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Show GENERAL ELECTIONS WEDNESDAY: GYMNASTICS SEASON SUU students may ask themselves, ‘For whom shall I vote during SUUSA's general elections on Wednesday?’ SUUSA candidates talk about Dplatforms and qualifications that would make them effective in their respective positions. Also, become acquainted with SUUSA constitutional amendment proposals. SEE PAGES The SUU gymnastics team closed. its regular season with a split of two meets last week. On Wednesday night the 'Birds scored a 196.000-194.850 victory over Utah State in the Centrum. SUU scored season-highs in 1, 3 & 4. three of four events. SEE PAGE 8. S EVENTS CALENPAIG Y BAGETO, Egan Gunnarson Matt Glazier of the Caution party Gunnarson, Matt Glazier, a senior biology major from West Jordan, Utah, is the Caution party candidate for SUUSA President, He said he has three items in his platform: A tuition payment plan for students, openness about the use of student fees and student involvement at SUU. Glazier said that after campaigning for SUUSA Senate last year, he thought he would never do it again. “The more I thought about it [and] the more I looked around and talked to people, the more I realized that there are really a lot of things I want to see done here,” he said. “I felt like I still had something left to give, and so I feel like I couldn’t just stop in the middle of the game.” X A tuition payment plan would allow students to pay for their tuition throughout the semester instead of having the entire amount due at the beginning, A small interest rate to cover paperwork and fees would accompany payments, Glazier said. “I think what that does is [open] it up to the students to be able to work their way through college,” Glazier said. “A lot of people throw in a credit card, haye to call SUU ENDS: | of the Voice Glazier vie for presidtial mom and dad or get a loan. I think it would help our students stay out of debt.” Other schools in the state, such as Salt Lake Community College, have a tuition payment plan in place. “It’s not like a new thing,” Glazier said. “It’s totally doable. I talked to the Cashier’s Office about it [and] I've talked to [Head Cashier] Wes Brinkerhoff about it. I think it is something that SUU can benefit from.” Glazier said he thinks a tuition payment plan would help boost retention. “I know a lot of students who don’t qualify for financial aid or student loans [and will] go to school for a semester, take a semester off and then go to school again for a semester,” he said. “That takes forever: to get done. I think if we allow them to pay for that throughout, they’ll be able to get done quicker and move on to their jobs and stay out of debt.” Glazier said he would also like to see more openness about the spending of student fees. “Students just pay those fees at the very beginning and they don'’t see really where (continued on page 4) Egan Gunnarson, a senior political science major from Boise, Idaho, is the Voice Box candidate for SUUSA President. If elected, he said he has five goals as president: To be the voice of the students, to implement a student advocate position, to link the school to the community, to set up a public-address system and to help students “get out of their boxes.” “It all follows the theme of our name,‘Voice Box from beginning to end,’” Gunnarson said. He said he believes student government is already in a position to be the voice of the students, but said he would like to “elevate the persona of the position a little bit more.” Gunnarson said he plans to accomplish that goal by implementing a student advocate position in student government. The position would involve one person— or pethaps several— to find out how students feel. “I want [the advocate] to... poll the students, to talk to them, to represent them and to know how they feel,” Gunnarson said. “[His or her] responsibility would then be to report to the [SUUSA Senate], to Clubs and Organizations Assembly and to myself.” Box party | post He said the position would be a paid cabinet position that would “probably [receive] half-tuition scholarship.” Gunnarson would also like to link the university to local and state government. “I have been doing an internship with the city council, the mayor, the city attorney, the city planner,” Gunnarson said. “I have learned how [government] works, what the inner workings are. I want to help those individuals and those entities become linked to the university.” Another platform issue is to develop a public-address system. He said the Sharwan Smith Center had a public-address system years ago that was used to inform students. “One of the greatest things I think I can do as student body president is let [students] know what's going on... I don’t want to be someone who is just involved with the presidential side,” Gunnarson said. The public-address system could be established in three ways. A fire system with speakers is already installed in the Sharwan Smith Center— all that is needed is the fire marshal’'s permission, he said. (continued on page 4) tuition to increase 9 percent next year BY MARY HAMMON SENIOR STAFE WRITER SUU President Steven D. Bennion’s announcement of a 9-percent second-tier tuition increase has raised concern from student government leaders about the administration’s decision-making process. SUUSA President Ryan Richey said he asked Bennion to show students how the administration was cutting costs before setting the number for a tuition increase. “I asked President Bennion for an itemized listing of how the university intends to meet students half-way,” Richey said Saturday. The SUUSA Senate also passed a resolution asking that a report of the administration’s plan to cut costs be submitted to students before tuition was increased. Richey said his primary concern is to prevent all the financial burden of the economic downturn from falling on students. The 9-percent increase amounts to $80 more pet semester for resident students. Richey said students supported the administration’s need for a tuition increase, but he would also like to see the administration “streamline finances”. “I haven’t met a student yet who isn’t willing to increase the cost of tuition to keep | wed 010 e u‘ze‘shou the quality of Stick with the their education; this increase, but it is necessary to maintain the quality of programs,” he said. Bennion said six other universities in the Utah System of Higher Education will probably increase tuition 9-percent. One institution’s increase may be as large as 15 percent, he said. “We're not \Drocess all the way unique in this they know it is effort,” he said. necessary,” he through, and 1 am Bennion also said said. concerned that ai the increase in Bennion said the end of the vace graduate and nonthe university resident tuition will administration is they have changed be more significant preparing the because the Utah report and Legislature mandated SULSA President “working on the higher increases in details to be Ryan Richey said, those areas.. prepared to share Richey said the administration had at the hearing.” i worked closely with him and with the senate He added that the tuition increase will to keep students informed, but the cover half the budget cutbacks, and announcement still was a surprise. administration will cover the rest. “Up to this point, the president and the “We'te not delighted to come forward with all the rules,’ provost have been very supportive and informative, and I think we should keep working together,” he said. ‘I 'think we should stick with the process all the way through, and I am concerned that at the end of the race they have changed all the rules,” he added. Richey said 9 percent was the largest figure he discussed with Bennion. The Utah Legislature and Board of Regents have approved a 3.5 percent first- tier tuition increase. The second-tier increase is left to the discretion of the institution. Bennion will sponsor a hearing on March 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Starlight Room of the Sharwan Smith Center to inform students about the increase. Richey said students should attend the hearing to form educated opinions about the increase instead of using it as a rally to protest. “Last year only six students came to the hearing, and I hope this year students will come to be informed and education about their tuition dollars,” he said. |