To join or not to join?

UW Provost Phyllis Wise has proposed six academic units form the core of a new College of the Environment. Many of those units have been gauging faculty reaction over recent months in straw polls. Those polls don't represent a final position. Here's where the colleges stand.

Leaning toward joining:

Department of Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty voted 18-4 in favor of joining. But, says department Chair Dale Durran, there would have to be other strong departments and schools joining as well for the vote to stick.

School of Marine Affairs: Faculty in this small school voted 5-2 in favor of joining. But, said school Director Tom Leschine, faculty would have serious concerns if its companion schools — Oceanography and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences — did not join.

Leaning against joining

Department of Earth and Space Sciences: Faculty voted 29-0 against joining.

School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences: Faculty voted 27-1 against the idea of joining at this time.

College of Forest Resources: Faculty last week voted 22-18 against joining at this time.

School of Oceanography: The 44 faculty with voting rights decided they would try to reach a consensus rather than taking a vote. But, says school Director Russell McDuff, "Given what we know today, if we were asked to vote yes or no, we would probably vote no."