Western Front - 1996 January 12

              . W E S T E RN
FRONT
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12,1999
VOLUME 107 ISSUE 2
INSIDE:
•MEN'S COACH N A B s i 5 ( S | | ^^
AT WESTERN, PAGE 16
•RESOLUTIONS FOR 1999, MGE 1 1
BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON
udents seek tuition freeze
By Alyssa Pfau
The Western Front
Maintaining affordable
tuition is a concern many
Western students have as the
state legislature considers
giving college trustees the
authority to set tuition at
their respective institutions.
The authority to set tuition
locally, as proposed by Gov.
Gary Locke, prohibits college
trustees from raising tuition
by more than 5 percent dur­ing
the next two years; how­ever,
students fear that after
those two years are finished,
tuition could increase by a
large and unaffordable per­centage.
"If you want us to stay in
school and become produc­tive
citizens, don't raise our
tuition to levels where we
can't afford it," said Jeremiah
Huber, a junior at Western
majoring in political science.
Huber, who is physically
disabled, does not have a
large array of jobs to choose
from, so an education is
imperative for him, he said.
Dependent on financial aid to
pay for school, Huber said he
is concerned that if his
tuition were to increase by
much more and financial aid
did not parallel that increase,
he would struggle to pay for
school.
To protect students like
Huber from unpredictable
tuition hikes, the Associated
Students Board of Directors
is heading up a student
lobby.
"We want to ensure that we
have affordable tuition for
the long-term," said
Victor Cox, vice pres­ident
for Academic
Affairs.
During the past
four years, tuition
increases have been
steady at 3.8 percent
per year. Students
lobbying for afford­able
tuition are ask­ing
that this percent­age
be maintained
during the next 10
years, Cox said.
The A.S. members
started their lobby
for affordable and
predictable tuition at
the start of the quar­ter.
They have gone
around to residence
halls; stood in Red
Square explaining to
students what local
control for tuition
could mean and col­lected
student signa­tures
on a large red
popsicle that has the
words "Tuition
Freeze" printed
across the top.
"The only way we
are going to let the
legislature know how
an increase in tuition
affects students is to Front/Erin Fredrichs
build student aware- David Toyer stands by the "Tuition Freeze" popsicle, which has the
ness on the issues signatures of nearly 600 students who want tuition frozen.
and possibilities and
then have them express their
concerns," said David Toyer,
president for
and Community
A.S. vice
Legislative
Affairs.
Toyer and Cox have spoken
to and collected signatures
from approximately 600 stu­dents,
but they say they are
still far from meeting their
goal.
"Theoretically, I would like
to get every student on cam­pus
to sign it because it
affects everyone," Cox said.
Once the "Tuition Freeze"
popsicle is signed — front
and back — the next thing to
do is wait until the debates
about local control for tuition
start in Olympia, Toyer said.
At that critical point, Toyer
and Cox plan to gather as
many students as possible to .
go down to Olympia to lobby
See Tuition page 3
Fairhaven race, gender curriculum
to be re-evaluated in wake of letters
By Darcy Spann
The Western Front
Negative attacks on Fairhaven
faculty and students regarding
race, class and gender issues
have persuaded Fairhaven Dean
Marie Eaton to instigate a re­examination
of the methods
used for interaction and discus­sion
of these often heated topics.
A Sunday afternoon meeting
at Fairhaven was called to dis­cuss
ideas and solutions to over­come
the problems the college is
experiencing.
Ongoing controversy sur­rounding
what some claim is a
curriculum that lends itself to
opposing opinions has resulted
in the posting of an anonymous
note directed at Fairhaven pro­fessor
Midori Takagi.
The note, labeling Takagi
"unstable" and "very abusive",
and warning students not to crit­icize
her views, was written by a
group who call themselves
VOR.
Takagi believes that whoever
wrote the malicious note must
have been angry and hurt by
something involving these
i s s u e s .
"We must openly deal
with issues, but first we
must clarify as a com­munity
what those
issues are."
Voices of
Reason.
Another
anonymous
group, the
D i r t y
L a u n d r y
Committee,
believed by
Voices of
Reason to
be guided
by Takagi,
has been
responsible for chalk messages
in Red Square denouncing
Western's treatment of race
issues and was also criticized by
Jesse Marden
Fairhaven student
D e s p i te
t h e
threaten­ing
man­ner
of the
note, she
plans to
continue
encourag­ing
stu­dents
to
v o i c e
t h e i r
opinions.
"Although I do not find the
content of this message to be
politically enlightening ... I still
support students' ability to post
their concerns anonymously,"
she said.
Takagi said she believes she, in
particular, has been targeted due
to her outspoken nature concern­ing
sensitive issues, including
race, class, gender and sexual
orientation.
"I think that some of the
things I've said have made peo­ple
uncomfortable, particularly
people who have not examined
their privileges based on these
issues," she said.
In an open letter to the
Fairhaven community, students
Laurie Magan and Erika
Michiko Fjeld expressed their
opinions that these anonymous
groups' actions are protected;
therefore, the attacks on them
See Fairhaven page 8
Western skiers
flock to Baker
By Kari McGinnis
The Western Front
While falling into the pristine wilder­ness
of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie
National Forest, the raindrops of
Bellingham give way to the fat
snowflakes of the North Cascades.
Meander east along Highway 542 and
drivers may find themselves smiling
and wide-eyed as they take in the
panoramic view. Mount Baker Ski Area
falls into the perfect place — between
the towering peaks of Mount Baker
(10,750 feet elevation) and Mount
Shuksan (9,720 feet elevation). With the
most snowfall of any ski area in North
America — 615 inches a year — Mount
Baker may be the ideal weekend escape
for many western students.
Western student Tyler McCoy said
he thinks the "thick, rich, full-bodied
snow" of Mount Baker is among the
best in the northwest. A skier for 12
years, McCoy learned to ski on the
slopes at Steven's Pass, but he has been
faithful to Baker since high school.
Mount Baker Ski Area doesn't cater
to any particular level, he said, but
maintains enough slopes to satisfy
intermediate skiers and offers more
challenging skiing for more advanced
and expert skiers.
McCoy described the mountain as "a
well-known friend." He said the chal­lenges
at Mount Baker are abundant —
cliffs and cornices are everywhere —
and the skiing demands high energy.
Groomed runs are the minority and
people have an open attitude about
back-country skiing, he added.
"There are hidden pockets and out-of-
the-way lines," he said. The best part
about skiing at Mount Baker, McCoy
continued, "is there's incredible, back-country
terrain right at your doorstep."
"You can't compare anything to
Baker," agreed Western student Kate
Harrington, who learned to ski at
Crystal Mountain.
Mount Baker Ski Area doesn't have
fancy hotels or restaurants, Harrington
said. She explained that Baker
See Skiing page 14
Front/Bobby Stone
A skier slides down Mount Baker.