From the editor
Nick Przybyciel
Issue date: 6/2/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
After all the hype and growing pains, the University of Washington, Tacoma now stands on the eve of the most pivotal year in its history. As the last graduate walks across the stage of the Tacoma Dome June 9, a new dawn will rise on our campus. The freshmen are coming.
But, are we ready for them?
The previous academic year began like any usual transition year: frustrations ran rampant through student organizations and the UWT administration, with the result being a confused student body. After the Ledger broke numerous stories, including the Karen Richardson cover-up and the meltdown in the Services and Activities Fee Committee, it seemed to many Huskies that this campus was not heading in the right direction.
Just when things looked the bleakest, in our darkest hour when nary an event was held in the oUWTpost due to budget setbacks, something miraculous happened. People stepped up, and despite limited resources, our campus is thriving as a result.
Now students are complaining that there's too much to do.
UWT employees, like Shelly Jo Enscoe in Student Life, made several overhauls in the system to facilitate student involvement on our changing campus. Utilizing a philosophy of administrative Darwinism where only the strongest policies survive, the personnel at the Office of Student Life present a promising sign of things to come.
If something is antiquated and not working, such as the event funding process, then Enscoe and her team have not hesitated to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch.
However, not everyone has embraced this paradigm of flexibility. UWT professors are still being tenured according to UW Seattle's guidelines, even though our campuses differ vastly. Professors here face the nearly-impossible expectation of teaching a full course load while being productive researchers. Frustrations abound, with several professors expressing their disdain for the current system to me off the record.
This presents a challenge to retain the biggest asset of our campus - passionate, caring faculty - as well as recruiting new blood.
Change needs to be constant if we are to evolve into the four-year institution that we're capable of becoming. Luckily for me, I'll be here for one more year to witness the metamorphosis.
And while I'm obviously envious of everyone walking across that stage this June, I'm also a bit sorry they won't be here to see the end result of all the hard work. I have a feeling that the answer to the question brought up in the beginning of this editorial is a resounding "yes," and it will be awesome to see.
The biggest thing I've learned this year is that people have an amazing way of becoming united around a common passion, and when united, anything can be accomplished.
Thanks to all the student leaders, UWT faculty and my colleagues at the Ledger for teaching me this lesson.
Cheers,
Nick Przybyciel
But, are we ready for them?
The previous academic year began like any usual transition year: frustrations ran rampant through student organizations and the UWT administration, with the result being a confused student body. After the Ledger broke numerous stories, including the Karen Richardson cover-up and the meltdown in the Services and Activities Fee Committee, it seemed to many Huskies that this campus was not heading in the right direction.
Just when things looked the bleakest, in our darkest hour when nary an event was held in the oUWTpost due to budget setbacks, something miraculous happened. People stepped up, and despite limited resources, our campus is thriving as a result.
Now students are complaining that there's too much to do.
UWT employees, like Shelly Jo Enscoe in Student Life, made several overhauls in the system to facilitate student involvement on our changing campus. Utilizing a philosophy of administrative Darwinism where only the strongest policies survive, the personnel at the Office of Student Life present a promising sign of things to come.
If something is antiquated and not working, such as the event funding process, then Enscoe and her team have not hesitated to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch.
However, not everyone has embraced this paradigm of flexibility. UWT professors are still being tenured according to UW Seattle's guidelines, even though our campuses differ vastly. Professors here face the nearly-impossible expectation of teaching a full course load while being productive researchers. Frustrations abound, with several professors expressing their disdain for the current system to me off the record.
This presents a challenge to retain the biggest asset of our campus - passionate, caring faculty - as well as recruiting new blood.
Change needs to be constant if we are to evolve into the four-year institution that we're capable of becoming. Luckily for me, I'll be here for one more year to witness the metamorphosis.
And while I'm obviously envious of everyone walking across that stage this June, I'm also a bit sorry they won't be here to see the end result of all the hard work. I have a feeling that the answer to the question brought up in the beginning of this editorial is a resounding "yes," and it will be awesome to see.
The biggest thing I've learned this year is that people have an amazing way of becoming united around a common passion, and when united, anything can be accomplished.
Thanks to all the student leaders, UWT faculty and my colleagues at the Ledger for teaching me this lesson.
Cheers,
Nick Przybyciel
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