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Vol. 27 #29
5.7.12
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COME AND GET YOUR CREPES
AB Crepes is a student-owned and operated creperie located on 1311 Railroad Ave. They offer a variety of crepes, including savory and sweet options. All photos are by Cade Schmidt//AS Review.
May 7, 2012• 11
EXPERIENCE from page 4 understand what it’s like,” Fitzpatrick said. During the performance, the cast is discussing experiences that they have lived through, as well as what they face on a daily basis, Reinhardt said. During the emotional preparation process, many of the cast members were greatly impacted by the experience and have found their voices, Fitzpatrick said. She is looking forward to each participant’s time to take the stage and reclaim their identity and their voice because so many have been silenced. But even after the perfor-
mances, the cast members need to retain their experience, Fitzpatrick said. “[I want them] to believe in themselves and remember what they’ve learned here and what they’ve discovered about themselves, and not forget that as they go on with their lives,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know it’s easy for people to say things and say they’re going to do these things, but it’s harder for them to actually do that in real life as time goes on…I want them to not forget who they were in the Queer Experience.”
Western students should attend the event because what is being discussed affects everyone, Sigle said. Human issues will be talked about, not just queer issues. “Everyone is affected by queer people; queer people exist all over the place,” Sigle said. “Sometimes you don’t know it, sometimes you do know it, but their experiences are important for everyone to be aware of. [The] breadth of experiences is also really important – that it’s not just gay, bi and straight. There’s lots of identities represented on our cast this year.”
Currently, Amped Aquatics has set aside the Nexus Buoy system in order to pursue their individual educations. Both Ellig and Wells said that there is still a chance that the team will come back to the project later in life.
“I’m not sure what we’d do with it in the future but we might get the spark again and continue to go,” Wells said. “Honestly, we haven’t really made up our mind. We’re just kind of floating in the moment right now.”
for people to have equal access to restrooms and equal accessibility. “Accessibility is not just about the physical location or if the doors and locks are working,” Ball said. “It extends to being able to go to whatever bathroom you want.” For people who feel uncomfortable in gendersegregated restrooms, finding one on campus can be a challenge.
“[People who need gender-neutral restrooms] have to think about what part of campus they are on and what buildings they are near. On south campus, one of the only gender-neutral restrooms is on the fifth floor of Environmental Sciences. If they are going between Fairhaven and Red Square, they don’t have time to climb five flights of stairs,” Crowther said.
have gotten a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. The ice cream is pretty good, but the cash-only policy and slightly disappointing mocha breve was kind of a letdown.
fuls of rainbow sprinkles, a dozen maraschino cherries and a few crumbles of Oreo cookie completed my colorful masterpiece. As an avid believer in fruit and dessert separation, I stayed away from the strawberry slices and kiwi cubes. Another difference between Menchies and Mallard is that Mallard charges by scoop and Menchies charges by weight – you are in control of your destiny…I mean price of your frozen yogurt treat. My cup cost me about $5 – a little more than Mallard. I even got to use my debit card! With my lime green baby spoon in hand, I dug into my creation. The contrast of mud pie to cake batter, and sprinkle to Oreo crumb kept my taste buds guessing what the next spoonful was going to deliver. I felt a sense of ownership for my frozen yogurt creation, and that made me enjoy it 10 times more than the cone passed over the counter at Mallard.
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NEXUS from page 5 majors and fields of study to work together. “You have this great interaction where people from different aspects have this chance to learn how to interact with other people,” Wells said. “Being able to learn how to do that will only get you further in life.”
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BATHROOMS from page 6 only ask the university to build seven more. “It’s not that we don’t want any gender-segregated restrooms on campus. We see the utility of having gendersegregated restrooms. Some people feel most safe in those spaces and we totally accept that,” Crowther said. “For the people who don’t feel the most safe, in those spaces they equally need to have options available.” Brandi Ball, the DOC coordinator, said it’s important
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TREATS on page 8 window that covers the front of the shop. I have mocha breve, one friend has avocado and carrot cheesecake, two others have bowls of carrot cheesecake and the last one has mint chocolate chip. My ice cream did not sell me at first; it was an acquired taste of coffee beans and creamy espresso foam. I am a sucker for mocha ice cream, but the breve part was too much. The flavor tasted too much like a real cup of home-brewed coffee. I did have the privilege of mooching a few licks and spoonfuls of the carrot cheesecake ice cream and verbally described it as “it tastes like orange” – not the fruit, but the color. It was delicious and I regret not getting it for myself. In the end, I can say that Mallard is more of a Bellingham staple, but not necessarily the epitome of amazing ice cream. For the amount I spent there, I could
Menchies A few days later, it was time to go to Menchies. While Menchies serves frozen yogust and Mallard serves traditional ice cream, another difference between the two is Menchies is self-serve. With three friends in tow, we encountered what looked like the manager while waiting in line to choose our frozen yogurt. I asked him what their most popular flavors were at the moment – since they change every day – and he told me cake batter and mud pie, which is a mocha and chocolate mixture. I swirled both flavors into my cup about half way. Next was my favorite part: the toppings. Two spoon-
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MINECRAFT from page 9 the LAN party was a fun experience, and she enjoys the club because the game allows people to be creative and the server is free. “It was pretty fun,” she said. “We had a survival game where you had to kill everyone else and the last person standing wins.” Siemmens said he doesn’t spend as much time playing as other club members, even though he enjoys the game.
He said he spends five to 10 hours a week on server maintenance and other club president responsibilities. The game is time consuming, but for good reason. It allows players to create anything that comes to mind, McCann said. “It’s a giant, open world. You can build absolutely anything you desire,” McCann said. He said he has created blimps, giant statues and struc-
tures to use to hide from the zombies that come out at night. But they plan to host events in the future, Siemmens said. He said they might do a BBQ in the spring at some point. Siemmens said students who wish to participate in the club email him at wwu.minecraftclub@gmail.com. the
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A GREEN TIE AFFAIR
Dress in your environmental best for this club collaboration event Nick Markman • AS Review n order to showcase and celebrate this year’s environmental achievements and spread awareness of environmental club activity, a collection of Western environmental clubs will put on the first ever Green Tie Gala Event. The Green Tie Gala dinner will take place Wednesday, May 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $7 for students and $10 for community members. Attendees of the event are expected to dress in formal attire. There will be a dinner catered by the Student For Sustainable Food club, a jazz band, raffle, and a keynote speech by environmental science professor, John Miles. The core of the gala consists of presentations from several clubs such as Students for Renewable Energy and Students for Sustainable Water.
Amy Holm, Associated Students Environmental Center’s Environmental Club Networker, said the main purpose of the event is to encourage collaboration between environmental club leaders and members as they share their accomplishments at the gala. “I think collaborating between the clubs is another way to move these leaders into an atmosphere where they can really put all of their work together and find similarities between all the clubs,” Holm said “The members can learn about other things going on and just really put everyone’s knowledge together.” Sophomore Carolyn Bowie said the dinner, consisting of all local and organic food, is one part of the Green Tie Gala’s allure. The menu consists of a rhubarb, orange, apple, leek, snap pea salad with an agave, mint, orange dressing; garbanzo bean pizzas with cilantro pesto and marinated veggies; baked raspberry dessert bars;
and horchata, a beverage typically made from ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice or barley. “I went to the test kitchen sampling of what the food would be like and it’s so fabulous and delicious,” Bowie said. “People are going to be looking good and it’ll be really fun.” The idea for the Green Tie Gala came from weekly environmental club leader meetings facilitated by Holm. She said although many people with an environmental focus at Western have different interests, the gala will serve to find the similarities between those interests and foster strong interclub relations. “It’s going to be a great way to get people to know about what the environmental clubs have been working on this year who may not have had any kind of interaction with them at all,” Holm said. “We’re reaching out and celebrating what has been going on this year.” the
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Dinner will be provided by the Students for Sustainable Food Club. Attendees can look forward to a rhubarb, orange, apple, leek, and snap pea salad with an agave, mint, orange dressing; garbanzo bean pizzas with cilantro pesto and marinated veggies; baked raspberry dessert bars; and horchata.
W W U
E N V I R O N M E N T A L
C L U B S
P R E S E N T S
GREEN TIE GALA CATERED BY STUDENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD
W E D N E S D AY M AY 9 6-9PM MPR BUY TICKETS AT THE DOOR
$7 WWU ID / $10 GENERAL disAbility (360) 650-6121
Poster by Sean Dutton//AS Publicity Center
Ghostland Observatory poster. Poster by Brian Ralphs//AS Publicity Center
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Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu Online: as.wwu.edu/asreview @theasreview facebook.com/theasreview
©2012. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. We are a student-produced, alternative campus weekly covering news and events that are of interest to the Western community. We support all programs, offices and clubs affiliated with the AS. We have a direct connection to the AS board of directors, and although we report on board actions objectively, our relationship should be made clear. Submissions: We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions, or send them to the mailing address above. They will be returned as long as you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Letters: We also welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words and include your name and phone number. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar, if necessary. Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email as.review@ wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.
Editor in Chief
Assistant Editor
Lead Photographer
Staff Writers
Kirsten O’Brien
Cade Schmidt
Adviser
Jeff Bates
Adrienne Woods
Anna Atkinson Nick Markman Lauren Simmons Megan Thompson
In This Issue:
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QUEER EXPERIENCE The QRC hosts a night of truths
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AMPED UP Student invent a new way to create energy
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GENDER-NEUTRAL A look at gender neutral bathrooms
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GHOSTLAND Ghostland Observatory comes to Western
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MALLARD VS. MENCHIES A face- off
MINECRAFT Students build their own world A CREPE STORY Photos from AB Crepes JUMPS Stories in the paper are jumpin’, jumpin’ GREEN TIE Dress in your green best
n response to the recent robberies and assaults near campus, the AS Women’s Center’s hosted “Illuminate the Night” on May 3 wherestudents created artwork out of recycled materials. The artwork will be featured around Bellingham. Photo by Cade Schmidt//AS Review
May 7, 2012• 3
EVENTS MAY 7 - MAY 13
WHAT THE POP?
Monday May 7
Thursday May 10
12 to 1:20 p.m., Environmental Sciences 101 Free
Noon to 4 p.m., Wilson Library 481 Free
World Issues Forum: Arab Spring
Ellis Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, will speak about Arab Spring revolution. He will also discuss the nature of revolutionary upheaval in terms of moral emotions rather than rational calculation or irrational feelings.
Tuesday May 8
Whatcom Volunteer Center advising For those looking for community volunteer opportunites, a representative from the Whatcom Volunteer Center will be on-campus to answer questions about volunteering, internships, and service-learning opportunities in Bellingham and Whatcom County.
Friday May 11
Club Kick-Back
5 to 8 p.m., Academic West 204 Free
The Queer Experience
7 to 9 p.m., VU MPR The AS Club Kick-Back is a leadership event for club Free leaders and members that will focus on leadership transitions, reflecting on past experience, and building new leaders for next year. There will be multiple workshops offered that will cover transitioning leadership within the club, applying for jobs, accepting a new leadership role, and being a great club member. Dinner and dessert will be provided. There will also be prizes as well as giveaways.
The Queer Experience is a memoir performance about people’s experiences within the queer community. Students, faculty, staff and community members will be sharing their memoirs infront of the Western community which will help shed light on what it’s like to be queer in today’s world and all the intersection of identity that fall in this vast community. All identities are welcome.
Wednesday May 9
Sunday May 13
6 to 9 p.m., Viking Union Multipurpose Room Free
7:30 p.m., VU MPR $17 for students with ID, $23 general
Green Tie Gala
See the sto on pg. 1 ry 2
This is a gala to showcase the environmental clubs at Western. It includes a dinner fully catered by Students for Sustainable Food.
U.S. State Department Foreign Services career fair 4 to 5:30 p.m., Bond Hall 105 Free
Join the Career Services Center for an informativ session about career and internship opportunities with the U.S. State Department Foreign Service. All majors are welcome.
Ghostland Observatory with Cedaa ASP Pop Music presents Ghostland Observatory with Cedaa. Ghostland Observatory is a two-piece band from Austin, Tex. Cedaa is a local DJ and Seattle-native.
Tosh.0 is a bro. And a jerk. Brett Flora • No Tosh.0, that’s fo’ sho
Tosh.0 is the most-watched program on Comedy Central. Yeah, I wouldn’t have guessed either. Daniel Tosh, Tosh.0’s host, tours across the United States with a stand-up comedy act, often selling out quite a few cities two nights in a row. The show, Tosh.0, displays videos from the Internet followed by Tosh’s often cruel and misogynistic commentary. Not surprising, the show is popular with men ages 18 to 24. Why does any of this matter? Tosh is a total jerk and shouldn’t have a TV show. He is unnecessarily cruel and extremely crass, especially toward women. I’ll admit that I don’t watch his show. I watched it one time, was really disgusted with his whole shtick, and didn’t waste my time on him again. What brought him to my attention again was his latest antic where he encourages his viewers to “lightly touch women’s stomachs while they’re sitting down.” He does this, I think, to shame women about their belly fat. If that’s not the biggest motion of a complete and total jerk, I don’t know what is. Even worse, several viewers uploaded their attempts to YouTube. It’s bad enough to have this guy roaming around, but now he’s encouraging other men to act the same. Two things really irk me: men treating women poorly and encouraging/influencing bad behavior. Well, Tosh is pouring out both in spades. I’m going to go ahead and call it out. He’s not cool. He’s not funny. He’s a jerk. I hope Tosh.0 goes the way of the YouTube videos he finds: yesterday’s news and nobody cares. So, what to do? Don’t watch his show. Don’t go to his stand-up events. Don’t be a jerk. Stand up for those being mistreated. The last thing our generation needs is more arrogant jerks. the
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QUEER AND BEYOND The Queer Experience is open to all, regardless of identity Lauren Simmons • AS Review or the past month, 13 Western students and Bellingham community members have been reading, writing, listening, reflecting and learning how to perform and share their experiences regarding their association with the queer community. The third annual Queer Experience will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 11 in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Put on by the Associated Students Queer Resource Center, the Queer Experience allows individuals who identify with the queer community in some way to share their truths through monologue performances. Members of the cast will be sharing their experiences about how the queer community has shaped their lives, said Briana Fitzpatrick, AS QRC assistant coordinator and Queer Experience facilitator. The Queer Experience, started two years ago by former QRC coordinator and assistant coordinator Elle Peters and Josh Foley, and was initially a performance that gave people an opportunity to speak about their coming-out experience, Fitzpatrick said. Last year, it became a little more inclusive to other queer experi-
ences, but was still coming-out focused. This year, there has been a clear transition. “Now it’s definitely transformed to include any aspect of someone’s identity, and the intersections of that with the queer identity,” Fitzpatrick said. “Basically, any truth someone wants to share can be included in the Queer Experience.” A few topics covered by the Queer Experience cast include being part of different identities, not fitting into the queer community and suffering from emotional abuse in relationships. “I’m really glad now that I auditioned because I realize that I have so many obstacles that used to hold me back like public speaking and reclaiming my words because I’ve always had problems [with] not being confident in what I say,” said Derick Reinhardt, Western sophomore and Queer Experience cast member. “Now being in this process, I feel like I have the strength and confidence to be powerful with my words and get my point across.” For Sara Sigle, Western sophomore and Queer Experience cast member, the event was about selfdiscovery.
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Poster by Adam Volkman//AS Publicity Center
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“I originally auditioned because I wanted to find the words to explain my sexual identity,” she said. To prepare for the performance, the cast met twice a week since the beginning of spring quarter, Fitzpatrick said. The preparation included workshop-style exercises like interactive icebreakers, article readings and watching videos. It later focused on getting to know fellow cast members, free writing and deeper-level icebreakers. The whole process manifested into more sharing opportunities and intense exercises, Fitzpatrick said. The Queer Experience is not only beneficial for its cast members, but it also allows its audience to hear another perspective and learn what it is like for these individuals to live, Fitzpatrick said. Listening to the cast members speak about their experiences could potentially inspire audience members to discover or realize different aspects about themselves. “People who identify as other than queer should go because they’re going to get the chance to see and hear and learn from other people, which might help them
see EXPERIENCE on page 11
May 7, 2012• 5
GET AMPED
Western students create an energy-producing buoy system Nick Markman • AS Review On March 29, 2012, three Western students from the business and engineering aspects. All 23 contestants science that I really For n Huxley College of the Environment competed in the were expected to deliver a business pitch to a panel of like: being this nexhas set ow, Amped Aq system aside the Nex uatics University of Washington Environmental Innovation more than 150 judges discussing the market and ecous, this connection in o us Buoy indiv rder to pur Challenge. The team, named Amped Aquatics, develnomic feasibility of the product. between business, Both Ell idual educati sue their oped the Nexus Buoy, a promising renewable energy “I wasn’t sure what our actual market or application society, community there is ig and Wells s ons. a s prototype that converts wave energy into electricity. of this idea was going to be, and that was something that and energy.” team w till a chance thid that ill come a back to t the Although Amped Aquatics and the Nexus Buoy did not we had a challenge trying to identify,” Wells said. “None Despite not placproject the la te “ Hone r in walk away with the cash prizes offered to the top five of us are really business students, so this is something ing in the commade u stly, we havenlife. p ’t contenders, they took away in life and team experience that we had to challenge head on.” petition, Amped “We’re our mind,” W really jus ell that was just as valuable. Following the business pitches was a two-and-a-half Aquatics said they do the mo t kind of floatis said. ment ri n g Senior environmental science majors Aaron Ellig and hour period of time where judges moved around the not feel their efforts ht now.”g in Andrew Wells met each other in their ESC 480 class, exhibition floor questioning contestants on their prodwere a failure. Wells Applications in Energy Production. Professor Rebecca ucts. It was during this time that Amped Aquatics made said that through Bunn, who taught the class, contacted Ellig and Wells contacts with several parties interested in providing the competition, he about the UW Innovation Challenge, an interdiscilegal, investment and capital start-up opportunities to learned how to effectively contact resources by being plinary competition where teams of college students the group. nice but assertive. develop and pitch a new, innovative environmental “Just talking to all these business people and interactHe said he also learned the importance of interdisproduct or technology to businesspeople and investors. ing with them and seeing what they had to say and getciplinary practices and that he would like to see more Noting that many past applicants developed energy ting a bunch of positive feedback, criticism—everything. Western initiative to combine students from different products, the two decided to apply to the competition It was great to make those connections,” Wells said. see NEXUS on page 11 and use Ellig’s previous idea for a wave-energy convert“That’s the kind of aspect in business and environmental ing buoy system. After recruiting Carolyn Wise, a junior geol- The Amped Aquatics team with their creation, the Nexus Buoy, from left to right: Aaron Ellig, Andrew Wells and Carolyn Wise. ogy major, the team began drawing up ideas and planning for the creation of the Nexus Buoy prototype. “We drew up probably five or 10 different designs that might work,” Ellig said. “We came up with that and went from there, and started doing all the calculations for what we’d need.” After a laborious trial-and-error period during the hectic week of winter finals, Amped Aquatics decided on a feasible design. The Nexus Buoy consists of two parts: the first is a buoy that bobs in the water connected to a steel rod. The second part is a magnetic linear generator consisting of strong magnets and electromagnetic coils that are affixed to the ocean floor. As the buoy goes up and down in the water, the steel rod drives the magnets in and out of the coils, producing current. Ellig said that the buoy would be particularly useful in coastal communities, where most energy is expensively imported. It would also be useful in island communities where transportation costs of energy drive up electricity prices. “There’s nothing that’s been developed on a commercial scale for wave energy or even tidal energy,” Ellig said. “It’s a really undeveloped technology.” Throughout the time before the competition, Wells said that the group had a problem with
Photo by Matt Hagen//SmugMug
6 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
use
ELIMINATING THE BATHROOM BINARY Old Main 5th floor (1)
Wilson 6th floor (2)
The restrooms are neutral, the opinions about them aren’t
Hall Megan Thompson • AS Review 1st floor (2) Bond Mez./2nd/3rd/4th floor (4) Canada House 1st floor (1) College Hall Ground & 1st floor (2) Fine Arts
Wilson 6th floor (2)
Old Main 5th floor (1)
Art Annex 2nd floor (1)
1st floor (2)
Bond Mez./2nd/3rd/4th floor (4) Art Annex 2nd floor (1) Fine Arts 1st floor (2)
Environmental Science 5th floor (1)
Environmental Science 5th floor (1)
Rec Center 1st floor (2)
AS Queer Resource Center AS Queer Resource Center
Gender Neutral Gender Neutral Restroom RestroomMap Map Why Gender Neutral Restrooms Matter: Why Gender Neutral Restrooms Matter: • Everyone deserves access to safe restrooms.
• Everyone deserves access to safe restrooms.
• Gender-segregated restrooms are sites of harassment
and assault for queer and are transsites people. • Gender-segregated restrooms of harassment • People with disabilities may people. need to bring their and assault for queer and trans differently-gendered attendants or family members into
• People with disabilities may need to bring their restrooms. differently-gendered attendants or family their members into • Parents should be able to accompany differentlyrestrooms.gendered children into the restroom. • All current restroomstheir are single-stall and • Parents should be gender-neutral able to accompany differentlyhave a door that locks. gendered children into the restroom.
• All currentDigital gender-neutral restrooms are single-stall and copies and more information available at have a door that locks. Facebook.com/ASQRC. Digital copies and more information available at Facebook.com/ASQRC.
Poster by Brian Ralphs//AS Publicity Center
he 30 buildings on Western’s campus include 212 restrooms, and 196 of them are gendersegregated – meaning there are designated stalls for males and females. The remaining 16 bathrooms are gender-neutral, meaning they are not designated for any gender. Ben Crowther, Associated Students Queer Resource Center Weekly Series coordinator, said the QRC set out to survey Western’s campus to find accessible gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. For campus survey, Crowther went to all 30 buildings and 212 restrooms and marked if the bathrooms were gender-segregated or genderneutral, accessible, and multi-stall or single occupancy. The survey found 16 gender-neutral single-occupancy bathrooms. The QRC did this survey to create a map of gender-neutral bathrooms that are important for many groups. These groups include parents who wish to accompany their differently-gendered child into the restroom, people living with disabilities who have a caregiver of a different gender, queer and transgender people, and people who don’t feel comfortable in gender-segregated restrooms. Because of the lack of restrooms, the QRC sponsored a resolution to the AS Board of the Directors. In addition, the AS Women’s Center, Disability Outreach Center and Social Issues Resource Center co-sponsored the resolution. The resolution was brought before the AS Board of Directors on May 2, and passed with a unanimous vote. The board also supported the expansion of gender-neutral restrooms on campus. However, the resolution does not commence the construction of gender-neutral bathrooms. It only shows that the Board of Directors supports the issue. “[The resolution] is a symbolic measure. We’ll continue to take steps to get this gender-neutral program,” AS Women’s Center Coordinator Kimberly Absher said. Crowther said gender-neutral bath-
rooms are particularly important to some in the queer community. In gender-segregated restrooms, people in those spaces will read the gender of those who enter the restroom. This can be unsafe for transgender people because people in restrooms may think they are the wrong gender, and harass them to leave, Crowther said. Absher said gender-neutral bathrooms have always been a topic of conversation within the AS. “[Gender-neutral restrooms] is a consistent issue that’s come up,” Absher said. “The reasons for having them are important because people need to feel safe.” The gender-neutral restrooms are not widespread. Of the 16 genderneutral bathrooms on campus, about three-quarters of the bathrooms are on north campus. They are not evenly distributed across campus and are not equally serving students, Crowther said. Crowther is already preparing to take the next steps to see more genderneutral restrooms built on campus. He met with the Equal Opportunity Office, and will be meeting with the head of the University Facilities Management to present the findings from their campus survey on genderneutral restrooms. Because the issue is ongoing, the Equal Opportunities Office was unable to make a public comment. Crowther made three goals for gender-neutral restrooms: double the number of restrooms to 32 by the year 2020, evenly distribute the restrooms across campus, and amend the university’s building code for campus to include gender-neutral restrooms. With their survey, the QRC found nine restrooms that were single-occupancy, but gender-segregated. Their hope is to convert those restrooms into gender-neutral restrooms by next fall. That would bring the total of genderneutral restrooms to 25, and would
see BATHROOMS on page 11
May 7, 2012• 7
GOING TO GHOSTLAND It’s not a show; it’s an experience
Nick Markman • AS Review here are some bands that sound and communicate better through albums than live performances. Ghostland Observatory is not one of those bands. With healthy combinations of electronic, funk and rock elements and a jaw-dropping visual live show, Ghostland Observatory stands out as a true gem amongst the endless sea of pebbles in the inundated electronic genre. The Associated Students Productions Pop Music’s Ghostland Observatory show featuring local DJ, Cedaa, will take place Sunday, May 13 in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and presale tickets are $17 with student ID and $23 general admission. At the door, tickets are $19 with ID and $25 general admission. Through varying degrees of pulsing, punching synth leads, crisply-programmed beats and rock’n’roll guitar riffs, Ghostland Observatory’s sound caters to a handful of musical tastes. Whether it is through the smooth pop styling of songs such as “Paparazzi Lightning,” or the curiously humorous conversational vocals in “Codename: Rondo,” Ghostland Observatory’s Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner continue to diversify their craft from song to song and album to album. “They are always doing pretty original stuff,” ASP Pop Music Coordinator Megan Housekeeper said. “I think they’re extremely experimental and really interesting in a psychedelic way. They’re still doing a kind of vocalheavy electronic, which you don’t see as much.” Ghostland Observatory is known for their live performances, Housekeeper said. Even though the MPR is
a much smaller venue than the band is used to playing, they will still bring their entire visual production rig consisting of multiple lights, lasers and other special effects. “People are kind of surprised that this act is coming to Western, which to me is the ultimate positive feedback,” Housekeeper said. “I’m not sure that there’s another venue in Bellingham that could support this act.” Cedaa, the stage moniker for Western senior and musician Simon Ho, will open for Ghostland Observatory with a DJ set. Ho said that he produces and plays ephemeral, offfilter electronic, dance and house music. He said he is most excited to perform with the aid of Ghostland Observatory’s high-end visual production equipment. “It’s an amazing opportunity. It’s been a big trend recently in electronic music concerts and concerts overall to have really elaborate light installations and show installations,” Ho said. “I like the trend and I’m happy that Western can get a little chunk of that level of production value because it definitely really does elevate that experience.” Housekeeper said Ghostland Observatory is an act that Western has wanted to book for a long time and their show will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “For people who haven’t seen them live before or who haven’t heard anything about their live shows, check out YouTube videos and see what they do with their lights. It’s really cool,” said Housekeeper. “It’s a unique opportunity for Bellingham and for Western to have them up here. It’s sort of like now or never, so definitely go.” the
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Images by Brian Ralphs//AS Publicity Center
8 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
WAR OF THE FROZEN TREATS
Is there room for frozen yogurt and ice cream in Bellingham? The Review investigates Review by Lauren Simmons • AS Review
O
ver the past two weeks, the frenzy over Menchies frozen yogurt has been going strong. On opening day, Saturday, April 21, I stepped into the shop complete with white walls covered in Menchies character decals, a large circular blackboard and a few tables and chairs with rounded edges. Fixing my gaze to the back of the shop, there was a line of maybe 15 people who rounded the cashier kiosk in the middle of the shop. But every so often, when the line would shift, I saw glimpses of mini-signs placed above these frozen yogurt contraptions that said things including “Pineapple Dole Whip” and “Red Velvet Cake.” What kind of flavors are these? I had to know and could not wait to find out. Once I had filled my cup with $5 worth of goodies — a pretty hefty cup — I sat in the smooth, slippery chair taking in my surroundings. Children, college students and adults were caught up in the possibilities of frozen yogurt combinations and the myriad toppings to choose from. I see all these Bellinghamsters enjoying this shiny new frozen yogurt shop and think, “I wonder who’s at Mallards right now?”
Menchies Yogurt is located at 1070 Lakeway Dr.
A tale of two shops During freshman year at Western, exploration of the campus and Bellingham was a common weekend practice. One of the most common things I was told by the Western veterans was “OMG! You have to go to Mallard!” And so I did. Going to Mallard was nothing like any Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen I had gone to before. Plastic ducks, board games and couches were around the vast ice cream shop. When I walked to the counter toward the back, there was a huge wooden board hanging overhead with at least 25 different flavors etched on removable place cards. My mouth watered as all the flavor options were staring at me, and then my mouth went dry. Then, I see the sign that stops my taste buds in their tracks – “Cash Only.” I stepped out of line, grabbed my wallet and began to count my quarters to see if I could scrounge up enough for the $4 scoop of ice cream. Thankfully, I had $2 in change, and a friend could spot me for the rest. I was even more thankful to have experienced such rich and creamy goodness like Mallard ice cream for my first time.
The battle begins Menchies and Mallard. Different in approach, but similar in overall concept – feed the people frozen treats. Soon, the Menchies “Just Opened” sign will no longer be relevant, and Bellingham will have to choose which shop is better. Here is my perspective on the issue. Mallard Ice Cream After making sure I had some cash, I decided to visit Mallard first. Once it was my turn to choose my scoop, I asked what their most popular flavor was at the moment. “Mocha breve,” replied the women working the cashier. With a total of $4 and some change, I had to — again — ask my friend for some cash since I only had $4. As a girl who lives by her debit card, cash is not something I often have. Finally, I get my one scoop of mocha breve on a small waffle cone. Typically, I get rainbow sprinkles on my ice cream, but sprinkles were not a part of Mallard’s short toppings list. Four friends and I sit down at a table near the large
see TREATS on page 11
Mallard Ice Cream is located at 1323 Railroad Ave.
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Photos by Cade Schmidt//AS Review
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May 7, 2012• 9
BUILD YOUR OWN WORLD
Members of the WWU Minecraft Club bond over popular video game Anna Atkinson • AS Review
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ole-playing games, commonly referred to as RPGs, have given gamers a chance to create their own destiny and in some cases, design their own environment. WWU Minecraft Club, an official Associated Students club, began at the end of winter quarter 2011 and has grown consistently. With 57 members of all ages, it is one of the bigger clubs on campus. Minecraft, by Mojang, was released in 2009, and a full version of the PC game was released last November. It has continued to gain popularity over the past few months and a version for Xbox 360 and Kinect was released in March. Minecraft is known as a “sandbox” game. Players can build environments and structures out of blocks. Anything a player can imagine, they can virtually create in Minecraft. The club meets weekly from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays in Academic West 203, said club president and Western senior Tucker Siemens. Although the club only meets for an hour each week, many members interactively play Minecraft for several hours per week. He said the average is about five to 10 hours, with some players investing much more time and
some not at all. Time commitment varies from player to player, he said. In fact, the club meetings usually don’t include gameplay, but rather give members a chance to talk openly and connect. He usually shares a weekly video, he said. Club vice president Luke McCann said he plays Minecraft three to eight hours per week on average. “It’s a lot of fun — I like getting to be creative because it’s hard for me to express myself visually,” he said. “But with Minecraft, I can.” Siemmens said although the club has more than 50 official members, about 20 people participate in club activities on a regular basis. McCann said about 12 to 17 people come to club meetings, and more people participate in gameplay throughout the week. Although these are mostly Western students, some are not. So far the club has had one event, a LAN party. LAN parties involve every player bringing their own computer and playing
against or with each other on a shared server. The LAN party was held in a computer lab with about 12 people, McCann said. Western senior and club member Alyshia Bentley said
see MINECRAFT on page 11
AB CREPES
A review of the newest restaurant to hit the Bellingham foodie scene Review by Anna Atkinson • AS Review You can tell AB Crepes is new just by looking at it. It’s clean with new paint, new chairs, new tables and no scuffmarks on the newly cleaned floor yet. But that will change soon enough, because the food is delicious. The restaurant had only been open for a couple of weeks when I went in for breakfast. I tried the “Monday Morning” crepe, under their breakfast options and the Mediterranean, a savory crepe. Both were delicious and completely different. The Mediterranean was like a Greek salad, but on a crepe. It had tomatoes, olives, spinach and feta cheese. I had it without the cucumbers that normally come on it. It was simple, but fresh and good. The Monday Morning was more like an omelet. It included one egg, jalapeños, cheddar cheese and avocado. I was a little skeptical about the avocado at first, even though I love them, because it seemed like a strange combination, but it was a good contrast to the spicy jalapeños. The nice part about this cheesy crepe was that the cheese, egg and avocado held it together nicely, so it wasn’t as messy as the Mediterranean.
I was there at 8:01 a.m. — literally right when they opened, so my party was the only one there. It took about 20 minutes to get the food, which seemed fairly quick considering they were just turning on the stoves when I came in and hadn’t finished setting up chairs and filling up the hot water. The prices were fair. They were definitely much less expensive than a lot of the restaurants downtown. I paid about $8 for a crepe and tea, and the person I was with paid about the same. And it’s worth pointing out that the crepes are bigger than dinner plates when they aren’t folded. The crepes ranged from about $5 to $8, and included savory, sweet and breakfast options. It’s much different in atmosphere than some of the other creperies I’ve visited. Magdalena’s in Fairhaven is a traditional French creperie with the menu and atmosphere to match. But I like that AB crepes is different. It feels more like downtown Bellingham — and more unique. It’s not as expensive either. It also has late and early hours, making it good for breakfast and after-bar snacks. They open at 8 a.m. and
close at midnight Sunday and Tuesday, but are open until 3 a.m. every other day. The walk-up window makes for easy access, too, and the menu is posted at the window. One constructive thing I would say is that the hours are not posted on the window, which is a little confusing. Granted they are open most of the time, but the first time I tried to go was a Monday — the only day they’re closed. As far as downtown restaurants go, I would say that it’s pretty good. Pelmeni is $6, which is the cheapest downtown meal I know about that’s open late at night. But this offers a better variety and it’s something new. I plan on going back for a dessert crepe at some point.
For a ph o story on to Crepes, AB see pg. 10
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