News

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Western geologist speaks on launch of new book

Over a hundred people came to the Whatcom Museum for Western Washington University geologist Dave Tucker’s book launch for his new book, “Geology Underfoot in Western Washington.” Tucker is a research associate in Western’s geology department. His book, which covers the area from the Columbia River to the Canadian border and the coast to the crest of the Cascades, is aimed at laymen with an interest in natural history, he said. The book covers 22 specific locations and requires anywhere from a hundred yards to eight miles of walking. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Tucker moved to Bellingham in 1971, got his undergraduate degree at Huxley College of the Environment in 1973 and came back for his master’s degree in 2003. “The thing I like about Bellingham is you can get out of town pretty easily. You can get into the hills; you can get out in the islands or on the bay. It’s great for somebody who likes the great outdoors,” Tucker said. “I’ve always been fond of Western. It’s a small school; it’s possible to know people there. It’s in a beautiful location and it has a fantastic geology department.” As part of his mission to explain geology to the public, he had a message for students interested in geology. “Don’t let your perceived lack of knowledge about geology stop you from looking at rocks and learning about the landscape. Get out and look at it. Try to figure it out or use a website or a book to help you understand the geology that you’re seeing. Don’t say ‘I don’t understand geology so I’m not going to look at it’. It’s fascinating for everybody,” Tucker said. John Scurlock, a local photographer and friend of Tucker, introduced Tucker’s event. “Over the last 12 years, I’ve had the remarkable good fortune to be in a lasting friendship with Dave Tucker. In that time I’ve come to know him as a trustworthy backcountry companion, an inquisitive intellectual scientist with a gift for observation and explanation, and a man with an abiding respect for ordinary folks like us and a deep commitment to the natural world,” Scurlock said. Sam Kaas, events coordinator at Village Books, took a geology course from Tucker during his time at Western. “[Tucker’s] a great guy,” Kaas said. Tucker also runs a blog, Northwest Geology Field Trips, where he writes self-guided geology field trips for regional places of interest. The website is also geared toward non-geologists. Village Books, Whatcom Museum and North Cascades Institute all partnered to make this event possible. For Village Books, the program was part of their series on nature writing. Although the book is officially out, supplies are currently limited due to shipment issues until Monday, June 1.

Western students provide positive and empowering discussion on slut shaming

The Planet Magazine recognized by Society for Professional Journalists

For the second year in a row, the spring 2014 edition of The Planet Magazine has landed in the top three college magazines in the entire country.

Back2Bellingham weekend will welcome about 5,000 visitors to campus

Returning for its sixth year, Western’s Back2Bellingham weekend will welcome at least 2,500 alumni from Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17.

Former Fairhaven college professor displays art in Whatcom Museum

Western Veterans receive new graduation attire to celebrate service

Conference sheds light on importance of downtown

Washington State Main Street Program held its fifth-annual, three-day conference in Bellingham. The conference included workshops about preservation, economic development and design issues of historical buildings located downtown, including an awards ceremony with a special performance by the MegaZapper, one of the nation’s largest tesla coils. The Main Street Program’s mission is to help revitalize the downtown economy, specifically helping local business owners strive in, and preserve historical buildings in Bellingham’s downtown district while encouraging the use of local businesses. The event sold out with over 300 people from all around the state attending the conference, who stayed in local hotels and dined at local businesses. The conference isn’t only focused on preserving historical buildings in Bellingham, it’s about preserving historical buildings all around Washington to keep each town’s history intact and unchanged by large corporations looking to demolish and rebuild. Raven Gonzales, anthropology student and intern at SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, said it’s important to preserve the historical buildings in Bellingham because it enriches Bellingham’s culture, and also gets people more interested in visiting the downtown district. Michael Houser, Washington state’s architectural historian, said the main point of the conference is to keep people downtown using small businesses and away from the mall. “Downtown buildings make communities unique. Strip malls, you can find those everywhere. It’s historic buildings and small businesses that make your town special,” Houser said. The awards ceremony supported local businesses by serving local food from several different businesses around town, including refreshments from Aslan Brewery. The ceremony recognized over 15 businesses with a total of 10 awards. Community Energy Challenge in Bellingham won the Green Community award for their contribution and push toward alternative energies. Sarah Hansen, Washington State Main Street coordinator, said the importance of the program is that people need to learn and understand the impact of their purchasing power. “I think that there are people that don’t understand the really complicated web of relationships that local buying builds,” Hansen said. “When you spend money at a big corporation, it may be cheaper in the immediate sense, but the impact of that is much broader and it’s really important to understand.”

Western students safe abroad after 7.3 magnitude earthquake hits Nepal

Four Western Washington University students studying in Nepal are safe and well after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the nation Tuesday, May 12. The Western students, part of a Wildlands Studies group in Nepal, were hiking near the mountain Kala Patthar on an open, well-traveled trail and felt a somewhat mild version of Tuesday’s 7.3 magnitude earthquake, Western's University Communications Director Paul Cocke said in an email. There were only a few houses nearby and those were not damaged in any way, he said. The epicenter of the most recent earthquake was 50 miles east of the country’s capital Kathmandu, according to the New York Times. Nepal reported more than 40 deaths and over 1,000 injuries after the Tuesday quake. On April 25, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 caused more than 8,000 deaths in Nepal. During that first earthquake, the Wildlands Studies group was outside the area that suffered from the most damages, and received no injuries, Cocke said. The group is scheduled to depart Nepal Saturday, May 23, but in the wake of the second earthquake the group is considering whether to leave earlier than that original departure date, Cocke said.

Freddie Gray protests come to Bellingham

In light of the recent death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore and allegations of police brutality connected to his death, nearly 60 people came to protest in downtown’s Depot Market Square on Saturday, May 9.

Honors department chooses geology professor as new director

The honors program will be under the new leadership of Western geology professor Scott Linneman starting in January 2016.

Dead Parrots to host first improv festival

The Dead Parrots Society will be making Western more spontaneous with its first ever improvisation festival, which will bring improv teams from all over the U.S. and Canada to campus at the end of May.

Coding takes center stage for Open Source Day

Students got a taste of producing technology for professional companies and gaining experience in computer coding at Western’s Open Source Day.

Western professor running for Whatcom County Council

Mongolia Days returns to Western

After a number of years on hiatus, the Mongolia Days celebration returned to Western to celebrate the university’s commitment to multiculturalism and highlight its collection of Mongolian literature, which is the largest in North America.

Title IX investigation of Western continues

A federal investigation about Western’s handling of a sexual violence case was announced on Wednesday, April 29, following a complaint issued by a student against the university through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The original date of that complaint has not been released.

Seattle minister discusses religious tolerance during Islam Awareness Week

After a few cleansing breaths and a recitation of the first chapter of the Quran, a discussion on how to confront Islamophobia began.

Voter turnout in AS elections still below average

The voter turnout rate for the 2015 Associated Students elections increased slightly this year, after declining for the last few years.

New maritime festival coming to Bellingham to celebrate waterfront

Seafood and maritime enthusiasts alike have a new but unnamed waterfront and seafood festival to look forward to this fall thanks to a $75,000 award from the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.

Forum considers when healthy living becomes an obsession

When does healthy living become an unhealthy obsession? The Prevention & Wellness Services along with the Body Empowerment Peer Health Educators hosted a panel to discuss this issue and the influence of the media on lifestyle. The purpose of the event was to open up a dialogue between students and professionals about health, especially while in college. Panelist Heather Paves, a dietitian at North Sound Nourishment & Recovery, began the talk by saying she hoped to offer some wisdom beyond being a dietitian about what the audience of college students was probably going through. The panelists explained the term “orthorexia”, which means an obsession with righteous or pure eating. Sarah Richey, the dietitian for Western Washington University, explained that signs for people with orthorexia include becoming socially isolated by their diet and caring more about the virtue of what they eat rather than enjoying it. Anne Hammond-Meyer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and said she does not like hearing the word “lifestyle.” “The diet mentality of our culture has really taken that word,” Hammond-Meyer said. “It has become a language for ‘perfect’ eating and exercise and I find that so sad.” Hammond-Meyer explained that when we talk about lifestyle we leave out love and relationship, resulting in a very narrow way to think about the meaning of a lifestyle. “I think that we have gotten confused on what gives human beings meaning of life and it is not what you look like,” Hammond-Meyer said. Marina Stoermer is a Western student as well as a personal trainer on campus. Stoermer said the phrase “healthy lifestyle” could be confusing in college when you’re trying to figure out who you want to be. “You have to ask how do these things make me feel and what influenced me to do those activities,” Stoermer said. Richey explained that when it comes down to disordered eating; it is about the fear of what will happen that drives those behaviors. “Even though it isn’t rational, it is very real to the person experiencing it,” Richey said. All four of the panelists emphasized the need to expand out of the term “healthy lifestyle” and its negative connotations that are perpetuated by the media. “Social media and popular health culture is a major dragging force behind our idea of healthy and advertisers aren’t necessarily concerned about our health,” Stoermer said. “The media’s idea of healthy is to sell things.” Paves added that there is a lack of trust of the body going on in our culture, and that the truth doesn’t make advertisers money. “If you invest in anything in your life, invest in the relationship with yourself and others, it will protect you in the world,” Hammond-Meyer said. The panelists also stressed to not believe everything you read on social media regarding healthy living, dieting and lifestyle, emphasizing that the media tries to tell you what you need and want. “You can’t make people buy things if they like who they are,” Richey said. The discussion ended with questions from the audience. The panelists reminded the audience if they or someone they know is struggling with disordered eating, to seek help.

Panel gives tips on landlord-tenant relationships

The Social Alliance for a Vibrant Economy, SAVE, hosted the forum about the current condition of rental properties in Bellingham area on Wednesday, May 6. SAVE is a relatively new non-profit organization founded about a year ago. SAVE focuses on helping the average citizens to have an economical financial literacy, SAVE president Kris Halterman said. She said they found out the tightness of the rental market has been an issue, so they decided to open this forum for the community, landlords and people who rent in Bellingham. The panel consisted of people with three different perspectives on the issues: Hans Erchinger-Davis, local private residence landlord in Bellingham area; David Henken, staff attorney for law advocates; and Doug Wight, property management specialist. All of their presentations focused on tips to keep smooth relationship between landlords and tenants, from both sides. Erchinger-Davis talked about what makes good tenants for landlords based on his experience as a private landlord. He said it is necessary to be a good tenants, including getting along with neighbors and causing no troubles, in order to keep smooth relationship between landlords and tenants. Henken also provided some tips for tenants, from his perspective as an attorney who helps tenants struggling with their landlords. He mentioned about some sources, Revised Code of Washington and the law library in Whatcom County, to get deep understanding of the responsibilities as both tenants and landlords. He said tenants should perceive the rental contract as a sort of business contract, and that might help people to understand their obligations and rights. By contrast, Wight talked about, in particular for landlords, how the rental market works as an investor and property manager and how to maintain good communication between landlords and tenants. In the quick question-and-answer session at the end of the forum, many participants enthusiastically threw questions to panelists, including their concerns about the future of the rental market. Cristi Coy, a private landlord, said, “For tenants, [the forum] was probably helpful.” Even though she learned a lot about the issue through 27 years of her own experience as a landlord, the forum still gave her a sense of the issue from the consumer standpoint, she said. Halterman said they are hoping to offer the same kind of forum at Western this coming fall because a large number of students rent apartments. “They are usually new renters, and they don’t have any ideas what is going on and what to expect,” she said. “We can’t just complain it each other.” “We need to actually talk to one another to get a solution,” Halterman said.