PULL-OUT AS ELECTION GUIDE INSIDE!
Vol. 32 #26 04.24.17
Vol. 30 # #.#.#
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KhSA members perform a scarf dance. Cover photo by Ricky Rath // 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 4 Bellingham Arts & Music Festival
BAMF! is a new 24-hour festival that will be held at the Lookout Arts Rock Quarry.
Pull-out AS
5-8 Election Guide
Get to know the candidates and the issues on this year’s AS ballot.
World Issues Forum
10 Dr. Peter Onuf uses
humor to tackle the big questions of why history is important, and what our national identity means.
10 Alternative
Transportation Fee One of the referenda on this election ballot could have big impacts on student bus passes in the coming years.
Sounds of the
11 Underground
This battle of the bands will decide which local musicians will open at Lawnstock. The audience picks the winners!
12 People’s Climate March
This national march hopes to promote awareness of climate change, and protest cuts to environmental protections.
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 Josh Hughes Julia Berkman Photographers Janna Bodnar Jaden Moon Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
The weather makes for some great opportunities for our photographers to do a little nature photography. Photos by Jaden Moon // AS Review.
04.24. 2017 • 3
EVENTS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Poetry and Lyric Night
Apr 24 // 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free Come listen to works of poetry and lyricism by Western’s wordsmiths. Feel free to bring your own work, or just relax with a drink and listen.
RSVP: Red Square Voting Party with Metsa, Arbour, and Dawn Bombs
Apr 25 // 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. // Red Sqaure // Free The REP is teaming up with ASP and the Underground Coffeehouse to bring local musicians to this voting
party! Major Treble will also perform.
Undocumented, Unafraid, Queer & Unashamed!
Apr 26 // 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. // AW 210 // Free
Guest speaker Ray Corona is coming to Western to share his experience of being a queer, undocumented activist. This event is a collaboration between the Blue Group and the Queer Resource Center.
Rain Dove at WWU
Apr 28 // 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. // AW 204 // Free Rain Dove is a genderfluid model
who has been featured in Vogue, Elle, and other magazines. She will be speaking about gender fluidity, social norms, hunger and homelessness.
WWU Queer Comic Con
Apr 29 // 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. // AW building // $10 for students This convention is a celebration of all things Queer--featuring comics, artists and writers who identify as part of the LGBTQ community. There will be a drag show, costume contest and an artist alley!
KhSA 7th Annual New Year Show: Pieces of Our History
Apr 29 // 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. // VU MPR // $10 for students
Join the Khmer Student Association as they host a celebration of the New Year. The evening will feature music, dancing and food. Bring a friend!
BSU’s Black Excellence Dinner
Apr 30 // 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. // VU MPR // See Box Office for tickets The BSU is hosting this annual event celebrating excellence. There will be performances by students and faculty, with a masquerade theme. While masks are appreciated, feel free to come as you are!
Top Ten: April 24 - 30 1
Drunk Thundercat
2
Hot Thoughts Spoon
3
Heartworms The Shins
4
Whiteout Conditions The New Pornographers
5
Do Hollywood The Lemon Twigs
6
In Mind Real Estate
7
Time Sides with No One Dolly Spartans
8
Tuxedo II Tuxedo
9
Yours Conditionally Tennis
10
Pure Comedy Father John Misty 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.
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Have a blast at BAMF! BY JOSH HUGHES
BAMF!, Bellingham’s first local, overnight music and arts festival, is aiming to kick off May with a 24-hour extravaganza of over 45 musical artists, a selection of films and comedy acts and various art vendors, all of whom represent Bellingham’s increasingly diverse artistic community. Running from noon on May 6 to noon on May 7, Bellingham Arts & Music Festival (BAMF!) will take place at the Lookout Arts Rock Quarry just ten minutes south of downtown. Festival-goers will camp in an all-inclusive environment and indulge in a whirlwind of various activities. The festival plans to make the most of its inaugural year by paving a unique path in the realm of music and arts festivals, specifically tailoring to the individuality of Bellingham’s various art scenes. Tickets, which start at $40 and include access to all four of the different event stages at the Quarry, can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/2907522. Regarding the multiplicity of events at the festival, BAMF!’s official page reads, “peruse the grounds for art installations, art vendors, food vendors, a beer garden, and be sure to catch morning yoga led by local yogi.b. All art installs, vendors, and beer are local to Bellingham so bring your dollars to help support your community!” In addition to all of the above-mentioned vendors and installations, the main stages at the campgrounds will prominently feature music played through the 24 hours of the festival. While the list of local bands and musicians at the festival runs some ten lines deep on a festival poster, some of the names that will be performing include Arbour, Babe Waves, Bob Fossil, Danny’s Dead, The Dawn Bombs, Lil Buddha, Metsa, Step Dads and Faux Pause. The full list of names can be found on BAMF!’s official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bellinghamartsandmusicfest/. The page also includes artist profiles for some of the bands and artists performing, so be sure to check out the Facebook event “BAMF! 2017 (Bellingham Arts & Music Festival)” for any additional information. While tickets to the festival include all access and camping, they do not include parking, which will cost an additional $20. However, in a clever effort to reduce carbon footprint, the festival is offering a Clown Car Discount. If every seat in your car is filled, parking is completely free for the entirety of the event. In their own words, “Carpool! Bring your friends! Bring your mom!” Camping is valid anywhere within the wooded area of the Quarry. BAMF! intends to leave no trace after the event, therefore the campsite will be littered with sorting bins for landfill, recycling and compost, and NOT with actual litter. Note: the festival will not be selling water bottles on site, so bring your water bottles and fill up at one of various filling stations around the festival. The Quarry has a zero-tolerance policy towards violence of any kind, and festival goers are asked to not bring any outside alcohol or drugs to the event. Bring nothing but an adventurous spirit, dancing shoes, camping supplies, inclusive attitudes and an open mind for the festival. Anyone looking for a locally minded, unique camping festival need look no further than BAMF!
KhSA hosts “Pieces of Our History” BY RICKY RATH The WWU Khmer Student Association is proud to announce their 7th Annual New Year Show and Dinner, “Pieces of Our History.” This will be KhSA’s biggest show yet, featuring six performances threaded together in a single storyline. Along with the storyline, the show will have four emcees/characters. The performances range from traditional, elegant dances, to live band rock and roll, to a breakdancing piece. The show will also feature Cambodian food served to the audience. The show marks the last for many long running officers of the club, making it a very meaningful one. “I think it’s important for us to hold onto our cultural roots especially when we’re away from our family while attending college,” Public Relations Officer Amberly Khasmsaly said. “This is an opportunity to showcase the beauty of our culture, food, music, dances, and language.” KhSA’s 7th Annual New Year Show will take place 6 p.m., Saturday, April 29 in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Tickets are now on sale, $10 for students, $12 for general, and $8 for children. WWU KhSA was established in 1995 and their mission is to learn, preserve, and increase awareness of the Khmer culture, values, customs and beliefs, as well as provide outreach to the campus of Western Washington University, surrounding communities and regional youth.
ABOVE: A KhSA member performs a Cambodian dance at the University of Washington with Western students. Photo by Ricky Rath // AS Review.
04.24. 2017 • 5
ASSOCIATED STUDENTS ELECTION GUIDE A note from the editors
Hello,
We’re glad you decided to pick up a copy of the 2017 Associated Students Election Guide. The AS is happy to announce that there are a total of 14 candidates running for the seven elected positions this year.
This Election Guide is intended to enlighten you, the voters, about the issues and candidates on the ballot. Each candidate has been given the same opportunity to write a statement in their own voice, and the order in which they appear in the Election Guide was chosen at random.
The Referenda
Please read this guide fully in order to make the most informed decision possible. Voting opens April 24 and closes April 28. Happy voting! Your editors, Morgan Annable and Alexandria Baker
Printed as they appear on the AS Elections website
ASWWU CONSTITUTION
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION FEE • Staff, assistance, and program operations for the
Shall the Associated Students of Western Washington University adopt the ASWWU Constitution, which outlines a new governance structure, under the following conditions? • The new structure is implemented by the end of September 2018 • Permanent bylaws for the detailed branches are submitted to students for approval by Spring 2019 • The structure is reviewed by Spring 2022 • The Constitution would supersede previous ASWWU governing documents • Upon student approval, the WWU Board of Trustees ratify the new constitution
Shall all Western Washington University students taking six or more credits on the Bellingham Campus be assessed an Alternative Transportation Fee of up to $26.25 per quarter with the following minimum conditions? • A Whatcom Transportation Authority bus pass for every fee paying student. • A late night student transportation service that would run after WTA service ends. At a minimum this would serve the general campus area. • If late night service is not offered during summer quarter, students taking summer quarter classes will be charged a reduced fee.
•
•
purpose of coordinating alternative transportation for students. Fee increases will be limited to a maximum of 5% per year, upon authorization by the Associated Students Board of Directors, increases of more than 5% must be approved by the students through a vote. The fee will be for a maximum 5 year term, beginning in Fall 2017 and end by Fall 2022, subject to a student vote for renewal
Vol. 32 ELECTION GUIDE 04.24.17
Meet the candidates!
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Position: AS President
Mary Moeller This November we watched politics slide backwards. Many of you have been feeling helpless, but this election is a chance to fight back. Western still isn’t a sanctuary campus, and the Western Foundation still hasn’t divested from US Bank, meaning student dollars are being invested in oil and the genocide at Standing Rock. It’s time we remind administrators that Western needs to listen to student voices. Now more than ever, we need our administration to stand strong against federal pressures and keep
moving forward. As your president, I will hold our administration accountable to keeping students safe regardless of their identity, divesting from oil, and making sure students don’t lose access to services like counseling and the arts regardless of what happens federally. I’m ready to use my experience as your VP to fight for you. I’m Mary Moeller, and I would be honored if you gave me your vote.
Simrun Chhabra My name is Simrun Chhabra and I’m running for AS President. I’ll represent individuals with intersectional identities in marginalized communities such as students of color, queer students, students experiencing homelessness and all other intersections. I want to represent the communities who embody resilience and passion and have made me who I am today. They make Western unique and worth campaigning for. Seeing Womxn of Color in this position made me realize that one day I could do it too. I hope to inspire more people with histories of oppression to become involved in their communities in ways that didn’t seem possible. I’ve worked in the AS for the last two years and have a developed understanding of what students need and where we need to improve. We are a community. This campaign is about collaboration, a need for change and encompassing the passion of the community. Together it is possible. Sterling Rettke My main goal as your Student Body President is to be progressive, in all aspects. I want us to continue to strive to be a campus of acceptance and inclusiveness, one that drives out hate, and judgment, and replaces those feelings with love, and kindness. Since my acceptance to this university, I have seen first hand just how amazing Western is, but I know, that there is still progress to be made.
I also hope to be an extremely responsive President, what I mean by this is, if you email or contact me on any social media, no matter the date, or time, expect a response within a maximum of 10 hours, I want students to contact me and voice their thoughts or concerns. I truly love this school, and I hope you allow me to unlock the door to success in this election by voting Rettke. Thank you.
Position: ASVP for Academic Affairs Hunter Eider I am Hunter Eider and I am running for the AS Vice President for Academic Affairs. First and foremost, I am here for students. Administrative decisions made about academics within the university affect all of us. If these decisions are made without our input, they will never be fully effective or accommodating to our needs, which is why one of my goals next year is to help further develop existing committees for student input. I am involved with the Ethnic Student Center, serving as an officer on the board for the Filipino American Student Association. I was also involved in ResLife with Student Council and NRHH for the academic year of 2015-2016. I look forward to applying the leadership skills that I have gained to the best of my ability. Student opinions are essential to create effective programming, and I look forward to listening to yours. Julianna Jackson Throughout my collegiate career, I have noticed a disparaging disconnect between student voices and university decisions in academic affairs. As transparency issues persist, students are separated from promoting meaningful changes to the curriculum, as well as the academic climate of WWU. I will work as your representative to engage students in academic decisions, while spreading awareness regarding how individuals may get involved, and how they can make themselves heard. In my last two years, I have been heavily involved in the promotion of diverse student interests through my role as President of the International Affairs Association, and Student Representative on the Department Related Activities Committee. In these capacities, I have represented students while working closely with faculty to ensure continued opportunities for all university attendees. It is time to bring open dialogue into academic affairs, and with your support I am committed and ready to stand up for Western students.
Candidate photos by Ricky Rath // AS Review
04.24. 2017 • 7
Position: ASVP for Activities Julia Rutledge Hello! My name is Julia Rutledge, and I’m a Junior majoring in English. My current job is the AS Board Assistant for Club Committees. I work with the VP for Activities and VP for Diversity to prepare for and sit on Activities Council, ESC Steering Committee, and ESC Presidents Council. I’m an officer in two clubs on campus: Viking Radio Theatre and Comic Book Club, so I know the AS club system well. I believe that the club system is a fantastic resource that more students should know about. As VP for Activities, I’ll work to inform students of all that the AS has to offer, strive to represent the diverse and intersectional student body, and make sure that student activities get the funding that they need. I believe that I have the experience and the passion to be a truly great VP for Activities.
Position: ASVP for Business and Operations Alex LaVallee This VP position oversees the internal operations of the Associated Students. My goals for the year, if elected are 1) making AS grant/funding resources more transparent and accessible to students, 2) assisting the VP for Diversity with the Multicultural Center, and 3) finishing the last year of the AS Restructure. I am a student of Fairhaven College with a concentration in Web Development, Content Creation, and E-commerce. I have seen the AS at every level, from working in the Club Activities Office, to programming campus events, to serving as your current AS VP for Activities. My biggest goal for the year is setting up a system of communication, between you and your student leadership (the AS Board) so that we can inform each other about what we experience as students and what we are doing about it. My name is Alex LaVallee and I hope to serve you, as the AS VP for Business & Operations.
Position: ASVP for Diversity Erick Yanzon I am Erick Yanzon and I am running for AS VP for Diversity. I want to continue the work surrounding the establishment of the Multicultural Center, and making sure that the space continues to be inclusive and accessible for students of color, and underrepresented marginalized communities. Within the center, I also want us to have conversations surrounding intersectionality and working together in solidarity. Western also has many access and
representation issues that continue to be a problem. Student dollars makeup the majority of the funding of the university, and Western would be nothing without its students. Students need to have a voice in every decision-making aspect of the university, but also making sure that they are not overworked. Through raising awareness, transparency, and advocating for student autonomy, I hope this will help allow students to learn and grow, by ensuring and critiquing how Western provides inclusive programming and diverse curriculum. Marquis King Mason Hi! My name is Marquis King Mason, I identify with Masculine pronouns, but you can just call me Marquis. I’m a Junior pursuing a degree in environmental health through Fairhaven and currently a chair for the human rights advocacy group on campus, Western Amnesty. I’m running for the Vice President of Diversity, because as a Queer African American, I’ve felt firsthand the effects of not feeling like my uniqueness was valued. I’m an intersectional feminist, who embraces the concept that gender is a spectrum, not binary. Human rights and advocacy are a focus of my life which I hope to incorporate into my time as ASVP of diversity, to ultimately create a more inclusive campus. As ASVP of diversity I will uplift and speak alongside the voices that have been silenced due to their differences, while embracing everything that makes the students of Western truly amazing, distinct, and diverse.
Position: ASVP for Governmental Affairs Ana Ramirez “I’m running for VP for Governmental Affairs because I have a passion for politics and a commitment to fighting for the needs of students of color. Students of color are the most affected by the current political climate, and yet continue to be neglected. I believe we can best prioritize and fight for the needs of students of color through governmental affairs. I have been doing so in my first year at Western by joining Western Votes, sitting on the Legislative Affairs Council as the ESC Representative, attending 3 lobby days, writing a testimony for a house bill, and fighting for sanctuary status as a part of Blue Group, as well being a part of the ESC family by being a part of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán), LSU (Latinx Student Union), and Blue Group. It is important to center the conversation around students of color.”
(Candidates for ASVP for Governmental Affairs continued on next page)
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Candidate statements, continued ASVP for Governmental Affairs, cont.
Leanna Sauerlender Hello! I want to be your ASVP for Governmental Affairs because I have a strong passion for improving student life and reducing the unmet needs that Western students have. We need to bring educational, gender, racial and social equity to the diverse communities that WWU fosters. To do this we need governmental commitment. WWU should provide more support for sexual assault survivors, create more gender-neutral facilities, provide more counseling and academic support, fight for undocumented students’ rights, and end food instability. My understanding of WWU stems from my experience working as student secretary in the President’s office under Bruce Shepard and Sabah Randhawa, working in the AS Board Office under the ASVP for Academic Affairs, serving on the Legislative Affairs Committee, attending weekly Board Meetings, serving on the hiring committee for the new VP for Student Success and Enrollment, and attending Western Lobby Day and Local Lobby Day.
Position: ASVP for Student Life Fallon Acosta My name is Fallon Acosta, and I am running to be the next ASVP for Student Life. My goal is to help each student have the most quality experiences possible during their time at Western. I believe my experience working with AS clubs and community organizations in Bellingham have prepared me to serve the students of WWU. I want to focus on creating/maintaining a safe, prosperous and sustainable community for all students; especially those who are marginalized and feel their voices aren’t always heard. I want to ensure students are content with the quality of life they have on and off campus by expanding existing policies for housing, transportation and sustainability. The success of this position is dependent on the students’ insight and input, and I am prepared to work alongside all of you to make a better Western. All I need is your vote. Courtney Manz Hello everyone, I’m Courtney Manz, and I am running for AS VP of Student Life! I am passionate about creating equal opportunities for every student at Western to be heard no matter their background. If elected I will push for student voices to be heard, and be open in communication of changes needed to be made in Student Life,
and do my best to implement them. I have been involved with student affairs during the entirety of my career here at WWU. I was a Resident Advisor, and I currently work in Associated Students as the Disability Outreach Center Coordinator advocating for students with disabilities. I have experience leading, coordinating, and helping these diverse communities to create a positive change at Western. Student Life is all about making WWU students’ lives run well in order to foster an environment of success, and I will strive to make this obtainable for you.
Annie Gordon My name is Annie Gordon and I am running for AS VP For Student Life. I move forward in this position with a critical mindset as I continuously reflect upon my privilege. I will not make assumptions or speak for those that hold experiences I cannot relate to. I have established a presence within housing and dining through my work as an RA and will utilize those relationships to ensure that University Housing is held accountable to equitable work. I will increase gender inclusive housing and accessibility campus wide. I will also address systemic barriers preventing food, health and sustainability justice across campus, acknowledging that these movements are rooted in racism and classism. With your vote, I will continue the work I have already begun with the AS to make much needed changes within housing, dining, health, safety, transportation and sustainability, while also mobilizing your goals.
IMPORTANT DATES Vice President Debate
Wednesday, April 19 6 p.m., MPR
Presidential Debate & Referenda Info Session
Thursday, April 20 6 p.m., MPR
Voting Opens
Monday, April 24
Voting Closes
Friday, April 28
04.24. 2017 • 9
In case you missed it... A recap of Carolyn Krieg’s “Animae Memoria” exhibit in the VU Gallery. Photos by Ricky Rath // AS Review
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“I want you to feel bad about being an American!” BY JOSH HUGHES
Dr. Peter S. Onuf takes a humorous look at the topic of national identity
“I’ve made a career out of using Thomas Jefferson -that’s what dead people are for,” Dr. Peter S. Onuf said in his talk at Fairhaven College last Wednesday. “I’ll be one of them soon!” he continued, to a low rumble of laughter in the packed auditorium. Dr. Onuf spoke as the most recent lecturer through Fairhaven’s World Issues Form, a self explanatory speaker series in its 15th year of existence at the college. Talks range from environmental activism to immigration policy to last week’s topic: national identity. More specifically, Onuf talked about the ever pervasive, somewhat trite question of “why does history matter?”, a question that is often left answered by high school social studies teachers shouting into the void. I like to imagine that’s a comparison Onuf would’ve appreciated; throughout his hour and twenty minute talk, the professor found himself on brief, amusing tangents that kept the audience under his complete spell. (A particular joke about kids getting stoned and running about the arboretum keeps going through my head, though I could not, for the life of me, explain what it had to do with Thomas Jefferson.) Yet even with his witty humor and conversational style of speaking, Onuf actively and effectively walked the crowd through a “two part therapy” about how we should look back on
American history to engage with the present. “I want you to feel bad about being an American!” With this memorable one liner, Onuf meandered his way through the first part of his therapy, a device he set up to construct a palatable reason for history’s importance. The first stage of this talk focused on how we need to revise and reconstruct the way that our founding fathers (and the founding of America as a whole) have previously been perceived in the likes of high school textbooks and fictional portrayals. He wanted us to be aware of previous injustices, both obvious (slavery) and less obvious (Jefferson wanted emancipation, but he also wanted to expatriate Africans from the country). After intentionally wearing the audience down and giving us quite a bit of sad origin politics, Onuf went into the second part of his “therapy,” which allows us to look back at these revisionist histories to both be good citizens and alter the direction of our future as a country. “What we need is the spirit of 1776 to be constantly renewed every generation,” Onuf said, with a heavy emphasis on “generation” running throughout his entire lecture. Instead of speaking to some vague notion of originalism, he expressed Jefferson’s desire for the
country to be in a constant state of revolution, eternally revising and editing both its past and present as a means of bettering the future. “The first law of nature is self preservation,” Dr. Onuf said after prefacing the statement by asking no one write it down, because it would stick in their heads forever and ever after his lecture (I confess that, for means of this article, I did write it down). His point was that as a nation, the constant revision of history is necessary to provide a better, healthier future for the country; we cannot remain stagnant for preservation, but instead we must adapt and revolt. While much of Onuf ’s talk boiled down to ideas that pervade many different corners of current American society, he provided fresh insight by getting to the point in an unconventional, engaging manner. For a man who spent two minutes talking about the poor hygiene of our founding fathers, Dr. Onuf struck a chord that seemed to resonate with nearly the whole audience. The World Issues Forum takes place nearly every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in the Fairhaven Auditorium. The next speaker will be Sarah Eltantawi, giving a lecture this week about women’s rights and Western attitude in Nigeria.
Alternative Transportation Fee vote could affect student bus passes for 2017-18 school year
BY JOSH HUGHES
E
very five years, during AS Elections, the Student Transportation Fee goes up for a vote. This means that, if passed, students at Western get a continued reduced fee on their transportation passes around Bellingham, including WTA bus passes, access to the Late Night Shuttle, and a Student Alternative Transportation Coordinator. Originally proposed as the Alternative Transportation Fee back in 2007, its inclusion in student tuition helps thousands of students that use alternative transportation, namely WTA, as a means of getting to school and around town. If you’ve seen quite a few posters around campus recently referring to Student Transportation, it’s probably because this vote will have a very immediate impact on the majority of students at Western. With its complete overhaul of bus routes, WTA has especially been on the radar around campus for the entirety of Spring quarter. But the voting, which occurs from April 24 to 28, will be the most important factor in the next five years of how students can access public transportation. As it currently factors into tuition for students taking six or more credits, the Alternative Transportation Fee rests at a reasonable $26.25 per quarter. If the vote doesn’t pass, however, the quarterly bus pass will calculate out to $40, which stu-
dents would have to pay out of pocket for. This has worked out in the past because Western can buy these student passes in bulk for much cheaper than individuals have to. While the new WTA routes have a shifted emphasis to commuters who don’t need to get to Western, the public bus system in Bellingham still heavily relies on Western students, therefore the relationship between the two has remained fairly symbiotic. Beyond transportation to and from campus, WTA routes have expanded over the last few years to include access to Western’s Lakewood location along Lake Whatcom, the Fred Meyers shopping area, the Amtrak and Greyhound station, the Bellingham Airport, and even Mt. Vernon (the last of which is not even included in regular bus passes through WTA). What becomes more important about this transportation vote, however, is that if not enough students find out about the importance of their say in the matter, our reduced alternative transportation fees could significantly ramp up this coming 2017-18 school year. The fee will be on the upcoming ballot along with all other student positions and elections, so be sure to visit http://wwu.edu/vote once the polls open next week to make your voice heard throughout the community.
04.24. 2017 • 11
Local bands battle for a slot at Lawnstock The audience picks the winner! Who would you choose?
BY JOSH HUGHES 2017 marks the third consecutive year of the Underground Coffeehouse’s battle of the bands-style competition, Sounds of The Underground. Partnering with AS Productions and the Make.Shift, the UGCH sends out a call for submissions each year in early March for bands and artists to submit their music for consideration. Once the candidates are finally picked, they compete in a bracket-style tournament of performances where the audience gets to vote on the winner. It provides an excellent entry point into the various local scenes of music around Western, and the winner of the overall competition gets an opening slot for the headliners at Lawnstock. Those bands that were picked from the submissions, announced back in the start of April, performed in groups of three these last two weeks at the Underground, leading up to what will be the culminating performance on May 12 in the MPR for the overall winner to be decided. These preliminary rounds, then, gave bands a chance to show off their musicianship and breadth of talent. In brisk thirty to forty-five minute sets, the bands all gave their best performances in hopes of making it to the next round. The winners from the first three preliminary rounds: Breakside, Sweaty Already and The Dawn Bombs, have already secured spots as being in the final show for the Sounds of The Underground, though all of the other bands that competed still have a chance to make it back in for the end of the bracket. Look out for a Wildcard Poll by AS Productions in the next few weeks for an opportunity to vote for one of the other bands that you loved that didn’t win their respective part of the bracket. Breakside, Virgo Virgo, Mike Hindert and the Wolf, The Dawn Bombs, Girlo and Chef, Fluencie, Sweaty Already, Good Sleep, Drftrs, Step Dads, Maddy Smith and We Won’t Leave make up the entirety of bands in the competition, all of which have provided access to their music through the UGCH Facebook page, which students are welcome to check out. If you haven’t already, go online and listen to the various bands’ music, and be on the lookout these next few weeks for more information about the culminating performance in the VU MPR on May 12.
ABOVE: Drftrs performs at Sounds of the Underground on April 19. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
ABOVE: Sweaty Already performs at Sounds of the Underground on April 19. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
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People’s Climate March pushes for ‘climate, jobs, and justice’
BY JULIA BERKMAN
Grab your compostable cardboard signs and strap on your Tevas; it’s time for the People’s Climate March on April 29! The event will begin at Maritime Park at 11 a.m. According to the Facebook event, the March is being organized by Community2Community, Bellingham NoDAPL Coalition, Bellingham Racial Justice Coalition and 350Bellingham. There will also be an art build on April 23 and 27 in order to create signs, banners and posters to brandish at the event. The People’s Climate March is a march for “climate, jobs and justice” that is being hosted across the country. The March takes place on President Trump’s 100th day in office, and is, in part, a reaction to the threat to undermine progress made to combat climate change. A statement on the official website describes the reasoning behind the March: “Everything we have struggled to move forward in the United States is in peril. Our loved ones feel under siege, and those in power in Washington are advancing a dark and dangerous vision of America that we know is untrue. To change everything, we need everyone.” The March first began in 2014 when the People’s Climate Movement organized a march on the eve of a UN Summit on climate change. As world leaders met, the 40,000 some-odd people outside on the New York City pavement demanded their voices be heard. This march intends to look at more than just climate change, although that is obviously the main point being addressed. It has become increasingly apparent in the past few years that climate change is connected to many other issues the world faces, such as overpopulation, exploitation of labor and colonization. Whether it be the cause or the effect, climate change will affect people worldwide. The People’s Climate March intends to be a global effort to help all people come together and realize that we are not just countries, but rather we share a whole planet. You can find out more about the March online on their website.
Photos by Janna Bodnar // AS Review