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Show Red Rocks put up convincing numbers in landmark win for longtime coach Greg Marsden)) 6 OPINION: Bakhan Barzangy argues that reducing the inflation rate is the only way to reduce poverty )) 5 Monday, February 3, 2014 CHRONICLE s Independent Student Voice Since 1890 www Vol. 123 I No. 81 I ©2014 ASUU Students dress up for fancy ball Emily Means STAFF WRITER Top hats, feather boas and masked faces twirled around Rice-Eccles tower to the sounds of a live instrumental trio doing Prince covers on Friday night. Students dressed in gowns and masks waltzed the night away at ASUU's Masquerade Ball. For some of the 900 students that attended, it was a chance to meet new people. For others, it was simply a good excuse to get dressed up. "I'm wearing false eyelashes. I never do that!" said Zoe Koch, a junior in mathematics. Koch was not the only one to go all out for the occasion. Diego Salas, a junior in animation, arrived at the party sporting a tailcoat, monocle and a top hat — a decision he said was only in competition with "watching Netflix all night." "I never get to go to any dressy events," Salas said. "It's good to have a little bit of excess." The event was a result of a student survey given by ASUU, where students were asked what kind of programming they wanted to see on campus. Formal dances similar to Homecoming were highly requested. The ball was also a way to involve different organizations on campus, such as the LDSSA and Office of Orientation and Leadership Development. Jean-Louis Leclerc, a ballroom dance instructor at the U, and students from his classes took the opportunity to demonstrate and teach their moves in a setting more appropriate than the gym. "Why don't we just give students a chance to do ballroom at a ball?" Leclerc said. For participants who were tired of dancing, there was also an opportunity for a little competition. Above the flashing lights and bustle of the dance floor was a silent auction, where students See MASQUERADE page 4 CALVIN CHHOUR/The Daily Utah Chronicle Students dance at the Winter Masquerade Ball hosted by ASUU at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Friday night. POLITICS Pershing: U best Pac-12 value Anna Drysdale NEWS EDITOR U president David Pershing delivered the U's annual report to the Utah legislature on Friday. Presidents from state-funded colleges and universities across the state presented to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which is made up of members from the Utah Senate and House of Representatives. Pershing showed how the U is working to put the state's funding and students' tuition dollars to work. He emphasized that while the overall tuition income at the U has grown since 2008, the cost of tuition has remained "very, very modest" in comparison to that of other schools and was fed by a larger population of students. "We have been almost able to hold the student tuition even," Pershing said. The budget, he said, is work- ing on a model that moves funding with the students. As departments enroll more students, they receive more funding; similarly, as they lose students, they lose funding. The U is using the same method to allocate the best classrooms to areas where they are most needed. Professors who produce the most research get the most modern spaces. The U is also using block scheduling, expanding summer and evening class opportunities and focusing on providing more online classes. Pershing said the additional online classes are in high demand and lead to degrees and certificates. Several of the U's initiatives are aimed to help hard-working and overloaded students get through school on schedule. According to numbers presented by Pershing at the Capitol, 90 percent of students who graduated from the U last year were working and 5o percent of BRENT UBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle BRENT LIBERTY/The Daily Utah Chronicle U president David Pershing waits to present at the U's annual report at the Higher Education Appropriations subcommittee. students were working more than part time. "Our students are working their way through," Pershing said, adding that this characteristic makes it imperative that the state and university help students through by offering more financial support. Pershing pointed to statistics proving that only a small percentage of students at the U take out loans to pay their tuition and only a small part of the U's student population get help paying their tuition from their parents. See REPORT page 4 ACADEMIC SENATI Sustainability tops Senate agenda Nathan Turner STAFF WRITER The ASUU Senate convened Thursday night and approved changes to ASUU's Constitution, water bottle refill stations and Student Advisory Committee funding. Attorney General Molly Wheeler's latest updates to ASUU's Redbook, called Joint Resolution Four, was approved by the Senate. It was previously passed by the Assembly and will make various changes to the way elections are held. "I am thrilled that JR4 passed," Wheeler said. "It is important to update the Constitution to make sure that it is both correct as well as outlines succession." Wheeler said that although approved by the Senate and Assembly, the changes will ultimately be decided by the students in a separate ballot during the elections. The Senate also voted to approve Rep. Mark Pittman's water bottle refill station bill. The bill will allocate so percent of the cost for seven more refill stations to be installed across campus. The rest of the cost will come from the colleges that agree to participate in the initiative. Pittman said that he has received commitments from the College of Nursing and the College of Fine Arts for installations and that several other colleges have expressed interest in installations, but are still in the negotiation phase. "The bill addresses the demands from students by leveraging the power of student government in cooperation with our colleges," Pittman said. The water bottle refill station bill is the second of Pittman's sustainability bills. Pittman's car charger bill passed in the Assembly and Senate in Nov. 2013 after being pulled from the docket in October. Pittman said earlier this month that he did not expect the water bottle refill stations to face the same opSee SENATE page 4 Grace Hanley, a senior in psychology, anthropology and sociology presents about the effects of yoga on anger at the UROP Science Fair at the Capitol on Friday afternoon. Science fair at Capitol shows poverty cycle Anna Drysdale NEWS EDITOR Science fairs are not just for kids in elementary school. Students from the U and Utah State University lined the rotunda at the state Capitol on Thursday to explain research projects they have been working on all year to legislators. The annual science showcase marks the first week of the legislative session — students head up to the hill before legislators get too caught up in their work. "It's a wonderful event," said Jill Baeder, associate director of undergraduate research, who organized the event. Baeder said that it is an important opportunity for undergraduates to take complicated projects they have worked on with faculty supervisors and present to legislators. "It's just taking it all to the next level," Baeder said. "I think that legislators get to see how important unSee SCIENCE FAIR page 4 |