By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖泭

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Up to泭50泭students can now check-out laptops through Washington State University Tri-Cities as part of a new laptop loan program launched by the Associated Students of 厙ぴ勛圖, the campus��� student government.泭

ASWSUTC saw a need for technology support for students泭this summer泭and voted to dedicate $9,700 of funds toward purchasing 20 new laptops that students泭can泭check-out泭free of cost泭for use throughout their educational experience at 厙ぴ勛圖.泭

Additionally, Cadwell recently donated 30 laptops泭to 厙ぴ勛圖泭for泭student use,泭some泭of which will be泭awarded泭to students泭for permanent ownership泭and the others will be rented out through the ASWSUTC program.泭The Cadwell laptops are all previously泭used, but泭have been泭refurbished泭and have new hard drives.泭

���In the 21st泭century, having a reliable computer is necessary to succeed in higher education, whether you are taking classes in-person, hybrid, or online,���泭ASWSUTC President Robin泭Kovis泭said. ���ASWSUTC decided to jump start this program because we know the demand for reliable technology surged with the virtual shift.���泭

Kovis泭said ASWSUTC will be working with the Office of Advancement to ensure that the program continues well into the future.泭

���We hope that this new program will help to close some of the equity gaps within higher education,��� he said. ���More than anything, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted some of the deep economic inequalities our country still faces today ��� Our campus community is not immune to these financial hardships. Many students and family members who support students泭have experienced the brunt of this economic slowdown during the pandemic.泭We felt it is our duty as student leaders to cushion that impact in any way we could.���泭

The ASWSUTC laptop loan program is being offered to 厙ぴ勛圖 students in addition to a separate WSU systemwide program offered at no cost to students through the WSU Provost���s office that allows students to apply to check-out a泭泭or泭.

Kovis泭said they are泭excited泭that Cadwell donated additional laptops, as it means that even more students will have access to technology, even beyond COVID-19.泭

���Generous donations like this from individuals and businesses within our community are ultimately what will ensure the long-term success of our laptop program,��� he said. ���Because of Cadwell���s donation, the reach of the laptop rental program is now much greater.���

Students can泭apply泭to check-out a laptop through泭the泭泭located on the泭厙ぴ勛圖 Student Support Services website at泭tricities.wsu.edu/current-students/support.泭

Those interested in giving to the ASWSUTC laptop loan program should contact Laura Sanchez, 厙ぴ勛圖 director of campus student support services, at laura.sanchez1@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:泭

Robin泭Kovis,泭Associated Students of 厙ぴ勛圖 president,泭robin.kovis@wsu.edu泭

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 assistant director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617,泭maegan_murray@wsu.edu泭

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� The 厙ぴ勛圖 Cougar Cupboard sponsored by Lamb Weston now offers an additional food pick-up area at the WSU Pasco Extension Office beginning Monday, March 30, for students and their families.

Boxes of nonperishable goods for groups of 1-6 individuals will be available at the location, 404 W. Clark Street in Pasco, while supplies last:

• Monday, March 30, 2 p.m. ��� 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 31, 10 a.m. ��� noon
• Wednesday, April 1, noon ��� 2 p.m.

The Cougar Cupboard also has a limited supply of milk, brie cheese, 5- and 10-pound frozen potato packages and prepared coleslaw for pick up Monday noon – 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. ��� 5 p.m.

Non-food and personal hygiene packets are also being assembled courtesy of ASWSUTC that will be available through the Cougar Cupboard. Stay tuned for updates on that.

Follow 泭for updates about pick-up times and items available at both areas.

When visiting either location, individuals must practice appropriate social distancing measures, instructions on signage, and any staff requests to ensure that food distribution will safely occur.

Every attempt will be made to make sure each box of food contains pasta, sauces, canned soups, mac and cheese, a variety of canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, packaged meals, grains, and cereal.

Students seeking assistance with resources or community referrals are encouraged to submit a泭Campus Cougar Cares Form泭or the泭.

Donations welcomed

The 厙ぴ勛圖 Cougar Cupboard will accept nonperishable donations from 12 p.m. ��� 5 p.m. March 30, and from 8 a.m. ��� 5 p.m. March 31 and April 1.

While all varieties of nonperishable foods are welcome, several foods are always in short supply:

• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Canned chicken and tuna
• Soups and stews
• Peanut or other nut butters
• Shelf-stable milk or milk alternatives
• Cereal
• Rice
• One-dish meal kits
• Ramen noodles
• Mac and cheese
• Crackers
• Canned beans or chili
• Pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Pinto beans

For more information, visit tricities.wsu.edu/finaid/foodbank.

 

Media contacts:

Chris Meiers, 厙ぴ勛圖 vice chancellor for student affairs, 509-372-7381, chris.meiers@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 public relations/communication coordinator, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Steve Nakata, Division of Student Affairs

While Washington State University Tri-Cities student Savanna Navarro Kresse is excited for the new school year, she is particularly happy September has arrived. The new Mosaic Center for Student Inclusion has opened its doors and a grand opening is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12. Located in the Floyd Building, the Mosaic Center is dedicated to diverse students of all kinds allowing them to gather, learn from each other, and seek support.

Navarro Kresse has a vested interest in this center for several reasons. A Chicana and first-generation college student who is passionate about helping the community, she played a leadership role in creating the center as vice president of the Associated Students of Washington State University Tri-Cities (ASWSUTC). She and ASWSUTC President Zachary Harper set the project in motion over a year ago and spent countless hours meeting with students, faculty, staff and administrators to make it happen.

���With over 41 percent of our student body being students of color and 44 percent first-generation, we have a very diverse campus,��� Navarro Kresse said. ���We need a place where students from different backgrounds, including women and LGBTQ, can learn more about their identities and meet others so they can form a support network.���

Chris Meiers, vice chancellor for Student Affairs at 厙ぴ勛圖, draws inspiration from Navarro Kresse every day and said her contributions to the Inclusion Center will be a lasting-legacy on campus for many years to come.

���Her energy, compassion, and drive to make the campus and community a better place personifies everything about what make the Cougar nation and the Tri-Cities campus special,��� he said.

Leading the way

Getting involved is nothing new for Navarro Kresse. She served as student body president at Yakima Valley College (YVC) in Grandview before transferring to WSU. Once here, she joined ASWSUTC as director of legislative affairs and was elected vice president last year, a position she holds again this year. Among Navarro Kresse���s many commitments, she serves on the Executive Policy (EP)-15 Working Group, a systemwide team dedicated to improving the policy that prohibits discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct at all WSU locations.

She also became a strong advocate for Title IX, a federal policy that prohibits discrimination in education based on a person���s sex.

���I was serving as the vice president of diversity affairs for the泭泭and felt as though I could make a positive impact through my position,��� she said. ���Title IX advocacy is essential for student safety and equity.���

She reached out to professors Katie Banks and Tracey Hanshew to create a special political science/history 499 course that taught the history of Title IX and how it evolved into the comprehensive policy we have today. After taking that class, Navarro Kresse teamed-up with the ASWSUTC Director of Legislative Affairs Akanna Poor to create an event called ���Condoms, Consent, and Chicken Nuggets,��� which provided students an opportunity to have difficult conversations about consent and ask questions to a panel of experts. At the same time, she worked with 厙ぴ勛圖 Chancellor Sandra Haynes to create a committee to review Title IX compliance and commitment to equity in education.

In August, Navarro Kresse worked with Holly Ashkannejhad, director of WSU���s Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Investigation, to arrange training for student leaders on the university���s policy prohibiting discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct, as well as WSU���s grievance and investigation procedures.

���Through this training, Savannah created another resource for students ��� campus leaders who are knowledgeable about these processes and who can help fellow students identify the best resource for them,��� Ashkannejhad said. ���Her leadership will have a ripple effect throughout the community, and we are already seeing the positive impact she is having on the Tri-Cities campus.���

Unexpected turns

For someone who has fully immersed herself in the student experience and has plans to attend law school after graduating from WSU, it is difficult to fathom that Navarro Kresse never gave going to college a thought while growing up in Sunnyside, Washington. She had never met anyone who had gone to college. At a young age, she and her two sisters were adopted by her uncle and aunt who already had seven children of their own.

���My uncle worked at a fruit processing plant during the night and joined us kids in the fields at five in the morning to cut asparagus before school,��� Navarro Kresse said. ���He taught me what it means to have a strong work ethic and to care for others.���

Navarro Kresse was a good student, but the birth of her son at the end of her senior year in high school completely changed her life. Not wanting to burden her family once her baby was born, she dropped out of school and moved out of her uncle���s house at age 17. Needing a way to support herself and her baby, she learned to be a welder and earned her certification. For the first time in her life, she was making decent money, enough to allow her to pursue a GED (General Educational Diploma) during her spare time. Then her life took another unexpected turn. One day at work a heavy beam crushed her foot. The injury was serious and prompted her to look for a safer line of work. Eventually she landed a job as a dental assistant. Money was a lot tighter then, but she continued to save whatever she could to be able to take the series of GED tests. It took her seven years to complete her GED.

���To this day I consider that to be my biggest accomplishment,��� she said. ���It showed me that if I set a goal, really work hard and not give-up, I can reach it.���

Deserve to be here

Inspired by her sister who enrolled at YVC and armed with a newfound confidence in her academic abilities, Navarro Kresse took the plunge into higher education and the rest is history. Now 30 years old, married, and a mother of four, her unique background helps motivate her to get the most out of her education at WSU, and she has this advice for other first-generation students.Grand opening

���If you were able to get through the doors of this university, you deserve to be here,��� she said. ���Your experiences and perspectives are important and deserve to be shared, you shouldn���t be afraid to share your struggles. Please know that you are not alone, we���re all trying our best to get that diploma.���

Each campus in the WSU system provides programs and services that help meet the unique needs of first-generation students. In May, the national Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), named WSU a First Forward institution for its dedication to service first-generation college students.

Washington State University Tri-Cities student Savanna Kresse was recently awarded with the as a result of her commitment to educating others about human rights and social justice, and for putting her own foot forward to make a difference in her local community.

As a first-generation college student, mother of four and a seasonal field worker, she has used her background as inspiration for overcoming barriers for education to become a successful student and professional. She aims to grow resources available to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, which she has demonstrated through a variety of efforts while completing her schooling as a student at 厙ぴ勛圖.

Prior to the last election, in conjunction with her role as student body vice president, Kresse worked with local government officials to establish an election ballot drop box on the 厙ぴ勛圖 campus as a means to encourage students and her other fellow campus community members to exercise their right to vote.

���By working with local government officials, she was able to educate them on the importance of creating easier access for students to have their voices heard,��� her nominator for the award said.

She worked with Washington state attorney general Bob Ferguson���s office to host a presentation on DACA and immigration regulations. She helped organize a city council debate prior to the mid-term election. She brought the Association of Women Voters to campus and organized and hosted a women���s leadership panel. She currently represents the Washington Student Association on a state-wide taskforce on Title IX and is also working to establish a Title IX committee for 厙ぴ勛圖. Additionally, she has continued to advocate for a center on campus where students of different backgrounds can come together to have safe and constructive dialogues to find support and resources.

���(Savanna) is always finding ways to support all demographics of students and continually works to provide education to the WSU community,��� her nominator said.

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� As part of their new leadership though the Associated Students of Washington State University Tri-Cities, President Zachary Harper and Vice President Savanna Kresse are changing the way that student government serves its students, focusing more on advocating for students and less on the promotion and hosting of activities and events.

Harper, a junior business major who served as the ASWSUTC vice president last year, and Kresse, a junior history major with a focus on pre-law who served as director of legislative affairs last year, are preparing a five-year plan, which they hope will lay a foundation for positive changes to the structure by which they can serve students through warranted systematic and structural improvements. They also hope that their plans will better improve how ASWSUTC interacts with students and how ASWSUTC communicates student wants and needs to university administration.

���We really are a transitioning organization,��� Harper said. ���Because we are a small but growing campus, we have to adapt to what is available to us, as well as where we want to see this organization head. Because of our recent growth and now that we have a new chancellor, we are focusing more on advocacy and changes for students. We anticipate that the big changes will improve the structure for our students, and as a result, our campus.���

Positive change

Part of their first work in their new positions is to separate the student entertainment board from student government so that the SEB organization can more efficiently focus on student events and entertainment. Before, the student entertainment board, which is responsible for booking and hosting student entertainment options, was merged with ASWSUTC, and some of the work was blurred between the two organizations. As a result, ASWSUTC was seen more of an events-based organization. Although ASWSUTC will continue to host events, their goal will be to make sure those events cater to the larger student body and that they serve a purpose for the overall student voice.

And secondly, they are removing the position of director of student affairs and are repurposing that position���s duties onto the student senators for each of the academic colleges.

���The student senator positions have been more of a rubber stamp in years past for things that we want to accomplish,��� Kresse said. ���We are changing the way that they work within the organization and are giving them more responsibility.���

Advocating for students

As far as advocacy, they hope to request more student feedback and discussion on issues ranging from small to large. Kresse said examples could range from identifying more healthy options for the campus caf矇 to larger topics like the type of legislation that ASWSUTC would like to fight for and support.

���We hope to utilize things like the student survey, which has one of the largest responses of any of the things we do on campus, to identify those needs and challenges and then using our improved ASWSUTC structure to tackle those things, including big-picture items,��� she said.

And some of those big-picture ideas could be in identifying needs that students may not voice, but that are needed for the campus.

���Some of those unspoken needs could include advocating for additional classroom space, components of a diversity center to better represent and provide resources for 厙ぴ勛圖��� diverse student community and more,��� Harper said. ���These are things that are in the realm of student affairs and that students may not specifically state that they want, but are needed.���

Revamping communication

Harper said ASWSUTC is also in the process of revamping their website, which, beginning this fall, will feature the ASWSUTC meeting minutes, current resolutions they���re working on, upcoming initiatives and more, in order to better connect with students about the things they are working on.

Steps for the future

Harper said with these changes, they hope ASWSUTC���s work will be a lot more meaningful and will set students up for success into the future.

���We want to address the issues of what students are facing, but also the struggles that the university administration has in meeting those struggles,��� Kresse said. ���These are the first steps in that overall process.���

Harper and Kresse said they hope to present their five-year plan to university administration beginning in August, and then to students later in the year, where they will welcome feedback.

By Roberto Tapia, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� The Associated Students of Washington State University Tri-Cities, Dreamer���s Club and the World Research Club partnered to host a Dia de los Muertos celebration, or Day of the Dead as it is translated to in English, this month to promote the Mexican culture and give students the opportunity to experience a different kind of celebration.

Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico and other parts of Central and South America during the days of Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 every year. The celebration brings together family members and friends to pray for and remember the people in their lives that have died.

The celebration originally took place in the beginning of summer before the 16^th century, but gradually evolved to its current celebratory days to coincide with western Christianity���s celebration of All Saint���s Day and All Soul���s Day.

During the celebration, individuals build altars to commemorate their lost family members and fill them with different foods and items of their departed member���s liking. 泭The clubs chose to honor both individuals who had ties to the Tri-Cities and WSU community who have passed, in addition to well-known individuals in the Mexican culture who are now deceased. Some of those people included former WSU President Elson Floyd and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, artist Frida Khalo and writer Nellie Campobello, who are all well-known in the Mexican culture.

The altars displayed food, clothing and items that were favored by the deceased during their lives.

Other features included pan dulce (sweet bread), pan de muerto (bread of the dead), hot chocolate, face painting, sugar skull decorating and a performance by Chiawana High School���s mariachi band – .

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Washington State University Tri-Cities invites members of the public to join the grand opening celebration of its $5.73 million campus student union building, 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14.

The event will feature a presentation by WSU President Kirk Schulz, 厙ぴ勛圖 Chancellor Keith Moo-Young, student representatives and other distinguished guest speakers. Attendees also will have the opportunity to tour the building at their leisure.

���Our students now have a full facility of their own to study, hang out and meet with other students,��� said Chris Meiers, vice chancellor of enrollment management and student services. ���The students voted in the spring of 2014 to approve a fee on themselves to fund the building, and the idea grew from there.

���This is the first building on our campus solely designed around the student experience. We���re excited to officially open it up to our students and the public.���

The 9,951 square-foot building features a 2,437 square-foot multipurpose event space, new furniture, a gathering space, coffee bar, interactive TV monitors throughout the building and offices for the Associated Students of 厙ぴ勛圖 and the office of student life.

ASWSUTC President Israa Alshaikhli said she is excited to see an entirely student-centered space come to fruition at the benefit of her peers.

���The student union building project took five years of students��� work, dedication and commitment,��� she said. ���A lot of students were part of this process, and it is very empowering to see it completed now. It is literally by the students, for the students.���

Tyler Schrag, chair of the student union building governance board and former ASWSUTC vice president, said even before he came to 厙ぴ勛圖 as a freshman, there were a variety of individuals who brought much to the table for the building.

���The dedication shown by my fellow Cougs says a lot about the passion of those on our campus,” he said. “I hope for this building to be another huge step toward a bigger and better campus for all students to call home.���

To show Cougar spirit and leave a permanent mark on the building, individuals may also sign up to participate in the 厙ぴ勛圖 ���Buy a Brick��� program, where individuals and companies can designate their name, organization or insignia on a brick, bench or patio planter on or around the building.

Through the ���Buy a Brick��� program, participants may purchase:
��� A 4��8-inch red brick with black block lettering ��� $100
��� An 8��8-inch gray brick with black block lettering ��� $250
��� A wood and iron rail bench with nameplate ��� $1,000
��� A patio planter with nameplate ��� $1,000
��� An array of bricks can be ordered with a minimum of $1,000

For more information on the 厙ぴ勛圖 Buy a Brick program and to reserve a brick or other items, visit泭/wp-content/uploads/buyAbrick.pdf泭or call 509-372-7264.

 

Media Contact:

• Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖, public relations specialist, 509-372-7333,泭Maegan.murray@tricity.wsu.edu