VOL. 33 #2 10.2.2017
2 • as.wwu.edu/asreview Read more on how Western handles cases of sexual assault
Event Calendar
on page 4. Photo illustration by Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
PALS Presents: Erotic Poetry Night April 16 // 7-9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free
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 © 2018. 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 under-represented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue. 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.
Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers
Erasmus Baxter Kira Stussy Hailey Hoffman Josh Hughes Gwen Frost Asia Fields Hailey Murphy Tommy Cha Photographer Jaden Moon Adviser Jeff Bates
PALS is hosting an erotic poetry night. So If you have some saucy lines you want to share, sign ups for the event start at 6:30 the day of and the event strats at 7.
Open Mic Night April 17 // 7-9 p.m. // UGCH // Free Every Tuesday you have the opportunity to show off your unique set of talents at this Open Mic Night in the Underground Coffeehouse, hosted by AS Productions.
Tuesday Open Rehearsal
Wednesday Night Concert Series: Razzleberry w/ Black Tones April 18 // 7-9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free This week’s Wednesday Night Concert Series, hosted by AS Productions, will feature Razzleberry and Black Tones. so if you’re wanting cool music and a lax hangout space, some on down.
Loving Vincent April 19 // 7-9 p.m. //MH 138 // Free There will be a showing of “Loving Vincent” as a part of Animation April. Free admission to students.
April 17 // 8-10 p.m. // BH 225 // Free
AB Crepes Turns 6!
If you want to learn more about improv and have an opportunity to practice it, this is a space for you. The Dead Parrot’’s Society hosts these open rehearsals for everyone interested in improv.
Celebrate AB Crepes 6th anniversary with $5 crepes. All menu item crepes will be this price all day. There will also be prizes for people
Western Information System Connections 2018
April 20 // All day // AB Crepes// $5 crepes
who use the AB Crepe snapchat filter.
MCC Groundbreaking
April 18 // 5:30-8 p.m.// WWU Library Reading Room // Free
April 20 // 3-5 p.m.// Performing Arts Center // Free
This events is to celebrate technology and the people involved in this field. There will be a panel of speakers talking about emerging tech and its future.
Join community members, students and faculty for the groundbreaking of the Multicultural Center. Light refreshments willl be provided.
10.2.2017 • 3
AS Board Elections Update BY HAILEY MURPHY AND ERASMUS BAXTER With filing for all Associated Students Board of Directors positions closed, the AS President for the 2018-19 school year will be Millka Solomon. The Vice President for Business and Operations will be Genaro Meza, and the VP for Diversity will be Camilla Meija, the current cultural education coordinator for the Ethnic Student Center. All three candidates are running unopposed, and with no possibility of a write-in candidate, they will win by default. The other four positions will be contested. The candidates for VP for Governmental Affairs are political science major Alexis Venable, Legislative Affairs Council member Natasha Hessami and current VP for Academic Affairs Hunter Eider. Ama Monkah and Jarrod Stambaugh are running for VP for Activities. Running for VP for Student Life are Anne Lee, an RA for the past two years, and Brendan O’Neill, president of the Residence Hall Association. The four candidates for VP for Academic Affairs are Kyle McCaffery, Levi Eckman, Jacob Molloy and Noble Solana-Walkinshaw. For more info on the candidates, read their biographies on page 8.
Campus Police Issue $1,564 Worth of Tickets Near Rec Center BY ERASMUS BAXTER Students are outraged after University Police began handing out $68 tickets for failing to obey the crossing light outside of the Wade King Rec Center on Thursday, April 12. Twenty-three tickets, as well as some warnings, were issued, Paul Cocke, director of communications and marketing, said. “The ultimate goal is compliance and pedestrian safety; there are a combination of ways to achieve this goal and enforcement is just one of them,” he said in an email. Eric Lim, a fifth year manufacturing engineer major, was heading to his plastics and composites engineering class when he got a ticket. He didn’t see any cars coming so he decided to cross to get to class on time, he said. “I feel appalled that they are charging college students $68 for jaywalking, we are doing no harm to society or people and I feel like campus and/or Bellingham police can use their resources on actual crimes,” he said in an email. “I don’t see this much effort in stopping males entering women’s bathrooms, or flashing women on campus or making the campus feel actually safe.” Junior Marissa Johnson agreed. She was walking to class when she saw three students being ticketed by police. She later encountered one of the students who was in tears because of the ticket, she said. “She was like, ‘I can’t pay for this now, this is ridiculous,’” Johnson said. Western’s Central Health and Safety Committee had been concerned about pedestrian safety and discussed it at several recent meetings, Cocke said. Two students have been hit and injured by cars in the area around campus this school year. While one was hit outside the Ridge while jaywalking, the other was struck while in a crosswalk near Birnam Wood and the driver was cited, The Western Front reported. “The amount of jaywalking on campus has reached dangerous levels,” Cocke wrote in an email. The committee identified the intersection of Bill McDonald Parkway and West College Way as one of several areas on campus to target to reduce jaywalking, Cocke said. This is because it is a place where a significant amount of jaywalking occurs and there is a high concern than jaywalking there could lead to injury or death, he said. Tickets were issued because University Police have issued many warnings about jaywalking over years, with jaywalking still continuing, he said. The Bellingham Police Department is also emphasizing jaywalking and pedestrian-involved collisions. Both students noted that all three students they saw ticketed were students of color. Lim said while he and two other students of color were being ticketed, five white students jaywalked and police did nothing because they said they were too busy.
Eric Lim’s $68 ticket. Courtesy of Eric Lim
4 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
“That was the justice I got”
sanctions are intended to both serve as consequences for his behavior and best support him as he planned to return to Western in the future. Lagow was readmitted for fall quarter 2016. The Registrar’s Office confirmed he graduated in fall 2017 with a degree from the College of Science and Engineering. Western’s admission and readmission applications ask if applicants have felony charges, violent or kidnapping offenses or sex offender status. Decisions about applicants who answer yes are made by representatives from Admissions, University Police and the Dean of Students office, Paul Cocke, director of communications and marketing, said. Lagow was not a registered sex offender, but still would have had to disclose the charges that were pending Every other day for a year, on her way to class near the Communications at the time, according to Sledge. Lagow did not respond to two Facility, Tia Petrini had to walk past the student Western found had sexuvoicemails left by reporters at his work ally assaulted her. Hailey Hoffman//AS Review number, a LinkedIn message or a Facebook message request over the span of CW: Sexual assault classes. She also started seeing a counselor, a month. A coworker also said they passed In 2015, after Western suspended the she said. along an email asking for comment to him. student it found had sexually assaulted her, Western found Lagow in violation of the Situations like Petrini’s are part of the Tia Petrini felt a sense of safety she hadn’t conduct code for sexual misconduct, which reason students and advocates for survivors in years. the university defines as encompassing of sexual assault have questioned Western’s She had spent months advocating for sexual harassment, gender-based harasspractice of readmitting perpetrators once herself to get to that point, recounting her ment and sexual violence, including sexual their suspensions end. trauma to sometimes-skeptical listeners assault. The violation described in disciLast spring, The Western Front reported after reporting that Peter Jacob Lagow, now plinary documents matches the university’s that Connor Griesemer, a Western student 23, sexually assaulted her. definition for sexual assault. convicted of sexually assaulting another Despite this, every other day of her Western also found that Lagow had student, had been readmitted to Western final year at Western, she had to walk past omitted a 2012 juvenile conviction for after a year-and-a-half suspension. The Lagow, who was readmitted to Western in sexually-motivated assault from his applirevelation ignited outrage on campus. fall 2016. cation to Western, university disciplinary It is unknown how many students found “The first time I saw him, it felt like a records show. by Western to have sexually assaulted othsucker punch to the stomach. It felt like Assistant Dean of Students Michael ers have been readmitted. someone kicked me right in the gut,” she Sledge told Lagow in a letter that he wasn’t This is in part because the university has said. “Whenever we had to walk next to sure if Lagow would have been admitted in refused to release names of students found each other, I felt had there not been so the first place, had Western known about to have committed sexual misconduct, citmany witnesses, hundreds of other people the earlier conviction. Sledge is one of the ing FERPA, the federal student privacy law, around, I would have been in the same administrators who reviews applicants with in spite of a provision in the law explicitly danger.” felony charges. allowing them to do so. She started planning her movements However, when Sledge suspended Lagow Mike Hiestand, the Student Press Law around campus, sometimes leaving class for one school year, he seemed to anticipate Center’s senior legal counsel, disagrees early and asking friends to walk her to his return, telling him in an email that the
with this practice. “It seems like Western’s policy now is they’re just not going to provide [that info] and that flies in the face of the intent of the law,” he said. “The law was intended to provide more transparency to these campus disciplinary systems.” However, in a March email, Cocke said there were no students previously suspended by Western for rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct registered for winter or spring 2018. Western’s process of handling sexual violence cases has evolved over time, following emerging effective practices and changes in federal laws and guidance, Cocke said. “The student conduct process at Western is designed to be a learning process that holds students accountable for their behavior,” he said. Western has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education since 2015 for its handling of sexual assault cases. Following student complaints and an internal investigation, in fall 2016, the Equal Opportunity Office became the sole investigator of sexual violence involving students, around a year and a half after Petrini first reported to the university. Experts say underreporting of sexual assault is common, making the scope difficult to determine. In 2016, 421 Western students who participated in a university survey reported unwanted sexual experiences, ranging from forced penetration to being taken advantage of while intoxicated. Of those who reported unwanted sexual experiences, 61 percent said the perpetrators were Western students. The information in this story comes from university disciplinary records, court records included in those files and police reports acquired through public records requests, as well as interviews with Petrini and others. The AS Review and The Western Front do not identify survivors of sexual assault without their consent. Petrini volunteered to share her name and story, as she said
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A previously unreported story shows Western readmitted a student suspended for sexual assault at the expense of the survivor BY ERASMUS BAXTER AND ASIA FIELDS she’s tired of anonymity.
In July 2012, Lagow pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree, a felony, and assault in the fourth degree with sexual motivation, according to his statement. Sledge confirmed this with University Police, according to an email he sent Lagow. Lagow told Sledge prosecutors agreed to reduce the charges in exchange for his good behavior, and since he was already enrolled in sex offender treatment. The reduced charges meant that Lagow did not have to register as a sex offender. Soon after Lagow told Petrini about his conviction, she said his demeanor changed with her. If she told him she did not want to have sex with him, he would become
himself only to her, she said. After talking with friends, she realized Tia’s story the manipulative behavior and sexual On March 20, 2015, Petrini and her assault were not her fault, she said. mother went to Domestic Violence and “I had known that something was wrong Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom and that I felt awful… but once someone County and she reported having been in a was able to put that last puzzle piece in, sexually abusive relationship with Lagow I broke and didn’t know what to do,” she to a university police officer, according to a said. University Police report. She ended up reaching out to Rick In six separate incidents beginning in Ackerman, Lagow’s counselor and former spring 2013, she awoke to find Lagow sex offender treatment provider, saying she nonconsensually penetrating her, she told didn’t think the treatment was working. police. Ackerman said in an email he couldn’t The first time she remembers it happencomment due to client confidentiality. ing, she told him to stop, but after a brief However, Petrini said he told her he was period of time, he turned around and concerned Lagow’s panic attacks did it again without saying anything, an act and an excuse for his “The first time I saw him, it felt like were she said. She didn’t tell him to stop behavior. a sucker punch to the stomach. It again because she knew he would He also said he was afraid Lagow have what he called a “panic attack,” was still showing abusive behavior felt like someone kicked me right she said. When he had one, he would outside of sessions and encouraged in the gut.” hit himself until she stopped him her to report to the police. and then guilt her into intercourse, “He, just like myself, does not want Petrini recalls. to see [Lagow] abuse any more womPetrini also told the police Lagow had frustrated and would not stop asking or en,” Petrini wrote to Sledge. penetrated her while she was intoxicatbargaining until she conceded, she said. ed and unable to consent on at least five If she confronted him, he would have a University sanctions occasions. “panic attack” and start hyperventilating, In April 2015, about a month after Although he had told her about his prior talking and moving excitedly, she told poreporting to the police, Petrini filed a comconviction, for which he was on probalice. In her report to the university, she also plaint about Lagow with Western’s Office of tion, she felt pressured to stay with him said he would strike himself in the head. Student Life. at the time and wanted to believe he had The frequency and aggressiveness of the In reviewing the report, Sledge interchanged, she said. intercourse warranted several visits to the viewed Lagow, Petrini, Lagow’s former “I was frozen. At that point I really doctor, she said. A medical report showed roommate and two people Petrini recomfelt trapped because he had already told she was experiencing abdominal pain. mended to corroborate her story. He also me about all these insecurities and [him “His excuse upon excuse every single reviewed a letter from Lagow’s then-girlhaving] what he liked to call panic attacks,” time was blaming it on me,” she said. “It friend and a probable cause document she recalls. really made me feel like it was my fault, provided by Lagow. In a statement to Sledge, Lagow said which is why I didn’t say anything.” On May 29, 2015 he found Lagow in he was initially charged with two counts In her report to the university, Petrini violation of Western’s conduct code for of molestation in the second degree in said Lagow told her that he violated her sexual misconduct and for providing false juvenile court. In this letter, he admitted to because he was too attracted to her and information. committing the crimes, which he also told couldn’t help himself, and the look she gave Sledge imposed a suspension of one the police at the time, according to police him was “asking for it.” school year starting once the quarter ended reports. She ended the relationship in September (15 days after the decision), an administraAt the time, Lagow expressed remorse 2014. After they broke up, he told her he tive no-contact order and a requirement and said he wanted to begin voluntary believed he was entitled to do whatever he that Lagow complete counseling and sex treatment, according to the initial police wanted with her body when they were in CONTINUED PG. 6 report. a relationship because he had committed
Have you experienced sexual violence at Western? Reporting: Equal Opportunity Office/ Title IX Coordinator Old Main 345 (360) 650-3307 Sue.Guenter-Schlesinger@ wwu.edu Campus Police (360) 650-3911
Confidential Support: CASAS Old Main 585 (360) 650-3700 DVSAS (360) 715-1563
6 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Connor Griesemer’s readmission Another student readmitted after being suspended for sexual assault BY ERASMUS BAXTER AND ASIA FIELDS In spring 2017, The Western Front reported that Connor Patrick Griesemer was readmitted to Western after being convicted of, and suspended for, sexually assaulting another student. Campus response was intense. The AS Board of Directors wrote an open letter on May 18, 2017 expressing their disapproval. “The readmission of this student convicted of sexual assault is a slap in the face to advocates for survivors, survivors themselves and is a testament to the general complacency that plagues campuses across the United States,” they wrote. Students organized two protests in Red Square, totalling around 26 people. Protesters left signs outside Dean of Students Ted Pratt’s office door. Sophomore and resident adviser Hailey Canady organized an email campaign to administrators. “The university as its own entity can have these goals to be victim and survivor-centered, but the people that are employed here and making decisions here do not feel that way,” she said at the time. Pratt responded to Canady’s email and said that the safety of students was a top concern. “The concerns you have shared are important to me and I assure you I genuinely understand the seriousness of sexual assault,” Pratt wrote to Canady. “It is essential that we eradicate this unacceptable behavior and we are committed to that effort.” Over 75 people emailed university administrators, including resident advisers, incoming freshmen, an alumni who said their family would no longer donate to Western and a survivor of sexual assault on Western’s campus. “While at the time I was not brave enough to speak up, the survivor assaulted by [Griesemer] spoke up. They spoke up because they wanted to protect others from the violence they had experienced. That student’s action is powerful and that action is brave,” they wrote. “Dean Pratt, readmitting someone convicted of sexual assault to a university and writing it off as a ‘bad decision influenced by alcohol,’ is not powerful or brave…. Do not negate the work this survivor did to protect others on WWU’s campus from violence.” Griesemer’s readmission continues to be discussed on campus, and was mentioned at Take Back the Night fall 2018 by march participants and organizers who felt the university was not doing enough to address sexual assault.
CONTINUED FROM PG. 4
he said he was not appealing the sanctions, but wanted to request to use a different therapist for his sex offender treatment. He felt that Ackerman had betrayed his trust by sharing information about him with Petrini. Dean of Students Ted Pratt granted
offender treatment before returning. Cocke said suspensions begin based on the end of the appeal period, not the date of the decision to impose sanctions. However, this suspension became effective four days after the end of the appeal period, according to documents. Cocke said it was very rare for sex offender treatment to be required as a condition for readmission. Decisions about sex offender status, which indicates likeliness to re-offend, and completion of treatment are made by the courts, he said. In a letter to Lagow, Sledge said that his account, in which he claimed he regularly asked for consent, did not match Petrini’s. Sledge said he based his decision on inconsistencies in Lagow’s Lagow in January 2017. Peter account, pointing to two parts in Lagow’s Facebook particular. In one, Lagow said he was confident he did not pressure Petrini for this request, according to a letter he sex in any way. In the other, Lagow sent Lagow. said he made a series of mistakes that Cocke said sanctions vary because he said led to her feeling pressured the purpose of the student conduct to have sex with him. Sledge said he process is to hold students accountable found Lagow’s account to be less crediin an educational manner, and because ble due to the inconsistency between the complainant’s desired outcomes the two portions. are considered. He also said it was clear that Lagow However, in a recent interview for had provided false information on this story, Petrini said she felt the his application by not disclosing the school was more concerned that Lacharges. gow lied on his application about his Lagow told Sledge he had already past conviction than that she reported been accepted to Western when he he sexually assaulted her. was convicted, so he did not disclose it “He got away with it, being suspendon his application. However, as Sledge ed,” she said. “It means, ‘Go sit in timepointed out in a letter to Lagow, the out and think about your behavior.’” application question also asked about Cocke said survivors are asked pending felony charges. about their desired outcome and have “In reviewing [the documentation the right to appeal an outcome if provided by Lagow], and as someone they feel the sanctions are not serious who reviews admission applications enough. from prospective students who answer When Lagow was suspended, ‘yes’ to this question, it is not clear to Petrini said she didn’t think he would me that you would have been admitted be readmitted because of potential to Western if this information had campus safety concerns. been provided at the appropriate time,” Petrini also said she was discourSledge wrote. aged by a Western administrator from Lagow appealed the finding in June pursuing charges through the legal 2015. However, at his appeal meeting
system. “Western is committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault, and undertakes efforts to inform survivors about various reporting options and resources and to enable them to make their own decision,” Cocke said, when asked about this. “Staff who handle sexual assault cases receive regular and ongoing training.” While Petrini didn’t think the punishment was fitting, she said his suspension gave her a sense of safety she hadn’t had since her freshman year. A long process Before the suspension, Petrini spent two months bouncing between Consultation and Sexual Assault Support, the Equal Opportunity Office, the Office of Student Life, University Police and DVSAS, she said. “No one has a damn clue what the other is doing and I had to first be a liaison for everyone before I could even start helping myself,” she said. When she went into DVSAS to get a protection order, she said she broke down after being given a booklet-like stack of paperwork. Petrini described feeling hopeless during this process. Some days, she couldn’t make herself go to class or work. Having to advocate for herself and retell her story over and over to men who didn’t seem to believe her was grueling, she said. “I also didn’t feel believed by the men I spoke to, because ‘it’s hard to judge what happens behind closed doors,’” she said. “I will never forget when that was said to me [by campus administrators].” Sledge was one of the administrators she said she had negative experiences with. She remembers feeling patronized, and didn’t feel he took her seriously, Petrini said. “The assailant is always innocent until proven guilty, but I’m the one that’s a liar until proven that I’m telling the truth,” she said. Western doesn’t comment on confidential conversations with any
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students, Cocke said in response. “Since fall 2016, a violence/sexual “Decisions about violations of the violence consultation team has met [Student Conduct] Code are based on weekly during the academic year to preponderance of the evidence; that is, coordinate outreach and support for whether it is more likely than not that students who have experienced and/or the respondent violated the Code,” he reported violence or sexual violence,” said. he said in an email. In fall 2016, around a year and a The team is comprised of staff from half after Petrini made her report, the CASAS, Residence Life, the Office of investigation of sexual misconduct was Student Life and the Equal Opportutransferred from the Office of Student nity Office, as well as staff from the Life to the Equal Counseling Center, Opportunity Office, “No one has a damn Student Health as the result of an inCenter and the other clue what the other areas of the universiternal investigation brought on by other ty when appropriate, is doing and I had students’ complaints. Cocke said. to first be a liaison The Office of Stufor everyone before dent Life is still in Readmission charge of imposing Lagow was I could even start sanctions based on readmitted and helping myself.” investigations. registered for classes Petrini said she fall quarter 2016, first went to CASAS, according to Univerbut was disappointed with the advosity Police records. cate she talked to, who she said did not “That was the justice I got,” Petrini do much other than express sympathy. said. “I was waiting for a helpful reSledge reached out to Petrini to sponse. I was hoping for some kind of make sure she and Lagow would not counseling or some kind of reassurhave classes together. ance that there is a way out of this However, Petrini began seeing him darkness,” she said. on campus that quarter when she Michelle Langstraat, CASAS coordi- walked to classes near the Communinator and sexual violence prevention cations Facility. specialist, said all CASAS advocates “I was assaulted and he got a slap receive 55 hours of professional advoon the wrist, and he got to come back cacy training, as well as other trainings to school and I had to walk by him,” arranged by Western. Petrini said. “He got to walk on the She and Jon Dukes, the men’s campus he had assaulted me on. It felt violence prevention and mental health like my safety didn’t matter.” promotion specialist, supervise all Petrini said Sledge proposed cases, she said. creating a movement schedule so she Petrini said working with DVSAS wouldn’t have to walk by Lagow. Howwas a better experience and that the ever, she said she doubted the univeradvocates there, as well as University sity could monitor and enforce it, and Police Officer Luke Haas, were helpful. that if Lagow broke it, it would just be Cocke said Western has updated her word against his again. policies for handling cases of sexual If a survivor and perpetrator are on violence since then, including the Stuthe campus at the same time, action dent Conduct Code. While instances is determined on a case-by-case basis, of sexual violence are inherently Cocke said. difficult and often times complicated Options include administrative tresto investigate, the student conduct pass orders or no-contact orders that process is usually completed within typically include a minimum distance several weeks, he said. CONTINUED PG. 10
University policy prevents knowing how many others readmitted BY ERASMUS BAXTER AND ASIA FIELDS Western has refused to release the names of students suspended for sexual assault, making it almost impossible to know how many of these students have been readmitted. There are no students currently enrolled at Western who were previously suspended for sexual misconduct, said Paul Cocke, director of communications and marketing. It’s impossible to verify how many students suspended for sexual assault have been readmitted, and also if any had past convictions that would point to a pattern of behavior. In doing so, Western has cited the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which protects most student records from being disclosed without permission. In particular, Cocke pointed to a section that allows the release of students’ records without their consent only as long as identifying information is withheld. “Western interprets this requirement to mean that personally identifiable information of any student must be redacted from records provided pursuant to Washington State’s Public Records Act, or, in some cases, that requests must be denied entirely,” he said in an email. However, FERPA was amended in 1998 and subsection (b)(6)(B) explicitly allows institutions of postsecondary education to release the final results of disciplinary procedures (including the name of the perpetrator) related to violent offenses or non-forcible sex offenses, if the institution finds that the student committed the offense. Western interprets this conflict as meaning that while it technically may release the names, it must redact identifying information, Cocke said. Mike Hiestand, the Student Press Law Center’s senior legal counsel, said much of the issue comes from conflicting guidance for following the law issued by the Department of Education. While the law says the records must be released, the Department of Education has said that institutions don’t need to release the contents of records they believe would potentially allow someone to piece together students’ identities. “I think the default position when that happens is you just clamp down, you don’t provide that information,” Heistand said. However, he disagrees with Western’s interpretation of FERPA in cases regarding a sex offense
or violent offense that result in a finding of guilt. “It was very clear that if those two things were met, you were supposed to be able to get access to basic information about what the school had done, which included the name,” he said. “If the person is found guilty, the name is released and what they’re charged with and what the outcome of the proceeding was. That was supposed to be made available.” He said the change in the law was implemented to provide more transparency to campus discipline systems, as justice was increasingly being handed out behind closed doors. It was also to ensure discipline is being administered fairly for all students involved, he said. “Everytime reporters have been able to get behind the door of these campus court systems, the things they find are really disturbing,“ he said. Without knowing the names of suspended students, reporters from The Western Front and the AS Review have been unable to ascertain whether any students reported are repeat offenders. They’ve also been unable to see if there are other factors that might affect the discipline process, such as past convictions or special standing like being an athlete. Hiestand pointed out that while universities can lose federal funding for violating FERPA, this penalty has never been used by the Department of Education for a FERPA violation. “It seems like Western’s policy now is they’re just not going to provide [that info] and that flies in the face of the intent of the law,” he said. “The law was intended to provide more transparency to these campus disciplinary systems.” That transparency benefits not just survivors, but students accused of misconduct as well, by providing students confidence in the system, Hiestand said. Unredacted records would allow the public to see if students found to have committed the same violations received similar punishments and were not treated differently, he said. “[People] want to know how some of these investigations are being done, that they’re thorough, they’re competent,” he said. “And none of this stuff is available, none of this is stuff the public has access to. And that breeds distrust. You have to have trust in your justice system. If there’s no trust, there’s no justice system.”
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Meet the AS Board Candidates Find out who to vote for to represent the student body in 2018-2019 PHOTOS BY HAILEY HOFFMAN//AS REVIEW
AS President
ASVP for Student Life
Millka Soloman
Anne Lee
What I am most excited to bring to this position is my commitment to transparency and passion for ensuring accountability from everyone involved in student life. The interests of students needs to be more than just considered, but actually carried out. I’ve worked with various clubs in the ESC and through that involvement, I’ve learned that WWU is admitting an increasing number of students of color without increasing the support offered at the same rate. Access without support is not opportunity. There are a lot of programs that already exist but need so much more support. I plan to prioritize these programs every chance I get. Representation in the AS also matters, and I plan to bring all my identities and knowledge to make sure that marginalized people are represented and to amplify the interests of other marginalized identities that I do not hold.
My name is Anne Lee and I’m running to be AS VP for Student Life. My two years as a RA and involvement in the RA movement exposed me to issues of safety and inequity, and how advocacy falls on students to seek change institutionally. As your VP, I will hold administrators accountable in their statements by ensuring student feedback is transformed through open forums with administrators, expanding the UHRAC to streamline student concerns, and implement training opportunities on advocacy and social equity. I want to expand and ensure gender inclusive housing and address the disparity in secure communities on and off campus, while continuing current efforts to redefine sustainability, making it more representative and holistic for all students. In all this work, I strive to center the voices of marginalized folks while owning critical consciousness of my identities in this work. Together, we’ll mobilize to achieve collective goals.
Brendan O’Neill My name is Brendan O’Neill and I am running for AS Vice President of Student Life because we can no longer be blind to the fact that discrimination is still present here on campus, we must give a voice to the voiceless. As President of the Residence Hall Association, I have been able to interact with Western’s community on all levels. Working with students, administrators, and RA’s has taught me different approaches to solving problems. I have had the opportunity to serve on nine committees, including the AS Structural Review and the Community Development and Learning Grant Committee. The safety of our fellow students is at risk. I will continue to push for stronger security on campus with hope to prevent future crime. We must strengthen Western’s community across campus, including and especially those who have typically not felt that way. It’s time to get real and vote Brendan O’Neill.
ASVP for Govermental Affairs Alexis Venable
Hunter Eider
Hello, I am Alexis Venable and I believe I am Hunter Eider and I am I am the best candidate for the Vice running for the position of AS Vice President of Governmental Affairs posi- President for Governmental Affairs. tion. I am a political science major and Mental wellbeing is vital to making government has always been a passion sure that we are all our best selves of mine. Politics and the conversation in and outside of the classroom, of basic human rights has been up for and that is why I would like to conversation in my household. Since prioritize funding for counselors on I grew up in such a rich city such as the legislative agenda. In addition Olympia it really helped me to be more to this, I will work to incentivize open to all different kinds of viewpoints. coming to the polls and giving your I was very active in high school and was voice in creative ways. Change in multiple leadership positions in clubs happens not only on the large in my community college since I did scale, but also in the local commurunning start in high school. Currently nities that you identify with. I am I am the Vice President of Finance for involved with the Ethnic Student the Beta Gamma Kappa community on Center, serving as an officer on the ridge and represent the residents the board for the Filipino American that live there in hall council. So, I am fa- Student Association. I was also inmiliar with how to reach out to my peers volved in ResLife from 2015-2016, to get their opinions and help them get and I am currently serving on the AS Board as the VP for Academic Affairs. I their needs and wishes fulfilled. hope to be the change you wish to see on this campus!
Natasha Hessami Hello Western! My name is Natasha Hessami and I’m running for ASVP for Governmental Affairs because I’m passionate about ensuring student voices are heard on policy and legislation issues. I will represent WWU by advocating for increased funding to the State Need Grant, a tuition freeze, and promoting a free college model to the state legislature. A bit about myself and my experience; I engage in biochemistry research, work as a tutor, and serve as an officer for WWU’s Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Native Americans in Science club. I’ve lobbied on behalf of WWU student interests in Olympia, supported the AS REP, and I currently sit on the Legislative Affairs Council; this engagement ensures my familiarity with this position and the legislative process at WWU. I look forward to representing your political interests at a local, state, and national level as your future ASVP for Governmental Affairs.
ASVP for Academic Affairs
ASVP for Diversity
Kyle McCaffery
Camilla Mejía
Hi, I’m Kyle McCaffery – a Computer Science major who is also working on two minors; mathematics and psychology. I am an avid hiker and camper (Eagle Scout) and a part of the WWU Fencing Club. In this position of the VP for Academic Affairs, I would like to provide fresh insight to the Academic Technology Committee and the Academic Fee Committee, balancing a reasonable price for tuition with the needs of our students via our Student Technology fee. I would also like to help find solutions to the bottlenecking which is occurring in undergraduate courses via the Committee on Undergraduate Education and the University Planning and Resource Council. Finally, the misalignment of class start times compared to finals start times is something that I would like to improve. So that students who have classes which begin at 11am aren’t booked for a final that begins at 8am.
I want to run for AS VP of Diversity because as a womxn of color, diversity, inclusion, and equity are concepts that I am familiar with and are of importance to me. Through my experience in the ESC both as a club member and employee, I know how important our new multicultural center is and what it means to us as students of color with many intersecting identities on this campus. I have also worked in the AS for two years as Coordinator for the SIRC and Cultural Education Coordinator at the ESC. This has given me the opportunity to become familiar with how the AS works and how to best advocate for students in this space. I want to serve as your AS VP for Diversity to ensure a smooth transition into this new center and to advocate for all marginalized identities in the capacity I can.
Levi Eckman
ASVP for Activities
Hello! My name is Levi Eckman, and I am a junior at WWU. I am incredibly interested in running for the position of ASVP for Academic Affairs 2018-2019 because of the strong connection to academics I feel at WWU. I currently am a political science major, with a double minor in Arabic and Islamic studies, as well as in the study of religion. I am the Secretary of the Arabic Language and Culture Organization, and am deeply engaged with the Model United Nations club. As the ASVP for Academic Affairs, I would like to work towards better inclusive dialogue between the AS and minority groups on our campus moving forward, as I believe representation is essential for progress. I look forward to acting as a liaison for students to the Academic Affairs division of our university, as all voices at our institute must be equally appreciated and heard. Go Vikings!
Ana Monkah I have had leadership experience working through the Ethnics Students Center as the public relations officer for African Caribbean Club in the 2016-2017 school year. This position allowed me use social media as a platform to spread the word about events we were hosting and outreach to gain new members. In addition, I was involved in planning and budgeting for our annual heritage dinner. In the past, I have attended president’s counsel and steering meetings to approve ESC club funding. I understand the importance of budgeting and providing funds for clubs in order to have successful events and for community building. Inside the classroom, I have worked alongside my marketing professor and took leadership in connecting with a local dairy farm for an onsite class tour. This position will allow me to be a voice for my peers to communicate and create effective conversations
Jacob Molloy My highest priority as VP will be creating powerful student organizations which can dynamically and continuously fight for what students need most. My main goals will be to create a student union, continuing work on an ethnic studies department, and reforming the math department at Western. These are key academic struggles at Western, as the failure rate for the introductory math classes is very high and ethnic studies are sorely lacking across campus. People need the opportunity to learn about their cultural history. These goals will require consistent and powerful organizing. We must build a strong student union to advocate for student interests along intersectional lines. A march should not be the end of student activism, but a part of ongoing, powerful student organizing. Creating this union will not be a simple process, we must all work together to achieve such an end.
Jarrod Stambaugh Hi, my name is Jarrod Stambaugh. I am running for Vice President for Activities, a position which acts as a liaison between the clubs on campus and the AS. I have experience in several clubs including Drama, DECA, Debate, Digital Media Production, and French. There are a lot of students that find it hard to connect to the clubs offered at Western. With rising tuition costs forcing many students to work while studying, compounded with college workloads, living away from campus, and other personal obligations, being a college student comes with stress that can make participation in campus life seem like a daunting commitment. In this position I want to reach out to those who haven’t found a place in the student body and help to connect them to the 200+ clubs available on campus. I also want to empower established clubs to help increase their membership.
Noble Solana-Walkinshaw My name is Noble Solana-Walkinshaw, and I am running to be your AS VP for Academic Affairs because I love the AS and I love Western. I spent this last year working in the AS Board Office and being inspired by the work being done there, and I want to run so that I can continue helping Western. The AS needs to work harder to get students involved and participating on campus, and that is what I want to do. Too few people that go to Western even know what the AS is. I want to increase student outreach and get opinions from all students who go to Western and bring that input to the administration. Help me help you and vote Noble! I look forward from hearing from every one of you about how to make our university better.
ASVP for Business and Operations Genora Meza Do you want change? Then vote for it. Genaro Meza for Vice President of Business and Operations, the leader Western needs. Vote for change. Vote for a better tomorrow.
10 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
CONTINUED FROM PG. 7 of 25 feet, he said. Cocke said the student who receives sanctions has the burden to abide by them. Petrini said the real problem was that Lagow was readmitted in the first place. “I don’t think letting him back in because he needs a second chance because ‘He’s so smart and can be better’ [makes sense],” she said. Petrini said if Western really adhered to a no-tolerance policy, there would be no need for this article. Advocates have said that readmitting perpetrators makes it more difficult for survivors to recover. “Especially in a learning environment like Western, it would definitely make it harder [to begin recovery],” Martín Prado, an advocacy counselor with Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Advocacy Counselor, told the Front last spring. “Of course [survivors] can be successful, but it would be easier to breathe if you knew the perpetrator wasn’t anywhere near you, and it would be beneficial not having to worry about them doing it to someone else.” Lagow seemed to understand that he had
benefited from concealing information on However, the bill still allows universities his initial application. to develop a process to consider applicants’ “I stand by the decision made there for criminal history as long as they do not ask the same reasons you wrote in the sentencfor it initially, or use it to automatically ing email (I probably would not have been deny admission. accepted if I answered yes),” he wrote in his When asked about this, Cocke said Westappeal letter. ern will review its admission procedures Western once guidance on began asking compliance is proDo you have experiences about felony vided by appropriate convictions after state agencies. reporting sexual violence a sex offender In 2013, the at Western? Let us know at was admitted University of Washto Western in ington also began as.review.editor@wwu.edu 2004. When the asking about violent university was felony charges and notified about sex offender registrahis status by the Whatcom County Sheriff ’s tion on its application, after two Level 3 sex Office, he was expelled. offenders registered for classes, according While Western still asks for information to The Seattle Times. about past or pending convictions in its Critics have pointed out that asking admissions process, that may change soon about criminal history on applications can with the passage of a new bill, SB 6582, promote institutionalized racism. HowevCocke said. er, the University of Washington’s provost He said the bill prevents universities responded that the checks weren’t meant to from asking about previous convictions in screen out students, but determine specific admission, rendering the issue moot in the sex offender or felony information, USA future. Today reported.
At the University of Washington, applicants who answered yes have their application reviewed by a committee with “expertise on diversity, criminal justice, campus safety and mental health.” Applicants who are denied application can appeal. Prosecution The police report shows University Police forwarded Petrini’s case to the Whatcom County prosecutor’s office on March 26, 2015. However, Petrini says she was not contacted by the prosecutors, and no further action was taken. Eric Richey, chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney, said he reviewed the case in 2015, but didn’t believe there was sufficient evidence to go forward. He said this doesn’t mean he didn’t believe the survivor, but that he didn’t think there was a chance for conviction in a trial by jury. Cases in which the survivor knows the perpetrator are often difficult to prosecute, Whatcom County Prosecutor Dave McEachran said in an August interview. McEachran said it is difficult to show the crime occurred and was not consen-
April 19, 2015 Petrini files complaint September 16, with Office of Student 2015 Life June 9, 2015 Appeal meeting, Lagow only requests Lagow to use a different Appeals March 20, 2015 treatment provider Suspension Petrini goes to DVSAS and reports Lagow to University Police
March 26, 2015 Case referred to Whatcom Prosecutors who decide not to proceed with charges
June 13, 2015 Lagow’s Suspension Begins
May 29, 2015 Lagow found in violation of student code of conduct
September 21, 2016 Fall quarter begins, Lagow returns to campus, Petrini begins seeing him on her way to class
10.2.2017 • 11
sual. While his office just needs to meet the threshold of probable cause to arrest someone, the burden of proof for a conviction is “beyond reasonable doubt.” He said if he knows he can’t get a conviction, he doesn’t take the case, as he feels that is unfair to all involved. Richey said he doesn’t know why Petrini was not contacted, or if she was just not reached. “It is unfortunate that the survivor did not receive contact from our office or the investigating agency,” he said. He said that detectives talk to survivors that they have been working with, though he has talked to many survivors personally. Moving forward Petrini said she still has trouble sleeping at night and struggles with post-traumatic stress. For a while, she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, she said. Petrini graduated summer 2017 with a degree in communication sciences and disorders. She reached out to The Western Front in February 2018 wanting to tell her story
Summer 2017 Petrini graduates
because sexual assault is so common, but swept under the rug, she said. “How long do victims have to stay silent about their assaults?” Petrini said. “How long are we going to continue acting like just because this is such a common occurrence in our daily life that it’s OK to be complicit?” Petrini said people need to stop protecting perpetrators and start providing more support for survivors. While Western has made some changes with how it handles sexual assault since her case, Petrini said it still needs to improve. She said that based on her experience, Western’s offices and other involved agencies need to be more in-tune with each other, so there is less burden put on survivors to figure out what they need to do and constantly retell their stories. “Western’s administration as a whole really needs to be a little more empathetic with their community because so many people I know have chosen not to come forward because they know how hard it is,” she said. “Most people choose to stay quiet because of the wringer they put you through for an [insufficient] result.” If survivors are taking significant time from their lives to go between departments in a search for justice, and telling their stories again and again to strangers, they’re probably telling the truth, she said. Despite the difficulty she had reporting, Petrini said she wants people in situations similar to hers to not be afraid of speaking up. “Don’t be afraid to come forward and say something, regardless of the magnitude or what you perceive the magnitude to be,” she said. “Even if the first person doesn’t listen or the second person doesn’t listen, somebody will understand, and you Fall 2017 deserve to be heard. Don’t ever feel Lagow you are responsible for what hapGraduates pened to you.” She hopes Western will ask survivors what they want to see happen and how they can feel safer on campus, because she didn’t get that opportunity.
How we reported this story BY ERASMUS BAXTER AND ASIA FIELDS The Western Front first reported on issues with Western’s handling of sexual assault cases in fall 2016. As part of its investigation, the Front requested copies of disciplinary reports related to sexual misconduct. These records were part of what we relied on as Western Front news editors last spring to report on the readmission of a student convicted of sexual assault, Connor Patrick Griesemer. However, the records were largely unused until this summer, when a group of reporters began combing through them to better understand the sanctions imposed on students found by the university to have sexually assaulted other students. Western’s practice of redacting students’ names from records meant there was no way to check if other suspended students had been readmitted like Griesemer had. But one case seemed to especially parallel the Griesemer readmission. The disciplinary file also contained a court document, meaning there might be records elsewhere that could identify the student, as we had been able to do with police and court records in some other cases. Although Western had redacted the case number on the file, it listed the name of the detective who made the statement of probable cause. Erasmus’ records request to the department in question returned the police report several months later, but still no name, as it was a juvenile case. On a second or third reading, something caught Erasmus’ eye: “the Logow residence.” This could be a location, or it could more likely be the name of the family. But why wasn’t it redacted? His theory was that it was a typo. That the detective had misspelled the name, and when the records officer searched the document for the names to redact, they had missed it because of that. The most common last name with a similar spelling Erasmus could think of was “Lagow,” so he searched for it on Facebook. He found a Peter Lagow, who had attended Western, had the same hometown and most importantly, had the same birthdate as the person in the police report. This could have just been a coincidence
however, and more confirmation was needed to go ahead with the story. In the case file, the survivor mentioned making a report with University Police, so Erasmus requested all University Police reports with the name “Peter Lagow.” A few days later, the report came back and confirmed everything. The survivor’s story from the disciplinary files matched up with the police report, and Lagow’s name was there. Erasmus’ search for Lagow’s name in the juvenile case system in the county he was convicted in did not return any results. However, Washington state law allows juvenile records to be sealed after a certain amount of time. Based on his convictions, Lagow could’ve petitioned for his records to be sealed after two years. Around the same time, Asia, who was then editor-in-chief of The Western Front, was seeking out the stories and voices of survivors at Western. She launched a web form that allowed survivors to anonymously share their stories with the Front. The second response was from Tia Petrini, the survivor in this case. Petrini later said she had reached out to tell her story because despite how common sexual assault is, it is swept under the rug. “I would rather fight the rest of my life for the rightfully deserved justice of assault victims than ever sit down because my voice tires from shouting this to the world so much,” she said. “Enough is enough. Period.” We realized that she was talking about the same case, and that we were each holding half of the full picture. No reporting would be complete without her voice, and it would take a long time to re-request the records. In this case, we decided the student body would be better served by the Front and AS Review collaborating instead of competing. Reporting on sexual assault is a communal effort to build a better community, not a chance for individual glory or competition. We hope this will lay the ground for future collaboration as we strive to tell the stories that make a difference and that our community needs to hear.
12 • as.wwu.edu/asreview
Leaked memo outlines door locking options being considered BY ASIA FIELDS The AS Review has obtained a document outlining options being considered by Western’s Classroom Door Locking Committee, providing a look into closed-door discussions that reporters have been denied access to. Western’s Director of Communications and Marketing Paul Cocke confirmed the accuracy of the document in an email. The document—which outlines different lock options and various risks associated with installing locks—was designed to guide the committee, Cocke said. No decisions have yet been made and the committee will meet on Thursday, April 12, to discuss recommendations. The committee was revitalized in March, after The Western Front reported on a lack of options in classrooms in the case of an active shooter and on student and faculty concerns. It will provide a recommendation to the vice president of business and financial affairs. The document was created by Chief of Police Darin Rasmussen and Director of Facilities Management John Furman. It says that the growing frequency of active shooter events nationally has increased interest in installing classroom locks. “Since many classroom doors open outward and many classrooms contain A screenshot of the memo obtained by the AS Review. fixed seating, barricades will have limited effectiveness, therefore modified door hardware is under consideration,” the document says. Any added interior locks will have to meet Americans with Disability Act and fire codes, according to the document. There are around 450 classrooms and labs across campus, according to the document, and at least one-third have multiple doors. It could cost over $1 million to install code-compliant hardware to lock doors, according to the document. The cost per door remains to be decided, but is estimated to be in the magnitude of $600 for hardware, labor and sales tax. Paul Dunn, senior executive assistant to the university president, told the Front that the university would be moving quickly to request funds in the 2019-21 capital budget. The document weighs the likelihood of an active shooter situation against protecting against other more likely emergencies, but says this risk must be accepted to create lockable doors.
“One outcome of lockable classroom doors is to provide occupants a choice which they may not currently have—that is to ‘hide’ when there is no means of blocking the door,” the document says. The university’s current instructions in the case of an active shooter follow national guidelines to “run, hide, fight.” But for years, faculty and students have expressed concern over the lack of a way to hide in classrooms, the Front reported. One of the risks outlined in the document is that shooters could lock the door and buy themselves more time. The document says university police officers will have keys or electronic access to classrooms. One possible recommendation is giving University Police breaching equipment in addition. Another risk is that students seeking shelter may be unable to access locked classrooms, according to the document. The committee will consider identifying rooms across campus that will remain open and accessible. The document also said that lockable doors could “create the potential for other nefarious activity in the classroom to occur.” The document recommends accepting this risk. The document also identifies students gluing lockable doors in place to avoid finals as a risk, saying it is “probably not a frequent scenario, but legitimate none the less,” and acknowledging this can occur whether doors are lockable or not. Multiple lock hardware options are listed in the document. At the first committee meeting, professors on the locking committee called for increased transparency and student involvement, The Western Front reported. “They don’t want to have someone cherry-pick what was said and what wasn’t said at the meeting. They should just be at the meeting,” political science professor Sara Weir told the Front. However, the locking committee’s second meeting will not be open to the public, Cocke said. “The committee will discuss overall security issues on campus but there also may be discussion of specific security vulnerabilities on campus not appropriate for detailed public discussion,” Cocke said in an email.
10.2.2017 •
Students make changes in dining hall cuisine BY HAILEY MURPHY The Food Systems Working Group made its first dining hall product shift in February, taking a step towards Western’s goal of 25 percent “real food” in the dining halls by 2020. “Real food is food that’s local, fair, humane or ecologically sound,” said Emmaline Bigongiari, student co-chair of the Food Systems Working Group. The following five changes were made: crushed and diced tomatoes are now organic; the bread is organic and vegan; the flour is from a local brand, The Shepherd’s Grain; and the chicken breast is organic. Bigongiari said these changes increase Western’s real food percentage by 5.42 percent, with the organic chicken breast contributing to a 4.24 percent increase. Western administration committed to the Real Food Challenge in 2016. The goal, according to their website, is to shift $1 billion in university food budgets towards real food by 2020. Institutions across the nation have taken the challenge on, setting personal goals for their dining systems. “While this goal of one-fourths real food may seem insignificant, it is actually a huge step in our corporate food system and really exciting. It is often difficult to find food that meets these standards on such a large scale,” Risa Askerooth, a sophomore on the Food Systems Working Group, said. It’s the job of the Food Systems Working Group to achieve the goal. For the first product shift, said Askerooth, they’re focusing on “low-hanging fruits,” which are the least controversial and most cost effective changes. Steven Wadsworth, Director of Dining Services, and Steve Erbe, Executive Chief Chef, researched possible product switches. “The process involves [Wadsworth and Erbe] first doing research on food velocity reports and identifying possible switches that would both meet student Typical food that can be found in the dining commons at Western. Jaden needs and make sense financially,” Aske- Moon // AS Review
“We can just encourage local producers to improve their standards.” - Emmaline Bigongiari
rooth said. The findings were then presented to the Product Shifting group, composed of two students– Maddy Jones, Office of Sustainability representative, and Askerooth– before being brought to the whole of the Food Systems Working Group. The committee then voted on the first round of changes. More shifts are soon to come. Bigongiari said the committee is working with the Bagelry, which sources Zoe’s, to make minor adjustments to become real food friendly. “It’s a possibility to work with folks that we’re already buying from,” said Bigongiari. “We don’t have to do an entire new sourcing and instead we can just encourage local producers to improve their standards.” It’s hoped by both Bigongiari and Askerooth that future product shifts will take issues of food injustice into consideration, as using local and organic foods isn’t the only way to increase real food percentage points. Taking labor rights into consideration, decreasing meat products and serving culturally appropriate foods can also help Western reach its goal. “We have products in our dining halls like coffee or bananas or chocolate– those industries tend to have bigger issues related to farm worker justice problems,” Bigongiari said. “So I’m hoping that, as the Food Systems Working Group continues, we can get into those tougher conversations.” They also hope to increase student involvement, particularly with students who live on campus and use the dining halls most. Student voices can help inform which changes should be made next. The working group’s monthly meetings are open to public, so Bigongiari encourages students to come and voice their opinions. Students can learn when and where the next meeting is by following Students for Sustainable Food on Facebook.
Spoken words for the future BY HAILEY MURPHY Neil Hilborn, the most of his most viewed poems online. watched spoken-word poet of all “The point is, here is a list time, performed a set at Western of things my brain has told me on Thursday night. His poem to do: join a cult; start a cult; OCD– which you’ve likely seen– become a cabinet maker; break has been viewed over 13 million into, and then paint, other times. people’s houses; have sex with Put on by the Poets and Lyrliterally everyone who reminds icist Society, the event drew a me of my mother; fight people large crowd to Miller Hall. This who are much fightier than me, crowd was in for lots of laughs– like the cops, so in essence, kill some from the poems, of course, myself.” – The Future but also some from his commenHe then read about how much he tary in between. hates cats, about how Aaron Rod“It’s nice to be here in Canada,” gers can be depressed, too, about Hilborn joked. a friend nicknamed Fuck Knuckle But there were a few tears Jones and about failed tinder proshed, too. Hilborn’s work often files. discusses mental illness and You ever eat an enchilada, think suicide. As Hilborn told the about it all day, and then realize you crowd, he was diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder at Neil Hilborn performs his final poem of the night, “The Future.” Hailey Hoffman might be depressed? was one of the many rejected tinder bios. 11 years old and Bipolar disorder // AS Review Among the laughs, Hilborn at 22, which has shaped much of reminded the audience to care for his work. Yet not all of that work is sad. While Hilborn weaves themes of depres- those going through mental illness. The best way to be there, he said, is to not fix everysion in his poems, he also loves to make light of his experiences with dark thing in their life but just to be there in the present moment. Hilborn has two books of poetry collections– Our Numbered Days and The Future. He’s humor. a National College Poetry Slam champion. “If suicide jokes are a problem for you, this set is going to be rough,” Hilborn said to the crowd. In addition to OCD, Hilborn read Me, but Happy, and The Future, two
Campus police issue tickets cont. CONTINUED FROM PG. 3 “I don’t want to say they were specifically targeting students of color, but if five white students got by without being flagged down by police who were there SPECIFICALLY for jaywalking and couldn’t tell them to stop for a second is really concerning,” he said in an email. AS Legal Information Center Coordinator Omolade Anna Iyun said all the students who have contacted them so far about receiving tickets have been students of color. The center is working with students to find out about the appeal process and present a case for discrimination, she said. Cocke said it’s absolutely false that students of color were targeted. “Absolutely not. University Police cited people for jaywalking, not because of them being people of col-
If you received a ticket, you can contact the legal information center at AS.LegalInfo@wwu.edu. or,” he said. A copy of a ticket given to Lim shows the ticket will be have to dealt with in Whatcom County District Court, instead of Bellingham Municipal Court. She also said students were being ticketed for crossing while the red light was blinking, something neither she, nor any other students she spoke to, realized was illegal.
While sandwich boards at the intersection told students that it was illegal, Lim said he didn’t see the sign and Johnson felt it was insufficient. Johnson said after speaking to the upset student, she called the AS to complain, and she plans to file a complaint with campus services. “I’ve done it. Everyone I know has done it,” she said. “There’s no reason you should get a $68 fine for something everyone does [without getting some warning].” Cocke said that over a period of years University Police have issued many warnings about jaywalking. However, the problem persists and is dangerous, he said. He said it is important to note that University Police Chief Darin Rasmussen is always willing to hear about specific concerns members of the campus community might have about University Police.
10.2.2017 •
KRME finds a new home BY JOSH HUGHES After a lengthy search for a new home and adequate fundraising, 102.3 KMRE FM has found a new home to broadcast from. Daylight Properties and Bob Hall have sponsored the station’s move, which is relocating to the Bellingham National Bank Building, 103 Holly St., in May. The station, which used to broadcast out of SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention, has provided the greater Bellingham community with information, education, and entertainment programs throughout its years of operation. It is one of the few non-profit, community radio stations left in Bellingham. The relocation has been made possible through donations that have totalled over $15,000, a third of which is from SPARK Museum. “KMRE’s success would not have happened without a strong outpouring of support from volunteers, donors and the local community,” said KMRE General Manager, Suzanne Blais, “We are thrilled with the response and encouragement from so many people who believe it’s crucial for a station like KMRE to provide local media and perspectives.” The search for a new home started last November when SPARK could no longer provide adequate space for the station and all of its needs. With the changes that have occurred since then, KMRE has founded a separate non-profit, Kulshan Community Media to license and operate the station. The station currently has over 60 dedicated volunteers that help keep engaging programming on air as much as possible. Those looking for more information on the station or ways to donate or volunteer can visit kmre.org.
Stephanie Kountouros works in the booth at KRME’s old home in November. Hailey Hoffman // AS Review
African caribbean club to celebrate 20th BY JOSH HUGHES anniversary This Saturday, April 21, the African Caribbean Club will be hosting their annual Heritage Dinner at Western. Starting at 7 p.m., the event is open to the public and will feature a variety of different performances. The ACC is a student run group that started in 1998, so this year marks their 20th anniversary. Though the dinner does not coincide with this marker, the evening will be filled with celebration, dance and a speech from one of the founders of the group. Special Assistant to the President for Diversity Dr. Kunle Ojikutu, who helped the ACC get their feet off the ground during its inception, will be the main speaker of the evening. As a prominent figure in the group’s history, Ojikutu will talk about how the club has changed throughout the years and where he envisions it will head in the future. After being at Western for over 20 years, Ojikutu will be retiring at the end of this school year. This event marks his last official talk for Western as faculty. Besides the speech, the evening will be filled with
an array of multicultural performances from various individuals and groups. Members of the ACC will dance, sing, and play music throughout the night. A variety of ethnic groups and cultures will be represented throughout the evening, showcasing the breadth and versatility of African and Caribbean culture. WWU Capoeira Group and South Asian Student Association will both also give performances during the dinner. “We like to work with other groups on campus to establish those intersectionalities, because Western is a predominately-white institution, and the only way for someone to really learn something is through someone telling them about it,” said ACC President Shaneen Walter-Edwards. Beyond Western-based groups and organizations, Miss Africa Whatcom County will give a performance before their official event later in May. Additionally, Luchrist Modern African Fashion, a clothing store located in Bellis Fair Mall, will host a fashion walk in which Western students serve as models. Alongside Aramark, the ACC will be cooking the
dinner themselves. The dinner portion of the evening will occur during the first half of the event, but the festivities will ring on into the night. The evening will finish off with a Caribbean dance, which will likely get everyone who attends on their feet. The ACC meets every Wednesday in Miller Hall 139 at 6 p.m. All students are encouraged to check it out and see if it’s their cup of tea. “The ACC is a chill group, anyone is welcome whenever,” said Walter-Edwards. “The regular members are like a little family— to make it through any type of university, you need to find your niche, and ACC might be that niche for some people.” The Heritage Dinner will occur this Saturday in the Wilson Library Reading Room (fine, Harry Potter Room). Tickets are $12 for anyone with a student I.D., and $16 for anyone else. Tickets may be purchased online through the PAC Box Office website or in person at the box office.
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Sex And the Mid-sized University BY GWEN FROST Dear Gwen, I feel like a buzzing amount of attraction for basically all people that are friendly towards me and attractive. Like all my friends, I feel like I’m in love with them all. Problem is, I’m unable to tell when it’s a feeling worth following because I always have so many crushes. Is this normal?? I also don’t feel comfortable once it gets past the flirting phase. I’m scared once people start to think of us as having a relationship-future. I’m confused. -TooManyFish Dear Too Many Fish, People who’ve got just too much love for others are really special, I think. The question is, is it negatively impacting your life? Feeling hyper-romantic or sentimental may not be “the norm,” but just because it’s not a norm doesn’t mean it’s a negative things. Physicist geniuses aren’t normal, and 10 minute orgasms aren’t normal... but we love them both anyway! If you’re trying to differentiate between a typical affectionate feeling (for you) and a different feeling that involves the capacity for something more serious, the only yardstick I would
offer would be your gut. Trust it. You could also just base it off of whoever is reciprocating this affection, because if they’re not playing games, this could be a straightforward, emotionally-healthy engagement. The feeling of fear after a flirting phase could mean a lot of different things. Maybe you have a fear of intimacy and getting closer within a sexual or romantic relationship. Maybe you aren’t comfortable setting boundaries for sexual activity and are afraid you will feel coerced to meet your partner’s expectations. These are two of the most probable solutions in my head, based off the two paragraphs that I know about you. Ask yourself, how much am I okay with happening with this person? What am I afraid of happening? What is my ideal situation, and how can I express what I want? You’re flirty and confused, but I know you will continue to find little and big loves wherever you go. There’s a lot of people in the world you will love, and the best thing you can do for those people is be honest with yourself and figure what you want, and what you don’t. -Gwen
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