Month: January 2021

Students and staff in the Black Student Union planned February’s Black History Month events at Dixie State University to promote the importance of the month and learning another culture.

Brione Lockett, African American and Black student coordinator, said the national theme for this year is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.”

Lockett, who is also the adviser of BSU, said, “I specifically structured the events we have planned to fit this year’s theme and to also represent how interwoven and diverse the DSU community — much like a family — has become.”

Two Black History Month events are planned for each week of February to fit the budget given to Lockett, he said. Most of the activities will be occurring virtually since large gatherings are still not permitted on campus, but two small events will be held in person.

“There’s been a lot of conversation going around with people asking, ‘When is Black History Month?’ and I was a little taken back,” Lockett said. “I’ve always known when Black History Month was, ever since I was born, but these activities we have planned are a start. This is our opportunity to teach.”

Festivities on campus start Feb. 1 with a campus conversation event revolving around the question, “What does Black History Month mean to you?” This event will be in collaboration with International Student Services, which fights the stereotype that Black History Month is only recognized in the U.S.

“Hate it or not, we got here somehow and the slave trade reached so many other parts of the world besides America,” Lockett said. “There are people of color on every continent, minus Antarctica of course, but this is a conversation all people can have.”

On Feb. 4, guest speaker Marguerite Mariama, an artist, activist, educator, noted speaker and consultant on issues related to the arts and personal and collective transformation, will speak to DSU students, staff and community members through Zoom.

More events include:

• Feb. 11: “Black Men, White Coats” Documentary/Discussion (Virtual)
• Feb. 11: Poetry Slam celebrating Black culture (In Person)
• Feb. 16: Black History Month Trivia Night (Virtual)
• Feb. 18: Pizza and Playlist (In Person)
• Feb. 23: Part two of the Campus Conversation exploring what Black History Month means to individuals on campus (Virtual)

Each of the events listed above is in collaboration with other DSU groups on campus such as the Institute of Politics, the Dixie Sun News, and the Multicultural Inclusion Center.

BSU Treasurer Nia Malone, a sophomore criminal justice major from Oceanside, California, said: “This is so exciting because we never really did much for Black History Month last year. We’re so glad to be collabing with different groups around campus and to have Dr. Lockett here beside us planning everything out with us.”

BSU Vice President Nahjae Malone, a sophomore general studies major from Oceanside, California, said she hopes DSU students will want to attend the Black History Month events so they can learn more about Black culture.

“It always makes me feel more comfortable to talk to people who know a little bit or want to learn more about my background and culture,” Nahjae Malone said. “It was rough at the beginning to plan these events, but once we see other students come and participate, it’ll be smooth sailing and worth it.”

Dixie State University’s study abroad programs are yet another area of the university that has been affected by COVID-19. A university-wide travel restriction has caused select study abroad trips to be canceled for the 2021 spring and summer semesters.

“Right now, all faculty, staff and students have to get special permission [from President Richard “Biff” Williams] to travel for any programs related to Dixie State University,” Jenny Callahan, the study abroad program coordinator, said.

According to the State of Utah’s COVID-19 Transmission Index, if an organization from outside the state wants to travel in state lines for a DSU event, approval from one of the university vice presidents must be acquired.

According to the DSU travel information website, “Dixie State University has canceled all University-sponsored domestic and international travel from March 23 through July 31, 2020.”

The following spring study abroad trips have been canceled:

• South Africa (May 10-24)
• Rome, Italy (May 8-23)

The following spring study abroad trips are still under consideration:

• Everest Base Camp in Nepal (dates unset)
• Columbia (May 12-May 30)

The following summer study abroad trips are still moving forward:

• Ireland (June 25-July 25)
• Florence, Italy (June 20-July 11)
• Japan (dates unset)

The following summer study abroad trips have been canceled:

• Spain (May 24-June 25)

The fall 2021 trip to the Dominican Republic July 30-Aug. 7 is still moving forward with plans for registration to open up March 1.

Michael Cartmill, director of global education, gave further insight into the difficulty it takes to move forward with these decisions.

“With the current situation, there are many factors that come into play: our own status state and nationwide, [and] that of the country we want to travel to,” Cartmill said. “Do they have restrictions and what are they? Will the group have to quarantine when they arrive? Do we, or will we, have re-entry requirements such as a negative test result, quarantine periods, [and] proof of vaccination?”

With the uncertainty of what the COVID-19 virus will bring in the future, there is still a possibility for other trips to be canceled.

DSU currently has faculty leaders discussing the safety of the trip.

“The biggest portion of the decision is with the faculty leader who is leading the program,” Callahan said. “They are familiar with the location and what is involved with the trip, and we are also checking the Department of State Travel Advisory, and we also check with any affiliates we have in the location.”

However, the university administration has the power to make the final decision, regardless of what any of the faculty leaders or staff suggest.

“The university [administration] has the responsibility to help students travel safely, especially under our sanctioned programs,” Indigo Nelson, a junior criminal justice major from St. George, said. “Having this been said, it is up to the student to decide if they want to study [or] travel abroad via the school’s programs.”

As of now, students are signing up in hopes for their trips to go as planned, Callahan said, and the applications for the fall registration study abroad trips are open.

Anyone with questions regarding study abroad opportunities can contact Callahan at jenny.callahan@dixie.edu.

This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of The Southern Quill, Dixie State University’s student-run literary arts journal founded in 1951.

Cindy King, The Southern Quill’s adviser and an assistant English professor, said this is a unique accomplishment for a literary arts journal since some of the most notable ones in the country have been around for only 10-20 years.

Working on a literary journal like this is “a labor of love,” King said. This is because of the countless hours spent going through the stories and art and working with donors and editors.

“Seventy years is a huge accomplishment; clearly, I didn’t found the journal, and I’m standing on the shoulders of all the devoted editors that came before me,” King said. “The journal is becoming something more legitimate and we’re able to reach a larger audience now.”

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Southern Quill, King and the staff are working on a few different projects. The first of which is accepting work from not only Utah and Clark County, Nevada, but also five new states. The journal will now accept work from all of Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

“This is going to give students a larger real-world experience where we’re working with people from the region rather than from just the local area,” King said.

King said the biggest task and accomplishment is being able to upload the archives of The Southern Quill to its website.

King said: “You know, how cool would that be? Someone from 1973 who published a poem in The Southern Quill will be able to go, ‘Hey, that’s me!’”

The Southern Quill has a total of four genres — fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and visual arts — plus a section for young adults aged 13-17.

“It’s an opportunity for students and the community to be able to get published with or without formal training in art and English,” said managing editor Mary McFadden, administrative assistant for the department of education and family studies and human development. “Number one is that you are published in an established journal… you get real-world experience working with editors… and it’s a tangible resume item that you can show somebody that says, ‘Look, I’ve been published in a journal.’”

The Southern Quill is holding its annual open mic night virtually on Feb. 26.

“It will give students the opportunity to learn about the journal and share some of their work with us,” King said. “One advantage of Zoom is that our contributors that live far away from Utah will be able to contribute to our reading.”

The Southern Quill’s events, such as its open mic poetry night and submissions, can be found on the journal’s website.

A five-person panel made up of Dixie State University representatives and two local lawyers discussed the university’s name change in an emotional exchange Jan. 21.

The Eccles Mainstage Theater quickly filled with DSU students, alumni and local community members. Vince Brown, moderator and director of the Institute of Politics, welcomed everyone to the event.

The five-person panel included Jordon Sharp, vice president of marketing and communication; Student Body President Penny Mills, a senior communication studies major from Orem; Faculty Senate President Bill Christensen, professor of business management; and local attorneys Tim Anderson and Troy Blanchard.

“This event is less of a debate than it is a discussion,” Brown said. “There’s plenty of debate out there in the community about this issue already, and sometimes when you get involved in a point-for-point debate people just look to win instead of look to learn.”

The discussion led to a heated exchange between Anderson and Sharp about the effects of the name change.

Anderson compared DSU’s name to Transylvania University to further his argument. He said although we associate Transylvania with Dracula and the monster he is, that name did not offend nor affect the many successful students who attended and graduated from there.

Sharp replied to Anderson’s analogy and said: “We’re talking about an analogy of a fictitious character who never really hurt anyone. [Compared to Dixie where] we’re talking about a real story. The lowest moment in American history, where we were battling against each other and one side was battling to enslave others.”

Sharp said he understands the meaning of ‘Dixie’ in southern Utah does not have the same meaning as the ‘Dixie’ used in reference to the Confederacy, but lately there have just been too many issues that have negatively impacted students and alumni because of the name.

Brown had to ask the audience several times to quiet down and refrain from commenting about the ideas being presented by Sharp on stage.

“My point is, a name is what you make it,” Anderson said. “We can’t blame our shortcomings on a name, and so that’s one of the things that concerns me here because I hear that in the narrative and I’m concerned that we shouldn’t be that weak at this point. [Dixie] is too strong of a brand.”

Christensen shared stories of several professors being ostracized or even laughed at by other employees from different institutions because of representing the Dixie name.

“When [faculty] travel and do ‘Dixie’ business outside the state, in a very real way we wear the ‘Dixie’ uniform,” Christensen said. “We are in the front lines of ‘Dixie’ versus the world and we’re the ones who get bloodied and beat up because of the name.”

Anderson said faculty and staff should be proud of the institution they work for despite the name and possible ridicule received because of it.

“It’s sounds to me that these faculty came here to work, and [they’re] very timid if they can’t stand up and tell their story,” Anderson said.

The Institute of Politics hosted this event to “facilitate discussion, to be the arbiter between different points of view, and to promote free speech and free exchange of ideas,” Brown said.

Sharp also briefly explained that the DSU administration hired an outside consulting firm, The Cicero Group, to conduct an impact study of keeping the “Dixie” name.

“As we go through today, look at the data and impact on partnerships, impact on students, impact on staff and faculty,” Sharp said. “50% of our staff and faculty said ‘this isn’t good,’ and 1-in-5 recent grads said ‘I’ve had issues with this name’ in their professional settings.”

Blanchard said those who decide to study the impact study data need to read it critically because the first section strategically includes several anecdotal stories and innuendo that the public cannot verify. He recommends for everyone to study the numbers and data itself.

“When you get to the data itself, it’s remarkably consistent and almost unchanged from the 2013 study [DSU] did,” Blanchard said. “If you look at ‘strong support for the name’ versus ‘strong opposition for the name,’ it’s 12-to-1 in this community — meaning 80% of community members support keeping the Dixie name.”