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Show Thursday, October 10, 2013 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE www.dailyutahchronicle.com The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 OPINION •• Columnist argues that the Catholic church is more progressive on controversial topics than the LDS church Vol. 123 1 No. 331C2013 SPORTS: U volleyball player ARTS •■ The Department of The- Lea Adolph discusses her background and adjusting to an American lifestyle ater's liosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' twists a classic play into a new, existential spectacle Gov't shutdown impacts research Courtnie Mustain STAFF WRITER As Utah's five national parks lock their gates, federal workers go without paychecks and Smithsonian museums shut their doors, some offices at the U are also feeling the effects of the federal government shutdown. The shutdown, which started on Oct. I when Congress failed to pass an appropriations bill or a continuing resolution after a showdown over the Affordable Care Act, is entering its loth day today. However, some problems could arise if the shutdown continues and if the debt ceiling isn't raised, said John Curl, director of financial aid and scholarships. While tuition grants and research grants have already been distributed, Curl said, these grants could suffer from a lack of funding if the shutdown continues. Brent Brown, director of the Office of Sponsored Projects, said the application process for National Institute of Health grants and National Science Foundation grants are inactive because of staff furloughs. However, some government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, which supplies a small minority of campus grants, still have enough active employees to continue the application process. According to the Board of Trustees' Sponsored Projects Activity Summary from June 2013, this number was $361,220,418. Of that, $270.1 million went toward research, which Brown said went to everything from cancer research to robotics to the humanities. Deadlines for applications that have approached during the shutdown have been unable to be met, but Brown said a new deadline for these applications will be set once Congress votes to end the shutdown. "People are uneasy about the future," Brown said. "But at the moment there's no need to be alarmed." c.mustain@chronicle.utah.edu Pre-game bash open to all Saturday's 'Block U' party to showcase U to community Ilc RFQ(.1Rt :pidil CHRIS SAMUELS/The Daily Utah Chronicle Incoming transfer student Brian Teease discusses financial aid with an employee at the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in the Student Services Building. Students protest keynote speaker at Pride Week Anna Drysdale ASST. NEWS EDITOR Purple decorated the Marriott Library Plaza on Wednesday as U students worked to spread awareness about cancer research at the "Paint the Campus Purple" event, sponsored by ASUU. Some pinned purple ribbons on their shirt while others displayed their purple 'Rock The U' T-shirts. All who wore purple enjoyed free food and prizes courtesy of the ASUU 'Rock The U' board. The Utah Ballroom Dance team and the Utah Urban Dance Organization group performed, and the Nu-Skin Jazz dancers made an appearance — all this to fundraise for the Huntsman Can- A swarm of students armed with posters gathered on the side of the Union Ballroom Wednesday night to protest the selection of the keynote speaker for LGBT Pride Week. Dan Savage, a well-known sex advice columnist and LGBT rights activist, spoke in the Ballroom Wednesday night, offering advice in response to questions from the crowd. As students and enthusiasts filed into the Union, student protesters crammed around tables by the reception desk, scribbling out controversial quotes from Savage's speeches and column "Savage Love" and slogans denouncing him as a racist and misogynist. The protesters lined the Ballroom wielding their signs before the program and sat on the steps on the edge of the room while Savage spoke. Ashley Willingham, a senior in theater and a member of this year's Pride Week planning committee, said Savage was chosen because of his activism on behalf of the LGBT community. "Even though he is controversial, he has done things for the community, like marriage equality, family equality and the 'It Gets Better' campaign," Willingham said. The campaign, which Savage founded in 2010, combats LGBT youth bullying, but members of the Honors College Queer Activism and Social Justice Think Tank said his work in this area and many others is nothing less than ironic. The students argued that while Savage speaks out loudly for LGBT rights, he is exclusionary. "He speaks out against bullying, but he's a bully himself," said Kathy Tran, a junior in history who made posters with other students before the event. Emilio Manuel Camu, a senior in communication, agreed. "He's a self-proclaimed leader of the LGBT movement ... But he really only speaks for gay, white, affluent males," Camu said. "When does it get better? Who does it get better for?" Tran was very disappointed with the selection of Savage as keynote speaker. "I think it's absolutely terrible, because we're using our student fees to bring him in," she said. "It's a way of promoting that. We want other voices to be heard. For him to be heard and not other people, it's kind of a push back on the LGBT movement." Many protesters thought Savage was a poor choice for the keynote, because he only defends one identity within the LGBT movement. They said his advocacy for the white gay male drowns out and squelches other voices, which runs contrary to the theme for this year's Pride Week, "Pride has Many Voices." "As a queer person myself, I wouldn't ever want to use any privilege I have over any other group, which is exactly what he does," said George Zamantakis, a sophomore in gender studies and English. "He uses his white privilege and his male privilege to belittle others, and I just feel that is entirely wrong when we are all humans. We're connect- See PURPLE page 3 See PROTEST page 3 BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Block U's were scattered around campus in preparation for the Block U party this Saturday. Stephen Willis STAFF WRITER The U is planning its first ever pre-game block party for this weekend. Organizers are hoping the event will bring 3,000 people to campus. The Block U Party is scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 12, from 1-4 p.m. The event's web page jokes that the party will cover "an area bigger than some European countries." The event is expected to be "massive," said Eric Hunter, a graduate assistant in the Union Administration. The Block U Party will take place in the heart of campus, starting directly west of OSH in the Marriott Library Plaza, wrapping around the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building and ending in front of Milton Bennion Hall. The occasion is not just for students. Family, friends and Salt Lake City residents at large are welcome and encouraged to attend. The event is designed and intended for everyone. "We would be able to bring people onto campus whether they're current students, future students, alumni, just random community members, to show them what the University of Utah offers," Hunter said. The Block U Party will represent 4o different departments from the U. Each department will have its own booth and unique activities. There will also be photo booths, bounce houses and jambalaya cooked by Campus Dining Services. The Block U Party has received considerable promotion on the radio, interstate billboards and TV. Other Pac-12 schools and major universities have been hosting large community based pre-game block parties for years, Hunter said. This is the U's first pre-game block party, and it has received See BLOCK U page 3 `Rock the U' unites to promote cancer research Alex Wiles STAFF WRITER BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle ASUU's Rock the U Board and officers table on Library Plaza to promote cancer awareness Wednesday afternoon. |