Vol. 32 #18 02.21.17
Vol. 30 # #.#.#
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The snow a few weeks ago provided some great scenery. Photo by Morgan Annable // AS Review Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2017. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on underrepresented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue.
IN THIS ISSUE Run for office in
4 the AS
Everything you need to know to start planning your election campaign and make your voice heard!
“First Person: Diverse Student 5 Stories”
This monologue series is based on the stories of students of various ethnicities, abilities and gender identities.
6 Rise Up: An Activist Conversation
Four female activists shared their stories of protest and the legacies they were built on.
7 Wednesday Night Concert Series
Artists Step Dads and Mhostly Ghostly will bring their unique sounds to the Underground Coffeehouse.
7
Western Through the Ages
This column continues with a look at the chaotic times of 1970, including a student strike and protest.
ESC hosts panel on
8 civic engagement
The Ethnic Student Center wants to get students of diverse backgrounds invested in creating positive change.
We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork, letters to the editor or anything else physically printable. Please limit letters to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school. Send all submissions to as.review@wwu. edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar. The AS Review is distributed via electric bicycle, the purchase of which was made possible by the Sustainable Action Fund Grant Program.
Morgan Annable Alexandria Baker Ricky Rath Erasmus Baxter Josh Hughes Photographers Jaden Moon Janna Bodnar Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
ABOVE: The Bellingham #NoDAPL coalition held an emergency rally on Saturday, February 11. Protesters marched on to I-5 and held the freeway for approximately an hour. They called on city leaders to close their account with US Bank, a financial supporter of the pipeline, and for the federal government to respect indigenous sovereignty. Photo by Erasmus Baxter // AS Review
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EVENTS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Club Showcase
Feb 21-24 // 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. // Red Square // Free
Looking to join a new club? Visit Red Square anytime this week to learn about some of the clubs Western has available. Visit a club booth, earn a sticker, and then exchange it for a donut!
“Beyond Borders”
Feb 21 - Mar 10 // 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon - Fri // VU Gallery // Free
This 22nd annual exhibit featuring work by students on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border opens this week.
Snowshoe Day Pre-Trip meeting
Feb 22 // 5 p.m. // Outdoor Center // $35
Not finished with the snow yet? Join the OC for this easy excursion near the Mt. Baker ski area. Attendance at this meeting is mandatory for the trip on Feb 26.
Liederabend: Western Singers in Concert
Feb 22 // 7:30 - 9 p.m. // PAC 155 // Free
Peer-nominated voice students will perform arias and other songs that combine poetry and music.
Global Gourmets Banquet
Feb 22 // 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. // VU 565 // $12 for students
Enjoy a showcase of international cuisine from around the world, prepared by University Catering chefs. Tickets for the multi-course feast must be purchased in advance from the PAC Box Office.
Top Ten: Feb 21 - 26
Dead Parrots Society Improv Show
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Ty Segall (2017) Ty Segall
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Awaken, My Love! Childish Gambino
Laugh your tailfeathers off watching the usual antics of the Dead Parrots Soci-
3
We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service
4
Oczy Mlody Flaming Lips
5
I See You The xx
6
R.I.P. (EP) Naked Giants
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Manatee Commune Manatee Commune
8
Shapeshifter Ian Sweet
9
The End of Comedy Drugdealer
Feb 23 // 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free ety!
“First Person: Diverse Student Stories”
Feb 23-24 // 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. // Old Main Theater // Free This performance is part of the WWU Campus Equity and Inclusion Forum. It’s a collection of monologues written by Prof. Maria McLeod, inspired by interviews with Western students of diverse abilities, ethnicities, gender identities and more.
WWU 25th Annual Drag Show
Feb 25 // 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. // PAC 155 // $8 for students
The Queer Resource Center is hosting this annual drag show, open to students of all identities. The proceeds from the show will go towards the Sean Humphrey House and Lifelong. It’s a good idea to bring cash!
10
A Tribe Called Quest
22, A Million Bon Iver KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.
So you think you can run for office? 4 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
You’re right! You can! Find out how and why to run for one of the AS board positions in this Q&A between the AS Review’s Erasmus Baxter and AS Elections Coordinator Hannah Spencer How does the process of running for AS office work? There are currently seven paid AS Board positions that a student could run for in the upcoming AS Elections. Regardless of which position someone wanted to run for, candidate filing packets will be available beginning March 1 and can be picked up from the AS Board office (VU 504). The student wanting to run would then fill out the packet, including gathering 100 signatures (or choosing an alternate activity), and return it to the AS Board office no later than April 3. The packet will then be reviewed to determine if the student is eligible for candidacy and they will be notified shortly after the filing deadline. Each candidate is then required to attend a mandatory candidate meeting on April 6, where they will learn more about the elections process, review the Election Code, and also have their picture taken for the AS Review. April 8 is the official start of the campaign period, at which time posters can be hung up and official
campaigning can begin. During the campaign period, candidates are often found out in red square talking to fellow students about issues they are passionate about as well as on social media sites such as Facebook to contact a different audiences they may not have reached on campus. April 19 is the VP debate that will be held in the MPR starting at 6 p.m. and on April 20 the Presidential debates will be happening at the same time and place. These debates are open to anyone and are a chance to hear about the issues that each candidate is running on as well as a great opportunity to get questions answered. Finally, voting will be open online and at polling stations on campus from April 24 to April 28 and the winners will be announced the afternoon of April 28. What are the rules and regulations around running for office? The requirements for qualification for each position can be found in each of their job descriptions at as.wwu. edu/personnel/job_descriptions. Generally, anyone
ABOVE: 2015-16 AS President Belina Seare speaks at last year’s Board Inauguration. Behind her stands the current AS Board of Directors. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
running for a VP position must maintain a minimum credit load of 6 credits for undergraduates and 4 credits for graduate students, maintain a minimum of a 2.00 cumulative GPA and must have completed a minimum of three quarters of college work, with at least two quarters of the current academic year at Western. This last requirement must be met by the end of the spring quarter. The only requirement that is different for the AS President is that the student must have completed a minimum of five quarters of college work, with at least two full-time quarters within the current academic year at Western. Who should run for office? Anyone can run for office as long as they meet the required qualifications, but these positions are a lot of hard work. There are long nights and big responsibilities so a student running for office should be someone who is driven and hardworking. These positions also have a lot of ability to make real changes and so a person inter-
ABOVE: The 2016-17 AS Board of Directors. From left to right: Bryce Hammer (VP for Governmental Affairs), Erick Yanzon (VP for Academics), Aleyda Cervantes (VP for Diversity), Stephanie Cheng (President), Mary Moeller (VP for Business and Operations), Wayne Rocque (VP for Student Life) and Alex LaVallee (VP for Activities). Photo by Ricky Rath // AS Review
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ested for running for office should be passionate about making the university a better place for all students. Those elected into these positions are given the responsibility of acting as the voice of the student body and in that they must advocate for the needs of all Western students. If students are elected, what is the commitment like? As an AS Board member the time commitment is rather hefty. All VP positions are required to work an average of 19 hours per week while the President is required to work an average of 20 hours per week. This includes attending a weekly AS Board meeting and chairing each position’s respective committees. Each board member has specific obligations individual to their position, so I would suggest to anyone interested in running that they look over the job descriptions and talk to the current board members about what they do on a daily or weekly basis. What advice would you give to someone thinking about running for office? Go talk to the current position holder as soon as possible! Only they truly know what their job entails and can suggest ways that you can get involved in preparation. Attend the AS Board meetings and even committee meetings (check with the committee chair
for permission). I would also suggest going to talk to different AS offices about what they do and familiarize yourself with the Associated Students. Changing gears a bit, how does the initiative process work? The initiative process is very similar to the candidate process. Filing packets for initiatives can also be picked up in VU 504 starting March 1 and must be turned in by April 3. There will be an additional week following the close of the filing period where opposition campaigns will have the opportunity to file as well. Both have the opportunity to request public financing up to $100 per campaign. The language for an initiative is submitted by the sponsor of the initiative, but the Representation and Engagement Programs (REP) staff, including myself, are more than willing to help edit language. However, we must remain non-partisan during that process. What is the scope of initiatives? What can they affect? Initiatives can have broad and varied effects depending on the issue or topic of the initiative. The scope is limited to the power of the Associated Students, meaning any policies or changes made must be under the umbrella of what the AS has influence over. A good way to think about it is in context to each AS Board
position. For example, AS VP for Student Life has influence over housing, dining and transportation, while AS VP for Business and Operation manages a $2.5 million budget. I would encourage anyone interested in proposing an initiative to go and talk to an AS Board member about that specific issue. Are there any good examples of initiatives you can think of? A great example is the water bottle ban on campus. That is a result of a 2012 initiative that was voted on by the student body in that AS Election. Is there anything else you think people should know about elections, initiatives or anything else? Voting is easy and everyone should participate. The AS board members’ salaries are paid with student dollars and they also manage and spend student dollars. They are your representatives and you should hold them accountable for their promises. Also, there is a third type of item that will appear on the ballot as well called a referendum. These are similar to initiatives, but they are sponsored by a board member. If a student is interested in collaborating with a board member or have a referendum idea they’d like the board to bring, they should go a talk with a board member as soon as possible.
Series of monologues to explore diverse student experiences BY JOSH HUGHES
On February 23 and 24, Western is putting on a play about various perspectives of ethnicity, gender identities and other forms of diversity that students at this university experience and engage with on a daily basis. Entitled “First Person: Diverse Student Stories,” the play is a collection of seven monologues that came out of interviews with Western students from a variety of backgrounds, so the finished work serves as a piece of documentary theatre. All four performances will be ASL (American Sign Language) interpreted. Maria McLeod, assistant professor of journalism and playwright for “First Person: Diverse Student Stories,” conducted interviews with an array of Western students that come from diverse backgrounds, such as a Native American freshman who left familiar reservation life to come to university, a student and child of Middle Eastern refugees living in the post-9/11 world and an Asian student beginning to acknowledge the disparate understandings of money and wealth between her family and her friends. Additionally, there are perspectives that
speak to explaining gender identity, dealing with racial profiling and maneuvering through college and the professional world as a deaf person; all of these stories come from real life experiences that McLeod has documented in Western’s own widely diverse student body. These varied narratives make up the entirety of the production, which is directed by Western alum Karee Wardrop. This marks Wardrop and McLeod’s third production together, following an earlier rendition of “First Person” that premiered in the DUG Theatre in 2015 and another interview based production called “Body Talk: Sexual Triumphs, Trials, and Revelations” that played in Bellingham in 2013. This incarnation of “First Person,” however, will play at the Old Main Theatre at Western, which means more seating space and, in turn, more tickets available to the public. “This play is about speaking the truth of one’s experience,” McLeod said about the inspiration for the project. “Given the current political climate, these student narratives are at the core of our national and international dia-
logue and debate. Their stories couldn’t be more timely.” Instead of writing a play that incorporates multiple actors per scene, the monologue style allows for each student and each background to shine through on an individual level. “Learning how stereotypes and initial assessments of others are so often wrong is just as valuable a learning moment as anything I could teach in a classroom,” McLeod said when asked about the passion that made her start working on the “First Person” series back in 2015, which happened to coincided with a chapter she wrote for Western’s freshman orientation class on student diversity. “First Person: Diverse Student Stories” will be performed at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on both Thursday, February 23, and Friday, February 24 in the Old Main Theatre on campus. Tickets are free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved by calling the WWU Box Office at 650-6146.
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Activists encourage Western to “rise up” Committing to committees W BY JOSH HUGHES
“All of these four women are time travelers and they came here to time travel with us,” went the introduction to the Western Reads event on February 8 entitled “Rise Up: An Activist Conversation.” Put on by both Western Reads and the Justice Speaks Series, the event featured four writer-artist-activists in conversation both with each other and with the audience. Their discussion centered on intergenerational movement-building and its relationship to race, literature and art. The four women, Alexis De Veaux, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Erin Sharkey and Junauda Petrus, who all focus on the intersectionality of black feminism and social justice in their work as writers and artists, sat at a table together to open up conversations about their work and career as well as the pervading necessity to rise up against institutional norms and faulty societal systems. Alexis De Veaux, an award winning writer, speaker and activist whose work dates back to the early 70s, spent much of her speaking time focusing on the continuity of time within her art and the way that her ancestors represent both her past and her future. “It’s my grandmother’s shoulders that I’m standing on all the time,” she said when prompted about influences on her work. The idea of a non-linear relationship to time pervaded the entire talk, with each speaker addressing their work as activists in conjunction with people before them as well as those that will follow. Alexis Pauline Gumbs also brought up her grandmother’s influence on her work, talking about her revolutionary impact and the way that it’s shaped her as a women’s activist. Erin Sharkey talked about her mother’s lasting impact on her creativity because of her eagerness to solve problems in the face of adversity. “We can’t have the conversation stop with ‘I can’t imagine’,” she said during a conversation about how to break through socially placed obstacles. The four women also talked about the impact that each other’s work has had on their writing over the years, each expressing fond admiration for the others. “Alexis is one of the people whose creativity I survive off of ” said Gumbs in reference to De Veaux, before talking about needing to find an access point that “goes beyond time, life, and death” to be able to manifest her full potential as a revolutionary.
It’s important to note that Western Reads and the other promoters of the event did not divulge much about what the talk would completely entail. De Veaux talked about this near the end of the night, saying “we didn’t put terms like ‘race’ in this because we didn’t want to set something up that was voyeuristic that you could look at but not participate in.” After the opening talk about influences and an overlapping, roundabout understanding of time, the discussion shifted its focus to topics on race and politics, which can often be difficult to navigate effectively in talks like this. However, the four women gave articulate, open-ended ruminations on what it means to be black, women activists and how to break through societal barriers set in place for the benefit of white people. “Being a black queer, my consciousness of myself was a disliking of myself — what I was afraid to love,” Petrus said. “By inverting that, loving myself and other black women, that’s what will start to change everything,” Petrus said when addressing the internalized struggles that minority groups face on a daily basis in America. De Veaux talked about the need to reconstruct parts of our language so that we can reach a level of comfortability saying words like revolution, protest and change. Sharkey talked about confronting the “make believe” ideal that certain systems are in place to protect us, and Petrus talked about the concept of “Make America Great Again” and how it speaks to an America that has never treated minority groups well. The initiative of the night truly was to rise up, and that’s exactly what the entire audience did at the conclusion of the talk. After telling everyone to stand up from their comfortable Fraser Hall seats, De Veaux started a call and response of “rise up,” starting with a whisper and ending with a confident shout. “We should be levitating all the time,” she said before ending the talk, which was unfortunately cut short by an hour because of poor weather conditions. “We rose up together,” De Veaux said, before sending us off into the biggest winter storm that Bellingham has seen since the early 90s. It was quite the fitting atmosphere for what we’d just experienced.
Q&A with AS Committees Coordinator Octavia Schultz and AS Review writer Erasmus Baxter
Why should students join a committee? Serving on either an AS or university committee gives you an opportunity to help make decisions that impact Western students, and make sure that we have a say in what happens at our university. You’ll get to work closely with student leaders, faculty members, and administrators to make lasting professional connections, and gain professional experience that will benefit you in your future career. What committees are there? Right now there’s actually about 65 committees throughout the university that students can serve on! Some of the ones that are currently looking for student members are the Digital Media Center Advisory Committee, the Campus Public Safety Advisory Council, the Student Publications Council, and the Recruitment, Admissions, and Support Committee. The full list is available on the AS website at as.wwu.edu/ committees. How should students go about finding and joining a committee if interested? Checking out the full list of committees on the AS website is a great place to start looking for ones that you might be interested in; there’s a description for each one and the number of student positions is listed. You can also stop by my office in VU 435 or send me an email at as.committees@wwu.edu if you have any questions about a committee or just want to hear more about the ones that are available. To apply to join any committee, just fill out the form that’s linked on the AS website. What does being on a committee entail? What is the general commitment like? Committee meetings generally consist of the members discussing documents or agenda items and voting on decisions or creating recommendations and policies. The time commitment depends on the specific committee; some of them will meet once a week for an hour, others will only meet once a quarter, and there are variations in between. Do you have any advice for people who might be interested in committees? Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If there’s a committee you might be interested in and want to know more, feel free to contact me or stop by my office. If you know that you want to be involved but don’t know exactly which committee might be a good fit for you, we can also talk through the options available to make sure we find something you’ll enjoy.
Wednesday Night Concert Series: BY JOSH HUGHES
If you happen to “like” Bellingham’s one and only “indie step-dad rock band” on Facebook, odds are that you’ll see some posts about upcoming shows (they rotate through the house show scene up here unlike anyone else), some photos showcasing their soon to be released cat-themed merchandise and assorted videos of the band showing off their shenanigans. In fact, their most recent post features a snippet of an upcoming music video dedicated to the band’s sparkling water of choice, La Croix. While they only have one song currently released on their Bandcamp, these guys are a band not to be messed with, nor a band to miss seeing live. Step Dads write off kilter, summery rock music that could fit somewhere in a spectrum between Mac Demarco, Fauna Shade, The Growlers and Wavves. “Polaroid Girl,” the single for their upcoming Cat Mask EP, is under three minutes, but it bursts to life with shimmery guitars and slightly distorted lead vocals. Singer and rhythm guitarist Nate Kahn’s vocals
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Step Dads w/ Mhostly Ghostly
have a nuanced swagger to them, where lines like “Polaroid girls, they don't make those types anymore now/ I‘m talkin' very rare film, if you find her make those pictures count” come off both as cheeky and genuine, which seems to be the thesis for Step Dads as a whole. After all, the single’s artwork features an uncomfortably close up image of someone’s face, and there’s an immediate understanding that these guys don’t take themselves too seriously, which is a nice characteristic for an up-and-coming band to have. Their EP should be out by the concert, so expect to hear new material from the band as well as songs they’ve been playing at houses around Bellingham for quite some time. Opening for Step Dads is Mhostly Ghostly, another local Bellingham band that’s working on an upcoming album, slated for a summer 2017 release. After their late 2016 release Jr., which was a compilation of rough cuts of the band’s earliest songs, this album will be their first full musical statement as a band. Where Step Dads’ music plays off fairly tongue in
cheek, Mhostly Ghostly sound more intentionally epic in their brand of psych rock. The lead single for their album, “Ghostly,” is nearly ten minutes long, starting with a four minute instrumental jam before breaking into harsh yet melodic vocals that bring to mind Modest Mouse. Their earlier work from Jr., while not as intense, maintains a quirky psychedelic vibe, featuring plenty of modulating guitars and jazz-influenced drumming. A six piece band, Mhostly Ghostly takes on the typical instrumentation of a rock band, but there can be so many different elements working at once that they don’t draw easy comparisons to other bands. The arrangements are lush, but rarely, if ever, does their music come across as overstuffed or claustrophobic. Step Dads and Mhostly Ghostly will be playing the concert series at the Underground Coffeehouse this coming Wednesday, February 22 starting at 7 p.m.
Western through the ages: May 1970 BY ERASMUS BAXTER
For the past five weeks we’ve explored the events of 1968 at Western. Let’s jump forward to May of 1970. Things had taken a turn for the worst. Nixon had just announced the expansion of the Vietnam war into Cambodia, and the national guard had just shot 15 students, 4 fatally, at Kent State. It was a time of enormous tumult that we can relate to today. The Western Front even published an extra edition for the first time since JFK’s assassination.
Freeway Blockade
After nearly 2,000 students rallied in Red Square, around 500 marched down what was then called Indian Street to block Interstate Five at the Lakeway overpass. Traffic backed up for a mile and was rerouted by Bellingham Police and the Whatcom County Sheriffs. It was blocked for roughly an hour and
45 minutes by the students, making it longer than the recent, approximately 1 hour, freeway protest. Despite this, motorists interviewed by the Front were actually largely supportive of the blockade. A majority of the 25 motorists spoken to were supportive of the protest: "Other than being delayed, I don't mind it at all," one driver was quoted as saying. "Nobody seems to be getting any attention by any other way." Another woman agreed with the first driver. "It is making those of us who are forced to wait on the highway feel the same frustration that you feel,” she said. “It is the same frustration that we all have with our government. It is a very effective way to protest." Another motorist said, "I agree with the motives, but I don't feel that blocking this highway is the means to achieve your goals." At least one motorist was against the
demonstration. "In my opinion, you won't solve a damn thing. When you get to be my age you will see what I mean. You all ought to be in Russia or someplace.” An ambulance was let through by the crowd, and the driver explained that he was doing a dry run just to make sure it was possible to get through in case of emergency. The AS President, one of the leaders of the demonstration, thanked the police and the State Patrol members present for not getting involved.
Student Strike
“STRIKE!” cried out the Western Front, in an all-caps, quarter-page headline. Student leaders vowed to continue a three-day student strike for as long as necessary to end war in SouthEast Asia. University President Charles Flora (perhaps the chillest of Western’s
presidents) endorsed the strike, and asked professors to plan their curricula accordingly. The Western Front even endorsed the strike, with the editor traveling with the AS President to coordinate with the national student strike. People interested in information about the strike could call either the Western Front or Associated Students offices for information about the strike. In what was a truly national student strike, most every other state college and university participated. In Washington alone, Western, UW, WSU, CWU and Seattle Central Community College all went on strike. Students at UW blocked Interstate Five through Seattle, just as had been done in Bellingham. While the strike went on for several days, the numbers of participants continued to decline, and it slowly faded away. A noble idea lost to time.
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ESC hosts panel on lobbying and civic engagement
BY ERASMUS BAXTER
Many students were shocked that Western’s campus remained open through the worst of the snow during second week of February. They had to deal with un-cleared and slippery sidewalks, ice and ankle-deep snow. For students with movement disabilities, conditions were especially difficult. The Ethnic Student Center’s Cultural Education Coordinator, Alan Alatorre-Barajas, sees this as an example of how having diverse voices and perspectives in positions of power benefits the entire population. “There might be needs you wouldn't think of trying to meet, because you don't have to ever think what someone else might be going through, [and] because you're just unaware of it,” Alatorre-Barajas said. “If you don't know, you don't know.” Helping empower these voices is the goal of the civic engagement panel Alatorre-Barajas is hosting. The panel will be held on Thursday, February 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Viking Union 552. The panelists will be: • Abby Ramos – The current Resource and Outreach Programs (ROP) director, and former Associated Students Vice President for Diversity. Ramos is currently a student member of the university’s Board of Trustees. • Aleyda Cervantes – The current Associated Students Vice President for Diversity. Cervantes has also worked within the Associated Students before, an aspect Alatorre-Barajas thinks is important. • Victoria Matey – The Ethnic Student Center (ESC) Club Event Coordinator, and the president of Blue Group. Matey has been involved with the city council in working on a sanctuary city ordinance. • Ana Ramirez – A member of Blue Group, Ramirez has also served on a legislative committee, according to Alatorre-Barajas. • Michelle Urrea – This is Urrea’s first
time getting involved with something of the sort on campus, and will provide the “novice voice,” according to Alatorre-Barajas. The panel sprang from a discussion among the people of color caucus at Western Lobby Day about how to get more students of color to participate in Lobby Day. Students of color could be intimidated by lobbying, or come from countries where governments are corrupt or dangerous, among other issues, Alatorre-Barajas said. He hopes that people sharing their experiences might encourage others to attend Lobby Day and inspire them to get involved in other ways, such as by applying for a variety of AS positions. “Hopefully [it will] get students to apply and attempt to run, or help out with other people’s campaigns,” he said. “Because usually when people [of color] apply they tend to apply for ESC positions and then don’t think about other positions in the AS they might be competent for.” Alatorre-Barajas emphasizes that the focus of the panel is about more than just lobbying. “That's why we're calling it civic engagement. To get students more involved with other forms of activism or politics,” Alatorre-Barajas said. “They might notice that Bellingham might not have certain resources, and they can go and advocate and do something, effect a small change, at least, in their community.” The event’s location points, in part, to the need for expanded lobbying and representation of students of color. One of the issues that students will be lobbying for at ESC Lobby Day will be the Multicultural Center package to expand the ESC. “[The panel] could've been in the ESC, but it's not big enough,” Alatorre-Barajas said. There will be food and drinks including vegan and gluten free options.
KhSA to host evening of story sharing BY MORGAN ANNABLE
On February 25 Western’s own Khmer Student Association (KhSA) will host the second annual story sharing event entitled Our Hidden Story II: The First Generation. This event will feature three speakers who will share their personal narratives of the adversity they have faced in their journeys to where they are today. Held in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room, Our Hidden Story will be free and open to the public but donations are accepted. The event will start at 6:30 p.m. but doors will open at 6 p.m. The first speaker, Monika Nuth, is a Western alum with a degree in Human Services. Next up is Holy Chea, an alum of Whitworth University. Chea is a Program Officer at the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. Last for the evening will be Chanira Reang Sperry, who graduated from University of Oregon and University of Washington College of Education. She immigrated to the U.S. at age two. The event will also feature a series of short documentaries about several current Cambodian students at Western. KhSA’s mission since its establishment in 1995 has been to increase awareness of and preserve Khmer culture, values, customs and beliefs and to reach out not only to Western’s campus but also the surrounding communities.