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Show Tuesday, November 27, 2012 DlikEILY UTAH CHRONICLE www.dailyutahchronicle.com The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 Vol. 122 No. 69 ©2012 ALSO INSIDE: Columnist notes the irony of Black Friday and argues it highlights America's increasingly shallow values » 5 Women's basketball team fine-tunes team strategy before game against Utah State » 6 Whistle-blower SUU prof. cited with theft in plagiarism debacle Emily T. Andrews NEWS EDITOR A Southern Utah University professor has been cited for theft after making copies of allegedly plagiarized papers, according to police documents. Belinda Frost, who taught English as a second language at SUU until her Nov. 14 resignation, said she noticed plagiarism in student papers before, but after the discovery of a file containing papers from last year that were allegedly pla- giarized but received passing grades, Frost made copies of the papers and resigned from her position with "complete and utter disgust." However, the university is now claiming Frost stole the papers, which she gave cop- ies of to The Salt Lake Tribune with students' names blurred out. She was cited in person at her home by Rick Brown, the chief of SUU Police on Nov. 26 for theft of lost property, a mis- See SUU Page 3 SUU'S ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY Southern Utah University's goal is to foster an intellectual atmosphere that produces educated and literate people. This can best be achieved in a community committed to honor, respect, trust and moral courage. These values define academic integrity which is expected of all SUU community members. Cheating and plagiarism are at odds with this goal and therefore will not be tolerated in any form.All work submitted by a student must represent that student's own ideas and effort; when the work does not represent the student's own work it must be properly cited, if it is not the student has engaged in academic dishonesty. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism or the unauthorized use of work belonging to another, except under federal exemptions such as Fair Use, are all considered academic dishonesty. Source: www.suu.edu y matters STUDENT CHARITY The Business College and other colleges at the U continually ask for student donations to fund extracurricular programs and raise national rankings by DJ Summers V% 1 11 LIFFiCLiaLllil KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle Students in the Union walk past a Christmas tree, which is partially funded by student fees. eorge Sitnd Dolores Dore Eccles Fou atio 7,500,000 nglai Enter e Sorens Carolyn Webber STAFF WRITER See HOLIDAY Page 4 UUIIVIS. p Union decor celebrates diversity in holidays As the holiday season approaches, it's important to represent all cultural groups celebrating the holidays in December at the U, Union employees said. When students walk in the doors and enter the lobby, they will see wreaths, garland and a holiday tree, along with informative posters about other winter holidays. "Christmas is such an overwhelming phenomenon in this country," said Whit Hollis, director of the Union. "I think it's important that we realize that there are other religions and other services that are celebrated at the same time. We serve the community center for everybody, and obviously Christmas is the largest celebration by far, but there are other celebrations going on." Hollis said the Union has been decking its halls every year since the Union opened in 1926. The decorations were accumulated throughout the years and are stored and brought out each year after Thanksgiving. Repairs are made as necessary from the Union's regular funds. "We view them as holiday decorations, not specifically Christmas decorations," Hollis said. "That's why we don't use religious symbols." He said the Christmas tree is more of a Druid tradition than a Christian one. The Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought group on campus said its members have no problem with the decorations. "Our concern comes from showcasing one religion, and I don't think they did that," said Kyle Ray, a junior in computer science and vice president of SHIFT. "It's not in your face, either. It's just informative about the different celebrations going on in the winter months." The Union worked with some community members and did research on its own to design the posters. "Once you start doing the research, you keep finding more things," Hollis said. The Union has put up menorahs in the past for Hanukkah, but those were brought in by Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. The use of those decorations depends on if the holiday occurs while school is still in session for the semester. "We're here to expose each other to different ideas," Hollis said, adding he had not fielded any complaints from ULU e Alsam F Inc. ises, Inc. Legacy Foundation dation • Wheeler Mach i COMpan S. Boyer • Clark and Christine IvorN liani I ( . Withal Roger and atricia 50 , 1 , 0 .R. (Zeke) and K.itheri e ere L. and Joyce T. 1)tinik I.McDo Gregory J. G ce Family • Mai kagg rence I. and lanet T. Dee 00,000-5249,999 • c. Del a rant Thornton • 1. 3 - • \ Lary M. M h L. N. anti Florence 50,000-$99,999 LEARLINK • John zweiler and Julie M. La Nasa • ,),„„eand Nancee Madsen . Questar niversity of Utah Bu lumni Association • Univ4Y Iiirt of Utah FedeCredi Union .,Worker 25,000 $19, 999 ffrev I). and Heather 0. i n Kopf I • Paul M. Bingham • Jack W and Karen R. Bri erick Enterprises • David M. and Debra R. Ernst & Yo• Clark P. and Nan tt Machiner • Tanner LLC • Bra an KARINA PUIKKONEN/The Daily Utah Chronicle A glass panel in the Spencer Eccles Business Building recognizes donors of the newly built facility. I N AN EFFORT TO KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST RULE OF BUSINESS, THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS tried to diversify its income through a student and alumni donation campaign — Student Giving Week, which took place Nov. 12 through Nov.16. Although the U's tuition rates have risen dramatically in the last decade, the Business School stresses tuition doesn't pay for everything in a college. The support of students is key, not only to successful extracurricular programs, but also a national ranking that will propel them to the levels of well-established institutions that traditionally top the lists. "Student Giving Week was never about raising a lot of money," said student and alumni donations coordinator Erik Edwards. "It was about educating students about how giving back, even in small amounts, helps the school's ranking ... School rankings are determined, in part, by the percentage of alumni and students who give back to the university" Business publications tend to focus on a battery of different measurements — one of the most important is the willingness of students to fund their school through personal efforts rather than relying on tuition alone. "Each year Bloomberg Businessweek releases rankings for the nation's business See BUSINESS Page 3 Architect students spruce up storefront Anna Drysdale STAFF WRITER For some students, homework can seem like busy work. But for Jeffrey Baird and Robert Tranter, two masters students studying architecture, an ordinary design project became a real-life renovation. It began in January when they received an assignment to design a hypothetical remodel for a local business. Before they could hit the drawing board, the students had to find a business owner who would give them permission to draw up ideas for a remodel. What began as a three-week project changed course when NeighborWorks, a local nonprofit organization, offered money it had raised to amp up the 900 West business district as a means to fund construction of a student design. With a goal in mind, Baird and Tranter began knocking on doors, looking for a business owner who would jump on board. They found the perfect partner in Steve Andrus, owner of Andrus Sales and Service, a company that buys and resells commercial equipment appliances. They also found inspiration for their design in Andrus' yard full of appliances. "We wanted to find a way by recycling his material, and have [the final result] be a connection to him and the people that buy from him," Tranter said. The students decided to incorporate three elements integral to the business into the design by mounting stainless steel planks to the storefront, keeping some original brick masonry exposed and finishing it off with graffiti. The old brick was a nod to the business' history, whereas the steel incorporated its business model and the graffiti captured a bit of neighborhood spirit. "In that area, graffiti is a prominent thing," Tranter said. "It's looked at as art rather than as something that is obscure and neglectful." That aspect was particularly interesting to Baird, who enjoyed working with the graffiti artist and incorporating unusual materials into their design. Students sorted through massive piles of used appliances for the steel planks since it would have been expensive to purchase enough steel to make the planks. "We literally would walk around See ARCHITECTURE Page 4 Avalanche reports show dangers of snow Marjorie Clark ASST. NEWS EDITOR Each year as the first big winter storm passes through the valley, skiers and snowboarders are itching to dig into fresh powder. So much so that they sometimes forget to check the avalanche conditions of the backcountry before they head out the door. On Nov. 13, 2011, two skiers traveled out of the closed Alta ski area and into the combined terrain of Alta and Snowbird. Without knowing, the two skiers trig- gered an avalanche behind them in the Peruvian Gulch area of Snowbird. The two skiers continued into the next bowl, and upon dropping in, the first skier immediately triggered a second slide. The slide carried the skier about Boo feet, partially burying him, resulting in the season's first fatality. The official report said the two skiers did not check the advisories before heading out. Within the United States, Colorado, Utah and Alaska have the most deadly avalanches, accord- ing to National Geographic. Drew Hardesty, forecaster for the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, said this comes down to a number of factors. "The amount of snow that we get, how the snowpack sits over the course of the winter and the sheer numbers of people that go into the backcountry all contribute to being dangerous," Hardesty said. In November, Brutus passed through the state and dumped four feet of lake-effect snow in the Wasatch, running dry Nov Roughly ro to 15 avalanches were reported to the Utah Avalanche Center that Sunday. "It's less than last year," Hardesty said. The difference in numbers is attributed to whether the backcountry areas were open. Hardesty said the backcountry areas were open in November 2011, but not in 2012 because resorts were still preparing for their early ski season. "There is a running average of See AVALANCHES Page 4 |