Utah college enrollment flat overall

Despite UVSC's positive numbers so far this year Utah overall only saw a meager .8 percent increase in college enrollment over last year's declining figures.

College enrollment shows a decline
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 15 2007)

But the important part of this story is that the Board of Regents anticipate that the state's Higher Ed system will experience an average of 3 percent growth annually over the next 20 years. According to their projections this is just the lull before the storm, and we should see real increase starting in 2013-2014.

So if the state as a whole is experiencing static enrollment right now, while UVSC is still growing, what does that mean for UVU when things really get hopping in a few years? UVU could have the largest student population in the state in just 10 years.

UVSC head baseball coach retires after 18 years

UVSC head baseball coach Steve Gardner announced this week that he will be stepping down after 18 years on the bench.

UVSC baseball coach stepping down
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 12 2007)

Wolverine baseball coach Gardner to retire after next season
(Daily Herald, September 13 2007)

Gardner will continue to coach throughout the upcoming season.

UVSC prof sounds off on the influence of "Community Values"

Ethics Center director David Keller, has published an article in Academe (the journal for the American Association of University Professors).

Academic Freedom vs. Community Values?


While Keller has a few facts slightly skew, and a condescending tone, it does make for fun reading for those familiar with UVSC's struggles with meeting the expectations of the surrounding community.

One part in particular caught our attention came from an anonymous letter that Keller and other "liberal" professors received early in 2006:

“Eventually, people with a strong Left-wing orientation . . . will leave UVSC because the community will not abide them. They will realize that they cannot be happy here. And like it or not, the community—especially this one—calls the shots.”

Porn on a Mountaintop: The Davy Crockett Society's crusade against pornography

Close that browser window, zip up your pants, and put on your coon skin caps, because the Davy Crockett Society wants to put an end to "accidental" internet pornography.

Club rallies against Internet porn
(Daily Herald, September 14 2007)

The UVSC club is gathering signatures to send to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah pushing for legislation that will regulate internet pornography. Of course no one is defining what porn is...but Davy Crockett would know it if he saw it.

UPDATE:

Found another article about the Davy Crockett Society's cause:

UVSC Club Rightly Rallies Against Porn
(ConservativeFront.com, September 14 2007)

Utah dead last in per-student spending

If you ask people in Utah they will tell you that children are a blessing. But sometimes the little buggers can be a curse, especially when it comes time to educate them. A confluence of forces have kept Utah's education funding in the toilet, and now the Beehive State has come in dead last in per-student spending.

Utah still last on ed funds
(Deseret Morning News, September 12 2007)

Take a state with a monolithic republican legislature that is hell-bent on tax cuts, add millions of acres of federal land that can't be taxed, and add a religion that promotes vociferous reproduction and you have a recipe for anemic education funding.

To learn more on the subject check out the Utah Foundation and check out their latest report

Wolverines defaulting on student loans in record numbers

More Utah students are defaulting on their student loans, and UVSC students are among the top deadbeats in the state.

More Utahns defaulting on student loans
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 13 2007)

While UVSC's 3.8 percent is below the national average of 4.6 percent, only SLCC students default on their loans at a greater rate. UVSC is tied with Weber State. While UVSC brags about graduating students who make more money, for those who don't graduate and need to start making payments it can be rough.

UVSC enrollment inches forward

The numbers for fall semester enrollment are being sent in to the state, and UVSC has posted a pretty impressive 2 percent gain over last year. That works out to 728 more students running around the halls of UVSC, for a total 23,750. This is good news as most other public schools in the state are posting flat enrollment over last year's numbers.

Fall 2007 Enrollment Progress
(Office of Institutional Research)

But the big news here is that Full-Time Equivalent enrollment has gone up nearly 3 percent. That means more students are taking bigger class loads, and most importantly, UVSC will see more money from the state.

Happy 66th Birthday UVSC

If you like free cake and soda then you will be happy to know that the Alumni Association, along with the Student Alumni Association, will be handing out refreshments in the courtyard on September 19th starting at 11 am in celebration of Founder's Day.

UVSC Celebrates Founder's Day
(Press Release)

USU drops the spatula

Put down your forks everyone, because Utah's only four-year culinary arts program is being dumped.

Kitchen closed: USU eliminating culinary arts degree
(Deseret Morning News, September 12 2007)

Only 9 students were in the program this semester, and they will be allowed to finish their degrees with classes be offered until 2009.

UVSC's own Culinary Arts program (which offers a two-year associates degree) recently upgraded to a larger facility, moving off the main campus and into the old Novell facility in Orem.

UVSC prof gets book deal with Oxford University Press

UVSC's own Brian Birch, a professor in the Philosophy and Humanities department has agreed to a deal with the acclaimed Oxford University Press to publish his book about the relationship between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity.

Professor's book on LDS faith to be published
(College Times, September 10 2007)

Birch is currently on sabbatical and will take the next year finishing his book, entitled Mormonism and Christian Thought and completing revisions. He expects it to be published in late 2008.

So you want to be a U? Dixie State ponders future

Dixie State College announced last Friday that it is considering hooking its wagon to the University of Utah and becoming a satellite campus in an effort to expand the possibilities of higher education in Washington County.

Dixie says it weighs becoming U. satellite
(Salt Lake Tribune, September 8 2007)


Dixie State seeks partnership with U of U
(The Spectrum, September 8 2007)

Dixie State College Announces Plan to Pursue Enhanced Affiliation with the University of Utah
(From the Dixie State College website)

Essentially Dixie could very well follow the path of UVSC and become a university with a community college emphasis and open enrollment. Which leads us to a very interesting question, will UVSC support this move? Just because Dixie and the U have talked about it doesn't mean it's a done deal...far from it. The proposal will need to get approval from the Utah Board of Regents and the legislature.

And that process could be moved along considerably with the help of UVSC's voices on the Board of Regents (Marlon Snow, Jack Zenger, and Lucille Stoddard) and Utah County's all-powerful caucus (Senate president John Valentine tops the list).

And we might have a little quid pro quo action happening here. You might recall at the signing of SB 70 this past March that St. George representative Dave Clark was not only present, but spoke, and was widely praised by others for his support of UVSC's transition. At the time the Pipeline thought it seemed a little fishy for a St. George guy to be all buddy buddy with Utah County. Our bet is that UVSC and all its cronies will be backing up Dixie's move 100 percent.

And perhaps that is not such a bad thing. One thing is for certain though...the transition is going to cost money.

UVSC combines Cheer and Dance teams

UVSC has combined their Cheer and Dance teams into a Spirit Squad, and according to an article in today's Des News the change has some people's pom poms in a twist.

UVSC combines cheer, dance teams into one
(Deseret Morning News, September 10 2007)

Administrators say the move is precipitated by the move to university status next year, and a combined Cheer and Dance team will more closely resemble teams at Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College.

But appearantly the move ruffled the feathers of Cheer Squad coach Jeannette DeGraffenried, or should we say former Cheer Squad coach Jeannette DeGraffenried. She claims she was fired, while Dean of Students Bob Rasmussuen says she was unwilling to meet the time commitments of the new position. DeGraffenried denies this.

During this transition that took place over the summer some cheerleaders contacted the D News complaining that no one had told them what was happening, or even if cheerleading would continue at UVSC.

UVSC student ruled competent to stand trial on weapons charges

At the beginning of the summer UVSC student Kidus Yohannes was arrested for various weapons charges. Now the 4th circuit court has ruled that Yohannes,20, is mentally competent to stand trial. A preliminary hearing has been set for September 20.

Court rules that man facing gun-related charges is competent (Daily Herald, September 6 2007)

UVSC student ruled competent for trial in weapons case (Salt Lake Tribune, September 6 2007)

Yohannes was arrested after his roommates notified police that the Ethiopian immigrant had been amassing an arsenal and talking about mass murder. Police say that Yohannes used a false id to purchase some of these weapons, and that two of his guns have never been found. Since his arrest UVSC Police have banned him from campus.

UVSC Student Spends Summer with First Lady of Mexico

Press Release from UVSC's College Marketing Department:

Melina Jones, a political science major and senior at UVSC, from Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, was recently given the experience of a lifetime. She had the opportunity to spend the summer doing an internship in Mexico City assisting First Lady, Margarita Zavala de Calderón.

Jones’s duties consisted of assisting the First Lady, translating, attending scheduled meetings and events and organizing and doing office work at Los Pinos, the official residence of Mexico’s First Family and offices of Mexico’s President and First Lady.

The core issues the First Lady focuses on are adoption, immigration, and more specifically, immigrant children.

Jones first arrived in Mexico City at the beginning of July, and was there until August 22. Along with assisting the First Lady in Mexico City doing numerous duties, Jones had the opportunity to travel to Canada with Calderón as her personal assistant to the North American Summit Conference in Ottawa, Canada, which took place from August 18 to 21.

“It was a wonderful experience,” said Jones, commenting on the trip. “I learned so much working with her.”

It was such a great experience, in fact, next summer Jones is planning on returning to Mexico City to do her senior internship at Los Pinos and work with The First Lady once more as her assistant.

Within the next year, Calderón will visit UVSC and speak.

USU investigates renting textbooks

Utah State University's bookstore has found an interesting way to save college students a little moolah.

Beating the high cost of school books (Daily Herald, September 5 2007)

Basically the school rents the book to students instead of selling it to them. A $130 biology textbook can be rented for the semester for just 30 bucks. Not bad.

The service is in its second year of a three year trial. Mentioned in the article is UVSC's Ron Hammond who has essentially given up on assigning texts and instead uses journals found in the library and articles from the internet.

Faculty and Staff asked to pony up once again

UVSC president Bill Sederburg sent out this e-mail today to all campus employees:

Dear Faculty and Staff

September just started and with it our yearly Faculty Staff Campaign. Every employee will receive through intercampus mail an envelope with the address of Institutional Advancement on the outside.

Inside will be a donation form and my letter. Just write your name in the return address and use that envelope to return your donation to Institutional Advancement.

The theme for the campaign is "One Step Closer to Making a Difference." Every donation, even small ones, will take us "one step closer" to creating a great university. Every donation will "make a BIG difference."

Let's make this the most successful campaign ever. I am looking forward to sharing lunch with every department that achieves 100% participation. I hope to see you all there.

President Sederburg

UVSC raising funds from faculty and staff (Deseret Morning News, September 4 2007)

UVSC August Police Beat

Each month The Pipeline will publish the UVSC Police Department's response record for the previous month. You can find an archive of the police beat at http://www.uvsc.edu/police/Police_Beat/index.html.

August 7th- MEDICAL-A 20 year old male crashed on his longboard while attempting to ride it down College Drive. Orem Paramedics evaluated and released the patient on scene.
August 9th- MEDICAL-A 39 year old male was suffering chest pains and shortness of breath in the Liberal Arts building. The patient was treated by Orem Paramedics and then transported to the UVSC Wellness Center for further evaluation.
August 11th- AGENCY ASSIST- UVSC Police responded to the area of 800 S 700 W to assist Orem Police with looking for a suspect wanted for Aggravated Kidnapping and a Violation of a Protective Order. The suspect was not located.
August 11th- AGENCY ASSIST-UVSC Officers responded to 523 N Beverly Avenue to assist Orem Police with a neighborhood party involving alcohol and a large group of people.
August 11th- AGENCY ASSIST-UVSC Police responded to 800 S Main to assist Orem with a traffic accident involving a Orem Captain.
August 13th- SUICIDAL SUBJECT- UVSC Police responded to Remington Apartments to assist Orem Police with a suicidal male subject in possession of a knife. The subject was taken into protective custody without incident.

August 21st- AGENCY ASSIST- A UVSC Officer working a case in North Orem responded to a report of a fight near 400 N 200 E in which a suspect was hitting another person with a baseball bat. As the Officer was arriving, he observed the suspect vehicle fleeing the scene and initiated a felony stop on the vehicle. Two of the three occupants had outstanding warrants with UVSC and Provo Police departments.

August 22nd- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- There was a traffic accident in the Institute parking lot when two vehicles backed into each other.

August 22nd- AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT- UVSC Police responded to a report of a UVSC plane on landing that had struck a deer at the Provo Airport. Damage to the aircraft was estimated at $30,000. Although the pilot and instructor were not injured, the deer was killed. The runway was closed for some time until the FAA cleared it to reopen.

August 23rd- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- Officers responded to a traffic accident near the front of campus. A vehicle rear ended another vehicle that had stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

August 23rd- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- Officers responded to a traffic accident near North College Drive.

August 24th- ILLEGAL CONSUMPTION- A 19 year old male was arrested at the Welcome Back Dance for Illegal Consumption.

August 25th- OPEN CONTAINER- A 22 year old male was issued a citation for Open Container after Officers observed the male get into a truck and grab a bottle of alcohol after the Welcome Back Dance.

August 26th- RECKLESS DRIVING- An off duty American Fork Police Officer observed two vehicles driving recklessly in parking lot N. UVSC Police responded to the scene and made contact with both drivers. The first driver was cited for No License and Reckless Driving. The second driver was cited for Reckless Driving. Both drivers were also given a mandatory court date to appear before a judge.

August 28th- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- A traffic accident ocurred at the interseciton of parking lot T and parking lot N when a vehicle ran a stop sign.

August 28th- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- A accident with injuries ocurred at 1200 W McKay Drive when a unlicensed driver pulled out from McKay Drive into the path of a motorcyclist travelling north on 1200 W. The motorcyclist was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for further treatment. The unlicensed driver was issued numerous citations.

August 28th- THEFT- A backpack containing several items was stolen from the PE women's locker room.

August 29th- CRIMINAL MISCHIEF- Officers responded to parking lot D on a report of a male suspect keying cars. Officers were unable to locate the suspect as well as any damaged vehicles.

August 31st- RESISTING ARREST- a 23 year old BYU students was tased after failing to comply with a lawful order by a Police Officer. The suspect was outside of the Institute of Religion during the Institute Dance. Officers were attempting to disperse a large crowd when the suspect became confrontational with the officer. The suspect was told to leave and refused. The Officer advised the suspect he was under arrest at which time the suspect made an agressive move toward the officer. The suspect was then tased and taken into custody. The suspect was charged with Disorderly Conduct, Failure to Disperse, and Resisting Arrest. The suspect's wife and her friend assaulted another officer during the incident. They were both arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct.

August 31st- MEDICAL- A 21 year old male student suffered a broken leg while playijng soccer near the Education Building. THe student was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.

August 29th- TRAFFIC ACCIDENT- Officers responded to 1000 W University Parkway on a report of a traffic accident with injuries. Officers were unable to locate the accident and cancelled other units responding.