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Show Students speak about closing the gender gap in special 'days' BY HO LLY J. H UNT Thunderbird Staff Writer Closing the Gender Gap Awareness Days were recently held February 16-18. Its purpose was to educate tl1e srudents and com munity on various topics, such as abuse, date rape, and women's and men's issues, respectively. The flrst item on the agenda was a panel discussion, the topic being the educational issues involved in closing the gender gap. The panel included three administrators and three srudents. The administrators were Cal Stroud of the Cedar City Exchange C lub, Harman Bonniksen of tl1e Wellness Center, and Judy Bon niksen, Director of the Student Development Center. The students involved were Daniel Jackson, who is organizing a peer outlet program, Reza Rezavi, SUUSA peer -88_T_H_YE _ AR _ ; coordinator, and C heris Tucker, who is establishing a womens' commission on campus. Maren Maclean, Arts and Letters senator, said the panel was fai rly successfu l, saying she would have preferred a better rumout, but audiences attending were still very participative. Anoth,r activity included in awareness days encompassed all three days. It was a Video Showcase held in the Srudent Center Living Room that displayed short fllms on topics such as date rape, affirmative action, alcohol and drug abuse, and mens and womens issues. Dustin Tucker sold Personal Alarm Systems, duri ng the awareness days. PALS make a sh rill piercing beep when set off, which hopefully would ward off a potential attacker. They ranged in price from $20-40, depending on the kind of system preferred. C urrently, tl1ey can be checked out of the library and returned the next day. The fi nal activity was a paper link chain connection held in the Living Room. This activity was held for the Exchange Club, an organization that tries to overcome child abuse. Each link in the chain represented a 25-cent donation, with the name of the donato r on the chain. Fifry percent of the money raised will go to local centers for the prevention and education of child abuse. Maclean felt tl1at the awareness days were better represented this year than last She commented th at it wasn't "shoved in people's faces" like years past, and the whole attitude about everyth ing was a lot more relaxed. Overall, the vocal SUUSA senator says she was pleased with the enthusiam shown by students and looks forward to furure projects of the same kind. SEE PHOTO ON PAGE 3. -NU_M_B_E _R-36-----1:HP•if l;H•Piiihif§l¥i·tiiiii;ll·tidiifl----T-UES-D A _Y _, F· E-BR_U_A_R_Y22-, 1-9-94 Cedar bond election is today Education and economic growth at stake with $28 million bond BY HEATHER GREEN Of The Thunderbird Staff A young award winner a t Thursday's Young Scholars banquet, held in the R. Haze Hunter Conference Center, was the happy recip ient of recognition of her outstanding scholastics. Awards recognized local high-achie11ing grade-school students. Citizens of Iron County will vote today on a proposed $28 million bond that would increase monthly property taxes $6 to $7. The money gai ned from the proposed tax increase will be used for a new spectator gym, which includes four classrooms, at Parowan High School, plus a new auxiliary gym, srudent center and cafeteria at Cedar High School. Funds would also be used for a new high school and a 'middle school' fo r sixth and seventh graders. Superintendant of Iron County Schools DeeEI Stapley said there is an acute need fo r these proposed additions. The southern Utah and Cedar C ity populations are growing at a rate greater than that of any other area in Utal1. Such growth, according to Cedar City High School Principal Ron Ferguson, is not solicited, but because of this increase of people from the ages of 35 to 40 years, there is a marked increase of the younger population as well. This is observed in the higher enrollment in Iron County pu blic schools. Because the birth rate in Utah has declined , many assumed that there would be a decrease in public school en rollment This, however, has not been the case here. An increasing number of companies from out of state are relocating in tl1e Cedar City area, bringing with tl1em not only economic advantages but the problem of over-crowded classrooms as well. State projections for enrollment in Iron County scl1ools for l 992 were 4 ,800 students. Acrual enrollment obliterated that projection by 1,080 srudents. C urrent cond itions in the schools are indeed poor. There is currently not enough space for stable teacher workstations and far too many srudents per classroom, eliminating the individual help available to each student Overcrowded classrooms have precipitated the need fo r either double sessions in school, or the construction of the proposed buildings. Double sessions would entail srudents attending one of two school sessions held from 6 a.m. to noon, or from l p.m. to 7 p.m. ll1is solution, though viable, is viewed as non practical because of d1e child care problems it would facilitate. The second option-construction of new schools and the expansion of existing strucrures-entails the $28 million bond. If this option is cl1osen as the acceptable course of action, construction will begin this summer with the building of a sixth-seventh grade school on the Leigh Hill BLM land which should be open for school the fall of 1995. The sixth and seventh graders would move into this facility, and the District would move the ninth graders to the middle sci1ool making C MS an eighth-ninm grade school- giving 25 percent relief to the student population at Cedar High School and 33 percent relief to Cedar Middle School. That would allow ample planning and building time for a second high school due to be completed in 1997, before growth caught up to available classroom space. The new high school would d1en be built just north of the Sun bow Subdivision between Highway 91 and 1-15. The new schools are designed so d1at future additions can be made easily. "l don't know how we can do any better than this," said Stapley. Foes of the measure cite what they term already high taxes and a desire to limit growth in the area. According to Cedar City Mayor Harold Shirley, there is a small faction that wants to limit actual growth wid1in the city's limits. But most city officials saiy d1ey feel growth of Iron County will not be stopped whether it may be good or bad and Cedar C ity needs to plan fo r the furure-a vote yes today being a step in that direction. TI1e education of Iron County's !ci1ildren is at stake and need s to be provided for, they maintain. This bond tax would enable Iron County School District to, at the least, continue to provide a quality education and keep up with the blossoming econo my. |