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Show -- w- - DTEUEUT- Why Do You Ask? you say you have a dragon in your garage, bow do you respond when someone asks you to prove it? You're probably relatively t- - lasf AflMS If Celebrating a Culture: J History Month hit the flurry of activity. U with Facing Old 'Friends:' The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 BYU and the TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, Moran Donates $18M for New Center i Chronicle News Writer The John A. Moran Eye Center overlooks the valley from its perch just east of University Hospital's helipad, but it won't for much longer. The center's clinical and research facility will move from its current home to a new 82,500 square-fobuilding just south 170,000 square-foof Primary Children's Medical Center. Groundbreaking for the new building, tentatively named Moran Eye Center II, will occur during spring 2002. John Moran, who provided the initial funding for the original center, officially announced a donation of $18 million for Moran Center II on Feb 26. University of Utah President J. Bernard Machen, Vice President for Health Sciences Lorris Betz and Moran Center Director Randall Olson were also in attendance. Moran said he was "flabbergasted" to see the crowd of more than 150 researchers, staff members and representatives from the media. "There's only one way to continue to grow and develop a manufacturing facility," Moran said. "You expand or you build a new plant. In this case, we're building a new plant." Grateful for the commitment of researchers and faculty members, Moran said donors don't have to spend the time and effort in research that scientists da "We will have a facility very shortly with much more capacity," Moran said. He expects breakthroughs in ot ot Lawmakers Lower Caps on Tuition Hikes to 4 Percent MATT CANHAM Chronicle Asst. News Editor A surprise legislative proposal n offiMonday sent cials scrambling and resulted in a decreased cap on tuition hikes. Rep. Gordon Snow, made a motion to alter the omnibus appropriation bill. His motion axed a policy that allowed individual universities to request a tuition increase of 10 percent or less after the legislative session ends Wednesday. "Is it our decision to set the budget or the Board of Regents', and should students have to face a tuition increase of this size?" he asked his colleagues. The House responded by striking the policy, but the Senate reinstated it later in the day. Sen. John Valentine, amended the appropriation bill after negotiating a compromise with the House and the Regents, who govern higher education. The new policy allows the state's four universities the University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University and Southern Utah University to request a 4 percent tuition hike, which would be in addi- higher-educatio- see CAP page 4 "tf"" vision research to come from the new center, particularly in genetic research of diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration and of the development of artificial vision. Moran cited Dr. Richard Norman, who is developing the Utah Electrode Array, a system of brain implants and glasses that could theoretically provide a blind person with rudimentary sight. "This is not wild Buck Rogers and the 23rd, 24th century," Olson said. These are concepts being looked into to sec how they could come to fruition. Chief resident Michael Wilcox said the lack of space affects primarily the research portions of the center, but increased patient volume causes problems. Some doctors see upwards of 100 patients per day, he said "It's difficult when there are multiple clinics going on," Wilcox said. "I think Moran Center II is awesome." Researchers have been so desperate for space they've tried "to grab any nook and cranny" available, and even considered turning bathrooms into research spaces, Olson said. The center's standing research staff is 17, nine of whom the center has recruited within the last year. The center has four satellite offices two in the Salt Lake valley, one in Heber and one in Park City. When Moran Center II opens, Olson expects to hire five to seven more research personnel. In as little as eight years, he hopes to have 50 or more researchers. That would make the cen- video-came- , ! . n. in - . - IJ.GI.MAI1YI-- . day. "As students, we are really happy that it has gone through," said Jess Dalton, president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah. John Moran provided a donation for the creation of a new eye center. ter the second largest of its kind in the United States, after the Retina Foundation in Boston, which boasts. 75 researchers, Olson said. "We have one significant problem that curtails our ability to move forward a lack of space" Olson said. "This new home will be large enough to flt..all the parts that make a modern eye center function." Even though neither Moran nor anyone in his immediate family suffers from vision problems, Moran has long considered eyesight to be the most precious human sense. He recounted childhood experiences where his mother read to him about Jesus' healing the blind in the Bible. While sitting on the U's National vice-president- ial anti-Morm- anti-Morm- anti-Morm- s. anti-Morm- s, on WW1' ASUU 'Truth in Tuition' Bill Approved By Utah Legislature both govern ment accountability and student activism, the Utah State Legislature passed the Truth in Tuition bill Mon- pus as a whole. "Yes, there is a bias on an individual level," said No Bull candidate Mike NelMonday's Associated Students of the University of Utah debates gave son. "However, I do not believe bias at the parties the chance to ask each there is an other questions and address issues U on a whole." such as the alleged The Innovation Party, however, said that there was a definite bias, diversity and student referen-dumbias apparent on campus. The panel mediators, Scott "There is an bias we editor of The deal with need .and do to it," Lewis, opinion Daily Utah Chronicle, and Venceremos Innovation presidential candidate Steve Nelson said. Editor in Chief Lou Marzulli-Var-gaasked candidates to define cerThe parties were also asked if tain "trite" terms that are constantthey supported the creation of a Student Union ly used within the debates, such as Lesbian Gay resource center. diversity. When asked about the accusa"Yes, we are completely in suptions of the U having an port of LGSU," said Unity Party bias, all parties agreed a bias is presidential candidate Adam Blun-del- l. The other three parties present in students, if not the cam tMM M iff VOL 110 NO 118 The state of Utah now has "Truth EMILY FULLER Chronicle News Writer . 2001 in Tuition." Heralded as a victory for Advisory Council in 1988, Moran met Olson, who was campaigning for funds to start up a research center. Olson asked the council to finance the project. That day, Moran agreed to give the project $3.5 million, a significant boost to the initial $20,000 Olson had already secured. Eventually, Moran gave a total $14 million to build the original center. With Moran's and additional University of Utah funds, the center has about 80 percent of the money it needs to build the new facility. Private donations will cover the remaining 20 percent, Olson said. Before Moran Center II is fully operational, Olson estimates visual-scienc- es see MCftAN page 4 Parties Clarify Stand on Issues H-- U MATT CANHAM Chronicle Asst. News Editor ra anti-Morm- Deserters met their old pals on the court this weekend. from JARED WHITLEY Black I I I in ' " V.Wil ! ' ' candidates wrestled with the issues in the union Ballroom on Monday. on agreed. "We will extend ourselves for LGSU as far as any other group on campus," Steve Nelson said. The U Force Party expressed its desire to support gay and lesbian marriage, as well as allowing homosexual couples to move into U student housing. "Jayvon Byrd, U Force vice-president- candidate and myself feel very strongly about this issue," said Welker. "We proudly stand behind it.We have zero tolerance for intolerance." Byrd said diversity is not a race issue, but rather difference between individuals. The Innovation Party believes education on the subject of diversity is very important. "Awareness and education is key," Steve Nelson said. Innovation said representatives within ASUU should each represent two or three student groups, thus making the ASUU office more diverse in every decision and vote. No Bull said it was ASUU's job to "represent students and foster respect between students." The Unity Party, however, said the ultimate goal of ASUU should not to become diverse within itself, but to represent diversity. "Its not about trying to put up with something," Blundcll said. see DEBATES page 3 The bill mandates that both university presidents and the state Board of Regents notify students about any proposed tuition increase and allow for public comment. On a 60-1- 3 vote, with two absent, the House passed the bill. Gov. Michael O. Leavitt now must sign or veto it. Dalton said the votes both of the House and of the Senate, which approved the bill unanimously, should persuade the governor to support the bill. "The fact that the vote Was so much in favor of the bill itself speaks for its validity," Dalton said. Truth in Tuition did not escape opposition before its passage. "I don't see the reason for this legislation. Students are listened to, and they do participate," said Rep. Afton Lake. Bradshaw, Patricia Jones, Rep. disagreed. "This has to do with accountability for a group of fee payers who are often left without a voice in our system," she said. Rep. Lamont Tyler, said the bill includes an unreasonable time frame for student notification. Truth in Tuition requires advertisements to be placed in student newspapers 10 days before a public hearing. The ads are supposed to outline the size of the proposed tuition hike. U administrators claim scheduled Regents meetings would force them to advertise today, before knowing the exact size of their budget since the legislative session ends tomorrow. "This sets for a timetable that is really difficult to deal with," U lobbyist Nancy Lyon said. the Rep. Margaret Dayton, bill's sponsor in the House, encouraged the Regents to work around the inconvenience. Kelly Booth, ASUU government relations chair, said the Regents set their own meetings so it shouldn't be a problem. "This is almost a They have moved the meeting three times for the March session," Booth said. The Regents are scheduled to dislt non-issu- e. cuss tuition increases during their meeting at Dixie State College of Utah on March 14 and 15, during Spring Break. Regents initially opposed the bill, but after a series of amendments that see BILL page 4 THE DAILY UTAH ONLINE CHRONICLE IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT WWW.Utahchronicle.com |
