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Show " • THE THUNDERBIRDOSOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSJTYOMONDAY JANUARY 13, 19920PAGE 3 McGuire shares dreams BY JAY HINTON of The Tlwndnbird Sta.ff "Dream, dream, don't forget to dream,'' said long-time college basketball coach and NBC Sportscaster Al McGuire at Thursday's Convocation. In McGuire's case, h is dreams have been more than dreams, they have become his life. "I never had a dream that never came to reality,'' said McGuire. McGuire challenged the audience to live their dreams, to live in the moment, and never let an opportunity pass to do something that they want to do. His life is a model example of how his dreams have developed into his life. McGuire's dreams of playing basketball became a reality when he played collegiately at St. John's University and professionally for the New York Knickerbockers. His fantasy of coaching basketball came soon after ending his career in the NBA when he coached at Dartmouth College and Belmont Abbey, but it wasn't until he embarked on his 13-seasoo coaching career at Marquette University that he made his mark in the basketball world . McGuire noted that his successful coaching career at Marquette came after trouble and discouragement at his previous two coaching positions, principally Belmont Abbey. "I wasn't ready to coach until after my seven years at Belmont Abbey," said McGuire. He said that although he reached his eventual goal of coaching at a major university, he was grateful for the times he i;ycnt at Belmont Abbey. His greatest dream came to reality in the final game of his coaching career when his Marquette Warriors battled Dean Smith and North Carolina for the 1977 national championship in New York City's Madison Square Garden. ''My dream was to play in front of a packed house in Madison Square Garden and win the national championship," said McGuire. He said that he knew his second dream had come true when he heard over the intercom as he was walking to the arena, ''two dollars, standing room only." McGuire said, "I walked in the arena through the players entrance and T knew that that dream was over." McGuire, who characterizes himself as a dreamer, said that his lifetime ambition has been to live four lives. The first two, playing and coaching pro and collegiate basketball are now completed. The third phase of his life will come to an end after his final assignment for NBC to cover the 1992 Summer Olympic games in Barcelona, Spain. His fourth will begin, at the age of 62, with a move to live in New Zealand. McGuire said that although it is important to dream, students must recognize that they'll never know when those dreams will become realities. He said, "Live in the moment ... don't be too busy watching the mice because the elephant will walk out the front door." 'NBC Sports' color man Al McGuire tol.d his predictions for the upcoming sport's year and offered advice for SU's own basketball team during his Convocation address Thursday. Ropers rounds up homeless Cedar maintains low cost of living - Richard Ropers, associate professor of The first book that Ropers wrote was behavorial and social sciences, is not your run- entitled The Invisible Homeless: A New Urban of-the-mill university professor. His wide Ecology. This book was followed up by Urban ranging interests have led him to study and Ecology in the 1990's: Living the American experience first hand some of the various subNightmare, and then his most recent, Persistent cultures in the United States. Poverty: The American Dream Turned Nightmare. Born and raised in _ _ _ _ _...,,..______ Even though his first book Brooklyn, New York, Ropers joined the army when he turned 18. Later, he attended Western Michigan University earning a doctorate degree in sociology and working with the unemployed. While Ropers was doing was considered extremely gloomy, its first printing was sold out in four months. Ropers came to SUSC in the fall of 1985 and has taught Sociology 101, Urban Sociology, Criminology, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Sociology Research, and Mental Illness classes. further research to augment bis sociology degree, he completed an internship at a Although Ropers has been community mental health highly published, he said he center and became directly works to ensure that students involved with the plight of the Richard Ropers are not neglected. He said, nation's homeless. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ''Although we are not a big research university, excellence in teaching Today, Ropers has become an expert on the homeless and has devoted much of his time should go hand-in-hand with scholarship in the university." and effort to educating people on this widely stereotyped subject. In recognition of his Ropers said such an emphasis on efforts, Ropers has been asked to scholarship is essential, especially now that SU serve on the Governor's Coordinating is celebrating its one-year anniversary as a Committee for the Homeless and, with the university. "I have enjoyed being able to help of his students, compiled a state-wide participate in the changes and in the survey on the homeless in Utah in 1986. university status. I like the dynamic growth and change that has taken place," he said. He has been in numerous newspaper articles and bas appeared on shows such as Hour In addition to his research interests, Ropers Magazine, where be was interviewed on his enjoys hiking, hunting, archaeology, and many books that he has written about poverty studying Indian cultures of the southwestern and the homeless. United States. The overall cost of living in southern Utah declined slightly c-"mpared to national averages during the third quarter of 1991, according to Alan Hamlin , professor of finance at Southern Utah University. Hamlin gathers cost data for submission to the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association (ACCRA), which then publishes the cost figures for St. George and Cedar City together with the same information on over 300 other cities and towns nationwide. The cost of living can then be compared between different localities. In the second quarter of 1991, the overall cost of living in St. George was 100.6 percent of the national average, while in Cedar City it was 89.5 percent. However, by the end of the third quarter, St. George dropped to 97 .1 percent, while in Cedar City it rose very slightly to 89.9 percent. ''These numbers indicate that not only is southern Utah a relatively inexpensive place to live, but our costs are rising no faster than costs nationwide," Hamlin ~aid. "Further, southern Utah is extremely attractive relative to areas from which we draw retirees and business. For example, the cost of living in Las Vegas (for the same quarter) is 110.3 percent of the national average, Phoenix is 1Q1. 7 percent, Los Angeles is 124.6 percent and San Diego is 128. 5 percent." In Cedar City grocery costs topped the list at 98. 7 percent of the national average; housing listing at 77 .4 percent; utilities , 83.5 percent; transportation at 92.8 p.ercent; health care costs reaching 98 percent; and miscellaneous items, 96.1 percent. Home prices averaged $89,000, and apartment units rented for $308 per month. Specific costs in St. George included: groceries, 91.4 percent; housing, 99.8 percent; utilities, 82 percent; transportation, 102.3 percent; health care, 98 percent; and miscellaneous items, 1?1.3 percent. The average home in St. George cost $112,570 during the third quarter, and apartment rents averaged $423 for a 900 square-foot unit. |