Western Front - 2003 April 4

              I
Blind ambition
Local college student does not need
sight to succeed.
See Story, Page 6.
Rowing rivalry
Western crews face tough
competition from Gonzaga.
See Story, Page 8.
*>3JU?r*k.&3 The Western Front Western Washington University Volume 125 Issue 6 Bellingham, Washington
Students take first look at AS
Hi Xft
Task force submits final gen ed proposal
By Christine Roka
THE WESTERN FRONT
Avoiding a fifth year at
Western became more of a
reality for many students
April 15 when the general
education task force, a com­mittee
established by
Western administration, sub­mitted
its final proposal to the
Academic Coordinating
Commission. A new general
education requirements cur­riculum
will be ready for
implementation as early as
2004 if the ACC approves it.
Julie Krom, Western vice
president for academic
affairs, ACC executive mem­ber
and general education
task force member, said ACC
members would most likely
not vote on the proposal until
GENERAL EDUCATION REFORM
Under the proposed requirements, Western «~
students would have to complete the following:;
-Approximately 61 credits (currently
approximately 70 credits)
-15 to 16 courses (currently 19 courses)
-8 areas of study, including creative experience, writing
and humanities (currently 6 areas of study)
*ffl
fall 2003 because the proposal
needs refinement.
Krom said the proposal is
still in its skeletal stage.
Throughout the next few
months, the main elements of
the proposal will approach
completion, including credit
load and required classes.
Tom Downing, Western phi­losophy
professor and ACC
chairman, said the proposed
plan is not ready for imple­mentation
because he thinks
the proposal is still underde­veloped
and watered-down.
"The proposal will allow
students to complete their
GURs faster but also learn
the competencies that
Western has outlined better,"
said Kevin Stock, Western
chairman of the student sen­ate
and ACC member. "It will
give students the freedom to
choose what they want out of
their education."
Students complete 72 to 75
credits to fulfill general edu­cation
requirements.
Downing said a student could
efficiently complete the
requirements in 67 credits.
The average student com­pletes
general education
requirements with 78.2 cred­its,
excluding the writing pro­ficiency
requirement, Krom
said.
"It's theoretically possible
to graduate in 67 credits, but
you've got to figure out what
classes to take and have to get
into them," Stock said. "There
are a lot of unreasonable
requirements and the classes
fill up quickly. The chances of
See REFORM, Page 4
Police submit
voice of phone
threat suspect
to Web site
By Jordan Lindstrom
THE WESTERN FRONT
Bellingham residents have provided a
number of tips and leads, but police
made no arrests in connection with the
phoned-in death threats made toward
protesters at the anti-war demonstra­tion
April 4, Bellingham Police Lt.
Craige Ambrose said.
In an effort to generate leads, the
Bellingham Police Department put a
recording of the message on its Web site,
asking anyone who recognizes the voice
to immediately call.
An anonymous pay-phone caller left
three brief messages with the BPD, the
Bellingham Herald and Western,
threatening that two protesters would
be shot during the student-led walkout,
rally or march.
University Police also started an
ongoing investigation into the identity
of the caller.
"We've talked to some people and fol­lowed
some leads but have yet to make
an arrest of somebody identified as the
caller," Ambrose said. "We wanted to try
and see if someone would recognize the
voice, and if so, for that person to call in."
The message was also broadcast dur­ing
morning newscasts on local radio
station KGMI in the hope someone
would recognize the voice, UP Chief Jim
Shaw said.
The threats caused a safety concern,
prompting Western to issue a campus
community alert e-mail and distribute
fliers that warned those participating in
the protest.
"I took it seriously," said Western
senior Nate Johnson, Peace Resource
Center coordinator. "I don't feel as bullet­proof
as I used to."
The caller did not give a reason for the
threats, but some suspected that the
caller merely wanted to disrupt the
protest.
"They were obviously a way to keep
people from expressing their opinions
_ See SUSPECT, Page 4
Community honors Michael Busby Jr. at memorial
By Carly Wyatt
. THE WESTERN FRONT
Just off of the shoulder of
Squalicum Parkway on Friday
night, friends and family gath­ered
around a memorial dedicat­ed
to 8-year-old Michael Busby
Jr. to find comfort in the memo­ries
of the boy known as "Mikey"
on the one-year anniversary of
his death.
Bonnie and Larry Miller,
Michael's grandparents, orga­nized
the "Gathering of
Remembrance" for everyone who
knew the family to come togeth­er
to remember the little boy
from Columbia Elementary.
On April 18, 2002, Busby was
killed in an empty field less than
a mile from his home. Ryan
Alexander, now 17, and a former
neighbor of Busby's, was accused
of taking the boy to the area and
injecting him with a fatal dose of
insulin. Alexander now awaits
trial on first-degree murder and
kidnapping charges.
One year later, the Millers
called upon Whatcom County
Support Officer Glenn Newton
to speak to the community at the
memorial. He reminded every­one
of children's preciousness.
Rather than focusing on the neg­ative,
he asked approximately
100 people who gathered around
the roadside memorial to spend
more time with their children.
"So many children have been
See MEMORIAL, Page 4
Nikki Russo/The
Western Front
Whatcom
County Support
Officer Glenn
Newton stands
next to the
memorial for 8-
year-old Michael
Busby Jr. on
Friday, speaking
to the community.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail The Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu www.westernfrontonline.com Please recycle