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Show THE THUNDERBIRD SUSC MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1989 PAGE 3 Poverty issue perused BY KIRK current trends continue, it is predicted that by the year 2000, one of three NIELSEN children will live in poverty, Life, liberty, and the pursuit of JEFF Richard H. Ropers, recipient of SUSCs 1 989 Faculty Honor Lecture award, focused Thursdays Convocation lecture on Americas 80,000 citizens who live in poverty. happiness are inconceivable without the opportunity to earn a decent living, secure lifes basic necessities and contribute to society, said Richard H. Ropers, an assistant professor of behavioral and social science who was featured at Thursdays Convocation as SUSCs 1989 Faculty Honor Lecture. Ropers lecture focused on the task of moving America toward a kinder and gentler status by ending homelessness and fulfilling the American dream. Ropers said poverty could be described in three ways: relative, absolute and administrative. Regardless of how we define it, poverty in the United States endures, he said. In an attempt to bring the poverty issue closer to his audience, Ropers explained, We cannot understand poverty if we dont know what it means to be poor. Poverty betrays the American dream, it narrows and closes lifes chances, it wreaks havoc on ones mental and physical health and poverty often means hunger, said Ropers. Ropers said that 80 percent of the poor in America are children, the elderly, and women. Twelve percent of Utahs population lives below the poverty line. Thats about 194,000 citizens, he said. By 1990, one out of five children will live in poverty. If Ropers said. In rural areas like Cedar City, poverty concern. One of four children in rural America are in poverty. The poverty rate in Americas rural areas is as great as that of the central cities and 50 percent higher than the rate of the entire urban population. One of societys myths is that the homeless are crazy bums, said Ropers. This perception is augmented through mass media. The causes for homelessness are many, he said. Certainly, there are many, and they interact with one another, but they are mostly to be found not in the individual victims of poverty and homelessness, but rather in the large social and economic transformations occurring in our country, Ropers added. Necessary changes include deindustrialization, is a unemploymentunderemployment, government cutbacks, and a shortage in housing, he said. The homeless and poor are victims of policy well beyond their control. It is time that American priorities and values were set straight. Children, women and the elderly come first before Star Wars and the B-- l bomber, before the Contras, before pay raises for Congress and other government bureaucrats, Ropers said. low-inco- Deans revise SUSC adjunct faculty status policy The policy to continue adjunct faculty status which has not had any major revisions since 1982 was recently reviewed by the SUSC Deans Council to discontinue the requirement that adjunct faculty need full Deans Council approval for continued services. Continuing adjunct faculty need not come before the Deans Council every year; they do have to have annual department level approval, said David Rees, Faculty Senate president. SUSCs adjunct faculty are individuals who specialize in a certain field of study and are asked by the Deans Council to teach a course that may be taught only once a year, said A1 Tait, dean of the school of science. Adjunct faculty may also be faculty members who have reached the age of retirement but are asked to e basis. Initial status is granted instruct on a after the applicant appears before the Deans Council, part-tim- he said. Having adjunct status is an honorary title that is nice to have if for no other reason than for just having it, said Betty Kingsford, associate vice president for student services and Freshman Orientation, ARLE 101, instructor. Adjunct faculty do not carry tenure, and their contracts are course specific, said Tait. Being adjunct faculty doesnt denote academic ranking, he said. It is an honorary title which means that they are affiliated in a particular area and are temporary, he said. To be given adjunct status, one goes at least once before the dean of the school in which they will be teaching. i Adjunct positions are only as enduring as the courses themselves, said Tait. Adjunct status isnt always granted to course instructors. Instead, they are given the title of special instructor. Special instructors are given contracts that end when the course ends. Adjunct faculty are not given contracts because they are usually individuals who are already on contract with SUSC. These people, like Kingsford, are given adjunct status so they may teach the course. Having adjunct status or special instructor status is not only logical, but it is vital, said Provost Terry Alger. Someone shouldnt be teaching a course at SUSC unless they have a label such as adjunct faculty member or special instructor, he said. It adds credibility to the course, Kingsford added. Bevy of activities slated for Drug Awareness Week BY The panel will be composed of SUSC students AMANDA REESE Concerned with the epidemic of national drug abuse, local individuals bring the issue to southern Utah for the third annual Substance Abuse Awareness Week, December Activities begin today with the Drug Awareness Fair to be held at the Student Center in Zion Conference Rooms A and B. The fair, which will be held throughout the day, is sponsored by local and regional health care industries. The booths will offer information d on issues, as well as answer questions those have. attending may At 7 p.m. in the SUSC Auditorium, Hyrum Smith will speak on Gaining Control, Why Do People Do What They Do? The presentation is free of charge. k in Zion A Tuesday at noon there will be a and B focusing on drug awareness. To augment the weeks activities, Tuesdays Freshman Orientation will sponsor a panel discussion on substance abuse at 1 1 a.m. in the Thorley Recital Hall. 4-- 8. drug-relate- Sak-n-Ya- discussing From Those Who Have Been There. The panel was very successful last year, said Betty Kingsford, associate vice president for student services, who initiated the drug abuse program in 1987 with the aim to involve the community as well as SUSC students. We want to show students you can party in an atmosphere without drugs or alcoholn said Julie Stuart , president of the Inter'Greek Council. All interested students arc invited to attend the panel which will be repeated for Wednesdays orientation class at noon. The panel will be moderated by Richard H. Ropers, assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences. On Wednesday evenirg, students are invited to attend regularly scheduled movies at Fiddlers Three Theater. Those students wearing red ribbons, the national anti-dru- g symbol, will receive a free drink with a movie ticket. The red ribbons will be distributed throughout the week. Thursdays Convocation features motivational speaker Gary Applegate. Applegate travels throughout the state giving presentations on drug awareness and motivation. He will also give two presentations in the Thorley Recital Hall at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The week is highlighted by Friday nights mocktail party After Hours featuring the Gamma Rays. Its going to be the biggest party of the year. It will encompass the entire Student Center, said Julie Stuart, president of Phi Alpha Beta and of the Inter-Gree- k Council which is in charge of the party. We want to show students you can party in an atmosphere without drugs or alcohol, she said. The Gamma Rays, a popular band from Salt Lake City, will be performing in the Kolob Canyon Room. There will be one floor set up for dancing. Cost is $3.50 in advance and $4 at the door. Admission includes two mocktails mixed drinks. non-alcohol- ic |