Western Front - 2004 November 19

              ISSUE 1$
Volume 131
LYRICAL DANCE
Western's Dance Makers
spread the spirit of dance.
Accent, Page 7
NEW$
Media conglomeration puts business
interests ahead of news.
Opinions, Page 10
STILL RUNNING
Laura Trevellyan competes
in nationals Saturday.
Sports, Page 8
Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington The Western Front Friday
Nov. 19, 2004
Western makes
best of school
funding issues
Editor's note: This is the fourth of a four-part series
examining higher education in Washington.
By Anastasia Tietje
The Western Front
In the face of limited funding, overcrowding and direct-transfer
agreements, Western has remained steady as many
colleges started to panic.
Because Initiative 884 failed, Western must create other
ways to receive funding. One project already in the works
is a performance compact, said Paula Rustan, the executive
director for university planning and budgeting.
In exchange for performance from Western, the state
providesjstable funding, she said. The compact also will
help achieve better funding for each student.
"The state gives us funding now," Rustan said. "The
funding will be improved through the compact."
The compact will help compensate for the money Western
would have received from 1-884.
Money is constantly a problem in managing a college,
Rustan said. Colleges are always working to create more
funds. . - •
"I believe the compact idea being worked on by the
provost office ensures a proposal for increased funding for
Western," Rustan said. "I think that will be enough."
While the compact is in the process of creating funding
for Western, tuition rates may change. They will probably .
continue to increase, she said.
"The state's revenue available for higher education
has declined over the years," Rustan said, "Tuition has
increased to replace that support."
Increased tuition could keep money flowing into Western,
SEE Education, PAGE 4
Maybe on the bay
Chris Taylor/The Western Front
Georgia-Pacific's property on Bellingham Bay could possibly be the site of Western's development to the
waterfront. No construction will begin, however, until the Port of Bellingham cleans up any contamination.
Western continues waterfront discussions
By Michael Murray
The Western Front
Bellingham'swaterfrontdevelopment
still has many unanswered questions,
one of which is whether Western will
participate in the renovations.
The third open forum to discuss
Western's possible presence on the
waterfront took place Thursday in the
Old Main Theatre. The agenda of the
meeting was to discuss ideas pertaining
to Western's option to participate.
The forums are a result of an
agreement on June 23 between the Port
of Bellingham and Georgia-Pacific for
the port's possible acquisition of 137
acres of G-P's waterfront property
and approximately 100 acres of
undeveloped property outside the city
in exchange for the port to take over the
decontamination of the G-P property.
"Whatever (Western's involvement)
is, we want it to look like Western," said
Buff Schoenfeld, executive assistant to
Western's president Karen Morse. "We
don't want a building with a sign tacked
on it saying 'WWU.'"
The attendees of the meeting divided
into four committees. The academic
programs, discreet functions or offices,
programs with specific community
collaborationorrelevance andmultiple-use
facilities committees brainstormed
different possibilities for Western.
"The one key that seems to run
through all the committees is a Western/
SEE Waterfront, PAGE 3
Students plan against racism
By Mary Andoni
The Western Front
A few white students are approaching
racial issues from their perspective. They are
educating white students about racism and
challenging a system from which they said they
have benefited.
Approximately 20 students gathered at
Fairhaven College Thursday to participate in a
conversation about racism and white privilege.
The introductory meeting allowed students to
brainstorm ideas and discuss the role white
people play in racism.
Although the meeting was part of an
unofficial club, many students said they agreed
they wanted a name that was inclusive and
best represents their goal of fighting racism.
Students said they wanted to develop skills
to confront racism, examine white privilege,
develop ties with other groups and have a firm
understanding of the history of racism.
Western junior David Cahn, who helped start
Debate team travels to Korea
Lauren Miller/The Western Front
Western junior David Cahn, left, discuss­es
forming a club Thursday at Fairhaven
College. The club would be for white
students to organize against racism.
the club, said he wanted to gather like-minded
people in a room to start talking about white
privilege and racism.
SEE Club, PAGE 3
By Tanya Rozeboom
The Western Front
With topics ranging from genetically
modified food to terrorism, three members
of Western's debate team argued a variety
of issues while attending the Northeast
Asian College Debate Championship
Nov, 3 to Nov. 9 in Seoul, South Korea.
Western debate team member Lauren
Chudecke said twelve members of the
debate team are traveling this weekend
to Texas Technical College for a debate
tournament.
Western debate team members
Chudecke, Ryan Mclrvin and Zachary
Frazier traveled with Western's assistant
debate coach Breanna Forni to Kyung
Hee University for several days of debate
involving students from throughout the
world.
Out of approximately 85 speakers at the
tournament, Chudecke, a Western senior,
placed second for individual speakers.
Mclrvin, a Western senior, placed fourth
and Frazier, a Western junior, placed
ninth.
Western's head debate coach Steve
Woods said teams from the United States,
Korea, Pakistan, Thailand and Japan
participated in the tournament.
"It was interesting because there was
only one other team from the U.S., which
was Claremont College in California,"
Woods said.
Woods said this is the second year
members of Western's debate team have
participated in the championship. One of
the reasons they returned this year was
because of the friendship he said he built
with Dr. Gyeong-ho Hurr, the head debate
coach at Kyung Hee University.
Chudecke said 29 teams, with three
speakers each, debated at the tournament.
SEE Debate, PAGE 3
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