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Show NEWS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2007 DIXIE SUN - 3 Scooters save owners Food plans just not enough money in many ways BY TRENT BINGHAM For the Dixie Sun r Students living in the dorms are required to buy a campus services meal plan because there are no it cooking facilities in the dorm rooms. Kathy Welch, resident life office manager, said the fire marshal has prohibited the college dorm rooms from having any cooking equipment because it would be a fire hazard. The mandatory meal plan purchase is ins. on osnj play Png sto there so dorm residents can have a way to eat sit to while on campus. The campus dining services is made up of the Red Rock Cafe and the General Store. The Red Rock Cafe is a dining area comprised of different types of mini restaurants where students can buy a variety of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The General Store is a small convenience store, which has snacks, beverages and other goods available for students to spot ys 'and in as, meet ning k the :of S pt sug- to 5 to m irge 'art Kenner Lund, a Spanish major from St. George, rides his scooter everywhere he goes. He more money riding his scooter than driving a car. Sophomore saves ie BY because it costs almost nothing to maintain it. "Normally for cars oil changes average to about $25, but for a scooter it should be around ASHLEY ADAMS Sun Staff Writer Dixie lid With gas prices rising students have tried to find ;s a k that is gas saver: vehicle mate the the ulti- $10-12,- scoot- er and the oil filters are cheaper than they are for mana- McGovern, David gen- oil ger at D&T Performance, said there are many benef- it-- gn- ; le it to it le nd. is fl ig n r," McGovern said. Lance Shurtz, sales associate at Stephen Wade Power Sports, agreed with McGovern that gas mileage is a real plus in owning a scooter. Shurtz said: "You can get to 90 scooter. miles a gallon While in a car, $45-7- in a have." average per gallon. in gas hat ve So the savings are huge in arison to cars." prices Ryan Kunzler, a Shurtz said payments and insurance are also another reason to go with a scooter. "If you go through a finance program to fmance a scooter then you can get payments as low as $30 a month while insurance to cover can be a anywhere from month," Shurtz said. "Insurance is really cheap because theres really no money on them because they are pretty cheap to comp- sopho- business major from more Bountiful, owns both a car and a scooter and said he ie his scooter all because it saves drives ih time last of illah gas "I fill the a lot every month. up my $26-2- scooter four to five times and put about $4 in each time, Kunzler said Then I fill up my car once a month and put $40 probably a month in ned Sea Shurtz said sig la the iand two cap uly ay parking is benefit to driving another a scooter. can always get front parking because it's not a big thing to park, so you can almost park it anywhere," Shurtz said. McGovern said maintenance is another reason to Ny a scooter over a car "You row VACCINES 1 continued from page 1 influenza can actually 'ead to pneumonia, and according to the vacci-nation information state- ment for duced by 2007-200- 8 pro- the Centers for 'sease Control and Prevention, on average 26,000 people are i and 36,000 people die every year from k hospi-'alize- 'nfluenza. I'he CDC also stressed importance of those iving in crowded condi-1Qnspecifically dormi-0rieto seriously r receiving the in order to t an outbreak. Teddy Owens, a junior rra Pleasant Grove he s con-s'de- vacci-hatio- J ith 9d'l maloring n. pre-ven- m communica- - 8 buy." in" ac- 5 $20-5- 0 on the car of course, you only about 15 miles h Changing a tire on a scooter is rare, but a tire for a scooter will be a lot cheaper than a car tire. Plus, scooter tires dont need to be rotated. "For a decent tire for a car it can run anywhere from depending on your car, whether its a small car or a big truck," McGovern said. "For a scooter an average tire costs anywhere from again just depending on what kind of scooter you probably the number one benefit of owning a scoote- depending find cars." its to having a scooter aver a car. Good gas mileage is up they " McGovern said. "The reason for this is because the n Kunzler said he only pays $6 a month in insurance for his scooter. He paid for his scooter all at once so he didnt finance it, but he said he wouldve a month if he paid $60-70 hadnt. As far as buying a scooter, McGovern said a going scootprice for a er is $5,000. He also sug top-notc- h tion, received a flu shot two years ago while attending Southwest Baptist University in Missouri. My deltoid was sore for two days, Owens said, but I didnt get sick that year. According to an article by Linda Bren published in the September-Octobe- r 2006 issue of The FDA Consumer Magazine titled "Influenza: vaccinations still best protection," getting vaccinated is still the best method of protection against the flu, and although some mild soreness my occur at the spot of injection, the shot cannot actually cause influenza. It is highly unusual for anyone to have a negative reaction, Neff gested the model Vespa (years 98 and above). Shurtz suggested going with the brands Yamaha or Honda instead of Chinese brands. "The Yamahas and Hondas will be pricier, but the quality is a lot better than the Chinese cars, even though they are less expensive," Shurtz said. Shurtz suggested the Veno 50-4- for college 0 stu- dents because it gets them around town fine, but it only goes up to about 40 . 'rnph. The Veno 121 gets up to about mph, which works better on a freeway. Despite the cost efficiency of a scooter, there are some setbacks. The first is safety. "You run the risk of being hit by someone in a car," McGovern said. "You also run the risk of losing control of the scooter. McGovern said the difference in being in an accident on a scooter vs. a car is a big factor in safety. A driver can be protected in a car, but there is purchase. Dorm resident Manu Mafi, a freshman finance major from Long Beach, Calif., said the school should offer more meal plan options so students can purchase a meal plan that fits their needs. The college currently offers three meal plan options. Meal plan A costs $749 and does not include any money to use at the General Store. Meal plan B costs $849 and includes $100 dollars to use at the General Store. Meal plan C costs $949 and includes $150 dollars to use at the General Store. Dorm resident Ashley Bohls, a freshman education major from Las Vegas, said she doesnt even eat on campus that often so the qh'eapest meal-pladoes not fit her needs, and it is just another unneeded expense for her. However, some students who regularly eat on campus have difficulties with their meal plans. Sophomore dorm resident Aaron Davies, a general education major from Spanish Fork, said he eats there all the time, and the largest meal plan does not fit his needs. Mafi said his meal card is almost out of money, and the semester is only halfway through. According to the Dixie State College dining services Web site, a student can spend approximately $44 dollars per week with Meal plan A to last the whole semester. Meal plan B averages out to $50 per week, and meal plan C averages out to $55 per week. That'means a student with the largest meal chases made with a meal card. This totals out to be 12.25 percent savings per purchase. Dorm resident David Howell, plan can spend $7.85 per day on food. Nearly every student interviewed said he or she spends more than $7.85 on two meals per day. Virginia Bundy, lead supervisor of Red Rock Cafe, said most dorm students run out of money because of poor personal financing skills. Students can also add more money to their cards if they run out. Dorm resident Gavin Gardner, a sophomore general education major from Spanish Fork, said his biggest complaint with the dining services is the pricing. The food prices are ridiculous, Gardner said. I think a yogurt is $1, and an apple juice is more expensive in the cafe than purchasing it out of the vending machine down the hall. Students with meal cards receive a 5 percent discount off the posted prices. In addition, sa.les;t&x is nof charged to'pur- - a freshman busi- ness management major from Hilo, Hawaii, said even with these savings a balanced meal at the cafe costs more than it would to cook a meal at home. Howell said because the meal plans are mandatory, the cafe and general store can charge whatever they want for their food because they have a monopoly on the dorm res-- , idents business. Bundy said the cafe sets all the prices to be competitive with local restaurants around St. George. She said students can go out and buy fast food for less, but they arent going to get the same quality food as they get from the cafe. Most students said they enjoyed the variety and quality of the food at the cafe. Some students had a hard time getting to the cafe during the hours the main food stations are open, but nearly every one of the students interviewed said he or she liked the food available when the main stations are open. Dorm residents are allowed to have a microwave in their room but no other cooking utilities. Eating out or having a microwave dinner are the students only alternatives to having a cooked meal. Until tlie dorms are equipped with some type of cooking facility, or purchasing a meal card is not mandatory, dorm residents will continue to eat on campus. The Red Rock Cafe is located on the first floor of the Gardner Student Center. It is open Mohday through Friday froth 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and week-- ; ; ends from 12-- p.m. ";,, 1 6 , 50-6- 0 nothing but the pavement with a scooter. Kunzler said he doesnt like the fact he smells like exhaust from all the other cars when he rides his scooter or when things in the air hit him in the face. Another setback in having a scooter is the lack of protection from cold or rainy weather. Also, cars have room for passengers or other stuff, while scooters can really only hold up to two people and don't always have storage space. Overall, there are disadvantages with both scooters and cars, but deciding on the best choice is the challenge. said, although questions have risen about whether or not the vaccination is safe. There are two types of vaccines: inactivated (killed) which is the flu shot, and live, attenuated (weakened), which is sprayed in the nostrils. According to the CDC, a component called thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury, is found in some inactivated vaccines and has been believed by some to cause developmental problems m children. The Institute of Medicine published a report in 2004 with a disof this proving outcomescientific belief based on studies and said there is no evidence of such a relationship. People concerned about Rock Cafe. May Sophomore Richard May, a biology major from Rockland, Idaho, eats at the Red says he loves the cafeterias breakfast. thimerosal should ask their doctor about a thimerosal-fre- e influen- za vaccine. Students have several options for where to go to receive a flu shot, even if they do not have a doctor. The Public Health Department, located at 620 S. 400 East, offers the vaccination for $25 on a walk-ibasis. St. George Discount Pharmacy also offers the shot for $25 and is located at 145 W. 450 North. Pharmacist Cale Batt said although the vaccine is available through February, now is the best time for students to get vaccinated because the viruses are beginning to spread. n 5 ff Shuttle Service From St George To Salt Lake City Daily with stops at Cedar City, Beaver, Fillmore Nephi. Vans Quiet Ftide IVe w On tiaard Mavies Student Discount - v r & - Book online www.aztecshuttle.com Or Call : 435-656-90- 40 |