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Show OPINIONS www.uvureview.com FEBRUARY 28, 2011 VOL L ISSUE 25 Thrown under the bus Without the subsidy from UTA, funding the Ed Pass is burdensome on the school. Students who need it however, are stuck without transportation otherwise. "... [M]aybe the administration can look into exploring options for international student because they are in desperate need of it." -Christopher Chileshe By Celeste Tholen Rosenlof Opinions Editor For students who rely on public transit, an additional expense has been added to their semester budget. In the February 3 student fees hearing, Timpanogos Regional General Manager for UTA Hugh Johnson proposed that UTA quit subsidizing the Ed Pass program. On February 17, UVU student government voted to cut all ties with UTA, in response to the pulled funding. The Ed Pass is an all-inclusive UTA transit pass that allows students access to bus, Trax and Front Runner lines. Students do this by activating the pass on their student IDs with a $20 fee for the year or until September, whichever comes first. The low cost is due to subsidies from UTA and student fees from the school. In other words, every student pays $6.88 for the Randyl Nielson/UVU Reviem Because of funding, the UTA Ed Pass will no longer be available to students. privilege and UTA fronts additional funding, similar to the subsidy of athletics or the One Card. The program started as a way to "fill empty seats," according to Johnson, and at the time of its inception was a 100 percent government funded program. The amount UTA subsidized was based on how many UVU students were paying for bus passes and the cost those passes. As a consequence of the 2008 recession, UTA lost approximately $4 million in Utah County alone and has had a hard time maintaining the program. Although its initial purpose of filling seats was accomplished with the 23 percent increase in student ridership, the more responsible part of its purpose is being forgone. Students who are transit-dependent, like those of lower income, as well as international students who cannot own cars, will feel the repercussions of this severed tie most. The expense of a full-price student pass will cost $56.25 for one month, or $204.38 for one semester, which equates to over $600 for a full year of ridership. While it hovers below a car payment, gas and insurance costs, it is still a burden — and a sudden one at that. Additionally, international students may be discouraged from attending the university, as their available transportation will become less so. Many international students here are from third world countries and, at least, have families making many sacrifices at home so they can be here. They are often confined to working only on campus in low-paying jobs such jobs as food services or custodial jobs. Further, for the entirety of their education, they will pay full out-of-state tuition. They do not qualify for either residency or many scholarships outside of those funded by the international center. A transit system is crucial to their stay. President of the International Student Council Christopher Chileshe said, "I understand at this point that if we continued with the fee, it wouldn't serve the en- tire student population. But maybe the administration can look into exploring options for international student because they are in desperate need of it." Looking forward, though, UTA's Front Runner south is under construction, and should reach Utah county in 2014. At that time, commuting students will benefit from a subsidized program, especially those who return to school for financial reasons. Although the short-term solution of cutting ties with UTA may be financially beneficial to UTA and the university now, it could prove to harm both in the future, in addition to the students it affects now. Technology Takeover By Brianna Bailey Opinions Writer Alison Worthen/UVU Review Too much technology can intrude on our relationships. "Technology offers the opportunity for avoidance and perhaps escaping some of the confrontations we might otherwise have or uncomfortable experiences with other people." -Matthew Kushin Technology is taking over and dehumanizing our relationships, or what's left of them. Whether one is using a computer, laptop, cell phone or iPod, technology is in constant use and, frankly, overused. Students frequently peek at their phone for a text, their laptop for an email or Facebook for notifications at inappropriate times. These addictive habits are not easily broken. Many students feel it is necessary to know what is going on all the time. With the constant need to know what is happening, everyone relies on technology and social networking as the main source of this information. In short, people have become dependent on technology as their main source of communication, not the secondary form it should be. It is fine and convenient to send a friend a text message when determining where to hang out or meet, but texting is misused for communicating. It is abused and causes many more problems than it does good. People can hide behind a text message, email or Facebook chat when approached with confrontation or an uncomfortable situation. Instead of meeting face-to-face to work out serious issues, conversations are streamed through text messaging or some sort of social networking. This allows anyone to hide behind his or her screen. "Technology offers the opportunity for avoidance and perhaps escaping some of the confrontations we might otherwise have or uncomfortable experiences with other people," said Dr. Matthew Kushin, assistant professor of Communications. "The benefit is we might gain great control over our lives; the drawback is avoiding social obligations." When in the middle of a confrontational situation through social networking, things are said via text or chat that a person would never dare say to another person's face. Messages are easily misinterpreted and as a result, people are offended more often than they would be if the same message were communicated in person. Face-to-face communication helps one to understand the real Letter to the Edito Diego Ibanez article speaks solely to vegans as opposed to all animal products because they are animal rights sympathizers. Not so. My wife was diagnosed as a Stage IV, terminal cancer patient (breast cancer). She went through specialized treatment at a clinic in Phoenix which used traditional, cutting edge and non-traditional treatments. She has been cancer free for over two years now. A major part of the treatment was that she had to become a vegan, maintaining a raw vegan diet for the first six months. She cannot have sugar in any form and has to maintain a vegan diet but may have a vegetarian meal from time to time. We are not animal rights advocates but rather see the vegan diet as critical to good health. Rusty Butler, Ph.D. direction of a message. Body language and tone of voice are critical parts of communication. In addition to miscommunication, society's interaction is becoming less personal. Even if someone is not hiding behind a phone or computer during a conversation, when does anyone really have someone's undivided attention? In a group of friends, it can be assumed that someone is always texting, checking Facebook and not actually processing what is being said. "I think it's important that people take stock of the role technology plays in intrapersonal communications and beware and weary of the negative side effects and experiences ... in our interpersonal relationships," said Kushin. Technology may simplify some things, but when it replaces the human element it actually complicates things. Detaching, becoming more personal and recognizing what it means to have personal relationships where people can really connect with one another will bring forth the excellence technology can provide. 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