As spring weather at Western Washington University arrives, it’s common to see groups of three to eight people standing shoulder to shoulder in the sun on campus lawns, bouncing around a small beanbag. At Western, students love the community this hands-free pastime – known as hacky sack – creates.
Organizers of Paddle and Flow, a paddling and yoga event, encourage students to step away from the academic grind and into nature on Saturday, May 9. The Lakewood Boathouse event combines outdoor activity and stress relief for attendees.
Operational student employees at Western received official certification as a union by the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission on April 15, 2026. Over 1,000 non-academic student workers were able to join Western Academic Workers United (WAWU), which had previously served only educational student employees.
House Bill 2320, a bill that Washington State Legislature passed into law March 11, updates existing ‘ghost gun’ policy to make fabricating guns and gun parts using 3D printers and other industrial manufacture machines without proper permits illegal. The law will go into effect July 1.
Bellingham Public Schools is facing reductions to the Running Start program and a $7.5 million funding shortfall from the Washington State Legislature for the 2026-27 school year, resulting in planned cuts to staff positions, school libraries, athletics and student programs.
This past winter quarter, Pacific Note West, one of Western Washington University’s competitive a cappella teams, placed fourth overall at the International Championship of Collegiate a Cappella (ICCA) West Quarter Final, which took place at Tacoma Armory on Jan. 24, 2026. Out of nine competing teams, and being the only American team to place in the top four, Pacific Note West came out with a score of 372, just barely missing third place by three points.
On Thursday, May 7, Western Washington University’s Collegiate Distributive Education Clubs of America team is hosting its first-ever Shark Tank workshop on Western’s campus at 5 p.m. in Academic Instructional Center West room 305. They will bring in DECA alumni to act as the “sharks” for students collaborating on their business ideas.
The Outback Farm is a community garden and learning space located between the Fairhaven Complex and Buchanan Towers dorms on Western Washington University's south campus. Since the early 1970s, the farm has provided learning opportunities for Western students and free food to those in need.
Every two years, Western Washington University’s art department comes together to put on a gallery celebrating the artwork made by faculty and staff. For the 2026 biennial, 20 artists were featured in the exhibit, with works ranging from paintings, photography and sculptures to videos and installations.
Out of the 118 players selected nationwide for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player of the Year Watchlist, two come from the same program. At Western Washington University, third baseman Maleah Andrews and shortstop Hailey Rath have earned national recognition and helped to elevate the Vikings’ softball program.
The sun is finally emerging from its seven-month hibernation, defrosting Washingtonians' winter slump. Spring quarter can feel like a fresh start, a reset. The idea of a “spring reset” could be an opportunity for a real change, or just a seasonal illusion that's hard to maintain.
As part of Western Washington University Residence Association’s “Go for the Green” initiative, a campus Thrift Swap event will take place in Alma Clark Glass Hall 452 on Thursday, April 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. The Thrift Swap invites students to bring and exchange items they no longer have use for, promotes sustainable ideals of community recycling and offers free food and eco-advice.
The sun has returned, and with it the spirits of Western Washington University students have lifted. “We all know how it is, we live in Bellingham. The seasonal depression is real; it's hard to get outside in the winter,” Lucie Salsbury, a student employee at Western’s Outdoor Center said. “You don’t realize how much you miss the sun until you haven’t seen it for four months.”
About a hundred students and community members surrounded Fisher Fountain on Thursday, April 16, at 2 p.m. for a protest led by WWU Divest Apartheid Coalition, a student political organization against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. The protest was against “Triggered: The Ceaseless Tour,” an event held by Students Supporting Israel that invited Israeli reserve soldiers to speak on campus. Several speakers condemned the university’s compliance with the event despite students' concerns.The event was originally planned to be hosted on campus, but was relocated off campus to the Stateside student housing apartments in downtown Bellingham the day of due to security concerns. Organizers were told by university officials that they could not guarantee the safety of the event.
The portal awards over $5 million to students after each annual cycle. The scholarship portal is a centralized application process that allows students to fill out a single annual form that matches them to any scholarship they are eligible for.
On Saturday, April 18, Western Washington University’s music department will host the 2026 Western Washington Percussion Festival. The percussion festival was founded in 2011 and hosts over 200 high school percussion students from across Washington.
Western Washington University is putting in a new building on the south side of campus that will serve as a welcome center and student resource facility. Construction started at the beginning of spring quarter and is slated to take 18 months, with completion not expected until fall quarter of 2027.
Created by two Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies students, the Preservation Station brings together the Outback Farm and Western's Native American Student Union. The project will move to the House of Healing longhouse once it opens.
The skies are getting hazier each day in Memphis, Tennessee, as the world’s largest supercomputer, Elon Musk’s Colossus, drinks up water and spits out pollutants. Large data centers use lots of energy and can consume 5 million gallons of water per day to cool down their computers. More big data centers are being built to keep up with the growth of artificial intelligence, which increases the risk of data centers tapping into freshwater supplies.
The issue of academic freedom has become a crucial topic, especially at campuses like Western Washington University. Academic freedom is the standard that allows professors and faculty in institutions of higher education to study, teach and publish in their fields without fear of restriction and interference. Falling under the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, professors experience protection from institutional censorship in areas that pertain to their subjects of research.
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