VOL. 33 #8
11.13.2017
Disability justice advocates ejected from talk on disability advocacy Pgs. 6 -7
VOL. 30 #
“By students, for students� #.#.#
2 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
South Asian Student Association members preform at the Diwali Ball, Tuesday, Nov. 9. See pg. 8. Hailey Hoffman // 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
5 Typhoon memorial Students mark fourth anniversy of Typhoon Haiyan
6 Naomi Grossman talk
Speaker draws protests, controversy
8 Prof-ile Check out who we interviewed this week!
9 Spoilers
A column by Hailey Murphy
11 Underground Coffee House preview
Don’t miss these bands!
12 Spiderman Trivia
How much do you know about your friendy neighborhood character
We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to as.review@wwu.edu. We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student. Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.
Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Erasmus Baxter Kira Stussy Hailey Hoffman Josh Hughes Gwen Frost Julia Berkman Hailey Murphy
Adviser Jeff Bates
Veteran’s Day Ceremony held in the Viking Union MPR on Thursday, November 9. Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
11.13. 2017 • 3
EVENTS Black Minds Matter Nov. 13 // 4:30-6 p.m. // FR 101 // Free This series is hosted by the WWU AS Social Issues Resource Center. This is a livestream lectures that includes different speakers covering topics related to black men and boys in the education system.
Geology Film Night Nov. 13 // 7-9 p.m. // Underground Coffeeehouse // Free Enjoy this movie night dedicated to geology topics. This event is sure to rock.
Intro to Backcountry Cooking Nov. 14 // 4-6 p.m. // VU 150 // Free If you like food and the great outdoors, then this clinic is for you. You’ll learn how to use a wisper lite to make all sorts of yummy foods in the backcountry.
AS Films: Spider-Man Homecoming Nov. 14 // 7-9:30 p.m. // AH 100 // Free Everyone’s favorite web-slinging hero is coming to Arntzen 100 this Tuesday! Don’t miss out on seeing Tom Holland star as the iconic hero clad in red tights and always ready with a snappy comeback. With great power, comes great responsibilty (oh wait...that was Toby Maguire).
Wednesday Night Concert Series: Iffy Comma and Pop Secret Nov. 15 // 7-9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free This week’s Wednesday Night Concert Series will feature Iffy Comma and Pop Secret. This will be the last concert in this quarter’s series.
Top Ten Records: Oct. 29 - Nov. 4 1
Across the Multiverse Dent May
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Antisocialites Alvvays
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First Landing Moon Boots
This is a suicide awareness event that will consist of various speakers, a candlelight walk and tabling from resources. The purpose of this event is provide information to those who need it and
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Masseduction St. Vincent
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Wide Open Weaves
breakk down suicide stigmas.
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Dumbness Cherry
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Going Grey The Front Bottoms
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Orc Oh Sees
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Paradise Knox Fortune
Seventh Annual Walk of Hope Nov. 16 // 7-9 p.m. // VU MPR // Free
SUCK Presents: Comedy Open Mic Night Nov. 16 // 7-9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free If you like to laugh or if you like to make others laugh, then participate in open mic night.
Chastity Belt, Jay Som and 10 the Wednesdays Nov. 17 // 6-11 p.m. // VU MPR // $13 These local bands are coming to Western!
Sleep Well Beast The National 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.
4 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Germination – a fine arts show BY JOSH HUGHES Every year the twelve Bachelor of Fine Arts students get a few opportunities to showcase their work at the galleries around campus, culminating in a show at the Western Gallery. But before they can get to that point, the artists get a first chance to display their work that will continue and develop throughout the year. Often centered around themes of emergence, growth, development, this year’s aptly named Germination follows suit. While the exhibition has now ended, the show let gave the audience an introduction into each of the twelve artists’ distinct work and styles, which are sure to expand as the year goes on. In case you missed the exhibit, however, here’s a rundown of half of the students who make up the BFA, along with their work (next week’s issue will feature a spotlight on the other six artists):
rope under a piece of driftwood, recalling Sheila Klein’s hanging textile currently in the Western Gallery. Dangling almost like jewelry, the woven artwork evokes a perpetual sense of fragility.
of the same images that slightly differ in their layering. The center of the triptych appears the most layered and spastic, bringing to mind the insatiable closure of two people meeting and parting for the last time.
Anastasia DeVol: Katie Howard DeVol’s triptych for the gallery, “It’s Only in the Howard’s “Skin” is an examination of the imperAutumn … That I Can Take Breaths … That Make Me Want fections of body through close up paintings that obscure to Take More Breaths” displays in three succinct images the specificity. The piece, which is comprised of sixteen different universality of human experiences and the spectrum of famil- mini canvasses that fit together as a square, abstracts the skin ial and historical relationships. A layering of copper intaglio of the human body to boil it down to its most necessary and prints, the three images portray a similar event that DeVol’s unique components. Belly buttons, birthmarks, stretch marks family has experienced time and time again: campside conand veins appear in otherwise nondescript fields of skin. versation in the glow of Autumn “I want the viewer to realize their relaleaves. tionship with their own imperfections upon Corinne Barber: Her inspiration lies in phoseeing my work,” reads Howard’s artist statement, Barber’s piece in the exhibit, “Between tography, taking and appropriating speaking to ideas about what perceived body the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”, is a mixed three nearly identical photos of her imperfections are and trying to invert them. The media work that combines collage and oil paint mother and grandmother, herself, uniqueness of human body plays the central role to explore the relationship between rather and her cousins and brother to in Howard’s work, and her vignettes of close up disparate objects. Divided into four implied showcase a familial lineage. The skin allow the viewer to hold up a mirror to their rectangles, her work contemplates ideas of resulting images give off an immeown image and physical attributes. Howard says disintegration and vulnerability. diate feeling of warmth that speak that she intends to explore body interactions “The upper layers of skin have dried to the culminating effect of similar throughout the rest of her BFA. and flaked into the air and all that I am is pink, events. “Skin” by Katie tender, raw,” reads a quote from Anthony “In layering these images in Abigail Kuchar “Pygmy” by Isis BeckHoward. Marra, a fiction writer, that Barber selected to a palette evocative of the CMYK Fresh off of her own exhibit at the B with. Josh Hughes // Josh Hughes // accompany the piece. Pink certainly dominates color mode I am referencing the Gallery on campus, Kuchar explores ideas about AS Review the image, beyond the black and white segfact that these past events all come AS Review organic repetition and the complex interactions ments, complete with a human brain inhabiting together to create a full spectrum and networks of extremely small spaces. After the bottom right of the image. Faces in the upper right are for the life and experiences of me and my family,” having interned as an artist at the Shannon Point covered by barren houses, bringing to mind either ideas about says DeVol of her work. Marine Center, her work deals with formations of barnacles, exposed emptiness or the guarded nature of self-identity. anemones, pollen, lichen, bubbles. Austin Herman “Rather than painting a vast open landscape, I’d Isis Beckwith: Herman’s “Untitled” and “No Need For You To much rather highlight the beauty of the dark dampness under “As an artist, my interest in realism has led to an Come With Me” present, in the form of copper etchings, the a leaf, or the negative space between the alien-like forms of exploration of painting, photography, fiber art and mixed unsatisfying nostalgia of final interactions. He addresses the lichen,” reads her artist statement within the gallery. Her piece media,” opens Beckwith’s artist statement in the gallery. Her idea that (usually) it’s impossible to know the last interaction in the exhibit, “Horror Vacui”, comes from the Latin word that two works, “Pygmy”, a painting, and “Untitled”, a cloth textile, any given person will have with another person, and his two means “fear of empty spaces”, and this shows in her intricate certainly express this versatility— especially since they exist works in Germination take this idea and make a physical painting of clustered barnacles, bubbles maybe. The formaalongside each other. sensation out of it in the form of layered printing. tions of the lifeforms she prefers painting ultimately create “Pygmy” is a sparing acrylic painting that centers “This work allowed me to give that influence away similar patterns, giving off a sense of vague familiarity—spaces on a pygmy owl resting on top a prickly pear cactus. The to an artifact that takes form through texture and symbolic that don’t leave any negative space. Kuchar intends this to background shows a full moon against the pitch black sky. imagery etched into copper,” says Herman, giving meaning to symbolize broader issues of ecological change and fear of Layered atop the whole painting is a thin-lined geometric the erratic, delicately off-kilter nature of his work. The images abandoned ecosystems. This microcosm for a fear of emptidesign, lifting the piece beyond imaginable reality. A quietly themselves appear to exist in a disillusioned state where huness extends to humans, specifically those in danger of leaving introspective scene, the owl stares slightly beyond the viewer, manesque figures stand in the abyss amidst strange geometry. their homes and communities due to climate change. and the elegantly curved cactus wraps just over the bird’s head. “No Need For You To Come With Me” especially achieves an “Untitled”, on the other spectrum, lays woven cotton effect of sensational incompleteness through a series of three
11.13. 2017 • 5
Students mark typhoon’s anniversary On the fourth anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, the Filipino American Student Association held a vigil in remembrance of the those who lost their life. Known as Yolanda in the Philippines,Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest storms in recorded history, as well as the strongest cyclone to ever hit the Philippines. The storm killed 6,300 people, displaced over 1 million households and caused damage that’s still visible today. There are still 1,000 people who are not accounted for. FASA sought to not only remember those who lost their life, but also to provide relief for those who are still recovering from the storm today. Association representative, and AS VP for Academic Affairs Hunter Eider gave a presentation detailing those affected by the storm, as well as the inability to rehabilitate the country. Typhoon Haiyan started forming on November 2, 2013 in Micronesia, 15 miles east of the Philippines. The storm made landfall on November 8 in the Eastern Visayas region. It had just reached its peak intensity. The storm moved through the path of 14.1 million people living in Samar and Leyte. Many of these people were living below the poverty line in unstable structures. After the storm had passed, it was time to rebuild. In the month after the storm, $662.9 million were raised for the relief effort. However, only $14.3 million of those funds are accounted for. There’s no indication of where the rest of the funds have gone. Additionally, the Philippine government promised to build 250,000 new houses for those who affected. By 2016, three years later, only 25,000 had been built.
BY HAILEY MURPHY
“Why is this money not being really special.” used?” Eider asked the crowd. Then, all together, FASA sang Hawak FASA then discussed ways in Kamay by Filipina singer Yeng Constanwhich they can provide relief for tino. The title means “holding hands.” those who are still recovering. They It represented the solidarity between discussed donating through grassthe students and the victims back in the roots organizations such as the Philippines. Students sang to show their Kabataan Alliance, a national alliance support of those who are suffering from of Filipino youth. They also contemthe typhoon. plated putting together Balikbayan After the song, students paid their Boxes filled with supplies, or reaching respects with two minutes of silence. out to the Bellingham community for To close out the vigil, FASA sang Lean donations. on Me. It’s message was the same as the Then FASA went outside to begin last: despite the miles between them, their vigil. First, Vice President FASA is standing in solidarity with the Hannah Pascual lit her candle. Then victims of Typhoon Haiyan. she passed the flame on to the rest of While FASA couldn’t take concrete the group. action tonight, the very act of educating “I felt very solemn,” Pascual said. people is an act of resistance against “[And] very reflective of just how those withholding relief from the lucky my family is and how lucky I typhoon victims. The next step will be to am to be here. Because my family employ the strategies discussed. A student holds a candal at the vigil. wasn’t as impacted as other people Throughout the night, Eider continued Hailey Hoffman// AS Review I know, whose families were lost or to reiterate the quote: No rest for the weawhose families are still struggling as of ry so we keep on marching. now. So very grateful, very solemn, very reflective.” “It’s important to remember that people who are affected Eider agreed. by these national disasters, even though no one necessarily “When we were lighting the candles it felt like a real show caused them and they just happen at random,” said Eider. of unity and solidarity,” said Eider. “[I saw] the fact that they “These people are neglected, and these people are neglected showed up for the vigil as an act of remembering the lives, for a reason... It’s important to do these folks justice for those even though we don’t have names for all them. It made me feel who have passed and those lives that are still struggling on.”
Keep SAD at BAY this winter It’s winter here at Western! Well, not actually. Winter is still over a month away. But considering the early snow, and the fact that it’s dark by 5 p.m., it might as well be. And while we all know that winter brings cold weather and the holiday season, many don’t realize that the winter can also be affecting your mental health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of depression in which depressive thoughts occur only at certain times of the year. It’s particularly common in the winter months– and in the rainy Pacific Northwest– when there’s limited sunlight. “Our brains really need light to function how they’re supposed to, and so when we shift into these periods when we have very few hours of daylight, that’s really what starts to affect people’s moods,” said KaSandra Church, Suicide Prevention Coordinator with the Counseling Center. The symptoms are similar to those of clinical depression, though usually more mild. They include loss of energy, anxiety, feelings of emptiness or hopelessness, social withdrawal, unhappiness, difficulty concentrating, oversleeping, irritability and over eating. There’s a milder form of the disorder as well, known as the Winter Blues. According to Dr. Kathleen B. Speicher, 10-20 percent of people may experience the Winter Blues, while only 4-6 percent actually experience SAD. So what is it about the darkness that changes our moods? For one, the winter has a tendency to throw off our circadian rhythms. Our bodies naturally
BY HAILEY MURPHY
want to fall asleep when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light. However, during the winter, there aren’t as many daylight hours. “The circadian rhythm gets kind of out-of-whack cause our days are really short and our body wants to go to sleep as soon as the sunlight goes down,” said Church. Additionally, light affects the production of certain hormones. The production of melatonin, a hormone that help puts you to sleep, increases in the dark. Therefore, we tend to want to sleep when it’s dark outside. Serotonin, a hormone that boosts mood, is produced more when people are exposed to sunlight. Without the sunlight, there’s less serotonin production and our moods are lower. So if you experience gloomy feelings in the winter, it’s actually due to your body’s physiological processes. There’s a physical change in your body causing you to feel this way. In fact, anyone can be affected by SAD. Even people with excellent mental health throughout the rest of the year experience this. With the onset being between the ages of 18 and 30, the disorder also may be presenting itself for the first time. Now, if you’re someone who’s having difficulty as the days get darker, the question is, what can you do to feel better? The most common recommendation is a light therapy lamp. These lamps contain bright fluorescent bulbs that mimic sunlight. Simply sitting in front of the light for 10-30 minutes each day can give you a dose of serotonin and improve your mood. See pg. 8
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11.13. 2017 • 7
Disability justice advocates kicked out of talk on disability advocacy CW: Ableism and sexual assault joke Western students and community members were outraged following what was seen as an insensitive event hosted by AS Productions. Police were called to actor Naomi Grossman’s talk on disability in the media, Wednesday, November 8, after disability justice advocates took the floor to protest an able-bodied actor speaking on disability advocacy. Lulu, a disabled person who is part of the Bellingham Deaf and Disability Justice Collective, interrupted the beginning of the talk alongside a supporter bearing a banner reading Nothing About Us Without Us. “The speaker who was chosen is not an appropriate candidate to be speaking on the topic. She is not an academic in the field of disability studies, but more importantly, she is not disabled,” Lulu, who only gave their first name, said in a later statement. “She is
merely an actress who has ‘cripped up’ as a disabled character for a role. To insinuate that this gives her the authority and understanding to be speaking on this subject makes a mockery of disabled experience.” Lulu also criticised the fact that Grossman was profiting off the event and signing autographs, claiming it was “a slap in the face.” In a later interview, Grossman defended the talk and challenged disabled and non-disabled advocates alike to find a bigger ally than her. “From an educational institution, you would expect there to be a conversation that isn’t just one sided, but rather back-and-forth, both listening and responding,” she said. “This was disappointing, especially when [the protesters] were so obviously uneducated. Had they done their research, had they actually watched the show, listened to me speak, it would have been very different.” The day before the event, the AS Disability Outreach Center and Womxn’s Issue Resource Center pulled their co-sponsorship after discovering that Grossman, who plays Pepper on the TV show American Horror Story, does not have a disability. This information came after weeks of being told that Grossman did, indeed, have a disability, WIRC Coordinator
Lulu (right), a disabled advocate, takes the floor at the Naomi Grossman talk. Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
Katie Wallace said in a Facebook post. AS Productions Special Events Coordinator Courtney Manz, who organized the event, attributed the misunderstanding to busyness. “We [ASP] knew she was able bodied the entirety of the event planning... [The WIRC and DOC] didn't know because they did not research the event,” she said in a text message. “I did send them all of the emails I received about the event, including the summary of the event and all about Naomi. I think they were really busy, and I totally understand that.” Manz said she personally wanted to cancel the event, but due to Grossman’s contract, was unable to. Before the event, she personally apologized to the crowd for “doing the wrong thing” and to anyone who has hurt or upset. AS Productions also released a statement on Facebook, Tuesday. “We acknowledge that someone who is able-bodied does not know the experiences of someone with disabilities and, therefore, is not accurately able to describe those experiences,” the ASP said in a Facebook post, signed by the ASP Director. “We booked her as we believe this lecture can bring up much needed discussions about stereotypes, discrimination, advocacy and support.” After the protesters left, Grossman began
Grossman (right) looks at Lulu (left). Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
the talk on the subject of humanizing people with disabilities. Over the course of the talk, Grossman made controversial remarks about her disabled co-stars, as well as making a joke about the word rape. Rain King, sociology major, stand-up comedian and physically disabled person who uses forearm crutches, arrived late to the talk, but was less than impressed. “[Grossman] basically said that there’s an honor to the disabled, that they’re inherently inspiring, the supercrip model, et cetera, even though they're horrifying to look at, they have a golden heart, and that’s really fucked up,” they said. “It removes the person behind it and uses their visual story as a background. That should not be- why are we paying for this to be presented to us?” King said they supported the protesters. “The school has repeatedly tried to sideline disabled individuals and not let them speak and not hear them out,” they said. “So I feel like we demand to be heard, and I really commend [the protestors]. Whenever I walk into a room I know people are staring at me, I know people will take notice of me.” Lulu agreed with King. “The statements that were made by [Grossman] after we were removed were more horrifying than I could have expected and just reinforce my initial critiques of her ‘advocacy’,” Lulu said. Other students shared their reactions to Grossman’s talk online and the next day in a large banner hanging from the seventh floor Viking Union balcony. Emmaline Bigongiari, an activist and Western student, unfurled the banner on Thursday reading: Disability is not a costume. AS Productions, listen to disabled folks! “The apathy displayed by students who attended the event last night was really appalling, and those of us who are able-bodied need to do a lot better to listen to disabled folks and respect their ideas and needs,” Bigongiari said in a statement. AS President Simrun Chhabra agreed with Bigongiari and said that the board would be drafting a letter to send Grossman, as well as a resolution about future events to ensure that, whenever possible, they won’t be co-opted by allies. Two hours before the event began, ASP decided to move the talk from Arntzen 100
to Miller Hall 152. The event had an RSVP turnout of 30, far less than what the original lecture hall was capable of holding. In actuality, the event drew a crowd of around 40. Many students were there for a class requirement. When Lulu took the stage they asked for Grossman to replace her presentation with podcasts and online talks from actual people with disabilities. Grossman, members of the audience and student security guards replied that the space was reserved. They recommended that Lulu go elsewhere. Lulu refused and continued to sit up front while Grossman attempted to speak. Each time she began a new sentence or answered an audience question, Lulu would interject with comments like “How much are you getting paid for this?” and “Y’all will show up for fake disability but not for disabled people.” Grossman objected to the questions. “I think [asking how much I was paid] was so gross. The fact is, I don’t ask people what they make for a living and for the same reason, it’s rude to ask me the same. It’s none of your business,” Grossman said in a later interview. In response to being criticized for taking away roles from disabled actors, Grossman invoked the “I have disabled friends” clause and addressed the concern in a later interview. “If only disabled people are allowed to talk about or play disabled people, then I don’t know... I mean, that’s crazy!” she said. “Are straight males not allowed to write female protagonists? Are homosexuals not allowed to play straight? We as a society are starting to alienate our own allies, and the fact is, I am one.” In their statement, Lulu cited a study that found, of characters with disabilities on top TV shows, less than two percent of the actors had disabilities, and pointed out that disabled actors are almost completely excluded from roles that aren’t explicitly written as being disabled. “When non-disabled actors take these roles they are often heavily celebrated performances, resulting in awards and huge professional success,” they said. “Every time an able-bodied actor like Naomi plays a disabled character it makes it harder for disabled actors to work.”
BY JULIA BERKMAN
The protest was met with mixed reactions. Some people lamented the delay, many because they had to attend this event for a class and needed to write about it. Some people wanted to hear Grossman speak. Others were interested in what the Lulu had to say. “We need more disabled writers, producers, academics and advocates. And we can do that by not allowing them to be spoken over by non-disabled people,” Lulu said in their statement. In a later interview, Grossman addressed concerns about whether allies are speaking out- or speaking over- marginalized voices. “Why should one’s voice be any more important than the other? What are [disability advocates] after, ultimately?” she asked. “If we're asking for equal rights, we should expect equal say, not preferential treatment. For that reason, no, I shouldn’t be any less [featured] than some disabled actor. I mean, I’m close friends with disabled and able-bodied actors on the show alike.” Lulu was not to be deterred. “I’m upset that you think it is okay to be [speaking on disability] when you’re not disabled,” they said. “[This subject] could be said better by someone else who has actually lived this experience... A marginalized person can speak better to their experience than anyone else.” As the scene grew increasingly hostile, Grossman tried to regain control of the conversation by appealing to fans in the room. “Evan Peters- he’s super cute, he’s really nice, he’s not dating Emma Roberts. Jessica Lange? Super cool. Am I coming back for another season? Who knows!” Grossman said in a shaky voice. Eventually, the cops showed up. Lulu, the sign-holder, and 10 other people walked out of their own volition and left without citations after speaking with University Police. Josie Butler, who walked out along with the disability advocates, stood up and implored attendees to sign up for DOC events. “Y’all need to show up for real people with disabilities,” Butler said. “Are you disabled?” Grossman asked them. “No,” Butler replied. The crowd laughed. Thus began Grossman’s talk, almost 40 minutes later than scheduled. Audience
See pg. 10
Protesters left after University Police arrived. Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
Students dropped a banner, Thursday, Nov. 9, in the Viking Union in protest of Grossman being invited to speak on campus. Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
Disability media recommended by the protesters Vilissa Thompson of RampYourVoice and the creator of #disabilitytoowhite. Alice Wong creator of the disability visibility project and Podcast. Dominick Evans, a filmmaker and creator of the podcast DISrupt the Media Annie Elainey, a disabled creator and vlogger who has also addressed issues of representation of disability in the media
8 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
A weekly prof-ile Name: Garth Amundson Position: Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts - Photography Education background: Country Western University in Ellensburg, Washington. Graduate work at Syracuse University in upstate New York. Hometown: Sunnyside, Washington, and I grew up in Bend, Oregon, and then moved to Yakima much later. I have not lived in Yakima since high school, and got out as much and as quickly as possible. Not exactly a gay-friendly location. So, me and my gay friends escaped to New York, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, wherever. Classes you are teaching this quarter: Intro Black and White Photography, and I contribute to the foundations program by teaching Drawing 110 occasionally. It’s been a lot of fun to teach the drawing class this quarter, and the students are very dynamic and engaging. Claim to fame: I collaborate with my partner Pierre Gour, and it was the residency we had through the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in the middle of Lake Como, Italy in 2014. The residency was dedicated to themes surrounding immigration politics and borders. We were there with scholars, thinkers, artists, writers and politicians from around the world. Our neighbor and breakfast partner nearly every morning was Bruce Babbit, former secretary of the interior. We also met Dinh Q. Lê, an international artist who we brought to Western in 2016. In fact, former fellows have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and countless other international scholars. Yes, we were both very honored to have been selected for the residency. During our residency, we continued our research regarding same-sex binational couples. Until the defense of marriage act was overturned in 2013, same-sex binational couples were not recognized by the U.S. our research included interviewing same-sex couples who had lived apart or set up “fake households” with opposite-sex partners in order to stay in the country. This was a common practice for countless same-sex binational couples. While we were at Bellagio, we set up skype dates and conducted interviews. We continue gathering data and interviewing.
BY GWEN FROST Questions:
What did you want to be when you grew up (as a kid)? I was really into architecture. Forest ranger or architect. I did neither, obviously; I was surrounded by biologists and artists. What would you sing at a karaoke night? “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive. I met Pierre in 1986, during a six-month residency at the Banff Centre, in the Canadian rockies. I had a scholarship from the Dupont Foundation. We produced collaborative work during the residency, we went cross country skiing on the weekends. As part of the residency, we also went to D.C., Philadelphia and New York City—based on that experience (in N.Y.), we have designed a course here at Western, entitled Metro Art Access: NYC. It’s been running for four years, and we look forward to an exciting 2018 course. For more information: https://metroartaccess.wordpress.com/welcome/ What are you reading right now/ most recently? Yesterday morning I was reading Toni Morrison’s new little book entitled The Origin of Others. Aside from necessities, what are three things you could not go a day without? I’m so pedestrian. Coffee, coffee and coffee. That’s so Northwest. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love? I think moving to Canada in the middle of the night, to Vancouver. Pierre was there and I was in Seattle, so I quit my job and moved to Canada. I left a really great job, and left with no prospect of another job. Luckily it worked out, but I wouldn’t recommend it. We’ve been together for 32 years… If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join? Why? Like a jazz band. I love Miles Davis, or Harry James, like a big band. That’d be really fun, or some techno thing… the Norwegian one, I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s in our car. Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Both. Constantly. Are you kidding? We’ve just survived one year of this crazy election, you don’t think life imitates every bad HBO series? I think Netflix is writing the script for DC. The parallel… don’t you think? As in our collaborative practice, we use our own lived experience as a point of departure for our work. Both Pierre and I insist on the idea that art can reflect and motivate social change.
Diwali - Celebration of light BY JULIA BERKMAN South Asian Students Association members and their friends gathered in the MPR for a night of light and fun celebrating Diwali! The Diwali Ball, organized by SASA, featured dance performances, free Indian food, and a DJ who spun techno-indo fusion beats. The event celebrated and shared Hindu culture with all Western students. A dance circle formed in the center of the room where AS VP for Academic Affairs Hunter Eider pulled some sick moves to loud cheers. Ashley Lockett, a journalism and psychology major, attended the event at the insistence of her friends who were performing with African Caribbean Club. “I think it’s the most important thing to get to know other people’s culture and people to get to your own. That’s why I try to involve myself in different clubs on campus,” Lockett said. “Mingling and connecting with people-that’s to integral to building your character.” Also in attendance was Senior Serina Edwards-Pius, a four-year member of SASA. “[SASA] was kind of my home when I came to Western. I’ve grown with it and I always come home to it.
See pg. 9
SAD Cont. Otherwise, self-care is the best way to improve the winter blues (or the blues in general). Exercise will improve mood and fight the urge to stay on the couch. Eating a healthy diet, particularly with focus on complex carbohydrates, will give you more energy. Making plans with friends will get you necessary social interaction, give you something to look forward to and potentially get you out of the house. Taking Vitamin D, which is produced when our skin is exposed to sunlight, may raise your spirits. Even just a short walk outside can give you a helpful dose of natural light and exercise. “Finding cheap alternative self-care strategies is huge,” said Ian Vincent, Men’s Resiliency Specialist with the Counseling Center. “I always try to encourage more group interaction stuff for self-care activities. I think winter is a time where a lot more people unintentionally isolate themselves just because it’s so dark and gloomy, but finding creative ways to still interact with people is really important.” Western also offers services to those suffering from SAD. Every January, the Counseling Center holds Beat the Blues to raise awareness and provide support for students. The event offers screening and professional clinicians to evaluate student mental health. After the evaluation, there are number of therapeutic outlets for students, including massage therapy, support animals, time with a light therapy lamp and creative projects. They also have a number of clubs attend the event to encourage social interaction. Beat the Blues will be on Wednesday, January 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in VU 565. Additionally, the Counseling Center is available free of charge for students seeking short-term counseling or group therapy. Students can call and set up an appointment at any time. So whether it’s just a case of winter blues, SAD or something more long-term, there are resources available to get your mental health on the right track. Just know that your feelings are legitimate, and that people want to help. “We try to break [mental health] stigma as early and as often as we can,” said Vincent.
11.13. 2017 • 9
Spoilers!
BY HAILEY MURPHY
It’s happened to all of us before: you’re innocently scrolling away on your phone, looking at memes and updating yourself on Kardashian news, when bam. That show you just started watching on Neflix? Someone’s taken the liberty of tweeting that your favorite character dies in season 3. They didn’t offer any warning. They didn’t consider the feelings of their followers. They just had to post a little “R.I.P” and now your experience of watching that show is changed forever. Chances are, you have a few stories just like this. Sophomore Ian Sloan found out about the death of Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens the morning after the movie was released. Meer hours after the first viewings of the film, someone posted on Facebook and ruined the movie for Sloan. Freshman Alexia Lachapelle, an avid watcher of So You Think You Can Dance, couldn’t keep up with the episodes last season. She ended up paying the price. “I was super far behind but trying to binge watch it and catch up.. I ended up seeing who won the show while on Facebook and it made me less interested in watching it,” Lachapelle said. A rather relatable example comes from Freshman Kiersten Clark, a Game of Thrones fan. As one of the most popular shows on television, GoT is a popular discussion topic on social media platforms. This comes to the hinderance of those who haven’t kept up with episodes as they’re released. “One day, I was scrolling through Instagram... when a meme of the season finale came up. Now I don’t even feel the need to watch the last two episodes because all the events that went down were spoiled for me in one single post,” said Clark. Social media is a huge platform on which people discuss nearly every aspect of life. So it comes as no surprise that people post about shocking moments in television or movies. They’re seeking to share their experience of shock with those around them. However, when you decide to post about that moment, you’re telling a wide range of people (all of your followers, anyone who views the hashtags you used, the followers of anyone who retweets you, etc.) vital information. Whether it prevents someone from ever watching the show, prevents someone from experiencing the shock factor, or prevents someone from fully enjoying their viewing experience, posting spoilers on the Internet is an injustice to those who aren’t on the same page as you.
Diwali Cont.
“I think, me being not Hindu or celebrating Diwali, I love to learn about different cultures. I always want to keep learning and growing in that way. I think it’s really
I’ll admit that I too have posted spoilers on the Internet. I couldn’t resist expressing my feels to anyone who would listen. But in the process, I spoiled The Vampire Diaries for someone right in the middle of binging. I’m happy to say that I’ve learned my lesson, but spoiler danger is very real. It’s particularly prevalent when it comes to Netflix originals, such as Orange is the New Black, 13 Reasons Why (which I refuse to watch because of it’s triggering nature) and Stranger Things. Not only are these shows enormously popular, but they’re also shows highly wrapped up in binge-culture. Netflix releases entire seasons at a time, so it’s easy for consumers to watch them for hours on end. Additionally, these episodes have exhilarating endings. You can’t help but let the next episode autoplay. What’s interesting about binge culture is that it creates a loop in the consumption of television media: A good show comes out, so people watch it as quickly as they can. By the time the next season comes out (a whole year later), there’s an immense fan base waiting. Some fans will binge the whole thing right away. Some won’t– but because of their feed, they probably will have something spoiled, and wish that they did. Those who have experienced this or don’t want to experience this will binge it just to avoid reading a spoiler. After all, no one can spoil it if you watch it as soon as possible. Not only does binge culture with social media perpetuate further binging, but social media is a huge determiner in what’s binge-worthy and what’s not. Think about it: How many shows have you watched just because you saw it mentioned online? Communications faculty and current media studies professor Amber Randall said, “[The connection] is huge. It’s that belongingness we want to feel. It’s the fear of missing out. I really only watch things based off what my friends have said.” Of course, there are still people who are simply too busy to binge, even if they want to. Which is why I’ve been rapidly scrolling past all Stranger Things-related content, for fear of the dreaded spoiler. So next time you want to post about the newest Netflix hit, consider those who haven’t seen it yet. Even if some people don’t mind spoilers, it inherently changes the experience of watching the show. “Part of the fun of seeing a new movie is not knowing what’s going to happen. If you already know the big character death, there’s no suspense,” said Sloan. important that other people learn too. It’s a really cool experience and I think you can gain a lot of insight and look at things differently.”
Love and sex: a column BY GWEN FROST Dear love column, So I have an STD… I went to the Health Center and was diagnosed with Herpes (genital), and now I feel really conflicted about how to engage with my sexuality. Should I tell every new person I hook up with about this? Even if I don’t have sores, I’m scared people will think it’s disgusting and gross… how should I go about this? My doctor said I didn’t need to contact ex-partners but I feel like they should know… what do I do? -Help Dear Help, According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of six people in the United States aged 14 to 49 has genital herpes originating from the HSV-2 virus (this statistic of genital herpes would be even higher if it took into account genital herpes contracted through oral sex and the HSV-1 virus). Further, 50 to 80 percent of U.S. adults have oral herpes, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Library, which is called HSV-1. The initial outbreak of genital herpes is typically the worst one that individuals have- so if you’ve already had an outbreak, the good news is that it probably will not be that bad again. I want you to know that this is a very common disease, and it doesn’t say anything about you other than you just happen to be the one of six people with genital herpes. If you’re thinking about engaging in sex, and are symptomatic, you absolutely need to inform your partner, because the likelihood of giving your partner herpes is particularly high during this time (The Herpes Resource Center.) Wearing a condom lowers your likelihood of contracting herpes, but it does not extinguish it, according to the CDC. Even if a person with HSV2 isn’t showing symptoms, the virus still sheds 10 percent of the time from male to female, even when asymptomatic, according to the Journal of American Medical Association in 2011. For female to male transmission, the likelihood in these circumstances is 4 percent. Having genital herpes can be extremely dangerous if you are having sex with someone who has the HIV virus, because it dramatically increases your chances of contracting HIV. Additionally, having a genital herpes outbreak during delivery and the third trimester could potentially (rarely) result in death of the event due to neonatal herpes. Many people engage in sex with herpes and manage to not infect others with usage of medicine, avoidance during outbreaks, and condoms. This reality is so freaking common for people, but the stigma probably has left you feeling a little isolated. Infections spread when people don’t want to say that have them. Personally, I think you should give people the option that maybe you weren’t given, if it’s safe to do so. To be able to weigh the balance of risking a small chance of contracting the HSV-2 virus with the option of sexual intimacy. I know this sounds hard, and it might be easier to just not do it and hope for the best, but sex always has risks, and every participant has a right to know just what those risks are. Check out this support forum: https://herpeslife.com/
10 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Welcome Home: A Family of Our Own The 23rd annual Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) Heritage Dinner will be on Saturday, November 18 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are now on sale online and at the PAC Box Office for the dinner, which will be held in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Publicity Coordinator of FASA Jonathan Pendleton hopes that attendees feel “full, comfortable and socially re-energized.” This is one of a few bigger ESC events of the fall quarter. Pendleton called the dinner a much-needed “moment of recharge.” The event is open to the public, with a target audience being “those who are hoping to experience and learn more about the Filipino-American experience with an emphasis on Filipino family values,” said Pendleton. The personalized aspects of the dinner include “Filipino comfort food, songs dedicated to those who brought us up, traditional Filipino dance and an overall homey experience,” said Pendleton. “Hopefully, with the performances we have in place, the food we serve and the atmosphere we create will give us all a chance to connect again” Pendleton said. This is one of FASA’s most important events of the year, and the theme of the dinner is “family.” FASA desires to provide an experience “that feels familiar, comfortable, and heartwarming,” says Pendleton.
FASA dinner preview
BY GWEN FROST
Food provided will include veggie lumpia, rice, chicken adobo, veggie pancit and more! Catering will be done by Aramark. The dinner will also include multiple performances of music, speech, poetry, traditional Filipino dance and more. This event will be a night of storytelling. “When you're here, you become our kapamilya, and we hope you'd like to join us. Welcome home,” said KASA’s facebook page. One purpose of FASA is to promote awareness of the Filipino and Filipino American culture within Western and the surrounding community through education. They also strive to improve the academic and social environments of Western by coordinating activities to help the community thrive. Another purpose of FASA is to provide a forum in which they can share aspects of Filipino Culture within their club, their community and Western overall. Up to 250 tickets can be sold, and, if sold out, attendance will rank between 260 to 275 people including staff, club officers and performers. Tickets for students are available at the PAC Box Office until November 18, and general admission tickets can be found online (see link at bottom of page). General admission is $14, and students can pay $12 (WCC and NWIC ID’s are also accepted). (http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=22357)
Grossman cont. members asked if it was alright that they had filmed the protest and Grossman replied, “As long as she looks crazy and I don’t!” Grossman told the audience she had never met a person with microcephaly before taking the role. Her only exposure to the disorder she was tasked with imitating was seeing someone with microcephaly at a movie theater, as well as studying the movie “Freaks” by Tod Browning. After watching the movie “Freaks”, Grossman said she found the portrayal of the disabled characters to be exploitative and played for a shock factor. She was worried that, if Pepper were to be played by a person with microcephaly, a similar reaction would be present. Despite having never met a person with microcephaly prior to shooting her role, Grossman assured the audience that she still was an advocate on disability. “Like Jeffrey Tambour, who has become an advocate for trans rights, I think I am uniquely qualified to talk about disability,” Grossman said. “This is a real disorder, it is not funny. The last thing I would want was to be accused of making fun, or of stealing, a disabled actor’s role.” Grossman combatted claims that she was stealing an actor’s role with one reason: aliens. In episode nine of American Horror Story: Asylum, Pepper, who Grossman described as a “creepy, microcephalic creature,” is turned “normal” by aliens. Grossman argued that a person with microcephaly could not adequately go through this transformation. “I’m just an actress in Hollywood who got a break. Give me a break,” Grossman said about the casting process in a later interview. The actor also discussed meeting the cast of AHS: Freakshow for the first time. She was confused about how to best
approach co-star Mat Fraser, who has shortened arms due to phocomelia, and shake his hand. “But then I thought to myself, ‘Right, he’s a person!’ and shook his hand,” Grossman said. She also referred to her other castmate, the late Rose Siggins, as a “lovely torso on a skateboard.” According to Grossman, these jokes between her and her castmates were in good taste. They all laughed together. Once, a spelling error made by late castmate Ben Woolf had the cast switching the word “wrap” with “rape.” “It was hilarious- we were saying things like ‘What time did you rape yesterday?’ or ‘I can’t wait for the rape party!’ for weeks,” Rain King, sociology major, Grossman said. No one laughed. stand-up comedian and The presentation went on like this: physically disabled person Grossman described her work teaching who uses forearm crutches acting classes to disabled people and the watches the talk.Why are close friends she had made thanks to the we paying for this to be preopportunity to play Pepper. King, the stand-up comedian, found the sented to us?” King asked. anecdotes to be blatant inspiration porn. Hailey Hoffman // AS “What [Grossman’s students] did was Review inspiring because they didn’t feel bad about themselves, ever. Everyone faces issues, so why am I inherently inspiring to you?” they said. “I want to see disabled people that aren’t inherently good- I want to be able to have a complex role.” In the later interview, Grossman said:
“I have spoken around the world, from disabled communities in Sweden to Moscow. Literally around the world, and I’ve never encountered [this treatment] before in my life. It was shocking and really disappointing. To be encountered by my own people, who are so liberal to the point that they become conservative, it’s like... pick your battles,” Grossman said. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t get some sort of social media interaction from someone, be it a disabled person, to someone close to a someone who’s disabledyou name it- who say, ‘Thank you. Thank you for [Pepper’s] depiction.’ In Lulu’s statement, they turned and addressed Grossman directly. “Naomi, I don’t doubt that you came here with good intentions and to be an advocate for disabled people, but that fact that you thought that this was an appropriate way to do it only shows that you do not have the experience and understanding of how ableism works to be doing something like this.”
11.13. 2017 •11
KUGS top album of the week: “A Moment Apart” BY JOSH HUGHES This week’s top album at KUGS, to no surprise, is the latest record by hometown heroes Odesza, A Moment Apart. Complete with the usual aural assault of vocal splices, pounding drums and eternally uplifting chords, the album signifies Odesza’s second phase as a now bigtime EDM act. Curiously opening with a quote from Mike Cahill’s 2011 emotionally gripping sci-fi film Another Earth, “Intro” posits the album as a sonic journey through the cosmos. The quote, which retells the story of a Russian cosmonaut falling in love with the sound of an incessant clicking outside his spacecraft, inadvertently suggests that Odesza’s own music is like falling in love with an annoying, repetitive sound. Huh. I’m only half joking here— A Moment Apart achieves many of the production goals it sets out for itself and serves as quite a listenable experience chalked full of guest vocalists and instrumental interludes. Likely
named after one of Bellingham’s most populated streets, “Meridian” blends children’s vocals with lower range chanting and string segments with a level of expertise rarely seen in this genre of mild mannered electronica. Regina Spektor’s vocal turn on “Just A Memory” hauntingly centers around Odesza’s unusually spare production to culminate in a well executed ballad. However, in certain stretches of the album songs bleed into each other too indistinctly where tempos do not vary much and vocal samples start to sound eerily familiar. This being said, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight have, by all means, broken outside of their niche in the electronic scene. Now that they’re headlining stadiums and performing with renowned drumlines, Odesza have, by necessity, shifted their sound enough beyond the one-trick pony of some of their earlier work. Without falling into electronica oblivion or opting into Chainsmokers’ Kraft Mac N’ Cheese EDM, A Moment
Apart sees a band at the crux of probably the biggest moment of their career. While it has its drab moments, the album achieves much of what it sets out to do, and functions more efficiently as a compilation of singles— something perfect for KUGS. Use this record sparingly for best results. When “La Ciudad”, the thirteenth song on a sixteen track album, plays by itself, there’s a much fresher immediacy and uniqueness that dissipates when played in the tracklist. A Moment Apart is not the annoying repetition of sounds that ultimately become peaceful as much as it is a long melodic drone that eventually becomes white noise. When the cosmonaut wakes up from naps every now and then, however, he might pay attention to the sound and experience the most cathartic of feelings.
Wednesday Night Concert Series: Pop Secret and Iffy Comma BY JOSH HUGHES This Wednesday, November 15, Seattle’s Iffy Comma and Bellingham’s own Pop Secret will close out the fall quarter Wednesday Night Concert Series at the Underground Coffeehouse. After an eclectic couple of months spanning riot grrl punk to experimental jazz, the final show will bring back the ever prevalent “indie” rock so integral to pretty much every college scene. Starting at 7:00 p.m. and free to the public, expect a two hour set of sharp, elegant alternative and electronic music. Pop Secret, composed of Western students, started writing music together last year living in the dorms together. Indebted to late 2000’s psych artists like MGMT and Foxygen, Pop Secret write and perform hypnotic and danceable electronica. Made up of guitar, bass, drum machines and synths, the band fluctuates between succinct pop songs and longer, ethereal pieces. Having just performed at Western’s own Spanel Planetarium as part of their concert series, Pop Secret appropriately sounds like a spacey, alien iteration of pop music. Their only released song, “Optimism Don’t Come Easy”, revolves around the eerily delivered line “looking on the brightside, on the brightside,” as unearthly synths warp around Teel’s vocals. Elements on their own could make up bubbly pop songs, but put together they morph and mutate into something extraordinarily unique. Their live set, which includes songs transitioning seamlessly into each other, displays a promising young Bellingham band that doesn’t currently fit in any mold of the town’s various music scenes. Long ambient swells flow into sharp exercises in quirky wordplay and dissonant grooves, and there’s a perpetual reverb drifting throughout their music. Headliners for the night, Iffy Comma are Seattle trio that writes lo-fi pop rock undercut by psych influences. Made up of Jacob Roos, Benjamin Rea and Cody Cecil, the band has one EP to their name and has been playing DIY venues around Seattle for the last couple years.
Signed to Lifevest Records, Iffy Comma just put out their debut EP in June titled “The Terror”. Complete with four songs, the project is a “compilation of songs that question integrity and the ability to move forward regardless of the circumstances,” according to the band’s own Bandcamp page. The band originally never intended to release the project, but they ultimately changed their mind considering the current political and social climate, believing that the songs “encapsul(ate) the struggle of compromise and disagreement in the search for independence.” While on the surface level most of their songs do not come across as political, there’s an underlying tone of trying to make sense of a complicated, oversaturated world. The last song and title track of the project serves as the mission statement for the band, complete with an additional trumpet part that does favors for their typical rock arrangements and sends them into Antlers territory. Jangly guitar licks pave the way for lines like “with all that you can preach and the horrors that you’ll see, there could be everlasting peace”. The band finds a balance between uplifting lyricism and intense contemplation, never relying too heavily on either. This show marks the first time both bands are playing the Underground Coffeehouse, as well as the last concert at the venue for the next month. As always, music starts at 7:00 p.m. and will go until 9:00 p.m. once both artists have played their hearts out in front of latte slurping students. Big thanks to the Underground Coffeehouse and the AS for putting on the concert series this quarter— come back in January for another slew of the talented musicians of Bellingham.
12 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
My trivia sense is tingling!
Get to know your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with these trivia questions and fun facts before the showing of Spider-Man Homecoming in AH 100 Nov. 14!
Test your fan knowledge Where does Peter Parker live? Who are the two creators of Spider-Man? What is the name of the newspaper publisher who employs Peter to take pictures of Spider-Man? What comic book did Spider-Man first appear in?
Who was the original Hobgoblin? Which of Peter’s high school crushes married Harry Osborn? Who was Spider-Man’s first villain?
What is the name of the character who bullied Peter?
Fun web-crawler facts Spider-Man is the first teenage superhero to not be a sidekick of an adult hero
In the comics, Peter actually didn’t meet Mary Jane or Gwen Stacy until college
There is a hypen in “Spider-man’s” name placed there specifically by Stan Lee so as not to be confused with Superman
In one storyline, when the Human Torch died, Spider-man became a part of the Fantastic Four (called the Future Foundation at the time)
Spider-Man’s first solo title appeared on shelves in March of 1963
Spider-Man’s parents were S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
Check next week’s issue for the trivia answers.