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Show Commuting, crossing near campus dangerous Recent accidents reinforce need for increased pedestrian safetv BRUCE CUMMINGS Staff Writer Pedestrian safety awareness is on the minds of many in the Westminster community due to recent pedestrian-vehicl- e accidents. Over the past year, there have been several near misses and a few accidents that have involved vehicles hitting pedestrians as they were making there way to the college. Westminster professors Scott Gust and Elree Harris are both faculty members who were recently struck by moving vehicles near campus. I was walking to school and crossed the street at 1700 South and 1100 East, Gust said. Suddenly I was hit by a car making a left hand turn. Gust said the driver that hit him was a woman that said didnt see him until it was too late. 95-year-- old Gust was hit on his left side, leaving deep lacerations and abrasions to his lower leg. Gust said that the college did an excellent job in handling his leave of 10-we- ek absence for recovery. The thing people dont get is that this is a busy neighborhood with lots of people around and the risk of something like this happing is much greater, Gust said. Carolyn Connell, math department faculty, commented about her near misses on her journeys to the college on a bicycle. Ive had several close calls, Connell said, especially around the intersection at 1700 South and 1300 East. Connell said it is hard to get the attention of drivers around the area and that makes it difficult for pedestrians to stay safe. Over time, Connell said she had improvised some o t: 3 o o a. X safety measures to decrease the chance of an accident. The best thing Ive found is to attach a rear view mirror to my glasses to see vehicles behind me, this enable me to see if I can turn safety. Connell also said, I also make eye contact with people before I cross the street. She said this makes a big difference and has had saved her from many accidents. The Utah Traffic Safety Digest said that in an average year in Utah, automobiles kill 40 pedestrians Pedestrian safety sign. and injure 1,080 others. School age youth are at most risk for being struck by an automobile as a pedestrian. In Utah, pedestrians ages 19 and under account for over one-ha- lf of the pedestrians struck by an automobile and over one-thi- rd of the pedestrian deaths in Utah. Here are some safety tips for pedestrians from the Cars most often hit pedestrians when they cross the road at places other than intersections, which is a common way to cross the road at Westminster. Stop at the curb and look left, right, and left again for traffic. Stopping at the curb signals drivers that you Utah Pedestrian Safety Program. Walk on sidewalks. If sidewalks are not available, walk on the edge of the road or on the left shoulder of the road, facing the See and be seen. Drivers need to see you to avoid traffic flow. The program also said to cross at marked crosswalks or intersections. intend to cross. Always obey traffic signals. you and a way to avoid this is to stay out of the driver's blind spot. As Connell said, make eye contact with drivers when crossing busy streets. Wear bright colors Continued on page 5 Spanish maj or new at Westminster "Spanish-Lati- n American Studies" begins fall 2009 CHRISTY COOPER Staff Writer the classes. Davison said third and fourth year Spanish majors will be studying the broadest presentation of culture, the greatest literary works of art in the western world. Westminster will begin offering a major in Spanish starting fall semester 2009. A minor in Spanish has been offered at the college for many years. However, students wishing to pursue a degree in Spanish had no choice but to look elsewhere At 19 years old, Davison bought a Eurorail pass and spent three months traveling Europe. Dawson said he felt enormously ignorant not being able to communicate or participate in Europe because he only spoke English. Davison said he missed out on a lot. Davison returned to the United States with a desire until now. Its about time, said Joe Dennis who is currently taking a Spanish class and graduates in May. Dennis said he went to Spain last year and loved it. He Finally! would have liked to major in Spanish at Westminster, but its too late for him. to study a foreign language. He began studying Spanish and said he fell in love with Spanish poetry. That is Patrick Fericks will major in Spanish at Westminster. Fericks said he has always been interested in Spanish where his passion for this romance language began. Davison went on to earn a Ph.D. in Spanish literature. and has made an honest effort to become bilingual. He has lived and studied abroad in Spain. Fericks said these experiences have expanded his horizons. Studying abroad for one semester is a requirement for the Spanish-Lati- n American Studies major. It is recommended for juniors or seniors who have already developed fluency in the language. Freshmen and sophomores will focus on acquiring language proficiency - both speaking and writing Spanish. They also will begin learning about Spanish culture and history. Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide and is the primary language of 21 countries, The ability to speak according to Spanish-school.coSpanish could be an advantage to anyone wishing to work internationally in those countries, said Davison. Rachel Hatch, a junior with a double major in Environmental Studies and Spanish, will study abroad in Chile for fall semester. Hatch said she is passionate about learning another language and saving the planet. She will collaborate with Chilean environmentalists to find solutions to global environmental issues during her m. Juniors and seniors will focus on Spanish literature, culture and civilization not grammar, said Alan Davison, one of the professors who will be teaching - Continued on page 5 |