By Morgan Annable
Western is now halfway through the quarter, and the AS Board of Directors is going strong.
At their meeting on Wednesday, October 5, the board members passed a resolution acknowledging every second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. The resolution first recognizes that the day is federally known as Columbus Day in the U.S., but that neither Bellingham nor the state of Washington observe the national holiday.
In fact, the city of Bellingham calls the holiday Coast Salish Day, but VP for Diversity Aleyda Cervantes pointed out that students on campus represent more than one indigenous group, and the word “indigenous” is more inclusive.
Next, the resolution acknowledges that the university as well as the city of Bellingham are situated on land colonized from the Coast Salish people and that the people of these tribes lived on the land for a long time before the city of Bellingham was founded.
After addressing Western’s commitment to equity and inclusion, the board resolved that the Associated Students will observe Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October.
In other board news, the AS Representation and Engagement Programs (REP) office successfully broke the previous record for voter registration, with a total of 3,059 new or updated voter registration forms. Western also exceeded our goal for this year, which was to register or update information for 3,000 voters.
At the September 28 board meeting, VP for Academic Affairs Erick Yanzon reported that the Academic Coordination Commission plans to have a proposal regarding GUR reform by the end of the quarter.
Alex LaVallee, VP for Activities, has started a new KVIK show entitled “WWU Upkeep.” The show features LaVallee and others providing details about upcoming events and issues relevant to student life. Find “WWU Upkeep” on Facebook to watch recent episodes. The first episode has 1,800 views.
Cervantes and the members of the Ethnic Student Center Executive Committee are in the process of meeting with the architects who will be working on the new Multicultural Center.
The board office is located in Viking Union 504; to get there, go up the half staircase next to the post office and VU 504 will be on your left. All of the board members hold weekly office hours, during which students are encouraged to visit them with questions, concerns, and ideas.
