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Show 2 - DIXIE SUN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 'EDI Dollars for Scholars critical to future scholarship BY NADIA VAN DER WATT Dixie Sun Staff Writer Dixie State College administrators launched the Dollars for Scholars Campaign to subsidize d the loss of scholarship funds at Dixie State College by acquiring $500,000 by much-neede- Aug. 15. DSC President Stephen Nadauld kicked off the program with his announcement on Jan. 21 at the annual President's Associates Banquet. The campaigns purpose is to solicit monetary donations from all members of the community, even students, in any size. In a letter to the DSC faculty and staff, Nadauld noted that DSC has been impacted by the economic downturn. Our low investment earnings coupled with expected state budget cuts has resulted in a pressing need for scholarships. He also said in the let- ter that in order for DSC to continue its upward trend in enrollment, scholarships are needed to attract and retain students. Although the sum of $500,000 may seem a little overzealous in these unstable economic times, St. George is the fastest growing metro area since April 2000, with more than 125,000 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau. Christina Schultz, vice president of institutional advancement, said all it takes is "just 1,000 people giving $500 each to meet our goal." She also said most of the funds collected from this campaign will be used for the general scholarships pool at DSC, unless otherwise specified by the donor to go to a specific scholarship area. Ashley Harmon, a senior English major from St. George, said she thinks it's a good idea. She said St. George's economy has been more stable than others, and there's a lot of support from the community for education. "It will save a lot of students who would not otherwise have been able to attend Dixie," Harmon said. "I know I wouldn't have made it this far without scholarships." Several methods will be used to stimulate donations. Schultz said there will be two postcard mailings sent to the community highlighting two students who attend DSC, one male and one female. Cottage parties will also be hosted in the homes of willing individuals. These will be luncheons or dinners that members of the community will attend, by invitation only. They will provide entertainment and student speakers. Schultz said some of the cottage parties will be directed to procuring funds specifically designated to one area. For example, the most recent party was hosted by DSCs first lady, Margaret Nadauld, and was specially held to draw funding for womens scholarships on campus. Because of increased enrollment in the past years there are more students on campus who need scholarships, Schultz said. The areas that currently need the most funding are the English, education, communication, integrated studies and general scholarship funds. Students are counting on us, she said. In his speech at the Annual President's Banquet Naduald said Students are the I lifeblood of the college.... Scholarships allow us to recruit and Dill retain the brightest st- imp' udents, as well as supp0r .,ard those who would notbt jits able to pursue their edi Jdc cation without financial Froi idge assistance.... We are oint shaping DSCs destiny itch To donate to the ent Dollars for Scholars :thc Campaign or for more information call Schultz iMP11 Suit 9 at (435) or listlCt mail checks to Dixie State College of Utah, dass mic Office of Institutional erand Advancement, 225 S. 700 East, St. George,!' :ael. irofc 84770. Cash or credit Njidh card donations should! war made at the North effort Administration Buildint c 652-750- -- Jasse Lasi Job seekers consider military options in bad economj (MCT) RALEIGH, N.C. - If he enlisted in the Army today, there's a good chance Jonathan Barron would be deployed to a combat zone by Christmas. Still, in this economy, the military looks to him like the safest place to be. "I'm scared to death," Barron said last week after taking an Army qualifications pre-teat a Raleigh recruitment center. It's not the possibility of being shot at that frightens him; it's that, at 24, with a high school diploma and nearly three years of college, he can't find a job. The one he had, selling suits at a shop in Gamer, N.C., for $7 an hour, ended last week when S&K Menswear closed the store. As civilian jobs get scarcer by the week, recruiters say interest in the military is up. Recruiters are not only seeing more applicants, but more of them have at least a high school diploma and many, a college degree. All branches of service met or exceeded recruitment goals in fiscal 2008, the first year they have done so since 2002, the defense department says. The trend continued through October, November and December, the first quarter of fiscal st - Center his job VVI Mibvi Ul. UIV ICU VI UC3 IlCI Ulllllg in Raleigh, N.C. "This is a last resort," said Barron, who was expecting to lose at a clothing store in 2009, and is expected to hold when January figures are tallied. The Army had to lower its admission standards in recent years, taking in more applicants who lack a high school diploma. At the same time, the Army's mission in Iraq and Afghanistan increasingly requires soldiers who can react quickly to changing situations. If soldiers looking for illegal weapons at a home encounter women and children, for example, will they know how to proceed without committing a cultural offense that could make the situation worse? j- -l Garner. "In the operational environment we're in now ... it's critical to have those kinds of creative thinkers," said Col. George Sterling, commander of the Army's Raleigh Recruiting Battalion, responsible for recruitment across two-thirof the state. The Department of Defense can't say what percentage of the increased traffic at recruitment centers is due to job losses. People might be responding to enlistment bonuses that can reach $40,000, a better GI Bill to pay for college and up to $65,000 to I pay off existing student loans. Adding to the appeal of joining now is the reduction in violence in Iraq and the possibility of U.S. forces withdrawing from that country in a year or two. North Carolina, home to the Army's Fort Bragg, the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, is a perennial powerhouse for the military. In fiscal 2008, it had the nation's ninth-higherate of enlistment among residents aged 17 to 24, according to the st Massachusetts-base- d National Priorities f Project, a nonprofit organization that studies the impact of federal policies on local communities. Sterling said that in some communities, the best recruitment tool may be the neighbor in the nicer home, driving the newer car and wearing the Army uniform. When she gets out, that soldier will get preference in applying for federal jobs, be eligible for home-loa- n guarantees and Veterans Administration medical care and, when she dies, be buried in a national cemetery if she chooses. But even in times of war, the military doesn't take all comers. Applicants must be at least 17 years old. Age limits vary by branch and whether the prospective recruit served before; the Army generally turns down anyone older than 42 who has no service history. Pay varies widely, depending on rank and years of experience, and pay can be augmented by hazardous-dut- y or combat and for allowances pay and other housing expenses. A new private in basic training would earn about $1,300 a month in base pay, an officer several times that. The promise of travel that comes with enlistment is enticing to some, a hardship for others. The stresses of combat exp- are well known and can have lasting effects c a soldier's mental health The Army announced that the suicide rat in 2008 was the highest, 30 years. When the military doe n't meet its recruitment goals, it can set up a co ly cycle: more frequent deployments for service osure members, resulting in higher turnover that requires more resources for recruitment and trair ing new soldiers. When he took over as commander of the Raleigh Recruiting Battalion seven months ago, Sterling applied the tactical skills he had learned in the Special Forces to what was essentially a sales effort by 250 soldiers and cii ian workers. Rather than send his recruiters to same career fairs and trade shows they had always attended, he began to target events high schools and colleges. They also answer requests for info' mation on www.goarmy.com and down with every person who walks into one of recruiting stations between Winston-Salethe at juard inur lence Sophc nmir Tooeh .axel nmir ernes "irdi Mai iuch .napte .am tl iok ' cc le lebo This Jsog ntrod cl ce Drocec ad or uard ic ?re RE conti Pro lany opimi a' or Ragin ?rova oral two-ye- si 3t w 1 'iid. a pres Sor Jenn; Stortr lewes emai name new m and the coast. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribun- e Information Services. r Ma tiemh |