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Show - w, ft nrtfir -- tY THE VOICE OF DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY . V, oi V, VOLUME XLIII NO. 15 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014 drives to t 1 i r ? 5" Msi , ' ft s 1 1 f j 1 ' li"? t V Tt, A, I omprove campus BY SHELBY MISRASI Editor-in-Chi- ef The Dixie State University campus is occupied once again after the holiday break, and DSU Student Association is excited to feed off the momentum of the fall semester to create a spring semester students will never forget. Student Body President Carlos Morgan deemed the fall 2013 semester successful as three specific goals were reached by December. The first goal the DSUSA yearned to achieve was to establish a tobacco-fre- e campus. The Dixie State board of trustees voted to ban tobacco from campus Nov. 22, and the new policy effectively rids the campus of all tobacco products. That was a big step forward for Dixie, and ... were the first public university in the state of Utah to actually have something like that on campus, Morgan said. It feels like things are moving forward in a very positive way. The second goal student government strived for was to reach out to students to receive their input on campus decisions, such as upcoming events and activities. Morgan said this strategy helped student government plan an effective and desirable spring break party and concert for DSU students. He said students were emailed and polled in various places, and student government received about 1300 responses. It was good to have that backing up (the fact) we are doing what students want, Morgan said. The third goal that was reached was the effort of making St. George a college town. To attain this goal, DSUSA worked with local businesses to develop and promote student discounts. Those businesses currently display signs that advertise student discounts. Morgan said there are still a few businesses student government is following up on, but he is happy with the result of developing a college town. The main goal DSUSA hopes to obtain this semester is creating more spirit on campus. Student government has plans throughout the semester, and Morgan be lieves a big attribution to the increase will be the pep rally during the Week of Welcome. Itll be a joint effort where were going to invite students to come and learn new cheers, Morgan said. Well learn the cheers so we know how to do them when the games roll around, and we can focus more on getting people out to those (games) and filling the stands and get an excited student section. Morgan also said there are three initiatives that are in the works, and he said he is hoping to get those projects started, and possibly finished, by the end of the semester. The first initiative is on campus. improving Wi-is a goal said this Morgan because students are having issues with connection and speed. The second initiative is remodeling the Red Rock Cafe. Morgan said it has come to DSUSAs attention that it is becoming an issue on campus. The third initiative is having problems fixed that occur in the testing center. These initiatives have not been in effect, but Morgan said he is hoping they will be accomplished by the end of mm ,!! if ' .tl -' If tif (Ifb'Sl ? - ft-- f - Ii I I ft L ssajU in 1: 1 J $ If.. f jj 1 tSkt ! s .15? i 4" t . t I i - W e - 4 5 A . i l I f ? ' 1 A , .. , t A 14 U-UU, r Fi the semester. Some of it depends on funding, (and) some of it depends on when we can sit down and hash out the plans for it, Morgan said. Jordyn Hanevold, vice president of student life and a senior communication major from Logandale, Nev., said a positive change this semester is the additional positions to student government. These are service positions that deal specifically with events and publicizing. She said the DSUSA has a goal of developing more of a service aspect for the school. Morgan said the We Are Dixie theme is something DSUSA is living by this semester because school spirit is a priority, and Morgan wants students to be proud of their school. We want students to come out more, Morgan said. We want students to participate. Were going to make the activities exciting, and we want to make sure that the experiences were going to have next semester is not only what students want, but is memorable as well. Funds for new physical education building top priority of DSU Student Association leaders planning BY PAYTON DAVIS Copy Editor and prioritizing, he said students can expect the The road to establishing Dixie State as a premiere university in Utah stretches far, and numerous students and staff beheve bolstering physical educations presence on campus is vital for doing so. Plans for a new physical education building were put on hold last semester when funding needed from the state went elsewhere. Although DSU students must wait for a new facility, the addition soon. Student leaders have committed to it cause they have been saving money for a building like this for awhile, he said. They are still committed to putting be- The majority of funds toward a physical education building. It will probably be the next building we get; it will just be a few students I hear from and ulty and staff say it would be a welcome addition to the campus; its kind of... the natural next step. Dean of Students Del Beatty said DSU administrators presented a proposal to the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management. Despite sending the proposal, Beatty said years. Beatty said funding for the new building differs from traditional methods of gamering money for campus facilities because students pay half while administration the recent completion of the Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons made receiving more funds so quickly a hard sell. However, because will ask tire state legislature for half. Because of this, construction of the addition may begin eailier than it typically would. buildings ultimate implementation is a top priority. With tire state government still recovering from the lingering impact of recession, DSUs ability to accrue money through student fees for the project is vital. Beatty said fewer funds have been available for Utah universities with the state legislature strapped for cash. The DSUSAs support of the facnew building is built on tire idea that a new physical education building will entertain students while allowing them -- to pursue more opportunities, Beatty said. We are hoping in the coming couple of years people will realize, Yeah, thats a need, he said. And the state will say, Yeah, thats a good deal. The push also combats a dicoordinator Dave Howell intramural drat lemma said puts a strain on student health and wellness: Dave Howell Whats Inside News 1 Sports 3 Features 5 Opinion 7 www.Di jdeSmmTl evs . coma lack of space. With just one court open, campus recreation must divide availability between open gym and intramurals. will hr general, updating facilities space-wis- e be a huge benefit, he said. Right now we have one gym tiiats open to students to come use. . . When you compare that to other schools in the state, tireres not another school in the state that has less than two. With more courts, Howell said campus recreation could manage a court solely available for open gym time. In addition, more space for weights and cardio machines can open every-drin- g up and allow more students to utdize die resources presented to them. Students oftentimes have to compete for gym time, Howell said, and a new building can help campus recreation ofdemands. ficials meet I students hear from The majority of and say it would be a welcome faculty and staff addition to the campus; its kind of. . .die natural next step, he said. ever-increasi- |