OCR Text |
Show 2 . IJIMrslty Jt1llrB • Mandll'/, July 29, 1996 Cost of IIVlng In Cedar Cit}' remains stable T =~ he composite cost of living remained slightly above the national average in St. George and stayed slightly below the national average in Cedar City during the first quarter of 1996 according to a quarterly study completed for the American Chamber of Commerce Researcher's Association {ACCRA). St. George recorded an indexed composite cost of living figure of 104.3 during the first three months of 1996. A 100 figure represents the national average cost of living. Cedar City's figure was 93.9 for the same quarter, up from 93.7 for the previous quarter. St. George's 104.3 compares with 101 .7 three months earlier. "The quarterly study is funded jointly by lntermountain Health Care, WECCO , St. George, and Cedar City," Dr. Alan Hamlin, . professor of business at Southern University, who gathered the data, said . "Our local data is included in the Cost of Living Index published by ACCRA. This then allows costs in this area to be compared to prices in other cities around the nation." Composite cost of living figures for other Utah cities show Provo at 101.8; Logan , 104;and Salt Lake City, 96.7. The cost of living in selected out-of-state cities includes Las Vegas, Nev., 101 .9; Flagstaff, Ariz., 108.6; Denver, 103.1 ; Los Angeles, 117.1; and San Diego, 120.7. A breakdown into individual categories in St. George for the first quarter of 1996 shows food (104.7), housing (111 .0), transportation (104.7), and miscellaneous (104.1) costs ranking above 100. Categories below 100 in St. George are utilities (85.6) and health care (97.1). In Cedar City only food (105.8) and transportation (101 .2) rank over 100. Categories under 100 include - - - 1 housing (84.4) , utilities (88.2), health care (97.8), and miscellaneous (98.5) . "Since the data is collected quarterly, local costs can be tracked over time," Hamlin points out. "For example, the most recent information (for the second week of July) shows an average 1 ,800 square foot new home in St. George now costs $147,000, down from the previous $150,625; while the same .home in Cedar City has risen to $113,375, up from $112,625. = --~ Plays in progress set to begin (continued from page 11 a theatre professor at BYU and is a writer for the television program "Music and the Spoken Word." Edward Mast is an award-winning playwright living in Seattle, Washington. His plays have been produced by the Freehold and Pioneer Square theatres in Seattle and in California, Chicago, Washington D.C., Honolulu, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oregon, a,nd Missouri. His theatre career has included work as a dramaturg, director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has written scripts for film, television, and radio, as well the theatre. His play, Sacrilege, received the first place award in the University of Alaska Native American Plays Contest. The New Plays-in-Progress Readings offer Festival audiences an introduction to four interesting new plays and the opportunity to explore the development of each play with the playwright, the director, and the actorswho lead a discussion with the audience after each reading. Producers stress that the plays in this series are written for a contemporary adult audience and may contain strong language and themes that some may find offensive. Co-ed is attaclfed at night on campus A female SUU student and member of the Utah Shakespearean Festival Company's concession crew, was assaulted on campus on her way to her apartment at approximately 2:45 a.m. July 19. According to USF Operations Manager Christopher J. Nelson, the assailant, who wielded a sharp instrument similar to an Xacto knife, asked the student for her backpack. Upon her refusal, she was cut on her arms and face before fighting him off and escaping . She was treated at Valley View Medical Center and released, but ~emains quite shaken by her ordeal. The assailant is described as a white male , 17-18 years old with a slender build and large lips. He was wearing a black or blue baseball cap, a reddish T-shirt and light blue I Levi pants. Campus security is continuing with the investigation and reminds students and others not to walk· alone on campus or in the city after dark. SUU 's office of security also reminds those on campus that they may call the office at 586-7793, 24 hours a day, if they are alone or concerned. Walking in well-lit areas is also advised. SUU Associate Vice President for Student Services Georgia Beth Thompson called the incident very concerning and regrettable. Noting that the relative quiet of the town and campus does give people a somewhat false sense of security, she said , "Although Cedar City and SUU are relatively quite safe , unfortunately crime does occur here and students and others are urged to use good judgment and caution. If walking on camous at night traveling in pairs is good advice.~ Average apartment rents in St. George are now $540 per month for a two bedroom unit, while those in Cedar City are $438." Data collected allowed Hamlin to make comparisons between the three major food stores in each of the two cities. The price of 27 specific food items priced at different stores on the same day was totaled. The cost for those items ranged between $60.14 and $62.89 in Cedar City and between $62.36 and $66.1 2 in St. George. Data collected in July shows stable southern Utah prices, accordin g to Hamlin. "The preliminary data for the third quarter report indicate that there is little upward pressure on local prices," Hamlin said. "Overall, prices rose at a 3.3 percent annual pace in Cedar City and actually dropped 2.08 percent in St. George. Cedar'g increase is about even with the rest of the nation. Most of the change occurred in the areas of groceries, health care, and miscellaneous items in both cities." Worlfplace communication is subject of conference mproving communication in the workplace will be the overall objective of an intensive one day conference being hosted Aug. 21 by Southern Utah University Conference Services. Specific topics to be covered will include basic communication skills, giving and receiving feedback, conflict management, communication between supervisors and those receiving supervision, and the prevention of sexual harassment. The conference will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Charles R. Hunter Room of the Hunter Conference Center. Those who have not registered in advance may sign up for the conference between 8:30-9 a.m . at the Hunter Room . Advance registration may be completed by calling Nancy Burr, (801) 5867853, at the conference center. Cost of the conference is $99 per person, with reduced rates for group registration. Merle 0 . Hellickson, an organizational and management specialist, will direct the conference. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Eastern Montana College and a master's degree in organizational behavior from Brigham Young University. As a consultant, he has worked with several major firms, including Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Kenworth Truck Company, and Oregon Natural Resource Conservation Service . "Much of our success in the workplace-and in life-is dependent on our communication skills," Jill Dail, director of conference services, said. "This conference promises help in such areas as communicating without getting sidetracked by personal feelings and agendas , disarming potentially harmful conflict situations, creating productive supervisor-supervisee interchanges, and understanding what constitutes harassment. T his conference offers some valuable material and informatior I |