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Deep pockets
Eccles Foundation gives millions to SUU
Eccles Coliseum, home of the SUU football and trackteams,
was renovated in 1995, thanks to an Eccles Foundation
gift.
ERIN MADSON / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation
Gifts to SUU
1993 — $16,000 annual gift for student scholarships
*
1994 — $25,000 annual gift for visiting scholar
program *
1995 — $500,000 for Eccles Coliseum renovation
1998 — $500,000 for middle school property acquisition
2001 — $2 million for Eccles Living and Learning
Center
By TYLER JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation
contributes more than $23 million a year to various organizations
throughout the Intermountain West, including SUU, according
to the Philanthropic Foundations of Utah 2002 directory.
“They’re one of our largest donors,”
said Marsha Lundgren, senior gifts officer for university
advancement.
An application the foundation uses to screen funding requests
says the Eccles’ purpose is “to improve the
welfare of mankind by providing assistance to institutions
and organizations with a history of achievement, effectiveness
and good management.”
The foundation contributes primarily to the arts, community
organizations, education, and the medical field.
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The directory reports that the Eccles foundation
donated $23.3 million in 1998. The money was divided to
provide 298 grants to organizations.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters received $20,000; the Dance Theater
Coalition got $2,000; the Ogden Rescue Mission received
$85,000; Ronald McDonald House Charities got $10,000; the
Salt Lake Education Foundation received $447,500; the University
of Utah received $7.7 million; and SUU received $544,000.
Lundgren said she only has records of the foundation giving
money to SUU from 1993 to present, even though the foundation
donated money to SUU before 1993. The Eccles Foundation
donated $16,000 to SUU in 1993 to provide student scholarships.
In 1994, that gift was increased to $41,000 to include additional
scholarships.
In 1998, the foundation increased the contribution to $44,000
per year, a gift that has continued, Lundgren said.
In addition to the scholarships, the foundation contributed
to several campus facilities.
In 1995 the foundation donated $500,000 for the renovation
and renaming of the Eccles Coliseum. It donated the same
amount for the acquisition of the former Cedar Middle School
property in 1998.
The foundation also pledged $2 million for the future Eccles
Living and Learning Center in 2001.
Other schools throughout Utah also benefit from the foundation.
The University of Utah received $2.2 million for the Eccles-Rice
Stadium in 1998. Weber State University received $55,000,
and Westminster College was awarded $1.1 million from the
foundation.
Lundgren said the foundation invested a large sum of money
in First Security Bank and now uses the interest for charitable
giving. In 1998, the foundation had $644.5 million in assets.
The foundation was established in 1982 by George S. and
Dolores Doré Eccles and is currently directed by
Spencer F. Eccles.
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No increase
in SUU fees
for 2002-03
By LIBERTY CASE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Despite a tight fiscal year, there were no increases in student
fees for the 2002-2003 school year.
Wes Brinkerhoff, head cashier, said student leaders and administrators
were reluctant to increase the $231 student fee this year because
of the 9 percent tuition hike.
SUUSA President Matt Glazier said he knows paying fees can be
confusing for students.
“I think every student should get a copy of (the fee breakdown)
when they pay tuition,” Glazier said.
Katie Liebhardt, a junior biology major from Cedar City, said
she has never understood why she has to pay student fees.
“I wondered what (the money) goes to...I really have no
idea,” Liebhardt said.
Glazier said students often believe all of the student fees
go toward funding SUUSA functions and activities.
The money is divided into 16 categories including athletics,
buildings, health services, computers, campus recreation, service
learning, music, University Journal, student center activities,
student ID, theatre arts and dance.
Approximately 10 percent of the fees are allocated for SUUSA
use.
Glazier said the fee money SUUSA receives is split between several
accounts that pay for administrative costs, publicity, public
relations, travel expenses, concerts, campus activities and
special projects.
“Everything we spend is for the students... (and) we work
hard to keep costs down,” Glazier said. “We do what
we can with the money we have.”
Glazier said it is important to him that students understand
and approve how the fees are being spent. In two weeks Glazier
will present the budget for approval before the student senate.
“I invite that sort of criticism on what we’ve spent,”
Glazier said.
He said reporting the budget to the senate is helpful in silencing
unsubstantiated rumors about student leaders misspending money.
“I’ve heard those (rumors) and I have yet to see
any misspending,” he said.re justified and students are
reaping the benefits, Glazier said.The largest portion of student
fees, approximately 46 percent,
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goes toward funding the Sharwan Smith Center, Centrum Arena,
and Eccles Coliseum.
Neal Cox, associate vice president of student services, said
student fees are repaying a building bond for the student center.
“It’s the students’ building,” Cox said.
Despite the high building fee, the $231 student fee imposed
each semester is comparable to other schools in the state.
Students at the University of Utah, Utah State University, and
Weber State University all pay more than SUU students.
“We are pretty much on par (with other schools),”
Glazier said. “(Our fees) are a bit lower.”
Athletics are allotted $40.50 of student fees.
Paul Simmons, a senior theatre arts major from Denver, said
he thinks students should help pay for sporting events.
“It makes sense that it goes to sports,” Simmons
said.
Students also assist in paying for the computer labs across
campus.
Although a fee increase may have been justifiable, those who
oversee student computer labs have been great at stretching
every cent they get, Glazier said.
The budget is structured conservatively as a cushion for unforseen
emergencies, Cox said.
While students may be unaware of what the fees are paying for,
they a
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