Month: October 2016

Registering to vote can seem confusing, frustrating or too hard to figure out alone; however, there are steps and sources that can make everything easier.

Vote.utah.gov is the government website for Utah residents to help apply their 12^th amendment right to vote in the 2016 election. If students have not registered to vote, there is still time. 

“Voting is important; if you want to see a difference then you have to be a part of the difference,” said Kendra Jensen, a senior English major from Richmond and vice president of academics for Dixie State University Student Association. 

DSUSA put out a slogan called “Don’t vote. Don’t Complain” for students, hoping to increase votes and let students’ voice be heard. 

How to register 

Election supervisor Melanie Abplanalp said students have the opportunity to choose where they would like to register to vote. They can choose to register in their hometown or in St. George she said.

Students can register at the Washington County Administration Building by filling out a paper form or can go online at vote.utah.gov. Jensen said students can come to the DSUSA office, and DSUSA members will help students register. 

Ben Bundy, a junior elementary education major form St. George, said he recently renewed his driver’s license. During the process, the department of motor vehicles asked him if he would like to vote. He had no trouble searching or signing up to vote, and his ballot was later sent to him in the mail, Bundy said.

Bundy said if he was not asked if he wanted to register to vote while getting his license renewed.

“I wouldn’t have known exactly where to go or start,” Bundy said. “I’m sure I could have found something on the internet however.” 

Students must register before Nov. 1 at 5 p.m., or they will not be able to vote in the 2016 elections. 

Voting for 2016  

As far as actual voting goes, there are opportunities for students to attend an early bird voting Nov. 1-3. Jensen said early voting will take place in the Kenneth N. Gardner Student Center in Conference Room D from noon to 4 p.m. 

Students who cannot participate in the campus voting on Nov. 1-3 can go to vote.utah.gov for their assigned voting precincts, which will provide the areas, times, dates and districts for voting. Ballots will be available at the voting precinct. 

Voting will happen on Nov. 8, the last day of the election.

Required I.D.

Jensen said voters must bring a valid picture I.D. with their name on it or two other forms of I.D. that proves where they live.

A specific list is available on vote.utah.gov under 2016 Voter Information Pamphlet. The list includes options for photo or no photo identification. 

On the Ballot

The ballot will be different depending on which region in which students live. Ballots can be sent through the mail but must be sent back no later than Nov. 7. Voters who visit a voting precinct in person are to present I.D., follow instructions on the ballot, double check their selection and send in the 2016 vote.

The categories on the ballots are U.S President and Vice President, Utah Senator, Utah’s congressional district, and other state and local candidates. Amendment changes will also be found on the ballots as well as Proposition 1, which would increase taxes in southern Utah which can be found on washco.utah.gov searching Proposition 1.

If there is still confusion on voting as a college student, contact Abplanalp at the Washington County Administration Building by emailing melaniea@washco.utah.gov or calling 435-652-5891. Students can also visit vote.utah.gov for information on the candidates and policies on the ballot. Information regarding these points are found in the Voter Information Pamphlet on vote.utah.gov.

Dance shows expression, feeling and emotion, and viewers had the chance to experience that outside on Dixie State University’s campus Thursday.

Opening their first dance concert, the DSU Modern Dance and Improvisation Club presented a site-specific dance known as Time/ Place/ Energy Thursday. Specific dances were choreographed by club members and Sara Gallo, assistant professor of dance, who created the scene for this new dance club at DSU.

“The intention of the dance was to show that dance can take place anywhere,” Gallo said. “We also wanted to promote the beauty and uniqueness of our campus.”

Time/ Place/ Energy dancers performed eight different choreographed dances all around DSU’s campus from the Eccles Fine Arts building, down to the Snow Science and Math Center, and ending at the fountain with 12 dance performers. 

With an audience of approximately 40 people, the dancers performed religious, and Halloweenthemed dances while racing to different locations and changing outfits to perform the next piece. The last piece performed at the fountain with improvised music performed by Robert Matheson, assistant director of music, Glenn Webb, assistant professor of music, and DSU students. 

“Dance is a way for me to give to others,” said Sukcha Choi, a senior dance major from Jeolla, South Korea, and member of the Modern Dance and Improvisation Club. “It’s almost like my missionary work.” 

Gallo said the DSU Modern Dance and Improvisation Club started approximately three years ago but began at DSU this fall semester as a chartered club. Gallo said the club invites everyone to come visit and partake of the dance energy.

Tommy Hayes, a junior medical laboratory science major from St. George, is the husband of Linda Palmer Hayes, who choreographed the dance “Plague.”

“It took a lot of time to put this concert together, but they did really good, and I’m proud of my wife,” Hayes said. “The choreographed dance, the ‘Plague,’ was definitely my favorite, because I got to help pick the song.”

Gallo said approximately 60 percent of the concert was on-the-spot improvised. The group practiced in class for four hours a week for 10 weeks to practice different dance moves and to feel comfortable improvising on the spot. 

Choi choreographed the dance “Hope for Resurrection” and said, “I am proud of the performers and love dancing with them and growing with them.”

The club meets every Tuesday 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

“I am so proud of their performance,” Gallo said. “They did really good.” 

Most of the trips I take to Las Vegas don’t involve meeting Sean Hannity and both of Donald Trump’s sons and end with me attending a debate viewing party at the Cosmopolitan—but this time it was different.

I received an email Oct. 16 from Turning Point USA, a national organization dedicated to informing young Americans about important political issues and how to make a difference. Attached to this email was an invitation to attend a live taping of a Millennial Town Hall hosted by Fox News anchor Sean Hannity with Donald Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr., on Oct. 19th.

Without hesitation I accepted the invitation, filled out my information and stayed excited until Wednesday finally came. Attending a live viewing of a show featured on Fox News and hosted by Hannity is a once-in-a lifetime-opportunity. I drove to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a couple of hours prior to the show and patiently waited with over 250 other millennials just like me from all over the country.

During the waiting period, I soaked in the feeling of being surrounded by like-minded and politically-energized young people. I sat and talked foreign policy with a couple of 20-year-olds from San Diego. Interacting with college students from across the nation was interesting because our backgrounds and even the caliber of school we went to were completely different, but our beliefs and stances still managed line up and make for a cool experience.

The energy in the room was palpable. Everyone excited to hear what Hannity and the Trump sons had to say. When Hannity came on stage he told us all, “There is only one rule on this show… No rules.”

The entire audience began to cheer and then we all proceeded to chant pro-Trump phrases such as “Build that wall” and “Trump-Trump-Trump”. 

Attending “Hannity” was not only incredible because I was somewhat auspicious in my dream to meet Hannity, but I was able to see that there are millennials who are informed. This upcoming election will shape our country in ways we may not see until it is the millennials who are running for office. Key issues such as abortion, social security and foreign relations hang in the balance, and incoming executive administration will play the pivotal role in how our country will move forward on these issues.

During the Town Hall, Hannity and the Trump sons were able to answer questions that millennials had and discuss how important this election is and how important it is to stay politically active. The Trump sons were quite impressive both in their demeanor and their ability to relate to us and portray the importance of the debate later that night. The They were captivatingly savvy; they portrayed an aura of confidence that could have owned my attention for three or four more hours.

I then had the opportunity to watch the final presidential debate at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. In the room where we watched the two candidates thunder away at each other’s foreign policies, allegiances were divided. After Clinton would take a stance and a dig at Trump, vivid cheers and claps rang through one side of the room. And after each aggressive push by Trump, the other half of the room roared back. For a moment, I was not sure if I had attended a debate viewing or Major League Baseball game. 

While this may not be a popular election, my faith in people and their involvement is still intact, especially millennials. If we as a country try to sit out this election, or make futile attempts to vote our conscience and ignore how important this time of year is, then it will pass us by without us being the wiser. Talking to all of these millennials and hearing how passionate Hannity and the Trumps were about the future of America further instilled in me how important it is to be involved and informed on the political scene.

National, state and local elected officials visited Dixie State University to help cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the DSU Institute of Politics and Public Affairs Oct. 26.

It was standing-room only outside the Gardner Student Center as U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, President Biff Williams and student leaders of the IOP spoke about how students can be involved in politics. U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch was also scheduled to make an appearance at the grand opening, but he canceled due to meetings in District of Columbia, said Rob Porter, Hatch’s chief of staff, who spoke at the event in Hatch’s stead. 

“In many ways, politics is a reflection of our society and culture, which is why having an institute like the one we’re inaugurating  today is so essential for the community,” Porter said. “This will be a home for students and the community to come and learn about issues and discuss different points of view.” 

After a few brief speeches about the importance of the IOP at DSU, James Kener, a senior English major from Murray and student director of the DSU Institute of Politics, cut the ribbon with a pair of oversized scissors. He was joined by a few DSU administrators and politicians including St. George Mayor Jon Pike, state Sen. Don Ipson, state Rep. Bradley Last, state Sen. Lowry Snow and Stewart. 

“Our goal is to just to engage with the community, in particularly with the students at [DSU] so millennials understand the importance of engaging in the election process,” said IOP director Henrie Walton. 

Walton said another goal of the IOP is to increase student leadership and political internship opportunities for students at DSU. 

“We’ve been lucky to place four interns in [District of Columbia] and Salt Lake City just in this past semester,” Walton said. “We’ll continue to grow that program to put DSU even more on the map.”

Stewart said the IOP’s efforts to involve students at DSU in politics is important because it will help students get out to vote and inspire future political leaders.   

“We don’t know what challenges our leaders will have to deal with in the years ahead of us, but we also don’t know the good things we’re going to see in the years ahead of us,” Stewart said. “This is a great time to get involved in politics, so that’s what we’re asking you to do. [The IOP] is going to allow you to do that.” 

The grand opening for the IOP was the capstone event of Freedom Week at DSU, where students are being encouraged by members of DSU Student Association and the IOP to vote and get involved in politics. Other events during Freedom Week included a Voter Registration Blitz and a Pizza and Politics event to discuss why millennials should care about elections. 

Kener said the goal of Freedom Week is to get students registered to vote and to show that “politics can be cool.”

“Millennials have a lot of power in politics,” Kener said. “We want to make sure they’re informed and they feel welcome to share their point of view because they can make a difference.”

Geo Monrreal, a freshman computer science major from St. George, said he attended the grand opening of the IOP to learn more about what’s available for students to learn about politics before the election.

“Especially with this election, people don’t really know what’s going on; they just hear the negativity from both sides on social media,” Monrreal said. “Having [the IOP] on campus and teaching about how to vote with Freedom Week is something we really need here.”

Fall is in the air even with St. George still at 80 degrees. 

We are nearing Halloween night, and I went out and experienced three events only featured this time of the year.

Staheli Family Farm

3400 S. Washington Fields Road 

Washington, Utah

The Staheli Family Farm started out with a corn maze to promote agriculture education for children and now has grown into a Halloween extravaganza, said Sherri Staheli, one of the owners of the Staheli Family Farm. 

The Field of Screams is the main attraction for college students at the Staheli Family Farm. I advise you to get there early as there are three long lines, but it isn’t as bad as it sounds.

“It isn’t a dinner and movie,” Staheli said. [The Staheli Family Farm experience] is unique, and it only comes around once a year. The haunt only gets better as it goes.”

The Starving Student Card is the only discount offered for Field of Screams, which will get you and a friend in for about $13.

This was my second year going to the Field of Screams. I am a little harder to scare than most people, but I had a good time watching my roommates shriek as we went through the clown-infested room. We tiptoed through the chainsaw-protected Corn Maize and fought to keep our balance as we crossed the bridge in the spinning rainbow-colored tunnel. If you’re the scaredy-cat, just make sure to bring a few of your brave friends to hold onto. 

Dixie State University Halloween Art Exhibit

North Plaza

As I walked through DSU’s first Halloween exhibit, I enjoyed taking the time to talk to Samantha West, a junior English major from Salt Lake City and Halloween Exhibit juror, to learn a little more about some of the pieces. 

Her featured art piece, “Familiar” was created with colored pencils and water color pencils, a medium I had not heard of before. 

“The water-color pencil has a creamy texture and the ability to draw and then when you drip water over it, it acts like a water color,” West said. “It was a fun medium that I have never tried before.” 

West’s piece is a black cat sitting amongst pumpkins with a background full of skulls, candy and spiders trying to capture the nostalgia of Halloween as a kid. Another piece was one you could actually wear. Earrings hung on a near by display at the exhibits entrance made from guitar picks with different colored skulls hanging on the bottom themed with its featured character and its color. Of course, the earrings were for sale if you wanted to display the art from your ears this Halloween.

West said the exhibit brings some of the Halloween spirit that we don’t really have at DSU. 

“It is a holiday that lots of people enjoy and this is a new way to celebrate it,” West said. 

The Halloween art exhibit will be on display until the end of October and is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuacahn Center for the Arts

1100 Tuacahn Drive

It’s true — mummies, vampires and zombies exist, and they come to life at night at the Tuacahn Center for the Arts.    

The air was damp, and the smell of wet sagebrush was in the air. Clouds touched the top of the red cliffs as I walked past zombies to find my seat to watch “Thriller,” a Halloween dance concert, at the Tuacahn Center for the Arts Monday. 

The chilly weather felt appropriate, with most of the audience wearing a few extra layers and some wrapped up in blankets. I half expected a lighting bolt from a lingering storm to hit the stage and bring Frankenstein and his bride to life. 

The show was mostly comical, but a few scenes were more on the horrid side. The scenes were segmented with videos of dancing Stormtroopers by YouTuber Scott David Winn; I wish the Stormtroopers could have been on stage rather than just on screens.

My favorite scene by far was from the “Children of the Corn.” It played out a short story between teenagers and haunted scarecrows in a corn maze. The scene gave me a nostalgic feeling of mixed fear and giddiness as I watched the teenagers’ reactions, which varied between horror and comedy as the scarecrows danced to life.

Kiana Little, a dancer with Odyssey Dance Theatre, said Halloween is her favorite time of year and has been celebrating it continually for the last four years by performing for “Thriller.” 

“[Halloween] is just still so much fun, even when you are all grown up,” Little said. “The show is hard, grueling and hurts your body, but it’s an awesome way to interact with the audience.”  

“Thriller” will be performing at the Tuacahn Center of the Arts until Saturday.