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Show features: With Rush Week approaching, find out the history behind this time-honored tradition, page 6. news mvm ..... i Hear reaction from the Newman Center about the passing of a prominant Catholic leader , page 9. Women's volleyball takes second place at Wildcat Invitational, page 1 0. mm Volume 63 Issue 1 1 Wednesday, September 6, 2000 -Wt : I I "1 Signpost WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY By Wes Hanna campus affairs editor The Signpost Nontraditional students will now have a place of their own on campus as the Nontraditional Student Center opens in Room 220 of the Shepherd Union Building this week, giving them many amenities of a home away from home. The new Nontraditional Student Center will offer academic advisement, areas for study, computers with printing capability, a kitchen complete with dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator, and beginning next week, a drop-in child care. Jennifer Grandi, coordinator of the nontraditional student programming and services, hopes that it will also foster a sense of community among non traditional students who will be able to meet people who face the same set of circumstances. We want the center to be a home base for nontraditional students at Weber State," Grandi said. The services that the Nontraditional Student Center offers will change to fit the needs and wants of nontraditional students, Grandi said. Vice President of Student Services Anand Dyal-Chand said that when he first arrived at Weber State University he went around meeting and talking with people and one issue that came up many times was the special needs of the nontraditional students. Nontraditional students are defined as those students who are married, have children or are above the age of 25. Between 35 to 40 percent of students at WSU are nontraditional students, Dyal-Chand said. Dyal-Chand's office funded much of the remodeling of the old Art Services area that now houses the Nontraditional Student Center and helped pay for services and furniture. Student fees also contributed to the center as well as donations from alumni. "I'm delighted that we have been able to do it," Dyal-Chand said. Sounds of children playing will be heard from the union bridge as the drop-in child care begins next week. Construction on a fence for the day care will begin this week. The drop-in child care is available for nontraditional students in case any emergency comes up that would usually require a parent to stay home instead of going to classes, such as a baby-sitter getting sick or canceling. The child care will take children four hours at a time a couple of times a week. It will take children from potty trained age tonine-years-old. Parents will want to pre-register, Grandi said, so that they can accommodate all the parents who will want to use the service. A full-time, degree-holding child care supervisor will be responsible for running the child care. Grandi's office will plan activities all semester specifically for nontraditional students. "Most college activities are geared toward traditional students and we wanted something geared toward nontraditional students," Grandi said The first activities for nontraditional students will begin during the nontraditional emphasis week Sept. 18 through 23 and will include a comedy night on Sept. 21 that will host child care. The Nontraditional Student Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Si's all about the politics ( 5 By Lisa Roskelley editor in chief The Signpost Like any branch of government, Utah's higher education institutions are full of levels of bureaucracy that tend to overwhelm individuals into submission. Weber State University is no different. Board of Regents, Board of Trustees, University President and his council, WSU Student Association Senate and Presidency, just to name a few. To keep all these bodies and organizations straight proves tough enough, let alone knowing what each one does and how it can affect students. The Board of Regents' tuition task force is considering a 25 percent tuition increase proposal. The Board of Trustees has the authority to cut certificate programs. The Student Fee Recommendation Committee tells the Trustees how student money should be spent. Student attendance at these meetings can have an effect by showing student support or dissatisfaction with decisions. In October. WSU will host the Utah Council of Student Body Presidents' monthly meeting, closely followed by the Board of Regents' meeting, also taking its turn at WSU. discussing budget requests. These meetings are open to the public and members are often available after for conversation. What many don't realize is that all the levels and organizations that really affect WSU are so intricately involved with each other, that if one major player is understood, then anyone can be heard and have an effect. Each organization or body affects the system differently, while everything from tuition increases, programs and capital campaigns go through the system. But first things first. The bodies need to be understood before they're applied to specific situations. The Board of Regents is the highest governmental body for higher education. This body deals with education for all of Utah, at a system level, ensuring effective and cooperative work among the institutions, weeding out any unnecessary duplication of programs or degrees and dealing with finances at the system level. 'The Board of Trustees has to say OK first, but the Board of Regents has to say OK too," explained Media Relations Director Mark Peterson. The Board of Trustees is a localized body that each institution has to facilitate ' communication with the community. Applicable only to WSU, the local board has . governing and advising powers for WSU, while also serving as an advisory board to the Regents regarding the university. Students have representation on both the Board of Regents, with a student regent nominated by the governor, and the Board of Trustees, with Student Body President Dee Hansen as a member. Each board meets monthly. "We welcome student input in all decisions we make," Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Marquardt said. "We get a lot of student input through Dee Hansen." The Council of Presidents, involving the presidents of all nine of Utah's pubbc higher education institutions, meets as an advisory body to the Board of Regents dealing with things at a system level, rather than at an individual level. The student equivalent of that body is the Utah Council of Student Body Presidents, including all higher education institutions, both private and public. This See Politics page 3 -J ' VX' ' 'MAMt' " ' f wyf.au., , 4 f r '' ' ji- -' " "' ' . 4 t V J i Aiming for youth . . . Bill Orton, Democratic candidate for Utah governor, kicks off his campaign to a younger generation of voters at Green Acres Elementary in North Ogden. Orton has said improving education is his primary reason for running. He plans to run his campaign "the old fashioned way" by meeting people, shaking hands and asking for their vote. Orton's opponent for the Nov. 7 election, Gov. Mike Leavitt, is taking a different route as he campaigns to students at WSU today in The Gallery at noon. Leavitt plans to hold these lunchtime appearances throughout his campaign. |