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10/5 edition of the AS Review
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10.5.15 VOL. 30 #4 10.05.15 VOL. 31 #4
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Page 1: October 5th edition

10.5.15Vol. 30 #4

10.05.15Vol. 31 #4

Page 2: October 5th edition

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AS Outdoor Cen-ter kayaks ready to be taken out for a sunset paddle on Bellingham Bay. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

IN THIS ISSUE

Inside the UndergroundLearn about all the events that go on in-side the Underground Coffeehouse

The Co FounderWestern alumni The Co Founder is performing on Wednesday, October 7 at Western’s Underground Coffeehouse. Find out more about this unique Bellingham artist and discover more about his music before the show.

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Students swirl around the crafts table at VU Late Night last Friday the 28 of October. Photo by Marina Price // AS Review

Your Sustainable Action FundFind out what the Sustainable Action Fund is and how it’s helping Western become a greener campus community.

Kayak the BayWestern’s AS Outdoor Center is hosting kayaking excursions through the month of October to go see the sun set over the Bellingham Bay horizon. Find out how you can be a part of this brand new opportunity.

Marina PriceAlexandra BartickTrevor GrimmIan SanquistKate WelchMorgan AnnableSarah SharpAlexandra BartickZach BeckerJeff Bates

Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: [email protected]/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview

© 2015. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University.

The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on under-represented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue.

We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to [email protected].

We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student. Send them to [email protected]. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.

Editor in ChiefAssistant Editor

Lead PhotographerWriters

DesignerAdviser

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EVENTS

Poetry & Lyric Open Mic NightOctober 5 & 19 // 7 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // FreeAn open mic night specifically for spoken word performances. Sign-ups are at 6:30 p.m., open to all.

Wednesday Night Concert SeriesOctober 7 // 7 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // FreeDrew Perrin opens for The Co Founder for the second Wednesday Night Concert Series of the school year.

Fall Kickoff Carnival with the Sexual Awareness CenterOctober 8 // 6 p.m. // VU MPR // FreeLearn about all the SAC has to offer at this carnival event featuring an open mic, photo booth, carnival games and free snacks.

VU Gallery Presents: Drawing JamOctover 12 // 11 a.m. // VU 507 // FreeA collaborative community art project where artists of all types can come

and draw, sketch, write and doodle all over the walls of the VU Gallery. Materials provided. The opening reception will be on October 15.

WWU Swing Kids Fall Dance EventOctober 9- 11 // 11 a.m. // VU MPR // $10 with student ID, $15 for non-studentsJoin the WWU Swing Kids club for a weekend of dance classes, with the finale being an evening dance on Sunday. Prizes will be awarded for best dressed guy and gal.

Jazz JamsOctober 12 // 17 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // FreeA bi-weekly jam session starting up this Monday. Bring your own instruments and head down for some improvised musical fun.

The Closet (Queer Resource Center)October 14 // 5 p.m. // VU 464 // FreeJoin the AS’s QRC for a workshop critiquing the limitations of “coming out” narriatives, and discuss ways to create new ideas that more accurently represent real experiences.

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Another OneMac Demarco

Depression CherryBeach House

CurrentsTame Impala

No No NoBeirut

AbyssChelsea Wolfe

Multi- LoveUnknown Mortal Orchestra

Cemetery Highrise SlumCreepoid

Key ChangeMocky

Dancing at the Blue LagoonCayucas

Misty FlatsGoldberg

KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen

online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a

volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.

Top Ten: Sept 27- Oct 3

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Students sit on eclectic vintage couches arranged before a small stage, as a local artist plays am-bient, new age sounds using a computer, key-board and guitar. More people filter in as the

show begins, decorated with glow sticks encircling heads and necks. The shrill whir of an espresso machine sounds in the background along with the quiet chatter of attendees.The setting is personal, almost intimate, especially for

a music venue. The artist, Scruffager, is clearly visible, allowing all the showgoers to get up close. Such is the atmosphere of the Underground Cof-

feehouse, a particularly unique venue and spot on campus. Mon-day through Thursday evenings, there’s always something to see. New events this year are open mic nights to be dedicated to comedy, and poetry and lyrics. Other new events include dedicated nights for Karaoke and educational trivia nights in addition to the ones on topics such as “Game of Thrones”. Trivia nights and open mic nights are especially popular, says Asso-ciated Students Productions Co-ordinator, Jonah Falk.Falk, who was the event coordi-

nator for the Underground last school year, played a major role in increasing the diversity and amount of programming the Un-derground has. He introduced new open mic nights focusing on certain genres of performance such as comedy nights.Falk has and is working closely

with the this year’s coordinator, Karimeh Daneshman-di, to ensure that his legacy of diversifying the Under-ground Coffeehouse’s programming would continue. Falk explained that the events at the Underground Cof-feehouse falls under the programming umbrella of AS Productions.Daneshmandi, the current Underground Coffeehouse

coordinator, is excited to see how the new program-ming is received by students. She says that the current open mic nights that they put on are popular not only with attending students, but also with the performers themselves, “Right now we haven’t had a poetry and lyric night, so we don’t know how that’s going to go, but from past experience with comedy open mic night and

just the general open mic night, there’s definitely some core students that go there to improve their skills, and it’s really great, because that’s kind of what that venue is for.”Falk said that he’s interested in trying to attract new

students who might want to perform in addition to the core group of returners.“There’s a huge return rate actually on the performers.

I really appreciate all the loyal students who take the op-portunity to come back and perform,” says Falk. “ And also we’re trying to figure out ways to incorporate more new artists that maybe haven’t performed yet. That’s a challenge that we’re working on currently.”

Other new programs that Daneshmandi is excited about is educational trivia nights. She says she sees them as an avenue for students to get more involved in events and activities surrounding social issues around campus and topics such as sexual education.“I really want to sit down, think about it, hear the voic-

es of people who may be more knowledgeable in those [social issues] areas than me. So those things I really want to introduce but I have to think about what would be appropriate, what would bring students there, what could introduce these ideas to new-coming students who may want to get involved by may not know what terminology to use.”Another change that Daneshmandi wants to imple-

ment this year is actually one of the major issues that encouraged her to get involved in ways other than per-forming: the Underground Coffeehouse doesn’t have a piano or keyboard. Daneshmandi learned the guitar  so she could perform at the Underground and have an in-strument to accompany her singing in the absence of a piano.“I think that some students who play instruments

that aren’t necessarily as portable as a guitar can reso-nate with me and my experience coming to the under-ground.”Another major change, said Daneshmandi, is a secret.“I am introducing an event winter quarter, and [it’s]

very important for right now with ev-erything that’s going on politically, racial-ly. Again I don’t want to say anything else, I want it to be a surprise.”In addition to all the

changes, the Under-ground Coffeehouse also continues to host its popular Wednesday night concert series. Every wednesday, a free concert takes place in the Underground Coffeehouse from 7 to 9 p.m. One concert that Daneshmandi is excited about is the up-coming performance of Paris the Songwriter Williams, a vocal-loop

artist from Seattle.Although Daneshman-

di gets more excited about the less popular artists like Paris the Songwriter Williams, she does concede that she does her best to cater to the interests of the major-ity groups on campus as well as representing diverse genres, with artists such as Bellingham local, Vervex.“Of course, talent comes first”, says Daneshmandi,

but says that she hopes introducing more variety will bring more and new patrons to the Underground Cof-feehouse.This diversification carries on from the extensive pro-

gramming efforts of Falk, who also introduced many new events, who is as passionate about giving people a venue to perform in as Daneshmandi as about creating community.

BY KATE WELCH

The Underground Coffeehouse is a popular spot on campus to read and meet friends. Photo: Alexandra Bartick // AS Review

The Underground Coffeehouse hopes to unite students with varied programming

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10.5. 2015 • 55

“A big passion of mine is youth performing arts, so a big thing that I wanted to have be my whole con-cept for the year was what different ways can I create opportunities for students to perform or share their art or develop. So we did things like more individ-ual open mics as opposed to the wide variety, such as comedy and poetry nights. We added a battle of the bands that was showcas-ing student musicians. In winter, we actually had all student openers for the Wednesday night concert series. And to just try to figure out how to cater to all the different kinds of performing arts. ”Students interested in

performing at open mic nights can sign up at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the par-ticular show they’d like to perform in at the Under-ground Coffeehouse. Oth-ers wishing to suggest or request other performanc-es or interested in hosting club events in the Under-ground Coffeehouse can contact Daneshmandi at [email protected]. “For me it’s not just a

school job, this is the ca-reer I want to go into and I’m really, really passion-ate about bringing a com-munity together, stopping some separation, bringing opportunities for all peo-ple,” said Daneshmandi, “I just want people to know that, any suggestions or concerns or events you’re excited about, or feed-back or events you really enjoyed. All feedback is welcome.”

TOP LEFT and BOTTOM LEFT: Performers at the Underground Coffeehouse. Photos by: Trevor Grimm // AS Review

TOP RIGHT: The Underground Coffeehouse serves food and drinks. Students who are planning on staying in the Underground to enjoy their coffee can request to have their drink in a porcelain mug. ABOVE: The Underground Coffeehouse offers plenty of comfy seating so students can work on homework in the tranquil atmo-sphere and enjoy a cup of coffee. Photos by: Alexandra Bartick // AS Review

The Underground Coffeehouse hopes to unite students with varied programming

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Kayak Bellingham Bay with the AS Outdoor CenterBellingham is known for it’s nature, but never before have

Western students had the opportunity to experience a sunset from the middle of Bellingham Bay.This fall, for the first time in Western history, the Outdoor

Center is hosting a series of sunset kayaking excursions in Bellingham Bay. “We’ll load up all the kayaks, cruise down to Marine Park, get

in the water, and basically just paddle around for a little while as the sun goes down, and just hang out, talk with friends, have a good time meeting people, and enjoy the beautiful views,” said Gus Landefeld, Outdoor Center Excursions Coor-dinator.The first paddle was on September 30 at 5:15 p.m., with sub-

sequent trips on October 14 at 5 p.m. and October 28 at 4:45 p.m. To join the fun, stop by the Outdoor Center in Viking Union 150 with $25 to sign up for an excursion. Attendees will meet at the Outdoor Center 30 to 40 minutes before sunset.Earlier this year, Western student Will Owen approached

the Outdoor Center excursion coordinators with the idea for sunset kayaking trips. Owen worked with the Outdoor Center to plan the trips. “All our trip leaders are students,” said Landefeld. “We’re run by students for students and we’re always trying to

think of new fun things to do that we haven’t offered before.”Kayaking experience is neither necessary nor expected.

Students who are proficient kayakers are more than welcome to sign up for these events, but all excursions offered by the Outdoor Center are intended for students with no experience. There will be a basic sea kayak safety briefing at the beginning of the trip.These trips provide opportunities to experience Bellingham

in a way that many students never have been able to before this year. “People will be able to get out, have a good time, forget about

stress of school, work, whatever else they have going on and just enjoy the beautiful place that we live in,” Landefeld said. “To take a couple hours out of your day and go do something fun helps you kind of forget about all the stressors you have going on in your life.”Landefeld said that he has noticed a lot of students getting

wrapped up in work and school obligations and not making time to enjoy themselves. “They forget to have fun,” he said. “A lot of the time people say that they don’t have any time,

but if you just make it a priority to get out once a week or something, it’s totally doable.” Landefeld himself makes time in his busy schedule to do something he enjoys every week-end. “It’s totally doable. You just have to prioritize having fun.”Weather will not impact the schedule of the trips, with the

Students on the first AS Outdoor Center kayaking trip excursion to see the sunset on Wednesday, September 30. Visit the AS Outdoor Center to sign up for future trips this October. The cost is $25. Photos: Trevor Grimm // AS Review

BY MORGAN ANNABLE

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Kayak Bellingham Bay with the AS Outdoor Center

Each quarter, every student on campus pays a 70 cent per quarter fee labeled ‘Sustainable Action Fund’ on their total balance. It’s the second smallest fee at Western, but it makes a big impact on student life.Formerly called the ‘Green Energy Fee’,

the name change came about after the AS Office of Sustainability said they wanted students to know that the fee funds not only energy- related projects, but econom-ic, environmental and social sustainability projects as well, said Nate White, the SAF grant program coordinator.“A new name was a good way to start

building that awareness,” he said. “It re-flects a more holistic embrace of sustain-ability.”The SAF is entirely student-run and

student-initiated. The fee cumulates into a grant, and is awarded to students who can create a project that will “focus on promoting experiential learning opportu-nities and sustainable practices at Western Washington University,” according to their website. Any student, staff or faculty member is

eligible to apply for the grant funding, if their idea aligns with the SAF aims to in-crease student involvement and education, reduce the university’s environmental impact, and create an aware and engaged campus community.Those interested can attend the SAF Idea

Labs, where they can learn more about the program and how to submit ideas for projects.“I love how the SAF provides students

opportunities to have a direct impact at

Western,” said White. “It allows students the ability to apply

what they learn in the classroom to re-al-world challenges at Western, and gives them practical experience that looks good on a resume.”The fee was first initiated in 2005, which

prompted Western to become the first university in the country to purchase 100% renewable energy. It did not become student-initiated until 2010.Currently the fee is being used to fund a

lighting retrofit in the Concert Hall in the PAC, replacing old, high energy-consum-ing bulbs with energy-saving LED lights. There are also two projects currently in the works that will involve putting energy producing bicycles into the Recreation Center, in the hope to “bring more kinetic energy-harnessing technology in the facility in the future,” said the group who brought the project together.Past completed projects include the

hydroponics aquarium on the first floor of the biology building, a 5 kWh solar array on the Environmental Studies building, and the many high-speed hand dryers that are now found in campus bathrooms.White said that this year he hopes to

establish relationships and collaborate with diversity and entrepreneurial groups on campus. “We see a lot of potential for our

program to be used by these groups to advance a more holistic vision of sustain-ability, and we are excited to start that conversation,” he said. More information on the fee and how

you can become involved can be found on their website at wwu.edu/saf.

exception of a storm causing a safety concern. “If people are psyched to go out in the rain, I don’t see a problem with that

because you’re in the water already, you’re probably going to get a little wet,” said Landefeld. “I’m pretty adamant about going outside not just to experience the nice weather. Going out in bad weather is part of it too.”Landefeld and Owen elected to hold these trips at Marine Park because it is

easily accessible and close to campus. “Going to Larrabee would be cool, but for things like this that are a little bit

shorter and less involved it’s just quicker and accomplishes pretty much the same thing by going to Marine Park,” said Landefeld.Whether you are a seasoned kayaker or have never touched a boat in your

life, the Outdoor Center’s new excursion will provide a unique look at Belling-ham sunsets.

Students on the first AS Outdoor Center kayaking trip excursion on Wednesday, September 30. Photos: Trevor Grimm // AS Review

What’s in an SAF fee?BY MARINA PRICE

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Wednesday Night Concert Series

Band of the Week

The Co-Founder is Hayden Eller, and though when he started his band in 2012 with a friend it was indeed a duo of co-founders, he has since then focused on writing songs by himself, and is now again a singular entity, a solo co-founder, playing acoustic guitar and singing.Eller will play in the Underground Coffeehouse Wednesday October 7 at 7 p.m., as part of the

Underground’s Wednesday Night Concert Series. Drew Perrin, another local acoustic folk musician, will also play.Eller spent his childhood in various Washington locales, then moved to Latvia at age 13 where he

graduated from the International School there in 2011. Eller then returned to Bellingham for col-lege and started out recording songs in his dorm room at Western using a USB microphone. These early recording sessions culminated in “The Dorm Room EP,” a recording that Eller is glad to say has mostly disappeared. Eller records in small spaces, from a dorm room bathroom to a closet in his grandmother’s house, and his music operates on an intimate scale, with large emotions on display.Eller said. “As of a few weeks ago I’ve been doing music full time; I’ve been focused on writing/producing new

songs, doing promotion, booking shows, screen printing t-shirts. Kind of a whole range of things, all focused around trying to stay busy and continuing to move forward.” Over the past year, Eller worked with the Washington Reading Corps through AmeriCorps, while

constantly working on his music. His contract now up, Eller says he’d like to put out a 7” vinyl re-cording, and he has some unreleased songs he thinks would work for it.

The musicHis lyrics reveal a longing for clar-

ity that’s tempered by a sense of sub-mission to a world that permits only transient insight, in which mistakes are inevitable. His songs are full of recognizable images, like a girl with headphones on running through the rain, or a sentimental-looking young man taking his seat on a train, preparing to receive, maybe, what he’s envisioned as the romance of the trip.“Old Programs/New Beliefs,” The

Co-Founder’s latest EP, released in July, opens with “At Least That’s Clear,” a song that finds Eller sing-ing in a raggedly emotional voice, occasionally reminiscent of Bon Iver at his most earthbound, over a subdued guitar melody that evokes a long time spent on a long road. “She says I’m tired of all the sad songs and

infallible mistakes, at least that clear,” Eller sings. “Old Programs/New Beliefs” and

Eller’s full-length album “Sentimen-tal Cigarette” are both available on his Bandcamp page, thecofounder-music.bandcamp.com. Eller record-ed, mixed, and mastered all the songs on each of these albums by himself, and the confidence of the record-ings stands out against the sense of perpetual questioning expressed in the lyrics. A Fairhaven audio recording class

that Eller took as a freshman pro-vided a foundation for his recording process, but Eller says that he mostly records through a process of trial and error.“Old Programs/New Beliefs” came

together over a period of a few weeks, while the songs on “Cigarette” came together over a period of three

years. The “Cigarette” songs play like vignettes and moments, each fully realized but distinct to itself, while the songs on Eller’s new EP create a more unified atmosphere of solitary reflection. This atmosphere is complemented,

or perhaps clarified, by the EP’s cov-er, which shows a van parked under a grey sky, on a beach strewn with gravel and trash, a chilly-looking sea crashing behind it.On songs like “Cобака (Dog)”

from the new EP, and “March 13”, from “Sentimental Cigarette”, Eller creates a sense of rhythm through the intensity of his strumming. The music collected here is not warm, but instead moves toward the haunted feeling of a room or a relationship after the last of the warmth has gone from it. Eller’s music opens into chilly, pensive, beautiful spaces.

A MUSIC REVIEW BY IAN SANQUIST

LEFT: The Co Found-er’s most recent album, Old Programs/New Beliefsavailable on Bandcamp.

LEFT: The Co Found-er’s first album, Cigarette, avialable on Bandcamp.

The Co Founder performing at Cafe Racer near Seattle’s U District. Photo courtsey of: The Co Founder

The Co Founder


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