Most of us have heard, Richland Police responded to a shooting at the 101 Wellsian Way Fred Meyer at 11:04 a.m. One person is dead and another wounded. The suspect fled the scene and is still at large. The suspect, described as a middle-aged white male, is armed and considered dangerous. If you see the suspect or feel you are in danger, call 911. The Richland Police Department has indicated they don’t believe there is a threat to the community.

The ���سԹ� campus is open and classes are running on schedule at this time.

If you need help processing this news, make use of the resources available to you. Students, contact the Counseling Center at 509-372-7163 or tricities.counselingservices@wsu.edu. Faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program is available to you by calling 877-313-4455 or visiting the EAP website.

Campus Closure – Thursday, January 6, 2022

Due to poor weather conditions, ���سԹ� operations are suspended on Thursday, January 6, 2022.  Campus is closed.  Only employees responsible for snow removal and maintaining physical infrastructure should report to work today.

Employees may work remotely with the approval of their supervisor, or may use leave time.  Refer to the suspended operations policies at   for more information.

On Monday, March 23, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a “Stay Home Stay Healthy” order for the state of Washington, in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.  All Washington state residents are to stay home, unless performing a specified essential function.  To read the full order, visit the .  The list of essential functions is linked in section 1(b) of the order.

For additional information on how this affects ���سԹ�, visit our FAQ page here, and the system-wide COVID-19 information page at .  More information regarding COVID-19, its local and state impacts, and protective measures can be obtained from:

• Benton-Franklin Health District’s site
• Washington State Department of Health website
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site

We are not aware of any cases of COVID-19 directly impacting the ���سԹ� campus.  We are in communication with Benton-Franklin Health District, and we will provide additional information if cases impacting campus are identified by the Health District.  Weekly updates via Zoom will also be provided on Tuesdays at 10AM.  Questions can be sent to tricities.covid19@wsu.edu.

WSUTC custodial staff has increased cleaning frequencies for high contact locations on campus and is using COVID-19 sanitation guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for all routine cleaning including common touch surfaces.

WSU has taken proactive steps such as moving to online classes and increasing telework to enhance social distancing. By limiting the number of people on campus, we can reduce the potential for community spread of COVID-19. The WSU community should continue to be vigilant with social distancing, including:

• Stay home when you are sick – this is very important for all illnesses, but especially for the duration of a respiratory illness
• Students, if you have not returned to Pullman, please stay at home if you are able.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based sanitizer frequently
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes with unwashed hands
• Cover your coughs and sneezes by coughing into your elbow or a tissue
• Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch and common surfaces
• Enhance social distancing (more than 6 feet)
• Stay away from people who are sick
• If you have coronavirus symptoms – fever, cough and shortness of breath – or if you have questions about your personal health, contact your health care provider.

Information included here and in the WSU Alert notification sent 3/24/20 are intended to keep our community as informed and safe as possible and to meet Clery Act compliance.