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Show Monday, March 4, 2013 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 www.dailyutahchronide.com Vol. 122 No. 116 I ©2013 ASUU ELECTIONS •• The Utes fall victim to Stanford once again as they strike to claim an 18-point victory » 6 Opinion columnists discuss ASUU election grievances, party platforms and why voter apathy needs to be combated » 5 Sequestration cuts tuition funds DJ Summers POTENTIAL IMPACT TO THE U STAFF WRITER • Estimated federal research loss: $38 million • Estimated work-study loss: $100,000 • Reduction of number of students who receive Pell grants: 8,000, $30 million • Total federal loss: $85 billion • National Institute of Health loss: $1.5 billion • National Science Institute loss: $286 million On Friday, President Barack Obama signed an order that authorized sequestration, a process that will cut $85 billion from the $3.7 trillion in yearly federal spending between now and Oct. 1. Despite assurances that safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicaid will not be touched, sequestration has the potential to be damaging for research options and for students in need of federal assistance to fund rising tuition rates. "!At this early stage there's not much that we can do except keep a close eye on the situation," said Cathy Anderson, senior vice president of student affairs. "We have kind of a 'wait and see' attitude. I think everybody is watching this very closely. We don't know anything for certain yet, but the two areas of main concern are federal research grants and federal student financial aid." As the flagship research institution in Utah, the U's reputation and financing are dependent on receiving the proper funding from either internal profits, donations, or International Night state and federal funds. Anderson said the majority of the U's federal research grants come from the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. According to reports from American Council on Education, the NIH will have $1.5 billion cut from its budget, and the NSF $286 million, See FUNDS page 4 New math methods meant to encourage students Carolyn Webber STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY CLAUDIA SNOW Students dance in traditional costumes Friday during International Night at the Union. The event drew nearly 400 students to see representations of cultures at the U. n CULTURAL AFFAIR 400 students gathered Friday night to share and discover cultural food, dance, clothing and traditions. Anne Plummer STAFF WRITER With tae kwon do and taiko drums, the Union Ballroom filled with music, dancing and laughter as nearly 400 students watched their fellow classmates perform a piece of their culture at Interna- tional Night on Friday. Students munched on samosas, Saudi Arabian salad and fruit kebabs while they clapped and cheered during performances. One performance featured a cultural showcase with international students representing their cultural attire with an "ao dai," a Vietnam- Prescott Muir to remain chair of architecture Marjorie Clark NEWS EDITOR In a statement the U released Saturday, Prescott Muir will retain his position as the chairman of the School of Architecture. "I am pleased PRESCOTT MUIR that we can come to an understanding," said Muir, professor of architecture and chairman of the School of Architecture since 2009, in a press release. "Now is the time to move forward in a constructive way See MUIR page 3 ese garment made of silk, a Ghanian dress and contemporary and traditional clothes from Kenya. Organizations from the university and community were invited to the event. A group of taiko drummers who practice at a Japanese church downtown brought their drums on stage and performed, raising their hands, looking upward and swinging their drumsticks left to right. The "spiritual" or "dramatic" taiko is performed during special occasions at temples, festivals and other celebrations, said Midori Ikematsu, taiko drummer and Japanese exchange student in international studies. "It's kind of fascinating," said Yichen Cheng, a sophomore in electrical engineering, who came with his friends to the event. "You can learn a lot of stuff that you can't learn in the classroom." See INTERNATIONAL page 4 Faculty Choice Award recipient applies research to community Kelly McArthur STAFF WRITER Bryan Hotchkins, a doctorate student in educational leadership and policy, received one of two ASUU Faculty Choice Awards this year and will be honored at a dinner ceremony being held March 21. Bryce Williams, director of academic affairs for ASUU, said Hotchkins was selected for the award based on the work he is doing at the U. "Bryan is focusing on his thesis but is also trying to contribute to campus," Williams said. "He goes to conferences about discrimination issues and brings that knowledge back to campus. He does trainings and dialogues with student leaders and housing leaders on social issues. All four years he's been here, I've seen Bryan doing this type of work." Hotchkins is involved with the Association Study of Higher Ed and the American Educational Research Association, and has presented at both of their conferences since 2010. He held a conference at the U, which attracted a crowd of more than 6o people. Along with his involvement in ASHE and AERA, Hotchkins has been a teacher's assistant, a research assistant for two professors and a graduate assistant. Hotchkins said he works See HOTCHKINS page 4 MICHAEL SYGNATOWICZ/The Daily Utah Chronicle Bryan Hotchkins is a winner of the ASUU-sponsored Faculty Choice Award. For many students, math is a skill they learn because they have to, but they are not always aware of the realworld applications. This is an issue JANINE REMILLARD with which the education world has continually struggled. On Friday, a professor spoke of a new solution at a lecture the Center for Science and Mathematics Education hosted. Janine Remillard, a professor at Penn Graduate School of Education, has been working with the school districts of Philadelphia, Pa., to incorporate locally relevant information into the curriculum. Locally relevant means placing students at the center so teachers take into account the context of where and who they are teaching. She thought of this when she realized teachers were taking too much time explaining the contextual problems about mountain elevation or scooter rentals on an island vacation to inner-city students, for example. Remillard has worked with these school districts for a couple years, and they said they have seen a boost in student interest in math since the changes. These relevant math exercises involve finding angles in streets they live on or graphing graduation rates among local high schools. Both teachers and students of math and science came to the lecture, and most came away with hope in this teaching strategy. Elaine Tuft, a math professor at Utah Valley University, heard about this kind of teaching before and said she is ready for the change. "It's certainly doable but it's not going to be easy," she said. "It's going to take a lot of time." Remillard made sure to address challenges as well, such as the time for teachers to develop curriculum and to work with their school to make sure they are still covering the core subjects. "Districts around here have scripted curriculum, and teachers aren't allowed to deviate," said Sue Womack, a math professor at UVU. It might be working in Philadelphia, but it will be some time before locally relevant teaching makes its way to Utah, Remillard said. Some of the benefits involve boosting student interest and allowing teachers to learn more about their students, she said. See MATH page 3 |
