For some international students, integration into student life is more difficult than for other students.

“Some students do really great jobs.  They have lots of confidence. We never hear from them,” director of the International Students and Scholars Jill Johnson said.

“For other students, it is pretty intimidating. Often times, it takes a little longer.”

In terms of classes, professors are extremely welcoming, and the International Students and Scholars office has special sections of core classes, such as English 1010, geared for international students.  These classes cover the same material but at a slower pace.

“The language barrier is the most visible barrier,” said Johnson. “But food is also a barrier. The culture can be completely different. It takes a while to gain confidence.”

Johnson said that integrating international students into UW life, along with better preparing American students, has been a hot topic this year. According to Johnson, some of the best-attended events are the international events, such as the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The International Students Center in the basement the Cheney Building is one place for welcome events for new students and different organizations use it to host small events.

These events allow international students to speak their native language and meet with students from their native countries. The center is open to all students, and they are encouraged to attend.

“We work with different organizations and clubs on campus to prepare events and let students know about campus resources,” Johnson said.

In addition, the International Students and Scholars office recruits students to come to UW from countries such as China, Korea, Taiwan, India and Nepal.  Many international students come from these countries, according to Johnson. There is also a big population from Saudi Arabia, India and Libya.

“Recruiting from these countries—it is not just the students who are involved, but the whole family,” Johnson said.

Most international students major in engineering and business because, according to Johnson, these are well paying jobs.

In terms of American students accepting this international presence, Johnson finds that most students are extremely welcoming.

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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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.

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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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What could have easily been presented as an earnest and heartfelt suggestion for education reform has come across as a terribly naïve and hurtful diatribe, pointing the finger at (who else?) those pesky, ignorant teachers.

Although I have not a single aspiration to become a lawyer, doctor, accountant, or work in any other profession Ms. McGuigan deems worthy of esteem, I still foolishly consider myself to be “bright and hard-working.”  I’m also smart enough not to expect everyone to carry my perspective on education. However, unlike Ann, I don’t believe that composing a negatively-worded and judgmental letter is going to spark the progressive overhaul that’s desperately needed in American public schooling.

While I won’t argue that I didn’t have any of my own personal frustrations with the banality of some of my education courses, I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt inspired and challenged with others. That being said, I have the sneaking suspicion that I would have felt that way regardless of what I was studying.

If anybody expects to go to college for four years and graduate an expert in their field, they are presented with a massive reality check before too long. I didn’t register for classes under the impression that I was about to receive a neatly wrapped tool kit on how to be a fantastic teacher. During the process of my residency, I learned and grew more in a day of teaching than in my years as a student. Rather than curse what you consider my poor education, I quickly realized that there is no reasonable way in which a four-year program can prepare someone for the reality of being an educator, and it’s ignorant to write a shamelessly critical epistle when you fail to recognize the fact that the majority of how someone learns to teach happens when they’re actually standing in front of a classroom.

While there are, of course, crucial topics that need to be addressed, discussed, and introduced during the undergrad experience, teaching happens to be a vocation where the most knowledge comes from experience and on-the-job training. A cynical outsider can argue that we are sending woefully unprepared teachers into the hot seat. Fortunately most educators (who consider themselves to be lifelong learners) understand that with every class and every year there will be growing pains and opportunities to change.

I’m happy this letter has opened up a dialogue about a critical issue, but it bothers me that it has done so because of its biting tone. As an instructional assistant and a soon-to-be teacher, I hope the flippant way the author demeans the very people who care the most about students is something that can stay out of future discourse.

I am eternally grateful for the “slackers, idiots, and crazies” who have chosen to devote their lives to educating us Wyoming idiots. As an aspiring teacher, I can’t wait to take my unrelenting optimism and continue to believe I’m actually in a position to make a difference in a part of the world. I understand that in doing so, I run the risk of being judged by the large handful of people like Ann, who’ve got it all figured out and will continue to dish out advice lined with hurtful stereotypes.  That little slice of reality doesn’t bother me so much, but that’s probably because I’m a future teacher…I hear they’re not so bright.

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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.

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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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Sunshine grabs a football and throws it 60-some yards and hits the formerly-racist-but-now-accepting-of-his-black-teammates linebacker Gerry Bertier in the shoulder pads.

I hear this is how Austyn Carta-Samuels’ brief two-year career began at the University of Wyoming. That’s of course leaving out the fact that we already had a quarterback, because all we had was Dax Crum. Also, Carta-Samuels best attribute as a signal-caller was not his arm; it was his ability to use his legs. I won’t go as far as to say he throws like a girl, because that’s a third grade insult, but I will say that he throws like he’s from California. (Nor am I suggesting that the Cowboys had any sort of racial divide like in that movie, just to clear that up)

I guess the only thing that makes sense about this analogy is the blond haired kid from California.

Last year I saw an absolutely poignant photo of the football star someone caught while shooting a basketball game. Carta-Samuels, sporting a tight, white polo shirt with the collar popped up ever so stylishly, wearing a backwards LA Dodgers hat with his arm around some young lady right in the front row of the AA – like he thought he was LeBron or something.

I guess I’m not surprised he left, I’m just surprised there wasn’t a one-hour special on The Mtn., where he proclaimed that he was “Taking his talents to South Beach.”

The first way our program is going to get any better is if Christensen can build a recruiting base over a few years. In the months since the Cowboys finished their season, that hasn’t exactly happened.

Strong safety Shamiel Gary, kicker Ian Watts, wide receiver David Tooley, and, of course, the ‘Magna’ Carta-Samuels have all left the program.

Aside from “Remember the Titans” analogies, perhaps the other thing that the exit of Carta-Samuels brings to mind is similar exits of players from the Cowboy basketball team during the past few years. Scholarship players have bolted from the hoops team like it was going out of style in the years since Heath Schroyer has been coach.

Apparently, it’s becoming an epidemic in the likes of overrated athletic programs on this campus, i.e. football and basketball.

I understand the desire to leave a place like Laramie, especially in mid-January. California sounds really nice this time of year. On top of the ruthless, frigid weather, I couldn’t imagine playing for the Cowboys, it’s hard enough to watch them.

Not that anyone cares, but I also don’t believe he can be viewed as a highly desired prospect. There are deceiving statistics that might make teams think so, but all you have to do is watch him play.

He threw for 3,655 yards and 19 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions in two seasons, and he rushed for 758 yards and six touchdowns. The Cowboys won nine games and lost 13 that he started.

I don’t see him as a quarterback that can sustain drives, and I don’t believe that he’s anything more than a high school-style, running quarterback that is entirely too hesitant to throw the football sometimes.

Yes, he played a tough schedule both years that he was here. Yes, his receiving core and offensive line wasn’t outstanding. But the one thing I always wanted to see, and never did, was a big upset win from the guy.

In the past two years, Wyoming played No. 2 Texas (eventual BCS national runner up), BYU, TCU and Utah in 2009 when they were all very good teams, No. 3 Boise State this year, and another run against TCU and Utah this year. TCU won the Rose Bowl and Utah was ranked all season.

There’s no question that this schedule was quite formidable, but here are a few more stats that stick out to me.

Of his nine wins, not one came against a ranked opponent, and the combined record of the teams that the Cowboys defeated in the last two years with Carta-Samuels under center (all but two) is 43-66. Six of those points came from 1-AA Independent Southern Utah, which Wyoming beat 28-20 this year at home, and Wyoming’s combined margin of victory in seven of Carta-Samuels’ nine wins was 26 points. It’s largest margin of victory in that stretch was eight points.

The two wins not included in that stretch were against CSU this year when the Cowboys won 44-0, and their 2009 win over New Mexico 37-13. By the way, New Mexico has had two straight 1-11 seasons, with it’s one win this year coming against Carta-Samuels and the Cowboys.

It’s not that he didn’t do some good things as a true freshman, but that bowl run still seems to me as six wins against teams the Cowboys were supposed to beat. It was the same story this year. Three wins against teams we were supposed to beat – and not a single other win for that matter.

Did you ever notice how NFL teams switch quarterbacks after three losses even if it’s not the quarterback’s fault sometimes? I think Cowboy fans can view this as that sort of shift – even if it wasn’t a decision made by the coaching staff.

Sure, it’s obviously harsh to blame all this on one kid from California, but I’ll be the first to say I’m not devastated by his departure.

Later bro’, hang ten.

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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Mike Morris:

The Cowboys picked up their most significant win of the season – and perhaps in recent program history – on Saturday when junior guard Paco Cruz hit a desperation shot at the buzzer to give Wyoming a 67-66 win over a good New Mexico team.

Wyoming had been shakier than a first-time snowboarder on a double black diamond in its first 15 contests, but against New Mexico, the Cowboys finally, finally played to their potential and put together a complete 40 minutes. It was the type of performance which – if the Cowboys can find a way to replicate it – gives reason to believe Wyoming can truly be competitive throughout the remainder of the MWC conference schedule. The intensity and toughness of a returning Adam Waddell was especially reassuring, as Waddell put up 16 and 8 against the Lobos in just 23 minutes, and New Mexico simply had no one who could match up with the 6’10 big man on Saturday.

If Waddell’s health continues to improve and the Cowboys continue to develop chemistry and depth – Daylen Harrison had 17 points off the bench against the Lobos – Wyoming men’s basketball will experience a truly exciting spring for the first time in years.

The status of Afam Muojeke’s injured knee still presides over the team’s post-season aspirations, and Muojeke is still nowhere near being able to channel his capability to be one of the most dominant scorers in the entire conference.

The Cowboys will need to continue to improve and develop over the remainder of the conference schedule and try to lock up a five or a six seed for the conference tournament in March.

If by then Muojeke’s knee has healed enough for him to be an effective scorer, Wyoming will be very much capable of putting together a magical 3-game run in the MWC tourney and, yes, dancing with a little March Madness.

As for the Cowgirls, a stellar 11-3 start – by an experienced squad which seems to improve with each game – has expectations soaring in Laramie.

A conference title, 22 or more wins, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament all seem more and more possible with each passing victory by the Cowgirls.

Zach Greubel:

After the men’s basketball team’s embarrassing loss to Colorado State and before their thrilling victory over New Mexico I thought conference play might be the same as it was last season- atrocious. However, the win against the Lobos may spark new life. Granted, they beat San Diego State at this point last season and still had a miserable season in conference play. On the bright side, junior center Adam Waddell is back from injury, hopefully for good, and gives the Cowboys some leadership on the court. Plus, they did just beat one of the best teams in the conference. We’ll see if the win against New Mexico maintains momentum through their conference season.

The Cowgirl basketball team looks primed for another promising season in conference play.  They’ve already beat Colorado State, by 40 points, and New Mexico but have their first big conference test against Texas Christian on Wednesday night. They’re the best team in the conference right now and shouldn’t stray too far from the top of the conference standings throughout the season.

Brad Estes:

The men’s loss to CSU was not encouraging. It reminds me of a team that came up short and couldn’t finish games so many times last year. The buzzer beater New Mexico win is a good win, any win is a good win for the Cowboys. After a non-conference schedule that wouldn’t have scared a high school team, its hard to make predictions for the rest of the year. Losses to teams like South Dakota, North Florida and Green Bay make it difficult to believe that the team can win consistently.

San Diego State and BYU are both impressive teams and ranked in the top 10, and those games might be worth going to see just for that fact. It all depends on how many times the Cowboys decide to show up and play like they did against New Mexico. The losses are more telling than the wins so far, and until the wins start to add up a little more, I will wait to call them even a fifth place finish in the conference.

The Cowgirls are playing well and are coached well, so they will be at the top of the conference all year. Forty point victories over conference opponents are always encouraging. A win against TCU at home tomorrow night would also be big. As a young team, the only thing to be worried about would be consistency late in the year, but so far the Cowgirls have been just that.

Tom Hesse:

I usually peg the Cowgirls for a team that comes on late in the season but they’ve looked like world beaters in their first two conference games. They should have beaten CSU without question but I didn’t see an 83-43 dismantling in them and their ten-point win in Albuquerque showed a convincing road win that I wouldn’t have looked for in a team that is a little on the young side. The Cowgirls haven’t lost in nearly a month and if they take care of the home court this Wednesday, I think they have a real shot at one of those top three spots in the conference.

I was critical of the Cowboys early in the season and I’m still not sure to make of them. All I know is that Francisco Cruz’s intangibles made him a favorite of mine early in the season and his shot to bury the Lobos has made Cruz my favorite player to watch. If the Cowboys can play half as scrappy as they did against New Mexico for the rest of the season then They have a legitimate claim to the upper half of this conference.  That CSU loss still hurts and the MWC is incredibly tough this year but I’m very excited to see this team against UNLV, BYU and SDSU. There are a lot of things to like about this team and they’re still evolving. I’ll optimistically stick them at fifth in the conference with a shot at fourth.

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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As the ball careened off the rim once, and then again, hope faded to an imperceptible glimmer for Wyoming, and it appeared all but certain that the Cowboys and fourth-year head coach Heath Schroyer would once again come up heartbreakingly short in a crucial conference game against a top opponent.  

Sophomore wing Daylen Harrison grabbed a rebound and fired a desperation heave from the corner in the game’s dwindling moments, but Harrison’s shot clanged off the side of the rim and – for the briefest of moments – the ball hovered over the court like an errant balloon.

A forest of arms rose up under the hoop, and the Arena-Auditorium trembled under the tension of the baited breaths of 4,404 people as the clock ticked down to :01.   

With a sea of tumult thrashing about around him, Francisco Cruz grabbed the loose ball and – falling backwards – threw up one final prayer.

The buzzer sounded. The net rippled. A celebration of brown and gold erupted.

And a team’s entire season – and identity – may have undergone a complete transformation in the blink of an eye.

Cruz’s floater over the outstretched arm of New Mexico forward Alex Kirk proved to be the clincher in Wyoming’s 67-66 win over the Lobos on Saturday—ending a thriller of white-knuckle proportions which was anything but just another conference game for the Cowboys.

“It was a big win for our program and our team, and it was great for our kids,” Schroyer said in his press conference following the game.

Photo: DJ Bowman

“New Mexico is an unbelievable program with outstanding players and coaches. For us to get a win over a quality program like this is a big step in the right direction for our team.”

In a season which has been – in its young lifespan – tumultuous at best, and often thoroughly disappointing, Wyoming (8-8, 1-1 MWC) finally played to its potential and put together the signature win it has been searching for – and perhaps the very win Schroyer has been searching for throughout the past four seasons.

Hampered by nagging injuries to two of its top contributors – juniors Afam Muojeke and Adam Waddell – Wyoming had looked shaky in its first 15 contests of its 2010-11 campaign, as inconsistency and youth plagued the team in disappointing non-conference setbacks to Northern Colorado, North Florida, South Dakota, UC Irvine, and Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

The memories of a dismal 2009-10 season began to resurface after Wyoming blew a 13-point first half lead in its conference opener at rival Colorado State, as the Rams outscored the Cowboys 36-21 in the second half and ultimately put Wyoming away by a 73-60 margin.

Against New Mexico on Saturday, however, the Cowboys stood toe-to-toe with a formidable, 12 win team, conceding nothing to the defending conference champions.

Wyoming shot the ball well, hitting on 52.4 percent of its shots, and the Cowboys kept pace with the heavily favored Lobos thanks largely to two gutsy bench performances.

Harrison – who had struggled noticeably from the field in recent performances and did not see action against CSU – had a career afternoon, scoring 17 points on 6-7 shooting and pulling down four crucial rebounds.

“I thought Daylen was spectacular,” Schroyer said. “This was the Daylen we thought he could be. He was aggressive, and made the most of his opportunities today.”

Perhaps even more critical – and encouraging for the rest of the season – was the stellar performance from Waddell.

The 6’10 big man has been hobbled by an Achilles injury dating back to last season – missing a good portion of the nonconference season – but on Saturday he showed up in dominant fashion, even if his health still is not at 100 percent.

Waddell came through with 16 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks in just 23 minutes of action – an impressive performance, which gives renewed optimism to Wyoming’s inside game if Waddell’s health continues to improve over the course of the season.

“We had no post that could guard Waddell,” New Mexico head coach Steve Alford said.

“Waddell did a heck of a job.”

“To have a healthy Adam Waddell, it really makes a difference,” Schroyer added.

Still, despite the efforts of Harrison, Waddell, and Desmar Jackson, who added 15 points of his own, it appeared as though it would be all for naught for the Cowboys when senior Lobo guard Dairese Gary, who led New Mexico with 24 points, sank two free throws to give the Lobos a 66-65 lead in the game’s waning moments.

A year ago in Laramie, UW went the distance with a leviathan New Mexico squad which finished the season 30-5, only to falter in the game’s closing moments and lose a 70-68 heartbreaker.

The Cowboys never recovered from the loss, struggling throughout the rest of the season and finishing with a 3-13 conference mark.

This year was different though, and only time will tell just how significant of a win it was.

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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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Yet, most of us will not see these changes. If you ask me, the reason for failing to make our resolutions a reality lies is the temporary nature of New Year’s resolutions.

To put it simply, most of us lack the long-term commitment to see such a thing to completion.

We all probably know someone who has a bad habit—binge drinking or smoking cigarettes—that they promised they would quit.

For most of these people, such a change will not last long into the year. I’ve known people who swore off drinking on New Year’s only to pick up their bottle the very next weekend. 

And the smokers that promised themselves to put out their cigarettes for good on Dec. 31 were, in all likelihood, lighting up on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2; they will likely smoke every day for the rest of the year.

Both smokers and drinkers possess the ability to put their harmful habits behind them, but few actually will.

That is because to cease doing either takes a great amount of perseverance and struggle in opposition.

Another common New Year’s resolution is to get in shape and start exercising regularly. 

Getting in shape is a great goal to set, but it will only happen with commitment and continual, regimented work.

Surely, many students will be hitting up Half Acre in the first few weeks of the semester, but whether they will be crowding the gym two months from now is another question all together.

Some will succeed at getting into shape; others’ commitment and discipline will wane as the weeks and months progress.

Along the lines of getting into shape, some people swear that they will finally start eating healthy.

This is yet another objective which is theoretically great, and, certainly, many made such a commitment or resolution this year. But,whether they see the resolution through is doubtful at best. If our country’s current obesity rates say anything, it’s that people will likely continue with their detrimental diets.

After all, the call of fast food beckons all around.

Yeah, we can resist temptation and opt out for the salad over the burger—at least for now. But how many will continue to do so as the year continues?

Whether it’s eating right, getting into shape or quitting a self-destructive habit, making such changes requires sustained commitment, determination and inner-will.

These changes require sustained resolve.

That’s why most New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail; they are commitments absent resolve.

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A year and a half after cutting $18.3 million dollars from its budget, UW sees strong financial times on the horizon.

The first sign of a positive trend is that its plan to implement the budget cuts in three years has already been completed in half the time, with no additional cuts.

“It is good news, because it means we got through all the actions that had to be implemented more than a full year ahead of the budget plan,” Doug Vinzant, vice president for administration, said.

Gov. Freudenthal’s full endorsement of UW’s supplemental budget request, except for one item, has also attributed to the positive outlook of the school’s administration.

“On the horizon, the university is stabilized,” Vinzant said.

Items on the request include increased spending for libraries, equipment for the new BioSaftey Laboratory 3 lab and planned renovation of the existing fine arts facility.

Freudenthal is recommending directing $50 million from Abandoned Mine Land funds for the construction of a new science, technology, and engineering mathematics buildings, in combination of additional support for other science and energy related programs. 

“All of those things point to the university not just stabilizing, but taking a step forward; if all those recommendations are enacted by the legislature,” Vinzant said. “That is pretty remarkable [to go] from a year and a half ago to were we are right now.”

Freudenthal has also recommended compensation adjustment, or a salary program for state employees to make up for actions taken during the budget reductions, which would affect UW employees.

All actions still must be passed by the Wyoming legislature in their upcoming session next year.

The reason for the improvement in the revenue picture for the university comes from the estimation-exceeding revenue increase for the state.

Vinzant also said that a reason for UW’s strong recovery stems from strong support that Freudenthal has given to the university. Which included his work to strengthen academics programs, specifically energy related programs. 

Looking towards the future, Vinzant said that the university has every reason to believe that governor-elect Matt Mead is going to be supportive of the university as well.

“We are going to work with him and do our best to make sure that he is aware of what our needs are,” Vinzant said. “We are looking forward to working for him.”

He said no actions taken from the budget reductions have had any unexpected consequences for the university.

“I don’t think that there is anything out of the list of actions, that were put into place, where the consequences, or impacts, were fundamentally different from what was anticipated,” Vinzant said. “But when you have to make reductions of that magnitude, it does have adverse impacts. But that set of actions was very thoughtfully, and very deliberately, crafted to minimize the impact.”

Vinzant said that the budget cuts of 2009 are permanent.  

“As difficult as budget reductions are, I will also say it’s a situation where they force you to think very carefully about institutional priorities, and to examine things very carefully, and that was done here very thoughtfully and in a very deliberate manner,” he said.

Email: Max D’Onofrio 

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The films hosted by SAC are unique from those shown at Friday Night Fever because the Thursday films are usually foreign films, Indy films, or just those that never came to a theatre in  Laramie. 

“Since the Film Series is in its first year, we are always looking for input from students and the community on how to make this program even better,” said SAC representative, Stephanie Long. “The Student Activities Council is made up of volunteer students who meet weekly to help bring diverse forms of entertainment to the student body, and anyone can join.”

Films next semester will begin with Black Swan staring Natalie Portman at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 in the Education Auditorium. Just like this semester, films will show on the second Thursday of every month.

SAC film events are free for both students and members of the community. SAC meets every Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. in the Thunder Basin Room in the basement of the Union. 

“Anyone is welcome and encouraged to stop by and give their input for new and ongoing programs sponsored by SAC,” said Long. The films are put on by the Film Committee, a division of SAC.

For more information or to sign up for the SAC email list, please contact Stephanie Long at shanson5@uwyo.edu. 

Students can stop by the SAC information table every Wednesday in the Union breezeway.

Email: Cali Cravens 

codyconnor

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