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Show AE Thursday, January 23, 2014 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE D1 I www.dailyutahchronicle.com The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 OPINION . Consumers shouldn't be worried about the Verizon settlement » 4 ARTS . U students create urban art to brighten SLC neighborhoods » 5 Vol. 123 No. 76 ©2014 SPORTS. Red Rocks walk-on Hailee Hansen works for team success » 6 DANE GOODWIN/The Daily Utah Chronicle Joaquin Zihuatanejo recites his poetry in front of U students at a "Beneath the Hoodie" event. Zihuatanejo demonstrates Gov. talks legislative priorities poetry's power MAEGAN BURR/The Daily Utah Chronicle File Photo Gov. Gary Herbert speaks at a Hinckley Institute of Politics forum. POLITICS Anna Drysdale NEWS EDITOR Gov. Gary Herbert announced yesterday that funding education will be his top priority during the upcoming legislative session. Herbert pinpointed his top five priorities in front of legislators, policymakers and lobbyists at the Zions Bank Building downtown as part of the 2014 Legislative Policy Summit, hosted by the Exoro Group and Utah Policy Daily. The annual event, held just before the session begins, introduces the topics the leg- islature expects to address each year. The governor's announcement builds on his previously announced goal to help 66 percent of Utahns receive some kind of secondary education by 2020. He said if this goal is not met, Utah's economy will underperform. "We, at our own misfortune, do not take care of the educational needs that we have in the state," Herbert said. Herbert is determined to allocate adequate funding for higher education in the legislative session beginning this coming Monday, but he said funding education will be an "ongoing debate." The other top items on his agenda are supporting growth in the economy, managing the water supply, supporting laws to regulate air quality and finding a "win-win" solution for the usage of public lands. Herbert pointed to projections estimating Utah's current population of 2.9 million will double in the next 25 years and urged policymakers to help Utah prepare for that growth. "People want to come to Utah," he said. "We have a quality of life that people appreciate and desire." According to reports he has received, Utah is among the top transfer locations requested in companies with multiple branches. Herbert suggested this type of growth is one more reason for the state to prepare to support a larger population in future years. One problem in the way of that goal, he said, was also faced by pioneers who first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. "The only limiting factor See HERBERT page 3 HINCKLEY FORUM Politicos debate free speech rights Karriann Johnson STAFF WRITER If money could talk, the Hinckley Institute of Politics knows what it would say. In a forum yesterday, commentators at the Hinckley Institute discussed the regulations of free speech within campaign finance. The debate stemmed from controversy about HB 43, signed by Gov. Gary Herbert in April 2013. The bill maintains the previously unlimited financial donations to non-profits but instates a full disclosure policy. This includes the donor's name, address, employer and if the donor agreed to allow their money to be used for political purposes. The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Gregory Hughes (RDraper) defended it. "[The policy] would cre- ate transparency for voters," Hughes said. Speaking against this policy was Bill Maurer, director of the Institute for Justice-Washington Chapter. He stated donors to political campaigns have a right to remain anonymous. Maurer said the policy would be harmful to donors and the political system because it creates a potential for harassment if the database is accessible to the public. "People assume disclosure is relatively benign," Maurer said. "It's not." Max Miller, a lawyer for more than 4o years, asked Maurer if the Institute for Justice would file a lawsuit against the policy. Maurer stated the Institute is not currently pursuing one. "There are ways to improve HB 43 that would make it bet- ERIN BURNS/The Daily Utah Chronicle State Rep. Greg Hughes (R-Draper), lawyer Max Miller and director of the Institute for Justice - Washington Chapter Bill Maurer debate free speech within campaign finance. ter from a First Amendment standpoint," Maurer said. But he believes the bill should be scrapped altogether. Hughes disagreed and said the policy creates "an equal playing field" for corporations. "I didn't see this country become what it is in this anonymous sort of way," Hughes said. "Stand up for what you believe in, get out there and say 'this is how I think things ought to be." Emilie Trepanier STAFF WRITER Joaquin Zihuatanejo believes a poem can change the world. In a talk on Wednesday in the Union Ballroom, Zihuatanejo, an award-winning poet, artist and teacher, shared personal poems about his life and racial equality and encouraged everyone to become a poet. His speech was part of the U's MLK week events. "You can be a doctor and a poet," he said. Zihuatanejo began his lecture with a poem dedicated to his grandfather, the muse to whom he attributes the reason he is a spoken word poet today. He also touched on the subject of racial equality and told a story about a man who verbally attacked him when Zihuatanejo spoke Spanish to his own daughter. The man purportedly said Spanish should not be spoken in his country. The poem, called "Speaking in Tongues," detailed the peaceful approach with which Zihuatanejo responded to the situation. His poem "Hope Five Miles" told the story of a black man, a brown man and a white man sitting in bathroom stalls next to each other. Zihuatanejo said he chose this poem specifically for comic relief. The poem "Elephant" is the one Zihuatanejo believes could change the world. It illustrates for him the universal reaction to the loss of a child, whether to American, African or elephant parents. Zihuatanejo said people in the U.S. need to stop focusing on their own problems and reach out to African communities who have much more challenging lives. "In Africa, they plant children in the ground and grow angels," Zihuatanejo said. He told a story of how he began spoken word poetry at the encouragement of his high school students. "I have to be good. I sell The Odyssey to ninth graders at 8 a.m.," he said. Juan Rodriguez, an engineering major, is a fan of Zihuatanejo's work, and said spoken word poetry is important because "words are salvation." Angelica Calderon, also an engineering major, was a little familiar with spoken word poetry before the event. She said listening to Zihuatanejo was like "inheriting his memories." The next spoken word poetry event is on Feb. 3 and hosted by Project Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression, a movement that motivates youth to express themselves. e.trepanier@chronicle.utah.edu U to launch Frats begin spring recruitment week online MBA program in fall k.johnson@chronicle.utah.edu Ivy Smith STAFF WRITER U fraternities have been on the prowl for new members during recruitment this week. Stuart Johnson, a senior in economics and finance, said being a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity has taught him a lot about life. Johnson joined the fraternity as a sophomore and became the chapter's president less than a year later. Johnson said being a fraternity member is rewarding in more ways than one, especially considering he never planned to go greek. "This house is diverse, and it's full of a bunch of guys who never thought they'd be in a fraternity, like me," he said. Other members, such as the fraternity's recruitment chair Connor Roberts, did plan on joining a fraternity. Roberts, See RECRUIT page 2 DANE GOODWIN/The Daily Utah Chronicle U students work on various assignments in the Union Computer Lab. Nathan Turner STAFF WRITER BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle Students participate in formal fraternity recruitment last August. Tuesday was the first day of formal spring recruitment. The U's professional and full-time master of business administration programs have added another option for potential graduate business students to gain their degree through a computer instead of a classroom, which will begin Fall Semester 2014. Brad Vierig, associate dean of the David Eccles School of Business, said the addition of the online MBA program See PROGRAM page 3 |