Review
News // Events // Student Life
Vol. 28 #12 1.21.13
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A light luminates on the southwest side of the Ross Engineering Technology building. Photo by Cade Schmidt// AS Review
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©2012. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. We are a student-produced, alternative campus weekly covering news and events that are of interest to the Western community. We support all programs, offices and clubs affiliated with the AS. We have a direct connection to the AS board of directors, and although we report on board actions objectively, our relationship should be made clear. Submissions: We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions, or send them to the mailing address above. They will be returned as long as you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Letters: We also welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words and include your name and phone number. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar, if necessary.
NEWS
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SEATTLE SPORTS Heartbreak turns to hope for Seattle sports fans in the new year
EVENTS
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YULE BALL The fictional ball from the Harry Potter series comes to life on Jan. 26
STUDENT LIFE
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PITCH PERFECT Western acapella groups to compete on Feb. 9
FEATURES
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JEOPARDY MAGAZINE Western’s literary magazine submission deadline approaches
Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email as.review@ wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.
Staff Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Designer Writers
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Megan Thompson Spencer Pederson Cade Schmidt Bradley O’Neal Nick Markman Lauren Prater Lauren Simmons Kylie Wade Todd Wells
Adviser Jeff Bates
On Jan. 12, 2012 students gathered in Red Square for a candle-lit vigil while listening to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Photo by Cade Schmidt // AS Review
EVENTS CALENDAR See what’s happening around Bellingham
January 21, 2013 • 3
10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MLK Lauren Simmons • AS Review
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There’s close to 1,000 streets in the world named after Martin Luther King Jr.
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The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated, is now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day was not recognized as a paid national holiday by all 50 states until 2000.
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The speech is known as “I Have a Dream,” but those words were never in the original draft, they were ad libbed on the day.
King’s autopsy revealed that although he was only 39-yearsold, he had the heart of a 60-year-old man, perhaps a result of the stress of 13 years in the civil rights movement. He himself had verbally predicted he would not live past the age of 40.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was originally named “Michael King Jr”, but after a family trip to Germany, his father, a pastor and missionary, changed both of their names to “Martin Luther” after the German Protestant Reformer.
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Entering Moorehouse College at the age of 15, he was accepted as part of an early admittance program that was aimed to boost enrollment during the war.
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He was a Trekkie. And a pretty big one at that. In fact, he was so into Star Trek that he managed to convince Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, to stay on the show beyond the first season.
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In 1964, at the age of 35, King won the Nobel Peace Prize. To this day he is still the youngest man to ever receive it.
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There are two places outside of the United States that celebrate MLK day: Toronto, Canada and Hiroshima, Japan.
FIFTH ANNUAL YULE BALL ON JAN. 26
Nick Markman • AS Review
In the fourth book of the epic Harry Potter series, “The Goblet Of Fire,” the Yule Ball was an event that brought the different magic schools together for a night of dancing and socializing. The Harry Potter Club will host its own Yule Ball in attempt to bring some of the magic of the wizarding world to Western. The Yule Ball will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. The dance is free for all attendees. This event marks the fifth consecutive year that the Harry Potter Club has put on the Yule Ball. “It’s one of the things we’re known for,” Harry Potter Club Vice President Maggie Grasseschi said. “It’s a really fun way to get people who don’t have time to come to the club but still enjoy Harry Potter to sort of enjoy it in
a non-formal way.” While the Yule Ball is primarily a dance, there are other components to the event. There will be free food consisting of cookies, candy, and drinks, backdrops for photo taking, Hogwarts house-themed tables and a costume contest for students wishing to show up in Harry Potter-themed attire. All costume contest participants will receive a chocolate frog and a chocolate frog card inspired by the books. The contestants who place in the top spots will receive gift cards of varying dollar denominations to Village Books in Fairhaven. Yule Ball Coordinator Molly Bocian said that there is no dress code for the event aside from the optional costume contest. “You can come in your prom dress or you can come
in pajamas - we don’t care,” Bocain said. “We just want people to come hang out and enjoy the music.” A student DJ will provide the music for the Yule Ball and will play a variety of popular hits, Grasseschi said. Bocian said that the Harry Potter Club was able to put more into this year’s Yule Ball due to successful fundraising efforts early in the year and unspent funds left over from last year. She said that this allowed the club to purchase more food and decorations. “It really is a lot of fun,” Grasseschi said. “A lot of people that attend the Yule Ball don’t even like Harry Potter, they just like to dance. It’s really a chance to have fun with your friends on the weekend, mess around, listen to great music and watch people make a fool of themselves on the dance floor.”
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Editor-in-Chief Aliso Associate Editor Alec
Photos by Cade Schmidt // AS Review
Kylie Wade • AS Review
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or cutting edge pieces of fine and literary arts, look no further than Western’s very own Jeopardy magazine. The magazine publishes work from anyone affiliated with Western, including students, faculty, staff and alumni. They publish a range of works, including poetry, prose, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, paintings and more. It is published once a year in spring quarter, and the final submission deadline is approaching in February. “It’s a student showcase,” said Associate Editor and Volunteer Coordinator Alec Chunn. “It’s just a way to acknowledge the work that we’re doing here in our departments or on our own as artists.” Editor-in-Chief Alison Cooper has been involved with the magazine since her sophomore year at Western and said she developed an instant appreciation for what it brings to the Western community. “It fosters a community on campus that is dedicated to the written and visual arts,” Cooper said. “I love reading the works of my peers, and this publications is so dear to me because we’re able to hold on to this tangible object that has so many different voices, so many strong voices.” The magazine has two rounds of submissions each school year. This year there was a submission deadline in November,
JEOPARDY MAGAZINE According to Cooper, the November deadline brought in record numbers of submissions, and she expects the February deadline to bring in many more. For those who want to submit but aren’t sure what exactly the magazine is looking for, the answer is simple: everything. “We take anything. We don’t have a certain voice or a certain style or a certain theme that we look for. We just look for the most evocative, compelling and strong works on campus,” Cooper said. While the magazine already publishes a dazzling array of various forms of written and visual work, this year the editorial staff is seeking to diversify the magazine even further. “It seems like this team of editors is interested in everything,” Chunn said. “We want to try to include as much variance in the work as we can.” Chunn specifically is pushing for more work from a group he believes is underrepresented in the magazine: theater students. “We have a lot of playwrights in the theater department that don’t really get a lot of recognition. That’s the one thing I’m really interested in -- bringing more of the screenwriting and playwriting from the theater department into the magazine,” Chunn said. While this year’s staff has decided to focus on diversity in
pect of continuity to the magazine. Jeopardy’s P Lacy Kuhn, said this year the staff has decided t emphasis on design continuity so the individual someday be grouped as a cohesive collection. “Last year the design was ramped up quite a really like the size that it was and it had some re aspects,” said Kuhn. “We want to keep some of include a new style and a new twist on what wa ously.” To submit their work, students should go on jeopardy.wwu.edu. Submissions must include a stating their name, affiliation to Western, contac and a brief summary of either the work or previ tion experience. After a piece of work is submit be evaluated in a blind submission process whe readers read the works but do not get informati who wrote what piece. The readers then vote ‘Y ‘Maybe’, and the editorial team will examine the when making final decisions about what to pub “Don’t let your fear of being rejected preven submitting,” Chunn said. “Pushing that button t ‘submit’ is kind of scary because you’re putting there, but I think it’s worth it. It’s good practice one wants to be published in magazines outside
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on Cooper and c Chunn.
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nline to a cover letter ct information ious publicatted, it will ere volunteer ion about Yes’, ‘No’ or e vote totals blish. nt you from that says your work out e too if somee of Western.
(Photo-Illustration) The Jeopardy staff hangs drafts in the position they are set to run in the magazine.
dealing with rejection if you get rejected or celebrating if you get accepted.” Jeopardy is a unique platform for publication. With a focus on beautiful graphic design and the goal to publish absolutely anything that is captivating, the magazine is an eclectic and professional representation of the Western community. Kuhn said she believes Jeopardy offers an important chance for students to expand their portfolios. “I think it’s really great to give an opportunity for people to get their work shown and have it in a medium that’s really impressive to show people,” Kuhn said. The publication was recently honored with an award from the University and College Designers Association. Jeopardy also has an online component called “Suffix,” which accepts submissions on a rolling basis and focuses more on experimental works or anything that couldn’t be published in print, such as audio pieces, videos and hypertext. Jeopardy will host a release party as well as an upcoming faculty showcase that will feature faculty and student work side-by-side. The faculty showcase will be on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m., and Cooper said it will be a unique opportunity for students and professors to come together to read alongside each other. For more information about upcoming events or
Jeopardy posters designed by former designer Catherine Dimalla and (far right) current designer Eva Williams.
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PITCH PERFECT
Western acapella groups to compete on Feb. 9 Nick Markman • AS Review
The human voice is a powerful instrument. No one can appreciate that or take it as literally as a cappella performers. An Italian phrase meaning “in the manner or the church,” acappella music is performed without any instrumental accompaniment. Western students in the all-male acappella ensemble, “Undefined,” and the all-female ensemble, “Major Treble,” make up for the lack of instruments by reproducing sounds with their voices. “[In acappella,] every single instrument in your favorite pop song is made with the human body,” Musical Director for Major Treble RJ Solomon said. “With your voice, with your mouth, through stomping your feet or clapping and snapping – everything is done with your body. You are imitating instruments.” Freshman Taylor VanDuser joined Major Treble this year and has been singing acappella for two years. She said that acappella is more challenging than other forms of singing. “In most types of musical performance, you have an instrument with a fixed pitch, so it’s really easy to stay in tune that way,” VanDuser said. “The voice does not have a fixed pitch, so we could go sharp or flat and if some of
“It’s pretty intimidating. Coming into this as my first year of being the director is really, really scary,” Solomon said. “We’re all kind of stressing, but it’s still fun and we enjoy it so we want to put in the time and effort for it.” Both Major Treble and Undefined are members of the WWU Acappella Club along with All Aboard, the club’s non-auditioned, mixed-gender ensemble. President of the Acappella Club Colin Donoghue, who is also the business manager for Undefined, said that although two Western acappella ensembles are competing against one another in the ICCA’s, the two groups still get along and help each other out. “It’s really nice because there’s not a really strong air of competition between us, but we definitely help each other get better,” Donoghue said. “When you hear the other group and they sound really good, you’re just like, ‘I really want to be on their level.’ It makes us want to work harder to keep a level playing field.” “I respect the boy’s group a lot. We all love them, and they support us too. We’re both trying our best,” Solomon said. “As long as both of us are representing our school well and putting in the same effort, there’s no animosity between us.” Each group will perform three songs at the ICCA. A panel of three judges will rate each song separately and then come up with an aggregate score for the group’s performance as a whole. The judges will also give out special awards for best soloist, best arrangement and best vocal percussionist. us do that and some of us don’t, we end up with a horBoth Major Treble and Undefined have been colrible sound.” laborating amongst themselves and with Western’s Both Undefined and Major Treble will separately Department of Music. The two groups often give each compete in the quarterfinals of the Varsity Vocals Interother performance feedback and help each other learn national Championship of Collegiate Acappella (ICCA). parts and better their singing skills. Major Treble and The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. on Undefined are also performing one piece each at ICCA the Performing Arts Center Main Stage. Tickets are $16 arranged by Western composition majors. with student ID or $21.50 for general admission. Solomon said Five other a capthat in preparapella groups from Pacif[In acapella,] every single instrument in tion for the comic Lutheran University, your favorite pop song is made with the petition, Major Gonzaga University, Treble is learning an human body. With your voice, with your University of Utah, and entirely new song Central Washington mouth, through stomping... or clapping. and incorporating University will also into compete in the event. olomon usical irector choreography their performance The top two groups – something they in the quarterfinals don’t usually do. will advance to the semifinals in April at the University “It’s a little more difficult than anything else we’ve of Southern California for a chance to compete for the done so we’re kind of scrambling to learn really quickly national title in New York. so we can practice,” Solomon said. “It’s a lot of work, but This year’s ICCA will be the first acappella competiI think that at the end of it, we’ll be really proud of what tion ever for both Major Treble and Undefined. we’ve done.”
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A women's group of Acapella Club performs during Red Square Infofair on Sept. 25.
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EVENTS CALENDAR Monday, Jan. 21
MLK Day Read-In When: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Where: Farehaven Village Books Price: Free
Tuesday, Jan. 22
Kayak Roll Sessions When: 7:30-9 p.m. Where: Arne Hanna Aquatic Center Price: $4.50
Wednesday, Jan. 23
Friday, Jan. 25
WSAC/Relay For Life Meeting When: 5-7p.m. Where: VU 462 A Price: Free
Puget Sound Blood Drive When: Jan. 21 - 25 Where: VU and Red Square
Thursday, Jan. 24
Saturday, Jan. 26
Yoga Class Where: VU Multi-purpose room When: 4-6 p.m. Price: $2
Backcountry Ski/Snowboarding Days When: All day Where: Mount Baker Price: $40
2012 WHITEWATER GRAND PRIX AS Review writer takes 5th in international kayak competition
Todd Wells • AS Review Traveling to Chile this winter to compete in the 2012 Whitewater Grand Prix was the competitive experience of a lifetime. I had been invited to race amongst 25 of the world’s best extreme whitewater kayakers in one of the highest profile whitewater competition of the year. I left Bellingham on Thanksgiving Day to start the two day journey to Pucon, Chile. Traveling between planes, buses and taxis for 48 hours to get to Pucon was strenuous enough, but to be lugging around a nine foot kayak all the while made it much more challenging. Eventually, I made it to Pucon and got to meet the rest of the competitors. Some of them were my friends, others were olympic athletes and many had been my idols for years. The comradery that everyone developed in just a matter of days was incredible. We had all become close friends even before the first event started. Though satisfying, we came all the way to South America to do much more than just make friends; we were here to compete. The first event was a time-trial race down the Rio Gol Gol, a powerful river with an abundance of waterfalls and dynamic class V rapids. In less than five minutes we would have to paddle five waterfalls as tall as 30 feet. We would each have two attempts at the course and our fastest time would be judged. I was the third racer to leave the starting line, and I came out charging at full speed. Most of my lines were good on the top section, but once I got to the third waterfall of the race I fell off line and got thrown into a violent hydraulic. I was upside down for 15 seconds waiting for the river to spit me out, but it was to no avail. Exhausted, I decided to attempt a wet
exit and swim out of my kayak. I was able to safely make it to the surface, but I wouldn’t be finishing my first race. Nothing could have set me back much more than that violent swim, but I was able to redirect my energy towards my second attempt. The pressure was on, and I knew that I would have to make this one count. Out of the starting line I paced myself better than I had in my first run, and I was able to make it through all of the waterfalls confidently and consistently. Safe at the finish line I was as satisfied as could be. I had made it down the course without swimming, and I felt pretty good with my race. That evening the top ten finishers were announced, and miraculously I ended up taking eighth place. I was blown away by this and right then set a personal goal to finish overall in the top 10. The Gol Gol race was the start to a two week competition that would encompass five extreme races on rivers all over the country. In the second competition on the Rio Puesco I took third and in the third competition on the Rio Nevados I took sixth. I was maintaining a good performances in all of the races, and I was ready for the final two. For the last two events of the Grand Prix we would be traveling twenty hours south on the Pan American highway to find ourselves on the Rio Futaleafu in Patagonia. This river pumps thousands of cubic feet of water through its tight walls every second and made for the perfect finale to the competition. Unlike the previous three stages that had been in time trial format, we would be racing against each other side by side for the final events.
The first event was a head-to-head where four people raced down a turbulent class V rapid. The top two finishers from each primary heat would move onto the semifinals, and the top two from each semi-final heat would move onto the final round. I was able to make it all the way to the final round and ended up finishing sixth. This race was unlike any of the previous stages and gave us a taste of what was to come in the final event. The final stage was a mass start down a 27 mile class V section of the RioFutaleafu. That meant that the 22 remaining competitors who hadn’t fallen victim to injury would all line up together side by side, wait to hear the starting gun, then paddle as hard as they could against one another for twenty minutes all the way to the finish. As soon as the race started, boats were flying in every direction. It was pure chaos, and I felt like I was fighting for my life. I had never felt as physically drained as I did throughout the bottom half of that race. I flipped over numerous times, collided with dozens of other paddlers, but somehow I was able to make it to the finish in eighth place. At the end of the Grand Prix, during the final awards ceremony it was announced that I had taken fifth place overall. I was blown away by how well I had fared amongst such incredible paddlers. The Whitewater Grand Prix in Chile will be a competition, an adventure and an experience to remember for the rest of my life. I was honored to have been a part of the event, and I can’t wait for the next one. For more information on the Whitewater Grand Prix visit www.whitewatergrandprix.com.
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HEARTBREAK TURNS TO HOPE
Seahawks and NBA rumors create hype around Seattle sports Kylie Wade • AS Review This past month, something has been brewing in that pulses throughout the fan base and spreads to the the Seattle sports scene. It started in December with an general population. In 2008, it seemed like that beat was impressive Seahawks overtime victory in Chicago. It nowhere to be found. grew into a frenzy when the Seahawks won all of their Remarkably though, 2009 began with enthusiasm. games in December, and it climaxed to a fever pitch as Fans had hope that new general manager Jack Zdurithe Seahawks advanced to the divisional round of the encik could save the Mariners, new head coach Steve playoffs the same week rumors broke about an NBA Sarkisian could save the Huskies and Jim Mora, the team returning to Seattle. The Seahawks would go on to man selected to succeed Holmgren, could breathe some lose to Atlanta and the Sonics return is far from a sure life into the Seahawks. Even the Sonics, demoted to thing. But if you’re a Seattle sports fan, you’re used to just a memory, retained a passionate fan base that held heartbreak. It’s the sudden burst of optimism that feels frequent rallies begging the city to bring back an NBA strange. team. That’s the thing about this city – it’s good at hope. With the exception of the very youngest, every Seattle sports fan around today lived through 2008. It was arguably the worst year in sports for a city ever. The Mariners, Seahawks, SuperSonics and Husky football combined for a dismal .312 winning percentage. The Mariners were mentioned as contenders at the beginning of the 2008 season, but the only impressive thing about their year was the sheer number of times they lost: 101. They finished in last place in the AL West. Photo illustration by Cade Shmidt University of Washington football began 2008 with eager anticipation about how good It’s not used to having a lot to be hopeful for, though. Jake Locker would be going into his second season. They In the four seasons since 2008, the Seahawks have only failed to win a game, finishing the season with 12 conwon the NFC West once and that was in 2010 when they secutive losses and earning last place in the Pac 10. sparked national outrage by securing a playoff berth deThe Seahawks, coming off of four straight division spite the fact that they had a losing record. The Mariners titles and five consecutive playoff appearances, were haven’t finished better than third in the AL West. The favorites to capture the NFC West for the fifth year in a Huskies at least have earned three straight bowl game row in 2008. Instead, they fell apart, finishing the season appearances, but have not finished with more than seven at 4-12. A 2-14 season from St. Louis was the only thing wins in any of Sarkisian’s four seasons with the team. that kept them out of last place in the NFC West. The Sonics remain gone, and to add insult to injury, the By December, not a single head coach or manager Oklahoma City Thunder have flourished. who began the year would be returning. UW coach However, January of 2013 felt like the beginning of a Tyrone Willingham was fired, Seahawks coach Mike new era for Seattle sports. Holmgren resigned and the Mariners burned through First of all, in just a few short months, the team that two different managers. The Sonics outdid every one has easily been Seattle’s best team since the 2008 meltof the other team’s disasters by ceasing to exist. After a down, the Sounders FC, will return to play. In January season darkened by rumors of an upcoming departure, of 2009, the Sounders began their first season in Seattle in July of 2008 the Sonics officially moved to Oklahoma as an MLS expansion franchise. They exploded onto City. They did make sure to finish the season in last place the Seattle sports scene, gathering a fiercely dedicated though, just to keep with the year’s theme. fan base. They reached the MLS playoffs in their first Sure, teams go through bad seasons. But all of the season, and then returned each of the next three for four teams in a city collapsing and burning at once, in a consecutive playoff berths. The team also captured their horribly perfect synchronicity? The seasons were not third straight U.S. Open Cup in 2011 and won their first just bad; they were each disastrous. Collectively, they playoff series in 2012, although they finished 2012 withfelt apocalyptic. When a city’s sports teams are doing out winning either the MLS Cup or the U.S. Open Cup. well, there is a certain buzz that emerges, a positive beat Still, this is a team that’s been consistently good since
2009, and looks to unleash another strong season in 2013 beginning with their home opener on March 2. Next, one struggling Seattle team made a huge leap in 2012. In the third year of the Pete Carroll regime, it seemed like all of the pieces finally started to fall into place for the Seahawks. The team finished 11-5, their first winning season since 2007. Not one of the team’s losses, including the playoff loss to Atlanta, came by more than seven points. The Seahawks won all of their home games for just the third time in franchise history, won their first road playoff game in almost 30 years and even debuted new uniforms. This year’s Seahawks were tough, confident and hungry, and the good news is that there is no reason to expect next year’s team will be much different. The Seahawks have the NFL’s seventh-youngest roster and most of their key players are signed through at least 2015, so this is a group of players you can expect to be around for awhile. This team has given Seattle a glimpse of a team that could be championship contenders for several years to come. When it comes to the NBA, however, most fans would settle for any team, forget about perennial contenders. Ever since investor Chris Hansen pushed forward with a deal to build a new arena in October of 2012, Seattle has been buzzing with a renewed hope that someday there might be a team to play there. On January 9, 2013, rumors broke that a deal to bring the Sacramento Kings to Seattle for the 2013-2014 NBA season is expected to be completed. It is not a sure thing; the Kings ownership group has a history of backing out of deals at the last minute, and any number of factors could prevent or slow the process. However, this is by far the closest Seattle has been to bringing back an NBA team since the Sonics left. The thought had the entire state whipped into a frenzy over the past few weeks, especially with an NFL playoff game taking place at the same time. The Mariners are still struggling, and questions about UW quarterback Keith Price are causing some concern about the next Husky season. But after a year like 2008, fans learn to take joy in what they have to take joy in. A dominant MLS team, an NFL team in the playoffs and an NBA team possibly returning is enough to create a sort of madness among the city’s sports fans. Most fans still have a bitter taste in their mouth from 2008 and that makes every win for Seattle sports taste a little bit sweeter. For full story go to as.wwu.edu/asreview