For decades, college radio has been served as a lifeline for students. In the cluttered hallways of impossibly small radio stations across the United States, young people have found deep cuts and developed lifelong friendships. Nowhere is this more true that KUGS-FM in Bellingham.

Perched atop Western Washington University’s student union, KUGS has been a second home to thousands of students. At KUGS, people of all ages have taken on the responsibility of keeping the award-winning radio station on the air and free of FCC violations. Behind the board or searching the stacks of albums, we have learned new skills, developed a sense of self, and yes, discovered some truly exceptional new bands. And most of us did it as unpaid volunteers. Because we loved it. And because we wanted to learn more. 

KUGS alumni have gone on to do great things. They’re musicians, media professionals, lawyers, doctors, elected officials, and community leaders. And a lot of them credit their time at KUGS for helping make it happen. 

But with the cost of college ever on the rise, it’s getting harder and harder for students—particularly those who are first-generation students, from nontraditional backgrounds, or who are working their way through school—to make time to volunteer. This creates an equity gap—when school is too expensive, only kids with privilege are able to access spaces that require volunteering. 

We believe that is unacceptable. KUGS should be available to anyone who wants to find a home at the station. This is why we’re helping to create a scholarship fund.

What will the scholarship fund?

The money from this scholarship fund would go toward helping students who want to volunteer at KUGS or even take on a staff role, but might not be able to due to financial constraints. We believe that students should be able to have the experience of being part of something with so much history and so much potential. 

Statements from KUGS Scholarship Recipients

"It's been difficult for me to come out of my shell in college, but having a community at KUGS has helped me feel more comfortable in a new place."

"Your support inspires me to continue striving for excellence and contributing to the WWU community"

"Working at KUGS helped me find a community of like minded creatives and I was able to make new friends quickly and build on my set of professional skills." 

"Your gift inspires me to keep working diligently in my creative pursuits and continue working on community building and passing on knowledge to future DJs at KUGS"

"The past two years, because of my financial standing, I have had to work 25+ hour work weeks, in addition to my classes and extracurriculars. Because of this scholarship, I am able to dedicate more time to learning and exploring events and classes at Western."  

What is the goal?

Back in 2019, this team was able to secure enough donations to creat the KUGS endowment. Endowments are great because they create a permanent, sustainable funding source for scholarships. At least four scholarships have been funded through this endowment already.  

Continued donations will help maintain the principal fund held by the WWU Foundation to be held in perpetuity. Interest income from that fund goes towards scholarship(s) for student volunteers and/or staff based on financial need. 

The larger the fund, the more scholarships we can provide! WWU endowment scholarships typically award scholarships of 4% of the fund each year. Interest earned above that amount is reinvested into the endowment to help it grow, minus a 1.5% gift assessment to help with administration of the fund. 

Our Team

Our team consists of WWU alumni and former KUGS volunteers/staff. We are working with support from Jamie Hoover, the KUGS Program Manager. Our experience with KUGS at WWU has enriched our lives. Casey, Hannah, Sarah, and Kyler met as volunteers at KUGS over ten years ago.