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Show Sr The University o fUtah's I n d e p e n d e n t Student Voice Since 1890 AILY UTAH CHRONICLE Vol.116 No. 35 Monday, September 11,2006 Inside Opinion Sports A&E Page 11 Page 6 Page S Back on track In Chev Chelios we trust Get yourself a gun The U football team picks up first victory in a 45-7 rout of Northern Arizona. If you see one movie this century, make il the faith-strengthening, liber-awesome "Crank." Have a blast— or two— around campus, writes Matthew Piper. "You should even bring your gun with you on a plane or two. As Bollywoods special effects have proven, it's far sagcr than a cobra" -Matthew Piper on the gun ruling SEE FULL COLUMN PAGE 8. Court kills gun ban Uto continue enforcing policy, battle issue in federal court Dustin Gardiner Chronicle Asst. News Editor State lawmakers are claiming victory, but the political shootout over the U campus' ban on guns is far from over. The Utah Supreme Court struck down the U policy outlawing firearms on campus Friday. However, U administrators say they will continue to enforce the anti-gun policy while the issue is resolved in federal court. "There will be no change in policy during the (pending) of this lawsuit," University of Utah President Michael Young said Friday. While Young is set on maintaining a gun-free campus, state officials say students who bring guns on campus are legally protected. .Mark Shur- tleff, Utah Attorney General, said if the U tries to enforce the ban it could face serious legal repercussions. "No student or faculty member can be punished," he said. "That's the law where it currently sits." He said that students who are punished for bringing a concealed weapon on campus would have a "direct legal de- fense" and could file a civil suit against the U. Although the U plans to uphold the current policy prohibiting guns, some students, such as senior Melissa Carey, are troubled by the idea of their classmates packing firearms in class. "I would be uncomfortable See G U N P O L I C Y Page 4 Bacteria < ... on a cell phonelNl- Out of 105 cell phones Coagulase-negative Stauhylococcus- 2. ~o "Z r. c r C' J.- c s KIM PETERSON/ The Daily Utah Chronicle Cell phones carry lethal bacteria Natalie Hale The Daily Utah Chronicle We already know that everyday objects like toilet seats and the bottom of our shoes are pretty filthy—but as it turns out, cell phones may be even dirtier. The Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust released a study that shows cell phones can play host to a variety of germs, more than some of the dirtiest toilet seats. The study, conducted at a hospital in Northern Ireland, included 53 doctors and 52 members of the nursing staff. It was conducted because of concerns about hospital infections and the spread of Methicillin-resis- Weather Quote of the day tant Staphylococcus Aureus, a type of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can be deadly if ingested. MRSA occurs most often in hospitals and nursing homes where immune systems can be weak and is manifested as pimples or boils in otherwise healthy people. Of the 105 phones swabbed for the study, 96.2 percent had evidence of bacterial growth and 15 phones grew bacteria known to cause infection. Two of the phones swabbed contained the deadly form of MRSA. While most students don't have the same degree of interaction with lethal diseases as hospital workers, it does not make them immune to filthy cellular phones. "It does not surprise me that cellu- lar phones are so dirty," said Ben Steigers, a sophomore in philosophy. But when told about the study, most students were well aware of how filthy their phones could potentially be. "I am constantly washing my hands, I rarely use my phone if my hands aren't clean," said Sheldon Baumgarthner, a senior in meteorology. While most of the bacteria that grow on phones aren't harmful to your health, it is important to keep cell phones clean. Most of the time, phones are kept in warm dark places, such as purses and pockets, which makes them ideal breeding grounds for breakout-causing bacteria. "I try to swab my phone down with Sec CELL PHONES 83/59 Sunny Research funding cut by $16 million Stephanie Glaittli The Daily Utah Chronicle Funding for research at the U is down by more than $16 million, and many colleges at the U are being greatly affected by the decreases. Money for research is expected to reach only $175 million this year, down from the $191 million in the 2005 academic year. Several colleges hardest hit by the decrease include the College of Medicine, down by more than $u million, and the College of Engineering, with a $7-million drop. The humanities, education, business and social and behavioral science colleges also have sharp decreases in research awards. Research dollars have been increasingly difficult to find for several years, but this year's is a significant decrease, said Raymond Gesteland, vice president for research. "Money for research has been decreasing for, a few years now, reaching a plateau last year," Gesteland said. "However, this year is a dip for sure and is becoming a general problem across campus." However, the U is only one among the thousands of universities across the country struggling to find research funds. As federal dollars are being diverted to specialized programs, such as homeland security and national defense, universities and research facilities through the country are paying the price, Gesteland said. "This is a tough time for all federal funding agencies because their budget is constrained by commitments to defense and security," he said. "And this decreased flexibility has pulled 5 to 6 percent of our research funding." To combat the funding decrease, the U is working to emphasize interdisciplinary research and create "pump priming" programs, Gesteland said. "We are creating new programs, including one in the health sciences and the other campus-wide, to help attract more research dollars from outside organizations," he said. "These research figures, however, only reflect awards on the college level," said Paul Brinkman, assistant vice president for budget and planning. "And there is likely still a lot of volatility at the departmental level." Brinkman also said that colleges and de- See F U N D I N G Page 3 Research funding down • Research funding at the U is down by more than $16 million. • Research funding is expected to reach $175 million this year, down from $191 million last year. College of mines and earth science *~ t funding went up $3 million but college *3i of medicine is down $11 million. Source: Office of Budget Planning RYAN PERKINS/ The Daih Utah Chnnide U chess club kicks off gaming season Rochelle McConkie Vie Daily Utah Chronicle In a world dominated by computers, Enrique ArceLarreta still prefers the more psychological face-to-face chess over Internet chess. "I like to see the whites of their eyes," said Arce-Larreta, a champion chess-player and second-year graduate student in mechanical engineering. However, the Internet has opened many doors to the U chess club, allowing the group of more than 20 students and non-students to compete with teams they otherwise would not have been able to challenge. Practicing every Thursday in the Union, the club comprises five teams, with four players on each one. The U team is also part of the Internet Chess Club, an international gaming site on which grandmasters and non-grandmasters alike can compete over the Internet. "Grandmaster is the highest level in chess—the high^ est ranking and skills you can receive," sophomore computer science major Petro Grechanei said. Grechanei is vice president of the chess club and plays for its second team, which recently won a tournament at Salt Lake Community College. In the winter of 2006, the KIM PETERSON/ Th? Daily Utah' Chronicle John Monstrola, vice president of the chess club and U senior, makes a move against Toly Zharkikh at the Union Den Thursday. U chess club placed fourth nationally in the Intercol- legiate Chess Competition, and the top five teams are currently University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Texas, Dallas; Stanford University; the U and Iowa State University, respectively. Considering many top teams' abilities to award chess scholarships to some of the best players and grandmasters in the world, something the U is not able to do, the U team's top ranking is no small feat. "Playing grandmasters is like the Notre Dame and USC football teams playing against the University of Utah intramural team," Arce-Larreta said. Because of limited financ- es, the U chess club, funded by the Associated Students of the University of Utah, can only compete face-toface, with local teams. Now in the process of scheduling a big match against BYU, the team is preparing to avenge its loss against its rivals in 2004. This year, the club has top players Ivan Martynenko, club adviser Robert Williams and club president Toly Zharkikh to lead it to victory. Ivan Martynenko is the current Utah State Blitz champion, winning over Weber State's former state champion Jeff Phillips in the tournament, in which each See C H E S S Page 3 |
