Videos

The Department of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation at Western Washington University recently changed its name to the Department of Health and Human Development in order to emphasize the goals and outcomes of its programs in kinesiology/physical education, health and recreation.

Video by Kyra Betteridge / WWU Communications and Marketing intern

Western Washington University will conduct a test lockdown drill of selected offices and classrooms on campus during the university’s Western Alert emergency notification system at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. Western Alert includes emergency messages via building enunciation (audio messages in buildings), outdoor speakers, texts, email, social media, desktop notification and the university homepage.

At the same time as the Western Alert campus wide test, a small group of faculty, staff and students will be participating in the test lockdown drill on campus. Please know this is only a drill. Feedback from participants will be gathered to further improve on a full campus lockdown drill being planned on campus next spring.

The following offices and classrooms will be part of the test lockdown drill on Thursday: Business and Financial Affairs suite, Old Main; Fairhaven Residence Hall Stack 2, Floor 3; selected offices on Viking Union Floor 5 including Dean of Students Admin Unit (VU547 Suite), Student Life Office (VU506), As Board (VU504); selected offices of Business Services (32nd Street); selected offices Wade King Student Recreation Center; Child Development Center; Facilities Management (Work Control Center, identified custodians and maintenance mechanics); and classrooms HU101, PAC LLII#24, Arntzen 100, OM483 and PH213.

When each of us is better prepared, Western will be collectively more resilient. Please take 8 minutes to watch Western's emergency management video.  The U.S. government has provided an under-6-minute video on your options if violence occurs called Run, Hide, Fight. More information on what do during an emergency on campus is available at this FAQ.

Representatives from the Counseling Center (650-3164) and state Employee Assistance Program will be available during and after the drill to provide support as needed to participating students and employees.  Please contact them directly for assistance.

 

WWU Humans vs. Zombies, one of the largest student clubs at Western Washington University, will be hosting its fall game beginning Wednesday, Oct. 21. It is a free-to-play, eight-day game of tag on campus involving two teams: Humans and Zombies. Zombies try to tag humans while humans defend themselves with approved Nerf blasters and balled-up socks.

The fall game will run from 7 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21, through 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Gameplay is restricted to outside of buildings, on-campus only, and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Players will be designated by orange armbands (humans), and orange headbands (zombies). Moderators of the game are designated by green armbands, with first aid and CPR certified moderators wearing blue armbands. They are on campus to respond to rules violations, reprimand players, and are happy to answer questions from students, faculty, and curious spectators.

Anyone can play, not just WWU students, but all players are required to attend a registration meeting for rules presentation and must pass a safety quiz in order to receive their player bands and ID cards.

There are five of these meetings the week prior, at 7 p.m.:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Arntzen Hall 100
  • Thursday, Oct. 15 in Arntzen Hall 100
  • Saturday,Oct. 17 in Arntzen Hall 100
  • Monday, Oct. 19 in Arntzen Hall 100
  • Tuesday, Oct. 20 in Fraser Hall 102

Players must attend a registration in order to play the game.

The club operates in close collaboration with campus administration and University Police. This collaboration establishes rules, restrictions, and the allowed Nerf blasters used in-game. To view the allowed arsenal and rules of the game, please visit: http://wwuhumansvszombies.com. The website will be used to track human and zombie populations through the week, announcements and in-game achievements.

Any questions, comments, or concerns can be voiced to moderators in person (wearing green armbands), or sent to the club email at wwuhumansvszombies@gmail.com.

For information about disAbility accommodations, please contact Dylan Nelson at 206-384-8047. Emergency contacts for HvZ during game week are Ian Howard 206-422-8634 and Dylan Nelson 206-384-8047.

Western Washington University played host to a talk titled “Hip-Hop and Democracy in Senegal” on Friday, Oct. 2 in Arntzen Hall on the Western campus.

The presentation, which was free and open to the public, featured Senegalese artists and political activists Thiat and Denise Sow of Keur Gui and Y’en a Marre as they visit Western to discuss rap music and political mobilization in Senegal.

Sponsors included the President’s Diversity Fund, the Center for International Students and the Departments of History, Liberal Studies and Political Science.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page or contact the Department of Political Science at 360-650-3469.

Video by Rhys Logan / WWU

Photo by Kyra Betteridge / WWU Communications and Marketing intern

Registration is now open for the Western Washington University Employee Language Program workshops for fall quarter.

The workshops are an initiative put forth by the President's Office to support Western faculty and staff through professional development and to encourage multicultural outreach and awareness. The workshops are the result of a combined effort by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, and Extended Education.

For workshop level descriptions and recommended preparation, please visit the descriptions on the program curriculum page.

Workshops will begin the week of Oct. 5. A listing of offerings and times is available below:

Spanish Workshops:

  • Spanish: Level 1 - Basic Conversation I
    M/W @ 4-4:50 PM in HU 108 (10/5-12/2)
  • Spanish: Level 1 - Basic Conversation I
    T/Th @ 1-1:50 PM in MH 103 (10/6-12/3)
  • Spanish: Level 2 - Basic Conversation II
    M/W @ 9-9:50 AM in BH 108 (10/5-12/2)
  • Spanish: Level 3 - Written/Oral Comm.
    T/Th @ 4-4:50 PM in MH 239 (10/6-12/3)
  • Spanish: Spanish for Outreach
    M @ 12-12:50 PM in BH 151 (10/5-11/30)
  • Spanish: Spanish for Outreach (STEM/CSE)
    W @ 12-12:50 PM in AW 410 (10/7-12/2)
  • Spanish Conversation Group
    F @ 12-12:50 PM in MH 235 (10/9-12/4)

French Workshops:

  • French: Language & Culture
    T/Th @ 4-4:50 PM in TBA (10/6-12/3)

There are no registration fees for these workshops. Check out the perspectives of the Western Employee Language Program Facilitators in this short video.

Employees should communicate with their supervisors prior to registering for a workshop. For those with additional questions, a FAQ page is available on the program website. For more information about the program, please visit the program web page.

Episode 30 of the Western Window television show is a single “Office Hours” segment hosted by Dan Purdy, director of Western’s Front Door to Discovery program.

Community Engagement: How can universities better engage with the people and organizations around them?

Purdy leads a panel of speakers through a discussion of the nature, value and worth of a how universities can better engage and reach out to their communities. Panelists are Heather Davidson, instructor in Western’s Communication studies department, and Marianne Brudwick, co-chair of the Bellingham Brain Cancer Walk.

The Associated Students' annual Red Square Info Fair attracted hundreds of new and returning students to Red Square Sept. 21 and 22.

More than 200 Associated Students clubs, offices and programs, as well as community vendors and businesses, offer information, free gear and giveaways during the event.

In addition to interacting tables, booths, students enjoy performances from The Dead Parrots Society improv comedy club and performing arts clubs varying from Glee and A Cappella to Tap and Salsa dance.

This month’s show is hosted by Chris Roselli of the WWU Alumni Association and Anna Magidson, a student at Western. Following is the story lineup for this episode:

1. Western Expands Downtown– Take a look at Western’s new downtown offices in the Herald building. The new location is designed to bring Western closer to the heart of the city and offer students, alumni, and friends of the university a new place to learn more about what is happening on campus. (1:00)
2. Communicating Without Words – Western alum Ryan Dudenbostel has returned home to become the new leader of Orchestral Studies at WWU. As the orchestra’s conductor, his job has many facets, all communicated to the group through the use of the baton. (5:45)
3. The Sea Around Us – Western Professor Emeritus Bert Webber led the charge to have the area encompassed by the Puget Sound, Strait of Georgia, and Strait of Juan de Fuca collectively named the Salish Sea. It took years of effort, but Webber says the name gives a greater understanding of the ecological and cultural roots of this precious resource. (11:20)
4. Wizards at Western – Chemistry instructor Betsy Raymond and the Western Chemistry Club recently gave a demonstration to local elementary- and middle-schoolers about how matter can change form, much to the delight of the children and parents in the audience. (16:05)
5. Two Days to Paradise– Western’s student-run broadcast studio, KVIK, hosts a two-day film festival each year, challenging students to complete a short feature film in just 48 hours. The films are then shown to a standing-room-only crowd at Bellingham’s Pickford Theater at the end of the festival. (21:47)

Western Washington University Youth Programs has just launched its 10th year of Summer Youth Theatre Institute as part of the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Both primary and secondary level workshops are supervised by Deborah Currier and taught by upper-division Western theatre and education students.

Through these workshops, students entering grades one through twelve gain skills in improvisation, vocal and body warm-up techniques, monologue and scene writing, stage movement, audition skills and choreography for the stage.

Video by Mariko Osterberg / WWU Communications and Marketing intern

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Western Washington University honored its Outstanding Graduates for the 2014-15 academic year at spring Commencement Saturday, June 13.

 Faculty members from dozens of academic departments and programs select one graduate to honor as the Outstanding Graduate of the year. Selection is a high honor based on grades, research and writing, service to the campus and community, and promise for the future.

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