Western Front - 2002 February 12

              Western Washington University Volume 120 Issue 9 Bellingham, Washington
Vandals steal cash from copy machines
By Heather June Olah
THE WESTERN FRONT
Two hundred dollars was
stolen from copy machines- in
Wilson Library Saturday night.
The break-in caused $18,000 in
damages, said University Police
Assistant Chief Dave Doughty.
The theft and damage
occurred when someone used a
tool to pry open the bill and coin
collectors in the back of the
machines, causing money to
spill out, Doughty said.
"I walked by the copy
machines and there was money
all over the floor," said Julene
Sodt, a full-time, librarian at
Haggard Hall. "I didn't even
notice the damage was in the
back of the coin collectors."
Doughty said the UP believes
someone hid in the library after
closing. No forced entry was
apparent.
"It's really easy to hide out in
a big library like that," Doughty
said.
Whatcom Community College
had a similar break-in Friday
night. Copy machines in-the new
student center were vandalized
and then robbed in a manner
similar to those in Haggard
Hall, Bellingham Police Lt. Dae
Jamison said.
Also, three to four locations
were broken into at WCC,.
including the Pavilion. Broken
Work party groups weed, clean Outback Farm
By Sarah Loehndorf
THE WESTERN FRONT
Two girls holding shovels and
pulling out weeds stood in plas­tic
Haggen bags to protect their
shoes from the muddy path on a
cold overcast Sunday morning.
"I am not a nature person,"
Western freshman Elizabeth
Robertson said. "It's not that I
don't like the outdoors, it's just
that I am not used to it.",
Robertson and Western fresh­man
Katie Zaitz were part of a
group of two dozen students
who; •Volunteered their time
Saturday to pull out blackberry
bushes and plant trees as part
of a Learning Environment
Action TKscovery activity.
The work party was the sec­ond
part of a three part series to
cut down and clean out the
invasive blackberries that have
taken over part of the Outback
garden. The Outback is a com­munity
garden between
Fairhaven and Buchanan
Towers that is open to all
Western students.
After clearing some of the
blackberries, the group planted
native species of plants
throughout the garden.
Zaitz said she had seen the
Outback from Buchanan Towers
and didn't know what it was.
"At first it didn't look like
much," Zaitz said. "Now that we
See LEAD, Page 4
Attey Kato/The Western Front
Sacha Maxwell and Harmony Tappan organize and plan how they are going to contribute
to the Outback Farm project. Two dozen students volunteered Saturday as part of the
Learning Environment Action Discovery, a work day hosted in the Outback Garden by
Huxley College of Environmental Science.
Reports show carpet compound caused faculty health problems
Amber Hurley/ The Western Front
Workers moved their belongings from the 32nd Street
buildings in January after employees complained of
headaches, confusion and nervous irritation. Problems
with the building began in December.
By Josh Haupt
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western received three
reports detailing the reasons
for reported health problems
by faculty working in four
administrative offices, which
led to the offices being moved
during winter break.
The main concerns with the
building are excessive amounts
of dust in the ventilation sys­tem,
earpeting and moisture
seepage through the building's
concrete, Director of Facilities
Management Tim Wynn said in
a press release.
Prezant Associates, Indoor
Environmental Engineering and
Neudorfer Engineers Inc. all
prepared reports for Western. .
All three companies agreed pri
the causes :of breathing prob­lems
in months leading up to
the move, said Wynn.
According to the report by
Indoor Environmental Engineer­ing,
the high levels of caprolactum
found in air samples taken from
the building can be linked to the
breathing complaints.
Caprolactum is a volatile organ­ic
compound released by carpets.
According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, short-term
exposure to caprolactum may
result in irritation and burning of
the eyes, nose, throat and skin.
Workers exposed through inhala­tion
report headaches, confusion
and nervous irritation.
Further tests will be conduct­ed
by Dawson Construction to
determine if the levels of capro­lactum
are high enough to be
blamed for the complaints,
according to the press release.
Blythe Plumbing and Electric
will correct the Ventilation prob-lehis,
according to the press
release.
Before Wynn decided to move
See REPORT, Page 4
windows and a door, and a dam­aged
ATM also resulted from the
break-in, Jamison said.
Suspected vandals stole
money and candy from several
vending machines also, Jamison
said.
"It's not unusual for vending
machines to be hit," Jamison
See THEFT, Page 4
Professor receives
NEA grant after
memoir success
By Margo Horner
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western English professor
Suzanne Paola will take the
next two quarters off to write
her second non-fiction book
after receiving a grant from the
National Endowment for the
Arts.
Paola's first non-fiction book,
written under the pseudonym
Susanne Antonetta, was nation­ally
recognized in 2001. "Body
Toxic: An Environmental
Memoir" was included on the
New York Times list of most
notable books for the year.
Body Toxic was also ranked
one of the top 10 best memoirs
.-of -2Q01---on -Amazon.com. The
average customer review was
four out of five stars.
"Her scathing but matter-of-fact
tone gives the author a
greater authority as a prophet
of the whirlwind we are reaping
from careless contamination of
our natural resources," Wendy
Smith of Amazon.com said.
Paola has also found success
locally.
"(Body Toxic) probably ranked
among our best selling memoirs
last year," said Chuck Robinson,
owner of Village Books.
'There's a reflective quality to
it (Body Toxic) that I really
_~~ See BOOK, Page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Come on ride
the train
Lake Whatcom Railway's
annual Valentine train takes
locals on one of many
themed voyages.
See story, Page 8.
Viking women fall to
Central
Viking women
lose to rival
Central 72-85.
Both teams are
now tied for
first with five
games remain­ing
in the regular season.
See story, Page 10.
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