AS Review - November 12, 2012

Review

News // Events // Student Life

Vol. 28 #8 11.12.12

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A display from the Associated Students Productions Viking Union Gallery “Battlehearts.”

The exhibit features art from student veterans and runs through Nov. 20.

Photo by Cade Schmidt// AS Review

review

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.

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Staff Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Designer Writers

Megan Thompson Spencer Pederson Cade Schmidt Bradley O’Neal Nick Markman Lauren Prater Lauren Simmons Kylie Wade Todd Wells

Adviser Jeff Bates

NEWS

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BELLINGHAM THEFT AS Review examines an ongoing theft trend in Bellingham

EVENTS

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REEL ROCK Outdoor Center hosts the seventh annual ‘Reel Rock Film Festival’

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SHARK ATTACK Western alumnus appears on televison show ‘Shark Tank’ selling his product

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EVENTS CALENDAR See what’s happening around Bellingham

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FALL INTO DANCE Seniors in the dance program choreograph their own pieces for the Fall Into Dance show

STUDENT LIFE

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DAY OF SERVICE Associated Students volunteered at eight locations in the Bellingham community on Nov. 3

FEATURES

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HOLIDAY FOOD Simple holiday recipie made easy, no oven necessary

FRASER TO BE REMODLED

Nick Markman • AS Review

Fraser Hall is one of the older lecture halls at Western and one of the least accessible. Currently, if a student who uses a wheelchair or has some other disability registers for a class scheduled in Fraser, the whole class must be moved to another building to accommodate the needs of that student.

Fraser’s accessibility and interior will be completely renovated starting this winter quarter. The lecture hall is scheduled to reopen next fall quarter.

The renovations on Fraser Hall will cost $3.2 million and will be funded by the State Capital Fund. Included in the renovations will be the addition of two Americans with Disabilities Act exterior entryways and ramps, two ADA accessible bathrooms, and ADA entrances for the three lecture halls in Fraser.

“It’s always an ongoing process we’re doing in upgrading the buildings,” Assistant Director for Facilities Development Ed Simpson said. “It gives a lot more latitude to classroom scheduling to be able to offer courses in Fraser Hall.”

Aside from improving Fraser’s accessibility, the interior architecture and classroom setups will be modernized

to fit the look and function of Western’s newer facilities.

Simpson said that this will include installing energy efficient lighting, dispersed disabled seating throughout the classrooms, and the addition of new classroom mediation equipment such as DVD players and document cameras.

To make Fraser Hall more energy efficient, the renovations will include upgrading the thermal performance of the walls as well as cleaning and sealing the exterior bricks.

Architect and Project Manager David Willett said that these renovations will get rid of the disruptions that occur when classes scheduled in Fraser have to be moved to accommodate student needs.

“Fraser is one of the largest lecture halls we have seating wise in the north end of campus so it plays a critical role in a number of courses that students need at the university to graduate,” Willett said.

The Fraser Hall renovation project is currently out for bid. Once the bids are received in November, the Board of Trustees will evaluate them and formally award a contract at their December meeting. Construction is estimated to begin after winter break.

November 12 2012 • 3

EVENTS CALENDAR Monday, Nov. 12

Wednesday, Nov. 14

Diversity Week Event When: 1-2 p.m.

Where: Wilson Library Price: Free

The Queer Dating Game When: 6-8 p.m. p. 10 Where: Fairhaven Auditorium Price: Free

Tuesday, Nov. 13

Choosing a major workshop Where: Old Main 280K When: 3-4 p.m.

Price: Free

Thursday, Nov. 15

p. 8

Reel Rock 7 Film Festival Where: Artzen 100 When: 7-9:30 p.m.

Price: $5-7

p. 3

Friday, Nov. 16

Creating and Sustaining: International student exchange programs When: 2-3 p.m.

Where: VU 552 Price: Free

Saturday, Nov. 17

Mystical Winds Holistic Fair When: 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Where: The Majestic Price: Free

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS GIVE BACK

AS Student Senate Chair Christian Correa cleans bleachers in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom's gym.

AS employees fix-up Lydia's Place's garden.

Photos By Cade Schmidt // AS Review

On Nov. 3, the Associated Students gathered at 9:30 a.m. to give back to the community for the third annual AS Day of Service. According to AS Personel Office Assistant Director Ruta Nanivadekar, about 70 employees were split into groups and disperesed across eight locations in the Bellingham and Whatcom community. AS Publicity Center Account Executive Marina Philip volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity thriftstore in Ferndale. “I really liked working in the thrifstore and seeing all the cool furniture,” Philip said. “I will definitely go back there and buy some.” Philip and her team spent their day organizing and readjusting the thrift store, as well as assembling Christmas trees.

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November 12 2012 • 5 Senior Jonathon Koerber and sophomore Kimberlee Kipperberg rehearse Grace Adkins’ piece “The Simplicity of Holding Hands” in Carver Gym’s dance studio on Nov. 8. Photos by Cade Schmidt // AS Review

FALL INTO DANCE NOV. 29,30 AND DEC. 1 Kylie Wade • AS Review During the first week of fall quarter, ten Western students in the dance program got together and held open auditions. The students selected the dancers they wanted and then began the whirlwind process of creating a performance piece to be shown on the Performing Arts Center Mainstage just two months later.

This is all just part of the curriculum in Western’s dance program and is offered as the final course of the choreography sequence. Instead of attending a lecture, the students in this course are responsible for the development of a dance piece that will culminate in a final performance showcasing each of their pieces. The performance is called Fall Into Dance, and it is an annual event put on through the dance department. This year it will be on November 29 and 30, as well as December 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC. The show is entirely choreographed and performed by students, although they do have access to and support from their instructor, Professor of Dance Nolan Dennett. This year the show will also be entirely teched by students, featuring student stage managers and lighting designers from the theater department.

“This is one of the first times that the theater and the dance program have in fact collaborated, so the dancers feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven, or they’ve been good boys and girls and Santa Claus has come to town,” Dennett said. “It’s a luxury to have the support from the theater department and we’re very, very happy about that.”

The show is a modern dance show, which is a form of dance structured around the idea of tossing out structure.

“When we say modern dance, we are not talking about contemporary dance, so we’re not talking about street dancing or hip-hop.

It’s not that at all,” Dennett explained. “It’s putting aside the formulas that were characterized by ballet, the specific vocabulary as well as the subject matter. A better name for modern dance would be dance of ideas, because it reinvents itself every time. It is not an easy art form. It’s a challenge. It’s high art when it’s done well.”

This year’s show will be larger than typical, featuring more choreographers than ever before. Dennett also said this year’s choreographers have accomplished something that is somewhat of a rarity – surprising him.

“This might sound blasphemous, but sometimes being a teacher is like being God because you can look at whose coming into the room and you pretty much know what they’re going to do,” Dennett said.

“You’re just sort of waiting for that student that will surprise you and

then you go, ‘Oh, wow!’ and you feel like life has meaning. A number of the choreographers this year have surprised me and I don’t usually get surprised.”

Dennett described this year’s pieces as “radically different as the minds of the students who thought them up.” He said one dance will feature two lovers who are right for each other but it doesn’t work out, another will center on fertility goddesses performing a sacred rite, while in another the choreographer will have her dancers create a rhythmic score for the piece by making music with wine bottles.

Choreographer Juliette Machado is working on one of the largest pieces in the entire show. Her piece will feature 14 dancers and will be split into three sections. The first two will feature only some of the dancers while the last section will bring all of them together.

Machado explained that each of the choreographers must keep a rehearsal journal that shows they are integrating what they have learned from their earlier choreography classes. The students are graded on their journal and their final performance output. The journal must outline the choreographer’s process, showing that they have a plan but that they are also open to letting things develop as rehearsals progress.

“I’ve liked seeing things come together unplanned,” Machado said. “There’s nothing more satisfying than [when] you have a general idea, and you give people general prompts, but then something just happens and it clicks and it looks really interesting.”

In contrast to Machado’s piece, Grace Adkins, another choreographer for the show, is working with just two dancers.

“This piece is kind of a vulnerable piece for me because it’s super emotional,” Adkins said. “Throughout the first two quarters of choreography I have kind of struggled a lot with what I wanted my choreography to say and how I wanted to portray it. In this piece I let all of that go and just put myself into it.”

Choreographer Abigail Kerns demonstrated another unique way to approach the piece. Kerns began by picking the music she wanted her dancers to perform to before deciding on a single move they would make.

“A lot of people chose to start with movement first, but I chose to start with music and I’m letting the music dictate a lot of my movement and sometimes it even verges on music visualization,” she explained.

Her dance has a 1960s theme and will feature five dancers. Kerns said she was drawn to music from the 1960s because it was a time

period of social change and unrest, which she said is reflected in the music from that time.

“I hope that by letting the music dictate what movement we do that will be reflected then in the movement as well,” she said.

Kerns, Adkins and Machado all said there is a special feeling about working in a show that is entirely choreographed by students.

“It really allows you to feel like you have control over your piece,” Kerns said. “Nolan always says that we get to make the final decisions and that is a really empowering feeling.”

All three are eagerly anticipating the moment when their piece is out of their hands and they will sit back and watch it.

“I’m just so excited to see them on-stage and be able to sit in the audience and be like ‘oh my gosh, that’s mine, I created that,’” Adkins said.

All of the choreographers and their professor advised students to come to the performance without any expectations of what they are about to see.

“The tricky thing for students who are seeing Fall Into Dance is that quite often we go to dance concerts expecting to see a story,” Dennett explained. “That’s sort of like going to a symphony and expecting to be told what’s happening. You’re going to be disappointed and frustrated if you went to a symphony and said ‘Is this about the big bad wolf and is that trombone the wolf and is the violin Little Red Riding Hood?’ You’re not going to do that, you’re going to sit there and let the music wash over you and your own emotions are going to form what you hear.”

Machado echoed those sentiments, and said while students should expect the unexpected, everyone will find something they can enjoy.

“It is a modern dance performance, so you never really know what you’re going to get. This year is a really eclectic mix and there’s a lot of us, so you just get a buffet of different takes on modern dance,” Machado said.

Dennett encouraged students to come not just to this performance, but to vigorously seek out opportunities to attend an array of different events on campus.

“You’ll never have this time in your life again where you can run across campus and listen to a piece of baroque music and you can run across campus and see an art show of faculty members doing stuff on a certain theme and you can run across campus to a scientific thing.

These students will never have those experiences again, take advantage, it will form the rest of your life,” Dennett said.

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REEL ROCK FILM FESTIVAL

Outdoor Center hosts seventh-annual rock climbing film festival Lauren Simmons • AS Review “It’s terrifying,” said Heidi Rodenhizer, Associated Students Outdoor Center trip leader and avid climber.

“My hands were sweating the whole time…that’s not the sort of thing I ever want to do.”

A film showcasing Alex Honnold free soloing – climbing without ropes – to the top of El Capitan, a peak in Yosemite National Park, is something Rodenhizer remembers most from attending the annual Reel Rock Festival.

The AS Outdoor Center is hosting the Reel Rock 7 film festival again this year. The night is a showing of three-to-five films that showcase the best and most exciting rock climbing and mountaineering footage of the year, said Angela Tsui, marketing and resource coordinator for the AS Outdoor Center.

“It’s new every year, and it’s always really ground-

breaking footage,” Tsui said. “[There’s] new routes, high action, high adrenaline… [it’s] really exciting.”

In its seventh year, The Reel Rock film festival will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Arntzen Hall 100. Admission is $5 for Western students and Whatcom Community College students and $7 for community members.

The film festival, sponsored by Sender Films and Big Up Productions, travels across the world hosting the festival. The showcasing of the adventurous climbs that individuals go on is exciting because climbing and mountaineering is not a mainstream sport like football or basketball, Tsui said. Climbing is not televised to the extent of other sports even with the excitement that goes with watching the footage.

“It’s something that people might not think about as

a spectator sport, but if you’re watching for the adrenaline and entertainment value, it’s real[ly] inspirational to see what people can do with just their bodies and rope,” Tsui said.

With the large climbing and mountaineering interest in Bellingham, the AS Outdoor Center continues to host the film festival. People like seeing the new footage that is exclusive to the Reel Rock 7 film festival, Tsui said.

Having students and community members coming out, having a good time and getting excited about a sport they may or may not have a lot of contact with is what Tsui looks forward to with the film festival, she said.

“I really enjoy watching professional climbers do what they do,” Rodenhizer said. “It also kind of inspires me not to do stupid things that they sometimes do.”

STUDENT RESIDENTIAL AREAS AT RISK FOR THEFT Robberies increase during school year

Todd Wells • AS Review As soon as someone moves to Bellingham they can expect to hear stories of burglary. They may listen in on students conspiring about the infamous “Mac thief ” and if unlucky could even fall victim to their own case of theft. Why is it that Bellingham has the reputation as a host for thieves? And what can individuals do to protect themselves from such violation?

Mark Young, Bellingham Police Department’s Public Information Officer, argues that Bellingham does not necessarily have more theft than any other major city.

“Thieves from all over are always lookark oung ing for opportunities to steal. If you leave something they want out in the open they will take it,” Young said.

There are certain trends that can be derived from police reports and statistics. In the summer there are more residential burglaries, perhaps because the weather is nicer and more people are outside. As school starts and more students are moving into their homes for the year, theft in and around Western’s campus tends to spike.

“Burglars are certainly aware of these changes and will act upon them. If there are more people around to steal from, there will be more theft,” explained Young.

As far as what is stolen and how they are stolen,

Thieves from all over are always looking for opportunities to steal. If you leave something they want out in the open, they will take it.

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there is a broad range of items that have gone missing and scenarios that go along with.

Paige Stevenson, freshman, left her Nalgene water bottle in Fraser Hall two weeks ago, and has yet to recover it.

“I brought it to class, set it down by my feet, forgot about it and left class later without it,” said Stevenson.

“Having realized that I had forgotten about it, I planned on returning the next day.”

When Stevenson returned, her Nalgene was nowhere to be found. She went back to all of the classrooms she ellingham olice had been in that day, asked each of her teachers about it, and upon no avail gave up any hope of finding it.

“It irritates me that someone would steal something of so little value,” Stevenson shared. “The Nalgene didn’t cost more than $20, but it had sentimental value. My favorite Alaska sticker was on it, and it had traveled with me to some remarkable places.”

William Griffith, on the other hand, recently had his MacBook laptop computer stolen out of his house on Newell St. “We had had a pretty big party the night before, and I left my computer out on the couch in the living room,” Griffith recalls. “My roommates were the last to go to

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bed once the house was empty, and they remember seeing the computer out where I had last left it. The next morning I woke up and it was gone, along with my roommate’s MacBook Pro and his cell phone.”

“The next day we called the police department and reported the crime. The officer I spoke with recommended I scan Craigslist and pawn shops in town for my computer, but didn’t express much hope. I did everything I could, but still nothing came up,” said Griffith.

In retrospect, Griffith wishes that he had done more to protect his computer that evening. But now, he takes more precautions with all of his belongings.

Officer Young explained how there are two different types of thieves in Bellingham: opportunists and targeted thieves.

“Most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, but you have to be prepared to defend your property from both types,” Young said.

Officer Young recommends keeping valuables locked up and in your home, avoiding leaving windows and doors open and always locking your car. Also make sure that you keep records of the make, model and serial number of all valuable goods.

Signing up for renters insurance is another good way to protect oneself of any financial losses via theft. Applications to locate and protect electronics, such as Find My Mac are worth looking into as well.

“If anything is stolen make sure to report it to the police. If it happens at Western contact Campus Police, anywhere else contact Bellingham Police Department,” Young concluded.

November 12 2012 • 7

WESTERN ALUMNUS AND HIS SELF-BALANCING UNICYCLE David Martschinske promotes his product on popular television show, ‘Shark Tank’

Nick Markman • AS Review Western Alumnus David Martschinske knows a whole lot about engineering. He also knows a whole lot about business. Whether it has been through the classroom or through real-world trial and error, Martschinske consistently educates and applies himself. His learning, persistence and open-mindedness have propelled him from the role of student, to that of Chief Operating Officer of Focus Designs, a fast-growing startup company.

Martschinske enrolled at Western and earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2008. After college, he was hired by US Digital, an electronics-manufacturing firm located in Vancouver, Wash. Martinschke said that his true engineering education began here.

“In reality, my college education gave me a lot of tools,” Martschinske said. “It’s provided me with understanding and logic, but the core of what I do and how I excel on a day-to-day basis was learned by trial and error once I jumped into the field.”

Martschinske met Daniel Wood, founder of Focus Designs during his time at US Digital. One Friday night while staying late to work on a project, Martschinske heard music coming from an office upstairs. He went to investigate.

“I saw this guy riding around on a unicycle carrying a battery around in a backpack blasting techno music in this giant office space,” Martschinske said. “I was like a fly to a light. I was like ‘what the heck is this and how can I be involved?’”

The unicycle Wood was riding on was an early prototype of the SBU, or Self-Balancing Unicycle, that Focus Designs sells today. The SBU V3 is a small, portable, 27 lbs. unicycle that incorporates complicated electronics to keep the rider stable and “learn” their motions as they use the vehicle. It is currently the only vehicle of its kind on the market and it retails for $1,795.

Martschinske describes the SBU as a “last-mile transportation device.”

“If you’re going to work or school and you take the bus or you take the subway or the train, and that train station is one mile from where you live, this is the device that gets you from point A to point B,” Martschinske said.

In 2009, Martschinske and Wood left US Digital to pursue a more independent, entrepreneurial career working with Focus Designs and the SBU. Since then, the team has been the driving force behind the company.

“We both wear pretty much every hat involved with the company from cleaning and organizing the warehouse space, to developing relationships and flying to Japan and China to cultivate exclusive distributorship, and flying all over the world to develop our product and to procure a product that’s never been made before in a land that’s an 11-hour-flight away,” Martschinske said.

On Friday, Oct. 26, Martschinske, Wood and the SBU were featured on ABC’s hit show, “Shark Tank.” On the show, participants present their product to a panel of

five investors, hoping to gain financial backing in return for a percentage stake in their company. Upon listening to Focus Design’s pitch, entrepreneurs Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec offered Martschinske and Wood $300 thousand for a 33 percent equity stake in Focus Designs.

“I’m in front of people all the time. I give presentations and I speak at public events,” Martschinske said. “There was nothing more intimidating for me than to stand in front of five people I see on TV every week to negotiate the value of my company.”

Martschinske said that the real value in participating on “Shark Tank” was the publicity gained from the show’s 8 million weekly viewers.

When the episode aired on the East coast, Focusdesigns.com crashed from the increase in traffic. Martschinske said that their website’s traffic has increased by 20 thousand percent since being on the show.

Focus Design’s tremendous sales growth has effectively changed its business model. Martschisnke said that since releasing the SBU V3, the company has shifted away from retail sales through the website and is now focusing on booking dealers and resellers who can sell the product on a continual basis. Martschinske and Wood are hoping to license David Martschinske poses with his the proprietary electronics within unicycle during a trip to Japan.

Photo courtesy of David Martschinske the SBU to other companies that can use them in their own products.

“What we really want to do is “My life is filled with something different every day, and to be a design house,” Martschinske said. “To be able in order for me to keep doing that, I have to have a perto create cool, interesting new ideas and then to license sonal growth model but also a business growth model those ideas to other companies that are more equipped that includes training up other people to do what I’m to sell.” doing right now.”

Martschinske said he feels as though he has earned Every year, the senior plastics engineering class his “MBA on the streets” through his real-world, handsmakes a trip to Portland, Ore. to tour manufacturon business experience. Currently, Martschinske is ing facilities. Hoekstra said that for the past few years, working on training people at Focus Designs to take over Martschisnke has always met up with them to talk to some of the operations he is presently in charge of. This, students and that he even brought an SBU one time for he said, will enable him to pursue other areas of both students to try out. professional and personal interest.

“David is unique, and I’m really pleased to see what “Every three months, I want to be working on somehe’s doing. I think it’s rare for someone so young to have thing that’s new to me. I don’t want to be doing the same the confidence that he has,” Hoekstra said. “He’s really a thing over and over again and I think that’s the luxury great role model for our current students to see what our that I get with a startup company,” Martschinske said. graduates have done with their lives.”

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TREATS FOR DORM LIVIN’ This week: Fudge

Lauren Prater • AS Review Craving a sweet chocolate treat but don’t know how to get it? As a poor college student living the dorm-life and usually lacking a kitchen, finding time, money and space to bake holiday treats can be quite a challenge.

I decided to try it out for myself, so here is my first easy-holiday recipe, and how you can make it yourself.

The entire process took me about 45 minutes, only costing $14, and the hardest part was cleaning the chocolate out of the bowl at the end. After making the fudge, my first bite into a soft, rich, delightful treat was definitely worth it. A deliciously sweet and easy treat that is great for the season! Everyone enjoys yummy-chocolate fudge around the holidays, so give it a shot!

MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE FUDGE Prep time: 10 min Bake time: 1 hour Ingredients:

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 14 oz unsweetened condensed milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups of chopped nuts (optional)

Supplies:

Medium sized mixing bowl Cake pan, at least 1 inch deep Mixing Spoon Microwave

Photos by Cade Schmidt // AS Review

Directions:

In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and condensed milk for 3-5 minutes until the mixture has completely melted. Remove once fully melted and stir until smooth. Depending on the strength of your microwave, the time can vary. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour into cake pan and evenly spread. Let fudge sit for about an hour, and refrigerating will harden faster. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy.

MAJOR DILEMMA Western Career Services hosts Choosing a Major workship the help students understand majors, career choices by

Lauren Prater // AS Review

Wondering what career options are available with your major of choice? Here’s a great way to find out.

Choosing a Major workshop will be held by Career Services on Nov. 14 and 15 from 4-5 p.m. in Old Main 280K. Students interested must register at www.wwu. edu/careers/ under the workshop schedule/sign up tab.

The workshop has been designed to help students identify majors and career connections, understand the process of declaring a major, and begin identifying

unique interests and skills.

Heather Brett, the academic and career advisor for Career Services, said students will explore career and major myths in a fun and interactive way, and will be introduced to specific components of the Career Services Center website.

Declaring a major can be a stressful, and knowing more information on the subject can be a help to any student. Let this workshop be your guide in finding your way around the world of majors, don’t wait!