Western Front - 2001 January 26

              The Western Front
Western Washington University Volume. 115 Issue 4 Bellingham, Washington
State universities ethnically similar
By Rachael Ries
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western's campus seems
small compared to Washington
State University or the
University of Washington, but
its student population is just as
ethnically well rounded.
Of the 11,886 undergraduate
students enrolled for winter
quarter 2001, 21 percent are
students of color. This means
when applications came in, stu­dents
checked off the box corre­sponding
to their ethnic back­ground
African-American,
American Indian, Hispanic,
Asian-American, Other or
International. Less than 1 per­cent
of applicants chose not to
identify themselves.
"In this last year, we've been
working with the admissions
office to build a stronger attach­ment
to students of color who
are. applying to Western and
how their transition is into our
services here at the Ethnic
Student Center," ESC adviser
Michael Vendiola said.
WSU's campus exceeds
Western by more than 6,000
students but has only 14 per­cent
students of color. Part of
the reason for the low number
of non-Caucasian students cor­responds
to the school's loca­tion.
See ETHNICITY, Page 6
Bill McDonald Parkway roadwork to continue into February
Angela D. Smith/ The Western Front
Construction worker Dave Thomas removes a barrier Thursday afternoon from the northbound lane of Bill McDonald
Parkway near Western's south end.
By Kristie Aukofer and
Brendan Manning
THE WESTERN FRONT
Construction along 21st
Street and Bill McDonald
Parkway will continue to cause
traffic problems for at least
another month, University
sources said.
"This is a complicated pro­ject,"
said Michael Durbin, the
project engineer at David Evans
and Associates. 'Issues like
weather and traffic control are
factors in the delay,"
The roadway and sidewalk are
nearly complete, as is a new
bicycle lane, but new stoplights
and landscaping may take some
time. The plants for the land­scaping
are expected to arrive"
next week and will be planted a
month from now. The sidewalks
are nearly done.
'The big holdups with traffic
should be removed, but there
will be minor inconveniences,
like heavy equipment by the
road," Durbin said.
The current road work
See ROAD, Page 5
Slamming
the gavel on
drug crimes
By Angela D. Smith
THE WESTERN FRONT
"Do you think you have a drug
problem?"
"Yes."
"What's your drug of choice?"
"Methamphetamines."
The middle-aged man stood in
front of the judge, shifting from
foot to foot while waiting to see if
he would be accepted into Drug
Court.
'You'll have to attend 90 meet­ings
in 90 days," said Judge Mick
Moynihan, the Drug Court over­seer.
Drug Court is a program sepa­rate
from the regular proceedings
of the Whatcom Superior Court.
See COURT, Page 6
Notable doctor talks about the world within
By Emily Garrigues
THE WESTERN FRONT
When Dr. Oliver Sacks was a
medical student 45 years ago, he
saw a patient who still sticks out in
his mind today.
The patient, an elderly man suf­fering
from kidney failure and
delirium, captivated Sacks.
"In his delirium, his life and
identity became clearer," Sacks, an
internationally renowned neurolo­gist
and author, said Wednesday
night at Western's Performing Arts
Center. "He spoke of himself, an
autobiography of sorts. His life
came through, as did his voice and
style ... even in the face of profuse
brain damage."
Sacks spoke as a part of
Western's Distinguished Lecture
Series.
"That patient showed me that
despite strokes, despite loss of
speech or any other impairment,
See AWAKENINGS, Page 6
Dr. Oliver
Sacks
speaks on
the wonder
and horror
of the
human
mind, and
the unique
conditions
afflicting
people
around the
world.
Daniel J.
Peters/ The
Western Front
Western
economics
professor
falls victim
to cancer
He leaves behind
legacy of hard
work, innovation
By Brittany Sadler
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western professor of
Economics David Merrifield
died Jan. 24 after losing an
ongoing battle with cancer. He
was 52.
'Everything from govern­ment
agencies to local
businesses would come to
him with questions. (He)
was the guy we 'd look to
for answers because he
knew the field.'
David Nelson
Economics Department chairman
A memorial service is sched­uled
for 2 p.m. Sunday in the
Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall on Western's
campus.
Merrifield is survived by his
wife, Denise, daughter
Sandra, 16, and son Michael,
13.
Merrifield was director of
Western's Center for Economic
and Business Research, and
was well known throughout
the business community of the
northwest for his economic
See MERRIFIELD, Page 6
IN THIS ISSUE
Robbing the Banked
Slalom
The 17th annual Legendary
Banked Slalom kicks off
today at Mount Baker.
See Story, Page 11.
Captured! by Robots
at the 3B
Witness brutality of
enslavement
by robots.
They plan to
take over the
world, but
Saturday night
they'll settle for
the3B.
See Story Page 9.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail the Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu http://westernfront.wwu.edu