AS Review - May 02, 2011

05.02.11 V.26 #26

ELECTION RESULTS • BEAF • EVENTS • NEW PORNOGRAPHERS • NEW PICKFORD

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HIV from page 9 projects and holding after-school English clubs. I do all of these things, but what I did not expect was to work on HIV and AIDS projects. I knew that HIV was a problem in Africa, but I figured it was one I would probably not work with in Ukraine. It turns out that I was very wrong. Ukraine has the highest rate of HIV infections in Europe. This epidemic is growing faster here than anywhere else in the world. There is a huge stigma attached to being HIV-positive, so most people do not get tested, and this perpetuates the problem. In addition, there is very little access to accurate information about the spread, treatment and prevention of HIV. AIDS and HIV are major health problems in Ukraine and because of this many volunteers here work on projects involving these issues.

One of the biggest and most exciting HIV projects is a summer camp called Camp HEAL, which stands for human trafficking, education, AIDS and HIV and leadership. About 120 Ukrainian students age 16-20 years old attend this camp, where they not only learn about HIV and AIDS but also gain leadership skills and learn how to create projects in their own communities. Each of these students then goes back to his or her community and facilitates a new project to spread information about HIV and AIDS and how to prevent and treat this growing problem. While we teach these 120 students, they in turn educate hundreds more people, reaching farther than any group of volunteers ever could.

Projects such as this one – that give people the skills and knowledge to create projects and continue education on their own – is what the Peace Corps is all about, and it is the reason it is still a successful organization 50 years after its beginning in 1961.

Camp HEAL, like many volunteer projects, needs funding to become a reality and to provide food and lodging for camp participants. This is why we need your help. Donations made to this camp will make a real difference to the lives of students in Ukraine. If you are interested in helping this important project, please go to www.peacecorps.gov/donate and search for project number 343-215. The project is listed under the director’s name, “Farmer of VA.” Also, if you would like more information about this camp, please see our website http://www.campheal.webs. com/. Truly, every little bit helps to make a huge difference in the lives of Ukrainian students and their communities. Thank you. ■

PICKFORD from page 6 initially confused, I thought this gift giveaway only added to Pickford’s charm.

But with that charm comes some drawbacks, such as lack of surround sound and movie selection. I found at times the movie to be too quiet for my taste, and with the warning ahead of time, I can only assume the technical difficulties were due to the new set up. If you are not interested in subtitled foreign films, Sundance winners or political documentaries, this theater may not be for you. But again, being a local entity, the Pickford prides itself on simplicity and alternative films, and I kind of love that.

The movie itself, “Win Win,” had the sweetness and unsophistication that one should expect out of a Sundance film, but nonetheless enjoy. Paul Giamatti was flawless as a small-town attorney and volunteer high school wrestling coach, whose life becomes complicated after he takes on the guardianship of his

NIGHTLIFE from page 9 the direction of how people are expected to act in a bar environment.”

These observations led to the creation of the Advice on Tap campaign.

“They wanted to do a campaign that would not only reach the people who were coming to bars for the first time, but also trying to capture those people who were perhaps problematic,” Case said.

The campaign also involves law enforcement, including extra Bellingham Police officers and LCB officers who monitor the downtown scene. Case said, the extra enforcement is not encouraging an “anti-going out to bars” campaign, but rather bar patrons having a fun and safe time without causing any problems.

“They’re really eager to get the word out to the patrons in a fun way, not in a confrontational way,” Case said. “They don’t want to be shaking their fingers or being anyone’s mom. They just want to make sure people understand the campaign.”

In addition to the Advice on Tap crew and extra law enforcement, the staff of several downtown bars can be seen handing out buttons and sporting the specially designed T-shirts on campaign nights.

The campaign has more than 10 participating bars including Bellingham Bar and Grill, The Beaver Inn, Glow Nightclub, Rumors Cabaret, The Royal and The Wild Buffalo.

Brian Waller, owner of The Beaver Inn, is a member of the steering committee for the campus

elderly client.

The Pickford includes bi-monthly senior matinée series, monthly sci-fi series and special events for schools and organizations. Upcoming screenings include a Charlie Chaplin series and “Potiche” (the French slang for a trophy wife), a film about a housewife who takes over her husband’s job after he falls ill.

As the credits rolled, I found myself not only picking up my trash, but recycling it too. For the approximately 50,000 people who enjoy the Pickford each year, they’ve come to love, respect and hold the organization dear to their movie-going hearts and it is clear to see why.

Having experienced one myself, I can now confidently say these little old-fashioned movie theaters do exist, and are quite likeable in their own right. ■

coalition and has been with the HRA from the very beginning.

“One of the main things I would hope most people get out of it is to take responsibility for their own actions while they’re in any establishment or walking out on the streets,” Waller said. “I got involved because the objective of the campaign is worthwhile.” ■ To get involved with Bellingham Nightlife: Advice on Tap or potentially become a crew member, contact Lyndie Case at Lyndie.Case@wwu.edu. Advice on Tap T-shirts will be sold in the Western Associated Students Bookstore throughout May.

Advice on Tap: - Find a bouncer if a customer is bugging you.

- You must have your ID every time.

- Bars have to cut you off if you are drunk.

- Tip your bartender, not your drink.

- Your friends reflect on you.

- Never start a fight inside or outside a bar.

-Take a cab home; it’s cheaper than a DUI. - Can’t decide whether to drink another? Dont!

May 2, 2011 • 11

Top 5 artists/albums 1) Decemberists/ The King Is Dead 2) Cage The Elephant/ Thank You H. B’day 3) Foo Fighters/ Wasting Light 4) Toro Y Moi/ Underneath The Pine 5) Arcade Fire/ The Suburbs Charts from April 15-22.

PHOTOS Socialist Alternative hosts Cindy Sheehan. Daniel Berman/ The AS Review.

NEW PORN from page 4 Since the band released its first album, “Mass Romantic,” in 2000, their popularity has steadily been growing. “Electric Version,” their 2003 album, peaked at 196th position on the Billboard 200 charts. Their latest album, “Together,” peaked at eighteenth.

“You never know as a musician when your next record will be just a complete failure, you’re always sort of on the edge of total disaster,” said Calder, who joined the band in 2005 during the recording of their third album, “Twin Cinema.”

“I think it’s been really validating for the band that not only do we have fans that have stayed with us since the first record, but we have fans who are jumping on board who maybe only know the first two records.”

Returning once again to their unusual name, Calder said that the band is purely about playing their music and having a good time.

“It’s just a name, and like any other band name that people come up with, it doesn’t mean anything.

We’re not making movies in our spare time, we’re playing in a band.” ■

AVENUE from page 7

Political activist and anti-war advocate Cindy Sheehan speaks at an event titled “Dawn of a New Revolt: Challenging Corporate Control of Politics,” sponsored by the AS club Socialist Alternative in Fraser Hall April 27.

anything with pesto in it.), but because of the fresh, crisp quality of every piece of bread, turkey and lettuce that goes into it. The same rings true for all of Avenue’s sandwiches. An otherwise simple ham and cheese sandwich is taken up a couple notches by the fresh-baked bread and delicious ham provided by Ferndale’s own Hempler’s B.B. Meat & Sausage. Outside of any of Avenue’s four locations, a sandwich is just a sandwich. But once you’ve entered the world crafted by owners Wendy and John DeFreest, it gets even better and absolutely justifies the extra couple dollars you’ll shell out to try it.

While the sandwiches are the main attraction, the selection of pastries cannot be ignored either.

The pesto and goat cheese twist (I’m a sucker for pesto, sue me.) expertly combines the two flavors in a soft, flaky bread that tastes as if it was madeto-order. Again, the freshness that makes Avenue’s sandwiches so good also takes its pastries to another level. Sorry, Starbucks.

While the departure of El Cápitan’s from Vendors Row was sad day for student foodies across Bellingham, the university has more than made up for it with the addition of not only some of the best eateries on campus, but in Bellingham, period. ■

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PHOTOS The Tallest Man on Earth, presented by ASP Pop Music. Joe Rudko/ The AS Review.

! n a M t s e ll

Ta

Swedish singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson, also known as The Tallest Man on Earth, played a sold-out ASP Pop Music show in the PAC Concert Hall April 23.

BEAF from page 8 “All of the dances are inspired by the music,” she said. “Each participant was given a short piece of music to choreograph to, so there will be a wide variety of movement inspired by the assigned music.”

Hamilton said that the festival caters to a wide range of interests. Each of the four BEAF curators is in charge of a different aspect of the festival.

Hamilton said that there would be three concert hall shows in the PAC, a “groove dance” show in the VU Multipurpose Room, another dance show at Rumor’s Cabaret and a pop show at Jinx Art Space.

“At the festival we just wanted to be open to everything,” Hamilton said.

Other highlights of the festival include a

performance on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall by Russianborn thereminist Lydia Kavina. The theremin is an early electronic instrument that uses two metal rods which sense the position of the player’s hands and allow the player to use one hand to control frequency and the other hand to control amplitude; in essence the theremin is played without actually being touched. On the same night, Vancouver, British Columbia-based artist Loscil will perform.

Hamilton described Loscil’s music as “lush, beautiful, ambient electronica.”

On Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. in the PAC, Richard Lainhart, an award-winning composer, performer and filmmaker based in New York, will perform with a vintage synthesizer and a special multi-touch controller, Hamilton said.

The festival will wrap up on Sunday, May 8 at 8 p.m. in the PAC with a performance by the Cuong Vu Trio. Vu is a Vietnamese-born trumpeter and vocalist, but moved to Bellevue, Wash. with his family in 1975. After graduating with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass., Vu spent time in New York before returning to Washington. Vu now lives in Seattle, where Hamilton said that he is a strong force in the city’s jazz scene. According to Vu’s website, Amazon.com cited Vu’s 2001 album “Come Play with Me” on its list “The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time.”

Hamilton said that Vu is a well-respected jazz musician, and that all attendees would enjoy his performance.

“I just think that show will be a perfect way to end the festival,” he said. ■

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Volume 26 Number 26 • May 2, 2011

NEWS

4 ELECTION RESULTS

It’s not over ‘til it’s over.

FEATURES

9 ADVICE ON TAP

Be happy and be safe.

EVENTS

2 CALENDAR

Look to your right.

4 NEW PORNOGRAPHERS

Indie band to play Mt. Baker Theater.

8 ELECTRONIC ARTS FESTIVAL

Expanding the very definition of art.

REVIEWS

6 PICKFORD FILM CENTER

PFC’s new Bay St. theater.

7 AVENUE BREAD IN MILLER

Local sandwich shop sells on campus.

COVER

An installation in the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival in the Viking Union Gallery.

Daniel Berman/ The AS Review.

Making your life better, one page at a time.

MONDAY may 2

WEDNESDAY may 4

Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival 2011 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, VU Gallery Free

Snug Harbor album release 8 p.m., Underground Coffeehouse Free

The Viking Union Gallery will be hosting a sound, video and electronic exhibition as a part of the eighth annual Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival.

Check it out online at http://gallery.as.wwu.edu.

The festival runs until May 13.

The Bellingham funk/fusion/soul band Snug Harbor debuts their latest album in the Underground Coffeehouse.

TUESDAY may 3

Cinco de Mayo!

Commemorate the Mexican army’s defeat of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Robert Davidson, Haida Artist: A 40-year perspective 4-5:15 p.m., AW 204 Free Join Robert Davidson, one of Canada’s most respected and important contemporary artists as he presents a retrospective of his work since carving the first Haida totem pole to be raised in 85 years back in 1969.

Remembering Vincent 6 p.m., VU 512 Free Guest speaker Curtis Chin will give a talk about Vincent Chin, a factory worker from Detroit in the 1980s who was mistaken as a Japanese American and was murdered by two Caucasian males. The two went to trial and were ultimately released with no charges made and no retribution paid to the Chin family. Curtis will talk about contemporary Chinese American social rights issues and how people can get involved.

Presented by the Chinese Student Association.

Pride through the ages 7-9 p.m., VU 462 B Free We’ll be going through a quick “Queer History 101,” talking about the evolution of the pride flag, drag court, the language of the pride movement, and the history of celebrations in preparation for Campus Pride Week.

THURSDAY may 5

Sex and Culture: An Interactive & Educational Experience 7-9 p.m., AW 304 Free The AS Sexual Awareness Center presents this open discussion-based event for people to socialize and collaborate on fun projects.

Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival reception 6-8 p.m., VU Gallery Free

FRIDAY may 6 Plant Party with Mike van Fleet 8 p.m., Underground Coffeehouse Free Plant Party with a special giveaway!

SATURDAY may 7 ASP Films Film Festival 12 p.m., Arntzen 100 Free A showcase of student-made films.

May 2, 2011 • 3

taoofjournalism.com

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.

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.

Brian Ralphs/ AS Publicity Center

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NEWS

CORRECTION In last week’s election issue, Derick Reinhardt’s name was misspelled. Reinhardt was one of six candidates running for AS vice president for student life. We apologize for this error.

We’re going to have ourselves some run-offs Three races for AS board too close to announce winners

EVENT

New Pornographers B.C.-based indie band to play Mount Baker Theater on May 6 Kirsten O’Brien/ The AS Review

Although their name may suggest it, The New

Pornographers are not involved in making X-rated films. Instead, they’re a sprightly Vancouver, British Columbia-based indie pop group that has been making music since 1997.

On May 6 at 8 p.m. they will be bringing their energetic, feel-good music to the Mount Baker Theater, located at 104 North Commercial Street.

Tickets are $25 plus applicable fees. Thao & Mirah, a female singer-songwriter duo, will open.

“It’s always fun to play for smaller cities,” said Kathryn Calder, a vocalist, pianist and keyboardist for the band. “Usually bands go to Seattle or Portland or Vancouver, and so it’s always nice to play for smaller towns because people get excited for the show and they’re not spoiled.”

Bellingham is the band’s third-to-last stop on their 2011 spring tour. Since their first show in Tempe, Ariz. on April 15, the band has been zigzagging across the country playing material from their 2010 release, “Together.” Calder also said that the band has been making an effort to play material from their previous four albums as well.

“We’ve been trying to play songs from every album,” Calder said. “There are people who want to hear songs from every album so we’ve been trying to keep it pretty even. Carl [Newman, who plays vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass and banjo] has a pretty good sense for what people want to hear and so he tries to tailor the set list so it’s not too heavily weighted on one album.”

NEW PORN continues on page 11

Evan Marczynski/ The AS Review

Election week is over, but before we know who will fill

some of the positions on next year’s Associated Students Board of Directors, including the AS president, we’re going to have to vote again. The races for three board spots were so close that none of the candidates running for those positions gained enough votes to win outright.

AS election rules state that a candidate must have at least one third of the votes cast to be declared a winner and avoid a runoff election. Last week, the final vote tallies for the positions of AS president, vice president for activities and vice president for student life showed that no candidate was able to reach that threshold.

Voter turnout for the election was 29.2 percent, the highest level of participation in 18 years.

In the races that were decided: Travis Peters has been elected vice president for business and operations, Iris Maute-Gibson is the new vice president for governmental affairs, John Deng Duot won the race for the vice president for diversity and Fabiola Arvizu won for the vice president for academic affairs.

The run-off election for the three yet-to-be-decided races will start Monday, May 9 and end at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 13.

Students can vote using the same ways as last week’s general election, either through their myWestern account or by visiting wwu.edu/vote.

The only initiative on the ballot, which asked students if the housing listings in the off-campus housing registry should be required to include information about a particular housing unit’s weatherization and heating costs, passed by a wide margin.

Voter turnout increased from last year’s elections, and was at its highest level since 1993. Out of 13,167 eligible voters on campus, 3,850 voters cast ballots. ■ The run-off elections start May 9. Voting will be open until 2 p.m.

Friday, May 13. Vote by logging in to your myWestern account or visit wwu.edu/vote. Interviews with all candidates are available at asreview.as.wwu.edu.

Daniel Berman/ The AS Review

Candidates Anna Ellermeier (top) and Byron Starkey will head into a run-off election for AS president.

May 2, 2011 • 5

ELECTION RESULTS

Winners are underlined. Run-off election candidates in boxes. Percentages are rounded up.

AS President

VP for BusOps

T. Peters J. McCardle none of above

56.1% 28.2% 15.6%

A. Ellermeier 30.1% B. Starkey 28.2% J. Agosti 22.8% VP for S. Life B. Brockman 13.4% S. Richards 25.1% none of above 5.5% V. Celis 18.3% D. Reinhardt 16.0% Z. Carroll 12.9% H. McGowan 10.2% C. Savage 8.6% none of above 9.6%

VP for Acad. Aff.

F. Arvizu J. Kelley G. Knight none of above

33.7% I. Maute-Gibson 55.7% 31.0% 31.1% D. Williams 19.3% none of above 13.4% 15.8%

VP for Diversity

J. Deng Duot S. Gallardo B. Mills L. Thomas none of above

VP for Gov. Aff.

53.3% 19.2% 13.2% 8.8% 5.5%

VP for Activities

M. O-Molinaro 26.3% B. Neyman 22.0% J. von Volkli 21.2% R. Bowers 14.3% D. Hagen 9.3% none of above 7.0%

AS elections turnout history

Heating cost initative yes no

74.7% 25.3%

1993: 33.7%

35

2011: 29.2%

30 25

% OF VOTING STUDENTS

20 15 10 5

1996: 4.8% 1985

YEAR

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Source: Remy Levin, AS elections coordinator

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PICKFORD REBORN REVIEW

The wait is over. PFC opens on Bay St.

Chelsea Asplund/ The AS Review

Joe Rudko/ The AS Review

I

’ve always hated the way movie theaters look in films. Not always, but quite often, the theaters shown are cute, old-fashioned buildings with red velvet stage curtains that hold 24-hour “Star Wars” movie marathons or special showings of classics like “The Wizard of Oz” or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Nowhere have I ever seen this kind of theater.

I was raised in the generation of big-box multiplexes. I am talking the multiple floored, 15-screen theaters with all the technological bells and whistles; the kind of theaters wedged inside shopping malls, where you have the pleasure of sharing the movie with obnoxious pre-teens who throw popcorn and laugh far too long and too loud.

But who am I kidding? I was that pre-teen.

Since 1998, the Pickford Film Center has been the-little-engine-that-could of movie theaters in Bellingham. The nonprofit organization was founded by local film fans, and since its beginning 13 years ago has expanded into a fully functioning two-screen cinema, thanks to community donors.

In its new, upgraded digs on Bay Street, the Pickford is truly a diamond in the rough of downtown.

When I first walked in, I had no idea what to

The Pickford Film Center opened the doors to its new location on Thursday, April 7. The center has two screens capable of both traditional 35mm and digital projections. expect. The new Pickford is completely opposite of the flashy multiplexes I grew up with. A mix of old fixtures and new technology, the walls contradicted each other, one red brick and the other plain sheetrock. Soft lights hung from the ceilings and hit the playfully patterned carpet. The front of the lobby housed a small seating area, with large windows facing the street. The tables were small and seated two people, the perfect space to share an intimate date and conversation.

The Pickford prides itself on simplicity and alternative films, and I kind of love that.

After I got in, it was almost awkward. I had no idea where to go. There was no obvious ticket counter where you slide your card to a worker inside a glass box. A long counter held two registers, one specified for ticket sales and the other for concessions. I appreciated the simplicity of ordering a box of Raisinets or just a small bucket of popcorn, without the elaborate, flashy combo deals and irritating cashiers who heckle you to upgrade for

only a dollar more. I appreciated even more that I could order a glass of Chardonnay or bottle of beer to pair with my artificially flavored chocolates.

As an elderly couple stood in front of us, buying a bucket of popcorn to share; it quickly became clear to me that my roommate and I were the youngest there. Up a small flight of stairs were the two screening rooms. I was surprised at how big the actual theater was: spacious but quaint, with tiered seating of plush, blue chairs.

An employee gave an awkward introduction, standing before the dozen or so of us, warning us that there may be technical difficulties. I heard a woman a few rows ahead of me whisper that happened the last time she attended, which made me slightly uneasy. She proceeded to announce the winning number of the gift of the night—two free coffees and donuts from Rocket Donuts.

Everyone around me got out their ticket stubs and I realized I had missed the memo to keep mine. I had crumpled my stub and it was now hopelessly buried in the bottom of my purse. It gave the place a “members only” kind of feel, and I, the outsider, was left to dig through my bag in the dark. Despite being

PICKFORD continues on page 10

May 2, 2011 • 7

REVIEW

Popular local sandwich maker hits Miller Market How good is Avenue Bread? That’s a silly question.

B

Matt Crowley/ The AS Review

een to Miller Market recently? Notice anything new? Although construction is far from over on Miller Hall, the addition of one of Bellingham’s favorite eateries, Avenue Bread, has been a pleasant surprise for students this quarter who might be growing tired of the Sodexo-produced offerings found throughout campus.

Avenue’s fourth and newest location opened April 11 and features sandwiches, salads, snacks and pastries not found anywhere else on campus, from turkey pesto sandwiches to house salads and cream cheese Danishes. Avenue Bread joins the Haggard Hideaway and Man Pies as new vendors looking to give students delicious and fresh food options.

Avenue prides itself on not only the quality of its food but the process of making it as well. Local ingredients, from Happy Valley sprouts to Pleasant Valley Farms pickles, constitute significant portions of Avenue’s offerings.

Sustainability is an important part of Avenue’s ideology as well. Aside from using local ingredients to reduce the environmental impacts of transportation, it also utilizes biodegradable packaging and has long been a user of the Sanitary Service Company’s FoodPlus! program. This allows Avenue to keep its compostable and biodegradable waste and scraps away from landfills. The company also has a history of supporting the Bellingham

community, donating bread and pastries to local food banks, soup kitchens, schools and other organizations whenever it can.

Although Avenue’s practices certainly make you feel good about supporting it, you’ll feel even better after your first bite. Although the new Miller Market location is missing some of Avenue’s most cherished dining options (Eggenues!), there are plenty of options available to keep you coming back for more.

It really is hard to find something on the menu that isn’t delicious. My personal favorite, the turkey pesto, is good not only because of the selection of ingredients (After all, it is pretty hard to screw up

AVENUE continues on page 11

PHOTOS Yellingham. Joe Rudko/ The AS Review.

(Clockwise starting at top left) Due to a crowded living room and a weekend of amazing weather, festival attendees lay out on the lawn; June Madrona plays an intimate show as the crowd follows along with handmotions; Cody Madison of A Cozy Kitchen performs at the Lavender Haus.

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EVENT

Fill your senses with BEAF Arts festival serves up exhibits, video and sound in bite-sized pieces

Kirsten O’Brien/ The AS Review

Now in its eighth year, the Bellingham Electronic

Arts Festival is expanding the very definition of music. Blurring the lines between visual art, interactive installations and electronic music, the festival will showcase a variety of electro-acoustic, ambient electronica, sound art, electronic dance music and electropop.

The festival kicks off with a reception in the Viking Union Gallery on May 5 at 6 p.m. featuring installation works by sound artist Doug Haire and digital video artist Gary Pennock.

“These artists are both sound, video and installation artists,” said VU Gallery Coordinator Allie Paul in an email. “It’s definitely a little abstract, but I hope that students will enjoy it for its uniqueness.”

“With sound art...you can walk up to it, interact with it and contemplate it, experience it, walk away and come back to it.”

-Bruce Hamilton, BEAF curator The festival runs through May 8 and features a variety of performances and concerts on Western’s campus as well as various venues in downtown Bellingham. The festival will feature music from both local and international artists, as well as lectures and demonstrations given by performers.

There are over 20 artists confirmed for this year’s festival.

“We think it’s unique for this town, as well as unique in general for the region or for anywhere, especially in terms of its mix of academic conference and elements of a pop music festival and everything in between,” said Bruce Hamilton, associate professor of music at Western and BEAF curator.

“I’m a pretty eclectic musician and I like a wide range of things, and I like to look at them separately but also put them all next to each other and see how different kinds of music co-exist.”

Sound art, a major component of the festival, may

seem like an abstract concept to some, but Hamilton explained that it is simply a different way to imagine music. He said that while a traditional piece of music may be bound by a time frame and follows a pattern of harmony and melody, sound art has far less restrictions and is not bound by any musical rules.

“With sound art, it might be something that’s more akin to a piece of visual art in that it’s something that might be in a gallery,” Hamilton said. “You can walk up to it, interact with it and contemplate it, experience it, walk away and come back to it. It’s something that is more ongoing and less bound by time.”

The festival began in 2004, when a former student of Hamilton’s wanted to introduce more electronic music into the Bellingham scene. Although this is the festival’s eighth year, Hamilton said that he still believes there is a need for the festival in the community.

“I think those of us that put on the festival now would still more or less agree with [the need for a festival],” said Hamilton. “We’ve broadened it out, it’s partly on campus, partly downtown. It’s very wide-ranging in scope.”

Hamilton said that a major highlight of this year’s festival is a collaborative performance between the

musicians of BEAF and student choreographers in the Western’s dance department. Susan Haines, a senior instructor for the department, said that she has worked closely with Hamilton on class collaborations in the past. Haines’ Dance and Technology class regularly choreographs short dance films that are scored by Hamilton’s Electronic Music class.

For the festival, Haines said that the dance department will be presenting about 25 one to twominute dance and music pieces. The performances will take place Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. in the Peforming Arts Center.

“I think it is a great way to showcase the talents of the composers and choreographers, and offer a very creative opportunity for the dancers and choreographers,” Haines said in an email regarding the dance department’s involvement in BEAF. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of BEAF and to provide creative opportunities like this for our students and faculty.”

Haines added that dancers from Whatcom Community College would be joining the Western dancers and choreographers for the performance.

She said the choreography ranges from modern to contemporary to jazz to improvisational forms.

BEAF continues on page 12

Thursday 05.05.11 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF RADIO AND ELECTRICITY

4 p.m.: Lydia Kavina, Theremin clinic

VIKING UNION GALLERY

6 p.m.: Reception with works by Douglas Haire and Gary Pennock

7 p.m.: Live perfomance with Zach Zinn, Theo Frantz, Jeff Duke (Florida via

Ustream) and Jukka-Pekka Kervinen (Finland via Ustream)

Friday 05.06.11

WESTERN CAMPUS, LOCATION TBA 2 p.m.: Lecture/demonstration with Richard Lainhart.

Multi-dimensional control for real-time analog synthesis performance

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER CONCERT HALL

7 p.m.: Performances by Lydia Kavina, Melanie Sehman and Loscil

JINX ART SPACE

10 p.m. Performances TBA.

May 2, 2011 • 9

FEATURE

The advice is on tap

Bellingham Nightlife campaign encourages safe bar-hopping Jordyn Kehle/ The AS Review

There’s an ever-growing

thought among Western students as they complete their chemistry labs, marketing projects or English essays, and it often includes a Copper Hog, a Wild Buffalo or even a Beaver.

It’s no secret that downtown Bellingham bars serve as a refuge for students trying to escape the overwhelming stress of school.

It’s also no secret that downtown nightlife can sometimes foster unsafe and disorderly behavior.

However, a local campaign known as Bellingham Nightlife: Advice on Tap is striving to reduce alcohol-induced disruptive behaviors among 21 to 25 year olds.

The primary goal of the campaign Submission by Lyndie Case is to promote safe drinking among Western student Mike Pond (left) and AS President Colin Watrin the younger visitors to Bellingham’s during an Advice on Tap campaign. downtown bars.

Advice on Tap campaigns occur the first Thursday Bellingham and Western’s University Police, as well as Bellingham’s Downtown Alliance for Music and night of every month and include two main pieces: education and enforcement. As part of the education Nightlife.

Lieutenant Blair Smith, LCB officer for Whatcom portion of the campaign, the Advice on Tap crew, County, is among one of the many law enforcement including Western students and downtown bar officers involved in the HRA. staff, walk around to several bars encouraging safe “We believe in the concept of communitydrinking choices.

The crew can be easily seen wearing white T-shirts oriented policing, and Bellingham is a great community that wants us to work together and with the Advice on Tap logo on the front. The logo mimics the design of Rainier beer cans. A list on the reduce the problems through collaboration and mutual cooperation where possible,” Smith said. back of the shirt gives the campaign’s eight tips of Lyndie Case, coordinator of the campus coalition, advice for patrons, including: “Take a cab home—it’s said that when the HRA first started it was simply cheaper than a DUI,” “Find a bouncer if a customer is bugging you,” and “Can’t decide whether or not to trying to get everybody involved in downtown nightlife to come together and talk about how to drink another?—Don’t!” ensure public safety.

Advice on Tap is sponsored by the Hospitality “After a lot of that occurred, what the HRA was Resource Alliance, one of the three groups in finding was that there were a small percentage of Western’s Campus Community Coalition. The people in the bars that were causing problems,” Case Alliance is a collaboration between local residents said. “In addition, there is a group that is coming to in an effort to promote safe drinking in public. the bars for the first time that don’t necessarily know Their monthly meetings bring together local bar staff, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, NIGHTLIFE continues on page 10

SUBMISSION

An unexpected epidemic Fighting HIV in Ukraine

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Submitted by Erika Hornli

hen people picture the Peace Corps, many see images of mud huts, working in fields and bathing in the river. While there are some countries where this is what everyday life looks like, my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine looks quite different. I decided to join the Peace Corps while studying at Western because I wanted to teach abroad, and I wanted the chance to live in a new country and new culture. I applied and asked to be placed in Eastern Europe. Last September, after graduating from Western, I got on a plane and headed to Ukraine, knowing nothing about the country other than that it gets really cold and there are a lot of potatoes.

After three months of language and teacher training, I arrived to my site: a town of about 15,000 in Eastern Ukraine. There are many similarities between my town and a small town in the U.S., but there are differences too. The main difference for me is that here, everyone knows who I am. Nearly every time I walk into a shop people say, “Oh, you are the American teacher.” After seven months in country, I can speak some Russian, enough to get around at least. While there are times when it is very difficult to live in a culture very different from that of America, I am slowly becoming part of my community here. The lady at the post office hands me the key to my post office box as soon as she sees me, and the “babushka” at the market knows exactly what eggs I buy each week. I walk around town to a chorus of “Hello, Miss Erika!” as my students see me. I teach English to students from first to ninth grade at one of the two schools in my town and spend my free time studying Russian, coordinating pen pals with American students, holding English club for my seventh and eighth graders, learning to cook Ukrainian food and working on additional projects for my school.

When I received my invitation from Peace Corps to come to Ukraine, I pictured doing literacy projects, raising money for new textbooks, doing art

HIV continues on page 10