Vol. 30 #20 4.20.15
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The walls of KUGS are covered with more than 600 album choices Cover photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
MAKING YOUR LIFE BETTER, ONE PAGE AT A TIME 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 © 2015. 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 NEWS 4 Take it to the
Underground: Battle of the Bands AS Productions brings you 4 nights of band performances
5 Don’t freak, it’s Earth Week!
One day is not enough for the importance of our mother earth
STUDENT LIFE 7 What’s on the
forecast for AS Films? Little Miss Sunshine is coming to campus on Thursday, April 23
11 Secrets of the air waves...Shh!
Ever wonder how KUGS decides on music?
FEATURES 9 QQ Li’s? Yes please!
Get to know the people behind the yummy food from Vendor’s Row
12 Life is a carnival: LSU Heritage Dinner
Latino Student Union puts on 10th annual dinner
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.
Abigail Ramos Kelly Mason Trevor Grimm Ian Sanquist Nontawat Thammawan Marina Price Alex Bartick Spencer Newsad Designer Keghouhi Bedoyan Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Becca L. captivates a full Underground Coffee House at the Sexual Awareness Center’s Erotic Poetry Night on Thursday, April 16. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
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EVENTS 2015 AS Vice Presidential Debate April 21 // 7 p.m. // Academic West 204 // Free Find out who you should vote for in the 2015 Spring Elections by hearing the vice presidential candidates debate it out! Get your questions ready!
Wild Rabbits w/ Rivers+Roads April 22 // 8 p.m. // UGCH // Free Take a break from your week at the Underground Coffeehouse’s Wednesday Night Concer t Series. This week’s musicians include folk band Wild Rabbits and indie-folk ar tists Rivers+Roads.
2015 AS Presidential Debates April 23 // 7 p.m. // VU MPR // Free Find out who you should vote for in
the 2015 Spring Elections by hearing the presidential candidates debate it out! Get your questions ready!
Latino Student Union Heritage dinner April 25 // 6 p.m. // VU MPR // $12 w/ ID & $15 w/o
Top Ten: April 6 - 12 1
I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty
2
Another Eternity Purity Ring
3
Gracetown San Cisco
4
Ghost Modern Geographer
April 25 // 7 p.m. // PAC Concert Hall // $6 w/ ID & $8 w/o
5
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper Panda Bear
Join Western’s Filipino-American Student Association as it hosts its 7th annual cultural night. To learn more, turn to p. 6
6
Vestiges & Claws Jose Gonzalez
7
God’s Hands Hot Sugar
8
Black Messiah D’Angelo and the Vanguard
9
Distractions Beardyman
It’s that time of year again! LSU is having its 10th annual heritage dinner on Saturday April 25th. This year’s theme is “La Vida Es Un Carnaval.” For more information, check out p. 12
“Maalaala na Kultura: A Culture Remembered” - FASA Culture Night
10
Western’s Surfrider Club presents Shark Night on April 23. Poster by Tristan Wood
A Golden Blue Eyes on the Shore KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.
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Take it to the Underground: Battle of the Bands By Ian Sanquist Poster Design By Keghouhi Bedoyan Over three nights, nine bands, each featuring Western students, will perform in the Viking Union Underground Coffeehouse in the first ever “Sounds of the Underground - Battle of the Bands.” The winning bands from each of the preliminary rounds, to be held in the Underground Coffeehouse Wednesday, April 29, Wednesday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 13, will perform in a final round at the Make.Shift Art Space on Friday, May 26. All shows are free and will begin at 6:30 p.m. The final round will also include a fourth band, which will be a wild card selected by audience vote. The winning band of the final show at the Makeshift will get an opening spot to perform at Lawnstock, AS Production’s year-end all-day music festival on the Communications Lawn to be held Sunday, May 31, in addition to recording time at King Street Sound. AS Productions Marketing Coordinator for Media and Arts Nick Emard is excited to provide a space to feature a wide range of musical genres that represent the diversity of interests at Western. “We’ve received over 50 submissions and had a wide variety of music and different genres, as we expected, and that is represented in the lineup,” Emard said. “It’s really exciting to be able to see all sorts of different bands out there and all sorts of different projects that are gonna be represented in this competition.” A panel of four judges will determine the winner of each evening’s show through a rubric that will address various elements of each band’s performance and presentation. The band with the highest composite score from each night will move on to the final round. Voting for the wild card band opens Thursday, May 14, through ASP’s web page. The judging panel includes Fairhaven professor Steven Sehman, who teaches classes in music and audio recording, AS KUGS Operations Coordinator Morgan Lanza, ASP Pop Music Coordinator Eli Hanavan and KUGS DJ and Make.Shift Booking Intern Nika Feline. Wednesday, April 29 is LL and the Mouthwash Boys, who are “kind of an indie folk band,” with six members; Tom Nook, an indie pop band; and Female Fiends, an indie rock band. Wednesday, May 6 will feature Projections, a metal-core band; Painters, a post-hardcore band; and Young Wants, a surf rock band, that, Emard said, “still rock.” On Wednesday, May 13, there will be performances by Visionfield, a chillwave artist; Scruffager, an experimental ambient artist; and Rubix Shoes, an experimental rock band. ASP UGCH Coordinator Jonah Falk said he hopes to make Sounds
of the Underground into an annual event. “We can really foster the performance arts community, with performers building connections as well as the listeners building connections,” Falk said. “As a musician, this would be an opportunity that I would be looking for...so I’m really stoked to be able to give a unique opportunity within my capabilities of this office of the university.” Sound of the Undergrounds’ opening concert is Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m.
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Don’t freak, it’s Earth Week! By Alex Bartick Poster courtesy of Environmental And Sustainability Programs This year the Associated Students Environmental Center is stretching Earth Day out into Earth Week. Earth Week will feature five events throughout the week spanning from April 20 to 25. Monday, April 20: Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition Hour The Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition is hosting this statewide broadcast event. “The purpose of this event is to inspire, engage and connect regional higher education institutions during Earth Week,” Western’s Office of Sustainability Manager Seth Vidana said. The broadcast will include presentations on different sustainability projects with other colleges in the region. This event will be held on Monday, April 20 at 4 p.m. in Viking Union 552. Tuesday, April 21: Sustainability Action Plan Western’s Sustainability Advisory Committee is holding an open discussion for students to come and share their ideas on the future of sustainability at Western. The event will be held Tuesday, April 21 at 4 p.m. in the VU Multipurpose Room, there will be free pizza. Wednesday, April 22: Earth Ride To celebrate Earth Day and spring weather, the AS Environmental Center is holding a bike tour around Bellingham. The ride, held on April 22, will reflect on Bellingham’s past as well as its move towards environmentally
friendly practices. The bike ride will be leisurely and if you don’t have a bike the Outdoor Center will be renting out them for the ride at a discounted price from $4 - $8. The ride will start in Red Square at 4:30 p.m. and finish at Boulevard Park where there will be snacks. Bring Your Houseplant to School Day On April 22 bring your favorite houseplant to school. The Environmental Center will be having a contest for the best decorated plant. You can send pictures of your decorated plant to #bringyourgrasstoclass Thursday, April 23: The Voices of Women in Agriculture This event hosted by the Outback Farm will be on Thursday, April 23 at 6 p.m. in the Miller Hall Collaborative Space. According to the AS Outback Farm Facebook page, “The Voices of Women in Agriculture” will focus on providing an honest illustration of women in our local agricultural community as seen through the experi-
ences of four distinctive perspectives. Saturday, April 25: Earth Day Festival The main Earth Week event will be a festival held on Saturday, April 25 from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. in the Fairhaven Courtyard. In order to keep the celebration educational, the festival will include a variety of workshops hosted by clubs on campus and Bellingham organizations. The Community Co-op will be providing free lunch, with a lunchtime performance featuring Emma Lee Toyoda. The educational side of the event will wrap up with the keynote speaker Tamo Campos, founder of Beyond Boarding, an organization from British Columbia that aims to stand up against environmental and social injustices. Directly following this discussion, Polecat will play a folk music set at 6 p.m. in the Fairhaven Courtyard. Once the musical act is finished, the festivities will be redirected to the Outback Farm where there will be square dancing and a campfire.
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FASA presents: Pilipino Cultural Night By Nontawat Thammawan Poster Design By Keghouhi Bedoyan It’s an exciting moment for Filipino American Student Association as the club is hosting its 7th Annual Pilipino Cultural Night on Saturday, April 25 in the Performing Art Center’s concert hall from 7-8:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $6 for student and $8 for non-student. FASA has been with Western for more than 20 years, dedicating to spreading awareness about the Filipino culture on campus and the greater Bellingham area. For this year’s Pilipino Cultural Night, FASA members will be performing a play called Maalaala na Kultura or Culture Remembered The play is about a boy who has forgotten his own Filipino culture and will go through a journey of time to witness the struggle his parents have overcome to bring about todays being. “The main character’s name is Manny, and I’ll be playing him at the event. I’m not sure if people want to see that, but that’s what’s going to happen,” FASA President Kevin Canda said with laughter. “It’ll be an entertaining play, so we’re aiming to both educate and amuse.” The performance is broken down into portions, and a couple of small performances will be presented during each intermission by club members and students from Central Washington University. “We’re trying not to give too much away, but the performances and the skits are related and all fit into one big performance,” FASA Vice President Ethan Metzger said. “You just have to come and find out!” Members meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Academic West 304. In the meeting, people usually do the basic ice-breaker to familiarize
each otherlse followed by entertaining Filipino-culture-related activities such as learning phrases in Tagalog—main language in the Philippines—and sharing Filipino fun facts, Metzger said. To get involved with FASA, students don’t really need to be Filipino. The club has roughly 20–30 people attending the weekly meeting, and the group usually consists of different identities. “Since our mission is to spread and educate Filipino culture, you don’t really need to have a particular ethnicity to join, and that goes to all ethnic clubs on campus,” Canda said. Metzger himself is not Filipino, but he said the culture has impacted him since the first time he attended FASA’s meeting a year ago. “I have made so many friends from FASA and the ESC clubs,” Metzger said. “I think it’s a great chance to educate yourself about different cultures that aren’t yours at first and then learn to embrace it.” The Pilipino Cultural Night is one of two annual events hosted by FASA. The other annual event is Filipino Heritage Dinner which is always held at the beginning of each year. FASA’s last Heritage Dinner was its 20th one, Canda said. The theme for Pilipino Cultural Night is different every year, and FASA officers are doing their best to surprise their audience at the night of April 25. If students are interested in attending, the door will be opened at 6:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m. Food and drink are not allowed in the concert hall. For more information regarding the event and the club in general, contact FASA through Facebook or email officers at wwufasa@gmail. com.
Theft of this banner is a violation of University policy and will result in notifying University Police and the Dean of Students Office.
For disability accommodations please call (206) 696-2532 Western is an equal opportunity institution
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What’s on the forecast for AS Films? By Marina Price Design by Bobby Davis Husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ film “Little Miss Sunshine” will be shown on Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in Viking Union 552. The film follows the maladjusted Hoover family as they drive a Volkswagen bus from Arizona to California to fulfill their sevenyear-old daughter’s dream of competing in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. “We did a poll on Facebook, and Little Miss Sunshine was the top choice. It’s also one of my favorite movies of all time,” AS Film Coordinator Sam Legg said. Little Miss Sunshine won out over The Princess Bride, Amelie and Dodgeball to name a few. Legg said that finding good movies to show in spring is difficult, because not many films come out in winter that are available to be shown. “All the Oscar movies come out for winter quarter, but not a lot comes out after that,” Legg said. The family dynamic presented in Little Miss Sunshine may be uncomfortably familiar for some. Most of the family’s six members are emotionally distant and distracted, bitterly immersed in their persuit of a goal that the others just don’t quite understand. Some members of the family have goals that are more materialistic than others. The father, Richard, played by Greg Kinnear, is obsessed with his 9-step life advice program, convinced that once it gets noticed, he will be able to provide for his family on it’s revenue alone. His son Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, takes a vow of silence until he can earn his pilots license. Until then, he is stuck as an angsty high schooler who’s only form of communication is a notebook, in which he writes
“It has a little bit of everything - it’s comedy and drama, and it has something in it for everybody.” -- Sam Legg short, simple phrases, usually along the lines of “leave me alone.” Each member of the family actively attempts to escape the reality of their lives, which is apparent from the very first scene in the film, when the mother [Toni Colette] is seen smoking in her car on the way to pick up her brother Frank [Steve Carrel] from the hospital after his failed suicide attempt. Dwayne’s eccentric and regretful grandfather is also present, actively spouting life advice in heroin-fueled rants, advising his grandchildren to live his life differently than he did. The family begrudgingly unites for a road trip to bring their daughter Olive [Abigail Breslin] to California to compete in a beauty pageant for young girls. Although her goal may be the most materialistic of them all, her character has not yet been worn down by the cruelty of the world, and she is able to express her love for her family and optimistic life view freely. Her
family recognizes this - although perhaps unconsciously - and are able to take a moment out of their lives to help her achieve her goal. The drive is long and stressful, but the phenomenal performances by this unconventional cast and faint glimmers of hope for the fate of this family leave one rooting for them to make it to California with all your heart. Legg commented on the relatability of the family, even though roles are slightly exaggerated. “I think a lot of people can relate to having a funny dad like that, or a goofy younger sister,” Legg said. Legg believes that the film has something in it for everyone. “If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you should come just for that fact. It has a little bit of everything- its comedy and drama, and it has something in it for everybody,” Legg said. The screening will at 7 p.m. in VU 522 on Thursday, April 23 free of charge.
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Green, lean, safety machines By Spencer Newsad Illustration by Keghouhi Bedoyan Western students work in conjunction with police to discover that Western is a lot more boring than those late-night cell phone alerts would leave you to believe, which is actually a good thing Twenty-one public safety assistants work on Western’s campus. Equipped with a radio, a flashlight and a green jacket, they patrol campus on-foot. Some patrol from inside a Chevrolet pickup truck. “We call [those] Rovers,” said University Police Patrol Sgt. Bianca Smith. “They are responsible for opening and closing buildings. Oftentimes they will provide admissions into buildings after hours for people who are
authorized to be in the buildings after hours.” These PSAs—known colloquially as greencoats—work in conjunction with Western’s University Police Department in order to ensure a safe campus. “My other greencoats are assigned to the dorm/residential areas,” Smith said. “We have one assigned to North [campus], one assigned to South, and one that’s assigned to the Ridge. Their responsibilities are noting and recording any safety or security issues. We close down the gates at the ridge so that thru-traffic stops going through their after-hours. According to Smith, the PSA program was created in 1969. “I want say it was called the Viking Patrol,” Smith said. “It’s always been in conjunction with ResLife. It’s a collaborative concern for those students who live in the dorms because we have 4400 students on-campus.” PSA Tony Betz pursued a position as a greencoat because of an interest in law enforcement. “I thought this would a good introduction into what that would be like,” Betz said. PSA Zack McElveney said he thought it would be fun “to walk around campus and make a safe haven for people to be around.” PSA Sara Pongon agreed with both, then said, “[being a greencoat] seemed like a chance to meet the officers on-campus and make an impact on the Western community.” Smith said another primary responsibility for PSAs is to act as safety escorts. “When people do not feel safe walking across campus from point A to point B all they need to do is call UPD and we will provide them a safety escort across campus,” Smith
said. “That’s where [the greencoats] come in.” PSA Alex McCoy patrols the ridge dormitories. “Most of my reports are to document graffiti,” McCoy said. “One of my most memorable moments was probably my third night on the job—I was still in training—and I was walking around with another greencoat when two naked guys rode by us on bikes.” PSAs Betz and Pongon recalled a night on which they received a call regarding an injured owl. “It was the day after we had seen the owl for the first time,” Betz said. “And we were really excited to see it again the next day, but we heard dispatch tell one of the officers that this owl had fallen out of a tree—I went and checked it out, but by the time I got there it was back in the tree.” While the greencoats receive five days of training to acclimate to their radios, academic and residential areas, parking lots and geography, they don’t receive any defensive training. “We want them to basically be a hands-off approach,” Smith said. “We do not want to put them in any harm’s way. The radio is the life-line. We’re not encouraging them to go hands-on.” Smith recounted a story in which a PSA was hit by an alcoholic container thrown near North Campus. Because PSAs are hired through the UPD, the greencoat was considered a type of police officer, and the individual was charged with a felony. “Call in for escorts if you ever feel safe because we definitely have time to do a lot more than we do right now,” McElveney said. McElveney insisted that members of the WWU community seek the PSAs should they need any assistance. “We’re not there to get people in trouble,” Betz said. “We’re here to keep campus safe.” Should anyone on campus need to contact the UPD for a safety escort, they can be reached via the non-emergency line at 360650-3555.
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QQ Li’s? Yes please! By Nontawat Thammawan Yan Qin Chen or QQ Chen talked about her life and her business after moving to United States in 1999. Chen said she spent most of her time in the U.S. working in different restaurants as a cashier. In 2005, she settled down here in Bellingham as an owner of her own business QQ Li’s. How long have you owned QQ’s Li? I’ve been running the business for more than eight years now. What does QQ’s Li stand for? My full name is Yan Qin Chen, and my husband’s name is Xin Cheng Li. QQ Li’s is kind of the combination of our name together. I started the business together with my husband, so that’s how we came up with the name. My husband is the cook, and I handle the cashier and customer’s side of the business. Which part of China do you come from? I come from Fujian. I moved to United States in 1999, and started working as a cashier in different Chinese restaurants throughout the years. My father lived in New York before me, so he helped me with the immigration procedure. Did you have a difficult time when you first move here? Yes, I was really shy to talk with people using English because I was afraid that people wouldn’t understand what I was talking about. It was really difficult to just explain something to the native speakers. But, I later found out that body language was really useful, so I used that a lot within the first couple of months. I later became better at English because a lot of people taught me how to pronounce or say something. How did you end up in Bellingham? My father’s friend owns a restaurant called Hawaii BBQ & Noodle House in Bellingham. One summer, we all travelled to pay his friend a visit because New York was very hot at the time. And then we stayed for about a month because the weather in Bellingham is so nice. Later, my father’s friend decided to sell his business to our family, so that was how to started QQ Li’s. What do you like about working here at Western? I like to meet and speak with a lot of students on campus. Besides, many Chinese students like to come here and hang out with me after they get out of their classes. It makes me feel like time goes fast! Do you miss China? Do you ever go back and visit?
Yan Qin Chen encourages students to spark up a converstaion with her while they await their order. Photo by Ian Sanquist // AS Review Not so much because my whole family is already here in United States: My brother, my father, my husband and my son. They are all here so that’s why I don’t really miss China all that much. Sometimes, if I have a chance, I would like to go back to China and visit my grandfather because he is still living in China. The last time I visited China was 2006. What is your favorite food? My favorite food is Hot Pot! It’s a type of Chinese food where you have a big pot of soup on the table, and you boil raw meat and vegetables in it, and then you dip it with some sauce and eat it while it’s freshly cooked. I also like Sushi and Korean food. Anything else you would like to say about QQ Li’s? Right now we’re still working on the bubble teas. I’m trying to make bubble tea becomes more popular in the business because most American people still have no idea what the bubble tea is. We have more than 10 flavors including strawberry, taro, milk, peach, etc. or
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Come Hmong, come all By Spencer Newsad Founded by Western students Melody Xiong and Rickey Chang and recent graduate Tuz Xiong, the Western Hmong Student Association officially became an Associated Students club during spring quarter in 2014. “The Hmong people are a nomadic group,” Hmong President Melody Xiong said. “Meaning that we do not have a country of our own.” The club meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Academic West 205. The meetings are open to everyone. “Our mission at WHSA is to spread awareness of the Hmong culture and promote higher education to the Hmong Youth,” Secretary Rickey Chang said. Generally, Xiong said, 15-20 people show up at meetings, which start with introductions, club announcements and icebreaker games. “Then we have a ‘Phrase of the Day,’” Chang said. “Where we teach a Hmong word or phrase to our club members. And finally we move on with our theme or topic for the week.” Topics have included traditional food one week, dance or clothing another. “Although Hmong people are new to America, many are already forgetting their own culture,” Xiong said. “We want to not only educate those who are forgetting their own culture but those who do not know the Hmong culture and who are interested in learning it.” Other club activities included hiking trips, holiday potlucks, a New Year’s celebration and participation in Western events such as Back to Bellingham and the Cross Cultural Student Association’s Multicultural Day. “WHSA is still a new club,” Xiong said, “But we’ve been trying to advocate higher education to other Hmong students in high school who are not planning to continue their education.” This year and last, WHSA travelled to Kirkland to hold an event on why members of the Hmong communities should continue their education past high school. “We talked about the SAT/ACT, admissions to universities, financial aid, college life/clubs and scholarship,” Xiong said. “Growing up in Laos, Hmong parents only know how to farm and provide food for their family. With that reason, many parents don’t encourage their kids to continue their education.” During winter quarter this year, the club joined the Ethnic Student Center. “As a club we decided that we wanted to see how everything would go before joining the ESC,” Xiong said. “We now have a lot of connections to other clubs/ethnic clubs. We didn’t know much about running a club, but to be a part of the ESC helped a lot to get input from other
clubs who are going through similar situations.” The Hmong people are said to have originated from Southern China, Melody said. Because of disputes with the Chinese government, the Hmong people migrated to Southeast Asia, Chang said. “We resettled mainly in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam,” Chang said. “Then around the 1960’s and 70’s, when the Vietnam War was being fought, the United States CIA enlisted the Hmong people to fight for them, training them in guerilla warfare to attack enemy supply trains and weaken their forces.” Though most of the Hmong people’s history is lost, Lee said, she is grateful to have a club on campus spreading awareness of their people’s existence. “Today there are Hmong people everywhere,” Xiong said. “Because the Hmong people do not have their own country to fall back to, there is nothing to preserve our culture besides ourselves. That is why we started this club.” Membership is reserved for those who visit three or more meetings, but all are invited to attend.
Hmong officers invite all students to attend one of their club meeting to learn more about the Hmong culture. Photo by Ian Sanquist // AS Review.
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Secrets of the air waves...Shhh! By Marina Price Do you ever listen to KUGS FM Bellingham and wonder where they find all their great music? It turns out, the process is a lot more complex than you might think. KUGS Music Coordinator Ryan Evans listens through about 60 CDs a week to determine what music best fits the “vibe” at KUGS. “That’s why the sound changes every now and then, the music that’s played on the radio is very much the aesthetic of the music director at the time,” he said. Evans said that he tries to ensure that KUGS keeps an eclectic sound, by adding more jazz, funk, soul and world music for DJ’s to choose from, to accompany the electronic, rock and folk that DJ’s are more likely to select. Albums are sent to the KUGS station from promotion companies or submitted by bands themselves. “I very much go through my gut,” he said. “Sometimes it might be good, but it isn’t ‘KUGS’. It’s not all bad, but it might not work with the KUGS sound.” Not only does Evans have to make sure the album is up to KUGS standards, songs need to meet FCC regulations. That means no swearing or innuendos, as breaking these rules can
result in an upwards of $30,000 fine. Music that meets these qualifications goes to ‘The Wall’- a collection of more than 600 CDs in the on air studio that’s sorted into groups like new, local, heavily played, lightly played and specialty. These albums are what make up the “Music for the Masses” shows on KUGS. DJs must play a certain amount of songs from albums in each section, to ensure that listeners hear a wide variety of music. Senior Public Relations major Danielle Oyama has been a “Music for the Masses” DJ at KUGS since the summer of 2014. “I’ve been exposed to so much music,” she said. “One of my new favorite songs I found off The Wall from an artist I didn’t know before. It’s called ‘Something to Believe In’ by Tall Tales and the Silver Lining,” she said. There are four song slots in a two-hour playlist for a DJ to play specialty music, where they can delve deeper into a chosen genre. Oyama usually chooses songs from the Jazz section to fill these slots, because it’s not played very often. “Ryan always puts some good jazz stuff on there. A few weeks ago he had James Brown, and there’s been some Esperazalla Spalding and Ella Fitzgerald too,” Oyama said. Some students choose to go further in
their own selections and hold Specialty shows instead. Like Music for the Masses shows, these go for 1-2 hours, and delve deeply into a certain genre or theme. This quarter there is a Nordic music show, a trap music show, and a reggae show just to name a few. Evans makes sure to switch out the music on the Wall often, so that listeners hear new songs every few weeks. He also carefully monitors what songs are being played, to make sure songs don’t become repetitive, or that the station doesn’t always play songs everyone knows. “I put Led Zeppelin 4 on there with a sticker that said ‘no Stairway’ on it. I checked every day, and the second that someone played it, I took it off,” he said. DJs are required to enter the songs they play into a live feed online, so that listeners (and other DJs) can check song titles and artists that are played in real time. Students of any major and any number of credits can apply to be volunteers at KUGS at the start of each quarter. To start volunteering next fall, look for the KUGS booth at the Info Fair for details on how to get started.
Left: CDs of different artist cover the walls of the KUGS radio rooms. Middle: Sean Murdock [left] and Ryan Hillery [right] pick out music in the KUGS studio. Right: Reggae experimental is one of the different genres that are included in the KUGS music library Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
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Life is a carnival: LSU Heritage Dinner attle and Baile Folklorico de WWU. Both groups will be dancing Baile Folklorico, a type of dance that is traditional to Latin America. Baile Folklorico is characterized by it’s colorful costumes. The Spring Quarter is the time of year when many of the Ethnic Student members dress up in multi-colored dresses layered in lace and fabric that twirl and spread out as they dance. The costumes and music of the Center clubs host their annual heritage dinners. This year the Latino dancers tend to reflect local characteristics of their cultures. In addiStudent Union will be holding its 10th annual heritage dinner on Saturday. April 25 from 6-9 p.m. in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. tion to the dance performances, a live band from Seattle will be featured at the event. The dinner is open to the public and admission costs $12 for stuThe heritage dinner will also have a silent auction. The baskets dents and $15 for general admission. Heritage dinners are an event put auctioned off will include items from local businesses and the Western on by ESC clubs to celebrate the club’s culture. The heritage dinners bookstore. The money raised at the silent auction will be donated to the usually include live music, dancing and food highlighting the unique LEAP 1% scholarship for Latino/a students in Washington state. cultures of the groups that are hosting the dinners. To keep up with the theme of celebrating a culture, the dinners are When many people think of Latino culture, they usually think Mexican, LSU Co-Chair Lucina Leon Palma said. In order to steer away usually decorated in a traditional style. “The theme [of this years heritage dinner] is “La Vida Es Un Carnifrom this thought, each table at the dinner will have booklets with the val” so [the room is] going to be colorful. There’ll be masks and brightly name of a Latin American country, population size, traditions and colored tissue paper,” LSU budget authority Stephanie Sisson said. other general information. As a club of the Ethnic Student Center, the Latino Student Union The food at the event will highlight the diverse culinary culture of has been providing support for Latino/a students on campus for more Latin America. The menu at the dinner includes empanadas stuffed than ten years. LSU is a group on campus who aims “to expand Latino with cheese and potatoes as appetizers, chicken and vegetarian sopes, culture within ourselves and on campus,” Palma said. corn on the cob, pan de queso, Brazilian donuts with whip cream and The Latino Student Union is one of 15 active clubs within the Ethstrawberry sauce and agua de horchata. nic Student Center. The ESC serves as a resource and community for In addition to food, LSU’s heritage dinner will include live music, campus that provides students an inclusive environment where they dance performances and speeches by members of the club. There are can discuss topics such as culture, identity and social issues. two scheduled dance performances featuring Joyas Mestizas from SeBy Alex Bartick Poster Design By Tristan wood
Latino Student Union’s 10th Annual Heritage Dinner
SATURDAY, APRIL 25th 6:00PM - 9:00PM LSU Come enjoy food, performances, and dancing!
$12 STUDENTS $15 GENERAL WWU | VU | MPR LSU
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