About Us
The Front is the official, independent student newspaper of Western Washington University. News and opinion content is written, edited and published by students. Staff reporters are enrolled in a course in the department of journalism, but any student enrolled at Western may offer stories, photos or guest columns to the editors. The Front is primarily supported by student fees.
Please contact The Front’s editors with any questions, comments or concerns about this site or our coverage of Western, Bellingham and Whatcom County.
Want to submit a guest piece?
Check out these guidelines we created to help start a guest piece.
Please submit the final piece to westernfront.opeditor@gmail.com.
Want to advertise?
Direct inquiries to our advertising department.
advertise.thefront@gmail.com
Faculty adviser
Kie Relyea relyead@wwu.edu
Official social media accounts
Twitter: @TheFrontOnline
Facebook: The Western Front
Instagram: @thefrontonline
Spring 2023 Editorial Staff
Editor in Chief
Jenelle Baumbach (she/her) is the Editor in Chief for The Front this quarter. This is her fourth quarter on The Front as an editor or reporter and spent one quarter reporting for Cascadia Daily News as an intern. With one quarter away from graduation, she hopes to oversee engaging reporting and storytelling for the community to enjoy.
She can be reached at eic.westernfront@gmail.com or jenellebaumbach.thefront@gmail.com
Managing Editor
Madisun Tobisch (she/her) is a third-year news/editorial major who has worked for The Front in some capacity since winter 2022. After all this time, her love of local news and celebrating the voices of her community keep her coming back for more. As returning managing editor this quarter, she hopes to further The Front's mission of keeping readers, both new and returning, informed and engaged. While not in the newsroom, Madisun can be found barista-ing, watching movies or trying to be creative.
She can be reached at me.westernfront@gmail.com or madisun.thefront@gmail.com.
City News Editor
Joshua Kornfeld (he/him) is the city news editor for The Front this quarter. He is a junior majoring in journalism who enjoys photography, live music and exploring new coffee shops.
You can reach him at joshuakornfeld.thefront@gmail.com.
City Life Editor
Tallie Johnson (she/her) is the city life editor for The Front this quarter. She is majoring in journalism with a public relations focus. Tallie enjoys covering arts and entertainment, local nonprofits, and small businesses in Bellingham. In her free time she spends time with friends, family, and her many animals.
You can contact her at talliejohnson.thefront@gmail.com.
Campus News Editor
Finn Kurtz (he/they) is the spring campus news editor for The Front. He is a History and Political Science double major and a journalism minor. When not editing scoops for the Front, they enjoy film, walking around their hometown (Bellingham!) and talking about how Star Trek VI is genius geopolitical commentary.
You can contact Finn at finnkurtz.thefront@gmail.com or campusnewseditor.thefront@gmail.com.
Campus Life Editor
Emma Burrell is the campus life editor for the front this quarter. She has done work for both The Front and Klipsun Magazine at Western and in her free time you can find her crocheting or reading a good book.
You can reach her at emmaburrell.thefront@gmail.com.
Sports Editor
Taras McCurdie (he/him) is the sports editor for The Front this quarter. He is an aspiring sports journalist entering his final quarter at Western Washington University (WWU). Outside of school, you can find him freelancing for the Lynden Tribune, playing on the WWU club tennis team or running on the treadmill at the Rec Center. When chilling at night, he listens to throwback slow jams and ’90s hip-hop.
You can reach him at tarasmccurdie.thefront@gmail.com.
Opinions and Outreach Editor
Elaina Johnson (she/her) is a fourth-year political science major who has previously copy edited and been editor-in-chief for The Front. This quarter she is the opinions and outreach editor. She hopes to make engaging stories this quarter and reconnect with the community through various outreach. In her free time outside of The Front, she can be found watching movies, writing chaotic Letterboxd reviews and drinking oat milk chai.
You can reach her at elainajohnson.thefront@gmail.com.
Diversity and Inclusion Outreach Editor
Sol Vandeman (they/she) is the diversity and inclusion outreach editor for The Front this quarter. They're a third-year majoring in public relations with a minor in women, gender and sexuality studies. Sol has been on The Front for over a year and is passionate about building relationships with the community. Outside of journalism, Sol enjoys doing drag and religiously listening to pop music.
You can contact them at solvandeman.thefront@gmail.com or dio.thefront@gmail.com. Their Instagram is @solasinthesun.
Photo Editor
Connor O'Boyle is the photo editor of The Front for spring quarter. It is his final year at Western, and he hopes to become a documentary filmmaker or a teacher of filmmaking following graduation. In his free time, he twiddles on the guitar, takes pictures and watches those bad movies most people haven't heard of.
You can contact him at connoroboyle.thefront@gmail.com.
Social Media Editor
Reva Karnik (she/her) is the social media editor for The Front this spring. She is a fourth-year biology major with a cellular and molecular emphasis. In her free time, she enjoys making video diaries, lifting at the rec and getting matcha with friends.
You can reach her at reva.thefront@gmail.com.
Copy Desk
Maven Neumiller (she/they) is one of two copy editors for The Front this quarter. She is a first-year Western student studying linguistics and Chinese, and spends her free time learning new languages, listening to music, and getting lost in fantasy novels.
You can contact them at mavenneumiller.thefront@gmail.com.
Isabella Loy (she/her) is one of two copy editors for The Front this quarter. She is a fourth-year transfer student at Western majoring in news/ed journalism with a concentration in religious studies. She has worked on publications such as the Skagit Valley Herald, Stanwood Camano News and Western's student magazine, Klipsun.
You can contact her at isabellaloy.thefront@gmail.com.
Illustrator
Milo Openshaw (he/him) is the illustrator for The Front this quarter after many seasons of editing. His favorite colors are forest green, baby pink, tangerine, royal blue and black. You can follow him on instagram @miloohno if you'd like to see more of his artwork. I'm sure he'll post more... soon...
You can reach him at miloopenshaw.thefront@gmail.com.
