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TRAIL.PUGETSOUND.EDU THE PUGET SOUND TRAIL THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND Volume 103, Issue 15 March 15, 2013 Established 1910 OPTIMIZE PUGET SOUND Mayor proclaims March 17 “Puget Sound day” By STEPH METHERALL 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 meet- ing on Tuesday, Feb. 19, Mayor Marilyn Strickland offi cially 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. “Th ey knew a great city needed a great university. Railroadmen and tim- bermen, nurses and pastors and pol- iticians all contributed to that eff ort … Th is city over the last century and a quarter has become a great city, and we, thanks to you and the work of many who valued and supported us, have be- come a great university,” President Ron- ald R. Th omas said of the intertwined beginnings of Tacoma and the Univer- sity. Th e University of Puget Sound and the City of Tacoma share a long and harmonious history. Th e proclamation read by Mayor Strickland stated, “Th e University has evolved through a centu- ry and a quarter together with our City of Destiny to become a nationally rec- ognized, independent liberal arts col- lege, the only one of its kind in Western Washington.” Indeed, the University and Tacoma have developed and progressed hand- in-hand, each mutually benefi tting PHOTO COURTESEY / UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND from the other. Puget Sound is recog- nized for service to and interaction with its surrounding community. Pledge: Jody Putman, Director of Financial Reporting and Tax, signs the Optimize wall. Before occupying our current cam- pus in 1924, the University resided in fi ve locations in Tacoma, including a large building at 6th and Sprague Ave. University transitions from In fact, the purchase of the land on which our campus currently sits was funded by the citizens of Tacoma them- selves, through a one million dollar-for- Cascade to PeopleSoft dollar program backed by the Method- ist Church. By HEATHER STEPP project to improve the effi ciency With 24 percent of Puget Sound’s and eff ectiveness of all operations student population hailing from Wash- ver the past year, the at the University of Puget Sound.” ington State, according to the school’s University has been in While the PeopleSoft transi- website, it is no surprise that there are a process of incremen- tion is a key aspect of Optimize, currently 7,000 alumni residing in Ta- tal transition from Cas- the project’s focus is not limited to coma and Pierce County. Ocade (the in-house developed soft - technological developments. Th e offi cial proclamation goes on to ware system that the University “It is about optimizing the ways cite Puget Sound’s faculty, who “have has used since the 1990s) to a new in which the Puget Sound commu- earned seven Washington State Pro- soft ware system called PeopleSoft . nity works together and improving fessor of the Year awards, including the PeopleSoft is an application creat- the many services off ered by the fi rst ever awarded and the most recent.” ed by Oracle, a company that pro- university,” the University website Th e University holds the highest num- vides hardware systems and busi- PHOTO COURTESEY / UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND says. ber of such awards in the state. Further- ness soft ware. Implementing PeopleSoft runs more, the city recognized Puget Sound’s Th e switch to the PeopleSoft fi - at the forefront of the Optimize high output of Fulbright Scholars and Training: Faculty members during a session on the switch. nancials module in July 2012 project because the new soft ware Peace Corps Volunteers. marked the fi rst step in the transi- system will facilitate the aims of Th e provisions of the proclamation tion to PeopleSoft . Th e human re- record for student information. ing the analytical capabilities of the Optimize. Th e University will be concluded with the statement that “Th e sources module was implemented However, the full changeover to University’s new soft ware system. more able to work together be- vitality of the city and that of the college in January 2013, and the campus PeopleSoft will take another few Th e transition to PeopleSoft is cause the new soft ware will allow are deeply intertwined through gener- solutions module has been imple- months to complete. In August, part of a larger project called Op- for more effi cient communication. ations of collaboration in the arts, sci- mented in phases over the past few a user-friendly portal will be im- timize Puget Sound. According to Whereas previously the University ence, business, education, and commu- months. As of March 25, People- plemented. Th e fi nal phase of the the University website, “Optimize nity justice to make Tacoma one of the SEE OPTIMIZE PAGE 2 Soft will be the offi cial system of transition will be aimed at address- Puget Sound is a mission-critical great places to live, work, and learn.” Rape culture still Surprising split-ticket Whitworth sweeps Logger Review: prominent election results baseball RonThom’s KUPS set Opinions page 3 Features page 6 Sports page 8 A&E page 12 2 NEWS The Puget Sound Trail March 15, 2013 [email protected] Puget Sound welcomes new Magic: the Gathering club By PAUL GOUDARZI-FRY hoped to unify players in group play, tournaments and other events uget Sound is now home to the UPS Magic within the Puget Sound players’ community. Club, an organization of students dedicated to “I decided back in September of the Magic: The Gathering fantasy card game. 2012 that I was sick of having peo- ple play Magic separately, I was sick Players and those wanting to learn are welcome of having a bunch of tiny little … to join and sit in to watch, participate and experience the playgroups, and people had been P talking about a Magic club since I MTG community with their peers. The UPS Magic Club was a freshman—so I decided that it was time to actually get it done,” PHOTO COURTESEY / UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Frankle said. Frankle relates that the club had Human Resources: Members of the Optimize HR team. Thompson 310. humble beginnings as many Mag- The card game has been played the metagame is … hard to un- ic groups do: by crowding peo- changing technological world. En- since 1993, stemming from north- derstand.” Vaz has not been play- ple together in Thompson Hall, in OPTIMIZE terprise Resource Planning sys- CONtiNUED FROM PAGE 1 western Washington and spread- ing for as long as many club mem- whatever room they found open to tems—which are used in most all ing around the world. Tourna- bers, having started in the summer them. other higher education systems— used Cascade with a number of ments are hosted from coast to of 2012. “The club is a place for people to are growing in complexity. It would supplemental vendor-supplied sys- coast and can offer cash prizes of The club’s vice president Kazuya gather, so we get a lot of people that take significant time, effort and fi- tems for specific departments, Peo- up to $45,000 for championship Tamura, officially referred to as the we wouldn’t normally see,” Frankle nancial investment to maintain and pleSoft is an integrated system that winners. Different events draw all Deputy Tsar, has been playing on said. update Cascade such that it contin- will connect the various compo- manner of players to compete and and off for the past six years. Tamu- Part of what makes a commu- ues to serve the needs of the campus nents of the institution and thus al- can range from local businesses ra often plays in local competi- nity necessary for the game is the community and uphold technologi- low for more effective technological hosting smaller tournaments to the tions where fact that it cal and institutional requirements. communication and processes. games of the Grand Prix. Recently others are requires a The “Reasons We are Moving to In a note for faculty entitled at a tournament in Charlotte, N.C., strictly ca- minimum of PeopleSoft” document forewarns “...people had been talking “Reasons We are Moving to People- attendance records were shattered sual. two players that initially the change to People- Soft,” the Optimize team explained, with upwards of 2,600 players. “It’s al- about a Magic club since I was a to have real- Soft may seem a step backward. “With the new system we will be Here at Puget Sound, however, ways fun to freshman - so I decided that it time interac- Some students have already able to track all sorts of patterns the competition is far from for- see people tion. Magic: found this to be the case. In Febru- was time to actually get it done.” that we have not been able to track mal and allows casual players to try some- The Gather- ary a few concerned students con- through Cascade because we will improve their skills and have fun thing new, —Mark Frankle ing Online tacted Academic Vice President- no longer have the problem of vari- while battling other students on something has made Martin Jackson with a number of ous systems not being able to talk to the tabletop. Part of the club’s phi- they may- it easier for observations regarding the short- each other.” losophy is that any player can join, be haven’t tried before, something people to connect without face-to- comings of PeopleSoft and the ways Greater ease of technological and with more play comes the im- they didn’t think they would try face communication, but the physi- in which Cascade was better.