July 25, 2003 Highlights
Your
Neighbor's Divorce is Costing You Money
 Utahns
are $312 poorer each year because of divorce. A Utah State University
study led by researcher David Schramm examines the economic
impact divorce has on Utah and the federal government.
The study, "The Costly Consequences of Divorce in Utah:
The Impact on Couples, Communities and Government," shows
the average divorce costs the state and federal governments
$30,000 in direct and indirect costs.
The results of the research demonstrate the high cost of divorce
on society and are intended to motivate the government to be
involved and encourage marriage education, Schramm said.
"Government involvement in marriage is a controversial
topic, but by instilling preventative measures, such as pre-marital
education, the government will save money," said Schramm.
The research shows that the 9,735 divorces that occurred in
Utah in 2001 cost $300 million.
This cost does not include the $178 million spent on personal
expenditures such as legal fees, lost work productivity and
relocation. Break-ups between cohabiting couples and the rise
in teen and unwed childbearing are not included in the figures.
"One of the most disturbing realizations from this report
is that divorce prompts divorce," said Schramm. "This
means that each future generation may see these economic figures
double."
Utah
State Extension in Iron County: 4-H Works with Teachers in the
Classroom
 Brenda
Haight is a second grade teacher at South Elementary School
in Cedar City. She said she relies on Extension to teach valuable
life skills to her children.
"I've been involved in 4-H all my life; as a child, a
junior leader and later as an adult leader with my daughter,
so I know the skills it can teach," Haight said. "When
I started teaching in the classroom seven years ago I looked
for ways to bring this into the classroom."
One of the skills Extension brings to her classes is nutrition
education through FNP — the Food and Nutrition Program.
Nutrition assistants bring lessons on healthy snacks and understanding
the food pyramid, she explained. Another program she uses is
Extension's embryology course. Extension placed 84 eggs in seven
classroom settings reaching more than 140 students. The eggs
were incubated 17 to 18 days at the Extension office and then
delivered to the classrooms to hatch. The 4-H Embryology Program
provides educational materials and instruction to grade school
students on hatching and raising chicks. This helps young people
understand the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives.
"The embryology program helps supplement our science class
on animals and birds," she said. "After the eggs hatch
we give the chicks to local farmers. These presentations add
a lot to the classroom and they introduce the kids to other
opportunities in 4-H. In turn, 4-H helps form lifelong connections."
To find out more about Iron
County, click
here. For more about Extension in other counties take the
Extension
tour of Utah.
Lynn
Dudley is Association's President Elect
 Lynn
M. Dudley, professor in the Department of Plants, Soils and
Biometeorology, was recently elected president-elect of the
Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS-PD). AAAS is the world's largest scientific
society, serving 10 million individuals in more than 130 countries.
The society advances science and innovation throughout the world,
and publishes the prestigious journal, Science.
Dudley is co-author of a book published by AAAS-PD, which addresses
the problem of toxic levels of selenium, arsenic, uranium, nitrates
and pesticides in Western irrigation systems. The problem was
first noticed in the mid-1980s when elevated selenium levels
caused reproduction problems among waterfowl at a wildlife refuge
in the San Joaquin Valley. The book focuses, in part, on ways
to reduce toxics using irrigation engineering, physics and geochemistry.
The research was funded by the President's Initiative on Water
Quality.
Utah State University can look forward to having the AAAS-PD
meet on its campus next summer when Dudley assumes the presidency.
The Pacific Division encompasses California, Oregon, Washington,
Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Montana west of the Continental Divide.
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