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Show Mind Over Gizmos: Parents THE! who dote on their children with lavish gifts and pageantry ain't doing the little brats any favors, Kristien Hixson argues. How Does Your Garden Grow? mow U Campus green-thumb- s landscape into shape. the Hillside 'U' Lit: Keeping Women's basketball team beats Iowa and stays in NCAA tournament. The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2001 VOL 110 NO 129 U Top s Implant Device Treats Paralysis JARED WHITLEY Chronicle News Writer Loosli will have two rudimentary hand functions: a thumbindex d grasp. finger pinch and a Loosli's right arm already has a basic range of motion and Freehand is expected to permit him, for example, to brush his teeth. Tuesday's operation lasted eight and one-ha- lf hours. The Universiof Utah's Douglas Hutchinson ty full-han- "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him: stronger, faster, better...we have the technology" was the axiom under which actor Lee Majors was transformed from a paralyzed accident victim into television's cybernetic dynamo The While performed the surgery, assisted by Ohio physician Michael Keith, who helped invent the Freehand device. Although physicians have performed more than too implant surgeries of this kind in the United States, this is the first such see IMPLANTS, page 3 Dollar Man. Six-Milli- existing biotechnology can not create cyborgs capable of feats, Majors' superhuman implants can improve the lives of the severely injured. Ted. Loosli is one such patient. Quadrapalegic since an ATV accident 13 years ago damaged" his spinal cord, Loosli can't do simple things like shave himself, type or. pick up a cup. Loosli has said the thing he misses most is being able, Spent Lobbying MATT CANHAM Chronicle Asst. News Editor In gifts given to public officials, the University of Utah reigns supreme. The U spent more money to lobby in 2000 and the first part of 2001 than any other organization in the state. The U's lobbying efforts cost $25,326.47 in 2000. This is more than double the amount paid by Micron lobbyist Stan Lockhart, who spent the second largest amount on legislators with $11,911.32. legislative session 1, the U recorded in lobbying expenditures. $12,240.04 The Utah Soft Drink Association spent the second highest amount during the session, with $11,522.17. But U Lobbyist Nancy Lyon said the numbers can be deceiving. "Most of it is not money we spent," she said. Tickets to watch the U's basketball, football or gymnastics teams docs not literally cost the university money, since most sporting events have ample seating for the public. Only the men's basketball and football games against Brigham Young University sold out this year. During the session, the U gave away $2,220 in basketball tickets, an expenditure second only to the Legislative During the 2001 that ended March to hold a sandwich. University Hospital surgeons have taken a step to help Loosli regain those basic functions by implanting him'with a device to stimulate his paralyzed right hand and arm, allowing him to complete simplejtasks. The device, named Freehand, ccfisists of eight electrodes in Loosli's right arm and an implant in his left shoulder, which he caa now shrug up arid down at will. An external computer interpret s his shoulder shrugs like Morse Code messages and transmits a programmed response to his right elbow, wrist, finger and thumb. List in $$ . SNJ Dr. 'W-- 3&'-- -- Hutchinson's implant device returns motor control to paralysis victims. Chili Bash. As an annual mid-sessi- Theta Nu Xi, the nation's only multicultural sorority, has founded its Eighth Colony Chapter at the University of Utah. Rainey Boateng, Cassandra Huidbro, Yazmin Pulido and Amanda Tomchak are all U sophomores and have become the "Founding for Theta Nu Xi at the U. "It was an awesome experience," Huidbro said. The eighth or "Iota" chapter was recognized by the Utah State University Epsilon Theta chapter on February 24, 2001, during an initiation party held for the women. This Thursday the Theta members will "pre Mon-arch- s" sent" themselves to U students at noon in the A. Ray Olpin University Union. The four women have been working toward recognized chapter status since December 2000. The Utah State chapter initiated the U women by teaching them how to found a sorority, and making the girls spend time learning about one another. "Oh my heavens, it is the most incredible experience I've had in Utah," Huidbro said. The women also learned about the Utah State chapter members, greek life and Theta Nu Xi values. Theta has been invited to sit on the U Greek Council, but it will not be part of the Panhellenic Council.. The national Theta Nu Xi organization is also not in attendance at Panhellenic meetings. Thus far no plans have been made by the Theta members for a Greek Row house. The group has been meeting for the initiation process in the U residence halls. The group's next step is to become recognized by the U as a student group. "It's exciting," said Lori McDonald, interim greek coordinator. "It's going to be another option for women on campus to be involved," McDonald is unsure how the process of university recognition works, but hopes to have everything sorted out as soon as possible. "I have no doubt they'll succeed," McDonald said, Speaker Warns Activists Against Categorizing BOBBI PARRY Chronicle News Writer Debra Burrington changed the name of her Tuesday speech at the of Utah Women's University Resource Center from "Reflections of an Activist in Utah's LGBT Community" to "Let them clean the toilets." Burrington, the associate director of the University of Utah's Women e lesStudies program and a bian, gay, bisexual and transgender activist, recalled a dinner she once attended to discuss the creation of a . long-tim- new lesbiangay community resource center. She said at the dinner one older, more affluent man asked how young gay people could raise funding for the center. He suggested, "we can ask them to clean toilets." ' Burrington said this was one of many moments of her life where she witnessed the "us vs. them mentality." "A wealthy, gay, white man looks to people he considers not of his class : to clean up after him," she said. Burrington's speech, part of the WRC Power Lunch Series, discussed the idea of identity in activism. activism Activism, especially a "desire has to involving identity, exclude" others, just as the man excluded young gay people with his insensitive remark, she said. Burrington believes this is something activists need to avoid if they want to truly become successful, and something she had to learn herself. ' "It seems to me it isn't possible to change the world if we draw the battle lines and boundaries I had learned to draw over my many years as an activist," she said. versity. "These arc the kind of things you do to generate greater understanding for what the university is about and greater support for what the university docs," said Fred Esplin, vice president for university relations, who oversees the lobbying efforts. The U has also expanded its lobbying campaign over last year. During the 2000 session, the U spent $7,575.18 in gifts 'and dinners, as compared to $12,240.04 this session. "We have tried to step up and increase our efforts in making sure our needs arc known, and this is no doubt a reflection of that," Esplin said. Cassic Dippo believes large events, such as the Chili Bash, arc what catapults the U to the top of the spenders list and sets the campus apart from other agencies that woo public officials for support. "What they do differently is that they give to everybody. They give to the entire Legislature at a time," said . see LOBBYING, page 4 gathering Multicultural Sorority Opens Chapter at U EMILY FULLER Chronicle News Writer for legislators and their families, the U throws a chili dinner on the night of a gymnastics meet. U officials invite all lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, along with the U Board of Trustees and the state Board of Regents. The U spent $5,600.52 to host 282 people on Feb. 16 when the gymnastics team beat Arizona State Uni- She remembered crossing those battle lines when she asked conservative activist Gayle Ruzicka to participate in a panel discussion about gaystraight alliance clubs in Utah high schools. "It was the first time anybody from 'our side' had asked her to serve on a panel. I wanted to put together a panei of people who really did represent different positions," Burrington said. . She confessed that although she , see ACTlYJSM, page 4 Police Continue Investigation of U Village Rape Investigators have confirmed that incident at the Universiof student apartments Utah ty occurred March 11. The victim has identified a suspect and investigators have interviewed both parties in the case. "They knew each other previously," said Lt. Ben Lcmmon, spokesman a date-rap- e for U police. The victim reported the incident happened in her apartment a little after 3 a.m. Investigators scheduled second interviews to take place yesterday, so they could file an report with the District Attorney's Office. However, the suspect did not show up, and so investigators called him th in. "He failed to come in he thought the appointment was for Thursday," Lcmmon said. "They will interview him later this afternoon; he is being very cooperative." Once polite file the report, the district attorney will review it and decide whether or not to press charges. This is the first rape reported on campus since 1999, when police investigated two cases.' EMILY FULLER THE DAILY UTAH ONLINE CHRONICLE IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT WWW.Utahchronicle.COin |