Western Front - 2005 May 10

              t
HE WESTERN FRONT
AY, MAY 10, 2005 • WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY • BELLINGHAM, WASH. •WESTERNFRONTONLINE.COM
ISSUE 12
VOLUME 133
Fire can't stop VRI
ZACH KYLE/The Western Front
Western senior Matt Willson repairs the damage Thursday's fire caused to hybrid car, Viking 32,
in the Vehicle Research Institute.
Hybrid car, Viking 32, able to compete in
national championships despite fire
BY ZACH.KYLE team from competing in the American Tour de Sol
The Western Front competition in New York, May 13-15.
Matt Willson, Western senior and industrial
Students in Western's Vehicle Research Institute technology major, said the fire started when he and
program extinguished a fire in one of their cars four other students placed a battery pack into the car,
Thursday and wondered if months of hard work and causing an electrical short as the battery's positive and
plans to enter a national hybrid car competition were negative charges made contact.
derailed, VRI director Eric Leonhardt said. —
Despite their fears the fire will not prevent the see HYBRID, page 3
'Click It or Ticket' to
increase patrolling
BY KATE MILLER
The Western Front
The Bellingham Police
Department is adding extra traffic
patrols for the next four weeks as
part of a national "Click It or Ticket"
campaign geared toward increasing
seat-belt-use compliance.
Officers always enforce the law,
but with this new campaign officers
will work overtime focusing their
attention specifically on people
who are not wearing their seat
belts, Western's Campus Police
Sgt. Connie Satter said.
Officers will monitor eight
areas during the campaign, which
they will conduct May 9 - June 5,
Bellingham Police Chief Randall
Carroll said in a press conference
May 9. The police will patrol the
areas between Northwest Drive
and McLeod Road, Ohio and
King streets, Electric Avenue and
North Shore Drive, Sunset Drive
and Orleans Street, Northwest
Drive and Birchwood Avenue,
12th Street and the Old Fairhaven
district, Birch Street and Lakeway
Drive and downtown Bellingham,
Carroll said.
"Local traffic crashes kill more
people ages 1 to 40 years old than
any diseases," Carroll said of the
reason for the state's persistent
seat-belt-use enforcement.
Carroll said the areas of
concentration will change on a
weekly basis, but the Bellingham
Police Department selected them
because they are statistically higher
incident and accident zones. This
campaign is zero tolerance, which
means all drivers pulled over for
not wearing their seat belts will
receive a citation and pay the
standard fee of $101, Carroll said.
The fee does not change for the
campaign, but the patrols become
more stringent with citations.
"If we are in the downtown area
and see someone walking to their
car, we will remind them to put on
their seatbelt so they don't get a
ticket," Carroll said.
Carroll said the officers have
written more than 660 seat-belt
tickets since the "Click It or Ticket"
law went into effect in June 2002.
It has allowed officers to pull
over someone for not wearing a
seat belt as a primary offense, in
comparison to before the law when
it was a secondary offense.
Since then, the rate of seat-belt-use
compliance has increased 12
percent in Washington state, said.
Lowell Porter, director of the
Washington State Traffic Safety
Commission. "Click It or Ticket"
campaigns similar to this one take
place twice per year.
Western's University Police
officers are participating in
the campaign along with the
Bellingham Police Department
and the Washington State Patrol.
During the last campaign, which
was Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, UP issued 33
citations to'people for not wearing
seat belts, Satter said.
Satter said that while UP officers
have jurisdiction from the state to
see TICKET, page 6
Fee enhances e-mail, I Species take over Bellingham streets
expands Blackboard
BY BLAIR HABENICHT
The Western Front
Increased e-mail storage and an
expansion of wireless access on
campus soon will become available
from the 2005 student technology
fee and the state operating budget.
The Student Technology Fee
Committee chose a proposal to
enhance the MyWestern portal
and its services. Students' e-mail
and file-storage spaces will
increase from 50 megabytes to
500 megabytes, said Larry Gilbert,
director of Academic Technology
and User Services.
"Blackboard and e-mail are
critical to students," Gilbert said.
"This proposal will minimize
downtime on portals and e-mail. The
system will be far more reliable."
The fee committee also chose a
proposal to expand wireless access
on campus. This proposal includes
increasing coverage of wireless
access on campus and adding 15
new laptop computers for loan that
will be similar to those available
in the Viking Union and Wilson
Library, Gilbert said.
By the end of the academic year,
approximately 75,000 student
checkouts of laptops will take
place, Gilbert said.
"Each laptop, costs about $1,200
to $1,400," Gilbert said. "This (the
purchase of new laptops) is the best
value in the student technology
fee."
see FEE, page 3
BY ELISA SPARKMAN
The Western Front
Bellingham community members gathered downtown
to witness creatures swarming the streets Saturday in the
second annual Procession of the Species. Participants
of all ages, including families with small children, high
school students and adults marched through the streets
as part of the event.
The Procession of the Species is a community event
were people participate in a parade wearing plant and
animal costumes in honor of nature and art. Participants
lined up at 5 p.m. in front of Bellingham City Hall
on Lottie Street. The creatures proceeded through
downtown until they reached Maritime Heritage Park
at approximately 6 p.m. The parade did not allow live
animals, written words or motorized vehicles, said
Carol Oberton, Procession of the Species community
art studio coordinator.
Approximately 800 people participated in the event,
Oberton said.
The Procession of the Species came to Bellingham
see SPECIES, page 6
ELISA SPARKMAN/The Western Front
Bellingham resident Vincent Lalonde dressed
as a salmon caught by an eagle for the Pro­cession
of the Species Saturday.
WATER WORKS H ^ PH
Arne Hanna Aquatic Center
advocates therapy swim.
FEATURES, PAGE 9
Vermont Legislature should pass
proposal to lower drinking age.
OPINIONS, PAGE 14
BLUE-SILVER
Western's football team
comes together for an
intrasquad practice.
SPORTS, PAGE 10