Western Front - 2000 May 2

              D
in
Western Washington University
TUESDAY, May 2,2000
Volume 112 Issue 10 Bellingham, Washington
Internet limit may be set at 4 hours per day
Photographer/The Western Front
Western will monitor Internet usage and possibly limit it.
By Laura Rabel
THE WESTERN FRONT
Free Internet access through
Western has a few students
overusing the privilege, which
could lead to a campus-wide
restriction on the amount of
hours students are allowed
Online each week, said Jerry
Boles, Vice-Provost for
Information "and Telecommuni­cation
Services.
"Right now we have a modem
pool of 192 lines for access," Boles
said. "A few students are staying
on all the time."
Students may now be connect­ed
to a Western modem for up to
two hours before being discon­nected,
when it is possible to
reboot. However, some students
tie up lines for excessive hours
per week.
Local activists reach critical mass
Bikes crowd streets,
police escort protest
through downtown
By Erin Crumpacker
THE WESTERN FRONT
Numerous bicycle trails in
Bellingham provide locals with
enjoyment, but whenit comes to
road biking the number of rules
and fines make freedom hard to
come by.
Approximately 40 bicyclists
participated Friday in Critical
Mass, a monthly rally allowing
cyclists to ride and promote road
biking to the community.
"Most of the traffic laws are
written for cars and are applied
to bicycles," Critical Mass par­ticipant
Brian Hindman said.
Hindman, an avid bicyclist,
said he believes bikers should
yield at stop signs instead of
being forced to stop because
they thrive on forward momen­tum.
Friday's Critical Mass began
outside of Boundary Bay
Brewery and Bistro, on Railroad
Street. Hindman led the group
and formed the route as he rode
along. The group cycled on the
side of the road toward Bellis
Fair Mall and back to down­town.
The Bellingham police rode
beside the group the entire
route.
Steve Felmley, a Bellingham
police officer said, "We're here to
maintain public order."
At the previous Critical Mass
one person was arrested. At this
Critical Mass, Bellingham police
cited one person for running a
red light. Fines generally cost
$47, but the judge considers a
person's record when a person is
cited.
Felmley, along with several
other officers,, rode along and
warned riders about the follow­ing
bicycle rules, staying to the
far right, of the lane, not travel­ling
over the center line and
stopping at red lights and stop
signs.
Critical Mass is a type of
international activism for bicy­clists
and occurs on the last
Friday of every month. It began
in San Francisco in 1992 with 48
participants. Since then, it has
grown significantly. In larger
cities, more than 500 people
have joined in the ride. Today,
more than 90 cities in the
United States participate in
Critical Mass, as well as many
cities around the world, includ­ing
Sydney, Paris and London.
Critical Mass received its
name from Ted White's docu­mentary
film about bicycling,
"Return to the Scorcher." The
See CRITICAL MASS, page 4
Matt Anderson/The Western Front
Budy McCasey, veteran Critical Mass rider, pedals away
from the pack during Friday's ride. The riders went round
trip from Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro to Bellis Fair
Mall in protest of bad bike routes in Bellingham
Konnichiwa: Japanese
culture has hello week
Erin Crumpacker/The Western Front
Japanese students David No and Yen-Chang S. Chen open
Japan week with the skit "Let's Go to the Game Center."
By Dionna M. Dominguez
THE WESTERN FRONT
The Japanese program at
Western is hosting Japan Week
2000, from May 1 to May 4, to
promote understanding and
awareness of Japanese culture.
The theme for the fourth annu­al
event is, "Facing the 21st
Century." All events are free of
charge and open to the public.
"This event is a cooperation
between the university, the local
community and the Seattle
Consulate," said Michiko Yusa,
modern and classical languages
chair.
An activity new to Japan Week
begins Tuesday at 4 p.m. at
Haggard Hall, room 253. A stu­dent
panel will discuss issues
such as cultural etiquette, legal
procedures and language barri­ers
they have dealt with trying to
acclimate to another country.
Yoshiro Hanai, a visiting assis­tant
teacher from Japan, is a
Masters student at Nagoya
University of Foreign Studies
and is contracted at Western for
only one year.
"It was difficult getting settled
in the states, with having to get a
social security number, a univer­sity
contract and tax-exempt
See JAPAN, page 3
"Most people are Online a rea­sonable
amount of hours but
there are a few that are using it
too much," Boles said. "This is an
issue we are trying to get a han­dle
on because it can deny use to
others."
Certain times in the quarter
offer more of a challenge for stu­dents
to get Online.
"The only time I have ever had
See ONLINE, page 4
Sabbatical
funds grow
$165,000
By Hillary Smith
THE WESTERN FRONT
Funding for faculty research
time and expenses at Western
grew more than $165,000 since
1992.
Applications for research
grants, however, have decreased.
The Summer Research Grant
program, which allows recipients
to devote large amounts of time
to research, has remained stag­nant
in funding since 1997 with
the exception of a one-time
$30,000 allocation in 1999.
^'•^The' University Planning
'Council, acting, as a liaison
'-between faculty and Western,
recommended in April increased
funding for Summer Research
Awards, are state-funded grants.
"In our considered opinion,
incremental increases reflective
of the growth in the size of the
faculty as well as of productivity,
would be appropriate," UPC
members stated in the Spring
Report on Research Support.
Sources of funding suggested
in the report are indirect costs,
See GRANTS, page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Foiled again
Fencing club freshman
Vincent Nguyen won first
place in the novice foil
competition Saturday, in
the club's second annual
spring fencing tournament.
See pages 8 to 9.
Brigid Collins House
The Brigid
Collins
House pro­vides
coun­seling,
social
interaction
for victims of
domestic violence
See page 7.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail the Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu http://westenifront.wwu.edu