Western Front - 2005 September 20

              GONE TO SEED HBHHHHHBI
Joe's Garden: beautiful
flowers and fresh food
ACCENT, PAGE 10
Pot suckers getting a bad wrap
OPINIONS, PAGE 4
BIG GAINS
Western football count­ing
on potent offense
SPORTS, PAGE 1
HE WESTERN FRONT ISSUE I
VOLUME 135
SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 • WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY • BELLINGHAM, WASH. • WESTERNFRONTONLINE.COM
Western pledges support
ED EDAHL/FEMA
Houston, September 3, 2005 - A message board helps people locate friends and loved ones at the Reliant Cen­ter.
Thousands of displaced citizens were moved from New Orleans to Houston as New Orleans was evacuated.
BY BORIS KURBANOV
The Western Front
Western is responding with
concern to the plight of those
affected by Hurricane Katrina by
joining the nation in extending
support for Gulf Coast-area
victims.
"Our hearts go out to the
tens of thousands of people who
have suffered such loss and
devastation," President Karen
Morse said in a letter on Sept. 6.
"We want to contribute our support
to this nationwide effort to help
those affected by the hurricane
and its aftermath."
Hurricane Katrina struck
Florida, Alabama and Mississippi
before pummeling Louisiana,
causing total loss of power,
contamination drinking water,
diminishing food supplies and
flooding the streets of New
Orleans.
Water levels in New Orleans
rose after sections of two levees
collapsed, leaving 80 percent of
the city underwater.
According to a Sept. 19
article in Time Magazine, Katrina
exposed serious problems in the
response capability of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency,
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin,
Louisiana Governor Kathleen
Blanco and other local officials.
On Sept. 13, President George W.
Bush took responsibility for the
delayed response to Katrina.
See KATRINA, page 8
Residence halls
cracking down on
student drinking
BY TOM KING
The Western Front
From the 3B Tavern on State Street to
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro, Bellingham
affords those who drink ample opportunity to
get their party on. House and dorm parties
are also a favorite of many residents and
Western students, but may have undesirable
consequences for underage students.
Students often have parties in campus
residence, including Nash, the "freshman"
dorm, and Birnamwood, the off-main
campus university apartments. If the party is
pre-gaming for a night out downtown, or just'
a birthday celebration among close friends,
'Once cited for drinking
in the dorms, students are
required to take a class
from tKe Alcohol and Drug
Consultation and Assessment
Service.'
consuming alcohol on university property
can get students into trouble if they are not
aware of the university's and state's policies
related to alcohol.
"There were maybe ten people in the
room, and we had two 12-packs of beer, two
See DRINKING, page 19
AS Bookstore to become more efficient
New registers and inventory system will help students get books quicker
BY RENEE REDEKOP
The Western Front
Standing in a seemingly endless line is not
amusing. For this reason, the Western Associated
Students Bookstore is making in-store changes to
increase efficiency for students and staff.
Textbook costs leave a huge hole in the pockets
of Western students. Waiting in a seemingly never-ending
bookstore line makes the buying process
even more dreadful.
"They're going to take at least $200 of my
money and make me wait in line for an hour to
do it," Western sophomore Justin Parker said.
"Employees are always friendly and helpful,
but the wait makes me want to shop somewhere
else."
Toimprovetheoveralloperationofthebookstore,
LaraMannASBookstoremanagerhas implemented
*a few changes. First, she said, the store is moving to
a new inventory managing system. The employees
currently work
with the Missouri
Book System
but will make
the. switch to the
Sequoia Retail
System a change
Mann is ecstatic
about.
"The changes
for the 2005-
2006 school year
will advance our
technology, open
doors for multiple-c
o m p a n y
m e r c h a n d i s e
purchasing and get
Western students
through lines faster," Mann said-
Currently, the Associated Students Bookstore
LUKE HARRIS/The Western Front
Anna Johnston, sin AS Book­store
employee talks on the
phone Wednesday.
uses a phone-line system to process credit cards at
the register. Sequoia is an Internet connection and
Mann estimates credit card transaction times will
drop from 15 seconds down to 2 seconds.
Cashier Steven Gowan cannot wait for the fall's
new additions. Employed by the bookstore for
more than two years, he hopes the new registers
and updated computers will make textbook and
merchandise buying easy and fun for Western
students.
"We're getting regular PC's, which makes this
a unique and exciting change," Gowan said. "With
faster registers, we'll spend two seconds with
students and they'll be on their way."
Another new feature for fall 2005 will be the
online textbook exchange. Students will be able
to log onto the Web site and see if other Western
students are selling the books they want. Since
the store hopes to purchase more used books,
See BOOKSTORE, page 20