WashPIRG launches campaign for affordable textbooks

WashPIRG continued its mission of undertaking prevailing progressive causes recently with its Make Textbooks Affordable campaign. The movement seeks to inform UW students and professors about a new Web site providing a revolutionary service — free textbooks. The Web site, flatworldknowledge.com not only provides textbooks for free by their authors online, but offers environmentally friendly print-copies for as low as $10. The program has already been used at several other universities, and WashPIRG hopes that by helping to generate more support for the textbooks from UW faculty, students will have another resource to help alleviate continually rising costs of textbooks and tuition.

UW students create documentary about devastating Greek fires

Whether studying architecture in Switzerland or Arabic in Egypt, many students studying abroad have a unique opportunity to learn about a particular subject while gaining experiences in a culture unlike their own. For a small group of students traveling to Greece for the spring 2009 Athens program, their area of study will be building upon a topic first addressed by students in their program two years ago: the 2007 Greek forest fires. Dubbed Greece’s Sept. 11 by many worldwide, the fires devastated areas of Central and Southern Greece in 2007. Professor Taso Lagos, who also spearheaded the 2007 program, will be returning to Greece with the students in the Athens Program to document the aftermath of the fires.

HFS works to improve student dining experience

Students living in the resident halls can expect to see an improved dining experience when they return to school from winter break. Housing and Food Services (HFS) will be working throughout the break to change the menus available in several dining restaurants. While the Nook will be undergoing both a restaurant and menu expansion with more vegetarian options, Eleven 01 will be changing their menu to add more international and burger options. The changes reflect student feedback received from the HFS dining Web site and Cuisine Action Committee meetings. Students can also look forward to potentially more full-meal deals for under five dollars.

Law professors join Obama transition team

While this week many following the 2008 presidential election were focused on president-elect Obama’s latest administrative nominations, last month brought forth two selections to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team from the UW School of Law. Professors Robert Anderson and Paul Steven Miller have been selected to join the prestigious group, consisting of leaders from both the public and private sector. Although it is not yet known what role the two professors will play in the organization, the team was organized to help create an agenda for the incoming administration. Both professors have previously worked in Washington, D.C. in roles related to their differing expertise.

Reach columnist Julian Martin at news@dailyuw.com.