NewsBriefs: UW spring admissions, missing teacher, BCC’s name change

UW: Turning down spring applicants:
The University of Wahsington (UW), due to a 13 percent expected state cut and current over-enrollment exceeding 1,000 students, will be closing it’s doors to all spring applicants to the main Seattle Campus. There are a few exceptions. The only students who will be considered for acceptance to UW will be those applying for the Evening Degree Program, Early Entrance Program, admission into the UW Tacoma and UW Bothell campuses, Athletes who have already been accepted, and a small group of students admitted straight into engineering programs. Most spring applicants were transfer students, about two-thirds were from community colleges. According to Phillip Ballinger, director of admissions, about 325 students who would normally have been accepted received letters last week explaining their rejection. These students have the choice of putting their application on hold to be considered again with Fall applications, to enroll in one of the open programs or campuses mentioned above, or to receive a refund of their $55 application charge. “We have had no conversations up to now concerning enrollment in autumn quarter or beyond,” said Ballinger.
No progress in search for missing teacher, police following all new leads:
No further progress in the investigation into the disappearance of BCC instructor Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz has been reported since her car and personal belongings were found abandoned the night of January 16 on the Seattle-to-Bainbridge Ferry. Seattle police have said they are still following all new leads as they come in. Any updates will be posted by Bob Adams, BCC’s Public Information Director, in MyBCC’s News link. A session will be held to help the campus deal with the situation on Wednesday, January 28 by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in C130A. The EAP is available for individual counseling for employees struggling with Stafford-Yilmaz’s disappearance, at (206) 281-6315. The Counseling Center is available for both students and employees who need someone to talk to, and can be reached at (425) 564-2212. Anyone with information about Stafford-Yilmaz’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Washington State Patrol at (360) 405-6650.
BCC’s official change to “Bellevue College” postponed until March:
BCC’s plan to rename the institution “Bellevue College” in January have been put on hold until March 9, 2009, due to a rule that the college must file appropriate rule making/ammendment documents with the state before it can officially undergo a name change. The college must wait 20 days after publishing its intention in the January 21, 2009 edition of the Washington State Register to hold a public heaing to receive community input on the proposed name change. These will be held February 11, 2009 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the location has yet to be announced. BCC’s Board of Trustees will hold a meeting March 11, likely via teleconference, to adopt the name change. Once adopted, they will submit the last of three documents required to the state to make the change official. At that point, the process of converting all signage, logos, letterheads, documents, official papers, pamphlets and the college website to “Bellevue College” will begin.