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Show THE THUNDERBIRD MONDAY NOVEMBER 7, 1988 PAGE 3 Survey reveals student displeasure with local services Chamber questionnaire results indicate student need for increased merchandise quality , variety BY JODI REINARD A recent Cedar City Chamber of Commerce survey indicates that SUSC students spend a disproportionate amount ot their money out of town. According to survey results, 80 percent of SUSC students shop elsewhere tor goods, while Cedar City food stores enoy a higher percentage of student shoppers The survey, consisting ot 25 questions, was distributed to 550 SUSC students last spring, with 57 percent of those polled male and 43 percent female. Designed to help Cedar City merchants understand students' shopping needs, the survey promises to aid local businesses in attracting a larger portion of the student market. The survey was distributed to determine whether or not there was a market at SUSC," said Brian Kreitzer, executive director of Cedar City's Chamber ot Commerce. Services are classified in the survey as either excellent, good, fair, poor or no opinion. Students rate Cedar Citv's merchandise selection, quality and price rate as tair. But approximately 63 peicent ot all students polled say that, overall, they don't enoy shopping in Cedar City. The survey indicates that merchants must improve selection, quality and price to gain a larger share ot the student market. Students point out that they would remain in Cedar City to shop if the merchandise W'ere available. "What the merchants do with the results is up to them," said Kreitzer. "But some are trying some good and innovative things." Merchants in the Cedar City area believe that they are competitive or at least comparative with larger retailers in bigger cities. "We otter everything the big retailers do, only in smaller quantities, said Tom Cardon ot Cardon's Shoes "Brand for brand, we will be cheaper than the bigger retailers. Bigger doesn't alwavs mean bettei " "For a small place, (Cedar Cit) has Ok selection," said SUSC student non-produ- Gloria James. Home economics major Shauna Smum disagreed, saying that Cedar City "definitely needs more selection," with possibly the addition of a factory outlet store. Both students noted that they do the majority of their shopping either in Salt Lake City or St. George. Some area merchants consider their small-stor- e status an advantage. "We are not as big, and w'e don't want to be. We want to keep the small-tow- n atmosphere," said Clark Thomas, manager of Cedar City's J.C. Penney store. "The big advantage of a small-tow- n store is that if students find something they want and w'e don't have it, it can usually be ordered through the catalog," he said Quality ot products purchased and ' JJV , , X d'O , M f r r j ! 1 I. S i Vl j 2-- ;r 6-- r -i ry ft w. Yf o - s v , uV ; i i f r7, r. 'V "t - xV . , i K V .11 Senior education manor Diane Cohe , along with Krteen Mathew maoring in elemental education, s hop lor grocery item s at Cedar 4bertson's Food Cen'er T'Wtl COMPAGNO loseph Crowley ol the Noithwest Association ol Schools and Colleges complimented SUSCs growth a recent visit reviewing SUSC's tive-ea- r interim repot The interim report follows up on the association s 1983 recommendations concerning SUSC's administration and growth jjotential and must also in t Officials commend SUSC for preserving academic quality in the face of budget cuts. state any changes that have taken place since 1983, said Provost Terry Alger. The association's recommendations for continued accreditation include faculty and staff salary increases, an increase in the Library's acquisition budget and personnel and an increase in equipment budget and supplies. Other recommendations include an increase in planning and tunding tor continued studen growth SUSC administrators sa they have made necessary changes in reterence to all recommendations The association commended SUSC on the personal and pioiessional commitment to the institution demonstrated bv tdcultv statt and administration The college was applauded tor tne strong supportive and cooperative relationships among tacultv and between (acuity and administration SUSC was also praised tor creating a successful learning environment and for sustaining a tradition of strong community support while developing an external institutional advancement strategy which builds on that support. The association congratulated SUSC for interest in student recruitment and retention and for and refining the general education curriculum. According to Crowley, while Utah has experienced traumatic financial problems over the past three years, SUSC's administrators have successfully strived to preserve quality. Alger said study results will be available from Northwest in December. , a Cit 8 p m 'W'e changed our hours, and it heljaed," said Thomas. "We caught mostly tourist shoppers." Cardon has a dilterent view. "Extended hours ate not necessarily tor students, but maybe tor other people that have office hours," he said. "W'e are going to extend hours, but not tor students necessarily. More students shop in the late afternoon." Study results indicate that students w'ould like to see more clothing and entertainment supplies, w'ith 26 percent of those polled looking for everything from additional entertainment services. equipment to yard-car- e Students call for more merchandise variety', lower prices and better product quality, according to survey results As tar as improvements go, officials predict change wnll be gradual. "Nothing is going to change overnight," said Kreitzer. ' Improvement is an ongoing process Change is slow ." i Interim report reviews college growth B't K . price, as rated by the students, was Evan Jolley, manager of Jolley's Ranchwear, disagreed with these student perceptions. "We have first quality products wnth name brands. If it's tor less, it's not a first quality item " "The quality is equal to anything else the students have," Thomas said Cardon also emphasized the importance ot quality. "(Students) need to get out ot Pavless (Shoesource) and think there is enough quality to satisfy the people here. They've got to remember that better quality means higher prices," he said. Cardon then offered a tew shopping hints. "Students have to select what they can afford. Students need to pay attention to what they buy. They need to be careful shoppers, compare brands and prices, and know where the starting price is." Additionally, the survey indicates that students do most of their shopping in the evenings from 8 p m. Most stores in Cedar City close their doois at 6 p m. The survey indicates stores are losing a good portion ot student shoppers between the hours ot fair unior ' Hotline to aid campus r B't j PETER TAGG t crisis hotline to help students and the community with their problems mav be implemented at SUSC pending investigation SUSC psvchologv major Kendra Hook is heading the investigation. Through this program individuals can receive guidance w'hile still maintaining their anonymity. Hook w'lll visit U of U to see how its crisis program functions. She said that factors like tunding, manpower and legal liabilities need to be researched, and examining the U of U's program, w'hich has successfully run for 1 5 years, is the best way to find the answers. Georgia Thompson, assistant vice president for student services, said the counseling department would support the hotline particularly if it could academically benefit those who are counseled. A j j t J i f I I f ; j j f I I f f f f 1 |