Archive for 'The UW Daily'

Thesis & theater

Kayla Webley
2006-06-01
The Daily

It’s the sign of a new director.

“I’m always nervous to stop you guys mid-scene,” John Pangelinan says to his cast.

But he does. After all, it’s his play and he has to get it right.

Pangelinan jumps onto the stage, because, as he says, there are some scenes you can’t tell someone how to do. You have to show them. He demonstrates to lead actor Casey Wynecoop precisely how a barista should stand when he makes a drink.

The black, somewhat barren stage is set. Just a few tables, stools and some benches pushed together to make a couch set the scene. With a little imagination you can picture the scene set before you — a coffee shop, espresso machine whistling, releasing steam and a warm aroma into the air, baked goods stacked on shelves, patrons sitting at each table, morning coffee and newspapers before them.
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From students, to doctors

Kayla Webley
2005-12-07
The Daily

It’s the morning before her anatomy final, and Stacie Beck couldn’t be calmer.

“Well, if you don’t know it by now, when will you?” she said. But she admits she’s “so nervous.”

Her classmate Noel Hastings agrees. Most people don’t study right before the test; it’s better to take the time and clear your mind so it is free while you are taking the test, he said.

Half the test is multiple-choice, “just like you would take for any class,” Stacie said.

The other half is on cadavers.
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Clerkships valuable to law students

Kayla Webley
2005-11-15
The Daily

UW School of Law professor Stewart Jay refers to the time he spent clerking for then Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger as “the best job [I] ever had.”

“We were like family,” he said. “He treated us like sons. He would cook us lunch on Saturdays.”

Jay first clerked on the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. While clerking for Burger from 1977-78, Jay influenced the first case about the interpretation of the endangered species law.

While doing research on the law as Congress had intended it, Jay found an interpretation that differed with the courts. He presented the information to Burger, which changed the court’s final decision.

“It’s hard to think of a job in the U.S. where a 27- or 28-year-old can have such influence over the development of public policy and such responsibility,” Jay said.
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Licenses still available to dorm residents

Kayla Webley
2005-11-03
The Daily

After more than a month of availability, less than half of the UW’s eligible students have signed up for the Napster downloading program.

The UW and Dell purchased licenses for 3,000 residence hall students to use the music downloading service, which allows students to access the more than one million songs in Napster’s music library.

As of Oct. 31, Napster reported 1,283 residence hall students had signed up for the service.

“This project is very much an experiment. I don’t think we have specific goals set — we’re sort of watching to see how it goes,” said Oren Sreebny, director of client services in computing and communications. “I’m not sure what to make of the number of signups to date. It seems a little slower than I anticipated, but who knows what to expect in these matters?”

The UW receives periodic reports from Napster on the number of students who have registered with the program. According to a report released after the first three days of classes, 585 students were registered to use the service. The report showed that an additional 698 had signed up since the first week of classes.
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Undergrad education under scrutiny

Kayla Webley
2005-10-25
The Daily

With the departure of Ernest Morris, the UW’s longtime vice president for student affairs, the arrival of Provost Phyllis Wise and a new Dean of Undergraduate Education, administrators are saying the time for change in undergraduate education has come.

Change will be implemented through the Committee on Improving the UW Undergraduate Experience, appointed to evaluate the system for undergraduate education and determine what new directions, if any, the UW should be taken in.

“The president and the provost have called for the campus to examine how we’re serving undergraduates — what is working well, what could work even better,” said Christine Ingebritsen, the acting dean and acting vice provost for undergraduate education.

The committee is scheduled to report to Wise and President Mark Emmert by Nov. 30.

The task at hand

The committee is charged with four issues: what attributes of an excellent undergraduate experience should be, strengths and weaknesses of the UW experience, the best practices nationally and what models can be adopted for the UW.
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Dressed for fright and fun

Kayla Webley
2005-10-24
The Daily

Finding the perfect Halloween costume can be daunting while weeding through the bloody hands, bold wigs of every color and rolls of fabric in any print imaginable.

Luckily there are a slew of costume shops in the Seattle area for renting, buying or making your own Halloween hit.

Change up the old

At any given college party you will find a girl dressed as a slutty nurse, cowgirl, cop, cat, angel, devil, school girl — you get the idea. Well everyone wants to look hot for the Halloween, try spicing up the traditional.

Instead of being a normal nurse add in some dead makeup. Instead of being a traditional cowgirl, why not pose as Annie Oakley?

Many costumes come prepackage, ready-to-wear in a bag. These costumes could be very generic, but not if you take the time to add a personal touch. This is also a great way to ensure you will not match 10 other girls at the party.
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Stabbing victim collapses on Ave.

Kayla Webley
2005-10-21
The Daily

A man stabbed in the U-District collapsed after staggering to the corner of 47th Avenue Northeast and University Way Northeast between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. last night, eyewitnesses said.

According to the initial Seattle Police Department (SPD) report, the 17-year-old victim had been stabbed once in the abdomen.

The stabbing allegedly occurred in the parking lot behind the Bank of America location on University Way Northeast, although SPD public information officer Rich Pruitt said police are uncertain if that was the incident’s actual location.

“[The victim] was treated at the scene by the Seattle Fire Department and transported to Harborview Medical Center with what appeared to be a non-life-threatening wound,” Pruitt said.

Members of the outreach program TeenHOPE were giving out food and blankets across the street when the victim appeared “limping” east on 47th holding his left side and yelling “I’ve been stabbed,” they said.
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Shaking up the admissions process

Kayla Webley
2005-10-13
The Daily

In the past, a student who applied to the UW with a 3.95 grade point average (GPA) would almost assuredly be admitted, assuming they had average or above average standardized test scores.

The application of a student with a lower GPA would most likely have ended up in the pile to be comprehensively reviewed.

That may no longer be the case, according to Philip Ballinger, the UW’s director of admissions.

In previous years, the UW automatically accepted the top half of its applicants based solely on grades and test scores. The other half would be reviewed by the admissions board, which considered, among other factors, the student’s course load, economic background and whether or not they are a first generation college student.

Under the new system, all applications — regardless of a student’s grade point average or test scores — will be reviewed.
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The internship vs. the part-time job

Kayla Webley
2005-10-05
The Daily

As a marketing intern for Ticketmaster, senior Erin Ayers is working for free.

Ayers said she chose to intern this quarter because she thought it would help her stand out among the masses of eager college grads entering the job market each year.

“I need the hands-on experience to be competitive in the career field [I] want to go into,” Ayers said. “I feel it gives a me a real edge in interviews to be able to relate stories of what I’ve done. When employers know that you’ve been out there working, I believe they tend to give more credence to your opinions and ideas in an interview.”

Ayers did not have to take out additional student loans to compensate for the lack of income. But she does spend her evenings tutoring on campus to make some extra money.

Ayers is not alone — in today’s competitive job market, many students feel internships have become an essential part of the undergraduate college experience. Students wanting to get an edge on the competition are left to decide whether they will take an internship that may or may not get them a better job later at the cost of giving up part- or full-time jobs that provide them with an income.
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My day as a freshman

Kayla Webley
2005-09-26
The Daily

I knew my day as a freshman would be a little rough. I asked a friend the night before, “What do freshman wear? Is there a special shirt or something?”

“Wear whatever you want,” he replied. “They aren’t a different species.”

I immediately comprehended my stupidity in asking the question, but it showed me it has been awhile since I was brand new at the UW. Now in my fourth year, I decided to take a second chance at the life of a freshman — for one day.

I walked into convocation with my head held high repeating the line “I’m a freshman. I AM a freshman” in my head. Though confident, I felt myself wishing I had what almost all the other freshmen had: my mom.

Toting parents along seemed to be the perfect accessory for the freshman outfit.
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