The Signpost: EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT OF FAMILY

Friday | November 12, 2021 | Volume 94 | Issue 80

>>PAGE 4

NEWS » PAGE 15

SPORTS » PAGE 3

A CIVIC EDUCATION FOR A YOUNGER GENERATION

DUNKING ON NORTH DAKOTA ALEXANDREA BONILLA

NIKKI DORBER| The Signpost

2 | MyWeberMedia.com| November 12, 2021

By JOSHUA KAMP Section Editor

Harassing emails Weber State University police met with a complainant on Nov. 3 to discuss options in dealing with a communications harassment case. The complainant was receiving multiple emails from an ex-boyfriend in a short period of time. The emails were not threatening; the complainant simply wanted them to stop.

Student stalking A WSU officer was notified of a report of stalking on Nov. 5. An employee of WSU had completed a reporting form on behalf of a student who was allegedly being stalked by another student. When officers made contact with the student, they explained to the officer that, over the course of the semester, another student would consistently stare at them and follow them. The behavior made them uncomfortable to the point that they were no longer attending one of their classes. The student was unsure of what to do and wanted time to think about the matter.

Due to no imminent threat, and the fact that

the student felt safe enough to be able to wait for a decision, the officer allowed them time. The officer began a line of communication between the student and WSU safety resources.

Meeting with the president?

WSU employees notified officers about strange circumstances on Nov. 5. A male came to the President’s Suite wanting to know where the office of the president was.

He told staff that he did not need anything from them or the president, but he wanted to know specifically where to locate his office. No threats were made, but staff felt

WSUPD should be made aware and provided a photo of the male.

Bicycle accident A female was competing in a triathlon at WSU on Nov. 6. While riding her bicycle, the brakes gave out and she hit the curb near Dixon Parkway and Edvalson Street.

She received lacerations to her face, minor scrapes to her hands and wrists and a large bump on the left elbow. Medical personnel assessed her and allowed her husband to transport her to the hospital.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash

Did you know?

You can get your

WILDCARD

at WSU Davis!

D2 262 l Davis Student Services

weber.edu/wildcard

MyWeberMedia.com| November 12, 2021 | 3

By SIMON MORTENSEN

Reporter

NIKKI DORBER | The Signpost

Weber State University’s women’s basketball team started the season strong with a 72–57 victory over the University of North Dakota.

A dominant performance by forward Emma Torbert gave Weber State a lead early in the game. Torbert scored the first basket and threw an assist to forward Daryn Hickok, who scored off her own defensive rebound and converted an and-1 opportunity all within the first three minutes of the game.

Torbert “played her butt off,” according to

Coach Velaida Harris. “That’s exactly what we need her to do, but then what that does is open it up for everybody else.”

This match was dominated inside the paint, as both teams combined for only 8 out of 39 from the three. By half, the three starting forwards for Weber State — Hickok, Torbert and Jadyn Matthews — had combined for 29 of the team’s 43 points.

“When I see them thriving and doing well, it makes me want to play better, and I know they feel the same way,” Matthews said. “If everyone can eat, we’re doing well out there.”

Despite being down 43–27 at the half, North Dakota started to rally back. Freshman guard for the Fighting Hawks, Jodi Anderson,

Weber State’s opening game took place at Dee Events Center on Nov. 9 against North Dakota.

scored 9 of her 11 points in the second half, 2 of which were from the charity stripe.

North Dakota focused primarily on playing the paint late in the game, scoring 16 of their second-half points from inside with 5 points coming from second-chance shots. The Fighting Hawks also made 8 points off fast breaks in the second half.

“We didn’t run today as well as we could because we turned the ball over a lot in transition,” Coach Harris said. “We had probably 11 opportunities where we either got a charge or we turned it over or didn’t get what was open initially.”

Despite North Dakota’s best efforts, Weber State pulled out of the game with their first

victory of the season. This is the first time the women’s basketball team has won their season opener in two years.

WSU will play away for their next two games against the University of Portland on Nov. 13 and Texas Tech University on Nov. 16.

Weber State will return home to play the University of Nebraska Omaha on Nov. 21.

The team’s going to treat this away stretch as a business trip, according to Harris. “We need to do our homework, and then we’re going to focus on the team that we’re playing.”

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Weber State University

4 | MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021

Members of the Weber State University Ballet Folklórico group prepare for a campus event during Weber State’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Sept. 30.

MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021 | 5

By CAITLYN NICHOLS Section Editor

marigolds. Vazquez said there are big fields of these flowers in Mexico that are in full bloom around this time of year, and they are used on the altars so that the strong scent will guide the spirits.

Many members of the dance team expressed their appreciation for the beautiful way to understand and think of death and grieving that this celebration stands for.

“I can say that I have learned from the Mexican community to understand death in a different way,” Monica Rodriguez, WSU Ballet Folklórico adviser, said. “For them, it’s more the reunion or the opportunity they have every year around Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 to be reunited with those who left early and honor them with an altar or a table full of food and symbolism around.”

Jennifer Duenaz, another member of the group, and Garcia explained that the celebration is neither happy nor sad; rather, it’s celebrated with love, the comfort of a future reunion and wishing their loved ones well in the afterlife.

The importance of having these Hispanic celebrations in the community for all to see and experience was also highlighted by many in the Ballet Folklórico. These celebrations are both to welcome and share Latino culture with those who don’t know about it as Weber State University

Celebrations in Ogden for Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, finished with a final, lively night at The Monarch on Nov. 5, including dances from the Weber State University Ballet Folklórico.

The Ballet Folklórico, which performs many different dances from all around Central and South America for different events, was invited to perform first at The Monarch’s musical celebration.

Guadalupe Garcia, leader of the Ballet Folklórico, said for the event, they chose traditional Mexican dances and dresses from various regions in Mexico, such as Jalisco and La Bamba. The dancers also painted their faces in traditional Catrina skull style for the Día de los Muertos celebration.

The performances were lively with many bright colors and flying skirts.

The Ballet Folklórico was also joined by dancer Kierstin Soriano, who portrayed La Llorona in one of the dances.

The legend of La Llorona tells of a woman who, upon finding her husband cheating on her, drowns her own children and then drowns herself out of guilt. Her spirit now wanders, searching for her children. While

the tale is not specific to just Día de los Muertos, it is often brought up around the celebration.

Two more groups performed at The Monarch after the Ballet Folklórico: a youth mariachi group from Esperanza Elementary, called Mariachi Aguilas de la Esperanza, and a Chicano band from California, called Las Cafeteras.

Stefanie Vazquez, Hispanic student senator and member of the Ballet Folklórico, explained that Día de los Muertos is a celebration of the lives of those who have passed on, allowing those still living to remember and honor them.

She explained that, while the celebration can be found all around Central and South America, it looks different in various regions.

The Day of the Dead most well known in the United States is that of the Mexican culture, with colors everywhere.

Vazquez said the celebration includes setting up ofrendas, or altars, with pictures of friends and family who have passed on.

Like seen in the movie “Coco,” Vazquez said they do this because they believe the spirits of their loved ones come back to these altars.

The altars also include foods, alcohol and other drinks as well as the bright orange “cempasúchil” flowers, known in English as

well as to reach out to members of the same culture and get them more involved in the community.

“We want to bring all cultures together, and we want to share this part of the Hispanic culture with others,” Ashley Andersen, member of the Ballet Folklórico, said.

Graciela Duenaz, another dancer, also said it was important to the Hispanic community to be able to pass down these traditions to the younger generations.

Rodriguez said that this year marks 13 years since the WSU Ballet Folklórico was founded by a past Hispanic senator. Rodriguez explained that the woman founded the dance group around the time of Día de los Muertos in honor of the daughter she had lost, and since then the dance group and the holiday have grown and expanded more into the community.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

HELP PREVENT VIOLENCE IN OUR WEBER COMMUNITY! Take the Safe@Weber training now.

1

2

Search Safe@Weber

Go to your eWeber portal

3

Click on the Safe@Weber icon and choose student or employee training.

Questions? Email safeatweber@weber.edu

weber.edu/safeatweber

Members of the Weber State University Ballet Folklorico group take part in one of the community events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Weber State on Sept. 30.

6 | MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021

By CAITLYN NICHOLS Section Editor

By ADDISON WEEKS Translator

Celebraciones en Ogden para el Día de los Muertos terminaron con el último, noche animada en The Monarch el 5 de noviembre, incluyendo bailes de WSU Ballet Folklórico.

El Ballet Folklórico, que presenta varios bailes distintos por todo Centro y Sudamérica para diferentes eventos, les invitaron a

participar en la celebración musical de The Monarch. Guadalupe Garcia, líder del Ballet Folklórico, dijo que para el evento escogieron bailes tradicionales de México, como Jalisco y la Bamba. Los bailarines también pintaban sus caras con el estilo tradicional de La Calavera Catrina para la celebración de Día de los Muertos.

Las presentaciones eran muy animadas con colores vivos y faldas voladoras.

El Ballet Folklórico se unió con Kierstin Soriano quien represento La Llorona en uno de los bailes. La leyenda de La Llorona cuenta una mujer que, al encontrar a su esposo

engañándola, ahogó a sus propios hijos y se ahogó a sí misma por sentirse culpable. Su espíritu se desvía ahora, buscando sus hijos.

Aunque el cuento no específicamente es de Día de los Muertos, frecuentemente hablan de ella durante la celebración.

Dos grupos más se presentaron en The Monarch después del Ballet Folklórico: un grupo juvenil de mariachi de Esperanza Elementary, llamado Mariachi Águilas de la Esperanza, y una banda chicana de California llamada Las Cafeteras.

Stefanie Vasquez, la senadora Hispana y miembro del Ballet Folklórico, explicó que

el Día de los Muertos es una celebración de los que han fallecido y sus vidas, permitiendo los que siguen vivos les recuerdan y les honran.

Ella explicó que, aunque la celebración se encuentra en todas partes de Centroamérica y Sudamérica, lo celebran diferente dependiendo de la región. El Día de los Muertos se conoce mejor en los Estados Unidos como algo de la cultura mexicana, con colores por todos lados.

Vasquez dijo que la celebración incluye construyendo las ofrendas, o altares, con fotos de amigos y familiares que han fallecido.

Como se ve en la película “Coco”, Vasquez dijo que ellos hacen esto porque creen que los espíritus de sus seres queridos vienen a los altares.

Los altares también incluyen comidas, alcohol y otras bebidas y también flores anaranjadas y brillantes llamado “Cempasúchil”, conocido en inglés como Marigolds. Vasquez dijo que hay campos grandes llenos de estas flores en México que están en plena floración durante esta temporada del año, y que lo usan en los altares para que su olor fuerte guíe a los espíritus.

Muchos miembros del equipo de baile expresaron su gratitud por la manera linda de pensar y entender la muerte y aflicción que la celebración representa.

“Puedo decir que he aprendido de la comunidad mexicana comprender la muerte en una forma diferente,” Mónica Rodríguez, consejera del WSU Ballet Folklórico, dijo.

“Para ellos es más una reunión o la oportunidad que tengan cada año por el primer y segundo día de noviembre para reunirse con

los que fallecieron y honrarles con un altar o una mesa lleno de comida y simbolismo alrededor.”

Jennifer Dueñaz, otro miembro del grupo, y Garcia explicaron que la celebración no es algo triste, pero tampoco es algo feliz, sino es algo celebrado con amor, un consuelo de reunión en el futuro y deseando lo bueno para sus seres queridos en la vida después de la muerte.

La importancia de tener estas celebraciones hispanas en la comunidad donde todos pueden verlo y experimentarla también lo subrayan muchos miembros del Ballet Folklórico. Estas celebraciones son para presentar y compartir la cultura latina con los que no saben de él, también para los miembros de la misma cultura y ayudarles a ser más involucrado en la comunidad.

“Queremos juntar a todas las culturas y queremos compartir esta parte de la cultura Hispana con otros,” Ashley Anderson, miembro del Ballet Folklórico, dijo.

Graciela Dueñaz, otra bailadora, también

agregó que era importante para la comunidad Hispana poder pasar estas tradiciones a las generaciones futuras.

Rodríguez dijo que esto marca 13 años desde que un senador hispano pasado fundó el WSU Ballet Folklórico. Rodriguez explicó que la mujer fundó el grupo de baile durante la temporada de Día de los Muertos para honrar a su hija que falleció, y desde entonces el grupo y la fiesta han crecido y se han conectado más con la comunidad.

Ogden

We’re Hiring!

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

Weber State University

Tax Examiner, Contact Representative & Clerk positions To search for current jobs, visit:

irs.usajobs.gov For Application help & more, visit:

jobs.irs.gov Phone: 801-620-4JOB (4562) E-mail: wi.ogden.recruitment@irs.gov

IRS Offers Outstanding Benefits!

■ Competitive Salaries ■ 11 Paid Holidays ■ 13 Vacation Days ■ Sick Leave ■ Flexible Schedules ■ Transportation Subsidy ■ Health & Life Insurance ■ Federal Retirement

We’re looking for new talent.

We’re looking for you.

Members of the Weber State University Ballet Folklórico group prepare for a campus event during Weber State’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Sept. 30.

U.S. Citizens including Naturalized Citizens An Equal Opportunity Employer

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

8 | MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021

Norm Tarbox, vice president of Administrative Services, said lower enrollment is due to multiple factors.

By REBECCA BAGGETT Reporter

Weber State University’s enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year was less than expected, which has left the school with the task of making decisions about budget adjustments.

Weber State is a public university, meaning the school has two primary funding sources: taxes and tuition.

Norm Tarbox, vice president of Administrative Services, stated that the ratio between these two important revenues is about 55% tax, 45% tuition.

“If either resource goes down, budget adjustments will need to be made,” Tarbox said.

The exact reason behind WSU’s current lower enrollment rate is unknown, but Tarbox said there appears to be multiple factors.

One such factor is the economy.

Clayton Anderson, director of Budget and

Institutional Research, explained that the university has a pattern “countercyclical” to the economy.

“We’re the opposite — if the economy goes up, that’s usually when our enrollments go down,” Anderson said. “When the economy goes down, we go back up.”

This is not unique to Weber State. The New York Times reported in January 2020 that “as the supply of jobs shrinks, college enrollments expand.”

Job scarcity and low wages reduce the “opportunity cost” of college, because during an economic boom, students may have to give up working for strong wages in order to attend college, the Times explained.

The economy across the nation has been affected by the pandemic. In many places, college enrollment went down, but WSU experienced an increase in enrollment during the summer of 2020.

According to Anderson, “last summer semester was higher than it’s ever been in the

history of the university.”

Prior to the pandemic, Weber State was already offering a number of online classes.

“We’ve always had a strong online presence at Weber State,” Anderson said.

Anderson also emphasized the fact that online classes constitute 18-22% of all credit activity and have continued to stay strong during COVID. “[We’re] coming back to where we have more and more face-to-face, but we’re not yet to the place where we were pre-pandemic,” Anderson said. “We still have some room to grow.”

Utah’s economy has made positive strides since last winter.

Deseret News reported in August 2021 that “Utah ranks #1 for GDP growth — despite the pandemic.” But the state has once again entered the point of the cycle where the economy goes up and enrollment goes down. Although there are benefits to a booming economy, one of the side effects is a de-

crease in college enrollment, which leads to a decrease in funding for WSU. “We have to do some projections to anticipate what we think enrollment is going to be so that we can assign the budget ahead of time,” Anderson said. “We establish the budget for the institution and it starts on July 1 of every year.”

Because initial budget decisions are made long before the fall semesters begin, the school has to estimate how many students will be attending so they can predict the revenue that will come from tuition.

“State revenues look good. Enrollment does not look good. It’s 4.1% down this fall,” said Tarbox.

Circumstances this semester have been significantly different than what was estimated when the budget was created. Four percent may not seem significant, but Tarbox puts it into perspective.

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021 | 9

Because of lower enrollment numbers at WSU, budget cuts have to be made and will mostly affect faculty members.

“If this shortfall continues the rest of the year, as much as $3 million will need to be cut from the budget,” he said.

Like a corporation or business that needs to reduce spending, the university may look to see where unnecessary expenses may be eliminated. Anderson said the biggest expense is employment, which is well over 80% of the budget.

“It’s hard to find places to cut without impacting faculty positions,” Anderson said.

WSU is hoping to avoid layoffs while still finding ways to decrease costs. One program that has been implemented for this purpose is the Voluntary Separation Program.

“Basically, if people had worked two years or more and were on contract with the univer-

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Weber State is offering online classes to help enrollment numbers increase.

sity, we incentivized them to leave the institution by giving them 20-30% of what their salary was,” Anderson said.

This incentivizes faculty members to leave voluntarily.

VSIP provides multiple benefits and opportunities for budget cuts. If a faculty member is approved for the program, the position they leave is evaluated. If the position is deemed not necessary to refill, that’s a cut that can be made.

If it is necessary to refill the position, it will be reviewed for the possibility of changing the position to a junior role with less experience required and a lower salary.

“It is better than resorting to layoffs,” Tarbox said.

Thus far the program has been successful.

Because so much of the budget goes towards faculty, adjusting the university’s employment is the “only way” to be able to make significant spending cuts, according to Tarbox.

There are also many other efforts on campus to figure out how to move forward to increasing enrollment.

“We have to be smarter, more nimble, find markets and serve needs. Hundreds of people are involved right now trying to address this issue,” Tarbox said.

Weber State does have open enrollment and may have new students in the spring.

However, retaining students is equally as important as acquiring students. Tarbox said one of the best things WSU can do is to keep

the students who are already enrolled.

“Helping a student make the choice to stay involves all sorts of things,” Tarbox said.

There are many people who play a part in retention efforts throughout campus. Some resources include the Student Wellness Center, academic advising, peer mentoring, the Starfish program, counseling services, clubs and groups and a multitude of others.

The question of budget cuts will take a few months to answer as the VSIP program plays out and spring semester enrollment still remains unknown.

“It will be March before we set firm numbers,” Tarbox said.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

BY MARIANNA LUCIA LOPEZ LURITTA Translator La matrícula de Weber State University para el año escolar 2021-2022 fue menos de lo esperado, lo que ha dejado a la escuela con la tarea de tomar decisiones sobre los ajustes presupuestarios.

Weber State es una universidad pública, significando que la escuela tiene dos fuentes principales de financiación: algunos de los fondos provienen de los impuestos y otros de la matrícula.

Norm Tarbox, vicepresidente de Administrative Services, declaró que la proporción entre estos dos importantes ingresos es de aproximadamente 55% de impuestos y 45% de matrículas.

“Si cualquiera de los dos recursos baja, habrá que hacer ajustes presupuestarios”, dijo Tarbox.

Se desconoce la razón exacta de la actual disminución de la tasa de matriculación de WSU, pero Tarbox dijo que parece haber múl-

tiples factores. Uno de ellos es la economía.

Clayton Anderson, director de Budget and Institutional Research, explicó que la universidad tiene un patrón “anticíclico” a la economía.

“Somos lo contrario: si la economía sube es cuando normalmente bajan nuestras matriculaciones”, dijo Anderson. “Cuando la economía baja volvemos a subir”.

Esto no es exclusivo a Weber State. El New York Times informó en enero de 2020 que “a medida que la oferta de trabajo se reduce, las inscripciones universitarias se expanden”.

La escasez de empleo y los bajos salarios reducen el “coste de oportunidad” de la universidad, porque durante un auge económico, los estudiantes pueden tener que renunciar de un trabajo con un salario fuerte para asistir a la universidad, explicó el Times.

La economía de todo el país se afectó con la pandemia. En muchos lugares, las inscripciones a la universidad bajaron, pero WSU experimentó un aumento en las inscripciones durante el verano de 2020. Según Anderson, “el último semestre de verano fue más alto que nunca en la historia de la universidad”.

Antes de la pandemia, Weber ya ofrecía

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

10 | MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021

varias clases en línea.

“Siempre hemos tenido una fuerte presencia en línea en Weber State”, dijo Anderson.

Anderson también enfatizó el hecho de que las clases en línea constituyen entre el 18 y el 22% de toda la actividad de créditos, y han seguido siendo fuertes durante el COVID. “[Estamos] volviendo a tener cada vez más clases presenciales, pero todavía no estamos en el lugar donde estábamos antes de la pandemia. Todavía tenemos espacio para crecer”, dijo Anderson.

La economía de Utah ha avanzado positivamente desde el pasado invierno.

Deseret News informó en agosto de 2021 que “Utah ocupa el primer lugar en crecimiento del PIB, a pesar de la pandemia”.

Pero el estado ha entrado de nuevo en el punto del ciclo en el que la economía sube y las matriculaciones bajan. Aunque hay beneficios en una economía en auge, uno de los efectos secundarios es la disminución de la matrícula universitaria y conduce a una disminución de la financiación para WSU. “Tenemos que hacer algunas proyecciones para anticiparnos a lo que creemos que va a

ser la matrícula para poder asignar el presupuesto con antelación”, dijo Anderson. “Establecemos el presupuesto para la institución y comienza el 1 de julio de cada año”.

Dado que las decisiones presupuestarias iniciales se toman mucho antes de que comiencen los semestres de otoño, la escuela tiene que estimar cuántos estudiantes asistirán para poder predecir los ingresos que provendrán de las matrículas.

“Los ingresos del estado se ven bien. Las matrículas no tienen buena pinta. Este otoño ha bajado un 4,1%”, dijo Tarbox.

Las circunstancias de este semestre han sido significativamente diferentes de lo que se estimó cuando se creó el presupuesto. El 4% puede no parecer significativo, pero Tarbox lo pone en perspectiva.

“Si este déficit continúa el resto del año, habrá que recortar hasta 3 millones de dólares del presupuesto”, dijo.

Al igual que una corporación o una empresa que necesita reducir el gasto, la universidad puede buscar dónde se pueden eliminar los gastos innecesarios. Anderson dijo que el mayor gasto es el empleo - más del 80% del presupuesto.

Alex Guzman | The Signpost

MyWeberMedia.com | November 12, 2021 | 11

“Es difícil encontrar cosas para cortar sin afectar a los puestos del profesorado”, dijo Anderson.

Weber espera evitar los despidos y, al mismo tiempo, encontrar formas de reducir los costes. Un programa que se ha implementado con este objetivo es el Voluntary Separation Program.

“Básicamente, si la gente había trabajado dos años o más, y tenían contrato con la universidad, les incentivamos a dejar la institución dándoles un 20-30% de lo que era su salario”, dijo Anderson.

Esto incentiva a los miembros del profesorado a marcharse voluntariamente”.

El VSIP ofrece múltiples beneficios y oportunidades de recortes presupuestarios. Si un

miembro del profesorado es aprobado para el programa, se evalúa el puesto que deja.

Si se considera que no es necesario cubrir el puesto, se puede hacer un recorte. Si es necesario volver a cubrir el puesto, se revisará la posibilidad de cambiarlo a una función de menor rango, con menos experiencia requerida y un salario más bajo.

“Es mejor que recurrir a los despidos”, dijo Tarbox.

Hasta ahora el programa ha tenido éxito.

Dado que gran parte del presupuesto se destina al profesorado, ajustar el empleo de la universidad es la “única manera” de poder hacer recortes de gastos significativos, según Tarbox.

También hay muchos otros esfuerzos en el

campus para averiguar cómo avanzar en el aumento de la matrícula.

“Tenemos que ser más inteligentes, más ágiles, encontrar mercados y atender necesidades. Cientos de personas están involucradas en este momento tratando de abordar esta cuestión”, dijo Tarbox.

Weber State tiene la inscripción abierta y puede tener nuevos estudiantes en la primavera. Sin embargo, retener a los estudiantes es tan importante como adquirirlos. Tarbox dijo que una de las mejores cosas que WSU puede hacer es mantener a los estudiantes que ya están inscritos.

“Ayudar a un estudiante a tomar la decisión de quedarse implica todo tipo de cosas”, dijo Tarbox.

Hay muchas personas que toman parte en los esfuerzos de retención en todo el campus. Algunos recursos son el Student Wellness Center, el asesoramiento académico, la tutoría entre pares, el programa Starfish, los servicios de asesoramiento, los clubes y grupos y una multitud de otros.

La cuestión de los recortes presupuestarios tardará unos meses en responderse, ya que el programa VSIP se desarrolla y la inscripción del semestre de primavera sigue siendo una incógnita.

“Habrá que esperar a marzo para conocer las cifras definitivas”, dijo Tarbox.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

The “orange” map proposed to the legislature by the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission.

By JENNIFER GREENLEE Editor-In-Chief

Gerrymandering might be a buzzword you hear thrown around quite often in politics.

The process behind the word “redistricting” is often overlooked, especially when it has happened behind closed doors for so long in Utah.

That theme is continuing, despite the ballot proposal in 2018 that sought to change the process of redistricting by establishing the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. Then, Senate Bill 200 in 2020 modified the proposal heavily — the Utah Legislature no longer has to publicly take a vote and explain their decision for rejecting the UIRC’s maps and eliminated the ban on the com-

mission looking at incumbents or political parties when drawing boundaries.

The legislature took full advantage of the new rules they established for themselves in 2020 when, on Nov. 10, they did not vote on any of the maps that the UIRC submitted for review on Nov. 2. Instead, they pushed through a map drawn by the legislature’s redistricting committee while the UIRC was drawing theirs.

The map passed both the Utah House of Representatives and the Utah Senate on Nov. 10 after releasing the proposed maps on Nov. 8 with little time to collect public opinion. The new map splits Salt Lake County into four congressional districts where the three submitted UIRC maps split the county into two or three districts.

UIRC

UIRC

12 | MyWeberMedia.com| November 12, 2021

The “purple” map proposed to the legislature by the Utah Independent Redistricting Comission.

The original ballot measure was advocated for by former Salt Lake City Mayor and democrat Ralph Becker and republican Jeff Wright to fight against gerrymandering and the American Civil Liberties Union, which they claim has been present throughout Utah’s previous congressional maps.

The commission was a bipartisan committee of seven appointed commissioners, four Republican appointees and three Democratic appointees. Rex Facer II, appointed by Gov. Spencer Cox, chairs the UIRC. Every ten years, the lines for the U.S. House of Representatives, Utah House, Utah Senate and the Utah State Board of Education are redrawn based on the new census data collected the year prior. This is supposed to allow for representation to be reapportioned

based on the new populations that have likely changed.

These lines can be used to favor one party or another by dividing communities or individuals that typically vote for or against certain issues or parties. The goal of the commission and proposal was to create transparent and fair boundaries that weren’t based on political affiliations.

Even with the 2020 Senate Bill, the commission had still elected to not use incumbency or part affiliation as part of their determining factors when deciding on district boundaries for their proposed maps. One of the maps was even a public submission that was slightly adapted to fit their other criteria.

“Other criteria we have is communities of interest,” Facer said. “We’ve been charged

MyWeberMedia.com| November 12, 2021 | 13

under the statute to try and understand the communities and keep them together where possible. One of the challenges is that it’s not defined any place. We have defined it as a a group of people who live in a certain area who share a common interest.”

The other criteria the commission looked at were equal populations in each division, limit the divisions within cities or counties

and to make sure they were contiguous, or had no complete separations.

The idea of giving the decision to the UIRC didn’t sit well with the legislature, which prompted the 2020 bill.

Senator Scott Sandall, co-chair of the legislature’s redistricting committee, said it was against the Utah Constitution to have an independent body approve a map without

the legislature getting final say among other problems he had with the commission as a whole.

“I think, when this is over and done, we’ll have to evaluate the benefit that was there with the maps they give us,” Sandall said, prior to the submission of the maps.

With the legislature votes now counted, the optimism Facer had in the maps mak-

e h t t u o b a d e n r e c n o C

? e n i c c a v 9 1 -

COVID

We understand.

Let’s talk.

Vaccines are safe and effective but we understand that you may have concerns, so let's talk them through together.

weber.edu/studentwellness

ing it in some form through the House and Senate is all but dead as Gov. Spencer Cox receives the maps to sign into effect for the next ten years.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

14 | MyWeberMedia.com N O N T R A D I T I O N A L S T U| DNovember E N T C E N T E12, R 2021

HOURLY

child care

Need child care while you are in class or partaking in academic events?

Get low-cost hourly child care for children 2-9 years old.

where children

d i s c o v e r, e x p l o r e & g r o w

Calling all tabletop gamers!

Find more information and apply at:

Enjoy D&D, Pathfinder, Catan and other board games.

All you need to start your epic adventure is available for checkout. Need books, dice and player mats?

weber.edu/nontrad/childcare.html

Visit the tabletop page at: weber.edu/esports

MAJOR & CAREER NAVIGATION Feeling lost?

Can't decide on a major?

We can help! weber.edu/major-career-navigation

CLIMBING

YOUR MOUNTAINS OF WITH AND We can help. Connect with Student Affairs. weber.edu/studentaffairs

M A R W G E OR N P Social Work & Gerontology 801-626-6154 MSW@weber.edu

The WSU Master of Social Work (MSW) is a strong, studentfocused program with an emphasis on clinical training to help meet the needs of your community.

Accepting applications for Fall 2022 until Dec. 15, 2021.

Struggling with PROCRASTINATION? WE CAN HELP! · One-on-one coaching · Online resources · A blog made by students, for students · All FREE!

weber.edu/academicpeercoaching

Academic Peer Coaching

?

MyWeberMedia.com| November 12, 2021 | 15

Reporter

The Utah House of Representatives hosted Utah elementary students through their Civic Engagement Program this fall. There were three installments of this program involving the Jordan School District, Provo Peaks Elementary and South Jordan Elementary.

Most recently invited was a fifth-grade class from South Jordan Elementary. The class was selected and invited to come to the Utah State Capitol for a tour and a hands-on law-making experience.

“This is an education opportunity that hopefully will be important and impactful for the rest of their life,” Rep. Susan Pulsipher said.

Pulsipher selected Diane Witt-Roper’s fifth grade class to engage in this program.

Witt-Roper is a Weber State University graduate who now teaches at South Jordan Elementary.

The program began with the students taking a tour of the capitol building with a tour guide who provided a brief history of the capitol grounds. The students were then taken to the senate chamber, where they received an in-depth lesson on governmental processes and the tasks of local government officials.

The lesson they received goes hand in hand with the curriculum Witt-Roper is teaching. The lesson plan within the curriculum is titled, “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.” It is a textbook-based program designed for fifth, eighth and 11th grades.

learn how they can use that voice.”

Not every teacher chose to use this program, but Witt-Roper did.

“I choose to teach with it because it enhances reading, literature, writing aspects, group teamwork, free discussion and opinion,” she said.

The last activity the children got to participate in was a mock congressional hearing on the House floor. Prior to their visit, the class was given prompts and subjects that would be discussed.

They broke into groups and decided amongst themselves who would be reading the initial proposals, but all other discussion ALEXANDREA BONILLA

By ALEXANDREA BONILLA

After going through the entire textbook, the class gets split into groups, and then each group studies one topic in depth. The students then write and present a speech to a mock congressional hearing at their school.

At the 11th-grade level the students compete schoolwide, districtwide, statewide and then nationally.

“The important thing is for students this age to really start to understand that they are citizens, and that they have an important role in being part of a community,” Witt-Roper said. “This process that they’re learning is so important because they have a voice, even as a 10-year-old, that they need to

Elementary school students at the Utah State Capitol participate in a mock congressional hearing.

was not lined up for them. This gave the students an opportunity to develop their own thoughts and opinions regarding the issues at hand.

The issues included national ice cream day, earthquake safety day and whether only adults should be allowed to use social media. One of the fifth-grade students said they want to be a lawyer or entrepreneur when they grow up.

“This might help me know what’s going to happen and what to expect,” they said.

Witt-Roper said that the students need to be aware that they are in charge of their education.

“As educators, we are the tools to help them learn what they need to learn and grow, but that they are in charge of their own education, and the more self-confident they can be in that helps them,” Witt-Roper said.

This program is something that Pulsipher hopes to continue in the future.

“I’m really pleased that, in the house, we have been able to put together this program, and our staff has spent a lot of time working with different classes and giving them this opportunity,” Pulsipher said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its end and a sense of normalcy returns to life, many hope that more opportunities like this will arise.

Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com

n i W uff! t S 1.

Complete the form

It takes about 10 minutes.

Answer questions about how you want to be communicated with, why you do or do not go to events and what we can do to make getting involved easier.

2. Enter to win prizes

Hundreds of prizes available, including t-shirts, collapsible water bottles, duffle bags, sunglasses, Amazon gift cards and other WSU swag.

weber.edu/studentaffairs