AS Review - December 03, 2012

DEAD WEEK IS UPON US Study lab map pg. 4

HOMOCOMING An inclusive dance by the QRC, pg. 8

News // Events // Student Life

Review

BHAM JINGLE JAM, pg. 3

Vol. 28 #10 12.3.12

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A student naps while studying in the fourth floor of Wilson Library.

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.

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.

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NEWS

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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY A guide to the technology avaliable on campus, just in time for dead week

EVENTS

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HOMOCOMING Queer Resource Center’s event is an inclusive homecoming

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EVENTS CALENDAR See what’s happening around Bellingham

STUDENT LIFE

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GROUP PROJECTS Working with others is an important skill, says Western managment professor

FEATURES

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THE NEW BOY The final review on Harley Tat’s Novel

Calendar/Ads: We don’t sell ad space. Sorry. Email as.review@ wwu.edu to have an event listed in the calendar.

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

A student studies near the planetarium on Nov. 30.

Photo by Cade Schmidt // AS Review

December 3, 2012 • 3

Graphic by Bradley O’Neal // AS Publicity Center

Lauren Simmons • AS Review Dead week has begun and finals week is just around the corner for Western’s hardworking students. As the study groups begin to meet, the projects begin and the pots of coffee begin to brew, many students will keep their heads in their books and rarely take a deserved study break. This year, the B’ham Jingle Jam can be used as the perfect breather from group projects and flashcards.

Western’s Associated Students Pop Music and AS Productions Special Events have collaborated to host an event that will offer students a study break full of local music, said Megan Housekeeper, AS Pop Music coordinator.

“The idea is for students to take a break from studying and stop by for at least part of the event, if not the whole thing, and check out local bands that otherwise they normally wouldn’t get to see or maybe they haven’t heard of,” Housekeeper said.

The B’ham Jingle Jam is a free music festival featuring bands from around Bellingham. The event takes place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8 in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room.

Performing at the music festival includes: Prime Time Band, Bad Tenants, Palisades, Specters, Great Pacific and Cuff Lynx. All bands, except the Bad Tenants, include Western students.

A lot of local bands in the Bellingham area only have the opportunity to play at bars, said Jordan Swinder, AS Productions Marketing Coordinator of Music and Entertainment. B’ham Jingle Jam gives these bands a larger venue to perform for audiences of all ages.

“I’m always getting inquiries from local bands [saying] ‘When can we play pop music shows?’ and a lot of students are like ‘Yeah, I’d be really interested in seeing local bands, I just don’t really know where to see them or when to see them,’” Housekeeper said. “So it was kind of an idea I originally came up with because we haven’t really had all local bands on a pop-music stage before, and typically, we do all of our local music in the Underground Coffeehouse, but it’s not quite the right venue for those bigger, louder acts.”

Also featured at the music festival is a free photo booth where students can take unlimited pictures, Housekeeper

PRIME TIME BAND

GREAT PACIFIC

SPECTERS

An 11-piece R&B/soul band, Prime Time Band showcases some of the best musicians from around Bellingham. Influenced by the classic sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones, Prime Time Band incorporates their own unique modern flavor into the mix.

Great Pacific was formed in 2011 when lead singer Nick Gendreau and lead guitarist Ky Mecklenberg took their songwriting duo to Bellingham. After getting to know the indie music scene, they found violinist Chandra Johnson, drummer Evan Douglas and bass guitarist Evan Herbison, and developed a sound of their own.

Formed rather recently, this three-piece Bellingham band is quickly making waves around the community for their quirky sound and personalities. With a new fresh take on alternative pop/rock music, Specters themselves find it hard to describe themselves as a band. With this band, what you see is definitely what you get.

Genre: Soul/ R&B

Genre: Indie/Folk/Rock

PALISADES

CUFF LYNX

With a little bit of everything, Palisades has been described as a combination of Cursive, Fugazi, Joy Division and Thursday. This Bellingham group plays such a unique combination of music and style that no words can do them justice.

This electronic duo has been DJing “No Pressure Mondays” at The Wild Buffalo downtown, and their remix to Macklemore’s recent hit “Thrift Shop,” is turning heads, including Ryan Lewis’. If you are not listening to Cuff Lynx’s music, start right now.

Genre: Garage/Punk/Alternative

Genre: Electronic

said. There will be plenty of props and holiday décor to dress-up with. Also at the event will be a canned-food drive for the Bellingham Food Bank.

“It’s a great way to not only enjoy some free music, it’s also a great way to give back,” said Jordan Renshaw, AS Special Events coordinator. “All the donated cans will be going to the [Bellingham] food bank, and it’s a really important this time of the year with the holidays and everything. It’s just a great way to show up, have a great time for free, as well as give back to the community.”

Each piece of canned food donated will be in exchange for a raffle ticket; these raffle tickets will be entered into drawings to tons of prize packs from local businesses, Housekeeper said. Tickets to the Pickford, prize packs from Disidual and AB Crepes are among the raffle prizes. “[The B’ham Jingle Jam] supports students, it supports the local music scene, it supports the local business and all kinds of things that bring the community and the school together, which is not always an easy thing to do,” Swinder said.

Genre: Indie/Pop/Rock

BAD TENANTS Genre: Hip Hop

Take hip-hop and mix it up with the blues and you find The Band Tenants. With lyrics that highlight reallife and renowned live shows have brought them to large and small stages.

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December 3, 2012 • 5

CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

1

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5G

COMPUTER LAB BREAK DOWN

HI GH

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CE DA RS T.

Arntzen Hall 1, 2 and 5 PC Equipment A combined 72 computers, 4 printers and a scanner in AH 2 Media Ports: DVD and USB Building Hours 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

25G 17

11G

OM

X

HH

W

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Fine Arts 101 Mac

BH X

14G

MH

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Equipment 24 computers, 2 printers, 2 scanners Media Ports DVD and USB. Building Hours Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bonus Points: There is a copier located on the main floor of the building.

X

28

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Miller Hall 16 PC Equipment 30 computers, 2 printers, 2 scanners Media Ports DVD and USB Building Hours Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

AH

CF

Photo by Cade Schmidt // AS Review

Kylie Wade • AS Review

TECHNOLOGY CENTER

If you have questions about anything technological, the Student Technology Center is your haven.

“What we’re trying to do is give students technology skills,” STC Supervisor David Hamiter explained. “We help them with technical literacy.”

Located on the second floor of Haggard Hall, the STC boasts a staff of students who are masters at teaching or troubleshooting most software applications.

“Our students come from a wide variety of fields, so you can make an appointment with someone who really knows the program and receive one-on-one tutoring,” David Hamiter, the STC supervisor explained. “They will look at anything you’re working on and you can get help just by dropping by.”

In addition to personalized support, the STC offers hundreds of free workshops each year to teach groups of students the basics of different programs. The available workshops cover most of the Adobe suite, Apple programs like GarageBand, iMovie and Final Cut Pro, most Microsoft Office programs and some web-based

AW

applications including Prezi, WordPress and Google Documents.

Hamiter said these workshops can not only be helpful for picking up the knowledge base needed to complete a class project, but also for students to use to boost the skill sections of their resumes.

The STC also offers students some impressive equipment. The STC has it’s own computer labs, a large format printer that students can use to create full size posters, dub racks, a scanner that can compress hundreds of pages into one PDF and then load it directly onto the S Drive and a DVD/CD duplicator that can turn one disc into five copies in under five minutes.

The STC is also home to two video editing bays, a soundproof audio bay and a presentation practice room.

EQUIPMENT LOAN DESK Located in Haggard Hall 114, the ATUS Equipment Loan Desk has a loan pool stocked with an astounding variety of portable media equipment. Last year alone, the loan desk provided more than 16,000 equipment rentals.

Equipment offered includes audio and video recording and playback devices, microphones, amps and speakers, projection equipment, laptops and computer accessories, and camcorders and still cameras.

Classroom Services Manager Gary Malick said the most commonly used items are the camcorders, cameras, laptops and video production equipment.

“We have all of the stuff you need to make your video shoots look more professional,” Malick said.

To pick up any of the equipment, students can call 360.650.3300

Miller Hall 31 Mac

or stop by the loan desk. All equipment is free if being used for academic purposes, but anybody can check out the equipment for personal use as long as they are willing to pay rental fees. buildings with computer labs

GENERAL USE COMPUTER LABS The STC can give you the training you need to get a project done, and the ATUS loan desk can provide you with the equipment you need to do it. But where do you go to actually get it done? ATUS offers over 20 computer labs open to all students.

There are 16 PC labs on campus, located throughout Academic West, Arntzen Hall, Haggard Hall, Miller Hall, Bond Hall, Old Main and the Communications Building. All of these labs have at least one printer and most have scanners as well. There are also five Mac labs on campus, located in Academic West 308, Fine Arts 101, Miller Hall 31, Haggard Hall 245 and the Communications Building 161.

The computers in the labs come loaded with a dizzying array of software, varying slightly from lab to lab but most often including at least Microsoft Office and the Adobe Creative Suite. Students can search for a lab with the exact software they need at www.west.wwu. edu/labsoftware/user.aspx.

The computer labs are always open, but may not always be accessible because most campus buildings are locked after 11 p.m.

“The rooms themselves are not locked during any quarter session, but some of the buildings lock up at various hours,” Assistant Director of Academic Technology Rob Galbraith explained. “But if you’re in the lab you can continue to stay and work.”

One important exception is that the labs located on the first floor of Haggard Hall, HH 101 and 112, are always accessible.

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Academic West M 306 PC 26CP Equipment l Area Carpoo

60 computers, 2 printers, 29G2 scanners 12A 31 Media Ports C USB DVD and Meter Area Building Hours: Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bonus Points An ATUS Help Desk and a print deposit station are located right outside.

Extra Tips On the weekends, the north door stays open until 11 p.m.

S O U T H C O L L E G E D R IV E

Have you ever wondered what your student technology fee pays for? Ever wondered what to do after you have been assigned a project that asks you to use a software program you have never opened or a piece of equipment you do not own? Have you ever been running to class wondering where the closest computer lab is so you can print out your essay?

Here is the answer to all of those questions and more, a comprehensive guide to the technology equipment and services available to Western students.

Academic West 308 Mac Equipment 20 computers, 1 printer Media Ports DVD, USB, SD card reader and a SanDisc dock Building Hours, Bonus Points and Extra Tips are the same as AW 306.

Equipment 24 computers, 2 printers Media Ports DVD, USB and SD card reader Building Hours Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bond Hall 319 PC Equipment 24 computers, 2 printers Media Ports DVD and USB Building Hours 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Haggard Hall 101 and 112 PC Equipment A combined 55 computers, 4 printers, 2 scanners Media Ports: DVD and USB Building Hours These labs are always accessible.

Bonus Points The ATUS loan desk, a print deposit station and a copier are all located on the same floor as these labs.

Haggard Hall 245 Mac Equipment 30 computers, 2 printers Media Ports DVD and USB. Building Hours This lab operates on library hours.

Bonus Points Is actually a part of the STC, so all of their services and expertise are just outside, just a floor above the ATUS loan desk.

Haggard Hall 233 PC

Equipment 40 computers, 2 printers, 2 scanners Media Ports DVD and USB. Building Hours Opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday, closes at 11 p.m.

Sunday to Thursday and 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Bonus Points Right down the hall from the STC, just a floor above the ATUS loan desk.

Old Main 330 PC Equipment 5 computers, 1 printer, 1 copier Media Ports DVD and USB. Building Hours Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on the weekends.

Com. Building 21, 24, 26, 165, 167 and 312 PC Equipment A combined 130 computers, 5 printers and 1 scanner in CF312 Media Ports DVD and USB Building Hours 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Com. Building 161 Mac Equipment 1 printer, 1 scanner Media Ports DVD and USB Building Hours 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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BOOK REVIEW: THE NEW BOY, PART 2 The conclusion of Western alumnus Harley Tat’s novel

Lauren Simmons • AS Review As I turned to the last two pages of “The New Boy,” I had to make sure that my eyes did not shift over to the last paragraph of the book on page 249. Reading the last two pages probably took about a minute; it took me 45 seconds to read the text and an extra 15 seconds to reread the last few bits of dialogue on page 249 and sit in disappointment.

Even though my review of the first half of Western alum Harley Tat’s novel The New Boy was positive and full of intrigue, but in regards to how the rest of the book plays out, I will say that I was a bit dissapointed and surprised.

“The New Boy” is about Andy Martin, a freshman at Western in the early 1980s who finds solace on the Warthogs, Western’s rugby team. As the book progresses, Andy’s troubled past follows him to Western when a series of murders occur on campus, and it seems like he keeps ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I will maintain that the book’s setting, Bellingham, is one of the stronger aspects of the book, especially for Western students who can picture various places like the Horseshoe Café and Red Square and imagine how different they looked 30 years ago. Familiarity, while reading

anything, always keeps me interested and my mind active, and that is one of the reasons I was so eager to finish the story.

Without spoiling anything, the primary reasons I was disappointed by Tat’s novel were the treatment of his characters and the conclusion.

In regards to the characters, I felt Tat’s excessive, but effective, descriptions of them were completely disregarded as the book headed toward conclusion. The last chapters short-changed a handful of the main characters and left me extremely disappointed as a reader. When reading a novel – something I do not get the pleasure to do very often as a college student – I like to immerse myself in what I am reading, and such a tactic really attaches me to certain characters; main character Andy and his roommate Owen. When an author surprises the reader by revealing hidden truths about a character, kills them off or unexplainably changes a character’s demeanor, it is not always a bad move – case and point Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series – but what Tat fails to do is back up the decisions he made in regards to the fates of his novel’s characters. Does he have any obligation to do this? No. But as a writer, he should have respected the

“The New Boy” on display at the Western Associated Students Bookstore Photos by Cade Schmidt // AS Review

characters he developed instead of shortchanging their fates.

Though I cannot divulge the ending of “The New Boy, “I will say that, for me, it was unexpected and disappointing. As an avid scary-movie watcher and unofficial fanatic, I will say that Tat uses the ever-popular tactic of setting his story up for a sequel. Do not get me wrong, I am a sucker for sequels – I own all seven “Saw” movies – but not only was I not expecting such for this book, I said to myself upon finishing it: “This does not need to be drawn out into another book.” The last few chapters introduce a number of different storylines and raise a few questions that could have been answered and concluded by adding two or three chapters to the relatively short novel – but no.

Amongst all the negativity, I will say that my distaste for the book is much more personal preference as opposed to saying the book is bad, because it is not. “The New Boy” does a great job at setting up a mystery and throwing different distractions at the reader to stifle the discovery of the truth. Placing that in the heart of Bellingham will read well with students and the community, it was just not my cup of tea.

December 3, 2012 • 7

EVENTS CALENDAR Monday, Dec. 3

Wednesday, Dec. 5

Guest Speaker: Seattle Sounder Steven Zakuani When: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Academic West 204 Price: Free

Tuesday, Dec. 4

Friday, Dec. 7

Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen When: 7-9 p.m.

Where: Academic West 204p. 10 Price: Free

Homocoming: Magic in the Snow When: 8 p.m.-Midnght p. 8 Where: VU Multipurpose Price: $1-3

Thursday, Dec. 6

Saturday, Dec. 8

Volunteer Opportunity Advising Where: Center for Service Learning WL 481 When: 12-4 p.m.

Price: Free

AS Outdoor Center Yoga Where: VU 605 When: 4-6 p.m.

Price: Free

B’ham Jingle Jam p. 3 When: 6-11 p.m.

Where: VU Multipurpose Room Price: Free

GROUP PROJECTS: Developing a strategy for success

Nick Markman • AS Review Throughout college, students will most likely be faced with group projects. Working together as a team can be a daunting and uncomfortable task for a lot of people. For groups that struggle with such projects, there are certain strategies that can be implemented to turn a random collection of individuals into a cohesive, functioning team.

Associate Professor of Management Jason Kanov teaches a class in team management. He said that a major piece of what he teaches in the class deals with working on the actual team dynamics first as opposed to the final product.

“The management of the group is part of the work with being in a group,” Kanov said. “Teamwork isn’t just about doing things with people, it’s about working on the team.”

Though the two aspects of being social and working well on a team may seem to coincide with each other, Kanov said that some of the things we learn in our social lives, such as conflict avoidance, are not functional with team building and management.

“We have to develop skills in areas that we might not have them and some of the experiences that we have had may actually be orienting us to doing things that are dysfunctional,” Kanov said.

The best way to facilitate group development, Kanov said, is by being upfront and honest about each individual’s expectations of the group and class in order to develop a dynamic that will work with everyone. He said that students should be transparent about what grade they hope to achieve, how much time they’re willing to

devote to a project, and the standards that each group member will be held accountable to. In some cases, it may help to draft a contract for the group that members can agree on and refer back to in cases of irresponsibility.

From there, group members should have more practical conversations about reaching deadlines, scheduling meeting times, and allocating tasks amongst the group.

By comparing each individual’s schedules, groups can lay out a system that works for everyone. Kanov said that this usually involves making tradeoffs - all group members cannot get what they want.

“All teams are unique because they’re a unique mix of unique individuals,” Kanov said. “You can’t assume that the exact same system that worked on team last quarter will work on this new set of people this quarter.”

Two common personalities that can be detrimental to the group dynamic are slackers and dominators.

Kanov said that these two roles, although at opposite ends of the same spectrum, are very similar and tend to perpetuate each other. By being transparent and honest upfront, groups can potentially eliminate the appearance of these roles throughout the group’s time together.

“With the slacker, some people are just by their nature are a little bit less conscientious; they’re a little less responsible,” Kanov said. “They may not be bad people, but we mislabel them pretty quickly and may end up not treating them very well. I think that usually when you have a slacker, there are some extenuating circumstances, there’s some reason that it’s happening.”

Senior marketing major Kathleen Esses has worked

in multiple different groups tackling several projects throughout her college education. She said that working as a group is a skill that becomes easier with practice and more manageable as one progresses in their major.

“In lower level classes, when you’re put in groups, a lot of the times people are not in the same major or the same mindset,” Esses said. “We’re all taking the same foundation courses, so there might be a bit of disconnect between the way people think or what expectations are.”

Kanov said a common student criticism is that many things learned in school will not apply in the real world.

Group work, he said, is about as real as it gets. Working well with a team is a critical component of many jobs available to graduates and the experience of practicing and potentially failing at this skill in college are far less severe than in the working world.

“The beauty of academic life is that eventually the quarter will end and the class will end and you’ll go on to different things,” Kanov said. “In the workplace, if you’re on a team, you might have to work with these people for years, even if you’re not on a team with them anymore.”

By working on group development and treating it as a final product itself, groups can make working together easier, more functional, and more fun.

“If teams are done well, they can lead to a better experience, they can lead to more individual learning, and they can lead to better team performance,” Kanov said.

“It’s sort of like an investment; you put in a little amount of time upfront that hopefully will save you time in the long run.”

8 • as.wwu.edu/asreview Poster by Bradley O’Neal // AS Publicity Center

MONDAY DECEMBER 7TH

8PM-MIDNIGHT

THE QRC PRESENTS

HOMOCOMING MAGIC IN THE SNOW IN THE VU MPR

$1 with WWU ID

$3 GENERAL

AN INCLUSIVE HOMECOMING EVENT

For disability accommodations please call (360) 650-6120 Western is an equal opportunity institution

QRC presents ‘Homocoming’ on Dec. 7

Lauren Prater • AS Review For many, recollecting high school memories includes many nights of dating, dressing up, and dancing the night away at Homecoming, Prom, or one of the many other high school dances. For others, dances bring back memories of a judgmental, non-inclusive environment, which is one of the main reasons the Queer Resource Center decided to put on “Homocoming.”

Homocoming is an event that is going to take place on Friday, Dec. 7 from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. The event is $1 for students with ID, and $3 for students without. The event will include dancing, a live DJ, food, games, dancing, and

most importantly simply a fun, inclusive and comfortable environment for students of all sexualities to express themselves and have fun.

The theme of this year’s dance is Magic In The Snow.

QRC Assistant Coordinator Matt Smith stated that the event is going to be semi-formal, but also described the theme as fierce fashion with a wintery flare. Students are encouraged to dress up, while also dressing within reason. The DJ, who is going to play a wide range of music, will a focus on the general dance theme. The main intention of the event is not only to provide a safe environment for students to dance and have fun, but also

for students to have a place to de-stress and let go for a little while.

Smith also stated that although the event is primarily marketed for Queer students and their allies, it is also open to students who don’t associate themselves will the Queer community. He stated that these students are more than welcome, and even encouraged to go as long as they respect the event, environment and other students who are also in attendance.

The event has had a great turnout in the past, and is sure to provide a great place to spend your Friday night.

Contact the Queer Resource Center for more information by phone, (360) 650-6120, email, AS.QRC.asst@wwu.edu, or in the office at Viking Union 515