Faculty opposes unilateral attack, in the name of Kofi

At Wednesday's faculty meeting, a motion was passed unanimously stating the faculty's position on the impending war in Iraq. It will be forwarded to the White House. According to Art professor Ruthann Godollei, no debate preceded its passage. The text of the motion follows:

"Whereas Macalester College flies the flag of the United nations and whereas Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient is one of our most exemplary graduates, we, the faculty of Macalester College urge the Government of the United States to work with the United Nations towards resolution of the conflict with Iraq."

Faculty members could not be reached for comment before press time.
 

Students seek faculty support for anti-war walkout

Members of Macalester Peace and Justice Committee, along with other student groups, are planning a walkout to protest the official commencement of an attack on Iraq. Letters have been sent to each member of the Faculty alerting them of the plan and requesting their cooperation. According to Heather McKerrow '05, students will receive a notice in their SPO this week informing them about the plans as well.

The first day that the beginning of war is reported in morning newspapers, students plan to walk out at 1:30 p.m. and meet at the chapel for a small rally. They will then proceed to a larger rally that is planned at the Federal Building in Minneapolis.

"The horrendous nature of the war demands a break in our daily routines," the letter sent to faculty states. "Given the commitment of so many Macalester students to social justice, we expect a large number to leave class and join us in protest." Faculty members are requested to cancel classes and are invited to join the students in attending both rallies. "We understand that this may not be possible for you," it states, "even so, we hope you will understand that this protest is in no way directed at Macalester faculty but rather at the war about to be fought in all our names. It is imperative to have as many people visible as possible on the day of the beginning of the bombing, and for as long as it lasts."
 

Senior class to sponsor installation of wind turbine, not mud wrestling

This year's graduating senior class has voted to pay for the installation of the wind turbine donated to Macalester by Xcel Energy as its senior gift, the committee announced this week.

The Senior Class Gift committee sent an e-mail to the entire class on March 7 asking them to choose one of four options: the turbine installation, a bike shelter outside Kagin Commons, arcade games and a pool table for the Student Lounge currently in the works, or a permanent bench outside the campus center. Seniors also had the opportunity to write in their own suggestions.

Another email was sent out Wednesday notifying the class of the final decision and stating that 63 percent of the received votes were for the turbine. According to the letter, among the rejected suggestions was one for a mud-wrestling pit outside of President McPherson's office. Committee member Susan Andersen '03 said that she was not surprised with the choice, and had speculated the seniors would choose either the game room equipment or the turbine.

Cammie Downing '03 is on the committee of five students and said that their next meeting is planned for the Tuesday following spring break along with Associate Director of the Annual Fund Eric Solberg, with whom the students have been coordinating the project. She said they will then discuss how much money needs to be raised and work out plans for fund raising. Andersen speculated that the amount would hover around $15,000.

While the project is intended to encourage donations from seniors, Downing said that alumni, faculty and parents of graduating seniors also generally contribute to the gift. She added that students may give money towards anything, and are not limited by the choice of the official gift.