The racial frisk: profiling a concern in Utah

Posted on April 24, 2012 by comm5775

By KATIE HARRINGTON

Asher Koles has a thin black mustache, a dark-olive complexion, and a slim build. He often drives his old Subaru Outback across long, open roads to go fishing and camping. His adventures take him to quiet and beautiful lands.

But sometimes, Koles’ adventures on the road are interrupted by the flashing lights and sirens of police cars.

Koles, a 24-year-old Salt Lake City native, said he is one of many people who are profiled by law enforcement for no reason other than the way they look. His most recent experience occurred last summer when he was driving back to Salt Lake City from a two-month trip in the Pacific Northwest.

“Cars were speeding all around me. But I was the one who got pulled over,” Koles said. “The cop walked up, stuck his head in, and started sniffing around. I said, ‘Do you smell something?’ And he wouldn’t leave me alone until I let him search my car,” Koles said.

But the officer found nothing.

“That experience pretty much sealed the deal for my eternal distrust of police officers,” Koles said. “He pulled me over for a bogus reason because my car looked dirty, I looked dirty, and I was an easy target.”

Magaly McMannis, a legal immigrant from Mexico, said she has been profiled countless times as well. A police officer once issued her a traffic ticket that indicated she was of Indian descent, McMannis said.

“I am not Indian,” Mcmannis said. “And even if I was, I don’t know why that is relevant.”

Amid immigration debates and post-9/11 distrust, racial and ethnic profiling of motorists has become a growing concern in the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, has dedicated an entire sector of programming to combat issues associated with racial and ethnic profiling, a practice that disproportionally targets people for investigation and enforcement based solely on skin color or ethnic background.

“[There are] clear and significant racial disparities in the way in which motorists are treated once they have been stopped by law enforcement”, said a national report released by the ACLU in 2007.

The report found that blacks and Latinos are three times more likely to be searched by a police officer once they are pulled over. Blacks are twice as likely to be arrested and four times as likely to be threatened by, or to be victims of the use of force by a police officer.

“While the Department of Justice says that the higher rate of searches of blacks and Hispanics is not necessarily the result of racial bias, it begs a critical question: why are blacks and Hispanics subject to searches disproportionately?” said Dennis Parker, the director for ACLU’s national Racial Justice Project. “It’s a question that needs to be answered.”

In the last seven years, the federal government has transferred substantial responsibility for the enforcement of civil immigration laws to the state and local level, according to a national ACLU report in 2009.

Perhaps the most infamous among recent state laws to address immigration is the 287 (g) program, which allows designated officers in various state and local agencies to perform immigration law enforcement functions that would have otherwise been performed by federal government officials.

The 2009 ACLU report said that the program has been criticized for allowing and encouraging the illegal racial and ethnic profiling and harassment of both immigrants and U.S. citizens.

But Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said he will not tolerate racial and ethnic profiling in his police department.

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22.5 percent of the population in Salt Lake City was documented as Latino and that number was nearly 31 percent in the school system, Burbank said.

“To alienate one-third of the population in Salt Lake City is ridiculous,” Burbank said. “We need the interaction and involvement of everybody.”

Burbank said he is setting the tone for his team of officers so that this problem does not take hold in his department.

“I am a very effective arm of oppression,” Burbank said. “Profiling is wrong. It is my responsibility to not allow this to happen.”

But McMannis said she has simply learned to accept the way she is perceived by certain people in the community.

“People do look at me and it does feel weird,” McMannis said. “But I have learned to not care because it is what it is, I am who I am. My dream as a girl was to live the United States, and my dream came true. That’s what is important.”

Filed under: Hispanics & Latinos(as), Immigrants & Refugees, Law and Justice, Politics | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Standing against Utah’s conservativism, a few fight against HB 497

Posted on April 17, 2012 by comm5775

by TODD PATTON

In 2011, the Utah Legislature passed a controversial bill pertaining to illegal immigration throughout the state.  In subsequent months, outcry from the Latino community and leaders around Salt Lake City, led to a court challenge against House Bill 497.

HB 497, would allow police officers to check the immigration status of most individuals they encounter, making it necessary for those of Latino background to carry their documents with them wherever they go.

And in May 2011, just after Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed HB 497, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the state of Utah. That action suspended the bill, and Judge Clark Waddoups of U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, recently postponed the case, citing that he will wait until the U.S. Supreme Court decides on a similar bill from Arizona.

While the courts will ultimately decide the fate of HB 497, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank and other opponents have urged the courts to consider the problems a bill of this nature could create for officers.

“I should not take into account who [citizens] they are, what language they speak, the color of their skin, where they might be from, and all those other things.” Burbank said.  “We all have these biases built into us. But does that hold true? Absolutely not.  And if officers start using that [biases] as a basis to make enforcement decisions, that is wrong.”

Burbank also let his thoughts be known in a Feb. 16th op-ed column in The Salt Lake Tribune, the day before Waddoups moved to suspend the bill.  Headlined “ ‘Papers-please’ law would harm all Utahns,” Burbank pleaded for the judicial system to block HB 497.

As Burbank—2011 recipient of the Tribune’s “Person on the Year” honor, spoke the same day his column was printed, he reiterated the overriding sentiments toward  the issue. And more specifically, he addressed the influence HB 497 would have on the growing Latino community in the state of Utah.

“In Salt Lake City, last year’s census had 22.5 percent of the population being documented as being Hispanic or Latino,” Burbank said. “The school census, when you look at the enrolled children in school, that number is about 31 percent of the population.  And to alienate one-third of the population is ridiculous.”

Passing by 59-15 in the Utah House and 22-5 in the Utah Senate it was clear that lawmakers overwhelmingly supported HB 497. However– like Burbank–not all Utah leaders were on board with the controversial bill.  Rep. David Litvack D-Salt Lake City, agrees that HB 497 would only create unnecessary issues for police officers and citizens alike.

“I think it does a disservice to the entire community,” Litvack said. “You can’t resolve immigration issues through enforcement only, it’s misleading.  And as far as law enforcement, as well as the immigrant community, it puts them in a very compromising position. Law enforcement relies on a good relationship with the entire community, including the undocumented community.”

Being one of the 15 House opponents to the bill last legislative session, Litvack adamantly defended his decision to vote against a bill that many supported.

“My big concern for witnesses of crime, is how willing they will be cooperate, to speak with law enforcement if their big fear is that they’re going to be arrested or deported,” Litvack said.

And while HB 497 has clearly been met with resistance from some, in the end, the law must really be about guaranteeing the safety and rights for all those who live in the state of Utah, Burbank wrote in his guest column.

“In order to perform our job effectively, all people – including those who lack authorization to be in this country – should feel confident approaching police officers and coming forward as victims of or witnesses to crime without fear this interaction may lead to an investigation of their immigration status.”

Filed under: Hispanics & Latinos(as), Immigrants & Refugees, Politics, Student-Journalists | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Salt Lake City police chief, Utah representatives combat new immigration laws

Posted on March 29, 2012 by comm5775

by JAVAN RIVERA

What would you say if you saw the police carting off your neighbor? His only crime is that he hasn’t waded through the years of paperwork and processing in order to obtain legal citizenship in the U.S. What about a friend who gets pulled over and asked for immigration papers or proof of citizenship solely because of her skin color? Would you step up and say something then? Or by then would it already be too late?

These are the questions Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank is asking, as he fires yet another salvo in the ever increasing debate over illegal immigration in the state of Utah.

Burbank, whose infamously lenient take on illegal immigration has earned him the nickname “Sanctuary Burbank,” from opponents, said that the current proposed “solutions” for illegal immigration in Utah represent a serious threat to the civil liberties of U.S. citizens and could actually increase the crime rate of Utah should they be enacted.

“These are ridiculous laws,” Burbank said of proposed immigration laws similar to those passed in Arizona.

Arizona’s SB 1070 require police officers to actively check immigration status during legal stops, and require all aliens, legal or otherwise, to carry proper documentation of their citizenship at all times. Failure to do so could result in a misdemeanor charge.

“Any time we as a society can say one segment of our population—because of who they are, what they look like, the language they speak—is more engaged in criminal behavior [as a result]. Well that’s as racist and biased as anything I’ve ever heard,” Burbank said.

Burbank said that he believes by creating laws that target illegal immigrants, Utah will create significant problems for the community on two levels—crime increase, and the all too slippery slope of racial profiling.

“You actually increase crime when you enforce these kinds of laws,” Burbank said.

He cited the formation of the Italian Mafia as an example of racially specific profiling leading to increased crime, saying that due to the shunning of the Italian people on the East Coast, they began to look to each other for support and eventually turned to crime as an alternative to pursuing legal jobs outside of their own community.

One of Burbank’s main concerns with the proposed laws, is that the threatened deportation of illegal immigrants increases the likelihood those immigrants won’t feel comfortable reporting crimes to the police for fear of calling deportation down on themselves.

“When we have a segment of society that turns their back or says ‘We’re not going to interact with the police,’” Burbank said. “Well, the criminal element thrives.”

The other great threat Burbank believes these laws represent is that of selective racial profiling.

“We are a very effective form of oppression,” Burbank said of the dangers associated with racial profiling. “Those things [profiling] are wrong and it’s my job to prevent that from happening in my profession. I will not allow my officers to be involved in that behavior.”

Burbank isn’t the only one interested in seeing Utah’s illegal immigration status solved through non-aggressive legislation. State Rep. Rebecca Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, also stated concerns similar to Burbank’s regarding an increase in crime, should these laws be enacted.

“I think that [Burbank’s view] is probably true,” Edwards said. “I’ve talked to people in law enforcement who believe that it [immigration laws] would drive people who might report crime underground.”

Not only did Edwards express concerns regarding a possible increase in crime, but also the potentially disastrous effect such laws could have on Utah’s economy, citing the numerous illegal immigrants who help maintain Utah’s farmland.

“They [immigration laws] in the end are not realistic because of the devastation to the economy and tearing families apart,” Edwards said. “If people are going to be here anyway, let’s help them to be responsible.”

Of course not everyone is satisfied with Utah’s current policies on illegal immigration such as HB116, which passed last year, allowing illegal immigrants who fulfill certain requirements to obtain jobs and in-state tuition at Utah’s public colleges and universities.

State Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, is particularly adamant about the problems that illegal immigration is causing for those waiting to immigrate to the U.S. legally.

“By us tolerating illegal immigration, we are hurting those who are waiting up to 20 years for legal immigration,” Herrod said. “Where is the compassion for those who are waiting in line? Nobody is talking about those individuals.”

Herrod, who has a number of legal immigrants in his family, including his wife, a native of Russia, supports the proposed laws that would crack down on illegal immigration. He believes that by acting as what he calls a “sanctuary state,” Utah is hurting legal immigrants as much as, if not more than, the illegals who come into the state.

“As a sanctuary state, what we’re saying is that we love illegal immigrants more than we do legal immigrants,” Herrod said. “That’s, to me, simply warped.”

With the gulf of opinion regarding illegal immigration widening with each new approach, there is at least one thing both sides of the issue agree on—obtaining legal citizenship should be easier.

“We ought to be about making the process of legal immigration easier,” Rep. Edwards said. “Right now it’s onerous, expensive, and time-consuming.”

In the end, it’s hard to say which side of the argument is correct, or if a proper solution can ever truly be enacted. According to Edwards, the problem can merely be managed and will ultimately be solved only if the government gets involved at a federal level.

“States are attempting to solve this in their own ways, but in the end it’s a federal problem,” Edwards said. “We can deal with people once they’re here in our state, but the issue of immigration is a federal one.”

Filed under: Immigrants & Refugees, Law and Justice, Politics | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Occupy Salt Lake movement continues after a peaceful eviction

Posted on March 29, 2012 by comm5775

by Tricia Oliphant

Isaac Hoppe, who first became homeless about eight years ago, was on her last limb. She felt she had done everything possible to find work but did not see any results. She was ready to quit.

Last October, Hoppe saw a flier on a light post that gave her new hope. This flier advertised participation in the local Occupy Salt Lake movement that would commence the following day.

“I was pretty close to the end. On October 5, had I not read the declaration on a light pole, I think I would have given up on life completely,” Hoppe said.

Hoppe is one of several protesters who joined the Occupy Salt Lake movement in harmony with the Occupy Wall Street movement on Oct. 6, 2011. Salt Lake City has become one of hundreds of cities worldwide where demonstrators have congregated and camped in an effort to make their voices heard. Among other motives, the demonstrators feel 99 percent of the population is not fairly represented by the government; instead, only the voice of the wealthy 1 percent of the population is heard. This cause compelled people like Hoppe to join the Occupy movement.

“It’s not about blame; it’s understanding that we have all had a hand in getting the world where it is,” Hoppe said.

For more than a month, Salt Lake City protesters gathered in Pioneer Park downtown, living out of tents and sharing donated food.

The protest was challenged on Nov. 11, 2011 when participant Michael Manhard died in his tent.  Consequently, Salt Lake police officers evicted all Occupy protesters from Pioneer Park the next day.

Memories of Manhard’s death, the subsequent eviction, and how police handled both continue to upset Occupy participants.

Soon after the discovery of Manhard’s body, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank held a press conference where he announced that all demonstrators must evacuate the park within 36 hours due to Manhard’s death and sanitation issues.

“We felt it would have been better to have a private meeting [with Chief Burbank],” Hoppe said. “I think it was a breach of trust that he made a public event of the death of one of our participants.”

Burbank gave the protesters too little time to evacuate and remove their belongings and, as a result, many lost their belongings, said protester and cook Raphael Cordray.

Cordray said that two dump trucks and a front loader were used to remove all unclaimed belongings on the night of the evacuation. “It was pretty awful,” she said. “Some people weren’t prepared to leave.”

Although several participants were upset by the short eviction notice, they still offered Burbank and the Salt Lake City police some praise for the otherwise peaceful eviction.

“Burbank does a lot better than some folk,” Cordray said.

Upon evicting the group, the police did not dress in riot gear and did not use pepper spray or other harmful force, as was the case in Oakland, Calif. Instead, they spoke with protesters and stated their options: leave peacefully, receive a citation, or stay and be arrested.

“Pepper spray is a use of force. There are other ways to deal with it,” Burbank said. “When you have a relationship, it works a lot better.”

Nineteen protesters were arrested, Cordray said.

Since the eviction from Pioneer Park in November, some of the participants relocated to where they currently camp at the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

At present, only a dozen protesters camp full-time at the Gallivan Center.  This reduction of campers is due to smaller space, as well as a requirement to follow strict regulations.

The no drugs/violence/alcohol policy is now enforced more thoroughly than it was at Pioneer Park, Hoppe said. She has remained among the last camping protesters.

Tougher regulations at Gallivan mean participants can no longer cook food at their campsites or give food away.  These regulations are a result of the poor sanitation concerns at Pioneer Park.

Consequently, participants are in partnership with One World Café, where they eat their meals as well as volunteer their time.

Occupy Salt Lake will be allowed to stay at the Gallivan Center until May, Hoppe said. At that point, the city’s summer activities at the site will start, forcing another relocation for the demonstrators.

Several protesters who are not actively camping at the Gallivan Center meet with other protesters at the Salt Lake City Public Library at bi-weekly meetings to discuss current issues and to make plans.

“We want to work with the city,” Hoppe said.

Filed under: Law and Justice, Politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Voices for Utah Children: Advocates for Utah’s children

Posted on November 22, 2011 by comm5775

Story and slideshow by CECELIA FENNELL

Photos courtesy of Voices For Utah Children

See images of Voices for Utah Children

When it comes to issues facing children living in poverty, children have little say about what can be done to improve their situation. Voices for Utah Children, a nonprofit located in Salt Lake City, works with policymakers to advocate for children who wouldn’t be able to resolve health care and living situations on their own.

“Voices for Utah Children is not a direct service provider because public policy can, over time, benefit thousands of kids – long term change is through policy,” said Karen Crompton, executive director of Voices for Utah Children, in a phone interview.

According to its website, Voices for Utah Children was established in 1985 as an advocacy group that does not provide direct services, but a voice for Utah children in public policy decisions. Voices for Utah Children became a member of Voices for America’s Children in 2002. It is located in Salt Lake City.

“The two biggest issues currently facing Utah’s children are education and health care,” Crompton said.

The mission of Voices for Utah Children is to make Utah a place where all children thrive. The organization starts with one question in mind: “Is it good for kids?” At Voices for Utah Children, every child deserves the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. The organization focuses on five key areas that benefit the healthy development of all children – health, school readiness, safety, economic stability and diversity.

Voices for Utah Children worked to reauthorize the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Because of this more children can enroll in health care.

Through the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, CHIPRA, the U.S. can now fund enrollment policies that will allow 4.1 million additional children who are not currently covered by Medicaid or CHIP to enroll in health care. Now, any child in Utah can enroll in health care because of the advocates at Voices for Utah Children as well as other partnering organizations.

One partner, First Focus, is an advocacy organization dedicated to helping policy decisions on behalf of children.

According to its website, “The Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP provides health coverage to more than seven million low-income families whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who don’t earn enough to purchase private health insurance on their own. Approximately 42 percent of U.S. children get their health coverage through Medicaid or CHIP.”

Voices for Utah Children uses a data tool called KIDS COUNT to find children in need. Terry Haven is the KIDS COUNT director of Voices for Utah Children and works with statistical information regarding Utah’s low-income children.

According to its website, “Utilizing KIDS COUNT data allows policymakers and community leaders to make data-driven decisions that will provide a better future for our state’s youngest citizens.”

KIDS COUNT shows the numbers of where the highest demand for advocacy is for Utah children, and where the highest amounts of children from low-income families are located.

“The highest number of children living in poverty come from the west side of Salt Lake City, but the highest percentage of children aren’t in Salt Lake County,” Haven said in a phone interview.

According to the 2011 KIDS COUNT data book, the need for child advocacy is all over Utah, not just on the west side.

Because the demand for child advocacy spans across the state, employees of Voices for Utah Children are assigned specific issues to advocate and work with policymakers and community leaders in all cities to accomplish the organization’s mission.

Lincoln Nehring is the senior health policy analyst at Voices for Utah Children and does a lot of lobbying. He does this through testifying at hearings and making presentations to policymakers.

Nehring said that advocacy around health care is categorized into two types: offensive advocacy, and defensive advocacy. Offensive advocacy deals with making changes to a program, simplifying programs and expanding programs. Defensive advocacy helps to resolve issues facing programs that are being threatened.

“When presenting programs and policies to the legislature Voices excels at identifying programs that can improve problems,” Nehring said in a phone interview. “On the offensive side they present why it’s a good idea for the state to move in that direction and all the logistics, how it will be paid for, why it is a good idea, etc. On the defensive side the organization can see the idea from the beginning and when Voices sees something bad that can potentially threaten a good program it’s hard to advocate – response to cut bad ideas is much more difficult,” he said.

Though testifying at hearings and making presentations to policymakers seems both difficult and intimidating, Nehring said the real work comes from the training prior to lobbying. “The bulk of the work is from understanding the issue,” he said.

Each of these directors at Voices for Utah Children encourages people to speak up. They said the best way for people to get involved is to get to know their policymakers.

“Your voice can be important, you can make a difference. A lot of times people feel like they don’t have a voice, like they’re screaming into a hurricane wind – that might be true in some states but not in Utah, one person can make a big difference. The legislature is your neighbor in Utah,” Nehring said.

Filed under: Education, Health & Fitness, Nonprofits, Organizations, Politics | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Utahns Against Hunger encourages Food Stamps program to those who qualify

Posted on November 10, 2011 by comm5775

Food Pantries only feed a small percentage of Utah's Hungry

Story and photo by CECELIA FENNELL

Efforts to end hunger in Utah continue beyond September, the state’s hunger action month, because food donations and distributions from food pantries only feed a small percent of the hungry.

That’s why Utahns Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization based on the west side of Salt Lake City, works to develop more effective community outreach programs for the larger percentage of Utah’s hungry. It does this by providing programs for low-income communities instead of providing direct services.

“Food pantries only feed a small percentage of the hungry so we provide other options and programs to meet all hunger needs in Utah,” said Mike Evans, associate director of Utahns Against Hunger. One option is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, a food stamps program.

According to UAH’s website, the organization was originally a project run out of Crossroads Urban Center in the late 1970s. As the community realized the need to improve federal nutrition programs statewide, it was established in 1981 as its own nonprofit organization. Since its beginning, UAH has worked to expand the reach of nutrition programs to “an estimated 1 in 6 households in Utah” who struggle to afford enough food by presenting and passing bills through Utah’s legislature. UAH is not an emergency food provider; instead its mission is to work with policymakers and community leaders to shape public policy by making nutrition programs work for the people who need them.

UAH serves all of Utah, but specifically those in need. Evans said the individuals who are most in need happen to live on the west side, which is why most food pantries are located in that area. UAH commonly advertises its events and programs to homes on the west side. In the past, the nonprofit distributed door hangers with information written in English on one side, and Spanish on the other.

According to its website, “UAH offers 17 food assistance programs, projects and initiatives. One program, Food Stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP nationally, provides food assistance to low-income individuals and households through an electronic benefits transfer EBT card called the horizon card.”

Nathan Cram, director of Americorps VISTA, a partner of UAH, has been using food stamps himself over the past two years. Cram qualifies for food stamps because his net income is below the poverty level. He said the horizon card works a lot like a debit card and prevents many cases of fraud because of the rules associated with using it. It can only be used for food items and in stores that sell a majority of food products, he said.

“In order for an individual to qualify for the food stamps program, federal law requires that the individual’s net income be under poverty level,” Cram said. “Essentially they have to live on less than $900 each month,” he said. People can apply for food stamps through the Department of Workforce Services.

“Ninety-seven percent of food given to low-income communities comes from food stamps, only 6.6 percent comes from food pantries,” Cram said in a phone interview.

However, Evans said only 55 percent of those eligible of food stamps participate. “Some don’t know they’re eligible, some would rather seek other options and for others it’s an issue of humility – they want to be able to help themselves,” he said.

As an individual who has participated in SNAP, Cram encourages individuals who qualify for food stamps to participate because the quality of food is better.

“People surprisingly have more obesity in the low-income community because they can only afford foods high in fats and carbohydrates. Food stamps allow higher-quality food,” Cram said.

He also recommends using the food stamp calculator on UAH’s website to get an estimate on eligibility.

Since Utahns Against Hunger is an advocacy organization, it doesn’t need volunteers like food pantries and other nonprofits typically do. Directors of UAH encourage people to speak with local legislative leaders about existing hunger issues as a means to get involved.

“One of the best ways for people to get involved is by talking with their political leaders, volunteering and standing up and having a voice,” Evans said.

Filed under: Food & Restaurants, Health & Fitness, Organizations, Politics, Utah's Economy | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

University of Utah students brace for tuition hikes

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia slideshow about increasing tuition costs as the University of Utah.

Story and multimedia by SCOTT WISEMAN

The price of a college education is at a record high, causing troubles for students across the nation. While financial aid, scholarships and student loans are available to create some relief, many students are scraping together their last pennies to meet the required costs to attend college.

University of Utah students met financial struggles last year as the cost of attending school was at an all-time high. The same students will face yet another challenge as tuition will rise 7.8 percent starting in the summer semester of 2011, university officials announced earlier this month.

The increase determines that the average in-state undergraduate student taking 15 credit hours will expect to see an increase of $247 per semester. A 15 credit load for an out-of-state undergraduate will increase by $783 per semester.

“I really do not know how I’m going to come up with the extra money,” said Gunnar Lamb, an undecided freshman. “Being an out-of-state student is really starting to catch up with me financially.”

The tuition increase for next year is less than last year’s increase, which hit students for 9.5 percent.

“Of course, we do understand that in a tough economy, this is hard for students,” said David Pershing, senior vice president of academic affairs. “This is why we tried really hard to find a balance between maintaining the quality of the university and the tuition increase.”

Tuition at the U is divided into two different tiers. Tier one is the budget decided upon by the Board of Regents, while tier two is decided on by the University of Utah. The overall 7.8 percent increase is comprised of a 5 percent increase in tier one, and a 2.8 percent increase in tier two. The Board of Regents in St. George approved the final adjustments to the increases on March 27.

The Board of Regents originally approved a 7 percent reduction in state funding, but lowered that amount to 2.5 percent early last month, according to higheredutah.org. The tuition increase would have raised an additional 5 percent if the original reduction had been approved. The students have been asked to pay the amount out of pocket that the federal government decides to cut each year.

“State support for our colleges and universities has been steadily declining over recent years,” said Board of Regents chair David Jordan in an interview with higheredutah.org. “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.”

Students are turning to additional sources of funding such as grants, scholarships and loans to help make up the difference in prices.

“Although my tuition has been paid through scholarships, for friends who do have to pay out of pocket, that is a pretty high increase which would make a significance difference,” said Carla Gonzalez, a senior in behavioral science.

Currently, the U is funding is comprised of 47 percent tuition and 53 percent state funding, Pershing said. An increase in tuition will help bring a higher percentage of private funding to the U.

Tier two funding, the additional budget determined by the University of Utah, has been broken down by use. A majority— 56 percent— of tier two funding will be used to restore funding to academic departments, 18 percent given to student services, 13 percent for academic support and 13 percent given to other support areas such as utilities.

The overall increase in tuition has 32 percent of budget going to faculty retention, 29 percent for academic departments and 19 percent to staff health insurance. Only 5 percent of the overall increase will go to benefit academic support.

“Students clearly don’t look forward to the increases in tuition and fees, but most students seem to understand that we try to keep increases as small as we could,” Pershing said. “The U is a very cost effective place to attend school based on its quality.”

In the 2010 school year, the university’s resident undergraduate tuition and fees totaled $6,274. This is significantly lower when compared to the national average of $7,605. When compared to other public universities of similar rapport, the University of Utah fared well. Select schools such as Pennsylvania State University and the University of Illinois cost almost three times as much as Utah.

Chase Jardine, president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah and a senior in economics and chemistry, said that while he believes that the increases may bring hardships to college students, they were necessary to prevent department closures and faculty layoffs.

“Of course the increase is unfortunate, but I was very impressed with the administration’s dedication to see it as low as possible,” Jardine said. “The 7.8 percent is as low as we possibly could increase given the economic severities we have.”

Pershing highlighted the fact that the University of Utah only can offer approximately $17,000 worth of core funding per student. Other top schools, such as the University of North Carolina provide almost $30,000 of core funding per each student. He stressed that in order for Utah to compete with the top schools in the nation, more core funding is needed.

Dominic Ford, a junior in geography said he doesn’t like tuition increases, but sometimes they are necessary. Increased funding for academic departments will be an improvement, Ford said.

“It’s better than last year’s increase,” Ford said. “I don’t know if I’m okay with it, but with budget cuts everywhere, there’s not much that we can do about it.”

Student fees are also increasing at 7.8 percent. Some of the increases will be represented by a $17 increase in a building fund and a $5 increase in the fine arts budget for an in-state undergraduate taking 15 credit hours. The only area with a cut budget is the utility fee, which is dropping $3 per semester.

“If the fees are going to impact the student in a better way, then I guess it is okay, but the part I don’t agree with is the increased health insurance for the faculty,” Gonzalez said. “If they want better insurance, they should pay for it out of pocket, not out of mine.“

These increases in budgets have already had impact on the university’s campus, as the Associated Students of the University of Utah announced this week that it will be able to increase its amount of funding for the next school year.

“I do not attend any on campus events hosted by ASUU, and I would like to see those budgets cut before I pay more tuition,” Lamb said. “The academic integrity of this school is the most important value, and tuition increases are only justifiable to improve academics.”

Cheston Newhall, a junior in business said while tuition increasing will be negative to many students on campus, he believes that increased funding will help to improve the quality of the university.

“They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do,” Newhall said. “Although it is unfortunate that we will all be paying more money as students, but at least we’re going to get something back out of it.”

Along with the increase in funding to help maintain key staff and faculty members, Newhall said that an increased budget to help with on campus events is important.

“Going out to events sponsored by ASUU on campus is a great way to get connected to the university,” Newhall said. “I feel as if the U would not be as strong of a community if the events budgets were cut.”

According to Pershing, in 2008, a high school graduate had mean earnings of $40,000 per year, while those who had their bachelor’s degree earned a mean of $70,000 per year. Even though the price of obtaining a bachelors degree is rising dramatically, students say those mean salaries show it is worth the initial sacrifice.

“All in all, the tuition increase is unfortunate, but ultimately necessary,” Gonzalez said. “I will continue to stick it out and get my degree as planned.”

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

Economy creates unique challenge for undocumented immigrant’s

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia video about undocumented immigrant’s struggles with the economy.

Story and multimedia by FLOR OLIVIO

The immigration debate often gets heated. In an effort to humanize the politics of immigration we see storytelling that some have classified as melodrama.

“I think it’s a very important part of the story, but I don’t think the opposition cares about that part, and why bother talking about something that is not going to get results,” says history teacher, Jodi Lopez.

We regularly find the faces of the people who this debate is really about buried in piles of statistics and dramatic stories. The turmoil between state and federal action is very clear even at a personal level.

The figures and facts both nationally and locally show a picture of an undocumented immigrant who among struggles, perseveres through American values.

Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. not only exist but they are here in the thousands.

Their contributions come in the billions. Regardless of immigration policy these people have the same basic necessities.

“A third of the children of unauthorized immigrants and a fifth of adult unauthorized immigrants lives in poverty,” according to the Pew Hispanic Center, “this is nearly double the poverty rate for children of U.S.-born parents (18%) or for U.S.-born adults (10%).”

Taking into account that undocumented children and families do not qualify for basic needs assistance like food stamps (SNAP), or traditional medical care (Medicaid), according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, community resources and family help become essential for undocumented families.

The Pew Hispanic Center found that “most unauthorized immigrant adults reside with immediate family members- spouses or children.” “Almost half (47 percent) of undocumented immigrant homes are composed of couples with children,” a considerably different picture from households of US-born residents (21 percent) or legal immigrants (35 percent).

The stories that remain untold are of families helping each other and their sacrifices through unceasing work that gets these new American families through the days, weeks and months.

“I sell everything that I can.” said Milvia, an undocumented immigrant woman who migrated to the US from Colombia. “I sell nutrition products. I clean offices at night, I earn about seven hundred a month doing that, and even with all this we could not afford to pay rent, and everything else the kids need. My husband had to travel out of the state to find work and has been working there since October of last year, with no hope to return.” Milviaʼs full name is excluded because of her current immigration status.

The facts that undocumented workers pay property, state, food and federal taxes as well as Medicare and Social Security pay-ins that they can never apply for or benefit from are also frequently left out.

A study published in April 2011 by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, non-partisan research organization that works on federal, state, and local tax policy issues, found that in 2010, “unauthorized immigrants paid $11.2 billion in state and local taxes. Which included $1.2 billion in personal income taxes, $1.6 billion in property, and $8.4 billion in sales taxes.” The states receiving the most tax revenue were California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois. Utah received, 105 million in total revenue from undocumented immigrant taxes.

Regardless of their hard work, immigrant familiesʼ income is notably less than nonimmigrant families, and so immigrant children live in families with lower levels of income.

In a report by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization, nationally “the median hourly wages for all wage and salary earners in immigrant families were lower than the median wages for native families,” $14 versus $18.

“The current Utah economy affects these undocumented children directly,” says Elisa Bridge, a coordinator and family support worker for the Salt Lake School District, “jobs are not in abundance, and if you are undocumented itʼs harder to get a job.”

She explained the on-going situation with two parents working outside the home, two or three jobs at a time to be able to support families and provide their children with very basic necessities.

Students suffer when their basic necessities are not met, “This can affect their learning,” said Bridge,” when Iʼm talking about basic needs Iʼm talking about food, clothing or families struggling with bed bugs,” which is a big problem for undocumented families we come in contact with right now. It comes down to “a lot of people just living in horrible situations.”

These are very negative effects but hope seems to be abundant for the undocumented.

“There are students that see their parents struggling, so that might motivate them to fight harder to become something in life and obtain and education,” says Bridge.

Even with this motivation, these same students currently have no hope to actually go on to receive a higher education or to be able to work legally.

Legislation like the “DREAM Act” is geared to close some of these gaps for undocumented children who want to pursue a higher education or serve in the military and successfully navigate through American society.

Some programs that currently help undocumented youth are kept under the shadows in the same places these children reside. Northwest Middle School has an after school program where children receive homework help. The school also provides a dinner option for any student that decides to participate and because school districts do not inquire about immigration status these programs are sometimes the only way some of these students can get a good dinner.

In reality it is hard to document a group of people who live in constant fear of having their livelihood destroyed. It becomes just one more daily struggle.

Regardless unauthorized immigrants continue making it through the values that most Americans identify with hard work, honesty, family and the pursuit of happiness, these undocumented people continue living, surviving and in most cases creating a community of perseverance and hope.

Filed under: Immigrants & Refugees, Organizations, Politics, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Utah agencies prepare for the “big flood”

Posted on April 21, 2011 by comm5775

Watch a multimedia video about Salt Lake County’s flood preparations.

Story and multimedia by ROBERT CALLISTER

Salt Lake County Flood Control is preparing for the potential upcoming flood season due to last year’s heavy flooding. The floods resulted in millions of dollars of damage and the removal of a 20-foot-long bridge in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Experts from Flood Control Services say the levee failure was due to cracks and spillage from unattended creeks.

Salt Lake County Flood Control is preparing for the potential upcoming flood season. Politicians, police and fire authorities and county safety officials met today to coordinate efforts for this year’s possible flooding.

Nearly $3 million were appropriated to the state’s Flood Control and Emergency Services during this year’s legislative session to prepare for and prevent possible flood damage.

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon believes county officials will ready and have learned from 2010’s experience.

“Mother nature will ultimately decide what the flooding will be like this season,” he said. “But we have learned from last year and we want to be prepared. We will be prepared.”

Due to the rising concern and last year’s damage, the county currently has over 5,000 sandbags filled on pallets and plans to have 10,000 by the end of this month. It also has over 400 tons of large, angular rocks (rip rap) stockpiled and ready for distribution.

Scott Baird is the director of Salt Lake County Flood Control and Engineering. He is encouraged by the cooperation among the various active organizations.

“The most significant change of this year from last is the preparation and coordination system among the counties and local safety organizations,” he said.

Last year, the Little Cottonwood Creek flooded over its banks, causing millions of dollars of damage to surrounding residential areas. Over 1,500 volunteers helped by laying down sandbags to control eroded areas.

City officials are worries that this year’s weather patterns are much like that of last year’s. Intense snow storms, especially in the mountain regions, followed by rapid warming caused last year’s flooding. Officials say this year could possibly produce similar snow-melt patterns.

Baird believes there has been an adequate amount of work done to repair affected areas.

“We have done repair work to the channel,” he said. “We have got about $2 million of repair work that has gone in so far. With all of the resources we have stockpiled over the few months, there is not doubt we will be ready.”

Even though there were sizeable budget cuts this legislative session, there was still money appropriated to fund this moderately expensive project. This money has been used to coordinate efforts to gather thousands of tons of supplies and prepare heavy machinery.

Salt Lake County’s Flood Control and Operations Divisions have inventoried numerous pieces of heavy equipment, including back hoes, track hoes and more than 60 trucks available for hauling.

“We have been coordinating with surrounding cities to get their inventory of resources that we can use to augment our resources. On top of that we have contracts with contractors who can haul mobilized equipment and bring in materials.”

Michael Jensen, chief for the SLCO Fire Department, said they learned from the devastating floods of ‘83 and are ready for this year.

“It is night and day from the intense floods of 1983 and right now. We will be ready for whatever mother nature has to throw at us.”

County officials have advised citizens to be specifically cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers. Also, the instructed parents to never allow children to play around high water, storm drains, viaducts, or arroyos.

Additional safety tip information can be found in the Utah Department of Public Safety website.

Filed under: Environment, Politics, 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 »

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