Western Front - 2003 October 28

              •-
ISSUE 11
VOLUME 127
THE TOXI-CITY
Whatcom County residents
properly dispose of toxics.
Features, Page 13
VOLLEYBALL WINS
Western keeps record winning
streak alive.
Sports, Page 16
CLICK, CLICK, GIVE
Western snow-sport photog­rapher
exposes locals.
Features, Page 9
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
The Western Front TUESDAY
OCT. 28,2003
Drinking still
on the rise
despite ads
BY KADI ANDERSON
The Western Front
Western advocates that students should fit
in, if fitting in means drinking none, one, two
or three alcoholic beverages when they go out.
A Harvard University study released in July
found no decrease in drinking on campuses
that employ the social-norm technique, which
informs students of the normative behavior
among other students. The study compared 37
colleges that use the technique to 61 colleges
that do not, and attributed the findings to the
social-norm approach.
"(Western) is testing the approach, and so
far, we have had promising results," said
Pat Fabiano, director of Prevention and
Wellness Services at Western. "Good science
doesn't happen overnight."
The U.S. Department of Education and the
National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol
Abuse granted Western $990,000 over a period
of six years to test the effectiveness of Western's
social-norm approach, which began, in 1997,
Fabiano said.
"The philosophy we work on is risk reduc­tion,"
said Elva Giddings, coordinator of
Western's Alcohol and Drug Consultation
Assessment and Skills program. "Strictly
abstinence is one of many choices, and we
make it very clear that individuals make their
own choices."
The programs, such as Life of the Party and
SEE Drunk, PAGE 4
Cascade comes home
Second time a charm
as Western wins its
conference opener
BY MATT DEVEAU
The Western Front
To brings the Cascade Cup home to
Bellingham, Western's football team had to
call on a hometown quarterback.
After two Western quarterbacks, senior
Josh Shimek and junior Steve Nichols, were
forced out of the game with shoulder injuries,
Western redshirt freshman and Sehome High
School graduate James Monrean entered the
fray. Monrean helped the Vikings to a 17-16
victory over rival Central Washington
University Saturday at Civic Field.
With Western trailing Central by six
points, Monrean rushed 14 yards for a first
down. He threw = = ^ = ^ = =
Full Coverage:
Game coverage
begins on Page 10
in Sports.
JUSTIN MCCAUGHAN/THE WESTERN FRONT
Western senior defensive tackle Brad Mann and his teammates celebrate the
return of the Cascade Cup to Western after their team's victory over rival
Central Washington University. The Vikings defeated the Wildcats 1.7-16.
to Western
sophomore wide
receiver Andy
Olson, who made
a phenomenal
o n e -han-d-e d • - - -'••--•
catch and rumbled down the right sideline
to give the Vikings a first-and-goal on the
Wildcat 7-yard line.
After three unsuccessful attempts to push
the ball into the end zone, Western sopho­more
running back Duncan Sherrard dove
across the goal line for a one-yard touch­down,
tying the score at 16. with 43 seconds
remaining in the game. Western junior kicker
Michael Koenen drilled the point after touch­down
to seal the victory for the Vikings.
GUR reform still
ahead for Western
BY PORFDUO PENA
The Western Front
The Academic Coordinating Commission will meet
today to discuss the changes to the General University
Requirement structure, but the changes will affect few cur­rent
Western students.
The ACC began discussing a proposal this quarter, written
by the General Education Task Force, a group of faculty and
students, for a full revision of Western's GUR structure.
"The purpose of GURs, in general, is to give students a
well-rounded education," said Kevin Stock, Associated
Student vice president for business and operations. "The rea­son
we're looking at reform now is that many students,
including myself, don't feel it's doing that."
SEE Reform, PAGE 4
Tjp.proiit
New class explores
the shady underworld
of monsters.
News, Page 6
College costs put pressure on students' wallets
Volunteers make a
difference nation­wide.
News, Page?
For neire tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail The
WesternFrontatwfront@cc.wwu.edu
BY KATTLIN KING
The Western Front
Western freshman Theresa
Thesenvitz said she feels pressured to
find a job to pay her tuition. With her
parents paying for part of school, she
said she has been forced to use loans
to pay for the rest.
"I will eventually have to get a job to
help pay for school," Thesenvitz said.
"I have three loans right now, and I am
slowly paying off as much as I can."
Thesenvitz, who pays in-state
tuition, represents a large portion of
Western's student body that feels the
strain of ever-increasing tuition.
Last Tuesday, the College Board's
annual Trends in College Pricing
study revealed the average tuition for
four-year public universities in the
United States is 47 percent higher
than it was 10 years ago. According to
the study, public universities, which
rely heavily on government money,
are being hit hard.
Mary Murray, program coordinator
of Western's Center for Work
Experience, said cuts in federal funding
for education not only caused tuition
to rise, but also affected money avail­able
for students.
"The amount of money available
for our work-study program has gone
down at the same time tuition has
raised," Murray said.
Murray said she estimated 500 to
600 students have work-study jobs this
year, which is approximately 25 fewer
jobs than last year.
"Work-study jobs are a limited
SEE Poor, PAGE 6
Bellingham': blows out 100 candles
TANYA ROZEBOOM/ THE WESTERN FRONT
Bellingham resident Carolyn Wilhite reads
about Bellingham's beginning days.
B Y TANYA ROZEBOOM
The Western Front
Marie Reed, 95, knows what
living in Bellingham was like
during both world wars and the
Great Depression because she
has been a Bellingham resident
since 1910.
"I remember what it was like
when each corner was a saloon,"
Reed said. "I worked in a tavern
uptown on State Street, and the bar
was all one solid piece of wood."
A year-and-a-half-long birth­day
party for the city of
Bellingham began Sunday with a
celebration at the Whatcom
Museum of History and Art in
honor of Bellingham's 100th
birthday.
The Bellingham Centennial is
an 18-month community celebra­tion
consisting of events, activi­ties,
projects and exhibits that
honor Bellingham's past and cel­ebrate
its present and future.
"I am excited about celebrat­ing
the achievements of the last
hundred years and imagining
together the future of our
remarkable city," Bellingham
Mayor Mark Asmundson said.
Bellingham faces hew oppor­tunities
and challenges that will
SEE Centennial, PAGE 8