BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A new fund at Western Washington University is going to support investigative work by student journalists.

The funds stem from a lawsuit against the university in 2019 that was eventually settled in 2024, giving $112,000 to the former student journalists the university withheld public records from.

Erasmus Baxter, one of the students, says that now he – along with Asia Fields and Julia Furukawa – have donated a portion of the money to establish a fund at the university.

“This lawsuit was never about the money,” Baxter said. “It was about forcing Western to follow the law. We hope this settlement and endowment will provide an example and resources for future students so that they can hold powerful institutions accountable – even if the institution is their own university.”

In all, $42,000 was donated last week with $1,600 per year going towards supporting students that do investigative journalism projects or training.

The amount donated is what remains after one emergency expense and attorney’s fees according to Baxter.

The alumnus adds that anyone interested in donating to the fund can do so, which will increase the funding available.