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Show it iT A Daily the r tt IRONICLJb The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice since 1890 Wednesday, January 8, 2003 VOL. ASUU President V. V SADAF BAGHBANI Chronicle Staff Writer ADAM BENSON While students were away for Winter Break, the U's Student Body President was busy working with other students and alumni from around the state to decrease the budget cut at the capitol. On Dec. 16, the state Legislature met for a special session to discuss and decide the annual budget. Associated Students of the University of Utah's President Bill Edwards met with various legislators to stress the importance of higher education. According to the U's Director of Government Relations Nancy Lyon, most of the work is done before the actual session. "During the session you just wait to see what happens," Lyon said. "I do think that the legislators understood the message about the importance of higher and public educa- The U's Gretchen Domck was one of 32 students nationwide named Rhodes Scholar in early December. Though her award is one for indiGretchen vidual achievement, Domck credits it to the education she has received at the U. Domck will begin her studies at Oxford University in England this October, where she hopes to create a course study on medical ethics by tion." Edwards also added that legislators understood the main message that they need to serve the future of Utah students. "The session was a success and a failure at the same time for higher education," Edwards said. In December, the state's higher education budget was cut by $12 million. To make up for the drastic cut in the middle of the year, the legislators are providing $9 million in onetime funding. Thus, only a total of $3 million dollars was cut this year. "This concerns me because even though people are surprised that we didn't get cut too much, we need higher education to be a priority, especially if we want to preserve the future of our economy," Edwards said. "Students in a university are the work force in three or four years." Edwards said the economic recession has caused budget problems, and many areas in the state are being cut, including higher education. Cuts aren't over though. The official Legislative Session is on Jan. 20, and more cuts may be on the way. Lyon said cuts are uncertain but likely. Chronicle Staff Writer r tin i fi tn ' iiiiiiiMilfllttMiv Rhodes Scholar Gretchen Domek will move on to Oxford University. AARON GOLDSMITH Chronicle Staff Writer With inversions and days becoming a common winter occurrence in the valley, Salt Lake residents are becoming increasingly aware of their air quality. A group of U researchers and students are undertaking a study of the Salt Lake valley air quality in an attempt to better understand all the factors that lead to urban air pollution on the Wasatch Front. The study, called the Salt Lake Valley Airshed Project, began in September and will last until the spring of 2005. The project is receiving the needed $1.49 million in funding from the National Science Foundation. "The urban airshed is a complex environment. If we are going to make good decisions about how to keep the air clean and healthy in coming decades, we need to understand how the system works," said project spokesman and hydrogeolo-gis- t Craig Forster in a recent statement. Forster is also a research associate professor of geology and geophysics at the U. The project will include faculty from the U Colleges of Science, "no-driv- e" ! An Engineering, Mines and Earth Sciences, Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences who will investigate factors that lead to air pollution. The main factors that lead to poor air quality are weather, such as the inversion, urban sprawl, government policies, vehicle exhaust and industrial gas emissions. The five principal investigators j ' in the project will be Forster,. Philip Emmi, Joseph Klewicki, Diane Pata-k- i and Tarla Peterson. The researchers will focus on carbon dioxide because of its role as a greenhouse gas in global warming. They will determine how much of the carbon dioxide and other polluting gases come from industry, vehicles and other sources in resi dential, urban and industrial-commerci- al areas. "We want to study different components of the city that contribute to the quality of the urban airshed and greenhouse emissions within it," said Diane Pataki, research assistant professor of biology and airshed project principal investiga- see AIRSHED, page 6 Chartwells Defends Sty vofoam Usage said. According to Union Director Whit Hollis, one of the main factors in determining the materials used is cost sbaghbanichronicle. utah.edu - inversion obscures a view of downtown Salt Lake City last winter. The legislators are unwilling to push for a tax increase and will have to add to the higher education cut, know," Lyon said. I, - Lyon said. "The feeling in the house is that there is still room for cuts, so we may see more of it, but you never see RHODES, page 6 J. The campus food service's use of styrofoam dinner-war- e in the Union is more of an economic choice than an ecological one, but Mike Paulus doesn't think the environmental impacts are too bad. Paulus, Chartwells' resident district manager, says the best materials used in the production of dinnerware can only be assessed for the specific product in mind. Thus, Chartwells uses paper, plastic and styrofoam for dinnerware used in the Union dining area. Styrofoam is used mainly for plates and bowls, paper for cups and plastic for spoons, knives and forks, Paulus Lyon said. drawing on the university's physioland medical ogy, psychology anthropology programs. Though Rhodes scholarships are often dominated by students at prestigious private universities such as Columbia, Harvard and Yale, Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies John Francis said Domek's acquisition of the award is a reflection of the U's student body. "What strikes me about our students is that they achieve so much, U Researchers Study Urban Air Pollution "Who knows what cuts will be doesn't seem likely that there will be a growth in revenue," Lyon said. "I'm assuming we aren't going to be able to restore the cuts, especially if more are on their way." Lyon also added that at the session, the governor vetoed some line items which totaled $8 million. To reconcile that amount, the legislators will have to cut more money from the various areas of the budget. "Everything is sluggish through the middle of the year. The Legislature will be very, very conservative," made, it NO. 82 Do mek Name Eh odes Scholar v Lobbies During inter Break xx"' 112 bji ALI HASNAIN Chronicle Asst. News Editor place of disposable dinnerware, Paulus said. According to him, the U was responsible for about d of the population that Chartwells feeds now. Chartwells serves about 10,000 meals a day in the Union, but uses china at the Heritage Center, which has a more "controlled atmosphere," where diners arc not free to roam out of the eating area like they are at the Union. "We don't have the facility to accommodate china tin the Union," Paulus said. ihkwwai- mum mmtm ih.iiiiii 11 m ijifi " "i l one-thir- efficiency. "We work very hard to keep the prices as low as we can," he said. Balancing ecology with cost during difficult economic times is not an easy task, he said. About five years ago, the U managed dining accommodations in the Union. At that time, china was used in Paulus agrees with Hollis that the most significant issue is to find the most means to serve a mass audience. However, some 'students say styrofoam shouldn't be used, especially with paper as an option. "I definitely advocate the use of paper over styrofoam," freshman Dana Dalton said. He says paper is chemically less harmful than styrofoam after the production process. Paulus has had this issue raised before during his 17 months working with the U. However, aside from cost efficiency, Paulus doesn't believe that ecological concerns are being compromised by use of styrofoam. cost-effecti- ve see STYROFOAM, page 7 I UJ J yz o or uI 'i - y. I f ' a - z r o o- h- iz - Styrofoam plates are used in the Union to keep costs down. THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT www.DailyUtahChronicle.com is |
