Photos: A week in campus events, p. 4 Get your pumpkin on with fall-flavored recipes, p. 10 Ninjas armed with flowers roam campus at night, p. 12
Vol. 29 #11 11. 25.13
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Last Thursday, temperatures dropped to 28 degrees, covering Bellingham with frost. Photo by Isaac Martin// AS Review
MAKING YOUR LIFE BETTER, ONE PAGE AT A TIME Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu Online: as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2013. 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.
IN THIS ISSUE NEWS 4 A Week in Events Big Sur at the Underground Coffeehouse, Last Comic Standing, Lens and FASA’s Typhoon Haiyan vigil
STUDENT LIFE 8 AS Productions A look at the AS department behind Western’s large-scale entertainment events
12 Flower Ninjas Late at night, students are surprised by flower-wielding ninjas
FEATURES 6 Artist Profile Q&A with Debbi Kenote, a student in the Department of Art’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program
10 Pumpkin Time Learn how to make your own pumpkin spice latte and other seasonal snacks
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 welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words and include your name and phone number. Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.
Cade Schmidt Kylie Wade Isaac Martin Annika Wolters C Hayley Halstead Dominic D’Angelo Designer Kristina Huynh Adviser Jeff Bates
Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Ernest Green of Washed Out lays down jams at Bumbershoot 2013. Washed Out will perform at Western on Feb. 2. The event is coordinated by AS Productions Pop Music. For more on AS Productions, check out our breakdown on pages 8 and 9. Photo by Isaac Martin
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EVENTS Jazz Jam Monday Sessions Nov. 25 // 7 p.m. // UGCH // Free Head to the Underground Coffeehouse this Monday to join in the jam session or just sit back and enjoy the music.
Western Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert Nov. 26 // 8 p.m. // PAC // Free The Western Symphony Orchestra is holding an interactive concert experience this week. Bring your phone and participate in a live twitter feed that will include supplementary content and interactive questions. You can also share
your concert experience by uploading pictures to Instagram.
Western Athletics: WWU Lynda Goodrich Classic Nov. 29 & 30 // Carver Gym // $5 for students, $8 GA Don’t miss the chance to see the women’s basketball team in action this weekend in the WWU Lynda Goodrich Classic, named for the former Western Director of Athletics. The tournament features Western, Saint Martin’s, Northwest and Pacific Lutheran. Western plays against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Northwest on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m.
Western Athletics: Men’s Basketball Nov. 30 // 7:30 p.m. // Carver Gym // $5 for students, $8 GA Catch the men’s basketball team taking on Metro State this weekend.
BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour Dec. 3 // 6:30 p.m. // Mount Baker Theatre // $7 w/ WWU ID, $10 GA Brought to you by AS Productions Films, catch this exhilarating adventure movie at the Mount Baker Theater. Tickets can be purchased online at www. mountbakertheatre.com.
Red Square Panorama. The image was shot with a plastic toy camera called a Holga. The film was processed in a darkroom in Western’s photography department. This camera shoots 120mm film and typically causes vignettes, light leaks, and other distortions. Photo by Isaac Martin
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A WEEK IN CAMPUS EVENTS
A student comedian performs at Last Comic Standing, a Western event where students performed comedy head-to-head on Friday, Nov. 15 at the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.
Seattle band Big Sur plays folk jams at the Underground Coffeehouse on Nov. 20 as part of the Wednesday Night Concert Series.
Lexi Jones (left) and Riley Jessett view the photos at Lens, a showcase in the VU Gallery featuring photographs taken by AS Review, Western Front & Klipsun Magazine with photo’s dating as far back as the 1960s.
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Top Ten: November 13-20
Tabor Reedy, Austen Reiter, Lexi Jones and Riley Jessett (right to left) view the photos at Lens, a showcase in the VU Gallery featuring photographs taken by AS Review, Western Front & Klipsun Magazine with photos dating as far back as the 1960s.
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Melophobia Cage The Elephant
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Reflektor Arcade Fire
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It’s Alive La Luz
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New Paul McCartney
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Let’s Be Still The Head and The Heart
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Innocents Moby
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Bitter Rivals Sleigh Bells
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Triangle Slow Magic
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Mechanical Bull Kings of Leon
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Students hold candles and say prayers in honor of the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The vigil was held on Nov. 20 by the FilipinoAmerican Student Association. Photos by Isaac Martin // AS Review
Heart of Nowhere Noah and The Whale
KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.
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Artist profile: Q&A with Debbi Kenote By C Hayley Halstead Debbi Kenote is a fifth year student obtaining a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with a concentration in drawing and large-scale sculpture and installation with a minor in art history. She utilizes mixed media such as chalk, pastel, charcoal and acrylic paint to create her drawings. She also uses various items for different purposes than originally intended for her installations. How long have you been making art? I got really into art in middle school, but I would say that I have been pursuing art as main focus since college. My sister is an artist and she graduated from the program at Western. She ended up doing design, but she started with art. She is seven years older than me, so I grew up doing art with her. She inspired me quite a bit. Which medium is your favorite? I like installation the most because it is the most fun and intuitive for me because you’re working in space and completely changing a space. But as far as accessibility goes, drawing is my favorite past-time. I can do it in my sketch book, in my studio, on the road, at home, anywhere. How long does it take to create your art? If it’s a large drawing, it would take three days of work because I like to work on it and come back. I spend a lot of time looking at it and like to let it talk to me. My smaller drawings are quicker, I could probably do one in a day. My installations take a lot longer. The one I am putting in the VU [Gallery, for Right Here, Right Now] I have been working on for about two weeks. I am going to be spending the whole weekend in there installing and adding pieces to it. A lot of it cannot be moved so I have to do it at the location. Is there a particular theme you follow with your work? The theme I follow is this amorphous shape that keeps being created. It started in my first drawings I
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did for the year and they kept getting bigger and bigger. For some reaWhat is gratifying to you about creating art? son, it was really important for me to make it a shape and in space. They It’s how I communicate, how I fit into society. It’s kind of like eating, have a lot of motion and [they are] off the ground, so they seem like it’s a part of a routine and my life. It’s a way of taking everything in my they are above you. I try to make these big weird things and put them in head and putting it down somewhere. Everyone has their own outlet, places that people will stop walking and ask, “What is that? Why is that but for me, it’s art. there?” I want to make people forget where they are. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not creating art? What’s your creative process? I work quite a bit: the Whatcom Museum, VU Gallery, co-running I attack the paper. I just start with colors and movements I like. I’ve the B-Gallery. When I’m not doing those things, I really enjoy sailing, heard that if you occupy one side of your brain, the other side can flow outdoor sports, hanging out with friends and reading. freely. I’m always listening to music or doing something my mind is thinking about. It’s a lot more interesting because it’s more intuitive and Upon graduation, Kenote plans to pursue her masters in fine arts, I just let it develop. It keeps turning into this weird black shape. I take most likely New York, Los Angeles or London. She would like to move pictures as it goes along. When I know it’s done, it feels like it’s a shape, to Seattle and delve into the Seattle art scene this summer and eventuand that’s the same with my installations. ally become a university art instructor with her own gallery. Is there any message you try to send through your art? I think the message is more of what people get out of it, which is the feeling life is not logical and is chaotic, but it’s beautiful because you can’t understand it. I also like the idea of startling someone and messing with the physics. For example, having some really heavy object appear really light. There’s something weird going on that you can’t understand.
“I think the message is more of what people get out of it, which is the feeling life is not logical and is chaotic, but it’s beautiful because you can’t understand it.”
Kenote’s work is currently part of the Viking Union exhibit of B.F.A student teasers for the shows in the spring. She will have two spring shows, a Seattle solo show on Capitol Hill at Videlicet from May 1 - 23 and a collaborative show in Bellingham at the Lucia Douglas Gallery June 1 - 4. For more information about Kenote and a look at some of her past projects, check out her website at www. debbikenote.com.
Debbi Kenote, a B.F.A student at Western, works on a multimedia piece in preparation for shows this spring. Photos by Isaac Martin // AS Review
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AS Productions: Entertainment for the masses By Dominic D’Angelo Whether you like music, a thought-provoking speaker or art, AS Productions is your friendly campus hook-up for all forms of entertainment. “AS Productions is a large scale event-planning office. So we do pretty much anything that’s art, music, films and entertainment events,” said AS Productions Director Daley Smith. To carry out their large mandate of entertaining the masses, AS Productions consists of five areas that include emphasis on everything from music to special events, to arts and films. Funded by the Associated Students, ASP is represented on the AS Board of Directors by AS Vice President for Activities Jarred Tyson. Each area of ASP is occupied by a student-employee who use resources to churn out whatever entertainment students crave. Canvasing student interests in entertainment is an essential component of AS Productions’ work. “The biggest thing we use is called the Taste Test Survey,” said Smith. “That is something we [use] heavily during Red Square Info Fair, during Summer Start and on our social media platforms. [The survey is] basically a huge survey on surveymonkey.com that asks each office’s questions like, ‘What genre of music would you like to see? How much money would you spend on a concert? Name three artists you would like to see at Western this year.’” AS Productions Marketing Coordinator for Music & Entertainment Jeffrey Crabill also mentioned that the office has
AS Productions Team Director
Assistant Director for Marketing & Assessment
Logistics & Volunteer Coordinator
Daley Smith
Cathy Dang
Camie Herk
oversees office, advises and provides resources to staff
gathers student opinion and works with marketing coordinators
works with volunteers, hourly and work study staff
Marketing Coordinator for Music & Entertainment
Marketing Coordinator for Arts & Entertainment
Special Events Coordinator
Jeffrey Crabill
Josh Balka
Darioush Mansourzadeh
coordinates marketing and social media for the Underground Coffeehouse and Pop Music
coordinates marketing and social media for the VU Gallery, AS films and special events
programs events such as speakers, comedy, laser tag, VU Late Night, VikingCon and more
Underground Coffeehouse Coordinator
Viking Union Gallery Director
Films Coordinator
Cammy Quaife
Caitlin Scott
Sammi Firman
coordinates concerts and activities in the UGCH
coordinates programming in the VU Gallery
coordinates film showings and movie-related events
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Don’t Miss Out: Upcoming ASP Events BANFF Mountain Film Festival Dec. 3 // 6:30 p.m. // Mt. Baker Theater // $7 w/ student ID, $10 GA Check out this impressive action-sport documentary by the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada
Right Here, Right Now Nov. 25 - Dec. 6 // 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. // VU Gallery// Free A showcase of B.F.A. students’ work. An opening reception will take place 6 - 8 p.m. on Nov. 25 and will include refreshments.
Open Mic Night on Tuesday Nov. 26 // 6:30 p.m. // UGCH // Free Top left: Students chat during the reception of “Throne” in the VU Gallery on May 5. Throne was co-sponsored by Western’s chapter of Industrial Designers Society of America and showcased Western’s chair collection. Bottom left: Attendees dance to Seattle hip-hop artist Sol’s opening jam at Lawnstock on the Communications Facility Lawn on June 2. Top right: AS Productions Pop Music kicked off the school year with a free show featuring The Physics, Grynch and Fresh Espresso on Sept. 28. Right: Students enter a raffle to win merchandise and posters signed by artists AS Productions welcomed throughout the 2012-13 school year at an outdoor film showing of “Warm Bodies” on June 6. Top left, bottom left and right photos by Cade Schmidt. Top right photo by Isaac Martin // AS Review
used social media to garner hype for AS Productions events. Smith recalled an instance two years ago where a student-led Facebook campaign was conducted to bring YouTube sensation Turquoise Jeep to campus and caught the eye of the former Special Events Coordinator Jordan Renshaw. “We also are open to emails or comments on our Facebook pages with recommendations for what students want to see on campus,” Smith said.
In the past, ASP events have included everything from the annual laser tag games to a solo performance of Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. Currently, ASP is proud to announce upcoming events including “Right Here, Right Now,” an exhibit of Bachelor of Fine Arts students’ work in the Viking Union Gallery from Nov. 25 - Dec. 6; Western graduate and contestant on “The Voice” Austin Jenckes, on Jan. 10; the prince of chillwave, Washed Out, on Feb. 2 and the Pop Music Industry
Conference on Feb. 22. ASP also hosts weekly concerts, jazz jams, open-mic nights and other activities in the Underground Coffeehouse on the third floor of the Viking Union. For those interested in getting involved with ASP, Smith suggests contacting Logistics & Volunteer Coordinator Camie Herk about getting involved in ASP’s volunteer program. Smith herself was a volunteer during her sophomore year and is currently in her second year as director.
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When life gives you pumpkins... evaluated the decimated pumpkin. The pumpkin didn’t look like one of those stock photos you get when you Google “baked pumpkin.” It was dark colored and looked pretty inedSupposedly if you say, “pumpkin spice latte” three times in front of a mirror the “PSL girl” will show up in yoga pants and tell you her favorite ible. Nonetheless, I kept going with my quest to craft a delicious pumpkin things about fall. This saying emerged from the ridiculous popularity of chai tea latte. After the pumpkin cooled, which took seemingly forever, it was time the PSL drink across America - it even has its own hashtag. With all of the smashed pumpkins that are left to rot and be munched to puree it. With the tiny blender I got inexpensively online, I was afraid that it would be unable to process the large pieces, but after some peron by wildlife, I figured that sistence and blender overcreating my own pumpheating, I came up with kin spiced latte concoction would be better than sub“The pumpkin didn’t look like one of those stock photos you pumpkin puree. Puree in theory sounds mitting to the $3-plus for a get when you Google ‘baked pumpkin.’ It was dark colored like a pleasant thing. It’s coffee cup, pumpkin spice syrup, milk and coffee that and looked pretty inedible. Nonetheless, I kept going with my like “pure” with the extra e. Therefore, one would think is mixed up for the addicted quest to craft a delicious pumpkin chai tea latte.” that pumpkin puree would coffee lovers. look nice and appealing. It I wouldn’t consider mywas very much the oppoself a chef by any means, site! Pumpkin puree is not but I tried to make a homemade pumpkin spice latte. Here’s a secret though: I don’t like coffee. Instead, appetizing-looking. In fact, it looks similar to very orange oatmeal. Shrugging my shoulders, I proceeded with the creation in my laboraI made a pumpkin chai tea latte. I attempted to puree a pumpkin. I started by cutting off the top and tory - I mean kitchen. The easy part was making the tea. I brewed a cup of chai tea and mixed pulling out all of the seeds and nasty insides. I didn’t discard them because I am an avid pumpkin seed eater. After it was all cleared up, the slicing of in one cup of my pumpkin puree, heavy amounts of brown sugar, a few the pumpkin took place. Let’s just say that a dinner table knife doesn’t do shakes of cinnamon, nutmeg, a tablespoon of vanilla extract and a tad bit an adequate job, and this is why I don’t cook. I can’t slice things without of salt. The final part was mixing in some milk to add the latte effect. Quite frankly, the chai tea pumpkin latte was not bad at all! The prorisking pure destruction to the pumpkin, myself or the knife, which was cess was long, but in the end, I came up with a beautifully crafted glass of exactly what happened. Once the pumpkin was sliced to my liking, I roasted the pumpkin in homemade substance made from a real pumpkin. With the extra pumpkin puree, I refrigerated it and now have more the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Some pieces were placed with the skin side down and others had the skin side up. It really didn’t “pumpkin syrup” to add to my drinks to bring that warm holiday feeling matter in the end. After the pumpkin was done baking, I took it out and into my soul.
By C Hayley Halstead
Pumpkin Puree In Four Easy Steps
1) Slice the pumpkin into small slices that can fit on a baking tray. 2) Remove the seeds. 3) Roast the pumpkin for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. 4) Remove the slices from the oven. Once they’ve cooled down, puree in a food processor. source: www.parade.com
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Can’t get enough pumpkin? Check out these other recipes. Pumpkin Spice Latte Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, pinch of salt. Create the base for the latte by mixing all of the ingredients. Once you’ve created the base, you can mix it with coffee and milk, chai tea or any other drink you want to add some pumpkin spice to. source: www.foodiewithfamily.com
Pumpkin Body Butter Mix 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/2 tsp. organic coconut milk (the thickened part at the top), 2 tbsp. coconut oil and cinnamon or other seasonal spices (use as much or as little spice as you’d like). Store in the refrigerator. source: www.fitmommymay.blogspot.com
Pumpkin Face Mask 1) Mix 2 tsp. of pumpkin puree, 1/2 tsp. of honey and 1/4 tsp. of milk. 2) Let the mask sit on your face for 10-15 minutes. Pumpkins are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as zinc. The mask will exfoliate and nourish your skin. source: www.redmountainresort.com
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 1) Wash your seeds and spread them over a cookie sheet with 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. of water. 2) Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Shake the pan periodically to make sure the seeds are baked evenly. source: www.allrecipes.com Photo by Isaac Martin // AS Review
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Late-night ninjas strike campus with flower-power
Written by Dominic D’Angelo // Graphic by Kristina Huynh Ninjas, the assassins of ancient Japan and the dream of nine-year-olds everywhere, have come to Western. But when most ninjas take lives with katana or shuriken, these ninjas brighten the lives of people they meet with flowers and surprise entertainment. Who they are is yet to be known and why they do it is the least of our questions. But if you see three ninja-like figures moving through a dark campus, there’s no need to fear for your life. You might just encounter… the flower ninjas. On a cold wispy night I personally experienced attempted assassination by the flora wielding fiends. My childhood sense of wonder returned in an instant alongside the imposing feeling of shock that follows what most would initially perceive to be an attempted murder. Alongside me was my friend, Owen Kentop, who recounted the story in his testimony alongside Ruta Nanivadekar, who also experienced the shenanigans carried out by the flower ninjas.
you could see was their eyes. They start to make these martial arts noises like, ‘Shwaaa! And Hwaa!’ and we notice that they’re carrying flowers. And we’re like, ‘Oh snaps, we are about to die, this is how we die.’ We look back towards Arntzen [Hall] and there are two more ninjas, a black one and a white one and… both [groups] charge at our group. But instead of attacking us like normal ninjas would do, they put flowers in our clothes and hand us flowers, all the while still making ninjas noises. As soon as they came, they ran away. It changed my life forever.” Ruta Nanivadekar, Senior “I was walking home from downtown around midnight on a Friday night. I was with a couple friends so we were talking a lot because we had been walking for a while. When we got to the steps that connect Bond Hall and Haggard [Hall] we noticed a few people that were already there that were making some commotion. Then all of a sudden I could see some figures in black swarming us, and they were in front of me. I was just sitting there freaking out though, thinking, ‘What is going on? There is an actual ninja in front of me.’ But they were just holding beautiful little flowers and they crouched in front of each of my friends. They were all dressed in black. You couldn’t see anything but their eyes. They just hold out the flowers, which we took saying like, ‘Ooh? What?’ because we were kind of freaked out about it. After that they just disappeared. I was looking at the flower in my hand and [then] they were gone. I still have the flower in a vase at home.”
Owen Kentop, Freshman “I was hanging out with my buddies out on the stairs sculpture [“Stadium Piece” by Bruce Nauman”] outside of Academic West smoking some cigars, just having a good time. My friend Brian was telling a story about his weekend and was acting out what he called ‘hardcore dancing,’ attempting to show us what that really meant. So he went down to the middle part between the stairs, and just as he is about to begin to dance we look over towards Academic West, and there are these The AS Review would like to know more about the ninjas in this story, two guys that are standing opposite of us on the stairs dressed in full so if you are or know one of the flower ninjas, or have experienced their ninja garb. You know, black hoods, black everything, and the only thing antics, please contact us at as.review@wwu.edu.