december 4th edition

The western FrontFriday, December 4, 2009 Volume 148, Issue 20

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SINCE 1970 | WESTERNFRONTONLINE.NET

DUNBAR SETS CONSECUTIVE 3-POINT RECORD

PAGE 17

THE ADDERALL FIX:FOCUSING ON FINALS

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Samantha OberholzerTHE WESTERN FRONT

A large crowd gathered in Red Square to protest President Obama’s choice to send more troops into Afghanistan at the “No Troop Surge to Afghanistan” peace-march rally in the late morning of Tuesday Dec. 1.

Socialist Alternative, Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, Food Not Bombs and Veterans for Peace organized the protest, which started in Red Square and ended in front of the downtown offi ce building of U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen.

“It’s very important that we make our voices heard and put pressure on politi-cians and let them know [the troop surge]

is not okay,” said Nicole Casper, Western graduate student and a founding member of Western’s Socialist Alternative group.

Western junior and Socialist Alterna-tive member Lindsay Worley was one of the speakers at the rally.

“Should we stay or should we go?” Worley asked the crowd during her speech. “And for me the question comes

down to the U.S.' intentions of being in Afghanistan. Do we really care about de-mocracy and the freedom of Afghan peo-ple, or should we look to the U.S. history of imperialist oppressive power and see that it’s time to end this occupation and all the claims that this occupation is founded

Troop surge sparks protest

photo by Hailey Tucker THE WESTERN FRONT

Emily LinrothTHE WESTERN FRONT

The future of smoking on campus could change drastically as Western works to com-ply with state requirements for indoor air qual-

ity. Discussion about how to regulate tobacco smoking on campus will continue at the Central Health and Safety Committee meeting Dec. 4.

Western’s Central Health and Safety Com-mittee plans to release a survey about smoking early next quarter to gauge the campus commu-nity’s feelings about current regulations and po-tential changes, committee chair Peter Thut said.

The committee hopes to use the survey to give people the opportunity to share their views about the future of smoking on campus, said Gayle Shipley, director of Environmental

Health and Safety. The survey will help the committee under-

stand whether the community believes issues exist with how smoking is handled on campus, Thut said. It would also help determine how much of the campus population smokes, how many people know what the regulations are and if people think education and enforcement of current procedures is more effective than creat-ing new ones, Thut said.

Should Western be a smoke-free university?see PROTEST page 9

see SURVEY page 7

Western to administer campus-wide survey winter quarter

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Members of the Socialist Alternative group on campus lead the protest march with a large banner reading "TROOPS HOME NOW," as the procession makes it way through campus Tuesday. Protest participants chanted into megaphones as they moved through Western's campus and into downtown.

News2 | Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

See more online at www.westernfrontonline.net

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Editor in chief ............................................................ Rebecca Rice, [email protected] editor ..................................... Audrey Dubois-Boutet, [email protected] editor .......................................................... Nicholas Johnson, [email protected] editor ............................................................. Kipp Robertson, [email protected] & Life editor ................................................ Chris Collison, [email protected] & Life editor ......................................... Elizabeth Olmsted, [email protected] editor ............................................................. Kevin Minnick, [email protected] editor ....................................................... Tristan Hiegler, [email protected] editor ............................................................... Skyler Wilder, [email protected] editor .............................................................. Alex Roberts, [email protected] editor .................................................................... Julia Means, [email protected] editor ............................................................. Jeremy Schwartz, [email protected] adviser ........................................................................... John Harris, [email protected]

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The Western Front is published twice weekly in the fall, winter, and spring quarters and once a week in the summer session. The Western Front is the official newspaper of Western Washington University, published by the Student Publications Council and is mainly supported by advertising. Opinions and stories in the newspaper have no connection with advertising. News content is determined by student editors. Staff reporters are involved in a course in the department of journalism, but any student en-rolled at Western may offer stories to the editors. Members of the Western community are entitled to a single free copy of each issue of the Western Front.

Cops Box

University Police

Dec. 2• At 7:03 a.m., University

Police responded to the Fairhaven academic build-ing where a faculty mem-ber was uncomfortable with a person sleeping on a couch in front of their office.

• At 11:58 p.m., University Police were notified that a laser pen was being pointed into a public safety vehicle on north campus. The suspect left the scene before police arrived.

Bellingham Police

Dec. 1• At 4:42 a.m., a burglary was

reported at the IT depart-ment of St. Joseph Hospital. An unknown male collect-ed computer equipment for almost an hour before he was confronted by an employee. The suspect told the employee he was a temporary IT employee and left on a biycle.

Dec. 2• Bellingham Police respond-

ed to the 1200 block of Nevada Street where a resi-dent reported some type of substance was poured on her door handle.Cops Box compiled by Mark Stayton

An article in the Nov. 10 issue of The Western Front titled "Green noise" stated that the bike generator can power 20 minutes of live music; it can power 2 hours. The article also stated the van highlighted was converted to biodiesel by Meg Coulter; it was converted by Bellingham's VacationLand RV.

In the Dec. 1 article "Western dives into scuba classes," the price of the class was stated incorrectly. The class costs $750 for people who do not have equipment and $350 for those who already have scuba gear.

CORRECTIONS

Police arrest alleged reckless driverJessica Bader

THE WESTERN FRONT

University Police arrested a man on suspicion of reckless driving and disor-derly conduct Tuesday afternoon at the in-tersection of East College Way and South

College Drive.An off-duty officer witnessed the

man expressing road rage on a street in Bellingham and then aprehended him on Western's campus, according to the police report.

Sgt. Dave Garcia said the incident

started in a confrontation in the parking lot at Fred Meyer.

He said the driver's passenger was also under suspicion of the possession of drug paraphernalia.

"Everyone has criminal citations with their court dates set," Garcia said.

Shepard hired to education board

Western President Bruce Shepard was elected as the Secretary on the American Association of State Colleges and Univer-sities’ Board of Directors on Nov. 24.

Shepard will serve a two-year term on the board.

The AASCU is a leadership asso-ciation consisting of faculty from various universities and colleges.

The goal of the association is to give equal opportunities to millions of students in the U.S.

Western students walk through Red Square Tuesday afternoon. Clearer skies have made for colder temperatures, but the forecast calls for more rain and clouds Friday.

photo by Rhys Logan THE WESTERN FRONT

The next issue of The Western Front willappear Friday, Jan. 8

NEWS | 3westernfrontonline.net | Friday • December 4, 2009

Lindsey OttaTHE WESTERN FRONT

President Obama announced on Tuesday he would increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by 30,000.

By the middle of 2011, the Obama administration plans to begin pulling troops out of the Middle East.

The Western Front sat down with Fairhaven assistant professor Babafemi Akinrinade to discuss the decision made by the Obama administration.

Fairhaven professor discusses:Obama's plans for Afghanistan

What effect do you think the increase in troops and the planned with-draw date have?

This announcement is to please both sides: those who are for the war and those against it. We can’t allow Afghanistan to be lost; we need to strike a good balance. This addi-tion will bring the number of troops to 100,000 in Afghanistan. In order for what Obama wants to achieve to be effective, we will need more than 240,000 troops.

What are your thoughts on the 2011 deadline for the withdrawl of troops?

This 2011 date gives the Taliban a deadline and incentive to wait it out and drag out the conflict as long as they can until U.S. troops leave. Some think 30,000 [troops] is not enough to prevent Afghanistan from falling to the Taliban. We can’t achieve what we want to in this last year that we have been trying to reach over the past eight years. I don’t think we can be fully out by 2011. If we fully pull out all of the troops, Afghanistan will col-lapse. If a military presence is holding up the society, when we leave the bottom will fall out and collapse.

Do you think Obama should direct his focus to the problem with our economy rather than sending more troops overseas?

Afghanistan is the United States’ war, and we have invested interest in that. Obama is right to focus on Afghanistan right now. Not focusing on the war and the troops does not mean the problems with the economy will be solved. The cost for the war is roughly $1 million per U.S. soldier. It’s a valid concern, and the U.S. should be focused on Afghanistan. How will Afghanistan survive after the United States withdraws troops?

Afghanistan will have to solve its own problems after. It is up to them to determine how to live their life after. First they will need to gain the upper hand over the Taliban then nego-tiate with them. Hopefully there will be peace, but I am not positive.

photo by Lindsey Otta THE WESTERN FRONT

Fairhaven assistant professor Babafemi Akinrinade.

4 | NEWS Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

Jeremy SmithTHE WESTERN FRONT

The Washington state minimum wage will stay constant for the first time in 12 years, remaining at $8.55 per hour in 2010.

Initiative 688, approved by Washing-ton voters in 1998, is the state minimum wage law that tied the minimum wage to federal inflation rates published in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-UW).

The index is created by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and gives monthly infor-mation on the prices urban customers pay for goods and services used on a daily ba-sis. The index represents an estimated 32 percent of employed people in the United States.

“It’s the costs of goods and services for everyday living,” said Elaine Fischer of the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries.

Fischer said the time frame used to

determine how much the minimum wage increases is taken from the data provided by the index from Aug. 31 of one year to Aug. 31 of the next year. This year, the index showed a decrease in inflation of 1.9 percent, but because of a provision in I-688, the minimum wage cannot de-crease.

Washington state has the highest min-imum wage in the U.S.

Western professor Hart Hodges, di-rector of Western’s Center for Economic and Business Research, said he does not think the stagnation of the 2010 minimum wage will affect those currently working minimum wage jobs.

“[Minimum wage workers’] buy-ing power does not go up or down since both their money wage and the cost of many consumer goods have not changed,” Hodges said. “The idea of having the min-imum wage tied to an inflation index is to ensure the buying power of the minimum wage doesn’t decline with inflation.”

Clara Capron, director of Financial Aid at Western, said while some students

employed on campus are going to be disappointed the minimum wage did not increase, many will not be affected since many jobs on campus pay more than the minimum wage.

Western junior Stephanie Skaggs works at Miller Market for minimum wage and said she is not affected by the minimum wage not changing.

“It would be nice to get a raise, but it’s not going to have a huge impact on my finances,” she said.

Mike Hodgin, owner of Kids North-west in Bellingham, said the minimum wage impacts his business. Because it is so high, he has to reduce employee hours

to reduce wages expenses. This means students he employs work fewer hours, and that hurts their wallets.

With minimum wage so high, a num-ber of businesses cannot afford to hire new employees, Hodgin said.

Based on feedback from his employ-ees, if the minimum wage was lower they could work more hours, which means they could potentially make more money per paycheck, he said.

With the minimum wage staying at the same level as the past year, students do not have to adjust to new prices on the things they use from day to day, which should help them, Hodgin said.

State minimum wage at a standstill


Washington state minimum wage will not increase for the first time in 12 years, staying at $8.55 per hour.

infographic by Jeremy Smith THE WESTERN FRONTWestern graduate student Megan Murray-Wagner purchases bottled water from junior Liza Higbee-Robinson at the Atrium. Higbee-Robinson has been working minimum wage for University Dining Services since the beginning of fall quarter.

Washington state minimum wage


Nick SchifflerTHE WESTERN FRONT

A group of Western students in the Huxley College of the Environment have come up with a design for the redevelop-ment of Bellingham’s Fountain District and presented it in a forum at the Com-munity Food Co-op Wednesday night. The proposal would make the area more livable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The design was the capstone project for the students, almost all of whom are graduating seniors, as part of a course on environmental impact assessment.

The Fountain District is the commer-cial area along Meridian Street, beginning at the intersection of Girard Street and Broadway in the south, and going to Il-linois Street in the north. With the city of Bellingham currently developing plans to turn this area into an urban village, the de-sign proposal is particularly relevant.

“Our group decided to do a hypo-thetical redevelopment of the area,” said Mason Fidino, a senior and one of the stu-dents involved in the project. “We did an analysis that will judge how sustainable, connected and vibrant the community would become.”

The group said the redevelopment would help Bellingham show other cities how to redevelop their urban areas in en-vironmentally friendly ways and possibly even make the Fountain District the model sustainable neighborhood for the entire United States.

The proposal focused on getting the district to become certified by the stan-

dards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND). LEED-ND is the nation’s first system to assess sustain-ability in neighborhoods.

To meet LEED-ND standards, a neighborhood has to score well in three categories: having smart location and growth, having a connected and compact design and having ‘green’ buildings. The goal behind the project is to design an en-vironmentally friendly area where people would want to live.

“The earth’s resources are finite and they don’t continue forever,” said Court-ney Amerine, a Huxley student and West-

ern senior. “We’ve got to figure out how to use them responsibly, and I think LEED-ND addresses that by using what we al-ready have, essentially better.”

Amerine worked on the project and fo-cused on neighborhood pattern and design. She said she tried to meet and incorporate the social needs of the area into the design.

“It’s been helpful working with a com-munity because that’s what my job will mostly entail, trying to figure out what the community wants versus what the city as-sumes the community wants,” she said.

Apart from the environmental as-pects, the main focus of the Fountain Dis-trict project was to reform what is now an

auto-centric district into a more people-friendly community. The proposed rede-velopment would do that by creating more walkable streets, providing more ameni-ties and making the area a more beautiful place to be and live.

A different group in the same course focused their project on a boardwalk, al-ready proposed by the city of Bellingham, which would connect Boulevard Park to a site near the Cornwall landfill. The group’s proposal would make the boardwalk and nearby landfill area more environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing, in part by widening the walkway, building with composite materials and using LED lights.

Western professor of environmental studies Troy Abel taught the environmen-tal impact assessment course. He said the course is designed to prepare students for their future careers.

“It definitely gives them a taste of what they would do in a professional sense,” Abel said. “We always take real-world projects. We go to the city or the county and we identify real developments, real proposals, that are just beginning.”

Abel said some of the conclusions the students came to were pertinent and were things the city should take into account when planning development.

“One of the biggest lessons was that instead of growing out, we need to grow up,” Abel said. “We need to grow up as a city in terms of infilling and increasing the density of the city of Bellingham, and stop developing outside of the city. That was one of the major conclusions I thought the students articulated. I think that’s an im-portant lesson.”

Huxley students make Fountain District proposal

Western senior Mason Fidino presents one section of his group’s proposed plan for re-designing the Fountain District to meet LEED standards for his class project Wednesday evening.



Western construction on scheduleDavid Gonzales

THE WESTERN FRONT The remodeling of Miller Hall, Wilson Library and the Chemistry Building are

proceeding on budget and on schedule, said Tim Wynn Western’s director of Facilities Management.

Wynn said construction setbacks have been minor, and the crews are doing a great job.

“There are always unexpected problems with regard to construction sites,” Wynn said. “That is what makes construction interesting.”

Wynn said the remodeling of the sixth floor of Wilson Library should be completed by the end of December 2009, the addition to the Chemistry Building will be done by the end of April 2010 and the remodeling of Miller Hall will be finished in November 2011.

“We have a good team assembled so far,” Western’s on-site representative Dale Krause said. “[They are a] close-knit communicating team.”

Wilson Library remodeling

Once completed, Western will move its special collections from the second floor to the sixth floor, freeing up space for a student collaborative learning space, accord-ing to Western’s Facilities Management Web site.The reconstruction of the sixth floor includes updates to the electrical system and fire alarm and a new air-conditioning system, said Facilities Management Director Tim Wynn.Wynn said the air-conditioning system is a necessity in preserving the special col-lections, which includes unique cultural and historical materials. The construction crew has come across minor electrical problems and an unex-pected amount of asbestos on the sixth floor Wynn said. He said the asbestos evasion has eaten up some of the crew’s time but the project will be completed before the January 2010. “The end of December should see us in really good shape,” Wynn said.

Miller Hall remodeling

The $60.4 million project is in the first of two phases Facilities Management Direc-tor Tim Wynn said. “The 1960's wing facing Red Square will end in August,” Wynn said. Faculty from the 1960s wing have temporarily moved to Miller’s 1940s wing and other locations on campus, Wynn said. During construction phase II, the Miller Hall faculty will relocate to the 1960s wing, which will present a problem to some faculty members and students, as there will be no elevators installed until phase III.Western’s on-site representative Dale Krause said management is currently discuss-ing solutions to this problem.Krause said temporary elevators are extremely expensive, but one possible solution is to set up an office on the first floor for faculty to meet with disabled students.“We are figuring how to best accommodate [disabled faculty and students] in the most cost-efficient way,” Krause said. Phase I is scheduled to be finished August 2011 and phase II in November 2011.

The 4,300-square-foot addition to the Chemistry Building is the first major con-struction project to the building since it was built in 1993. The west-side addition will be used for instruction and research by the chemis-try and biology departments. According to the Facilities Management Web site, the addition will further con-nect the biology and chemistry departments and allow convenient collabora-tion. The addition will also hold new Chemistry Department administrative offices. work-site Supervisor Ken Kuiken said so far, the project has proceeded without any problems, and completion is scheduled for the end of April 20 10.“We always finish on time,” he said.

Chemistry building addition


Signs with current smoking rules plaster entrances to many campus build-ings, asking people not to smoke near them because the smoke enters the build-ings and affects staff, faculty and students inside. Many of the signs are ripped down, some within a week of being put up, Thut said.

“I’m sure smokers feel persecuted, so I can understand the desire to strike back,” Thut said.

Washington state law requires people who smoke to stay 25 feet away from doors, windows and air intakes to protect indoor air quality in the workplace. The Washington state attorney general ex-panded the interpretation of workplace to include walkways that connect buildings, Thut said, so now state agencies such as Western have to find ways to regulate smoking along pathways as well.

“[The rule says] employees at their workplace shouldn’t be exposed to haz-ardous conditions, and that includes sec-ondhand smoke,” Thut said.

The committee will explore a range of options, Thut said. Since many students smoke on their way to class, the university could create separate pathways for smok-ers and nonsmokers, much like sections in a restaurant.

Western could also add covered shel-ters to prevent people from smoking under building awnings when it rains. Thut said the shelters would probably be more use-ful to staff and faculty who smoke since they tend to stay in one location, whereas students have 10 minutes to commute be-tween classes, which does not allow much time to stop and smoke. Also, student trav-el patterns change from quarter to quarter, making it more difficult to figure out where to put shelters or poles, Thut said.

Western already has smoker’s poles in place at multiple locations on campus, but many of these are far from main path-ways, making them inconvenient, Western freshman Ryan Kirkland said.

Kirkland said he smokes on the side-walk outside his residence hall to respect the 25-foot rule and uses the poles when they are available. He said he was surprised no poles exist anywhere in Red Square since the fountain is not near any buildings.

Western freshman Trevor Torres said he thinks the university should put a pole by every building. He also said the poles should be painted a different color to make them more noticeable. He said they could even look like giant cigarettes to make them immediately recognizable.

Western could go completely smoke-

free, as hundreds of college campuses across the country already have, Thut said. However, smoke-free campuses are difficult to enforce because offenders are usually gone by the time officers arrive. Making Western smoke-free would prob-ably force most smokers to the perimeters of campus and up into Sehome Arbore-tum, Thut said.

“I would not like to see it be a smoke-free campus because I like to smoke when I’m walking to class,” Western sophomore Nathan Davenport said.

Davenport said he would support more enforcement of the 25-foot rule and the creation of separate walking routes as long as they were convenient.

The current budget situation limits options for Western. Thut said the commit-tee does not have money to purchase more smokers' poles or old bus shelters, which could be converted into smoking shelters.

“We certainly don’t have any power to enact anything, and God forbid we come up with something that requires funding,” Thut said.

Thut said he is not sure whether the university would change procedures, which are more like guidelines, or pursue more binding policy changes. Any policy developed from the information-gathering campaign would take years to finalize, Thut said. The recent changes to bicycling and skateboarding rules on campus took three years to complete, and that was also a sensitive issue for many people, Thut said.

“Smoking is one of those issues where people really like to kibitz about it and air their views, and that’s good,” said Gayle Shipley, director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Thut said changing policy on a cam-pus can be difficult because the univer-

sity must constantly educate new students who are already being bombarded with other information.

If the student community felt strongly enough about the issue, it could put an initia-tive on the ballot in the Associated Students elections in the spring, but Thut said he was not sure about the amount of voter turnout.

Thut said the committee chose to use a campus-wide survey because it is difficult for many people to find time to attend forums, which would be the other option. The committee would like to hear from everyone, not just a few people with strong opinions on either side, Thut said.

“I think using online surveys or the

[Western] forums are a much more useful way of getting feedback,” Thut said.

Whichever solutions the committee chooses will need to be reasonable and en-forceable, Thut said. Forcing people who smoke to stick to the edges of campus or placing smokers' poles or shelters in out-of-the-way locations would discourage cooperation, Thut said.

At the same time, the university must comply with the state’s air-quality regula-tions.

“Regardless of people's personal feel-ings, that’s what the law says we’re sup-posed to do, so we’ll try to come up with a way that’s reasonable,” Thut said.

SURVEY: State workplace smoking regulations now include pathwaysfrom 1

Western sophomore Nathan Davenport smokes outside the Communications Facility.photo by Emily Linroth THE WESTERN FRONT

365 colleges across the country are ...

100 percent smoke-free, and at least ...

76 colleges are smoke-free with exemptions for distant outdoor areas.

College smoking... by the numbers


Samantha OberholzerTHE WESTERN FRONT

The Residence Hall Association (RHA), including a representative from the National Residence Hall Honorary, unani-mously approved the proposal for gender-inclusive housing Thursday.

The next step for the proposal is for it to be approved by Associated Students clubs, such as the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Alliance (LGBTA). Then it will move onto the Residential Advisory Council.

The student-generated proposal de-fines gender-inclusive housing as “rooms where people of any sex or gender can room together.”

It provides on-campus housing op-tions for transgender students, LGBTA stu-dents, intersex students who do not iden-tify as female or male, siblings of different genders and students who may feel more comfortable living with a roommate of a different gender.

“The main goal is to really fulfill a need that’s not being met by University Housing,” Western sophomore Iris Maute-Gibson said. “We’re trying to pass the idea, not the logistics.”

Maute-Gibson is president of the Res-idence Hall Association (RHA) and was one of the students who helped create the proposal.

“The earliest we would see it is this coming fall,” said John Purdie, associate director of Residence Life. “But we’re already putting out the marketing to next

year’s freshmen, and so it might be chal-lenging to put it together by this coming fall. It might be the following fall if it were approved [by University Residences].”

Western’s current policy bans male and female students from living together in

on-campus housing. The Student Senate approved the pro-

posal Tuesday, and since then it has been presented at all residence hall council meetings.

“All the residents have had the op-

portunity to raise any questions they have about it,” Maute-Gibson said.

The decision of where the gender-in-clusive housing location would be has not yet been made.

"The proposed housing arrangements would be especially useful for transgender students because there currently are few options available for them,” said Western junior Laura Gorrin, who assisted with the proposal.

Either a floor or a stack of the resi-dence halls would be reserved for the gen-der-inclusive housing.

According to the proposal, it is en-dorsed by the Social Issues Resource Center, the Women’s Center, the LGBTA, TransPort Resources and Outreach Pro-grams Director Casey D. Hall.

Purdie said the best way for students to get involved is by talking to an RHA rep-resentative or through their residence hall council.

“I think it’s great that students who live in the residence halls are being proac-tive about suggesting ways that they can make the residential experience better,” Purdie said.

Gender-inclusive housing approved

28 universities offer gender in-clusive housing in the U.S.

Western Washington University is be the first university in Wash-ington to offer gender inclusive housing.ill

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on justice and liberty.”Western junior Benjamin Brockman

participated in the rally and part of the march as well—but as a counter-protestor.

Brockman said he supports the troop surge for two reasons. First, so the U.S. can win the war on terror. Secondly, he said he supports President Obama’s deci-sion so millions of women in Afghanistan can vote and be free of unwarranted jail-ing.

“Real feminists support the war,” Brockman said. “Even though war is bad, withdrawal from Afghanistan would be worse because the Taliban would come to power.”

After the rally, the group of protestors marched through campus to the Commu-nications Facility, then down High Street into downtown Bellingham. The group gathered more people as they went, with students and other members of the com-munity joining in.

The Whatcom Peace and Justice Cen-ter collaborated with the Bellingham Po-lice, so protestors were able to safely walk down the right lane of High Street while police on motorcycles and cars blocked the intersection.

“It was cool to see the Western Peace and Justice Center collaborate with the police and to see that as a community we can work toward something better,” Wor-ley said.

Casper said approximately 150 peo-ple participated in the peace march.

“It seemed like we were taking up entire parts of campus as we were going through,” she said.

Western junior Courtney Smith also participated in the rally and march.

“I really strongly believe that sending more troops [to Afghanistan] will just fuel the conflict,” she said. “If I didn’t go [to the protest], every time I read a headline it will make me feel ashamed that I didn’t try and speak out.”

Smith, Worley and Casper all said

they saw the protest as a success.“If nothing else we were able to talk

about all sides of the issue,” Smith said. “Maybe tomorrow people will stop and read through [articles] and think about it.”

PROTEST: Students and veterans question Obama's war strategyfrom 1

ABOVE: Bellingham resident Jon Shaughnessy holds his dog Chika while watching the rally Tuesday afternoon. Shaughnessy said he wants the troops out of Afghanistan.

LEFT: Fairhaven junior Zac Robertson, center, sits on his bike watching the rally with a cart attached to the back filled with vegan pizza. Robertson and other members of Food Not Bombs gave out the pizza to participants and viewers during the protest.

FAR LEFT: Some participants of the protest against the Afghanistan troop surge brought their own signs, while others, like the man shown on the right, made signs at the rally before the march began.

Approximately 70 demonstrators gathered in Red Square Tuesday afternoon, in pro-test of President Obama’s proposed surge of 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

photos by Hailey Tucker THE WESTERN FRONT


ARTs & LiFe10 | Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

Photo courtesy of Cameron Jennings

W o r l d War I had ended, a strange new

music from New Orleans was catch-

ing the ear of the nation, crazy-looking buildings were

popping up all over the world and some women, known as flappers,

were scandalizing the country with their bare ankles. This was the roaring

’20s. On Dec. 5, a simple step through the doors of the

American Museum of Ra-dio and Electricity will

bring that era back to life.

The event, known as Music

for Mod-e r n s ,

is a

one-night only costume party. Cos-

tumes are mandatory, and proceeds will go to the mu-

seum. The whole interior of the

museum will be transformed into a speakeasy lounge, with a bar, seating, a dance area and a stage for the many perfor-

mances scheduled through-out the night. There will

even be a hair salon, which will give people era-appropriate hair

styles, such as the bob cut, which was popu-lar among flappers during the 1920s, event organizer Marie Biondolillo said.

“The whole environment of the museum is going to immerse people into that era,” Biondolillo said. “Just the way the museum looks, with all the glorious radios and other gadgets, will transport everyone back to that time when everything seemed new and fun.”

Biondolillo and the other organizers of the event, Katie Rickard and Eric Holl, vol-unteered to help the museum. They were all recruited by coordinator Tracy Reilly, who works for the Whatcom County Opportunity Council.

“Usually I work with low-income and homeless people, but in these harsh econom-ic times even museums are hurting,” Reilly said. “I met with the people at the museum, and they were great. The space is gigantic, so I knew I could do great things with it. When I considered all of that, I really wanted to do the benefit.”

Rickard, who is doing the interior deco-rating for the event, said this has been one of the most creative opportunities she has had. Her idea for the speakeasy theme was inspired by the museum’s radio station, KMRE 102.3 FM.

“The music they play: jazz, swing, rag-time. It just puts me in that mindset,” Rickard said. “The music evokes the kind of cool, laid-back feeling I want to create.”

The music for the event was specifically chosen to channel the intimate, traditional and simpler times of the 1920s.

“We chose to have bands like Pan Pan and All Creatures of Good Heart because they have that warm, instrumental feeling to their music,” Biondolillo said. “We didn’t

want to book metal bands or anything like that. It would just be too jar-

ring for the mood we’re trying to create.”

What got all of the organizers inter-

ested in participating was the act of creating a totally encompassing environment, in ev-ery way they could think of, Rick-ard said.

“The museum is pretty much going to be an installa-tion art piece that won’t come together until the moment peo-ple in costume start walking in the door,” Biondolillo said. “This isn’t going to be something you just look at. You’ll be able to hear it, see it and feel it. Everyone will be a part of it.”

Museum volunteer Eric Holl said the moment he started put-ting up posters, he started get-ting questions from people already planning their cos-tumes. This was a month before the event was scheduled to happen.

“I think this event is a testament to the support that is within the Bellingham art

commu-nity,” Holl said.

Holl said he was drawn to help the museum because he could connect with it on a personal level. His father was a radio engineer. As a child, Holl was surrounded by electronics and radios and became fasci-nated with them.

“What I’m looking for-ward to the most is getting the museum filled with young people,” Holl said. “I want to shine the spotlight on this amazing resource. The museum is underfunded and underused, and it’s time to put an end to that. H o p e f u l l y, pumping up the vaude-ville will help.”

Rod LotterTHE WESTERN FRONT

ARTs & LiFe westernfrontonline.net | Friday • December 4, 2009 | 11

Photo courtesy of Cameron Jennings

photo by Sakeus Bankson THE WESTERN FRONT

PEL’MENI RESTAURANT

1211 N. State St.Phone: 360-715-8324Hours: daily 11:00 a.m.-2:30 a.m.Entrees: Beef $6.00 Potato $6.00

12 | ARTS & LIFE Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

Student comedian brings the laughsSamantha OberholzerTHE WESTERN FRONT

On any given Tuesday night at West-ern’s Underground Coffeehouse, at ap-proximately 7:20 p.m., an audience will find Western junior Jim Stewart Allen quickly pacing back and forth near the side of the stage. As he switches direc-tions, his lips move rapidly as he mouths the punch lines of the jokes in his head.

As he is introduced onto the stage, Allen runs up clapping his hands, cheer-ing and pumping up the audience with his energy.

Allen has been involved in stand-up comedy for more than three-and-a-half years. He began during his junior year at Henry Foss High School in Tacoma at the school’s talent show.

“I always watched Comedy Central. I saw stand-up [comedy] and started study-ing the art form,” Allen said.

In high school he performed one to two times a week at places such as Com-edy Underground and Giggles Comedy Club in Seattle, Allen said. He also per-formed with People’s Republic of Kome-dy, a group of Seattle stand-up comedians.

Recently, Allen has performed at the Cobra Lounge in downtown Bellingham, the Fairhaven open-mic night, The Up-front Theatre and the Underground Cof-feehouse open-mic night.

“My favorite place is always the Un-derground Coffeehouse,” Allen said. “[It is] a meshing of a bunch of different peo-

ple from Western.” Allen said if he can get coffeehouse

audience members to laugh at his jokes, then he is doing well for himself because the audience is made up of such a variety of people.

Lately the open-mic night has been an extremely popular event, Allen said.

People who are interested in seeing the show must get there in advance be-cause there is usually a line.

A member of Western’s event securi-ty staff is stationed at the door and allows only a certain number of people into the seating area.

“Usually the more people you have the better it is for stand-up,” Allen said. “People really start laughing when other people are laughing.”

Allen, a history major, said he enjoys using historical events and people in his jokes. He has told jokes about Abraham Lincoln’s Facebook and MySpace and de-scribed the drunken thoughts behind the Boston Tea Party.

“I’m trying to add history jokes to my set to teach people about history and get them to laugh too,” Allen said.

Allen said his inspiration comes from other stand-up comedians he sees on televi-sion, as well as his parents.

Comedians such as Dane Cook—spe-cifically his “old stuff”— Dave Chappelle and Daniel Tosh are part of a new generation of humor that has inspired Allen’s comedy, he said.

“They really broaden a new kind of

comedy,” Allen said. “It’s about getting out there and showing who you are and being honest about yourself.”

Allen’s honesty on stage is one of the things Western sopho-more Erin Dolan said she loves most about Allen’s humor.

Dolan has been friends with Allen for more than a year. She said she tries to see Allen perform at open-mic night every week.

“I love his energy and character,” Dolan said. “Jim’s probably one of the most passion-ate people I know.”

Dolan said she feels that Al-len puts all his effort and work into what he loves, and it shows when he performs.

Western ju-nior Nick Bryant has been friends with Allen since they met in the Fairhaven residence hall during their freshman year, Bryant said.

“He puts a lot of work into comedy,” Bryant said. “He’s aware of the audience and what they think of the jokes.”

Allen said he plans on pursuing stand-up comedy

as a career. He said his goal is to someday have his own come-

dy show on Comedy Cen-tral and perform in “Live in Gotham,” a Com-

edy Central series that showcases various stand-up comedians.

“It’s not just a hob-by anymore, it’s some-thing I want to pursue,”

Allen said.


Maintaining an ARTS & LIFE | 13westernfrontonline.net | Friday • December 4, 2009

Editor's note: "Martin," a source who appears in the following story, asked not to be named due to the sto-ry's sensItive nature and any legal action that could result from his published statements.

Caleb HuttonTHE WESTERN FRONT

Martin, a Western sophomore, was diagnosed with Attention Defi cit Hyperactive Disorder in fi fth grade. From then on, he was given Adderall every day until he fi nished high school.

“Adderall suppresses your appetite a lot, and I like to eat,” he said. “So I tried switching to Concerta. It helps me to eat more.”

Martin also likes to sleep, and the pills make sleep diffi cult. Some days when he sleeps in, he does not take any Concerta, so he can fall asleep the following night. That leaves him with leftovers each month.

Selling or buying the pills is a class B felony—which could mean up to 10 years in prison—but Martin does it any-way. A few of his friends use them to help with last-minute studying and term papers. His friends would be better off if they did not procrastinate so often, Martin said, but he sym-pathizes with them. He said he has been there plenty of times before, and he knows fi rsthand how effective the drugs are.

And the money is good.“There’s always a lot of traffi c within the last two

weeks of the quarter,” Martin said. “You can get $200 a week just from [selling], if you really put your mind to it. There’s a very, very, very big pool of people who want that kind of stuff at the end of the quarter.”

Around fi nals week, more students turn to Attention Defi cit Disorder or ADHD medicines to keep up—or catch up—with their school work. When more students want to buy the drugs, students with prescriptions become more willing to share, Martin said.

Based on how often people at Western ask him to sell his medicine, Martin estimated more than 10 percent of students use it regularly, and approximately 20 percent of students have at least tried it.

“Sooner or later, a lot of people fi nd out you are on it and they will approach you,” Martin said. “It costs about $20 for 30 pills [from a pharmacy], and people sell them, on average, for $3 a pill. Your revenue is basically all a profi t.”

A few ADD/ADHD medicines are methylphenidates (Ritalin, Concerta); most others are amphetamines (Adder-all, Dexedrine), according to the Food and Drug Administra-tion (FDA). Both chemical compounds stimulate the central nervous system, boosting concentration and alertness.

Non-prescribed users say the drugs make them more talkative and gives them the focus and energy to stay on task with their schoolwork for hours. Martin and several other prescribed users at Western said the effects of meth-ylphenidate are similar to the calm feeling after smoking a cigarette or two—although there is nothing quite like it.

Western junior Troy Williams was also prescribed methylphenidates in elementary school. He said even with a prescription, the drugs can be misused.

“I was studying for a biology test or something, and I ended up taking like 100 milligrams in a day because my friend just kept feeding it to me,” Williams said. “It was stupid, looking back on it. I kind of didn’t sleep that night.”

The strength and duration of each drug varies widely. Some extended-release capsules last up to 12 hours, ac-cording to Western’s Student Health Center.

A typical dosage—between 10 and 30 milligrams—has been known to trigger hallucinations and serious heart problems, according to the FDA, so it is dangerous to take the drugs without consulting a doctor.

Williams said he wants to stop taking Ritalin when he fi nishes college. Although he said being on the drug now is the “normal” state for him, he still crashes from it every day. He said that is the worst part.

“To tell you the truth, I think if I never started taking it in sixth grade, I’d be way better off,” Williams said.

ADD/ADHD medications are schedule-II drugs, along with cocaine, opium and morphine. Schedule-II drugs are classifi ed by the FDA as having an accepted medical purpose, but high potential for abuse.

Doctors at the Student Health Center can only pre-scribe the drugs. Students must go to a pharmacy to pick their medications up.

Dr. Sara Cuene said she is the only doctor at the health center who evaluates students for prescriptions. She said

prescribed users who divert the drugs pose a serious prob-lem, but it does not justify keeping the medications away from those who need it.

“The other docs don’t like to [prescribe] it, and I don’t necessarily like to do it either, but I truly believe there are folks out there who desperately need it to make it through college,” Cuene said. “It makes a huge dif-ference for those folks—just a tremendous difference.”

Elva Giddings, coordinator of Western’s Alcohol and Drug Consultation and Assessment Services, said when students try ADD/ADHD medications without a prescrip-tion, the users quickly fi nd the energy trade-off is similar to other stimulants such as coffee: for every extra boost the medication gives a user in the short run, it sets up a harder crash the next day.

“There isn’t a pill out there that’s going to make you smarter,” Giddings said. “They haven’t come up with that one yet. If they did, it’d probably be a pretty big seller.”

Maximum penalty for possession or sale of schedule-II drugs in Washington state

10 years in prisonor

$20,000 fi neor both

Western junior Troy Williams stands on the lawn of Old Main holding a pill for ADHD—a pill powerful enough to make a student focus on homework for hours at a time and powerful enough to make that student crash.

photo by Skyler Wilder THE WESTERN FRONT

Students buy and sell prescription medications as study aids despite stiff laws

14 | ARTS & LIFE Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

Steamfitter explains underground tunnelsJessica Bader

THE WESTERN FRONT

Thirty years of experience in commercial and heavy industrial steamfitting, pipefitting and welding has giv-en Western’s lead steamfitter Jim Brady the confidence to safely work down in the steam tunnels that extend underneath the entirety of Western’s campus. But for those without special training, the tunnels, including its 1.5 miles of upright-walking tunnels, 4 miles of high-pressure steam piping and 9 miles of high-voltage feeder cable, can hold more danger than excitement.

Western Front: Why do we have tunnels?

Jim Brady: It allows us to have one central plant to pro-vide all heating and pressure utilities. And it’s the only way to safely transmit those utilities around campus and still have them accessible to repair.

WF: What is it like working down in the tunnels?

JB: When I work down there I feel comfortable and safe. One the other hand, while down there I’m keenly aware be-cause, if something goes awry, it’s going to happen quickly. If you aren’t prepared to react instinctually, you will expire. The people who work down there have an understanding of the dangers; they’ve received special training as well as completing annual training so they can work down there safely, but it’s a damned dangerous place to be.

WF: How often do you go down into the steam tunnels?

JB: I probably go down there at least once a week.

WF: What do you do in the tunnels?

JB: I’m currently the only person certified at Western for high-pressure welding, so I do all the pipe welding in the tunnels. I make all the significant repairs in the tunnel or assist others in the completion of repairs, and do pipefit-

ting and steamfitting.

WF: Who else goes into the tunnels?

JB: Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, insulators, electri-cians, telecommunications workers, utility workers and maintenance mechanics. Painters go down there occa-sionally, too.

WF: When were the tunnels built?

JB: The oldest portion of the tunnels, what we call “the snake pit,” has been around since [Western] was What-

com State Normal School [before 1937] and is still in use today serving Old Main, Fraser Hall and the Humanities building. There are other sections that date back to the 1960s. The newest section, which runs from the student recreation center and ties in by the steam sculpture in Fairhaven, was just put in around 2004 or 2005.

WF: What types of repairs need to be done?

JB: There’s reactive maintenance that’s done to repair parts that have failed—leaks, broken pipes… Then there’s preventative maintenance that is done to ensure the reli-ability of the system. We also do upgrades to enhance the efficiency of the steam distribution system. Electricians and telecommunications workers do the same types of upgrades with their equipment.

WF: What makes the tunnels so dangerous?

JB: Well some parts of the tunnel are 140 degrees Fahr-enheit, so you have dangers of heat exhaustion and de-hydration. In terms of the steam and condensate in the tunnels, one cubic foot of high-pressure condensate sits at 100 pounds per square inch and 338 degrees Fahrenheit. If you take the pressure off, that would become 1,700 cu-bic feet of steam in an instant. You can’t run fast enough to get away from that. You also have 9 miles of 12,470 voltage bundled feeder cable down there.

WF: Have you had any near-fatal accidents while work-ing in the tunnels?

JB: In 2001, I was almost killed doing work [in the tun-nels]. A faulty rental welding machine had a bad ground-ing in it and sent 230 volts into the steel grate I was lying on. I received massive shock and missed three days of work recovering [from the incident].

WF: Why is it so dangerous for students and civilians to go into the tunnels?

JB: For a civilian to go down there, I would liken it to riding a tricycle down I-5 and trying to keep up – you’re just asking to get hurt. For example, all the emergency ex-its are chained closed to prevent people from getting in. So even if someone got in the tunnels, if something went wrong and you didn’t know how to get out quickly, you could suffocate before figuring it out. To the best of my knowledge, everybody who’s ever snuck in the tunnels has been caught. This past summer, a couple of high school kids broke in and were prosecuted for trespassing.

Jim Brady, Western's lead steamfitter, has been fitting and welding pipes for 30 years and has been working on campus since 2000. Uphill welds, a required type of weld, are done from bottom to top on every weld on Western's campus. Here Brady demonstrates the stroke.

What is a steamfitter?A steamfitter installs and repairs heating, ventilating,

refrigerating and air-conditioning systems

What is a pipefitter?A pipefitter lays out, assembles, fabricates, maintains

and repairs mechanical piping systems

photo by Skyler Wilder THE WESTERN FRONT

OpiNiON | 15Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front


The first decade of the 21st century was not the most enjoyable. Western stu-dents who grew up during this period of time shared the experiences of a botched election, an attack on American soil, hor-rific national disasters and an economic meltdown.

The good news is that’s only the first decade, and now it’s almost over. Things can improve from here. Or they could get worse. It’s up to the students who make up the next generation of leaders and policy-makers to help improve the condition of the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Time Magazine has labeled the ‘00s as the “Decade from Hell,” and it’s easy to see why. The decade started out following the debacle of Y2K, a case of a mass panic attack that turned out to be completely un-warranted. Its winning streak continued as the 2000 presidential election dragged on, bogging down the nation—Florida in par-ticular—in multiple recounts and delays.

George W. Bush emerged at the top of that garbage heap, but he had little time to savor his victory. The terrorist at-

tacks of Sept. 11, 2001, ended the lives of thousands and rocked the U.S. to its very core. Not since Pearl Harbor has the na-tion suffered such a horrible attack on its own soil.

Things went swiftly downhill from there. The invasion of Afghanistan was meant to topple the Taliban from power and capture Osama bin Laden. To date, the Taliban is still active in the region and bin Laden remains at large while thousands of U.S. troops, support personnel and Af-ghan citizens have lost their lives in the 8-year-old war.

Then came the build-up for the war in Iraq, a plan so full of holes the Bush administration had to work day and night to plug them with allegations of weapons of mass destruction, ties to the Sept. 11 attacks and threats of impending doom at Saddam Hussein’s hands. That 6-year-old war might soon see the end of U.S. involvement, but only after thousands of deaths.

Against the backdrop of constant overseas wars, the American people wit-nessed the devastation of the 2004 tsuna-mi across the Indian Ocean, and then re-ceived tragedy on its own shores in 2005 thanks to Hurricane Katrina.

Now the U.S. finds itself mired in an economic recession that has seen the American automotive industry fall, hard. Jobs are scarce, especially for young peo-ple looking to put their new college de-grees to use.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. The ‘10s are a new decade, and all the problems of this decade from hell will carry over, but perhaps new solutions will begin to take effect. The end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan might yet be in sight, the economic recession will not last forever and the U.S. can continue to improve its infrastructure and government in order to better respond to natural disas-ters.

It will be up to the students and re-cent-graduates to have the drive and dis-cipline to make real changes on the issues that are effecting this nation and the wider world. There is no reason to allow the 21st century to become a total bust.

The Editorial Board is comprised of Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Rice, Managing Editor Audrey Dubois-Boutet and Opin-ion Editor Tristan Hiegler

FrontlineOpinions of the Editorial Board

The 2000s have not been great

Students, use your power and change the world

Opinions from around campus

How do you feel about the troop surge to

Afghanistan? Compiled by Chris Collison and Tristan Hiegler

Caleb Savage Freshman

"I'm not opposed or for it... I just think we should get out of there."

Andy Schick Junior

"I don't think we should be putting any more troops into the Middle East at all."

Barbara DeVries Senior

"My brother is in Iraq right now and I'm... very angry, very upset."

Erika Miller Junior

"I'm really sad about it actually. I know a lot of people in the Army."

Western students can still work to make next decade better

Ben Woodard THE WESTERN FRONT

After regents from the University of California Berkeley ratified a 32 percent tuition increase and proposed hundreds of layoffs, 41 students barricaded themselves in a campus building. Outside, 1,500 other students rallied under a banner the occu-pying students hung outside a window, which read “32 Percent Hike, 900 Lay-offs.”

With the arrest of the 41 barricaded students Nov. 20, the protest was ended within a day, but investigations over po-lice brutality from batons and beanbag guns rage on, according to UC Berkeley’s campus newspaper, The Daily Califor-nian.

The university budget shortfall is something to which Western students can relate. At the beginning of 2009, Gov. Chris Gregoire passed legislation that would allow Western to raise tuition 14 percent each year over the next two years, according to a statement from the Gover-nor’s Office.

The protest at UC Berkeley lasted only a day, but their message echoed throughout the nation.

As developing leaders of the world, students play a key role in social change. It was this generation's parents who chal-lenged the Vietnam War, and it is today’s youth who need to speak out against to-day’s injustice and violence.

Maybe the UC Berkeley protest was without merit, and maybe the students could have presented their views in a more diplomatic way and without disrupt-ing classes, but one thing is certain: they were heard.

They were certainly heard.

It’s uncertain if they caused a direct impact on the budget debate, but as one student protester told the LA Times, “This is not a slumber party. This strike is re-ally inconvenient. We are looking at finals and an increased workload. But this seems to be the honorable thing to do for future students.”

All activism follows the ideology that people stand up for future generations. People change the system now, so the stu-dents, ethnicities and laborers of the future can focus on more progressive changes.

People stand up against injustice so their children can have a better life, free of oppression and injustice.

And students, along with every other person in a society, have this power to make changes.

If a university employee is abusing his or her position, students have the pow-er to remove him or her by speaking their voice. Students pay for tuition and are the reason for the university jobs in the first place, so they have a say.

If tuition increases, students and fac-ulty have the right to speak out against unfair decisions because state universities are public institutions.

Often times, citizens of a country, not just students, slip into hegemony. They become apathetic, lose interest and com-mit their attention to Tiger Woods’ mar-riage and balloon-boy’s escapades instead of pertinent issues such as war, poverty and institutional racism.

History has proven that one brave voice can lead a multitude of followers. Western could be a voice to lead the rest.

Like Bob Marley said when he soul-fully sang of overcoming oppression: “If you are the big tree/We are the small axe/Ready to cut you down.”

Attend meeting on new rental laws

The city council is considering a li-censing/inspection ordinance of all rental housing in the city of Bellingham on Monday, Dec. 7, in the council chambers.

What does this have to do with stu-dents? The problems stem from com-plaints about students in off-campus hous-ing and the proposed ordinance refers to three main issues: nuisance properties, health and maintenance issues and prohib-iting three unrelated people living in one rental property.

The draft reviews licensing programs in other comparable cities with universi-ties who are currently licensing rental property owners and have instituted li-censing fees, which may be $1,500 for initial license with annual inspections of rental units at $150 per unit. Penalties for failure to license may be $1,000 to $5,000 and up to 90 days in jail. Inspec-tion for repairs may require 30 days com-pliance. Nuisance calls (i.e. loud parties) will hold both tenants and property own-ers accountable and subject to fine. Up to three may result in revoking license and condemning the structure as a rental. If this ordinance passes the city council, rents in this city and for students will in-crease and tenants will have fewer options for affordable housing. Make your voices heard; come down and speak up at the city council chambers on Monday, Dec. 7. Let the council know how an ordinance may affect students.

Michael Barnes Northwest Rental Owners Assoc. chair

Letter to the editor

spORTs16 | Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front


Andrew MitchellTHE WESTERN FRONT

The Western men’s basketball team extended their winning streak to seven games as they secured a non-league win over the Simon Fraser Clansmen 96-43 Wednesday in Carver Gymnasium.

Western senior guards Morris Ander-son and Derrick Webb led the way for the Vikings with 18 points each despite play-ing approximately half the game. The two combined for seven 3-pointers in the con-test, with Webb shooting a perfect 4-4 on 3-point shots.

“Our guys came out and did every-thing that we wanted to do, our defen-sive intensity was great and we shot the ball with tremendous confidence,” West-ern head coach Brad Jackson said. “We moved the ball extremely well and our offense was free-flowing, and that was encouraging to see moving forward. We played with a lot of fire and excitement tonight.”

Western quickly put the game out of reach on offense, knocking down four of their first five 3-point attempts to build a 20-point margin only eight minutes into the game. The Vikings led 55-20 at half, shooting 68 percent as a team in the first half and hitting six 3-pointers.

“I think the 3-point shooting could be a strength on this team, and we had not shown it until tonight,” Anderson said. “We jumped out of the gate early and that was our goal. Everyone was being asser-tive on offense, and a win like this keeps us focused.”

The Vikings also controlled the game

defensively in the first half with seven steals, forcing the Clansmen into nine turnovers and holding them to 23 percent shooting as a team.

“Our effort wasn’t good, we turned the ball over too much and chose to take some really bad shots. Western took ad-

vantage of that,” Simon Fraser head coach Scott Clark said. “Western is an athleti-cally superior team to us, but with that be-ing said we did not play as well as we can play.”

Western continued to build on their lead in the second half, reaching 62 points

at the highest margin. The Vikings ended the game shooting 60 percent and 55 per-cent from 3-point range, knocking down ten 3-pointers as a team. Western held the Clansmen to 21 percent from the field and 9 percent from 3-point range.

“It is always hard when you build a big lead quickly to let off the gas and that is natural, but we focused on how we were playing on every possession and did not focus on our opponent,” Jackson said. “We were working hard to give it our all on every possession, no matter what the score.”

Four of Western’s five starters reached double-figure scoring while play-ing for a little more than half the game. Western senior center Zach Bruce had 12 points and senior guard Andrew Ready chipped in 10 points and had a game-high five assists.

The Viking bench combined for 36 points in the second half. Western sopho-more forward Rory Blanche led the way for the second team, which scored 14 points, shooting 6-6 for the game.

“A blowout win like this actually helps us, because it forces us to work on the little things on our team so we can tune up for a closer game,” Webb said.

The win improves the Vikings’ record to 8-1 for the season. Western next trav-els to Arizona to take on Grand Canyon University for the third meeting between the two schools this year. Western has defeated Grand Canyon in the first two meetings by 14 and 15 points, respective-ly, but Jackson said this next game will be the hardest win to come by of the three games because it is an away game.

“It will be at their place, and their crowd will be excited. It’s going to be a real fight and our players know that,” Jackson said. “Limiting the mistakes we made in those first two meetings will be the biggest key. It is always tough to beat any team three straight times in a season, but that atmosphere will make it especial-ly tough.”

Western senior center Zach Bruce throws down a two-handed slam Wednesday,photos by Rhys Logan THE WESTERN FRONT

Western senior center Dave Vanderjagt jumps for the tip-off against Simon Fraser Univer-sity sophomore guard Kevin Shaw Wednesday in Carver Gym.


Men's winning streak continuesSimon Fraser University sent home nursing a 96-43 defeat

“A blowout win like this actually helps us, because it forces us to work on the little things on our team so we can tune up for a closer game.”

Derrick Webb,Western senior guard

Next Matchvs. Grand Canyon University7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5

in Phoenix, Ariz.

Willy DeliusTHE WESTERN FRONT

The Western women’s basketball team kept their undefeated record intact with an 80-43 win over University of Hawaii at Hilo in Carver Gym Thursday night.

The Vikings never trailed, scoring the first eight points of the game before pushing it to 42-17 by halftime.

“We came out fired up,” Western senior center Krystal Robinson said. “We played strong, and our shots were falling.”

The win improves Western’s record to 5-0 for the season.Western was led offensively by junior guard Amanda Dunbar’s 17 points and six as-

sists and Willow Cabe’s 15 point, 11 rebound effort.Dunbar set a new school record for consecutive 3-pointers made after hitting her first

four attempts of the game, bringing her overall total to 10, dating back to the two previ-ous games. The streak breaks a five-year-old record set by Jodi Gerald during Western’s 2004-05 campaign.

Dunbar is shooting a scorching 74 percent from 3-point range this season, well over the team average of 47 percent. Western head coach Carmen Dolfo said Dunbar’s shoot-ing has been great and helps boost the entire team’s confidence.

Western shot the ball well as a team, converting 51 percent from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range, while holding the opposing Vulcans to just 25 percent from the field.

After Western took a 25-point halftime lead, the coaching staff worked in several reserve players to get them some game action.

“It was great to get everyone out there,” Robinson said. “Everyone practices really hard, so it’s good to give them the chance to play and see what our whole team looks like.”

Western freshman center Britt Harris said she likes it when the Vikings win and she

and her fellow substitutes get in the game.“It’s fun coming off the bench in a game like that—everyone is behind you,” Harris

said. “The team is so close; a lot of the upperclassmen have taken us younger players under their wings.”

Western travels to Las Vegas next for a tournament to play their stiffest competition yet, the 15th-ranked team in the nation, Washburn University.

“They will be a challenge,” Dolfo said. “We’re at a point where after these next games we’ll know where we are at as a team.”

SPoRTS | 17westernfrontonline.net | Friday • December 4, 2009

Vikings vanquish Vulcans

Western senior Krystal Robinson moves past University of Hawaii at Hilo’s defense toward the net during Thursday’s game in Carver Gym.


The Vikings squad celebrates their 80-46 victory over the University of Hawaii at Hilo Vulcans Thursday in Carver Gym.photo by Hailey Tucker THE WESTERN FRONT

18 | SPoRTS Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

Victoria LawTHE WESTERN FRONT

Western Front: How does it feel to be back on the team as a player?Krystal Robinson: It feels really good. I am kind of a player-coach now, so I can help facilitate on the court now. The knowl-edge I gained from being a coach has helped me more on the court. I feel like people respect me more because of the experi-ence I gained; I feel like they look to me to lead them.

WF: How did you get into coaching after you tore your ACL in exhibition against Pacifi c Lutheran University during the 2007-08 season?KR: I would coach at these basketball camps during the summer, and I knew I had a real passion for coaching and so did my coach. We looked into this women's minority coaching grant, which is given by NCAA. It is a two-year contract. The school had to ap-ply for it, and then I could apply through the school. It was only given to 16 schools in the U.S. I found out in April that I was go-ing to be a coach, so that was exciting.

WF: Do you have any pre-game or good luck traditions?KR: I drink an energy drink before each game, even though that’s probably not good. But I like to shower, nap and drink my energy drink. Oh and I like to listen to music; that pumps me up.

WF: Will you pursue a career as a basketball player or a coach after college?KR: I would love to pursue a career in coaching, not sure what level though. I love coaching, and I love the game. I don’t think my knees want me to play anymore after this year, but at least I

can still be on the court with coaching.WF: What are your hobbies?KR: I am a social butterfl y, so I love just being with my friends. I love to shop, and I even love to shop for my friends. I love reality television. I also love the HD channel, and I am obsessed with real estate and decorating homes. And I like to read.

WF: Why basketball? You are pretty tall; I bet you would be good at volleyball, too.KR: I have never even considered any other sport. I started playing basketball because my little broth-er did it, and I was a real girly-girl. I saw him play and it looked fun. My friend actually con-vinced me to play on her AAU (Amateur Ath-letic Union) basketball team and then it evolved from there.

WF: What is one thing about you that few people know about?KR: I am a germ freak! I am actually get-ting my H1N1 shot tomorrow and I am pretty excited.

WF: What are you most proud of?KR: Graduating from college. For some rea-son I knew that I was going to play basketball in college, but I never imagined myself graduating. But neither of my parents graduated from college, so it was a real accomplish-ment. I am also proud that I got to play basketball at the collegiate level. I worked really hard to get here.

WF: Describe the greatest moment in your athletic career.KR: It was my junior year at Western, and we beat Seattle Pacifi c at home. It was the fi rst time we beat them, and we beat them by two points. I will never forget that game, it was really exciting.

WF: How do you feel about this upcoming season?KR: I am excited. Right now we are 4-0, and I feel like we have a lot of determined people. We are not settling for anything less than the goals we set. I am excited to be a part of it this year, and I am trying to cherish it more than ever since this year is my last.

Robinson returns to form

Western senior Krystal Robinson has re-turned for her fi nal season on the West-

ern women’s basketball team after missing the majority of the 2007-08 season due to a torn ACL in her left knee.

After the injury, Robinson decided to pur-sue her interest in coaching. She applied for the Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant, which allowed her to serve as a stu-dent assistant coach for Western’s women’s basketball team during the 2008-09 season. Now, with a recovering ACL, Robinson has returned to the court as a player for her fi nal season as a Viking.

• Started all 28 games• Honorable mention GNAC all-star• Averaged team-leading 2.9 blocks per game

Robinson's last active season (2006-07)


SPoRTS | 19westernfrontonline.net | Friday • December 4, 2009

Talithia TaitanoTHE WESTERN FRONT

Those who missed out on fall quarter intramural competition need not worry. Winter quarter will offer a new range of sports, including dodgeball, basketball, indoor soccer and volleyball.

Wade King Student Recreation Cen-ter employee Matthew Wasielewski said the deadline for those wanting to sign up is Monday, Jan. 11. Students can sign up at the front desk in the rec center.

Wasielewski said people can join two types of teams in intramural sports. One is recreational, in which the teams play for fun, and the other is competitive.

The level of competitiveness usually depends on how the team members make it, he said.

“We see a lot more fights and red cards [in the competitive teams],” Wasielewski said.

Wasielewski said people usually team up with their friends, but they do have a free agent that pairs people in teams who do not already have one.

“There’s never a problem getting a team, but getting them to sign up on time

is a problem,” Wasielewski said.Western's intramural sports allows not

only Western students but Whatcom Com-munity College and Bellingham Technical College students as well to compete.

Western junior Cecilia Orr said even though she was supposed to be a back-up in case one of the team members did not follow through, she finds playing against other people exciting.

“It's fun getting together with friends once a week just to play football,” Orr said.

Western junior Kimberly Hazzard said she originally joined intramural sports because her boyfriend is the cap-tain of her flag football team. She said she ended up enjoying herself because it is fun and keeps her active. The teams that win the playoffs of each sport earn bragging rights and a championship T-shirt.

“It’s called 'The Shirt' actually,” Wasielewski said.

Winter intramurals offer new optionsThe deadline to sign up for a winter intramural team is Monday, Jan. 11. The fee is

$50 per team.

Western junior Tara Miller referees for intramural sports such as fall quarter's flag football, shown above.

photo by Talithia Taitano THE WESTERN FRONT

Western junior Tara Miller works primarily as a referee for the rec center and said red cards are given to team members who break the rules. Once a team member receives a red card, they cannot play for the rest of the season until they meet with intramural sports coordinator Kendra Jackson and discuss their actions.

Miller said she gave someone a red card once for mooning her during the game. The student who was given the red card for mooning appealed it to the intramural coordinator. He was able to join the team again under the condition that he wrote an apology letter to Miller, she said. Miller said even wearing jewelry can result in receiv-ing a red card.

Common other ways people receive red cards are from cursing excessively or intentionally getting physical with an opposing team member. Too many yellow cards can result in a red card, Wasielewski said, which are given depending on the sport but are usually from minor violations.

“For the most part it’s definitely laid back,” Miller said. “We’re college kids too. We’re the same age so it makes it hard [to be strict about the rules].”

Red Cards

20 | SPoRTS Friday • December 4, 2009 | The Western Front

december 4th edition

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