Western Front - 2002 February 26

              TUESDAY, February. 2<
The Western Front
Western Washington University Volume 120 Issue 12 Bellingham, Washington
Students commemorate VU reopening
By Matt Black
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western kicked off the Viking
Union's week-long reopening
celebration Monday with free
donuts and other special events.
"The goal (of the week) is to
introduce the community to the
facility and let them connect
with the VU as a place where
they can come together," said
Julie Pryor Barr, VU marketing
and promotions director.
The main purpose of the $22
million renovation was to create
a greater sense of unity in the
building, VU director Jack
Smith said.
Thanks to the remodeling,
student and administrative
offices, as well as classrooms
and meeting places, are now all
under the same roof.
"Everything is more central­ized
now," Pryor Barr said.
Smith said one of the biggest
impacts of the renovation will
occur behind the scenes.
Because the main buildings of
the union are now connected,
tasks such as delivery and load­ing
will be much easier, he said.
Pryor Barr said these changes
were made to make the VU a.
"hub of campus community."
"We like to think of it as the
'living room' of the campus," she
said. "It was built upon the
principles of unity, identity and
community."
See OPEN, Page 4
Heidi Mulhern/The Western Front
Western freshman Carly Siems helps pass out donuts in honor of the Viking Union grand
reopening Monday morning.
Locke's hiring
freeze affects
universities
By Tyler Hicks
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western could be impacted by
a budget freeze ordered by the
governor on Feb. 20 for all state
agencies.
Gov. Gary Locke's freeze lim­its
hiring of new workers and
faculty, travel and purchases for
all state agencies, including
state universities. The freeze is
an attempt to close a forecasted
$1.6 billion deficit in the state
budget.
Mike Becker, former Western
director of Human Resources,
said the freeze would have an
impact on the university, even
though he could see the gover­nor's
action coming. He also
said he did not know when the
budget cuts would be imple­mented.
"We don't really know all the
positions that have been cut,"
Becker said. "It's a decision
made by the vice-presidents and
the provost."
Western president Karen
Morse instituted a "soft hiring"
freeze in September 2001. When
a position comes open, it must
be .proven essential to hire a
replacement.
Jack Cooley, executive direc­tor
for University Planning and
See HIRE, Page 4
Registering students need measles immunization proof
. By Suzanne Almoslino
THE WESTERN FRONT
Western post-baccalaureate
student Jeremy Scully said he
originally signed the proof of
measles immunity waiver to
keep from finding his measles
documentation.
"When I was at the University
of Oregon, they had an outbreak
during my sophomore year,"
Scully said. "Everyone was
required to get immunized, but I
didn't get any proof."
Western now requires stu­dents
to provide proof of immu­nization.
Students who do not
provide proof cannot register
spring quarter.
Scully took a blood test to
prove his immunity, and he was
able to get the block removed
from his registration Monday.
"It was relatively simple just
to get the blood test, but it did
cost me like $30 to do it," Scully
said. "I think that's a little
spendy."
As of last Friday, 1,213 stu­dents
still had not responded to
the Student Health Center's
requirement to prove measles
immunity, said Dr. Emily
Gibson, medical director of the
Student Health Center.
"We are in the process of call­ing
every one of them to let them
know they won't be able to regis-.
ter for spring quarter," Gibson
Western hosts national theater program festival
Alaina Dunn/ The Western Front
Students pose each other during a movement workshop.
By Heidi Mulhern
THE WESTERN FRONT
After competing in make-up
design at the Kennedy Center
American College Theater
Festival nationals last year, Avi
Liebowitz, Western senior and
theater arts major, said he looks
forward to the annual event.
"When I went to Washington,
D.C., _I got the opportunity to
network with other designers
and actors," Liebowitz said.
"There is some amazing acting
and designing at this level."
Last week Western hosted the
KCACTF, a national theater
program with nearly 18,000 stu­dent
participants nationwide.
Two Western students won
awards at the event.
Western junior Dallas
Milholland won the Best
Partner Award, and Western
senior Ian Bivins won the Mark
Twain Comedy Award.
"It's great to have the Pacific
Northwest here at Western to
admire our theater department
as well as the area," said Mark
Kuntz, theater arts department
chair.
The conference consisted of
167 events in five days includ­ing
a variety of workshops.
Participants also view competi­tors'
pieces and present plays.
"The plays presented will be
critiqued by two outside faculty,
who then nominate pieces to
move on to Washington, D.C.,"
said Aaron Tibiason, theater
arts department publicist..
Although many students com­pete
only a handful go on to
finals.
"Out of the 700 participating
in our region this year, 130 of
them are Western students,"
Kuntz said. "Only 30 of those
See ART, Page 4
said.
The Student Health Center
will have extra staff on hand to
help process the students who
are responding to the immuniza­tion
requirement.
Gibson said she set the Feb.
15 deadline, for two weeks
before registration begins, so
See REGISTER, Page 4
IN THIS ISSUE
Vikings Megan
Quarterman's on fire
In her last four games,
Quarterman has come off
the bench to score more
than 20 points in each game.
See story, Page 10.
A world away
The most recent wave of
AUAP students has arrived
from across
the Pacific.
Learn about
Western's
history with
Asia
University.
See story, Pages 8-9.
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