Western Today for Thursday, Aug. 20

Buses back to picking up riders on High Street

Whatcom Transportation Authority buses are once again picking up and dropping off riders at the regular stops on High Street, including this one in front of the new bike racks at Haggard Hall.

Due to High Street road resurfacing north of campus, buses were rerouted to Garden Street for a while yesterday.

Photo by Matthew Anderson | WWU

Bike parking

WWU again places high in U.S. News & World Report rankings

Western Washington University is the highest-ranking public, master’s-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report college rankings.

For more, click here.

Did you know?

WWU Board of Trustees meetings are streamed live via audio online. Meetings also are archived for later listening.

Audio from the most recent meetings on Aug. 13 and 14, as well as from the rest of 2009, are available online here.

Avoid traffic and noise during summer commencement

Commencement activities begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, in Carver Gym, Red Square and the SMATE Building. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and is followed by the Memory Walk to Old Main, which concludes at approximately noon. All academic and administrative units are asked to avoid activity that would conflict with commencement.

Miller Market will be only dining venue open during steam shutdown

Miller Market, which opens on Red Square in its temporary location AUg. 24, will be the only University Dining venue open during the annual steam shutdown, which occurs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 10.

The Whatcom County Health Department requires accessibility to hot running water in restrooms for our customers in order for us to prepare and serve made-to-order food and beverages. During the steam shutdown, all hot running water on campus is turned off.

For more information, click here.

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Attention to detail makes WWU building unique
Through the use of affordable construction materials and a streamlined design approach, the design team of Western Washington University’s new Academic Instructional Center in Bellingham has been able to deliver a building with a level of detail not typically found in academic projects.

The $50 million project houses the university’s department of psychology and department of communication sciences and disorders in two wings joined by a central covered passageway. The east wing includes faculty offices and other enclosed departmental spaces, while the more open west wing offers lecture halls, classrooms and public spaces.

Examiner.com

H.R. 3200: America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009: A summary
Summary is by Moheb Ghali, an economist and Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Western Washington University.

1. A Health Choices Administration is created and led by a Commissioner. Within the Health Choices Administration an entity called the Health Insurance Exchange (Exchange) [along with a Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund] is created in to facilitate access by individuals and employers to the variety of optional plans including the public health insurance option.

2. Existing health insurance providers offering Qualified Health Care Benefit (QHCB) plans can participate in the Exchange, such plan is required to provide specified levels of benefits (Basic, enhanced, and premium plans) and, in the case of a plan offering a premium plus level of benefits, provide additional benefits. ...

The Bellingham Herald

Port of Bellingham will not appeal NOAA decision
The Port of Bellingham will not appeal the decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to relocate a fleet of research ships to Newport, Ore., instead of Bellingham.

Port Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday, Aug. 19, against an appeal citing costs that could hit $300,000 to launch an aggressive protest of the decision.

Kids can learn how government works
... The Y is accepting applications for next year's Youth & Government session, which culminates in May with four days in Olympia, including a mock legislative session and a meeting with Gov. Chris Gregoire. Participants mostly stay with host families, said Robert Knowles, teen adventure director at the Whatcom Family YMCA.

Knowles said participants will meet regularly throughout the school year, possibly as often as once a week, to practice debating techniques, study how to effect change, and learn how to stand up for their own beliefs. They'll also participate in team-building exercises and share their opinions about current events, he said.

"It's really fun watching the kids help each other and becoming more empowered," Knowles said.

Advisers for the program are Jane Vroman, legislative relations specialist with Western Washington University, and the Y's Erin Flinn, he said. It is open to students from eighth grade through high school seniors. ...

SeattlePI.com

Return of Dragavon
The Seattle Sounders have asked the league to allow former Monroe High School and Western Washington University goalkeeper Ben Dragavon to rejoin the team Thursday to backup Kasey Keller.

WWU News Releases

U.S. News Rankings Show WWU as Top Public Master’s-Granting School in Pacific Northwest

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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