Western Today for Wednesday, Aug. 12

Miller Hall construction update

Tomorrow morning, the contractor working on the Miller Hall renovation project will conduct exploratory excavation of soils at the exterior foundation below the windows of rooms 171, 173, 175, 273, 275, 277 and 279 (shown at left of image). The equipment used will generate noise and diesel fumes. Those on the first or second floors in this area should close their windows when they leave this evening.

Photo by Adam Cochran | WWU

Mill Hall construction

Shared leave donations needed

The following WWU employees are in need of shared leave donations: Brenda Armstrong, Paul Cleveland, Elizabeth Hartsoch, Robin Koenig, Dawn Magana, Ashley Perigo and Catherine Sheard. For more information, visit FAST Online.

Construction update:
Parking lot 17G

This summer, after commencement, parking lot 17G is scheduled to be repaved. Officials anticipate that this will be complete before fall quarter starts. The contractor, Dirt Works Bellingham, is aware that taking the parking lot offline impacts a number of people on campus and will work as quickly as possible. There will be construction noise and traffic associated with the work, such as trucks removing construction debris, asphalt trucks and concrete trucks placing concrete.

Stay tuned to Western Today for more updates.

On campus today:

Western Kids Camp
WWU Lakewood Jr. Sailing Camp
Western Kids Camp "Everyone's a Star"
Summerstart: New freshmen advising, registration and orientation
Dance Academy for Youth (DAY)

Click here to view.

The Bellingham Herald

Langstraat takes position with WWU volleyball team
Nate Langstraat, the head women's volleyball coach at Whatcom Community College for the last eight seasons, will serve as a volunteer assistant coach at Western Washington University this fall. Making that announcement was Viking coach Diane Flick.

The 32-year-old Langstraat directed the Orcas to four Northwest Athletic Association of Community College Northern Region championships and a 247-130 record, being named NWAACC Coach of the Year in 2007 and receiving regional coaching honors five times. Prior to that, he was the junior varsity girls volleyball coach at Lynden High School for two years, the Lions placing second at state during one of those seasons.

The Seattle Times

The private benefits of public competition in health insurance
(Column is by Johann Neem, an associate professor of history at Western Washington University)

Opponents of health-care reform claim that when the government steps in, private employers step out, and thus those of us who are fortunate enough to have health insurance will be left with worse care.

History suggests otherwise, according to a recent study by Jennifer Klein. In "For All These Rights: Business, Labor, and the Shaping of America's Public-Private Welfare State," the Yale University history professor finds that for most of the 20th century, employer-provided benefits — life insurance, medical insurance, sick leave and retirement benefits — increased in response to more generous federal benefits and pressure from labor unions and declined when the government pulled back.

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/.

printer friendly