Inside this issue:
The ESP hosts their 5th annual Green Tie Gala, PAGE 6 Western’s Muslim Student Association hosts an event for Ramadan, PAGE 7 Photos from ASP’s Battle of the Bands, PAGE 8
Vol. 31 #31 05.31.16
Vol. 30 # #.#.#
2 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Hello I’m Sorry performs at AS Production’s Battle of the Bands at the Makeshift Art Space. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2015. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University. The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on underrepresented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue.
Western Hmong Student Association wins an award for their Mad Hatter Tea Party event at this year’s Club Awards Ceremony. Photo by Ricky Rath // AS Review
We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to as.review@wwu.edu. We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student. Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.
Marina Price Alexandra Bartick Trevor Grimm Ian Sanquist Will McCoy Morgan Annable Becky Campbell Chris Beswetherick Designer Zach Becker Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Current AS President Belina Seare speaks at the AS Inauguration while the AS Board of Directors for the 2016-2017 school year stands behind her. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review
5.2. 2016 • 3
EVENTS
Green Tie Gala May 31 // 6 p.m. // VU MPR // $10 Come celebrate Western’s efforts in sustainability at the Green Tie Gala. This year’s theme will be Food Justice, with climate and social justice activist Zarna Joshi as the keynote speaker. Bob Fossil will also perform.
Voices of Windward May 29 - June 4 // WWU B Gallery // Free Check out the current exhibit in Western’s B Gallery, put together by students at Windward High School.
Afro Brazilian Festival May 5 // 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. // VU MPR // Free Come participate in a day’s worth of classes and workshops in Afro- Brazilian cultural arts, including Capoeira Angola, West African Dance Drumming, Cuban Salasa and Samba.
Show the Show June 1 // 6:30 p.m. // Old Main Theatre // Free Come see a series of comedy film skits put together by Western students.
As You Like It June 1- 4 // Various // PAC Mainstage Come see Western’s production of this Shakespeare classic on the Main Stage. Check website for prices.
Lawnstock June 4 // 12 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. // Communications Lawn // Free Come Western’s annual free festival on the Comm Lawn! This year’s performers include Mary Lambert, The Flavr Blue, Cosmos, Snug Harbor and Crooked Neighbors.
Top Ten: November May 22-28 April 24- 30 5-12 1
Hummingbird Local Natives
2
You Know Who You Are Nada Surf
Dead Parrots Society Improv Festival
3
99c Santigold
June 2-4 // 6 p.m. // Old Main Theatre // $3
4
Junk M83
at this weekend- long festival.
5
Are You Serious Andrew Bird
Ramadan-ify WWU
6
Leave Me Alone Hinds
7
Declaration of Dependance Kings of Convenience
8
Every Open Eye Chvrches
9
What Went Down Foals
10
Red Right Return Lemolo
Come see different improv groups from on campus and in town perform
June 4 // 6 p.m. // VU 567 // Free The Muslim Student Association will be hosing an event to spread the word about Ramadan on campus. Check out page 7 for more information.
WWU Student Robot Competition June 3 // 12:30 p.m. // Comm Facility Room 103 // Free Come see students compete with self built robots in this year’s student robot competition.
KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.
Battle of the Bands: Get to know the sounds Crooked Neighbors took home the gold this year, among an eclectic collection of local bands A MUSIC REVIEW BY IAN SANQUIST PHOTOS BY TREVOR GRIMM
Crooked Neighbors The winner of this year’s AS Underground Coffeehouse Battle of the Bands is Crooked Neighbors, a local five-piece band that plays upbeat indie pop. Crooked Neighbors has released one single so far, “New Year.” Jaunty and fast paced, the track moves around a central cello melody, rhythmic acoustic guitar, and a steady and quick drumbeat, which recalls the buoyant percussion of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” The lyrics are inspiring in their restlessness and desire for a good time. The group is working on an album, and will open during Lawnstock on June 4th. On Bandcamp, where their single can be streamed, they tag their music as “alternative,” “acoustic rock,” “alternative rock,” and “indie rock,” and, notably, as “not folk.” Designer Disguise Designer Disguise, another finalist in Battle of the Bands, is from Seattle and play heavy, hard rock, with Guitar Hero riffs and melodious arrangements. There’s something theatrical about their music, and though the guitars fill the tracks with thrashing distortion, the music is anything but sloppy—it’s meticulously arranged and polished, and wouldn’t sound out of place playing over the speakers at a snowboarding competition. The band blends natural and acoustic arrangements with emotive lyrics and crisp computer-produced textures, and then throws heavy and anthemic guitars underneath it all. Their EP “Hearts and Minds” is available on Bandcamp.
Rex Queen A finalist in Battle of the Bands was Rex Queen, a jazz combo featuring the cool and unique vocals of Maddie DiMarco. DiMarco sings with a lush tranquility and such informality that her act feels almost accidental. But it’s obvious to anyone who watches Rex Queen that this band is not only incredibly talented, but incredibly polished and practiced. DiMarco’s stage presence is unassuming and charming, and her band members play a subdued and accessible kind of jazz that perfectly frames her hypnotic voice. Rex Queen currently has two songs available for streaming on SoundCloud.
Hello, I’m Sorry The other finalist was Hello, I’m Sorry, a local-by-way-of Enumclaw lo-fi rock band led by singer and songwriter Seth Little. On their latest release, “Drunk Spanish EP,” Hello, I’m Sorry comes out of the gate sounding like a fuzzier version of The Strokes with “Good’s Not Great,” a track featuring snappy calland-response percussion, surf rock guitar riffs, and vocals buried under guitar feedback and distortion. Beneath all the noise is smiling jangle and glimmering, almost-gentle melodies—sunshine pop as aloof and occasionally aggressive as Jesus and Mary Chain. The lyrics are murmured or mumbled, trading clarity of expression for a clarity of atmosphere. But the atmosphere that clearly emerges is one of blurred moments, faded memories, and questionable decisions. “Waking up in the morning is easier/when you sleep next to something that resembles a firework/You can try, you can try, you can try, you can try/but know it might not work,” Little sings in “Coffee & Orange Juice,” which opens Hello, I’m Sorry’s full-length February release, “Consolation Party.” Little’s lyrics are full of life’s banal textures, offering specific and delicious details, like a friend trying to get the singer to donate blood (again), or a narrator who doesn’t want to play a show, and instead just wishes it would snow. Since February 2015, Hello, I’m Sorry has released three full-length albums, all of which can be streamed on Bandcamp.
5.2. 2016 • 5
Urban Flow Festival be held on June 1 Reel World Film Series:toVessel BY WILL MCCOY featuring one woman’s fight for reproductive justice to be shown on campus Documentary
Are you looking for a way to destress from school, BY BECKY CAMPBELL work or life? Or maybe you are looking to reconnect with your inner self after a long week? Urban Flow Fest is a local music and art festival where you can connect with yourself and the community around you. “Our event is about authentic connection amongst humans, in a space where music elevates the frequency in the room and Flow just happens,” Summer Huntington, organizer of Urban Flow Fest, said. “Flow is the most healing state of mind for people to be in, so we hope to induce a flow-state-of-mind subconsciously by creating a space for it to thrive.” Urban Flow Fest will take place at the Fairhaven Cruise Terminal on June 1, where people can enjoy music from local artists, rhythmic yoga and connect with the community they live in. Come with an open mind and a willingness to be a part of something special, Huntington said. Attendees are free to bring different types of flow toys like hula hoops, poi and LED gloves, as well as dress in your best festival attire. Urban Flow Fest is meant for free expression. There are three themes that encompass Urban Flow Fest: elevate, connect and flow. When you elevate your mind, you can make the best art, conversation and movement possible, Huntington said. “We wanted to create a space where we could
bring the energy up with electronic dance music, practice flow arts and also meet like minded people who want to heal the planet,” Riley Norris, another organizer of Urban Flow Fest, said. “Love and unity are the first steps to creating change, it starts here.” Norris continues to say that this event is social activism. It socially actives people into making the planet a better place by setting an example of being the change you want to see in the world. Huntington adds on that Urban Flow Fest is more than just an event; it is what she has been teaching for a long time now. “The ‘elevate, connect and flow’ slogan is more than just a catchy title, it's my highest truth,” Huntington said. “I know that this event is going to bring out a completely new tribe of people, who I can't wait to meet. I thrive on bringing people together and creating an experience, and being a part of the collective that wants to do work to heal the planet.” Kombucha Town is a sponsor of the event, and will be providing attendees with drinks all night long. Bring a reusable cup to reduce the waste used at the event. The idea for Urban Flow Fest started out as a micro-festival, but it has evolved into a synergistic event, Norris said. Both he and Huntington state that the Bellingham community, from jewelry ven-
dors and light production companies to volunteer yoga and dance instructors, has been a key factor in bringing it to life. “So far the event has been effortless,” Huntington said. “People keep coming together and momentum keeps building.” Norris is the lead event designer, and he has taken charge to ensure that the event has a deeper meaning than meets the eye. Huntington helps connects the dots, she said. She has helped with social media and web design, as well as planning community outreach classes. On top of that, Huntington will be a lead instructor for the rhythmic yoga session during the event. At the end of the day, both Huntington and Norris hope that people walk away with new experiences, friends and a belly full of kombucha. This event is about opening yourself up to others for a better understanding of flow, Huntington said. This is the first year that Urban Flow Fest will take place. Both Norris and Huntington have spent the past summer traveling to different music festivals studying the culture and its relationship with the concept of flow. After traveling through festival season, Huntington came back to Bellingham ready to make an impact on the community by harnessing the vibes that she studied.
Photos courtesy of Summer Huntington.
6 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Green Tie Gala focuses on Food Justice
BY MORGAN ANNABLE Western has many organizations dedicated to environmentalism and sustainability on campus, in our community and around the world. These groups are housed under the Environmental and Sustainability Programs and they are working together to host the Fifth Annual Green Tie Gala on May 31 from 6 The8 p.m. in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. at which point Bob Fossil will be playing music while attendees mingle. Bob Fossil is a local Bellingham band that plays a variety of styles of music. Once the event is underway, members of Students for Renewable Energy, Changemakers and Students for Farmworker Justice will then speak about the work that their clubs are doing. Students for Sustainable Food will provide the food for the dinner, which will be served, buffet-style, at 6:30 p.m. The meal will be vegan, organic and locally sourced. Zarna Joshi, a climate and social justice activist who spoke last quarter at Western’s Women of Color Speak Out event, will return to campus for the Green Tie Gala. Zarna will speak about capitalism, colonialism, racism and how these systems of oppression are thwarting attempts at solving environmental issues and contributing to a global ecological disaster. The Green Tie Gala has a different theme every year, and the theme selected for this year’s gala is Food Justice. Anna Kemper, AS Environmental and Sustainabili-
ty Programs Director, said that the theme came about because it matched the direction that a lot of campus organizations have taken in their activism this year. “Everyone eats, so when we’re trying to transcend the barriers of getting people involved in sustainability, food is a really good place to start,” Kemper said. “The goal of the event is to really reach out to those typically non-environmentally focused students.” Western signed the Real Food Challenge this year
“Environmentalism is often considered a privileged movement but it is important to remember that people of color and communities of lower class often suffer due to environmental injustice.” - Anna Kemper, ASP Director following the hard work of Students for Sustainable Food. According to their website the Real Food Challenge aims at bringing more local, fair, ecologically sound, and humane food to college around the country.
Another activist group on campus, Students for Farmworker Justice, is leading an active boycott of Driscoll’s Berries, a company that treats its workers unfairly. They lead frequent nonviolent protests at Costco to spread information and awareness. Three clubs teamed up in November to screen Cowspiracy, a documentary on the role that animal agriculture plays on the global climate crisis. With all of these environmental activism efforts on campus this year, Kemper said that the theme of Food Justice for the gala just made sense. “The theme of food justice is important for where we are as a community,” she said. Food justice is an important issue because every person on the planet has to eat in order to survive. “Systems of oppression can often stem from agriculture,” Kemper said. Environmental movements have historically excluded underprivileged people, despite the fact that environmental issues disproportionately affect lower class people as well as people of color. “Environmentalism is often considered a privileged movement but it is important to remember that people of color and communities of lower class often suffer due to environmental injustice,” Kemper said. The gala is a chance for Western’s multitude of environmental clubs to spread awareness of sustainability issues and raise money for future projects. “It’s not just a Huxley thing or a Fairhaven thing,” Kemper said. “Environmental issues affect all of us.”
OurWestern Instagram account showcasese life at Western BY BECKY CAMPBELL As part of Western Washington University’s official communication and marketing team, Matthew Anderson, New Media Coordinator, created an official social media account through Instagram to celebrate and highlight the life of Western’s students and alumni every single week. This month, the account celebrated its over one-year of existence with four different students running it during the month of May. Each week, a pre-approved student or alumni gets to take possession of the @ OurWestern Instagram account and is encouraged to share their lives on (and off campus) to the accounts followers. This account debuted winter quarter
of 2015 when it showcased students in the communications, journalism and public relations departments of Western but has debuted students from nearly every department and major on campus including sociology, leadership studies, design, and a variety of concentrations and majors from Fairhaven college. Every week, the student or alumni is given the password and reign of the account with a few parameters: be reasonable, be humane, be ethical, be credible, be forgiving and be safe. In addition to these guiding principles, any participant must promise to adhere to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Code, the WWU Policy for Responsible
Computing and any other applicable WWU policies. The account started when students Stephanie Cheng (Associated Students President 2016-2017) and Nikki Shapiro saw a need for something more for students and social media at Western. “We started it because we wanted to build more of a community for western students and have a place for students to share their experiences with each other,” said Shapiro “We saw that a few other schools had accounts that did something like that so we wanted to create something for Western.” The name for the account, OurWesten was created by Nikki Shapiro and is
supposed to be a play off the myWestern accounts that every student receives when enrolled at Western. Since it’s inception in January of 2015, the account has grown to almost 4,000 followers with over 600+ posts. “I don't think any of us knew what to expect from the account. What really surprised me was the fact that even alumni wanted to be involved,” said Shapiro, “I'm really proud of how it's grown so much in the past year or so since we started it.” For more information on the account or a chance to get selected to run the @ OurWestern account, contact Matthew Anderson at ourwestern@gmail.com.
5.2. 2016 • 7
Muslim Student Assocation hosts Ramadan-ify WWU BY BECKY CAMPBELL
Most years, the Muslim Student Association at Western hosts Islam Awareness Week, in which they have lectures and panels to spread awareness. This year, they decided to instead host a pre-Ramadan dinner where students can learn about Ramadan and Islam while enjoying arts and crafts and eating a catered meal. Ramadan-ify WWU will take place on June 4, two days before the start of Ramadan. The event begins at 6 p.m. in Viking Union 567. Ryan Holdridge, President of the Muslim Student Association, said that the event is open to all students and that the Muslim Student Association would like to encourage non-Muslims to attend the dinner to learn, have fun and eat good food. “That’s kind of the point of the event, that we can create a community and create a dialogue,” he said. The keynote speaker for the event is Shaikh Umair Ahmad from the Mihraab Foundation, an Islamic education foundation in Seattle. “He’s a very knowledgeable guy,” Holdridge said. “He’s going to come and tell whoever is there about Ramadan and what we’re going to do for it, he’s going to give some tips and advice for the Muslims who are going to be fasting. He’s going to impart wisdom with us.” The event will feature a catered dinner with South Asian cuisine. Holdridge said that the food will most likely be Pakistani and Indian food. Most of the dishes will be vegetarian; any meat at the dinner will be halal. The Muslim Student Association is also planning to lead attendees of the dinner in various kinds of arts and crafts, such as calligraphy and making paper lanterns. In addition to crafts, there will be a variety of presentations on topics related to Ramadan and Islam, for example, women in Islam. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast during the days. “From dawn to sunset we’re not able to eat and we’re not able to drink,” Holdridge
Staying active with Morgan Annable:
Transition clinic and wetsuit demo
B
ellingham Parks and Recreation will host a free transition clinic and wetsuit demo on June 11 at Lake Padden Park. The transition clinic will begin at 12 p.m. and end at 2 p.m., while the ORCA wetsuit demo will continue until 4 p.m. The event is open to anyone; both novice and veteran triathletes are encouraged to join in the fun. The clinic will include information pertaining to the clothing and gear that helps athletes transition from swimming to cycling, tips for the transition itself, nutrition, bicycle maintenance and other details to prepare participants for the Padden Triathlon and other triathlons. The Padden Triathlon is no longer accepting registrations, but there are a plethora of triathlons in Washington State this summer. The Swedish Seafair Triathlon is on July 24 this year at Seward Park in Seattle. It was voted the best triathlon in the Northwest, and features an Olympic distance course as well as a sprint course and relay team options. Olympic length triathlons include one mile of swimming, 20 miles of biking and end with a10 kilometer run. Sprint triathlons feature a half-mile swim, a 12-mile bike ride and end with a 5 kilometer run.
said. “At sunset we all come together and we eat together and we pray at the mosque at night. Especially since it is the summer and the days are long, there’s a special prayer that we pray at night as late as 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. in the mosque.” This year, Ramadan begins around June 6 and ends around July 6, but it varies by location. At the end of the month, Muslims finish their fasting and they come together to pray and eat lunch. This event is called Eid. “Basically, Ramadan really recharges our spiritual energy,” Holdridge said. “That’s kind of the big point of it.” During Ramadan, Muslims are essentially spending the entire day in worship. Holdridge said that this constant state of worship has an amazing, replenishing effect. “Another effect that it has on us, especially the fasting itself, is that we get to really have an increased empathy for people who aren’t actually able to eat at the end of the day,” Holdridge said. “It really helps us become closer to those people who are less fortunate.” Holdridge said that there are some things that non-Muslims can do to support Muslim friends and classmates during the month of Ramadan. “Don’t say, ‘Hey, you look hungry, try my sandwich,’” he said. “Some of us don’t mind people eating food around us, but for other people it can be really hard.” He also encouraged non-Muslims to ask questions about Islam and about Ramadan. “The more educated we can mutually be about one another, the better the effect will be on society,” he said. Holdridge hopes that this event will strengthen ties between Muslims and non-Muslims on campus, as well as spread awareness of the Muslim Student Association’s presence on campus. The Black Hills Triathlon is June 26 in Lacey which welcomes over 300 new and experienced athletes every year. It is a USA Triathlon sanctioned sprint-distance race. The swim section takes place in Long Lake. From there, the athletes run up a hill to a covered barn which serves as the transition area. Then, they ride through a 17-mile loop bike course before returning to the transition area to start the 5 kilometer running loop through a nearby neighborhood. Anyone who intends to attend the clinic and demo should bring all of the gear they need to practice triathlon transitions. However, ORCA will also be there to demo their gear. ORCA specializes in wetsuits that are tailored specifically for triathletes. At this event, even casual triathletes can try out some of their new wetsuits that they might otherwise never have the chance to experience.
Lake Padden
AS Productions Battle of the Bands Photos by Trevor Grimm