Western Front - 1973 April 13

              the - western front western Washington state college
Vol. 65
No. 36
FRIDAY
April 13,1973
Ten Cents
Today is Friday the 13th
avoid:
* walking under ladders
"paths crossed by black cats
* lighting three cigarettes with one match
"stepping on spiders
*low-flying broomsticks
"breaking mirrors
"crowded elevators
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CENTER-Classes are currently being
conducted here despite the scheduled completion date of May 1.
Eventually Huxley College, the Institute for Fresh Water Studies, and
geology and biology departments will occupy the new building.
Classes held amidst construction by PAT DUGGAN
Someone apparently was just a
little bit overly optimistic about space
scheduling this spring quarter and
assigned several classes to the Northwest
Environmental Studies Center
(NWESC), which is still undergoing final
stages of construction on the south side
of campus.
While some of those classes have
chosen to remain in their quarters, amid
the rumbling noises of machinery,
others have opted for quieter
surroundings.
Originally, the completion deadline
for the five-story structure had been
scheduled for fall quarter 1972. But,
due to weather, soil conditions and rock
excavations, this date was pushed
forward to December and finally, to
May.
According to staff architect Maurice
Moore, who handles the project for
Campus Planning, construction should
be finished by May 1. Full occupancy of
the building is expected by summer
quarter 1973.
One of the most outstanding features
of the new, exposed-concrete structure,
is that its core has been left hollow. This
area, called an atrium, is covered at the
top of the building by a skylight. The
design is intended to make piping easily
accessible, as well as providing for
expanded growth.
The center, which is predominately a
laboratory building, has 58,000 square
feet allotted for academic use. The
majority of these areas will be taken up
by Huxley College, geology, biology and
the Institute for Fresh Water Studies.
Huxley and geology will establish
departmental headquarters in the new
building, while biology and the Fresh
Water Institute will be provided
laboratory and classroom space.
In addition, there are areas of the
center designated for all-college use.
These spaces, at present, are confined to
the ground level of the building and
include five seminar rooms, one large
classroom and a lecture hall, seating 76.
Parts of the new building will remain
unfinished—some portions because of
lack of funds and others because of
deliberate allowances for growth
expansion.
The original NWESC blueprints had
called for facilities for piping in sea
water and other materials, but since
contract bids exceeded legislature
allotments, such items are being
eliminated in the actual construction of
the building. However, conduits have
been installed in the event that the
funds are appropriated. ,
Additional seminar rooms are also
planned for the center, as well as the
extension of existing laboratory space.
Provisions for their completion will have
to be included in a future budget
request to the legislature, but the time
of its submittal will depend largely on
college enrollment gains and classroom s
scheduling demands.
Currently there are no plans for any
elaborate landscaping of the area.
"At this point, nothing more than
grass will be planted," said Moore. This
is due, in part, to the construction of
the Social Sciences building, adjacent to
the center. Eventually, these two
buildings will be connected- by a
third-floor skybridge and a basement
tunnel.
The Northwest Environmental
Studies Center is the first in a series of
buildings planned for the development
of the southern portion of Western's
campus.
Future structures, tentatively on the
jdrawing board, but not yet allotted
funding for, include a second social,
sciences building, in addition to the one
already under construction, and a new
student union building.
Moore explained that since the
present Viking Union, as situated,
attracts mainly off-campus students, the
new facility would provide a more
accessible gathering place for residents
of Fairhaven, Buchanan Towers, Birnam
Wood and the Ridgeway Dorm
Complex.
Whether or not, these proposed
structures will be actually realized,
according to Moore, depends on
legislative action when "growth requires
it."
Inside...
Western oarsmen seek repeat win over UW
The Vikings upset the Huskies last weekend; tomorrow's six-school Lake
Samish races may rematch the two. See page 7.
English prof writes about, acts as 'Marlowe
It was written not just for its tragic effect but to "engage in the beauty
of the music and rhythm of the Elizabethan style." See page 2.
Food stamp users...
"They've lost the value of the do/far." Bellingham grocers agree that
' food stamp users buy more expensive items. See page 2.