Dancing for a cause
The annual Rock the U dance marathon raised $75,000 this weekend for the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. The event included 26.2 hours of dancing from 3 p.m. on Friday until Saturday evening. In past years, students were required to raise $300 to participate. This year, the Associated Students of the University of Utah wisely lowered the amount to $50. Not only did the lower price tag encourage student involvement, this year’s event actually raised $5,000 more than last year, despite a lower participation fee and the economic recession.
In its third year, the dance marathon continues to be a positive and enjoyable tradition. Kudos to those members of ASUU responsible for its organization and to the students who participated. It takes dedication to dance for 26.2 hours, even for a good cause. HIT
Harry would be proud
ASUU President Patrick Reimherr became the third U student in three years to be named a Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. The foundation awards 65 scholarships of $30,000 for public service annually to applicants from more than 280 colleges nationwide.
Although recipients of the award deserve congratulation, the U and specifically the Hinckley Institute of Politics share in their success. Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute, and other faculty recruit students interested in the scholarship and coach them through the competitive selection process. The past three years have validated those worthy efforts. Prior to 2007, only five students from Utah were named Truman Scholars in 11 years, and only one was a U student. U applicants and the Hinckley Institute do all students, faculty and staff a service for continuing to put the U on the map. HIT
Student for life
Not many students have matched the devotion to education exhibited by Rod P. Dixon.
Dixon, who died on March 23 at the age of 86, was a lifetime student at the U, taking classes right up to his final weeks. His lifetime involvement at the U includes a business degree, teaching philosophy, attending the S.J. Quinney College of Law, taking a variety of classes for 50 years and having the Rod P. Dixon Lectureship in the philosophy department named after him.
His presence will be missed, especially by those who reside in student housing, where Dixon lived. For everyone else, he is the ultimate example of a person who truly committed his life to learning. Dixon showed students the value of education beyond the worth of a diploma or a high-paying career. We hope his insatiable appetite for self-improvement has rubbed off on the rest of us. HIT
Text me a river 🙁
The Utah Legislature recently passed a bill that, starting July 1, will make texting while driving illegal. Although being distracted on the road certainly has negative effects, a blanket ban on texting at the wheel might be a little much. Considering it will be almost impossible for police to tell when a driver is guilty of texting instead of any number of other legal activities, the new law stands a high chance of being often and easily ignored.
Outlawing the practice, especially considering that equally distracting pastimes are still legal behind the wheel (eating, applying makeup, talking on the phone), was a wrong turn. Instead of banning texting completely, applying larger penalties in cases where texting leads to an accident would be a better preventative measure. MISS