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Show A&E Opinion Sports Page 4 Pages Pages Tall, dark and handsome Internet czar? MUSS-seeTV Batman is back, and this time he's got something to prove—namely, that this franchise isn't quite dead yet. Nick Macey says the state Legislature should leave Internet censorship up to parents. The MWC announces its 2005 televised football schedule with CSTV and ESPN. The University THE ©2005 ofUtah's Independent Student Today's weather Sunny ;V 82/63 SEE MORE ON PAGE 2ir* : Voice Since 1890 ;#: SUMMER UTAH CHRONICLE W e d n e s d a y , J u n e 15, 2005 www.dailyutahciironicle.com U researcher identifies aging gene Andrew Kirk Chronicle Asst. News Editor All adolescents and young adults deal with hormone fluctuations and thanks to new research by a U geneticist, scientists now better understand how certain developmental hormones direct maturation. Carl Thummel, professor of human genetics, found that the DHR4 gene in fruit flies plays a crucial role in the timing of maturation in that animal. Because of similarities in the genetic code, Thummel believes his research can aid in the understanding of human maturation, "We're interested in how steroids control development," he said. The timing of the when the gene begins working during the metamorphic cycle of theflycan shed light on how maturation works. Thummel said the research will be helpful in studying human maturation because all living beings go through similar processes in development. Studying how hormones trigger and control maturation in insects can provide insight into how humans develop from fetuses to infants to children to adolescents. Thummel's team, including researcher Kirst King-Jones, lab technician Geanette Lam and geneticist Jean-Philippe Charles, found that without DHR4 a fly matures too quickly. The metamorphic process without the gene takes about four days as opposed to the usual nine days it takes for the fly to grow from an egg to a flying adult. The resulting mutant flies were too small and died quickly. rAn some cases, their heads never emerged fr*om the bodies. "One of the defects we saw in the larval phase was that the animals ma- VoL 115 No.-1 U Admissions Office ignores SAT change membership association that administers the SAT, the purpose of the essay is to show a student's ability to communicate a complex idea clearly. The new essay portion of the SAT, added in the For this reason, Westminster College has chospring of 2005, will not affect students applying sen to use the score. to the U. According to Joel Bauman, vice-president of John Boswell, director of admissions, said the enrollment at Westminster, it is important for system the U currently uses to evaluate an incom- students to show evidence of their ability to coming student's writiDg ability works, and that there municate through writing. is no need to change it. The U Admissions Office "We consider writing essential to someone's will continue to use only the math and verbal por- application," Bauman said. tion of the SAT. If a student applying to Westminster did not "We are going to wait and not use the essay portion want to take the SAT essay, he or she could write in the evaluation process this year," Boswell said. an essay as part of his or her application, take the Currently, the Admissions Office converts SAT optional writing portion of the ACT or submit a scores to match ACT scores, then creates an index graded paper to show he or she can communicate number. The index number establishes whether effectively through writing, Bauman said. or not a person will be accepted to the U and then Brigham Young University will accept the score goes to the writing department to determine the on the essay, but it does not require it. placement of students within the department. "We don't have enough data at this point to make Along with a student's index score, Advanced a decision regarding the value of the essay," said Placement classes in high school will also deter- Tom Gourley, director of admissions for BYU. mine which writing class incoming students are The U accepts both the SAT or the ACT for adrequired to take. missions, but prefers the latter. According to the College Board, a non-profit pmuir@chronicle.utah.edu Patrick Muir Chronicle Asst. News Editor Do ( J Add U|>? To be accepted to the U, students must have a I —*» total SAT score of 860 or an ACT composite score of 18 Advanced Placement A score ofthree or better on the ^ Comp/Lit or Language AP test will waive the need to take [- Writing 2010,and students will receive 8 credit hours. Source: U Admissions Office Sec A G I N G G E N E Page 3 Local foundation surveys graduates about life after college Maria Murguia Chronicle Writer The Utah Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, is surveying 2004 graduates from Utah colleges and universities to see where they are now. The survey asks where the graduates have been, what they have been doing and why. It was sent via e-mail to Utah colleges and universities in late April to be distributed to graduates. "[Our goal is to] try to get an assessment of how attractive it is [to stay in Utah] after graduation," said Stephen Kroes, executive director of the Utah Foundation. The survey asks about the graduates' overall college experiences, what they majored in and which career fields they entered. The goal is to make Utah a better locale for career opportunities and to foster growing economic development, Kroes said. "There is a concern that a lot people are leaving. We're trying to understand how to keep people in Utah," Kroes said. "Some stay, some leave and some come. We want to know why. Is it because of family, a good job, or to pursue other careers in other places?" The Utah Foundation is open to research ideas from the colleges and universities to help them answer these questions, Kroes said. The U's Career Services office already conducts a similar survey for U alumni, which benefits U undergraduates who are undecided about what major to choose or what career path to take. The Utah Foundation survey is similar, but includes the whole state and displays the jobs in highest de- See GRADUATES Page 3 Professor Montague holds his weekly lecture on the lawn next to the Sill Center. Montague's class, Ecological Principals of Organic Gardening, teaches students t h e ' Importance of an environmentally friendly garden. • 7. Biology students learn gardening firsthand Steve Gehrke "If (the Earth) didn't have a tilt, we wouldn't have John Denver songs," Montague said during a lecture Tuesday evening, referring to the beauTeach students gardening from a textbook and ty of seasonal changes, which popular singers they'll remember for a day. Teach them outside often attempt to portray in lyrics. "God must've in the garden, they'll remember for a lifetime. been a poet." Stacy Randolph, a teaching assistant in Fred Teaching Assistant Alexandra Parnaz said the Montague's Ecological Principles of Organic course is an edifying and exciting experience Gardening class, compared learning about sus- for many students while it simultaneously helps tainable agriculture by "dirtying one's hands" to them learn how to grow food. an old fish proverb, saying this U course is spe"It's a step toward self-sufficiency and it's less cial as students learn lessons that will "stay with environmentally harmful," she said. "The course them throughout their lives." approaches several issues such as economics, Students in Montague's course engage in a politics, war and conflict, because all have conhands-on learning environment by attending nections to where people get their food." their weekly lectures outdoors. Elzard Sikkema, a biology and environmental Participants are required to spend two hours studies student, said he signed up for the class per week in the garden to earn two biology cred- because he could get credit for taking part in his its. They work to grow food, which they then do- passion—gardening. nate to the Utah Food Bank. "This is a good learning experience for some, The course has used sustainable agriculture but for me it's more (like) another place to grow and organic gardening near the Sill Center for plants," he said. "But the community garden is the past eight years. Last year, the organizers neat." added a second garden east of the Pioneer TheBreton Yates, a biology major, said Montague's atre. class was different from what he'd anticipated. Neil Wursten, a teaching assistant, said the "It's cool to see the product of what I do," he course has three purposes: to teach students said. "I enjoy spending time out here with the to grow their own food and to conduct service plants; sometimes I come out just because." learning by donating it to the homeless while sgehrke@ Breton Yates waters a tomato plant in the Sill Center: learning about the dynamics of the Earth. chronicle.utah.edu garden Tuesday afternoon. ^... Chronicle Editor in Chief LGBT panel visits diversity classes H. Rachelle Graham Chronicle Writer U student Heather Franck and Dr. Barabara Nash, professor of geology and geophysics, represent the LGBT community during a panel presentation Friday at the Social Work Building. In an effort to promote awareness, a panel from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center has been making visits to diversity classes and workshops all around the U campus this summer. In one such visit to a diversity class last Friday, U students Heather Franck, Charles Milne and U professor of geology and geophysics Barbara Nash spoke to a group of students about the LGBT Resource Center on campus as well as their own personal struggles with homosexuality, religion'and gender identity. * The three members of the panel said that they had all felt like their family and friends were judging them, which caused much "My mom said she would not accept me as her daughter if I remained a lesbian;' Franck said. ; •<-; See LGBT PANEL Page 3 ^ ' r f if" ;s.r. V |