Abel to speak on Costa Rica research Feb. 15

Troy Abel, associate professor of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University, will present “Ecotopia’s Prism - Five Seasons in Costa Rica’s Ecology, Economy, and Culture” at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb.15 in Communications Facility 110.

The event is free, open to the public and is part of Western’s Turning Points Faculty Speaker Series, which celebrates and shares the wealth of knowledge and talent on Western’s campus.

Drawing on his research collaborations over the past five years with Western students, faculty and Costa Rican’s conserving tropical rainforests, Abel will share his insights on ecological citizenship, political biogeography, and immersions in some of the most biologically intense places on the planet. He believes that while Costa Rica’s conservation of biodiversity began in their protected areas and national parks, it will be finished outside of them.

Oscar-nominated 'Undefeated' to screen March 1

Oscar-nominated director and Western Washington University alumnus TJ Martin is coming to Western's campus March 1 for an exclusive screening of his documentary "Undefeated." Photo courtesy of Dan Lindsay/TJ Martin/ The Weinstein Company

Oscar-nominated director and Western Washington University alumnus TJ Martin is coming to Western’s campus for an exclusive screening of his documentary “Undefeated.”

Students, faculty and community members are invited to a special evening with TJ Martin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 in the Performing Arts Center Mainstage. Admission is free, but tickets are required by registering at the Western Alumni Association's website. A suggested donation of $5 to be applied toward Western student scholarships will be accepted at the door.

Martin could make history at the Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles the week prior to his return to Bellingham. If “Undefeated” wins the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary, Martin would be the first African American director to win an Oscar. John Singleton, Lee Daniels and Spike Lee have received nominations in the past, but none have won an Oscar statue. The film first received critical acclaim at its SXSW debut in March and was signed by The Weinstein Co. for distribution soon after.

YACHT thrills students at WWU concert

YACHT, led by Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans, light up the stage and get the crowd going during their concert Feb. 7, 2012, in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room. According to the band, the last time they played Bellingham was in 2006 or 2007, and they had a grand time playing for the crowd this time. Photo by Jeremy Smith | University Communications intern

Bellingham Lectures in Philosophy and Religion set for Feb. 21 to 23

Theatre and Dance set to show 'Cabaret' Feb. 10 and 11

Pine to discuss Lahu speakers, karaoke singers Feb. 16

Standout's tragic death left indelible stamp on 91-92 squad

Standout's tragic death left indelible stamp on 91-92 squad

Duke Wallenborn died unexpectedly of a congenital heart problem in the midst of the 1991-92 men's basketball season, just days after he led the team to a 1-point victory over arch-rival Central Washington University. Courtesy photo

The 1991-92 men's basketball squad will be honored before WWU’s game Saturday, Feb. 11, against Alaska Fairbanks. Most of that team will be returning to Bellingham, getting together for dinner, and telling stories about Duke Wallenborn, who died unexpectedly during that season.

The buzzer sounded and the raucous crowd stormed onto the court at Sam Carver Gymnasium. The building had erupted in a roar of sheer jubilation. The players were the same way, screaming in joy and excitement while searching for someone to embrace.

The 1991-92 Western Washington University men’s basketball team had just topped arch-rival Central Washington by the slimmest of margins.

A defensive stop on Central’s final possession gave the Vikings a 64-63 victory. With it, they had clinched the regular-season NAIA District 1 championship and the top seed in the upcoming district playoffs.

“The crowd was going nuts. We were going nuts,” said Brian Jones, Western’s junior forward. “We were on top of the world.”

The Vikings’ star player, Duke Wallenborn, had done it again. Duke scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, including a decisive three-point play in the final minute, lifting Western to the win. He was among his teammates celebrating, jumping up and down, hands raised in the air, soaking in the joy of the moment. Life could not have been better.

Pine to discuss Lahu speakers, karaoke singers Feb. 16

Judy Pine, linguistic anthropologist at Western Washington University, will present “Truly Lahu – Representing Authentic Identity in Karaoke Videos” from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Wilson Library Presentation Room on campus.

The free, public presentation will draw on fieldwork in Thailand and China to explore the way that Lahu speakers in the Greater Mekong Subregion present themselves as individuals who can be authentically Lahu and at the same time modern, challenging the idea that authenticity and modernity are diametrically opposed.

Professor Pine will use examples of material collected during three summers of fieldwork to briefly explore the concept of authenticity as approached from the perspective of linguistic anthropology.

Opportunities to view and perhaps sing along with Lahu language karaoke will be included.

Western gets more freshman applications than ever

Western Washington University has received its highest-ever number of freshman applications.

The deadline for freshman applications for fall quarter 2012 was Jan. 31. As of that date, Western had received 9,631 freshmen applications for about 2,800 freshman slots for fall quarter, up by more than 500 applications from last year and exceeding all previous years’ totals.

“Western’s reputation for academic quality and the university’s culture of collaborative learning are increasingly being recognized and appreciated by prospective students and their families,” said Western President Bruce Shepard. “The premier education offered to students at Western represents an enormously important investment in the future of Washington state.”

The record number of applications is particularly noteworthy considering that Western moved its freshman application deadline to Jan. 31 from March 1, which can have the opposite effect.

“More students are seeking to gain admission in Western’s freshman class for a variety of reasons, including academic excellence, a strong tradition of personal attention to students, great value, respect for diversity and incredibly beautiful surroundings,” said Clara Capron, acting director of Admissions and director of Financial Aid.

Theatre and Dance set to show 'Cabaret' Feb. 10 and 11

Western Washington University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will feature its “Cabaret” performance at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11, in Room 16 of the Performing Arts Center.

Three times a year WWU students and faculty present new work in “Cabaret.” Full of unexpected pleasures, the performance showcases collaborative efforts that span multiple arts forms – such as dance, theater, song, poetry, and improvisation.

Tickets are $5 and are available through the WWU Box Office at (360) 650-6146 orhttp://www.tickets.wwu.edu.

Photos: C2C honored at WWU basketball game

WWU 17th on EPA list of renewable energy purchasers

The Academic Instructional Center in south campus. Photo courtesy of Matthew Olson

Western Washington University is 17th on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the nation’s top 20 green energy purchasers in higher education.

Western annually offsets 100 percent of its electrical consumption from green sources via purchases of renewable energy credits.

Western was the only college or university in the State of Washington on the recently released EPA list.

The genesis for Western’s renewable energy program began more than seven years ago when a small group of Western students set a goal of having Western offset all of its electrical energy from a 100-percent renewable source. To meet that goal they proposed a student initiative to implement a fee that would offset the cost of purchasing renewable energy.

As a result of their efforts and significant research into renewable energy, Western moved to the forefront of the renewable energy field, becoming the first university in the country to implement a student fee for the purchase of green energy.

The student initiative passed in a spring 2004 election with 84.7 percent approval. The WWU Board of Trustees approved the student fee, which went into effect in 2005 and which allows the university to offset all of its electricity use with purchases from renewable energy sources.

Students read banned books in Red Square

Students in Western professor Kristen French’s Education 497 class Seminar in Education Equity participated in a read-in in Red Square Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The read-in aimed at drawing attention to the Tucson Unified School District’s recent book ban on books about the struggles of Mexican Americans and other ethnic studies textbooks. The district instituted the ban after voting that the district's Mexican American Studies and Social Justice Education Programs were in violation of Arizona HB 2281, which prohibits courses that "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government; promote resentment toward a race or class of people; are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group; advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."

'US' to return for one night only Feb. 10

"US," the Western Washington University Theatre Department's hit show from last season, has been invited to be one of four full-length plays shown at Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Fort Collins, Colo., as part of the Region VII.

To help fund sending the cast and crew of students to the festival and get the show back into their bones, the department is remounting the show for one night only at Western, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 on the Performing Arts Center Mainstage.

An investigation of the young American experience, "US" is inspired by Jack Kerouac’s "On the Road" and photographer Robert Frank’s book "The Americans." The production explores why these two artists traveled thousands of miles to ask “what does it mean to be an American?” and investigates what that question meant 50 years ago and how it resonates for audiences today. Having worked collaboratively for a year and a half, an ensemble of WWU students devised the original theatre piece, which contains live music, singing, dance, and moments of heightened theatricality.