Clarion 2004-04-07 Vol. 79 No. 12

              Wednesday, ApriU, 2004
'Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour" Volume 79 * Number M    /2-
Outside
the
Bubble
Timothy Goddard
Editor-in-Chief
World
In some of the heaviest
fighting in months,
Coalition troops in Iraq are
battling militants in several
Iraqi cities. The fighting
comes as Coalition forces
move to cordon off and pacify the city of Falluja, where
four US civilians were killed
last week, and as followers
of young and radical Shiite
leader Muqtada al-Sadr have
attempted to take control of
some cities
Nation
White House National
Security Advisor Condaleeza
Rice will testify before the
Senate. 9/11 commission on
April 8, after President Bush
allowed her to do so, which
he had previously refused.
Rice was called on to,-testify
after former terror advisor
Richard Clarke criticized her
and the overall prc-9/11 terror planning at the White
House in earlier testimony.
Minnesota
A bill that would prevent
state funding from going to
organizations that perform or
promote abortions has passed
the Minnesota House. The
bill is called the Taxpayer
Protection Act, but opponents refer to it as the "Super
Gag Rule" and argue that by
cutting off funding to family
planning clinics, it will lead
to more abortions. The bill
now goes to the Senate and is
expected to pass.
Task force unveils governing relationships
Bill Lent
StaffWriter
As over 2,500 students gear up for the
home stretch of the spring semester at
Bethel College, select faculty and administration of the Academic Policy and
Governance Task Force are developing the
governing structure for Bethel University's
College of Arts and Sciences, College of
Adult and Professional Studies and the
Graduate School.
The latest development includes the
decision to establish the Center for
Graduate and Continuing Studies as a separate academic and administrative unit under
the Provost. The graduate programs of both
the traditional college and the CGCS will
fall under the governance of the Graduate
School while the undergraduate programs
of the CGCS will be overseen by the
College of Adult and Professional Studies.
However, both the college and graduate
school for the CGCS will function under the
leadership of one dean as well as sharing
central support services.
With CGCS's recent growth and future
potential, the Task Force decided that it
would best be served with a more
autonomous control and faculty, specializr
ing in adult education. It also increases efficiency as it related to emerging educational
departments and fiscal management.
"We've needed to develop a separate
identity for CGCS that will help it take the
next steps," said Provost Jay Barnes. "We
need people whose passion is working With
adult students, people who believe in a 'best
practice' adult learner model...[and also]
for CGCS to make its own decisions on academic matters."
In order to avoid divergence of purpose
between the two colleges, departments will
be united "wherever possible" according to
the Bethel U update rather than setting up
parallel departments in each college.
Department chairs in each college will
report to both theDcan of the CGCS as well
as the Dean of the college. Furthermore,
load sheets - classes taught by the professor
that semester - will go to both deans in
order to coordinate with department chairs
prior to finalization.
Amidst all of the centralization and
decentralization of governance, administration and faculty involved with the name
change have not been hesitant to voice the
contuiued commitment to the mission and
values of Bethel College.
In a letter written to Bethel parents in
April, Barnes laid out the "distinctives" that
will not be compromised before, during and
after the university shift. ■
First, Bethel will maintain its affiliation
with the Baptist General Conference as well
as the "integration of faith and learning."
Secondly, all students, faculty and administration will still be required to sign the
Shared Covenant for Life Together. Finally,
the letter notes that faculty will remain
"dedicated to careers in the classroom and
laboratory, working closely with students
firsthand" rather than overemphasizing personal research.
The race is on
Lyndsay Hunt
Copy Editor
Electing the next president
is already a hot topic across the
country. From television ads to
public appearances, the campaign is on.
In the midst of the rhetoric
and mudslinging, there are serious issues at hand, including
education, health care, the war
in Iraq, taxes and the economy.
For each major at Bethel,
there is at least one issue that
will influence the pay rate, the
cost of living, or the working
conditions of that career.
For example, each nominee
has a stance on health care,
which effects the nursing and
pre-med majors. President
George W. Bush believes that
insurance should remain privatized and that insurance companies should compete. The
Democratic nominee, Senator
John Kerry, on the other hand.
believes that the government
should reimburse employers
who provide health insurance to
their workers.
Another example is the
candidates' view of education.
Controversial legislation during
Bush's administration has led to
many dissatisfied educators.
One such piece of legislation
was the No Child Left Behind
Act. This legislation could have
some very serious implications
for the future educator. While
both candidates approve of it,
they disagree with its implementation. Bush believes that
the program is strong and effective, just as it is. Kerry says the
act needs reformation, particularly the definition of
"Adequate Yearly Progress."
The economy is yet another
hotly contested issue for this
campaign. This has a direct
effect on each student at Bethel
as if the economy is bad, then it
is much more difficult for col-
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As the election gets started, Bethel students have their say. Check
out page 6 for two contrasting views on John Keny. Next issue,
look for two contrasting articles on George W. Bush.
lege gradutates to find jobs.
Kerry's proposal for stimulating
the economy includes a new
manufacturing jobs credit,
investing in new energy industries, and stopping layoffs in
education. Bush's six-point proposal for the economy includes
streamlining regulations and
reporting requirments and
ensuring an affordable, reliable
energy supply.
For more infonnation, visit
http://news.minnesota.publicra-
dio.org, or President Bush's
website: http://www.georgcw-
bush.com, or John Kerry's website: http://www.johnkeny.com.
Minnesota Public Radio
has developed an online survey
that could help you decide
which candidate to support.
This website asks a series of
issue-related questions with
multiple-choice answers.
Participants arc given a percentage of agreement with each candidate.
Visit http://news.minneso-
ta.publicradio.org/collections/s
pecial/2004/campaign/sclecta-
candidate/selctapres.shtml.
■ews
BSA Executive.
Directors named for '04-05
Page 2
opnng oreak missioi
trips near and far
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Men'
qualifies for nationals
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