycle path along the HPER highway is less than a year old, there are already plans to expand the bicycle network across campus.

“Currently the University is completing a Bicycle Master Plan. The bicycle network is organized in short term, medium term and long term projects,” said Chad Larsen.

With the addition of the new path along HPER highway and future plans for more bicycle paths, it is important for all students to be aware of their surroundings and each other.

Chad Larsen said, “Bicyclists and pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings on shared sidewalks and Trax stations. “

If students and faculties are more aware of their surroundings and each other on and near these paths, these paths will create a huge impact on the efficiency and traffic flow around campus.

Internships Are a Necessity

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Story by Elysia Yuen
With spring 2012 graduation around the corner, University of Utah students will be preparing to professionally compete in the job market.
However, students have an advantage in the workforce. Jim White, Assistant Director for Career Services at the University of Utah, said, “Students with internship experience tend to be the first ones hired after they graduate.”
Completing an internship in undergraduate studies will set applicants apart as a student and give them a head start in the professional arena.
“[Internships] allow you to find the answers by yourself and incorporate a lot of teamwork,” said Jessica Woeppel, a current University of Utah student.
The Career Services website describes an internship as “an experience that relates to your major and/or planned career goal, is a responsible position with professional supervision, and provides university-level learning experience.”
John Rith, a former University of Utah student said, “The opportunity to do [internships] and learn in person rather than in a book is a method of learning that cannot be taught inside the classroom.”
Internships are valuable for several reasons explained White from Career Services. They include help in a career-making decision, giving students real-word and first-hand experience, obtaining job-specific skills and competencies that are not obtained in the classroom, material for student resumes, field-related networking opportunities and opportunities for hire.
In an internship and co-op survey released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2011, 58 percent of interns accepted a position at the organization that were eligible for full-time positions. This year is the highest acceptance since 2007.
Although internships are valuable for undergraduate students, the obstacle is obtaining one.
There are several resources available by the university to support students in their professional goals and aspirations.
“[Career Services] give people looking to make a big decision in their life a sense of direction and wisdom from people who have made their own decisions and are happy with their careers,” said Rith.
Resources available include online information about finding and preparing for internships and a career. Services also include career fairs, links to hiring websites and workshops for interviewing, resumes and cover letters. The center is available for alumni and current students.
Melissa Kraft from the career services office advises students to ensure a fulfilling experience.
“My best recommendation is to be sure to connect with your Career Services counselor early in your schooling to ensure you are hearing about all the great internship opportunities,” said Kraft.
Woeppel has used the services and also recommended them to her friends to help build their resumes.
“I like their ‘use the active verbs’ list,” said Woeppel.
The services offered by the University of Utah are intended to help and supplement students in their academic experience outside the classroom.
Kathy Leslie, a career counselor, said, “Career counselors here at Career Services will help act as a ‘tour guide’ to help students decide when the best time for them to seek internships would be.”
“My Philosophy is the student with the most internships win,” said White.
More information about Career Services and the resources available can be found on their website. < http://careers.utah.edu&gt;
Word Count: 518

Clearing Minds During Unclear Times

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by Scott Stuart

Students gathered to fill the Marriot Library’s Gould Auditorium late last month to learn more about the state of the U.S. economy from Floyd Norris, chief financial correspondent for The New York Times.

Norris spoke highly of Andrew Mellon, former U.S. Treasurer of 12 years, and his philosophies. Mellon had crossed Norris’s mind due to the current economic climate being similar to that of Mellon’s reign.

Mellon held a lassiez-faire like philosophy in that the government should lay off and allow things to return to normal on their own – a philosophy that retains believers to this day.

“Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself,” said Norris quoting GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, a fellow believer of Mellon’s philosophy. Mellon, Cain and company believe that it’s the poor’s fault that they are poor.

“Never mind that there are fewer jobs than people looking,” said Norris in one of his many satirical retorts of that afternoon.

Norris continued his humorous ways when speaking about his outlook on the current state of the economy.

“[I’m] not pessimistic now, but partially because I am optimistic,” said Norris.

The summer of 2009 was supposed to mark the end of the economic recession, Norris reported. The job market had picked up and the stimulus seemed to be working; however, it wasn’t the case. The argument now is over why the stimulus failed.

Some are arguing that it is pointless to reattempt a stimulus now due to its previous failure. To this, Norris gave an analogy of a student who studied for a test and did poorly and thus decided to not study for future exams for it would be pointless.

Norris mentioned President Barack Obama’s involvement in regulating mortgage financing as a means of stimulus. Under current law, people are ineligible to apply for refinancing if their home is valued at less than their mortgage.

Obama’s hope is to stimulate the economy by relieving the debt of some struggling Americans. Norris suggested that Wall Street investors would be the big losers if the act goes through. Banks would be allowed to subsequently reduce one’s debt to the value of the collateral owed.

Today, little sympathy is held toward borrowers while much hostility is held toward banks, according to Norris.

“[There is] plenty of willingness now to penalize banks,” said Norris. “[However], bank settlements are not going to the people who really need it.”

The U.S. government’s handling of the economy, amongst other factors, has found itself at an all time low for citizen trust – 10 percent.

“When credit is easy, it is a lot of fun,” said Norris enthusiastically reminiscing a pre-recession economy when trust levels were higher.

Norris believes that it is those “easy” times that regulators are needed most.

“[My job] is to take the punch bowl away just when the party is getting good,” said Norris in quoting former Chairman of the Federal Reserve William McChesney Martin.

“Don’t keep it out, add more to it, or make it bigger,” said Norris. “Bad regulation and lack of regulation got us into this mess.”

Norris suggested that a paradigm shift of some sort would need to occur before the economy stabilizes.

“[We are] at least seven years away from it being solved,” said Norris. “[That is] from when it blew out – not today.”

Many students found the lecture to be entertaining as well as very educational and informative.
“He made things easier to follow by adding humor,” said Julie Burggraf, a student at the University of Utah. “I don’t follow all of the details, but I feel a bit better [about the state of the economy] now.”

“He gave some great examples and brought my attention to what is going on [in the economy],” said Montana Peterson, another student at the U of U. “I was unaware of the things that were happening.”

Requirements of educational sign language interpreters being altered

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Story by Shannon Hunter

Should educational interpreters of American Sign Language master the subject they’re interpreting as well as the language? Some say no, while others involved in the culture are beginning to require it.
Currently, there is no overall agreement on what the qualifications of a certified American Sign Language interpreter should be. Specifically, whether a college degree should, or shouldn’t, be required before certification completion of educational interpreters at the college level.
Interpreting certification programs have various requirements. Some common steps include: completing a formal interpreting training program, and taking both a writing and performance test. Aside from those basic stages, different companies who hire interpreters do not always hold the same standards.
The majority of interpreting companies prefer the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) or the Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf (RID) certification for their interpreters. RID requires the interpreters they certify to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. In the past, NAD has not.
However, in 2003, NAD passed a motion that requires hearing candidates to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree starting June of 2012, and the same for deaf candidates starting in 2016.
While standards are changing within the process of certification, there are still people who believe that a degree is not necessary for educational interpreters as long as the language has been mastered.
“Having a degree is of course beneficial for anyone… That said, I do not think it is essential for an ASL interpreter to have a BA/BS degree in order to interpret for college students,” said Julie Smith, the interpreter coordinator at Salt Lake Community College.
“The certification process is very strenuous and the amount of time required to become an interpreter at the Professional State Certification (level) or to hold National Interpreter Certification literally takes years.  These folks are highly skilled in working between English and ASL,” said Smith.
Smith mentioned the advantage interpreters have going into college-level courses because of the way classes build on top of each other. She used the example of if an interpreter is assigned to a deaf student who declared a major in Engineering. The opportunity to interpret the basic classes would help in “gaining a background in the topic and then (become) more prepared to interpret in advanced/upper division courses.”
On the other hand, there are those who believe that an interpreter should have personal experience in the setting they are interpreting in.
“I strongly support interpreters to have college degrees because of the educational context, environment, and language,” said Carol MacNicholl, the coordinator of Deaf Services at the University of Utah.
Kathleen O’Connell, a student of American Sign Language at the University of Utah, agrees.
“I think of it as what you would want a tutor or a teacher’s assistant for a class to know. Even though they’re not the teacher, you want them to have at least a little background on the subject, right?” said O’Connell.
Though there is a consensus that mastering American Sign Language should be the main priority of interpreters, some people want to shine a light on the value of understanding what is being interpreted; a quality they believe should be a locked-in standard.
O’Connell said, “I would want the same for an interpreter so they themselves understand what they’re translating.”

Failure is an option — not! Strategies to be a successful student

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Story by KELLY WOLFE

Pledges of “Procrastinators Anonymous” listen up! How much easier would your life be if you actually did your homework the night it was assigned or didn’t hit the snooze button a million times in the morning?

How many of you have fallen victim to “The Warm Blanket Syndrome,” not wanting to get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off?

Jessica Larsen, 27, studied art at the University of Utah. “It isn’t exactly easy to wake up at 8 a.m., if you’ve stayed up half the night watching your favorite television shows on Netflix,” she says.

She believes that the problem plaguing college students is not their inability to wake up and go to class, but rather finding excuses to blame all of their problems on. She says that laziness gets the better of them, which leads to their academic death.

“Sometimes we just get so busy.” Larsen says. “We’re at [a] time in our lives when everything is important, and that makes it harder to focus and prioritize when there are a million things going on, whether it be the latest movie or listening to your roommate talk about their ‘hot’ new boyfriend,” Larsen says.

However, no matter what the current “situation” may be, Larsen advises students to finish their homework long before the due date. She says by doing so, when fun things with friends come up, such as movie nights or having a spontaneous bonfire, you won’t be scrambling at 11 p.m. to write a five-page paper that’s due by midnight.

However, she says even if you think you are a “pro” at “BS-ing” papers and can do so eloquently and intelligently, it’s far less stressful to not procrastinate.

Jen Jankowski, a 28-year-old political science graduate student and teaching assistant, says planning is crucial for achieving academic success. She says the more you plan, the better off you’ll be — whether you’re a freshman or graduating this semester — if you take the time to organize your life, success will be within your reach.

She also says there are two vital differences between those who succeed and those who fail. “Staying organized allows you to better manage your work load, but time management is really key,” Jankowski says.

She says everyone needs time to relax, but that doesn’t mean spending four hours a day on Facebook. “You’d be amazed how much you can get done in a day if you are organized and have time management skills,” she explains.

As the old saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” So what is the secret for finding success in your scholastic endeavors?

Aaron Wood, a 24-year-old graduate student studying linguistics, has a few tips on how college students can plan to be successful and not be failures.

First, be goal oriented. “It has been my experience that if you don’t set goals, it is next to impossible to complete anything in a satisfactory manner,” he says. Wood believes if goals are set, then you know what it is you want to accomplish. You can figure out what needs to be done to obtain those goals and track your progress, knowing that you’ve done your best.

Second, do what you love. “If you don’t like it, it isn’t worth your time,” Wood says. You don’t always have to enjoy your classes or assignments. But, he says if you enjoy your major as a whole, it is a lot easier to push through the hard classes because you’ll look forward to and want what comes after them.

Third, think in the long term. “It is easy, especially at the end of a semester, to stop seeing the big picture,” Wood says. If you are tired of everything and just want a break, he says it’s easy to justify putting things off or not doing assignments. You may pass the class, but not with the grade you could have earned.

“Thinking in the long term helps you not to [settle],” he says. “You can see the lost scholarships, the jobs that you will never be able to have, [and] even the graduate school that [will] turn you down all because you lost sight of what the long term consequences of not giving your best are.”

Fourth, have fun. One semester Wood took 23 credit hours and spent every waking hour either sitting in class or doing homework. Though he was able to get good grades, he says that life was hell for those four months. After that he decided to take at least one fun class each semester and limit the hours spent on schoolwork so he could have a social life.

Though it meant he had to work twice as hard during the time budgeted for homework, he says, “I found that I was loving life more as I had a balance between school and fun.”

Finally, Wood suggests surrounding yourself with success. While working on his bachelor’s degree, he joined a research lab. He started out as a grunt worker collecting data on experiments. He was surrounded by faculty and graduate students and as a result, he spent a lot of time talking with them.

When it came time to take upper-division classes, he found them to be relatively easy because he had learned many things just by being around others who were smarter and more successful than he was. In turn that helped him to be successful since he was a few steps ahead of his fellow classmates.

“The main reason I feel students fail is one of two things,” Wood says. “They either do not appreciate the value of an education or they lose sight of the long term goal.” The same can be said for successful students. “They do well because they know the value of knowledge and [what] it costs … to obtain, and because they can see the long-term goal, [they] know what they want to achieve,” he says.

Jessica Larsen, who studied art at the U, says success and failure ultimately comes down to choice. “If you don’t choose to succeed, then you never will,” Larsen says.

“You have been given the tools to make what seems like the impossible, possible … there is no greater joy than knowing you did all that you could do to accomplish your goals,” she says.

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Miracle workers: the selfless service of the Make-A-Wish Foundation

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Story and slideshow by TOM CROWELL

A sign of hope for the weary.

If you could have one wish, what would it be? The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the modern-day genie for countless children between the ages of 2½ and 18 who have a life-threatening illness affirmed by their physicians. Whether the wish is simple or complex, this organization is ready and waiting to make wishes come true.

The Make-A-Wish Utah chapter consists of eight full-time and three part-time employees who supervise and direct efforts of nearly 300 volunteers around the state. These miracle workers make every effort they can to provide a little bit of happiness in the sometimes bleak and worrisome life situations of those seeking to have their wishes granted.

Krachel Greenwood, communications manager for the chapter since 2007, is tasked with promoting the mission of the organization, which is: “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” Greenwood oversees the chapter’s website, Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, blog and Flickr account. These resources allow stories of wish recipients to be shared outside the organization and let people see its impact in the community.

Jenny Heffner is the chapter’s wish coordinator and her primary responsibilities are to plan all the travel for wish recipients and make arrangements for celebrities such as snowboarder Shaun White and Utah Jazz players to meet the child who has wished to see them. Heffner also supervises the efforts of 150 volunteers. During her time with the organization, she has completed approximately 135 wishes and is currently working on 54.

Heffner has seen conventional wishes, and requests for the unique as well. Her most unique so far has been for a 3-year-old girl named Olivia. Olivia’s wish was to ride a purple horse on a pink beach. In a follow-up email interview, Heffner said Olivia has changed her wish to a family vacation in Maui and a visit to a beach in Hawaii with pink sand.

Another challenging request came from Luke, 12, who wished to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard and participate in rescue swimming exercises. In order to make this wish become a reality, numerous hurdles had to be overcome. The first obstacle was physician authorization. Then came military security clearances and another letter from Luke’s physician listing his physical capabilities. Heffner also worked closely with the Make-A-Wish chapters in Alabama and Georgia to coordinate living arrangements for Luke and his family during their stay.

Heffner said 78 percent of wishes involve travel. The non-travel wishes are handled by Frank Nilson, director of program services. Nilson takes all referrals for wishes and specifically coordinates the efforts for children wishing to visit Pres. Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also makes arrangements for children wishing to visit Uintah County and participate in a dinosaur dig. Nilson said his favorite part of working at Make-A-Wish is its uniqueness.“We’re not like other nonprofits that provide one service to each of their clients. We let the kids decide what is meaningful,” he said.

Hugh Taylor has been volunteering at Make-A-Wish for the last 20 years. A former electronics repairman for Smith’s supermarkets, Taylor has helped grant around 120 wishes. The first wish he granted was for a 10-year-old boy suffering from cancer who wanted a fishing boat.  In addition, members of the Utah Bass Fishing Club took the boy out on the water in his new boat to catch some fish.

Another wish Taylor remembers well was a young girl with leukemia who wished to meet actress Candace Cameron from the TV show “Full House,” and a young man with cystic fibrosis who wanted to be an actor and a model. Even though these wishes took place a number of years ago, Taylor said, “Some wishes you just don’t forget.”

Carri Fergusson started volunteering for Make-A-Wish in 1998 and has helped grant 38 wishes. Two of those wishes are especially memorable for her.

The first wish was for a teenage boy with a rare form of cancer who wanted to meet Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band. The other was for an 8-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor who wanted to be a horse veterinarian for a day. The wishes come in all forms, but Fergusson said that her favorite part of being a wish granter is that “there is a rewarding feeling associated with donating your time and helping others.”

The notion that this organization only assists those with terminal illnesses has been a difficult one to overcome, but there are many adults out there who can say they were granted a wish thanks to the selfless service of miracle workers.

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After-school program works with refugee community in Salt Lake City

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Story and slideshow by JAVAN RIVERA

Watch the children as they wait to get into the Dream Center. Video courtesy of Susanna Metzger.

It’s a perfect picture of ordered chaos. Children run, screaming with joy and enthralled with the sheer delight of playtime. With the simple act of holding up their hands and the waving of two colored flags — one red, one yellow — two volunteers bring the disorder to a more reasonable level. The children begin to line up, still chatting with one another, but preparing for the evening’s activities. So begins another Monday night at The Utah Dream Center.

The Utah Dream Center is a nonprofit organization located on the west side of Salt Lake City that focuses the majority of its efforts on helping the refugee community that exists there.

Salt Lake City is one of only a handful of major cities across the United States that regularly takes in refugees. The west side of Salt Lake City and the neighborhoods surrounding the Dream Center in particular, have become saturated with people from countries spanning the globe.

The goal of the Dream Center is to help reach out to the community that resides in what the director of the center, Alfred Murillo, likes to call, “the west side strip.”

This section of Salt Lake City encompasses the neighborhoods of Glendale and Poplar Grove. These neighborhoods are filled with children that come from dozens of countries, and it’s these children that the Dream Center program known as The Open Door works with on a weekly basis.

The Open Door is an after-school program under the direction of Susanna Metzger that works in tandem with the Utah Dream Center to try to create a relationship with the community and provide a place where the children can go to learn and have fun. The partnership is now thriving, with children thronging to the dream center every Monday night.

“The relational aspect is the key thing,” said Jeff Friel, one of the regular volunteers at The Open Door.

Friel said he believes the ability to get to know the children on a weekly basis is very important to the core of the program. Whether that’s something as simple as figuring out which children don’t speak English well, or just seeing the children’s knowledge base grow as they come back week after week, he feels that it’s those connections that make the program work.

“We can focus on knowing where they’re at (academically),” Friel said, “and we can actually grow and seeing how we can actually be a part of their lives.”

The Open Door, which is open Mondays from 6- 8 p.m., began four years ago under the leadership of Bonnie Strickland Beck. Strickland was the director of outreach at a local Salt Lake City church known as K2 The Church, and first made contact with Murillo in 2007.

According to Murillo, Strickland had heard about the various programs and events Dream Center did in the community, and she was interested in creating a program that could work with the children in the direct vicinity of the organization.

Due to the high number of programs coordinated at the Dream Center, he suggested that Strickland and her team work with the idea, and that the Dream Center would help where it could.

Murillo sees his job as being there to help bring programs like The Open Door to life, but not necessarily to micromanage them.

“The idea of the Dream Center is to empower those who have a dream,” Murillo said, “and to fulfill what they want to do.”

Metzger, who now heads The Open Door, was there as a volunteer early on. She said how much the program has grown since it first began. With weekly attendance fluctuating between 30-50 kids, the program has seen a dramatic uptake in children participating.
The Open Door currently operates on a simple schedule based around tutoring, activities for the children, free time and a meal provided by the volunteer staff.

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Throughout the school year, volunteers from the program start every Monday evening near 5 p.m. by setting up the various tables, chairs, and crafts and tutoring supplies needed for the program. They then begin heading out into the neighborhood to gather the children and walk them back to the Dream Center where they can begin check-in.

“We try to bring them in small groups for check-in to help maintain order,” Metzger said.
The children waiting to sign in at the front table are allowed to play outside in the parking lot of the Dream Center.

Once check-in is complete, all the children gather in the main area of the Dream Center and are usually taught a short lesson through the use of either a basic story, or a skit performed by the volunteers.

Friel said the Christian volunteers respect the diverse ethical and religious backgrounds of the refugee children. Because the majority of the volunteers come from various Christian churches or organizations around the Salt Lake Valley, they try to show consideration for the children’s backgrounds by only bringing in Christian-themed lessons during the time of year when they are relevant.

“We do Christ-based lessons around Christmas and Easter,” Friel said. “The rest of the time we stick to really basic principles; stuff like respect, honesty and honoring each other.”

After the object lesson, the children are divided into groups based on age and are sent to different sections of the building.

“There are three groups,” Metzger explained. “Red and yellow are the younger children, and green is the older group.”

The younger children in the red and yellow groups split off into two activities. While one group works on reading or getting help with their homework, the other group does arts and crafts or plays simple games.

The green group, which focuses on children ages 11-16, works on its own during this time. The Open Door has recently partnered with the Pregnancy Resource Center of Salt Lake City to work with the “high risk” children that occupy the neighborhoods surrounding the Dream Center.

Terri Kerr, one of the volunteers who is part of the partnership with the Pregnancy Resource Center, said the curriculum for the green group is separate from that of the rest of the children. It’s designed to help those involved to think positively about their future, and also focuses on the proper way to interact with people and how to form healthy relationships.

Currently, The Open Door only has around 20 volunteers, something that Metzger would like to see change in the future. With as much as the program is able to achieve, it is still limited by the fact that the children in the program outnumber the volunteers by a ratio of almost two to one.

With more volunteers, and more time to invest, Metzger said her dream would be to see the program expand to the point that it can become a part of the children’s everyday lives, especially with the older children.

“We see a lot of the older kids come and go,” Metzger said. “I would love to see that part of the program grow in particular.”

The Dream Center is empty at the end of the night. The shouts of excited children no longer fill the building. Instead, one hears the voices of the volunteers as they gather to debrief for the evening. They discuss the events of the night, finish cleaning up and prepare to do it all over again.