News briefs for April 25, 2001

Wednesday, April 25, 2001 | 10:17 a.m.

Metro officers attend forum

About 40 Metro Police officers attended a Tuesday night forum to question the leadership of two unions that the department's rank-and-file will choose between on May 11.

Officer Dave Kallas represented the Police Protection Agency at the meeting held at Las Vegas City Hall, and officer John Yacek spoke for the newly formed Las Vegas Law Enforcement Association.

Most of the questions centered on concerns over the PPA's health insurance plan. Kallas said that the PPA favors a self-insured plan much like the one used by Metro's supervisor union, while the LVLEA is looking at fully funded plans.

The vote is a culmination of a struggle that began in April 2000, when some PPA board members tried to vote PPA Executive Director Andy Anderson out of office. The attempt failed, but the faction that opposed Anderson formed the LVLEA. Anderson resigned his position in March and said he hoped it would help save the union.

UNR official to leave post

RENO -- David Westfall announced Tuesday that he will leave his post as academic vice president at the University of Nevada, Reno, effective July 1. He is expected to return to the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology of the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where he once served as chairman.

Westfall took over as the acting academic vice president on April 5, 1996. After a nationwide search, former President Joe Crowley appointed Westfall to the post permanently on March 6, 1997.

In 1996 Westfall won the Regents' Research Award, given each year to the top researcher in Nevada. During 14 years on the Nevada faculty, he was recognized as an outstanding teacher four times and his department received the Outstanding Basic Science Department award from medical students six times in eight years.

Former surgeon general to speak

Joycelyn Elders, the former U.S. surgeon general, is scheduled to speak to UNLV students on May 11 about child welfare.

Elders will be giving her keynote address on "Effective Strategies for Promoting Biopsychosocial Health in Children and Families."

The speech will be given at UNLV's 4th Annual Child Welfare Conference in the ballroom of the Moyer Student Union at 8:45 a.m.

Anyone wishing to attend the daylong conference can pay a $35 registration fee. The cost for registering after Friday will be $40 per person. For more information call the School of Social Work at 895-3311.