UVSC College Times, 2008-02-18

              HP '.' c . & S College Iimes MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2008 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF UTAH VALLEY STATE VOLUME XXXVII NO. 21 UVCOLLEGETIMES. COM The INSIDE NEWS Police Blotter UVSC cops hot on the trail. 1 A4 OPINION HB 241 and its false hope. A6 LIFE Banff film festival takes viewers to new heights. in S P O R X S Attention-getter: Toolson scores 38. B5 Options grow for commuters UTA expands south route, accomodates UVSC commuters Britnee Nguyen Public editor When the new Utah Transit Authority express bus route 808 began last fair; not only did students start taking the route, but faculty and staff members started to participate as well. Louise Bridge, director of the UVSC Bookstore, started riding UTA in August of 2007. She has been working at UVSC for 11 years, but didn't start riding the bus until last August, because that's when the express route 808 to Pay son was made available. Bridge provided her reasons for riding the bus, explaining the appeal of a $5 annual pass, the environmental benefits, and the convenience of not needing to find parking spaces. Many have reasons similar to those of Bridge, and with the new routes to the south of the valley, more commuters have been able to save money and help the environment.There was a problem for UVSC commuters who were unable to return to their vehicles "that were parked at the Spanish Fork Church Park and Ride lot. This was because there was no mid-day option for the bus to stop there. With the request of many of the riders, the 820 Southbound just began a new flex routing system to accommodate 808 southbound passengers. With this new option, passengers have more commuting options when returning from UVSC. See UTA A3 The New York Times foreign editor speaks on campus Jennie Nicholls Assistant Nevs editor New York Times deputy foreign editor, Ethan Bronner, spoke on campus last Monday in a speech titled, "War and Terror: How the New York Times Covers Today's Big Global Conflicts."Bronner emphasized the importance of the younger generation understanding foreign af fairs. "Whether you like it or not, we live in the most powerful country in the world ... what we do affects everyone else in the world," said Bronner.A bulk of Bronner's speech was concerned with things that a foreign correspon- ' dent would encounter during a stay in a foreign country. See SPEAKER A4 ben Paz Coiiege Times PAYING THE PRICE OF i r y f y j Dj 1 f V y i u HULL II , Dave l ba College Times The coming transition to Utah Valley University is expected to have minimal impact upon the student population. Though there will be a slight increase in tuition and student fees, this increase closely follows the trend of rising expenses. Addressing the students' concerns of tuition and fee increases Drew Howells July 1, UVSC will take the next step in its evolution, becoming the newest university in the state. This long anticipated upgrade has prompted a lot of questions, within the student body, and most of all they are asking, "How much will this cost me?" Other than normal yearly increases, students will not notice a change in how much they pay, according to Linda Makin, the director of budgets for the school. "The Board of Trustees, as well as the administration, is not expecting university status to be on the backs of the students," said Makin. The state has allocated over 8 million dollars to offset the costs of university status, though the graduate programs offered' at UVU will be more expensive than the undergraduate programs, Makin added. According to Makin, the amount of the annual tuition increase has not yet been determined because the state legislature is still in session. A 4 increase is estimated for this coming year, See UNIVERSITY AS Another transition for university status In preparation for the switchover, a new and improved Web site is launched Spencer Shell News editor With the transition to university status, the school's Web site received a major facelift and, along with it, a new name. Prior to the actual switch over to a university, the school launched the home page of its new university Web site: www.uvu.edu Rare Method, a Salt Lake City based marketing firm, designed the site, focusing on trying to keep a similar familiarity, while adding an up-to-date, interactive presence. The Web site is based on a bulletin board theme. Users are able to roll over items on the board and have information pop up in a changing window on the right-hand side. "We're very pleased with Rare Method's design of our new Web site," said Val Hale, vice president for advancement at UVSC and co-chair of the UVU Image Committee, in a college marketing press release. "Once it's complete, the site will offer increased usability for ' our students, faculty and staff as well as give our online presence a boost."" Rare Method worked for the school before, as they were commissioned to design the new logos for the school and athletics. Currently, the new Web page only contains the front page, with links on the page being redirected to UVSC's current Web site. With time, more up-to-date links will be added, but with all mentions See WEBSITE A2- 4f 4 The College Times extend condolences and support to the members of the Northern Illinois University community at this time of tragedy. Oar thoughts and hearts are with the victims and their loved ones.