History Happenings

Archives & Special Collections Internship 

Are you interested in careers involving archives and rare books, or in learning more about how unique collections are used and managed? The Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections division will be offering internship opportunities for three students in Winter Quarter 2027. This program (LIBR 397H) is designed to help students gain experience working directly with archives, rare books, and other historical documents. Apply online by October 16. 
 

Wellness Vaccine Clinic

10/22 from 11-4pm in the VU Multipurpose Room

Protect yourself and our community at a Wellness Vaccine Clinic on campus, hosted by Human Resources in collaboration with the Student Health Center. The clinics offers a convenient opportunity for students, staff, faculty, and community members to get recommended vaccines. Appointments encouraged and walk-ins welcome.

Vaccine Offerings:

• 2026-27 Flu
• 2026-27 COVID
• HPV
• Meningitis A & B
• Pneumonia
• Tdap
• Hepatitis B
• MMR
• Shingles

To register and find out more important information visit Human Resources. For any accommodation needs for this event, please email Human Resources - hr@wwu.edu.

Upcoming World Issues Forums

Fairhaven College Auditorium FA 300 A&B, 12-1:20pm

Wednesday, October 21st

The Chosen and the Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States

David J. Silverman, PhD, Professor of History at George Washington University

An examination of the ways Indigenous people have factored as objects and actors into the invention of racial identities in the United States and its colonial predecessors.

Wednesday October 28th

The Contested American Revolution Today: Thinking about the 250th

Johann Neem, Prof. of History, Western Washington University

Today, Americans are as divided about the past as they are about the present. In this talk, Prof. Neem will explore the competing visions we Americans have about the country’s founding as we commemorate the United States’s 250th anniversary and how we might move beyond the false choices offered by partisans on both sides.

Wednesday, November 4th, 11am-1:20pm

FILM: The River Remembers

The River Remembers is a character-driven documentary that follows Tribal members of the Elwha and lower Klamath Rivers as they lead the largest dam removals in U.S. history — restoring salmon and renewing culture after a century of struggle. The film is a story of resilience and hope, showing that when rivers heal, people heal too.

Panel discussion to follow.

Wednesday, November 18th

The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Adoption Rights: Lessons Learned for the Next Generations

Lynn Grotsky: MSW, Clinical Social Worker (retired); Lisa Brodoff: JD, Emerita Professor of Law Seattle University

In 1986, Lisa and her partner Lynn had a baby via donor insemination, but Lynn’s legal parenting rights as the non-biological mother were not guaranteed.

Hear their story: a two-year court battle that won parenting rights for themselves and same-sex couples across Washington. Follow their journey from state law to D.C., and their ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ equality today.

PAT Events

Applying to Woodring: A Workshop

Thursday, November 19th at 5pm in BH 317

Are you interested in becoming a social studies teacher? Learn how to build your Woodring application & get your questions answered! All students are welcome. Free pizza and soda!

Academic Advising and Career Readiness (AACR)

We offer a wide range of resources to support students and alumni at every stage of their journey—whether they’re exploring options, making a plan, gaining experience, building connections, or preparing to launch their careers.

The Career Resource Hub is designed to help you quickly find what you need, when you need it, so you can take the next step with confidence—whatever path you choose.

Throughout the Quarter, Resume Makeover Sessions, Drop-In Career Workshops, and Career Closet Pop-Ups will be offered. Check out upcoming events on the AACR website.

Tech and Engineering Career Fair

Thursday, October 15th from 9-3:30om in Kaiser Borsari Hall 122

Get ready to connect with employers interested in recruiting computer science, engineering & design students! Whether you're looking for a job, internship, or simply want to explore career options, this is your opportunity to network, ask questions, and make a strong impression.

All Industries Career and Internship Fair

Friday, October 16th from 12-4pm in the MAC Gym

Open to students of all class levels and majors—as well as alumni—this fair features dozens of employers from a wide range of industries, including government, non-profit, healthcare, finance, energy, transportation, technology, manufacturing, and more.

Meet the Archivists: An Archives Building Open House

Thursday, October 22 from 2-4pm at the Goltz-Murray Archives Building (808 25th St., Bellingham, WA)

In celebration of Archives Month, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections and the Washington State Archives will host an Open House event in the Goltz-Murray Archives Building (on south campus at 808 25th Street) on Thursday, October 22, 2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event is free and open to Western students, staff, and faculty, as well as the public.

Washington State Archives Month is an annual, statewide event held each October to raise public awareness and highlight the value of historical records and collections throughout the state. Archives Month provides an opportunity for archival institutions and other organizations to engage with their communities through events, exhibits, and other activities that showcase the state's rich historical records.

During the Open House, WWU and WA State Archives personnel will give introductions and answer questions about the collections, doing research, career pathways, and the field of archives and special collections. Attendees will have an opportunity to explore samples from the collections, including manuscripts, letters, diaries, photographs, maps, and historical institutional records. Behind-the-scenes tours of the facility will also be offered.

For more information or for disability accommodation(s) (such as ASL interpretation, etc.) please contact Katie Stacy, Assistant University Archivist for Records Management and User Services, stacyk@wwu.edu | (360) 650-2092. Advanced notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

Family, Fertility and Fascism: The Politics of Queer Reproduction

Monday, October 26th at 6pm (Virtual)

In 2022, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, eliminating a federal right to abortion and overturning Roe v. Wade. Since then, the federal government and many local policymakers have also enacted new restrictions on gender-affirming care In response, LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights advocates have begun working together to pass new policies designed to protect against future attacks on essential rights. Those advocates have achieved some major successes, including the passage by many Democratic states of shield laws that protect patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care.

This panel brings together advocates and policymakers in a conversation about the future of the struggle for queer and trans reproductive healthcare in the United States—with a focus on recent policy proposals in New York. Among the vital questions to be considered by the panel are: How is this renewed advocacy addressing the reproductive needs of marginalized communities like women of color and queer and trans people? What new laws and policies are being proposed in places like New York in response to rising authoritarian threats? And, what implications does Dobbs have for the realization of queer and trans reproductive freedom?

Dr. Neem Interview - "What is the American Experiment"

What is the American experiment? Johann Neem explores this question in books and essays, beginning with his Creating a Nation of Joiners:  Democracy and Civil Society in Early National Massachusetts, which showed how Americans created a civil society which fostered their independence.  He explored how newly-independent Americans created a system of public education to sustain the republic, in Democracy's Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America, and he continues to explore these questions of American identity and civic culture.  A Professor of History at Western Washington University, Neem has also written of the role of colleges today, and on the state of k-12 education in preparing citizens for the next 250 years. 

Watch the full interview on YouTube.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month devoted to raising awareness of the societal issue of domestic violence (including dating, intimate partner, and relationship violence). We take this time to honor survivors of domestic violence and inspire people to take action to end domestic violence.

To learn more and find other upcoming events, visit our website and follow @bewellwwu. Additional resources can be found at the Counseling and Wellness Center.

Academy for Lifelong Learning Upcoming American Civil War Course

Register by December 2nd!
 

Before the Civil War: From Framing the Constitution to Secession 
Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. (In person)
Wednesday December 9, 
Wednesday December 16
$48 for members, $64 for non-members

Watch the Preview Video for Before the Civil War: From Framing the Constitution to Secession
 

The American Civil War was by far the bloodiest and costliest war in this nation’s history. What caused it? Could it have been prevented? Was the South crazy in thinking it could win against a North that was larger, more populous, and more industrial? How large a role did slavery actually play? It is often argued that the war itself, more than the simple existence of slavery, is the source of much racial tension to this day.

This course will address these questions and propose some answers. We will begin by reviewing 1) the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 (where "the seeds of disunion were sown"), and 2) the notorious Three-Fifths Clause. We will then examine briefly the pivotal Missouri Crisis, which Thomas Jefferson described as a “fire bell in the night."

Primarily, we will focus on the 1850s, during which the huge territory won from Mexico (known as the Mexican Cession), and the issues that flowed from it, led inexorably to the war itself through a series of violent episodes and general unrest.

In addition, we will consider some major players: Stephen A. Douglas, John Brown, and Dred Scott—and, most importantly, Abraham Lincoln, his almost mystical view of the Republic, and his determination to remain true to the new Republican party’s ideal of “no slavery in the territories.”
This lecture-style course will allow time for questions and discussion to help us better understand the causes of this tragic war, which has had a profound and enduring impact on American society. 

Instructor: Jim Lyons is a native of the other Washington, Washington, DC. He has a BA in economics from the American University. He earned a master’s degree in American history from the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. He has 12 years’ experience teaching a survey course in U.S. History at the Austin Community College and recently completed coursework in U.S. African-American history prior to 1865. 

History Matters Call for Early Submissions

Deadline: 12/15

History Matters is currently accepting early submissions for our Spring 2027 issue, and we encourage you to submit your work. Our journal was founded in 2003 and has published over twenty volumes of exceptional undergraduate research from numerous national and international institutions. We are dedicated to recognizing top undergraduate work in all historical fields and familiarizing students with the publishing process.