Intern Project: Facts, Fiction, Futures, and Vision - for Utah
A new project by Distinguished Professor Joe Andrade (www.2andrade.org ) will involve 1 - 3 interns Summer Term. Each intern will receive a $1000 scholarship for Summer term work, upon submission of the project final report. There may be a Fall Term opportunity as well.
Interns will meet weekly with Dr. Andrade as a group and communicate regularly via email, phone, and social media.
There are 29 Senatorial Districts and 75 House Districts. One intern will focus on the 29 Senate Districts; the other two interns will split/share the 75 House Districts. Using online resources, including www.le.utah.gov www.votesmart.org and others the Districts maps, towns, elected legislators and 2014 candidates will be identified and their positions, statements, and platforms regarding environmental, sustainability, and related topics will be noted and summarized. After fact checking and additional research, the interns will work with district-based colleges, high schools, newspapers, radio stations, and community groups to help inform the district constituents as to positions and platforms, with an emphasis on Facts, Fictions, Futures, and Vision.
These activities will be non-political and no endorsements or other partisan, political activities will be part of this project. The goal is awareness and information - as factual and reliable as possible.
Interns will gain experience with research using online tools, critical analysis of available information, fact-checking, interviews, etc. They will also gain experience with the media, including print, radio, and public meetings or events. They will gain experience in writing summaries, reviews, and critiques for various media, including social media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs).
Interested students should contact Prof. Andrade at 801-706-6747 and at [email protected] and submit a brief resume and statement of interest. Project 104 Process, Strategy, and Perspectives on Questions
Know District, candidate’s background, web-site, sensitivities.
Be personable, but efficient.
Thank, congratulate him/her for service/running interest in political process.
Ask about key, major reason for running, serving. Write it down.
Say you’re a UU/USU student, project. Say you want to ask a few questions relevant to you, the district, the state. OK? Will be very brief! Write down brief, summary responses and comments.
1. air pollution Wasatch Front Winter:,particles, inversions, cars, industry, heating; Wasatch Front Summer: ozone, hydrocarbons Uinta Basin Winter: ozone, hydrocarbons
2. farming and ranching Water availability, cost issues Range degradation issues. BLM and private/state lands.
3. mineral extraction-fossil fuels energy storage, renewables, geothermal
4. winter recreation, snow, ski also particle coating, greying, rapid melting
5. population doubling land, water, air, education, jobs 3/4 increase due to birthrate 1/4 increase is people moving in (not the immigration word).
6. Wasatch Front non-attainment Federal funds curtailed fuel, car, truck curtailments curtail growth, permits, etc.
7. Education Utah far last in per student funding Is funding appropriate? Are teachers competent? Are the children being appropriately prepared?
8. Health Care Medicare, Medicaid, VA
9. Poverty will fill in minimum wage?
10. Other major issue, concern Political campaign reform - get $$ out elected official ethics open primaries
Intern Project: Project 104 - Facts, Fiction, Futures, and Vision - for Utah
A new project by Distinguished Professor Joe Andrade (www.2andrade.org ) will involve 3 interns Summer Term (5-15 through 8-1, 2014). There may be a Fall Term opportunity as well.
Interns will meet weekly with Dr. Andrade as a group and communicate regularly via email, phone, and social media.
There are 29 Senatorial Districts and 75 House Districts. One intern will focus on the 29 Senate Districts; the other two interns will split/share the 75 House Districts. Using online resources, including www.le.utah.gov www.votesmart.org and others.
The Districts maps, towns, elected legislators and 2014 candidates will be identified and their positions, statements, and platforms regarding environmental, sustainability, and related topics will be noted and summarized. After fact checking and additional research, the interns will work with district-based colleges, high schools, newspapers, radio stations, libraries, and community groups to help inform the district constituents as to positions and platforms, with an emphasis on Facts, Fictions, Futures, and Vision.
These activities will be non-political and no endorsements or other partisan, political activities will be part of this project. The goal is awareness and information - as factual and reliable as possible.
Interns will gain experience with research using online tools, critical analysis of available information, fact-checking, interviews, etc. They will also gain experience with the media, including print, radio, and public meetings or events. They will gain experience in writing summaries, reviews, and critiques for various media, including social media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs).
District maps are at: http://elections.utah.gov/map/district-maps
Candidate filings, addresses are at: http://elections.utah.gov/election-resources/2014-candidate-filings#Senate
Current Utah Legislature members : http://le.utah.gov/documents/2014.roster.pdf
Utah Newspapers: http://www.utahpress.com/pages/members_main
Utah High School locations: http://www.uhsaa.org/schools/directory/maps-2.html student newspapers political science clubs journalism clubs environment/sustainability clubs
Utah Colleges and Universities: http://www.utah.gov/education/colleges.html student newspapers political science clubs journalism clubs environment/sustainability clubs
Local Libraries: http://www.publiclibraries.com/utah.htm
Local Museums Utah Museum Assoc. https://www.utahmuseums.org/museum-directory
Joe Andrade is at 801-706-6747 [email protected] www.2andrade.org
14 Senate seats are up for election 11-2014; districts: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 26, 28 all 75 house seats are up for election. Project 104: Questions and notes Name: Phone: House or Senate? District # Party Date: RR/BN? Questions Notes
1. Air and Health Are you aware of the studies and concerns related to health issues due to the air quality along the Wasatch Front (WF)? - in the Uinta Basin (UP)? Cache Valley (CV)? Are you concerned?
2. Energy Extraction of the fossil fuels coal, oil, and gas has strengthened Utah economies. What concerns do you have for the future of those activities?
3. Snow Winter recreation activities are important to Utah’s economy. A lowering snow pack and a shorter snow season will result in decreased revenues. Are you concerned?
4. Water Utah will likely suffer water limitations in the years ahead. How might farmers and ranchers respond to such problems?
5. Growth The state and its urban areas are planning for a doubling of population in the next 25 years. Does this concern you?
6. Education What concerns do you have for public education in your district and in the state?
Candidate interview p-2 Name: Date:
7. Health Care What concerns do you have regarding health care delivery and affordability in your district and in the state?
8. EPA Wasatch Front and Cache Valley air quality, especially in the winter, has been deteriorating - to the point where those regions may soon be declared non-attainment regions. Does this concern you?
9. Poverty What concerns do you have about poverty and rates of poverty in Utah?
10. Other What other issues motivate you to participate in state government?
Perspectives/Summary (by RR or BN?) Project 104 Summer 2014
Here's the District breakdown and assignments via:
Rachelle: Senate Districts 2 SLC 3 So SL 5 Taylorsville West 9 Sandy 11 Draper Bluffdale 12 Magna 26 Duchesne Vernal
Blake: Senate Districts 4 Holladay 15 Orem Provo 17 Wendover NW UT Brigham City Tremonton 18 Morgan So Ogden Riverdale 21 Syracuse Westpoint 22 Farmington Kaysville 28 Cedar City
Blake House Districts 1 NW Utah 2 Eagle Mountain 3 Smithfield 4 Cache County 5 Hyrum So Cache 6 Lehi 7 No Ogden 8 Huntsville 9 Westhaven W Ogden 10 So Ogden 11 Riverdale 12 Roy 13 Clinton Westpoint 14 Syracuse 15 Layton 16 No. of Layton 17 Kaysville 18 Farmington 19 Bountiful 20 No. SL and west 27 Alpine 29 Plain City 48 W. of Orem 53 Coalville Morgan 54 Heber City
Rachelle House Districts 22 Magna 24 East SLC 25 Central SLC 26 West SLC 28 SL East Bench 30 West WVC 31 No. WVC 32 So. Sandy 33 WVC 34 Taylorsville 35 So SL W. Holladay 36 So. East Bench 38 W. SL County 39 W. Taylorsville 41 Bluffdale 42 N. of Herriman 43 W Jordan 44 Midvale 45 Sandy 47 So. of W Jordan 49 W. of Sandy 50 So Jordan 51 Draper 52 Herriman 55 Vernal
Joe House Districts 21 Tooele 23 Rose Park 37 Murray 40 Mill Creek 46 Cottonwood Heights 56 American Fork 57 Pleasant Grove 58 Nephi Manti 59 Orem Lindon 60 Orem UVU 61 Vineyard 62 Washington 63 Provo West 64 Provo South 65 Mapleton 66 Spanish Fork 67 Santaquin Payson 68 Fillmore West of Tooele 69 Price Duchesne 70 Richfield and West 71 Hurricane Springdale 72 Cedar City 73 Beaver to Monticello, Torrey, Kanab 74 Santa Clara Ivins 75 St. George
Final Report for Project 104: Rachelle Rawlins
Objective: The objective of this project to gain a closer perspective on those seeking or holding elected office in the Utah State Legislature and to gauge their views upon challenges facing the State of Utah, such as environmental degradation and pollution, population growth, poverty, employment and education. In asking these questions we are not only informing the general public but also our own elected officials and those who are running. Questions: 1. Are you aware of the studies and concerns related to health issues due to the air quality along the Wasatch Front (WF)? 2. Wasatch Front and Cache Valley air quality, especially in the winter, has been deteriorating - to the point where those regions may soon be declared non-attainment regions. Does this concern you? (EPA, Air and Health) 3. Extraction of the fossil fuels coal, oil, and gas has strengthened Utah economies. What concerns do you have for the future of those activities? (Energy) 4. Winter recreation activities are important to Utah’s economy. A lowering snow pack and a shorter snow season will result in decreased revenues. What are your concerns? (Snow) 5. South and central Utah will likely suffer water limitations in the years ahead. How might farmers and ranchers respond to such problem? (Water) 6. The state and its urban areas are planning for a doubling of population in the next 25 years. What are your concerns? (Growth) 7. What concerns do you have for public education in your district and in the state? (Education) 8. What concerns do you have regarding health care delivery and affordability in your district and in the state? (Health Care) 9. What concerns do you have about poverty and rates of poverty in Utah? (Poverty) 10. What other issues motivate you to participate in state government? (Other)
Manner of Approach: After conducting a brief website survey and gathering basic information about the candidates we then created a list of ten questions to ask the candidates. I called everyone once then left a message. The second time I called I also emailed them asking them to call me or fill out the form if it was more convenient for them. A large number ignored all three attempts and I had to call them again. Many candidates I spoke with answered one question and told me to call them latter but did not pick up when I tried to do so. I spoke with the Democratic Party and Republican Party with some luck. I also messaged them on their website but only received a short answers or a paragraph on their beliefs. This was the same with emails as well.
Results: For question one and two regarding air quality everyone I spoke with was very concerned about it. Everyone agreed that the Federal government should not get involved and local solutions will work best. How to solve the problem came two fold one was for taking personal responsibility such as driving less while the other focused on what the government should do such as increase regulations and improve the transit system. The third question was on the role of fossil fuels. Very few felt their main concern was that it would eventual stop due to government/public regulations. The majority feeling that as of right now we are dependent on fossil fuels but there is a right and wrong way to go about it. This involves makes sure the environment into account. The result being a balanced approach between job and protecting recreation areas. I spoke with only one or two that was for completely banning any fossil fuel extraction. There was varying level of interest in alternative with the majority supporting them alongside fossil fuel extraction. The fourth question was our question on climate change. This gnarred the least concern of everyone I interviewed. Although some were concerned there was a general consensus that we couldn’t do anything to stop this trend. I found this interesting since they believed we can improve our air quality which also decreases green gas emissions therefore reducing climate change. I was surprised at the lack of concern over water. Quite a few felt compared to other states we were doing just fine. The majority of democrats I spoke with encouraged desert landscape while everyone was for conservation. Other issues were brought up such as regional solutions and an empathies on protecting our water for future generations. The sixth question was regarding growth. I spoke with almost no one that was not concerned about this. The vast majority wasn’t against stating economic prosperity that follows from growth but there was a heavy emphasis on planning epically resource management and infrastructure. Some called on an economy that is not based on growth but this was the very small minority. The seventh, eighth, and ninth questions were regarding social issues. The first being education with a very predicable response. The main concerns were parental involvement, keeping federal government out, classroom size, teacher’s salary, and making funding a priority for education. The next social issue was health care, this largely depended on party affliction Republican generally against Medicaid expansion and Democratic for Medicaid expansion, though not always. Poverty was the last one with the least being said. Many felt people weren’t getting the help they needed because others were cheating the system. Everyone agreed these should be provided to people who truly need them. The last question was why the candidate has chosen to run. A large number cited education and being unhappy with the poor representation on the hill wither this be lack or bipartisanship or candidates using their office for personal gain. Another popular reason was protecting the constitution and ensuring the Federal government stay within appropriate boundaries. All in all the vast majority were educated and concerned with these issues that we brought to them. I spoke with only one candidate that would benefit from more education as he denied the scientific validity of climate change science and that was Jon Cox (435)857-4457. I also had one candidate completely refuse to be interviewed over the phone and did not respond to my emails and this was Carol Spackman Moss (801)647-8764.
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Critique: For future endeavors I would suggest starting with a detailed analysis of candidate’s websites. The purpose is finding out what candidates are talking about and what they are not can assist in answering what kind of questions are the most prevalent to ask. This would be a very simple yes/no type question. I would not interview the candidates until after the responses of the email. The email would act as a temperature check. After the responses to the email the question can then be rephrased into a few detailed questions drawing on the previous answers. This way the amount of information gathered is equal among candidates. It also provides both a general outline and a more detailed analysis of candidate’s political platform. These answers to the emails can be published then the transcripts of the interviews or a brief summary on a specified website. This way all candidates are adequately covered in understanding and knowing what is going to be published Due to the varied responses especially regarding climate change and issues related to healthcare I would also suggest rephrasing the questions for republicans and democrats. Many of the Democrats felt I was being unclear or patronizing towards and some Republicans felt I was being biased. In trying to satisfy everyone both parties were unhappy. This would require more interns then the two as it is very time consuming to interview so many candidates. I felt the number of candidates I was expected to interview very difficult to complete in the amounted time.
Recommendations: I feel that due to the varying lengths of responses I received it is impractical to do anything but give a general consensus on the information gathered. Some of my responses were only a question regarding the quality of air while others spoke very briefly outlining a very general reason for their concern. Yet, still others gave me a detailed candidate’s analysis of their standings on a number of different policy. To further complicate matters I did not speak with all but communicated through email. It is extremely difficult to capture these long interviews into several words while I was able to capture the sentiments of shorter conversations easily. Many candidates become annoyed at the length of time and I didn’t get to many of the questions regarding social issues. The question were very general allowing candidates to answer yes/no responses or lengthy responses. With these inconsistency in data gathering I feel it is inappropriate to make public this data in the form of a excel spreadsheet. I also received a great deal of concern on how their responses would be used and I agree with their concerns. I feel in the future this improved model with an empathies on consistency would allow an appropriate gathering of information for the voter. I believe this has potential for future elections in getting a more educated candidate and voting population. Name Office Location Address Zip Lee H. Phipps State House 1 Box Elder, Great Salt667 Lake, South Brigham 200 West City, Tremonton84302 Scott Sandall State House 1 Box Elder, Great Salt635 Lake, N. Hillcrest Brigham Circle City, Tremonton84337 Dorene Schulze-Stever State House 1 Box Elder, Great Salt12285 Lake, W Brigham8000 N City, Tremonton84337 DAVID E. LIFFERTH State House 2 Eagle Mountain, Saratoga8782 North Springs Pinehurst Dr. 84005 CHARLES CHRISTENSEN State House 2 Eagle Mountain, Saratoga107 W. SpringsCooper Ave 84045 JACK R. DRAXLER State House 3 Smithfield, Hyde Park,1946 North North Logan 1650 East 84341 EDWARD REDD State House 4 Logan, Logan Mountains1675 E. 1460 N. 84341 R. Curt Webb State House 5 Southern Cache Valley,500 HillsboroughWellsville Mountains Dr. 84332 JEFFREY D. TURLEY State House 5 Southern Cache Valley,367 SpringcreekWellsville Mountains Road 84332 JAKE ANDEREGG State House 6 Lehi P.O. Box #934 84043-0934 TRAVIS HARPER State House 6 Lehi 470 W Lake View Dr. 84043 CAMILLE L. NEIDER State House 7 North Ogden, Pleasant527 EView, 3575 North N. Ogden Canyon84414 ROGER S. CONDIE State House 7 North Ogden, Pleasant1270 View, N. Liberty North Ave Ogden Canyon84404 Justin Fawson State House 7 North Ogden, Pleasant1205 View, E. 2325 North N. Ogden Canyon84414 JOHN H THOMPSON State House 8 Weber, Huntsville, 1506Pineview 24th Resevoir, Wasatch-Cache84401-2906 Forest JEREMY PETERSON State House 9 Ogden, West Haven,2227 Roy Jefferson Ave. 84401 STEVE OLSEN State House 9 Ogden, West Haven,561 Roy Canyon Road 84404 DIXON M. PITCHER State House 10 South Ogden, WSU 6470 Bybee Dr. 84403 ERIC D. IRVINE State House 10 South Ogden, WSU 2974 Brinker Ave 84403 AMY STEED MORGAN State House 11 Riverdale, South Weber,261 East Hill 5150 AFB South 84405 BRAD DEE State House 11 Riverdale, South Weber,111 W. Hill 5600 AFB S. 84405 JOSEPH MARRERO State House 12 Roy, GSL, Hooper 2182 W 5600 S #17 84067 MIKE SCHULTZ State House 12 Roy, GSL, Hooper 2135 N. 4500 W. 84315 BOB BUCKLES State House 13 Clinton, West Point,2646 North 2710 West 84015 LORENZO SWANK State House 13 Clinton, West Point,10 W 100 S Suite 605 84101 CHERYL LYNN PHIPPS State House 14 Clearfield 623 North 675 West 84015 CURTIS ODA State House 14 Clearfield PO Box 824 84089 RICH MILLER State House 15 Layton, Davis, Antelope1698 WestIslan 200 North 84037 BRAD R WILSON State House 15 Layton, Davis, Antelope1423 WhisperingIslan Meadow Lane84037 STEVE HANDY State House 16 Layton, South Weber1355 East 625 North 84040 DOUGLAS MCENTIRE SILL State House 16 Layton, South Weber1585 North Fort Lane 84041 JEFFREY OSTLER State House 16 Layton, South Weber2470 North Fairfield Road 84041 ERIC LAST State House 17 Kaysville, Fruit Heights,664 East Layton 250 North 84037 STEWART E. BARLOW State House 17 Kaysville, Fruit Heights,940 Signal Layton Hill 84037 TIMOTHY D. HAWKES State House 18 Farmington, Centerville,443 South Wasatch 225 East Cache NF 84014 RICHARD BAGLEY State House 18 Farmington, Centerville,69 Old WasatchHaul Road Cache NF 84014 ELI CAWLEY State House 19 Bountiful 1387 South 1500 East 84010 DANIEL N. DONAHOE State House 19 Bountiful 2001 South Main Street AP 23284010 Ray Ward State House 19 Bountiful 954 E. Millbrook Way 84010 DONNA TAYLOR State House 20 West Bountiful, Woods885 BerkeleyCross, North Drive Salt Lake 84054 BECKY EDWARDS State House 20 West Bountiful, Woods1121 Cross, Eaglewood North LoopSalt Lake 84054 Robert G. Moultrie State House 20 West Bountiful, Woods599 EastCross, Eastpointe North Salt Circle Lake 84054 RICK A. POLLOCK State House 21 Stansbury Park 5726 Fermin Ln. 84074 DOUGLAS SAGERS State House 21 Tooele 243 Home Town Court 84074