OCR Text |
Show Weber's opera puts on a spooky-themed production for Halloween ..page 4 Men's basketball favored to win Big Sky Conference ...page 6 AT A GLANCE EDITORIAL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS CLASSIFIEDS 2 3 4 6 9 VOL 82 ISSUE 34 MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2011 WWW.WSUSIGNPOST.COM SignP 0 St WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Faculty recommends new calendar Controversial change would lengthen classes and keep spring break By Spencer Garn editor-in-chief I The Signpost After this January, Weber State University students might never start classes the day after News Year's Day again. The faculty senate voted by an overwhelming majority to recommend a new academic calendar Thursday, which, if approved byWSU administrators and its Board of Regents, would push the start of school back two weeks for both the fall and spring semesters beginning in fall 2012. A handful of faculty said no to the new calendar, deemed Option C, in favor of two other proposals, which would eliminate Spring Break. "Option C was a clear choice for the majority of the faculty," said Colleen Gar- side, chair of faculty senate. "It keeps Spring Break in the mix. It gives us a week to kind of get things together. I think that's important really for students, because if you're getting your books, that means you've got to get them almost before Christmas. I just think it's more student-friendly." Playoff chances slipping away "There is no educational component to this calendar change." - James Bird WSU professor See Calendar page 5 Helping the community for class By Maryann Lloyd correspondent I The Signpost PHOTO BY CRYSTAL CHARRIERE I THE SIGNPOST After taking the a 14-3 lead at half, the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds came back strong, costing the 'Cats the game and possibly the playoffs. The 'Cats will likely have to win out to qualify for the playoffs. Look for the full story on page 6. Students make a difference Day of service helps house the homeless By Laurie Reiner news reporter I The Signpost Twenty people dug holes in the backyard of someone else's house on Saturday for national Make a Difference Day. "Make a Difference Day is a national day of service," said Mike Moon, the assistant director of the Community Involvement Center, "and Weber State University participates in that . .. doing service together on the same day and time as everyone else in the nation." Students were sent to five different locations throughout Ogden to do service. The locations were St. Anne's Shelter, Ogden Nature Center, Ogden City, Habitat for Humanity and the Ogden Rescue Mission. Each place had various projects for students to do. At St. Anne's, students helped with the winter clothing donations. At the Nature Center, they helped set up for the Creatures of the Night event. The Rescue Mission had students help organize their food pantry, and in Ogden City, students cleaned up a trail. Habitat for Humanity broke the students up into two groups. One went to Clearfield to help demolish parts of a house, while the other group helped build a sprinkler system at an Ogden home. The Ogden house was the place students were needed the most and were encouraged to go. "It's harder work than you would think," said Olivia Racker about digging the trenches for the sprinkler system, "but I think it's a really enjoyable experience to be able to help out and to be a part of this." Students were given the plans for the irrigation system and were each split into different groups. Each group was responsible for one area of the system. They started by spraypainting the ground where they were meant to dig, which was dictated by the plans. They then dug along the spray-painted line. "It's nice to volunteer, it is nice to help out your community, and it's nice to represent dental hygiene," said dental hygiene major Amanda Chugg. Both Chugg and Racker were there to fulfill service hours for AmeriCorps, an organization from which they both receive scholarships. "I enjoy this, because I like knowing that I am helping out low-income housing," Racker said. "It makes me See Service page 5 PHOTO BY AMANDA LEWARK I THE SIGNPOST Students and community members gathered Saturday to dig trenches for sprinkler systems, clean up trails and organize a food pantry for Make a Difference Day. This year's John A. Lindquist Award recipient Patricia Cost addressed Weber State University in her speech Wednesday. Speaking to about 35 members of WSU's faculty, staff and student body at the John A. Lindquist Lecture, Cost highlighted her mentoring experiences with the students. Each year, the John A. Lindquist Award is given to a current WSU faculty or staff member who, according to the WSU website, has demonstrated outstanding commitment to mentoring WSU students in learning through civic engagement. Cost received the award for her work teaching students to partner with the community. As an assistant professor of health promotion and health performance, Cost teaches a course which requires students to find a community partner, survey needs, and im"I believe plement four it is my health-related responsibility interventions. Cost said she to help my incorporates the idea of "when students you know better, you do better" become into her teachmorally and ing by having her students do civically communityresponsible based learning. "I believe it individuals." is my responsibility to help - Patricia Cost my students become morally Professor and civically responsible individuals," Cost said. Basing her speech on her class, Health 4150 (Planning/Evaluating Health Promotion Program), Cost explained how the class combines research and theory. First, she said the students find a community partner, usually a nonprofit organization. Second, they assess the organization's needs through a survey and then review the results with the community partner. Third, they plan four health-related interventions and teach these healthy life skills to the organization. "My goal is to (help the students) go into a community, teach them a skill set so that they can become empowered to have a healthy life and a good quality of life," Cost said. "I am hoping that when they know better, they do better." Cost is overseeing eight projects her students are planning and implementing in the community this semester. See Award page 5 |