The Eastern Back is a yearly publication by the staff of the AS Review. Anything contained here probably isn’t true – unless it is. Happy April Fool’s week!
By Sydnee Smith
Western released a statement March 30, suggesting students to either remove or board up their windows to protect against voyeurism. The statement comes months after Bellingham had a string of voyeurism incidents, mostly located near north campus.
Allie Abel and McKenzie Stratus, roommates who live together on North Garden St., are angry over Western’s statement. They claim the voyeurism isn’t the fault of them having windows and the statement is taking a victim-blaming approach.
“Having windows isn’t the problem here. The problem here is people doing sick stuff, not me simply living somewhere with windows,” Stratus said. “The blame seems to be put back onto people just trying to live. Literally no windows, like seriously? Windows are for fire safety.”
Western officials are stating they want to take the utmost care of their students and believe their safety comes first. Having no windows seems like a solution to protect students and put their minds at ease.
“We want students to feel safe and have a peaceful mind when attending classes. Not having windows would give students the peace that someone won’t be looking through their windows at night,” Western officials said.
However, students are still upset over the approach Western took in protecting their students. Students, including Abel and Stratus, believe that Western is blaming the victims instead of the voyeur for the voyeurism that has been taking place.
Abel and Stratus have joined other students in staging a protest against Western for their statement. Abel said students should have their concerns taken more seriously and not given a mediocre fix.
Jenson Roger is one of the organizers for the protest. Roger said he wants students to stand up to administration and let them know windows are a student right and the windows aren’t the problem in the situation.
“There is voyeurism happening and windows aren’t the problem. If I were a girl I’d be so mad if they told me I got voyeured because I had a window. Not cool admins,” Roger said.
The protest is set to take place in Red Square on Apr. 3, from noon to 2 p.m. Students are welcome to bring signs and state their opinions on the matter. Unless they agree with the administration in removing windows, Roger said.