UVU Review, 2009-01-05

              uvureview.com 1 j Inside this issue l 1 .. : ... J j Conflict in the Middle East. Write in with your opinions on how Israelis and Palestinians can achieve peace. MOVE is the newest dance show being performed at the SCERA Center for the Arts this week. Robinson, the nationally recognized dancer, choreographer, and dance studio creator, who is known to use of energy, movement and props. Read more about it on page A6. Afghanistan counselor visits campus 3 CHRISTOPHER HUNT I " News writer Speaking on the topic of the current state of his home country Afghanistan, M. Ashraf Haidari addressed a crowded auditorium at the end of fall semester. Haidari is the counselor for political, security and development affairs at the Afghanistan embassy in Washington, D.C. He delivered a speech on the security, government and reconstruction of Afghanistan to students and men and women of the U.S. armed forces. Haidari was filling in for Ambassador Said T. Jawad, whom was meant to give the speech but had been called back to Washington to meet with President-elect Barack Obama, and future Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The 45-minute speech covered basic information on the vital statistics of Afghanistan, as well as a look at the reconstruction effort currently underway. Haidari was very optimistic, about the future of his nation, yet, noted there are many challenges facing his people. A primary challenge Haidair mentioned is the lack of aid being provided by the United States and other nations. Noting that Afghanistan receives a fraction of the aid that Iraq has received, Haidair expressed frustration with the current aid policy toward Afghanistan."The citizens of Afghanistan demand the basic rule of law," said Haidair. However, he also mentioned the government lacks the resources needed to provide -A ' f - Dave Iba UVU Review M. Ashraf Haidari visits with UVU student Najib Niazi and UVU students in the U.S. armed forces. basic protection to some of its citizens. Overshadowing the challenges his nation is facing, Haidari made a point to emphasize that stability has returned to most of the country, noting that most of the destabilization is limited to the southeast region along the border of Pakistan. Haidair also addressed the issue of women's rights which has received quite a bit of attention since the Taliban has been removed from power. Currently, the Afghanistan parliament has guaranteed 27 percent or 64 of its total seats to women. More than 600 women ran for the seats during the last election. After concluding his speech, Haidair yielded to a question and answer session from the audience. He then took photos with all of the members of the U.S. armed forces in attendance. He presented three of the soldiers with a coin, a gift from the ambassador. He thanked the soldiers for their service to America and also to his country. Presented by Vibe Studios, the show produce lively show s that knock your Less lenders available for student loans BRITNEE NGUYEN Q News editor r PATRICK FRANCOM News writer With the way the financial aid market is looking across the nation, Utah legislature has taken a closer look at its own financial aid situation. When looking at student loans in particular, struggling banks in Utah have been pulling out of offering these loans. This has affected, the amount of options for students applying for loans. However, students are still able to atiain loans through credit unions. The Utah' Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA) is in charge of student loan transactions in Utah. Banks and credit unions must be in partnership with UHEAA in order to offer student loans. Because of the current situation, all but one of the banks has pulled out of offering student loans. This has limited student's options significantly since credit unions are now the only ones allowed to provide student loans in Utah. Should students be worried about credit unions backing out? Utah Community Credit Union is an example of a local credit union with a branch in UVU that works with many of UVU's student loans. "UCCU will continue to provide the stu Participating Lenders in Utah Alliance Credit Union . KeyBank NAUHEAA America First Federal Credil Union Mountain America Credit Union American United Family ol Credit Unions FCU Tooele Fed CUHeritageWest Credit Union Beehive Federal Credit Union (ldaho)UHEAA US Bank Deseret First Credit Union . University ol Utah Credit Union Family First Credil Union . Utah Community Credit Union GoldenWest Credit Union'UHEAA . USU Charter Credit Union Granite Credit Union . Weber Slate Credit Union Jordan Credil Union Photo courtesy of SCERA features "Move" creator Rick socks off with their notorious dents with loans," said Brad Norton, UCCU senior vice president. "We have done it for 50 years and have no intentions of backing out." Joanna McCormick from UVU's financial aid office said this situation hasn't negatively affected most students, only the ones who needed to find a new lender. She said this will affect students by requiring them to analyze lenders better and really ask questions. She advises students who are planning on going to school out of state to look for a national agency to receive a loan. Compared to the rest of the nation, Utah is faring well when it comes to student loans. Other states have had to shut down their UHEAA equivalent programs due to lack of money and the current crisis state of the financial aid market. During the current academic year, UHEAA is allowed to give up to $121 million in loans. UHEAA also said in August that if a cooperative lender can't be found. UHEAA itself will write a loan out directly to the student. With the changes in the economy, students are being forced to explore more options to find the best way to pay for college. A helpful link that gives information about financial aid, scholarships and loans is http: www.utahmentor.orgfinaid New children's book Hit the Road, Manny is about a boy and his gay nanny. Get a recap of men's basketball over the winter break. AS New on campus? Check out the Freshmen guide about One Stop, parking, textbooks etc. t? Alumni awarded during homecoming week C BRITNEE NGUYEN News editor The 2008 UVU Alumni Awards took place during homecoming week and recognized seven nominated individuals who have continu ally supported UVU. "It's a privilege to be able to honor these great individuals who have spent so much time and influence making a difference at the university," said Jeri Allphin, director of the UVU Alumni Association.Distinguished Service Award: Steve Watts Steve Watts' distinguished service included serving as the announcer for the men's basketball team for more than 18 years,, raising funds and awareness for the school through his business, and helping others realize the needed economic resources at UVU. Alumni Association Legacy Award: Bill J. and Margaret M. Pope Bill and Margaret Pope were recognized for their continued contributions to UVU. Their contributions include establishing the Bill J. and Margaret M. Pope endowed scholarship fund which offers support to hundreds of students in realizing their educational goals, and the Colorado Plateau Field Institute endowed fund which supports the Capitol Reef Field Station. Alumni Association Pinnacle Award: Brian F. Wall Brian Wall was awarded for his efforts and contribution to the Alumni Association. Wall began his involvement with UVU 20 years ago when he became a student. Since his graduation, he has been an active member of the Woodbury School of Business Alumni Chapter Board. He currently works for Nature's Sunshine Products in Provo. See ALUMNI A3 : ::::: :; ::v::;;::;::v: rr-K