UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 08, 2026

Month: September 2022

Student petition fights decrease in international students scholarship

by Bailey ChismPosted on

Utah Tech University has lowered the international students scholarship fund by $4,500 for students starting in 2023.

International students faced a scholarship decrease of $1,000 for the fall semester. Starting in the spring semester of 2023, the scholarship amount will change from $7,000 to $2,500 per year.

Along with the change to the scholarship fund, international students with the merit scholarship are no longer required to live on campus. These changes will not affect any present students, only those that enroll in the spring semester of 2023 and onward. 

For almost a year, university leaders have been working with data and financial information with different offices on campus. Together, they have been trying to find a way to avoid decreasing the scholarship amount while still being able to provide services and cover operational costs. 

“It was becoming extremely difficult to maintain the balance without going into loss for the university,” said Shadman Bashir, director of international student and scholars. “So, we had to make the difficult decision of decreasing the scholarship amount for students coming in for spring 2023 and beyond.” 

Some of the international students at Utah Tech started a petition to fight the decrease in scholarship money. There isn’t a set number of signatures that they want to get, but they already have 150 signatures.

Sara Pruther, a junior digital film major from Ibiza, Spain, created the petition to make a stand against the decrease in scholarship money. After speaking with several faculty members, Pruther learned they have been working with international student agencies and expect more international students to come to Utah Tech. 

“Those people will most likely be from the English as a second language program, not the bachelors, so they won’t add to the university’s research or GPA average,” Pruther said. 

Of the international students Pruther spoke to, all of them are frustrated with the scholarship change. She said they feel mistreated and humiliated, so she did what she thought was the best thing to do and created the petition. 

“I am very excited about the direction in which this is going,” Pruther said. “I am so grateful for all of the people that have signed and helped spread our message out.” 

The scholarship cut will not affect Pruther or any current students, but it has sent a message to them. Pruther said she feels like international students are not being appreciated by the school and it’s frustrating for future students that want to study. 

Pruther said: “I want quality education to be available to people and international students need so much financial help. I don’t think it’s fair to target our program when we are already so restricted in the ways we make money. It pains me to think that another student like me from a foreign country with a dream cannot pursue it the way I am.” 

Pruther said she wants the petition to show if the university keeps the lowered scholarship rate, they can offer other resources to help make up for the money they will be missing out on. 

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

Utah Tech volleyball loses three sets against UVU

by Leslie SmartPosted on

After a nail-biter neck and neck game, the Utah Tech University volleyball team lost 0-3 to Utah Valley University. 

Utah Tech started strong by getting the first point on the scoreboard from an attack error made by UVU. They continued to fight against UVU in the first set as they ended with seven kills, two service aces and four blocks. Unfortunately, the Trailblazers fell behind and lost the first set 20-25. 

Whittnee Nihipali, a senior psychology major from Las Vegas, had the highest kill count in the game with a total of 13 kills. Along with 26 total attacks and six digs, helping achieve 13.5 points for Utah Tech. 

In a close game, like this one, Nihipali said having a close team bond bolsters up the teammates as they can fall back on the trust they have for each other. 

Mykenna Nelson, a senior sports management major from Phoenix, Arizona, said: “We are able to stay calmer and not get so frantic because we all know that we have each other’s backs. We have a lot of trust in each other and that all comes from team bonding and being a family.” 

In the second set, the Trailblazers started by winning the first point. UVU fought back and gained a lead. The Trailblazers never lost its fight coming back to tie 8-8. They continued to stay on UVU’s heels but fell short ending with a 19-25 score. During the set, Utah Tech had a total of 14 kills and 37 attack attempts.

“Little things broke down, like passing, in certain spots but we can always get better at that,” Nihipali said.

With much endurance and energy, the Trailblazers entered the third set with a kill by #5, Bridgett Talia, a senior psychology major from Salt Lake City. After a tough battle, the Trailblazers ended up just a couple of points behind UVU, losing 20-25 in the third set. 

Even after a well-put-up fight, the Trailblazer lost all three sets. 

The Trailblazers ended with a total of 32 kills, 93 total attacks, 31 assists and 32 digs. 

Head coach Camilla Hafoka said going back to the basics, like passing and serving, will be the focus next practice. Reinforcing those skills, hopefully, will help the Trailblazer secure a win the next time they play UVU. 

The Utah Tech volleyball team will be on the road this weekend at Southern Utah University. Their game is Sept. 24 at noon.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

‘It’s a plus in all aspects’: Utah Tech student-athletes give back

by Sophie SparksPosted on

Student-athletes have many obligations, responsibilities and requirements, but still, prioritize service hours and volunteer work.

Utah Tech University student-athletes are required to complete 10 service hours each semester due to National Collegiate Athletic Association guidelines. 

According to a recent study conducted by the NCAA, 67% of women and 56% of men who are student-athletes believe they have the responsibility to engage in community service or voluntary work. 

“Serving [the community] and helping them is a great chance for us to interact with them and get to know them more,” Breaunna Gillen, a senior exercise science major from West Jordan said. “It’s a plus in all aspects.”

Although student-athletes’ schedules are occupied with practice, academics and work, they still make time to give back. 

“More than 80% of student-athletes volunteer at least once a year, while 44% serve at least a few hours a month with a variety of organizations, both local and national,” according to the NCAA survey.

Emily Isaacson, a senior recreation and sports management major from Perry, said student-athletes want to engage with the community and acknowledge the people that donate, support and attend the team’s events.

“It’s overall important because you can’t help the community enough,” Maggie McCord, a senior criminal justice major from South Jordan said. “The community gives us so much by just donating, coming to our games, and supporting us.”

The required service hours can either be completed individually or as a team. Acquiring these service hours can range from community involvement activities such as meet and greets to volunteering at local races such as the St. George Marathon. 

Despite the fact there is no punishment for not completing service hours, student-athletes are encouraged to document the service hours that are completed. In the documentation, they are asked to include the activity, the hours, and how many people were involved.

Isaacson said the athletic department and Utah Tech student-athlete advisory committee strive to promote completing the service hours and create better relationships with supporters.

In 2021, then SAAC president Deven Osborne, a fifth-year graduate from Los Angeles, was named to the 30th Anniversary Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Osborne’s nomination was due to his leadership and admirable acts of community service.

At the end of the day, Utah Tech student-athletes continue to go above and beyond with volunteer service hours and find fulfillment while doing so.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

Las Vegas Aces WNBA championship win impacts Utah Tech women’s basketball

by Zoe HansenPosted on

The Las Vegas Aces achieved its first-ever championship in franchise history on Sept. 18 impacting Utah Tech University women’s basketball players.

The championship win sets a new standard and higher respect for women’s sports. The Utah Tech women’s basketball team strives to experience the same rewarding win.

Emily Isaacson, a senior recreation and sports management major from Perry, said she is more than inspired and grateful to have a Women’s National Basketball Association team so close to home.

Isaacson said: “We got the opportunity to go to their last regular season home game as a team. It was super fun, and it was a cool environment. I am so happy to see a lot of support for the WNBA.”

The Aces game that the team attended was the first WNBA game Isaacson has ever been to. Isaacson said the experience was thrilling and more fun than she thought it would be.

Isaacson recognized the support and recognition for the Aces championship win relating it to all women’s sports.

Maggie McCord, a senior criminal justice major from South Jordan, said having a WNBA team so close to home is an awesome experience because of the learning and growing opportunities.

“We can call them our home team even though they are still about two hours away from us,” McCord said. ”It’s really cool to see the environment keep growing and growing after all of these years.”

McCords favorite player on the team is Kelsey Plum because of her personality, confidence and hard work. Plum stands out to McCord as she strives to be a similar athlete on the court.

“I love and value her confidence, and even though she is a younger player she is still able to compete against these icons,” McCord said.

McCord said the overall goal of both the WNBA team and the Utah Tech women’s basketball team is to win championships. Watching the Aces do it gives an even bigger drive for the team to get its Division I championship.

Breaunna Gillen, a senior exercise science major from West Jordan, said it was a cool experience to watch the Aces play because it gives our team something to base our season off of.

“Being able to watch the aces do something that hasn’t been done before shows that things that haven’t been done can be done,” Gillen said.

Gillen said the ultimate benefit of having the Aces so close is having so many learning opportunities from just watching them play.

“For me, it is definitely more engaging to be a part of their environment and see how they operate and how they warm up,” Gillen said. ”This is something you might not see from watching on the T.V., it is a good way to base things off of.

Since Gillen plays the same position as Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray she admires and looks up to them because she can pick up on some of the things they do on the court.

“From my position standpoint those two always have the mindset of petal down, it’s go time, which is something I admire and something I need to do,” Gillen said. ”Watching them shows me what I want to be.”

The Utah Tech women’s basketball team looks forward to their season with hope to accomplish a similar goal and win its own first Division I title.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

The arrest of a non-student on Utah Tech campus

by Angel WoodPosted on

The St. George Police Department arrested an individual on Sept. 13, near an on-campus housing unit at Utah Tech University.

Interim Chief of Police Ron Bridge said the arrestee, 18-year-old Christian Quintana, is not a student and had participated in a series of behavioral events beginning on the night of Sept. 12 and ending in the early morning of Sept. 13.

What started as a small gathering between Quintana and other students at the Nisson Towers housing complex resulted in intoxication, burglary, aggravated assault and the blandishment of a knife. 

The people involved with the incident included Resident Assistant Ian Nevius, a sophomore psychology major from St. George, who said he was woken up Tuesday morning by some “pretty intense yelling.”

He went to investigate and saw Quintana on the third floor of the complex. After asking him if something was wrong, Quintana met Nevius on the bottom floor where he brought out a knife and asked if they were going to have a problem. Eventually, Nevius was able to calm the individual down, convincing him to put the knife away. 

“It’s definitely nerve-racking when you see a knife get pulled on you,” Nevius said. “Adrenaline pumps but in my head, it was clear. I felt like I should keep talking to him.”

Upon putting the knife away, the students who knew Quintana from the gathering the night before came down to assist Nevius, one of whom called the police. 

Emergency personnel from the St. George Police Department and the Utah Tech Police Department arrived shortly after the call. They searched the individuals and took Quintana into custody after finding the knife. 

“I didn’t get stabbed, none of my residents got stabbed, and that’s amazing,” Nevius said. “Police were right there and took care of it, and I think that’s the best way it could have gone.”

Upon further investigation, officials found that Quintana had already threatened individuals with the knife, assaulted a woman, and broken into an unlocked apartment the night before. He stole items including a set of keys that was later returned to the owner. 

After the incident, Seth Gubler, the director of housing and resident life, met with all the students involved. 

To ensure feelings of safety and protection amongst the students, Gubler said the housing staff went through a week-long training before the start of school. The training taught the staff how to respond to dangerous situations in a safe and timely manner. 

Along with professional training, four resident assistants and one RA supervisor are available 24/7 to assist on-campus housing residents, especially after office hours. More information about who to contact during abnormal circumstances can be found on the housing website.

Other than keeping doors locked, reporting suspicious activity, and being mindful of the guests you bring over, Gubler said, “Individuals should be cautious. Taking small steps to create safety for your environment will pay off in huge proportions.”

As for the campus police, they do 24/7 coverage by campus patrols and building walkthroughs. They also engage with students and housing staff throughout the school year. 

“Our officers prioritize safety on campus,” Bridge said. “We have a proven track history of safety on this campus and are considered to be in the top few in the nation for safety.”

The safety and well-being of every student, staff and community member can be found right at their fingertips through the Utah Tech Safe App.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

OPINION | St. George is not fun after the sun goes down

by Zoe HansenPosted on

St. George is a college-student populated town with no night life.

With Utah Tech University being the center of St. George, and ultimately the reason many people come to this great town, there is nothing for college students to enjoy after classes and homework are done. The reason being that food, entertainment and general facilities close at 9 p.m.

I am a full-time college student and I work a full time job. On four out of seven days of the week, I work until 9:30 p.m. Usually I go straight from school to work with maybe a snickers bar to get me through the day. When I get off work, I would love to go get food. Unfortunately, it feels like most every food facility in St. George closes at 9 p.m.

Here are some of the places college students cannot enjoy after sunset:

Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A is a fan-favorite and is commonly a go to for college students. It’s close to nearly everything, and some chicken from Chick-Fil-A never sounds like a bad idea. If you’re like me, you get cravings for Chick-Fil-A when you can’t have it. For example, on Sunday it is closed like many other food options, although, that is another story.

St. George Escape Rooms

This enjoyable entertainment center is great to go to with a group of friends. You get to work together and try to escape the set up room with clues and hints. The thrilling part is watching the clock tick down until your doom. This is a fun experience for college students to enjoy with a group of friends or even a group date.

Don’t get too excited, you won’t be able to enjoy the fun after 8:45 p.m.

House of Jump

The House of Jump is the only indoor trampoline park in Southern Utah. Not only does it have trampolines, it has climbing walls, dodgeball, basketball, a stunt pit, and much more. House of jump has a variety of activities for everyone.

College students can let off stress and worry here, and ultimately jump their problems away, but make sure you do it before they close at 9 p.m.

Red Cliffs Mall

Red Cliffs Mall is one of the only ”bigger” malls in St. George. It has a wide variety of clothing stores, shoe stores, makeup stores, book stores and a food court. They have big name stores such as Dillards, JCPenney, Barnes and Noble, Bath and Body Works and much more.

Like a lot of other companies in the St. George area they also close early. Except, you might be surprised because this mall doesn’t close at 9 p.m.; It actually closes at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Fridays. So if you thought 9 p.m. was early, its not for St. George.

The Fashion Place Mall in Murray, stepped up its game and is actually open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Therefore it is not uncommon for malls to be open past 7 p. m. especially for a college town.

Red Hills Desert Garden

Red Hills Desert Garden is a beautiful conservation garden and is actually Utah’s first. It has about 5,000 desert plants, dinosaur tracks, a stream and many other sights. Not only is it pretty in the day time, but it thrives at night. The track is lit up, and there are swinging benches that overlook the city.

Make sure to go check this sight out before it closes at 10 p.m. This might be one of the few places in the city that doesn’t close at 9 p.m.

Fiesta Fun Family Fun Center

Fiesta Fun is a great place for college students to hang out, relax and have fun. There are many different activities involving two nine hole mini golf courses, bumper cars, arcade games and bowling alleys.

The best part about this fun center is that it closes at 11 p.m.

Out of all the fun places things to do in St. George, it really is a bummer that most close pretty early. Most college students are up later than 9 p.m. and want something fun and relaxing to do after work is done. Even if places around town closed just an hour later, it would benefit the college students.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

2021-2022 State of the University Address: ‘The eighth era of Utah Tech’

by Sydney JohnsonPosted on

If you’ve been searching for the information on everything about Utah Tech University, here it is.

Introduction and remarks

Here is what took place prior to President Richard “Biff” Williams’ report:

  • The national anthem was sung by James David, a senior music major from Koblerville, Saipan.
  • Welcome remarks were given by Tiffany Wilson, chair of the board of trustees.
  • Remarks were given by Shane Blocker, assistant director of career services and Glenn Webb, associate professor of music.
  • Remarks and the introduction of Williams were given by student body president Devon Rice, a senior marketing major from Bountiful.

“I want to hear a big round of applause for President Williams and everything he has done for this university,” Rice said. “And please share that same excitement, as he shares with you our updates on the strategic plan.”

President Richard “Biff” Williams

“Good morning, and welcome to Utah Tech University.,” Williams said. “I’ve said it every year, I’m going to say it again, but this is one of the most exciting times for me to be able to come and share with you all of the exciting things that were accomplished this last year.”

“If I look at the history of our institution over the last 111 years, if we were to look at the different names, we are in our eighth era as Utah Tech University,” Williams said.

Williams said as part of the rebranding, it was important that they went forward with the focus of, “How do we capture the history as we move forward into the future?”

As an example of this, Williams shared the new school song that stands for the past, present and future. The new song was written by Ricky Valadez, and it was inspired by the original Dixie song written by A.K. Haven.

Williams then reannounced the five strategic plan goals for 2020-2025:

  1. Academic distinction
  2. Strategic enrollment growth
  3. Institutional capacity and performance
  4. Community as a university
  5. Faculty and staff life

Highlighted announcements

  • With the name change and a polytechnic focus, Utah Tech is going to host the 2023 World Polytechnic Summit in St. George.
  • Williams said: “We made history this year. So in July [2022], the State Board of Higher Education approved the first clinical doctorate at Utah Tech University right here in St. George, Utah. We are excited that now we not only offer certificate programs, but we have a clinical doctorate at this institution.”
  • During the 2021-2022 school year, Utah Tech added three bachelor’s degrees, two associate degrees, five certificates, eight online bachelor’s degrees, one online associate degree, and eight online certificate programs.
  • “We were awarded 183 acres at the Desert Color campus, so we are looking at an Innovation District, and we will do a lot of work with that this year,” Williams said.
  • The Utah Tech police department earned international accreditation in July 2022. Only 7% of the universities in the country have this.
  • Williams said: “We’ve also focused a lot on the health and wellness of our students. We just added two additional counselors. What I am really proud about is we have over 500 employees on our campus that are QPR certified.”
  • By 2025, the goal is to have over 500 international students
  • In 2021-2022, Utah Tech students received $28,519,435 in scholarships.
  • “This year the city of Santa Clara is partnering with us, and we will have a number of projects ranging from general city plans to identifying blue clay in water mitigation efforts,” Williams said.
  • Through the Atwood Innovation Plaza, 100 patents have been granted, 22 copyrights have been approved, and 104 trademarks have been submitted. Williams said this is not only an asset for those at Utah Tech but also those in the community.

“The state of the university wouldn’t be the state of the university without some big announcement”

A new, and improved, student center is in the works. Williams said this is going to be a place for students to find the resources they need, have a comfortable dining area, engage in accessible meeting spaces, and more.

“We have identified we will need a 100,000 square foot facility that will cost about $70 million,” Williams said.

Williams said they are going to raise $10 million in private funding for the new center.

The Marc C. and Deborah H. Bingham Foundation has donated $5 million to the future Utah Tech student center, and they are going to help Utah Tech raising raise the other $5 million to reach the goal.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

OPINION | Money can buy you happiness

by Angel WoodPosted on

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness didn’t know how to spend it. 

As a full-time college student working a part-time job, life itself is just stressful. I worry about money all of the time. Whether it’s how I’m going to afford the soaring gas prices or if eating out is within my budget, I’ve found that many of my stresses and worries are related to money. 

I hear stories that involve lucky contestants winning the lottery and students earning big scholarships. Oftentimes I think to myself how happy I would be if I was placed in one of these situations that resulted in money overflowing my bank account. 

Understanding that money is the backbone to all things in this world has led me to believe that money truly can buy happiness. 

In order to survive, we need water, food and shelter. All these necessities cost money. What happens when we don’t have the money to buy clean water, healthy food and reliable shelter? We essentially lack the ability to survive, and those are just the necessities. 

Other things recommended for our day-to-day living include clothes, insurance, transportation and education. These cost even more than the necessities but are equally as important. 

The expense most relevant to the time period in my life right now is education. Education is not cheap, especially without financial aid. Not only do I have to pay for the education itself, I also have to pay for living expenses, transportation, food, fees and school supplies. 

As a first generation, non-resident college student, I remember feeling very anxious about attending college because I did not know how I was going to afford it. Due to this worry, I didn’t look forward to furthering my education, and I noticed my happiness decreased as I got closer to beginning my freshman year. 

Thinking back, if money wasn’t an issue, I definitely would have been more excited to attend college. I wouldn’t have had to worry about finding a job right away or filling out numerous scholarships throughout high school. I would have been able to relax knowing that I had the expenses of college taken care of without all the stress. 

Stress plays a big role in determining what makes people happy. Having the money to pay for unexpected inconveniences such as a popped tire or a cracked phone screen allows us to ride smoothly over the bumps of life. When individuals have more money, it doesn’t mean they have less problems. It just means that they can pay to get out of those problems quicker and easier which makes having money a lot more desirable.

Besides the important things in life, having more money also allows individuals to buy the things that they want. Whether that includes fancy cars, trendy clothes or the newest iPhone, materialistic items that people desire are often the things that make them happy.

Other things proven to make people happy are being able to give to others. Whether it’s food to the homeless, gifts to our friends or money to charities, people feel good and successful when they have the ability to lend a helping hand.

Feeling successful also leads to happiness. A common factor in success is determined by how much money an individual makes. When a big salary is presented, feelings of accomplishment allow people to feel happy because they know they have more control and financial flexibility over their life.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the facts. A recent study found that there was no specific value at which money stopped affecting an individual’s happiness. The study showed that rising income resulted in higher well-being for participants.

Whether we choose to spend our money wisely or in a way that best suits our desired lifestyle, money can and will buy us happiness.

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY

Coming soon to the App Store, all things Utah Tech

by Joe BoylePosted on

An all-encompassing Utah Tech University centric app on the way. 

When asked about the purpose and benefits this app will provide, Student Body President Devon Rice said, “Me and my team, we want an app that encompasses everything we do on campus.” 

Rice said that he hopes the app will be able to answer all questions students might have. Activities, classroom location, how to get free food, etc. Rice said when approached with questions he hopes he can simply ask, “Have you checked the app yet?” 

Mark Walton, chief information officer, said he also noticed the lack of an all-encompassing tool for students and faculty early on during his tenure at Utah Tech. 

“I noticed that we really didn’t have a centralized portal or engagement hub,” Walton said. 

Rice gives Walton credit for having knowledge of the cheapest and most realistic avenue for Utah Tech to get this app done. 

Rice said: “He’s got a lot of experience. At his previous role at SUU, he had a lot of experience there in learning how they develop their own app in-house… if we did an app in-house then it would cost a bunch of moves to make it happen.” 

While Walton may not have had much direct involvement with the development of the app for SUU, he said he was still close enough to know that doing it in-house like SUU would not work for Utah Tech. 

“I don’t think that’s gonna work here at Utah Tech,” Walton said. “We are staffed differently… my goal is to find a third party to develop a framework.” 

Rice said the university is reaching out to app developers who specialize in making apps for universities. 

Walton said they are looking for developers to offer a customizable framework to best fit the needs of Utah Tech. 

While developers are hoping to have it done by fall 2023, Rice said he is more confident in saying it will be done by spring 2024. 

With a new tech-forward style of learning being pushed at the university with the name change, Rice said having an app this technical forward would be a great representation of the mission of the school. 

ALSO ON SUN NEWS DAILY