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Show MONDAY • MARCH 26 • 2007 new/ A3 Soulforce Equality Riders visit Utah County take two months off from school, and work to travel Executive Editor the country in what they say Soulforce Equal ity Riders is an attempt to reach out to visited UVSC Wednesday, young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and BYU Thursday, during and transgendercd (LGBT) their second annual two- students. Osborn said his month tour of over 30 experience growing up schools across the country that discriminate against queer in Utah inspired him to try to and reach out to queer students. Soulforce members said others. "Growing up here, I they felt welcomed at UVSC felt the community of Utah and decided to visit while does a lot to silence and they were in Utah County ignore and create a feeling protesting LDS Church- of fear within LGBT people. owned BYU policies toward I feel like talking about who we are helps." queer students. Soulforce's visit to Utah natives, Kourt was sponsored Osborn, and mother Karel UVSC Allen, were arrested at BYU by UVSC's Gay-Straight for trespassing on private Alliance Club. Soulforce property Thursday, when also visited the Provo City they attempted to deliver Library Wednesday night, a list of grievances from holding a panel discussion, congregated with former and current queer and supporters at Kiwanis Park BYU students to BYU in Provo Thursday evening. administration. Soulforce members Soulforce Media Director Brandon Kneefel attempted to visit Temple said the list of grievances Square in SLC and to was approximately 55 pages volunteer at the LDS Church's Welfare Square long. Last year 29 members of while visiting Utah but were Soulforce were arrested on told by church authorities to refrain fr-om entering BYU property. church-owned property. Soulforce uses two Most Soulforce members buses with 25 riders on opted to march around each, comprised of young the perimeter of BYU's college age students who campus - a trek of 3.2 miles John Ditzler - Thursday to avoid being arrested for trespassing. BYU's Student Life Vice President Janet Scharman encouraged BYU students Thursday to treat Soulforce members with respect, saying, "Although Soulforce will not be coming on campus, if you meet one of its members, simply treat him or her with the same courtesy that students did last year." Kneefel said he feels BYU's administration docs not treat queer students the way they would like to be treated. "The administration continues to ignore that there are suffering LGBT students on their campus and we are here to express a concern by many concerned queer and straight BYU students that they do not feel safe." Soulforce Co-Director Haven Herrin said the effects on young GLBT people when they feel ostracized by those around them can be particularly detrimental. "At the end of the day I always come back to the fact that people are dying. People are kicked out of their homes, homelessness and suicide is disproportionately high among LGBT young people." photo/John Ditzler BYU student Lauren Jackson talked to supporters Thursday in Kiwanis Park about discovering her attraction to the same general and the difficulties she faced growing up in a community which did not make her feel accepted. Queer-rights activists visited UVSC Wednesday and BYU Thursday. H— \ i Governor signs bill SB70 From Governor • A1 Alexander said, UVSC now offers 51 bachelor degrees and will provide three master degrees when it becomes a university. School and state officials said the change to university status will add credibility to students' diplomas. "This is your place to prepare," Janette Beckham, a member of the UVSC Board of Trustees, told students. "You have the place; you have the opportunity. Now you have the credentials." Huntsman said President Bill Sederburg was instrumental in obtaining those credentials for the school. As we transition from UVSC to UVU, leadership matters, Huntsman said. "I want everyone here to know what a great university president we have in our midst." Speaking on behalf of the student body, executive vice-president elect Justin Davies publicly thanked Sederburg and presented him with a green Utah Valley University hoody. The numerous state dignitaries, school officials and private citizens who helped make UVU a reality were also thanked, including Ira Fulton, who provided UVSC with 10 million dollars towards university status, and Senator John Valentine (R-Orcm), who helped get the bill passed. "This is not only an historic occasion, but it is a great point in history," Valentine said. "There will be more things we'll do in the future as we become a greater and greater university." FREE Sign-Up Deals Now! Leave college with a diploma, not a mountain of debt Heather Brown News Writer Almost everyone attending school is in some form of debt. On top of the student loans, there are credit cards, car payments and payday loans. Is it possible to graduate college without a huge mountain of debt? In past times, parents would save for their childrens' college education for years. Now faced with debt of their own and the easy alternative of applying student loans, more parents and students are opting for student loans. According to the Public Interest Research Groups, the average student loan burden has grown by 60 percent in seven years, and nearly two-thirds of all four-year college graduates now have student loans. On top of student loans, which can be subsidized by the Federal Government and have no interest accruing while the student is in school, more and more students have credit card debt. A study conducted by Nellie Mae, a national provider of higher education loans, December 2000 shows that 78 percent of undergraduate students have at least one credit card, an increase of 11 percent from 1998. Among those with credit cards, 32 percent carry four or more cards, up from 27 percent. This same report showed 95 percent of graduate students have credit cards with an average debt of $4,776, while six percent of those students have credit debt greater than $15,000. Another trend facing many people including students is the easy access to payday loans. These are loans that arc secured with a personal check with little or no credit checks. They are usually very high interest, sometimes as high as 500 percent annually. Because a person receiving the loan cannot pay it off fully. they roll the loan over for another finance charge at the same rate. The Federal Trade Commission suggests that consumers steer clear of these kinds of loans —instead shop around for local community-based organizations to get a lower rate loan. The advice from all the experts seems in agreement. First, try not to get in debt in the first place. Second, if you must take out a loan, try to get the lowest interest rates possible, preferably federally-subsidized loans. Finally, stay away from credit card or other high interest debt. Call or come in. 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