Western Today for Tuesday, July 14

Renovations to Miller Hall are under way

Renovations have begun in Miller Hall (shown at right in an artist's rendering of the completed work), though much of the work so far has been behind the scenes.

For updates on the construction taking place this summer at Western, check out Facilities Management director Tim Wynn's 'Desk Notes' column, which will run every two weeks.

WWU photo

Be alert to e-mail spam and computer viruses

Every day, approximately 1.3 million inbound e-mails are sent to WWU addresses. Of those, more than 98 percent are spam or viruses that are filtered out and never reach Western in-boxes.

Western recently transitioned to a new, even more effective spam and virus filtering system on July 1. Please do your part to help protect Western’s system. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you to be careful and aware of strange e-mail messages.

•   Never send your username and password to someone in an e-mail.
•   WWU technical staff will never ask for account information in e-mail.
•   Likewise, legitimate banks or other accounts will not ask for this type of information.
•   Never open attachments without verifying with the sender first.
•   Do not reply to unsolicited messages – even to unsubscribe. Replying can actually verify that your accounts exist and result in more unwanted spam.

If you have sent your personal information in response to requests, you should change your password immediately, then contact the Help Desk at ext. 3333 or contact your technical support.

Graphic designers move to University Communications

Graphic designers Chris Baker and Shona Fahland have moved from their former offices in the commissary building to the Office of University Communications suite at 300 Old Main due to a reorganization within the University Relations Division.

The work of the two graphic designers, which had been charged to campus users on an hourly basis because the designers formerly were part of the self-sustaining Print and Copy Services, will no longer incur charge-backs to campus users. Read more at FAST Online.

Campus Health Advisory

The Humanities Building at Western Washington University is open today, Tuesday, July 14.

Students, faculty and staff may enter the building for classes and work. The building was temporarily closed Monday after a contractor dislodged some ceiling material that contained asbestos. All students and faculty and staff were notified to exit the building as a precaution. Affected parts of the building were cleaned up. Air samples show that the building is safe for occupancy.

For more specific information about asbestos, call the Environmental Health and Safety Office at ext. 3064.

Event Highlight:
One Crazy Raven

Gene Tagaban, aka One Crazy Raven, will perform in the Summer Noon Concert Series tomorrow in the PAC Plaza (VU if it rains). For more information, visit the WWU Events Calendar.

The Spokesman-Review

Tighter border hurts economy, officials say
Officials and experts from the United States and Canada say a U.S. border policy driven by concerns about terrorism and problems at the Mexico border is hurting Pacific Northwest communities.

Donald Alper, a Western Washington University political scientist and director of the Border Policy Research Institute, said his research shows a substantial drop-off in cross-border travel at the Canadian border with the security increases of the past eight years. He co-chaired a session on the issue Monday.

“My personal view is it’s probably ludicrous that we’re securitizing the border with Canada to the point that we are,” Alper said.

Everett Herald

Earn an MBA degree at EvCC on weekends
Western Washington University plans to bring a weekend master’s degree in business administration to Everett next year. Classes would begin in January at Everett Community College’s University Center. The program was approved by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board in June.

Auburn Reporter

WWU senior wins Miss Washington crown
This time, Auburn's Devanni Partridge was poised, polished and prepared to shine in perhaps her finest hour on center stage.

Partridge, the 2007 Miss Auburn and reigning Miss Seattle, stole the show to capture the prestigious Miss Washington crown Saturday at the Burien Community Center.

Partridge, 21, an Auburn High School graduate and a senior at Western Washington University, also earned more than $12,500 in scholarship awards at the pageant. Partridge, a pre-med student, is interested in pursuing a career in chiropractic care and physical therapy.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Phuture Phoenix twin gets big start
The Compass 2 Campus program, modeled after UW-Green Bay’s Phuture Phoenix program, has received more than double the expected student registration as more than 400 Western Washington University students prepare themselves to help mentor fifth graders.

Started by Phuture Phoenix co-founder Cyndie Shepard (wife of former UW-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard), Compass 2 Campus is a near twin to UW-Green Bay’s student mentoring program.

The Bellingham Herald

Concern over asbestos closes WWU building
Western Washington University's Humanities Building was evacuated and closed Monday morning, July 13 due to the possible release of asbestos in the air.

While doing renovation work around 9:30 a.m., a contractor removed an asbestos-contaminated piece of ceiling on the second floor, according to Gayle Shipley, director of WWU's Environmental Health and Safety department.

The ceiling piece was not properly bagged and sealed before being hauled from the building, possibly causing asbestos exposure to the rest of the building.

WWU News Releases

Center for Economic Vitality Announces New Hire, Promotions

The fine print: Western Today is compiled and edited by John Thompson and Matthew Anderson in the Office of University Communications. Some links have time limitations and may not be accessible in the near future. A few articles may require registration to view. If you prefer to be removed from this list, please let us know via the link at the bottom of this document. For upcoming events, faculty research, or faculty and student achievements you would like publicized, please reply to this e-mail; click here to submit news online, or click here to submit entries to our online calendar of events. For the latest Western athletics news and schedules, see http://wwuvikings.cstv.com/. For more on faculty and staff news, see the new FAST Online at http://fast.wwu.edu/.

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