U’s Sill Center pushes sustainable building efforts

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia video about the University of Utah’s Sill Center and their sustainability efforts.

Story and multimedia by JENNA LEVETAN

Construction all over campus causes students to pay a $17 fee in their tuition every semester. But one older building is adding new and innovative methods to save money and also energy.

The Sterling Sill Center is where the office of undergraduate studies is located and is a leader in housing sustainable projects on campus. It has solar panels on top of the building, organic gardens in front and the most recent project is in their backyard and is called an ice ball.

The ice ball is an experiment that could be a breakthrough in air conditioning.  The experiment is happening 40 feet underground behind the building. Professor Kent Udell spearheaded the idea of the ice ball with students from the department of mechanical engineering. An ice ball is a method of taking the cold winter air and saving it underground.

There are 19 pipes sticking out of the ground behind the building called thermosyphines. The pipes are what bring the cold air down underground.

“The basic concept is that we are trying to TIVO the seasons.  We are trying to store the winter cold that we are experiencing right now, take advantage of it in summer and get free air conditioning,” Udell said.

A special coolant fluid similar to Freon is put into the pipes that have both the liquid and vapor phase. The liquid is in the bottom of the pipes and the vapor is on top.

“What happens in the winter is that when the temperature outside drops below the temperature underground, that liquid in the bottom starts to boil.  As it boils the vapors come up, go to the condenser, condense, and the liquid runs back down. Then comes summer and we reverse it,” Udell said.

When the cold liquid comes back into the ground, it freezes the soil around the pipes, forming what people are calling an ice ball. The cold liquid will be pumped into the air conditioner and will be used to cool the building as the ice ball melts. The ice ball will grow to be about 35 feet in diameter.

Sill Center employees are hoping to use the energy gained by their solar panels to pump the liquid into the air conditioner making the ice ball truly environmentally friendly by using no electricity at all. St. Andrew personally asked Udell to use the backyard of the Sill Center for the ice ball.

“If this works it has immense potential for saving lots and lots of money and preventing a lot of pollution. And if it works hopefully we can expand the idea and not only change the way this building gets its air conditioning, but the world,” said St. Andrew.

Building the ice ball has cost just over $20,000, but Udell believes that the cost of installing the ice ball will be paid back in three years with all the money the school will save in air conditioning bills and it should last for decades.

The installation is now complete and Udell hopes it to be operational by summer 2011. If the ice ball turns out to be successful, Udell will work on a similar but separate project to keep the warm summer air stored to help them heat the building during the winter.

Another green project the Sill Center houses are the solar panels that were installed in December 2009. There are 30 plates of solar panels on the roof with three rows of 10. It only cost the university about $17,000 out of pocket to buy and install them after they got a grant from Rocky Mountain Power.

“We got a grant through Rocky Mountain Power for $30,000,” said Mark St. Andrew, assistant dean of undergraduate studies. “It is going to take us nearly 50 years to pay off these panels in the amount of energy that they are going to produce.”

Though the goal of solar panels are to save energy, the ones at the Sill Center produce much less then some may think.

According to the data from the Rocky Mountain energy manager, last year the panels only produced three percent of what the building uses in a year. The university will be in debt to the panels for so long because of the large out of pocket expense for the panels and the small dent of energy they actually produce.

The panels are only guaranteed to last for 30 years, meaning the university may be paying for them for nearly 20 years after they are gone. The employees at the Sill Center are aware that there are some conservative fiscal people who think they were a waste of money, but they stand by their decision of getting them because even without a return on investment the panels get people talking about alternative sources of energy.

The organic garden is a project funded by the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund. When Alex Parvas, founder of gardens, asked the Sill Center if she could grow the gardens in front of the building there they were more then pleased to say yes.

“The gardens are perfect at the Sill Center,” said Parvas. “Once they get fully in bloom it is going to be really pretty and hopefully a conversation starter since the building is so central on campus.”

The Sill Center and garden coordinators have also set up a patio area along side the building so students and faculty can have a spot on campus to picnic around the gardens.

The Sill Center will continue to look for innovative ways to improve sustainability on campus and remains optimistic about the future.

“There is no overall plan or master plan that we have hatched,” St. Andrew said. “It is just stuff that makes sense to do.”

Filed under: Education, Environment, Science & Technology, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Tuition increase: Parents worry about narrowing education opportunities

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia video about parent’s concerns about rising tuition costs.

Story and multimedia by ARMIN HAMZA

A college degree just keeps getting more difficult to get, and more expensive for the students and parents.

Parents are worried their child will not have the opportunity to go to college because of tuition hikes at all colleges and universities, which mean degrees will be followed by more debt. One of the reasons parents are worried is that the Legislature in Utah, which decides how much of the tuition load is paid from taxpayer money, has cut state school funding in recent years.

This year’s budget cutting, the third year of cuts that legislators blame on the recession, resulted in student tuition increases ranging from 5 to 11.8 percent at the various institutions. Still Utah tuition is reasonable when compared to other states.  For example, last year South Carolina charged students $9,156, which is more than double the tuition students paid in Utah. Legislators must realize they are forcing some future students out of college, and that means a less educated workforce, something that will hurt the economy in the future.

“I am worried my child won’t be able to go to college because the way the tuition keeps rising, I don’t think I will be able to afford paying for him to get through school,” said Norma Rodriguez, parent of a sophomore student at West High School. “The recession hit us really hard so my son will have to find a way to pay for his education and now the tuition increase is not helping him.”

The cost of attending the University of Utah will go up another 7.8 percent next year under tuition hikes approved in March by the Utah Board of Regents, adding another $38 million to students’ share of running the state’s eight public colleges and universities.

According to higheredutah.org, tuition at Utah System of Higher Education institutions is approved in two tiers: Tier I tuition is an increase applied equally system wide to assist institutions in covering different needs related to all institutions. The second tier comes as a recommendation from institution presidents only after discussion with Boards of Trustees and student hearings, as a means of covering institutional priorities and initiatives. The State Board of Regents must also approve Tier II tuition.

Tuition has more than doubled over the past decade. For example, in 1990 the tuition at the University of Utah was $1,884 per year. Now the tuition for a whole year is $6,274. Rising costs could become an obstacle to the parents’ goal to send their children to college. Parents who are not able to pay for their children’s education will have to force them to work while they are going to school in order to be able to afford it.

“I have always told my son that I will help him pay for college, but I am not sure if I can do that now,” Rodriguez said. “It makes me sad that I won’t be able to help him.”

“We understand that reasonable increases are going to happen, but we want to see the Legislature make that investment,” said Phil Johnson, graduate student at the University of Utah. “As the increases continue year after year, it’s hard to justify that to parents of students, so it will definitely also limit the ability of the state to grow economically.”

While a university education is less costly here than in other states, Utah’s community college experience is not that cheap either. According to higheredutah.org, the taxpayers’ share of running the state’s colleges and universities has fallen from 75 to 58 percent in recent years, with tuition increases making up the difference in recent years. This is also not helping parents that want their child to go to community college first.

“We need to reverse that trend so that all of our institutions remain affordable, particularly at the community college level. We can’t continue to cover increasing costs with tuition hikes,” said Blake Carling, parent of a senior student at East High School. “I will suggest to my daughter to attend community college first because it is at least a little cheaper even though she has the grades to go to schools such as the University of Utah.”

According to higheredutah.org, University of Utah tuition will raise $423, or 7.8 percent, including required fees. Salt Lake Community College will see the smallest increase, totaling $120, or 5 percent.

Even with rising costs, Utah students graduate with the lowest amount of debt, about $13,000 on average, and have the lowest student loan default rates because most students have a job while they are going to school. The increasing cost of college is also forcing many students to postpone graduation so they can work and pay off the debt they own on education already. Another reason why students are forced to work is because they are not able to get help from their parents they used to get.

“If you increase tuition you’ll lose students,” Carling said. “We want more educated people because it benefits everyone.”

According to higheredutah.org, the rise in tuition does not go well for Utah’s 10-year higher education plan, which envisions growing college enrollments by more than 100,000 by 2020.

State wide, the average total tuition increase for an undergraduate Utah resident is about 7.5 percent, or $247 per semester, in annual tuition and fees for 15 credit hours. The increase for 12 credit hours will be $211 per semester. The average total increase for a non-resident in Utah will also be 7.5 percent, or $783 per semester.

“Since 2008, Utah’s colleges and universities have faced yearly budget cuts now totaling roughly 14 percent,” said William Sederburg, commissioner of higher education. “For years our institutions have had to consistently do more with less, now in order to protect access and quality it is necessary that some of the costs will have to be passed along to students in the form of higher tuition.”

Commissioner Sederburg believes, that tuition increases would have been much higher if the Legislature had approved an original 7 percent cut rather than the 2.5 percent they decided on earlier this month.

“State support for our colleges and universities has been steadily declining over recent years,” said David Jordan, Board of Regents Chair. “We need to reverse that trend so that all of our institutions remain affordable, particularly at the community college level. We can’t continue to cover increasing costs with tuition hikes.”

Filed under: Education, Politics, Utah's Economy | 1 Comment »

Community-based art education gives children an edge in the classroom

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia interview with Dr. Beth Krensky about her work at the Pioneer Craft House.

Story and multimedia by MICHAEL OMAN

In South Salt Lake, parents are using community-based art education to give their children an upper hand in the classroom. Studies suggest such programs are actually a success.

A recent Dan Jones study concluded that such programs help improve academic performance overall. “They do better in math; they do better in science, history, when arts are woven into the curriculum,” Lisa Cluff, the director of Friends of Art Works for Kids, told KSL.

Utah hosts a number of after-school programs dedicated to introducing youth to the arts. The good news is that many of these programs slipped past state legislators’ guillotine and will receive funding for at least another year.

For seven years now Dr. Beth Krensly’s students, from the University of Utah, have facilitated a program she calls, “Art in the Community.” Each year her students design and teach various forms of art to participating elementary-aged youth through the Pioneer Craft House. Typically there are three classes children may choose from: mosaics, ceramics, and, for the last two years, animation. At the end of a five-week period the class hosts an opening to present the completed projects to the community.

“It gives them an opportunity to get exposed to a lot of different things that they probably wouldn’t have known,” said Myrna Clark, who enrolled her then 9-year-old son William in a pinhole photography class a few years back. She pointed out that many children do in fact have art classes during normal school hours. To her this usually means just doodling pictures with crayons or paint. That’s what made Krensky’s program stand out. It goes beyond the ordinary art class permitting children to work with a variety of materials.

In fact, Myrna Clark noted, not only was her son exposed to a new form of art, he had to build his camera from scratch. “I’m sure he never would have known how to put together a camera with a box of oatmeal,” she said. Constructing his own camera provided him with knowledge about the inner mechanics of a camera.

Innovation is the key skill classes like this teach, she said. “You can totally use different stuff other than going and buying a Canon for 400 or 500 bucks.”

Krensky explained that innovative thinking is indeed one of the key ingredients to a successful community art project. Participants learn to “try something, be willing to fail and then try it again and be creative in addressing something in an engaged kind of way,” she said. “I think that idea of stepping into the realm of being able to fail is very important for creativity and for invention.”

The Clark family said what kids learn through these programs goes far beyond endowing its students with creative ability. “Today most kids only know about digital cameras,” said Bill Clark, William’s father. “The concept of where this came from and what it’s all about, they have no idea.”

Bill Clark said he likes the idea that Krensky’s program encompasses every aspect of education. It may be an art class but through this class his son also gained a thorough history lesson. “You can see it in a different light. […] And you can appreciate the art of the past,” he said.

“Collectively, you can put all your core classes into an art project,” Myrna Clark added. With the photography class kids also learned how to take measurements and how to properly prepare the chemical used to develop the photos, adding both a math and science aspect she said.

“It was fun,” William continued, “just to go into the dark room and process them.”

In addition, it’s also a place of possibility.

Audrey Livingston, a University of Utah student facilitating the mosaics class this semester,  said, “I think that this environment gives a great opportunity to the children to learn about art in particular but also it is a great opportunity for us as students at the University of Utah to get them excited about going to college and continuing their education.”

There are other programs similar to Krensky’s in Utah. The Beverly Taylor Sorenson Art Learning Program (BTS) is a program that works with 56 schools statewide. As explained on the Davis School District website, its goal is to integrate all varying fields of study into a single art class.

Despite all the good programs like BTS and Krensky’s “Art in the Community” class do, it can be a struggle to find funding. BTS faced the possibility of budget cuts state legislators proposed in early February as a remedy to the $313 million shortfall. Luckily, that’s no longer the case. Lawmakers decided not to make any cuts to the program.

It’s a bigger struggle for Krensky’s class, however. The number of students enrolling in the course determines the class budget. This means anywhere between $400 and $1200 each year she teaches the course. “This needs to cover all of the art materials […] and paying mentor artists,” she said. To cover the art materials alone is a minimum of $600.

University policy prohibits using class funds to purchase food provided at the event’s opening and to pay the artist mentors, forcing the class to seek additional outside funding. “The year-to-year looking for additional funds makes the course difficult to teach.” Krensky said. “We often rely on donated materials and I write additional grants to support mentor artists.”

Seeking outside support isn’t easy. During a fundraiser earlier this month on the university campus, the class outreach group only managed to raise $30. In addition, the group hoped to receive donations from local bakeries as a thank you to those donating. That effort fell through. Many backed out at the last minute needing more time to fill the order.

The Clarks say it would be devastating if the course were to disappear. They say the exposure to university students children receive through Krensky’s class is priceless. “Yeah, I can grab a group of kids from junior high and walk around the U of U but they see them once and then they come back,” Myrna Clark said. On the other hand, programs like Krensky’s last for several weeks she said, giving children repeated exposure to university students.

“I think it’s great that he had exposure to University of Utah students who have a passion for what they do,” Bill Clark added.

Reflecting on his experience, William, now 12, has one message to the university: “It’s one of their best programs and just continue it on as long as they can. Maybe longer.”

Filed under: Arts, Entertainment, Culture, Education, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Pac 12 change worries some athletes

Posted on April 14, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia piece on the Pac 10 change.

Story and multimedia by JANITA BADON

The University of Utah is honored to join the PAC 10.  Along with Colorado University, the University of Utah will be joining what is now known as the PAC-10 in the fall of 2011.  They will be one of 12 schools in the conference, which will soon to be known as the PAC 12.  While most seem happy with the decision, it is not smiles for everyone.

Most people take pride in the fact that the athletes at the University of Utah are going to be moving up into this dominating conference. Many talk about how much more money they’ll be receiving and how it’s going to be better for the football team, but it’s not the same thought for all the other varsity teams at the U.

Allison Gida is a freshman on the women’s track team at the University of Utah, and she’s worried about the competition and changes in her scholarship opporutnities.

“I just don’t understand this,” Gida said. “I came into this conference with confidence and understanding that I would compete in front of my family and dominate my competition at the MWC level. Since I only have half my scholarship paid for, I might be stuck at that same amount instead of receiving more based on my performance in the MWC.”

Gida wasn’t the only person with concerns about this sudden change; fans are also worried about how the running Utes will match up to the competition in the PAC 10 conference.

“Yea, there’s more money involved, but am I going to be as entertained as I’ve been in the past?” Jill Roberts a member of the Crimson Club said. “Ticket prices are going up, and I’m fine with that, but will it all be worth it?”

Questions like Roberts’ circulate the campus, but only time can tell.

With all these mixed emotions on campus, it’s important to note some athletes have actually been waiting anxiously for this change. The football team has dominated the MWC in recent years. The basketball teams have been very successful in their years of being in this conference. The volleyball team has a great resume as well, and many of its members simply thought it was perfect timing for a change.

Brittany Knighton, a freshmen on the women’s basketball team, is looking forward to going home to Oregon and playing in front of her loved ones. She also believes in her varsity teams here at the U, and thinks they can compete with the best of the best.

“I’m ready to just compete, I’m a competitor, so whoever I’m thrown upon I’ll be ready to play.” Knighton said. “I know going home will be fun, especially playing against schools that recruited you.”

University officials have said that joining the PAC 10 is going to add to the college experience for student athletes and non-student athletes alike. Student-athletes will enjoy competition at the highest level, while non-student athletes will enjoy being grouped together with academic institutions known around the world like Stanford and Cal-Berkeley.  Since the University of Utah switched conferences, ticket sales are going up and the student body is expanding on campus.

According to local members of the Crimson Club, the University of Utah athletics budget is currently at $25-$30 million dollars. But the budget for most PAC 10 schools is more than $40 million dollars, so this deficit will have to be made up in order for Utah’s teams to compete with the other PAC 12 schools.

Many schools budgets vary depending on their gross revenues and where they are located.  USC has a budget of $76 million and Stanford is right behind them with a $75 million budget.  While Utah is much lower right now, they will receive more money in the future from ticket sales and television revenue.

“The addition of the University of Utah as the conferences 12th member continues to strengthen the PAC 10’s goals of becoming the country’s leader in college athletics,” Larry Scott the commissioner of the new PAC 12 said. “The University of Utah is a great academic and athletic fit, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the PAC 10.”

While some student athletes still question the move, the president of the university is fully behind the change.

“I have no doubt that, speaking for the entire Utah family, we could not be more pleased to accept this invitation to join the PAC 10,” Micheal Young said. “The University of Utah will be a great contributor to an already great conference and this will be a tremendous in both academically and athletically for the University.”

Filed under: Education, Sports & Recreation, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Student programming a victim of budget cuts

Posted on April 14, 2011 by comm5775

Story by JANITA BADON

Cotton candy machines, face painting, photo booths, and every other activity that you could enjoy with your friends. Bringing the student base together, meeting new people—all sounds fun, but it could be a victim of budget cuts.

Crimson Nights is a place where a young adult could simply be a kid again.

Last Friday was the first Crimson Nights in about four months. Crimson Nights is a school dance put on by the student body that’s filled with activities for the students to enjoy. Every Crimson Nights is themed and just built for the students to come out and enjoy. But lately there hasn’t been that many Crimson Nights to go to, and the students at the University of Utah are worried.

Junior Iwalani Rodgruies has been attending the University of Utah for three years now and claims she has never went this many months without Crimson Nights.

“When we went on our Crimson drought, I felt like something was missing,” Rodgriues said. “I kept asking people when the next Crimson Nights is.”

People at the University of Utah really missed Crimson Nights, and noticed differences from previous years than the times now.

“When you’re at a certain place for three years, of course you’ll notice differences,” Rodgriues said. “But I thought it would simply be differences and changes for the better. But speaking about Crimson, its gotten worse.”

With fewer activities Crimson Nights still continues, but only so often. Jamie Matteiu, a junior at the University of Utah, wants Crimson Nights to continue but is worried about the budget that the University of Utah has to work with.

“We love putting on Crimson Nights but we like doing other events as well,” Matteiu said “ Crimson is our best event but if we spend all the money at one Crimson Nights, than we don’t have enough for more than Crimson.”

With the budget being cut by one-fourth, the future for Crimson doesn’t look too bright.

“That’s when we have to think, do we have less Crimson Nights during the year and more activities during it, or do we have like three a year, with the best activities any event can offer,” Matteiu said.

Filed under: Education, Organizations, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

U’s communication department rebounds from tough times

Posted on April 5, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia slideshow about the department.

Story and multimedia by SCOTT WISEMAN

The University of Utah’s department of communication is unique in the fact that it is constantly adapting its curriculum to new developments in technology. Along with the conflicts of adjusting to increasing technology, the future of the department was in jeopardy when the recession struck just two years ago.

The department of communication is responsible for teaching approximately 1,500 undergraduate students the ins-and-outs of several different fields including media, public relations, journalism, speech communication, argumentation and conflict studies and organizational communications.

In the present day, the communication department is seeing signs of a healthier economy. The department will not see any budget cutbacks for the upcoming year, as the Utah legislature stepped up state funding.

“Two years ago, we lost many faculty members and their positions,” said Craig Denton, a professor in his 34th year in the university’s communications department. “That’s the way we made our budget cuts.”

Although the department never laid off a single employee, employees who retired or quit their jobs were never replaced. The department spends almost all of its funding on faculty, and the staff was asked to teach extra classes and take more students into their sections without a raise.

“Two years ago, personally I agreed to teach an extra class to help out,” Denton said. “I would’ve preferred not doing it, but I’m a member of a team. Everyone stepped up in a different way, including teaching more classes and taking more students into their classes.”

The recession not only affected faculty, but students as well. The department placed a restriction on the amount of paper each student was allowed to print in the computer labs. The students were asked to bring their own paper to print assignments, said Louise Degn, associate department chair of the communication department.

“This is the first year in two years, projecting into next year, that we will not have any budget cutbacks,” Degn said. “The legislative session just ended and the tax revenues were up enough that they were able to provide funding.”

This is great news for the department, which will look for replacements in the positions lost during the recession. The department can also use extra money to increase the budget for technology and classroom development.

“Our future is looking good, because while we gave up all of those positions to the budget cuts, we’re starting to get them back real quickly,” Denton said. “The university has always seen us as a very important department, so it has always been very supportive in moving new resources to the department.”

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the university’s communication department is the smaller class sizes. Since the department offers a lot of smaller classes, the demand for faculty rises. If the economy is in a stable state, the availability of faculty to teach small classes rises, therefore making it easier to accommodate more students.

The reason that the class sizes are usually 20 is because they’re writing intensive, Degn said. The classes are kept small for the benefit of the students so they can receive individual attention from professors. The computer labs are also physically limited to only 20 slots.

Students in the communication department regularly enjoy smaller class sizes for a variety of reasons.

Chris Leeson, a junior in mass communication, said he enjoys small communication classes because of the individual attention he received from his professors. He said this method of teaching was conducive to learning.

While the communication department focuses on making small classes available to students in media and writing classes, the larger lecture hall style classes are also prominent. Whether one is more effective than the other is up to debate.

“About 5 years ago, I would have said the small classroom setting is by far the better teaching method,” Denton said. “Now, I’m not so sure because of the problems that I am experiencing in the computer labs due to students’ access to the internet. I feel as if I have more attention in a large lecture hall without electronic distractions.”

Along with small and large classrooms, the department offers two to three online classes per year. The department is currently striving to improve in its online department, Degn said.

“Online classes are effective for some people in some classes,” Degn said. “Classes where you have to interact, think critically and give opinions are strained.”

Offering online classes does not save the department money. Instructors are paid the same amount to proctor an online class as they would receive to teach a live classroom.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the communication department is the wide array of technologically advanced equipment available to students. Students involved with photography, video production, convergence journalism and several other classes are given the privilege to borrow equipment for the semester.

“Funding for technology is crucial— we couldn’t do without it,” Denton said. “Although in the past few years there haven’t been any equipment budget cuts, there hasn’t been any new money flowing into it.”

Equipment funding tends to come from a variety of three main sources. These include soft money, money generated by the communication department, or special requests sent to the U tech committee or the research vice president. The main source of funding in recent years has been the generous donations from benefactors.

“We’re really hurting right now for equipment money, and if it wasn’t for the good will of our donors, we would be in very serious straits,” Denton said.

The gracious gifts from donors have provided the communication department with several technology improvements such as two new Mac computer labs, an entire set of portable digital video cameras and a few cameras, all available for students to use.

“The new Mac lab is absolutely gorgeous,” Leeson said. “I had three classes in there, and I loved being able to use them.”

Technology is a crucial tool for all mass communication majors to develop skills applicable in a job, Leeson said. Without the ability to practice concepts learned in class, students would not be able to gain as much experience.

The one underlying issue is that donors do not usually provide financial support to help provide repairs and service to the equipment when needed, Denton said.

“Without the technology, you wouldn’t be able to gain experience by working hands on with the equipment,” Leeson said. “A lot of jobs and internships are looking for prior experience learned in a university setting.”

The department of communication has seen its tough times in recent years due to the recession. The faculty members survived potential layoffs, minimal funding, overtime work and shortages on items as miniscule as paper. Due to the increase in funding from the Utah legislature, things are looking up for the department.

“The guiding circumstance seems to be the economy, although tuition increases every year, the legislature drops the percentage of the cost of education because they have competing interests,” Degn said. “Students still see the value of a college education and continue to come to learn.”

Filed under: Education, Media, Organizations, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Utah education: Getting creative with technology

Posted on April 5, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a video about the Unity Computer Clubhouse.

Story and multimedia by FLOR OLIVO

On most afternoons you can find groups of children and young adults in computer labs at libraries, schools or internet cafes. Other children use computers and technology every day at home. But at the Unity Computer Clubhouse, technology for children comes with a twist.

The Unity Computer Clubhouse is located at the Sorenson Multicultural and Unity Fitness Center in Salt Lake City. Colorful flags and paint adorn the venue. Housed in the center of the Glendale community it’s name represents the diversity that surrounds it. The center strives to provide after school programming for children and youth.

The basis of the technology program there, is to spark the love for creating, says program director, Janette Nelson. “Most students are consumers, but if they can learn to create they can make money,” she said.

They may be unto something: According to Jay Vesgo’s report for the Computing Research Association jobs in the information technology fields are expected to increase by about 30 percent between 2004 and 2014, for an addition of more than 1 million jobs nationally. In present times, over half (56 percent) of employed Americans over age 18 use a computer at work in the state of Utah, according to the US Department of Commerce report on Computer and Internet Use in the US.

President Obama at a town hall meeting on education in late March 2011 said, “Actually, the truth is ‘technology’ can make a difference. If the schools know how to use the technology well, especially now with the Internet, it means that students can access information from anywhere in the world. And that’s a powerful tool… what we want to do is encourage schools to use technology.”

The Unity Computer Clubhouse isn’t as concerned with molding entrepreneurs as it is in inspiring children to build, and learn. The program gives a fun, positive after school experience for local kids, where they can work in teams and pursue their interests. Nelson says, the program “serves the needs of our community.” We are “planting the seed of technology and providing a wide range of choices to create.”

The Unity Computer Clubhouse provides classes for children and youth from ages 8-17. It’s easy to enroll, students “just need to sign up and get a signed media release form from parents,” says Nelson. Classes are held different days of the week.

Funding for the Clubhouse comes through a partnership with the Sorenson Center, and the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network. In the last couple of years funding has dwindled and they have been unable to use some of the software that has been donated because the computers are so outdated says, Nelson.

There have been many success story that have come from the early immersion to technology.  Some students have gone on to be professional web masters and graphic designers. Many of these students return to volunteer, teach and give back what the Clubhouse gave them. With this structure and partnership the Clubhouse has been able to continue it’s work regardless of what the economy looks like. The computers may not be the newest but the commitment and desire to bring technology to these kids is there.

On their website you can access the times and locations for the classes that include graphic design, video production, electronics and circuits and even a digital music class.

Most schools in Northern Utah school districts also provide a computer lab for their students where they have access to computers and in some cases the internet for at least 15 minutes a day. Even though this exposure does not compare to the opportunities the Unity Clubhouse provides, “the exposure to technology in public schools is beneficiary”, said Nelson.

At Elk Meadows Elementary, in South Jordan, even the kindergartners get time to learn to maneuver the web.  Some school districts go a step further providing teachers and parents with additional tools to digitize their lives in order to catch up with the young wave of technology savvy youth.

Through the Jordan school district program “Transforming Teaching Through Technology” a group of Technology Curriculum Specialists is available to assist teachers in technology curriculum. Their website has numerous links and resources to enable this process.

Local parent, Vivian Catten has been able to also use technology to teach and entertain her children as well. She’s found many of her ideas on “mom blogs.” Catten has found suggestions for less pricey activities, information for free admissions, daily deals and even coupons on other mother’s websites. Her favorite example “deals on dollar store crafts”, she says. At the same time, she has been able to connect and meet “amazing people in other parts of the world all through blogging.” There are service providers that link “mom blogs” by state, topic or even popularity. Some common sites are Mom Blogs, Top Mommy Blogs, Babble and this only names the first couple that appear on a search. Literally there are thousands of mom blogs out there.

Most federal and local state agencies have blogs that divert information to the public. Some of these include, the White House blog, the Utah Senate blog and the State of Utah blog where you can find links to numerous State of Utah blogs, education blogs, as well as, city and county blogs.

Through a simple Google search parents can get tutorials and resources from numerous sites. Its all free, if there is access to a computer and the internet.  The City Library, Salt Lake County libraries, Universities, Colleges and some K-12 schools provide free access for those who don’t have a computer at home.

Like Nelson emphasized, “the importance of technology is that it opens the kids minds to creating” once they know what they are capable of making, they are unstoppable.

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Homeless kids have their work cut out for them

Posted on April 5, 2011 by comm5775

Story by PARKER LEE

Kids at the Palmer Court Head Start preschool in Salt Lake City spend their weekdays learning from teachers in their classrooms and playing on the playground. At the end of the day their parents pick them up and take them home- to a room down the hall.

What is unusual about these families is that they are homeless. Palmer Court is a transitional housing facility for homeless families in Salt Lake.

This building, formally a Holiday Inn, has about 200 apartments. These converted hotel rooms provide long-term housing for homeless people who have been staying at the Road Home or other homeless shelters in downtown Salt Lake.

When the children leave the on-site preschool, they are essentially going home to a hotel room shared by their whole family. They have a roof over their heads, but they are still technically homeless.

Kids who are four years old and younger have the Headstart program available to them. Palmer Court has its own Headstart site, so the parents don’t even have to leave the grounds to take their kids to preschool.

This Headstart site currently has 37 children, 15 in the preschool-age class and 22 in the early Headstart classes (6 weeks to 3 years old).

Headstart is funded entirely by the federal government. They have been funding the program for one year and have committed to continue funding Headstart.

But the early Headstart classes could be in jeopardy. The government will decide in the next two weeks whether or not to cut that funding.

“It would be devastating to the tiny ones and their families. It is such a good resource for them,” Pett said. “It just doesn’t make sense for the government to fund it and then change their minds the next year.”

Families at Palmer Court have to meet certain criteria to stay. They have to be chronically homeless, which means they have been in-and-out of homeless shelters multiple times. There is also an application that must be completed. The families then must wait for a spot to open up. There is currently a one-year waiting list, according to Tammy Pett, family partnership coordinator at Palmer Court. That makes it a challenge for new homeless families who have lost their homes as a product of the down economy.

But once they are in, families can stay as long as they want. They have housing supplement money available to them; so coming up with rent money isn’t an issue. They just have to follow the rules. This includes no drug use or distribution, according to Pett.

Fighting is also not allowed- a rule gets broken more often than others.

“There are sometimes lots of brawls,” Pett said. “But they don’t get kicked out if they get in one fight. It is kind of a three strikes and you’re out situation.”

Assuming the Palmer Court residents stay out of trouble, they can be there for an extended period of time. Some of the children at Palmer Court don’t know anything different. Some probably never will.

“Not only are these families chronically homeless, but some are generationally homeless,” said Tess Otero, family advocate at Palmer Court. “For some of these people, their parents have taught them how to get by being homeless, like teaching them how to get welfare money.”

Pett said a lack of competence makes it difficult to get out of that rut. “Some of them have extremely low life skills.”

Getting a job and renting an apartment is the only real alternative for these families. Otero said just 15 to 20 percent of adults at Palmer Court are actively looking for jobs. It could be less.

There are a portion of residents with disabilities like mental illness who might be challenged to find jobs. There are others who could be looking but are not.

For the residents who do want to be working, they have resources available to them. Otero said she personally helps people write resumes.

Residents have other resources at their disposal as well. Palmer Court has its own set of caseworkers to help families get what they need. Each family has a caseworker assigned to them, Pett said. These workers help the families to apply for food stamps and Medicaid.

As for the Headstart program, whether it sticks around for these children or not remains to be seen. But regardless of that decision by the feds, these kids will still be at Palmer Court. Homeless shelters and Palmer Court are the only homes that some of them have ever known.

Otero said it is so normal to them that they do not even think about it.

“I ran into one of our preschool kids from last year at one of the shelters,” Otero said. “He ran up to me and gave me a hug and said, ‘I didn’t know you lived here.’ To them living in a shelter is normal and is somewhere that anybody could live.”

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Students argue for increased tuition for those who lag

Posted on April 5, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia story about tuition increases.

Story and multimedia by ARMIN HAMZA

Current higher education students suggest tuition should be increased for those students who take their time to graduate and stop increasing the tuition for those who graduate on time.

Many students have the goal to graduate from college one day. According to many students, those who change majors multiple times tend to stay in school a lot longer than those who graduate one time who have selected only one major throughout college.

The process of graduating includes having enough credits in order to get the diploma that eventually will help students get the right job and move on. Moving students through the system is one aspect officials in charge of state funding for higher education are concentrating on. Each time a student graduates from college it opens up a space for the next student to enroll, but unfortunately it’s not always the case. Some students do not graduate on time because they changed their major, or they are working on a second degree, or they are taking their time before they graduate.

“This is my fifth year at the University of Utah because I changed my major twice already,” Josh Moss, a student at the University of Utah says. “The tuition hike in the past semesters has definitely made me realize that I need to graduate as soon as possible.”

With tuition rates constantly rising, many students say it will help them to graduate a little bit earlier. They know the longer they are staying in college the more they will have to pay later on. Some students believe, if more and more students graduate on time, it will prevent overpopulation in schools and prevent further increase in tuition.

“I think if the tuition keeps rising it will help or force students that take their time graduate earlier, or at least graduate after they have completed all the requirements for their major,” Chad Scothern, a graduate student at the University of Utah says.

Some students believe the best way to help keep tuition rates low is to increase the tuition prices to those students who need more credit hours to graduate, which would also avoid a financial burden on parents. According to higheredutah.org, parents are saving more money now for their child’s education because of the increase in tuition. Current students believe increase in tuition to students who stay longer in school would create profit to schools and eventually help parents, which in the end would raise more money to the universities. More money to the universities would mean paying less for tuition for those students that graduate on time.

“I know many students that are still undecided on their major even after they have completed the 122 credit hours and they don’t understand that other students are paying for their mistakes,” Irma Turkic, a student at the University of Utah majoring in communications said. “I believe if the universities start charging those students more it will prevent further inflation in tuition.”

According to the Utah System of Higher Education, one negative aspect that would occur from charging higher tuition rates to students that need more than 122 credit hours would be that they would simply drop out after they realize they won’t graduate on time. Dropping out would mean lower retention rates. Turkic, on the other hand thinks, students won’t necessarily drop out of colleges’ due to the increase in tuition, but they would simply take fewer classes each semester. This would mean it would still keep those students that are not graduating in time still in school.

According to higheredutah.org, Utah education and business leaders believe, more of the workforce in coming years will need degrees and certificates from post secondary institutions. The way the economy looks like right now a college degree might be a necessity to even find any kind of job in the future. So, what is a degree worth these days? Scothern believes it is priceless, because a degree will always be an advantage to those who do not have one who pursue any kind of job.

Higheredutah.org believes education costs will continue to go up. This month, students found out that budget cuts to Utah’s colleges and universities left officials looking to tuition increases to offset lack of funding for the fourth consecutive year. This means that the tuition cost will go up even more and students will have to find more ways to graduate earlier. “This is another reason why it will force students to graduate on time,” Scothern said.

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Arts for youth: University of Utah students giving back through charity

Posted on April 5, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a video of students working on community-based art projects.

Story and multimedia by MICHAEL OMAN

Experience. That’s what it’s about.

Sure, the charitable cause, the opportunity to build up an irresistible resume, and even the chance to provide children with new skills are all fundamental components. But, above all, after-school art programs, like community-based art education, are about providing kids with a new experience; an experience that many otherwise would never have.

In South Salt Lake there’s one organization that provides youth with the opportunity to experience art education in a new way through the community-based art education model. A group of volunteer students created and currently run Arts for Youth through the University of Utah’s Bennion Center. The organization works with the Granite school district.

“These are title 1 schools that we’re in so they’re underfunded, so they don’t necessarily have much opportunity for art education there,” Kendall Fischer, the program’s director explained. This is why, she says, after-school art programs are so important. It provides a valuable outlet for the youth. “[Art is] really good for learning about yourself and expressing yourself,” said Fischer.

The program’s Co-Director Carly Chapple added that the program is also about encouraging kids to explore their creative side. Many students Arts for Youth works with are refugees or were born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, she said. As a result, Chapple explained, many of those children have no experience with the arts.

The refugees come from all over the world ranging from the countries as far as the Middle East, like Afghanistan, to countries as close as Mexico. “I feel like if they didn’t have this then they wouldn’t have anything,” Chapple explained.

Of course, every program has its beginning. Arts for Youth is the exception. It has two.

Students apply to direct student-lead organizations through the University of Utah’s Bennion Center, Fischer said. Using that process, she intended to simply takeover Arts for Youth. The problem was that the outgoing director forgot to compile a transition packet, which directors are required to do near the end of their service.

It basically consists of vital information each succeeding director needs to know, such as community partner contact information, logistical information and anything else the incoming director needs to know, Fischer said.

“That’s how I ended up re-creating the program,” she explained.

From there the re-building process began. She collaborated with a professor in the University of Utah’s College of Fine Arts developing ideas on how the organization would function and what it’s purpose would be.

Once she understood the fundamental goals of the organization Fischer was directed to Troy Bennett, manager of South Salt Lake Recreation. “From there we identified schools that would be good to work with,” she said. “We actually just started out with one school, Lincoln Elementary.”

Fischer ran the program herself the first year but she felt the need to prevent placing future directors in her position. Because of that she designed a system she felt would solve that problem. “Right now I have a co-director,” she said.

Chapple previously volunteered with Arts for Youth. Once she heard Fischer was seeking a co-director, she applied for the position — and ended up getting it, too.

Not only does Chapple serve as co-director but also as the program’s heir. “After I graduate this year then she will keep running it next year,” Fischer said. “And she’ll take on another co-director.”

“While it was a really cool learning experience for me to go through setting up the program, it definitely did waste time when art lessons could’ve actually been happening.”

After the program’s re-launch, Fischer was surprised by the response from the community. The program started out serving one elementary school but that number would quickly rise.

Last year, she said their biggest problem was actually having too many volunteers. “It was getting kind of bad so we were like, ‘Well, let’s expand.’ If we have so much volunteer enthusiasm that’s such a good thing, we should use that,” Fischer said.

Soon Woodrow Wilson was added to the list. During a community partner meeting this fall, a representative from Granite Park middle school made an appearance wanting Arts for Youth’s help Fischer said. “So, now we have three schools.”

As of now, the number of schools served is holding at three. They spend one day a week in each school teaching the students about the arts. What’s unique about this program is that it has a hint of community-based art education engrained in it. As a result, occasionally the larger community gathers to see the work each student created.

In addition, each lesson plan goes beyond teaching children how to draw or paint. Fischer said each lesson plan takes about 30 minutes to prepare and is designed to “promote respect for the self, for others, for the earth,” — things they ask volunteers to always keep in mind.

“If the lesson plan is interactive and it’s something the kids are learning then it goes over very well. … If it’s not interactive then it’s definitely not as effective,” Chapple said.

“I think the biggest challenge when working with children is getting their attention and keeping it,” she added. The trick, Chapple said, is finding the best method to truly engage each student. If you can do that, she said, students actually begin to develop a sense of excitement towards the lesson and, from Fischer’s experience, each succeeding lesson too. “They’ll say, ‘oh, what are we doing today?’” Fischer said.

Designing lesson plans isn’t always easy. Chapple added that the key is understanding what the kids want to learn about. She once tried to teach the children about Irish and Scottish culture. “That didn’t go over very well,” Chapple said. “They said, ‘Uh, this is kind of a little boring.’” To salvage the lesson she shifted to focus on two-point perspective drawing — or learning how to draw a cube using only two dimensions. “They were very interested in that,” she said.

Both Fischer and Chapple are inspired to volunteer because of their appreciation of the arts and their love of children. They are hopeful that Arts for Youth will stick around long after they’ve graduated.

The good news is that even though the University of Utah faces a 7 percent cut to their budget both don’t foresee that as a huge concern. The state does fund the Bennion Center — and the center funds Arts for Youth — but most of its funds come from donations. Arts for Youth is generally allotted $300 from those donations, Chapple said. In addition, she noted that the program is eligible to receive funding from the ASUU — another $300 or $400.

“The other cool thing that we did to receive money is we held a fundraiser this year,” Chapple said. Using the artwork the kids created, Arts for Youth hosted a silent auction. “[We] ended up raising about $475,” she said.

With the wide range of support the program receives, budget cuts aren’t a huge concern at the moment.

If Arts for Youth ever feels the effects of a budget cut, it undoubtedly will be much further down the road. With that in mind, Chapple and Fischer very will could see their program attract a very large line of succession. Of course, adding a couple new schools wouldn’t be bad either.

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