UVSC College Times, 2004-03-01

              1 'I 1 ,T UTAH VALLEY STATE COLLEGE 7 j F 1. PL I N I V NO FN I 1 ARCA S Sports r Women's B-Ball beats down Johnson & Wales big time. Read all about it on Page 6. Youn Campus Feeling stressed? Come on get hardy! We show you how on Pane 5. w wnm rrm mim m iJ UVXPress Boring weekend? UVX-Press is the answer. Pick up a copy every Thursday. UVXNews Ammon Van Oroen UVXNews gives you the news you can use, and looks good doing it! Check out the TVs in the halls. y :.r j fcl m ,. . 7 j t j Snow Report Sundance: PowderGroomed 1 2 New 89 Base The Canyons: Groomed Base CnomUlyj! PowderGroomed JIIUWUIIU. Brighton: 1 1 New 1 1 2 Base PowderGroomed 10 New 127 Base PowderGroomed , 8 New 87 Base Your Weather Mon Tue Partly Cloud High 34 Low 18 ; Snow Few Snow Showers Showers High 38 High 38 Low 23 Low 19 i ; i i": i ni- j "In (Tfi nTiTi f3 i i ill i n uu UVSC throws wcciilony party to celebrate lomecomiirj By Vegor Pedersen V-iWusSiaff School spirit was at an all time high last week, as UVS(fheld a weeklong celebration. Homecoming comes a little later at UVSC than at most schools, but it appears that some things are worth the wait. Things started off with a bang Monday as UVSC held their first indoor Homecoming parade. Many different departments and offices from around campus gathered to roam the halls and spread cheer. After the parade UVSC was pleased to have the Mount Timpanogos Pipe Band and their authentic Scottish sound. On Wednesday the School of Business Alumni Association held their first Pinewood Derby. Proceeds from the event went towards the Business Scholarship Fund. Adults got a chance to relive their Cub Scout days and race for big prizes donated by local businesses. On Wednesday night This article is part of a series outlining the different candidates running for office this year. By Zachary Fraser clpsSlall Strong name recognition is good, especially in politics. So is a 20-year history of political service. However, in a crowded race for the top spot in the state, endorsements from a senator who happens to be one of a handful of human beings to have seen spnee from the inside of a shuttle are about as powerful a boost one"s campaign can receive. Recently, Jon Huntsman and his campaign for governor visited Riverside "Huntsman" continued on P9- 3 i.J - I , ... ...... ' ' - - ' 1 , MOV, ;, MARCH ' '")4 f u it students, alumni and deep-pocketed locals were invited to the Homecoming Scholarship Gala. The formal event was held to help raise funds for the school. Carly Tooke was named Miss UVSC 2004 at Thursday's Miss UVSC Pageant.' Tooke is no stranger to winning pageants, having won Miss Spanish Fork. Miss Utah Valley, and comim: 500 in second in the Miss the Utah Pageant last year. To cap things off, the Men's and Women's basketball teams had quite a winning weekend. On Friday night the women's team beat Johnson and Wales by an amazing 117-27 score. The women continued their winning ways Saturday night as they beat the University of Northern Colorado. The amazing play of the Lady-Wolverines inspired the Men's squad to finish off their amazing season by blowing by their counterparts at the University of Northern Colorado. Huntsman lias plans im Utah r r 1; 5 ' ' - -, . ' r, : a Jon Huntsman was in Provo race for governor. Huntsman coming to UVSC on March 3 - ABOVE: Carly Tooke was crowned Miss UVSC 2004 at Thursday's pageant. BELOW: The halls of the Business Building looked like the Daytona Wednesday morning, during first Pinewood Derby. . f -. . X BELOW: The halls of UVSC were pretty busy during Monday's indoor Homecoming Parade. recently speaking about his is just one of the candiadtes 1 to participate in a debate. use slimmi By Vegor Pedersen V'lWnisMad A UVSC adjunct faculty member has been arrested in connection with the rape of a Salt Lake Community College student. Roger Wilkins, who split his teaching duties between UVSC and SLCC, is accused of rape, forcible sodomy and two counts of forcible sex abuse. The accusations stem from two alleged incidents happening on Jan. 5 and 9. Wilkins, 36, is a convicted sex offender and has been an American Sign Language instructor at UVSC since August of 2002. Wilkins, who was fired from SLCC in January for falsifying his employment application, still has his job at UVSC. "He Wilkinsl is not being paid, and is still under contract for the semester, because he hasn't been convicted of anything," said Derek Hall, spokesperson for UVSC. "So if he is exonerated before the end of the semester, than he can be put back in the classroom. But if this situation ocs past the semester, we no longer have any contractual agreements."According to police, Wilkins is believed to have formed a relationship with a hearing impaired student at SLCC, eventually having the 18-year-old woman move in to his house. Allegedly. Wilkins sexually assaulted and eventually raped the woman after she lived in his home for about a month. One of the biggest questions surrounding the Wilkins incident is why a convicted sex offender, who appears on the Utah Sex Offender Registry, was hired by UVSC in the first place? "Traditionally, in higher ed. state schools or larger institutions, background checks are not the norm." said Hall. "We are a very large employer, and it would be a very expensive thing to do.. .we have 2500 em- "VWien we hire someone, we ore standing behind them saying 'Here is our representative in the classroom.'" -Derek Hall UVSC Spokesperson ployees total, and we are the second largest employer in the county. So it would be an expensive thing, but it is an option." But the Utah Sex Offender Registry costs nothing to access, and now that it is on the internet, retrieving information about a potential employee takes seconds. Hall said that referring to the registry during the fur VOL U Ml-32 ISSUE 25 wlHi rape Adjunct faculty member Roger Wilkins is accused of raping a SLCC student. ing process might need to become the standard in the future. "Being on the sex offender list doesn't legally preclude someone from employment." Hall said. "When we found out that Roger Wilkins was on the sex offender list, we asked the attorney-general's office 'Should we do something about this', and there were three things they asked us: What was the crime? How recent was it? What relationship does it have with his current employment? And if you look at it his previous conviction it was 1 1 years ago. it involved a male minor, and it was a misdemeanor." After consulting with the state, UVSC decided to continue Wilkins employment and watch him more closely. The UVSC Police Department has lists of sex offenders who are on campus (ei- Need to Know ther students or employees) provided by the state. But according to Tracy Marrott. who serves as the UVSC police chief, these lists aren't as good as they should be. "The Sex Offender Registry on the internet is still the best resource.. .it is the most up to date," Marrott said. "I think it is important for women to be vigilant about the potential for trouble in dating situations, or for really any kind of interpersonal relationships with males." said Peggy Pasin, who is the director of the Women's Resource Center on campus. "They need to set boundaries and not get themselves into situations where they are vulnerable." Hall said that the idea of doing background checks would probably be discussed by the administration soon. "When we hire someone, we are standing behind them saying 'Here is our representative in the classroom'. ..so we definitely have some responsibility there," said Hall. ; ' . 2 - s ' 1 f