BANNED IN CYBERSPACE: The banning of gay alumni from visiting their alma mater campus at the Bob Jones University suggested a host of possibilities to Jon Gallant, a UW professor of genetics on sabbatical in Sweden. “For example,” Gallant noted, “Reed College might ban alumni who become Republicans. The University of Chicago might ban alumni who come to terms with deficit financing. The UW, of course, would ban alumni who fail to use Microsoft products sufficiently often.”

“This brings us to a new deficiency of distance education,” says Gallant. “How will the Western Governors’ University and the University of Phoenix ban disapproved alumni from visiting the campus when there is no campus? Will alumni be banned from visiting the homepage?”

GORE VISITS UWT: Vice President Al Gore commended the UW Tacoma as an “advance” in education, and commented on the quality of the nearby Swiss Tavern’s pan fried oysters, while visiting UW Tacoma for a pre-election day rally. An estimated 1,500 people from the surrounding community packed into The Shed on the UW Tacoma campus, which was rented for the event. Gore, Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Gary Locke were among those featured in the rally, a whistle-stop for the 22-car motorcade that traversed I-5 from Olympia to downtown Seattle.

“This campus is in a central, easily accessible location, which is good for our place-bound students and is increasingly attractive as a site for community activities,” said Sandy Boyle, UWT director of Finance and Administration.

The Shed reflects the renovated historic warehouse ambience of the UW Tacoma campus, without the revitalized state-of-the-art feel of the new campus buildings. The open-air structure consists of a girder-supported steel roof between two turn-of-the-century brick buildings sealed by a steel wall from Pacific Avenue and opening onto the heart of the UW Tacoma campus. Dubbed the “Dawg Shed,” it houses UWT vehicles most days, but transforms nicely to host anything from the annual white-linen UWT gala, to major Husky football games on a big barkin’ TV screen.

KUDOS: Psychologist Barbara McCann, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has been elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

Do you know someone who deserves “kudos” for an outstanding achievement, award, appointment or book publication? If so, please send that person’s name, title and achievement to “Kudos,” University Week, Box 351207. ¶