Month: August 2013

On Saturday, October 5th, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. we are going to meet at City Creek Park (110 N State Street Salt Lake City, Utah) and walk over to the Conference Center together. We will stand as a group of women, and male allies in the standby line in order to gain admittance to the Priesthood Session of the 183rd Semiannual General Conference of the Church. If we are admitted, we will celebrate this historical achievement by attending the Priesthood Session together.

After we leave Priesthood session, we will reconvene at City Creek Park to speak to the public, including representatives of the media, about our experiences either attending Priesthood Session or being barred from attending. At this meeting, Ordain Women will make a public statement continuing our unequivocal call for complete equality and the ordination of Mormon women.

Currently, in addition to priesthood holders, “prospective elders” are allowed to attend the Priesthood Session of General Conference, but no women are permitted to attend. That means men who are not even members of the church are allowed in, but even our beloved Prophet’s wife Frances B. Monson was barred from entry. “As a newly called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the then Elder Monson was assigned to speak in general priesthood meeting. Frances tried to stand in the doorway of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to her husband speak, but the ushers wouldn’t allow it, so she stood as near to the window as possible to hear the talk.” http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/frances-monson-passes-away

We are attending this Priesthood Session because we see ourselves as prospective elders. We hope that when our leaders see us in the audience with priesthood holders and other prospective elders, they will consider the untapped potential of the millions of female members within the church and prayerfully consider the ordination of women.

Join us for this historic demonstration of our commitment to equality within the church!

GROUND RULES

This event is specifically for people genuinely invested in the Mormon community.

-We are a faith based group of Mormons and as such will not tolerate anti-church diatribes.
-We will not carry any signs or banners.
-We ask that you come dressed in your Sunday best as if you were attending any other session of General Conference.
-We will not use any deceitful tactics to get into the Priesthood Session. As such, we encourage women to directly ask their local leaders for tickets to the session, but not to get them from anyone who does not specifically know why they are being requested.

Nine more minors joined Dixie State University’s curriculum over the summer, which continues the university’s growth and grants students more opportunities for success.

Minors including biology, math, creative writing, music, chemistry and sociology joined the list of now 12 minors that students can chose from for transcript enhancement and a better fighting chance in today’s competitive post-graduation world.

Bill Christensen, the executive vice president of Academic Services, said new minors provide more opportunities for students to deepen their expertise and stand out from other graduates in both career searches and graduate school applications. He said the lengthening minors list acts as a building block in strengthening DSU’s foundation as it progresses as a university.

“These new minors deepen us,” Christensen said. “Before, we were more like a desert pool that was really broad, but you couldn’t sink beyond your ankles. But now with these minors we’re dredging that out, and we’re getting deeper. It may look the same on the surface, but in fact, there’s a lot more now underneath.” 

Christensen said most of the minors were built out of pre-existing emphasis areas within Dixie’s curriculum. The shift away from emphases to minors has been in consideration ever since DSU began offering bachelor’s degrees, and its graduation to a university acted as somewhat of a catalyst to start offering minors, since graduate schools and employers recognize minors with more ease than emphases.

For example, employers and other transcript reviewers are more familiar with the term “minor” than “emphasis,” and the label communicates in universal language the applicant’s specialties in a more specific way, Christensen said.  

“(Minors) add to our credibility as a university,” he said. “They’re consistent with the way other schools do things, they enriche our students’ education, and they increase to some degree the depth of our departments and our curriculum.” 

Rico Del Sesto, an assistant chemistry professor, said new minor additions, like the chemistry minor, are bringing in a wide spectrum of benefits for not only DSU as a whole, but also students and faculty. 

For example, as more and more new minors are approved and strengthen the foundation for more degrees, Dixie can rise to level ground with larger schools.

“This shows the growth of the university, and that we will soon hopefully start competing with some of the bigger and more established universities because we can offer the same programs,” Del Sesto said.

For the students, a minor in, for example, chemistry can grant an advantage over other graduates in applications for medical or graduate school, he said.

“Having that extra stamp can carry a lot of weight,” Del Sesto said. “It shows the extra initiative to go beyond what your core requirements are, and that you got into pretty intense, challenging upper-level classes. Plus, I think it gives students a chance to explore something they wouldn’t otherwise get to.”

Del Sesto said minors benefit faculty in the sense that they offer professors more chances to share their expertise in more profound ways as students have more incentive to fill the higher-level classes. Additionally, the interest in upper-division courses attracts a more diverse faculty as the demand for specialty disciplines increase.

“This gives us the opportunity to use our expertise and experience to teach these upper division courses that are just as exciting for us as they hopefully are for the students,” he said.

Eli Yates, a senior biology major from Santa Clara, said he was considering transferring to another university since he knew how much value a chemistry minor could carry when applying for medical or graduate school. But when the minor was added to DSU’s curriculum, he changed his mind. 

“The chemistry minor really helped me stay here,” Yates said. “And it will make me stand out more and give a better foundation in my classes in medical or graduate school. You should always keep your doors open…and minors help that.”

Spencer Alexander, a senior biology major from Santa Clara, said he was also grateful for Dixie’s decision to continue to add minors to its curriculum. 

“It’s just an extra edge,” he said. “We are really lucky to have that opportunity to further experience in our fields.”

Christensen said the list of minors will continue to grow with student demand and those with new minor ideas can submit proposals to DSU’s curriculum committee. He said the process is usually fairly easy, since many minors can be built out of emphasis or major curriculum, and the list of minors is expected to continue to lengthen over the next few years.

“There’s more to come; we’re not done,” Christensen said. “We definitely want to listen to (the demand) and respond where we can.”

Students join in on laser tag for this week’s Wednes-D event.

Until recently, it was easier to travel to the Hawaiian Islands than find authentic Hawaiian food in St. George.

That was until this summer when not one, but two Hawaiian-inspired restaurants opened their doors. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, located at 245 Red Cliffs Drive, has experienced heavy traffic since opening less than two months ago.

Hokulia Shave Ice is also new to the area, which opened at the beginning of the summer. It is located at 20 N. Bluff Street in the Smith’s parking lot. 

Both spots are crawling with locals and are bound to fulfill your taste for the tropics.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue  

Upon walking into L&L expect to be greeted with an enthusiastic “Aloha!” and emerged in yellow walls with cliche Hawaiian decor. The restaurant has a hole-in-the-wall feel, but as most of us know, those types of places have a way of becoming local favorites.

The vibe is fun and fast, and the food options are plentiful. With more than 50 menu items ranging from Chicken Katsu, a best seller, to Lau Lau & Kalua Pork Combo, expect to leave with a satisfied belly full of Hawaiian comfort food.

Chicken Katsu is breaded chicken strips dripping with Katsu sauce, a tangy, sweet and savory condiment that takes the dish to another level. Katsu sauce is also a staple for many other menu items, so while you’re pumping some ketchup on your plate, pump a little Katsu on too. It will add a sweet twist that ketchup can’t compete with.

With sides like macaroni salad, white or brown rice, tossed green salad or fries, you can surrender to whatever your stomach desires. The fries are over-sized and go great dipped in Katsu sauce.

Chef Tommy Wang, who spent more than six years studying authentic Hawaiian cuisine in Honolulu, said he is committed to providing genuine island dishes and ensuring consistent quality.

“I am always in the kitchen making sure that the food is being made the same way it is made in Hawaii,” Wang said.

Wang said he takes pride in offering large portions at affordable prices ranging from $2.95 to $9.95 and is now offering discounts to Dixie State University students. For $5.25, Dixie students can choose one meat, one side and a drink. All you need is your student ID and a hearty appetite.

Hokulia Shave Ice

 If you’re in need of a refreshing dessert and another unique experience after dining at L&L, make your way to Hokulia Shave Ice.

Hokulia is a small, colorful shack complete with bamboo paneling and grass trimmings. The shack is intriguing, especially once you notice the sea of people typically surrounding it.

One thing you must not mistake is Hokulia serves shave ice, not shaved ice. Although the ice is technically shaved, native Hawaiians call it “shave ice”, and the folks at Hokulia are carrying on the tradition, employee Adriana Morgan said.

“We use an ice shaver that makes the ice more like snow,” Morgan said.

As opposed to crushed ice, shave ice’s fine texture allows it to soak up the flavors instead of letting them settle at the bottom, Morgan said. With flavors like dream-sicle, coconut, strawberry cheesecake and add-ons like vanilla ice cream, sweetened condensed milk and sour spray, you’re destined to arrive at a perfect Hokulia combination.

Allotta Colada, a local favorite, is a mix of banana colada, pina colada, and strawberry colada. I recommend Sno Cap style, which is made with sweetened condensed milk. The combination is sweet and creamy. You may want seconds.

Prices are affordable, too. A Short Board size is $3, Long Board is $4 and the Big Kahuna is $5. 

And prepare yourself to have some time to ponder your concoction because there are typically Hokulia addicts lined up outside the shack. However, luckily the people within the shack work fast, and the wait is usually only a few minutes.

Make sure you stop by Hokulia Shave Ice before Sept. 21 when it closes for the season because once you do, you will understand what all the hype is about. Hokulia will be back next summer and hopefully will stay longer once the owners, who are from Salt Lake City, discover that here in St. George we have summer well into October. The shave ice is delicious and provides the ultimate Hawaiian experience. 

So, if you are in need of a break from the desert and ready to take a trip to the islands, stop by L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and Hokulia Shave Ice. Mahalo!