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Show A5 NEWS Activists on campus re-imagine King's dream rn . i Courtsey ofStock.Xchng Human trafficking is startlingly common and many groups are collaborating to make people aware. Human trafficking in Utah growing by the numbers By Gladis Higginbotham Asst. News Editor A worldwide business bringing in $43 billion a year trafficking humans is closer to Utah than most residents realize. Peace and Justice Studies, joined by the Honor society and Phi Theta Kappa hosted "Slavery in Utah: Human Trafficking" on Dec. 2 in hopes of raising local awareness. Human trafficking is the buying and selling of people. "Most people associate this with just sex," said Jacque Baumer, a student of Peace and Justice Studies and coordinator of the event. "But it's more than that, it is also labor and domestic slavery and it happens in Utah all the time." The panel included: Brad Manuel, executive director of Operation 61; Lindsay Hadley, executive director of Child Rescue; Gina Bellzatine, program coordinator of Victims Services-Utah Health and Human Rights; Detective Rob Woodbury, Utah State Trafficking Task Force; and Virginia Sudbury, state human trafficking attorney. "It's happening in the playground, in peaceful neighborhoods, in malls and at school," Baumer said. "The main targets are children in elementary and junior high schools, as well as men and women of all ages." According to Baumer, there are about 300,000 American children and youth in the world who are at risk for sexual exploitation and sex trafficking every year, making up 50 percent of the victims in the world. "Trafficking victims come from a range of backgrounds and many may come from middle and upper class families," Sudbury said. Since trafficking victims can be rich or poor, man or woman, child or adult, foreign or local, according to the panel, anyone is at risk of being trafficked. "However, traffickers prey most often on individuals who are vulnerable in some way because they are easier to coerce and control," Woodbury said. "Most vulnerable individuals include undocumented immigrants, runaways, at-risk youth, and oppressed or marginalized groups." Woodbury also said that while human trafficking occurs in illegal and underground markets, it also happens in legal settings such as nail salons, restaurants, large fancy hotels and even in private homes. Nonetheless, shopping malls ranked among the top. The number one destination in the world of sexual exploitation, according to the panel, is the United States. The average age of exploited victims is 13. "The reason is because we in America tend to believe that we live in a perfect society," Sudbury said. "We can't wait until tomorrow or the next day to bring awareness, do something about this, the time is now." All members of the panel asked and challenged every member of the audience to go out and build awareness by using their individual talents. "Watch and observe; pay attention to the subtle signs of something out of the ordinary," Sudbury said. The solution, according to Manuel, is the students and the citizens, who unknowingly walk side-by-side with victims or victimizers. "It's going to be you, the ones to teach the rest that these things are not OK and educate them about the issue. That's when we'll be the most effective," Manuel said. Student, Tyler Nelson, also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, plans to work closely with Love 146, a nonprofit organization to build awareness throughout campus. "I feel that it has made me more aware of the problem," Nelson said. "With 33 thousand students on campus, hopefully we can make a difference and build the awareness needed to defeat this problem." Sharon Dauwalder, Phi Theta Kappa Task Force Committee Chair was pleased with the attendance and the reaction from the audience. "Our goal is to bring local awareness of the issue and I think we are accomplishing that. We had a much larger turnout than expected," she said. Law school advisement By Tyson Cullimore News Writer Many students plan on furthering their education after receiving their bachelor's degree. This school provides many resources for students interested in working toward more education. One important resource on campus is Eileen Doyle Crane, the prelaw advisor. Crane helps students who are looking to go to law school after their undergrad studies; helping students choose a major and decide which classes to take that will benefit them most. Crane holds weekly workshops to give students an opportunity to prepare for the application process for law school. Workshop topics include: the Law School Admissions Test, personal statements, paying for law school and many others. Crane is also in charge of the law school "Dean's Night," where deans and representatives from several law schools across the country come and students have an opportunity to meet them and ask questions about their schools. During "Dean's Night" there is a mock admissions panel. Students and deans go over several applications together and the deans instruct on what is acceptable and what is not in an application. Students who want to speak with Crane can email her at eileen.crane® uvu.edu to set up an appointment. time out of her schedule to take most BenneefromAl of the kids off their mother's hands, normal part of Bennee's life. just to give her a break. "Jamie loved everyone," Cope Kelly Patrick, an aunt and close said. "She was a very loving, giving friend, told that in the face of some soul. She recognized what people of life's difficulties, Bennee kept a needed, and gave them that. She didn't say, 'What do you need? Call 'good attitude. During an LDS misme.' Instead, she just knew what sion to the Philippines, she was assigned to an area that has since been people needed and she was there." To illustrate, Cope shared that deemed too dangerous for female Bennee's neighbors had 14 children. missionaries. She also had to have an Sometimes Bennee would take some ovarian cyst removed in a primitive hospital. Gilbert dsneros/UW Review "Activism is passionate people working towards something they believe strongly in," Nick Belnap said. The Revolutionary Student Union, here shown supporting reforms to immigration laws, is an example of a group of peaceful activists. By Suany Riveiro Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality fueled by non-violent, social and political change has inspired students on campus to work for their beliefs through the same means. Student organizations such as the Revolutionary Student's Union (RSU), the Peace and Justice Studies Club and the UVU Latin American Club, allow students to be actively involved in achieving their own dreams. The RSU's protest during the immigration debate in November is one of many examples of activism on campus. "Sometimes people read the word activism as though it is a synonym for protest, and not all forms of activism should be protests," said Dr. Michael Minch, associate professor of Humanities/Philosophy. He mentioned that it is not good enough to state what you are against, you have to articulate what you are for, and then you have to work toward achieving that. He said that it is at this time that the word activism truly applies; because you need to be active in obtaining what you think is right. "Activism has been misunder- stood to sound radical or even irreverent; however, the opposite is true," said student activist, Nick Belnap. "Activism is passionate people working towards something they believe strongly in." Minch also mentioned that there are other ways besides student clubs in which students can be active. He gave the example of High Road for Human Rights, which is an organization in which many students are involved. UVU has a history of student groups that have worked toward making a difference for what they believe in, such as the Anti-slavery Student Club and the Anti-pornography Club, among others. Minch said that students often say they are too busy to be active in change, so they will do it after college. However, there are students that have been able to find a way to make a difference. For example, Gregory Haddock is a student activist who has worked on setting up the Restorative Justice and Death Penalty Symposium as well as the protest against Representative Sandstrom's billon immigration. "I don't know that I am 'so' active. I probably don't do enough. Few of us do, but I try to make social issues a priority in spite of a busy school and work schedule," Haddock said. "I am active because I believe we all have an obligation to help those who are in need by virtue of our humanity," said student activist Aaron Wood. There are a number of clubs that create a place where students can do just that, but students are not limited to only those, there are also many organizations in the community that are socially/politically active as well. Additionally, faculty members are working on internships and study abroad programs to places such as Haiti, Uganda, Nepal and many others in order to provide students with experiences that will motivate them to be actively involved locally, globally and at every level in order to change things that they perceive as incorrect. As King's dream lives on to further students' dreams, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Advisory Board commends those students who are actively pursuing their views and encourages those who are not involved to re-imagine King's dream and open their minds to the many opportunities available to affect change. "But she always faced life's trials with a positive attitude/' Patrick said. "She never complained about how hard it was." After returning home from the Philippines, Bennee worked to complete her education at BYU-Idaho. It was while attending the university that Bennee met her husband, Joshua Bennee. They were married May 7, 2005. Two children followed, Boston in '06 and Alexandria in '09. Bennee finished her Accounting degree, then pursued and received a second degree at the University of Utah in Aviation. She soon began teaching as part of UVU's Aviation Science department. While there, she made close connections with co-workers and students. One co-worker said that Bennee had a knack for helping students who struggled. He said there was one student who was considered difficult by most teachers. But Bennee wouldn't give up on him and he end- ed up finishing school and receiving his pilot's license. "Jamie never gave up. She seriously impacted his life. She helped other people live their dreams," her co-worker said. Perhaps remembering Bennee is summed up best by the bishop of her church. "It was good to see you smile qp you remembered Jamie," he said to Bennee's mother after she spoke. "That's*how she would have us remember her." * News Writer v |