Western Front - 1978 April 21

              BAKER SPRING VIEW — Mt. Baker, viewed from Guide Meridian, is an eyefull whether seen in clear or cloudy weather.
Housing and Dining wants rate increase
byJEFFPIETILA
Students will pay an average
of 5 percent more for campus
housing next year.
Western's Housing and Din­ing
System will present the
Board of Trustees with a rate
proposal for the 1978-79 aca­demic
year next month.
Development of the Lake-wood
property and modifica­tion
of buildings to benefit the
handicapped students are cited
as reasons for the 5 percent
average increase, Housing Di­rector
Pete Coy said.
Presently few places are
accessible to handicapped stu­dents,
Coy explained. Some
proposed changes will be
widening of doors and building
ramps in the dorms, as well as
lowering kitchens in Buchanan
Towers and Birnam Wood to
aid people in wheel chairs. A
system of flashing lights to help
deaf students in case of fire will
be installed.
Most of the people living in
the dorms sign a three-quarter
academic contract for a double
room and 15 meals per week.
Next year's cost for such a
contract will be $1,475, up $71
from last year's rate of $1,404.
In Buchanan Towers the
quarterly rate for two students
will jump from $605 to $645. At
Birnam Wood, the proposed
rate per quarter for two stu­dents
will be $780, up $45 from
this year's cost of $735.
Housing at Fairhaven College
will jump to the highest in­crease
in the system. The cost
of a two-bedroom unit at Fair-haven
will be $690. a quarterly
increase of 7 percent from this
year's $645 rate.
The increase, which comes
just one year after a 4.7
percent hike, still will leave
Western with competitively
priced housing, Coy said.
"Even with our increase, we
still will have the second-lowest
rates of all the state colleges
and universities," Coy explain­ed.
Only Eastern's rates are
lower, he said.
Coy attributes the low rates
to an efficient operation and an
efficient food service. "Saga is
a very large corporation and
this gives them very large
buying power," Coy explained.
"We tell Saga what kind of
program we want. We may pay
a little more for it, but the
service is quite good. We're all
pleased with Saga," Coy said.
Northwest Free University claims $1,100 loss
byJOHNWATKEVS
About $1,100, all the regis­tration
money the Northwest
Free University received for
this quarter, disappeared on
April 12.
Coordinator Frank Tranter
and volunteer Rennie Kessler
set out to deliver some card­board
to Thermal Reduction,
Inc. in Ferndale, then to the
bank to deposit the money. The
money was between them on
the seat.
They delivered the card­board
and returned to Belling-ham
when they realized the
money was gone, Kessler said.
The police have not been
notified.
"We don't think the money
was stolen," Kessler said. "We
think it most likely was therm­ally
reduced (burned)."
Inside Bellingham Blazers
The young men who play for the Bellingham Blazers are
playing much more than a game. They are trying to make a
dream come true. Page 10.
Jazz bass and guitar
Qay Hartl reviews albums hy two ex Return to Forever
members, bassist Stanley Clarke and guitarist Al DiMeola.
See page J9!.
News to Me
Neutron bomb controversy is a red-hot topic. The political
sparring and 'right moves' psyching of world leaders are
investigated. Page 6.
Kessler said he and Tranter
never went out of sight of the
truck while they were unload­ing
the cardboard.
Endorsed checks made up
$510 of the $1,100 and the rest
was cash.
Letters were sent to all the
people who wrote the checks,
asking them to stop payment on
them and send in new ones.
Donations also were requested.
"The response has been
gratifying so far," Kessler said.
He said Northwest Free Uni­versity
classes would take
place, and all the school's bills
will be paid. The coordinators,
Tranter and his wife, will not
be paid.
Tranter was unavailable for
comment. Kessler said he was
in Portland, Ore., visiting
friends.
Kessler said, "If someone
found it and figures it's 'finders
keepers,' we hope they spend it
well."