Feature Story: “Whether the underdog avoids skirmishes”

This semester’s PR Writing & Production class began with an assignment to write a feature story about another student in the class. Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the student. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.

A snap and a hiss rip through the leaves of the undergrowth. His position is less than ideal; it’s time to move. For two days he’s given up ground and waited to be discovered again.

In seconds, streams of blue surround Andrew Bryson and shower the tree trunks in more paint. His stinging shriek signals another victory for the Idaho boys.

Naturally, supplying the paintball gear brings with it the power to set the scene and arm your enemy as much, or as little, as you like. Bryson insists his cousins kept the most sophisticated weapons for themselves. Their paintballs seemed to hit harder—Bryson took a lot of hits and never won a round.

This summer’s trip to the hills near Yellowstone National Park seems to follow a long tradition of city-boy exploitation.

“My cousins are a bunch of hicks from southern Idaho, and they always get me to do some redneck things with them.”

With no hope for victory and a certainty of soreness, he still gave battle to his well-equipped cousins. The parallels between Bryson’s summertime paintball losses and his struggles on the battlefield of single adult life are patent. With gallant disregard for his doubts about ever finding a spouse, he goes on at least one date every week.

“I can’t wait to change poopy diapers and to spend my nights and weekends building a shed to hold my kids’ bikes and other crap,” Bryson said.  He wants to be a father, but he has to make some young woman fall in love with him first.

For the sake of understanding the battlefield, Bryson dedicates his free time to studying the literary classics on love and human existence. He is currently working on Pride and Prejudice and recently finished the Screwtape Letters.

C.S. Lewis’s senior demon, Screwtape, brags to a protégé tempter of rampant success convincing men and women not to marry until a “storm of emotion” confirms they are in love. “Thanks to us, the idea of marrying with any other motive seems to them low and cynical.”

Yet Jane Austen observes, “A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”  Surely, Bryson must himself be waiting to fall in love, as it is not the lady who is slow to do so.

The paintball guns in his cousins’ hands shoot farther and faster, yet one well-placed shot by the underdog is all that victory requires. So, you see, love is not a hopeless battle if you find yourself fired upon faster than you can take aim.

The particular challenge in this assignment was writing something about an individual that might interest other readers. For a college class, I was certain that something to do with the subject’s dating frustration would strike a chord with the audience of my classmates.

I chose to highlight the paintball story because it was the piece of the interview that conveyed the most action, and I wove these two elements together with some quotes from C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen to add some meaningful learning to the whole story. To my amazement, the first draft came together with all these elements in much less time than I anticipated.

social media consumption and workplace productivity: A recent essay for class on media effects research

In just one year studying public relations, I have realized that staying productive is my biggest challenge as a communications major.  I have witnessed how being involved in the communications industry almost necessitates being entirely connected 100 percent of the time.  Messages are designed to draw consumers’ attention by making them feel like participants—this is the key aspect of social media that drives the evolution of business communications and marketing into an ongoing, global conversation.

            Information spreads so quickly and so far, but there is SO MUCH information that a communications professional could spend all day consuming rather than creating content.  A PR professional who gets lost in sharing and scanning social networks is really no different than the average user even though he calls himself an expert at social media.  What is the key staying professional through all the browsing and sharing?  Understand uses and gratifications theory, know that it’s your job to create shareable content, and filter out things that are unimportant.

Theme

            A recurring theme in message content from the public relations industry is user generated content (UGC). For example, a carmaker may send an invitation to all of its Twitter followers to post a photograph of their own cars. This invitation elicits participation from the consumer by essentially saying, “Express yourself and include #OurValueProposition.”  While the marketing content is now often produced by the end user, marketing and PR teams have to reverse-engineer their selling tactics by asking the following questions: (1) “Who is our target audience?” (2) “What message do they need to hear?” and now (3) “Who do they need to hear it from?” or “How will they hear it?”

            The task requires creating programs and incentives for retrieving the highest quality content from users. Wikipedia—in perhaps the most perfect circular irony—says this about UGC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-generated_content): “Conversational or two-way media is a key characteristic of so-called Web 2.0, which encourages the publishing of one’s own content and commenting on other people’s.”  Wikipedia also describes the role of media organizations as “providing facilities for amateurs to publish their own content.”  Reaching content generators by being provocative and “providing facilities” is the new marketing challenge.

Audience

            With the limitless possibilities of segmentation, we could forever discuss the various audiences of social media content.  The social networks allow media organizations to reach unique target audiences, precise slivers of the general public.

            For the purpose of this brief exploration, we will consider the general population of social media consumers as technologically literate, mostly students and young professionals. Many of these young professionals have obtained higher education, and fall under the now-common definition of “knowledge workers.” Knowledge workers perform jobs that may require being connected to the Internet, their daily tasks require access to information. According to Thomas H. Davenport (2011), “Knowledge workers’ information needs vary. The key to better productivity is applying technology more precisely.”  Davenport’s comparison of the free-access model versus the structured model lists creativity and satisfaction as direct results of workers having autonomy in defining their own “information environments.”

Unintended Consequence

            Social networking and user generated content can trace their origins to “Computerized Bulletin Board System” developed in 1978 by Ward Christensen, who previously worked for IBM (Scott & Jacka). The typical uses for this system were posting meeting times and locations, and this developed over many years into the commonly seen company intranet. All these tools greatly increased productivity.  James Bennett, et al, argue that corporations cannot ignore the “crowdsourcing” strategies, which employs the power of collective intelligence and collaboration through social networking channels. As this corporate culture of transparency improves reputations and gains popularity among businesses, “Having email and a company intranet is no longer sufficient (Bennett et al),” for information sharing.

            However, the tendency to over consume cannot be ignored.  Social media turns into a significant time waster because content is constantly updating and the participation is so alluring.  Videos “go viral” when they are viewed and shared millions of times. Sharing participants get a feeling of involvement even though someone else produced the content. 

            In many instances, I catch myself thinking that by scanning Twitter and YouTube daily and studying the content that rises to the top, I am somehow learning the secret of what makes good content marketing effective.  In reality, I may be able to pick out certain elements and say, “These are the elements of effective content marketing.” It’s a trap.

Uses & Gratifications Theory / Displacement

            Can we write off social media entirely as a time waster? Of course, some of it has inherent value—automotive reviews, for example, help consumers make educated buying decisions.  The use, in this case, is educational.  In the case of a PR student studying successful YouTube campaigns, you could argue that too is educational.

            Where uses and gratifications intersect workplace productivity is where content viewing becomes more than just information sharing—it becomes entertainment.  Brent Coker (2011), however, argues that workplace Internet leisure browsing (WILBing as they call it) can improve productivity because if people can effectively reset their brain while still at their desk, the brief sporadic breaks can help people function throughout an entire day.

            It is the length of viewing content that begins to effect workplace productivity.  People can efficiently catch up after a short break, but people who spend too much time online are inevitably wasting work time, and Coker’s testing found this point was at 12 percent of work time spent WILBing.  Workers who spend more than 12 percent of their workday browsing are using internet and social media to either feel connected with people outside of work or as an escape from unpleasant work, and that’s when it begins to interfere with workplace productivity.

 

Conclusion

            I tend to use entertaining social media content to escape from homework and studying.  I often justify it, which can become problematic when I actually get into the content-creating profession I plan to pursue.  What I’m learning through uses and gratifications theory, and from Coker’s study, is to allow myself a regular diet of small interruptions.  I periodically read another car news article after I finish another paragraph or reach another milestone on my current assignment.  When I find more enjoyment in writing, I tend to watch less, maybe filtering out the long videos that will surely interrupt my exciting train of thought.

            At other times, however, I have experienced the frustration of reading countless academic journals, narrowing the field down to three or four useable bits of material, and then staring at a blank page not knowing where to begin expressing my thoughts.  In those instances, viewing something medium of expression that I find enticing and inspiring will often help push me into an introduction and through the initial writing block.  The more time I waste, after that, the quicker I force myself to write. P.S. I watched approximately 35 minutes of YouTube during the 4 hours I worked on producing this essay—that’s approximately 14.5% WILBing, so I have work still to do.

 

WORKS CITED

Bennett, J., Owers, M., Pitt, M., & Tucker, M. (2010). Workplace impact of social networking. Property Management, Vol. 28 Iss: 3, pp.138 – 148

 

Coker, B. (2011). Freedom to surf: the positive effects of workplace Internet leisure browsing. New Technology, Work and Employment. November 26:3 (238-247).

Davenport, T. H. (2011). Rethinking knowledge work: A strategic approach. McKinsey Quarterly. Feb 2011. Retreived from http://builddigcity.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/50083607/Rethinking%20Knowledge%20Workers.pdf

Scott, P. R. & Jacka, M. (2011). Auditing social media: A governance and risk guide. Wiley: Hoboken, New Jersey. Retrieved from HBLL library http://site.ebrary.com/lib/byuprovo/docDetail.action?docID=10452944

 

Wikipedia.com – User Generated Content – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-generated_content

 

Mormon studies conference at UVU library

UVU’s religious studies program will host its annual Mormon studies conference Thursday and Friday (April 4–5) in the Lakeview room, which is on the fourth floor of the UVU Library.

This is UVU’s 13th annual Mormon studies conference, and this year’s theme is “The Expanded Canon: Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts.” Sessions are divided into themes, with speakers and panel discussions related to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and global Christianity topics.

The conference will open Thursday at 8:15 a.m. with a segment on how Mormons treat scripture-reading. Blair Van Dyke, Mormon studies coordinator at the Orem institute of religion, will give a presentation about how many LDS people are turning to electronic versions of scripture published by the Church.

The conference also assembled professors of religion and philosophy from UNLV, Indiana University and UNC, from both Asheville and Chapel Hill campuses, as well as authors of religious articles and books.

The entire conference is open to the public free of charge, but seating is limited. Click here for the full schedule and speakers’ bios.

UVU student art show on exhibit now

Utah Valley University students from the Department of Art and Visual Communications have opened their annual student art show this month.

The exhibit will be on display at the Woodbury Art Museum, located in the southeast end of University Mall, until April 27. Over 100 pieces were selected from hundreds of entries. Five seniors getting their BFA degrees this year were selected to have their work displayed in their own personal exhibits within the student art show.

“It’s our biggest opening every year,” said Melissa Hempel, director-curator for the museum. Over 700 people came to the show opening on Tuesday, March 26.

In 2011, the student art show was the third most visited exhibit, according to the Woodbury Art Museum’s annual report. However, the student exhibit is only on display during the month of April, while the top two exhibits were each open for three months.

“There’s something for everybody,” Hempel said. “It’s a great opportunity to see a large variety of artwork coming from the Utah Valley community.”

Walk-in visitors can view the exhibit anytime between now and April 27, but the Woodbury Art Museum is only open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Hempel encouraged artists to join them April 23 at 7 p.m. for a guided tour with artist Kent Christensen. Christensen will give insights and critiques on the student art show followed by a hands-on painting workshop. This tour is free, but space is limited. Call the museum at (801)862-4200 to reserve a spot.

Early-return missionaries get a chance to tell their stories

The unopened suitcase full of journals, scriptures, white shirts and ties sits in a closet. It preserves and shields the memories it contains.

“I will open it after I finish grad school,” is the resolve of the young man who last looked inside as he was returning home from his mission. Since he did not finish a two year mission, his parents don’t believe that he will finish his graduate degree.  The words “just like you quit your mission” echo in his head as he presses forward through his next rite of passage.

This true story was shared April 9 by Kris Doty, a UVU behavioral science professor. In a qualitative study of how young men experience returning early from an LDS mission, Doty and her research team interviewed 12 young men between the ages of 20 and 29 and coded their responses to uncover emerging themes. The results of these interviews were developed into a new survey designed to gather data for a quantitative analysis, which Doty plans to present to the LDS Missionary Department.

She hopes they can gather over 1,000 responses to the survey, but she feels it would be insensitive and counter-productive to administer it to stake leaders or mission presidents. The survey is voluntary and is designed for early-returning missionaries, both elders and sisters, to tell their story. To participate, copy and paste the following link into a new browser window/tab: bit.ly/earlyrm

(I’ve done live link, looked at the HTML and everything was right, but WordPress is tacking the survey link at the end)

An estimated 10–15 percent of missionaries arrive home before completing their full assignment. “That’s not a population we can ignore,” Doty told students and colleagues. Doty said 6,000-9,000 of the 65,000 full-time missionaries reported in general conference may return early.

Various factors contribute to a missionary’s early return, as Doty’s study indicated. Of the 12 participants, two returned for medical reasons, four for mental health challenges, two for unresolved transgressions before their missions, two for disobeying mission rules, and two left by personal choice. All the participants had unique stories to tell, but 10 of the 12 participants said they would not change their decision or the way things happened.

Doty said they were glad to have learned from the experience once they’d felt a certain measure of healing.

Loving support from family and social circles contributed to an easier adjustment and continued activity in the Church. However, most felt pressure to return and only four of the 12 said they felt accepted by their parents.

“If it was Mom, it seemed to mean a little bit more,” Doty said. For a parent who devotes preparations and prayers to a missionary’s faithful service, the return home can seem like a bitter failure.

“Well, my mom ended up one day just leaving,” Adam (name has been changed) said. “She just left a note saying, ‘I am not a fit mother if Adam came home early because if Adam couldn’t serve a full two years, I’m not a good mother.’ She still, to this day, doesn’t believe that she’s a good mother. So she left (for six months). And I still don’t even know where she went. She won’t tell us.”

Navigating reintegration in LDS society after completing a mission, even with familial support, can be challenging, as shown in a 2004 study by Bruce Chadwick and Richard McClendon. The awkward transition is more difficult for those who wish to not share their emotional journey with ward members.

“I just needed a way to escape,” Clark (name has been changed) said. “So I took a job on Sundays and that way I didn’t have to explain things to people anymore. … I became someone who just wasn’t known anymore in that ward. They just didn’t expect me coming anymore. Things died down and that was nice.”

Clark received over-the-phone therapy treatments and long-distance prescriptions for depression before he returned home. His struggle and the impersonal treatment he received caused him to end his missionary service. He escaped the questions of church members when he returned home. As the questions subsided, “The pain just kind of resolved itself,” he said.

However, ignoring that a missionary came home early may also hurt him or her. Thomas Ash, a member of Doty’s research team, cautioned that asking nothing or saying nothing may sometimes cause unintended harm to the early-returning missionary who needs to be shown understanding and acceptance. He made the crowd imagine a playground where one child says to another, “Nobody likes you. Go away.”

“That child is not necessarily the spokesperson of that group,” Ash said. He pointed out how one person, daring make a light-hearted joke about an elder’s early return, will project a negative opinion in the young man’s mind that does not represent the way others feel. “That elder is going to feel like the entire ward feels that way.”

“They’re shunned. … It’s just not helpful for these wonderful young men, and we’re losing them to inactivity,” Doty said. She stressed the need for increasing awareness and social acceptance of the issue. “If they come home early, so what?” Doty said. “Can’t we just love them and give them a calling?”

LDS Church patriarch dies at age 106

Elder Eldred G. Smith lived longer than any former General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He died Thursday evening, April 4. He was 106.

President Thomas S. Monson, right, visits with long-time friend and Patriarch Emeritus Elder Eldred G. Smith, who turned 106 on Jan. 9. (Photo by Gerry Avant)

The First Presidency of the Church released the following statement on the passing of Elder Smith: “The Church has lost a valued friend and respected leader with the passing of Patriarch Eldred G. Smith. He was a man who lived a Christ-centered life as he faithfully served as Patriarch to the Church. We pray for the Lord’s blessing to be upon his family at this tender time.”

Elder Smith served as Patriarch to the Church from 1947 to 1979 and traveled to many stake conferences with members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve.

The office of church patriarch was first held by Joseph Smith Sr., the father of the prophet Joseph Smith. Eldred G. Smith is the great-great-grandson of Hyrum Smith, and his father also served as Patriarch from 1912 to 1932.

Elder Smith was the last person to serve in the position. The position has not been filled since he was granted emeritus status in 1979.

At the time of his passing, Elder Smith was believed to be the oldest man in Utah.

Priesthood session 183rd annual General Conference

Elder Robert D. Hales

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles held his fists close to the podium as he asked the men of the Church to imagine that the distance between his fists represented the short distance between Church standards and common worldly standards a few generations ago.

“The world has gone far afield,” Elder Hales said as he held one fist still and moved the other one to the side. “The Church will remain constant, it’s still right here, yet the world will keep moving — that gap is becoming wider and wider.”

Elder Hales shared a high school experience from a time when the gap was much narrower. As he traveled with the varsity baseball team, Elder Hales became exposed to “language and behavior that was not in harmony with the standards of the gospel.” When he arrived at home after the first away game, his father perceived what had happened on the bus ride home.

His father, a professional artist, drew a picture of a knight and taught him about the Armor of God from the words of the Apostle Paul: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

“We need this armor.” Elder Hales said. “Today, temptation finds you. Please remember that.”

This is not the first time Elder Hales has talked about the difference between the Church’s unchanging standards versus the world’s drifting morals. In a BYU devotional in 1982, Elder Hales said he used the same hand gesture to illustrate the relative distance between common values and gospel doctrine.

Today, Elder Hales warned of misunderstanding and criticism which may result from standing firm in a world of shifting values.  As God’s children, “we are not authorized to negotiate the conditions of that eternal plan,” he explained.

“Standing obedient and strong on the doctrine of our God, we stand in holy places, for His doctrine is sacred and will not change in the social and political winds of our day,” Elder Hales said.

“I testify that we need not be afraid if we are grounded in His doctrine,” he promised. “It is our sacred privilege to stand with Him!” Prophets of old were able to stand strong because they stood with the Lord.

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, was confronted and accused for his steadfastness — such as when he taught the gospel in his youth to the high priests in the temple or when he stood silent while the chief priests accused him before Caiaphas.

Elder Hales concluded by bearing testimony of how Christ “did not shrink” when he was required to perform the Atonement.

Elder Tad R. Callister

Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy addressed the leaders of young priesthood holders.

He noticed three factors that contribute to the growth of a young man during the missionary years: trust, high but loving expectations and training. His talk illustrated how these three principles can be applied to teaching young men so their growth will occur earlier, while serving as deacons quorum presidents, long before missionionary age.

“As an evidence of this trust,” Elder Callister said, “we call deacons quorum presidents by revelation… this assurance helps him know that God both trusts him and sustains him.”

The second and third principle were connected, according to Elder Callister, because an effective leader will set expectations high and then lovingly train young men to meet expectations. For example, the expectation for a deacons quorum president is that he will lead his quorum by receiving revelation. An effective leader will teach the deacons how to obtain, recognize and act upon revelation.

“There is an old saying: Do not die with your music still in you,” Elder Callister said. He concluded, “In like manner I would say to you adult leaders, do not get released with your leadership skills still in you.”

President David L. Beck

David L. Beck, Young Men General President, illustrated one way young men can fulfill their duty as ministers.

He related the story of how an entire high school football team followed the example of their starting quarterback, an Aaronic Priesthood holder, in protecting a girl from further bullying.

“You have probably seen people mistreated like this in your school too,” Beck said, driving his point home. The football team received national attention and became known for being ministers even as they marched through the season to a state championship title. “What began as an effort to minister to one is inspiring thousands of others to do the same,” Beck said.

Beck said young men can begin ministering in their homes to members of their families.

“The next time your mother asks for your help around the house, say something like ‘Thank you for asking, Mom. I would love to help,'” Beck said as many in the audience chuckled. “Some of you might want to brush up on your first aid skills before you try this, because you may send her into shock.”

Beck gave examples of how ministering to family members can improve relationships and strengthen the spirit in the home, and how members of a quorum can reach out to minister to other members of their quorum.

“Minister every day,” Beck ended. “Opportunities are all around you. Look for them. Ask the Lord to help you recognize them. You will find that most consist of small, sincere acts that help others become followers of Jesus Christ.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, addressed the priesthood session by talking about four titles that all priesthood holders share.

“We men sometimes identify ourselves by titles,” President Uchtdorf began. He gave examples of how a title describes one’s role in a family, one’s occupation or one’s position in the Church.

The four titles he describes “may help us recognize our individual roles in God’s eternal plan and our potential as priesthood holders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Son of Heavenly Father. The first title defines us at the most fundamental level. We are all God’s children.

“Unfortunately, none of us quite lives up to everything that this title implies,” Uchtdorf said. “It can be discouraging at times to know what it means to be a son of God and yet come up short. The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. Brethren, don’t listen to him.”

Just as a father would never punish a toddler for failing to walk, Heavenly Father is patient with our stumbles. “Compared to the perfection of God, we mortals are scarcely more than awkward, faltering toddlers,” President Uchtdorf said.

Disciple of Jesus Christ. While we are all supposed to follow Christ, not everyone is supposed to become the exactly the same. Some think that discipleship leads each member to “look, feel, think, and behave like every other” but President Uchtdorf says that this would “contradict the genius of God,” who created each person with a unique identity.

“As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences.”

Healer of Souls. Continuing from the idea of following Jesus Christ, President Uchtdorf said those who truly follow also emulate his example as a healer.

“We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God are called to practice ‘the healer’s art,'” President Uchtdorf said.

President Uchtdorf said that a home teacher, a father or a priesthood leader acts as a healer by keeping “in one hand a vial of consecrated oil for blessing the sick,” in the other hand, he said, a loaf of bread for feeding the hungry. Along with both hands full, a priesthood holder is supposed to carry in his heart “the peaceable word of God, ‘which healeth the wounded soul.'” (Jacob 2:8)

Heir of Eternal Life. President Uchtdorf connects the final title to the first one, quoting from Romans chapter eight, which says if we are children of God, then we are heirs of his kingdom.

“It is beyond my power of thought to imagine all that this promise entails,” President Uchtdorf said. “But I do know it is grand, it is divine, it is eternal, and it is worth all of our efforts in life.” President Uchtdorf also cited the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, which reiterates the promise in Romans but includes obtaining the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood as a prerequisite for receiving all that God has.

“Knowing this, how can we not willingly and joyfully engage in serving the Lord and fellowmen and living up to our responsibilities in the priesthood of God?” President Uchtdorf asked.

“Your opportunities for service are endless. If you are waiting on the sidelines, I encourage you to get in the game.”

President Uchtdorf became very emotional as he spoke to those who may feel overlooked or not needed and dedicated the rest of his remarks to encouraging all priesthood holders to feel needed and loved.

He concluded by saying, “I pray that as you ponder the many titles of a worthy priesthood holder you will discover a divine wind at your back, lifting you ever upward, towards the great inheritance you Heavenly Father has reserved for you.”

President Henry B. Eyring

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, shared a story of a convert to the church who lives in a country where the Church’s missionary work recently began.

The boy was very young when his family came to Utah. Here, the boy’s family was taught the gospel and was baptized, but he was not old enough to be baptized. After the tragic death of his parents, the boy returned to the city where he was born, where he was raised by his grandmother.

Later in his life, he encountered a Church member who was seeking accommodations for missionaries in the area and the 16-year-old was introduced to missionaries as they moved in to begin the work in his city. He was the first convert, and, President Eyring said, “He was the first priesthood pioneer to gather other children of Heavenly Father with him to establish the Church in a city of approximately 130,000 people.”

President Eyring said that the story may seem unremarkable “unless you recognize in it the pattern of God’s hand in building His kingdom.” The 16-year-old boy has directly affected the growth of that area to six members in a few months.

“I have seen it many times,” President Eyring said. He related the story of how he was called to be a district missionary while stationed in Albuquerque.

During his time there, he averaged more than 40 hours of missionary service each week without knocking on doors. “The members filled our plates so full that we often taught two families in an evening,” President Eyring said. “I saw for myself the power and the blessing in the repeated call of prophets for every member to be a missionary.”

President Eyring later moved to Massachusetts. There, he served as a counselor to the district president and witnessed the organization of their first stake after five years.

“Years later I returned to conduct a stake conference there,” President Eyring recounted. “The stake president took me to see a rocky hill in Belmont (Mass.). He told me it would be a perfect lace for a temple of God. One stands there now. When I gaze on it, I remember the humble members I sat with in tiny branches, the neighbors they invited and the missionaries who were teaching them.”

President Eyring cited the April 1959 General Conference, in which President David O. McKay famously stated, “Every member a missionary.”

In 2002, the Church instructed bishops to take on the responsibility of overseeing missionary work in their wards. President Eyring provided a few other examples of how bishops are carrying out this duty such as discussing the progress of investigators in ward council. As these bishops counsel with youth, also, their conversion converts into more dedicated missionary work.

“Whether it is in the large ward where the new deacon will perform his duty to share the gospel and build up the kingdom or in the tiny group far away where the new priest serves, they will be one in purpose.” They will both invite others to come to Christ and President Eyring asked us to “encourage people we love to be cleansed from sin and to happy with us in the kingdom of God.”

President Monson

Church President Thomas S. Monson asserted there is “no proclamation more relevant, no responsibility more binding, no instruction more direct than the injunction given by the resurrected Lord as He appeared in Galilee to the 11 disciples.”

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” he said, quoting Matthew 28:19.

“Missionary work is an identifying feather of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” President Monson said. “Always has it been; ever shall it be.”

President Monson commended the 65,000 missionaries who are currently serving. Since the recent surge of missionaries came after the missionary age change last October conference, President Monson addressed those in the crowd who would have to replace the current missionary force within the next two years.

President Monson’s formula for missionary success included:

Search the scriptures with diligence

President Monson shared one scriptural reference for all to consider. When Alma was reunited with the sons of Mosiah after years of missionary labor, he rejoiced that “they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.” (Alma 17:2)

Plan your life with purpose

President Monson and the entire congregation chuckled when he said, “During no other time does the entire family so anxiously watch and wait for the mailman,” than when a missionary is waiting for his call.  But missionary preparation needs to begin early. “A mission is a family affair,” President Monson said.

Teach the truth with testimony

 From his days as a mission president in Toronto, President Monson told the story of how one convert was affected by the powerful testimony of a young missionary. “That night, I could not sleep,” Elmer Pollard, of Ontario, told President Monson. After dismissing the missionaries, they returned to his door and bore testimony which resounded in his ears that night: “‘Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it. I know it. I know it.'”

Serve the Lord with love

A young man sought President Monson’s advice before beginning his mission, asking how he could help his father accept the gospel while he was on his mission. President Monson counseled him to serve diligently and write home every week, letting his father know how much he loved him. The young man’s father and mother traveled to Australia at the conclusion of their son’s mission so that his father could be baptized by him.

“There is no substitute for love,” President Monson said.

LDS women deal with depression

A mother locks herself in her closet, where the kids cannot hear, although she doubts her own strength to form the words:

“Please God, let someone get into this subject and see that it’s real, it isn’t fake. That it isn’t just women who are selfish or women who are on the fringe of the Church or don’t have a testimony or aren’t serving. Let that pain we feel, that emptiness, let someone speak for us, finally.”

Kristine Doty discusses depression and helps those battling with this issue. (Photo by Tim Shaw)

Amy (name changed) prayed for years to witness this kind of study.

Amy, age 41, is one of 20 Utah Valley residents diagnosed with depression who shared their experiences with Dr. Kristine Doty, assistant professor of behavioral science at Utah Valley University. Doty’s keynote address kicked off UVU’s Mental Health Symposium, held Thursday, Jan. 31.

Bethany Gull, professional development director for the Utah chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said, “This conference is particularly relevant … because it will include a discussion of the environmental and cultural forces that can both contribute to and develop effective responses for mental health issues, especially depression, in Utah.”

A 2007 report by Mental Health America placed Utah at the bottom of the “depression status” rankings. According to the report, Utah had the seventh-highest suicide rate of any state, and more than 10 percent of respondents had experienced a major depressive episode in the previous year.

“It’s so unique in our culture,” Doty said of these forces that feed depression and hinder its treatment. “You won’t find this is an issue in Ohio or in Florida or in New York. It’s just not as big of a deal, but here it’s huge.”

Doty became concerned about depression among LDS women while she worked as a crisis counselor in the emergency room at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. During that time, she saw a pattern of increased visits on Sunday afternoons by women who came from their church meetings feeling anxious, guilty or inadequate.

From this experience, and with the 2010 study by her colleagues Jack Jensen and Cameron John linking religiosity, perfectionism and depression among LDS college students, Doty conducted her study to gain deeper understanding in what makes perfectionism such a recurring theme in cases of depression.

“In the LDS Church it’s like, ‘I feel depressed,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh you must not be righteous, maybe you should go serve somebody and then you would be,'” Lindsay (name changed) said. She told Doty how feeling judged by others contributed to her depression. Lindsay, age 32, also said, “It’s just something we do to ourselves, that’s not coming down from the prophet, it’s not coming down from God. That’s just us comparing ourselves to each other and having that perfect standard.”

Doty found that Lindsay’s struggles were common among 75 percent of volunteers in the study. All 20 women are residents of Utah County, all 20 are self-described as active Latter-day Saints, and all 20 have been diagnosed with depression by a medical doctor or mental health professional.

“Fifteen of the 20 women felt like they were under a microscope in this community,” Doty said. Another 15 also “struggled with toxic perfectionism.”

Nineteen of the 20 women said they used antidepressants in their treatment. “It’s like it’s ok, and in some cases a badge of honor, to be on an antidepressants,” Doty said of the social acceptance of medication. She fears many women compare themselves to others, sometimes measuring their struggles based on the dosage they take.

“It’s like we’ve just lost the war on treating depression,” Doty said. Although she recommends medication in some cases, she said, “No medication changes situational factors. It just doesn’t. It numbs it, but it’s stopping them from working through whatever those issues are. It’s just masking what those problems are.”

However, Doty cautioned practitioners about incorporating gospel messages into therapeutic treatment programs. She counted few women who were coping with depression by turning to scriptures, prayer or temple attendance because these strategies caused them to feel more inadequate.

“Let’s not set them up to fail by throwing all these things that, in a deep depression, actually come off as guilt producing,” Doty said. She prescribed a system of treatment that helps LDS women reach a healthy, functioning level then introduces the principles and habits of gospel living.

“Give people permission to not be perfect,” Doty concluded. She said the ability to cope with one’s imperfections precedes healing by virtue of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Doty said future studies are being developed to explore whether this phenomenon exists in LDS culture outside of Utah and among other religions.

In previous years, the UVU Mental Health Symposium focused on addiction and autism. Both topics were so successfully received that the College of Humanities and Social Sciences added two more conferences to its symposium schedule — an addiction conference on Feb. 22 and an autism conference on April 12.

According to Toni Harris, assistant dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, providing “a forum for discussion, research, education, theory, recommendation and networking” makes UVU’s annual mental health symposium a source of information to the community that can enrich the quality of life.

UVU Mental Health Symposium treats depression

Therapists and social workers will treat Utah’s depression problem during Utah Valley University’s fourth annual Mental Health Symposium on January 31.

Because of widespread concern arising from national studies showing Utah at the bottom of the “depression status” ranking, the entire symposium will focus on issues related to depression.

The program will begin with a keynote address by Kristine Doty, UVU professor of psychology and behavioral science. Doty’s study explores the correlation between perfectionism and depression among female students who identified themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to her presentation brief, Doty will show how Mormon women can eradicate the belief in the existence of the fabled “Molly Mormon.”

All who wish to attend can register at http://www.uvu.edu/chss/mentalhealth/. The cost is $19 and includes six workshop sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., lunch, and a parking pass.

Practicing social workers are encouraged to attend in order to receive continuing education units (CEUs) required for licensing with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The NASW Utah chapter will count the symposium as 6.5 of the 40 CEUs practitioners need every two years.

UVU approved for new $54M classroom building

Utah Valley University is expecting to break ground this summer for a new classroom building, which was approved by the Utah State Legislature before the close of the general session on March 14.

“The Utah Legislature’s approval of funding for the new classroom building is a crucial win for UVU students, and we’re grateful for lawmakers’ support,” said Matthew Holland, UVU president. “This new facility will help ensure that students and faculty members have the physical learning tools and atmosphere that is vital to student success.”

The project will help alleviate the crowding issues with its 240,000 square feet of classrooms and offices.

UVU’s longterm strategies project enrollment of over 43,000 students by 2020. According to the university’s plans, more than 750,000 additional square feet will be needed to accommodate growth.

“UVU’s growth trajectory is a reflection of the institution’s increased popularity,” President Holland said in October 2012. “But our mandate is not growth for growth’s sake.” After peaking at over 33,000 students in 2011, enrollment has dipped slightly in the last year due to stricter enrollment requirements and deadlines.

While the university is currently planning for additional enrollment declines due to the missionary age change, the classroom building fits with the UVU’s core vision to provide top-tier education that is accessible to more Utahns than ever. UVU is one of the largest open-admission universities in the nation. By adding more than 10,000 students in four years, UVU became the largest public institution in Utah in the fall of 2011.

The building designs include 34 classrooms between 40 and 330 seats each, with one auditorium fitting 1000 seats. Currently, UVU’s largest classroom auditorium has 400 seats and is found in the science building just completed in 2012. For reference, the new auditorium will be larger than the JSB auditorium, which holds 866 seats. The need for such a large classroom may seem to contradict UVU’s reputation for small class sizes.

“Last semester I was in a class with only eight students,” Adam Pilkington said. Pilkington is a business management student nearing graduation in December, and he suspected that his experience with smaller classes comes from being in upper-level classes. Pilkington has attended UVU for the past five years and has seen other areas where growth has outpaced capacity.

“Parking is obviously an issue, and the bookstore is way too small,” Pilkington said. “Anywhere where there are student help desks or student services is just way overcrowded.”

According to the minutes from the President’s Executive Leadership Council last November, UVU administrators expressed some concern that lawmakers might give funding priorities to other institutions that had not received building grants recently.

However, Utah State Legislature considered few “shovel-ready” projects during this session and, therefore, approved the $54 million grant to begin construction. Weber State also received a $3.5 million grant to begin the planning and design of a new science building. The bill is currently awaiting the governor’s signature and UVU plans construction to begin this summer.