Western Front - 2004 April 23

              SEATTLE U. TAKES TWO
Redhawks sweep Vikings
in afternoon series.
Sports, Page 10
ISSUE 7
VOLUME 129
WHERE CAMAROS DARE
Columnist goes business in the front, party in the
back with his new hairstyle — the mullet.
Opinions, Page 14
KILL BILL KILLS AGAIN
Second installment of kung-fu
flick is a winner.
Accent, Page 9
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
The Western Front FRIDAY
APRIL 23, 2004
Web site to County opposes Patriot Act
post teacher
evaluations
By Cheryl Julian
The Western Front
Thanks to an online site that
features posts of previous stu­dent
evaluations of Western
instructors, students now may
be able to register for a class
knowing what to expect.
The Web site is making its
long-awaited debut, but evalua­tions
are available only for 17
percent of all Western instruc­tors,
said Richard Frye, planning
analyst with the Office of
Institutional Research and
Testing.
The site allows students to ref­erence
class information by
entering the instructor's name,
class name or course number.
On the Web site, a student can
access information about a
instructor, such as the chal­lenge-
level of assigned work,
instructor's choice of exam
questions relative to lectures
and an overall course rating.
Each question is rated on a scale
from very poor to excellent,
with the number of student
responses beside it.
Western assistant French pro­fessor
Edward Ousselin said he
had a positive outlook on the
online evaluations.
"I'm used to letting my (evalu­ation)
numbers be available,"
Ousselin said. "If students want
to know what the previous num­bers
are, I think they should
have access to that."
Maya Tomlin, Associated
Students vice president for aca­demic
affairs, said she has been
pushing for the online evalua­tion
Web site since the beginning
of the school year. She said she
presented it to the faculty senate
in the fall.
Tomlin said the technical
aspects of the project are not the
main concern, but rather the
SEE Online, PAGE 6
Heidi Bay/The Western Front
Members of the "Raging Grannies" activist group gather in support of an anti-Patriot Act resolution
at the Whatcom County Courthouse before Tuesday's County Council meeting.
Council passes a
resolution against
parts of 2001 act
By Heidi Bay
The Western Front
Loud cheers, clapping and a
standing ovation burst forth from
more than 200 Whatcom County
residents Tuesday night as sighed
in relief. After nearly 2-1/2 hours
of debate, the county council had
just announced its opposition to
the Patriot Act.
The resolution opposes sec­tions
of the law which weaken
civil liberties while supporting
those portions that enhance law
enforcement activities. By pass­ing
the resolution, Whatcom
County became the fifth county
in Washington to pass a similar
resolution, according to an
American Civil Liberties Union
, of Washington pamphlet.
The council passed the largely
symbolic resolution partly
opposing the 2001 USA Patriot
Act in a 4-2 vote, Councilman
Ward Nelson abstaining. Dan
SEE Act, PAGE 6
Faculty members reluctant to unionize
By Matt Anderson
The Western Front
Associate professor of mathematics Edoh
Amiran's pro-union voice was in the minority
as nearly 100 Western faculty members
packed room 150 in the Science, Mathematics,
& Technology building Tuesday to discuss the
ramifications of bringing the National
Education Association/American Federation
of Teachers union to Western.
Amiran, along with the rest of the mem­bers
of the union organization steering com­mittee,
has been pushing to join the union.
Since December, the committee has been cir­culating
signature cards that would force a
unionization vote if signed by at least 30 per­cent
of those eligible to vote.
"We can accomplish more when we're a
part of 80,000 people than we can when we're
500 or so," Amiran said. "I think we'd get
stronger representation by working with a
larger group.
The ability to create a faculty union stems
from a coUective-bargaining law the
Washington State Legislature passed in 2002
that requires the administration of four-year,
public universities to recognize and cooper­ate
with faculty unions.
Those cards were at the center of a heated
debate during the afternoon meeting. Some
faculty members expressed fear that part-time
faculty could utilize the union against
the desires of many tenured professors.
At the center of debate is the state's defini­tion
of a bargaining unit, which is the collec­tion
of all faculty members the union repre­sents.
Even faculty members who choose not
to join the union still would be in the bar­gaining
unit. The Washington Public
Employment Relations Commission deter­mines
who at Western would be in the bar­gaining
unit. The commission has not yet
ruled regarding the unit at Western. At
Central Washington University, the commis­sion
ruled that all faculty members who teach
approximately one class a year were in the
bargaining unit and could therefore vote on
whether to form a union.
Of the cards distributed so far, faculty
members have signed approximately 40 to 50
percent, Amiran said. If the signed portion
reaches 70 percent, the commission could cer­tify
a union at Western without a vote.
Some in the crowd said that no matter the
SEE Union, PAGE 6
AS candidates address campaign issues in a two-part debate
Chris Huber/The
Western Front
Tony Russo, left, a
Western junior and
candidate for
Associated
Students vice presi­dent
for business
and operations,
explains his views
next to opponent
and Western junior
Dan Hayward dur­ing
the AS debate
in the Viking Union
Thursday night.
By Matt Black
The Western Front
Each candidate for the Associated Students board
of directors agreed on at least one topic Thursday
— the work AS board members do next year could
have dramatic impacts on the lives of students.
In a series of debates Tuesday and Thursday in
the Viking Union, candidates for the AS board of
directors discussed issues, such as tuition
increases, that could have a direct effect on
Western students next year. AS elections will be
from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in
Red Square.
Peter Graves, a Western junior arid vice presi­dent
for legislative and community affairs candi­date,
said the position will be crucial for represent­ing
students in then Washington state Legislature
next year.
"Next year is a budget year, and tuition will be a
top issue," he said. "Tuition could be raised up to
15 percent, and it's important that we have our
voices heard."
Western junior and AS presidential candidate
Tyler Demarre was the only candidate not present
at the debates. Demarre said his work schedule
made it impossible for him to attend.
"I'm still definitely running," he said. "I think
I've got a good chance at winning."
Approximately 25 students attended the debates
SEE Debate, PAGE 5
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail The Western Frontatthewesternfronteditor@yahoo.com www.westernfrontonline.com Please recycle