www.alumni.utah.edu

BAY AREA CHAPTER AWARDS ITS FIRST U OF U SCHOLARSHIP

Chapter representative Bob Livsey presents JoLynn Carter with the first annual Bay Area Scholarship.

The Bay Area Alumni Chapter established a scholarship last year to encourage local students to attend the University of Utah and to provide them with the means to do it. Funds were raised at special events, including raffles, and by allocating a small percentage of membership dues to the scholarship. To attract applicants, the chapter advertised the scholarship on its Web site, sent out flyers, and worked with the U’s financial aid office to pinpoint applicants from the Bay Area. Candidates were required to have graduated from a Bay Area high school and were evaluated on the basis of academic achievement and service to the community.

And the first Bay Area Scholarship winner is: JoLynn Carter!

Born in Utah, Carter relocated to the Bay Area when she was eight. She continued her primary and secondary education in Hayward, Calif., graduating from Hayward High School with a 3.8 grade point average. Carter is currently enrolled at the U as a thirdyear student in psychology.

Away from her studies, Carter spends time with her “little sister” as part of the local Big Brother Big Sister program. She also volunteers weekly to read to children at a local library, assists in organizing Mountain View Elementary school’s family nights, and helps at the Utah Food Bank and Salvation Army.

Says board member Nancy Gregovich BA’89, “JoLynn is gracious, personable, and will certainly succeed in anything she endeavors. One day we will be lucky to include her in our ranks of Utah alumni, and we wish her continued success in her studies at the U.”

For information about the scholarship, contact chapter representative Bob Livsey BS’62 JD’65 at (415) 442-1230 or rlivsey@morganlewis.com.

PAINTING THEIR HEARTS OUT

One of the Association’s summer projects involved painting—not on canvas but on brick and mortar.

For a second year, volunteers from the Alumni Association donned old clothes and picked up paintbrushes to participate in “Paint Your Heart Out,” a Salt Lake Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) program designed to help senior citizens on fixed incomes and other low-income residents restore their homes. The goal is to help preserve, restore, and beautify homes on the west side of Salt Lake City.

“Paint your Heart Out” is NHS’s most successful program, according to Daniel L. Pacheco, the organization’s public affairs director. “It’s an ideal program for groups like the Alumni Association to join local sponsors in pouring their hearts and efforts into the community,” he says.

Adds John Fackler BS’89 BS’94 MprA’95, the Association’s director of business relations, “Working with NHS on Paint your Heart Out is a terrific opportunity. At the end of the day, it’s great to be able to see what you’ve accomplished. And the people we’ve helped are always grateful.” Volunteers from the Alumni Association included staff, members of the Emeritus, Student, and Young Alumni Associations, and student-athletes. They worked for two-and-a-half days scraping, sanding, and repainting a senior citizen’s home on the west side of Salt Lake City.

WHAT’S THE FUSS ABOUT THE MUSS?

In 2002, after years of declining student attendance at football games, the University of Utah Student Alumni Association (SAA) and the athletics department joined forces to explore ways to get students into Rice- Eccles Stadium. Thus was the Utah Football Fan Club (UFFC) born.

For $20 a season UFFC members get a tailgate party and foodfest (featuring Famous Pat’s Barbecue) before each home game, a t-shirt, and reserved seats in a prime section of the stadium.

According to John Fackler BS’89 BS’94 MprA’95, fan club advisor, the program has been a huge success. “The first year, we expected 200 to 300 students to sign up,” he explains. “Instead, we had over 800!”. (See Continuum, Spring 2003.) The 12-member UFFC student board stimulated student interest for the 2003 football season by appearing at various new-student orientation venues on campus. The response was impressive: over 1,400 students signed on.

The UFFC is known informally as “the MUSS,” or “Mighty Utah Student Section.” (For those who don’t know what “muss” means but still want to be known as loyal Utes, a muss, according to Webster’s, is “a game in which players scramble for small objects thrown to the ground,” or “a confused conflict.” In fan club lingo, it’s a mildly hysterical group cheering for players scrambling for a football on a soggy field on a wet fall afternoon.)

The fan club has started an online newsletter to inform MUSS members about upcoming football games and the events that accompany them. The newsletter includes a weather forecast for each upcoming game and a preview of plays, players, and prospects for victory.

At each home-game tailgate, one lucky MUSS member wins two passes, which allow him/her and a guest to roam freely on the sidelines up to the 25-yard line. One of this season’s winners, John Morris, says of his experience: “It was absolutely fantastic. I could hear the sounds, check out the turf, and walk behind the end zone. And being next to the cheerleaders—that was great.” Morris invited his sister Andrea to use the other pass, and the two of them stood outside the tunnel to give high-fives to the players as they entered the field for the second half. “At times the players knocked out of bounds landed right at our feet,” comments Morris. “The best part was being so close to the play. I loved being able to see, hear, and smell the action!”

Coach Urban Meyer was ecstatic at the fuss raised by the MUSS during his first year as head football coach. “The biggest thrill in my first game was the enthusiasm of the students. They were awesome,” he says. Meyer is establishing a new tradition at the University, which involves singing “Utah Man” with the student section after every home-game win. He requires his football players to learn the song, noting, “If they don’t know the song, they don’t play.”

Utah Man
I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green.
Our gang it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one’s a shining star.
Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.
Who am I, sir? A Utah man am I.
A Utah man, sir, and will be—till I die. Ki Yi!

We’re up to snuff, we never bluff, we’re game for any fuss.
No other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky.
We’ll fight for dear ol’ crimson, for a Utah man am I.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Emeritus Alumni Association

(Top-bottom):

Hal Collipriest BS’50 recently retired as executive vice president of the Carman Corporation, the parent corporation of broadcast stations KISN and KLUB.

Colleen Malouf BS’58 has been an interior designer and marketing consultant, and is currently president and CEO of Friends For Sight, a nonprofit agency dedicated to preserving sight through comprehensive screenings.

Richard Mercer BS’51 held the position of trust lands marketing manager in Utah’s Division of State Lands and Forestry, Department of Natural Resources, from 1989-1994.

Student Alumni Association (SAA)

In mid-July, the 33 new and returning members of the SAA board gathered in Park City with John Ashton BS’66 JD’69, executive director of the Alumni Association, for a retreat to inaugurate the 2003-04 academic year. The purpose was to orient new members to the SAA’s goals and mission, to brainstorm ideas, and, simply, to get acquainted. SAA President Jason Barlow says of the gathering, “People were enthusiastic about sharing their ideas about goals and visions for the upcoming year.” Senior Class President Beth Brown adds, “It was exciting to see everyone get along so well. We didn’t know everyone but were instantly laughing together. I love being involved with SAA!”

Students interested in getting information about SAA should contact John Fackler BS’89 BS’94 MprA at (801) 581-3895.

Incorrectly Noted

Continuum regrets that the following new members of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors were incorrectly identified in the Fall 2003 issue:

Kathryn (Kathy) D. Jones-Price BS’75 MBA’86 holds the designations of certified financial planner, chartered financial consultant, and certified life underwriter. She is an independent financial advisor affiliated with Securities America, Inc. and provides financial advice to individuals and business owners.

Nancy Jane Miller Moore BA’67 is a senior level consultant, trainer, presenter, and executive at Franklin Covey Co., where she has been a project leader for creating and implementing a variety of products. Moore has also served as superintendent of schools in the Park City School District.

Young Alumni Association (YAA)

New members of the YAA board include (L-R): Jeff Wright BA’95, Wright Ventures, LLC; Jeff Justice BS’91, Wood Realtor/ The Bringhurst Group; Angela Butler BS’91, U of U Development Office; Ryan Lufkin BS’97, SCT (technology solutions); Ann Varanakis BS’00, Monarch Pharmaceuticals; Tom Robson MBA’00, Qwest Communications (representative from David Eccles School of Business board); and George Adondakis BA’88, Nicholas & Company, Inc. (Missing: David Caine BA’98, Wasatch Advisors).

Message from the President: Katie Eccles ex’86 President, Young Alumni Association, 2003-04

This year the Young Alumni Association (YAA) has some ambitious goals—to increase theAlumni Association benefits for “young alumni”(those who have graduated within the last 15years), to add to the student scholarship fundsthat YAA already provides, and to encourage greater student involvement in University events.

This is the second year that YAA has made available afford-able ticket packages for young alums and their families, enablingthem to attend University football, basketball, and gymnastics events. The tickets are offered at reduced rates for seats in prime sections of the stadium or athletics center. We are working to increase the number of alumni families taking advantage of this opportunity. The YAA Board is also working hard to provide more scholar-ships. Last year we granted $16,000 to U students entering their senior year—to help them through that final difficult year on the road to graduation. The scholarship funds are raised primarily by the 5K run held the morning of Homecoming. To encourage greater participation by students, this year we added the “Dash for Scholarship Cash” award, which gave $500 in scholarship funds to the campus group that entered the most runners, and another $250 to an individual student participant. The winners were chosen by a random drawing at the end of the race. I feel privileged to be involved with such a dynamic, committed group, and hope that the YAA can continue to contribute to the University, its alumni, and its students, in productive ways.

CRAZY FOR U!

From the Greek house-decorating contest to the newly inaugurated golf tourney, from the big bonfire to the Young Alumni Association’s 5K Run, and from the pregame barbecue to the football game, there was no lack of enthusiasm for the many activities offered during Homecoming Week 2003 (Oct. 6-11). The crowds were the biggest, the costumes the craziest, the nostalgia the sweetest, and the fans the most fanatical and for good reason: Utah toppled San Diego 27-6. The Alumni Association wishes to express its appreciation to all those who participated in the week’s events and to the following sponsors who helped make Homecoming 2003 (“Crazy For U”) a smashing success:

• University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics
• Utah Food Services
• Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA