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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 15, 2014 AIR WELLNESS Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 program aims to raise public awareness of Utah's unique pollution problems and its effects on health and society. The program awards annual seed grants to researchers studying the biological and sociological effects of Utah's air pollution. U obstetrician Jeannette Chin is the winner of one of this year's grants. Chin grew up in Utah and is familiar with the inversion. "I never really paid attention to it as a kid," she said. After leaving the state for studies and a medical residency in North Carolina, Chin returned to Utah and became interested in the medical consequences of air pollution on people, especially during pregnancy. Chin plans to study the prenatal effects of Utah's air pollution. She said while a lot of research has been done to connect poor air quality to asthma and illness in children and adults, no one has researched this field specifically. Chin will focus on air pollution's long-term effects on people exposed to higher levels of pollution while in utero. "Utah is an interesting place to study air quality," Chin said. "In other big cities, the air is always moderately polluted. Here in Utah, sometimes we have great air, but when the inversion sets in, we suddenly have some of the worst air in the country." During the 198os, the Geneva Steel Mill near Orem in Utah County was responsible for a large amount of the air pollution in the area. However, when mill workers went on a 13-month strike, the mill closed, effectively stopping emissions during the 1986 and 1987 inversion seasons. During that period, premature births in Orem declined. When the mill reopened, premature births rose again. "This is a natural experiment," Chin said. With such an opportunity, she couldn't resist finding out more. Those babies born during the steel strike of the mid-8os are now about 27. This gives Chin and her colleagues the opportunity to review their medical history from birth to adulthood. Chin plans to compare the individuals' data with their siblings' health histories. Chin hopes the study will lead to a greater understanding of the effects of air pollution on human development. j.peterson@chronicle.utah.edu topics on Instagram and Facebook. Directors chose the name for the program because it "just seemed catchy," and they wanted to encourage students to mention it on social media sites. For the next few weeks, #Healthy4dayz will focus on spiritual and physical wellness, centering on a "speed faithing" event on Jan. 28 aimed at helping students understand a variety of faiths. At the beginning of February, ASUU will host several fitness classes, including free yoga classes, free cycling classes, a GoLite backpacking seminar, a Zumba class and a nutrition bootcamp. They will also focus on being socially healthy, shining a light on gossip, school interactions and relationships. Chen said students who think wellness is important will find time for it, even in the most hectic schedules. "All domains of wellness ... are important for students to be as successful as they can be," he said. Several students left Tuesday's event with Alta day passes. Others left with a stash of information about wellness resources offered across campus. For many students who said they have been trying to lose weight, the event came at just the right time. Tablers at the event stressed that taking the time to be well can help students through their daily workload. Fitnessconscious students who attended the event to find out how to maximize their efforts agreed. Rosa Parra, a freshman in political science and economics, said finding time to work out has helped her through some of the roughest patches of the school year. "Every time I've had a bad grade on a test ... I just go to the gym," she said. Quynh Quath, a sophomore in health promotion and education, is involved with the student health advisory committee, which will be holding a series of workshops this week on time management, note-taking skills and stress management. "Being a student is really stressful," Quath said. She added that the average student's lot is especially stressful because they have to juggle work, school and figuring out what they want to do with the rest of their life. The committee will be hosting a stress management workshop on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Union Theater. a.drysdale@chronicle.utah.edu BOOK CLUB ELECTIONS Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 Chambless because he is so knowledgeable about World War II, and we thought he'd facilitate a really indepth discussion about it." Melvin encouraged students to attend the first club series discussing the novel Unbroken even if they have not read the book. "I think it's a story that you can carry a conversation about even if you haven't read the entire book," Melvin said. "Most students have some degree of knowledge regarding World War II, so I think it's a type of discussion that many people can participate in regardless of how prepared they are." Club representatives chose 12 Years a Slave as the book for February's meeting, in relation to Black History Month. The idea to begin a student book club was originally presented by Hinckley director Kirk Jowers. Hawkins said he wanted to facilitate discussion outside of the classroom setting. "Bagels and Books" will collaborate Read Today, the children's literacy program that aims to engage children in reading to raise proficiency scores in Utah, powered by KSL News co-anchor Nadine Wimmer. Wimmer will be in attendance at the Jan. 29 meeting to talk about her program and answer questions. "It will be great if we could combine with the kids," Jowers said. "We're trying to get more of our students to read, and then we'd be helping kids [in elementary school] who aren't able to literally read." Read Today is looking for college students to volunteer, and Hawkins hopes the book club can be generate interest. Melvin said she hopes membership increase after the first meeting. "It's a partnership between several different entities on campus, and we hope those organizations will continue to work together and it will be something that lasts longer than just 2014," Melvin said. m.mckenna@chronicle.utah.edu their president and vice president lost in the primary or decide to run as an independent. After the primary elections and "party shuffle week" are over, campaigning begins for the general elections. Thompson said last year they had a high percentage of students vote in the general elections, but she hopes they can get even more participation this year. Current Attorney General Molly Wheeler hopes to get a referendum to the U's constitution available for students to vote on during the general elections. The referendum 3 BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Students mingle with active members during Chi Omega's Cookies and Cocoa yesterday evening at the chapter house. SORORITIES Continued from page 1 Gamma have all started their recruiting events for this semester, and representatives from the sororities are excited to meet potential members. All but one sorority has already held an event, and each plans on holding one more within the next two weeks. Students interested in joining a sorority should contact their group's recruitment chair in order to RSVP for events. Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Chi Omega, which has had a chapter at the U since 1934, will be holding a laser tag night this Friday at 6 p.m. The event will be located at their house on Greek Row, which lies just north of the U. Those interested in joining Alpha Chi Omega must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours and must commit to to service hours each semester. Alpha Phi Alpha Phi will hold an event tonight at 7:3o p.m. at their house. The event is titled "Meet the Phis" and will feature an ice cream bar and opportunities to meet current sisters in the house. Alpha Phi's selection process is mutual, meaning that many sisters from the house decide who will join the sorority. Recruitment chair Alli Uchida said what they want from their members is not too specific. "We want girls who are involved and have great would clear up confusing language in the constitution and has to pass through ASUU's legislative branch, receive the president's signature, and be approved by the Board of Trustees before final student approval. Wheeler also said that although filing to run for the positions might be closed, she hopes students will get involved in other ways, such as voting or volunteering with the different parties. "Students should get involved because their elected student government leaders represent them in a lot of important arenas," Wheeler said. "They are the ones who meet with President Pershing, legislators and groups on campus to make the U experience what it is. Students leadership qualities," Uchida said. Alpha Phi requires its members to maintain a 2.5 GPA and to enroll in 12 credit hours. Incoming freshmen must have a 3.o GPA. Chi Omega Chi Omega's next event is also tonight and will feature a Zumba activity at the group's house. Chi Omega requires members to maintain a 2.0 GPA and participate in two service activities per semester. Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi's first event is tonight and will be focused around a spa night theme at their house. Their second event will be a carnival on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Pi Beta Phi house. Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa Kappa Gamma will host a dessert night on Thursday, Jan. 23, which will be located at their house on Greek Row. Attendees of the event should prepare to dress formally. According to recruitment chair Jessica Doucette, Kappa Kappa Gamma is looking for "genuine girls who are interested in sisterhood and the organization." Kappa Kappa Gamma requires its members to be enrolled in 12 credit hours and to maintain a 2.5 GPA. Incoming freshmen must have a 3.o GPA. More recruitment information can be found at greeks.utah.edu ivy.smith@chronicle.utah.edu need to make sure that they are voting for individuals who will represent them well." Two sets of debates will be held during the campaigning portion of the election season. Presidential and vice presidential debates will be held Feb. 12 at 6:3o p.m. in the Heritage Center, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. in the Union and March 4 at 12 p.m. in the Hinckley Institute of Politics. Two senior president debates will also be held on Feb. 12 at 12 p.m. in the Union's Collegiate Room and again on March 3 in the Union lobby. Since there are only two attorney general candidates, there will be no primary voting for that position, and their sole debate will be on March 3 at 12 p.m. in the Union lobby. n.turner@chronicle.utah.edu Letters to the Editor letters@chronicle.utah.edu but for current, breaking news, look into www.dailyutahchronicle.com |