Tuesday • June 30, 2009

650 RIDE, RUN AND
SWIM AROUND
LAKE PADDEN
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:
LAKE PADDEN
TRIATHLON VIDEO
PAGE 7
LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
CAPTURE THE 'ESSENCE
OF BELLINGHAM'
PAGE 4
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Western Front
An independent student newspaper serving Western Washington University since 1970 | WesternFrontOnline.net
Greenhouse revives research opportunities
Megan Brown
THE WESTERN FRONT
Double-pane insulated glass, an automatic climate control system and multiple
irrigation zones have Western faculty excited about greater research possibilities
within a new greenhouse located behind
Arntzen Hall, adjacent to the original
13-year-old greenhouse. The facility will
house research projects from the biology
department and Huxley College of the Environment.
Although design for the $500,000,
1,188-square-foot structure began last
summer, professors who need greenhouse
space for research have been working toward this for years.
David Hooper, a Western biology
professor and researcher, said a group of
professors applied for minor capital funding several times over the years to get the
original greenhouse enlarged.
Hooper, who was involved with
planning as a member of the Greenhouse
Committee, said the headhouse took priority over an additional range.
see GREENHOUSE page 3
Triathletes compete in 26-mile event at Lake Padden Saturday
Photo by Katie Greene THE WESTERN FRONT
Steve Ruiter looks at his watch after completing the swimming leg of the 29th Annual Lake Padden Triathlon Saturday. Ruiter finished
the swimming section first with a time of 4 minutes, 47 seconds. See PAGE 7 for full story.
Trustees approve 2009-'10 operating budget
Gregoire appoints
Fujikado as eighth
Trustee member
Kipp Robertson
THE WESTERN FRONT
A seat left vacant by Ron Allen on
Western’s Board of Trustees was filled
May 20 when Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed Betti Fujikado as the new eighth
member of the board. “I think higher education is incredibly important,” Fujikado said. “I never
imagined working at a university beyond
working with people on occasion or writing a check.”
Fujikado replaced Ron Allen before
he completed his six-year contract on the
board. Chair of the board Phil Sharpe
said Allen was unable to devote his time
to the board due to commitments outside
of Western.
Sharpe said Fujikado is a good addition to the board because of her ability to
provide guidance in business relationships.
“I think that Western has a huge opportunity, but is not as well known as it
could be,” Fujikado said. “I believe that
my background in marketing could help
provide oversight.”
Since entering the business field, Fujikado has supported Western by creating
a scholarship for minority community
college students who aspire to transfer to
Western for marketing.
Fujikado graduated from the University of Washington in 1977 with a degree in
business and a focus in accounting. Since
then she has held numerous positions in her
field, including certified public accountant
and chief financial officer of Pricewaterhouse, a professional service firm that provides consultants for specialized business
projects in fields such as advertising.
see TRUSTEE page 3
Capital budget approved; 2010-'11 operating budget to be reconsidered June '10
Kevin Minnick
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western’s Board of Trustees approved
the university’s 2009-11 capital budget and
2009-10 operating budget—which includes
a 14 percent tuition increase for resident
undergraduates—on Friday, June 12.
University administration will review
the 2010-11 operating budget throughout
the coming year and then offer it to the
board for approval next June.
In addition, Paula Gilman, executive director of Western’s Planning and
Budgeting Office, has been collecting
feedback from the campus community
concerning the current budget process to
incorporate into an official budget process
draft, slated for completion in fall.
Western President Bruce Shepard’s
policy of transparency has guided Western’s bottom-up budget process, which
has been subject to perpetual critique and
revision by the entire campus community.
“It’s like the cliché of building an
airplane while you are flying it,” Shepard
said. “I strongly believe that you never get
it right; there is a constant cycle of critique
and improvement.”
Western geology professor Bernie
Housen said he appreciates the transparency of the process, but has several complaints about budget stipulations that he
said are detrimental to Western’s integrity.
Housen said he is bothered by the
apparent priority placed on lower-level
courses over upper-division courses. He
said cuts in his department have been
aimed at technical staff and teaching assistant support, which is needed to maintain the specialized upper-level courses.
“To many of our department’s faculty, the hallmark of our program is the
set of in-depth, hands-on experiences we
ensure our majors have in their 400-level
courses,” Housen said. “Many of them utilize specialized equipment or lab facilities
that, in turn, require adequate technical
support. To our students, these ‘too small’
courses are often the most valuable part of
their experience at Western.”
Shepard admits university administration is shifting resources away from small
classes, but said this is to maintain seat capacity so people can get the courses
see Budget page 2
Photo Courtesy of University Communications
2
|
News
See more online at
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Tuesday • June 30, 2009 | The Western Front
University Police
June 25
• University Police (UP)
responded to a traffic control request at the Ridgeway
residence halls. A truck had
lost its attached trailer.
June 26
• UP responded to a smoke
alarm going off in Carver
Gymnasium. The building
was secure and no fire or
smoke was present.
June 27
Photo by David Kasnic THE WESTERN FRONT
• UP assisted a motorist with
a boat that had fallen from
its trailer.
The organizers of Ladyfest 2009 Bellingham - Jenn Hartman, Alison Hjelseth, Ariel Morgan, Anjal Kusler, Ashely McAllister, Mel Estes,
Jessyca Murphy, Augustine, Sarah Lloyd, Katie Rismondo and Jessica Tracey - hug and rejoice after the final event of the fest, an erotic
show, finished at the Opium Den on Sunday. Comedic, musical and poetic acts performed.
BUDGET: Shepard considers current process a 'dry run'
they need to graduate.
“We were really worried that if people
go home for the summer without their full
schedule, they won’t come back,” Shepard
said. “So at all levels, there was an effort
to make sure that the classes were there.”
Shepard said there might be less variety among upper-level courses, but graduation times will not be affected. He said
the courses people do pick will be taught
by the same faculty and still be of the
same high quality.
Housen said the importance of technical staff and upper-division courses was
not well-considered during the review process. Still, he appreciates the ability to be
involved on a greater level than before.
“I have to give the administration a
lot of credit, because the process has been
a lot more open than it would have been
[under a different president],” Housen
said. “I know people in other universities
in Washington and other states, and they
Photo by Katie Greene THE WESTERN FRONT
Western graduate student Rachael Gravon
looks through a microscope Monday in
the Environmental Science building. Gravon is researching algae and eco-systems
in northwest Washington. Her research is
funded by grants. Western geology professor Bernie Housen is concerned about the
loss of upper-division courses and research
opportunities.
are way more in the dark.”
Presidential listening sessions were
held in the fall of 2008 to begin establishing Western’s expectations and guidelines
for a process characterized by campuswide transparency.
An updated 2009-11 budget proposal
was posted online for public review May
6, and was followed by a public forum on
May 14 where community members could
voice their concerns directly to Shepard.
“I would describe our open forum as
a ‘love fest,’” Shepard said. “It’s a bit of
an exaggeration, but people were really
focused on the future.”
Shepard said other Washington universities have also had open budget forums, but some have gotten “pretty nasty”
due to community members being left
in the dark regarding which specific cuts
were being made.
He said the reason for the positive attitude at Western’s May 14 public forum
was due to the transparency of the whole
process leading up to the event.
“I think the reason for transparency
and openness is so people will own the result,” Shepard said. “If people own the result and feel like a part of the solution, they
are going to contribute their best efforts.”
Western senior Hannah Higgins, the
board's student representative, said the
administration has done an admirable job
of making cuts in the right areas. She said
Washington State University has cut entire
programs, such as German and the entire
theatre department.
“Making the commitment to include
all members of the university community
is not easy,” Higgins said. “Sifting through
hundreds of comments and suggestions and
applying that information in budget development is no small task.”
Shepard said he has received mostly
positive comments about the budget process, but is concerned about the lack of
criticism.
“That bothers me a little bit,” Shepard
said. “I like criticism. What is it that we
need to be doing better?”
Gilman said she has been asking everyone from the campus community for
input to help shape the university’s up-
coming official budget process draft.
Shepard said the university administration is treating the current budget process as a sort of “dry run” to guide the development of the official draft.
“We have asked [the admnistration]
and we have gotten so little [feedback],”
Gilman said. “I mention it constantly to
everyone, but there are very few comments.”
Gilman said putting an actual draft
out on the Web this fall should bring out
more feedback.
“I think people work best with a draft
on paper,” Shepard said. “I don’t care if
it is polished. Actually, I prefer that it is
not polished so that people will be able to
comment and get engaged.”
Shepard said he has taken the absence
of criticism as an indication of satisfaction
so far.
“We are going to keep asking,” Shepard said. “I suspect that since we have
been through a battle, there is a sense of
fatigue. 'Who wants to talk about the budget anymore anyways?' But in the fall,
people come back refreshed, and we will
talk about it again.”
Bellingham Police
June 26
• Police were dispatched
to the 100 block of South
Garden for an animal complaint about a barking dog.
June 27
• Police arrived at the 1300
block of Cornwall Avenue
to find tagger-style graffiti
on the wall of a business
building.
June 28
• Police responded to a malicious mischief call on the
400 block of Lakeway
Drive. A man was reportedly spotted damaging his
girlfriend’s vehicle.
Cops Box compiled by
Jennifer Muchmore
Western Washington University
Communications Building 251
Bellingham, WA 98225
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
(360) 650-3162
Editor in Chief......................................................Brynn Regan, [email protected]
Managing Editor.........................................Ashley Mitchell, [email protected]
News Editor....................................................Nicholas Johnson, [email protected]
Arts & Life Editor.....................................Angelo Spagnolo, [email protected]
Sports Editor...........................................................Dan Balmer, [email protected]
Opinion Editor....................................................Dan Balmer, [email protected]
Photo Editor.........................................................Katie Greene, [email protected]
Online Editor.................................................Jeremy Schwartz, [email protected]
Copy Editor......................................................Jeremy Schwartz, [email protected]
Faculty Adviser.....................................................Carolyn Nielsen, [email protected]
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
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Advertising Manager.................................................................................Michele Anderson
Business Manager....................................................................................Alethea Macomber
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 enrolled 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.
3
GREENHOUSE: Range to prevent plant contamination through improved ventilation
from 1
Cops Box
from 1
NEWS |
westernfrontonline.net | Tuesday • June 30, 2009
"We were originally hoping to get
two new ranges to allow more space and
potentially different conditions in different greenhouses for different projects,"
Hooper said. "But as costs went up we lost
that second range."
The range is the building where plants
are grown and stored. It is a 48.6 feet by
17.4 feet structure of aluminum and glass,
said Barbara Alten, senior architect and
project manager.
"It's a pretty beautiful glass structure," Alten said.
Hooper said anyone doing research
with plants will benefit from the new
space. Increased greenhouse space will
also allow more room to maintain plants
for a teaching collection, he said.
Any school that has an active biology
research program generally has research
greenhouses because important work can
often only be done with plants, said Peter
Thut, biology stockroom supervisor and
safety officer.
Initial blueprints for the original
Photo by Cassandra Gallagher THE WESTERN FRONT
Peter Thut, the stockroom supervisor and safety officer of Western's Biology department,
shows off the new biology greenhouse behind Arntzen Hall June 18.
greenhouse included a headhouse and
two ranges—one range for teaching and
another for research—but limited funding
resulted in a single range and no headhouse, he said.
"The headhouse is traditionally like a
fancy potting shed," Thut said.
Equipped with stainless steel work
tables, large sinks and sprayers for easy
clean-up, the new headhouse provides a
separate space for researchers to pot plants
and conduct analysis, Thut said.
Thut said the range is accessed via the
headhouse, which is set up with an electronic prox card system. Prox cards are
issued to approved occupants in place of
conventional keys to increase safety and
security.
The new range will solve issues that
made the original greenhouse inadequate
for research, Thut said.
Insufficient ventilation and screening
can lead to contamination because unwelcome pollen, seeds and insects can fly in,
he said.
The range contains two devices that
help conserve energy.
The first is a 1,000-gallon rainwater
tank that collects runoff water from the
building's gutters to water plants and garden plots, Thut said.
The second is a swamp cooler that
uses evaporative cooling to function as an
air conditioning system, he said.
Western biology professor Jeff Young
said the original greenhouse was limited
in sustainability due to its size. He said the
main function has been to provide plant
material for the lab sections of Biology
204 and Biology 206.
"This will allow us to do experiments
we've been putting on the backburner for
several years," Young said.
TRUSTEE: Fujikado to add new perspective to the board
from 1
“Up until Fujikado was appointed to
the board, knowledge of business marketing did not have a strong presence,”
Sharpe said. Sharpe said Fujikado’s background
and her financial career should help the
board build stronger relationships with outside investors, which could benefit Western
throughout the next academic year by encouraging private contributions.
“[Western] is still in the early stages
of identifying itself,” Sharpe said, referring
to Western’s effort to expand and compete
with other state universities. “But, with the
combined experience and viewpoints of
our board, I see great changes in store.”
Fujikado has not always pursued
business, as her first passion in life was
art, specifically graphic design.
When she first began considering her
future education, Fujikado said she was
intrigued by her mother’s work as a teacher of fashion illustration at the UW.
“I think in images and have a very
strong right brain in terms of creativity in
art and imagery,” Fujikado said.
She began attending the UW as an art
major but soon after was intrigued by another field: business.
Fujikado said she decided marketing
was her calling in life when she made the
switch from art major to business major.
Shortly after graduation, she was hired by
Pricewaterhouse. However, Fujikado’s career path
would not end with Pricewaterhouse. She
said while working as a CFO she felt the
need to become personally involved with
making businesses successful.
“I was wondering why am I holding
all these positions and what is it all leading up to,” Fujikado said. “I came to the
realization that the beauty of advertising is
the combination of art and commerce.”
The outcome of Fujikado’s dream
of combining art and commerce through
advertising came to a head when she
and business partner Jim Copacino, created Copacino+Fujikado—an advertising
agency that offers media services to establishments such as the Seattle Mariners.
“I never thought I would get the opportunity to [be on the board], but I am
delighted,” Fujikado said.
Arts & Life
4 | Tuesday • June 30, 2009 | The Western Front
westernfrontonline.net | Tuesday • June 30, 2009
|5
The language of lighting and lenses: Searching for the essence of Bellingham
This year’s Best in Show—first-place winner, Sandi Heinrich has entered the competition for the past four years and has won one of the top honors each year. Heinrich is
a professional photographer who said she uses the competition to keep her eyes moving
Walking down the streets of the City of “Subdued Excitement” you realize that you
throughout the community for pictures of real life.
are not walking down just the same old streets in a regular town. There are hidden art mu“I see Bellingham as a very health and outdoor-oriented, active, tolerant of the arts
rals down alleyways; sculptured benches allowing the sitter to become part of the art.
and alternative lifestyles kind of place,” Heinrich said. “This is what I look for to capture
It is a college town where you can run into half your English class walking down
in my pictures. I look around my community and it’s vibrant with life and positive energy,
State Street, but it is also a family community where kids and their parents ride their bikes
and I try to be a part of that.”
down by the waterfront.
The jury statement released by the Mayor’s office said Heinrich’s winning photo,
Does this describe the essence of Bellingham? Is it the sunsets, the sense of com“Blissfully Unaware” was a picture that represented the year.
munity, the art? Is it even a question that has an answer?
The official jury statement described the winning photo as rich with imagery and
The City of Bellingham and the Whatcom Museum of History and
anything but ‘unaware.’
Art sponsor a photography competition every year for the Belling"The baby’s dynamic face, uplifted eyebrows and other vivid expressions speak
ham community to answer this question and to capture what they
volumes about hope. This child has expectations! The photographer captured an
believe to be the true essence of Bellingham.
amazing moment of expression on the faces of both the baby and our
This is the fourth year of the competition which was
President... This is Bellingham, in celebration, in our
started under former Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmundcherished Mount Baker Theatre on Inaugural Day
son. Communications manager for the Mayor’s Of2009.”
fice Janice Keller, City of Bellingham webmaster
Amundson said they chose Heinrich’s picSteven Niedermeyer, and Mayor Dan Pike have
ture because not only is it important to capture
kept this photography competition alive and well
what you believe the spirit of Bellingham is,
in the city.
but it is also important, especially for archival
“It is a treat for us all to view the results
purposes, that it capture a moment in time that
each year, and see how many different ways our
could be a symbol of what had happened in
beautiful, lively community is described via
Bellingham last year.
photography,” Keller said.
“The appetence for the primary theme
This competition provides an inexpensive
for Essence of Bellingham was to find images
solution to help the community collect photothat represent the year,” Amundson said. “So
-Sandi Heinrich,photographer
graphs for historic records, Keller said.
the Obama image did embody the year at the
“We look back 100 years from now; we’ll
Inaugural speech at the Mount Baker Theatre.
have a large, rich collection of photos depictThe great juxtaposition of the baby in the foreing daily life and scenery in Bellingham,” Keller
ground and Obama in the background is wonsaid. derful. It capitulates the year in Bellingham.”
The photographs chosen in the competition beWestern graduate Paul Israel, who won Best
come a part of the archival photos at the Whatcom Museum. Garth Amundson, Western
in Show’s third place for his picture, “Marine Park at Sunset,” said this competition alassociate professor of photography and one of the judges for the competition, said he
lows members of the Bellingham community to use their cameras so that everyone could
believes having this competition is important in establishing an ongoing history in Bellget a glimpse of a new perspective on what the essence of Bellingham is.
ingham.
“We’re all living our own lives; part of different sub-cultures and niches,” Israel
“It is an admiral thing for the city to have this archive,” Amundson said. “To have
said. "It’s valuable to see Bellingham through someone else’s eyes.”
something that is significant, that represents the city and for the city to establish its own
No one person can capture all of what Bellingham represents, Israel said. It is imcredibility is to document itself in its own existence.”
portant to share experiences through visual artifacts such as photographs so that there is a
The essence of Bellingham for Amundson is the connection to the environment.
wide variety of what the essence of Bellingham means to different people.
“I think that [it is the] link to nature, which seems really obvious but people come
The winners from the 2009 competition were celebrated and introduced officially
here for that,” Amundson said. “That is what makes Bellingham truly unique. To have
by Mayor Dan Pike at the City Council meeting yesterday. The photographs will also be
the access to the mountains and to the water, I mean it sounds like a bad travel brochure,
shown during the summer’s Downtown art walk; in addition to becoming part of Bellingbut it is amazing.”
ham’s history in the archives of the Whatcom County Museum. Cejae Thompson
THE WESTERN FRONT
Clockwise from left: "Blissfully Unaware" by Sandi Heinrich.
Heinrich's image of a baby at an inauguration party at Mount Baker
Theatre captured the hopefulness of the city in 2009, and earned her
first place Best of Show in the competition.|"You and Me Under the
Sea" by ally Lubetich earned Best of Class in the amatuer catagory
of the competition.|"Marine Park at Sunset" by Paul Israel earned
third place Best in Show.|"The Big Snow," which earned Joshua
Lingbloom Best of Class for the 5th-8th grade field, shows another of
Bellingham's notable traits, its frosty winter season.|Images from the
winners of second place Best of Show and Best of Class, High School
division, are not shown.
"I look around my
community and it's
vibrant with life and positive energy,"
Photos courtesy of the City of Bellingham
Western students contribute to 60s-inspired ad campaign 'Summer of Love'
Ross Buchanan
THE WESTERN FRONT
There’s more than just love in the air above downtown Seattle.
Towering seven stories above Third Avenue, the Macy’s skybridge
is aglow with the vibrant colors of the summer season, as well as
“For the students, this project was about bridging the gap between fine and commercial art forms,” Amundson said. “It’s a perfect space to display this kind of work, and
while we’ve used other spaces in the past, I enjoy how this kind of a venue changes how
the art is seen.”
With a location between the historic Macy’s building and its parking facility, the sky
bridge will be sure to attract more than a few pairs of eyes.
Pedestrians on the bridge will be greeted with large self-portraits of the selected
with the faces of Western students.
The Seattle Macy’s is participating in the company’s “Summer of Love” promotion
during June and July, a nationwide effort by the chain to recall the free-flowing fashion
of a summer 40 years past.
According to a Macy’s press release,
the objectives of the campaign are to take
the distinct fashions of the hippie movement
and incorporate them into the summer fashions of 2009.
The visual manager of the Seattle Macy’s location approached Garth Amundson,
associate professor of photography at Western, to find inspiration for the campaign, and
Amundson turned to his color photography
Left: Western students work on portraits which are displayed (right) on the Macy's skybridge in Seattle.
students to bring the bridge to life.
Photos courtesy of Garth Amundson
Western photographers, wearing the kind of nostalgic apparel that the Macy’s promotion is driven toward selling at department stores across the nation. Accented by brightly
colored backdrops, the large posters are clearly visible from the high-paced intersection
of Pike Street and Third Avenue in downtown.
The project was developed by a group of ten color photography students under the
instruction of Amundson. Contributing students include Sarah Brown, Jeffrey Emtman,
Margaret Faubion, Lillian Furlong, Megan Harmon, Seth Lunde and Marshall Westerman.
But for students, the promotion offered more than just a chance to have their hard
work appreciated.
“Everyone is a photographer these days,” said Western senior Adam McRae, one of
the exhibition’s contributing artists. “But if you look at the most successful photographers, they have had to be flexible enough to do both fine and commercial artwork.”
McRae described his work with the "Bridging the Gap" project as a chance to do
both, in a setting outside of photography classes.
“It’s definitely been eye-opening,” McRae said. “Hopefully we will be able to do
more displays as a result of this one.”
Amundson said as an instructor, this is exactly the kind of experience that he hopes
to give his students through such a project.
“How better can you teach students the balance between art and practicality?”
Amundson said, “The project was very commercially driven.”
After Western photography students complete their undergraduate degree, they tend
to pursue three primary commercial fields: freelance photography, photography to market a specific company or product and graduate studies in teaching fine arts, Amundson
said.
Amundson said he believes this commercial influence to photography cannot be
taught inside the classroom— it can only be learned in the work place.
“The thing is, these students have to make a living, and this kind of learning can help
provide that,” Amundson stated.
The Bridging the Gap project, though grounded in the care-free spirit of the late
1960s, did not come without its fair share of obstacles. The project would have been impossible without hours of work contributed by the exhibit’s 10 photographers, as well as
the guidance of Amundson and Pierre Gour, the visual manager for the Seattle Macy’s.
“Collaborating with nine other people was very challenging; Getting that many
people to cooperate on anything proves difficult… Working with four to five people [on
a project] is infinitely easier, but we pulled it off,” said Western senior Kelli Waugh, a
participant in the exhibit.
Waugh said the project was unique compared to any of the prior experiences she has
encountered in college.
“I had never done anything like this before,” Waugh said. “Hopefully people crossing the bridge will be excited about the work we’ve put into it.”
Western senior Michelle Newman said the project was both challenging and rewarding.
“[Amundson] wanted to get us into the professional work environment, and pleasing
the client is a good thing to practice,” Newman said. “It’s a great way to get familiar with
corporate entities.”
The display is currently showing, and will hang in the windows of the skybridge
until July 31.
opinion
6|
Budget cuts hinder students' opportunities
Frontline
Opinions of the Editorial Board
When Western President Bruce Shepard gave his mid-year report on February 12,
he spoke about the future of Western. He
left a question for the entire university to
ponder before the much-anticipated budget
cuts slammed down like an axe on a chopping block.
According to Shepard’s speech from
the office of the President, he said, “When
we say we will become the best, we cannot
begin to figure how until we have agreed
on 'the best of what?' Here, Shepard implied to the university what needs to stay
and what can be let go.
Now that the university has approved
the operating budget for next year, certain
upper-division classes, which make Western
unique, are not going to be given priority and
are considered expendable since enrollment
in these classes is lower then expected.
The university cannot afford technical staff and teaching assistant support,
which is needed to sustain upper-division
classes, geology professor Bernie Housen
said. Shepard emphasized the importance
of getting everyone's involvment in Western to share their concerns and comments
about how cutting courses can impact the
university's culture during his mid-year
report and many listening sessions.
The administration needs to know
what classes students look forward to and
which classes play an integral part in students’ majors or concentrations.
Upper-division classes give Western
students a chance to differentiate themselves from others in their search for a job.
Western will not stand apart from other
universities as they rid the curriculum of
unique upper-division classes and will lose
its appeal to prospective students.
It does not do the university any good
when students accept budget cuts with the
mindset that they cannot make an impact.
Hearing the phrase “budget process” over
and over again, a phrase that has come up
frequently in the last few months, can turn
See more online at
www.westernfrontonline.net
Tuesday • June 30, 2009 | The Western Front
people off. If students had a louder voice
concerning the ramifications of the cuts,
such as what classes may or may not be
available, Western could uphold its quality of education. Students must rise up and
let the administration know what classes
they want Western to offer and what they
are willing to sacrifice.
Understandably, the process of cutting
anything is grueling, but maybe it means
the student body needs to give up some of
the student services people are so afraid to
get rid of in order to preserve classes—the
place where students actually learn.
Western will lose the opportunity
to become a heralded university with a
range of diverse classes, which add to this
unique culture. The future of Western is
being decided now.
The Editorial Board is comprised of
the Editor-in-Chief Brynn Regan, Managing Editor Ashley Mitchell, Opinion Editor Dan Balmer and community memberat-large Simon Davis-Cohen.
Viking Voices
Opinions from around campus
How would you describe
Bellingham in a sentence?
7
|
sports
See more online at
www.westernfrontonline.net
Tuesday• June 30, 2009 | The Western Front
Three times the fun at Bellingham race
Participants swim, bike and run more than 26 miles at Lake Padden's 29th annual triathlon
Race results
Viking Voices compiled by
Michael Homnick
First place Male:
Steve Ruiter, 44
Gun time: 58:23
First place Female:
Lexi Abel, 26
Gun time: 1:04:11
Patrick Poltorak
Junior
"The town where bands come
to die."
Oh, the places you don't want to go
Tristan Hiegler
Columnist
As college students, we all have
them. Areas and situations that sap our
energy, damage our minds and drain our
souls. Melodramatic? Yes, but in the following list I’m sure you will recognize
places that you would like to see change
dramatically so that the very trial of them
is removed from your life, freeing you to
focus on more important things, like family, friends and “Halo 3.”
The Department of Motor Vehicles is
not a place I go often, but the experience
was deeply unsettling. The DMV near
Meridian Street, where I found myself
several days ago, had rows of cheap plastic chairs harshly lit by fluorescent lights.
Dozens of people were crowded into the
space, barely talking or looking around.
Most of them just sat there glumly, chin
in hand as their eyes flicked from their
printed number to the bright red numerals
displayed above each open counter.
As the numbers slowly advanced,
a chime would blare and a harsh, only
vaguely-feminine mechanical voice would
echo throughout the chamber, “Now serving one-zero-zero at counter three.” I
would glance up each time that robotic
tone sounded, only to find that I still had
20 or 40 more numbers to go before it was
my turn.
All sense of time was lost as I watched
the numbers progress and heard the scrape
of chairs, rustling of papers and the hum
of background conversation. It kind of
reminded me of a very depressing classroom.
I advocate that DMVs start to replace
their plastic chairs with real furniture.
I would like something with padding if
I’m going to be sitting in the same spot
for three hours. And please, fire the robot.
A human voice with warmth and compassion just might pull people through the
tedious hours of waiting for their license
renewals without flipping out and diving
through a window in a desperate bid for
freedom.
Early morning classes are another
problem area. I sat through 7 a.m. and 8
a.m. classes and I can report that there
is very little enjoyment to be had in the
experience. I felt dead-tired, and my only
impulse was to drop my pencil, set my
head on my notebook and return to dreamscape. Does that make me a poor student?
Probably.
Still, early classes put too much of a
strain on students and teachers alike. Students are not going to learn well when they
are tired and barely functional, and professors have to shoulder the burden of motivat-
Letter to the editor:
Moving out adds more stress during finals
Western’s housing policies seem to
inconvenience students who do not live
within driving distance to Western or
those who do not drive to school.
During winter break, spring break and
the end of the year, it would be easier if
dorm check out could be extended, instead
of checking out at 4 p.m. on Friday. With
advanced notice and permission, staying
until Saturday afternoon is permitted, but
even then there are still numerous situations
where that extension is not significant.
ing and involving students in discussions
and lab work when those same students,
like me, just want some more shut-eye.
Last, but certainly not least, is the cafeteria. Anyone who has lived on Western’s
campus knows the pitfalls of the on-site
eating establishments. Staring down the
length of my fork at some dubious vegetable dish for the third night in a row is in no
way fun. Choosing from the exact same
combo of hamburgers, grilled-cheese
sandwiches and pizza that I’ve have seen
all quarter, all year long, makes me quickly lose whatever real desire I had to eat.
And the worst part is that much of it
is horrible for the body. White flour, sugar
and grease galore are present, which are
nice if you like clogging your arteries and
gaining some weight. Anybody who wants
to avoid gaining 15, 20 or 30 pounds,
should not eat in the dining halls, period.
If you brave the cafeteria lines, you will
have to be exceptionally picky.
However, these are all very fixable
problems. I would say Fairhaven Commons uses a good amount of whole grain
in its offerings, but the Viking Commons
really needs to step it up. Would it kill
them to use brown rice and whole-wheat
hamburger buns for once? Or is that just
too crazy to contemplate?
Tristan Hiegler is a Western senior
majoring in News-Editorial Journalism.
photo by Katie Greene THE WESTERN FRONT
A participant of the 29th Annual Lake Padden Triathlon makes the transition between the swimming leg and the biking leg Saturday.
Kipp Robertson
THE WESTERN FRONT
Abbie Glick
Junior
"Cultured, I love the culture
of Bellingham."
Jordan Sahlberg
Senior
"The city of subdued
excitment."
Let your voice be
heard!
Students who have finals on Friday,
who have to wait until their parents come
to pick them up and who are restricted to
bus, train or plane as a means of returning
home, are all under pressure to try to accommodate Western's restrictive policies.
This is just another stress for students to
deal with while trying to focus on finals.
The Western Front is looking for a community member
to join our weekly Editorial
Board meetings and share their
thoughts on relevent Western
issues. For more information
respond by e-mail to:
Kayleigh Schwab
Western Sophomore
[email protected]
Elyse Hartman
Post-grad
"It's my favorite place to
be. Hippie, yet welcoming for all different types
of people."
The sun had already made its presence known at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday,
June 27 as the first wave of athletes started
wading into Lake Padden. The only thing
on their minds was the 26-mile race ahead
of them.
The annual Lake Padden Triathlon, a
community event that began in 1980, has
two separate race categories, a competitive race that is 26 miles long and a casual
race that is 14 miles long; each with 325
participants.
Both categories consist of swimming
across Lake Padden, bicycling around
Lake Samish and Fairhaven, and running
the Lake Padden trail.
Western senior Anne Maertens, who
competed in the casual race, said she used the
triathlon as an opportunity to get more exercise by training in preparation for the race.
"I was so scared to fail that it made
me work harder [in my training]," Maertens said. "Failure equals drowning and
that would be embarrassing."
Maertens prepared for the race by
running at Lake Padden as often as she
could. She ran with her friend in the race
and said they both trained together which
helped her push herself to improve.
Maertens said the most difficult part
of the race for her was coming out of the
water and running up a hill during the
transition into the biking leg.
"I was just out of breath," she said.
Traithlon director Lance Romo said
all the money raised by the event will be
used to help fund Whatcom parks and recreational facilities. Romo said the main
goal for hosting the triathlon, which he
began directing in 1991 in the footsteps
of Paul Leuthold, is to encourage people
to become more active and promote a
healthy community.
“The idea is not so much money as
it is to get people active and doing some-
thing,” Romo said.
The operating budget for Whatcom
Parks and Recreation was cut down to
$3.8 million for 2009, approximately 7
percent lower than last year’s $4.1 million
budget.
With $50 registration fee for a total
of 650 participants, the proceeds from the
triathlon were far from making up the difference.
In the first section of the race, participants swam a half mile from the shore of
Lake Padden near the west entrance of the
park across the lake to a buoy and back.
Bellingham resident Angie Smith
said she has competed in the triathlon for
the past three years. She said the swimming section is a good warm-up, but the
half-mile swim can also quickly separate
competitors.
“It can be a real shock going from
standing around at the starting line and
then jumping into the cold lake and swimming as fast as you can,” Smith said.
Once the participants got back on
shore, they simultaneously raced up to
their bikes as they removed their wetsuits
and began the 21-mile bicycle race.
Kulshan Cycles sales manager Eric
see TRIATHLON page 8
westernfrontonline.net | Tuesday • June 30, 2009
Sports |
8
TRIATHLON: Race brings athletes together, connects community
from 7
Moe said the bicycle race is where people run into the most difficulty. Moe was
in charge of the Kulshan Cycle tent, which
provided people with bicycle services, free
of charge, before the race.
“You’ve got a lot of equipment out
there, so the chances of a mishap are pretty good,” Moe said.
On this portion of the race, cyclists
rode southeast around Lake Samish, up
to Old Samish Highway and then cut into
Chuckanut Drive.
Romo said due to an increasing
population in Bellingham, he now has to
hire 12 flaggers to help direct traffic and
local business that sponsors the triathlon.
“I’m not from Bellingham, so I have
found that this event is a good way to get
in touch with the community outside of
Western,” Survis said.
Lake Padden park manager John
Brantley said he is always excited to see
events such as the Lake Padden Triathlon
take place. Brantley said with the current
budget situation, the more events that are
held at Whatcom parks the better, because
it means more funding that can go back
into those parks.
“We can have picnics going on in one
section of the park and in the other, a triathlon,” Brantley said. “It’s crazy, but in
a good way.”
“It can be a real shock going from standing around at the starting
line and then jumping into a cold lake and swimming as fast as you
can.”
- Angie Smith, race participant
keep racers safe in the Chukanut and Old
Fairhaven Parkway sections of the race.
“There’s also a lot of chalk that goes
down,” Romo said, referring to the white
arrows the recreation staff drew to direct
cyclists around the 21-mile bike route.
After the racers returned to the bike
racks at Lake Padden, they began the final stretch of the triathlon: a five-mile run
around Lake Padden.
Western senior Karen Survis said the
triathlon has connected her with new people in Bellingham. Survis was in charge
of the Erin Baker’s Baked Goods tent, a
Maertens said it was a cool experience
running with so many different people
from the community. A lot of the spectators provided positive motivation for all
the athletes as they past by, she said.
"Crossing that finish line was really cool because it validated all my hard
work," she said.
Romo said since he began directing
the triathlon he has noticed a trend of a
small increase in participants each year.
“You’ll see people going to the pool
in January and say ‘yep, getting ready for
the triathlon’,” Romo said.
photo by Katie Greene THE WESTERN FRONT
A competitor grabs a drink while she runs on the trail around Lake Padden for the last section of 29th Annual Lake Padden Triathlon Saturday.