17 - The Western Front

The Western Front
Friday, May 17, 2013
Winner of three 2012 SPJ Awards
Volume 163, Issue 13
Tuesday’s
accident sparks
conversation
about bike safety
By Daniel DeMay
After seeing the
aftermath of a bicyclist
hit by a car on Tuesday, May 14, Carol
Berry, program coordinator for WWU Sustainable Transportation, said
both motorists and bicyclists need to stay alert
and watch out.
The student hit by
the car, Kiva Stevens,
could not be reached for
comment, and the driver of the car declined to
comment.
“It was quite scary,”
Berry said in regard to
Evanna Lynch, who
plays Luna Lovegood in
four Harry Potter films,
spoke at Western on
Wednesday, May 16.
Lynch talked about
how her character Luna
inspired her.
Lynch said she
hoped audience members would not be held
back by their fears after
seeing her presentation.
“There were many
nights while studying for
my final exams, when I’d
get so resentful of my
cat’s inactivity I would
shut her out in the rain
for an hour to settle the
score,” she said jokingly.
As much as she
wants to bask in the laziness of being a cat, Lynch
Sports
Joshua Kiener still in
hospital, recovering
the accident Tuesday.
She pointed out she was
not a direct witness to
the incident.
Students, and anyone driving or riding,
should focus on driving
or riding and nothing
else, Berry said.
“Drive or ride mindfully, and do one thing
at a time,” Berry said.
“Don’t be talking to your
friends; don’t be joking
around; don’t be eating
a hamburger. Pay attention.”
Intersections
are
always more dangerous
See SAFETY on page 6
Harry Potter’s Evanna
Lynch speaks to students
By Morgan Olberding
Western
TA charged
with assault
Q and A with Evanna Lynch: Harry Potter actress discusses selfempowerment, J.K. Rowling and what's next for her.
Story on pages 10-11
Evanna Lynch
Photo by Daniel
Pickard
wants everyone to take
inspiration from Luna
Lovegood and make the
most of their lives.
Bike to school:
Whatcom County
welcomes back Bike
to School and Work
Day to bring awareness to alternative
transportation.
Story on page 13
Track star: A
former track athlete
is being inducted
into Western's Hall of
Fame on May 18.
Story on page 14
By Stephanie Kirk
Bellingham police and fire personnel prepare Kiva Stevens for transfer
to a stretcher on Tuesday, May 14. Stevens was biking down High Street
when a car struck her outside Nash Hall. Stevens was treated and released on Tuesday. Photo by Nick Danielson
Kamuran Chabuk,
a Western graduate student and teaching assistant, is being charged
with assault with a deadly weapon in connection
to a shooting on Nevada
Street.
Joshua Kiener, 30,
was shot three times on
Saturday, May 11.
On May 11th, officers responded to a complaint of shots being fired
on the 2600 block of
Nevada Street, according
to the Bellingham Police
records. The police investigated the shooting
Chabuk, 27, is being
held in Whatcom County Jail with bail set at
$200,000, according to
See CHABUK on page 5
Board rejects Duot reinstatement resolution
By Charlie Walentiny
The Associated Students Board of Directors
voted not to add the Student Senate's proposal to
re-evaluate the suspension of AS Vice President
for Diversity, John Deng
Duot, in a meeting on
May 16.
Victor Celis, AS vice
president for academic affairs, said the resolution was attempting to make a personnel
change, which was not
within the power of the
Student Senate.
Celis added the sen-
ate never suspended its
bylaws, so it was in no
position to draft the resolution in the first place.
“This was not something that was going to
be ignored,” Celis said.
“But I don’t think this is
an action item we should
be voting on because it
was an inappropriate
reaction for the senate
to take in the first place.”
The proposed resolution stated several policies that members of the
Student Senate thought
were not followed correctly in the suspension
of Duot. The resolution
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Costco Questions:
Check out a Q&A with
Costco Co-Owner Jim
Sinegal, who spoke at
the Seattle Business
Forum at Western
Brother Jed Visits
campus: Evangelical Brother Jed Smock
comes to campus grabbing the attention of
students to spread the
word of God.
Story on page 3
also stated that sanctions
against Duot were inconsistent with the values
student government is
meant to uphold.
The motion failed to
pass with in a 2-5 vote.
When the board opened
the floor to public discourse, students voiced
their opinions on the ruling. Senator Bill Campbell was present as a
guest, and spoke last at
the public forum.
“You should listen to
students, because they
were here today, yesterday, and they are giving you as much oppor-
Features
So this is permanent:
As tattoos become more
popular, questions surface
about their place in the office. Western students and
faculty explain the meaning behind their ink.
Story on pages 8-9
John Deng Duot.
Photo courtesy of the
AS
tunity as possible to do
your job as responsible
See DUOT on page 5
2 | News
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
Cops Box
Bellingham Police
May 14
A suspect was arrested by juvenile
referral for possession of marijuana on the 2000 block of Cornwall
Avenue.
A resident contacted the police
department and requested they
dispose of some old weapons
on the 400 block of North State
Street.
.
May 15
An unidentified bone was found
on the 1800 block on West Maplewood Avenue. The bone was
reported as a suspicious circumstance and was impounded to
determine its type.
A person was served a bench warrant while already incarcerated.
Compiled by Sigourney Gundy
The
Chad Kramer ollies over a piece of cardboard behind a group of students listening to evangelist Brother Jed
Smock Wednesday, May 15. "It's the best spot to skate in Bellingham," Kramer said. Photo by Danny Miller
Professor wins award to research gas conversion
By Elana Pidgeon
A Western professor
won a five-year $470,000
award from the National
Science Foundation (NSF)
for his research in converting greenhouse gases like
carbon dioxide into useful
compounds. The award is
one of 600 given each year.
John Gilbertson, an
assistant professor of chemistry, is Western’s third
recipient of the Early Career
Development Award in three
years.
He and a team of students have researched how
to convert carbon dioxide
into a fuel source.
“It’s a really exciting
time to be here,” he said.
Early Career Development Awards are given out
nationwide to junior faculty who excel in research and
education, according to the
NSF website.
Four students are working on the project. One student found a way to use
“Scientist Citizen.” Gilbertson and students will make
and publish videos to raise
awareness on a number of
scientific issues, including nuclear energy, global warming and issues surrounding the coal trains in
the community, he said.
State funding for higher education has declined
over recent years, Gilbertson
The other Western professors to receive this award
are Greg O’Neil, for his
research on algae as a biofuel, and Janelle Leger, for
her work on using polymers in electronics.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Gilbertson (left)
transcribes molecular structures while graduate student Zach Thammavongsy looks on Wednesday, May
15, in the Chemistry Building. Gilbertson was recently
awarded a five-year $470,000 award from the National said. But the success speaks
to a high caliber of faculty
Science Foundation. Photo by Daniel Pickard
cheap metals such as iron to
convert carbon dioxide into
carbon monoxide.
“That’s the research the
NSF is excited about funding,” he said.
The award will be used
for funding research and an
education outreach effort.
Gilbertson and his students have been working
on the project for about five
years and the grant will fund
research for another five.
The award will also fund
a television show called
and staff, Gilbertson said.
“It’s really us in the
trenches that are doing the
work to solve this problem,”
he said. “That’s the beauty of
this job; you get to wake up
every day and make a contribution to science and society
as a whole.”
Corrections
The Western Front strives for accuracy
and will correct errors of fact promptly and courteously.
Please notify us of any factual errors at [email protected].
The Ethnic Student Center was unavailable for comment, and any reference to it was made by John Deng Duot in the
May 14 article “AS VP for diversity suspended.” Additionally, no AS officials were available to comment on the suspension because the issue was discussed in executive session.
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News | 3
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
Evangelist brings message of repentance to Western
By Stefanie Donahue
For 40 years, five hours a day and
five days a week, evangelist Brother
Jed Smock has travelled to colleges in
all 50 states and abroad to educate the
next generation about repentance and
the word of God, he said.
Smock visited Western Tuesday and Wednesday, accompanied by
Angela Cummings, an evangelist who
visited Western on May 2.
The duo spoke in Red Square about
things such as repentance and morality.
“Let’s face it, not many of these
students are going to get up and go to
church on Sunday morning; they’re
sleeping in,” Smock said. “So, if they
are going to get the message, we have
to bring the message to them.”
Smock’s aggressive style is intentional, he said.
“You have to take the offense if you
are going to score, just like in sports,”
Smock said. “Spiritual warfare. The
battleground is the hearts and minds of
men. It’s biblical.”
Students circled around Smock as
“We think he’s preaching
hate. We want to spread
and preach the love of
Jesus.”
- Emily Flanagan,
Western student
he talked with onlookers. Some held
signs in protest, while others spoke
with him about their views on life and
religion.
Western student Ben Crowther
Brother Jed Smock aggressively preaches Wednesday, May 15 in Red
Square. Smock travels to college campuses across the nation expressing
his opinion and encouraging students to repent. Photo by Danny Miller
said he felt Smock displayed good
showmanship.
“I think if he was quiet and respectful, people wouldn’t engage with him,”
Crowther said. “The only way to get
people drawn over is to create a scene.”
At one point while he was sitting
down and talking, Smock was looming over Crowther with his finger in his
face, Crowther said.
“If I just came out with a sign that
says ‘God loves you,’ that’s not going
to get too many people’s attention,”
Smock said. “So I tell them, ‘God’s
angry with you,’ and then I follow up:
God is angry with you because he loves
you.”
Smock is the founder and president of Campus Ministry USA, an orga-
nization aimed at spreading the gospel to college campuses. Through this
organization he said he is able to visit
colleges.
Smock said he hopes to spread the
message of repentance — when an individual turns from sin and a self-centered life to a God-centered one.
“Students have a guilty conscience
over their sins,” Smock said. “We all
have an intuitive knowledge of right
and wrong, and I come to remind
them of what their conscience is telling them.”
It is especially unfortunate that
many college students cannot reason
and formulate arguments, Smock said.
“I am saying they got their mind
between their legs,” Smock said. “They
need to get their mind back into their
cranium and think. When they’re
thinking, their thoughts will inevitably
lead them to God.”
Smock stated bluntly what distracts students: “Their genitals.”
“Animals are designed to be governed by their physical appetites and
instincts, and all mankind has physical
appetites and instincts,” he said. “We
were designed to be governed by conscience and reason.”
Emily Flanagan, leader of a small
group Bible study through Campus
Christian Fellowship at Birnam Wood,
said she felt the preaching inaccurately
represented Christians.
“We think he’s preaching hate,”
Flanagan said. “We want to spread and
preach the love of Jesus.”
She and another fellowship member held a sign in protest to help dispel
rumors, condemnation and judgment
in Red Square on Wednesday, she said.
“Instead of preaching, ‘You’re
going to go to hell,’ it’s actually, no,
there’s this man who came and died
for you. Let’s talk about him; let’s hear
what you think about that,” Flanagan
said.
Smock has dedicated his life to
preaching at campuses, a task that God
has called him and uniquely prepared
him to do, he said.
“I teach the Bible,” Smock said.
“But I also appeal to reason. I appeal
to people’s life experiences and certain
self-evident truths.”
Western student Brandon Tanner
was interested in the crowd’s reaction to Smock and in hearing the logic
behind Smock's arguments.
“Mainly for me, it’s just entertainment,” Tanner said.
4 | News
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
American culture, behaviors shock international students
By Nontawat Thammawan
An American woman
walked up to Karina Pokoiakova, an international student from Russia, and asked
“How come you look like an
Asian girl, but your accent is
Russian?” Pokoiakova learned
then that American people are
open in their opinions, she
said.
Two international students, one from Uganda and
one from Russia, shared their
experiences adjusting to life
at Western on May 16 in Miller Hall.
Shilla Adyero, a Western student from Uganda, is
a human rights activist studying at the Fairhaven College
of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Adyero spoke Thursday about
how she encountered a culture
shock in U.S.
Uganda and America are
two different worlds, Adyero
said. She didn’t just adjust to
American culture, but also to
new modern technologies that
don’t exist in Uganda.
“It’s the very first time I
have Internet,” Adyero said.
“Houses are made of timber
[in America]. Our houses [in
Uganda] are made of bricks.”
What really surprised
Adyero was accepted behaviors for men and women, she
said.
“Men cooking! It’s amazing! In my community, men
just don’t cook,” Adyero said.
Out of everything Adyero has seen in America, she
said she thought it was strange
women smoke. In Uganda, smoking is only for men,
because women are meant to
be mothers, she said. Smoking mothers are bad examples
to children in the community,
she said.
“It’s different in America, and that’s why the cultural diversity is really important for people to understand,”
Adyero said. “People should
be going to other communities, seeing the differences and
appreciating the way it is.”
Despite cultural differences, and learning English as
her second language, Adyero
didn’t have a hard time becoming part of the American community at all, she said. Making
friends and interacting with
Americans turned out to be
easy for her, she said.
Adyero called her presentation “Living at Home Far
from Home,” because, with the
host family, friends, professors
and people who love her, she
felt at home, she said.
Pokoiakova, unlike Adyero, had a difficult time adjusting to the language and culture of the U.S. Pokoiakova
has spent the last nine months
Russian international student Karina Pokoiakova presents
information about her time at Western and her experience
as a Fulbright scholar in America Thursday, May 16 in
Miller Hall. Photo by Danny Miller
conducting research for her
Ph.D. thesis in linguistics.
Pokoiakova presented her
research about how gender
stereotypes in different countries may lead to conflict in
cross-cultural communication. During Pokoiakova’s first
month in the U.S., she said she
couldn’t understand what people were saying, and she struggled with speaking English.
“At the beginning, I sound
really weird,” Pokoiakova said
with a laugh.
Since she has never been
so far from home, she had to
deal with homesickness.
“I didn’t realize how hard
it could be,” Pokoiakova said.
“It’s like you’re so tired and
stressed out with everything,
and it’s not physical. It’s emotionally exhausting, and it just
doesn’t go away.”
For Pokoiakova, struggling to express her feelings
was very frustrating. Yet, people around her have been kind
and encouraging, she said.
Pokoiakova said it’s unfortunate to watch many international students at Western isolate themselves by spending
time only with students within
their own culture.
In many cases, international students have difficulty making friends due to an
inability to understand English, said Richard Bruce,
International Program and
Exchange assistant director.
“Staying with other international students is something
[international] students want
to do all the time,” Bruce said.
“After a while, it becomes too
easy for them to live in United
States, and it doesn’t help students improve their language
and learn about American culture.”
News | 5
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
Duot: Senator sees lack of process in board's action
Continued from page 1
representatives of Western,” said
Campbell.
The suspension of Duot was discussed in an executive session, which
meant it was not open to public input
or audience, though the vote and
motion were taken in a public session. Utilizing an executive session for
this kind of deliberation is within AS
employment policy.
“The decision, the motion and the
vote were all made in public,” said
Carly Roberts, AS vice president
for activities. “The spirit behind keeping those conversations [private] was
not to protect the board from scrutiny, but to protect the individual under
question from scrutiny. Can you imagine if all those conversations were out
verbatim for a future employer to
read?”
Neil Christenson, senator for the
College of Humanities and Social Sciences, specified the issue fell under the
discretion of the Student Senate because
the senate’s issue was not with the suspension of Duot, but with the way in
which the process was carried out.
Matthew Hillard, Student-atLarge, said it was the role of the senate to question the board when policies
about personnel aren’t followed, since
no one else fills that role.
Duot’s position as an elected official, rather than a hired employee,
made the issue fall outside normal
personnel issues, Oommen said.
The AS employment policy states
the course of action to be taken for
CHABUK:
Kiener in
satisfactory
condition
Continued from page 1
Senate Chairperson, Christian Correa, begins an Associated Students
Senate meeting in the Viking Union on Tuesday, May 14.
Photo by Nick Danielson
any employee who falls short on his or
her responsibilities. The list requires
the AS personnel director to be present at both public hearings and executive session. The personnel director, Sara Richards, was absent from
the executive session, Oommen said.
Roberts confirmed Richards was not
present, but was unable to say why.
Senator for science and technology Bill Campbell said he saw a lack
of process; the actions taken by the
board were done with little input from
the public, he said.
“The spirit of [the employment
policy] was not maintained, the legality was not maintained and the board
needs to be held accountable for those
decisions,” Campbell said.
The senate was also concerned
with the potential loss of representation for minority students.
The Student Senate only has the
power to advise the AS board, Campbell said. Even within this limited context, Christenson said it was the senate's job to provide a call to action.
jail records.
The Whatcom County prosecutor
assigned to the case was unavailable for
comment.
Mac Setter, Whatcom County chief
criminal deputy prosecutor, told The
Bellingham Herald that Kiener suspected Chabuk of purposefully scratching a
car and followed him across the street to
Chabuk’s home.
Chabuk warned Kiener he was on
private property and fired two shots
back-to-back from about 10 feet away. A
third shot was reportedly fired a few seconds later, Setter told the Herald.
Kiener is currently hospitalized at
St. Joseph Medical Center and his condition is satisfactory, said Amy Cloud, public information officer for the hospital.
Chabuk is a Western graduate with
a bachelor’s degree in Physics who is
working toward a master’s degree in
mathematics, said Paul Cocke, university spokesman.
Because this is an active investigation, Cocke said he was limited in the
amount of information he can divulge.
“Under the circumstances, Chabuk
is not allowed on campus pending investigations," Cocke said.
Chabuk is a graduate teaching student in good standing, said Tjalling
Ypma, math department chair.
6 | News
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
SAFETY: Bike LivFest comes to the Comm lawn
to work and
school day today
Renters’ rights
becomes topic
once again
Continued from page 1
By Stephanie Kirk
than other parts of the road, but any
place around campus is potentially
hazardous, Berry said.
“Every place on campus has multiple users at any given time,” Berry
said. “Lots of people are preoccupied
with a variety of things. Know that’s
true of everybody, and pay really close
attention.”
People too often think of cars as
toys, but they are heavy equipment
and should be treated as such, Berry
said. Bicycles should also be taken
seriously, she said.
“A moment’s inattention can
change your life irrevocably,”Berry
said.
Friday, May 17 is Bike to Work
and School Day in Whatcom County, and Berry said people should take
extra care ,as more bikes will be on
the road.
EverybodyBIKE, a local program
that promotes bicycling as an alternative to driving, offers brochures on
its website telling cyclists they need to
obey all traffic laws, but keep themselves visible to motorists and ride
defensively.
According to a brochure on EverybodyBIKE’s website, 9 percent of injuries from bicycle accidents are caused
by motorists.
The site also encourages bicyclists
and motorists to report all accidents
so if there is a problem area in the city,
the statistics will show it.
The AS Legal Center put together a presentation designed to give students information on how to be smart
property renters.
The most important part of renting is to be transparent, said Christ
Longman, presenter. Longman is an
attorney in Bellingham and also the
coordinator of The Tenant Clinic, an
informational clinic held at the Superior Courthouse every Friday afternoon where people with grievances
can seek free legal advice in regard to
their rights as a tenant.
In the presentation, Longman and
fellow attorney Mara Snyder reviewed
a pamphlet called “10 Things Student Renters in Washington Should
Remember,” which gave general information about ten common issues student renters face.
The material on the pamphlet
represents a brief, approximate statement of the law and is only a guide
designed to give general assistance,
according to the pamphlet.
Local landlord Angela Barnes said
the best way to start your relationship
with your landlord is through respect
and communication. Tenants should
also know their rights, she said.
“Education is the key to being able
to fulfill your duty as a tenant,” said
Barnes.
Washington tends to favor landlords in small claims court, said Snyder. Longman recommends tenants
keep a paper trail of all documents,
invoices and receipts to protect themselves from any errors on the landlord’s behalf that could cost the tenants big bucks.
For more information about
Bike to Work and School
Day, go to biketoworkandschoolday.org
Jimmy Mai and David Levy set up a tent on the Communications Lawn
for LivFest Thursday, May 16. LivFest is a two day event to raise money
for the Children's Organ Transplant Association.
Photo by Danny Miller
By Meaghan Flesch
The fourth annual LivFest will host
live music, free yoga and a kid’s extravaganza on the Communication Facilities
lawn beginning May 17.
The two-day event will raise money
for the Children’s Organ Transplant
Association.
Activities will begin at 10 a.m. on
Friday, with a workshop on how to be a
change maker and a discussion of social
entrepreneurship, said senior Danica
Kilander, LivFest’s coordinator.
Live music will begin at 5 p.m. on
Friday night and will features bands
such as Mystery Band, Vonvettas and
Skablins.
Saturday’s festivities will kick off
with children’s yoga from 8-9 a.m., followed by five hours of children’s activities. Kids can enjoy a hip-hop dance
class, scavenger hunt, hula hooping and
Prices for LivFest
$15 for community members
$12 for students
$10 with Back to Bellingham wrist
band
$5 for kids
$35 for families
a water balloon toss, Kilander said.
Local massage therapists will provide free massages and meditation on
Saturday afternoon. This will coincide
with the Relay For Life charity run, taking place at the Wade King Recreation
Center track, Kilander said.
Saturday’s bands include The Dagwoods, Walking Stick for the Giant and
Gypsters.
Daytime activities are free and open
to the public. Admission will be collected for support of the Children’s Organ
Transplant Association and will be
charged when the live music begins.
News | 7
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
Special session to
address deficit,
education funding
WTA respond to public opinion in a survey
WTA Comment
Services
By Beth Carlson
Lawmakers in Olympia began a special legislative session on Monday to
address an anticipated two-year budget
deficit of $1.2 billion and a court order
for an increase in K-12 education funding.
“Budget negotiations are in progress as we speak,” said Melinda EllisMcCrady, house democratic caucus communications and policy director. "Things
are moving forward, though slowly."
In the 2012 case McCleary v. State,
Washington’s Supreme Court ruled
unanimously that K-12 funding at the
time was not constitutionally adequate.
The decision called for $1.4 billion in
educational funding for 2013-15.
The McCleary decision was dubbed
the most important court case in decades
for Washington public school students,
according to the Network in Excellence
in Washington Schools.
For Democratic legislators, the priority is to balance a budget that meets
the Wash. Supreme Court’s demand for
more K-12 funding without damaging
socioeconomic safety nets or higher education, Ellis-McCrady said.
State Rep. Hans Zeiger said his goal
for the special session is to strengthen higher education funding. Zeiger is
a member of the House Committee on
Higher Education.
“Students have experienced massive
tuition increases,” Zeiger said. “It’s time
for a reversal of that trend.”
Zeiger said he supports the decision
but does not believe this is the time to
raise taxes on small businesses.
“Everybody in the legislature wants
to the respect the spirit of the McCleary
decision,” Zeiger said. “We’re expecting
$2 billion more in revenue than we had
the previous budget cycle. There really is
not a strong argument for raising taxes
right now.” A total of 30 days is given for the
special session. The next regular session
will begin Jan. 14, 2014.
The WTA always has an
ongoing opportunity for the
public to comment on their
services.
To comment call (360)
715-4500 or for more
information visit, http://
www.ridewta.com/
A Whatcom Transit Authority bus driver drives his route to campus on
Bill McDonald Parkway Thursday, May 16. Whatcom Transit Authority
conducted a survey to better serve riders requests.
Photo by Danny Miller
By Stefanie Donahue
The Whatcom Transit Authority
budgeted $40,000 for a survey conducted by a research firm called Redhill Group. Results will be released in
July on the WTA website said Maureen McCarthy, community relations
and marketing manager for the WTA.
“It all comes down to money,”
McCarthy said.
While the WTA cannot expand
bus route services, they may be able
to respond to public requests on capital improvements with federal grant
money on things such as technology improvement or equipment if they
can get the grants, McCarthy said. If
there is overwhelming concern about
a certain need or request with any
capital improvement, there is some
flexibility, she said.
Even if 100 percent of survey participants request additional service,
there is no available funding, she said.
Roughly estimated, it would cost the
WTA about $400,000 per year to add
one fulltime bus, six days per week for
12 hours a day, McCarthy said. That
is money the WTA does not have for
new service.
The bus is Western sophomore
Lexie Gober’s primary mode of transportation.
“Sometimes on the weekends they
don’t run as late or as often, which
can be kind of irritating,” Gober said.
“Otherwise they’re consistent.”
Gober noted the WTA bus drivers are nice, and the help desk attendees are always willing to assist her.
Their communication and availability
is something she likes about the bus
line, she said.
This year, the budget leaves no
room for additional bus services, said
McCarthy. Evening and weekend services and requests for new destinations are among most common complaints of the WTA, as shown in a similar study conducted in 2009, she said.
The WTA is primarily funded
through the countywide sales tax and
is recovering from the tough financial years of 2008 and 2009, during
which the WTA was in service-cutting mode, McCarthy said. Services are no longer being cut, but WTA
officials anticipate another year or
more before they can consider any
additional services.
The Board of Directors at WTA
approved the 2013 survey project in
the yearly budget last fall, McCarthy
said. Mayor Kelli Linville and other
Bellingham City Council members are
on the WTA board.
“It was time to go out and get a
report card from our community and
our riders,” McCarthy said.
The survey lasted ten days, from
May 1 to 10. The research firm hired
locals and equipped them with name
badges and uniforms to survey the
community, McCarthy said.
“It’s something that we like to do
on a regular basis,” she said.
McCarthy said the surveys are
meant to gauge how well WTA is
doing based on community opinion.
The survey is based on a pre-established baseline that helps WTA to find
out how well they're doing, McCarthy said.
The survey project covered an onboard survey for passengers and a
phone survey of about 600-800 people, she said.
8|
Featu
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
Living
Do tattoos work in
By Sigourney Gundy
Photos by Daniel Pickard
Illustrations by Kristina Cain
The arrival of warmer weather
brings tank tops and shorts, and
it creates an art show of tattoos
showcased on exposed skin.
Peeking out from the top of a blouse
or the sleeve of a T-shirt, and
making their way past the hemline
of shorts, tattoos are here to stay.
Western professor Christina
Keppie trades in her warm
winter coat for a tank top, openly
displaying the black arrow on the
underside of her right arm.
Keppie, a French-applied
linguist professor, laughs before
delving into the explanation of
her tattoos.
Since she was 19, Keppie has
acquired five tattoos. The first, a
Canadian flag on her lower back,
represents her Canadian heritage.
Keppie also has a small hawk on her
right shoulder, a large raven across
her shoulders and back, a black
arrow on her right forearm and a
compass on her right calf.
Keppie said she asked if her
tattoos would be a problem at her
first interview with Western. The
interviewer responded, “No, why
would it be?”
Since becoming a professor at
Western, Keppie has acquired two
visible tattoos – the arrow on her
forearm and compass on her calf.
She said they don't affect her career.
Body art is a part of her
identity. The tattoos a person has
do interfere with their knowledge
or professional capabilities, Keppie
said.
“If having them is a problem
for possible employers then I
wouldn’t want to work for them,”
Keppie said.
Western supports its employees
Tattoo artist for Chameleon Ink Mark Keller starts in on the fourth hour o
Enright started her tattoo last summer and Keller is now adding the finishi
cry,” Enright said. “Though he did get me singing.”
Assistant Professor of Modern and Classical Languages Christina
Keppie displays her tattoo Wednesday, May 15. The arrow symbolizes focus and has been a power totem for her while she follows her passion for kickboxing, Keppie said.
by not enforcing a tattoo policy,
said Chyerl Wolfe-Lee, assistant
vice president for human resources.
Wolfe-Lee has worked at
Western for the last 25 years and
has noticed more people with
tattoos entering the work force.
From students to professors, tattoos
are becoming more prominent,
Wolfe-Lee said.
During the hiring process,
human resources include tattoos in
the same category as appropriate
attire, Wolfe-Lee said. Just like
a person shouldn’t wear blue
jeans to an event requiring slacks,
that person shouldn’t have an
inappropriate body modifications.
Wolfe-Lee said she once
spoke with an employee about
the appropriateness of extending
tattooed flames onto his face.
Together, Wolfe-Lee and the
Western employee decided the
tattoo was inappropriate for his job,
Wolfe-Lee said.
Tattoos are socially appreciated
and accepted in the working world.
Western looks at them as a creative
outlet or work of art, not unlike a
painting, Wolfe-Lee said.
People should be themselves
when looking for a job, even if
that means showing their ink,
Wolfe-Lee said. To ensure a
person is getting the right job
“If having tattoos is
a problem for possible
employers then I wouldn't
want to work for them”
-- Christina Keppie
and working for the right
people they shouldn’t hide their
personality, she said.
Keppie said she wouldn’t ever
want to have to cover her art. In
today’s society more people have
tattoos than don’t, Keppie said.
“Tattoos are lovely and they say
|9
tures
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
g ink
n the workplace?
Repairing the past
of Willow Enright’s sleeve Thursday, May 16.
ing touches. “The elbow is rough but I didn’t
a lot about you as an individual,”Keppie
said. “But don’t make rash decisions
because they are there for life.”
The steady buzzing of a needle could
be heard through the walls of Chameleon
Ink in downtown Bellingham, as Mark
Keller prepared his work station for
another day of giving tattoos.
Keller, a tattoo artist with 10 years
of experience, has found a passion for
transferring art on people’s bodies.
Doing 30 to 40 tattoos a month, to
people ranging from 18 to 70 years old,
has given Keller a chance to expand his
love of art through a career, he said.
Keller said working in a professional
shop is different every day because
every customer is different.
Some customers come in for a
tattoo and are very concerned about the
placement because their job requires
them to not have visible ink, he said.
In situations where having no
visible body art is a must, Keller said he
asks people to wear their work uniform
to their appointment to ensure the
tattoo is fully covered.
Freshman Morgan Robinson has two
tattoos with sentimental value. Dealing with
depression in the past prompted her to get
a tattoo of the word “love” on her wrist, as
a tribute to the club To Write Love on Her
Arms, which helped her when she needed
support, Robinson said.
She has a second tattoo on her back of a
skeleton key with the words “dismantle” and
“repair,” also representative of struggles with
depression and as a reminder that what is
broken can be fixed, Robinson said.
Robinson said she took many things into
account before getting her tattoos, such as
the style of art she wanted and the physical
placement.
She kept her future career as a high
school math teacher in mind and was careful
to put tattoos only in places that would be
possible to cover up, Robinson said.
Honoring family
Western senior Ciara Smetana dedicates
the artwork on her body to her Filipino
heritage.
Smetana has a half-sleeve on her arm
showing a mixture of Filipino
heritage and family through roses, a sun, a
shield, a skull and the bible verse Corinthians
3:14. Smetana also has a tribal wrap-around
tattoo on her leg.
After graduating this spring, Smetana
plans to apply for visual merchandising
positions in corporate companies. She
carefully placed her tattoos in places she
could cover up if required for a job, she said.
Smetana said she thinks tattoos should be
tasteful and meaningful to the person.
“[My tattoos] are for meaning, they are all
heritage and family based,” Smetana said.
Smetana plans to get more tattoos in
the near future, such as her last name to
represent her father’s side of the family.
The world's most tattooed person is Tom Leppard from Scotland, who has 99.9
percent of his body covered with a leopard-skin design.
Tattooing has been used as a way of smuggling secret messages across enemy lines in
times of war.
In October 1991, the 5,000-year-old frozen body of a Bronze Age hunter was found
between Austria and Italy, covered in preserved tattoos.
Removing a tattoo can cost up to three times more than the design itself.
10 | Features
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
The magical lessons of Luna Lovegood:
By Morgan Olberding
the time. I had an eating disorder. I wrote to her
because Harry Potter was the only other thing I
really cared about and that helped me take my mind
off it, and I just wanted to thank her for that and say
how much it helped me. Especially how much Luna
helped me. It was basically just a big fat, “thank you,
I love you” letter.
The Western Front sat down with Irish-born
actress Evanna Lynch to talk about self-esteem,
Harry Potter and the difference between Washington
state and Washington D.C.
Lynch struggled with an eating disorder at age 11,
transferring in and out of rehabilitation centers for
two years. She had succumbed to her illness because
she felt like it was the one thing she couldn't fail at.
She felt she was too odd and she used her disorder
to cover that up as a means of succeeding to be the
smallest person in the room.
Lynch lives in LA right now, but is moving back
to London for a few months to act in an upcoming
play as Harry Houdini's wife.
I kept expecting her not to write back, but she's just
such a caring person that she really wants to help
with whatever wisdom she has. We wrote for years,
and she helped me through recovery and everything.
I was still writing to her when I got the part of Luna.
But it happened in such a short space of time that I
didn't get to tell her. The producers told her because
they just mentioned the names of people. She was
really shocked. We still keep in touch.
Why did you choose Western to speak at on
your tour?
At 11 years old, how did you get the courage to
start your recovery and get your health back
in check?
I wouldn't say I'm on a tour. It's just something I
started recently. It was actually my manager who
got in touch with you guys at Western and told me
about it. It sounded like a great college, and I had
never been there. I have an aunt in Seattle, so it's a
good excuse.
I don't know if it was courage so much. The whole
reason it started was a struggle with identity and
wanting to have something. It was this thing, and
this is why Luna sort of helped me heal so much—the
feeling that I was too odd and different and wanting
to cover that up.
What do you plan on speaking about this
evening?
I'm known for playing Luna Lovegood in the
Harry Potter films, and I know I have to reference
that. The only reason I started getting into this
is because I started doing [these talks] at Harry
Potter conventions.
Through playing her, I always get a lot of mail from
girls or boys or anyone. People who are struggling
with self-esteem and people who get bullied, because
she's a character who does get bullied and she's kind
of an outcast. I think people always say she inspires
them because she kind of owns it, you know? She
doesn't let it affect her.
I understand how she does it and understand it's so
difficult to be that way. So I'm trying to shed some
light on that and how she lives without fear and that
helps her be herself.
Why is this issue so important to you?
It's important to me because she helped me overcome
my shyness. I've always been more artistic and felt a
little more odd, and that's the way Luna is. Seeing her
in the books helped me grow up and overcome that.
Getting to play her, I kind of realize I have to follow
those values and I want to do this character justice. I
want to live that way.
It's just such a privilege. Like when I get letters and
people say, “She helped me come to terms with who I
am.” That inspires me so much that I want to go out
Evanna Lynch sat down with The Western Front
Wednesday, May 15, in the PAC Main Stage
inner lobby. Now living in Los Angeles Calif., the
native of Ireland has been traveling to schools
spreading her story of hope, redemption and
Lovegood life lessons. Photo by Daniel Pickard
and spread that message.
How did you get your role in the Harry Potter
films and how did that begin?
It was truly because I was a huge Harry Potter fan. I
was obsessed with the books and everything.
It's totally a way of life, being a nerd. It's awesome.
I would go on the websites, and I was aware they
were going to be casting soon, and I was keeping an
eye out. Then they made an announcement on one
of the fan websites, and I begged my dad to bring
me to London to audition, because I was broke and
14 and couldn't go by myself. Eventually he relented
and he brought me to the audition. I had one
audition, then I had a screen test and that was it. It
was very quick.
It came to a point where life wasn't fun anymore.
I wasn't doing anything with it, and I was just
miserable. My parents had been putting me into
centers, and obviously they help you heal physically,
but that's not what it is.
I do attribute it as well to my family and my friends.
They treated me as a person rather than a sick
person. I started just doing things again. I started
acting, I started doing art again and I was like, “I like
that better.” Though the whole reason you get into it
is you don't want to fail at anything. It is all just fear.
I just started to be like, “I like risks.” I like taking
risks better and just found that it was way more
worthwhile to do something with my life.
Did you always know you wanted to be an
actress?
I always toyed with the idea, but, living in Ireland,
it's not really a career option. People are like, “Oh
come on now, get real,” because we don't really
have a film industry. I was always into creativity.
I knew I would either write or do art or act or
something. Then I got Harry Potter, and I got so
addicted to it and it was like, “There's no way I'm
ever going to quit this.”
I read in one of your essays you had contact
with J.K. Rowling. What's your experience
with that?
Do you have anything in particular coming
up?
I wrote to her when I was 11, and I was sick at
I'm doing a play soon. I've been living in Los Angeles
for a while so I've been doing a little bit of TV and
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
Features | 11
Q&A with Harry Potter’s Evanna Lynch
For additional questions with Evanna
Lynch, visit westernfrontonline.net
safety net out. I think all my friends, all the other
young actors, struggled a little bit to find out what the
next step is. Some of us have to question whether we
do still want to do acting or what else we want to do.
The great thing is, we have all had each other through
it. I do understand if other young actors go off the
rails because they don't have all these other people.
Harry Potter was unique [because] it was a bunch of
young kids, so it was like graduating school together.
You know, where you just feel so lost, but then you
just make fun of it and help each other and say “It's
okay, no pressure.”
What do you hope for the audience to get out
of your presentation?
Evanna Lynch of Harry Potter fame speaks to a sold-out crowd of more than 600 people
Wednesday, May 15, in the PAC Concert Hall. Many in the crowd waited for up to four hours
after her talk for a chance to meet with Lynch. Her speech was about her struggles as a teen
and the life lessons of Luna Lovegood. Photo by Daniel Pickard
things here and there, and I did an indie film last
year. But I want to do more.
I've always wanted to do plays, and LA is not really
the scene for it. So I'm going back to London for a
few months to do a play about Houdini. I can't get
away from magic; you can never stray too far. I'm
just so excited to do live performances. It's a bit
scary, but exciting.
How was your first experience on the set of
Harry Potter?
Just so overwhelming. I was such a huge fan that I
couldn't believe being thrown into this world and
having all the other cast around me. I struggled with
this feeling that I was fit for the job. I kept feeling
that I've won a challenge or something and they were
going to find me out anytime, so it was nerve-racking.
It probably took me about two films to actually
get into it and to feel at home and make the most
of it. Because, the rest of the time, I was just
nervous that I was going to upset anyone. But it
made me grow up and realize that seeing all these
people who I idolized so much doing what they love,
it made me realize that it's just all about people
working hard. It's not that they're any more special
or gifted than anyone else. They just work hard and
believe in themselves.
How was it ending the Harry Potter films?
Oh, it was awful. I'm still getting over it! We just
became so comfortable, and I know they overuse
this word, but we were a family. Everyone just loved
and supported each other. That was my first working
experience, so I just felt so comfortable. The last day
of filming, it felt like Harry Potter films had extended
my childhood to where I was in this net.
Also because you're young and young in the films and
there are always people saying “You're doing great;
you're so far ahead of your time.” Then suddenly it
ends you're like, “Oh crap! I need to do something
to get my career going again.” It was like taking the
I know people think the character Luna is very
whimsical and fun. In the movies she's used a lot for
comic relief. She has got such wisdom and there is
depth to her. The reason she is able to be herself and
just not care what other people think is because she
doesn't have fears. She doesn't perceive negativity in
other people.
I guess I want to make people aware to not be
held back by their fears and to be aware when that
is what's holding them back, and to see through it
the way she does. She never worries about what's
going to happen to her, she just trusts. She has
so much self-acceptance and self-love that she
absolutely never doubts herself and to just be
aware of that, I guess.
When you were a Harry Potter fan before you
got the role, did you picture yourself as Luna,
or did you find yourself in-tune with another
character?
She was the one I aspired to be like more. I didn't
ever think, "I am her." When I got the role, people
were like, "Oh, she's so much like her." I took that
really as a compliment.
I definitely think it shows the fact that I was so
negative for a while and that I did have that illness
and everything, there was a conflict. I wanted to be
so much more like her and I knew I had that inner,
really free side that doesn't give a damn. That's what
helped me identify with her. She still is, every day,
an inspiration. She's like a role model to me. I didn't
ever want to play anyone else.
12 | Opinion
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
FRONTLINE
Opinions of the Editorial Board
Vengeance is not virtuous
Washington just sentenced a man
to death. Byron Scherf was already
serving life in prison when he strangled a guard to death with an electrical cord in 2011. Hurting for options
on how to punish a man who was
already serving a life sentence, the
jury voted to execute him.
Scherf is a man beyond redemption, a repeat offender who would
kill again if extreme measures are
not taken. However, no matter how
extreme the crime, capital punishment should never be an option. The
reason is simple — it brings about no
greater good.
What is the virtue of capital punishment? What could redeem the act of taking someone’s life? A plethora of answers
may be posed to these questions, but the
truth is killing is unjustifiable, whether
executed by a criminal or the state.
One argument is monetary.
To house someone for a life term
is expensive and killing the criminal would alleviate the financial burden. After all, why should taxpayers
suffer from the crimes of the most
depraved? Actually, life imprisonment
is much cheaper than capital punishment — $540,000 cheaper at the trial
level, $100,000 cheaper in appeals
court and $137,000 cheaper when the
defendant petitions to be allowed to
leave jail while awaiting trial, according to the Washington State Bar Association. The appeals process during an
inmate’s stay on death row is lengthy
and expensive. In light of the expensive trial and appeal process, some
suggest the system ought to be expedited, but this is highly irresponsible.
By creating an express lane to execution, the state would be increasing the
likelihood of executing an innocent
person — a crime so heinous it must
be avoided at all cost. Clearly, the
financial burden argument is flawed.
Looking beyond money, some
argue the death penalty serves as punishment for those who commit severe
crimes. However, the eye-for-an-eye
mentality is reduced to absurdity when
played out to its fullest extent. Take
torture for example. When a criminal
is guilty of torturing someone to death,
the state is not permitted to torture
the perpetrator in response. This is
because torture is inhumane. We can’t
torture someone to death even if the
punishment is in equal measure to the
crime. The same can be said of the death
penalty. It is wrong to kill, just as it is
wrong to torture. That’s why it’s illegal.
Killing someone in response to murder
is as justifiable as torturing someone in
Front Funnies
response to torture. Both are wrong.
Punishment aside, some folks
believe institutionalized killing is necessary to protect our society. This argument also falls short. Life in prison
removes criminals from our sphere
and, when properly carried out, eliminates the danger they pose to society. In Scherf’s case, his supervision
while serving a life sentence was not
correctly administered, as was illustrated when three prison guards were
fired following the incident — one for
failing to guard his assigned area and
another for falsely reporting he had
cleared the area. If these oversights
hadn’t occurred, innocents would have
remained safe from Scherf. Since society can be kept safe from these criminals without killing them, capital punishment becomes nothing more than
an immoral whim.
So why give in to the whim to murder? If not to exact equal punishment
and not to keep us safe, the remaining
option is the attempt to bring about
some sort of justice and consolation
for the family. What can we do for the
family to ease their pain? Sadly, the
answer is nothing. The death of a family member is irrevocable and their pain
will be unrelieved and unending. There
is no way to bring justice to the horrible
situation — nothing could ever justify
such horrendous violence. All that capital punishment does is add a tally to the
death toll and bloody our hands as well.
There is no way to justify the killing of an inmate, no matter how dreadful their crime. The only way to bring
about something positive from the horrific acts that lead people to prison
is to learn from them and take positive action against those crimes in the
future. Increasing funding to state mental health services, anger management
or crime prevention programs will do
infinitely more good than murdering
those who have wronged society.
Capital punishment will not help
us sleep better at night. All we can do
is choose not to further violence ourselves and instead fight for a more
just society. This can only happen if
our society, as a whole, forsakes the
anger and vengeance that leads us to
wrong those who have wronged us.
Rather than advocating institutionalized murder, claim revenge on those
life-sentence monsters by doing the
thing they couldn’t — live your life
free and full of love.
The editorial board is comprised
of Opinion Editor Nathan Dalla Santa,
Editor-in-Chief James Kozanitis and
Managing Editor Michael Lydon.
Viking Voices
How do you feel about capital punishment?
“I don't agree with it because I personally don't think that a group of
men should have the right to say when
another man lives or dies.”
Carlo Reidy,
Western sophomore
“If it's obvious they went on a mass
murder and killed people, I think
it is justified that we in return take
their life away. We shouldn't abuse it
though. Life should be respected.”
Kyle Hauff,
Western senior
Cartoon by Craig Boush
Need a place to vent?
The Western Front publishes submitted opinion items on a
space-available basis. Please limit letters to 400 words or less.
Submit letters to the editor and guest columns, along with your name and
title (such as "Western sophomore") to [email protected].
We reserve the right to edit for length, spelling, style and grammar.
Want people to see your art?
The Western Front is looking for artwork from the campus community.
Submit cartoons, drawings, illustrations and other artwork to
[email protected] or submit on our website at
www.westernfront.net. Be sure to include your name and title (such as
"Western sophomore") with your submission.
“I feel like killing for killing doesn't
make much sense. I also feel like it's
letting them off easy. Killers should sit
behind bars.”
Amelia Samson,
Western sophomore
“I think it should be enforced more.
I think if punishment is more severe
people will be more afraid to commit
a crime.”
Alisa Kassa,
Western sophomore
Compiled by Maggie Degman
WF
Sports
Bike to School day returns to Whatcom County
By Kari Kato
Whatcom County is celebrating its 16th annual Bike
to Work and School Day on
May 17 to bring awareness
to the most energy-efficient
mode of transportation.
May is a great month for
people to get back into cycling
because there are a lot of other
cyclists out on the road, said
Andrea Osborn, program
assistant for sustainable transportation at Western.
Bike to Work and School
Day is organized by everybodybike.com, which provides
resources to take free classes about proper bike care and
safety, Osborn said.
Twenty-one celebration
stations will be set up around
Whatcom County. Participants
are invited to stop by on their
morning commute to get prizes, treats and obtain a sticker
that says, “I biked today.”
In 2012, 10,400 people of
all ages participated in Bike to
Work and School Day in Whatcom County. This is almost
100 times the number of participants than the first Bike to
Work and School Day in 1998,
according to the event website.
Two stations will be set
Policies regarding alcohol
differ from team to team, but
athletes try not to let drinking
come between a win and a loss.
Coaches and players from
Western’s club and varsity
programs explained the different ways their teams follow
the school policy and avoid or
accept alcohol.
Policies
Western junior Eric Emsky (right) helps sophomore Brian Piette (left) tune up his bike at
the Outdoor Center on Wednesday, May 15. Eric said he has been biking to school this
week because of the nice weather, just in time for Bike to Work and School Day on Friday,
May 17. Photo by Nick Danielson
up on the Western campus.
One will be located in front of
the Wade King Student Recreation Center and another will
be located between Bond Hall
and Sam Carver Gymnasium
from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Exercising alternative transportation is a fundamental step
in creating a positive impact on
the environment, Osborn said.
“Biking to school is the
most efficient and health-conscious way to get to where you
need to be for classes,” sophomore Bike to School Day participant Jacob Goodman said.
When people make the
20-year coach replaced by 29-year-old ex-player
Western men’s golf Head
Coach Steve Card will vacate his
position at the end of the current season to focus on the position of interim Athletic Director of Western. Card will replace
Lynda Goodrich, who was in the
position for 26 years before her
retirement last week.
Most recently, Card directed
the team in to their 14th straight
South Central/West Regional
Tournament in DuPont, Wash.
Western ended the event in
second place, finishing behind
champions California State Uni-
Winning, not
booze, comes
first for athletes
By Bennett Hanson
Men’s golf coach leaves position
By Douglas Archuleta
Photo courtesy of Western
Athletics
Friday, May 17, 2013
versity Monterrey Bay.
With the second place finish, the Vikings qualified for
the NCAA Division II National Championships in Hershey,
Penn. This trip is the 12th the
Vikings will make under Card.
Card is currently ending
his 20th season at the helm
of the men’s golf team, during
which he has amassed a large
number of accomplishments.
As the men’s golf coach,
Card has been named the
NCAA West Regional Coach of
the Year four times, as well the
conference honoree nine times.
He has served as an associate athletic director here at
Western for more than twenty
“For myself it’s one of the biggest
honors I could possibly imagine.”
-Luke Bennett
2013-14 men’s golf Head Coach
Steve Card
years after his arrival.
Card’s final competition
with the golf team will be the
Division II National Championships May 20-24.
Replacing Card is former
Western golfer Luke Bennett.
Bennett enjoyed many
successes as a player, capped
off by an All-American honorable mention after his
senior season.
He played in three NCAA
National Championships, helping the Vikings place ninth in
2004 and 2005 and 11th in
decision to bike or walk instead
of travel by automobile, they
are decreasing traffic congestion, lowering road wear costs
and reducing air and water pollution, Osborn said.
Full-time bicycle commuters can expect to lose an aver
See BIKE on page 15
All teams said alcohol
can have negative effects on a
sports program. The lengths to
which they’ll go to live by that
standard is where the teams’
differences come in to play.
“The baseball team’s policy regarding alcohol is kind
of like a sobriety program,”
senior and assistant coach
Rhett Richards said.
On this club team, members are told to stay away
from alcohol even in the offseason. Sometimes the team
comes together and discusses
the drag of avoiding alcohol,
which helps build the camaraSee ALCOHOL on page 14
Rugby’s run cost $40,000
Players paid $1,000 out of pocket this season
By Tyler Crebar
For a club sport that travels constantly like Western
men’s rugby team, money can
be a challenge.
To travel to the Sweet
16 tournament in Tucson,
Ariz., and the Final Four in
Bowling Green, Ohio, the
team spent around $40,000
total. Much of the bill was
from the 24 airplane tickets.
Players were required to
pay $250 to get to Tucson
and $500 to travel to Bowling
Green. Western rugby alumni
have been the main financial
contributors to the, pitching in
about $10,000 just for the trip
to Tucson.
The team couldn’t have
done it without the generous
support of the alumni, players and the school, Director of
Rugby Paul Horne said.
For players, it’s a big financial sacrifice to play.
“They had to dig into their
pockets,” Horne said.
Sophomore Eric McDaniel
said he has paid about $1000
so far this season. But the cost is
doesn’t matter when you finish
third place in the nation, he said.
“As a team, we think it’s
worth it because it’s what’s
needed to succeed and play the
best teams,” McDaniel said in
an email interview.
The team didn’t do much
fundraising this year, but there
are plans for a dinner auction
this weekend, which will serve
guests at $50 a plate with 100
expected guests.
The team next year will
need creative fundraising
ideas and the diligence to carry
through with it, Horne said.
“Western rugby is on the
map,” Horne said. “And we
aren’t going to take a step
backwards.”
The Vikings plan on a postseason run next year, but they
will have to raise the money if
they want to get there.
14 | Sports
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
Track record-setter to be inducted into Hall of Fame
By Kari Kato
For contributing more than 20
years to Western athletics, former
track and field athlete Brandi Stevenson will be honored with a place in the
Western Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I’d like to think I was chosen
because I made a difference in people’s
lives,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes AllAmerican three times. She placed
fourth at NAIA nationals in heptathlon
in 1996, fifth in 400-meter hurdles in
1994 and seventh as a member of the
4x100 relay in 1996.
Stevenson was also a three-time
NAIA National Scholar-Athlete, was
a three-year letter winner and was
named to Western’s Dean’s List on
nine occasions during her athletic
career.
Stevenson set records in the
400-meter outdoor hurdles, 4x100meter relay, 400-meter outdoor and
The Hall of Fame ceremony
will take place at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club
on May 18 at 5:30 p.m.
400-meter indoor throughout her
time at Western from 1992-96. Since
her participation on the track and
field team, all of her records have
been broken.
“She worked hard, ran through
injuries, Halsell said. “Whatever it took,
she was there to compete,” he said.
During her time at Western, Stevenson said her greatest success was
coaching the athletes. Stevenson’s
coaching career began in 1997 and continued until she resigned in 2012.
“I loved helping people reach their
goals by setting and breaking new
records,” she said. “Working with athletes was phenomenal.”
During Stevenson’s time at Western,
she said she always felt appreciated.
“Coaching was more than just a
job, it was about the relationships and
the lifestyle,” she said.
Stevenson earned two degrees from
Western: a Bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1994 and a master’s in education
in 2010. She is now working on a doctorate in adult education through the
University of Glasgow in Scotland.
“I don’t know a more deserving
person to be inducted to the Hall of
Fame. She’s in my hall of fame in my
heart,” Halsell said.
After serving as an assistant coach
for sprint and hurdles for fourteen
years and training 23 All-Americans,
Stevenson resigned in May 2012 and is
currently employed by ICE Profession-
al Services as a contractor.
Brandi Stevenson will be formally inducted into the Western Athletics Hall of Fame along with three other
former athletes.
Former track star Brandi Stevenson will be inducted into the Western Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 18. Brandi, who now has two children named Troy, 8, and Sullivan, 5, said she tries to stay in contact with
the Western track program. Photo by Nick Danielson
ALCOHOL: Clubs just as strict as varsity on alcohol policy, punishment
Continued from page 13
derie of the team, Richards said.
The club hockey team sees things a
bit differently.
“As long as it’s legal with the state,
it’s legal with us,” junior hockey player
Cam Bulger said. “Obviously, we’ve got
guys who are 21 and older, but we don’t
bring it to the rink; we leave it at home.”
During the season, the team has a
policy that athletes don’t get drunk before
games, but Head Coach John Dougan
said he hasn’t had to stress it much.
The team understands that college
only happens once, Bulger said.
“We just want to make sure they’re
safe and having a fun time within the
law,” he said.
When the team is on the ice five
days a week, either for practice or
games, it’s easy to stay away from parties and booze, Bulger said.
In the time he’s been coach, Dougan said alcohol has never affected the
team’s performance.
A harsher stance is taken by a fellow Western club sports team.
“The rugby team’s policy is zero
alcohol,” said Paul Horne, director of
rugby. “We’re a totally dry program.”
Though Horne said he has no control of athletes in the offseason.
“We have a very dedicated group of
athletes that have been in compliance
“We don’t want to cast
a bad image of Western
as a school of raging
alcoholics.”
-Rhett Richards
Baseball Assistant Coach
and have kept their eyes on the prize,”
Horne said. “That’s why we’re in Ohio
right now playing for the Final Four.”
The varsity softball team shares a
similar take on the matter.
No drinking is allowed during the
season, freshman softball player Arianna
Barrio said. The team hasn’t experienced
any alcohol-related incidents this season.
Western’s varsity basketball program has to follow the NCAA policy banning alcohol during the season, senior
Rico Wilkins said. The coaches don’t
really have to remind the players to stay
away from alcohol during the season.
“There are a couple players of age
that do choose to drink every now and
then, but not all the time,” Wilkins said.
As long as drinking doesn’t become
a distraction for an athlete, or affect their
play, he said it shouldn’t be a concern.
Punishments
When it comes to laying down the
law, teams handle the issue differently.
If an athlete was caught drinking on the baseball team, the coaches
would react swiftly.
“We would treat him almost like
a toddler,” Richards said. “We would
give him a time-out and talk to him like
a parent-to-son conversation.”
The baseball team is representing
Western and has to respect the standards set by the school, Richards said.
“We don’t want to cast a bad image
of Western as a school of raging alcoholics,” Richards said.
The rugby team stands firm on its
commitment to be a dry program.
“If they break the rules, they’re not
part of the team,” Horne said.
If an athlete on the hockey team
was caught drinking, the team probably
wouldn’t do much about it, Bulger said.
“It’s kind of a keep-your-mouthshut-about-it thing.”
Two years ago, a freshman on the
basketball team was caught drinking
twice, Wilkins said. The player was suspended from games and practices after
the first incident.
After the second incident, they
took him off the team, Wilkins said.
Club vs. Varsity
Varsity drinking policies can sometimes be more extreme because a lot of
varsity athletes are going to school on
scholarships, Bulger said.
The alcohol policies of club sports
are in no way a more lenient alternative to those of the varsity programs,
Richards said.
“As a coach, it’s our responsibility to
set the guidelines and have expectations
we can stick to,” Richards said. “It’s a
good path to success, we just keep our
heads on tight and don’t drink.”
For athletes, playing sports at Western may mean they have to resist the
temptation of the “college experience.”
Sports | 15
westernfrontonline.net | Friday, May 17, 2013
Sophomore shines as season progresses
By Demi Cavanaugh
While Kyle Schrader, at the ripeold age of 20, is not the textbook definition of a seasoned golfer, his recent
success is a testament to what a difference only a year can make.
Schrader, a sophomore on the
Western men’s golf team, won his first
tournament at the Division II West/
South Central Super Regional Tournament on Wednesday, May 8, helping his team place second overall and
advance to nationals.
He went into the last day of tournament play tied for sixth place, but eventually made his way to the front of the
pack by keeping a level head and shooting his lowest competition round ever
with 6-under-par 66.
Schrader began playing golf his
freshman year at Tumwater High
School in Tumwater, Wash.
As a transfer student, he initially
used golf as just a way to make friends,
he said. Eventually the sport became
more than a hobby, and he knew he
wanted to play in college.
Still a relative newcomer to the
game, Schrader claimed there was no
way he could have made the Western team upon graduating from high
school. Instead, he played his freshman season at Biola University in
Southern California.
“I was able to play every event at
[Biola],” he said. “That was a really big
growing experience for me.”
After a successful year at Biola,
Schrader knew he wanted to return to
his native Washington and play for the
Vikings. He said he called Western’s
head coach Steve Card repeatedly that
summer in hopes of landing a spot on
the team.
It wasn’t until five days before
Schrader was set to return to Biola
that Card finally called him back.
The next day Schrader visited Card in
Bellingham and was offered a spot on
the team.
“I just knew this was where I needed to be,” Schrader said.
Schrader said his success at
regionals mirrored the skill level he
demonstrated in practice throughout
the season. However, throughout the
season, he said he would get overly excited at tournaments and try too
hard instead of relaxing and playing
smart golf.
CARD: Bennett
has big shoes to fill
Continued from page 13
2003.
Bennett was noticeably excited
when asked about the job offer.
“For myself, it’s one of the biggest honors I could possibly imagine.
Words don’t express how excited I am
for the opportunity.”
Bennett has served two seasons
as an assistant with Western women’s
golf team and is currently the director of instruction at Lake Padden Golf
School in Bellingham.
In terms of what he wants to bring
to the table at the beginning of next
year, Bennett was adamant in keeping a
positive and competitive environment.
“I’m going to do my best to keep it
competitive with the guys, keep them
striving for bigger and better things,
and keeping our goals set high.”
Ultimately, Bennett is looking
forward to chasing the ultimate goal
of every golf team in the country: a
national championship trophy.
BIKE: Community of
bikers stays committed
Western sophomore Kyle Schrader poses Thursday, May 16, beneath “For
Handel” with his weapon of choice in hand. Schrader recently proved his
golf skills by winning the West/South Central Super Regional and is soon
heading to Nationals in Hershey, Penn. Photo by Daniel Pickard
Despite struggling throughout
much of the season, Schrader’s teammates never lost confidence in him.
“He’s always had the talent,” senior
Evan Needham said. “He just finally
started playing like he should.”
Being the youngest on the travelling team, Schrader said he has
benefited from observing his older,
more experienced teammates. He
said watching them has helped him
become a more mature player that he
might not have been had he been a
part of a younger team.
His age, however, is not something
that has gone unnoticed, senior Dylan
Goodwin said.
“He’s definitely younger than us,
but he gets along just fine,” Goodwin
said. “He’s a very confident kid.”
Schrader said his grandma was
once a skilled golfer in her own right
and used to reprimand him for not following proper course etiquette when
he was just starting out.
He calls golf his getaway and
doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of the game.
“I just enjoy being out on the
course, whether I’m by myself playing
18 holes, or playing in a tournament,”
he said.
While his passion for the game
has surely played a role in his late, but
notable success, his confidence and
maturity are what will take him to the
next level.
Next up for Schrader and the rest
of the team is the NCAA Division II
National Championship May 20-24 in
Hershey, Penn.
Continued from page 13
age of 13 pounds within their first year
of bicycle commuting if the same eating habits are maintained, according to
the International Bicycle Fund.
Western is home to more than 900
bike parking spaces throughout campus and every city bus is equipped with
a rack that will carry up to three bikes.
Analyzing the number of cyclers
that ride to campus daily can be difficult
to say with accuracy, Osborn said.
On May 16, 2012, 498 bikes were
parked on campus. The highest number
of bikes ever recorded on campus was
670, during the 2011-12 school year.
“I’m always excited to see people
taking alternative transportation to
work,” said Steve Hollenhorst, a dedicated biker, professor and dean of Huxley College of the Environment. “What
I’ve seen in my biking is there is a whole
tribe of bikers that are very committed.”
Festivities will continue to take
place throughout the day, including
the City Hall Tricycle Race at noon.
The evening celebration at Chuckanut
Brewery will begin at 5 p.m. Discounts
will be given to participants that show
their “I biked today” sticker.
16 | Sports
Friday, May 17, 2013 | The Western Front
Senior captain leads rowing to nationals to reclaim title
By Ryan Evans
After losing to Humboldt State University last year in the national championship, senior Stephanie Bluhm,
captain of the Western women’s rowing varsity-8 boat, has the Vikings prepared to reclaim the title.
Western has gone to nationals for
the last seven years, taking the championship six of those seven.
Bluhm was part of the nationals
trips three of those times, once in the
four-person boat as a freshman and
twice in the eight-person boat.
She has brought her experience to
the team this season and is confident in
the Vikings ability to win the title back.
“It’s my mentality that if I’m going
to do something, I’m going to do it
right,” Bluhm said. “It’s just kind of
how I roll, I work hard.”
In high school, Bluhm was on the
swim team and played water polo. She
gained respect from members of the
team by being a great athlete and a
hard worker. Consistently setting the
best individual times in practices and
striving to do better, Bluhm pushes
others to do well also.
Bluhm always gives 100 percent,
senior Christine Henie said.
“I look up to that,”Henie said.
Bluhm doesn’t expect others to be
on the same level as herself, but wants
them to put their best into it, senior
Claire Marine said.
Aside from being exceptionally
athletic, Bluhm is also an inspirational
captain and leader to the team by being
confident in everyone, sophomore coxswain Maeghan Callegari said.
Western’s women’s rowing varsity-4 team practices on May 2 at Lake Samish. The Vikings are ranked No. 1 in
the nation heading into the National Championship. Senior Stephanie Bluhm said the team is ready to take back
the title they lost to Humboldt State University last year. Photo by Danny Miller
“She has full confidence that the
seven girls behind her will pull just as
hard as her,” Callegari said.
When their coach gave them the
goal to get an extra half-inch on each
stroke, Bluhm made bracelets with a
bead that was half an inch long on
them for the team, Henie said.
“It’s knowing that she respects us,”
Marine said of the captain’s leadership.
Bluhm also had all the girls in the
varsity-8 boats write down what they
were thinking during each part of a
race. She then read through them all
and compiled them into a list in an
effort to find focuses for different parts
of the race.
The goal was to get to the next level
of being connected as a boat, she said.
“I want to get out all the bad stuff
people are thinking,” she said.
Members of the team responded
to this well, saying it brought them
together.
“When she does above-and-beyond
stuff like that, you know she has faith
in us,” Henie said.
Bluhm’s faith in the team and those
extra steps helps create unity throughout the team.
It’s important for everyone on the
team to be on the same page, Marine
said.
“I think what she did was huge,”
Marine said.
Bluhm’s leadership style is best
defined by a moment from the beginning of the season, when she heard
rumors that some girls didn’t think the
team could make it to nationals.
“Stephanie was very mad about
that. She went into the team meeting and said, ‘We’re going to nationals,’” Henie said. “That’s her way. She
is going to make it happen.”
The team will be heading to nationals after Memorial Day weekend, and
Bluhm said they are ready.
The Vikings are ranked No. 1 in
their regional division. The University
of California San Diego sits at second.