Western Front - 2000 October 27

              FRIDAY, October 27, 2000
The Western Front Western Washington University Volume 114 Issue 8 Bellingham, Washington
Faculty uncertain about tenure pre-review
By Jen True
THE WESTERN FRONT
Junior faculty will be present­ing
Provost Andrew Bodman
with a rudimentary tenure
application for review, which
will indicate whether or not they
should continue in the tenure
process or wait.
The pre-review was intended
to be helpful, but the Faculty
Senate did receive several let­ters
of complaint and heard
grumbling about the process,
Faculty Senate President Chris
Anne. Suczek said.
'We are trying to reach some
sort of resolution," she said.
Last June, the provost
requested materials from some
of the people planning to apply
this October. Suczek said her
impression was that the provost
was looking for premature appli­cations
and had no intentions of
pre-reviewing all tenure applica­tion
materials.
"The idea was that it is kind of
a pre-test," Suczek said. "You
know, it sounds sort of like tak­ing
the written part of the dri­ving
test before you take the dri­ving
part. Even if the provost
has said 'yes> it looks like it is
the time for you to come up now,'
the person could come up and
not get promoted. Or if the
provost said 'it is not time to,'
there is nothing to prevent the
person."
Tenure promotions give
Western faculty members job
security, academic freedom and
a pay raise.
Teachers generally apply dur­ing
their sixth year, but it has
become usual at Western to
See TENURE, Page 4
Central blocks out Western
Daniel J. Peters/The Western Front
Midfielder Mary Wellnitz attempts a penalty kick in the first half of Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Central
Washington. Wellnitz's scored the Vikings' first goal on a similar kick earlier in the quarter but failed to make it two
when her kick caromed off the goal post. See story, Page 8.
1-745 debate centers on WTA, road problems
By H o l l i e Brown
THE WESTERN FRONT
Traffic jams, long commutes,
ill-maintained roads, pollution
and public transportation are
among concerns for Washington
state residents and Whatcom
Transit Authority dependent
students.
Wednesday evening, students
and community members had
the opportunity to hear both
sides of a possible solution to
these problems, Initiative 745.
In a debate co-sponsored by
Campus Green Vote and the AS
Environmental Center, Bandy
Elmore, a 46-year community
member, presented the benefits
of 1-745 and Glen Hallman,
long-time initiative worker and
community member, presented
the negative effects to a mostly
opposed audience.
Written by Tim Eyman,
author of 1-695 (the initiative
that reduced car tabs to $30) I-
745 proposes improving traffic
should be the state transporta­tion
system's top priority. To do
this, the initiative would
require 90 percent of trans­portation
funds be spent on road
construction and maintenance.
Roads currently receive 70
percent of state transportation
funds and alternative forms of
transportation receive 30 per­cent,
Elmore said.
"We're way behind in the con­struction
of roads," Elmore said.
"The population has increased.
We need to get started."
"If it passes, it will cut public
transportation by 50 percent, at
least," said Citizens for Real
Transportation Choices repre-
Matt Williams/ The Western Front
Glen Hallman (Left) and Randy Elmore (Right) argued
about the effect 1-745 will have if it passes.
sentative Aaron Toso. 'Thirty-seven
thousand businesses
across the state are against
this."
The asphalt industry dumped
$1 million into the "yes" side of
the campaign, Green Vote repre­sentative
Sarah Hayes said,
adding petitioners were paid by
asphalt companies to get signa­tures
for the initiative.
Hayes said Green Vote went
to the University of Washington
See 1-745, Page 4
Instructors
to submit
evaluations
on Internet
By Ivory Firsching
THE WESTERN FRONT
Durring Winter quarter 2001,
for the first time, student evalu­ations
of instructors' will be
available on the Web.
Last spring, the Faculty
Senate passed a motion enabling
instructors to voluntarily post
their student evaluations online.
"What (the senate) decided
'/ think many faculty
would be horrified to have
their evaluations posted as
they are unwilling to take
the necessary criticism to
make their classes better,'
Craig Moyer
Biology Professor
was to make posting of the mul­tiple-
choice part of the evalua­tions
voluntary on the part of
individual faculty," Faculty
See EVALUATIONS, Page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Just relax, sit back
and yoga
Who says midterms have to
be stressful? Several
Western students have
taken to enhancing their
calm through yoga
See story, Page 9.
Ann rules Bellingham
Award winning author
Ann Rule dis­cussed
her
latest book
"And Never
Let Her Go"
to crowed
house at
Village Books
Tuesday evening.
See Pages 6,7.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail the Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu http://westernfront.wwu.edu