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Show Daily Utah Chronicle Tuesday, January 18,2005 Bennion student directors make service plans for 2005 Shalee Llston Staff Reporter Student members from the U's Bennion Community Service Center spent last weekend planning events and setting new goals for 2005. Students made the five-hour journey to the Bennion Boys Teton Ranch in Victor, Idaho, as part of their annual winter retreat. "It is far away enough that people can not go home," Student Director Brandon Lee said. "It is hard to develop a sense of unity if people are always coming and going." Lee said students participated in activities aimed at improving communication and creating a sense of community. Student Co-Directors Becky Lang and Rich Whipple said the retreat gave them the opportunity to plan changes for the Public Interest Advocacy program. "We've been working with ASUU to get money for the library renovation," Whipple said "If students raise the renovation money, it should help to lower tuition rates." Lang said the PIA has been working with various nonprofit organizations on several other projects to raise student awareness. "Our big push is to inform the student body at the U," Lang said. "We want students to get involved in the political workings of the Legislature." Lang added that last year some members of the Legislature complained about the high number of letters and calls they received from students. "Our view is they were elected to listen to the people," Lang said. "If they do not want to listen to the people, then they should not have run for election." Whipple said out of all the programs at the Bennion Center, PIA is one where students can really make a difference. "All of the programs are really great," he said. "Only the PIA lets students directly influence political changes to their Legislature." On the human-interest side of the service center, Danielle Jacobs with the Alternative Spring Break program, said KEY ISSUES continued from page 1 port of hazardous waste storage in Utah, was recently sold. It remains to be seen whether the new owners will be as aggressive in their lobbying efforts. Transportation Funding ASB gives students the opportunity to affect people directly. "It is the perfect program for me," she said. "You get to go to different places and participate in service projects that really help people." Sophomore Nikki Christensen said with more than 40 student-directed programs to choose from at the Bennion Center, there is an area for everyone. "Lowell Bennion founded this ranch so young boys could learn values of service, work and study," she said. "His whole life was focused on all kinds of service, so they are all important." Christensen said as a service-learning scholar she works as director for the food stamp outreach program. "I chose my program because I am interested in lowincome issues," she said. "This is my way to help decrease Utah's hunger issue." Christensen said there is always a need for student participation throughout the center. "We always have a place for students looking to serve others," she said. "We will help them find their perfect niche." Senior Smitty Monson said he hopes for more student interest in the Campus Recycling program. "Last year we donated over 50 working computers to computers for kids," he said. "We collected over 100 computer parts that would have been thrown away." Monson added that many computer parts are hazardous to the environment and this year he plans to hold a similar event in April. "That is really the big program we are working on," he said. "We are trying to get support from the city and hopefully donate more computers to the program." Christensen said the retreat gives everyone in the center the opportunity to spend time with wonderful people. "They are the cream of the crop at the U," she said. "It is amazing how down to earth these people are about their role in making the world a better place. It is a great experience." sliston@chronicle.utah.edu Specifically, legislators may look at implementing an intermediate sentencing option where jail time is delayed as a condition of probation while an offender receives treatment. Streamlined Sales and Use Tax The Streamlined Sales and use Tax initiative was a collaborative effort of about 30 states Total highway needs for the to bring uniformity to state laws State of Utah through 2030 are and administrative practices expected to exceed $22.6 bil- governing sales and use tax. The lion. These needs eclipse cur- legislature enacted the legislation during the 2003 and 2004 rent funding resources. The Centennial Highway General Sessions that would Fund Program is in the hole bring Utah State Law into conabout $517 million in interest formity with the initiative. and bonding costs. Following the 2004 General This shortfall jeopardizes Session many legislators realother projects that require ized that some of the provistate funding. To bridge this sions might increase taxes gap, the Legislature may con- for some citizens as well as sider funding options that increase compliance costs for have traditionally been more some businesses. controversial. As a result, the Legislature Specifically, local govern- was called into special session ments are rarely required or to delay the enforcement of expected to help front the cost the provisions in question. The of highway projects. While Legislature will likely address these communities, which are the provisions in question durtraditionally found in rural ing this General Session. Utah do profit from increased sales tax and revenue. Bonding Another option may be an increase in the fuel taxes. The Legislature is expected Utahns are paying less fuel to consider legislation that taxes today than they have in would modify the provisions 17 of the last 18 years. that govern the issuance of Bonds. Each legislative session the Inmate Drug Legislature will typically issue a bond to address capital Treatment projects, highway projects and Providing substance abuse other statewide public purtreatment for offenders in pris- poses. on and the community is an The issue of bonding is parongoing challenge. The num- ticularly important this year ber of inmates incarcerated as it is expected to affect, to suffering from substance abuse some degree, whether or not of some sort is increasing. the U receives money for the Utah's drug court system construction and remodel of has recently received acco- the library. In many ways, lades from law enforcement the issuance of bonds by the officials as an effective means Legislature may be seen as of preventing the incarcera- a zero-sum game in the way tion of citizens suffering from that projects must compete for the limited amount for substance abuse. Support for expanding this which the Legislature is willsystem seems to be increasing. ing to bond. John Cooper, an air-med flight nurse, instructs other air-med employees how to appropriately use a make-shift snow shelter Saturday during the annual air-med winter training at Jordanelle Park. Cooper noted that the temperature is near 32 degrees in a well-built snow pit, which he said is usually much warmer than the open air. Air-med crew prepares for winter survival [maneuver] back into the aircraft." while the paramedics have the street exBut the team could very easily have perience," he said. to use their winter survival skills. DurSeveral community members, includBright blue skies and temperatures ing ski season they keep an aircraft sta- ing Alan Gridal, a member of Salt Lake just above freezing—the weather was tioned at Park City, within easy distance City's sheriff's department and a volunbeautiful Saturday as members of the U of the ski resorts. It is fairly common for teer for the Utah Forecast Center, helped air-med team headed out onto Jordanelle them toflyskiers with broken legs and teach the air-med crews winter skills. Reservoir for their annual winter train- serious head injuries off the mountain. "[It's] good advertising, good public ing program. Besides learning crucial winter sur- relations. It allows us to work with other Crewmembers came to learn orien- vival techniques, the winter skills pro- outfits," said Jim Howe, flight nurse and teering with a Global Positioning System, gram was about teamwork, and "making training coordinator for the winter skills avalanche safety, emergency shutdown sure you're comfortable with the people program. procedures for the helicopters and how you're with," said Wayne Edginton, chief The flight crew started off the mornflight paramedic. to survive if caught out in the snow. ing learning how to use a GPS from Alan "Hopefully we'll never have to use Every air-med crew always has a pilot, Gridal. Air-med pilots routinely land this," said Ken Matthews, program direc- a flight nurse, a flight paramedic and, if their aircraft using only a set of GPS cotor. "We've had times where we've had needed, a respiratory therapist. Edgin- ordinates, but the rest of the crew was to set down because of weather or me- ton describes this as the perfect combi- not quite as familiar with the system. Gridal focused on being able to read chanics. The teams start getting ready nation. for survival. Fortunately we were able to "The nurses have the ICU experience, the GPS so that if a helicopter became stranded, the crew could radio their location to rescuers. Crewmembers also learned some basic avalanche recovery skills: how to probe for victims and how to use a transceiver to trace signals from skiers' avalanche beacons. Sweeping transceivers in front of them, crewmembers walked over a snowfield where avalanche beacons were buried. The transceiver would read the distance from the beacon and searchers had to keep sweeping until they could dig it out of the snow. Even though it is not air-med's responsibility to search for avalanche victims, every helicopter carries an avalanche probe, a shovel and a transceiver just in case. "The scenario for us is that you have an avalanche and there's people buried. We need to know how to help search," Matthews said. Air-med members wrap up and head out after a day's worth of winter survival training Saturday at Jordanelle State Park. ccallister@chronicle.utah.edu Catherine Calllster Staff Reporter INTERNS bringing former interns to the Legislature to help the U lobcontinued from page 1 by. He began working for the relationships with legislators Hinckley Institute of Politics, and hope they can get some and through that he was able votes to swing our way," said to e-mail former HinckJey inBryson Morgan, director of the terns and ask if they wanted to government relations board at volunteer; 20 people said yes. the Associated Students of the Next year, the program will University of Utah. have between six and eight Morgan has his own per- interns who will receive a stisonal ties with a legislator, pend from the President's OfKaren Morgan, D-Cotton- fice. For now, the interns are wood Heights. It was while he donating their time. was interning for his mother While on the Hill, the legislast session that he thought of lative ambassadors will work with the President's Office and ASUU's Government Relations Board to lobby legislators by attending subcommittees and writing to their legislators about various issues.According to Morgan, the biggest issue this year will be securing funding for the Marriott Library's seismic renovations. Last year, the government relations board had hundreds of students telephone their legislators to ask for funding. "We're still inviting students to contact their legislators, but we think the ambassadors will be effective," Morgan said. Nancy Lyon, assistant vice president of university relations governmental affairs, encourages students not to be discouraged by last year's result and to keep trying this year. She encourages students to call their legislators at the Capitol, and if they are not available to leave a message. smcfarland@ chronicle.utah.edu Mike Young contributed to this article. EALTHY M E N Think about the hitare. Stop by the ;nnion Center fiion 101) to out about jternative Break. ISeeking Healthy Men 16-23 for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Investigational Study IHPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States IHPV infection can lead to genital warts ICondoms don't protect against HPV and there is no cure ITo volunteer call: 801-288-9798 Salt Lake Research • 4252 South Highland Drive, Suite 201 • Salt Lake City, UT 84124 IStudy volunteers will be compensated for their time and travel expenses |
