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Show THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE FKIIMV. M OFFENS NO CT"- -I j Adam Benson f I is 1 4 the Skatin' day soon, guns may be on this campus, but never have to worry about hockey threatening the safety of our students again. That's because this past Wednesday, U administrators decided that the club hockey team was too much of a liability to be kept afloat with the U's support. Administrators cited several rules violations which led them to suspend the Skatin' Utes for at least two years, after which time they'll be eligible to apply for reinstatement to the U's campus recreation program. I know several of the U's administrators very well, and I wouldn't question their judgement for a second on any decision that they make concerning the safety of the student body or the preservation of community standards. But for a group of kids who simply want to play hockey because they love the game, and who have, since the U cut club team funding last season, never asked the U for a single penny for travel expenses, equipment purchases or promotion, the decision to cut the club team doesn't make sense. Administrators pointed to several rules violations including abusing travel rules, allowing a high school student to compete with the team and permitting a student to fly with a teammate who held a private pilot's license as reasons why the club was dropped. If those same folks knew about some of the things that went on at The Chronicle after the sun goes down, or if they spent even one evening with any number of groups who receive money from the U or through the Associated Students of the University of Utah, I think they might sec the actions of the hockey club in a different light. And really, are a bunch of kids who get together to play hockey any more a threat to the campus comd munity than a Terra Earth Day event? Sure, some rules were broken, and yeah, the team should probably be penalized for them. But a two-yesuspension and being stripped of its "club" team designation? That's like being guilty of jaywalking and finding yourself being sentenced to 35 years of hard labor at A O someone to n represent 0) better to help people represent i, themselves. Amity Scoville, a U Honors student, designed her own major in community psychology to compliment her civic interests. A Twist on Advocacy U Student Amity Scoville Believes In Helping People Help Themselves Story by Karen Hunt Photots by Sarah Morton think that service just really helps us to overcome the stereotypes and the selfishness "I With more than 500 documented hours of community service, Amity Scoville, a service-learnin- g scholar, represents a new generation of activists. She works in the U's Bennion Community Service Center. inOT Firma-spon-sorc- ar that comes with being human," Scoville said. She serves as the Bennion Center project director for a project that works to serve Utah's deaf population, Circle of Friends. Scoville, fluent in American Sign Language, understands the necessity of good communication as a tool for meeting people's needs. Scoville has applied her passion for service to her education at the U. She has designed her own major in community psychology. This field of psychology sees social problems as a result of many complex layers of society including neighborhoods, churches, families schools, and government. Marshall Welch, director of the Bennion Center, admires Scoville's research and said it's important to empower the poor because they should be able to represent their own interests. He also admires her vision of activism. Accordto Welch, ing d activism has the from of the '60s protests and '70s to involvement in service and mor-phe- Sing Sing. How many campus organizations that arc lucky enough to receive funding or official U support have never broken a single rule? Why should they be expected not to? I'm 22, and if somebody told me to live my life like Mother Teresa, they'd have a lot of explaining to do. I'm really not a big fan of hockey and honestly would never have attended one of the club team's games, but when the fish starts to stink, it's hard for me not to ask where it's coming from. The Skatin Utes were on their way to the bigtimc after striking a deal earlier this year with several other regional universities to form a Division-- I club league, which was slated to begin next year, Too bad the team's biggest penalty was assessed before the first puck was even able to drop. abenson chronicle.utah.edu for Someone else, but I think it's it Utes Stinks rcoPYi : Being an advocate The Fishy Death One 200 "1 Chronicle Feature Columnist Of .AIU II service-learnin, .....v.-..,- ,;- part of her honors thesis, Scoville works with Welch As in an 's Scoville holds an interest meeting for The University of the Poor, a university where groups can share experiences and leadership ideas. She is considering opening a Salt Lake City Web-center- branch. ed g. independent class study moveresearching ments where poor people have revolted against oppression, and she is designing a curricu lum to train the poor to become leaders. In her thesis, Scoville focuses on the activism of Martin Luther King Jr., whose movement employed the tactics of change by having poor blacks rise up and represent their own rights. Once her training information is complete, Scoville wants to open a University of the I'oor in Salt Lake City. The University of the I'oor is a university where different groups can share their Web-center- ed ideas and experiences, leadership-developmeeducational models. It hosts exchanges where different teachers and students from participating organizations can visit other areas, nationally and internationally, to learn lessons on organizing, educating and developing membership. Professor Theresa Martinez, the director of Scoville's honors thesis, sees Scoville as working at the root of problems. "I would imagine that Amity is going to be a person at the grassroots level," Martinez said. "I can always sec Amity at the front line." Scoville believes that poor people are experts on being poor, and they should be involved in the solution. "I think at some point, if you're involved in service.. .you always start to think about the cause of the situation, and advocacy is the most readily accessible way of change," she said. Yet, Scoville has an interesting twist to her belief in advocacy. "Being an advocate is for someone to represent someone else, but I think it's better to help people represent themselves," she said. That's exactly what she tries to do with her involvement in the I'oor People's Human Rights Campaign, an international human rights organization. Earlier this year, Scoville took part in organizing a national bus tour with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. The tour consisted of activists, homeless individuals and other representatives for the poor who visited different states in order to empower the poor to help themselves. Scoville assisted with the Utah stop. Most of her activism stems from her involvement with Mormons for Equity and Social Justice (MESSAGE), a group made up of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints. It was created by those who wanted to discuss how to blend LDS theology with social change and then implement that change. Scoville got involved after returning from an LDS misnt sion. "I really liked it because so many leaders of the LDS church have emphasized our responsibility to be involved civically and to have a group to do that and to build solutions to problems was wonderful," Scoville said. She thinks the LDS Church is considered progressive because it is trying to change the system, which Scoville said is necessary because there is so much inequality in the world. But, it's not so much a matter of Democrats, Republicans or any political party, it's about working together to find answers in harmony with religious beliefs. Scoville has many outlets for continuing her community service work once she graduates. "I think I have enough tools to participate in I like to be any community engaged in without a I'll probably get Master's but degree, getting one anyway." Wherever she's at, Scoville hopes to be involved in making communities better. karenhunt ' chronicle.utah.edu |
