Here you can find all my work from the Western Front, starting from April of 2018. Click on the headlines to read the whole article.

Photo by Oliver Hamlin

Hundreds of Students gather at President’s Office to speak about about breaking the cycle of systemic violence, racism

‘Building healing without borders’: Western alumnae start podcast, discussion

Vicky Matey and Olga Araceli sit beneath an antler chandelier at the Cabin Tavern in downtown Bellingham, drinks and bright purple on-brand stickers in hand, and pose for a photo. The red light from a neon sign behind them frames their heads like a halo.

“Make sure we look cute,” Matey says.

Lowrider show brings vibrancy to Red Square

Anna Soltero hopes that showcasing that the event is completely student-run will be inspiring for young people.

“We want the teenagers, the kids to see that they can come to school, they can put on a show and make a difference in their community,” she said.

Man pleaded not guilty to charges of voyeurism, stalking

A 57-year-old Bellingham man pleaded not guilty to charges of voyeurism, a Class C felony, and stalking, a gross misdemeanor, after he was arrested in Wilson Library on Thursday, May 17.

Sen. Murray meets children and teaching staff at Child Development Center

Murray said students like Oppelaar and Solano are the people who will benefit the most from the Child Care for Working Families Act.

“I hear, everywhere I go, from people about their inability to achieve their own dreams, to be able to go to work, to be able to care for their families because of the barrier of getting access to affordable child care,” Murray said.

Multicultural Center Ceremony demonstrators demand recognition of student-led efforts

Despite the heavy clouds hanging over their heads, Western students, alumni, faculty and staff packed into the Performing Arts Center plaza to plant a maple tree in celebration of the beginning of the Multicultural Center construction on April 20.

Also in attendance were about 75 demonstrators, most of whom were Ethnic Student Center club members.

Here you can find all my work from the AS Review, starting from April of 2016. Click on the headlines to read the whole article.

Image by Hailey Hoffman

Elevator outages trap students

Despite a recent grant to repair and modernize Western’s elevators, breakdowns continue to raise concerns for students.

Since 2015, 161 instances of elevator malfunctions have been reported to University Police or maintenance, according to university police logs.

Photo by Hailey Hoffman

Blue Group launches book, discussion

UndocuStudents: Our Untold Stories has an upside-down cover.

Jenifer Becerril Pacheco, creator of the cover image and one of the co-chairs of Blue Group, joked about the error before performing her poem, In the wings of hope los sueños viven, in the Wilson Library Presentation Room.

Photo courtesy of Mele Mataese

Western Athletics cancels ‘Hawaiian Night’ after pushback from Pacific Islander students

Mele Mataese, president of OSA, made a Facebook post Wednesday night calling out Western Athletics for what she personally believed was an ignorant and culturally appropriative theme.

“Just because our PI [Pacific Islander] community on campus is little doesn’t mean we are nonexistent, and you all truly must have thought this was okay but I’m telling you it’s not. You sincerely disgust me Western,” she wrote.

Photo Illustration by Jaden Moon

AS Board looking for student input on potential smoking ban

Following in the footsteps of Washington State University and Seattle Pacific University, Western’s Associated Students Board is considering taking steps towards a smoke-free campus. However, some students have concerns about the plan.

The AS Board has moved to start talking about about making Western’s campus smoke-free. In a meeting in November, the board spoke of implementation by, possibly, the end of spring quarter.

Photo by Hailey Hoffman

ESC celebrates the art of resistance on MLK Day

The Ethnic Student Center isn’t always a serious, heavy space. Many students of color who visit see it as a place to relax- but that doesn’t make it any less radical.

Senior Maria José Palacios Figueroa said she believes that the act of relaxation, in itself, is revolutionary for people of color. That’s why she found herself at the ESC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Resistance Through Art event.

Photo by Hailey Hoffman

Western Alerts leave students in the dark

During the current epidemic of sexually charged crimes, some Western students are wondering why Western Alerts feel inaccessible and sporadic when it comes to assault and voyeurism.

After timely alerts of high winds and an off-campus theft blew up their phones in November, Western students took to Twitter to complain of reporting times they felt did not match the severity of the crimes being committed.