Western Front - 2005 January 7

              THE WESTERN FRONT ISSUE i
VOLUME 132
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2005 • WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY • BELLINGHAM, WASH. • WESTERNFRONTONLINE.COM
Businesses aid tsunami victims
I
BY KARA LUNDBERG
The Western Front
In the wake of the 9.0 magnitude
earthquake that unleashed devastating
tsunamis on the coastal areas throughout
Asia, Bellingham businesses and
organizations collected financial donations
to fund humanitarian aid for the thousands
who are now left homeless.
Several restaurants, such as Avenue
Bread and Deli and Tony's Coffee are
contacting the Mount Baker chapter of
the Red Cross to find out how they can
contribute financially to the victims of the
disaster.
Lisa Brown, financial development
director of the Mount Baker Red Cross,
has estimated that approximately $20,000
has come in to the Mount Baker Red
Cross. She said she anticipates that
number to climb after receiving $8,000 of
the donations just after the holidays.
"People have now had a chance to focus
on the trauma caused (by the tsunami) and
donations have been pouring in," Brown
said.
see TSUNAMI, page 5
KARA LUNDBURG/The Western Front
Bellingham resident Tyler Essex donates money for tsunami relief Wednesday
aatt OOnn RRiiccee TThhaaii CCuuiissiinnee..
Tickets for all carrjpys events now sold at RAC
BBYY SSTTEEFFAANNII HHAARRRREEYY their ticketing systems so students can
information technology. He said the vice
The Western Front
Purchasing tickets for events happening
on campus is about to get easier. .
In the past, someone who wanted tickets
to a sporting event had to buy them at
one location, whereas someone wanting
to purchase tickets to a Performing Arts
Center event had to purchase them at a
different location.
Beginning later this month, the athletics
department and the PAC will integrate
buy tickets for any event from one system,
said Fred Ramage, facilities operation
manager for the PAC.
Most game tickets are sold at the games,
and Boles said that system would not
change. Fans can still buy tickets on the
night of the game at Carver Gym.
The newly named University Box
Office, inside the PAC, will pre-sell
tickets to all events including sports
games, performing arts and Viking Union
shows, said Jerry Boles, vice provost of
provost's office, the PAC and the athletics
department worked together to create the
integrated system.
"We're excited to implement the new-system
because it gives us contemporary
hardware and software," Boles said.
"Since the systems we were using before
were old and outdated."
Aside from integrating the ticketing
see TICKETS, page 3
Western faculty
step closer to
forming union
BY BLAIR WILSON
The Western Front
Talk of unionizing at Western has been
circulating for two. years; now Western
professors are taking action by filing some of
the paperwork necessary to form a union, the
United Faculty of Western Washington.
The group filed a petition on Dec. 15 and
authorization cards were turned in. The next step
in the process is for Western to turn in a fist to
the Public Employee Relations Committee of all
faculty members interested in the union. Names
on the list will be compared to the authorization
cards. If 30 percent of the faculty shows interest,
. the group will conduct a vote by mail election.
If the vote for a union passes, Western will
become unionized, said Marvin Schurke,
executive director for the PERC.
In 2002, the state Legislature passed a
law enabling faculties of two and fourryear
colleges and universities to organize unions.
Faculties at two of the six Washington state
universities have unionized — Eastern and
Central. Western is the third university to start
the process, Schurke said.
"Prior to this legislation, faculty were
prevented from having officially recognized
unions," said Steven Garfinkle, assistant
history professor and union steering committee
member.
A steering committee of nine professors and
an organizing committee made up of 50 Western
faculty members are working with other faculty
members, the adrninistration and the PERC to
make Western a unionized university.
PERC, the state agency working with Western,
has been involved since Western filed a petition
and turned in authorization cards, Schurke said.
see UNION, page 3
Court date set for woman charged with
disorderly conduct at post-election protest
BY ADRIANA DUNN
The Western Front
Western graduate Karen Ganey made her first
appearance Thursday in Bellingham Municipal
Court following her arrest on suspicion of
disorderly conduct in relation to a Nov. 3 protest
after the re-election of President George W Bush.
"The reason for arrest is that she appeared to
be one of the main leaders of a group in which
she was directing participants to block traffic,"
Bellingham Police Lt. Craige Ambrose said.
"Blocking pedestrian or vehicular traffic is
considered disorderly conduct."
Ganey, however, does not consider herself an
organizer. On the day of the protest, she asked
Bellingham Police to turn down sirens, said her
attorney, Larry Hildes.
The police did not know what to do with the
demonstrators and picked her out of an organized
group to make an example of her, Hildes said.
"Democracy should not be an inconvenience,"
Ganey said following the pre-trial.
Police released her, but did not drop her charges.
If convicted she faces a maximum penalty of 90
days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The court date was
set for March 7.
At the pre-trial hearing, Hildes said he requested
sufficient time to interview all police officers
involved. He also requested copies of the video
police took of the march that allegedly shows
Gaiiey's involvement. Hildes said he will bring
officers to court March 7 to see if they can provide
justification for the charges.
Cgmmissioner Pete Smiley, who presided
over the pre-trial, approved both the request for
additional time and for copies of videotapes with
no objection by the city prosecutor.
Hildes said witnesses present at the Nov. 3
rally said there was an agreement between police
and protesters. If the protestors cleared the street,
they would release Ganey from custody and her
charges would be dropped.
Hildes said Ganey's arrest "chills the climate for
political free speech." It discourages organization
of political rallies, which is a First Amendment-protected
activity, he said.
"We need to draw a line in the sand — this is
not acceptable — especially in Bellingham, not
anywhere," Hildes said.
MHBBBBHHBS
outside the Communications Facility Monday night. The two named the