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Show VOLUME LINSSUE 11 Why so stupid? A whole lot about Halloween. It's all in the V. Eurydice discusses loss with its project. LIFE B5 THE V I Vs IJ 11 EV I EW THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE Single Mom Takes on Miss UVU Pageant BY SPENCER HEALEY News Writer As the largest university in the state, UVU is in a place where the need to assist more students is greater than ever, and with new scholarships funds exceeding expectations they can now assist a larger amount of students. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEFFAN! NIELSON An opportunity to help more students A year-long challenge pays off in a big way BY ANDREA WHATCOTT Editor-in-chief In general, a conversation in passing rarely turns into anything more than just that. But last year when President Matthew Holland spoke with a one student, Cindy Opal, "a random conversation turned into a $4 million project," Holland said. While many students struggle with personal issues during their time at school, Opal's situation moved Holland to action when he heard that she had recently been diagnosed with MS, but had to return to school to acquire the education necessary to provide for her family, as her husband had double kidney failure. After hearing Opal's story and with the annual President's Scholarship Ball approaching, Holland decided to issue a challenge, to raise $2 million for scholarships to be used by UVU students, particularly students like Opal, who work hard to succeed despite their personal conflicts. To offer some perspective, according to Holland, the average amount raised annually was about $250,000, making $2 million a lofty goal. "Not only did we reach that goal, but we doubled it," Holland said. Where UVU is hurting for state funding, they make up BY JAROM MOORE Managing Editor Continual growth has led to an undeniable fact: UVU is now number one. With the release of new enrollment statistics for schools in the Utah System of Higher Education, Utah Valley University has passed the University of Utah as the school with the highest enrollment in the system. The new headcount is 33,395 students enrolled at UVU with 19,705 of them being full-time equivalent students. Since achieving university status in 2007 UVU has grown by 10,000 students. There was over 700 new students that signed up this semester. This number could have been significantly higher had UVU had enough room. UVU President Matthew said. "We need to do things on a scale that reflects that we are the biggest in the state." Holland plans to use the money for as many students as possible and to keep pushing forward the school's key theme, student success, which "speaks to the core of our mission," Holland said. However, with over 33,000 students, the money will burn quickly, and the hope is that this giving will only inspire more. "This isn't the end of a conquest, it's the beginning of a new of doing things," Holland said. ii I've committed to being a parent for the rest of my life, and you think I cant commit to a pageant for a year? -Steffani Nielson "They're judging me on the fact that I am a single mom," Nielson said. "It has nothing to do with my ability to perform the tasks." She took particular offense to the parental status qualification. "I didn't know I'd be judged on the status Pageant Al For updates and additional coverage on this story visit www.UVUReview.com . Regulations prevent single mom from participating in UVU Pageant. Over Population Effects UVU 3,000 Accepted UVU Students Don't Attend Due to Growth in community support. Organizations and individuals like Vivent, Marriot and Huntsman, to name a few, offered discrete sums of money to help meet this challenge. "Giving is down across the nation, but the community really responded to this pitch," Holland said. "The community responded so well in a difficult time." The $4 million is all new money and the school still has its existing scholarship funds to work with as well, creating the perfect opportunity to help more students. And as the largest university in the state now, the need to help more students is greater than ever. "We're doing things on a whole new scale," Holland Steffani Nielson has spent the last year and a half putting her life back together. "I was completely broken," she said. "Completely." Seven years ago, Nielson married her sweetheart and they started their life together. Two children and five and a half years later their lives were rocked by a divorce, leaving her a single mother with no job and no degree. Nielson has since re-evaluated her life and started over. Now working two part-time jobs and taking a full credit load at UVU as a business management major, she has set her sights on her new goals. Apart from being a loving mother to her two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son, one of her goals was to win the Miss UVU pageant this year. There's one problem with that -- she wasn't eligible to compete. The Miss UVU pageant, in association with the Miss America pageant, has specific requirements that disqualify her from competition. Two requirements concerning marital and parental status disqualify her for having "been married", and for having "been pregnant." Nielson feels those requirements are discriminatory. Holland said that there were an additional 3,000 students that were accepted but didn't end up attending. Holland said that one of problems for these students was not being able to get into classes. While Holland said the numbers aren't important the fear is that these students aren't going somewhere else for education, but not going altogether. The numbers are helped due to the juniors and seniors that are staying through their programs instead of transferring, which happened in year's past. The problem with the growth is just that, growth. Faculty and staff are still being hired with an increase in the amount of tuition brought to the school, but there isn't space to put the classes or offices. Hallways are being used already, such as in the hallway from the LC to the CS building. "We're running out of Population Al PHOTO COURTESY OF STEFFAN! NIELSON National Breast Cancer Awareness Month BY YVETTE CRUZ News Writer UVU Health Services is providing student with breast exams during the month of Oct. CHRISTINA RUTH/UVU REVIEW It is the second leading cause of death for women in the United States. Studies estimate that one in eight women will get it and one in 35 will die from it. Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast tissue separate and grow without normal control. It is an extensive disease that can affect women and even men of all ages and races, according to www.komenslc .org . Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world today. More than 1.3 million people are diagnosed each year world wide. A list of risk factors and lifestyle choices that are linked to breast cancer can be found on www.cancer. org . Women who have their first child after age 30 have a higher risk as well as women who use birth control, according to studies. As stated by the American Cancer Society, being pregnant sveral times, breastfeeding and exercise can help reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. UVU Health Services is providing students with breast exams during October. The exams are free in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and students are attended to with or without insurance when it is at UVU Health Services. Utah County Health Center also participates. Esme Anderson, nurse practitioner at UVU Health Services, said the chance of breast cancer spreading is preventable. "The earlier the stage of the disease is detected, the greater the survival rate is," Anderson said . Although it is more common for women over the age of 35 to get breast exams, it is recommended that Awareness A5 |