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Show 199J Three local schools declared drug free having work. by Gary R. Blodgett Editor e schools. As such, drug-fre- e school zone signs have been placed the schools them safe as designating elementaries still enrolling kindergartners Year-roun- d school zones Saturation of education and rallying support for the program. Suppression by raising barriers higher to protect the school zone, and making it uncomfortable and risky for drug users and dealers to operate in the Drug-Fre- e Three Magna schools Cyprus High, Brockbank Junior High, and Magna have been Elementary added to the list of Drug-Fre- e around drug-fre- Home and School: School Zone. by Sharon Linschoten Staff Writer Year-roun- d ing for all children in their area who will be five years old by September 1, 1993. Parents of the new students ' Switching and subse- havens for students. Its a means of protecting children quently reducing drug availability, thus making it risky for drug dealers to remain in the school zone. Substitution by encouraging youth to choose other substances and activities to replace harmful drug and alcohol use. Students abuse substances that are available and if they cant get it, they cant use it! It was explained that the schools purpose of drug-fre- e zones is to control and reduce d crimes at or around locations where youth congregate, and to create drug-fre- e safe havens for students. However, the drug-fre- e zones can be extended beyond to inlcude churschools from harmful drugs and those who traffic them. Utah was one of the first states to enact drug-fre- e school zones which provide a 1,000-fosafety zone around the school. Anyone caught using or distributing drugs within this school zone faces a penalty if convicted in court, it was explained. Salt Lake County Attorney David Yocum said the drug-fre- e zones have been extremely successful in deterring drug dealers and protecting the children of Salt Lake ot higher-than-norm- al drug-relate- County. continuing study and analysis of the program is being carried out by the National Coalition for Drug-Fre- e A ches, parks, recreation centers, arcades, shopping malls, public parking lots, theatres, stadiums, amusement parks, or any other site which is often frequented by youths. School Zones. The national association cites four Ss necessary to schools like Pleasant Green and Copper Hills Elementaries are look- need to bring their childs birth certificate and im- munization papers to the schools office between 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Fri of Utah Men-diet-a W. Karla sophomore is eager to begin a career as a television news reporter who focuses on cultural diversity and youth issues. Through hands-o- n experience with social problems at the Us Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, she has gotten a head start toward her goal. A 1991 graduate of Hunter High School and daughter of Merce R. Butler, West Valley City, Mendieta is majoring in mass communications. The Bennion Center has opened my eyes to issues in our local as well as global community: homelessness, hunger, and racial tensions, says Mendieta, who was bom in Honduras and moved to Utah at age 6. As a minority, you face problems of discrimination, but I didnt know how widespread some of these problems were. Im fortunate that I never had to face these issues. Now Im eager to; I want to make a positive difference. University Mendieta centers directs the Guadalupe Neighborhood Support Project. In revitalizing homes and clearing vacant lots, she and other students, faculty, and staff work with, rather than for, residents of a largely Hispanic neighborhood of Salt Lake City. As director, Mendieta recruits volunteers, locates equipment, coordinates with neighboring most importhe support of tantly earns Her residents. neighborhood greetings in Spanish open many doors. For me, the Bennion Center is a place where I feel agencies, and t The community is encouraged to pass this news on to their neighbors who may be new to Magna or have no other children currently enrolled in school and may d not be aware that schools register earlier than traditional schools. year-roun- SUU implements new deadlines for admission Cedar City The easygo--. ing days of students popping in renting an apartment a few days before classes begin, then showing up at the Registrars Office to apply for admission are over, said Dale Orton, director of admissions at Southern Utah University. Lack of funding for the number of Utah ever-growi- students seeking higher education has forced enrollment limitations on all four of the states public universities. As a result, application be aware of and meet the admissions deadlines and requirements so they can be a part of our campus. Support your local schools! Snow Phobia After news reports of record snowfall in Utah, a caller from back East called the Salt Lake Con& Visitors vention by - LILY ESKELSEN I President, Utah Education Association He tugged hard on my sleeve. Can I talk to you? Jake, I said, Weve got to get lined up for lunch. Marsha and Jimmy are trying to kill each other over a pencil and if we dont follow Mr. Summers you just know Ms. Veath will butt in front and well be last again. Can this wait? Yeah. It can wait. At recess he tugged again. Can I talk to you? Jake, Im on recess duty and if anyone gets hurt and Im not out there Ill lose my job and have to sell one of my sons to make my car payments and they might give you a new teacher even meaner than me, and you wouldnt want that. Lets go outside and talk by the soccer posts. Its kinda private, he said. I can wait. After school I had almost herded the lot out the door. I was scooping up spelling and math papers so I could grade them under the table during the faculty meeting The intercom was announcing that the last one in the meeting would be unanimously elected chair of the social committee. Jake tried one more time. How about now? I took a deep breath. Okay, Jake. Youve got two minutes. Ready set, go. two minutes. Well, I been takin drugs and I get them from my brother when hes gone to school and I dont know where he gets it but you said we could talk to you if we ever got in trouble so ... And then he was crying. I put down my papers. I was a great social chair that year. Jake isnt a troublemaker. Hes eleven. And hes so quiet. And that was many years ago. But I like to think we caught him before he fell through that awful, big crack where we lose so many kids today. We caught him because he had the tremendous courage to keep coming back after I had turned him away so many times. And I am haunted by the kids I might have had who didnt come back. The kids who werent able to get my attention. The kids who didnt tug on my sleeve hard enough. We have so many kids tugging nowadays. Parents and teachers, between us, weve got to touch every child who needs us. The attention-getterthe ones who hide inside themselves, the ones who dont stand out and the defiant ones who wouldnt be caught dead asking for help. For own sake, we have to acknowledge that his shoes down ours is an impossible task, He looked at as so and rattled at top speed but for their sake we have to to get Rail out in hisallotted n it anyway: 1,1 ':11 '.11180' w uv,J flxua.) .10; deadlines have been moved up and are already being strictly enforced, Orton said. Is Utah Bureau: Students who applied late for dosed? winter quarter were referred poted nJonothenqqarterhe 3, VThe deacUine to apply ;for josq s im ff! luouo trii spring quarter is March 1. To apply for fall quarter admission, the deadline is July 1. The same deadlines are also in effect at other universities in the state. Due to a combination of rising education We need to make people costs and dwindling resources, many college aware of the admission apstudents are turning to national scholarship plication deadlines, Orton search agencies in quest for funds. said. Its now a necessity because of enrollment But, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Its pressures. very tight results of these agencies, which lure and late overall applicants tight students to invest in their guaranteed, have already been referred to future quarters. money-bac- k services, are best described as To meet the deadlines, poor. Each year the Financial Aid Office at students need to plan early and complete their admission Brigham Young University received inquiries from students and parents regarding applications. these services, which usually charge t SUUs total enrollment last fees ranging between $50 and $300. fall hit the 4,500 mark. In 1982, Interest in the services offered by scholarfall quarter enrollment was conSUU about 2,200. ship agencies has increased because of only to the be tinues fastest growhigher education costs which have continued to increase above the rate of inflation, said state. in the ing university KARLA W. MENDIETA Norm Finlinson, BYU financial aid director. The quality of our inStudents who in previous years were fundto students continues comfortable and at peace, ed crease along with the through Pell grants and other federal proshe says. Its also a learning numbers. We are grams are looking for other sources of finanpleased place where Ive developed with our popularity, Orton cial aid, he said. leadership and organizational Some advertisements and sales pitches will We said. hope students skills. The staff are behind claim there are millions of dollars in unclaimyou, but its your project. ed scholarship monies just waiting to be tapAlthough thats a big responguarantees ped. Many ads offer money-bac- k sibility for a student, its a or $200 savings bonds to students who dont positive kind of stress. receive either sources or funds. A member of the media These offers for scholarships and grants committee for the Utah Coalican look very attractive to students who dont Feb. 1: Nachos, green understand tion of La Raza and publicist financial aid, said a spokesman beans with bacon bits, mixed for the Hispanic Student for the New York City Better Business fruit, choice of milk. Union, Mendieta has receivBureau. Unfortunately, students are paying Feb. 2: Turkey salad or ed U of U Leadership and hefty fees for sources which typically Chicano scholarships as well spaghetti with cheese, wheat generate no funds. as aid from the Alberta roll, carrot sticks, pineapple According to the Wisconsin Department of milk and chocolate Education chunks, Henry Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protecchoice. Foundation. tion, Susan Worm, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkos- h Feb. 3: Pizza, cucumber One of my goals in life is nursing student, sent nearly $200 to to do some major traveling, rings with dip, crisp apple, a scholarship search firm which guaranteed Mendieta says. After earning cookie, choice of milk. in its ad that the scholarship she would Feb. 4: Sub sandwich or receive was worth at least $1,700. a masters degree, she plans to begin her broadcasting hamburger gravy over rice, All she received from the company was incareer. It doesnt bother me celery sticks, buttered roll, formation about scholarships for graduate to get in front of a group of peaches, chocolate and milk students. She is an undergraduate. choice. people. One of my strongest With two different student loans, I Feb. 5: Burrito, Mexicali couldnt afford to lose the $200, she said. qualities is Im not intimidated by a big crowd. corn, orange wedges, Said Finlinson, We have consistently adchocolate cake, choice of vised students that the best way to obtain inmilk. formation on financial aid sources is to use local college financial aid offices, high school guidance counselors, public libraries, or catalogues from bookstores. These sources family! provide the same information and are free of Hunter High grad directs ..'iA day in order to register for the new school year which begins in July for Tracks A, B, and C. D track begins in August. Vital Links s, Scholarship search services raise hopes but few funds up-fron- schools Support your and attend the games! Great, affordable fun for the ( ADVERTISE! charge. At a recent College Board National Convention which BYU employees attended, financial aid administrators concurred in unanimous criticism of these, companies. There were no administrators present who had seen positive performance by these firms, said Finlinson. Last September, the NYC Better Business Bureau felt constrained to issue a consumer alert regarding scholarship search companies. As the report indicated, few, if any applicants, receive any funds from such companies. The Bureaus own investigation revealed that none of the firms, save one, were able to verify to the Bureau that any students had obtained funding using their sources. After contacting more than 30 firms, the Bureau found only three students who had received any funds. The Bureau also found that most scholarship matching companies are either licensees or information brokers. Rather than assisting the students, in obtaining financial aid or screening applicants, they simply forward the students paperwork to a parent company which does the actual matching. The parent company then sends out the list of potential sources to the student who must research and contact each organization listed. According to the Bureau report, one student sent in his money thinking that he was guaranteed a refund if a scholarship was not found. However, rather than finding him the scholarship, the company sent a list of 250 sources to which he could apply for financial aid. The student had no luck in obtaining monies from those he contacted, but in order to get a refund he would have had to apply to all 250 sources, be denied, and have some a task form of verification of all denials that would be nearly impossible. Needless to say, he received nothing back from the company. Despite numerous poor reviews, there are some companies that dont charge excessive fees that will do the work and find legitimate sources for scholarships, said Finlinson. However, we suggest that if students are interested in participating in this kind of search service, they ought to contact the Better Business Bureau and find out if there have been any complaints or what the reputation of the firm is. . |