Western Today for Thursday, Sept. 17

Volleyball team begins GNAC season at home tonight

The WWU Volleyball team, shown here before their 2007 national championship game, begins its GNAC season tonight at home against Saint Martin's University.

Game time is 7 p.m., and the game takes place in Carver Gymnasium.

For more information, click here.

Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics

Direct deposit for accounts payable payments coming Oct. 1

Direct deposit for accounts payable payments is coming Oct. 1. Those who have direct deposit will have all reimbursements, including travel, deposited into their payroll direct deposit account and will receive email notification of pending deposits to that account. There's no need to sign up for those who already have direct deposit for their payroll checks, and there's no need to wait for checks or worry about lost or misplaced checks. Learn more here.

Celebrate Constitution Day with WWU

In celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, Western encourages all students, faculty and staff to visit the university's Constitution Day Web site at http://www.wwu.edu/constitutionday/ or stop by the Constitution Day table at the Red Square Info Fair on Monday, Sept. 21.

Bus passes now available

WWU faculty and staff Viking Xpress bus passes for fall quarter 2009 and academic year 2009-2010 are now available through the Sustainable Transportation Office.

Due to WTA rate increases for the coming year, the cost to the employee for an academic year pass will increase to $58 this year. The employee cost for a fall, winter, or spring single quarter pass is $23.

Employees wishing to purchase a bus pass should go to the transportation Web site at www.wwu.edu/transportation or call the Sustainable Transportation office at ext. 7960.

Convocation speech available online

Did you miss President Bruce Shepard's convocation speech yesterday? Watch, hear or read the speech online by visiting the president's Web site here.

Business and Financial Affairs launches new internal controls Web site

The Business and Financial Affairs division at WWU has launched its Internal Controls Office Web site, which can be accessed here. The site spotlights information about internal controls, internal control red flags (unrelated to identity theft red flags), the internal control officer, recommendations for safeguarding confidential information, and helpful links.

The Bellingham Herald

WWU president says help needed to fix budget woes
Money will be tight again at Western Washington University this school year, and it's up to university administration, staff and faculty to show the state that higher education is necessary.
University President Bruce Shepard hammered that message home Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the annual welcome address to faculty and staff.
During the speech, Shepard outlined work the university will continue this year, including high-quality teaching, work on the Bellingham waterfront, starting the Compass to Campus mentorship program with local fifth-graders, building transparent systems and creating plans for more graduate-level and international programs.
Comments favor name proposal for ‘Salish Sea’
Bellingham resident Bert Webber wants “Salish Sea” adopted as the overarching name for the inland marine waters of Western Washington and southern British Columbia.
The Washington Board of Geographic Names will consider his proposal Oct. 30.
“Cautiously optimistic,” is how Webber described his mindset. “This is a bureaucratic process ... you just don’t know.” ...
A retired professor of marine ecology at Western Washington University, Webber says Puget Sound and the two straits are ecologically distinct from the ocean, and giving them a common name would highlight their connection.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE SOCCER: Vikings' GNAC unbeaten streak at 18
A pair of first-half goals less than nine minutes apart lifted Western Washington University to a 2-1 victory over Saint Martin's University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer contest Wednesday night at Orca Field on the Whatcom Community College campus.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: WWU's Summers granted another year of eligibility
Forward Jessica Summers has been granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return to play on the Western Washington University women's basketball team for the 2009-10 season.
Summers, a graduate of Blaine High School, was granted the year of eligibility under a "Season of Competition - Eligible" waiver. The additional year replaces the 2006-07 season in which she saw limited action.

The News Tribune

Gregoire lobbies for next budget’s stimulus
Washington state doesn’t need a second round of federal money to stimulate the economy right now, Gov. Chris Gregoire told a Tacoma audience Wednesday. But it will in a couple of years, she said.
The governor, who was speaking to about 150 people at a Tacoma City Club luncheon, said Washington has committed to spend less than one-fourth of the billions of dollars the state will be getting over the next two years. And it will take time to put the rest of that money to work. ...
The governor was responding to a question by Kathleen Deakins, a partner in the Jacobsen Ray public relations firm, who noted that state colleges had to absorb a 21 percent budget cut for 2009-11. She wanted to know what the state could do to fund higher education.
Wash. lawmakers getting new revenue forecast
State lawmakers are getting their quarterly update on the health of Washington's government checkbook at the latest meeting of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.
The council's Thursday meeting will detail how much tax revenue the state expects to collect in the coming months. If the forecast predicts less money coming in, the state could be forced to find more savings.

WWU News Releases

Fundraiser to Feature Bob Caloca and WWU Orchestra Students in a Bob Seger Tribute on Sept. 26

The fine print: Western Today is compiled and edited by John Thompson and Matthew Anderson in the Office of University Communications. Some links have time limitations and may not be accessible in the near future. A few articles may require registration to view. If you prefer to be removed from this list, please let us know via the link at the bottom of this document. For upcoming events, faculty research, or faculty and student achievements you would like publicized, please reply to this e-mail; click here to submit news online, or click here to submit entries to our online calendar of events. For the latest Western athletics news and schedules, see http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/. For more on faculty and staff news, see the new FAST Online at http://fast.wwu.edu/.

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