Not many universities can say they have a towering evergreen forest just steps away from campus. The Sehome Hill Arboretum is a major element of what makes Western Washington University’s environment unique.
Aspen Cates-Doglio and Sophia Maynard have hope for the future, specifically hope that students will get more involved on campus. Lobby Day, an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to travel to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia and meet with the state legislators, is coming up, taking place from Feb. 1-2.
The contract between Whatcom Transport Authority (WTA) and Western Washington University, which provides Western students with access to bus passes, is set to expire in September 2026.
Western Washington University’s Art Gallery welcomed the work of Bellingham artist Claude Zervas in his exhibit, “Pond Water,” which opened on Jan. 15.
Western Washington University’s student workers’ union is taking its fight for collective bargaining rights to the state legislature this session. A bill backed by the union shows promise of passing and enabling Western Academic Workers United (WAWU) to protect more student workers following a 2025 strike.
As the sun began to set on Western Washington University on Monday, Jan. 26, countless voices chanted “presente” in response to the reading of 38 names, one for each person whose death was caused by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other federal immigration officers since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Budget cuts have been a part of Western’s academic life recently. Twenty positions were eliminated in June, including the entire administrative division of Student Affairs, with most student services continuing under the Office of the Provost.
Jeff Jewell remembers his first impressions of Bellingham upon moving here in 1982.
A student senator at Western Washington University is creating more low-sensory rooms to improve accessibility for neurodivergent students. A pilot room will be available by the end of fall quarter in Miller Hall 150.
At Western Washington University, a student-run boxing club is giving women and nonbinary students an on-campus space to throw punches, talk through their feelings and build community in a supportive environment.
Western’s Basic Needs Resource Navigator, Gina Ebbeling, said that the WHOLE pantry’s number of visitors has quadrupled since last academic year. Though she thinks part of that increase is awareness of the pantry and its outreach efforts, the primary driver of increased pantry use is the rise in living expenses.
Western Washington University's first pop culture magazine, devoted to uplifting Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) voices on campus, had its official launch on Oct. 25th, 2025.
Dylan Gibson may no longer be struggling with a chilly office, but the same cannot be said for all of his colleagues at Miller Hall.
Students may not notice Dr. Pepper Man until a can of Dr. Pepper is suddenly in their hands, before his quick departure and subsequent posting of the interaction on his social media accounts. The fast handoff and his anonymous nature have quickly become a viral campus moment.
For many women and gender-diverse students at Western Washington University and Washington state, access to reproductive healthcare is more than a clinic appointment; it's a lifeline. But federal cuts to Planned Parenthood, coupled with shifting state funding, are reshaping who can access care, when and how.
Between papers, exams and pressure to keep up, many are feeling burnt out or are walking the line between productive stress and burnout. Social activity, sleep, exercise and campus resources are all good methods for struggling students.
What if homework assignments weren't papers, but a painting – and grades were based on the creative mind rather than facts? That is the reality of art majors.
A Bellingham man banned from Western Washington University in 2018 after pleading guilty to voyeurism for taking photos of female students was arrested on campus again last month — his second campus trespassing arrest within a year.
Power outages have become a routine frustration for many students living in Western Washington University dorm Alma Clark Glass Hall, particularly on the fifth and sixth floors, where residents say outages occur so often they’ve adjusted their routines around them.
Most students rush past art pieces on their way to class, barely glancing at the massive steel forms, interactive artworks or numerous paintings that fill their school’s campus. But for those who slow down, the art reveals something deeper about how we move, think and connect.
Solutions by The State News
