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Show j m "& SOUTHERN UTAH STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY PAYMENT PLAN MUST BE BASED ON NEED Several SUSC students can look forward to an easier method of paying tuition beginning spring quarter. The program, designed to allow selected students to repay tuition in several installments throughout the college quarter, can greatly benefit those students truly in need of additional financial aid. But The Thunderbird fears one of the methods currently being considered to select those eligible students will dilute the programs potential benefits. While specifics of the program are still being reviewed, planners have indicated that the limited number of installment contracts d may be allotted to eligible students on a basis beginning spring quarter. While this credit arrangement is a fine example of SUSCs commitment to serving its students, the program is obviously designed for those students with extreme financial need, and only they should be allowed to participate in it. Administrators herald the program as a substantial aid to students and financially strained students. But the arrangement, made possible by a donation to the college, will achieve this status only if its benefits are awarded to those students who truly need them. As administrators determine the details of student eligibility for the program, we urge them to consider basing loan allotment on financial need. loans to the first eligible students in Granting the short-terline will accomplish little if these applicants arent the ones with true financial need, especially now that that the colleges tuition deferment program is subject to increased restrictions. The college will form a committee to review applications and determine each students ability to repay the quarter-lon- g loan. That review board should be in charge of reviewing each students economic situation as well, making sure the installment plans help needy students rather than putting additional spending money in the pocketS of financially secure students. Disregarding financial need in granting these loans would be unfair to SUSC students as well as to those whose contributions initiated the program. SUSC administrators promise the program will be especially sensitive to the needs of students, since their tuition and fees exceed $1,000 per quarter nearly three times the amount resident students pay for an SUSC education. Program coordinators would be wise to carry this degree of selectivity one step further by allowing only those students with the greatest need to participate in the installment program. The SUSC administration will soon implement a program that can potentially benefit many students. As planners put the finishing touches on the installment program, we encourage them to extend the programs benefits by making sure the loans arent wasted on the first students to meet a set of minimum requirements. Students will greatly appreciate the extra effort. first-com- e, THE THUNDERBIRD TUESDAY JANUARY 3, 1989 PAGE 4 SUSC TUYftON iPfrHS first-serve- out-of-sta- te we in-sta- te m out-of-sta- te The Thunderbird VOLUME 83, NUMBER 13 Editor Nicole Bonham Associate Editor Lynn Holt Production Manager Lynn Dennett Design Editor Danny Stewart Senior Staff Writers Jodi Reinard Photo Editor Rich Engleman Rachel Talbot Copy Editor Anne McCloskey Ad Representatives Nicole Floyd Arts &. Leisure Editor Gary Ziegler Michelle Jensen Sports &. Outdoors Editor Brent Richey Faculty Adviser Larry Baker The Thunderbird is published each Monday and Thursday of the academic year by and for t e student body of Southern Utah State College and is not affiliated in any way with the college s department of communication. The views and opinions expressed in The Thunderbird are he opinions of the publications individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the institution, faculty staff or student body in general. The unsigned editorial directly above is the opinion o (The Thunderbird as a single entity. Letters to the editor must be typed and include name and phone number. Only the name will be printed. Names will not be withheld under any circumstances and the editor reserves editing privileges. Letters must be submitted by noon Friday for Mondays edition; 5 p.m. Tuesday for Thursdays edition. and offices in SUSC Library 103. Mail at SUSC Box ed,";2.rial advertising ,T'Y'rbY: UT 84720. 9384, Phone (801) City, or I 586-775- 586-775- 8 586-775- rt Is dere a penalty for Oh now ciHb5 3 lake, payments? one. Access TV: Americas downfall in living color Access is a recurring column through which members of the campus community may address themselves to topics of concern andor interest. This weeks column is by Kenneth Reber, a senior political science major who joins the Thunderbird staff this week as an editorial assistant. Several years ago, rock star Ozzy Osbourne released song titled The Ultimate Sin. In the lyrics he described the terrible sin that would destroy America as being a nuclear holocaust. Living in the dorms the past three years, I have come to the opinion that the greatest danger to Americas existence is not from an external source but internal. I believe that the greatest enemy that confronts us today is the television. This small box has almost completely become our bane. Probably, most all of us have to admit that we have skipped a class since we just couldnt miss Kayla, Patch and Days of Our Lives. Or that we failed a major test since we decided to watch The Cosby Show and the rest of the NBC Thursday night lineup instead of studying. Television doesnt just carry a negative influence on college students. It affects everyone from small children, who are continually being subjected to violence from cartoons, all the way to older, retired citizens who become hooked on everything from game shows to soap operas. The recent presidential election is a prime example of how television is hurting America. The majority of Americans receive their news and form opinions from the nightly network news. Reflecting back over a the election, all we knew from the TV concerning the future presidency of George Bush and Dan Quayle prior to election day was that Bush relished saying Read my lips, and that he knows how to drive a forklift (probably carrying foreign import items). Sen. Bentsen taught us the only thing we know about Dan Quayle: that he certainly is no Jack Kennedy! News anchors also help shape our opinion on who we elect. In 1980, Walter Cronkite would end his nightly newscast by stating the number of days the hostages had been in Iran, which seriously hurt Few students can locate Boston on a map , but everyone knows the name of its most popular bar . President Carters campaign against Ronald Yet 1988 the Reagan. election, we had a during number of hostages held in Lebanon that we hardly ever heard about. Whats the difference? Anchors deal mostly with stories that last between 30 and 40 seconds since, they claim, a longer story will cause the people to drift away from the television set. Isnt it interesting that Peter Jennings and other reporters feel that we have an attention span of under 45 seconds? Kindergarten students perform projects that last around 15 minutes. This leads me to wonder if the adult population has deteriorated to the point (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5) |