WWU Resources

Visit the Blue Resource Center for more information.

ACLU Washington is the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.  They work to ensure justice, freedom and equality are realities for all people in Washington state, with particular attention to the rights of people and groups who have historically been disenfranchised.  Some helpful resources include:

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)’s mission is to defend and advance the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their family members. Their website has helpful, educational materials regarding the rights of immigrants residing in the United States of America, such as:

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (IRLC) is a national nonprofit resource center that provides immigration legal trainings, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights.

  • Know Your Rights: Red Cards were created to help people assert their rights and defend themselves against ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) unconstitutional actions.

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. The organization creates welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voice heard and win! Some helpful resources they have include:

Informed Immigrant’s Know Your Rights Guide has information that can help undocumented people advocate for themselves and respond appropriately if they encounter the police or immigration enforcement.

Northwest Justice Project provides free legal assistance to address fundamental human needs such as housing, family safety, income security, health care, education, and more. Our work challenges structural and racial inequities to promote the long-term well-being of low-income individuals, families, and communities across Washington State.

The Blue Resource Center (BRC) is committed to affirming, celebrating, supporting, and advocating for and with students who are undocumented, DACAmented, and/or from a mixed-status family at Western Washington University. 

We welcome all to join us in active learning and community building regardless of identity or background! Our space and services are intersectional and for everyone.

Our services include:

  • A welcoming community space with peer and professional support
  • Support with navigating academics, basic needs, employment, financial aid, scholarships, and potential barriers
  • Campus and community resource referrals
  • Policy and know your rights navigation
  • Educational and community building programs such as UndocuMonth and UndocuAlly trainings
  • Campus, local, state, and national resources and information regarding topics that impact the undocumented community

The Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) provides clinical services and wellness programs to support your personal and academic goals and to enhance your personal growth and well-being here at Western and beyond.

Psychological Emergency Services

Emergency services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, throughout the year to current WWU students by calling 360-650-3164.

Crisis Appointments

Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. To speak with the first available counselor, please contact the Counseling and Wellness Center at 360-650-3164.

If you live in a residence hall:

  • First, talk to your RA or RD.
  • If your RA or RD is not available, call 360-650-3164 and choose option 1 to reach the on-call counselor.
  • If the situation is more urgent, call 911 or go to the Emergency Room at St. Joseph's Hospital.

If you live off campus:

  • To reach the after-hours on-call counselor, dial 360-650-3164 and choose option 1.
  • If the situation is more urgent, call 911 or go to the Emergency Room at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Additional crisis resources:

  • Community Crisis Line, 1-800-584-3578  
  • Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741741
  • Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Support Services (DVSAS) of Whatcom County, 1-877-715-1563
  • 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 988
  • Trevor Project: Preventing Suicide Among LGBTQ+ Youth, 1-866-488-7386
  • Trans Lifeline, 1-877-565-8860
  • Veterans' Crisis Line, 988, Press 1 or text 838255
  • Native and Strong Lifeline 988, Press 4

Basic Needs Hub

The Basic Needs Hub strives to offer a centralized source of assistance, connecting students with the necessary support when they need it most. Whether it's food insecurity, housing concerns, or financial instability, all students are worthy of having their basic needs met. 

Other Food, Shelter, and Campus Resources

WWU strives to reduce financial barriers to learning by providing students with financial assistance to help pay for their educational expenses. Find several offices and resources that offer help to students in need of food and shelter care or other on or off campus resources and support on the Financial Aid Department site.

Well-being at Western

Western is one of several U.S. universities—and the first in the Pacific Northwest—to adopt the Okanagan Charter and join the United States Health Promoting Campuses Network, which calls on higher-education institutions to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health-promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. Well-being is more than just avoiding the flu. It is the sum total of all aspects of individual and community wellness, from building personal resilience to cultivating a safe and supportive campus community for all identities. It is an active, conscious, self-directed, evolving, multidimensional, self-affirming process of making choices to achieve the full potential of your whole self.

Western's Well-being Collaborative grew out of the signing of the Okanagan Charter. It is a group of students, staff, and faculty collaborating to chart the path forward for Western as a health-promoting institution. if you are interested in being involved in the Well-being Collaborative, email Brandon Joseph, Director of Student Resilience.

The Student Health Center is Western's primary care medical clinic specializing in college health. Staffed by a team of board-certified family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, and support staff, they provide an extensive array of services, including preventive and behavioral health care, management of general health concerns, treatment of illnesses and injuries, sexual health, and LGBTQ+ care.

The Disability Access Center (DAC) provides services and programs to foster equal access and full inclusion in every aspect of the student experience. The DAC is a hub for campus, academic and community resources.

The Disability Outreach Center (DOC) is a resource for disabled students and allies. The DOC connects students with community resources, raises awareness, and advocates for disabled students’ human and civil rights.

The Office of Student Life (OSL) staff are here to help students who are experiencing a crisis or difficult situation. This includes sharing advice on support resources; academic and administrative policies, procedures and grievances; information on university resources; basic needs assistance; Dean’s withdrawals; and leaves of absence for non-medical emergencies. OSL is a good office to contact if a student doesn’t know where to get help.

The ATUS Help Desk provides technology support, information and reference materials via the web, email, phone and in person. Find answers to all your technical questions here.

Western Libraries offers students a wide range of support through a variety of services, resources, and programs, which include: research, reading, & writing assistance; math and science GUR tutoring; and access to library collections, both print and digital.

Other library resources:

Since its founding in 1962, Western’s Honors College allows students to combine the best of a private liberal arts college experience (small classes, interaction with professors and other students, and the opportunity to work on research and creative activities with faculty) with the advantages of a much larger public institution, including a wide variety of majors, outstanding academic facilities, and numerous extra-curricular options.

The Honors College is structured in a way that provides a graduated, on-going experience for students as they engage in increasingly sophisticated work while moving through their Western degree. From captaining our national championship rowing team to editing newspapers to organizing our TEDx event, Western Honors students are campus leaders.

  • Old Main 330
  • 360-650-3034
  • honors@wwu.edu

The WWU Education Abroad office facilitates study abroad opportunities for all majors and minors, for credit, in countries around the world. Financial aid and scholarships are available. exchange partners and affiliated organizations in more than 75 countries.

Please use these resources as you prepare for your international education experience.  

The Director of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance is Western's Title IX and ADA Coordinator. Western students have the right to an educational environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability. Students with discrimination or harassment concerns may contact CRTC for assistance or to file a complaint.

  • Old Main 345 
  • 360-650-3307

  • crtc@wwu.edu

     

  • Your Title IX and Civil Rights and How to Protect Them
    Instructors at Western are committed to an environment free of discrimination and harassment. If you feel the classroom climate does not reflect this commitment, you are encouraged to discuss this with your instructor. Instructors can also provide you with information about reporting options and confidential support resources. Like other Western employees (except counselors and medical staff), instructors are required to report instances of discrimination or sexual violence to the Title IX Coordinator. For confidential support, contact Together Against Sexual Violence, Survivor Advocacy Services, and the Counseling & Wellness Center. To report a concern or make a complaint, see Reporting a Concern & Making a Complaint.
  • Accessible Restrooms
    A map showing the locations of gender neutral, and ADA accessible restrooms is available from the Campus Maps website. See also: Updating Personal Pronouns and Gender Identity and Pronoun Customization in Online Learning.
  • Sharing Personal Pronouns
    • Students may indicate their pronouns via Web4U; that information is then visible to faculty on class rosters. Information about respecting pronouns and sharing pronoun information is provided by LGBTQ+ Western.
  • Structural Equity and Bias Response
    • Structural Equity and the Bias Response Team work together to support people impacted by bias incidents and to examine and offer alternatives to conditions at Western that give rise to such incidents.
    • Report a Bias Incident – As a student you can use this form to notify the Bias Response Team of a bias incident. It is part of this team’s role to identify and collaboratively coordinate caring, prompt, and effective responses to bias incidents for all Western students, staff, and faculty who are targeted or impacted by these incidents.

Emergency System

Log into Web4U via MyWestern to make sure your Personal Info is up to date.

University Police have primary responsibility for law enforcement on campus and also work closely with other law enforcement agencies. All officers are fully commissioned by the state of Washington and invested with the same authority as other police officers in the state.

Emergency Services: 360-650-3911 or 911
Non-Emergency Dispatch: 360-650-3555
Anonymous Reporting: 360-650-SAFE (7233)

All Western students are members of the Associated Students (ASWWU) governed by elected student officials. ASWWU offers exciting ways to get involved including 200+ clubs, 45+ committee leadership opportunities and 150+ student jobs. AS Productions, KUGS 89.3 FM, the Office of Civic Engagement, Wavelength, and the Outdoor Center are just a few of the offices and places that make up ASWWU.

Find some available communities here:

For a full list of clubs and events, visit the Western Involvement Network (WIN).

ESC Clubs

An ESC club is a cultural/ethnic student group that is recognized as a club by the Associated Students of WWU and is committed to the ESC mission statement. Clubs meet regularly in the ESC and other places throughout campus. These meetings are great opportunities to meet new people, network, make friends, and have fun. Clubs also offer various activities for all students to get involved in, ranging from traditional and modern dance groups to volunteer opportunities within the community. Different events are also hosted by these clubs throughout the year. Anyone may join or be involved with the ESC and its clubs.

Veteran Services assists with educational benefits, change of program forms, and other services to support WWU veterans.

Connect with other campus resources, services, and departments through the Viking Resources Hub and the Campus Resources Directory.