Western Front - 2001 October 9

              TUESDAY, October 9,2001
Western Washington University Volume 119 Issue 3 Bellingham, Washington
Freshman dies in Ridgeway Delta
By Robert Gara Jr.
THE WESTERN FRONT
Tragedy not only hit the
United States recently, but also
at Western.
A Western freshman from
Illinois was pronounced dead in"
the Ridgeway Delta residence
hall Sunday morning. It was
only his second week at school.
Two friends and fellow freshmen
were present in the room when
he suddenly stopped breathing,
University Police Chief Jim
Shaw said.
The students contacted a
Delta staff member who called
the UP. Upon arrival at 4:15
a.m., UP officers and
Bellingham Fire Department
personnel administered. CPR.
At 4:43 a.m., the student was
pronounced dead.
Officials and Delta residents
remained silent, concealing the
student's name until the parents
can be reached.
"This is a tragedy on top of a
tragedy," Shaw said. "Death is a
serious thing on any level, but
especially in & small town. We
are really up in the air (about
the cause) until we get medical
reports back. He was a healthy,
18-year-old young man."
Small amounts of marijuana,
drug paraphernalia and an over-the-
counter drug were found at
the scene, Shaw said. Signs of
alcohol were not found, but until
specific results from the
Whatcom County medical exam­iner
are released, nothing has
been ruled out.
UP Assistant Chief David
Doughty and Shaw both said
that speculation could be detri­mental
until all the facts are
certain. The investigation is
ongoing.
Since the early 1970s, three
comparable tragedies occurred
at Western. During the 1980s,
Ridgeway Gamma suffered a
similar loss, Doughty said. At
first assessment officials
thought the cause of death was
alcohol, but the autopsy later,
confirmed the student had an
unknown brain tumor.
An all-Delta meeting took
place Sunday night to counsel
students affected by the stu­dent's
death. Counseling avail­ability,
how to cope .with loss and
signs of stress were discussed at
the gathering.. Students
received a handout with stress
management tips.
Eileen Coughlin; Western's
vice president of Student
Affairs, said providing Delta
students with counsel and sup­port
is the task at hand to recov­er
from the freshman's death.
"It's hard to assess the total
effect," Coughlin said.
"Everyone is different in the way
See DEATH, Page 4
Gay student panel talks to Western students
in celebration of National Coming Out Week
By Emily Christianson
THE WESTERN FRONT
Nikki Wood remembers being
in the sixth grade, playing with
the boys and chasing the girls.
That was when she realized she
was different.
"I took on that role, as an 11-
year-old boy," Western student
Wood said. "I hoped each day I
would turn into a boy magically,
not necessarily so I could date
the girls but because I could be
in that gender role, so that it
would be OK."
Students shared stories simi­lar
to Wood's Monday night at
Western's "Coming Out Stories
and Zine Party," a panel discus­sion
put on as a part of National
Coming Out Week and coordi­nated
by the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender Alliance
(LGBTA).
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgendered people have been
gathering annually in support of
openness about their sexuality
since the 1988 Gay and Lesbian
March in Washington.
Emily Stansifer, assistant
coordinator of Western's
LGBTA, said the group's focus
this year is on coming out and
coming out issues.
"Panels are especially effec­tive
because people can identify
with these people when they see
them around campus," Stansifer
said. "It creates a safe place."
Many of the students on the
panel reported having a positive
experience coming out to their
peers and families, while some
had difficulties.
Wood said middle school and
high school were tough. She
lived as a straight person, know­ing
it wasn't who she was.
"Social pressures were a lot
harder, trying to figure out who
I was and who I felt comfortable
being," Wood said. "I tried to
date boys, but I never really felt
See PANEL, Page 4
Sexual crime
higher than
UP stats state
By Cara Hazzard
THE WESTERN FRONT
Sexual crime among Western
students occurs more often than
official statistics show.
University Police's Annual
Security Report listed no sexual
assaults on campus for 2000 and
three each for 1999 and 1998.
Sarah Rankin, director of
Crime and Sexual Assault
Support Services, said during the
2000-2001 school year alone, she
saw 87 students.
'On average, we see
one sexual assault a week,
often in the context of a
date or party!
Dr. Emily Gibson
Student Health Center
medical director
"The vast majority of people I
see are dealing with sexual
assault, dating and domestic vio­lence
and stalking," Rankin said.
Rankin said of those 87 cases,
54 percent were sexual assault.
Rankin said 20 of her cases were
students dealing with a sexual
assault or attempted sexual
assault at Western.
Nancy Corbin of the Counseling
Center, when asked about the
security report's official numbers,
said, 'It's definitely more than
that."
Corbin said the Counseling
Center sees many students who
are dealing with some kind of
assault.
"It certainly is a very real prob­lem
here," Corbin said.
Assistant Chief of University
Police Dave Doughty said for an
See CRIMES, Page 4
v Quoc Tran/TheJ^estem Front
Nikki Wood, far right, with Andrew Dawe, Kelly Smith and
Kammi Lopez, said the atmosphere at Western allowed
her to come to terms with her sexual orientation.
Homecoming victory
for the Vikings
The Vikings' offense came
to life Saturday as they
defeated South Dakota State
University 45-28 at Civic
Stadium.
See story, Page 10
Tastes Better
Raw
The art of sushi visits
Western at Vendors Row.
See story, Page 8
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