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Show N I V E s I y FOOTBALL GAME CANCELED: Saturday's football game versus Western Montana was canceled due to an NCAA ruling. On Thursday, the 'Birds asked the NCAA for a waiver, which would allow them to continue with game plans, but the request was_denied. SEE PAGE 17. During the first week of school, students had the opportunity to meet new friends and slowly move from a summer mindset back into a studious mode. The purpose of Welcome Week was to put students at ease and give them a chance to rel.ax, have fun and meet new people. 'It's made the transition of moving away from home a lot easier, · said Annalee Bouwhuis, a freshman biology major from Brigham City, Utah. Welcome Week included a carnival, welcome assembly, barbecue, comedy show, inflatable toys, volleyball tournament, karaoke, bands, dances and finished off with an open house at the home of SUU President Steven D. Bennion. 'I don't think we have ever had such a great turnout and so much support from the students. It's been an incredible week,' said Peterson. Bennion cites -concerns for -new year BY GRACE BOYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER Faculty and staff salaries, the new Physical Education Building and new master's degree programs highlight SUU President Steven D. Bennion's concerns to} the coming year. ·we have a very dedicated group of [faculty and staff] here," Bennion said, adding that the state leglslature provided an average two and one-half percent compensation increase last year. Out of that money comes funds for health insurance and other benefits, alol"!g with increases in salaries. Bennion did not feel the increase.was sufficient and is pushing for more from future legislative sessions. Bennion defended a reduction in health insurance benefits which were implemented more than a year ago because of soaring costs. Affected employees were those spouses of other SUU employees, whose secondary insurance coverage was effectively eliminated. Bennion said the alternative was to cut coverage across the board. At the same time, Bennion said, good management helped keep the .university's overhead costs to an 11-12 percent inflation, contrary to an approximate 25 percent increase at other state universities in the same period. The construction of the new P.E. Building represents op·portunity for expansion, said Bennion. "It's a wonderful addition to our P.E. program," he said. "It's been an eight-year dream." The building, he said, will have classrooms, testing labs, and offices besides three gymnasiums, a suspended track and an Olympic-sized pool. The recent approval of a master of fine arts degree in arts administration is just th·e beginning of new academic possibilities, Bennion said. "Being able to offer new master's degrees is exciting. We need to offer more,'• he said. He anticipates a new master of business education degree program to be taken to the State Board of Regents later this fall. with at least six more degrees · on the drawing boards," (See story on page 3). The additional prog·rams are possible because of the growth the university has experienced in recent years. (continued on page 3) . l · |