Runners prepare for Holy Half

As two of the top three Saint Mary’s administrators prepare to step down from their positions this spring — marking a new era at the College — students and faculty have the opportunity to meet two candidates vying for the position of vice president and dean of faculty at open forums this week. Saint Mary’s religious studies p ro fesso r Joe In c a n d e la and Dean of the Faculty a t Colgate University Jill Tiefenthaler, a Saint Mary’s alumna, will partici­ pate in two open forums today and Thursday, as well as closed sessions specifically for faculty members. The candidate visits are part of a b ro a d e r search to fill the vacancies soon to be left in the heart of the adm in is­ t r a t io n by c u r re n t Vice President and Dean of Facu lty Pal White and Vice President of Student Affairs Linda Timm — a gap that will White give College President Carol Ann Mooney s ign if ican t sh a p in g power over the school’s future. The search began when White announced on Jan. 28 tha t he w as leav ing the College to head Wabash College in C r a w f o r d sville, Ind. T h i s a n n o u n c e ­ m e n t o c c u r ­ red only days Timm a f te r Timm a n n o u n c e d she would leave Saint Mary’s to serve as president of Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wis. The vacancies left by Timm and White’s departure will be filled prior to the start of the 2006-07 school year, said Mooney, who hopes to name the vice president and dean of faculty before the conclusion of the spring semester. Although the specifics regard­ ing the search for the vice presi­ dent of student affairs have yet to be publicly released, Mooney, the search committee chair, said she plans to fill the position before August. Despite being faced with the challenge of h ir ing two head