UVSC College Times, 2005-01-10

              IMifcqg eta & lite gnu tern ( You missedlalolrof basketball over the break. We'll catch, you u on. page 16 UTAH VALLEY STATE 1 :3 mj wIJjILiIo liUlil 11 MillM) ( EL BUEN PANO EN EL ARCA VENDE VOLUME 33 'ISSUE 20 J J I. X I 1. IS nn iliU nn n. II JUL Courtesy Khoto Back on Oct 20 it was all smiles, but since then the Michael Moore visit has caused a riff in Student Government. Lawsuits, resignations, and hurt feelings have changed the face of ASUVSC. Vegor Pedersen Editor-in-Chief Three months after Michael Moore spoke to a packed McKay Events Center reprucussions from the filmmaker's visit are still being felt at UVSC. Last month Joe Vogel stepped down from his position as Student Government's vice president of academic affairs amid a controversy involving a book he is writing concerning Moore's visit. Vogel's resignation, which was asked for by ASUVSC president Jim Bassi, came after an article appeared in the December 4 edition of the Deseret Morning News concerning Vogel's upcoming book. In the article Vogel said that he would disclose information that he was not allowed to speak of at the time of Moore's visit. "I was concerned that Joe's remarks to the press might cause more problems for us," Bassi said. "Things had finally started to get quiet around here, and that article seemed to stir the pot again." Vogel says that he did not instigate the interviews with either KSL or the Deseret News. "It was no secret that I was writing this book," Vogel said. "If people had concerns they never voiced them to me." In the days following the article Bassi, Vogel, and Clubs vice president Brooke Arnell met several times together, and with their advisors, to discuss what the stance should be when discussing the Michael Moore issue with the press. "I wanted a commitment from the other execs that we wouldn't talk to the press regarding the Michael Moore issue," Bassi said. "Joe couldn't promise me that." Vogel says the central issue is one of loyalty. "Jim was willing to back me up before when we initially brought Moore to campus, I don't understand why he isn't doing that now," Vogel said. Bassi also considers this an issue of loyalty. "We are a team, and as a team we decided it was best to not discuss the Moore issue anymore," Bassi said. "But a member of our team wasn't willing to do that, so we asked him to resign." One reason for Bassi's concern was that the article appeared just days before local courts were to hear a lawsuit brought against student government by Orem resident Kay Anderson. The lawsuit, which Anderson dropped the day after Vogel's resignation, claimed that Student Government violated its own constitution by negotiating Moore's speaking fee in excess of their $50,000 limit. The situation was extreme enough to raise the ire of a group of faculty members on campus who see Vogel's resignation as an attack on free speech. "I MLK Commemoration to focus on native American rigiits Errin Julkunen Editor-at-Large As part of UVSC's 11th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration, John Echo-hawk will accept the 2nd Annual MLK, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Justice and Human Dignity on behalf of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). Echohawk has been with NARF since its inception, serving as Executive Director since 1977. The MLK, Jr. Commemoration will take place January 1 1 th and 1 2th with Echohawk offering the keynote address in the Ragan Theatre at 1 p.m. Additional events for the Commemoration include a performance by Salt Lake City's Repertory Dance Theatre and a series of panel dis cussions on issues in civil rights. "One area that often gets neglected in discussions of civil rights is Native American rights, and certainly in the Western U.S. that is relevant for all of us," said Commemoration co-chair Ryan Simmons, assistant professor of English. "Mr. Echohawk had been discussed by the Advisory Board for some time as a possible guest speaker and honoree." Echohawk has consistently been named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the nation by the National Law Journal, and been involved in most major Native American litigation since 1970. As one of the co-founders of the NARF, Echohawk has represented cases involving treaty enforcement, federal recognition of tribes, land John Echohawk will be the keynote speaker during UVSCs I Ith annual Martin Luther King, Jr Commemoration this month. Echohawk has been the executive director of the Native American Rights Fund. Courtesy Photo and water rights claims and other issues facing American Indian tribes. Echohawk, a Pawnee Native American, has received numerous awards and recognition for his leadership in the area of Native American ... ... I r 7 J - t i r - i, ,1 . -, 1 1 . , , , law, was a founding member of the American Indian Law Students Association, and the first graduate of University of New Mexico's program to train American Indian law- mmm mi Autumn Nielson Assistant News Editor Turning on the TV. these days brings more photos and death toll numbers from the tsunami that racked Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Here at UVSC there are few students that personally feel the effects of the mounting death toll. Many students are considering what they could do to help relieve the millions of people affected by this disaster. Other U.S. citizens feel the same, and want to add to the $350 million already pledged by the U.S. Also, the Bush Administration is asking each citizen to donate as much as possible. President Bush himself recently donated $10,000 to the growing fund. Although the school and the Service Learning Center is legally bound and cannot raise donations, due tofund-raising policies, there is a way that students can donate to the relief fund. In the book store there are canisters waiting for pocket change. Students buying books can simply donate there. Unfortunately, so far there hasn't been a huge outpouring of cash. Two employees of the bookstore, Kayleah Limb, and r.