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Show One win and one loss for softball UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Page 8 Logan, Utah • Campus Voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Monday, April 9,2007 Uninsured students taking on higher risk, doctor says BY REBCKAH BRADWAY Copy Editor Uninsured students are 25 percent more likely to die overall, Dr. Jim Davis, director of the Student Health and Wellness Center, said Thursday while discussing positives and negatives of mandatory student health insurance. Davis said uninsured students are three tofivetimes more likely to delay seeking needed medical services and four times more likely to experience avoidable hospitalization due to these delays. "You (students) are at risk for all kinds of things happening to you," he said. "I don't think it takes a meteor to hit us to make us have health risks." Currently, USU has elective health insurance, meaning insurance is not required to register for classes. However, some students and faculty are working to make health insurance at USU mandatory. When students don't have insurance, Davis said, it leads to problems such as foregoing medical care or large medical bills. These Jamie (rane/jamieaane@a.usu.edu D R . JIM DAVIS, director of the Health and Wellness Center, spoke to students Thursday about health insurance and the proposed mandatory health insurance plan at USU. ASU5U will vote on the insurance resolution Tuesday. Davis said, is more expensive, has a $1,000 limit on medications, and doesn't have very broad day-to-day coverage. However, it has no deductible, no medical Tyler Larson/tmlarsonQccusu.edu underwriting, and it covers THE COMPUTER LAB in the Ray B. West English building received funds for renovation. Officials say maternity without a huge cothe lab will be more of a work space friendly, but some students think it's unnecessary spending. pay! "My interest is to provide students with information to make a rational decision," Davis said. The Associated Students of USU will be trying to pass legislation tomorrow to require all students to have health insurance, said Maure puters, because on the Mac Smith, the Graduate Student BY RANAE BANGERTER they are putting Windows Senate president. Senior Writer and so theoretically that Smith said if the ASUSU resolves the Mac issue," As soon as final papers executive council passes the said Geddef, an accounting legislation, it will move on to are written, printed off graduate student. He met and turned in, the English the Staters Council, where with the professors over the open-access computer lab ASUSU will meet with cenproject on spring break and will begin renovation, and tral administration of USU. brought up his concerns. although professors in the The Staters Council will Geddef said the planners department are very excited ultimately be the body that realized the problem of havabout the changes, some implements the new legislaing fewer computers in the students are not. tion. lab, but they hadn't thought On May 9, the remod"In my opinion, (impleof a way to resolve it and eling will begin. The menting mandatory student were going to move forward health insurance) won't hap- computer lab will be reanyway. designed with 12 to 15 lappen soon enough," she said. "The old lab didn't have top Macintosh computers Smith said requiring as much use," Moeller health insurance for students and 11 desktop Macintosh said. "We just found that computers. Other changes will have to be executed students weren't using it include new desks and across the state in order to because they would rather chairs, as well as a confermake it work, since some go somewhere else." ence type table and chair students would only go to a With the renovations set up with a whiteboard. school without it if they had there will be more room for "It will f>e a casual, comthe choice. desks and chairs, but not as . fortable work space for She said if the issue passes much space for individual students with the latest with the Staters Council, it computer work space. technology and flexibility will likely move on to the Most students use the for group work and colBoard of Regents, but it will English lab to print off take time until USU students laboration. It's certainly papers, Moeller said. an environment I would are required to have health Geddef thinks if the enjoy working (or teachinsurance. majority of students don't -rebrad@cc. usu.edu ing) in, and students and use the lab for writing faculty will benefit from papers and only for print the changes," said Melinda White, an English professor. outs they should be able to use their USU card to The computers will get printouts paid for with be Intel Macintosh English department fees. computers. All users will "I don't see why you can't have a choice to use either take the lab fee that they Windows or Mac operating pay and put it on students' systems. USU "I sort ^ H M M M I cards of look with 200 at it as printouts. the best BY ALISON BAUGH I don't see of both Staff Writer Comments tor£member~ any reaworlds. More than $488,000 was given to faculty members You can 'Ihe old lab didn't have as much son why in order to tap into what Vice Provost Larry Smith calls that's not use either use. We just found students USU's "virtually unlimited creative talent," possible," Windows said The Innovation Fund Awards were given to fund proor Mac weren't using it because they Geddef. posals by faculty that a committee, the Dean's Council, depending would rather go somewhere felt would help advance programs and turn innovative on what But ideas into reality according to Smith. you're Geddef else." About a year ago there was discussion on how to most comadmitadvance programs and fund new ideas with the tight fortable Ryan Moeller, ted that budget. After talking it over with the academic deans, with," said didn't English professor he the Provost's office decided to have each college and the English know the Provost's office contribute money into a pot. The faculty of profeslogistics the colleges could then propose innovative ideas they had sor and of his and needed funding for. After reviewing the proposals, overseer of the project Ryan plan, and realized that with the money would then be given to the ones the committee Moeller. the money put on a card, felt were of the most benefit to the students and faculty. the lab may not be used at Although the new Macs At the beginning there was some controversy and conall. will have Windows Vista, cern over the budgets being cut to support this plan, but Although the $50 English most English students use in the end most people were willing to help fund these student course fees keep the PCs for their assignments projects according to Bonnie Pitblado's experience. She lab running, money from and would have to re-learn was involved in two projects that were funded. an innovation grant is payhow to use certain proNinety four proposals were submitted to the commiting for the renovation. grams. tee said Smith. The Provost's office decided that in order The innovation grant is "We don't use Macintosh to stay neutral in their decision process to not submit any created through the help of computers in a technical proposals. A pre-screening took place and the best were all the departments on camatmosphere," said Sean recommended to the deans. The deans took these suggespus taking a budget cut to Kowalis, a sophomore in tions and then made the final decision on the ten projects go toward future improvetechnical writing. WI did to fund. ments. use (Macs) years ago, and While the only central theme to the projects is innovathey were great, but with "Every department was tive ideas there are several that deal with international a normal regular PC with required to cut one half of experience, computer technology or distance education. Windows you can actually 1 percent of their operating get more done." budget," Geddef said. "They Students are the main benefactors of these projects. came up with a lot of money Another problem is the The College of Business received $50,000 to help stuamount of computers in the . .. and then departments dents, along with faculty, create international learning were able to write proposals lab, because the computer opportunities to help all understand global business betlab is full and has a line out to get some of that money." ter. Another program in the college is a $28,256 project the door in the busy times Four different departusing web-based conferencing and multi-cultural stuof the day, said English lab ments received the money dent teams to help USU students and those students at consultant Matt Geddef. and one was the English Hangzhou Dianzi University in China. department. 1 think the biggest conDistance education will benefit in part from three new cern is the number of comThe English department projects. The first will use $27,325 to. help faculty com- bills can interrupt education or can be left unpaid, causing even more problems for the student. "We're interested in keeping you in school," Davis said. Other than retention, Davis said USU's interests in mandatory healthcare include reduced liability, community relation, quality care, public health and a genuine care for students' welfare. When uninsured students go to the Wellness Center and can't afford simple tests, he said, "It's like I'm practicing in a third-world country." Benefits for students with health insurance are minimized financial risk, established insurability, access to medical care and specialists, and privacy from parents, Davis said. However, he said students don't choose to get insured because plans are expensive, they don't think it's necessary because they are healthy and they thought they were insured under their parents. Students may also think they can use safety nets such as charity care from hospitals, Medicaid, paying over time or going without care, he said. But Davis said they are called safety nets for a reason: "There are holes in all of these safety nets." He said students may still be left with huge bills if they use the safety nets, and Medicaid is not available for single and married students unless they have children. The USU health plan, • English computer lab being renovated USU beginning social Innovation grants work master's degree funding projects BY ALISON BAUGH Staff Writer Students wanting to pursue a masters degree in social work will soon be able to do so at USU when the new program starts in the fall of 2008. The program will start with the traditional two year program on-campus and as a part time program through Distance-Education sites in Tooele, Ogden and Brigham City said Terry Peak, director of the social work program. She expects the program to expand in the future to such sites as Roosevelt and Vernal as there is need there. "People are calling every day asking when the program is going to start," said Peak. Around 400 students have expressed interest in the program at some point and Peak hopes to be able to help everyone who still wants to go through the program. An undergraduate degree in social work isn't required to get a master's and Peak said many of the students to whom she has talked have a degree in something else, but work in the social work field or are simply interested in the degree. The program will consist of 60 credits, including 900 practicum hours. Peak said at least half of these must be supervised. This gives not only the students good experience, but also the businesses for which they work. They will be able to have volunteer students who are under supervision and able to help with their workload. "This program will help address the needs of individuals and families and public and private human service agencies throughout Utah," said USU Vice Provost Ronda Menlove in a press release from the university. Most of the classes will be taught in the afternoon and evenings as many who will go through the program are currently employed in a social work setting. "The classes will primarily be taught face-to-face as social work is a practice profession," Peak said Six new faculty members will be hired in order to accomplish this. Three will be on campus and the other three will split their time between the distance education sites depending on enrollment. Forty-five students will be in the on-campus program and 40 at the distance education sites the first year. There will be an application process of sorts, but that is still to be decided on exactly. Distance Education has been very supportive Peak said. She also cited Provost Raymond T. Coward as being instrumental in starting up this at other universities and has been supportive of the program at USU. When the final decisions are made about the program the information will be posted on the Social Work website. •~albaugh@cc.usu.edu • GRANTS see page 4 Speak Up • ENGLISH LAB see page 3 |
