Western Front - 2006 July 25

              THEmWESTERN FRONT
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2006 ISSUE 6, VOLUME 138
Western evaluates water usage
BY ISAAC BONNELL
The Western Front
By the end of spring quarter 2007,
Western may add a water use plan to the
list of sustainable practices used around
Western's campus.
The desire to become sustainable,
coupled with the rising cost of utilities,
prompted a full-scale examination into the
use of campus utilities including water,
Western operations support manager Ron
Bailey said.
"We're starting to become more aware of
all our utilities," Bailey said. "The desire is
to become better stewards of the resource."
The first step toward creating a water
use plan is to determine the amount of
consumption and the amount of need,
Western grounds/nursery specialist Gary
Hodge said.
Western uses approximately 90 million
gallons of water at a cost of $550,000 each
year, Bailey said.
With 66 separate water meters around
campus, including extended campus
facilities such as the Shannon Point
Marine Center in Anacortes, distinguishing
between water used for buildings and water
for grounds maintenance is difficult.
"The tracking of it ends up being very
cumbersome," Bailey said.
To better track consumption patterns,
water usage is split into three categories.
Auxiliary buildings such as the dorms,
the Viking Union and the AS Recycle
Center account for 60 percent of water
consumption.
Academic buildings such as Old Main
and Carver Gym account for 25 percent,
and irrigation accounts for 15 percent of
water use.
Western began compiling data for water
use in the 2003-2004 academic year, when
utility consumption became a concern.
Before that, it had not been a focus, Bailey
said.
"Previously, the cost of our utilities was
just the cost of doing business," Bailey
said.
So what is Western doing to conserve
water and reduce costs?
"Almost all areas of the university are in
the research phase," Western sustainability
coordinator Seth Vidana said.
Western installed water-saving
showerheads in campus residences and
drought-resistant plants are part of the
greenery around campus, Vidana said.
He said he hopes to have a document
outlining a water use plan by the end of the
year. In the meantime, water continues to
flow around campus, onto the lawn and into
the toilets.
"Are we really being wasteful?" Bailey
said. "No. But we could become better."
BECKIE ROSILLO/ THE WESTERN FRONT
A sprinkler valve sits in a field out­side
of Western's Communication
Facility.
COURTESY OF VAN BERGEN
Convention vice chair Van Bergen investigates some of the formations in Papoose, a
cave in the Northwest.
Spelunkers to convene at Western
BY GREG APPLEGATE
The Western Front
Cavers from around the world will descend
upon Western for the National Speleological
Society (NSS) Convention August 7-11.
This convention last came to Washington in
1972. This will be the convention's first time to
Bellingham.
The NSS convention is a scientific and social
event during which cave recreationists and cave
scientists meet once a year in a different region of
the United States.
The society, headquartered in Hunts ville, Ala.,
will use Huxley College, the Wade King Student
Recreation Center and the Western Gallery for
their convention.
Bellingham resident and NSS member Dick
Garaick said approximately 600 people registered
for the convention and he expects 200-300 more
to sign up.
Garnick is part of the local caving club and
see CAVERS, page 2
SummerStock
budget cuts force change
BY JAKE LUNDEN
The Western Front
With the sold-out Thursday debut
of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Western's
SummerStock is in full swing. Due
to budget constraints and a desire
for quality productions, three plays
are running instead of the usual five
productions in years past.
Western senior Jessilee Marander,
20, seeks to gain from
the opportunities
a program like
SummerStock provides.
She hopes to put
her experience as an
assistant stage manager
in "Godspell" and "The
Sound of Music" to good
use after college, a time
when she aspires to stage
manage professionally.
"Being able to really
get some experience
before I graduate is a really important
thing," Marander said.
Because only three plays are being
put on this summer, she has less
chance to get all of the experience
she needs.
"Had there been five shows, there
would have been more opportunities,"
Marander said.
Marander said that while ticket
sales have been high, the cost
of production hurts the theater
department. Paying royalties for each
play, the cost of script and paying for
musicians, actors and crew quickly
'Had there been
five shows,
there would
have been more
opportunities.'
JESSILEE MARANDER
Western Senior
drives up the final cost.
"We have really phenomenal
costumes and phenomenal actors,"
Marander said. "We want to present
the best production we can."
In lieu of pay, Marander is gaining
10 class credits, an option for Western
students working for SummerStock.
Jason Postema, Western senior
and theater major, 23, is working in
the costume shop for SummerStock.
He said the budget
constraints had a hand
in determining which
productions were
chosen.
"We're trying to cut
back a bit," Postema
said. "That's why we
did 'The Sound of
Music' — it's a big
money-maker."
Theater Arts
department chair
Gregory Pulver said
ticket sales in past years have been
low, part of a national trend. He said
75 to 80 percent of SummerStock
revenues are based on ticket sales,
with the rest coming mostly from the
university and from donations.
He said this summer, personnel
has been cut by one-third.
We want to take advantage of the
audience we do have," Pulver said.
"Rather than dilute them over
five shows, we'd rather solidify our
audience into three shows."
see BUDGET, page 2
SKATING SHOWDOWN
Skateboarding competition
honors memory of Bellingham
skateboarder Russ Schofield.
SPORTS, PAGE 5
OFF THE VINE
Bellingham takes advantage of
U-pick berry season at Bjorns-tad
Farms.
FEATURES, PAGE 4
i www.westernfrontonline.com
PENTACLE PROBLEM
Wiccan religious followers who
serve in the military are denied
having a memorial symbol.
OPINIONS, PAGE 6
WEATHER
Tuesday: Partly
cloudy, 74
Wednesday: Partly
cloudy, 76