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Show Utah State Legislature Looking For A Cheap And Easy Fix by Bill Kilpack Forum editor In Gov. Norman Bangertcrs last state of the state address, he cited his no. 1 acadcomplishment in the last seven years as vancement of education in Utah, but there is still work to be done. Following Bangerter, some lawmakers at the 1992 Legislative Session are intent imupon pushing through bills that will prove education without raising taxes. At present, the two largest spending areas in Utahs $4 billion budget are public education and health and human services. At the same time, Bangerter and most of the 104 lawmakers are intent on not raising taxes, mandating that any increase in educational spending come from decreasing spending in another. One education bill sidesteps the budget problems by aiming at improving education through increased parental support It would allow parents to leave work for a maximum of four hours per year to attend conferences over academic parent-teachhealth, safety or disciplinary matters. er The bill, endorsed Jan. 14 by the Senate Education Committee, would also make it illegal for employers to penalize workers for taking this time, as long as five days notice (except in times of emergency) is given and employers are supplied with proper documentation. One of the reasons that Sen. Karen Lake City, penned the Shepherd, lt bill was that six of the 32 largest employers in Utah do not allow work leave on an D-Sa- hourly basis. Shepherd also said that children will behave if they know their parents will be called to school. That is the best anti-gan- g inoculation we could make. The Utah Education . Association, a 17,000-membteachers union, has an extensive list of demands for the 1992 session, including a plan to cut average class size to 15 students and boost teachers salaries. Although the work-releabill doesnt necessarily fit into this goal, Arlene Arnold, UEA vice president, supports it. For schools to be as strong as we want them to be, we need parental support, she er ar se said. ues to rise in Utah, he said. , Joyce Muhlestein, president of the Utah bill, PTA, also supports the work-releas- e saying that it is time for Utahns to put their children first. In accordance with the plan to reduce class size, Bangerter has recommended $4.8 million to shrink classes in the second grade this year by trimming three students class per class. A plan to slash first-grad- e sizes began in 1991, and he recommends continuation of this project Utah still spends less per public-schostudent than any other state, but the commitment by the taxpayers is among the biggest Bangerter said. For this years budget he is recommending that 49 percent go to education, up from 42 percent in 1985. Bangerter said increased education spending has paid off in the past with improved test scores, a lower high-schog educational dropout rate and reforms, such as the implementation of class schools and extended-da- y year-roun- d schedules. The quality of public education contin- ol ol cost-savin- Castle And Michael Foundations Donate $7,000 To College by Michael Andre Forum staff writer The Castle Foundation awarded West- minster College $3,000, and the Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation provided $4,000 to be used for the general operating fund. The awards from the Castle Foundation and the Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation arc two of the many donations that Westminster College receives annually. We need to raise about $930,000 for this year, said Sonja E. Chesley, director of annual giving. We are grateful for the continued support of these foundations, said Dr. Charles H. Dick, president of the Board of Trustees. The college would not have grown and stabilized without this funding over the years. A Westminster students tuition covers only 75 percent of the cost of that students education. As a private, independent institution,Teceiving no direct state aid, unrestricted gifts to the general operating fund are crucial in assuring the quality of a Westminster education. The Castle Foundation was set up in June 1953 by Mrs. Olive P. Castle, shortly after the death of her husband, to benefit residents of Utah. Records reveal that the Castle Foundation has supported Westminster College for decades, as well as' other organizations in areas such as education, environment protection, human services, medicine, art, culture and the humanities. The Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation was created by Elsa B. Michael to distribute aid to organizations and individuals throughout the state. In addition to aid distributed through Graduates Itching To Enter Work Force byKatyByrom Forum staff writer students graduated from Westminster at the end of the fall semester, 1991, said Mindy Wennergren, assistant to the dean of records. Only those graduates with a degree in education will have a better chance of being hired because of their graduation in December. For all other graduates it doesnt matter what time of the year they graduate, employers hiring patterns remain the same whether its December or May, said Karen Despain, director of placement. December graduate Mari Herold said future graduates should not wait until graduation to send out resumes. ' She suggested sending them out at least four months before you expect to graduate to increase chances of a job offer. Ninety-thre- e Page 2Forupi Despain suggests sending out resumes six months in advance. Replacing the 93 graduates this semester are 245 new students. Spring semester enrollment is up this year about 90 fulltime students from 1991s spring semester, said Craig Green, vice president in charge of enrollment He said approximately 55 of the new students are entering the MBA program, 22 are new freshmen and 130 are transfer of the MBA stustudents. About one-thir- d dents entering during spring semester are Westminster graduates who have been away for a while, said Green. The deadline to apply for spring graduation in May is Feb. 14. The deadline to apply for summer graduation in August is April 16. The Career Center is now open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for June graduates, to help them get started finding a job. the foundation, Michael actively supported organizations such as Ballet West and the Primary Childrens Medical Center. Michael, the daughter of former Gov. Simon Bamberger, was bom April 16,1895, in Salt Lake City and married Herbert I. Michael, Jan. 1 1 , 1923. After living in the East, they returned to Salt Lake City where they owned and operated a specialty shop on the comer of State Street and South Temple at Eagle Gate. Mr. Michael died September 1965 and his wife Elsa died J uly 1974. e bill may help Shepherds with discipline, but it fails to assess the overpopulation problem, which even now is spreading into colleges and universities. However, Bangerter said he opposes any attempt to limit access to work-releas- in-sch- higher education. Existing classrooms must be fully utilized before new ones are built, and some universities might shift the focus more to teaching than research and writing, he said. UEA is also demanding a 5.6 percent salary increase for teachers, which is 2.6 percent above the governors recommen- dation. Despite the motions of legislators to increase education spending and despite the largest funding increase in six years in 1990, there are rumors of another teacher strike, and those rumors may have some influence this years legislative session. However, UEA President Lily Eskel-so- n denies the possibility of another teachers strike. Thats an unsubstantiated rumor and Im not going to substantiate it House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Bradford also said he doubts there will be another strike. It would be counter-productiv- e to their own interest, he said. Every legislator in the governors office would publicly condemn and not support them. Students Volunteer Time And Effort by Heather Bradley Forum staff writer Five students from Westminsters community service club volunteered their time to the Food Distribution Program in December. The Community Services Council, the largest wholesale food bank in the area, receives referrals of people who would benefit from their services. With the help of volunteers, like those in Westminsters community service club, the Community Services Council packs boxes of canned goods and other items for these people. Ann Gambrino, Yen Tran, David Litvak, Don Wagstaff, Gayle Petrie and advisor Kathy Moran spent a few hours on Dec. 20 and 21 to help distribute boxes of food to the elderly, homeless and others in need. Westminster students distributed 10 boxes and visited with the recipients. , For more information about the community service club and upcoming projects call Moran ext. 138. Its a great way to learn leadership skills and get involved with the community in a more impactful way, said Moran. M FORUM Forum Editorial Staff: Editor, Bill Kilpack; Copy Editor, Liz Peterson; Editorial Assistant, Jennifer Thompson; Production Manager, Kirsten Heaton; Photo Editor, Heather Bush; Business Manager, Donald Nunn Staff Writers: Michael Andre, William Athey, Heather Bradley, Linda M. Burns, Katy Byrom, Ruth Catron, Judy Connor, Temmie K. Fleming, Calvin L Harrington, Matt "Thurm" Kellogg, Mary Lang, Donald Nunn, Blessing Ream, Lynette Rundell, Carrie Stults, Fred Thaller, Christopher Thomas, Tiffanie Vina, Donald Wagstaff, Benjamin Williams Photo Staff: Michael Andre, Katy Byrom, Linda M. Burns, Ruth Catron, Temmie K. Fleming, Amanda Johnsen, Matt "Thurm" Kellogg, Liz Peterson, Blessing Ream, Lynette Rundell, Fred Thaller, Benjamin Williams Faculty Advisor: Dr. Fred Fogo The Forum is published every Tuesday. The address of the Forum is 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105. The Forum editorial staff encourage letters from students (include major), faculty and all other readers. Submissions must be sent to Converse Hall, room 205, no later than 3 p.m., the week prior to publication. Due to limited space availability, Forum editors reserve the right to edit all copy submitted. Opinions expressed on the editorial or commentary pages are those of the writers and are not to be construed as those of the Forum, Associated Students of Westminster College, the college administration, faculty or staff. Mail subscriptions are $20 per year. |