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Club Rendezvous in Wheelock Student Center was recently renovated to make the space more usable, multipurpose and inviting. “The project included the demolition of the carpeted and glass walls, patch and repair of damaged walls, new stage carpet, added lighting and painting throughout,” Chris Brookins, the Project Manager of the Rendezvous renovation, said. There have also been more surface-level improvements in Rendezvous, which serve a cosmetic as well as a functional end. Sarah Comstock, the Assistant Director of Student Activities for Wheelock Student Center, stated simply: “We got rid of...

As the University of Puget Sound’s 125th Anniversary festivities kick off, the City of Tacoma has joined in the fun.  At the Tacoma City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19, Mayor Marilyn Strickland officially proclaimed March 17 “University of Puget Sound Day” in Tacoma, the same day on which the University was founded in 1888, one year before Washington became the 42nd state. “They knew a great city needed a great university.  Railroadmen and timbermen, nurses and pastors and politicians all contributed to that effort … This city over the...

The special elections held across Washington ended Tuesday, Feb. 12. In Pierce County, both Tacoma School District and Puyallup School District put forth propositions for voters. Proposition 1 for the Tacoma School District entailed a $500,000,000 bond measure that would allow the district to replace or renovate many Tacoma schools, as well as upgrade technology and health, safety and security systems.  The latter ranges from improvements to electrical, heating and plumbing systems, as well as  upgrades in earthquake safety and alarm systems. In the Official Local Voters’ Pamphlet, Tacoma Citizens...

    Puget Sound spring break will last from March 18 to March 22. For that time, campus will remain open for residents of the University and food services will be limited to students and faculty. While a number of students choose to remain in the area for that time, several others will be journeying home for the week. Others will be participating in campus-sponsored activities and events. Puget Sound Outdoors will be taking students adventuring through the northwest on their Spring Break Trips 2013 program. Events consist of day...

After a national search for potential candidates, Michael Benitez Jr. will be appointed to serve as the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Puget Sound. This position will provide Benitez with the responsibility of organizing and strategizing Puget Sound’s Plan for Diversity in order to create the most inclusive learning environment possible for the University’s students. “This includes overseeing access and achievement programs, monitoring and evaluating the campus environment, developing new resources, and collaborating with campus leadership, faculty, and students to advance the college’s diversity goals,” the University’s press release...

In his tenth year as President of the University of Puget Sound, Ronald Thomas assumes new responsibilities as a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.  Thomas was elected by his peers and formally appointed on Wednesday, Feb. 6 in Washington, D.C.  President Thomas’ term will last three years. The NAICU represents private, non-profit educational institutions nationally and consists of a 44-member board of directors, of which President Thomas is now one.  This board directs the association’s action in issues of federal higher education policy and financial...

The University’s Accreditation Review Committee recently released a draft of the Year-Three Self-Evaluation Report, a necessary step in order to become accredited.  The University is in the third year of a seven-year process to become accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Most institutions of higher education in the U.S. pursue accreditation because this process validates educational quality.  The U.S. Department of Education notes that the lack of a federal authority over post-secondary education affords institutions of higher education a great amount of independence.  Accreditation is a means...