Month: September 2015

Students, family, faculty, alumni and enthusiastic locals turned out in force to support this year’s “Rock the Red” theme for Dixie State University’s 2015 Homecoming parade and Founders’ Day celebration.

Hundreds gathered along Tabernacle Street to watch nearly 90 entries of floats, musicians and clubs make their way downtown toward the big, red “D’ on the hill.

The north plaza parking lot of DSU was a flurry of excitement and smiling faces as final preparations were made to the parade lineup.

Tim Long, vice president of clubs and organizations and a junior business major from Hurricane, helped plan the event and said it was awesome to be involved.

“Last year was a little more chaotic than this year,” he said. “Things are a lot more under control and organized, so it worked out a lot better.”

Julie Bangerter Beck, a 1974 alumna of Dixie State College and former general Relief Society president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served as grand marshall for the parade and led the first group of automobiles that carried this year’s Homecoming royalty.

Miss Dixie Sara Wulfenstein, a sophomore business major from Pahrump, Nevada, and her attendants received loud cheers as they traveled along the parade route.

“It’s so exciting,” Wulfenstein said. “It’s really fun because I am part of student government, and we have been planning this parade for a few weeks, so it’s really cool to see it all come together.”

The crowd cheered, “We love you and all you do for us,” as its favorite entries passed by. Those included an impromptu shootout with the DSU basketball team, classic autos with the class of 1965, a live wrestling match by DSU wrestling, marching bands from across the county, and an assortment of candy flying through the air from every vehicle.

Alumni from the class of 1965 wave to the audience at the Dixie State University Homecoming Parade Saturday. The parade boasted nearly 90 entries. Photo by Jake Brown. 

The celebrations continued at the 17th annual Founders’ Day assembly and Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the St. George Tabernacle.

A large crowd gathered in the venue and were entertained with music from the DSU symphony band and chamber singers. 

Toni Caplin delivered the tribute to the founders and reminded everyone the importance of supporting the “Dixie” spirit.

President Biff Williams presented the awards and thanked everyone for attending the event to honor this year’s inductees: Franklin and Kathryn Richards, and Douglas Allred, former DSU basketball coach and athletic director. 

To be considered for the Hall of Fame, each candidate must have a distinguished career and have made a lasting impact on the community and the university. Williams said each inductee not only met the criteria but exceeded them.

The Richards have been active supporters of DSU for twenty years, Williams said. They funded the development of the Kathryn Lloyd Richards Sculpture Garden located near the Eccles Fine Arts Center.

Allred served the DSU campus for over thirty years. He tearfully thanked  former President Arthur Bruhn for asking him to take over the basketball program in 1963. He was the first coach to introduce DSU’s program on a national stage and established a legacy of hard work and dedication that endures to this day, according to a biography written for the award.

Allred said he was honored to be selected to join the 92 previous inductees, which included a few of his former players.

“I’m an old coach [who] has been incognito for a while, but I appreciate it,” he said. “I felt like Pete Rose.”

The festivities concluded with a rendition of the DSU school song led by its symphony band. The audience would not let the band end without a second verse.

The DSU Hall of Fame display is housed at the Cox Auditorium and has been remodeled this year to give respect to past and future recipients.

Students sing at the Founders’ Assembly in the St. George Tabernacle Saturday. President Biff Williams presented the awards to this year’s inductees to the DSU Hall of Fame: Franklin and Kathryn Richards, and Douglas Allred, former DSU basketball coach and athletic director. Photo by Jake Brown. 

With two loveable TV personalities starring in this clip, it was destined to go viral.

I wasn’t able to catch the full episode, but I heard all about the contest the day after it aired and knew I had to see for myself. Jimmy Fallon and Ellen Degeneres battled each other in a gut-busting lip-syncing contest. Justin Timberlake, my childhood crush, judged the event. He seemed to be drinking something other than coffee out of his mug.

Fallon begins the battle with what he referred to as a crowd favorite, and lip-synced “Mr. Brightside,” by The Killers. 

Degeneres followed up suitably with a song by Diana Ross called, “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” She took a different angle by sitting down on the stage rather than standing with the mic like her competition.

Fallon’s second song choice was none other than Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” I thought for sure it was no contest at this point in the video, and Fallon had won the lip sync battle.

However, Degeneres gave an unexpected performance with Rhianna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and won the battle.

I think they gave the win to Degeneres to be polite since she was a guest on Fallon’s show. Fallon had her beat with the dance moves and stage presence the second round, and her performance did not measure up to the bar he set. 

Fallon was so enthusiastic in “Watch Me,” that he had to remove his blazer. He also said to hell with the microphone because it was going to get in the way of his dance moves. 

Degeneres kept a relatively cool demeanor when the song could have easily used a lot more spicing up. 

Timberlake clearly enjoyed Degeneres’s performance more, as he was dancing to it but remained seated for Fallon’s follow-up. 

I adore both of them, but I thought for sure Fallon had it in the bag and was surprised when Timberlake voted for Degeneres.

I might be biased because Degeneres and Fallon are two of my all-time favorite celebrities, but this video was great. I anticipated every giggle. Both of them are comedic geniuses, and I think anyone who is having a bad day should watch this clip. The only thing I was disappointed about was the length. Fallon’s battles always leave me wishing there was more. What I wouldn’t give to spend a night with these two at a karaoke bar.

 

Salary gaps, discrimination, sexual harassment and no mandated paid maternity leave are all hurdles working women will face in the United States – but there are people to help.  

These were just a few of the issues presented by a panel of speakers from Dixie State University faculty at the Dixie Forum lecture “International Women in Focus” Sept. 22.

Associate humanities professor Leonor Ceballos, Education Department Chair Chizu Matsubara, associate English professor Theda Wrede, and English instructor Olga Pilkington each gave presentations about the treatment of women in different countries compared to women’s issues in the U.S. They discussed topics such as maternity leave, balancing work and family life, and social attitudes about women in the workplace, as well as shared insights from their own experiences.

“I’m used to having a female family physician; I’ve never heard of a man occupying that particular profession,” Pilkington said while contrasting female dominated occupations in Russia with the U.S. 

She said one of the greatest parts of her culture shock in the U.S. was the scarcity of women in jobs that normally many women would have in Russia.

“I’ve kind of got used to my male dentist,” Pilkinton said, drawing laughs from the audience. “I’ve let that one slide.”

The forum was the first of many events the DSU Women’s Resource Center has planned to cater to female students this semester—such as movie showings and lectures.

Florence Bacabac, an associate English professor and director of the WRC, said all the events revolve around the WRC’s mission to promote female students’ academic and professional development. She expressed appreciation for how much the center has grown in its short time on campus.

“We started small a couple years ago as the DSU Women’s Resource Program with me as director, our adviser Dr. Carole Grady and three unpaid student interns,” Bacabac said.

After being approved for the status of “center,” Bacabac said the WRC has been hosting events and collaborating with like-minded organizations that bolster its mission.

Keiran Presland, a senior English major from Brighton, England, and an intern at the WRC, said he didn’t know about the center until the beginning of last year. He became involved as an intern to help promote the center on campus so students could know about the resources the center provides—like facilitating opportunities to find mentors. He said having a mentor has been a beneficial experience.

“Having a mentor has really helped me with questions I have about the future,” Presland said. “If I have issues with papers, they can help me out with something like that. [It helps] really just being able to sit down and talk to somebody for a half an hour when you need someone to talk to who can help you with experiences that maybe they’ve had in their past.”

Bacabac encouraged students to contact the center to share their own stories about mentoring.

“We believe these stories are powerful and can encourage others to seek out female-to-female mentoring relationships to achieve academic and professional success,” Bacabac said.

The WRC also provides female students with opportunities for scholarships and internships, and in conjunction with the DOVE Center of St. George, it offers free advocacy for survivors of sexual assault at regular Wednesday meetings.

Both female and male students can get involved by connecting with the WRC on Facebook and Twitter and attending the events on campus.

“We see a bright future for the center to create a strong impact on campus,” Bacabac said.