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Show 10.26.2009 10 mi by Joshua West : On the cast banks of Utah Lake ihe wind rushes through the vast fields of'rccd grass H\K\ they sway like waves in the breeze. Enormous pelicans are soaring, families of ducks paddle between the stalks of cattails. All this image is missing arc the sounds and smells of commuter traffic shattering the Iranquility as it roars down an "elevated six lane vehicle traffic highway." A private enterprise called Utah Crossing Inc. has come up with a solution to this problem. They propose to build a six lane, six-mile long bridge between Saratoga Springs and Orem. The bridge will be a "completely private venture, and be paid for through traffic loll." According to Marc Meilcson, a Sierra Club Western Regional representative, there are myriad problems with this bridge. There are no water quality mitigations to offset the impacts that the bridge will have on the lake. Rain and snow that fall onto the bridge will become contaminated and flow into the lake. The construction itself will require a tearing up of the lake bed in order to install steel beams every 150 feel. All of this in spile of recent efforts to help the endangered June Sucker regain a foothold in its natural habitat. Destroying and polluting the habitat is obviously counterproductive to '% those efforts. Utah Lake is a critical ecosystem l'"\[ for migratory birds. Birds use it as breedy ing habitat while on their north/south migra• "*-^ tions. It is one of the only natural fresh water .. lakes in our area, not to mention one of the only open spaces left in Utah Valley. Further development in the area will greatly reduce habitat space for these birds. Pelican Point, the area proposed as the west side connection of the bridge, is well to Ihe south of current residentially developed areas. The decision lo place the bridge in an iindc.vcloped area, well out of the way for Eagle Mountain commuters. ^ suggests that those behind the proposal are anticipating that the area will become developed, which is a fair bet. Interestingly enough, three of the four managers of the project listed on • :^ Utah Crossing's Web site are, in fact, real estate developers. Perhaps this devel- "1V opinenl is the real motivation for the bridge, especially considering that 86 percent of loll bridges in the United States are failing. Take a moment and imagine you are the lake. Imagine your delicate ecosystem was altered and abused by individuals who thought your generosity was endless. Imagine saying goodbye one by one to each species of fish that composed your self-regulating ecosystem until only two were left. Imagine that you've (barely) survived all of this only to become spoken of as though you were an obstacle in the way of commerce and motorized transportation. Imagine you are the last quiet place in your valley. Meilcson sums it up: "This is a true bridge to nowhere." He's wrong about this. It is a bridge to unrestrained development and the demise of this abused lake. There will be a public hearing on this issue on Oct. 29,6 p.m. at Utah County JAY ARCANSALIN /UVU Review T alcohol a shot ANDYSHERWIN Opinions writer Our beloved school's budget is suffering. Students have seen tuition rise like a steady flood for some time now. Parking passes cost $50 for a single semester, and that provides no guarantee of finding a spot in an overcrowded lot. The bathrooms in the Woodbury Business building are more like teleportation chambers to a 1970s Barstow truck stop. With the increased costs to students and decreased institutional resources that come with an economy, as this, where are we to turn for assistance? Why not try selling beer on campus? Such a suggestion, of course, breeds further questions. Why is alcohol"" prohibited on campus? It's difficult to address this without acknowledging the predominant culture in Utah's government, legislation and educational institutions. Is this an issue of pragmatism, or is it a matter of the separation of church and state? This does not even need to enter into the debate - our school is a state university and as such is in no way affiliated with any religion, nor should it be held to a religious standard. Several campus eateries sell coffee and tea, which is against the local grain. Expanding the market into beer could reap substantial financial benefits. One could argue that the commercial distribution of alcohol would breed drunkenness or slothful behavior. An easy fix to this, of course, is to extend the already firmly in-place public intoxication laws onto campus grounds as well. If a student comes to class drunk and dis- orderly, any reasonable professor would kick them out of class, just as they would surely kick a sober and disorderly student out of class. Our campus features several smoking areas outdoors for those students and faculty that choose to participate in such a practice. Why not restrict alcohol consumption to a campusrun in-or-outdoor beer garden for any (of legal age, of course) to come and take a load off? It's not such an outrageous proposition. Higher education institutions across the country sell alcoholic beverages on campus to those of legal Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Penn State, Berkeley: all fine establishments that see the advantages (social, financial, and otherwise) to such commerce. Further, anyone that claims to support entrepreneurship should find great reason to support the legalization of responsible alcohol consumption on campus. If the market doesn't bear it, then let's get rid of it, but not preemptively based on a tenuously subjective dogmatic imperative. Would you rather support a nanny state? The next time you're about to take your Bio 1010 midterm and can't quite shake your jitters or you're trying to muster the wherewithal to ask out that cute girl in your Literature of the American Renaissance class, think of how much easier your respective task would be after a brew or two. more Charitable chatty In the fight for a cure against cancer, we must account for all those who are afflicted us Opinions writer Like our own UVU Girl, many of the diagnosed face this trial without insurance or monetary means to battle it. Again, the experience is not * If you haven't read the flyers or singular. In answer to this, thousands been to the Web site, the affectionof charities have been organized ately named "UVU Girl" was diagacross the nation. In lieu of giving to nosed with acute myeloid leukemia individuals to cover medical costs, last month, a terrible disease. In the these charities opt to focus their fiscal last month, heroic efforts have been resources in helping find a cure and made to help her fight this battle and treatments that are both cost effective raise the necesand efficient. Instead sary $350,000 for a — — — ^™™~^~~™ o f a SU p er fi c j a j bandmuch-needed bone aid fix, these donamarrow transplant. tions further medical In lieu of giving to The surplus of research and offer handouts circulated individuals to cover a universal hope. across campus and What takes patience medical costs, these the article featured and sacrifice now charities opt to focus in this newspaper will benefit future their fiscal resources in generations and save are a testament to them from these helping find a cure and these noble labors on her behalf treatments that are both same heartaches and frustrations. i Her story, cost effective and efhowever dire and The $350,000 ! ficient. inspiring, is not meant for surgery particular. In this _________ __ may be better placed country alone, an in the hands of estimated 256,000 people are curdoctors who can find an effective ; rently living with or in remission of treatment rather than in those of the ; leukemia; and, in 2009 an anticipated doctors who can offer a 60 percent 460 children under the age of 15 will chance of survival to one single die of this same blood cancer. Where individual. are the flyers asking us to help the Let UVU Girl stand as a reminder other 255,999 victims of this terminal to what the real problems axe. If the sickness? Is there something callous need to do right is so apparent, let's • in rallying behind only one when so focus efforts, on what will be lastmany others are afflicted? ing and collectively valuable. As One may argue that she is one of the English poet John Donne stated, us and the only right thing to do is "Any man's death diminishes me, stand by her in this dark and frightbecause I am involved in Mankind; ening hour. Objectively, yes, that's and therefore never send to know right but each of the diagnosed is for whom the bell tolls..." No one equally loved by their own peers. deserves to die of cancer and I esThose 460 children also represent teem Urangoo, the UVU Girl, for her! 920 parents who are left with only courageous battle against this terrible! photos and memories. Can we really cancer. Nonetheless, she is not the place one life ahead of another based only one in dire need and she's not solely on proximity? the only one we can help. Correction In an Oct. 5 article entitled "A little too basic," we failed to acknowledge that the piece was written by. both John-Ross Boyce and Opinions editor David Self Newlin. We apologize for this mistake. i |