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Show AggieLife Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 Page 5 Utah residency renders benefits for students BY BRIANNE PALMER staff writer Coming to USU from outside of Utah can be expensive to some, unless students are able to gain residency. The process to become a resident, however, can be complicated. "It was painful," said Samantha Beirne, a sophomore majoring in conservation and restoration ecology. "There were a lot of steps involved but it was definitely worth the work." To become a resident, students must live in Utah for 12 months, obtain a Utah driver's license, register their car if applicable, register to vote and be declared independent on their tax forms. "I know at other schools it is a more difficult process," said Madalyn Page, a sophomore majoring in Biology. "You can't be a fulltime student and need to work half the time. It is really complicated. I was really happy with the Utah residency process." However, moving from one state to another and immediately becoming a resident can be overwhelming. "There is a lot of pressure on people to complete the residency forms and is kind of an inconvenience for the first year," said Sara Armbrust, a freshman majoring in elementary education who is trying to gain residency. "Plus I don't get to see my family much, which is hard." Students are allotted thirty days to spend out of the state. This includes Thanksgiving, winter, spring and summer breaks. Assuming a student leaves the state for the entirety of Thanksgiving break — five days — and winter break — about 24 days — a single day remains for spring and summer breaks, forcing nonresident students to spend their summers in Utah. "I spent two summers here," Page said. "The first summer was weird SOME STUDENTS PART WAYS WITH FRIENDS as they stay in Utah to pursue state residency in order to lower tuition and housing costs. SAMANTHA BEHL photo illustration because it was actually before I started school and I only knew my sister, but the second summer was awesome. All sorts of people were here gaining residency." Students must verify they were in the state by providing proof of housing, transcripts and pay stubs to prove their presence in Utah. However, rumors spread about the sneaky students who leave the state in the summer. "I have heard of people having their address at their grandmother's house and actually being somewhere else and someone who spent the entire summer in California while gaining residency," said Page. "I don't know how they do it." Non-residents also must go to the DMV to get a Utah driver's license. They must pass a written driver's test and give up their previous state license. "I had to go to the DMV twice because the university gave me the wrong forms," Armbrust said. The worker at the DMV said that they reject people all the time because they have the wrong forms. The university tells us we have to do this, this and this in order to get a license but they aren't clear about what forms you need to ask for." Beirne said she struggled with the process and had to battle the details to register her car. She went to the DMV but was told she needed a safety inspection, which she then failed. After waiting on the correct parts, fixing the car and finally passing the safety inspection, she returned to the DMV to find it was closed. "It is hard to go to the DMV when you have classes because they GUITAR: Teaching follows experience ► From page 4 "He's one of the best guitar students this program has ever seen." Christiansen attended graduate school at South Florida University and soon landed a job as senior editor at Mel Bay, a sheet music publisher. He said he traveled the country and the world, gaining the necessary experience to become a great guitarist. "He has a much bigger picture because he has seen what it's like to be a musician in almost every way that you are a musician, whether it is teaching young kids or teaching college students or performing here in the U.S. or in Japan," Fallis said. Christiansen said the travel has been one of the best parts of his experience. "It's great to travel," Christiansen said. "I am really fortunate in that I get to go out and play music with some of the best musicians in Corey Christiansen Visiting Professor get to go out and play with some of the best musicians in the world" the world." Through his tours overseas, Christiansen had the opportunity to see cultures radically different than those in the U.S. and gave him a new perspective on the world and on music. "I've been very lucky. I've been all over the world and worked with musicians from all different backgrounds and countries and financial circumstances," Christiansen said. "Some were from situations that weren't very desirable but they seemed to make the happiest music. The fact that I have been able to travel and see different cultures have been the most beneficial experiences that I've had." This global perspective has given him the tools to be an effective teacher, said Nick Manning, junior majoring in guitar performance. "He is a good professor and mentor because of his world experience," Manning said. "He has traveled all over the world playing the kind of music that we are trying to learn to play." Christiansen believes teaching is a learning experience in itself. "One of the great things about teaching is you really have to know something to teach it," he said. "Every time I am showing a student how to do something, it is reinforcing that concept, principle or technique in my own playing." He said he strives to be the professor who doesn't merely teach but who has the experi- ences to support his methods. "I have tried to be the teacher that does all the things that I tell my students they should be doing," Christiansen said. "One of the benefits of going out performing and recording is I can tell my students this is how it really is when you are a professional musician. It's not something I've read about. It's not something I heard someone talk about, I've done it." His students often watch him perform, hoping to learn something from the "cool cat." "He's wild and knows how to deliver," Manning said. "There is always a good pacing, variety and contrast. There's always energy, but he knows how to build from a subtle energy to a roaring climax. Through his performances, I have learned that I need to pace myself and let silence abound." "The best part about performing is making the music itself," Christiansen said. "I like being a part of the music in the moment." In the practice room, Christiansen hopes his students see him as dedicated and honest. "I don't mind it if they think I am a little bit tough," he said. "I think especially in music, the business is tough and you need teachers that are no-nonsense. I just don't believe in telling somebody they sound good when they don't sound good then when they do sound good, it's hard for them to trust me." In lessons, classes and ensembles, students know who is in charge, Fallis said. "Although the students know that he is the teacher and they're the student, they have a great personal relationship," Fallis said. "Everyone feels like they are on the same plane:" Christiansen said he hopes his students will learn from his successes and go on to make their own name in the music business. "In order to succeed a musician needs three things," Fallis said. "Practice, make connections, and through those connections and hard work, get the gigs that will expand the whole world of playing." This was the method Christiansen followed to success and said he encourages his students to do the same. "Practice, practice," Christiansen said. "Keep practicing and get many different sources to draw from because the more you draw from other people the more original you are going to be. Being an original is a good thing as long as you're not just an original to be an original. I think you need to some kind of influence that has stood the test of time." For the faculty and students at USU, Christiansen's influence has stood the test of time, Fallis said. "He could be anywhere," Fallis said. "I hope he sticks around here. He's the real deal." –brianne.palmer@aggiemaiLusu.edu close at five and aren't open on the weekend, and that was only part of the process," Beirne said. Voting in Utah is also an adjustment to becoming a resident. Some residents want to be informed about the Utah political system after a relatively short time in the state. "You jump into Utah without knowing anything about the politics, then you have to vote even though you don't know anything about Utah," Beirne said. "But you learn." The Utah political system can come as a shock to many new Utah voters, Page said. "Voting was tough since I came from a swing state into Utah," she said. "Utah is just different." The final piece to becoming a resident is being declared independent on their tax forms and the responsibility of the paperwork. "I didn't do my own taxes," said Beirne. "I faxed them to my dad and he brought them to me to sign." She said overall, the benefits of being a resident outweigh the costs. "It is really hard to pay out of state tuition," Beirne said. "It is really expensive, especially since I am paying for college myself. I am going to Utah State because they offer residency. Otherwise, I don't know what I would've done to pay for school." Resident tuition is about $10,000 cheaper per year than nonresident tuition. "It's nice knowing that I can afford school," Armbrust said. "It takes a lot of the stress off." A new bill was introduced to the Utah Legislature that would remove the cap on the number of waivers allotted to institutions of higher education for nonresident students who meet certain academic and admission requirements. It would waive the difference between the resident and nonresident tuition for students who meet certain standards. "I think meeting the requirements would be a good incentive for people to work for," Armbrust said. "The people who work hard and get the good grades have the tuition difference covered and the people who don't meet the criteria can still become residents in their first year." The bill would allow some people to skip the residency process. "It would be nice if you didn't go through the whole process and didn't need to gain residency to get lower tuition," Page said. 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