OCR Text |
Show INSIDE The o WSU women's soccer team ties in game against USU, see page 6. k V-. I ;jV Volume 64 Issue 1 8 www. .weber.edusignpost Wednesday, September 1 9, 2001 n WSU iralliiinie courses Head! Slue way lira Uftalft) By Devon Crus assistant news editor The Signpost Weber State University is a leader in teaching online classes. Enrollment at WSU for online classes has been on a steady climb. Since courses were made available in 1997, enrollment has jumped from about 200 to 6,500 for fall semester. Online classes also accounted for 23 percent of full-time enrollment equivalent during summer semester. Distance learning director Peg Wherry said the online learning program offered at WSU is the first organized one to take off in the state. She also estimates that about half of online classes taken in Utah are through the university's program. "1 think it's an important part of our future and will continue to evolve," said Anne Millner, vice president of university relations. Internet courses in Utah alone rose 102 percent over the last year. WSU's administration is expecting the rate of enrollment to plateau, although, it shows no signs of slowing yet. "You can't continue to grow 50 percent each year," WSU President Paul Thompson said. To keep up with the increasing demand, Thompson asked the Utah Board of Regents on Friday for $500;000. The board will look over the proposal before presenting it to the state Legislature. If approved, the money will be used to improve technology infrastructure support on campus. This will not only benefit students taking online courses but all students. The money would improve everything from online admissions to e-mail for students on and off campus. Millner said the system has to be able to grow with the tremendous demand. The use of online classes may prove beneficial for the school also. The average cost per student in a classroom is $160. The cost for an online class is $135, which means it can cut down on university costs. For some WSU students, like Geoff Fischer, improving the system would be welcome news. Fischer plans on taking online courses next semester. "I like arranging my school schedule around my own sched- See Online page 3 Smoking law to be enforced on campus By Pin-Ting Hsu correspondent The Signpost Weber State University is cracking down on smoking laws on campus. By state law, smokers must be 25 feet away from any building. "I agree with it; I think it's a great idea," said Jared Prince, WSU junior. "I don't like to feel choked up when 1 walk in and out of a building." Smoking is a sensitive and controversial topic. It can cause health problems for non-smokers and smokers. Most smokers say they don't have any problem not smoking inside buildings, but making them step 25 feet away could be a little hard to start. "Work with us here. We've given you the inside. Give us the outside." said Sterling Shorty, a WSU senior. "I do appreciate having non-smoking in confined areas, but outside it dissipates." "It is the matter of responsibility. Smokers need to be courteous to non-smokers." said Brenda Somers. a WSU junior. "Not smoking by the entrance of the building is an act of courtesy. Smoking is my own problem. I wouldn't want to force it upon others." According to Mike Valletta, WSU student senator, the student senate is trying to take action by putting up signs and moving all the ashtrays away from buildings first. "It would be unfair to enforce y " . . .... ( 'A- ' ( I r . Kelly Wells, a WSU senior, smokes outside the Social Science Building. the law to smokers, expecting them to stop their actions over night," Valletta said. "It is going to be a slow process by working with the campus police, faculty members and students." The second step would be giving warnings to those who break the law. Giving tickets would be the final action for repetitive violators. WSU Student Association senators are looking for a solution to help smokers on campus. "We are not against smokers. If they could be away from the buildings, it is their own choice," Valletta said. "We are looking into building some cover structures for smokers," Valletta said. "We don't want them to stand out in the rain nor the cold weather." You can leave a message for Pin-Ting Hsu at 626-7655. Foreign relations to change By Tanna Barry editor in chief The Signpost The unprecedented terrorist attacks on the United States have done more than rock the nation; they will change the way the United States handles foreign relations. Bill Allison, a Weber State University professor who specializes in military and diplomatic history, said foreign policy already has started to shift. Osama bin Laden, leader of an extremist Muslim group, is the primary suspect in the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 1 1. "This is a war we have not fought before. Terrorism is not a state; it is an idea," Allison said. "Fighting ideas is one of the toughest things you can do." Allison said terrorism hinges on the use of fear to push a cause. This makes the victim of such terrorism afraid to continue with everyday activities. "Terrorism is based on the word itself: terror," Allison said. "No one in their right mind would have expected what happened, but it happened and it scared the hell out of us. That's what terror is." In New York, the number of people missing rose to 5,097. The toll of confirmed dead was 180. In Virginia, 88 bodies had been recovered from the Pentagon Sunday. Another 100 were missing. This tragedy is changing U.S. foreign policy as the country prepares to handle the terrorist attacks. Nancy Haanstad, a political science professor who specializes in international politics, said Americans are seeing three main shifts now: Bush's attitude toward multilateralism has changed, the United States is seeking better relations with countries like Pakistan and the way people think of national security has changed. Haanstad said Bush started his administration with a more unilateral attitude, where the country acts on its own behalf without the help of allies. This was shown in part by Bush's refusal to join the international criminal court and his resistance to pay U.N. dues. "We were just more willing to build up fortress America and do it our own way," Haanstad said. "Everything said in the last week has been a reversal of that. Bush says we need to take military action, but we need to reach out to government's like Pakistan and Iran to help." Haanstad said Pakistan representatives went to Afghanistan to ask them to remove bin Laden from the territory. Allison said the United States will be making some deals with people they wouldn't normally associate with, like Pakistan.Not only will these countries help with finding bin Laden, but Haanstad said they will also help fight against terrorism because many countries are threatened by such terrorist actions. Thirdly, the United States is revisiting its idea of national security because of the terrorist acts. In past foreign relations, the United Suites has actively sought to help countries like us or those who want to be like us. The country has always supported the ideas of worldwide free trade and democracy. Now when the United States ap- See Foreign page 3 Senate discusses change to ambiguous election rules By Casey Cummings campus attairs editor The Signpost Student senators are beginning the school ear by dealing w ith problems that arose during last ear's election. Mans of the election rules are ambiguous, and Nontraditional Senator Aaron Nail is u ruins: amendments to these bylaws to avoid future confusion."These changes should in no way discredit last year's election." Nail said. During last year's election, the in-terpretation of rules on candidacy eligibility for more than one office, v. rite-ins and retail value were contested. According to Nail's amendments, it would be clearly stated that a can didate can only formally run for one position per election cycle. It would also be stated that a candidate cannot change to a different position once the first vote is cast. If a student wishes to contest the results of an election, he or she must do so within three da s of the posting of election results. "The idea behind these changes is fairness." Nail said. "Anyone that wishes to run for office should be given the opportunity to do so." According to Nail, the amendment dealing with campaign spending and retail value is an excellent example of trying to make elections fair for all students. Right now, candidates are allotted S400 to spend on campaigns. Most of this money goes toward food to hand out to students. "It's about getting people to remember your name, and handing out food does that," said Sara llanney, education senator. The problem that came from last year's election revolved around the retail value that candidates report. Academic Vice President John Valletta was criticized for supposedly not properly reporting the actual retail value of items he purchased to Sec Election page 3 |