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The Week in Review
ASSU Watch
The contention of the campaigns for 2000-2001 Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) positions does not show any sign of dissipating after the close of the elections. The campaign was marked for the first time this year by the large-scale organization of candidates into two opposing coalitions: "Platform for Accountability and Change," (PAC) led by presidential candidates Seth Newton and Malia Villegas, and "Students First," (SF) led by presidential candidates Ben Liu and Mike Dudas. After a first-round stalemate where neither presidential slate won a majority, Newton and Villegas won 63% of the April 27 and 28 runoff vote. PAC members, both the presidential slate and Undergraduate Senate candidates, have come under recent fire for campaign rule violations, most notably sending prohibited mass e-mails in closing hours of the first round of elections. The Undergraduate Senate awarded Newton and Villegas fourteen demerits, a procedure that is itself being criticized for its constitutionality. Only 24% of the general undergraduate and graduate student body voted in the runoff election, compared to a record 41% participation for the original April 19 and 20 election.

Faculty Diversity Increases
Provost John Hennessy, who will assume the office of the President of Stanford University in the fall, reported April 27 to the Faculty Senate on the current composition of the Stanford faculty. The number of faculty grew 14 percent over the past five years, much of which is attributable to the Medical Clinician Line, whose staff increased by 60 percent. Hennessy said that "I spent a lot of time looking through spreadsheets, and I could not find any discernible pattern," but noted that minority representation has improved. Vice Provost for Faculty Development Patricia Jones then reported on the status of women faculty members, who have grown from 11.7 percent to 19.9 percent of the professorate.

Graduate Fellowship Program Reaches Fundraising Goal
President Gerhard Casper announced April 18 that Stanford Graduate Fellowships had met its fundraising goal of $200 million. The program, initiated in 1997, provides tuition support and a yearly stipend to three hundred doctoral students. Provost John Hennessy cites it as responsible for bringing "some of the best and brightest young scholars to Stanford in the last three years" because it allows students to pursue research outside of traditional governmental, corporate, or departmental funding.

Stanford Band Alumni Fund Permanent Director
Alumni of the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) contributed $1.5 million to establish a permanent endowment for a director. The endowment is named for Arthur Barnes, who directed the band from 1963 to 1997 and who is known for his arrangement of the "Star Spangled Banner" and the Band's unofficial official song, "All Right Now." University budget cuts eliminated the position of band director when Barnes retired in 1997, but the contribution, and the pledge of the Athletic Department to cover any additional costs, will permanently fund the position, scheduled to be filled by next fall.

The Week In Review is compiled and written by staff writer Scott Rasmussen.

Page last modified on Wednesday, 01-Mar-2006 23:46:48 MST.