Western Front - 2005 April 15

              HE WESTERN FRONT
Y, APRIL 15, 2005 • WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY • BELLINGHAM, WASH. -WESTERNFRONTONLINE.COM
ISSUE 5
VOLUME 133
Student vehicles to compete
BY JARED YOAKUM
The Western Front
Western's Vehicle Research
Institute is gearing up for
competition this coming May and
June.
.Two of the research institute's
teams are preparing vehicles
to enter in the SAE Mini Baja
West Competition, June 1 to 4 in
Washington, D.C., and the Tour de
Sol May 13 to 16 in Albany, N.Y.
The Mini Baja team and the Hybrid
team are making final adjustments
to their cars and will be ready to
compete within the next week.
Western's Vehicle Research
Institute, in operation since 1972,
is one of the best in the nation,
specializing in researching and
constructing alternative-fuel,
low-emission vehicles, said Sean
Nelson, Western senior and team
leader.
Nelson said the Mini Baja team
expects to do well this spring and
fully intends to beat its rank of 13
out of 93 last year.
"We'll hopefully do better this
year," Nelson said. "We're getting
the car done early so we can get
some test time in it."
Nelson said the Mini Baja team
expects to complete the car, Viking
JARED YOAKUM/The Western Front
Seniors Dustin Embrey and Noah Shaw make final adjustments to the seat of Viking 39. The car
is one of the Mini Baja team's new cars that will compete in June.
39, within the next week, well
before competition time. Viking 39
has been an ongoing project sincg
last summer and is a collaboration
between the 17 students on the
Baja team and CATIA, a computer-modeling
program that has allowed
the Baja team to test and experiment
with the new car and its parts before
production started, Nelson said.
The Vehicle Research Institute takes
pride in the fact that it makes nearly
all the parts used in its vehicles.
"It's cool because we can build
anything we need in the shop," said
Brian White, Western junior ^and
see VRI, page 4
Facebook
is cause of
AS conflict
By PETER JENSEN
The Western Front
For its more than 4,000 members
at Western, Thefacebook.com is a
growing Internet fad students use
to network with friends and escape
studying.
Following a grievance hearing
before the Associated Students
election board Wednesday night,
however, Thefacebook has been
the subject of disputes between
candidates in this AS election
season.
The election board ruled
unanimously that a group on
Thefacebook, titled Russo For
President! that promotes the
candidacy of Tony Russo for AS
president, violated two sections
of the AS election code. Russo is
currently the AS vice president for
business and operations.
The group promoting Russo
posted his AS e-mail address, office.
phone number and a link to an AS
Web site about him, which violated
see ELECTIONS, page 4
Donated prom clothing will help Whatcom teens
BY SEAN MCCORMICK
The Western Front
Senior prom is steadily
approaching for many Whatcom
County high school students, and
for those who cannot afford the
right clothing it is a stressful time.
The National Residence Hall
Honorary is conducting a prom
clothes and accessories drive
called- "Cinderella Cinderfella"
through April 17 at all campus
residence halls.
The National Residence Hall
Honorary is a non-Associated
Students-affiliated organization
that restricts membership to
Western students who have been
living on campus for at least three
quarters.
"National Residence Hall
Honorary coordinates a lot of the
leadership for campus residences,"
said Colin Christianson, president
of the Residence Hall Association.
The Hall Honorary set up
collection bins at each residence
hall's front desk where students
can bring prom clothes and
accessories for men and women.
They urge students to bring items
such as dresses, suits, shoes, dress
pants, shirts, ties, jewelry, new
cosmetics and anything else prom-related.
"It's been mostly in the residence
halls, but we'd like to involve
the greater campus community,"
said Heidi Bay, Western junior
and National Residence Hall
Honorary programming chair.
"It's a wonderful project with such
potential."
Members of Hall Honoraiy
will take all of the items to
Bellingham's Blue Skies for
Children organization located on
Prospect Street.
Carrie Glenney, Blue Skies for
Children operations coordinator,
said Blue Skies for Children has
been operating since the summer
of 1997. In 2000, the organization
moved into the.building where it
now receives and then gives away
clothing for foster, homeless and
low-income children in Whatcom
County.
Glenney said Western students
are urged to bring any of their
re-usable formal clothing to any
of the residence hall bins to help
Bellingham-area high school
students dress for their prom.
Crosswalk will add safety to McDonald
BY BLAIR HABENICHT
The Western Front
At the bus stop outside Sehome High
School, residents of Birnam Wood
apartments jaywalk across Bill McDonald
Parkway with eyes wide as cars peak on
the crest of the hill.
Ferry Avenue releases more vehicles
from a third angle, as students of the on-campus
apartment complex pause atop
the low grassy barrier dividing traffic
until an opening in the cycle allows then-passage.
But not for long. The city of
Bellingham has begun installing yellow
cautionary flashing lights above a soon-to-
be crosswalk at the Ferry Avenue and
Bill McDonald Parkway intersection,
said Steve Haugen, traffic operations
engineer for the Bellingham Public
Works Department.
"So many Birnam Wood students ride
the bus, dropped off on the Sehome side of
the street," said Allison Bennett, resident
director of the Birnam Wood community.
"It's a safety hazard, especially in the
rain and at night."
Bennett said residents of the apartments
had been pressuring the city for more
than a year to add a crosswalk at the
intersection.
"The high demand of all pedestrians
influenced the improvement," Haugen
said. "But mostly Western students
crossing to and from their apartments."
Capital improvement funds
distributed through the Bellingham
Public Works Department will pay for
the-new crosswalk, which will cost
approximately $25,000, said Clark
Williams, transportation manager for the
Bellingham Public Works Department.
Alison Schwerzler, a Western senior
and Birnam Wood resident, said she
welcomes the crosswalk. Her only
complaint is the lack of a crosswalk
at the bus stop between Ferry Avenue
and 33 rd Street, where Schwerzler said
many Birnam Wood residents exit the
bus.
MIKE MURRAY/The Western Front
The new crosswalk by Birnam Wood nears com­pletion.