I am writing to strongly encourage everyone in Kalamazoo’s 60th District to elect Chris Praedel as our next State Representative. Chris was born and raised in Kalamazoo and knows exactly what we need to succeed and thrive as a city. As a professional here at WMU, I have served as Chris’s Advisor and Supervisor, and have…

Have you heard that Western Michigan University is taking away the right to pay tuition with Visa and then charging 2.75% for paying with a credit card? Has anyone noticed how, while they said that money was previously coming out of tuition, they’re not lowering the tuition at all, they’re just taking the extra money [...]

Congratulations to the students of Western Michigan University for approving the Sustainability Fund by a 400-vote margin. The fund is a good idea.

Austin Godfrey
WMU Student

Though only in my freshman year at Western Michigan University, I have already had a chance to work with both candidates personally throughout this year.

Adam J. Brown
WMU Student

While proxying at my first Western Student Government Assoiciation Meeting, I was abashed and in dismay of the discussion against supporting the Sustainability Fund Initiative (SFI) at Western Michigan University.

Adam J. Brown
WMU student

Every American should be aware that we are at a unique moment when it comes to climate change.

Robert Youngs
WMU student

Through my experiences in the Western Student Association this semester, I’ve had the privilege of meeting two fine young men: Andrew Ladd and Christopher Rettich. Ladd, the senate speaker, and Rettich, a former high school student body president, have let their principles do their talking, not their connections.

Adam J. Brown
WMU student

Every American should be aware that we are at a unique moment when it comes to climate change. Last June, the House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at curtailing global warming pollution for the first time.

Michael J. Wright
WMU Class of 2002

I want to applaud WMU for considering the purchase of the former Kmart Stadium Drive location as the potential new home of the university archives; I cannot think of a more symbolically appropriate building to house the institution’s archives than one previously owned by a dying corporation that is at best, the subject of pity and at worst, a laughingstock.

Dear President John Dunn, We do not understand the logic behind the proposed purchase of the old K‑Mart on Stadium Drive to house our archives. Western is willing to buy and renovate an old retail store, but is not willing to renovate the current housing for the archives, East Hall. It is so frustrating, as [...]

With the prospect of economic expansion ripe around the Kalamazoo community and West Michigan, a medical school could be a very strong next step for university administrators. With WMU closely on the heels of “The Big 3,” (the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University) a medical school would rapidly close the [...]

I’m appalled that the state legislature continues to cut funding for higher education year after year.  We all know the state’s economy has seen better days, but repeated cuts have put higher education funding in jeopardy. In the past decade, the cost of a college education has increased almost exponentially. While the state used to [...]

For the last several years, leaders from Western Michigan University and Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. have worked together to foster a sense of solidarity between WMU and the surrounding area. I think there are still some serious hurdles that need to be overcome, including infrastructure, commercial entities catering specifically to students, and uniting WMU students with [...]

As an alumni, as well as current graduate student of Western Michigan University, I believe it is an absolute shame that the beautiful buildings of Historic East Campus continue to sit dormant and waste away while new buildings are constantly being constructed on West Campus. I would like to see the university consider renovating the [...]

Here’s a novel idea, WMU: How about re-using the buildings you already have? It seems to me that the goal to, “…tear down all the old on-campus apartments and have the new buildings replace them” is about as unsustainable and wasteful a practice as any that exists today. Today’s landfill waste is composed of over [...]

I have been reading the Western Herald since I started attending WMU in 2005.  As I near the completion of my second degree from WMU, I still read the Herald as often as I am on campus.  Upon completing Thursday’s issue, I closed the paper and set it down, looking at the back of the [...]

In a September 2009 mlive.com article found here: http://www.mlive.com/special-sections/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/09/know_your_rights_ways_to_prote.html. The Kalamazoo Gazette Staff writes: “But WMU usually handles alcohol matters without getting police involved unless the incident gets out of control,” said Steve Palmer, director of residence life. Campus staff typically contacts police to residence halls for two reasons — drug use and violent or [...]

Voting for un-principled Republicans to replace un-principled Democrats, and vice-versa, does NOT constitute change. It is a vote for a party of a different label to have their turn at the continuous raping of our nation. Both political parties have aided in the destruction of this country. As a nation, we need to stop voting [...]

The Western Herald correctly noted that Governor Granholm signed HB 5207 recently. The bill removed the restriction that the Colony Farm Orchard should be used for open space, public park, or recreation or, by legislative action, could be used for some other public purpose. The effect of HB 5207 was to kill that covenant, potentially [...]

No athlete has experienced such a drastic fall from grace as Tiger Woods. He finds himself in a public relations nightmare, fueled by the recent media storm swirling around rumors of multiple mistresses, embarrassing voice messages, and suspicions of driving under the influence. A notoriously private personal life is now under the spotlight of the [...]

I don’t see what massive debt in Dubai has to do with an Arabic major or university ties in the country. Last time I checked, America had the most massive debt, with “billions of dollars in international loans,” but are we so cautious about working here? Aren’t many of those debts held in China, with [...]

Mr. Al‑Momani’s last column begs the question as to whether or not he follows world news, or even reads the publication he writes for. While I consider myself fairly inept with regard to world politics, I do give a little attention to headlines.  Mr. Al‑Momani eloquently articulates on behalf of the establishment of an Arabic [...]

Hunting is definitely not needed and disrupts our ecosystem [“Hunting Losing Popularity Among College Students”, By Nicholas Grenke on Dec. 3].  All wildlife play an important role in the ecosystem. The noise and fear hunting causes wild animals problems such as not allowing them to eat enough and store enough fat for the winter, disrupts [...]

Although the struggle to link WMU students to the Kalamazoo community is an ongoing and worthy one, it is disappointing that so many have bought into the idea that an arena could finally bridge that gap. The proposal is an ill planned attempt to dupe the citizens of greater Kalamazoo into paying for a risky [...]

I love my Broncos. I love college football. I love ESPN. So, I was so excited to find out that we were playing on ESPN2 for a chance at a bowl game. How great would that be ‑ and playing a very BAD team in Ball State. How disappointed was I when I turned on [...]

I read with fascination Trustee Chair Kenneth Miller’s explanation of urban blight in the recent Western Herald article “Downtown Expansion Discussed” from Nov. 23 on page one. The belief of Miller that “[b]light starts at the core of a community and spreads out to other parts of the city, just like a tree” surely does [...]

Although it is completely reasonable that students are upset that the money that was promised to them for higher education was taken away, we should have seen this coming; it should serve as a lesson to be wary of any government promise. When a country is funded by debt and money is printed to pay [...]

During my first couple of weeks on campus, a few things really stuck out and surprised me. One thing that caught my attention was the lack of emergency call boxes. Off the top of my head I only know the location of one of these call boxes; it’s across the street from the Bernhard Center. [...]

In response to the Nov. 12 letter to the editor concerning Smoker’s Island, I’d like to dispel some myths that were presented. Firstly, Smoker’s Island does not cause any confusion for the bus drivers, nor does it waste fuel for the busses. The author of the previous article gives too little credit to the bus [...]

As an incoming freshman to Western Michigan University, all I heard about was how crazy Western’s “Welcome Week” was, and what went on during that time. After experiencing it for myself, it truly lived up to its reputation. I wanted to take the time to tell about the problems that occur during Western’s “Welcome Week.”  [...]