Peter Johnston

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Their brothers’ keeper — Utah charity targets refugee men

MY BLOG:

Every Wednesday and Friday morning, I arrive at the Catholic Community Services of Utah building in Salt Lake City, where a colorful mural depicts likewise colorful people giving and receiving help. I’m an intern there for the Preferred Communities Department, where I assist the star source of my story, Leul Mengistu, with the fledgling Men’s Wellness Support Group.

Peter-Johnson Can someone say, “conflict of interest?” I in fact reported on the same program I am working to launch. I scratched my head for a bit over whether I was the right person for the feature or some other reporter-in-training should handle it. But then again, I was and am the only student in COMM 1610 with close access to the Men’s Wellness Support Group. So I gave it my scout’s honor to be as unbiased as possible and proceeded to write.

My focus was difficult to drill into. Should I tell the story of a single refugee in the support group? What about a feature story on Mengistu and his program? But there were problems with these: no male refugees were yet recruited and I doubted 850 words could fit a good feature on Mengistu’s past and his program’s future. It was Mengistu who delivered the story’s focus — a local charity was starting something new in the world of refugee resettlement: a curriculum-based program tailored to men. There’s the slice of the ham I wanted!

Leul Mengistu and Aden Batar were the best possible sources for such a story. Both men experienced the difficulty of American integration and were now heading programs to help people like them. I especially loved Mengistu’s quote: “I don’t want them to fall between the cracks.” It proved a good backbone for the story and captured the urgency to help male refugees today.

Batar surprised me when he dropped this bomb of a quote: “The most welcoming state in the U.S. is Utah.” I doubted him and thought, “Really? The beehive state? What about New York or California? Massachusetts or Washington?” But because it came from the man in charge of the Department of Immigration and Refugee Resettlement, it carried some legitimacy.

I intended for the story to shed light on why the Men’s Wellness Support Group is needed and what Mengistu is doing to start it in Salt Lake City. However, certain grandmothers made the valid point that although the story is about refugee men, it fails to include their perspective. The story’s done and submitted, but if I had another go, I would include a lead about one of the very refugees who currently needs help.

ABOUT ME:

I’ve given up a lot for stories.

My time, money, grades and even eyesight have been swallowed by my voracious appetite for a good story. My eyesight left when I read books by the light of a Happy Meal glow toy when my parents thought I was sleeping. My grades went after I couldn’t put “Fablehaven” down in elementary school.

In high school, I wrote the beginnings of stories about people trying to cheat fate or run futuristic governments. But my dreams of being a novelist took a turn when I went on an LDS mission and discovered the flesh-and-blood face of stories.

I met people all over Louisiana who suffered. Old ladies whose kids never returned home, fathers who raised children in the shells of battered houses. These people had stories that changed my own. My narrative was no longer about Peter Johnston climbing the academic ladder or Lisa and Jeremy’s son wasting time with a book — it became one of Elder Johnston praying with and for the downtrodden in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Nearly a year later, I’m an Eccles Scholar with a major in International Studies at the University of Utah. A main focus of mine is my internship at Catholic Community Services, where I’ve developed a support group for refugee men in Salt Lake City. Theirs is an untold story, and I aim to help them write a better one for themselves in this strange land called America.

I doubt the cards hold a job in print journalism for me. But I am still a storyteller and will both write and build the stories of people who need it most.

Stories have given me so much.

Their brothers’ keeper — Utah charity targets refugee men

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by PETER JOHNSTON

Leul Mengistu hits the gas pedal of his company van. The light has turned green and he is late for an appointment with Julia, a female refugee from South Sudan. A banner with a blue, yellow and red logo that reads, “Catholic Community Services,” has been slapped onto the van’s side.

Though Mengistu helps female refugees like Julia at Catholic Community Services (CCS) he has a new focus demographic: refugee men.

“I don’t want them to fall between the cracks,” he says, one hand on the steering wheel. There are programs for women and children and youth, but men are often forgotten in refugee assistance efforts.

The International Rescue Committee reports that “refugee men, a category not prioritized by the humanitarian system for support, are often not able to access support that they need and, even more often, feel themselves to be excluded from it.”

According to CARE International, a relief organization that primarily targets women, “among humanitarian actors, donors and government agencies, there is a common perception that men are best able to look after themselves and negotiate the complexities of displacement unaided.”

The report says this perception leads to less attention for the problems of male refugees.

Mengistu acknowledges that women and children are often the most disadvantaged groups fleeing conflict in their home countries. However, he also says he deals with many refugee men who have not received needed support from other organizations because of the common belief that men are “best able to look after themselves.”

Mengistu has responded to widespread ignorance toward male refugees with the Men’s Wellness Support Group — a program that will bring together 10 to 15 refugee men for weekly classes. Each “cohort” of men will learn about topics ranging from building a budget to coping with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Weekly instruction will be led by men: Mengistu, a couple of class facilitators, and guest speakers specially tapped because of their area of expertise. David Harris is one such guest speaker. He is slated to teach the class on physical health and comes from a background of pediatrics and insurance management.

Harris says he sees cultural adjustment as the greatest priority of the Men’s Wellness Support Group. “They [the refugee men] need to protect their own culture,” he says, but they also “need to understand how stuff works [in the U.S.] so that they can get along.”

Mengistu once directed a support group for women that focused primarily on health. However, he too says the new support group’s objectives go beyond just physical wellness. “I want them [the refugee men] to be very competitive,” he says. “Everybody’s smart, but now it’s camouflaged!”

That intellectual camouflage refers to the invalidation of refugees’ prior work experience and professional talent in the United States.

Mengistu’s boss, Aden Batar, is the director of Immigration and Refugee Resettlement at CCS. He explains the “camouflage” problem from his own perspective.

Batar left Somalia with his family in the mid 1990s with a law degree from his home country. He says that degree and legal experience went unrecognized in the U.S.

“Can you imagine how frustrating that would be?” Batar asks. Today, he says, refugees can more easily get college degrees that match the ones they earned previously because NGOs and governmental agencies provide financial help. However, “back then [he] was lost in the middle because [he] didn’t have those systems.”

Even with revamped nonprofit and governmental aid, Batar says the Men’s Wellness Support Group “fills a gap.”

Eighty percent of CCS cases are women and children, Batar says. Men aren’t seen later unless they have a demonstrated problem.

Despite widespread apathy on the issue, Utah’s history with refugees makes it an appropriate birthplace for the program. In 2015, when 30 governors called for the cessation of Syrian refugee resettlement, Gov. Gary R. Herbert announced Utah’s continued commitment to assist refugees.

Batar also highlights the strong public-private relationship among CCS and local religious organizations as a positive sign of Utah’s tolerance of refugees. “The most welcoming state in the U.S. is Utah,” he says.

While the Men’s Wellness Support Group has public backing, it faces significant challenges.

For one, cultural conflicts between refugees’ old way of life and their new one in America could foster misunderstanding and resentment. David Harris, the guest speaker who will handle the physical health section, underlines that the program’s facilitators and guest speakers may not understand all cultural nuances of refugees’ backgrounds. “We may say something that we feel strongly about or think is obvious when they disagree or don’t think it’s obvious,” Harris says.

The key, he says, will be for facilitators to “listen really closely to what [the refugees] have to say and what their concerns are rather than being very dogmatic.”

Participating refugees will come from more than three countries. Mengistu has recruited men from Burma, Somalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo for the support group so far. His proposed solution to bridge cultural divides is to recruit participants who speak one of only two languages — Karen (a language spoken in Burma) and Swahili.

Logistics also pose a problem. Mengistu will need to resolve the scheduling conflicts of refugee men who work night and day shifts and CCS interpreters who work business hours. The program director says he and the guest speakers will adapt to the schedules of the refugees.

Regardless of the program’s potential problems, Mengistu envisions far-reaching implications for the Salt Lake City community. He says refugee men will integrate with the larger community, enjoy more family unity and become more self-sufficient fathers.

The first of the weekly classes launched April 5 with a cohort of seven participants — two from Burma, five from East Africa. If all goes well, these seven men will walk away from the CCS classroom on May 24 with the skills to start a career and find daily joy. A tall order — but like Mengistu says, “I don’t want them to fall through the cracks.”

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Ashleigh Zaelit

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Two single moms open medical spa in Salt Lake City

MY BLOG:

After reading the syllabus for my news writing class for my upcoming spring semester I was terrified. I had never taken a news writing class and have always had a hard time writing papers for school. This was a whole different kind of writing. The AP style rules that you have to follow, the short paragraphs, it was completely different from what I had grown up learning, and after reading about the requirements for the enterprise story. I was very overwhelmed.

When I was thinking of ideas for my enterprise story I really wanted to do something that interests me as well as other people. I am very into skin care and when I heard a new medical spa was opening up in Salt Lake City I had to find out more.

I got the phone number of one of the owners of the medical spa and contacted her about possibly setting up a time I could meet with her and the other owner of the business because I wanted to do a story on the spa they were opening.

I have never met up with someone I didn’t know and having to ask them personal questions about their life was scary. Coming up with questions that I felt comfortable asking was also a battle. But when I met Devynne at her medical spa she was so nice! She answered all of my questions without hesitation. She was an open book. These experiences made making this article fun and enjoyable.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Ashleigh Zaelit and I am currently working toward a bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah studying communication. I also have an interest in interior design. After getting my bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah I plan to get an interior design degree.

Megan Christine

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Can a Mormon be a feminist?

MY BLOG:

I chose to write about feminism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because I was raised in the Mormon church but growing up I always noticed inequalities between women and men, especially when it came to things like leadership. To me, it is important that women are visible leaders. I wanted to see what other people thought.

I located sources in two ways. First, I utilized my contacts and they helped me a lot by pointing me in the right direction. I interviewed Dr. Martha Bradley and Prof. Margaret Toscano because they have both done research on Mormon history and feminism. I also utilized the Facebook group Aspiring Mormon Women to find people who did not have research backgrounds but instead personal experiences with the Mormon church and feminism. This is where I connected with Marjorie Smith and Joseph Peterson.

At first it was difficult to decide on a focus because after the interviews I had gathered a lot of great information. I had a lot of information on the history of feminism in the Mormon church as well as people’s personal experiences. I decided to narrow the focus to personal experiences because I believed this would be more interesting to readers. Also, I wanted to write something that had not been written before, and there has already been quite a bit of writing on the history of Mormon feminism.

The writing process was difficult. It was hard to explain some things related to the Mormon church. Since I was raised LDS, I often forget that some of the things in the religion might not make sense to others outside of it. Also, writing in a news style in which you need to be concise and quick was new to me. Overall, it was a challenging but worthwhile experience in which I got to strengthen my interviewing and writing skills and learn more about a topic I am interested in.

ABOUT ME:

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Utah studying strategic communication. I work as the campus representative for Universal Pictures and as the social media coordinator at the Bennion Center.

I hope to work in the entertainment industry in the future. I have loved comedy and television for as long as I can remember, and I plan on focusing on these two things throughout my career. I want to create content that is uplifting and funny, while also having honest and accurate representation.

Can a Mormon be a feminist?

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

Story and photos by MEGAN CHRISTINE

When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are excommunicated, they are stripped of their membership, much of their personal identity, and the chance to see their loved ones in heaven after death.

This is what happened to Margaret Toscano, 69, when she wrote and spoke about issues regarding women’s place in the Mormon church and related topics such as the priesthood.

Many people like Toscano have been raising their voices against the inequities they feel women experience in the Mormon church, whether that be through research and writing or making small changes in their home churches.

Toscano conducted research as an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University on church history and found that “the women that received their temple endowments through Joseph Smith all knew that they had priesthood.” Toscano believes that in the 1800s, Smith ordained women with the priesthood through religious ordinances called temple endowments.

According to the Mormon church, the temple endowments are considered “a gift from God whereby He bestows sacred blessings upon you.” Today, these gifts do not include priesthood.

The priesthood is a power given to males in the Mormon church. It is believed to be “the eternal power and authority of our Heavenly Father.” Through the priesthood, various ordinances can be administered, such as baby blessing, baptisms, temple marriages, and more. For many leadership positions in the Mormon church, it is a requirement to hold the priesthood. This excludes women from these positions.

“If there’s going to be any equality for women, then you have to question the notion of priesthood,” Toscano said.

To Toscano, women need to be granted the priesthood again in order to be equal to men in the church. She has found that church leaders disagree with this.

Toscano spoke out about her beliefs and church leaders claimed she was in opposition to the teachings of the church. She was summoned to a religious court, conducted by local church leaders. She was told that she could either denounce everything she had written, apologize for the testimonies she had destroyed, and never speak out on these issues again, or be excommunicated. She chose the latter.

Marjorie Smith, 35, and Joseph Peterson, 35, are a married couple located in Salt Lake City who have similar views to Toscano. Smith is a member of the Aspiring Mormon Women group on Facebook.

Smith views the priesthood as an “entry between you and God.” To her, it seems unfair that women have to go through another person just to achieve that connection.

Peterson agreed. He has the ability to give his son and wife blessings when they are sick, but realized that when he is sick he cannot receive this same blessing from his wife.

“As rooted in selfishness as that was, it was a light switch that opened my eyes to a lot of other things. Women are not visible in this church,” Peterson said.

Smith and Peterson made the decision together to give their son a baby blessing after he was born. Smith felt excluded from this important moment, because according to church doctrine “only worthy men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may participate in naming and blessing children.”

Peterson included Smith by naming her as a blessing giver by stating that the act was “our blessing to you.” This small but meaningful act received positive feedback from fellow churchgoers.

Smith also taught lessons to young women in the church. She had to teach lessons on the law of chastity, which “prohibits all sexual relations outside marriage.” While teaching, Smith reconstructed these values to be moral instead of religious. She also taught the importance of education whenever possible. Smith avoided the subject of marriage, which is often the focus of many of these lessons.

Small steps can be taken to further the feminist movement in the Mormon church. Smith and Peterson believe visibility for women is crucial. Smith also values hands-on fathers and hopes the church will honor women’s need for education and women’s skills by utilizing them.

“If we mean what we say about women, they need to be visible,” Peterson said. “It’s that sort of over-syrupy, benevolent praise that is used as a tool to keep the structure the same and to defend the status quo.”

Peterson is referring to a 2018 article by Salt Lake Tribune reporter Peggy Fletcher Stack. While interviewing the new all-male leadership about women’s roles in the church, Russell M. Nelson began by saying “We love ’em.” Leadership continued to praise women as mothers and daughters, but did not mention steps the church is making toward gender equality or “even hint at the word ‘feminist.’”

Similarly, Toscano said that feminism in the Mormon church comes in waves, and at the end of each wave a woman is excommunicated to subdue the movement. In the 1970s, it was Sonia Johnson, Equal Rights Amendment advocate. In the 1990s, it was Toscano herself. In 2014, it was Kate Kelly, co-founder of Ordain Women.

Toscano firmly believes that the movement will resurface again soon. “You can’t keep women down.”

Prof. Margaret Toscano in her office at the University of Utah.

A book titled Explorations in Mormon Theology, written by Prof. Margaret Toscano and her husband, Paul Toscano.

Women and Authority by Maxine Hanks, another book in Prof. Toscano’s library. It is about women’s views on feminist theology and women’s issues in the 1800s.

Voices for Equality, a book advocating for women to be ordained that is in Prof. Toscano’s collection.

Pedestals & Podiums, a book written by Dr. Martha Bradley on the history of Mormon feminism. It includes topics like the Equal Rights Amendment and creation of the Relief Society.

Erin Marie Sleater

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Girls on the Run: empowering girls from start to finish

MY BLOG:

I have never been as passionate about an organization as I am when it comes to Girls on the Run Utah, so it was a clear choice to highlight the organization in my enterprise story. The nonprofit has been close to my heart for years, and it is important to me others are able to learn about the work it does and how to become part of it themselves.

I was able to get in touch with Executive Director Heidi Moreton as well as Marissa Ulibarri, who served as a coach through the program. Both provided me great information to utilize throughout my story. Understanding Girls on the Run Utah’s vision, as well as having the best sources for my story, made it easy for me to gather and use all the information with ease, creating an informative and effective story for my audience. I watched my writing style and the flow of my piece improve through each and every draft produced. Additionally, gaining important feedback from others was immensely helpful throughout the process.

Completing this story resulted in a greater appreciation for what the organization stands for and everything that is done behind the scenes, giving me a better understanding and becoming so much more proud of the work it does. I am truly lucky to have gotten such insight into GOTR and attempt to shine a light on it. I can only hope by publishing my story this organization will touch more individuals, continue to grow and succeed, and truly change lives.

ABOUT ME:

Erin Sleater is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a strategic communication degree. Though born and raised in Utah, she has an immense passion for traveling.

Erin is a proud member of both Her Campus Utah and Alpha Phi sorority on campus. She serves as the director of media and marketing for Her Campus Utah, and hopes to continue a career through social media marketing as she is happiest when showcasing her creativity.

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Arts Pass benefits University of Utah students, staff, faculty

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

Story and photos by MADELEINE M. PORTER

The University of Utah Arts Pass provides funding to programs, enables students to be in touch with their creativity, and gives the U community the ability to explore beyond their comfort zones.

The Arts Pass is “open to all students and faculty members at the U and includes screenings, performances, concerts, and exhibitions.” It is programmed into a person’s campus identification card, and permits them to attend some fine-arts events at a discounted rate and others free of charge.

When Bryan West Kilpatrick was in his second year of college, 2012, the Arts Pass was released. “It gives students access to discounts and anything in the performing arts, including the Pioneer Theatre which is the only professional theater on a Pac-12 campus,” Kilpatrick said in a phone interview. He is a logistics manager for the West Coast and was a theater major for four years.

Discounts are particularly beneficial to U students. Many are on a college budget and don’t want to spend money on entertainment.

Some students still refrain from going to a wide array of the fine-arts events available, for the fear of having to attend alone. After speaking with multiple students, this fear is a driving factor as to why they do not attend.

Ali Lorenz is a dance major in the School of Dance, which is part of the College of Fine Arts. “It can be really intimidating to attend events, especially in the arts. That is a very unfamiliar field for a lot of people,” Lorenz said.

Pioneer Theatre Company advertises that “current University of Utah students may take advantage of student discounts through the Student Arts Pass to attend performances at discounted rates. With a valid University of Utah UCard, students may receive up to two tickets.”

Students with a valid UCard receive two discounted tickets per performance. Two tickets is intended to inspire students to involve their peers in the arts. Immersing themselves in a field that may be unfamiliar is a challenge that can be overcome.

Kilpatrick added, “There are some shows and exhibits that I wouldn’t end up going to because I didn’t want to attend alone.”

The fear of attending alone affects the number of attendees at the many different productions available. Lorenz noticed this very early on in her experience within her modern dance productions.

“The Arts Pass in our (modern dance) community is so blatantly obvious because we use it to attend productions required for class,” Lorenz said. “However, there is a gap between us, students in the College of Fine Arts, and the rest of the University as a whole.”

The University of Utah has an array of different fields that students are involved in. Students can enjoy the fine arts at a discounted rate while the Arts Pass is still available to them.

Saige Miller, a double major in communication and sociology, believes that fine arts are crucial in any form of education.

“The fine arts are a prerequisite to many different branches of education. You need creative writing or fine arts in engineering or in STEM education. I think it is so central to learning and people should want to learn more about it,” Miller said.

Kilpatrick also commented on the importance of fine arts. “If you are in a major that doesn’t do anything artistic or creative, it is still nice to go explore something out of your comfort zone. We have some pretty amazing student-run shows that are going on and some are even produced by students.”

Not only does the Arts Pass give students the opportunity to explore different types of fine arts but it also aids in the funding that is given to the College of Fine Arts.

The Arts Pass helps the College of Fine Arts keep track of how many students tickets have been used each year, which helps the budget manager determine the budget amount for the semester.

Lorenz said that when the modern dance program merged with the ballet program in summer 2017, it also merged the two separate budgets. Cole Adams, her production class professor, explained that the Arts Pass affects the amount of funding each program receives.

“We get funding through the Arts Pass based on how many students are using the Arts Pass. The budget manager for that year looks at the amount of students who have used the pass. The greater the number of attendees the more funding our program receives because that means people are interested and want to keep attending,” Lorenz said.

The funds that are available to the College of Fine Arts are used for the resources it takes to produce the event.

University of Utah students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in many different forms of fine arts. Attending events helps the College of Fine Arts’ budget grow so more intricate shows can be produced.

The entrance to Kingsbury Hall.

Ticket office at Kingsbury Hall.

The entrance to Pioneer Theatre.

The many different events the School of Music particpates in.

The reporter’s UCard in front of President’s Circle, where Kingsbury Hall is located.

Utah Museum of Fine Arts sign with the museum in the background.

All Rhoads lead to the Olympics

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

Story and photos by JOSEPH PARKER

It’s February in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Twenty-three-year-old ski jumper Will Rhoads sits on top of the hill, waiting for the right moment to begin his descent down the ramp. The cold, crisp breeze brushes his face as he prepares himself for the moment he has dreamed about since he first began ski jumping. After a decade of training and competition, Rhoads has finally earned his opportunity to compete for a spot on the podium at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Rhoads’ exposure to the Olympics began at a young age when his family moved from Concord, New Hampshire, to Park City, Utah. Rhoads’ father, David, had accepted a job with the Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Unbeknownst to Rhoads at the time, this cross-country move was the first step toward his professional career as a ski jumper.

“I kind of got into the sport by accident,” Rhoads said in a phone interview from Norway while preparing for the final competition of the ski jumping season. “My friend, Colton Kissell, started doing it. I was 5 or 6 years old at the time and he was, like, ‘Hey, I tried this thing called ski jumping, it’s super sweet, you’ve got to try it,’ and we were best friends at the time, so I was like, ‘OK.’”

After his first exposure to the sport, Rhoads was hooked. He began building his skill set at the Utah Olympic Park, located just a short drive from his home in Park City. The Olympic Park had been renovated for the 2002 Olympic Games and provided Rhoads an upper hand to improve his skills on state-of-the-art facilities.

Rhoads continued to progress in the sport throughout his youth, but his career really began to take off as he entered his teenage years. “Growing up, I was always pretty competitive,” Rhoads said. “It wasn’t until I was 12 or so that I realized [ski jumping] was something I could be good at, and that I wanted to be a World Cup-level, or potentially, Olympian ski jumper.”

At the age of 12, Rhoads began working on his professional ski jumping career with guidance from his coach and long-time role model, Clint Jones. “Growing up, [Clint] was the guy I was watching on TV,” Rhoads said. “I wanted to emulate as much of him as I could.”

Throughout his 17-year professional career, Jones was a member of seven World Championship teams and represented the United States during the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. After retiring from competition, Jones began coaching the club team in Park City and would later serve as Rhoads’ head coach on the national ski jumping team. Currently Jones serves as team director for USA Nordic.

“Ski jumping is a pretty unique thing,” Jones said during a phone interview. “We’re looking for guys that are tall and skinny. You also need to have a pretty high strength-to-weight ratio, and most importantly is coordination and athleticism.” Rhoads stands 6-feet-3-inches tall and competes at a weight of 140 pounds, making him a perfect candidate for a sport where genetics play a crucial role in an athlete’s ability.

“Will is a pretty thin guy, but at the same time he’s powerful in the legs and has broad shoulders, which definitely helps him fly through the air,” said Jones. With guidance from his coach, Rhoads began making a name for himself throughout the United States ski jumping community.

After being named to the national ski jumping team, Rhoads was truly able to fly. He has won the Men’s Large Hill U.S. National Championship consecutively since 2015. In addition to his national titles, he has placed top-10 in numerous FIS Cups (International Ski Federation). Rhoads was also a member of the ski jumping team that won the 2015 Junior World Championship in Falun, Sweden. Aside from his official titles and medals, Rhoads became a member of the “200 Club” after jumping 201 meters in Slovenia at the Planica World Cup finals.

However, pursuing a professional athletic career is not always glory and fame; it comes with a few caveats.

During his adolescent years, Rhoads was unable to participate in other sports because so much of his time was dedicated to ski jumping. The time he spent in foreign countries, either for training or competition, kept him away from family and friends for extended periods. Despite the hardships that accompanied his sport, Rhoads has always kept his chin up and mind focused on the next challenge.

After 11 years of hard work, training and competition, Rhoads received the news he had long anticipated. While awaiting a Skype call from the U.S. Olympic Committee, Rhoads received a notification on his phone. He had been tagged in a post by the U.S. Ski Team, congratulating him on being officially named to the Olympic Team.

“To be honest, it was a little anti-climactic to learn I had made the Olympic team via Instagram, but I’ll take it. To see that I had actually made the team was really cool,” he said.

Christine Rhoads, the mother of Will Rhoads, was beyond ecstatic about her son’s Olympic status. “We always knew he could make it,” she said. “He worked so hard to get [to the Olympics] … as a mother there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your child accomplish their dream.”

Unfortunately, Rhoads did not do as well as he hoped on the Olympic stage. During a qualifying jump, the winds shifted, which caused him to lose valuable distance. As a result, Rhoads placed 51st out of a total 56 competitors in the men’s individual large hill competition. Regardless of his performance, Rhoads takes pride knowing he was finally able to fulfil his long-time dream of competing at the Olympics in the sport to which he had dedicated so much of his life.

As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” Rhoads is approaching the age where he may need to leave professional jumping behind in order to pursue a life-long career.

Rhoads said he desires to continue working in an athletic environment. He has considered the idea of becoming a physical therapist or even a doctor, specializing in sports medicine. His former coach, Clint Jones, hopes Rhoads will return to the U.S. Nordic Team as a coach himself, helping to inspire and train the next generation of Olympic ski jumpers.

Rhoads smiles in front of the American flag displayed in the judges box at the top of the K120 hill.

Rhoads sits on the bar which serves as the starting point for ski jumpers on the K120 hill.

Roads stands with his old skis at the bottom of the K120 hill at the Utah Olympic Park.

Rhoads giving two thumbs up next to a poster of himself mid-jump.

Rhoads sporting one of the many branded articles of clothing given to the 2018 Olympic athletes.

Rhoads stands with his old jumping skis in the equipment room where he spent much of his youth.

Rhoads sitting on the starting bar, looking down the ramp of the K120.

The view from the judges box located at the top of the K120.

Charles Buck

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Branding The Leonardo

MY BLOG:

For my enterprise story I wanted to write about the struggles behind building a brand, since college students quickly have to develop a successful strategy for marketing themselves. I wanted to focus on something more abstract than branding a product, and looked for a story about the successful strategy behind branding a person or organization.

Deb Peterson, the chief development officer of The Leonardo, offered me the opportunity to see the unique challenge of branding the museum. She offered great insight behind their strategy and the challenges they face, and explained some of the brand partnerships they’ve established.

The Leonardo currently hosts an exhibit featuring LEGO, and I was able to interview Mariann Asanuma, a LEGO master builder, who travels the world, marketing herself as the “first freelance female master builder.” She brought great insight into how LEGO has used the LEGO movies to reinvigorate the brand with a younger generation, and showed me how her social media presence helped build her personal brand.

The main obstacle that I encountered was trying to find the right sources, and gain access to them in the given timeframe. I quickly learned that in any large organization only a few key people developed the brand strategy, and they usually had pretty hectic schedules. I was able to engage with Deb Peterson through professional connections, and she was then able to get me access to any information I needed.

At the end I had a lot of great information about The Leonardo and the challenges of building its brand. The hard part was to distill the information to stay within the boundaries of the story. The Leonardo, LEGO, and the strategies behind branding are all great topics, and when writing about them collectively I had to focus on the common threads in order to not dilute the story.

The biggest lesson I learned was to always ask myself if I’m still focused on the original story, and what can be added or taken away to clarify the message for my readers.

ABOUT ME:

I hope to turn my passion for communication into a career focused on brand strategy. I have a great appreciation for the science behind verbal and visual communication, and I’m passionately interested in how social media ties into this field.

Before coming to the University of Utah I spent some time in the military, and worked in Iraq as a political and foreign influence analyst for the 101st Airborne Division. The work was fascinating and sparked my interest in professional communication and brand strategy.

I’m currently a sophomore student at the U, with a double major in business and strategic communication. When not in class or at work I spend my time at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute where I love working with startup companies on their brand identities.

During the next few years I intend to develop my ability to elegantly tell the stories that fascinate me and tie into the industries that I’m focused on, hopefully in ways that reward and fascinate my audience.

Joseph Parker

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

All Rhoads lead to the Olympics

MY BLOG:

When initially told about our enterprise story, I was unsure of what I would write about. I thought about the project for a while. My biggest concern was choosing a subject for which sources would be difficult to locate. It was just a few days before our story pitches were due that I decided to write about my friend, Will Rhoads. I had known Rhoads since I was 13 or 14 but had never really gotten in-depth details about his ski jumping career. I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to get to know my friend even better than I had before.

Sources were relatively easy to get in touch with. Rhoads would be my primary source and getting in contact with him was as simple as sending a text message to him. I told him about the project outline and he said that he would be honored to help me out. While I was interviewing Rhoads, he mentioned several other sources for me to explore, one being his former coach and the other being his mother. Since Rhoads knew these two people very well, it was easy for me to reach out and get in touch with them for interviews.

I believe these were the best sources for my story because they were all closely involved with Rhoads and his development in the sport. My primary source, Will Rhoads, was a phenomenal source because the story revolves around him. He is the Olympian and was able to provide firsthand information about his life. My second source, Clint Jones, was another great source because he was the one who shaped Rhoads throughout his youth. Jones had known Rhoads for years and was able to provide insight not many people were privy to. My third source was Rhoads’ mother, Christine. She was able to provide a parent’s point of view in regard to Rhoads’ early developments and struggles in the sport.

I only faced one real obstacle while writing this story, which was timing. When the project was initially assigned, and we needed to begin exploring options, Rhoads was already in South Korea preparing for the Olympics. I was unable to know whether I could write my story about him until a week or so before our first significant due date for the project. Even after I was able to conduct the interview with him, I still needed pictures for the story. After the Olympics, Rhoads needed to travel to Norway to finish the regular ski jumping season. I wasn’t able to meet with him in person to get my story pictures until three days prior to our publishing date. Even though our timing was tight, Rhoads and I were able to complete everything necessary in order to complete my story.

During the interview process I was provided a lot of information. In order to write my story, I decided to write a spotlight on Rhoads and his athletic career rather than focusing on one highlight in particular. Because I was interviewing people directly associated with Rhoads, there were times I was provided with three different perspectives of the same event. It was interesting to see how Rhoads viewed a particular moment of his career as compared to his mother or former coach.

The writing process proved to be somewhat difficult for me. I had never written a journalistic article before which made the transition to AP style a challenge. The only extensive writing I had done were scholastic essays about topics that could be easily researched online. Writing an article and needing to do primary research along with interviews proved to be a new and unique experience. I learned that with practice, like most things, AP style becomes easier. I would say that I am still far from proficient, but I am learning more and more with every passing assignment.

Unfortunately for the readers of my article, there are many hilarious details that I was unable to include in my story. Because I have known Rhoads for so long, there were things he disclosed to me during interviews that needed to remain off the record. Because I was a friend of his, he was able to “be real with me” in a way that he typically couldn’t with a professional reporter. Out of respect to my friend, I am leaving these details out of my story and blog.

Not much surprised me while writing this story. The only thing that surprised me was listening to the lengths competitors are willing to go to in order to maintain their competition weight. I am a foodie and could not imagine having to restrict my diet to the bare minimum in order to maintain a certain body weight.

In conclusion I would say that this article was a good way for me to be introduced to journalistic writing. I was able to cover a story that was interesting and provided me an opportunity to learn even more about a good friend. If anyone out there ever gets the chance to meet Will Rhoads, I would suggest getting to know him as best as you can. He is a unique individual with an incredible charisma and bright sense of humor. I am happy to call him one of my good friends.

ABOUT ME:

“This is your captain speaking. I want to thank you for choosing to fly with us today.”

I have dreamed of saying that sentence for as long as I can remember.

I have always wanted to be an airline pilot. Both my mother and father worked for Delta Airlines and I was fortunate enough to fly for free most of my life. Because of this, I have been able to travel the world and experience things I otherwise would have only been exposed to through BBC or Discovery Channel documentaries. It is my passion for travel and fear of remaining stagnant that fuels my desire to one day fly for a living.

Ever since I was young, I have found enjoyment at altitude. Looking out the window and seeing a sea of clouds, or city lights against an otherwise dark earth brings a sense of peace over me. I have always felt “at home” in the sky. Being able to fly for free has given me the opportunity to visit places like Rome, Paris, Kenya, South Africa and Australia just to name a few. The idea of making a career out of travel is what I find appealing. I cannot imagine spending my life working in the same office, with the same people, at the same location nearly every day until I retire. I want every day at work to have the potential of showing me something new.

Currently, I am finishing my junior year at the University of Utah. Throughout my time at the U, I have gained innumerable experiences and lifelong friendships. I am expecting to graduate in the spring of 2019 with a major in strategic communication. I have always had an interest in videography and hope to work in the field of marketing until I am able to establish myself as a commercial airline pilot.

I am eager to finish my education at the University of Utah so that I can start down the road to a career as an aviation professional.

It’s all about the bread: the history and legacy of the Village Baker

Posted on April 2, 2018 by comm5775

Story and gallery by SPENCER GRAY

Worth McCleery, founder of the Village Baker, has been serving his famous homemade bread to locals for almost 25 years.

“People would travel from all over the valley,” McCleery said in an interview. “Word spread quickly about the bread we were making, and others just had to give it a try.”

The Village Baker has seen tremendous growth over the last few years. McCleery had his main location in West Jordan for almost 15 years before he decided to franchise.

The Village Baker is a place that people go to not just for the sandwiches, pizza and dessert, but also for the environment and feeling they get when they walk through the door.

Keenan Burnett, current manager at the original location in West Jordan, discussed what exactly the Village Baker brand means to him.

“Family, tradition and hard work,” Burnett said. “We’re all friends there, which allows us to have more of a positive environment.”

The Village Baker has been a family-run business from the beginning. McCleery hired a lot of his siblings to work at his original store to maintain that brand of love and family strong in his store.

But since the opening of the store located in West Jordan in 1994, McCleery and his crew soon outgrew their shell.

“Lunch rushes were crazy all day, every day before we opened the dining area in the original location,” McCleery said.

So in 2013, McCleery and his team finally decided to franchise their bakery, opening their second store in Sandy.

Since then, McCleery has opened three more stores in Lehi, Herriman and downtown Salt Lake City to meet their customers’ needs for their well-known bread.

Jordan Watko, general manager of the new Salt Lake City store located at 111 Main St., has been with the Village Baker since the original location in West Jordan.

“I grew up eating at the Village Baker. So for me, the Village Baker brand means family. It’s for families by families,” Watko said.

“I don’t know if anything has really changed since the original location,” Watko said. “But I think it’s not about what’s changed, but more so how do you consistently replicate what the original location did so well.”

With their slogan being, “It’s the Bread,” it’s no wonder why so many people find themselves as another one of their daily customers.

However, with the popularity that comes with the Village Baker’s bread also comes the responsibility to keep their recipe consistent across all franchise stores.

The Village Baker bakes its special, homemade honey bread fresh every morning. Thick slices are used for sandwiches. The bread also is sold by the loaf, attracting flocks of repeat customers daily.

Watko said customers’ favorite bread is honey white, followed closely by honey whole wheat and two types of cinnamon-flavored bread that are baked only on Friday and Saturday. With 13 different flavors, customers definitely have their favorites.

“It’s comfort food,” Watko said about the bread. “At its core, its grandma’s recipe. People love the bread because it’s a good balance between wholesome and nourishment, but at the same time it’s like cheat day.”

When asked about the repeat customers at the original location, Burnett said, “Oh yeah. I usually see my regulars almost every day. They might skip a day or so, but a lot of them I see at least four to five times a week.”

With so many people in love with the brand and the bread, it was scary for McCleery to franchise his stores because it opened the door for that brand to lose its reputation and taste.

“When you know that your customers are depending on your food to taste the same and offer the same experience at all locations, it was a challenge for a small mom and pop store like ours,” Watko said.

In order to provide the same experience to all customers across all locations, it requires the brand to stay consistent as well.

“Our brand represents years of hard work, with a lot of great people demanding a quality experience and taste,” McCleery said.

As far as the future of the Village Baker and their bread goes, McCleery has high hopes for his family-branded bakery.

“I imagine in 10 years, the Village Baker will have grown to more than 20 new stores across multiple states,” McCleery said.

The bread before it is sliced and served to the many fans of its homemade taste.

Customers love the Village Baker’s Chicken Alfredo pizza, making it the best-selling pizza.

The Village Baker will bag its bread to give its customers the chance to take the homemade taste back to their own home.

One of the newest stores in downtown Salt Lake City, offering a beautiful modern design with a multilevel experience.

The outside of their first franchised location in Sandy.

The original location where it all started. After renovation, the Village Baker decided to remodel, adding seating for a dine-in experience for their customers.

A fan favorite – turkey cranberry on wheat bread. Customers often compare it to Thanksgiving dinner.

Madeleine M. Porter

Posted on March 5, 2018 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Arts Pass benefits University of Utah students, staff, faculty

MY BLOG:

News writing is much different from what I had originally expected. I thought it was only about crime, new technology, and the weather channel. I have come to find out that news has to be a story that people want to read and feel they should share with friends and family. The audience wants to gain knowledge in an entertaining light which comes from the style of writing presented.

This style of writing was hard for me to master at first. I had a difficult time trying to find a balance between entertainment and factual evidence. I usually separate the two realms into research papers and writing for popular culture however, I found a way to combine the two for this article.

My first step was to do research on my broad topic of the different advantages of the UCard that is given to faculty staff and students of the University of Utah. After finding there are so many different advantages I narrowed my topic down to the Arts Pass developed by the College of Fine Arts. By researching more into the different aspects of the Arts Pass, I found that I had a great topic to write about.

This research also gave me more insight into how I wanted to shape my article, who I wanted to interview, and how I wanted the outcome to look. However, because I already had an idea of my direction it was hard to conduct my interviews without bias.

During my interviews I was very surprised because even though they all started with the same questions, they all ended with different outcomes. I interviewed people who were both younger and older than I and who are from different majors within the U. This was my favorite part because I was able to learn more about their involvement with the Fine Arts which was much different from my involvement. I liked their different opinions because even though they were different I found their interviews enhanced my story only further.

Overall, this article was very challenging to me because I had to learn many new rules, tactics, and themes. Although incorporating different opinions became difficult at times, I found that I flourished in figuring out a new organizational pattern. This class has taught me to incorporate entertainment with factual evidence to make my article exciting and intriguing for my audience to read.

ABOUT ME:

Writing was not my original passion in 2014 when I first began at the University of Utah. I wanted to become a physical therapist because I love being able to work with all types of people. However, after a few failed science classes I knew it was time to search for a field of studies that I felt confident in.

I took a few different communication courses to broaden my studies and found that I flourished in the studies of people. The ability to communicate with people and learn to build mutually beneficial relationships excites me. Expanding further beyond person-to-person experiences resulted in my newfound passion for writing and rhetoric.

One of my strongest attributes comes from the vast subjects of my writing pieces I hope to one day publish. I believe that moving from Palos Verdes Estates, California, to Salt Lake City broadened my horizons into learning more about myself and the new community where I now reside. It has also greatly influenced what I choose to write about.

Most of my writings this semester have been closely related to the many writing courses I am enrolled in. From creative storytelling to news writing I have only found room to improve. I found a passion in telling my own life stories because they are personable and true.

These personal stories help me communicate to my audience in hopes of finding a common ground to become relatable. I want my audience to know that I am a person just like them with passions and fears. But, I overcome my fears through research and find passion in my writings as a result of hard work and dedication.

Kindergarten: the new first grade

Posted on December 5, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by JACKSON CALDWELL

The start of anything can seem overwhelming. No matter the age or experience, new environments can be hard to grasp. Kindergarten is the first step in the ladder of education. In kindergarten students are expected to sit, listen and learn from a teacher, which is a new experience for them. Not only are students learning the essential skills of math and literacy, they are learning how to be a student for the first time.

However, not all students participate in kindergarten. In the state of Utah, students are not required by law to attend the grade of kindergarten. By having students in first grade without any skills or knowledge learned in kindergarten, it creates an uneven starting point for students.

Unless Utah legislation makes changes to the state’s education system, this imbalance of students skills will remain. Although the change is the decision of the legislature, the teachers in Utah are the ones facing the problem firsthand.

Laralynn Caldwell, a kindergarten teacher currently at Farnsworth Elementary in Granite School District, has been teaching for four years in both charter and public education schools. When speaking of her time in education she made it clear that kindergarten is necessary.

“Kindergarteners are now learning the foundational concepts of math and literacy that were taught years ago in first grade,” Caldwell said. “When a first-grade teacher gets a student that did not attend kindergarten, it is detrimental to their whole class. The teacher takes time away from other students to train and teach a student with no educational background.”

Caldwell said the problem is not having a clear starting point for students. “For all other grades expectations are clear for where a student needs to be at the beginning of the year. But there is no real reference point for kindergarten.” Kindergarten teachers are overwhelmed teaching students who have little to no skills at the beginning of the year, and preparing them to be ready for first grade by the end of the year. This sets children behind before they have started grade school.

Utah does have some requirements for kindergarten. Every district in Utah is required to offer at least a half-day option and assess every kindergartener at the beginning and end of the year. However, this started in 2017 as a statewide assessment and is still being developed to understand what students should know before they start kindergarten.

By using a standardized statewide test, educators and lawmakers will start to see real data that will validate this change for mandatory kindergarten. By making kindergarten regulated and required, the Utah Board of Education will have more data to understand how kindergarten impacts a student’s future education.

The success rate for students who complete kindergarten goes far beyond education. Heather Taylor is a parent with a daughter currently in first grade. Taylor sees kindergarten as more than naptime and coloring.

“Kindergarteners are expected to learn at least 50 words, all their letters and sounds and count to 100 by the end of the year,” she said. Taylor was impressed with her child’s ability to work and communicate with other students. “Although some things can be taught at home, her ability to see other points of view and work as a team are both something she excels at because she attended kindergarten.”

Taylor is not the only parent who feels this way. Another parent interviewed spoke of the difference between her two children. She wished to remain anonymous because her son started first grade without attending kindergarten, whereas her daughter did.

“My first child I kept home during his kindergarten year,” she said. “The next year it was a struggle every morning to get him to go to first grade.” But the experience was much different transitioning to first grade with her daughter. “When my second child started first grade after kindergarten, she was ready for the longer hours, schedule and being away from mom.”

When students start school, there is a transition period where separation is difficult. However, the skills learned in kindergarten help students have a positive outlook on their education. The growth of the student can be seen by both parents and teachers. Emotional needs are also addressed in this important grade.

Erica Hibbard is the social worker at Farnsworth Elementary. She expressed the positive outcomes she has seen. A social worker’s job in a school is to oversee the child’s well-being in the classroom and at home. Hibbard works with students from kindergarten to the sixth grade.

“Students who attend kindergarten are more equipped for the first grade because they have learned how to emotionally self-regulate,” Hibbard said. She has seen the effects that starting school earlier has had on students she works with. “Kindergarten provides the first building blocks for students to engage in problem-solving, cooperation and other social-emotional skills.”

Daily class schedule for kindergarten.

Tablet center that the kids learn to use Ipads in class.

Mrs. Caldwell’s wall of words in kindergarten.

Letter center helps student to learn letters and sounds.

You can be the “somebody” who can help make a difference in animal rescue transportation

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by LORI KUNZ

Trachelle “Chelle” Hilton-King founded Rescue Animals Needing Transportation (RANT) in September 2017 with support from her husband Berk King. RANT is the first animal rescue organization in Utah specifically for the transportation of animals from shelters to rescue centers and foster homes.

The idea came to her when she was taking a dog to a rescue center. Chelle realized there were no such organized services and saw a critical need for transportation in rural areas such as Roosevelt and Vernal and along the Wasatch Front. She proposed the idea to Berk and immediately started the approval process with the State of Utah. It is a 501(c)(3) foundation group.

RANT, based in Syracuse, Utah, is a natural outgrowth of Chelle’s passion for helping animals. She and Berk foster hospice care dogs, which is end-of-life care. They currently have a 14- or 15-year-old foster they named Dixie Denver who is a lab-mix with dementia. Families don’t want old dogs – they want puppies, she said. There is no better person than Chelle to take in an elderly dog to love until its last day because she understands that the simplest act of kindness can change a life. Because her love of animals is immense she started volunteering with groups that distribute pet supplies to individuals with pets who are experiencing homelessness and to low-income pet owners.

Chelle is the owner and operator of “Chelle’s Floral and Gift” located in Clearfield, Utah. While she runs her business she will also run RANT. Most animal rescue volunteers and founders have jobs outside their organization. “RANT isn’t a project, it’s a calling,” she said. Her motto for RANT is “Saved In Time” (SIT).

Saving an animal can be a complicated process involving rescue centers, animal control officers, animal shelters, animal-foster homes and volunteers.

Rescue centers are organizations that help find homes for misplaced, abandoned and unwanted animals by posting images of them on their website and on social media. Centers rescue animals from shelters and put them into foster homes and up for adoption.

Reputable centers will make a lifetime commitment to the animals they rescue. The process they follow is to pay for the animals’ care, including immunization shots and spaying or neutering. If an animal is returned to a shelter or not wanted the center will take it back.

Some centers have relationships with animal control officers and shelter workers who monitor animals’ “due-out” dates, the date they need to exit the shelter or face possible euthanasia. This gives centers the heads-up to rescue the animal before their due-out date. Rescue centers never euthanize.

Centers have their dedicated foster homes they rely on to step in and help with the placement of animals. Centers need more people to open their homes as a foster home for animals.

Chelle said every time a foster steps up, they save two animals’ lives, the animal that was taken and the replacement animal at the shelter.

Anyone interested in adopting can visit animals in an animal foster home, rescue center and at adoption events in places like PetSmart and Petco, which donate space each week to centers to hold adoption events.

Shelters are establishments run by cities and counties that take in strays and owner-surrendered animals. They adopt out as many animals as possible, but when they are full they have to euthanize for space.

A lot of the shelter workers are pro-life and pro-rescue. They network their own animals when they start to reach capacity and will reach out to centers for assistance. Some shelter workers aren’t pro-life or pro-rescue, for those shelters there are volunteers.

“Volunteers are the lifeline of all rescues,” Chelle said. There is a network of volunteers that monitors a shelter’s capacity, post animals’ needs such as “due-out” dates, injuries and special needs.

Social media play a role in animal rescue. Shelter workers, rescue centers and foster homes all post online on their respective website and Facebook page.

One of the biggest parts of rescue is someone seeing an animal on Facebook from pages such as Utah Shelter and Rescue Network, Animal Rescue Networking Group of Utah, Utah Animals ONLY or petfinder and wanting to foster or adopt, except they live hundreds of miles from the shelter where the animal is being held.

The next step is transport for the animal(s) to the area where the rescue center and foster home are located. This is when RANT will get involved, giving them 48-72 hours, depending on the shelter, to get the animal(s) out and transported.

Most transports are arranged on Facebook via posts and Messenger, it is the quickest and easiest way for multiple people to respond and offer to help said Chelle.

RANT will help free up more space in shelters by arranging a driver and a vehicle equipped with items that will be needed for transportation i.e., leash, animal carrier, food.

Some transports can be short, between a shelter and a rescue in the valley. Others can be long and can be broken up in relays or legs. In November 2017 a dog was posted on The Bridge needing a ride from West Jordan Animal Shelter to Meridian Canine Rescue in Idaho by Nov. 18. Volunteers stepped up and had the dog delivered on time.

There are two main websites for posting animals who need transporting: The Bridge and Utah Transport. There are also national organization groups: Pilots-N-Paws, Operation Roger and Kindred Hearts Transportation Connection.

Ogden resident Michelle Holbrook started The Bridge, an animal transportation page, on Facebook in 2015. It has over 700 members. Holbrook met Chelle in November 2015 while helping to transport dogs to a rescue center in Idaho. She now serves on RANT’s five-person board of directors.

“RANT is a fabulous idea because it will give us the opportunity to pull large numbers of [animals] from overcrowded or rural shelters and get them somewhere where they have a better chance at adoption,” she said in an email interview. “RANT will be a great addition [to The Bridge] because a lot of the time we have drivers to move the [animals] but they may not have large enough vehicles or the gas money.”

Holbrook said that a lot of the time when a transport occurs the costs add up by renting a van, paying mileage and finding a driver.

The Kings started fundraising for RANT in November 2017 and anticipate raising enough money to buy a couple of vans. They have transported several animals for RANT using their personal vehicles.

Their goal is to transport between Clearfield and Southern Utah, a distance of over 300 miles, once a week to move as many animals as possible. When they have vehicles available all transportation from rural areas will also be weekly, with distances averaging 100 miles.

They will train volunteers on how to transport an animal while keeping the animal safe. They are looking for volunteers who are available to transport and who love animals.

Chelle said there are all kinds of groups who work together to rescue animals, but there is not a transport group for Utah where one is needed. “I’m somebody,” she says.

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The Mormon mission experience

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by ZACH DAVIS

The tradition of serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon church) is rooted in the very beginning of the religion in 1830.

The first Mormon missionary to be called was the Prophet Joseph Smith’s younger brother Samuel Smith.

Following Samuel Smith’s call other leaders of the Mormon church were called, including Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer Jr. and Ziba Peterson, who were tasked with teaching the American Indians.

Mormon missionaries were the leaders of the church who preached about their religion across North America.

Later the ones serving missions would shift to the younger members who would be called by the leaders of the Mormon church.

The first mission overseas in the British Isles was fulfilled by Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde in 1837. This led to many converts to the religion immigrating to the United States during the 1840s.

During the 1850s Mormon missionaries expanded beyond the British Isles to countries such as Chile, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa and Switzerland.

During this time men had served as Mormon missionaries.

Then in 1898, the first female missionaries, Inez Knight and Lucy Jane Brimhall, were called to serve.

Now the missionary force is comprised of single men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 serving in 422 missions around the world. Mormon missions are two years for men and one and a half years for women.

Preparing for a Mission

The process of being called as a missionary begins with the individual’s desire to serve a mission. If they so desire, they will meet with their bishop (leader of the congregation) to further assess if they are ready to serve.

Individuals must be physically capable of serving, mentally stable, spiritually prepared (believe in what they are preaching), and be morally clean.

Preparing to Serve in 1965

“As I was growing up, I attended all of the church meetings, and in high school they had a program called release time (seminary) in which a person could leave campus and for one hour study the teachings of their now particular religious beliefs, and get credit towards it being one of the student’s elective studies. I took advantage of this for gaining more knowledge of the LDS Church,” Ron Davis said.

When Ron graduated high school, he was unable to leave directly for his mission. Instead he worked for three years to save up enough money to finance his two-year mission.

After working with his bishop, Ron submitted his application to serve as a missionary. This led to him being assigned to the North Scottish Mission in Scotland.

He left for the Missionary Training Center (MTC) located in Provo, Utah, in February 1965, just a month before his 21st birthday.

Serving in 1997

Throughout her life Ron Davis’s daughter-in-law, Jemela Davis, knew that she wanted to serve a mission for the Mormon church. To prepare to serve she participated in the four-year seminary program and took missionary preparation courses offered by the Mormon church through the institutes of religion program.

Jemela was able to finance her mission by working and saving as much as she could. Her parents and close friends financed the rest.

After successfully completing her application for missionary service in 1997 she was assigned to the Chile Antofagasta Mission.

Serving in 2014

To prepare for her mission, Sam Brady said she attended a mission preparation class each Sunday. She also went to temple preparation classes to prepare her to receive her endowments.

When it came to financing her mission, Sam worked full-time to raise the funds with her parents supplementing where needed. While on her mission Sam also received donations from people from time to time.

Once Sam completed all the necessary paperwork to serve her mission she received her call to the Hungary Budapest Mission, in Hungary.

She left for the MTC in September 2014.

Missionary Training Center (MTC)

Scotland Bound

While at the MTC Ron found that it was a very structured place. His daily schedule began at 6 a.m. He said his personal prayers, dressed, ate breakfast, attended instructional periods, then practiced with other missionaries to lessen the feelings of uncertainty about telling people how he felt about the Mormon church.

One of the things he said he found most interesting while at the MTC was that it “seemed a little like role playing, because at times the teachers would all of sudden take a negative approach and then you had to change their outlook with your knowledge of the truths that you were going to present to the people once in the mission that you would be called to.”

When Ron left the MTC after two weeks he was “excited to be going on [his] first plane ride, and to be going to another country.” The plane stopped in London and then went to Edinburgh, where the mission home was headquartered.

Chile

Jemela’s daily schedule at the MTC was filled from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. From 6:30 to 9 a.m. she would do personal preparation, individual scripture study and eat breakfast. Then from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. she would participate in morning classes. After lunch, she would do further classes from 1 to 5 p.m. Dinner at 6 p.m. was followed by more evening classes from 7-9 p.m. At 9 p.m. she would return to her dorm for further personal duty until bedtime at 10 p.m.

The classes that Jemela attended focused on learning Spanish, the missionary discussions and cultural lessons regarding Chile.

She spent nine weeks in the MTC. Because she was assigned to a foreign language mission, she needed adequate time to learn the language in order to better teach the people of Chile.

“Hungary” for knowledge

Life at the MTC for Sam wasn’t all fun and games. In fact, it was very strict and rough, but she also found it very spiritually uplifting.

A regular day for her at the MTC consisted of waking at 6:30 a.m. to get ready and eat breakfast in the cafeteria. At 8 a.m. she did personal study in the classroom. This was followed by discussing what she had learned with her companions. At 10 a.m. she engaged in language study with the rest of the day being broken up by Hungarian lessons, devotionals and practice lessons.

Brady also spent nine weeks in the MTC in order to learn Hungarian.

When it came time to leave for Budapest, Brady said she “was extremely nervous and excited all at once.”

Mission Field

Life in Scotland

It was a very cold February when Ron arrived in Edinburgh. For the first time in 50 years the main rivers had frozen.

Ron said it rained often – sometimes daily for weeks at a time. He needed two overcoats: one to wear while the other dripped over the tub so it would be dry to wear the next day.

His normal attire was limited to dark-colored (dark blue, dark brown, or black) suits and pants to match. He wore white shirts, very conservative ties, hats and shoes.

Ron woke early each morning and said a prayer. Then he read and studied the Scriptures before eating breakfast. Then he and his companion left to go tracting (look for people interested in talking about the church). After doing that for a few hours the Mormon companions ate lunch.

When proselytizing Ron and his companion (fellow missionary) were often rejected with doors being slammed in their faces. This was done in the hope of finding someone who was willing to hear what they had to say about the Mormon church.

Occasionally during their tracting they’d set up appointments to talk with people in their home.

At supper time, the missionaries would return to where they were lodging to eat. After eating they would go out once more to meet their appointments and teach them about the Mormon church. When the day finally had finished the missionaries would return to their lodging, study and read the Scriptures some more, get ready for bed, say their prayers and retire for the night to be ready to repeat the cycle the next day.

The reason missionaries travel in pairs is because Scripture discusses going “two by Two” (Mark 6:7). It was safer to have more than one missionary together as it allowed them to keep each other out of trouble.

The biggest thing Ron didn’t like during his mission was knocking on doors to meet people as the process of street meetings and discussions weren’t used when he was serving. And during this time the Mormons weren’t very popular.

On Wednesdays Ron took his shirts to the laundry and washed the rest of his clothes at the cleaners or coin laundry.

When it came time to leave the country, Ron said he was “kind of sad” because he had devoted “two years of [his] life in an effort to bring the joy and happiness of the restored gospel here upon the earth and now it was coming to an end.”

Trials in Chile

Jemela arrived in Chile unaware of the trials and poverty she would be facing.

During her mission, she said she lost over 60 pounds and became frail. She and her companions had to boil their drinking water to avoid getting sick.

Soon after these hardships, Jemela said she was able to “set aside the life [she] knew to develop [her] spiritual self.” Instead of focusing on the hardships she focused on faith, prayer and fasting. When meeting people she and her companions would do anything to help make Chileans’ lives better.

The normal attire for sister missionaries in Chile was skirts and blouses. They “could not wear nylons because the fleas get caught in between the nylon netting and [their] legs, resulting in the fleas biting you repeatedly,” Jemela said.

When Jemela found out that she would be serving in such a poverty-stricken country instead of buying brand new clothes she bought clothes from a second-hand store to use on her mission. The reason for this she said was “[she] did not want to appear wealthy or to send a message that she was better than [the Chilean people].”

At one point, she only had two pairs of socks causing her to have to wash them at noon each day and hang them to dry so they would be ready for the following day.

“With the exception of the clothes on my back, I gave away all of my clothes to the Chilean people,” Jemela said.

The daily routine during Jemela’s mission was to get up at 7 a.m. to get ready, eat breakfast, do personal study and companion study. At 10 a.m. they would leave their apartment to either teach people, search for people to teach, or help reactivate members who were no longer attending. At 1 p.m. the companions would return home for “La Siesta” which is a Chilean practice where everything shuts down for three hours. Everyone goes home to eat a big meal and take a nap. At 4 p.m. everything would reopen and the missionaries would return to teaching until 10 or 11 p.m.

When it came time to return home Jemela said that “she was not disappointed, but saddened to leave the people [she] had grown to love.” While at the airport waiting for her flight home she was surprised by four of the youth she had taught who had hitchhiked a thousand miles to see her off at the airport.

To Budapest

Full of nervous excitement and a fear of the unexpected Brady arrived in Budapest.

Brady’s days consisted of rising at 6:30 a.m. to pray, exercise for 30 minutes and prepare for the day. Then she would eat breakfast from 7:30 to 8 a.m. After breakfast, she would study the Book of Mormon, other scriptures, the missionary library and Preach My Gospel until 9 a.m.

Brady and her companion then studied together and shared what they had learned during personal study.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. they proselytized with an hour taken for lunch and additional study and an hour taken for dinner, which was to be finished no later than 6 p.m. They continued proselytizing until 9 p.m., when they would return home, plan the next day’s activities, write in their journals, prepare for bed, pray, and retire at 10:30 p.m.

The standard attire that Brady wore on her mission wabutton-upn up blouse or a nice shirt tucked into long flowy skirts as well as flat shoes. She would sometimes accessorize with a belt or scarf.

One thing Brady disliked about her mission was tracting but she said that she would “absolutely, without a doubt” serve another mission if she could.

A couple mishaps that occurred on her mission was one of her companions got sick and Brady developed foot problems due to all the walking that was required on her mission.

When it came time to return home after 18 months of being away from home, Brady said she was “sad to go, but excited to return home and become human again.”

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Zach Davis

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

MY STORY:

The Mormon mission experience

MY BLOG:

When it comes to developing ideas for a story I begin with thinking about what would interest me. Once I’ve narrowed it down to a few things that interest me I will go over those ideas and look into if there are sources that I could actually speak to or not.

Locating sources can be a challenge so I usually try to find something that is more publicly available so I can speak to sources directly instead of being funneled through their public relations department.

The best sources for my story were ultimately my family in regards to the subject I wrote about “The Mormon mission experience.” They were able to provide me information far beyond the scope of what I even thought I would be able to get.

That led to an issue when I was in the process of writing I realized that I had an overabundance of material, which caused me to have an extensive article written. I decided to focus more on the life in the mission aspect when writing my story as that was most interesting to me. So, I just figured if it was interesting to me it’d be interesting to readers who have no idea what a mission even is.

Luckily when writing my story, I was able to avoid any ethical or moral dilemmas as my story was more like a slice of life narrative and not some nitty gritty hard-hitting scandal.

There’s nothing from this story that I would include in my blog as I feel that I’ve told it adequately and to the best of my knowledge.

I was surprised by how much I don’t enjoy news writing. I am more of an advertising or public relations person so news writing just doesn’t interest me like at all.

ABOUT ME:

As a child my mother would always read to me, which sparked my love for the written word as well as the spoken word. Throughout middle school and high school, I always knew that I wanted to do something in regards to business and the public’s perception of a company.

When I graduated from Cottonwood High School in the spring of 2012 I decided to take a break from school and live in the real world. In the fall of 2013 I started taking classes at Salt Lake Community College in pursuit of an associate of science degree.

After receiving my AS in General Studies at the end of the Spring 2016 semester I transferred to the University of Utah.

I considered the many majors open to me: business administration, strategic communication, journalism, accounting and marketing. After a semester of uncertainty, I decided that I wanted to major in strategic communication.

Strategic communication interested me the most as it deals with advertising and public relations and how to compile data to best reach people and alter their views of things whether it be a product, company or person.

Once I finish at the U, I will use my superior creativity to go into advertising to create new and exciting things for the masses to love.

Caputo’s on the University of Utah campus

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by PARKER SCHLAF

When walking into the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building located near the center of the University of Utah campus, you are met with quiet tones and students hard at work. Rounding the corner of the lobby you start to get a whiff of Italian seasonings and warm rich coffee. Tucked right around that corner is the modern Italian deli counter of Caputo’s. A man at the counter looks up and shoots a smile to the next student in line.

Approaching the counter, the student next in line was met by an employee. After pondering the chalk-written menu, the customer approached the counter again and told him he would take a half of a Roasted Reds sandwich and a half portion of pasta salad. Simply nodding his head, the Caputo’s employee completed the order and hollered, “Half a red and half pasta!” The student then stepped back and met with the other students waiting for their food to be prepared.

“Half of a red and half pasta salad!” gets shouted out over the counter by the man who took the order. Students were quickly being shuffled through the line, grabbing their food, selecting their drinks and heading off to find a table.

The Roasted Red sandwich, stuffed with roasted peppers, came in a deli basket lined with a classic red-and-white checkered paper. It was dressed with olive oil, Italian seasonings and other vegetable toppings. The pasta salad was accompanied by carrots, green peas, cauliflower, zucchini and then tossed in an olive oil and Italian seasoning. All of the ingredients used in this and other dishes at Caputo’s are either local or imported.

Sean Rorke, 27, talked about working for the Caputo’s company and said it has been a great gig and that he loves it. He said, “Before working here, I worked for three years at the downtown location (located at 300 South and 300 West). Totally different ball game [here] than the downtown store.” He then talked about how he enjoyed working on a university campus versus another Caputo’s location. He said he preferred the faster workplace environment that the university location demanded and also the slight differences in the breakfast/lunch menu. Rorke did note that a nice additional benefit the university location offers is the break he gets for the weekends, as most of the campus is shut down from Friday evening until Monday morning.

“Better ingredients. I don’t even have to say anything else. We do a lot of local foods and whatever we don’t get locally, we import. We don’t skimp on any of our ingredients,” Rorke said, as he continued to talk about some of the benefits of eating at the Caputo’s on campus and why he thinks it would be beneficial for students to eat here compared to some of the other options. Rorke said Caputo’s is a perfect place to dine on campus, if you don’t already have a meal plan through the U and can afford to spend the extra dollar or two.

Tony Caputo has been running a successful locally-owned business for over 20 years. Having opened his first fresh market and deli in downtown Salt Lake City in 1997, his business has now grown into three other markets and delis spread over the Salt Lake Valley. The largest market he still owns and cares for is near his original deli and market located on 300 South and 300 West. Caputo added his most recent location to the U’s campus in 2008. Caputo recently cut back to working part time, he wrote on his blog, but he is still deeply involved in his company and local community.

Being a firm believer in providing only high quality ingredients to the local community, Tony Caputo has changed the fresh Italian market and deli scene of Salt Lake for the better. Joelle Bleiman, a 20-year-old student at the U, agreea. “It’s one of my favorite places to eat on campus when I want some real food!” Being the avid Caputo’s customer that she is, Bleiman also said the pasta with red sauce is the best thing to order.

Samantha Fox, a third-year student at the U, said, “I’m only 20. I love easy access to local foods with a decent price.” She then added how efficient the employees are. Compared to other quick stop options on campus, Caputo’s provides local and nutritious options for students. Having a Caputo’s location on the U’s campus is fortunate. Both Bleiman and Fox have been to other Caputo’s locations, but would agree the accessibility and all around “vibe” of the university location makes it the best one.

Parker Schlaf interviews Sean Rorke.

Caputo’s is located inside this campus building.

People enjoying outside seating.

The Caputo’s menu.

Students enjoying Caputo’s while studying.

Customers dining between classes.

Sean Rorke explains why he loves his job.

Sam Fox uses the quiet space to study.

Sean Rorke showing Parker Schlaf the case.

The patio is a popular spot during warm months.

Parker Schlaf

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Caputo’s on the University of Utah campus

MY BLOG:

After finishing my first day in my first communication class, I was nervous. I had never taken a class that required me to pitch a story to my peers, interview sources for my story and then post my story on a website where anybody could potentially read it. I was intimidated to say the least.

After taking a leisurely stroll around the University of Utah’s campus I found myself drawn to something familiar.

Tony Caputo opened his U campus location in 2008 and ever since it’s been a major success. I have only known about Caputo’s for a few years now, but even then I know how authentic and fresh everything is. I then wondered how many people knew that there was a Caputo’s location on the U’s campus. I wrote my enterprise story on the Caputo’s location on the U’s campus. I highlighted the restaurant and also gave brief background detail on Caputo and his ever growing business.

I knew that the employees at the campus location were very friendly and approachable making them possible sources. I also wanted to have a few customer sources as well to be able to get a few perspectives on the company and the food.

Knowing I could interview my roommate, Sam Fox, who is an avid Caputo’s customer, and Joelle Bleiman, who has come with me to Caputo’s before, I only had to get in contact with one of the employees. Making the connection with somebody I have never met made me nervous. I was going to have to ask a complete stranger how he liked his job as well as other semi-personal questions.

I decided to go in one day near closing to see if I could talk with one of the employees. Sean Rorke, one of the leading employees there, was very happy to chat with me. The other employee who was working was not interested in answering any questions.

Even though I was nervous going into this class and developing my enterprise story, I successfully accomplished everything I was worried about and more.

ABOUT ME:

After spending most of my childhood in Las Vegas, Nevada, I moved to the Ogden Valley in 2011 with my family. And after graduating high school in 2015 I then moved to the Salt Lake Valley to attend college.

I am a third-year student at the University of Utah studying strategic communication and hoping to be graduating in the next two years. I love the U and can’t wait to continue on with my degree.

I am an avid skier and snowboarder and I love nothing more than spending my days exploring around the Wasatch Mountains finding new places to hike and ski.

I am not positive on where my life will take me, but I know that I am doing the things I love and progressing in the right directions.

Salt Lake businesses giving back

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by ABIGAIL SABIR

As consumers, we have the power to influence our community through our consumption. We can contribute to philanthropic efforts that local businesses are making, giving a purpose to our spending. This can make a difference in how we choose to consume, as well as change our perspective on spending hard earned money. In the Salt Lake Valley there are many companies that are making noteworthy efforts to give back to both local and global charities.

Even Stevens, Cotopaxi and Stonehaven Dental are three companies that give to charity in various ways. Each company strives to make a contribution whether local, statewide or international.

Even Stevens currently has 20 locations throughout six states and for each shop opened it pairs with four different nonprofits. Sara Day, co-founder and cause director for Even Stevens, said in an email interview, “We knew we wanted to open a cool, localized sandwich shop that gave back in some way.” It first started selling sandwiches in Salt Lake City in 2014 and the downtown location at 414 E. 200 South donates to YWCA Utah, Volunteers of America, The Good Samaritan Program and Rescue Mission. Day said that as of December 2017, Even Stevens will have 80 nonprofit partners.

Each month 54 cents of each sandwich sold is put into an account for the chosen nonprofits that each location is partnered with. Those nonprofits then use the funds to buy sandwich ingredients or operational supplies, according to the cause page on the Even Stevens website. The website also provides monthly articles about its current work, and as of November 2017, 2 million sandwiches have been donated, equal to over $1 million allocated to its nonprofit partners.

With a passion for addressing the food insecurity that 1 in 8 Americans face, Day said in an email that the founders “wanted to be more than just another sandwich shop.” She also said, “I see Even Stevens growing and expanding across the entire U.S., right now we are focusing on the West Coast but want to take our product and program everywhere!”

Cotopaxi’s mission is to improve the human condition worldwide. It is an outdoor gear retail company with a location at 74 S. Main St. in Salt Lake City. Cotopaxi, according to its website, is a certified B corporation, which means it is a business that uses its force for making a positive impact on the global social, economic and environmental condition. Its products are also produced sustainably with close attention to detail and with Cotopaxi-exclusive llama fiber insulation in various products.

Loretta Beaty, who runs the impact sector and is the customer experience executive for Cotopaxi, believes it has a “good model for doing good.” Each year, Cotopaxi donates 2 percent of its annual revenue to various nonprofit organizations around the world that make an outstanding impact on humanity.

In 2016, the nonprofits that Cotopaxi donated to were located in Myanmar, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. It has yet to choose all of the grantees for 2017 but the program-tailored donations will make an impact in people’s lives throughout the world based on its past achievements, highlighted on the website.

Cotopaxi’s 2016 impact report gives information on the work done. Among the reports from international grantees, it told of The Global Good Project and the Questival Adventure Race. The Global Good Project works in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to satisfy the diverse needs of refugees around Salt Lake. The Questival Adventure Race incorporates all local citizens for an adventure race based on service, teamwork, fitness and adventure.

Stonehaven Dental has also crossed national boundaries and done extensive local charity work. Dr. Eric Tobler, president of and dentist at Stonehaven Dental, and Mary Hegerman, marketing/human Resources director, discussed Stonehaven’s community involvement in an email interview. That involvement includes being a part of a national organization called Dental Care for Children as well as hosting and being a part of local humanitarian efforts.

The dentists, dental assistants, support personnel and even a University of Utah dental student have gone to Mexico for humanitarian trips with the Dental Care for Children organization. Stonehaven has been taking trips for six years but the organization holds monthly trips to Mexico, Haiti and Southern California.

With locations in Salt Lake and Utah County, Stonehaven Dental’s local humanitarian work includes the Stonehaven Smiles event. It gives free dental care to the community each May. Tobler and Hegerman said that it been going for 10 years, serving nearly 1,500 patients. They also noted the effort that each dental office makes to be involved with local school programs, and there have been scholarships given to local high school students in the past.

According to Tobler and Hegerman, the staff at Stonehaven Dental has taken over 20 international trips and have either held or participated in nearly 60 local humanitarian days. As the president of Stonehaven Dental, Tobler stressed how important giving back is to the whole Stonehaven team.

Each of the local businesses previously mentioned has its own model for doing good, so just by buying a sandwich, a backpack, or even going to the dentist, we can each give back to the local and global community.

The downtown location of Even Stevens.

The entrance to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), one of the nonprofit partners of the Even Stevens downtown location.

Even Stevens’ menu available to customers upon entering.

The inside of Even Stevens.

A backpack display on the right front wall of the Cotopaxi store.

The main room of the Cotopaxi store.

The outside of the Cotopaxi store location at City Creek, downtown.

A slightly hidden entrance for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a partner with Cotopaxi’s Global Good Project.

The front entrance of the Midvale location of Stonehaven Dental.

An inviting lobby at Stonehaven Dental.

Stop the silence, end the violence: a spotlight on the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and gallery by RACHEL BEUS

Domestic violence is an extensive problem in the U.S., but most people may not know that the problem is even more prevalent here in Utah. In the U.S., 1 in 4 women will become a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime, while 1 in 3 women in Utah will become a victim of domestic violence. This statistic helps expose how serious of a problem this is in Utah.

The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition is an organization that raises money and allocates those funds to various shelters and organizations all across Utah to provide goods and resources to victims of domestic violence. The UDVC has a motto that summarizes what it does: advocate, collaborate and educate.

Christopher Davies, the current associate director of UDVC, has been involved with the organization for approximately two and a half years. Davies decided to join UDVC because he has a 15 -year-old daughter and he worried about the culture that surrounds women and how dangerous domestic violence is. “I wanted to help women, however I could,” Davies said.

With his background in business, most of his duties and responsibilities as the associate director pertain to logistics that keep UDVC running properly. Davies said, “I do things like grant management, administration support, work with the board of directors, make sure we are stable and have permits.” He likes to refer to the UDVC team as the “watchdogs” when it comes to domestic violence.

Samantha Candland is the volunteer coordinator at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition. She has been involved with UDVC for almost two years. Her primary responsibility is to manage the LINKLine, which is a 24/7 anonymous and confidential crisis hotline where volunteers answer calls to help anyone experiencing domestic violence. All volunteers participate in an extensive 32-hour training before they take any calls because they are dealing with dangerous and highly sensitive situations. Volunteers help callers with everything from information, safety planning, advocacy and referrals to services.

Candland said UDVC is an “umbrella organization” that works to provide information to the community and provide referrals to services that any victims may need. Candland said there are three levels that organizations and services fall into the micro level, mezzo, level and macro level. The UDVC falls under the macro category because it works at the state level.

The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition doesn’t make all of these important strides all by itself. One of its biggest tactics toward fighting domestic violence is collaboration. The UDVC works with a variety of different organizations to help support and aid survivors of domestic violence and abuse. UDVC collaborates with a variety of other organizations including Soroptimist Women’s Organization, Allstate Insurance and Alpha Chi Omega women’s fraternity. Davies said Alpha Chi Omega Beta Nu chapter is one of the UDVC’s biggest private supporters and collaborators.

Mackenzie Turner is the current vice president of philanthropy for Alpha Chi Omega. She works very closely with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition and acts as a liaison between AXO and UDVC. With her position, Turner is in charge of organizing and running Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy events that raise money to help fund UDVC. “We put on events like our walk-a-mile in their shoes and doughnut let love hurt campaign events,” Turner said. She mentioned the Purple Ribbon Benefit AXO put on in the spring of 2017 that raised over $13,000 for the UDVC.

Turner said she and Alpha Chi Omega love working with UDVC and Candland, Davies and the whole UDVC team because they are hardworking and kind. She said that all of the women of Alpha Chi Omega are very passionate about the awareness and prevention of domestic violence and are glad that UDVC is just as enthusiastic as they are about what they believe to be a very important and crucial cause.

Davies said the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition’s mission is “to make domestic violence in Utah intolerable.” If we do not make it clear that domestic violence is not only illegal but also unacceptable and educate our community and really the whole world, then it becomes an obstacle that we cannot conquer. The UDVC knows that this problem with domestic violence will not go away overnight and that as far as it has come, there is still farther to go. But, by continuing education on this topic and spreading awareness, it will continue its goal of preventing future cases of domestic violence and abuse.

If you would like to volunteer to help UDVC, you may complete an online volunteer application.

Decorated high heel shoes for Alpha Chi Omega’s walk-a-mile in their shoes event. Photo courtesy of Carly Cantarini.

Samantha Candland, volunteer coordinator for the UDVC.

Mackenzie Turner, vice president of philanthropy for the Beta Nu chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

UDVC team members Chris Davies and Samantha Candland.

Walk-a-mile in their shoes event participants. Photo courtesy of Carly Cantarini.

Shoes decorated by Alpha Chi “kind of guy” contestants for walk-a-mile in their shoes event. Photo courtesy of Carly Cantarini.

Chris Davies, associate director for the UDVC.

Participants wearing high heels for Alpha Chi Omega’s walk-a-mile in their shoes event.

Large group of guys race in their high heels at Alpha Chi Omega’s walk-a-mile in their shoes event. Photo courtesy of Carly Cantarini.

Domestic violence awareness and prevention slogan sign.

Rachel Beus

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Stop the silence, end the violence: a spotlight on the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition

MY BLOG:

As a member of the organization Alpha Chi Omega, our philanthropy is domestic violence awareness and prevention. I am no stranger to the epidemic that is domestic violence and how the problem is particularly startling in the state of Utah. The members of Alpha Chi Omega work closely with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition raising money for it to support our cause.

In order to locate sources to interview I asked our vice president of philanthropy for contacts at the UDVC and I also interviewed her for my enterprise story. My sources were the best for my story because they had the knowledge and expertise to answer my questions. Chris Davies was able to answer my logistical and financial questions, being the associate director, and Samantha Candland, being volunteer coordinator, was able to answer any questions I had about how to get involved with the UDVC and volunteer opportunities. Mackenzie Turner helped me bridge the gap between Alpha Chi Omega and I was able to ask her questions about what we do to support the UDVC. I got a lot of information from my three sources so it was a little bit difficult to narrow down my focus. I ended up just explaining what the UDVC is, what it does and how Alpha Chi Omega is connected to them.

The writing process was very interesting and challenging at the same time. It really pushed me outside of my comfort zone not just as a writer but as a person as well. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed going out and interviewing people and then writing a story on what they told me. When I was interviewing Candland, she told me about her experience and what led her to the UDVC that included required volunteer work for her sociology class she was taking.

ABOUT ME:

You could say that I’m a little bit of a free spirit. I don’t like being tied down and find myself easily bored. I seem to always be looking for the next thing to catch my eye and obsess over. I think my indecisive nature may be the reason why I can’t seem to stick with any one thing.

When I started at the University of Utah I was determined to become a surgeon but my first biology class definitely showed me that science is not my calling. I then moved to becoming a history major headed for law school. Again something still just didn’t feel right. So I began to really search and find what I was passionate about.

During the summer between my sophomore and junior year of college I rediscovered an old passion of mine. Writing had always been a big part of my life. I grew up loving to read and watch stories and I wanted to be able to create my own stories.

In college, I joined the University of Utah’s Her Campus chapter. Writing for a collegiate magazine showed me how much I really enjoy writing. I started thinking that this could be the passion that I wanted to be my career. I had always considered becoming a journalist but never really pursued it. So with shaking hands and hope for the future, I changed my major one more time.

I am now a junior at the University of Utah currently studying communication in the journalism sequence with a minor in history. I hope to become a foreign correspondent and novelist in the not so distant future.

Women in music: a local look at a larger problem

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by TAYLOR LINES

Marny Proudfit pulls away from the microphone. She’s still singing but the melody is farther away and sounds eerie. Proudfit is doing it on purpose. It’s a technique she learned through years of performing. Stepping back from the mic gives her sound more depth.

The man in the sound booth turns the microphone’s volume much louder to combat the loss of vocal intensity. The microphone screeches with feedback.

Proudfit has told him not to do this two times before. “Come on, don’t touch the mic volume, dude,” Proudfit says sternly. “When I pull away I’m meaning to.”

This is a normal occurrence for Proudfit, a local musician in Salt Lake City. In an industry dominated by males, she often stands alone as a woman and has found people treat her like a damsel in distress.

It is no wonder Proudfit often is the only women in the room. According to Berklee College of Music, men make up 61 percent of professionals in the music industry. When it comes to promotion, live music and management, that number rises to 70 percent.

One week after the sound incident at WhySound in Logan, Utah, Proudfit sits at a friend’s house with her long brown hair covered by a baseball cap. She sips a hot toddy in the living room. The chatter of people in the kitchen buzzes down the hall.

Proudfit has a singing voice that commands attention but when she speaks she is calm and quiet.

“That was one of those moments I thought OK, this is because I’m a girl,” Proudfit says. “You didn’t do this to any of the other men who are playing. If they told you not to touch the sound anymore, you wouldn’t. But you are because it’s me.”

Proudfit is well traveled and has lived in Boston, Los Angeles and New York playing music and cultivating her sound.

She says her experience as a woman in the music industry didn’t change based on where she was living. Playing shows at venues that are popular tend to treat Proudfit like she doesn’t know what she’s doing.

Ben Thornton, also a musician, has played for many years with bands all over Salt Lake City. Currently he is the drummer for the female-fronted band, First Daze. Before playing with females, Thornton wasn’t aware of the issues women faced in the local music scene.

“Women go through experiences that men will never understand,” Thornton said while twirling his drum sticks. “Their experience creates stories that make really great music.”

By creating and performing music with women he believes he has gained a better understanding of certain attitudes within the industry. “People will say, ‘Wow she’s so cool, she can play the guitar.’ Well of course she can play guitar. Why couldn’t she?” Thornton said of his female bandmate, Gui Pelaez.

Pelaez has been playing music her entire life. She says music is an emotional connection, one she has spent the last five years developing.

Sitting at her volunteer job at Impact Hub in downtown Salt Lake City, Pelaez looks like she transported from the 1970s, sporting flared pants and a chunky belt. She is outspoken and passionate about the music she makes.

As the founder of an all-female fronted band, she says she regularly feels like a token. Venue workers will think the equipment she lugs to shows is for other people. Fellow musicians often don’t know how to acknowledge her because they aren’t sure if she’s performing.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s weird to meet other girl musicians. I sometimes don’t know how to act around them because they aren’t there that much,” Pelaez said.

The lack of women performing and tokenism within the industry is a problem on a large scope. Popular female musicians such as Grimes, Lily Allen, Lady Gaga and Beyonce have all come forward to talk about their struggle being taken seriously in the music industry.

Although women hold top spots in popular music, they are often overly sexualized or asked who the man behind their music is. A woman writing and producing her own music is unfortunately something that isn’t always widely accepted as fact.

Lari White, an R&B musician, highlighted the disconnect the music industry faces with women making music in a story by Nashville Scene. White was involved in every aspect, from writing to producing. When showing her album to a studio, executives turned to her husband and congratulated him on a job well done.

Music festival lineups are almost all predominantly male. A study by Huffington Post concluded half of the attendees at festivals are women, yet men make up 66 to 93 percent of lineups.

Pelaez said the hardest part about being a female musician was gaining the confidence to let go of insecurity and adversity and be comfortable calling herself an artist.

“I think that’s something empowered woman do,” Pelaez said of becoming comfortable in the music scene. “I think that they know who they are and I think they know what they’ve gone through and what hurdles are there. If you’re aware of the issues then it’s easy to talk about them and they aren’t mountains anymore.”

On every level of music, whether international or local, women are facing challenges to be heard and represented. Pelaez feels that not being afraid to shake things up within the industry can lead to change.

If women like Proudfit and Pelaez and men like Thornton continue to get up on stage or write music knowing what they are up against, change might not be that far away.

“Consider me for who I am and what I offer through my art,” Pelaez said. “Not what I am.”

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Taylor Lines

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Women in music: a local look at a larger problem

MY BLOG:

Music has always been my passion. As a kid, I would pore through my parents’ record collection and find music that spoke to me. I grew up playing guitar and writing songs any chance I could get. This love of music transitioned into adulthood as I found myself a musician deeply rooted in the Salt Lake City music scene.

For my enterprise story, I decided to take my love of music and my experience as a woman inside the industry and broaden the scope. I found local artists who are female or who played side by side with women and wrote about their experiences in music.

The hardest part of writing this piece was taking myself out of the equation. Because it is something I am so passionate about and rooted in, I have an emotional tie to the subject matter. News writing demands you are objective which proved to be difficult at times.

Interviewing people about their gendered experience in music helped me remove my own bias by immersing myself in their stories. The focus for my story came through the interview process. I knew I wanted to talk about females in local music but the focus of the piece relied on what my interviewees told me. Marny, Gui and Ben, the three musicians I had the opportunity to interview, gave me incredible insight. They were open, honest and had a lot to say about their experiences in music.

After interviewing and researching the inequalities in the music industry on a national level, the story became easier to write. The biggest challenge I faced during the writing process was formatting the story in a way that flowed well and prompted a greater impact for the reader.

The enterprise story was a challenge but ultimately made me a better writer, giving me experience producing a personal story in a news format. I enjoyed focusing on something that matters to me while also growing as a communicator.

ABOUT ME:

I am currently a strategic communication major at the University of Utah, graduating in the fall of 2018. I plan on pursuing a career in music after graduation, whether that be performing or using my communication degree to work in the music industry. I attended Portland State University my freshman year and recently returned from an internship in San Francisco. These experiences helped me grow as a person and student, finding my passion for learning as well as traveling. Although I think the West Coast is a dreamy place and hope to relocate to the East Coast after graduation, I have a deep love for Salt Lake, the place I call home.

Howdy Homemade in Salt Lake City employs individuals with special needs

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

Howdy Homemade opens in Salt Lake City, churning up the workplace and employing individuals with special needs.

Story and gallery by JASMYNE REYNOLDS

Zach Morris, an employee at Howdy Homemade, said that to him, Howdy represents family. Morris said he was on vacation when he received a call from Will Nielson, a longtime friend, asking if he wanted to work at an ice cream shop.

“I fell in love with the place,” he said.

Will, co-manager of the Salt Lake City shop located at 2670 S. 2000 East, said his younger brother Jack Nielson was struggling to be placed in a job after he graduated out of the public-school system. Will said that for someone like Jack to get a job, it can take up to two years.

This is because Jack, like Morris and each one of Howdy’s hard workers, has some kind of special need.

Heidi Nielson, Jack’s mother, said her son had few options.

“We didn’t know where he was going to go,” she said. That’s when she and her husband, Chris Nielson, learned about an ice cream store that employs individuals with special needs, called Howdy Homemade. The Nielson family flew to visit the original store in Dallas, and just like employee Morris, they fell in love.

“When we first went into the store, I was amazed,” Heidi said. “You went in with the knowledge that there were special-needs employees, but when you walked out you had completely forgotten.”

After talking with founder Tom Landis, the family decided to bring the model home with them to Salt Lake, where the opened a Howdy Homemade of their own.

On opening night, Sept. 2, 2017, the line of customers trailed out the door.

“One thing we did not expect was the community coming together like they have,” Heidi said. “Families come and sit for hours.” Heidi feels as though the customers have taken Howdy on as “their ice cream store,” and said it has become a relationship-building place.

With 24 unique flavors and a warm “Howdy!” welcome every time you walk in, it’s easy to see why employee Morris says the best part of his job isn’t even his favorite Dr Pepper Chocolate Chip flavor. Instead, it’s “being around a happy place, and being away from the outside world.”

That world often places individuals with special needs behind the scenes of workplaces, such as in the back of the store where no one sees them. “We just want the public to know how awesome they are,” said co-manager Courtney Kirk. “They don’t have any setbacks. If anything, they’re amazing at certain things and that’s what makes them such good employees.”

Will says he’s seen firsthand that workers with special needs are capable much more than perceived. “A lot of times people think, OK what are the limitations or liabilities associated with that disability, and we need to change our way of thinking,” he said. “When I hear autism now, I think they have great retention skills, they’re hard workers, and they love showing up for things.” Will says Howdy’s employees with Down syndrome are the most fun loving, caring people he’s ever been around.

“People with special needs, they don’t have disabilities, they have capabilities,” Kirk said.

Patrick Cronin, another employee at Howdy, said the favorite part of his job is that “everyone is nice.”

Kirk said she has seen the employees grow from when they were first hired, due to the response from the customers. “The community has been awesome in just coming in and really talking to them when they are being served,” she said. “Their social skills are improving from people interacting with them, and it’s only been a few months.”

Will has also noticed a change in his employees since Howdy Homemade opened. “They feel a lot more fulfilled,” he said.

Most have told him that if they weren’t there scooping ice cream, they would probably be sitting at home doing nothing. “This place has given them a purpose, something to look forward to,” Will said. “They wake up and they know that they’re going to be interacting with people.”

As founder Landis said, “You’ll come for the ice cream, but you’ll stay for the people.”

Carssen Damon, a University of Utah student who is a customer, said, “I don’t even like ice cream, I just love the employees.”

With big smiles on their faces, Morris, Cronin and the rest of Howdy’s heros offer generous-sized samples and a little piece of change in our community and in the hearts of every person who walks through the door.

“Whether it’s someone with special needs or just someone out on the street, you never know what that person is struggling with, and we just have to be patient with each other,” Will said. “There’s power, and there’s a lot of magic that comes from inclusiveness.”

Some of the great topping choices.

Courtesy of Howdy Homemade.

Go pick up some cool Howdy gear.

A few local favorites.

Try them al!

Courtesy of Howdy Homemade.

The perfect chill spot.

A colorful combination.

You can never have too many!

Courtesy of Howdy Homemade.

Jasmyne Reynolds

Posted on December 1, 2017 by comm5775

MY STORY:

Howdy Homemade in Salt Lake City employs individuals with special needs

MY BLOG:

When we were given the assignment of writing a story about something surrounding our community, the first thing that came to my mind was Howdy Homemade, an ice cream shop that recently opened here in Salt Lake City. Howdy is unique because of its business model of hiring mostly individuals with special needs. The energy and the power held inside of that little shop is magnetic, and it is something I wanted to share with others.

Screen Shot 2017-11-30 at 2.04.17 PM My goal for the story was to really highlight what Howdy is, and how the business model works. I had the pleasure of speaking with several employees, two managers, and members of the family who opened the store locally. Each of them shared with me what Howdy means to them, and why individuals with special needs are “heros” in the workplace. Spending time at the shop, speaking with customers, employees, and trying one too many samples of their delicious ice cream, I slowly began to take in the meaning of the business model.

Sifting through all of the information I gathered, I decided I wanted to tell the story through a personal, progressive form. I structured the story in order of the beginning, middle, and end of the shop-opening process, telling it from each source’s point of view. In doing this I learned that oftentimes what we need to write about to tell the story properly, doesn’t always reveal itself in the very beginning. Through this process I learned to be patient with my writing, my narrative, and what is happening in front of me.

ABOUT ME:

Currently, I am a strategic communication major and a junior at the University of Utah. I am working on accumulating work experience in the fields of advertising, design, public relations and marketing.

U NewsWriting

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