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Show C11 Castle Valley Review, April 2009 Students Will Need Deeper Pockets as Tuition Hikes Hit College Shaun Keith College of Eastern Utah students will need deeper pockets next fall as tuition is slated to go up nine percent, said interim President Mike King at a Truth in Tuition hearing mostly attended by the administration and representatives of student government. In a document provided to students, King wrote, “This year’s tuition and fee process comes in the wake of a significant downturn in Utah’s economy. State revenue projections failed to meet expectations in the current year and projections for next year have led the legislature to dramatically reduce budgets for all state-funded agencies and institutions. “The base budgets for the 2009- 2010 fiscal year will be reduced by approximately 17 percent in comparison to last year’s appropriation. For the College of EasternUtah, this means a state-funds budget reduction in excess of $3.2 million. A cut of this magnitude will require a combination of increased tuition and fees and along with reductions in operating expenses, personnel and programs at CEU. “The recommendation to increase tuition and fees is not a step taken lightly by the CEU administration. CEU has been a leader for the last three years in minimizing costs for students. Over that time fees have not been increased even though fee driven services have expanded. Tuition increases have been kept to the mandatedincrease as set by the Utah Board of Regents.” Enrollment fall 2008 was 2,084 and spring 2009, 1,729. Tuition revenue for fall 2008 was $1,112,087 and spring 2009, $1,047,384 with the total revenue for the academic year $2,159,500. King wrote, the enrollment has been relatively flat for the past three years. Based on this trend, we are projecting that enrollment growth will be flat for the 2009-2010 academic year. Given the needs of the college, CEU will recommend to the Board of Regents a tuition increase of nine percent. This increase will increase full-time-student tuition by $85 per semester. This should bring an additional $194,300. The new revenues generated by the increase in tuition will be used to offset some of the revenue lost due to the state-imposed budget cuts. Our first priority for the funds will be to enhance our promotion of the college, King wrote. In order to increase enrollment, CEU needs to increase its name recognition throughout Utah and the surrounding states, King continued. Funds will be used to develop a new marketing/image plan, increase awareness of our quality programs, and enhance scholarship opportunities. All colleges and universities in the Utah System of Higher Education are experiencing similar budget reductions and will be increasing their tuition by a similar percentage. (Shaun Keith writes for the CEU Eagle.) Prehistoric Flute Being Tested to Determine its Age old. Renee Barlow The age of a prehistoric flute found three years ago in Range Creek area will be determined by Dr. Tammy Rittenour, director of the Utah State University Luminescence Laboratory. Rittenour was at the College of Eastern Utah’s Prehistoric Museum March 2 to extract a tiny tin of sand grains from the prehistoric flute found near Range Creek in 2006. She will date the sand using a new technique called Optically Stimulated Luminescence to determine if the flute is a few hundred, thousand, or several thousand years In August 2008, representatives of the Hopi, including Leigh Kuwanwisiwma and six tribal elders, visited the museum to examine the flute and other artifacts and exhibits in the museum. They consulted with museum staff about research of the flute, specifically how to determine its age. They discussed the pros and cons of radiocarbon dating versus luminescence, and decided on the latter since it is not destructive. Hopi tribal representatives and Ute Elder Clifford Duncan continue to consult and collaborate with CEU personnel as they work to discover which culture made this unique artifact, and how and why it was deposited in Eastern Utah so long ago. The flute was discovered by Utah Division of Wildlife officer Alan Green while he was patrolling Range Creek in 2006. The site was blessed by Ute tribal Elder Duncan and documented by archaeologist Jodie Patterson, accompanied by DWR and CEU Prehistoric Museum personnel. The flute is one-of-a-kind, and is likely the most significant find in this region since the famous Pilling Figurines were discovered by cowboy Clarence Pilling in 1950. It is the only flute found “in situ” (situated in the original, natural or existing place or position) in this region, and may be the first documented Fremont flute. In some traditional Native American cultures, flutes are associated with courting behavior. Sometimes men would play a flute and bring gifts long distances to woo potential brides. The longer the flute, and the lower the tones it could make, the more attractive the marriage offer. The Range Creek flute is nearly 80 centimeters long. (Renee Barlow is a CEU Museum archeologist.) Keeping Basketball All in the Family Riley Spears From playing ball in their parent’s driveway to playing on the same court at the B-DAC, brother and sister Chandler and Megan Pearson are again playing for the same school. The duo has helped College of Eastern Utah to respectable seasons in both men and women’s hoops. After a grueling Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament in North Idaho that left the men in second place and the women losing in the first game, the two finally got a chance to sit down and talk about their year. Playing for the same college as his sister helped Chandler decide to come back to play for the Eagles his sophomore year after serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His first year he red-shirted, then played for Coach Bryan “Z” Zollinger his second year. “I had offers to play at other schools, but having Megan here helped me decide to come back and play for CEU when I got off my mission.” Megan and Chandler corresponded a lot throughout his mission. “We talked a lot about us both playing here.” While at Emery, the two Pearsons never had a chance to play together because Chandler is four years her senior; Chandler is 23 years old, while his sister is 19. The two enjoyed their experience of being part of the athletic program and living in the same dorm, Burtenshaw. “Living in the same building has been fun and being able to travel together. We are together a lot.” Growing up in the same house and living in the same dorm has been a plus for the siblings. “It’s good because we had some years apart so it’s back to living together after four years,” Chandler said. When discussing their pick-up games in their parent’s driveway while growing up, Chandler and Megan smiled and agreed that Chandler has been winning since the seventh grade. He plays a lot harder when competing against Megan to “toughen her up.” Megan said her dad helps a lot with her game. The two can be critical of each other after games. “We know each other’s strengths and know when to help each other out. I’m not sure that is critical, just helpful of each other,” he said. Since Chandler is Megan’s older brother, he has always been protective of her. “However, with her dating Aaron [England], I don’t have to worry. Even when I was on my mission, my old teammates would always take care of her and kind of be that older brother for me and look out for her.” The Pearson’s parents liked the fact that they could watch Megan and Chandler play basketball each night in the same arena. With the women playing the first game and the men the second, the parents spent hours in the same seat watching the two ball games each night. It worked out well for them to support the two teams each night. “As we hit our late teens, we became best friends while maintaining our sibling rivalry,” Chandler said. “Then the summers after graduation, we both seemed to grow up and grew a lot closer. We fought a lot until we graduated and that summer we got closer and both grew up,” he said. Chandler believed that serving a two-year mission helped him become a more complete basketball player. “I had a couple of return missionaries on the team my freshman year and they were bigger men- Shady acreS RV Park & Campground Gas & Grocery “Providing Competent, Respectful Care in Your Home” 60 East 100 North • Price, Utah Phone (435) 637-0665 Toll Free 877-637-0665 “Serving Emery County Since 1998” Gasoline & Diesel Fuel 435-564-8295 370 East Main, Green River www.shadyacresrv.com Megan and Chandler Pearson helped their respective CEU basketball teams reach new heights this year. tally and physically than I was. While in New York on my mission, I was able to grow up a lot, plus it helped me with confidence and to become physically bigger by 20 pounds.” Megan plans to play her sophomore year at CEU. “Coach Dave Paur takes care of us like we are his kids and I really like him. It’s nice being close to home, but away at the same time.” Since Chandler is a sophomore and graduating, he plans to play at Utah Valley University, Southern Utah University or the University of Alaska next season. He also is engaged and getting married on May 9 to Lieren Grow of St. George. Megan says she is exited for him now that basketball is over. “We can start to get more excited and plan the wedding.” |