UVSC adjuncts in decline as school hires more full-time faculty

You may remember that The Pipeline reported last month that UVSC adjunct army was getting a slight bump in pay. Over the weekend an article in the Daily Herald looked closer at that pay raise and the declining percentage of adjuncts teaching classes.


UVSC adjunct professors face unsure future (Daily Herald, April 20 2008)

There were a few interesting nuggets in the article, the first being that the school's adjunct faculty organization was disbanded earlier this year over fears that it was acting as a union. God forbid (and so does state law) that these poor folks rally around a common cause like getting paid a living wage. With the pay raise, adjuncts will be making a whopping $1750 per three-credit class taught. If the average adjunct teaches between two and three classes per semester that figures to a bimonthly paycheck of just over $600. No adjunct can teach more than 4 classes a semester. Try scraping out a living on that while paying back grad school loans. Also remember that adjuncts receive no benefits. They would probably be better off managing a Burger King.

But The Pipeline's favorite quote came from adjunct accounting prof (and deposed leader of the now-defunct adjunct "union") Gary Petersen who said, "Most adjuncts won't even know that they've had a raise. Their six or seven paychecks through a semester may go up $10 each. It's a great gesture from the college and all the adjuncts appreciate it. It's just 5 percent of a very small amount -- it doesn't amount to very much."

In other words, even the guy who used to fight for adjunct rights is so used to being pushed around by the school that when a few extra crumbs fall from the table all he can say is "Thank you sir, may I have another?"

Adjuncts keep the academic gene pool fresh and diverse, usually bringing real-world experience and the latest trends in their disciplines. As the school diminishes their role there should exist a stringent hiring process that weeds out the slackers and rewards the productive. Adjuncts should make a wage that is competitive to what a professional of their caliber makes in their respective industries.

Zoob Discusses UVSC's "Hot" Women

Local Zoobie Greg Vandagriff has come to the "fascinating" conclusion that the women of UVSC are better looking than the women who attend BYU.

UVSC vs BYU - Who’s got the hotter student body? (www.gregvandagriff.com)

Greg bases his theory on the fact that the best looking girls in his apartment complex attend UVSC. He backs up his claim by noting that "a handful of really good-lookers" are usually standing in line at Wal-Mart at 1:00 in the morning. And what soon-to-be-university is right across the street from said Wal-Mart? You guessed it–UVSC. He even conducted a control study by visiting the Lindon Wal-Mart in the wee hours of the morning, "which yielded no good-looking girls, only scary-looking hoodlums and rapscallions of various ethnicities."

Godspeed to you Greg Vandagriff, you connoisseur of the female form. May you weather the storm of various ethnicities and find the Eternal Companion with the nicest rack.

Nowhere to run: UVSC Track team lacks track

UVSC Athletic Director Mike "A.D. for Life" Jacobsen has been trying to drum up a million dollars for a track facility for the school's track team for the past three years. But unlike the team itself he has had little success.

UVSC track facility still a work in progress (Daily Herald, April 1 2008)

So in the meantime The Wolverines will be doing their running at Mountain View High School, providing plenty of fodder for Zoobies who think the college itself is little more than Utah Valley High School.

Will UV-Uphoria compete with Stadium of Fire

The Des News ran a story today about UV-Uphoria (the big event celebrating the official transition to Utah Valley University) and how it might conflict with BYU's perennial powerhouse Stadium of Fire.


Utah Valley's big enough for 2 shows
UVSC fireworks 4 days before Stadium of Fire
(Deseret Morning News, March 18 2008)

When I imagined the two-day festivities marking UVSC's right of passage into univeristyhood, I thought there was going to be a lot of chanting, incense burning, and blood sacrifice. Turns out it is going to be a bunch of Country music (provided by "recognizable names" says Val hale), and a fireworks display that can only be described as "(not) on the scale of Stadium of Fire" by Freedom Festival organizer Paul Warner. Sounds like a rockin' good time!

Pity...I really could have used a crazy orgy of bacchanal proportions this summer. Maybe we should hold our own. Start pouring the libations!

The 5 things UVSC should do to really become a university

While the big transition from UVSC to UVU is just a few months away, one wonders if the name change will really transform the school. Here are The Pipeline's top five things we think the school could (and should) do to really become a university:

1. Live up to Global Engagement promise: With such a high percentage of returned LDS missionaries, UVU has one of the most bilingual college populations in the country. UVU should capitalize on this advantage by making foreign languages part of the core curriculum. Every student graduating from UVU should be encouraged to be proficient in another language.

But how do you get students to enroll in these time intensive classes? At BYU students can use language credits to satisfy math requirements. Imagine how many students would take 12 credits of a language in order to avoid passing Math 1050.

2. Tell Trades to go green or go home: This is an idea that The Pipeline has suggested before, so for full details click here. But basically we need to exercise some tough love when it comes to our trades program. With the MATC across the street already providing nearly redundant trades offerings, UVU should focus on programs that are worthy of the university name. Other schools have adapted to the burgeoning Green economy and are training their students to lead the way when it comes to responsible and sustainable construction and green automobile technology. Let the trades schools take care of traditional trades programming, UVU should be doing the work of a university and be pushing the limits of green research and development.

3. Do something amazing with the Wasatch Campus: UVU's Wasatch Campus in Heber City has been serving the surrounding community for a few years now. But most people would agree that enrollments have been disappointing. UVU should take advantage of the campus's unique location and turn the Wasatch Campus into a world renowned destination. Minutes from some of the world's best outdoor areas the Wasatch Campus could provide outstanding programming that students from all over the world would pay top dollar for. Hospitality management, recreation management, or even a top notch film school (with Sundance just down the road) would thrive in the location. It would take vision, and a lot of money, but it could very well put UVU on the map. Otherwise that special location will continue to languish.

4. When it comes to academics, focus on what you do best: There has been a lot of speculation as to what kind of graduate programs the newly minted University should offer. As many of you know, a graduate program in education begins this fall with advanced degrees in nursing and business to follow. These three areas will certainly address current market demands and will most likely be successful and valuable programs.

But UVU should also study some of the school's more unique undergraduate programs and look for ways to develop new highly specialized master's programs that focus on practicality and shy way from heavy research. We think the aviation department's unique position as one of the best online flight programs in the country could be a springboard for a unique graduate program that takes advantage of that web positioning. UVU also has one of the largest deaf populations outside of Gallaudet. This unique position could be a selling point when attracting students interested in furthering deaf studies at UVU. UVU also has an extremely high percentage of LDS students for a state school. Having that resource along with good academic freedom policies would provide an excellent environment for Mormon Cultural Studies. Why should Claremont University lead the Mormon academic movement?

5. Respect the past, Restore The Bunnell Pioneer Home We couldn't help sneaking this one in, as it is a pet project of The Pipeline. To learn more about efforts to reclaim and restore one of the campus's hidden treasures click here. No university is complete without a little culture, and we think transforming this 115-year-old farmhouse into a working student cafe will help UVU establish an identity and foster creative work and discussion.


So there it is. Five suggestions that would really help UVU earn the title of university. Please tell us what you think of our ideas? What do you think UVU needs?

Big Surprise! Tuition and Fees to increase again

UVSC's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a 6.3 percent tuition increase for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year year, along with an $18 increase in student fees.

Students at UVU to pay $188 more per year (Deseret Morning News, March 14 2008)

In other words a 12 credit semester (with student fees) at UVU will run in-state students $1876. For non-residents a semester will set you back $5757.

Costs for UVU's new graduate program will have also been released. Those entering the school's masters of education program will be paying $179 per credit hour.

As other public colleges approve their increases (and there are always increases) The Pipeline will make a comprehensive comparison of what a college education goes for in the Beehive State.

Students encouraged to give up the green

The opening of the new Digital Learning Center is just a few months away and UVSC is asking students to pitch in to help pay for the building. With the "Giving of The Green" campaign UVSC's alumni association is hoping students will plunk down $50 of their hard-borrowed cash to get their names etched on a plaque outside the DLC.

UVSC Launches Student "Giving of the Green" Campaign (Campus Press Release)

SUU has some balls...wants to see student's

When Southern Utah University isn't "allegedly "pilfering dance costumes, they sometimes like to play a fun game of Show Us Your Genitals.

SUU: Student must prove gender
Kourt Osborn, who is in transgender treatment, is denied a dorm room
(Salt Lake Tribune, December 19 2007)

You can be sure that UVSC administrators are counting their lucky stars that they aren't dealing with this mess. No dorms, no headaches.

Big property management company loses BYU-approved status

Total Propert Management, which runs some 50 or so properties throughout Provo, has lost its BYU Housing Approved status.

TPM Loses BYU Approval
(ProvoPulse.com, October 16 2007)

Any student who lives in Provo around the BYU campus knows this is a big deal. Single BYU students not living at home or in the school's dorms must live in BYU Approved housing unit. This designation insures that the property follows a strict housing policy that includes enforcing BYU's honor code. UVSC students who also live in BYU Approved apartments (which is just about every student apartment complex in Provo) also need to follow BYU's honor code; which outlaws smoking, drinking, and sex.

TPM has had a bad rap amongst students for several years, with most complaints coming from the way the company upkeeps their properties and charges fees.

BYU students currently living in TPM managed properties will need to make arrangements after December. Word on the street is that other management companies are swooping in to take over these properties.

Dreams of a green campus

The Pipeline is not much for sentimentality so when we decided to participate in this year's Blog Action Day it was because we had something very specific in mind.

This year's theme is the environment and it just so happens that The Pipeline has been researching some ideas that would make UVSC a leader in Green Technologies, and at the same time revitalize the school's diminishing Trades program.

Imagine a construction program that featured the latest resources in Green technology, LEED certification, and hands-on experience in environmental projects. Imagine an automotive department that valued MPG over MPH.

For the past five years the administration has been pushing the trades program to look more like a college and less like a trade school. All the while UVSC's traditional trades programs, such as welding, have diminished; losing market share to cheaper alternatives like the Mountainlands Applied Technology Center.

It is is time to cut off programs that refuse to innovate, and replace them with programs that feature green technologies. UVSC's trades graduates would be in high demand in an expanding industry that is in desperate need of qualified LEED craftsmen. Why not prepare students for this opportunity?

And what better place for students to practice using these new materials and techniques than right here on campus. Many colleges across the country have completed retrofitting projects that have brought their facilities up to LEED's gold standard. Why not UVSC? Students from our programs could work side by side with contractors, learning these techniques and gaining valuable hands-on experience.

UVSC bucks statewide trend with positive enrollment numbers

The state Board of Education has released enrollment numbers for Utah's public colleges and universities, and while overall the numbers are flat UVSC gained the most students and had the second highest percentage of growth over last fall's numbers.

Enrollment remains flat at Utah colleges
Recruitment to become more competitive as numbers stay steady
(Salt Lake Tribune, October 12 2007)

While this news is no big surprise for UVSC, it is nice to see what numbers other schools are posting. Here are the headcounts for all nine schools:

U of U: 27,685 -2.15%
USU: 21,455 +1.10%
Weber: 17,089 -1.16%
SUU: 6,410 +4.94%
Snow: 3,202 -9.65%
Dixie: 5,209 -2.43%
CEU: 1,799 -3.95%
UVSC: 20,959 +3.44%
SLCC: 23,824 +0.01%

Higher Ed
Total: 127,632 -0.09%

If that number seems a little low for UVSC, who usually boasts of having 24,000 students we can only assume the state is not counting high school students taking in concurrent enrollment classes.

School of Business to get new name and a load of money

While no one on campus is willing to go on record, it seems everyone is flapping their lips about a huge donation coming to UVSC's business school next week.

Large gift to UVSC's school of business
(Daily Herald, October 12 2007)

The Herald is reporting that the gift will be between $15-20 million, and come courtesy of the Woodbury family. As part of the donation the School of Business will change it's name, probably to something like the Woodbury School of Business. Again, no one on campus is being quoted on the particulars here, so we will probably have to wait until the official announcement on October 19.

The School of Business currently resides in the Woodbury Business Building on campus. No word yet if some of the donated money will be allocated to improving the aging structure, but the school's master plan does indicate eventual expansion.

The Woodbury's have also donated space at their University Mall for the Woodbury Art Museum.

No word if uber-philanthropist Ira Fulton will match this huge gift. The Arizona homebuilder has matched other major gifts this year, including Brent Brown's $1 million donation for the school's baseball facility, and just last week he matched the $1 million donation from Clyde Companies Inc.

Local big wigs discuss the future of UVSC

This past Monday UVSC hosted a pow-wow with leaders from the state and local government , as well as business leaders and educators from throughout Utah County.


Leaders look at role of UVSC
Identity issues involving school, region discussed
(Deseret Morning News, October 9 2007)

One of the most interesting facts brought up during the meeting was this one:
For instance, Hispanic students are the majority in seven of Provo's 11 elementary schools, said RaDene Hatfield, president-elect of the Provo Council PTA.

A few months back there was an article in the Daily Herald said that all of UVSC's recruitment material was also available in Spanish. There were some in the community who complained that students should be able to speak English before going to college.

More minority students going to college
(Daily Herald, August 4 2007)

Clearly if UVSC is going to continue to meet the needs of the community it will need to reach out to Hispanic students and their parents (for who the Spanish recruitment material was intended for).

Dixie plays the all-too-familiar Name Game

Last year when UVSC was bucking for a promotion there were a few discussions about what to call the damn thing if it indeed became a univeristy. But Sederburg and the legislature settled on Utah Valley University pretty early on, and that was that. And since that time nobody has really made too much noise about it.

But now the Name Game is beginning down south as Dixie State College looks to hook up with the University of Utah. The situation in St. George is a little more convoluted when you consider that the region has been called Dixie since the time of Brigham Young, and that some object to it's Confederate connotations.

If St. George school hooks up with U of U, it may not be whistling Dixie
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 27 2007)

October's Ethics Forum could provide fireworks

Right now in Utah there is hardly an issue bigger than school vouchers. Sure, polygamy is getting all the national attention, but now that Warren Jeffs is headed for the pokey vouchers will be front and center once again. And UVSC's Ethics Center is going to capitalize on all hubbub with a public forum next month.

So if you are on campus the night of October 3, say around seven-ish, swing on by the Faculty Seminar room (LC243) and check out the action. Guests include State Board of Education Chair Kim Burningham, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Overstock.com Patrick Byrne, Former Utah State PTA Education Commissioner Marilyn Kofford, and Paul T. Mero President of the Sutherland Institute.



If Mero's name seems familiar it might be that you caught his recent essay that he paid to put in local papers. Here it is if you missed it:

Vouchers, Vows, and Vexations: The Historic Dilemma over Utah’s Education Identity. (PDF, www.sutherlandinstitute.org)

That's right, it is part 4 of 6. Paul Mero is like the R. Kelly of conservatives and this is his "Trapped in the Closet". Put this guy in a room with a bunch of radical god-less liberal professors and watch the feathers fly! It is going to be fun.

Just Loungin'

So we are sure that all you hip kids that "surf the net" have discovered The Lounge, UVSC marketing department's laid back "place for fun stuff". Consider it a digital oasis where weary "students, faculty, staff and others" can kick back and chill.

And check it out dude...you can download wicked cool stuff like UVSC wallpapers, or watch YouTube videos made by students (careful though..."Viewer discretion is advised. Some of these films may contain material which viewers may find objectionable.")

Whoa dude...look at this. The Lounge is sporting a killer listing of blogs about UVSC. No way....they got the Equity in Education blog! SWEET! PARTY!

But where is The Pipeline you ask. Well it turns out they don't like blogs about UVSC if they don't know who is writing them. And we all know The Pipeline prides itself on its anonymity. But come on Lounge...how can you deny us a place on your glorious list when we have enriched the lives of literally tens of people? Do the right thing and add The Pipeline. After all....we link to you.

PS: You can always find videos and all the other UVSC blogs right here, and yes we even have those pimps from Equity in Education!

What the UTA expansion means for UVSC

You might have heard about the Utah Transit Authority's plans for more light rail lines in the Salt Lake valley and commuter rail extending into Utah Valley. Well now those plans have big federal dollars to get the ball rolling.


UTA on track for U.S. funds
Letter of intent says $500 million is anticipated for Utah rail projects
(Deseret Morning News, September 25 2007)

UTA secures federal funds share for 5 major rail projects
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 26 2007)

For those who travel along the I-15 corridor this is great news. And for UVSC this could be a monumental step in truly becoming a regional university. The campus's master plan map has a space for an intermodal hub, seen here:



And this plan matches UTA's plan, seen here:




Now we just have to wait several years, and countless construction cones, until it's built.

Former UVSC student fights to survive (a television show)

Former UVSC student Todd Herzog is one of the contestants on the latest season of CBS's hit show Survivor. As a self-described "openly gay Mormon" Herzog will surely stir up controversy in the local papers...Daily Herald letters section, we are counting on you!

Todd Herzog's profile
(CBS website)

Culture Vulture: 'Survivor' trots out its latest 'gay Mormon'
(Salt Lake Tribune)

Don't miss this!

Students and faculty will get an opportunity to hear writer Charles Bowden, journalist Scott Carrier, and poet Alex Caldiero read from their works and discuss issues regarding the US-Mexico border.

From the Press release:

Charles Bowden is one of today's premier writers on the American environment and social issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. His recent books include A Shadow in the City: Confessions of an Undercover Drug Warrior; Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder, and Family; Blues for Cannibals: Notes from Underground; Blood Orchid: An Unnatural History of America; and Desierto: Memories of the Future. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Alex Caldiero was born in Sicily, raised in Brooklyn, attended Queens College, and now lives in Orem, Utah, with his wife, Setenay, and children. Well known for his performance works that integrate poetry with music, dance, and art—and for his appearance in the independent motion picture, Plan Ten from Outer Space—Caldiero has performed at the New School for Social Research, the Pritchard Art Gallery, the Salt Lake Art Center, and on Brazilian TV. Among his collections are Book o’ Lights, From Stone to Star, The Milk of the Mother, Toy Blood, and Various Atmospheres: Poems and Drawings. He has been published both in Italy and the United States, reviewed in Village Voice and the New York Times, is anthologized in Text-Sound Texts, featured in Utah: State of the Arts, and is included in the Dictionary of the Avant-Guards.

Scott Carrier is an independent radio producer and writer who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. His radio stories have been broadcast on All Things Considered, This American Life, and The Savvy Traveler. His print stories have been published in Harper's, Esquire, and Rolling Stone. A collection of his stories, Running After Antelope, was published in March of 2001 by Counterpoint. Some of his radio stories can be heard on hearingvoices.com.

Caldiero is UVSC's lone Artist-in-Residence and teaches in the Philosophy and Humanities Department. Carrier joined the UVSC faculty this year, teaching journalism for the Communication Department.

UVSC Website gets all artsy fartsy

Last week you may have noticed (especially if you are one of those nerds that notices things) that UVSC's main splash page has added a link that says "The Arts". Here is where it links to:

www.uvsc.edu/arts

This new page puts all of UVSC's arts in one place. Kind of cool. We hear there has already been some grumbling about the change...could it be that Athletics doesn't like giving up valuable real estate?