4. 4. 11 V. 26 #22
SPRING OUT! BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND. ONLY 2.5 MONTHS ‘TIL SUMMER.
campus street art 4
textbook rentals 6
house hunting tips 7
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MONDAY April 4 Volume 26 Number 22 • April 4, 2011
NEWS
6 BOOKSTORE TEXTBOOK RENTALS
More options to save bucks on books. FEATURES
4 GRAFFITI ON CAMPUS
Tags and other forms of street art are popping up regularly around campus.
7 THE HUNT FOR HOUSING
Rental tips to help you get out of the dorms!
PEACE CORPS IS 50 YEARS YOUNG
Event runs from 4/4 to 4/22. The Viking Union Gallery walls will be a blank canvas for all. This exhibition is about freedom of expression, the ability for everyone and anyone to be involved in art and the organic nature of the creative process. The gallery will provide materials for patrons to draw, write and create on the walls which will be covered ceiling-to-floor in white paper. For more information, visit http://gallery.as.wwu.edu.
TUESDAY April 5
Weekly Series: Button Making Party 7-9 p.m., VU 462B Free
Add some flair to your life and your bag by joining Fun fact: Western ranks third among mid-sized us in a button making extravaganza. We’ll have universities in volunteers sent into service. three button-making machines and supplies like markers, glitter, and magazines for people to make buttons along with music. EVENTS
2 CALENDAR
VU Gallery Drawing Jam Exhibit: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., VU Gallery Free
campus; raise awareness of housing health and safety issues and landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities. Various Bellingham property management companies (and individual renters) will be able to show and present their properties at the fair. John Kamm: Democracy and Censorship in China 7 p.m., AW 210 Free Lecture will focus on social media and political prisoners in China. The speaker, John Kamm, is the Founder of The Dui Hua Foundation. Since he began his advocacy work on behalf of prisoners in 1990, Kamm has made more than 100 trips to Beijing and other parts of China to engage the Chinese government in a dialogue on human rights. Kamm was awarded the Best Global Practices Award by President Clinton in 1997. He was also granted the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by President George W. Bush in 2001 and a MacArthur Fellowship in 2004.
WEDNESDAY April 6
Look to the right.
Shenandoah Davis with Native Guerillas 8 p.m., Underground Coffeehouse Free Bands Shenandoah Davis and Native Guerillas perform.
THURSDAY April 7 COVER
An art installation created by Western sophomore Tyler Sant for Doug Loewen’s Art 230 Beginning Sculpture class. Photo by Joe Rudko/ The AS Review.
Making your life better, one page at a time.
Legal Information Center Housing Fair 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., VU Multipurpose Room Free The housing fair is an opportunity for students to gain information about moving off campus. The event will offer information about neighborhood associations and volunteer opportunities in neighborhoods; provide a space for landlords and property rental companies to market their properties; promote positive behaviors off Design by Adam Volkman /AS Publicity Center
April 4, 2011 • 3
FRIDAY April 8 A Leaf with Lowlands 8 p.m., Underground Coffeehouse Free Laser light show! 8:30 p.m., PAC Concert Hall $5 with Western ID, $8 general admission
taoofjournalism.org
AS Productions Special Events is hosting a Michael Jackson-themed laser light show in the PAC Concert Hall.
SATURDAY April 9 Leadership Lock-in 9 p.m.- 9 a.m., Wade King Recreation Center Free Project Leadership is putting on an overnight lockin event in the Wade King Recreation Center.
SUNDAY April 10 Galbraith Mountain Bike 9 a.m., Meet at the Outdoor Center, $25 w/o bike; $20 w/ bike
If you like to mountain bike but have yet to explore the amazing trails in your own backyard, this is the trip for you! Come experience the
Design by Adam Volkman /AS Publicity Center
trails tucked between Lake Whatcom and Lake Padden, and witness the spectacular views from Mount Baker to the San Juan Islands. Galbraith will introduce you to what mountain biking in the Pacific Northwest is all about.
Editor in Chief Evan Marczynski
Assistant Editor Lindsay Kucera
Events Editor Olena Rypich
Lead Photographer Daniel Berman
Staff Writers Chelsea Asplund Matt Crowley Jordyn Kehle Kirsten O’Brien
Photographer Joe Rudko Accuracy Aide Alex Bacon Adviser Jeff Bates
The AS Review: Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, Wash. 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu Online: asreview.as.wwu.edu @theasreview facebook.com/theasreview ©2011. 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.
MONDAY, April 4 The Wild Buffalo Womp? Dubstep/Electro/Mashups
THURSDAY, April 7 The Wild Buffalo Kyle Hollingsworth Band (of The String Cheese Incident), Acorn Project
TUESDAY, April 5 Green Frog Cafe Acoustic Tavern The Lost Highway Band
FRIDAY, April 8 Underground Coffeehouse A Leaf with Lowlands
WEDNESDAY, April 6 Underground Coffeehouse Shenandoah Davis w/ Native Guerillas
SATURDAY, April 9 Green Frog Cafe Acoustic Tavern Snug Harbor
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. Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email the Events Editor at as.pr@wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.
Art
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FEATURE
Is it
or MISCHIEF?
Removing graffiti costs Western thousands of dollars, but some think street art deserves a place on campus Story by Kirsten O’Brien/ The AS Review Photos by Joe Rudko/ The AS Review (Above) Graffiti is not just confined to Western. This wall near Forest & Cedar park just off of campus also shows signs of tagging.
“Paint me, I’ll be here tomorrow,”
taunts a hastily drawn smiley face with a long handlebar mustache. The face is spray-painted in the tunnel that connects Fairhaven College to the rest of campus. The tunnel is a hot spot for graffiti. Previous attempts to paint over the face appear to have been unsuccessful, as it is still visible under thick coats of white paint. Next to it is another smiley face, mocking the attempts to cover the original. “Nice try,” the new smiley proclaims. To some, these types of drawings and messages are unique forms of street art that enhance the atmosphere of Western’s campus. For others, they are merely forms of malicious mischief. Freshman Alexander Kramer started a thread on the Viking Village forum on Feb. 10 in an attempt to start a conversation about graffiti on campus. Kramer enjoys street art and has been photographing the graffiti he finds around campus and posting it on his personal blog. Kramer grew up in Santa Fe, Calif., where there is a vibrant street art scene. He said he began looking for street art wherever he went and has continued that habit while at Western. Some days, Kramer roams specifically looking for new images or messages that may have popped up. “Some stuff that I really look forward to finding are the ones that are kind of hidden away. It’s almost put there for people like me who go looking for it, things like little stickers and little images of paint,” Kramer said. “Stencils are really big for me too, just because you have to take time to cut out the stencil and then find an appropriate place for it.”
O
ne hot topic of conversation on Kramer’s Viking Village thread concerned the Fairhaven tunnel. Some commenters, like sophomore Mike Williams, think the tunnel should be left to the graffiti artists and not painted over so frequently.
(Right) A tagged doorstop in a bathroom in Western’s Fine Arts building. (Far right) A tag that reads “Scrib.”
Williams enjoys street art and posts pictures of graffiti he finds around campus on a Facebook fan page titled “Western Washington University Public ‘Art.’” Williams said that if the tunnel were left to the artists, the university could spend less money on paint and labor to clean up the designs. “Just from what I’ve seen the past few weeks, they spend a lot of money on paint,” he said. “[If they left the graffiti], you wouldn’t have to waste money to clean it up, as long as it’s not gang signs. It would allow whatever artist wants to post something on there to have a place to do it. I think that would be a much better outlet and use of location and money.”
N
ot everyone agrees, however. University Police Sergeant Bianca Smith said that those who leave graffiti on campus could face charges for malicious mischief if caught. She said that people should not be allowed to draw or write on university property simply because they want to. “It’s not for them to decide, there are proper channels that one should go through [to make art] versus just doing it,” Smith said. “It is a crime to deface public property. It’s all graffiti to me; it’s all malicious mischief. Would they do this to the side of their parents’ house? I doubt it.” She said that depending on the amount of damage done, the penalty could range from a stiff fine to even jail time. Bill Managan, assistant director of operations for Facilities Management, said that from July 2010 to February 2011, there was around $18,300 worth of damage from graffiti on campus. He said that in February alone, there were three and a half more incidents than during the same time last year. As for the Fairhaven tunnel, he said that it is painted over frequently.
April 4, 2011 • 5
“There have been times when we’ve cleaned it and hours later it’s already tagged again,” Managan said.
K
ramer explained that there is a difference between good graffiti and bad graffiti, with bad graffiti consisting mostly of “name-bombing,” where the artist simply scrawls their name on a wall to be noticed. That type of graffiti isn’t very artistic or visually satisfying, he said, but graffiti which has been done with care can add to the campus atmosphere. “For the most part if it’s a well designed sticker or a tag or something that someone spent a lot of time with and actually tried to make it fit with the wall, then I think it works pretty well as long as it’s not too obscene or violent,” he said. “I don’t see what the problem is, maybe depending on the placement, but for the most part I think it actually brightens up campus quite a bit.” Kramer said that one artist whose work he sees a lot goes by the names “CK” or “Requiem.” He said that sometimes he enjoys the artist’s work, but other times it seems like the artist is poking fun at tagging by lazily scrawling his name on buildings or other structures around campus. “CK is borderline for me because I like the new stuff he is doing, but at the same time he’ll scrawl, ‘Check me out,’ on the sides [of buildings]. I almost feel like he is making fun of tagging,” Kramer said. However, he said that part of the fun of graffiti is being able to make your own story or interpretation about what the artist is trying to convey. “It’s really hard because it’s all anonymous and anyone that sees it can make their own story behind it,” Kramer said. “There are some things where you just don’t know if it’s the same artist. I kind of like that.” ■
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NEWS
AS Bookstore begins textbook rental program Students can also compare bookstore prices with other retailers online
Kirsten O’Brien/ The AS Review
Starting this quarter, the Western Associated Students Bookstore is offering textbook rentals and price comparisons through its website. “We are always concerned with textbook affordability,” said Peg Godwin, general manager of the bookstore. “We are always looking for tools that will help students get books in the fashion that’s best for them.” The textbook rental program allows students to rent books for periods of 30, 45, 60 or 90 days at a time. Students rent books on the bookstore website and then return them to the bookstore when their rental period is over. Godwin said that there has been a huge shift in the textbook market within the last two years toward students renting books rather than buying them. “Probably about 50 to 60 percent of college bookstores are renting books now, and it’s driven by textbook affordability,” Godwin said. “Rental is typically the Photo by Daniel Berman/ The AS Review lowest-cost option at the front end, but it Western sophomore Loren Johnson browses the textbook section of the bookstore Wednesday, March 30. has no buyback, so it may not be the best value in long run. It does help lower that Students can now rent textbooks on the bookstore’s website for up to 90 days at a time. upfront cost though.” The bookstore’s online textbook price comparison they can also check the book’s condition. “You, as a student, will make a decision as to is run through a program called Verba Compare. “We always think that we’re by far and away the whether you want to buy from us or other sites,” she Godwin said that if students choose to comparison best value, but it does allow students to have a said. “If you go to other sites, you must be aware shop, they can see the bookstore’s prices for new and choice,” Godwin said. She added that for those who that you’re not dealing with us anymore. It’s kind of ‘buyer beware.’” Brockman, AS vice president for business “Probably about 50 to 60 percent of college bookstores are renting books andBenoperations, said that even though students may now, and it’s driven by textbook affordability.” choose to buy from other sources when using the comparison software, in the end it will actually help -Peg Godwin, AS Bookstore general manager the bookstore offer more competitive prices. “Sometimes we’ll beat them [other retailers], choose to buy from sources outside the bookstore, sometimes we won’t, but it will be more convenient used textbooks, as well as prices offered by Amazon. there’s not always a guarantee that their books for students,” Brockman said. “This extra software com, Half.com and four to five other large textbook will be of good quality, or that they will contain allows us to lower our prices and be more retail companies. Godwin said that students can use additional supplements such as workbooks or CDcompetitive, which will save students money.” ■ the program to see where a book ships from, and ROMs. The AS Bookstore is online at bookstore.wwu.edu.
April 4, 2011 • 7
FEATURE • EVENT
On the hunt for housing
Five tips to help you find the perfect rental
FEATURE
Peace Corps turns 50 Western staff and faculty share stories of service in global volunteer program
Matt Crowley/ The AS Review
As spring quarter begins and the collective
stress level dips, on-campus residents may want to begin looking now if they hope to find a suitable offcampus living situation for the summer or next year. Searching for the perfect place can be a process as stressful as finals week. Fortunately, thousands of students, including yours truly, have been through the process multiple times and have more than enough advice for students looking to begin the next phase of independence. To help students learn more about the rental housing market, the Associated Students Legal Information Center will be hosting a housing fair on April 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. The fair will be a chance to learn about various neighborhood associations, to raise student awareness of housing health and safety issues as well as landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities. Landlords and property rental companies will also be marketing their open rental properties for potential tenants. Just in case you can’t attend the LIC Housing Fair, here are a few helpful tips to get your search started.
that school is only a short walk away means more sleep and more time to get ready and eat breakfast. However, there is a trade-off. The closer a place is to campus, the more expensive the rent will be. A single apartment off of North Garden Street can be up to $150 per month more expensive than one a few miles away, even if the condition of the other apartment is the same (or worse). Whether the additional expense is worth it depends on the individual, and you’ll have to decide for yourself if the extra cash is worth the added convenience. 2. CONSIDER A PRIVATE LANDLORD BEFORE A REALTOR While most rentals in Bellingham seem to be split between private, independent landlords and companies like Lakeway Realty, the consensus on campus seems to be that realtors are often more trouble than they’re worth. The benefits of a private landlord are obvious: A more personal relationship means better communication, which is helpful when it comes to lease agreements and necessary repairs.
Please see HOUSING on page 8
1. THE CLOSER THE BETTER Though many students have managed to live as far away as Sunset Drive or even Lake Whatcom, a house or apartment’s proximity to campus is a lot more important than one may think. Obviously, if you’re going to live so far away that you don’t have the option of walking to school, a car or familiarity with the bus system comes in handy. But the added commute time combined with the inconvenience of being so far from home can lead to an increase in skipped classes. Remember how quickly you could get to class Photo by Joe Rudko/ The AS Review freshman year (even if you still ended A rental sign just north of campus. Spring and summer are major up skipping sometimes)? Knowing rental seasons in Bellingham.
Kelly Sullivan/ The AS Review
For more than 200,000 Americans, the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps meant more than just a reason to honor one of the U.S. government’s most globally recognizable programs. It was also a time to reflect on one of the most unique experiences of their lives and give words of encouragement to the next generation of volunteers. In 2011, Western ranked third in the Peace Corps top colleges list for medium-sized colleges and universities. The list ranks schools based on the number of volunteers each produced during the previous year. To celebrate the anniversary, a panel of seven current and retired Western staff and faculty discussed their Peace Corps service in a completely packed Viking Union 552 on March 3. Their experiences included agricultural development in Pakistan, teaching English in Thailand and organizing women’s health and business education programs in Africa. As different as each volunteer’s experience was, everyone agreed that their service in the Peace Corps was a significant period in their lives. Edwin Love, an assistant professor of finance and marketing, worked in small business development and health education on the Ivory Coast from 1997 to 1999. “It was the best two years of my life up to that point,” Love said. “I met some of the most important people of my life during that time.” He decided to join the Peace Corps after realizing that he was getting more satisfaction from the volunteer work he was doing in his spare time than from making a living by running a chain of coffee houses. Love said that although it was a “tremendously wonderful experience,” part of the adventure of volunteering was the challenges it required him to face. “You really have to pull from yourself the things that you need to survive,” he said. Please see PEACE CORPS on page 8
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HOUSING from page 7 3. HAVE ALL THE NECESSARY ITEMS BEFOREHAND Before you go off looking at places and meeting with landlords, be sure to have everything you will need: -All prospective tenants: Make sure you know who will be living in the house, as landlords like to meet everyone and get proper documentation right away. - Identification and references: This includes driver’s licenses, social security cards and any references you might have from past landlords. If you’re living in a dorm, ask your resident adviser or director if they would mind being used as a reference. -Money: Most landlords ask for a small application fee (usually around $20) and some might ask for a security deposit right away if they think you’re the right kind of tenant for them. If you’re set on a place, make sure you have cash ready or checks written out ahead of time to get your foot in the door before another group of more prepared tenants comes along. 4. BE SURE TO GIVE ANY PROPERTY A THOROUGH INSPECTION BEFORE COMMITTING Don’t just go into a house thinking, “Wow, think of the parties we can have here,” or focus too much
PEACE CORPS from page 7 Brooke Love, an assistant professor at Huxley College of the Environment, served in Mali in west Africa from 1998 to 2000. She said the Peace Corps mission fits well with the mission and goals of Western. “Western has this sense of being engaged with the world and service. Peace Corps does both,” she said. Her biggest challenge was adapting to a foreign culture where she felt like a stranger, she said. It took a year before she could hold a conversation in Fulani, the language in the area she served. She said that through the process she learned patience and gained more self-confidence. Beth Parker, a project coordinator for the anti-poverty program Volunteers in Service to America, taught English in Mauritania, a country in northwest Africa, from 2005 to 2007. She said using the support of other nearby volunteers and other Peace Corps members can be very helpful during your service. Western’s Peace Corps Representative Sylvia
on the size of the bedrooms. If you’re going to be dropping serious dough on a place, you’ll want to make sure it’s a place you can live comfortably and safely for a year. Wesley Dyer of Viking Community Builders, an AS club that promotes openness and communication between neighbors and other community members, suggested students should look out for potential drawbacks like past or present electrical wiring problems, complaints about mold or vermin, and be sure all the appliances, doors, locks and windows are in working order. These things are the responsibility of the landlord, not you, so make sure they are willing and able to make repairs as needed. 5. KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket. You should look at a few places in case one or two don’t work out. This not only means that you will have backup plans, but you’ll spending less time looking and more time finding your next house. Ultimately the best advice is to be patient. You likely won’t get the first, second or even third house you look at, and it can be disappointing to miss out on a sweet deal. But in the end you’ll be a lot happier that you spent the time looking for a good place to live instead of settling on something convenient. ■ Graham served in Madagascar from 2000 to 2002. She worked on agricultural development and taught environmental education in elementary schools. She said that her time spent overseas allowed her to develop meaningful relationships with people from other cultures. Eight years later she still keeps in touch with the people she met during her time in the Peace Corps. She said she has gone back twice to visit. She added that it is very rewarding to know she made a difference in people’s lives. Susan Anderson, a counselor in Western’s Career Services Center, served in the Lesotho a landlocked nation within the borders of South Africa, from 1977 to 1981. Afterward, she continued in the Peace Corps as a recruiter. She said that anyone interested in volunteering should talk to as many current and former volunteers as possible. “I think the world is better for having 50 years of Peace Corps. I think our country is better for having 50 years of Peace Corps,” Anderson said. “We didn’t save the world, but we did our part. We tried.” ■