Specs of the week: ASSU elections & Spectator suspects newspaper theft

ASSU voting begins, 4 positions contested

Seattle University students will have a choice between candidates in four student government positions when voting this week.

Multiple candidates are running to be president, vice president of university affairs, senior representative and at large representative in spring elections for the Associated Students of Seattle University for the 2009-2010 school year. Five other candidates are running uncontested for their positions, and two positions-commuter and non-traditional representative-don't have anyone up for election.

Voting begins April 22 at 5 a.m. and ends April 24 at 11:59 p.m. Results will be published in the next issue of The Spectator.

Jesse David and Rochelle Lemieux are running for president of ASSU. Matt Frix is running uncontested for executive vice president. Cole Hunter is running for vice president of finance. Jessica Cotton, McKenzie Weber and Christina Yuen are in the race for vice president of university affairs. Jeremy Dashiell and Daniel Beechler are facing off for senior representative. Mareena Moss and Merlin Woodman are running uncontested for junior and sophomore representative, respectfully. Robert Birungi is vying for international representative. Nate Beutel and Kevin Eggers are campaigning for at large representative, and Clare Monahan is uncontested for athletic representative.

Spectator suspects theft of last issue

Sources and unusual activity in newspaper stands have led Spectator editors to believe that copies of the newspaper's April 15 issue were stolen.

The Spectator received multiple tips from students and faculty that issues had been intentionally removed from stands. Newspaper racks in the lower levels of the library, Pigott building, Bellarmine Hall, Student Center, Hunthausen and University Services building were completely empty, some as early as Friday morning. These locations typically remain full until well after the weekend, and more issues had been left in select racks because of the special report on what students call "the crack house." In some locations, newspapers were found upside-down, hiding the special report on the front page.

It is considered theft to take multiple issues of even free circulation newspapers, according to the Student Press Law Center. Student newspapers often have issues stolen in an attempt at censorship by some party, the SPLC reports.

If you have information regarding the lost circulation, contact The Spectator at spectator@seattleu.edu.

Fine Arts chair steps down after 13 years, prepares for sabbatical

Josef Venker S.J, will replace Carol Wolfe Clay as the chair of Seattle U's Fine Arts Department next fall.

Clay, who is waiting for approval to go on sabbatical starting winter quarter 2010, will step down from her position after 13 years as department chair.

"I think I've been chair for so long, it threw people off a bit," she said. "I never thought I'd do it forever, though."

She stayed on as department chair for over a decade, she said, to see the building of the Lee Center and other projects through to their completion.

After she announced her resignation, every tenured professor in the department was nominated to fill her shoes, Clay said.

Ultimately, Venker won the majority vote from full time faculty members.

"Hopefully it will benefit students more because I will be back in the classroom," said Clay, who plans to return as a professor before leaving for her sabbatical.

She said her months away from Seattle U will be spent exploring new ways to incorporate the Lee Center into fine arts curriculum, revising syllabi for her classes and working on new creative projects.

Iconic maple tree to be removed

While most of the large trees surrounding the library will be protected or moved during construction, the Seattle University Grounds Department has determined that the maple tree on the northeast corner of the library lawn cannot be saved. In an e-mail sent out Monday, members of the Grounds Department explained the tree was suffering from two fungal diseases and dying limbs.

"Two more large limbs have died over the winter," said the e-mail, "and after pruning these out, we would be left with a badly disfigured tree, and no hope for the tree's recovery."

A spruce tree from the library steps will be transplanted in June to replace the maple tree. The removal will take place Monday, April 27.