Vol. 30 #10 11.24.14
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Happy Star Wars day! May the 4th be with you. Cover design by Keghouhi Bedoyan // 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 Step up your game with SINI-HHA
Sini.Gang and the WWU Hip Hop Association work together to bring SINI-HHA Showcase
6 Strengthen and build your relationships
Intimacy and Safety in Queer Relationships
STUDENT LIFE 7 Transport Week A week full of knowledge surronding transportation
FEATURES 10 VOC: Supporting, promoting and bringing awareness Check in on the Veteran’s Outreach Center
8 A passage to one self’s identity
Labyrinth takes over the Viking Union Gallery for its 2015 realease
12 Join in the fight
for freedom and independence African Caribbean Club presents 17th annual heritage 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.
Abby Ramos Kelly Mason Trevor Grimm Marina Price Alex Bartick Ian Sanquist Nontawat Thammawan Spencer Newsad Designer Keghouhi Bedoyan Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Tom Nook competes in round one of Sounds of the Underground, the first annual battle of the bands, on Wednesday, April 29. Winners will get the chance to play Lawnstock 2015. Round 2 will be held on Wednesday, May 6. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
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EVENTS
Intimacy & Safety in Queer Relationships
May 5 // 6 p.m. // Bond Hall 217 // Free Join the Queer Resource Center and Legal Information Center in a discussion on relationships in ever y form, their strengths and their consequences, tactics for building and maintaining intimacy and safety within them, as well as handy queerspecific legal resources. For more information, check out p. 6
Confronting Islamophobia May 6 // 5 p.m. // Academic West 210 // Free The SIRC and the Muslim Student Association are working together to create a safe space in order to confront Islamophobia. With a special presentation from Jamal Rahman to help navigate a critical discussion on issues surrounding Islamophobia.
Sounds of the Underground May 6 // 7 p.m. // UGCH // Free Watch three semifinalist bands battle for a chance to win the first annual Sounds of the Underground. This battle-of-the-bands performance includes progressive-metalcore ar tists Projections, post-hardcore band Painters and surf-rock group Young Wants.
ACC Heritage Dinner May 9 // 5:15 p.m. // VU MPR // $10 students & $15 general & $8 kids 4-12 Celebrate African and Carribean cultures with Western’s African Caribbean Club at its 17th annual heritage dinner. This year’s theme is “Cultures of Resistance.” There will be live perfor mances, delicious food, a silent auction, music and more. To lear n more about this event, tur n to p. 12
Top Ten: April 6 - 12 1
Strangers to Ourselves Modest Mouse
2
Gracetown San Cisco
3
Carrie and Lowell Sufjan Stevens
4
Another Eternity Purity Ring
5
What for? Toro Y Moi
6
Time To Go Home Chastity Belt
7
Show Us Your Mind Summer Cannibals
8
This Modern Glitch Wombats
9
I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty
10
Should The Light Go Out Twin River 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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LETTER TO THE EDITOR... To whom it may concern, I am writing this letter in response to the 2015 AS Elections that took place on campus. As a recent graduate and four year employee of the AS, I was very disappointed to see the number of candidates running for each office this year. Out of seven seats, five are running unopposed. I am in no way critiquing the ability of the candidates, but merely the ‘election.’ In comparison to other years, this election is a tragedy. I recognize at times there may be a seat that a candidate runs unopposed for, this however should be a rarity [and in no way the majority of seats]. The AS has a specific position dedicated to coordinating Elections, the AS Elections Coordinator, this year staffed by a former Vice President of the AS. It appears alarming that there is a position dedicated to ensuring a fair and fruitful election, yet this year only two seats even have a choice of whom you may vote for. It should be recognized that part of the AS Elections Coordinator tasks is to ensure high student voting, in previous elections around thirty percent of the student body voted in the AS Election. This number is first off alarming and too low, however an election in which there is no choice is in no way going to improve this. One of the important questions to be asked when looking to if competitive elections matter, is what are these positions in charge of. As a four year employee of the AS, I have worked closely with many of these positions over the years. It seems one aspect to improving voter turnout for elections is to inform the student body on the tasks and responsibilities these seats have, and I don’t mean in a vague list. These seats serve on A LOT of campus committees, which include setting library fines rates, Student Tech fees, Transportation fees and helping
manage budgets for student events such as concerts and films. The positions additionally represent Western to the outside community and help planned for what Western will look like in the future. In realizing the important roles these offices play on campus, the need for student involvement both in voting and running becomes very apparent. The AS is an organization dedicated to inclusivity, they even provide uniform funds that candidates for offices can and are limited to using. This practice ensures fair access to election publicity. There needs however to be just as much time and resources dedicated to promoting the ability and importance of being a candidate in elections. The AS spends and promotes the yearly hiring for AS staff positions quite well. There are banners, discussions, emails and promotion throughout campus about these AS positions. This approach is what allows for such unique and successful programs within the AS. In hiring for these yearly AS staff positions, if the number of applicants is too low, the position is reopened until a quantity of acceptable applicants has been reached. I believe this approach is necessary in the AS Elections as well. There is no reason the majority of seats should be running unopposed, leaving students without a choice. In all, I hope to spotlight an issue currently happening on campus along with ways in which the elections process can be improved. This years Associated Students Elections are not inclusive or representative of the ethic of the AS or Western as a whole. If this sort of election was taking place in our [local, state, or federal] government, I would expect the Western community to be furious and find ways to change such a system. I feel the same interrogation should be happening for the elections on campus. Thank you, A Concerned Western Alumn
THE AS RESPONDS... Thank you so much for reaching out to us with this concern, it’s one that we share, and we would love to work with students to find a solution. We acknowledge that with five of seven positions uncontested this year some students felt like they didn’t really have a choice. While we believe all of the candidates were very qualified, we want to ensure that students have the opportunity to select the people they want to represent them. As you mentioned these positions are incredibly important and often do a lot more work for students than is recognized around campus. Finally we do want to acknowledge that while we have a single
position dedicated to AS Elections on campus, this lack of involvement is representative of a system wide problem, not something that can be blamed on a single individual. The AS has started to work on this issue internally but we want to bring in more students to create a truly effective campus wide solution. If you have any ideas for solutions, please reach out! Much love, Communications Office
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Step up your game with SINI-HHA By Ian Sanquist Poster by Jaime Jones Sini.Gang and the WWU Hip Hop Association, two clubs that exist to share the love of dance, will host a dance showcase featuring a dozen hip-hop dance crews visiting from around Washington and British Columbia on the Performing Arts Center Mainstage on Saturday, May 9. The theme of the Sini-HHA showcase is Ready Set Dance. Admission is $5 for students with ID and $8 for general. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the dancing starts at 7 p.m. Both Sini.Gang and WWU-HHA are open dance clubs, requiring no audition to join. This will be the second dance showcase in collaboration between the two clubs. WWU-HHA President Evan Urubio explained that Sini.Gang and WWU-HHA are generally seen as sister clubs, similarly focused not only in dance content, but inclusivity of membership. “Personally, I’m excited to see the other crews perform,” Urubio said. “Last year was just so hype the entire time, and to see how other crews interpret the music through dance is just inspiring.” Sini.Gang originated as a hip-hop dance offshoot of the Filipino American Student Association. Last year it became an independent club within the AS. Senior Janelle Vital, explained that the club’s name is a play on sinigang, the Filipino stew characterized by its sweet and savory taste. “Sinigang has a lot of different vegetables and ingredients and it’s trying to say that all dancers come from different backgrounds and experiences, but despite all of that we come together to make one great group or one delicious soup,” Vital said. Sini.Gang co-director Chloe Murphy emphasized that despite Sini.Gang’s origins as a part of FASA, one does not have to be Filipino to be a part of it.
“We want everyone to come and dance with us and we really want to help spread the love of dance throughout the community to anyone regardless of your level...” -- Chloe Murphy “We want everyone to come and dance with us and we really want to help spread the love of dance throughout the community to anyone regardless of your level or your race or anything like that,” Murphy said. Murphy estimated that the showcase would feature a couple hundred dancers. Vital said that the members of Sini.Gang and WWU-HHA have been practicing five hours per day, preparing dances in a variety of styles, “hip-hop, to freestyling, contemporary walking, popping, all that stuff.” “We’ve been doing ten dances each per person,” Vital said. “There’s a lot of fast upbeat songs and a lot of hard-hitting, then there’s also some hip-hop that has a lot of groove to it...and we also have a lot of girly pieces, so a lot of fierceness.” The showcase will include dances set to
songs with explicit lyrics, which Murphy noted is important to Sini.Gang’s ideals. “It’s definitely a show that doesn’t limit itself. We don’t restrict our music and we don’t limit out profanity or moves, anything like that. We want to give our crews and our dancers the freedom to express themselves through dance however they feel best expresses their life and their interests,” Murphy said. Vital said that though the event will be held the same weekend as Mother’s Day, she hopes that students and community members will come anyway, and encouraged attendees to bring their mothers. At the event, t-shirts will be sold featuring the WWU-HHA logo and the names of all crews performing in the showcase. T-shirts will cost $10.
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Strengthen and build your relationships By Alex Bartick Poster by Amelia Barlow The dialogue of abusive relationships in our society is usually framed in a heteronormative way. This can make it difficult for queer survivors of domestic violence to find help and resources that specifically cater to queer relationships. In order to create a dialogue about this within the queer community, the Queer Resource Center is teaming up with the Legal Information Center to hold a workshop “Intimacy and Safety in Queer Relationships.” This workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 5 from 6-8 p.m. in Bond Hall 217 and will focus on identifying factors in abusive relationships as well as building and sustaining safe queer relationships. This event will be inclusive to all types of relationships including friendships, monogamous and polyamorouos relationships and anyone who identifies as queer, aromantic, asexual, etc... The event will start off as a discussion on queer community agreements and what people in the queer community are looking for to make it a safer community for everyone involved, said QRC Assistant Coordinator Chelsea Lohr. After this discussion, the workshop will turn to tangible tactics of safety in queer relationships. Katie Plewa, a violence prevention specialist from Consultation and Sexual Assault Support has provided information for the workshop about tactics for clear communication, recognizing signs of abuse and signs of unhealthy relationships. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, workshops like these are important because often time abusive partners in queer relationships use societal and systematic factors to help them stay in a position of power. There are also not as many services that catered specifically to people who identify as queer. After discussing how to identify a dangerous relationship, the workshop will talk about resources available for queer individuals affected by domestic violence. “Queer people in friendships and relationships don’t have the ability to go to a law enforcement officer in most cases, said Lohr. “There isn’t the resources set up and a lot of assault centers and hotlines aren’t equipped for queer specific situations.” Legal Information Coordinator Oscar Aguirre will be providing information on resources that cater to queer relationships specifically. Some examples of legal support for people who identify as queer include the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Queer domestic violence project, the transgender law center and the Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral hotline. There will also be literature at the workshop for attendees to take. “I personally had an interest in doing this event because I grew up
in the queer community where domestic violence was silenced. It was something that queer families didn’t talk about, even more so then I think heterosexual families because there was no way to report it,” Lohr said. Lohr wants to host this workshop because of the consequences that can come out of silencing domestic violence. “I really would like to break that silence and have more people talking about it and making it possible for people to get out and not just get out but start relationships off on a better foot,” Lohr said.
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Transport your week By Nontawat Thammawan Poster by Megan Lees If you can’t afford a car and want to travel long distance, then it’s time to look for an alternative! For a better and more affordable college experience, Western Student Transportation is dedicating the whole week to provide students with information regarding convenient and sustainable transportation options. The Associated Students Alternative Transportation Coordinator Karen Izumoto is hosting “Transportation Week” from May 4 – 7 for the purposes of enhancing knowledge regarding public transportation available to students on campus. The event is a week of activities including Red Square info booth, bike tour, film screening, etc.“Students have so many transportation options available to them, and we want to raise awareness of their options,” Izumoto said. “A car is not necessary to have the full college experience!” The first day of Transportation Week is Monday, May 4 from 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m., it will
feature tabling in Red Square to provide resources and answer questions about transportation options. This includes information regarding affordable ways to travel to Seattle, Portland or Vancouver, Canada without a car are offered, and there will be a Zipcar for students to check out.The second day features a Bellingham Bike Tour hosted by the AS Outdoor Center. Meet at the AS Outdoor Center on Tuesday, May 5 at 4 p.m. in order to participate. This event aims to help students familiarize themselves with their bike and explore cool places in Bellingham to have some adventures. “The goal is to increase the perceived accessibility of riding your bike as a form of transportation,” Izumoto said. “The tour is open to the first 20 people. Students can bring their own bike if they have one, but if not, they can rent one from the Outdoor Center.” On the third day, Student Transportation will be screening the film, “Bogotá: Building a Sustainable City,” in Viking Union 552. “The film is about Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, transformed one of the world’s most chaotic cities
into a model of civic-minded and sustainable urban planning,” Izumoto said. This screening event is intended to make people understand the importance of increasing transportation options as these changes build sense of community and safety of residents, Izumoto said. The last day of Transportation Week is Bike Tune-Up Clinic which is a workshop hosted by the AS Outdoor Center. The event is in VU 150 from 5–6:30 p.m. and offers lessons regarding ways students can take care of their bikes and smoothen their riding experience. “This event is an opportunity for students to think about transportation as an important economic and social component of our society,” McMurren said. “We hope it engages students to think about transportation, or learn something useful that they can apply to their daily choices.” For more information regarding the Transportation Week, come speak with Student Transportation at VU 25 or visit the online website at http://www.wwu.edu/transportation/Student.shtml
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A passage to one self’s identity Labyrinth takes over the Viking Union Gallery to celebrate its 2015 release. Labyrinth, a literary journal dedicated to providing an outlet for artists to express their ideas of gender and identity, will be celebrating its 2015 release in the Viking Union Gallery on Thursday, May 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. The release party will feature artwork on display as well as readings from artists featured in the literary journal. Editions of the 2015 Labyrinth Literary Journal will be given to artists and attendants, in addition, refreshments will be provided. The Viking Union will feature pieces from Labyrinth until May 15. The VU Gallery is located on the 5th floor of the Viking Union. It is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Above: Features photographs “Two,” “One” and “Six” [left to right] from Sarah O’Sell’s “Silenced” series, part of Labyrinth, the current exhibit in the VU Gallery. The first photograph reads “We gave you voting rights 100 years ago, what’s all the complaining about?” The second photo states “Can you even fit a dick in jeans that tight, f*****?” And the final photo displays the words, “Are you here just to be the girl? I mean, did you contribute?” Left: Hannah Rivers’s “Self Portrait,” on display in the current exhibit in the VU Gallery, is a mixed media piece featuring barnicles and other aspects of sea life. Photos by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
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Above: The Viking Union Gallery displays pieces from Labyrinth, a literary journal featuring pieces about gender and identity. Labyrinth will be featured in the gallery until May 15. To learn more about the art of Labyrinth pick up a free copy of the Journal from the Women’s Center. Right: Jamie Bennet’s “Weak by Week” is a charcoal drawing feartured in Labyrinth. Bottom: Allie Paul’s “Overseer” is one of the many photgraphs featured in Labyrinth. Photos by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
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Veterans Outreach Center: Supporting, promoting and bringing awareness By Marina Price Illlustration by Keghouhi Bedoyan The Associated Students Veterans Outreach Center is taking great strides this year to promote awareness and provide programming that celebrates veterans and their sacrifices. In the fall, there was the annual Veterans Day Ceremony, which featured speeches from Western-affiliated veterans. In winter they held a veterans benefits seminar, pooling veterans resources from all over Bellingham in one place to make them more accessible for veterans. But spring quarter will see the biggest VOC event, Patriot Week. “It’s our biggest push. It’ll be the second time it’s happened,” VOC Coordinator and veteran Matthew Swisher said. Swisher got involved in the VOC after he retired from his position as President of the Western Veteran Community last year and took up the position of VOC Coordinator. The week will start off with “Stories Deployed,” a series of spoken word performances put together by Veterans from Western’s cam-
pus and the Bellingham area. “The format is similar to the Vagina Memoirs,” Swisher said. Veterans work with Western English professors to create moving spoken word pieces to be performed for an audience for free. “Last year we had veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan,” Swisher said. “Stories Deployed” will be in its second year, and Swisher hopes that it will continue annually as well. Patriot Week will also include a memorial-
more veterans on Western’s campus. “One of my main focuses has been to strengthen the Western Veteran Community, which I know is a continuing goal of the VOC as well and. We appreciate their continued partnership,” Veterans Services Assistant Coordinator Ann Beck said. She said that Veterans Services Center collaborates with the VOC often, by providing resources and referrals for guest speakers, helping with publicity and helping table events.
“The Veterans Outreach Center is in charge of raising awareness for veterans on campus as well as community building and providing resources to create a social space for students here on campus.” -- Matthew Swisher ribbon pass-out, happening in Red Square. “This is for people who know someone who has passed or are serving,” Swisher said. “They can write their names on there.” The week will also include two showings of the movie “American Sniper,” a film based on the true story of a man who goes to Iraq to protect his brothers in arms, demonstrating what war is like for American soldiers today. There will also be a Veterans of Foreign Wars clean-up and a flag display representing Washington citizens who died in the past year serving. “I believe it was 154 people who died in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom last year,” Swisher said. The Flag Display is an annual event. The VOC and the Veterans Services Center in Old Main often team up to provide the best services and experiences for the 150 or
“We hope to act as a support to the VOC in whatever capacity is needed,” Beck said. Veterans Services provides information on veterans benefits, access accommodations for veterans with disabilities, academic advising and helping in whatever possible way to ease the transition back into civilian life. “If there’s someone who needs a resource that I can’t help them with I refer them to the VSO, and if they have someone who is interested in student life they’ll refer them to me so I can help them out,” Swisher said. The Veterans Outreach Center focuses more heavily on providing community events and space to celebrate and support veterans, promoting understanding and awareness. Veterans can call, email or visit the VOC office in Viking Union 530 with questions or just for a chat.
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Get your rent on By Spencer Newsad Illustration by Keghouhi Bedoyan There are a lot of things to learn before becoming a student renter—most of which seem neither compelling nor even particularly useful until you find yourself without hot water or heating. “First and foremost: read everything,” said owner and property manager of Chuckanut Property Management Marc Cascio. “Ask questions.” Marketing Director of Landmark Real Estate, Riley Sweeney, shared similar opinions. “Read the lease,” said Sweeney. “9 out of 10 questions you have will be in the lease […] Also: know your roommates. You’d be surprised how many students we talk to don’t even know their roommates’ last names. It’s worth the cup of coffee” If students need help seeking legal information regarding renter rights, they need only visit the Associated Students Legal Information Center. “It’s of the upmost importance that students closely read their lease before they sign it,” AS Legal Information Center Coordinator Oscar Aguirre said. “Making sure that your landlord isn’t having you sign away any rights that are guaranteed to you by the Revised Code of Washington Landlord Tenant Act.” Aguirre proceeded to list numerous renters’ rights violations that students should be on the look out for when reading a lease: “Yielding the right to defend oneself in court, limiting the landlord’s legal accountability where the landlord would normally be responsible, agreeing that the landlord does not have to make repairs, allowing the landlord to enter the rental unit without giving you proper notice and requiring you to pay for damages you do not commit,” Aguirre said. The Revised Code of Washington Landlord-Tenant Act of 1973 is a nearly 32,000-word piece of legislation featuring section titles ranging from “Landlord Duties” to “Duties of tenant” to “Seizure of illegal drugs, Notification of landlord” and “Landlord’s failure to remedy defective condition – Tenant’s choice of actions.” All of which serve to protect renters. Outside the LIC are pamphlets with titles such as “A Students’ Guide to Legal Rights” and “10 Things Student Renters in Washington Should Remember.” In the latter: instructions including, “Don’t sign a lease until you’ve toured the property,” “Do everything in writing” and “Know the required time frame for repairs.” If there is an issue with hot and cold water, heat, electricity or immediate hazards to life in an apartment, most landlords are required by law to fix the problem within 24 hours [once informed by writing.] Re-
frigerator, range, oven and plumbing fixtures provided by the landlord require 72 hour responses. Aguirre also suggested researching property managements online to get an idea of what previous tenants have experienced. “Talking to previous tenants of a particular landlord or rental unit can be incredibly helpful,” Aguirre said. “If a landlord promises to fix anything with a rental unit, make sure they agree to it in writing. Also, if you pay a security deposit, make sure to have a walkthrough with your landlord so that you two can record any previous damages that were in place on a written checklist so you do not get unfairly charged [you are legally entitled to two copies of this checklist.]” Cascio had a few recommendations of his own for maintaining a positive relationship with your property management company. “Respect your neighbor,” Cascio said. “Don’t play loud music at night. Don’t block other people in with your car.” Both Cascio and Sweeney insisted students fill out their paperwork on time—Cascio singled out the importance of preparing security deposits in order to ensure the apartment is held for the incoming tenant. Regardless of the tremendous cross-chatter as to how students ought to view their property managers, all parties involved insisted that students read the lease and ask plenty of questions in order to ensure their renting situation is as comfortable as possible. The AS Legal Information Center is located in VU 517 and can be reached at 360-650-6111 or as.legalinfo@wwu.edu.
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Join in the fight for freedom and independence By Marina Price Poster by Jaime Jones Western’s African Caribbean Club will be holding its 17th annual heritage dinner on Saturday, May 9. The dinner “Cultures of Resistance”- a tribute to the many African Caribbean countries and cultures that fought for freedom and independence, as well as some that are still fighting today. “Historically, Africa has been through a lot of trouble and strife,” ACC President Dina Anur said. “For each country we’re representing we’re demonstrating how they resisted oppression and how they’ve struggled over the years.” There will be a performance of the gumboot, a dance created by South African slaves who were working in mines as a way to communicate with each other without slave owners knowing. South Africa is one of at least five countries that will be represented in the performances, along with Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria and Eritrea to name a few. “Even if we can’t get show all of the countries in Africa, at least each region will be represented,” Shiffite Awel said. In the Egyptian performance, the audience will be reminded of the fact that, contrary to popular depiction, belly dancing was traditionally for men, and seen as scandalous for women. “The art of belly dancing has evolved to be appropriate for women,” Anur said. Awel is particularly excited to see the Ethiopian performance, as they were the only African country to remain independent from coloni-
zation. The performances and food from Ethiopia wasn’t as influenced by colonizers, and therefore remains very African at heart, she said. The theme will be further emphasized through the showing of a documentary put together by members of the ACC. The dinner will also feature an auction, featuring goods from a Seattle cafe owner. There will be a coffee basket, a Mother’s Day basket and an AS Bookstore basket to name a few. The food will reflect a menu from every African and Caribbean region, a main coarse from West Africa, the dessert being from North Africa and a Caribbean drink. They will be working in collaboration with Western’s Catering Services to prepare the meals. Last year, the ACC Heritage Dinner won the Best Program of the Year award from the Associated Students. Although they usually bring in guest speakers or performers, Anur said that this year they chose not to. “When we do that we end up having to take out time for our performers,” she said. ACC has about 30 regular members with many who shuffle in and out, with members from almost all of Africa’s regions. This ensures that the performances will be authentic, said Anur. Anur emphasized the unique experience that a ACC heritage dinner offers from its inclusivity. “What’s cool about our club is that most clubs in the ECC are just one country, but we represent all of Africa,” she said. “So it’s really diverse, you get to learn about so many countries at once. It never gets old.” The dinner will be on Saturday, May 9 at 5:15 p.m. in the VU MPR. It will be $10 for students with an ID, $8 for children and $15 for general.