Western Front - 2001 October 12

              FRIDAY, October 12, 2001
The Western Front Western Washington University Volume 119 Issue 4 Bellingham, Washington
Freshman death a homicide
By Robert Gara Jr.
THE WESTERN FRONT
Last Sunday's death of fresh­man
Joshua Davis of Oak
Park, 111. is confirmed as a
homicide, the first ever on
Western's campus.
"It is important to note that
the classification of homicide
does not require intent to harm,"
University Police Chief Jim
Shaw said.
Whatcom County medical
examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel
said Davis died due to manual
asphyxiation, caused by pres­sure
to the neck and chest by
two undisclosed friends.
"Review of the investigation
reveals that the intent of the
friends' actions was only to pro­tect
their friend," Shaw said.
"Some very bad choices by
young students led to a tragic
series of events that resulted in
a student's death," said vice
president of External Affairs
BobEdie.
University officials declined to
identify the names of the two
students that took part in the
incident because the investiga­tion
is ongoing.
Initial reports of the case
were sent to the Whatcom
County prosecuting attorney's
office, where future actions may
be taken.
Davis and two friends each
ingested nine to 11 tablets of an
undisclosed over-the-counter
cold medication, along with mar­ijuana.
The combination of the
drugs led to Davis having an
adverse reaction, resulting in
him becoming delirious.
Goldfogel described delirious
behavior as, "crazy, violent and
put of control."
Davis attempted several times
to throw himself out of a third-story
dorm room window in
Ridgeway Delta, Shaw said.
"The window was dislodged
and found below, actually torn
from the hinges," Shaw said.
In order to restrain Davis, the
two friends attempted to pin him
down. A restraining struggle,
resulting in pressure on the chest
and neck, led to the manual
asphyxiation and death.
"There are consistent bruises
and marks that indicate that's
factually what happened," Shaw
said.
In review of the circum­stances,
the manner of death
was certified as homicide, Edie
said.
"There was quite a struggle
on the floor and at one point
also on the bed," Shaw said.
"There were some injuries sus­tained
by the friends attempt-
Vigil in Red Square calls for peace in Afghanistan
By Mindy Ransford
THE WESTERN FRONT
In response to the recent U.S.
air strike in Afghanistan,
approximately 100 people gath­ered
in Red Square Tuesday to
express their concerns for the
civilians in Afghanistan and the
need for alternative actions!:
Voices fell into silence during
evening phrases such as, 'Take
an active part in peace," "We
need an alternative" and "What
about the innocent people?"
could be heard in passing con­versations.
The assembled peo­ple
held Dixie cups containing
lit candles.
"We are here to reflect on the
bombings in Afghanistan by our
government," said Cori Jaeger,
program director for the Peace
Resource Center, "as well as
other governments and the vio­lence
going on in our country
against people, especially those
of Middle Eastern descent."
As she opened the vigil for
people to speak, everyone,
almost simultaneously, sat
down on the hard bricks of Red
Square.
Some people spoke passion­ately
about their quests for
Quoc Trail/ The Western Front
From left to right, Phillip Hammer, Carolina Reyes and Gabrielle Roesch sing songs of
peace along with approximately 100 others in Red Square.
peace amidst the war, and unit­ing
to form one loud voice.
"As citizens, as patriots, we
can do something about this
war," said Carolina Reyes,
assistant program director to
the Peace Resource Center."We
can raise our voices and say, 'we
don't want you doing this."'
As the vigil continued, the
group grew from a small gather­ing
of about 50 to a group of at
least 100. Speakers touched on
issues such as the racial back­lash
in America.
"One incident of backlash is
enough to make people stand up
and say something to bring
voice to those who have been
See VIGIL, Page 6
Poor eating habits reason for 'freshman 15/ not Sodexho
By LisaMandt
THE WESTERN FRONT
Heather Trimm/ The Western Front
Western junior Andrew Brown works at Pacific Traders.
Students would like to blame
the Sodexho dining services for
their "freshman 15," but in real­ity,
it's the students' overindul­gence
that is adding the extra
weight, said general manager of
the dining services Nori
Yamashita.
"We have the option to eat
healthy," Western freshman
Jason Barschaw said. "We just
don't do it."
Many students are concerned
about the nutritional value of
the dining services at Western.
They believe the food is high in
fat, cooked with poor quality
meat and lacks nutrition.
Though some aspects of these
beliefs are true, others prove to
be a myth.
"We have healthier options,"
Yamashita said, "but the stu­dents
go to the French fries."
Yamashita said he is guilty
also; every morning he has a
donut and a cup of coffee. He
said during the 25 years he's
worked at the dining services,
he has gained 25 pounds, which
he attributed to his age.
~ See SODEXHO, Page 4
ing to deal with the episode —
a bloody nose for sure, possibly
broken, and some minor abra­sions,
cuts and bite marks. Both
students were cooperative with
officials"
Shaw said Davis was con­firmed
dead upon arrival of the
UP and medical team at 4:15
a.m.
The pressure on Davis' chest
stopped the circulation of blood
going to his head, Goldfogel said.
A great deal of pressure is not
necessary to kill someone, and
an adverse reaction to any drug
can happen to anyone. Over-the-
See HOMICIDE, Page 4
Trustees to
consider on-campus
house
By Joseph Terrell
THE WESTERN FRONT
The governor-appointed
board of trustees gave the go-ahead
last Friday for Western to
study the idea of putting a
house on campus for President
Morse and her family.
^.rThis means that Western will
begin the process of hiring a
consultant, who will then sur­vey
other state universities and
universities similar to Western
outside the state, primarily of
the West Coast, to see how they
house their presidents and host
fund-raising events.
"We want to take a look at
what other institutions in the
state do, including University of
Washington and Washington
State (University)," said Bob
Edie, vice president for
External Affairs.
"There has been no decision
See HOUSE, Page 6
i \ THIS ISSUl
Cascade Cup
Three-peat?
Western attempts to take
third victory over long-time
rival Central Washington
University Saturday.
See story, Page 10.
One-man show
packs the PAC
Tim
Reynolds,
known for
playing with
the Dave
Matthews
Band, played
to a sold-out
crowd.
See story, Page 8.
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail The Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu http://westernfrontonline.com