Western Front - 1999 January 15

              WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15,1999
VOLUME 107 ISSUE 3
INSIDE:
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BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON
Martin Luther King Jr. honored in song, spirit
By Lisa Bach
The Western Front
Invigorated by an energizing
choir, a performance by Western
theater students and inspiring
speeches from two Western pro­fessors,
the crowd at Thursday's
Martin Luther King, Jr. celebra­tion
recognized King's achieve­ments
and proved that society is
still working toward his goal of
equality.
Perhaps this was most evident
when the Kulshan Chorus, com­posed
of community members,
sang a medley called "Songs of
Freedom and Protest." The audi­ence
responded by dancing and
clapping to the music, filling the
Viking Union Main Lounge with
sounds of enthusiasm.
The ceremony began with
Western student Melanie Hill
singing the "African American
National Anthem," followed by
a candle lighting honoring King.
Western political science pro­fessor
Vernon Johnson was the
first speaker, referring to King
as part of a "Pantheon of
heroes," such as Hariett Tubman
and W-E.B. DuBois. He spoke of
King's fight for equal rights for
every race in an "identity move­ment"
that could reach a
"national, multicultural consen­sus."
LaTasha Wortham followed
with a brief speech. She urged
the audience to use love, rather
than violence, as an effective
tool to fight for equality.
"Continue to persevere; con­tinue
to look into the face of
injustice and say no to racism,"
Wortham said. -
"As long as this injustice is
more evident in government
than love, our hope will be in
vain," she said.
Western student Yodit
Tewelda spoke briefly, recogniz­ing
how far the dream of equali­ty
has come, despite the strug­gles.
"We need to step back and
realize the small, yet lasting,
accomplishments," she said.
The Kulshan Choir performed
a range of empowering songs,
including a rendition of "Let
Freedom Ring" and "99-and-a-
See King, page 4
Front/Erin Fredrichs
A soloist in the Kulshan Chorus sings during the Martin Luther King celebration.
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Morse, Steves
talk to students
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By Alyssa Pfau
The Western Front
Several students had the
opportunity to express their con­cerns
to Western President Karen.
Morse on Wednesday when she
and Associated Students
President Sarah Steves sat among
students on the fifth floor of the
Viking Union from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m.
"It is good for (the presidents)
to be available to say that they
have not forgotten us," Western
senior Tele' Aad'sen said.
Morse's availability to students
and visibility, or lack thereof, has
been a concern of students since
last spring, Aadsen said.
However, Morse's efforts to be
more accessible to students
today, and during the Initiative
200 camp-out, is encouraging,
she said.
"It is important for (Morse) to
hear what students are concerned
about because she makes deci­sions
based on the information
she gains," Steves said.
Steves said in her experience,
Morse has been very receptive to
See Morse, -page 5
Woman attacked
near Fairhaven
Darcy Spann
The Western Front
A Western student escaped
serious harm when she was
grabbed from behind while walk­ing
along the ridgetop pathway
between Fairhaven and Buchanan
Towers Wednesday evening at
5:35 p.m., according to a
University Police report.
The female, 18, was knocked to
the ground and unable to identify
the suspect. She reported looking
back, but could only see a tennis
shoe.
The area was checked immedi­ately
following the incident, but
nobody was found, Chief of
University Police Jim Shaw said.
"We don't know if it was a
practical joke or prank, but we do
know it wasn't a concerted
effort," Shaw said.
The girl escaped the incident
with only a minor knee injury and
declined medical assistance, the
police report stated.
The incident took place after
dark, prompting Shaw to remind
all students they should use only
lighted pathways going to and
from campus after daylight. He
said students should always trav­el
with a companion if walking in
•darkened areas.