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Show k B E Y O N D - JT HE SIGN , THE Volume 4 Issue 1 0 5 POST WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY ocrat ic Process By Lisa Roskelley editor in chief The Signpost With both democrat and republican candidates on similar pages on a lot of issues, local elections have caused quite a stir for traditionally conservative Utah this season. So here it is Nov. 3 and elections are just four days away. Local races are heated as gubernatorial rhetoric is being tossed around; U.S. Senate and House seats are up for grabs as well as a bevy of Utah legislative seats. Starting at the top: Mikey or Billy There isn't much question about the top priority for this job description: education, education, education. Granted it is public education that's getting the electoral makeover, but candidates say higher ed can have the leftovers of the surplus pie. Gov. Mike Leavitt and his democrat opponent, former U.S. Senator Bill Orton, have named education as No. 1 on their gubernatorial lists, so which one will pull through or do what the public wants? "1 have a 10-year plan for public education," Orton said. Criticizing Leavitt' s 10-year highway plan and lack of an education plan, he aJso says that a similar plan would be created for higher education to make a seamless transition from secondary education to higher education. But Leavitt has been touring the state with a four-year education plan touting a surplus of $ 1 22 million. He's pushing his education platform much to the pleasure of public education enthusiasts all over the state and after what was named the "year of public education" in the 2000 legislative session."I'm encouraged," Utah Education Association President Phyllis Sorensen was quoted in the Deseret News in September when the Governor first presented his plan. "1 think Leavitt has the popularity and can go a long way in seeing this happen." That isn't to say that the Governor isn't concerned about higher ed too. Leavitt has pushed programs encouraging college students to graduate faster and be educated more efficiently. "I think we'll need to get into the business of incentives," Leavitt said to get students through college faster. Orton supports this as well. "Higher education is the engine that drives the future economy of the state," he said. Other issues being talked about by the candidates for governor include the following: Transportation,mass-transit and highways Environmental issues, such as nuclear waste. Washington D.C.: is it home? U.S. legislative republican incumbents Rep. Jim Hansen of the First District and Sen. Orrin Hatch are being "called home" by Kathleen McConkie-Collinwood and Scott Howell, their respective opponents. Both incumbents, with careers representing Utah in Washington D.C. for more than 20 years, have "been showered with concerns for their ability to represent Utahns after having been absent for so long. 'There's a time and a season for new blood," Howell said. "And now is that time." However, one of Hatch's campaign employees James Mainord asserted Hatch's seniority as Utah's greatest ally. "This is the United States Senate. Things are based on seniority," Mainord said. "Because of his seniority Hill Air Force Base is still in Utah. I don't see why we'd elect anyone else and cripple Utah." Steven Petersen, district director and legal counsel, stood in Hansen's place at a debate held at Weber State University Oct. 26. He also trumped the seniority card. "There is an automatic term Gm e e t t h e ov ernor CANDIDATE Bill Orton, Democrat Former United States Congressman for Utah. A tax attorney and businessman, he is only seeking one term. He says he is running for his two sons, to improve education in the state. The North Ogden native favors mass transit from Ogden to Provo. ?lf 1 ' X 3 r- -- 2 a I w 0 IV 4 i X v 1 ( J w , i. 3 f- "f 3 1 .V i' R Michael Leavitt, Republican Current Governor of Utah, seeking third term. Education is his top priority, emphasizing using technology to help students do better and get through school faster. Leavitt's 1 0-year highway plan is on schedule and within budget. see Democratic page 2 By Lisa Roskelley editor in chief The Signpost An adjunct instructor is no longer teaching after five of his students walked out Oct. 27 at the Davis Campus, citing problems with the instructor's teaching style and restrictions on recording lectures. John Dreijmanis" "contract was terminated" Monday, according to him. after just seven weeks of his first semester at Weber State University teaching onethree-credit-hour American National Government class. "Dismissed that's the word which was used when I heard about it." said WSU legal counsel Richard Hill. Dreijmanis said he was told by Political Science Department Chairman Rod Julanderthat it was impossible to get the students back to class and the contract was terminated. "No. it was not fair." Dreijmanis said. "It was a very summary dismissal and there were due process procedures that were not followed." However. Hill and other administrators contend that since Dreijmanis was an adjunct faculty member there is very little need for grounds for dismissal. "Adjuncts') employment at the university can be terminated at will almost with or without grounds," said Associate Provost Kathleen Lukken. "But, clearly any time there's a change it has to be under significant circumstances." Dreijmanis was dismissed by Julander after he had a chance to meet with the nine students and discuss the options. Julander said he felt the problems were significantly serious. Several students did not intend to return to the class with Dreijmanis as the professor and requested to withdraw. 'There wasn't any way I could go back into the class if he continued to teach it," said Bobbie Henderson, the first student to leave the class. Julander said he would attend Monday's class and observe, but then decided just to talk with the class without Dreijmanis. "Because of the problems that occurred last week I told him not to come on Monday." Julander said. "None of the students even entered the classroom until I got there." After meeting with the class, Julander told Dreijmanis that because of the circumstances, the class could no longer be taught by the adjunct. "I felt like their problems were real and their complaints were legit," he said. Julander will finish teaching the semester. "We would have had to cancel the class," Julander said. "I just couldn't let the students lose the time and money." "It seems to have been resolved to the satisfaction of the students," said Assistant Dean of Students Judy Hurst. According to students in the class, animosity between some students and Dreijmanis had been building for some time. The problem began after the Oct. 25 session of the class when Dreijmanis noticed students turning off tape recorders, according to students. Henderson missed the class and had sent her recorder with another student. The student reported back to Henderson after the class and notified her that Dreijmanis had demanded that all of the tapes be erased. It is university policy that students must get permission from individual instructors to record class sessions. "I don't like to be taped," Dreijmanis said. .'They have to ask my permission." However, Julander, who taught the first two weeks of class, had given permission for classes to be recorded. "With the student code the students can only tape a lecture with the faculty member's permission," Hill said. "Certainly the professor has an intellectual property right to their lecture." When Henderson showed up to class with her tape recorder Friday, Dreijmanis asked to speak with her in the hall. She said Dreijmanis told her his permission was required to tape and threatened legal action against Henderson if she did not give him all of her tapes from the semester, since she had recorded every session. "He was yelling, 'permission denied.'" she said. Henderson went back into class and gath ered her things and went to Hurst's office. "I was the first one to walk out," said th WSU sophomore. "He very angrily verball assaulted me in the hallway." The other students remained in the class and were told by Dreijmanis they were ir "serious violation of student code," according to Tammy Ozdowski. who was one o the three students that ultimately remainec for all of the political science class. Dreijmanis told the class they could nc longer eat or drink in the class, record class lectures or sit next to each other. "There had been earlier problems with see Adjunct page 5 |