OCR Text |
Show THE THUNDERBIRD MONDAY FEBRUARY 9, 1987 PACE 3 j Renowned BBC writerproducer lames Burke took Convocationgoers on an odyssey of change Thursday Our ability to see information shapes changes, says Burke "You see what your knowledge allows you to see," explained writerproducer James Burke in his Thursday address to the SUSC student body Burke, who worked for the British award-winnin- g Broadcasting Corp , and is internationally known for his science productions, spoke on the mechanisms of the changes which affect our society Burke said that we each construct a unique model of reality which provides our definition of the universe Croups form their own, more restrictive group model in which the function of the group and the individual are defined differently Change occurs when we see the world differently Although some changes occur because there is no choice, most changes originate from communication When people get together and talk, ideas can be exchanged much more readily Availability of information has historically been a prime factor "The ability to see information shapes the changes," said Burke According to Burke, it is our responsibility to pay attention to the direction society is taking If society isn't going in the right direction, we should be willing to make the necessary changes Fee hike is passed into reality Without dissent, SUSC's Institutional Council approved a 10 percent hike in student fees Thursday The move will increase fees from $234 annually to $264 he new fee increase will be targeted to flesh out budgetary gaps created by recent budget cuts enacted by the Utah State Legislature Programs that will benefit from the increase include athletics, theatre, the Student Health Center, and the SUSC building fund The fee hike comes amid student concerns regarding the justifications for the increase. Some 50 students attended a an open forum Wednesday and voiced generally negative concerns over the fee hike Vice President for Student Services Sterling Church defended the decision to increase fees as an appropriate one, given the current level of cuts sustained by SUSC. Church's advocacy echoed the justification given by the Institutional Council in support of the increase However, student concern over the expenditure of the new fee increase has not abated. Mike Baker offered a typical student concern, "I am in favor of the new fees but not to athletics. Other i programs need money too " The new fee increase would supplement the current athletic allocation which already stands second only to the college building fund as the greatest line item expenditure of student fees The current increase represents a nearly 25 percent boost in the athletic fee allocation over the 1986-8- 7 amount ASSUSC President Alan Bailey raised student concerns at the meeting of the Institutional Council regarding the proposed increase and explored other student concerns regarding proper ventilation of the science labs and the uncertain nature of the funding of the Rodeo Club In spite of Bailey's presentation of student concerns, however, the council unanimously endorsed the fee increase that will take effect at the outset academic year of the 1987-8- 8 The new fee increase raises further the student commitment to the building of the new Student Center by nearly 25 percent. The increase comes at a time that finds better than 25 percent of the total student fees paid at SUSC going toward the building of the new Student Center. Senate ladles student fees ASSUSC Academic Vice President Bill Honeck was among those who supported the fee increase in Wednesday's open forum Legislative input still needed, Richards says After four weeks of work on the budget for higher education and SUSC, a mixed outlook is still reported at the state capitol, according to Michael D. Richards, the institutions vice president for college relations. "A lot of deliberation is still going on as tax increases and expenditures are being considered," Richards said. "The recent revenue shortfall report is also coloring the thinking of the legislators. "At this time," he said, "there is no alternative to a tax increase if we are to maintain or improve the quality of education m this state A shifting of tne 1987-8- 8 tax burden from federal to state level may help as Utah anticipates a windfall of some $50 million in income tax revenue, but it wont be enough." The higher education appropriations subcommittee has completed its recommendations for the budget, according to Richards, who returned from a meeting of the legislature Friday. He said the subcommittee is recommending a $263 million new base budget with an $8 million building block in addition to trhat base fund. Th $271 million total budget, up from S23-million for the '86 87 school year. now goes to the Executive Appropriations Committee. The legislature must reach a decision on the b:!! by midnight, Feb. 25. "The tax increase issue is not settled," said Richards, "and with two and a half weeks left to communicate with our legislators, it's important that the base budget be held at $263 million for higher education." Richards said additional tax money will be needed to fund j'ust the base amount let alone the $8 million building block "To even reach that level is going to take a sizable tax increase," he said As students debate next year's fee increase, the ASSUSC Senate met Wednesday and allocated present fee money to different organizations on campus The first motion passed was an amendment to a bill that will allow the student directors of the intramural program to receive stipends of $100 per quarter. Proponents state that the student directors hours a week into put in 30-4- 0 the program and it is necessary to give some monetary compensation, if students wish to maintain a high quality intramural program Kelly Holman, representing the Graduate Interview Program, also appeared before the senate and said that the program has been quite successful in funding trips for groups of students to travel to job interview sites in order to convince employers that SUSC is a worthwhile campus to conduct interviews. The senate granted his request of $1,000 to finance further trips during the month of February, with the stipulation that the funds are to defray motor pool and lodging costs. In other action, the senators agree to consider requests for funding by the Ambassadors Club and the Rodeo Club. The Ambassadors' request for $500 and the Rodeo Club's request for $2,439 will be placed on the agenda for Wednesday's 7 a m meeting in the senate chambers and voted on at that time |