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Show 4 Thursday, April 7, 2011 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com U ENERGY EFFICIENCY REPORT: Library LEVEL 2 ROOM 2 Using 400 % more energy than needed. WI L LUS BRAN HAM/The Daily Utah Chronicle Monitoring energy use has many benefits T he Office of Space Planning and Management is developing a database that will enable university personnel and students to track building use and energy efficiency—all good ideas, given the U's dismal budget. By tracking building use, the system will not only enable university personnel to determine what space is being used at what time, but also guide decisions toward optimal use of the U's energy requirements. Just as the brain regulates body functions, the Office of Space Planning and Management contributes to the regulation of various physical functions on campus. And just as one can consciously seek optimal regulation of the body through focus on fitness and nutrition, so can the U's physical functions be more efficiently regulated. This is the main purpose for creating the database. Not only does this project show that the U is ahead of the curve in terms of energy efficiency, but also that a more inclusive and accommodating U is on its way. The Office of Space Planning and Management consulted with the De- Opinion Writer partment of City and Metropolitan Planning to carry out the project. Martin Buchert, geographic information systems instructor in the department, was asked to nominate students to carry out the project. I'm happy to see that departments within the U can work together like this. With all of the specialized groups on campus, it makes sense to organize collectively. Malcolm Echaluce, a graduate student in city and metropolitan planning, will assist in the data-migration process of existing drawings, and also in analyzing the current work flow, to see if any improvements can be made. "From a sustainability standpoint, an accurate inventory of classrooms on our campus can be used to analyze energy efficiency," Echaluce said. Doing so is crucial, both financially and in terms of the U's impact on the environment. "We'll be able to see which buildings are underutilized during certain parts of the day, and adjust the climate control or lighting systems for those buildings," Echaluce said. The project will not only result in a greener U, but the money saved by cutting down on energy waste might even slow the rate of tuition increases. The success of this project entails a win-win situation. The project will also allow Echaluce to produce a revised set of work-flow documents for future students who might want to participate in this project—an excellent opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students in urban planning and architecture. It will provide students with hands-on experience, using tools that professionals in the industry use. The upshot here is clear—students have the opportunity to enter the job market with experience on par with professional work. "It can also open up opportuni- 66 From a sustainability standpoint, an accurate inventory of classrooms on our campus can be used to analyze energy efficiency. Malcom Echaluce Graduate Student, City and Metropolitan Planning 44 ties for students to formulate their own ideas on how the data they are working on can be used for other purposes," Echaluce said. This project will serve as a foundation for further student-proposed innovations. "An idea that my colleagues and I discussed is the possibility of doing some sort of walkability study," Echaluce said. The study will take into account certain factors such as class scheduling, classroom assignments and building distance. Existing walking surfaces and routes can then be evaluated on their level of utility for students, faculty and hospital administrators. By turning to students to carry out this project, the Office of Space Planning and Management has implemented an excellent use of outsourcing. In comparison with other universities, the U is among the first to undertake such a project, placing it in the vanguard and setting a precedent for other universities to become more efficient. In the movement toward a more inclusive and energy-efficient campus, the U is ahead of its peer universities by undertaking this ambitious and laudatory large-scale project. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Bill puts wall between citizens, representatives O n March 25, the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in opposition to Senate Bill r65. Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble, R-Provo, S.B. 165 outlaws the use of e-signatures on petitions for citizen referenda and ballot initiatives. This law, along with others, seeks to dismantle public input to their government. It is already enormously difficult to get any initiative or referendum on the ballot. Five percent of those who voted in the past gubernatorial election would have to sign the petition in favor of the repeal to implement an indirect initiative that would merely bring the Legislature back together to reconsider the issue, according to www.citizensincharge.org. There were 946,525 votes cast in last year's election, so those wishing for even the chance of opportunity of repeal JORDAN JOCHIM Opinion Writer must collect at least 47,326 signatures. Furthermore, there is a distribution requirement that mandates that proponents must gather at least 5 percent of those who voted in at least 20 of Utah's 29 counties. In the case of a direct initiative, which would put the referendum on the ballot in the next election cycle, the portion of signatures required goes up to ro percent, so 94,652 signatures, with the same distribution requirement of 20 counties. This far-fetched goal encapsulates the only real opportunity that Utahns have of overturning a decision reached by the representatives. In other states, citizens have the ability to use the referendum process to pass their own bills or constitutional amendments, but in Utah no equal opportunity is afforded. So, with an already difficult process put in place to prevent citizens from impacting their own government, the Utah Legislature has decided to make it altogether impossible, allowing it to pass anything it would like without any worry that its constituents might have the opportunity to repeal it. "To come out and categorically exclude a class of signatures in which we all rely on in e-commerce is without a rational basis," said Darcy Goddard, the legal director of Utah's ACLU in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. S.B. 165 is more or less typical of this past legislative session. It characterizes the unwillingness on the part of many Utah senators and representatives to allow their constituents to truly have any direct say in how they are governed and what actions their legislators might take on their behalf. Legislature was correct when it mandated that students in the Utah public-education system be taught that the United States is not a democracy—in Utah it is certainly anything but. However, the Legislature's belief that we live in a Republic—in which citizens elect officials to act on their behalf and represent their interests— is farcical at best. This Legislature has proven with bills such as S.B. 165 and House Bill 477—the GRAMA-killing bill—that it feels no real obligation to do what is best for its constituents. The Legislature would have been more honest and altogether accurate Are Rorschach inkblots also fine art? Apply to be an arts writer for the Daily Utah Chronicle Contact Mohammad Allam at m.allam@chronicle.utah.edu if it had called a spade a spade—or in this case, an oligarchy an oligarchy. It is difficult to fully comprehend, much less begin to understand, how it is that an act that would further distance Utahns from the mechanisms of their own governance really does anything in their favor. With the passage of S.B. 165, the Legislature has built up a mammoth wall in order to block those affected by the decisions that are reached from having any chance to repeal them themselves. At the risk of being hyperbolic—which tends to be something that I'm more than happy to do—this bill is essentially tyrannical. It is through citizen initiatives and ballot referenda that people affected by bills passed in the Legislature have any direct say in matters pertaining to their interests. This ability is essential and needs to be protected. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |