Western Front - 2002 January 29

              !<Qs«13 0 jwvt\F%]r vtfw The Western Front Western Washington University Volume 120 Issue 5 Bellingham, Washington
Survey shows most faculty members oppose multiple colleges
By Chris Smith
THE WESTERN FRONT
The University Planning
Council will meet next week to
decide whether to make recom­mendations
for reorganization of
Western's colleges to the Faculty
Senate. The meeting is Jan. 30
at 4 p.m.
The primary recommendations
being discussed include breaking
the College of Arts and Science
into multiple colleges, combining
natural sciences with Huxley col­lege
or developing a University
College to handle General
University Requirements and the
general studies degree.
If the council decides to make
a recommendation at this time,
it will be based on a faculty and
staff survey, which asked what
Western needed to improve.
The most frequent problems
noted in the survey were the
large size of College of Arts and
Sciences and the problems stu­dents
have getting into GUR
courses.
The council said reorganiza­tion
would only have a major
affect on students access to
GURs if a University College
was established.
The University College would
most likely improve students'
access to GUR courses, according
to the consultants' report.
See PLAN, Page 4
Music department chair must
attend ethics training session
By Matt Black
THE WESTERN FRONT
In a recent audit of Western's
finances the state auditor Brian
Sonntag found music depart­ment
Chair David Wallace mis­managed
payments from the
Marrowstone Music Festival at
Western last summer.
According to the audit,
Wallace had festival organizers
pay $6,595 directly to him, as
well as other Western employees
and students who helped during
the event.
"The money should have gone
through Western and the
University payroll before it was
paid to the employees," said
Mary Carlson, assistant vice
president for Business and
Financial Affairs at Western.
Wallace said he did not have
the payment go to Western first
because he and his co-workers
were not being paid by the uni-
See ETHICS, Page 4
Communication class inspires
student-run television station
By Chris Smith
THE WESTERN FRONT
With students' help, Western
may have a television program-
Tning station in the foreseeable
future. The student-run station
would air oh campus televisions.
- .The network' would begin
broadcasting one evening per
"week.
Western junior Phil Shuyler is
in charge of organizing the
effort.
"(I) got the. idea from my
Communications 442 video pro­ductions
class," Shuyler said.
"(Professor Mark Miller) said it
was possible that we could
broadcast."
He said he has been discussing
the idea with Noel Newell of
Academic Technologies.
The station would only be
broadcast on campus televisions,
Viking Xpress passes cause record WTA ridership increase
By Derek Sheppard
THE WESTERN FRONT
The popularity of the Viking
Xpress pass has helped
Whatcom Transportation
Authority experience its highest
ridership ever and has increased
pressure on crowded buses ser­vicing
Western.
"In the year 2001, we had the
greatest single year ever," said
Transportation Services
Specialist for WTA Rick
Nicholson.
Nicholson said WTA provided
the community with just over
2.5 million rides this year.
The Xpress is an unlimited
bus pass available to Western
students and faculty for $15 per
quarter.
"Last year, when we first
started selling the pass, we sold
3,600 to 3,800 each quarter,"
said Carol Berry, the alternative
and employee transportation
coordinator of Western's
Parking and Transportation
Services. "That's quite a few
passes when you consider we
have 12,000 students."
Last quarter 4,800 passes
were sold and 4,500 have
already been sold this quarter,
Berry said.
The Xpress pass is one of the
reasons ridership has increased,
Nicholson said.
He said approximately 80 per­cent
of people going to and from
Western use the Xpress pass.
"It's the best way to get to
campus because it's, cheaper:
than a parking pass,"' Western
senior Lea Gibson said.
Berry said the Xpress pass is
appealing to students because it
can also be used as a parking
pass at night in many of the
general lots.
See RIDER, Page 4
Newell said. The station would
have copyright issues broadcast­ing
off campus, she said.
The channel it would run on is
undecided, Newell said.
While Newell will probably
make the final decisions, she
said she does not want to have a
large role in production.
"When students come up with
a cohesive plan, I feel there
(will) be support for it," Newell
said. "I really want students to
do it themselves."
So far, nearly a dozen stu­dents
have- shown interest in
being .involved with the produc­tion.
The student body would
almost exclusively run the sta­tion,
Shuyler said.
Shuyler's goal is forming a
club that would be in charge of
the network.
See TV, Page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
It's a blizzard out
there
Excellent snow conditions
make u p for less than ideal
weather at the 18th annual
Banked Slamon.
See story, Page 9.
Candace Nelson/ The Western Front
Western students wait for the bus. Many buses to and
from Western are crowded due to an increase of riders.
A local legend
Rowdy
Buckaroo, the
Horseshoe
Cafe's mas­cot,
takes
from the city
and gives to
the towns­people.
See story, Page 7.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail t h e Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu www.westernfrontonline.com