Haircuts help trim tab for new building at UVU

OREM (Deseret News) — It would take a lot of $5 haircuts to build a 160,000-square-foot building at Utah Valley University, but for the third time this year, students lined up on Wednesday to help pay for what President Matt Holland says is the most critically needed addition to the growing school in its history.

In the middle of a bad budget year, when the state is cutting funds provided to public colleges and universities, UVU is forced to come up with its own ways of fundraising to show student and community support as well as raise a little cash for a new science education building. In addition to haircuts on campus, there have been talent shows, used clothing drives and other efforts, topping off the first million for a $52.7 million science education building.

"We live off Top Ramen, we don't have a lot of extra cash so it shows a major commitment when students give money for something the whole campus needs," said Kristopher Lange, UVU's student senator for science and health. Lange said he stays up until midnight on registration day so he can be one of the first to get into the highly popular science classes he needs to graduate.

Millions of dollars worth of scientific equipment sit underneath a blue tarp at the base of the stairwell in the science building because there isn't room to put it to use.

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