Western Front - 1998 December 4

              SHOp;;;^i|i||ilil||^Hl^^^
MEN's.'BlliiiiHHi^^BlBBI
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4,1998
VOLUME 206 ISSUE 18 BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON
AIDS Day inspires hope
By Christine Root and Marissa Ziegler
The Western Front
People gathered at city hall Tuesday night and walked six
blocks in the rain to the Bellingham Unitarian Church car­rying
flashlights, signs and candles to demonstrate compas­sion
for those who have died and those who are living with
HIV and AIDS.
Rosemary Handerson wore a sign on her back in memory
of her son who died of AIDS in 1996 just before his 32nd
birthday. This was her second year participating in the walk.
"It's surprising to me that this (walk) is so easy for me,
but this is so important. It's the family things that are the
hardest on me because he's not there," Handerson said.
Dec. 1 was annual World AIDS Day and brought people
together not just from Whatcom County but from all over
the world.
Walkers joined others at the church and packed the pews.
The ceremony included various speakers, all of whom have
had personal experiences with AIDS. Many spoke of family
members lost to AIDS and the journey they went through
right up to the end of their, loved ones' lives. Other speak­ers
talked about what it is like to live with HIV or AIDS on
a daily basis.
Chaplain Thomas Allsopp from the Bailey Boushay House
in Seattle, an AIDS hospice that houses.37 residents, dis-
See AIDS, page 4
Front/Jesse Kinsman
(Left) Bellingham resident Ed Arnold lights a candle at the vigil Tuesday night in honor of a friend who died of AIDS.
(Right) Conductor Rob Viens plays the piano and directs the Assumption Choir during the ceremony at the Unitarian Church.
BifciwIi^Bi^^pBiiB^illiliiHIIIIII
NHNHHMHBH
Demand for Western
graduates increasing
J2
By Derrick Scheid
The Western Front
More employers are hiring Western
graduates.
The number of Western graduates in
the class of 1997 who secured jobs in
their field within three months of
graduation increased, according to a
yearly Career Services Center survey.
"We're getting a sense that this past
year is going to be even stronger," said
Marcia Lewis, assistant director of
Western's Career Services Center.
The average beginning salary for
Western's class of 1997 increased by
about $1,000 per year, Lewis said.
"It's a very tight labor market, but
on top of that, Western graduates have
a very good reputation," said Lewis,
who helps organize the survey each
year.
According to a study by the
National Association of Colleges and
Other
Still Seeking 4%
5%
Continuing
Education
13%
Employed
Source: Career Services Center
Front/Ben Stabler
The data used to make this chart rep­resents
a 55.3-percent response to
the Career Center's 1997 survey.
Employers, graduates from the class
of 1998 nationwide are controlling
their own destiny in the job market,
especially in technical disciplines.
Nearly 50 percent of the employers
See Careers, page 6
Patrons
pay for
stealing
By Derrick Scheid
The Western Front
Little white lies, driving five miles
per hour over the speed limit and
stealing from the dining halls — does
it really hurt anyone?
"Students don't realize it's theft,"
said Viking Commons Manager
Norry Yamashita.
Every year, Marriott spends rough­ly
$25,000 to replace silverware, dishes
and chairs. More than half of this,
about $5 per meal plan every year,
goes toward replacing what is stolen.
Marriott officials say taking food
and other items from the three dining
halls on campus raises costs for stu­dents.
"(Stealing) hurts the students,"
Yamashita said. "We're here to man­age
the students' money, and stealing
only raises the cost (of meal plans)."
Determining exactly how much tak­ing
food costs students is nearly
impossible, but if Marriott were to
switch its program to an all-you-can-take
meal plan, the cost to students
would triple, Yamashita said.
"I would rather see food taken and
eaten than see food wasted," said
Kappa resident Mike Sullivan.
In an attempt to keep costs low,
Marriott places amnesty boxes in all of
the residence halls at the end of each
year for students to return stolen dish­es,
no questions asked.
"It's amazing how much stuff is out
there," Yamashita said.
While many dishes are returned via
the boxes, Yamashita said his biggest
concern is all the dishes that get
thrown away.
"Students take dishes, then throw
them away when they get dirty,"
Yamashita said. "This really starts to
add up."
Many students complain about
being hungry when the dining halls
are closed, but Yamashita said this is
no longer a valid excuse with the
extended hours of the dining halls.
From 7 a.m. until 6:45 p.m. weekdays,
at least one of the dining halls is open,
except for half an hour before dinner.
This year, Marriott even added the
late-night hour at the Viking
Commons from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
"The excuse of being hungry later
doesn't slide," Yamashita said.
The rule states that nothing can be
taken out of the dining halls, but
Marriott officials have adjusted the
policy to allow students to take ice
cream cones or fruit they have already
begun eating out of the commons.
Other schools, such as the
University of Washington, have a sys­tem
similar to flex or munch money
programs, that give students an
allowance and requires them to pay
for every item they take. Marriott has
not considered adopting this system,
but it is continuing to search for ways
to rectify this problem.