Category: News

Students and faculty at the Russell C. Taylor Health Science Building are facing ongoing parking challenges with limited available spaces, forcing many to park on nearby streets.

Despite designated lots for students, faculty and visitors, overcrowding has made it difficult to find parking, raising concerns about safety and convenience for those in the College of Health Sciences.

With the building backed up against a hill on 1470 E and Medical Center Drive, a growing student population faces finding a convenient parking spot a daily challenge.

For multiple years, parking has been an issue at the Taylor building. Then, the dirt patch located on 1470 E St., where faculty and students relied heavily upon to park in, got quickly overturned by dump trucks and the construction of a hotel.

St. George city controversially approved the hotel expansion in 2024. It wasn’t called controversial because of the limited parking affecting the university, but because of the impact on St. George scenery.

A city council meeting in 2024 said, “The planning commission’s conditions for approval emphasize the importance of maintaining the area’s natural features while accommodating new growth.”

Samantha Hylemon, a senior nursing major from West Jordan and president of the Utah Tech Nursing Association, has been going to nursing department staff meetings as a student representative.

Safety concerns escalated when a construction company began towing student and staff vehicles parked on the dirt lot while large trucks moving through the area created additional hazards. Without designated sidewalks and crosswalks, students walking from the dirt patch to the Taylor building faced the risk of being hit by oncoming traffic.

After construction halted, emails were sent out by Alicia Frank and the nursing department to nursing students voicing concerns and possible solutions.

Hylemon said: “I remember the day those emails came out. I voiced my concern about how they were bringing huge trucks in [to the dirt patch], and how I was worried about students’ safety.”

Alicia Frank, administrative assistant for the nursing department said, “Colleges are working together as a group [to solve the issue].”

One possible solution, proposed by the nursing department, was a shuttle system from the main Utah Tech University campus to the Taylor building. There are multiple complications that would have to be resolved, like budgeting and logistics, but this is a solution that the nursing program is actively working on.

In an email sent out by Frank, she said: “Lawyers from St. George Regional Hospital and Dean Bermudez from the College of Health Sciences have been in ongoing discussions with the City of St. George regarding the installation of a crosswalk across Medical Center Drive in two locations. While the process is underway, a timeline has not yet been confirmed.”

Part of the series of emails included a Google form for students and faculty to share their opinions about the proposed solutions.

Frank said she has felt threatened multiple times by ongoing traffic from having to cross the road on Medical Circle Drive from 1470 E St. Sending out the email was a step toward student safety, hoping little steps, like getting student feedback, will help solve this issue.

In a cohort of 48 students enrolled, a poll done by the nursing department found:

• 46 students have almost been hit crossing the road
• 44 students have almost been hit crossing the road twice
• 40 students have been almost hit crossing the road three or more times

For now, students and faculty are encouraged to voice their opinions and concerns.

“I think they are hearing us now,” Hylemon said. “They are hearing how much of a problem it is, and they’re more worried about [it]. They are worried about student safety.”

The Cultural Showcase held March 25 was an immersive evening full of dancing, stories and students sharing their culture. 

The Utah Tech Student Association hosted the event at the Gardner Student Center ballroom. It included members of the Utah Tech Indigenous Student Organization, Student Organization of Latinos, Pasefika Student Union and the Ballroom Dance Company. 

Michael Olsingch, UTSA’s cultural club representative and a freshman mechatronics major from Wildomar, California, said, “I love culture, and I love people having a community to go to, and I love having a way to express culture.”

He shared this event is meaningful to him because it’s an “opportunity to be able to express my own culture” and learn new things about other students and their cultures. Olsingch said it has been fun to watch students prepare for this event and show how much they care about their own culture. 

The event opened with an American Sign Language interpretation of the song “Go My Son,” a song about indigenous students receiving higher education. Olsingch said the performance “heartfelt and powerful.” The evening continued with stories and dances performed by members of the ballroom team, Student Organization of Latinos and Pasefika Student Union.

Each club was able to share the history behind their dance or a personal experience they have had with their dance. Music filled the room as dancers moved across the ballroom stage. Smiles flashed across the faces of the dancers and members of the audience as they represented a piece of their culture. 

Silvia Fuente Perez, a sophomore psychology major from Leganes, Spain, said she came to the event to support her friend on the ballroom team. Perez said, “I love supporting people… I feel like showing up to whatever it is, it’s important.”

Leah Larsen, a freshman recreation and sports management major from West Jordan and the belonging and wellness coordinator for UTSA, said: “The Cultural Showcase was meant to be a celebration of all the different students we have on campus. They all come from different backgrounds and have different stories, and that was the whole point that we wanted to come across with the Cultural Showcase.” 

Students from different backgrounds and cultures came together to support this event. Larsen said: “My favorite part of this event was seeing everyone show up and support all the different groups… I love that everyone was there for each other, to support each other.”

One thing Larsen loves about Utah Tech is it’s “such a close, tight-knit community.” She said the showcase really displayed that feeling of unity. 

Olsingch said he loves that this event allows students to have a platform where they can represent their culture and strengthen their community while doing it.

“I love seeing how much they love what they’re doing,” Olsingch said.

Students across Utah gathered at Southern Utah University in Cedar City Feb. 28 for the Utah Conference of Undergraduate Research.

The conference is modeled after the Nation Conference of Undergraduate Research. It was created with the goal of uniting students across multiple disciplines to share their research and achievements. 

Faculty at the University of Utah condensed this idea to only focus on students in the state of Utah and held the first UCUR event in 2007 in Salt Lake City. 

Utah Tech University was represented by 80 students from disciplines ranging from art, physical science and humanities. 

One of the students representing Utah Tech was Emma Mancuso, a senior criminal justice major from Henderson, Nevada. She applied in October by writing an abstract detailing her research topic and was selected to present shortly after. 

She spoke about 3D scanning, mapping technology and how it can be used within criminal justice investigation. She attributes her project’s inspiration to a trip to Singapore with a local digital forensic crime lab and her internship at INTERPOL, a crime analysis and prevention firm.

“They showed us… 3D scanning and mapping technology,” Mancuso said. “They were wondering how is that used in the U.S. right now. I wanted to take my research from actual crime scene investigators and detectives who work with the technology to see if they really feel like it’s a good fit for crime scene investigation.”

Hallee Hassell is a junior psychology major from Ogden who also represented the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She presented on the effects of childhood sexual abuse and said one of the main reasons she wanted to participate at UCUR was the influence of joining a psychology lab at Utah Tech. 

“My lab group had done a whole big research study reporting on all different things like attachment styles, sexual literacy and body image,” Hassell said. “Nobody had ever reported on what they found with body image. So, I thought that I could connect that into something that I am interested in and present on it.”

She said most of the research process was spent compiling various resources about the topic and conducting a large-scale literature review that allowed her to form a hypothesis. 

“Research is really tedious, but I really like it,” Hassell said. “It’s really interesting and there’s still so much to be done.”

The College of Health Sciences had a handful of representatives as well, one of whom was Spencer Luque, a senior individualized studies major, with a pre-physical therapy emphasis, from Orem. 

“I initially got the idea during an English class,” he said. “I work in physical therapy and blood flow restriction is something I deal with on a pretty regular basis. So I thought, ‘Hey, let’s look at some of the effects of blood flow restriction on chronic pain management.’”

Luque said how working on a research paper in that English class and working with a physical therapist helped him conduct the research. His presentation argued how treatments similar to this could be used in place of pharmaceuticals or surgical treatments. 

Luque said, “No matter what, you’re never done researching and there’s always something more to learn.”

Local public land and national monument protections are under scrutiny from the Trump administration for potential mining and drilling sites.

Two southern Utah monuments are being looked at for potential sites, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. 

An executive order signed into effect by President Donald Trump Jan. 20 sought to roll back protections placed on public lands and national monuments against drilling and mining. The order, titled “Unleashing American Energy,” would advance the use of fossil fuel energy in America and decrease dependency on the import of fuels from other countries.

The reasoning, as stated in the executive order, is to expand American harvesting of natural resources on previously untouched land. The order stated a desire to create more jobs for the American people in these industries to help fight economic collapse.

However, Rachel Jensen, a senior environmental science major from South Jordan, said mining on these lands could mean habitat loss for wildlife and biodiversity loss.

“There would be a lot of wildlife displacement because these national monuments and public lands are critical habitats, especially for endangered species,” Jensen said.

Another potential limitation for mining on these lands is the amount of freshwater usage that it requires, and not only that but the pollution of water that occurs in toxic runoff from mining. 

Water pollution from mining has historically affected Native populations on reservations. From 1891 up until the 1970s, Native lands were leased out and used as grounds for mining. These historical mining sites are now abandoned, but their negative impact on Native land and its water is still seen today. 

Bears Ears, although not on a reservation, carries historical and spiritual significance for Native peoples. Greg Melton, assistant professor of geology, said mining on the land could have a big impact on land and people.

“One of the biggest concerns with Bears Ears is the effect it will have on Native peoples and the history and culture in that area,” Melton said. “The significance of that area to the Native people is being severely overlooked.”

Melton said he encourages people to take a look at the issue from both sides, the economic perspective and the environmental preservation perspective. He said it’s a complex issue where a balance between the economy and the environment should be created.

According to a 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, 76% of Utahns are in support of protecting national monuments over mining and drilling.

The want to mine and drill on previously protected lands is said to have the potential to create more jobs for the American worker, increase the harvest of natural resources on American soil and a generalized pro-industry attitude.

There are a number of potential environmental risks should the drilling and mining take place at these monuments. As of now though, there are no official orders to begin mining projects in the U.S.

The presidential search at Utah Tech University has been a multi-step process that includes the current presidential search committee—comprised of 11 members ranging from faculty to community members—narrowing the search down to three finalists. 

On Feb. 24, forums were held to allow the campus community to meet and ask each candidate questions. 

Each of the finalists had about 45 minutes to answer questions, and each one catered toward their qualifications, which highlighted what they would focus on if they became the president. 

Danny Ipson, a Utah Board of Higher Education member, and Deven Macdonald, a member of the board of trustees at Utah Tech, were co-chairs of the current presidential search committee. They started the forums by stating that this was a way for everyone to meet the candidates and finalists for the presidential search. 

Philip A. Cavalier

The first finalist, Philip A. Cavalier, started the forum with a story about the nontraditional way his parents went to college. He said this experience is why he wants to work at Utah Tech because UT gives students a chance when there may not have been one. 

“My parents were the beneficiaries of schools that made it possible to go to school when they were told it was impossible,” Cavalier said. “I see that kind of opportunity at Utah Tech, as an open-access institution. You’re bringing in students who didn’t think they had a chance to go to college.”

Cavalier currently serves as the provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he has been for the last seven years. Cavalier developed an enrollment strategy at his current position where he raised the retention rate for first-year students to 77%.  

“You’re not just bringing them in, you’re bringing them in and helping them graduate… to help them get to the finish line,” Cavalier said. 

During the forums, Cavalier talked about the importance of maintaining arts programs, focusing on academics and helping students succeed at Utah Tech—which included growing graduate programs. 

“I don’t think that polytechnic means that you can’t or shouldn’t have art programs,” Cavalier said. 

He said it was vital that even engineering students should have experience in art and he plans to keep, if not improve, each fine arts program. 

Steven J. Hafen

The next finalist, Steven J. Hafen, is the administration vice president and chief financial officer at Brigham Young University. His roles include financial services, physical facilities, human resources and more. 

Hafen said the focus of every decision should be on the students to understand their needs and be beneficial for them. 

“I think I have a unique background to not only address the operational needs of the university but to make sure the students are the primary focus of everything we do,” Hafen said. 

He said the focus of the university is to make sure the students are prepared for the workplace and bridging the gap between what happens in the classroom and what happens after, could be improved.

During his forum, he talked about the importance and focus of general education and the comprehensive nature of a broad education.

When asked about his qualifications and experience with diversity, equity and inclusion, Hafen said building an environment where students feel welcome is important. 

Hafen said: “I am a guy that loves everybody, and I know that’s easy to say. At the end of the day, it is making this university a place where any student feels like they belong. Faculty and staff, same thing.”

When asked about the federal lawsuit against Utah Tech, Hafen said: “It starts with me, and I have to lead by example in everything that I do. Having said that, I also think that there are processes in place, policies in place and we have to make sure they are the right policies and processes so we can adhere to them.” 

He said he would not tolerate misbehavior and if it did occur, “the best thing you can do is be transparent about what’s happening and where things are going because the ramifications of bad behavior are noted and you start to ensure that you’re getting the right culture with people doing the right thing.” 

Shane B. Smeed 

The last finalist, Shane B. Smeed is currently a university president at Park University, where he has been for the last five years. Smeed has led extensive and comprehensive campaigns to support academic programs, student services, athletics and campus development. 

He also talked about the importance of transparency as a president and introduced a communication plan to foster engagement and trust among students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders at Park University. 

As said in Utah Tech’s mission, Smeed said concerns should be focused on making academic excellence succeed. He said he meets with the president of Park University’s Faculty Senate once a month to cover any of their concerns, as well as meet with the Faculty Senate as a whole to address and resolve anything they are concerned about. 

When asked how he would work with faculty and hear their concerns, when he sat down with UT’s Faculty Senate Feb. 24, he said his focus would be on not only the growth of the university, but also investing in teaching, scholarship, service and ensuring faculty members are set up for success and given the proper resources. 

“I’m a problem solver, but I would take a more comprehensive approach to strategically look around and see where those opportunities are,” Smeed said. “The only way to solve these problems is to spend time and listen to the lifeblood of the organization, which is the faculty. Thank you for all you do in the classroom… you have my support.”  

Some people asked questions about the diversity created by the name change, the Title IX lawsuit and other areas of concern—to which he responded by saying he himself had more questions and wanted to know more about it. 

His key areas of importance were expanding the trajectory of the university, helping to receive funding from outside resources to take stress off the state of Utah, maintaining the arts despite a focus on polytechnic education, and mostly, creating a strong relationship with students by going to games and other events on campus. 

The Utah State Board of Higher Education has a forum available for anyone to submit concerns they have for the next president, as well as their thoughts about the finalists. This forum is open until Feb. 25, and the new president will be announced Feb. 26 in the Zion Room at the Holland. It is asked guests be seated by 5:15 p.m. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have begun to conduct raids across the country starting Jan. 26, 2025. 

The raids started out as a means of targeting undocumented migrants who were suspected of committing a crime, but some undocumented individuals who are not suspected criminals have been swept up in these raids.

Due to recent policy changes from the Trump administration, ICE is now allowed to conduct investigations in previously restricted areas such as churches, hospitals and schools.

As uncertainty has kicked up as to whether or not an area is susceptible to a raid, some students have questioned what Utah Tech University’s policy is should ICE come to campus. 

The university sent out a school-wide email Feb. 2 titled “University Response to Federal & State Policy Changes.” In the written response, Ali Threet, dean of students, said how the policy changes will affect UT students. 

The email said students’ private information “will not be released to any individual, agency, or organization without the student’s written consent or a court order.”

When reached out to her for personal comment, Threet did not respond.

Included in the official response is the establishment of a task force that is dedicated to:

• Reviewing new policies and their implications
• Providing guidance and resources
• Addressing concerns while upholding applicable laws and regulations

Tasha Toy, assistant vice president and chief compliance officer, gave insight into concerns or fears that some students may be facing.

“We don’t want to downplay it, but we don’t want to have this heightened sense of angst, because students are here to get an education,” Toy said. “We see and understand what’s going on in the national spotlight, but we also have a duty to create an atmosphere of education for our students to feel protected.

The official policy of Utah Tech, when and if ICE comes to campus, is that the agency will be in contact with the chief of police and any investigations will be coordinated with them, Toy said. ICE will need to have the proper documentation and judge-signed warrants if they want to make an arrest.

Students are not required by law to give any personal information and UT will not give out personal information unless it is ordered to do so by a judge-signed document. Students can also go to the registrar’s office and request to opt out of having their directory information shared.

Ella Parsons, a senior sociology major from Avon, Indiana, has been handing out information cards to other students who may be concerned about their rights. These cards, officially called Red Cards, inform the reader what their rights are while they live in the U.S., whether they are documented or undocumented individuals.

“You can say that you are not interested in speaking about your immigration without a lawyer present,” Parsons said. “Knowing your rights can give you some more protection.”

Other signs with similar sentiments have been posted around campus. These flyers advise people to know what to say and what their rights are in a situation where ICE is questioning the person or has shown up to their place of residence.

Students at UT can look to the official response released by the university for further insight into the university’s policy should an ICE raid occur on campus.