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Show DAILY www.dailyutahchronicle.com Friday, March 1, 2013 UTAH CHRONICLE The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 Vol. 122 No. 115 ©2013 ALSO INSIDE Matt and Kim will open for Passion Pit on Saturday and get up close and personal with the crowd in Salt Lake City » 5 Head swim coach Greg Winslow was suspended because of allegations of sexual abuse » 6 Founders Day feast honors U alumni Anna Drysdale STAFF WRITER The U was founded 163 years ago on Feb. 28, 185o. In celebration, the Alumni Association hosted its annual Founders Day Banquet on Thursday night at the Little America Hotel to honor the induction of four new distinguished alumni and one honorary alumnus. They also honored Founders Day Scholar Shirlee Draper, a student who fled a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints community with her four children, who came to the U to study social work in hopes of helping other women who share the challenges she had to fight. This year, the association welcomed Robert P. Huefner, Mark C. Miller, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Norman H. Wesley as distinguished alumni. After graduating from the U, they went on to leave their marks on the world and reflected upon how the U shaped them into what they have become. Ulrich went on from her English literature studies at the U to obtain a master's in English from Simmons College and later a doctorate in history from the University of New Hampshire. She is known as a renowned hisSee STEFFI LIETZKE/ The Daily Utah Chronicle Founders Day Scholar Shirlee J. Draper, a student in social work, with President David Pershing and his wife Sandi at the 2013 Founders Day Banquet. FOUNDERS page 3 Broken election rules STEFFI LIETZKE/The Daily Utah Chronicle Matt Kirkegaard, a sophomore in political science and environmental science, is drawing up a petition asking the U to stop investing in fossil fuels. Two students petition U to divest from fossil fuels Anna Drysdale STAFF WRITER Some people try to reduce their use of fossil fuels by riding bikes or taking public transportation, but two students at the U are proposing the university divest from fossil fuel companies. Matt Kirkegaard, a sophomore in political science and environmental science, and Max Stiefel, a senior in economics and environmental studies, are drawing up a petition asking the U to stop investing in fossil fuels. They said they were inspired by small colleges across the nation that have already made the decision to divest. There are 256 other universities already breaking off their investments in fossil fuels, Kirkegaard said. In December, the duo decided the U should start the process as well. Kirkegaard compared divesting from fossil fuel companies to the decision the U made in the 198os to stop investing in companies involved in apartheid. He views the economic move as a moral decision. "This is really a watershed moment," he said. "Frankly, I don't think that I could live with myself knowing that I'm on the other side of history ... when I'm old I want to be able to say that even if we don't succeed, we fought for this." Stiefel said the decision to divest would be an innovative way to help stabilize the world's climate, but thinks the ethical side of the question bears the most weight. "This is a moral imperative," he said. "People are already dying — globally and in our country." Kirkegaard and Stiefel argued that making these changes in investments would not hurt the U economically. They cited a study by Aperio, an investment management firm, showing that pulling out of fossil fuel investments would result in "theoretical return penalty of 0.0034percent." Fossil fuel investments will lose 6o percent of their market value in coming years if the world upholds its promises to decrease emissions and start favoring more sustainable fuels, according to a recent HSBC Bank study. "You could almost argue that it would be horrible financial policy not to divest," Kirkegaard said. See FOSSIL FUELS page 3 KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle Sam Ortiz, vice president of The HOUSE Party, responds to a grievance brought against the party at the ASUU Election Grievance Hearing on Thursday evening. CAMPAIGN CHARGES Elections Committee holds grievance hearing addressing ASUU election policies that were not followed D Topher Webb ASST. NEW EDITOR The ASUU Elections Committee entertained election grievances, including campaigning in the Marriott Library, handing out candy and violating poster-hanging rules. This meeting was the second held this campaign season. The committee meets weekly and hears complaints filed by parties, candidates or ASUU. Of the five possible meetings, three were canceled because no grievances were filed. The committee heard grievances Thursday and will release its decisions on each case as early as Firday. ASUU charged the HOUSE Par- ty with campaigning and handing out T-shirts in the Marriott Library on Feb. 21, two days before active campaigning was allowed. In addition, campaigning in the library is never permitted. The proposed punishment is to lose a half-day of campaigning. HOUSE Party presidential candidate, Nick Ferre, a master's student in education leadership and policy, said the party was not campaigning, but rather handing out Tshirts to students who had already requested them. He said the party had asked Maria Mooers-Putzer, the elections registrar and a law student, for permission. Mooers-Putzer said she was not aware the party was handing out Tshirts in the library, and she would have told them not to do it. Peak Party campaign manager Janean Ford, a senior in economics and international studies, said it was well known the HOUSE Party See ELECTIONS page 3 Panel analyzes slavery portrayal in 2012 films Matt White STAFF WRITER A panel of U professors dissected blockbuster movies "Django Unchained" and "Lincoln" on Thursday, providing insight into Hollywood's relationship with slavery in America. Edmund Fong, professor of ethnic studies and political science, had concerns with both movies, but said Hollywood can only be itself. While the movies possess a wealth of knowledge regarding slavery, they still perpetuate misunderstandings, Fong said. "I did enjoy both movies, but they show what we still don't understand about slavery in America," he said. Fong was referring in part to the servile and submissive portrayal of slaves and freed people in "Lincoln." Elizabeth Keckley was the dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln after becoming a freed slave, and Fong was disappointed by her depiction in the film. During her life, Keckley outfitted the wives of the Washington elite as well as published a book, and Fong saw this as reason to portray her as something a bit more valuable. The panel was also concerned this portrayal KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle Karen Johnson and Edmund Fong discussed two films, 'Django Unchained' and 'Lincoln,' in the Saltair Room of the Union on Thursday at noon. of slaves could have caused audiences to forget the important contributions made by the slave population during the Civil War. "Slaves were seizing plantations, joining the Union cause," said Karen Johnson, professor of education, culture and society. See SLAVERY page 3 |
