Alternative options for adoptive parents can curb costs

Posted on March 17, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photo by FLOR OLIVO

For parents expecting to adopt the process can be long and expensive, making alternative options that can cut down costs attractive.

With agencies claiming to help and facilitate the process and couples desperate to parent, high emotions can cloud judgment. In Utah, where fraud is a common problem, the adoption realm has not remained immune to the trend.  Agencies like Adoption.org and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation provide checklists to aid those interested in adopting.

Mom and her young son holding hands

For some parents the idea of paying large amounts of money creates a moral dilemma.

“We didn’t want to feel like we were buying a baby so we ended up doing a non-conventional private adoption,” Diana Olson said.

When they decided to adopt they told a couple friends and family, visited some agencies and paid one for their services. They were quickly disillusioned with the traditional methods. Instead, they began telling those around them about their desire to adopt, relying on word of mouth. One day they got the call. They would soon be parents. “The process was inexpensive and smooth from there,” Olson said.

Many adoptive parents are not as fortunate as the Olson’s, paying thousands into scams or waiting for years to get the opportunity to parent.

The Utah Foster Care System provides an inexpensive alternative. The process according to Cesar Mendoza, a former foster parent is very simple.

The Utah Department of Child Services has an open invite to expectant parents. According to AdoptUSKids.com,  a cooperative agreement with the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children & Families, and the Department of Health & Human Services, on any given day in the state of Utah there are 2,100 to 2,600 children in state custody and guardianship. On average 13 to 18 percent of those children will not be able to return to their families, and will need a permanent home.

In the United States, the numbers are magnified to 424,000 children in the system and 115,000 waiting for adoption.

Expectant parents and children waiting for a forever home make an ideal combination. Although officials say there are set backs through this process, such as behavior problems or adjustment issues, they parallel those experienced through private adoption agencies. There are resources, parent groups and parent networks that have been set up to serve as a support system for the foster parent community.

Another benefit, the cost that can often reach the thousands through private adoption is significantly reduced with the choice to foster parent first. Foster parent agencies provide health care and pay the parent a basic expense stipend each month to cover the additional costs of foster parenting.

The foster care process begins with an initial consultation. More information can be found at Utah Foster Care Network website, Utah Department of Human Services, Utah’s Child and Family Services Adoption Connection and through the US Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare Information Gateway website.

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

Panhandling ordinance or not, homeless continue to beg

Posted on March 17, 2011 by comm5775

Story by PARKER LEE

“HOMELESS NOT HELPLESS. WILL WORK ANY JOB FOR FOOD OR MONEY.” This is what Thomas, a homeless Vietnam veteran, has displayed on his cardboard sign. He flashes this sign in the area around 400 West and 1800 South in Salt Lake City in an effort to obtain food and water.

The threat from Salt Lake City officials to institute an anti-panhandling ordinance is not slowing down beggars. Salt Lake’s homeless are out as much as ever asking passers-by for money and food.

Many homeless people don’t think they have a choice. They say they would like to be working, but there are not a large host of employers looking for homeless workers.

The job market for college graduates is rough. For homeless people with very little education, the job market is impossible.

Thomas said he works when possible. “I will work when people hire me for the day,” Thomas said. “I do temp jobs whenever I can.”

Carol, a woman in her late 40s who does her panhandling at Temple Square, doesn’t see another solution to attaining money. “Nobody will hire me. I stopped trying a long time ago,” Carol said. “This is the only thing I can do.”

Thomas and Carol, like several homeless people, are trying. But the effort is not enough to keep them off the streets. “The little money I do make has to pay for food,” Thomas said.

With barely enough money to pay for food, paying for rent is out of the question – so the homeless remain homeless. Thomas said he has a camp where he stays at night.

Carol also puts her earnings to food first. “I buy food with the money I get from the people,” Carol said. “That is usually all I have money for.”

Carol also has a camp where she stays. On really good days, she acquires enough money to stay the night at a cheap hotel. “Sometimes I get enough to rent a room for the night,” Carol said. “That only happens once in a while, though.”

As these people struggle to find work, they resort to begging for their support.

Salt Lake City began a campaign in early 2009 to deter panhandlers. The proposed ordinance would forbid beggars from asking for money and food in certain areas, such as near the doors of restaurants and stores. After two years the ordinance is closer to being enacted, but still has not actually been put into practice.

So if the ordinance does pass, will panhandling decrease? Thomas does not think so.

“I wouldn’t change what I do,” Thomas said. “I don’t have any other way of surviving. I have to get food somehow.”

Carol thinks such an ordinance would be unfair. “They can’t just make us stop,” she said. “Lots of us have no choice. This is how we survive.”

When the anti-panhandling campaign began, there was not a call to have people completely stop giving money. People were just told to not to give money directly to panhandlers. Donators were instead encouraged to give money to the homeless shelters.

This, in theory, would eliminate panhandling while still allowing homeless people to take advantage of the generosity of others.

Carol and Thomas agree that it doesn’t quite work that way. Thomas said he didn’t have access to those resources.

Carol said there are not enough resources to go around. “The shelters are always too busy,” she said. “You can barely fit inside the door so getting food and a bed is hard. You have to get there really early in the day.”

In Thomas and Carol’s situation, and undoubtedly many others, an ordinance might not be the answer. More jobs could be. Increased opportunities for homeless people to work might put an end to panhandling faster than anything.

These panhandlers say they do not want to beg.

“Unfortunately I have had to do this for a while,” Thomas said. “I don’t like doing it. I wish there was another way.”

Having an honest income would eliminate the need for homeless individuals to solicit others for money. Any alternative to begging would be well received.

Carol thinks more resources would help. “If they pay for my food and give me a place to stay, then I’ll stop begging,” Carol said.

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

Legislature to quicken death penalty process

Posted on March 17, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photo by ROBERT CALLISTER

A bill aimed at quickening the death penalty appeals process in an effort to save money is one step closer to passing Utah’s Legislature.

House Bill 202’s sponsor, Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield, says the bill is designed to reduce the delays and excessive nature of post-conviction proceedings in death penalty cases. HB202 focuses mainly on two things: court appointed counsel and automatic stays after execution dates have been set.  The draft of the enrolled bill has now been prepared having passed both the House and Senate. It is the final chapter of an effort spanning the previous three legislative sessions.

Legislators work on the House floor.

The Utah legislature is cutting approximately 15 percent from its budget this year. Following through with a death penalty conviction is an expensive process, but McIff believes the legal costs can be drastically reduced by carefully modified legislation. Millions of Utah tax payers’ dollars are spent yearly to fund these costly legal fees.

Central to HB 202 says all known claims of mistrial or error during the original trial must be raised at the first post-conviction review and not saved for a later date or petition. Rep. McIff believes this will prevent wasted time and money.

“This knowledge cannot be kept in the back-pocket of the defense for later use in a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th petition,” he said.

The bill was inspired by a Supreme Court ruling that denied Ronnie Lee Gardner’s last request for a stay of execution on June 17, 2010.  Gardner was convicted of fatally shooting attorney Michael Burdell in 1985 and murdering a bartender in 1984. The then 49-year-old Gardner was shot by a firing squad 26 years later.

McIff said this case highlighted the possibility that the appeals process can be drawn out so exhaustively that, in the end, the convicted might not receive the just sentence given to him by the jury. It took four petitions for Gardner to finally receive the death penalty. This is precisely what HB 202 is designed to prevent, said McIff.

“HB 202 is designed to recognize that 26 years is too long,” said McIff, a retired judge. “There were four post-conviction appeals filed in the Gardner case, each one determined not to have merit, but each one adding additional years and hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars in additional expense.”

He added that it is impossible to put a price tag of someone’s life, but there has to be regulation to such an exhaustive and often wasteful process.

In the justice system there are three entities being acted upon. The trial is designed to bring justice to both the victim and accused. The state is to act as a mediator between the two. Generally, citizens of the state agree to render justice in the best, most efficient method possible. McIff believes that a system that allows petition after petition only invites manipulation and corruption.

Some opposed to the bill, such as Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, say it will lead to the execution of more innocent people. King has said he does not agree with the death penalty and the bill needs to be considered carefully.

“I don’t think that we should consider this bill without recognizing exactly what we’re doing,” he said. “What we’re doing is accelerating the process of killing people who have killed people, and we’re doing it in the name of the state.”

To date, 245 people nationwide have been exonerated through DNA testing and reforming in the criminal justice system. Supporters of HB 202 believe it will still offer convicts the option to petition in order to minimize harm and maximize justice.

It provides for one post-conviction petition to make certain no error has been overlooked. New counsel is appointed at public expense to rule out any question about incompetency of trial. The defendant is afforded the benefit of a fresh set of legal eyes to review the entire proceeding to make sure nothing favorable to the defendant was overlooked.

Rep. McIff said he negotiated the bill over several months. The Judicial Conference and the Constitutional Revision Commission unanimously endorsed it.

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

Swing for Hope fundraiser fights breast cancer

Posted on March 17, 2011 by comm5775

Story by JORDON CAHOON

Ask any athlete and they will be sure to tell you that every game means something. Some games are used for practice, some games are played to prove something and some simply mean more than others. Athletes play for many reasons: pride, fame, personal gain through education or financial means. It’s not very often you see an athlete play for charity.

Kathy Howa tosses the first pitch out at the Mesa Tournament. Photo courtesy of The Swing for Life Foundation.

The Swing for Life Foundation started off as a fundraiser during events like home run derbies and skill competitions, and then started to bloom and have entire games devoted to the cause of increasing awareness and funding for breast cancer. At first, the full games were only in women’s sports like softball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball, but as of 2009 it started to branch over into men’s sports.

Kathy Howa started this non-profit organization in April 2003 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in late August 2002.

“I coach high school volleyball and softball,” Howa said. “After my diagnosis, my athletes chose to wear pink ribbons with my name on them to the games and practices.”

It all started with the “strike out cancer hit-a-thon” where the Rowland Hall softball team rallied around Howa to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure. They received $12,000 between them and three other schools at the event.

“It’s no secret that the timing is hard to run any kind of foundation, but it’s amazing to see just how generous and giving people are in such hard economic times,” Howa said. “From our officials and field crews, to the volunteers doing all the behind the scenes work. They give up their time, which could be used to help out their families instead.“

Certain schools, such as Cottonwood High School, have spared no expense in making these games something to be remembered by purchasing pink gloves and shoelaces for football and pink head and wristbands along with shoelaces for basketball games. Some schools, like Brighton and Cottonwood, have had entire uniforms designed in pink just for one game.

“Even though we got killed last year, it was an awesome time just seeing all the people show up,” Matt Olsen, former catcher for the Brighton High School baseball team, said. “Pink isn’t really my color though.”

Since that initial fund raising tournament Howa has donated her time and efforts to her own foundation, Swing for Life, and has set a goal to donate $50,000 each year to Huntsman Cancer Foundation’s breast cancer research program. This goal has become increasingly difficult in recent years as the economy continues to spiral downward, but the foundation has made their goal each year so far.

“The biggest thing to look at isn’t the amount of time, money or effort that goes into these fund raisers, but to show people suffering from breast cancer that there are people trying and fighting for a cure,” Howa said. “Plus, I couldn’t give up the sports that I love.”

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

Utah women have high workforce participation

Posted on March 17, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photo by WHITNEY BUTTERS

A common Utah stereotype is that of the college girl who wants nothing more than to get her “M.R.S. degree” long before the first strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” play on graduation day. With a ring on her finger and marital bliss complete, she promptly quits both school and work to have children.

But this stereotype fails to acknowledge the truth about the women in Utah’s labor force.

Elizabeth Peterson rings up a customer’s purchase at Carter’s children’s clothing store. In addition to working 20 hours a week as a sales associate, Peterson works as a preparation chef at a reception all in order to earn sufficient income.

In reality, there are more Utah women in the workforce than the national average. According to Utah Department of Workforce Services (UDWS), approximately 61 percent of Utah women were in the workforce in 2009 compared to 59 percent nationally.

Beyond that, 82 percent of Utah women age 20-24 are in the labor force, making them the age group most likely to work.

While it is true that Utah women marry and have children at a younger age, many are breaking the supposedly rigid tradition of the “M.R.S. degree” by working to provide income and gain job experience. Especially in a time of economic recession, finding employment is necessary for women to be able to survive.

“It’s counterintuitive to how we perceive the culture in that we tend to think that Utah women don’t work,” Lecia Langston, labor economist for the UDWS, said. “The reality is that most women work, so we kind of have a faulty view of what’s really going on in the economy.”

Chloe Garfield, 20, is among the Utah women contributing to the unexpectedly high rates of workforce participation. As a newlywed, she works to make ends meet while she continues to study photography at the University of Utah.

“Since both my husband and I are in school and work, both incomes are crucial,” she said. “With both part-time salaries, it is enough to get us through school.”

Elizabeth Peterson, 20, a full time student at the U. studying communication science disorders, works two part-time jobs to be self-sufficient.

“I work because I have to,” she said. “If I didn’t work, I couldn’t pay for school, books, my car, gas, clothes makeup, getting my hair done or anything.”

Because young people like Garfield and Peterson make up approximately 32 percent of Utah’s population, the age group is not only the most likely to work but is also among the most likely to be unemployed. For men and women ages 20-24, the unemployment rate was 13 percent in 2010, second only to 16-19 year olds at 21 percent. This makes it hard for women in both age brackets to keep and find suitable employment.

Peterson was forced to seek new employment when her previous job cut her hours. She initially found work as a preparation chef at a reception hall in Bountiful called The Canterbury Place. But a downturn in the economy decreased the number of catered events, so she was forced to look for a second job. After her previous experience looking for a summer job, she knew the search would not be easy.

“I remembered all of the hours I had spent looking for companies who were hiring and applying for 30 plus jobs without any positive response, and I knew that it was going to be a stretch to find another job,” she said. “I was absolutely desperate, and I would have taken anything I could at that point.”

Peterson eventually found a second job working as a part-time sales associate at Carter’s children’s clothing store in Salt Lake City, where she works 20 hours a week in addition to her catering job

Garfield also had a hard time finding work.

“I was very frustrated that I was applying for jobs that I was more than qualified for but would not get,” she said. “I was even donating plasma trying to make some extra money.”

She got a job as a student caller for the University of Utah Development Office, which raises money for the school. She was promoted to student assistant after two years and tries to work more hours to help support herself and her husband.

Despite any difficulty younger women may face while seeking employment, Langston of the UDWS said it has benefits.

“(Older generations) aren’t like young women today that grew up with an expectation of working,” she said. “A lot of them have never been in the workforce, so there’s not even an interest in that unless they have to.”

Women today are gaining work experience early on, which Langston said will help build resumes and promote future job security.

Garfield cited the opportunity to gain experience as a reason she works.

“I feel that working and getting an education now will give me the skills to raise a family and will also allow me to be able to have the skills to return to work when I need to,” she said.

Langston believes building work experience is vital regardless of current conditions.

“Even if you do have the most wonderful situation where you don’t have to work, stuff happens,” she said. “Your husband loses his job or he gets hurt or you get divorced. All of those things make it so women need to protect themselves.”

Peterson agreed, saying she plans to prepare herself since life is unpredictable.

“Someday when I’m married and have children, I may or may not have an actual 9-to-5 job. I guess that will depend on my circumstances at that time,” she said. “Despite that, I know that I will continue to work hard.”

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

Fan Fest at risk with budget cuts

Posted on March 15, 2011 by comm5775

Story by JANITA BADON

At the end of each summer, an average of 14,000 fans usually gather with family and friends to meet and greet the University of Utah varsity athletes as part of the annual Fan Fest. But with budgets tight, the popular program is in danger of being cut.

Sophomore guard for the University of Utah women’s basketball team Iwalani Rodrigues takes the fan fest seriously, and believes the Fan Fest helps the program.

“I met so many people because of the Fan Fest,” Rodrigues said. “If they take that away from us, I don’t know of another way to actually get more fans.”

Rodrigues, like many other varsity athletes at Utah, thinks the Fan Fest is beneficial to not only the attendance at the games, but also the support that it brings.

“I mean, of course, we don’t have as many fans as the men’s basketball team or as the football team, but when we have the Fan Fest it’s our (women’s basketball team) way of stealing fans,” Rodrigues said.

Losing the Fan Fest would also disappoint its main audience: the fans. Sasha McKinnon, a self-proclaimed “die hard” football fan, said she loves the Fan Fest, and thinks the Utes could potentially lose fans without it.

“I just think that the Fan Fest gives you a chance to talk to your favorite athlete, and ask all the questions that you want,” McKinnon said. “I think all the women on the varsity team at the U get fans because fans get to know them and are interested in seeing them in action, after meeting them at the Fan Fest. I honestly don’t think people know how good the soccer team is, or how good the volleyball women are, but when they go to the Fan Fest and interact with the players they’re more obligated to go to a game.”

Supporters say the Fan Fest is a great way for the fans to meet the players, get autographs, and eat free food, but Mary Bowman is the one who’s in charge of if it proceeds or not. Bowman, the Associate Athletic director at the U, says simple and plain, we don’t have the money for it.

“The Fan Fest is about $20,000 and it leaves us with not enough money for anything else,” Bowman said. “I personally love the Fan Fest but with economy being as bad as it is I just don’t we have enough money to have it, and have other activities that other fans enjoy.”

Understanding that the Fan Fest is beneficial to the Utah programs and the support for the athletes, Bowman said if they don’t have the funding there’s no way to have a Fan Fest as productive as the ones in the past. Doing a certain number of activities where the athletes are involved such as Scholarship Dinner, Athletes Interaction, and Halloween bowl night, money is limited and needs to be split evenly throughout the year. The Fan Fest just happens to be the one that cost the most money.

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

Recycle-mania kicks off at the University of Utah

Posted on March 15, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photos by JENNA LEVETAN

The economy is affecting almost everyone, including the recycling market.

Joshua James, recycling coordinator for the University of Utah, talks about recycling on campus.the University of Utah campus the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management are doing everything they can to keep students excited and involved with recycling. They hope the recycling competition, Recycle-mania will positively affect the way students think about where they put there trash.

This year the University will be competing with 630 other colleges and universities to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste. Recycle-mania is set up to create student involvement in recycling. Recyclables are removed at a lower cost than trash bound for the landfill, meaning if students are recycling more, the school spends less, and saves money.

The competition takes place over an eight-week period. All the schools will track and report how much is being recycled on campus by weight each week. Schools are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or the highest recycling rate.

This is the University of Utah’s fourth year competing in the competition. The school began tracking recycling weights on February 6 and will do so until March 27.

Recycle-mania coordinator Joshua James has committed himself to making campus more sustainable. He wants the university to be a leader in sustainable efforts.

Recycling centers are used across campus to promote recycling.

“Students thinking more green is definitely happening,” James said. “Students becoming more involved with recycling has been easy with our poor economy.” James also says he hopes this competition will help expand economic opportunities while addressing environmental issues in a positive way.

Each year the university places higher in the competition. After a 75th-place finish in 2010 they are now hoping to get into the top 50. This year the university will be competing in the paper and plastic reduction category because they are the university’s most recycled materials.  According to the Recycle-mania website, on average, the University of Utah recycles about 8,000 pounds of paper and 300 pounds of plastic per week.

The Office of Sustainability is also reducing the waste of plastic by providing a water bottle filling station in the Union cafeteria. When students use the fountain it documents the number of water bottles saved per use.

To get more students involved, coordinators are amping up promotion this year by starting a Facebook page and twitter feed. Increased promotion of the competition will give students, faculty and staff an opportunity to respond and boost their recycling habits to earn the higher ranking they are shooting for.

Rob Wallace, vice president of communications for Recyle-mania, says making recycling appealing on college campus is important because students are an extremely influential demographic.

“I like to say that every 40-year-old wants to be 22, and so does every 12-year-old,” Wallace said. “Recycling is good for the environment, good for the economy, creates jobs and saves energy. If college students are saying it’s the right thing to do, others might start to pick up on it.”

The University of Utah’s recycling program was launched in July 2007. Since then, the program has continued to grow and is expected to increase by 40 percent this year.

Recycling has been made easy on campus with portable recycling centers. Each center has a bin for trash, paper, plastic and aluminum and some have bins for glass and cardboard. There are recycling centers in all of the 853 buildings on campus.

Putting the recyclables in the correct bin is crucial. If inappropriate materials are placed in the bins the stream will be contaminated and then rejected. James encourages everyone to look for the triangle reduce, reuse, recycle logo when recycling there products. To help prevent recycling contamination, if your trash does not have the triangle symbol do not put it in a recycling container.

If students and faculty commit to recycling there waste it will decrease disposal volumes in landfills. The good news is that recycling is growing. Just 30 years ago, very few facilities or campuses had any access to recycling at all. In 30 years, a strong and vital industry has grown with the help of students who want to protect natural resources. Though the future is still to be determined, this generation of youth can be the ones to take recycling to the next level. It can create more jobs, more supply and more demand. This generation can help innovate new products and processes, and create new uses for recovered materials. It’s a wide- open opportunity and it all starts with the commitment to do more. That’s what Recycle-mania is all about.

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

Homeless shelter cash donations suffering in slumping economy

Posted on March 10, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photo by PARKER LEE

Cash donations to local homeless shelters are suffering in the down economy. And there are more people in need than ever before. The Salt Lake Rescue Mission has seen a staggering 500 percent jump in the amount of food they are giving to families, according to Executive Director Chris Croswhite.

Homeless people wait outside the Road Home homeless resource center in downtown Salt Lake City.

“We are seeing a significant increase in first-time homeless families. It starts out when a family has to decide between paying rent and fixing their car. They choose to pay rent, then they can’t get to work on time and they get fired. Then they lose their house or they get evicted,” Croswhite said.

The list of donors to the Road Home in downtown Salt Lake has remained fairly steady. It is how much they are actually donating that is making the difference.

“Our private donors from before the recession are all still donating, for the most part. They just aren’t donating as much,” said Benita Flores, an administrator at the Road Home. “So where people were donating $50 before, they might only be donating $25 now.”

The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake has experienced the same ebb in cash donations. Croswhite said they too have had their donors stick around, but they have also cut back on the money they have donated.

For shelters like the Rescue Mission and the Road Home, rounding up resources for a family of five is much more of a challenge than helping a single man or woman that comes in and this isn’t likely to change in the near future. The government sponsored “Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program” is going bankrupt. The program was started in an effort to get homeless families off the streets.

It was receiving funding from President Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill. But the growing number of jobless Americans has caused the program to run out of money. All indications are that the program will be cut from the federal budget. This cut will leave those homeless out in the streets.

While homelessness numbers have been on the rise, so have the number of people wanting to help. Volunteer efforts have greatly aided with the rise in the homeless population. Croswhite and the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake have been very pleased with the efforts of volunteers. “Volunteer help has been phenomenally consistent through the recession,” Croswhite said. “People have been very generous.”

Flores said volunteers at the Road Home have also remained steady.

Cost-free assistance from volunteers makes a big difference when funds are tight.

Fortunately for the homeless population, the tightening budget has not affected their ability to take advantage of the shelters. The Road Home has not had to limit its numbers or turn anybody away. The Rescue Mission will only turn people away if they are inebriated.

Flores said they see their highest numbers between November and April due to the colder temperatures. During those months they have a satellite shelter in Midvale that they open up for any overflow at the downtown site. “We are able to handle high numbers because we’re prepared,” said Flores. “We plan for the increase being around the first of November and we’re ready.”

But simple math tells us that a decline in monetary donations and a rise in homeless people don’t add up, as pointed out by Flores. “There are a bunch of people dipping into the same pot,” Flores said. “And there isn’t as much in that pot. That makes what we do more challenging.”

The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake has actually seen an increase in the amount of food and clothing donated.

With the increase of clothing donations, the Mission recently set up a program with Glendale Middle School to encourage kids who lack housing or clothing to stay in school. If the kids go to school for 30 consecutive days without an absence, the Mission gives them a pair of jeans.

To donate time, clothing or money to the Salt Lake Rescue Mission, visit www.rescuesaltlake.org. Information about how to volunteer at the Road Home is available at www.theroadhome.org/becomevolunteer.

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

University of Utah pushes to become more sustainable

Posted on March 1, 2011 by comm5775

Watch Myron Willson, Director of Office of Sustainability at the University of Utah, talk about sustainability.

Story and multimedia by JENNA LEVETAN

With the help of the Office of Sustainability, the University of Utah is taking on major efforts to become more sustainable and carbon neutral.  Despite the falling economy, the budget for the Office of Sustainability is staying concrete and student projects have been expanding.

The Office of Sustainability is an on-campus program that is looking to help improve sustainable efforts. The office has been up and running since October 2007 and is located in the Annex building.

Over the last three years the sustainability staff has been working on promoting responsible practices and encouraging students to think green and adopt more eco-friendly behaviors. They want students to ask themselves if they are living beyond their ecological means. In other words, are you consuming more natural resources than nature can regenerate?

The sustainability office has also been mapping out a strategic plan for enhanced campus sustainability with anticipated cost savings and external funding opportunities.

The Office of Sustainability may seem like a program in danger of budget cuts, but because the office is funded by several different sources they are standing strong. The main base of funding comes from the health science campus, academic affairs and the facilities management program. The secondary source of funding comes from students. Every student gives the office $2.50 each semester in their tuition for a total of $150,000 a year.

The Office of Sustainability director, Myron Willson knows students don’t typically support these fees, but believes in the long run it will actually save students money.

“We are starting to see a difference,” Willson said. “We have energy saving programs, we have sponsored undergraduates for research opportunities, we are getting more and more students applying for funding to do their research or to do projects that they are interested in on campus. So I think people will start to see more evidence in the coming year.”

For the most part, budgeting priorities usually are given to projects that will help with green house gas reduction. However, they are willing to re-direct priorities when it comes to student ideas.

“This is an educational institute,” Willson said. “So when opportunities come up to work with students and curriculum to make a difference, there are programs and efforts that we do that may not have a direct or measurable impact, but long term it will grow support.”

With that money they are also sponsoring graduate students to do environmental research.

Getting students to become more sustainable has been easier for the office because the idea of being green has become somewhat trendy. The environmental studies program has been at the University of Utah since 1994, much before it was cool to be concerned with climate change. Since then it has been getting more popular every year.  According to University records, five years ago there were only 150 declared majors and today there are 265.

John Pruitt is a junior at the University of Utah and decided to become an environmental study major because he wants to make an economic impact.

“I’m interested in saving energy,” said Pruitt. “It could be argued economically, but I also look at it as being more efficient. All money starts from energy and it makes sense to be involved around it, and some may rub off on me more so in that field.”

Student involvement is increasing outside of the environmental study major as well. According to the University’s Recycling Coordinator Joshua James, being involved is as easy as knowing what the difference is between the black and blue garbage cans.  “With our poor economy students are doing more and more to help save them money,” James said. “With recycling increases, we have saved about $60,000 on trash dumping fees.”

The money that is saved from the trash dumping fees goes back into the recycling program and facilities management fund.

The university has evaluated virtually every aspect and mapped a path to a sustainable campus by doing everything from organic gardens, to recycling, to building energy and providing shuttles. While the economy continues to rise the campus is becoming more eco-friendly with changes the students can see.

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

Community-based art education used as tool by artists to build communities, change lives

Posted on March 1, 2011 by comm5775

Story and photo by MICHAEL OMAN

On a bad day she challenges you to a shouting match. Sometimes she resorts to hitting but not always. Generally she sits in silence, hunched over in her chair, ignoring the world around her. If you’re lucky enough to get a response it comes in the form of inaudible murmurings or a quick nod.

A mural by V. Kim Martinez's University of Utah students on the HB Boys building located at 2280 S. Main St. in Salt Lake City.

This is the scene Dr. Beth Krensky, associate professor of art at the University of Utah, sets in chapter four of the book she co-authored with colleague Seana Steffen. Engaging Classrooms and Communities through Art is a guide on reaching out to people through community-based art education (CBAE) programs.

The girl’s name is Amber. She was 12 years old then. The project: to build a tile entrance for Multimedia Park in Colorado. Some might describe her as a recluse but CBAE changed Amber’s life for the better.

“I have found it remarkable how profound the impact of participating in CBAE has been for so many of the youth and adults I have worked with over the years,” Krensky said. “In my experience, there have always been one or multiple ‘Amber[s].’”

It’s one reason Krensky stands behind CBAE, even in the face of a possible budget cut.

Continued support and patience from a contributing artist, identified as Rae in the book, changed Amber’s attitude. Art became a tool Amber used to express herself. As time progressed she began speaking to others without screaming. She became a leader by encouraging other youth to come and participate in the project. The once shy, tempered Amber even spoke to the media and gave a presentation once the project was completed.

Typically, CBAE works by non-profit organizations encouraging a community to work with a professional artist to produce a work of art.

“[The] facilitator of the project is making sure that people are building community, they’re coming to understand themselves and others,” Krensky said. “Artistic skills are being learned.”

The skills CBAE participants gain benefit those seeking productive careers later in life.

Independent studies confirm the importance of art education. A study published by the Teachers College Press, Studio Thinking, says art education creates “Eight Studio Habits of Mind.” Students learn to “envision, express, observe, reflect, and stretch and explore.” According to the study, the arts often lead to better SAT scores, too.

What makes CBAE unique, Krensky says, is that these projects change the landscape of communities and cross “ethnic barriers, racial barriers, socio-economic barriers, age barriers.” It brings communities together. “It is a place where a message from the community is put forth,” she said.

V. Kim Martinez, associate professor of painting and drawing at the University of Utah, echoes this sentiment.

Martinez teaches a class on murals. Towards the end of each semester the class ventures out into the community to paint a mural they designed in class — sometimes two. She says residents tend to develop a sense of pride for each piece. “They’re more willing to keep the area looking nice,” and, she says, even “businesses tend to remove unsightly drainage pipes.”

The presence of these murals can decrease the presence of graffiti, too. Martinez often hears communities warn, “If you tag this I’ll call the police.”

Her class is only one example of service-oriented classes offered by the university. For the last seven years, Krensky’s class, “Art in the Community,” worked with youth in the Salt Lake area using the CBAE model. Her class currently works with youth through South Salt Lake’s Pioneer Craft House.

Both classes face a major hurdle. The state needs to cut 7 percent from its budget for this upcoming fiscal year. Earlier this month legislation passed that proposes cuts to public education and higher education. Legislators stress the cuts could be temporary. Yet, if put into effect, some funding generally allocated to the University of Utah may vanish.

“We do not have the same funding opportunities that many other colleges have on campus,” Martinez said.

An online Deseret News article published January 31 explains, “The reason for the cuts is what’s being called a structural imbalance totaling some $313 million.” It’s a side effect of no longer receiving federal stimulus money or other sources of revenue the state received during the economic downturn, according to the article.

During the February 2 legislative session Representative Michael Morley R-Spanish Fork, chair member of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, supported the education cuts. “We think that it is responsible and will help us in solving our structural imbalance,” he said.

The proposed cuts could prove disastrous for some universities, which worries Martinez. “The mural class will not continue if I cannot find funding,” she says. “I often spend well over $700 on supplies a semester.”

Krensky remains hopeful for her class. “I don’t think the cuts will affect the class,” she says. By the earnest look on her face, it’s clear how seriously she takes her commitment to the youth of South Salt Lake. “We’d find a way to make it work regardless.”

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

« Previous Page — Next Page »