After reading Tuesday’s editorial on the topic, I decided I should add to what was said.

Most of us do make resolutions about bad habits involving substances and health, but who has made resolutions for financial health? As we know, financial wellness is directly linked to overall health. Why is it we so easily overlook this important aspect of our lives? Well, it’s not too late.

I am on the first week of my resolutions, and it’s going alright.  Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t made a financial resolution yet. After all, why is one day of the year better than any other to begin making better choices? I say today is always the best day to make changes. You all can hold me accountable: I’ve decided to stop buying lunch and instead pack it and to walk to campus (which takes 15 to 20 minutes) rather than drive and park (in the pay lot especially).  While these aren’t significant, and I’m already wavering a bit in my commitment, I’ve decided that’s OK. If I make one or two better choices a week, that’s all that matters.

One good choice often leads to another, and before you know it, you have accomplished a major positive life change.

I encourage you to consider what small change you can make tomorrow, or next week that will save you $10 a week. This seems small, but if you save $40 to $50 a month that could be up to $600 a year. What could you do with $600 a year? How about a small vacation? Maybe a new electronics product perhaps? Better yet, you could actually save the $600 and put it away in permanent savings or a rainy day fund for when you have to replace your radiator (that may or may not have just happened to me).

It’s not too late to make a positive change, however small it may be.

One of the definitions of a resolution is “the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.” Decide a course of action for you, and do it. Don’t be discouraged if you stumble, get up and try again.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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But the Day of Service isn’t the only activity going on during Days of Dialogue, according to greek life coordinator Kate Steiner.

“There is such a huge variety of topics and events going on this week that there is something for everyone on campus and in the community,” said Steiner. “Diversity has been a longstanding mission on the UW campus and especially this year as we celebrate the tenth year of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Days of Dialogue and March,” Steiner continued.

Students must sign up in advance on the SLCE page of the UW website to participate in the Day of Service, as lunch will be provided. Activities that day will include painting, moving furniture, cleaning and much more.

After the restoration, the MLK March will take place starting at the Albany County Courthouse at 4 p.m. Coal Creek Coffee will provide coffee as participants march to the Union for a free soup supper. Anyone can attend the march or the Willena Stanford Supper in the Union Ballroom.

At the supper, there will be a reading of one of MLK’s speeches by Tracy Patton, the director/professor of African-American Diaspora Studies at UW, a performance by the ballet group 7220, a drum performance by the Wyoming African Students Association (WASA), an awards ceremony, a speech by Congressman Baird and a welcoming speech by UW President Buchanan. There are many other events scheduled for Days of Dialogue.

Some of the major events are the keynote speech by hip-hop artist Common at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Union Ballroom, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Civic Center, and a comedy titled “The Race Show” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the A&S Auditorium. Tickets need to be purchased in advance for “The Race Show.”

For more information, contact Kate Steiner at ksteiner@uwyo.edu or the SLCE office in the lower level of the Union.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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The office is seeking applicants for ASUW directors of policy planning, marketing and public relations and diversity and student outreach.

Last semester ended with the resignations of CJ Young, director of policy planning, Tyler Neasloney, director of marketing and public relations, and Liz Radar, chief of staff.

Dan Adams, former director of diversity and student outreach, immediately filled the chief of staff position.

Applications are also open for new senators from the Colleges of Health Sciences, Arts and Sciences and Law, according to the ASUW website. These resignations are just three more in a line of resignations that began the first week of last semester.

Applications for executive positions are due at noon Friday, and applications for senators are due at noon Jan. 19.

ASUW is also working to plan the ASUW Capitol Spring Break trip.

The trip is designed to give students a unique opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. and see some of the activities behind federal governance.

ASUW recently passed a resolution dedicating funding to the project to subsidize the cost of the trip for the students; however, students may need to pay up to $500 for the experience.

Applications and participation agreements are due by Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.

Later in the semester, ASUW will sponsor Student Fee Day and Elect Her on Feb. 10.

Elect Her is a one-day conference that encourages women to run for student government leadership positions on their campuses.

The conference will help women with campaign strategies, developing a constituency and public speaking.

The event is free and open to students.

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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“This is a good day: a good day for the School of Energy Resources, a good day for the University of Wyoming, a good day for the energy industry and a good day for the state of Wyoming,” Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who was one of six speakers during the morning ceremony, said. “This building will be an important addition to the campus, but the real significance is what will take place inside the walls.”

The ERC will  have  about 30,000-square-feet of space, highlighted by 12,000-square-feet of rapidly reconfigurable laboratory space.

“This building will provide a meaningful and adequate facility for the type of enhanced research that is necessary to sustain and ensure the long-term viability of the energy industry in Wyoming,” Ron Harper, chairman of the SER’s Energy Resources Council, said.

The facility will contain a collaboratorium, a classroom/auditorium and a 3D visualization research facility.

The 3D visualization facility will allow researchers to collect data and allow them to literally to walk through their data while wearing glasses when they enter the room, Mary Byrnes, associate director for Energy Outreach in the School of Energy Research, said.

“If individuals don’t have the ability to communicate language-wise with each other, they can certainly do it through the data by sensing the data visually,” she said.

The facility will have a strong dedication to alternative energy research along with its other duties.

“The construction of the Energy Resources Center will open a new chapter in the excellence of teaching and research of energy-related sciences at the University of Wyoming,” UW president Tom Buchanan said. 

“But as important as this facility will be to those efforts, the greater celebration is about the extraordinary partnership that has emerged between the state, industry leaders and the university to extend the vitality of Wyoming’s energy economy and develop renewable energy alternatives,” he said. 

The ERC was funded through private donations and state matching funds.

Encana Oil & Gas USA provided the largest private donation toward construction of the ERC: a $5 million commitment in 2007 that was matched by the state.

Construction of the ERC will begin this spring with completion expected in summer 2012, according to the release.

“The Energy Resources Center will be a tremendous asset to the university and to our state, and we are thankful that our industry partners share this vision,” SER director Mark Northam said.

“I am excited by the prospect of delivering a state-of-the-art research and collaboration center for the university and energy stakeholders throughout Wyoming.”

Email the author: mdonofri@uwyo.edu 

codyconnor

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With the exception of one, all of students who participated in The Branding Iron poll said that Facebook is the primary online social network service they use; many check the site a number of times a day.

The results are no surprise. 

Simply walking through Coe Library and looking at what websites students have displayed on their screens gives a clear indication that Facebook is not only popular but critical to social interaction for people of this generation.

The majority of students polled answered that they log on to Facebook either from a PC or a mobile device at least three to four times a day. 

Due to the increasingly advanced web capabilities of cell phones, Facebook has become accessible on most mobile devices.

Other, lesser-used, social media sites included Twitter, Tumlr, Flikr, Foursquare, Myspace and various blogging platforms.

Platforms like Twitter have also maintained some degree of popularity among students at UW. Approximately 10 percent of students polled answered that they use Twitter at least once a day. 

Twitter, a social network service that allows users to post simple one hundred and forty character status updates, was used primarily by students who use other forms of social media as well.

Blogging platforms such as Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger were used by only a small number of students. 

These blogging platforms allow individuals to write articles, upload media, and update readers on news, essentially giving them the ability to run their own webpage at no cost.

As new social networking platforms continue to become available on the internet, it is difficult to say whether Facebook will maintain its dominance. 

Following the launch of Facebook in 2004, the popular social network Myspace increasingly decreased in popularity, now it is used by only a small portion of students. 

Whether Facebook will receive its own challenger in the future is difficult to say, but, for the moment, Facebook is without a doubt the primary platform for social media at UW.

Email: Bob Kubichek 

codyconnor

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For southeast Wyoming’s snowboarders, riding the Snowy Range Ski Area has its advantages. 

Among the benefits of snowboarding Snowy Range include low prices and close proximity to both Laramie and Cheyenne, its hometown mountain vibe and short lines waiting to catch chairlifts. 

In comparison to the resorts in the region, the cost of riding Snowy Range is relatively low.

Full day adult lift tickets for the 2010/2011 ski season at Snowy Range are $39; adult season passes were being sold in August for $199, with the option of including five lift tickets to Steamboat for an additional $120. 

The cost of a full day ticket at Jackson Hole can cost up to $95 depending on the date you will be snowboarding; adult season passes are priced at $1,570. 

One of the greatest virtues of the Snowy Range Ski Areas is where it lies in Albany County. 

Located roughly 30 miles west of Laramie on Highway 130, Snowy Range is just a little more than a half-hour’s drive from Laramie and less than two hours from Cheyenne. 

“The best part about the ski area is how close it is to town,” Louis Johnston, a 24-year-old Laramie snowboarder and 2010/2011 Snowy Range season pass holder, said. “You’re just 30 minutes away from being able to board.” 

The ski area’s small size gives it a “hometown mountain feel.” In many ways, the snowboarders of southeast Wyoming feel as if the Snowy Range is their boarding home.

“The size of the ski area really allows you to get know the mountain in ways you could never know a large resort,” Corey Cook, a 28-year-old Laramie snowboarder, said. “I know that mountain like the back of my hand.”

Another favorite feature of the ski area among local boarders are the typically short lines to catch a chairlift up the mountain. 

The wait to snatch a lift at Snowy Range usually does not take more than a couple of minutes. It’s not uncommon to wait in chairlift lines for 10 or 20 minutes—if not longer—at resorts like Jackson Hole or Steamboat.

Riding at other ski areas provides southeast Wyoming’s snowboarders with high-speed gondolas, more terrain and other amenities not available here.

But if they had to choose between the charms of Snow Range and not riding at all, they would surely ride the Range.

codyconnor

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As a snowboarder, I can’t help but love seeing the layer of snow that blankets the ground. But as a resident of this small town, I hate seeing the effects the cold weather has on local transportation.

The cold weather means that many people—especially UW students—who would regularly ride their bikes or walk, take an automobile to get around. 

This places more automobiles and their drivers on roads that would otherwise not be driving. 

The problem with this is that the cold weather that motivates people to drive their cars also makes the roads, which the weather covers in ice, more dangerous. This creates an unsafe combination: more people in cars on roads that act much like an ice-skating rink. In turn, this leads to the increased likelihood of automobile collisions. 

Not only do more cars and their drivers on Laramie roads make driving here more hazardous, it makes finding parking at UW a nightmare. 

All those people taking the warm refuge of their car over the colder option of biking or walking also ensure that parking spaces in and around UW are scarce. 

Under the best of weather conditions, you play hell trying to find a metered parking space on campus. But when you add the additional drivers that come with frigid weather, it will be a cold day in hell when you actually find parking on campus. 

The snowy weather has much of the same effect on parking off campus, which here too, is difficult to find when the weather is warm. 

Yet, when the flakes start falling, trying to find a parking spot can be an exercise in futility. 

What makes the parking situation off campus even worse is that if you actually find a place to park, chances are its a restricted parking area. 

So, when you think it was your lucky day to find that spot two blocks west of the Classroom Building, don’t be surprised when you return from class to find a ticket from the Laramie PD on your windshield. 

But if you don’t want to try to find parking on or off campus there’s always the option of parking at one of the designated parking areas and then ride the TransPark bus to class. 

Many people do just that. Yet, here too is another example of the weather impacting transportation. 

As the temperature outside decreases, the number of passengers riding TransPark busses increases. 

Two months ago you could go to a morning class riding a bus that was half-full. But when the cold moves in, you can expect that bus to be filled to maximum capacity. 

There are times during the winter when the bus provides riders only with standing room. 

Although the winter may not officially be here (that’s on Dec. 21), the weather that comes with it has returned. 

And with the return of the cold come a number of transportation issues—more cars on icy roads, fewer parking spaces and larger crowds of passengers on the bus. 

But don’t worry, warmer weather will return—in June!

Email the author: sstaley2@uwyo.edu 

Branding Iron

The Branding Iron is a Student Media project. Student Media gives University of Wyoming students valuable experience in writing, editing, advertising, sales, graphic design, photography and production through its publications with the guidance of professional staff members. If you find a mistake in an article, e-mail us at bi@uwyo.edu. We will make sure to torture the poor soul until it's corrected. Just kidding. We probably won't do anything, since we're busy studying for finals.

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A view of a snowy Prexy’s Pasture Tuesday morning. A high of 35 is expected through this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. There is a 40 percent chance of snow tonight, and a 50 percent chance Thursday.

jsindt

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In the basement of the Albany County Public Library, about a half a mile of shelves are filled with books looking for new owners. The fall book sale at the Albany County Public Library is almost here.

The book sale starts at 12 p.m. on Saturday and will continue through the week. On Sunday, the library is open 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., closed on Monday, and open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. On the final day, the sale will be open from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. 

“We’d like the students at the university to know the tremendous resources we have here at very inexpensive prices. Classics, science, just about every subject of used books that have been donated,” chairman of the book sale Penny Schenker said. The volunteer group Friends of the Library helps raise money for the public library when it holds the book sale. 

Starting on Wednesday, the prices drop 25 percent and Thursday almost every book in stock drops to 50 percent off. Nov. 13, the final day of the sale, is a five-dollar bag day, when a full grocery bag costs only $5.

“It’s a great way to build your library.” Schenker said.

At the end of the sale, the books will be recycled so the Friends of the Library can start with an all new selection of books for sales next year. All the books at the book sale are donated by the community and withdrawn books from the library.  This year, Friends of the Library is using some new technology to help get the best price for book lovers and the library alike. Their small machine plugs into a cell phone and allows the user to scan books to see how rare they are. 

If Friends of the Library do stumble across a rare book, they send it to a book dealer to sell it.

In the past, a yearbook from 1910 was donated from West Point Military academy the year Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated. 

A dealer helped sell the book and the profit, like all books from sale, went to help the Albany County Public Library.

“I always came to the book sales,” Friends of the Library volunteer Mary Vrooman said. 

“And then I retired and I had time to focus on things that I love; and I love books.”

Email: Lauren Kottenstette 

codyconnor

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Many voters may take greater notice to presidential elections (after all, you are voting for the leader of the nation). But when you vote in today’s midterms, you’re making decisions on local and state issues; you’re choosing state and local candidates. 

By voting, you are determining the officials who will represent you. You will make decisions on ballot initiatives that will have an impact on your day-to-day life.

Nowhere is this truer than when looking at whether the 5th cent sales tax, officially known as the General Fund Excise Tax in Albany County, is renewed. 

If voters decide to renew the tax, it means that between $4 million to $5 million will be available for general operating expenses in Laramie. This funding goes to support police, firefighters and road maintenance, just to name a few services. 

If voters choose not to renew the tax, the city will have to go without millions of dollars and city services will probably have to be cut back. This could mean fewer firefighters and police to protect Laramie, and more potholes in the city’s roads. 

While we may argue about government spending at the federal level, its government spending at the state and local level that immediately impacts our lives and communities. The 5th cent sales tax is just one example of this.  

Who is chosen to become Wyoming’s next governor will personally affect every student who attends the University of Wyoming. 

Wyoming’s governor appoints all of the members who sit on the UW Board of Trustees. These trustees determine the annual cost of tuition for attendance at UW. 

Voters’ decision on who will be Wyoming’s next superintendent of public instruction will have a major impact on the state’s K-12 education system. 

Wyoming’s next superintendent of public instruction will make choices concerning statewide testing procedures, oversee local school boards and act as the leader of the state’s public education system.  

So if you thinking about staying home today, or that there’s no reason for you to vote, you should think again. Your vote will help determine the direction of our state for the next few years. 

Sure, a presidential election may be more likely to grab attention and make you take notice. But if you ask me, it’s the midterms that will have the greatest impact on local communities, states and our individual lives. 

So get out and vote today. 

Email: Shane Staley 

jsindt

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