Category Archives: Human Rights

What is a reporter to do?

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By. R. Ammon Ayres

SALT LAKE CITY, “If you know the truth report it,” said Associate Professor of communication, Jim Fisher.

On Tuesday Fisher presented to University of Utah students the importance of how to and why to be ethical when writing as a journalist.

Fisher elaborated on a set code of ethics provided by the Society of Professional Journalists. The four ethical guidelines are: Seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable. He said that when journalists write they should consider if what is written is honest, true and necessary for the report.

When a journalist seeks the truth and finds someone has been lying to the press, what is to be done? Reporting the truth whether it is good or bad should be reported.

Fisher explained a story of how a fellow reporter recorded a story about a high school coach that inspired students. Among the story he discovered the coach was a fraud. Fisher helped out the coach by choosing a way to report the truth in a light that would minimize harm to the coach.

“Your gut feeling may be your best guide,” said Fisher. When it comes down to choosing between reporting good or bad news, reporters are encouraged to follow their gut9o and minimize harm.

Andrew Jones, a student said, “It’s hard to know how one could follow the arbitrary idea of ethics, one could argue either way.” When it comes down to making that choice, it isn’t black and white.

A Thrill Seeker To the End

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By: Bradley Hunsaker

Mark LeBaron, thrill seeker and owner of many Chuck E. Cheese’s around the Salt Lake Valley died June 15.  He had just turned 115.

Mark died on his birthday in a skydiving accident when a bird flew into his parachute tearing a hole in the fabric and causing him to fall to his death.  The coroner reports Mark actually died of a heart attack resulting from the shock of the bird.

Born on 15 June, 1987 in Orem, Utah to Hyrum and Deanna LeBaron, Mark is the fourth of six children.  He grew up in Orem where he met and married Airin Bresock on April 30, 2011.

Mark graduated with an associate degree from Utah Valley University before transferring to the University of Utah where he got his degree in mass communication.  It was working as an intern at the mayor’s office that he met franchise owner, Don Turner, and started his own Chuck E. Cheese chain.

In his younger years, Mark was best known for his vocal performances around the valley.  Many people still remember his riveting performance of the National Anthem at the Real Salt Lake game on April 28, 2012 that brought the audience and players to tears.

Mark was very active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints serving as a mission president in the Polynesian Island Mission from 2056-2059 where he actively defended his faith.  During his service in Polynesia many may remember Mark as the well-decorated war hero of World War Z.  His efforts were what rid the area of the zombie threat and made the area one of the safest in the world.  He is also an Emeritus General Authority, serving in the First Quorum of the Seventy from 2065-2094.

Mark left behind his wife, four children, 18 grandchildren, 105 great grandchildren, and seven great-great grandchildren.  Most know Mark’s son James LeBaron, recently retired CEO of Google, who as of last year handed the company over to his son Skip.  The funeral will be held Friday at midnight in the Orem cemetery; he will be buried next to his parents.

Teenager Found Shot After Suspicious Activity Reported

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by: Evelyn Call

Sanford, Fl.–Police were dispatched to a local apartment complex on Monday, Feb. 26, after George Zimmerman, a resident, reported suspicious activity in the area.  Upon arrival, authorities discovered an African American teenager, Trayvon Martin, shot dead.   Police questioned Zimmerman in connection with the shooting.

Zimmerman placed a 911 call to report an African American teenager behaving strangely in the neighborhood.  He reported that the suspect, later identified as Martin, seemed to be “on drugs,” according to Zimmerman.  In transcripts of the 911 call released yesterday, Zimmerman attempted to follow the suspect but was advised by dispatch to stop and wait for authorities.

According to police reports, upon arrival, police found Martin face down and non-responsive, with apparent gun shot wounds.  Zimmerman also found at the scene, in possession of a handgun.  Police questioned Zimmerman but did not arrest him at the time of the incident.   According to a brief written by city manager, Norton Bonaparte, Jr., the physical evidence supported Zimmerman’s claims that he shot the teen in self-defense.  Zimmerman was in legal possession of the firearm.

Police and paramedics attempted to revive Martin on the scene but were unable.  He was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m.  Authorities questioned witnesses in the area and the investigation is ongoing.  Police will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether or not Zimmerman acted in self-defense like he claimed.

Controversy arising over Utah mall code of conduct

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by Ryly Larrinaga

SALT LAKE CITY – With the recent opening of the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City, reports of homosexual couples being escorted off mall property have arisen, creating controversy between citizens and mall officials.

The mall, which became open to the public on March 22, 2012, has received numerous complaints in regards to people being asked to leave the shopping center because of what they are doing.

However, City Creek officials are denying these rumors and attribute it to an exaggeration of the City Creek Center code of conduct that has been instated.

Hanna Kirsten, a student at the University of Utah and frequent City Creek Center shopper, feels that the code of conduct is often times exaggerated and made to seem over-the-top. Until, she witnessed mall security escorting two men off mall property that had been publicly kissing and holding hands.

“It was definitely interesting to see the reaction of the two men who were asked to leave. They looked devastated… It was saddening to watch,” said Kirsten.

Kirsten also said that she left the mall immediately after the situation occurred, mainly because she felt uncomfortable with the attention it caused from surrounding mall attendees.

“It’s not everyday that you see two men being escorted off premises for displaying affection. Especially, when the heterosexual couple next to you is doing the same thing, if not, even more inappropriately and over-the-top,” said Kirsten.

The code of conduct, which is posted on the City Creek Center website, states“…management reserves the right to prohibit any activity or conduct which is detrimental to or inconsistent with a first-class, family oriented shopping center.”

Although, nowhere in the code of conduct does it mention that public displays of affection are prohibited, regardless of the person’s sexual orientation.

“We will not tolerate any activity in terms of people not treating others with respect. Period,” said Karen MacDonald, a Taubman spokesperson, in a QSaltLake magazine interview.

MacDonald also said, “City Creek Center is a place for everyone and we want everyone to come here and have a great experience. There have been precious few times that we’ve had to speak to someone about their conduct in the Center and I have to say the experience has been very positive overall.”

Many are blaming the situation on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claiming that the church is responsible for enforcing the code of conduct and creating an unequal environment.

Taubman Centers, Inc., manages the mall property and says that the Mormon Church has not had a say or influence in creating the shopping center rules.

For Robert Yorgason, who was raised LDS and openly revealed eight years ago that he is gay, thinks the situation has just created an opportunity for people to protest and cause a scene.

“It is immature when you see people exaggerate the extent of a situation to raise awareness to a greater issue, it just gives us (homosexuals) a bad reputation,” said Yorgason.

City Creek Center currently has an appeals process in place and if patrons feel they have been unfairly targeted, mall management wants to hear about it, said MacDonald.

Trayvon Martin Police and Incident Reports Released

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The incident records surrounding the fatal shooting of Travyon Martin last month by a community watch volunteer have been released. Since there is still an ongoing police investigation, the Sanford Police Department has limited information, but Chief Bill Lee Jr. has stated, “The death of anyone due to violence, especially a 17-year-old young man, is morally appalling.”

The details of the original incident are still under debate, but the transcripts for the initial 911 call that George Zimmerman, the community watch volunteer involved in the shooting, placed to the Sanford Police Department and the police report have both been released.

According to Zimmerman in the 911 transcripts, Martin, a 17-year-old African-American male, was “just walking around, looking about.”

Zimmerman then described Martin to the dispatcher and followed Martin until the dispatcher told him “we don’t need you to do that.”

Zimmerman also stated things like, “These assholes they always get away,” and “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something.” Zimmerman held a concealed weapon permit issued by the State of Florida.

The official police report describes that two officers, Ricardo Ayala and Timothy Smith were dispatched around 7 p.m. to the Sanford neighborhood in reference to a complaint about a suspicious person and received calls about gunshots being fired.

Zimmerman’s official statement, according to Chief Lee, was that “he had lost sight of Trayvon and was returning to his truck to meet the police officer when he says he was attacked by Trayvon.” When police arrived, they investigated to find Martin without a pulse in the grass. The officers then removed Zimmerman’s handgun and placed him in police custody.

The Employees Behind Black Friday

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Story by Kylee Mecham

Black Friday is known as the biggest shopping day of the year.  It is a day filled with big deals and big savings for everyone.  However, for employees of retail stores, Black Friday is a day filled with frustration.
Due to consumer demand for more deals, Black Friday is starting to spill over on to Thursday over the past few years.  Many stores now open at midnight on Friday.  Some stores, such as Walmart and Old Navy are even open on Thanksgiving Day with the hope of getting more sales.
24-year old Grace Fahrer has worked at 5 different retail stores, and at the moment is an associate at Victoria Secret’s.  “I’ve been working in retail since I was 16-years old, and since then I have never had the chance to enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend with my family,” said Fahrer.
Christina Burris, manager of a Banana Republic store, understands how stressful Black Friday can be for all of her employees. Every year, she has employees begging her for the day after Thanksgiving off.  “Just like my employees, I wish I could spend my Thanksgiving weekend with family, but due to the publics demands I need everyone’s help over the holiday,” said Burris.
Jade Anderson Gill, an employee at Walmart, just worked her first Black Friday.  Gill said, “I always loved to go shopping on Black Friday with my friends and family, but now that I’ve been on the other side of it, I don’t think I’ll ever want to go out shopping on Black Friday again.”
Since Walmart’s sales started at ten o’clock, Gill was required to be at the store at 9 o’clock on Thanksgiving night.  She had to cut her time with her family short in order to get enough sleep for her work shift that lasted until four in the morning.
This year some employees’ complaints caught the attention of the nation.  It all started when Anthony Hardwick decided to take a stand against one of the largest retail stores, Target.
Hardwick, a Target employee in Omaha, Nebraska, started a petition called “Tell Target To Save Thanksgiving,” on http://www.change.org.
According to Hardwick, “All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones on Thanksgiving!  A midnight opening robs the hourly and in-store salary workers of time off with their families on Thanksgiving Day.”
Over 200,000 people had signed Hardwick’s petition by Nov 24.
In a press release, Target defended its choice to open earlier.  “We have heard from our guests that they want to shop Target following their Thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night,” said Molly Snyder, a spokeswoman for Target.
Hardwick and his stand against Target inspired over 150 other petitions on http://www.change.org asking other major retailers, such as Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy and Old Navy, to put employees and families first.
In response to the petition, Fahrer said, “I hope that retailers will consider us workers more when it comes to next year’s Thanksgiving weekend.”

College Football Players Weigh in on Life as a Student-Athlete

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Story by: Chris Washington

Every Saturday, from the beginning of September all the way until early December, millions of Americans attend college football games. Millions of others, who don’t make it to the games, watch them on television. However, the difficulties that these student-athletes face while attempting to juggle two full-time jobs is often ignored.

An average workday for a collegiate football player is typically not considered luxurious. After a six-o-clock conditioning session, a player will generally have to attend approximately three hours of classes. However, it isn’t necessarily the classes that give players a tough time; it is the fact that the player must fit the conditioning, along with the classes, into their schedule before one-o-clock, at which point they would be preparing for another 4 hours of practice and meetings.

A general defense, and common misconception that is often attributed to student-athletes, especially football players, is the idea that athletes live like kings on campus. Chandler Johnson, a wide receiver for the University of Utah football team, didn’t agree with that.

“People always think that professors just hand out passing grades and that athletes drive nice cars and have plenty of money, but in all reality that couldn’t be more false”, Johnson said.

According to Johnson, not only do many professors treat athletes in a stricter manner, due to the perception that football players might be expecting unearned grades, but a lot of players have less money than regular students.

Johnson elaborated by saying, “Most students have time to get a job when they are short on cash, but we don’t even have time to get jobs, so we basically just have to live off of the $910 scholarship check that we get every month.”

Sam Brenner, an offensive guard for the Utah Utes, believed that things like weight demands can make it even harder to live comfortably off of the $910 monthly check.

“We are expected to weigh a certain amount every week, some players are told to gain like 50 or 60 pounds, so we pretty much have to spend around 300 dollars of our money every month on food. If you add rent and things like that into the equation, before you know it your whole check is gone”, explained Brenner.

Things like this are often not thought about when millions of people are enjoying their favorite team’s triumphs on the field.

Fortunately it is possible to gain perspective from both the student-athlete’s side, as well as the experiences of the regular students on campus.

“I’m not sure what life is like for football players, but I would imagine it is probably not that great other than when they are playing in games and signing autographs”, said Liz Anderson, a student at the University of Utah.

Anderson went on to explain how she has time to go to school full-time and also work as much as she needs to.

Despite Universities bringing in millions of dollars on the player’s behalf, athletes everywhere often struggle, both mentally and financially.

Although life can be very difficult for a college football player, it is a life that each player signed up for completely of his own free will.

The good news is that life is not all frowns for these guys. There are numerous benefits to playing football at such an elite level. Sam Brenner explained how gratifying the life of a college football player can be, by saying,

“Even though there are times when it’s hard, at the end of the day I am doing what I dreamed of as a child. That’s all that really matters to me.”

With the possibility of college players being paid to play in the future, people like Sam Brenner might be the last of a dying breed.

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.”

Evaluating Ethics

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Story by Lyndsay Frehner

 
Morals help to guide lives and ethical decisions.   In a recent lecture for the Introduction to Newswriting class, Jim Fisher, a professor in the Department of Communication, informed students on ethics and journalism.
“Ethics is a process of making decisions,” said Fisher.  When people get together to make decisions, the process is a continual circle of deciding which morals and ethics will get the best results.  Once that choice is made, the next step is to evaluate where to go with that decision.
Ethics help to govern the decisions that are made.  Student Kylee Mecham said, “I like the way he could show both sides of the story.  He makes you evaluate the whole situation by going full circle.”
As a part of the lecture, Fisher illustrated an anecdote about ethical journalism.  Journalism is full of interesting choices for reporting the news.  Fisher also stated, “If you aren’t accountable, then you aren’t doing journalism.”
To report the news, one must seek out the relevant information and account for it.  There will be a decision to post a fact or not depending upon the importance of the fact.  Pertaining to releasing the relevant facts, Fisher told students, “Everyone is willing to let things go until there is a victim involved.”
As the lecture drew to a close, student Megan Hulet said, “I liked the way he wasn’t afraid to lay out the way it is.”  Every situation that needs resolution depends on the ethics and morals that govern behavior; especially in journalism. (251)

Brewvies manager, U professor weigh in on DABC fine

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Story and slideshow by JACOB W. MAXWELL

The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control fined Brewvies Cinema Pub, a locally owned and operated restaurant/movie theater in Salt Lake City, during the summer of 2011.

Andrew Murphy, the pub’s general manager, said Brewvies quietly paid a $1,627 fine for screening “The Hangover Part II,” a movie that the DABC thought violated a section of the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Act.

This was Brewvies’ first DABC violation since opening its doors in 1997.

Murphy, speaking for the first time about the fine, the law and how they have affected the theater, said Brewvies attracts a variety of customers.

“You don’t have to partake in alcohol to come. So we get LDS people that come in to enjoy a nice meal and a movie. That’s kinda the beauty of the place,” he said.

Murphy said Brewvies screens popular PG, PG-13, R- and G-rated films based upon what the owners think their clientele, 21 years and older, wants.

He said many Brewvies patrons and concerned citizens were outraged to hear about the fine. “We’ve had tons of support. We made national news and have had people writing in from all over the country. Mostly curious because they don’t understand why Brewvies was fined and they think that the issue was deeper than it really is,” Murphy said.

He said many people also questioned why the DABC sent undercover Utah Highway Patrol officers into Brewvies to watch the film at the taxpayers’ expense.

Why was Brewvies fined for showing a summer blockbuster that simultaneously premiered with other local theatres?

Francine Giani, interim director of the DABC, said in a letter that Brewvies was fined because “The Hangover Part II” ran afoul of a Utah law “prohibiting films or pictures depicting sex acts on premises that sell alcohol.”

Giani said Utah’s law is modeled after a similar law in California that was upheld in a 1972 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The only case seen before the Supreme Court regarding sexually oriented entertainment during the time period was Miller v. California (1973), in which a business owner conducted a mass-mail campaign to advertise pornographic material.

In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state and held that material considered obscene was not protected by the First Amendment. The court developed the Miller Test, a legal standard where four qualifications have to be met in order for speech to be considered obscene.

David Vergobbi, an associate professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Communication, said he hasn’t seen the movie, but he doesn’t believe the film depicts sex acts in the same manner that the Miller obscenity test would apply to.

There are parts of “The Hangover Part II” that depict full frontal male nudity. During the end credits of the movie, the character portrayed by Ed Helms is seen having sex with a transsexual.

“If [Giani] is indeed referring to Miller v. California, the Miller obscenity test, it’s moot anyhow because the film isn’t rated obscene,” Vergobbi said. “The R-rating is nowhere near reaching the level of obscene speech and indecent speech is protected under the First Amendment. Obscene speech is not.”

The DABC has the ability to financially force Brewvies to censor movies that violate the section concerning films in the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, despite the content being protected under the First Amendment.

The act allows the DABC to regulate the content of any film depicting the act or simulated acts of sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral copulation, whipping, etc. in an establishment that serves alcohol. Also, if characters in a film fondle or show their genitals, breasts or anus, it is in violation of the law.

After reading the act, Vergobbi said, “Heck, this [law] could cover almost anything,” in reference to what Brewvies is legally allowed to screen.

Vergobbi received a Ph.D. in Mass Communication Law, Ethics and History. He teaches U students about media ethics and mass communication law.

He said the DABC could make a claim that they are only carrying out the law as written. The problem Vergobbi sees is that Brewvies would have to sue the department that holds its liquor license in order to get the law changed. But, he said this scenario could prevent Brewvies from taking legal action.

Brewvies has thought about fighting back but Murphy said the cinema pub doesn’t have the money to do so.

“It’s a considerable amount of money to get the proper lawyer and paperwork filed. And what would it really gain us?” he said. “The law could get changed or we could get back our fine.”

Vergobbi believes the law could be challenged on vagueness and over-breadth, which is the standard test for whether a statute is constitutional.

“I’m sure they were referring to pornographic films,” Vergobbi said regarding why the law was written. “But by just saying ‘showing a film’ it opens it up for this kind of application.”

Giani said Brewvies, upon receiving its alcohol license, was cautioned by a licensing and compliance officer about the law and urged to prescreen movies to avoid any possibility of a violation.

Brewvies had the opportunity to screen “The Hangover Part II” because other Warner Bros. films like “Super Bad” and “Knocked Up” had done well at the theater. The owners had to agree to premier the film before they knew about the content. And to Murphy’s knowledge, the film wasn’t prescreened in Utah.

“We were selling out shows to the first ‘Hangover’ six weeks into the run, which gave us the opportunity to premier more films,” Murphy said.

In the 14 years since Brewvies has been open, it has only premiered a small handful of films.

Murphy said Brewvies has always taken every precaution to not violate DABC regulations, Utah State laws and Salt Lake City and County mandates. Yet he is not sure where to draw the line as far as what films the theater can screen in the future.

“Film is art and as soon as you start regulating what people can put in their art then you are really having a heavy hand on the culture,” Murphy said.

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Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; how it has affected people in Salt Lake City

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Story and slideshow by SHERYL CRONIN

The long-awaited repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy occurred Sept. 20, 2011, following certification signed by President Barack Obama on July 22.

“Homosexuals have a right to be in the military,” said Ryan Newman, 28, of Salt Lake City. Newman is currently enrolled in the National Guard. He has been in the National Guard for approximately a year and a half and says he is happy about the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy change.

The guidelines that were previously in place for the U.S. Military stated that bisexual, gay, or lesbian individuals were prohibited from being enlisted within the armed forces. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell went into effect in December 1993 after President Bill Clinton signed the policy. According to section 15 of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces, the military could not discriminate against a person simply for being gay, but for openly being gay.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a step in the right direction to protect homosexuals. Previous guidelines banned anyone who was gay from serving in the military.

This policy was made to decrease the number of people discharged from the military, but it failed to stop discrimination. The intent of the policy was to benefit the gay community but in turn it continued to isolate.

According to section 15, “The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.” Therefore, the U.S. Military was allowed to discharge any member who would disclose their sexual orientation.

But, according to Newman, the Salt Lake man serving in the National Guard, people were commonly known to be homosexual but it just was not talked about due to the repercussions.

Derek Kjar, 26, who is gay, dated Scotland Briner from 2005 to 2010. Briner was a cadet in the U.S. Army Reserve who served a year in Afghanistan before they met. “There were areas of Salt Lake City that we didn’t feel comfortable being a couple, especially at the University of Utah because that is where Scotland did ROTC.”

Before the change of the policy, Briner and Kjar had to be careful of where they showed affection because Briner could have been discharged from the Army. Kjar said that Briner had to act more masculine in public and put on a persona due to fear of being ostracized.

Kjar recalled a time that the couple and another gay friend went to a restaurant near the U for lunch. One of Briner’s sergeants walked into the restaurant and Briner had to act like he was straight. Kjar said he was nervous the sergeant would see through his act.

The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will make it so situations such as this will not be an issue anymore to the gay community. Individuals will not be forced to hide who they are in or outside of the military.

Under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell police the military was prohibited from investigating a person’s sexual orientation, unless there was an eyewitness account of homosexual behavior. That behavior never was sufficiently defined. These are some of the difficulties the military had to deal with under the policy.

Briner mentioned to Kjar that there were a few men who came out to him in private while he was serving his country. “It was just something people didn’t talk about publicly,” Kjar said.

According to the code, “A member of the armed forces shall be separated from the armed forces [if] the member has engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act or acts.”

Brian Robbins, 26, who has been in the Marine Corps since April 2004 and served a year in Iraq, said that even though he supports homosexuality he thinks that getting rid of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell could cause more problems than solutions. “The people who come out in the military might end up being harassed because they came out of the closet,” he said.

Robbins said the policy was working just fine before the change. Some people may argue against this idea, but the risk of being harassed now will be much greater in Robbins’ opinion. Now that individuals can be open with their sexual orientation, the unit might be unaccepting of the information and could intensify homophobic tendencies.

Robbins felt that the risk for overtly homosexual individuals could be more harmful rather than not talking about it. He said that before the change there wasn’t an issue with homosexuality, but as a straight man he may not have felt the kinds of pressures facing gay  soldiers.

Robbins has not been deployed since the policy change but can be called into duty until April. He said he doesn’t know what kinds of changes will occur but he thinks that within his all-male unit it may be difficult if someone were to come out.

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The repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy has encouraged same-sex couples to speak out against unequal rights. This will be the next battle to overcome for the LGBTQ community.

Raquel Cook’s new method of teaching

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Story by MARISSA HUNTSMAN

“International experience is not a luxury anymore. It’s a necessity,” said Raquel Cook, a wild-child turned world traveler who has morphed into a professor who teaches at Utah Valley University and has a unique method of teaching English to her students.

Raquel Cook holding a miniature of a Terra Cotta Warrior from China. Photo courtesy of Raquel Cook

Cook claims to have been a nerd during high school, finding interests in debate and the school newspaper rather than cheerleading like her sisters. “I never even attended a high school football game,” Cook said.

After graduating from American Fork High School, Cook began her journey of self-discovery. She attended Brigham Young University choosing a degree in English.

A week after graduation, Cook, 21, set her sights outside of the small Utah community she had spent her life in. “When I first left it wasn’t because I wanted to go anywhere necessarily,” she said. “I just wanted to get out of here (Utah).”

With $100 in her pocket and a one-way ticket to Asia, Cook set out on a journey in a foreign country. The first stop on her grand world tour was South Korea, a country not known for its peaceful political culture, but one that contains hidden treasures of generation that Cook found a niche.

In South Korea she worked as an instructor of American culture and college life for police graduates to prepare for the way of life in America. She also taught English on the side, which paid her very well. Her other jobs included: a staff writer for the entertainment section of an English newspaper and radio host for a “really cheesy program but college students loved it.”

Cook gained minor stardom with countrywide TV appearances. This job enabled Cook to travel all over the country making new friends during her TV appearances, which funded her travels to other countries.

Cook spent the next few years traveling from country to country. Occasionally she got on wrong buses and had misunderstandings with the locals, but these events did her no harm. Instead she grew to feel empowered and limitless in her feature endeavors.

Bonnie Cook, Cook’s mother, said, “I constantly worried for my daughter’s safety while she spent years in foreign countries. There were no cell phones during that time but I knew we had a strong daughter who we taught well.”

Years later, Cook found her path in Manhattan and working in the financial district. She worked out of the South Tower of the Twin Towers.

The morning of Sept. 11, Cook recalls feeling that she shouldn’t have gone into work that day. But, she said, “I’m not the type of person who doesn’t go to work based on a feeling.”

Cook exited the South Tower at the time when the second plane made contact, killing her friends on the 83rd floor. That day is a blur in her mind; she even remembers that a stranger had to remind her to call her parents.

The suicide and a murder of two fellow 9/11 survivors motivated Cook to reevaluate her stance on the aftermath of that day in American history. Furthermore, America’s reaction to these events greatly upset her.

This caused Cook to realize that change could not occur by building walls between nations, or by increasing airport security checks or visa restrictions. Instead the answer could be found in education.

Cook packed up her daughter and moved back to American Fork High School and began teaching at the local high school she had graduated from.

Cook recalls that she wasn’t sure what she was expecting on her first day but remembers that she felt frustrated by the lack of interest the students had in the outside world. This frustration was fueled further by the rigorous rubric she had to follow according to the district’s standards.

However, the second year of her teaching began with the opportunity to create her own class, with its own goals. A class that would educate the senior students of the purpose of the English language and its usages in the world, both formal and informal. Using her experiences from over 40 countries, Cook fashioned a class that many first believed looked more like a history class than an English class.

Cook told her students that she spent a week in a Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas, a silent week, learning to pray. But this experience demonstrates that many people seek the same answers through similar meanings.

Cook’s entire message for the world tour-themed class could be illustrated by a single picture. A picture featuring the events of Tiananmen Square where a single student stood in front of the approaching tanks.

The message is that language, English or otherwise, is a tool used to convey a person’s thoughts and beliefs to the world. Her message championed for her students to use words and language instead of bombs to resolve conflict. To embrace different perspectives and see them as they are a person’s life.

Cook did not travel the world in the American style of guided tours and continental breakfasts. She rode on cramped buses and held everyday jobs. She was able to witness many events including uprisings in Tibet and the World Cup in Paris.

“I want my students to get out of the country,” she said. “To learn what other countries have to offer and realize the people in a different country in a hut are working towards the same goals they are.”

After all, there is too much beauty in the world for American students to fear it. Cook encourages all students to “Get out! You’re cheating yourself if you’re not.”

The struggles of a Kurdish family

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Story by MIRAZ RASOUL

New beginnings are what many individuals crave throughout life. But only those who have seen true beginnings can tell you how beautiful they are.

Nermin Darwish began a completely new chapter in her life after overcoming many years of cruelty when she moved to the United States from Syria in 2001.

Nermin is from North Iraq, which makes her a Kurd. She was born in 1961 and got married at the age of 19 to her husband, Jassem Darwish, in 1988. She and her husband began their life together with many goals of creating a family and future for themselves.

But shortly after, their dreams were disrupted when their world was turned upside down.

The Kurds are a group of people who live in the Northern part of Iraq; they are not Arabs, but Muslims. The Kurdish people of Iraq faced a genocide by Saddam Hussein, who was president of Iraq in the early 1990s. For years, the Kurds were brutally murdered and thousands were buried alive. There were also many villages that were struck by nuclear weapons at one point.

The pain inflicted on the Kurds by Saddam can only be seen in Nermin’s eyes when she describes how her 21-year-old brother was hung and other countless family members were killed in the middle of the night while sleeping.

“There was no obvious reason as to why we were so hated and dehumanized for being Kurds. I just wish I knew how they could peacefully sleep at night knowing what they were doing was beyond wrong,” Nermin said in Kurdish.

After years of torture, the Kurds decided to fight back in an attempt to stand up for themselves.

Nermin’s husband and many other men created a secret society where they formed an army to protect the many innocent Kurds killed every day. “It didn’t matter to them who they were killing; they killed the children, women, elderly and men,” Nermin said.

While the Kurdish army’s efforts somewhat derailed Saddam’s plan to wipe out the Kurds, there were consequences for those who were captured fighting against the government. The men who were captured were tortured for information and then hung, just like Nermin’s brother.

A group of men who had been working with Jassem were captured. They subsequently released information about the other men involved in the resistance efforts.

“Most of the men knew that releasing information would not save your life when you’re captured, but apparently some who were weaker believed there would be some hope for them,” Jassem said in his native language, Kurdish.

When Jassem was informed that he was a target, he quickly picked up and fled. “It was very important to me to fight for my people’s rights and freedom. But there was a more important duty I had to fill, which was being a husband and father, so I fled to keep myself alive,” Jassem said.

Nermin, Jassem, and their 4-month-old daughter fled to the neighboring nation of Syria. The family was safe there, but starting over in a new place without knowing anyone or where to go was very challenging. After a while, friends were made and shelter was built, but there was still the day-to-day struggle of how to create an income to survive.

When there were no options left, Nermin and her husband decided to go live in a UN refugee camp where they would at least have food to eat. The family lived in a tent that had no water or electricity. “I woke up every morning knowing this was not the life I imagined for myself …,” Nermin said.

There were 9,000 families who were refugees at the camp, many just like Nermin and her family, so there was a first come, first served policy regarding emigration that was established. The families who were at the camp the longest were chosen first and the others were left waiting for their turn.

From left: Nermin Darwish, Ridor Darwish, Fatima Darwish at Ridor's high school graduation.

Nermin’s family waited a very long time in Syria before they were chosen to come to the US. On Sept. 1, 2000, Nermin, her husband and their three children arrived in the United States.

The family started their life all over again in Salt Lake City. With no one to go to for help or any income, the second time wasn’t any easier. Every day was a challenge, especially with a language barrier present. The first year was the most difficult, but after learning English, finding minimum-wage jobs and creating a home, life became easier.

Nermin and her family faced many obstacles in their long road toward reaching freedom and happiness. But the family doesn’t regret a single moment of their long journey. Nermin believes the most difficult roads lead to the most beautiful destinations in life.