WSU Spring 2019 Commencement in Pullman is
Saturday
29 April 2019: Moscow Pullman Daily News
Commencement
ceremonies for Washington State University graduating students will be 8 a.m.,
11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday in Beasley Coliseum, 925 NE North Fairway Road,
Pullman.
WSU
President Kirk Schulz will confer degrees at each ceremony, which will feature
graduates from the university's different colleges.
Tickets
are not required for the ceremonies, which are open to the public.
Video of
all proceedings will be streamed live:
https://experience.wsu.edu/commencement
Information
about parking, accommodations and the breakdown on which colleges will be
featured at each ceremony is available at the WSU Pullman commencement website:
https://commencement.wsu.edu/spring/schedule
::::
Football Cougs
ranked in CBSSports.com top 25 poll
By Barry
Bolton Cougfan.com
WASHINGTON
STATE is ranked in CBSSports.com’s post-spring top 25 poll that was released on
Monday. A fast and furious quarterback battle will take place out on the
Palouse in August but Dennis Dodd, in positioning the Cougars in the poll,
seems to have already decided on WSU’s starting QB for 2019.
The Cougs
are No. 21 in the CBS top 25 poll.
“Gardner
Minshew and his mustache are gone. Eastern Washington transfer Gabe Gubrud will
be the latest quarterback to become a star under Mike Leach. The Cougars will continue
to play quality defense under Tracy Claeys,” writes Dodd.
Gubrud
missed most of the spring with a foot injury and did not play in the Crimson
and Gray game. He did, however, get some
11-on-11 work in the final practice sessions and was a full participant for the
first time in the last practice of the spring session.
In the
view of CF.C’s correspondents on the ground, Anthony Gordon ended the spring
looking the most ready of all the Cougar QBs to be the starter if the season
began tomorrow. Trey Tinsley was close to Gordon all spring and after a shaky
showing in the spring game, bounced back on the 15th and final day to look
sharp. Cammon Cooper, John Bledsoe and Gunner Cruz are the other QBs on the
roster battling for positioning this spring.
Expectations
are high for the Cougs in 2019.
They have
15 returning starters (7 offense, 6 defense, both specialists). Last season, WSU returned only nine starters,
the fewest in the Pac-12, and finished No. 10 in the polls, the top-ranked team
in the Pac-12, with a program-record 11 wins.
NOTABLE
NOTES:
ESPN
hasn’t released a post-spring top 25 but it’s most recent “way too early top
25” has Washington State ranked No. 13 in the land.
Sporting
News in its early top 25 published this month slots Washington State at No. 18
:::::::::::::
Three WSU
athletes arrested on felony vandalism charges
Two
football, one soccer players allegedly jumped two cars
By JAYCE
CARRAL, Evergreen April 29, 2019
Filed
under Crime, Local, News, Top-feature, WSU Pullman campus
After
allegedly jumping on and damaging two cars, three WSU athletes were arrested on
suspected felony vandalism charges.
Pullman
Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said the alleged incident was reported by witnesses
at 1:14 a.m. Saturday at Cougar Ridge Apartments.
He said
the witnesses of the alleged incident reported the suspects leaving the scene
by vehicle. The witnesses followed the suspects in a separate car and provided
police with license plate information and location of the vehicle.
Tennant
said a Whitman County deputy pulled the suspects over in a traffic stop and
they were transported to and questioned at the Pullman Police Department.
He said
the witnesses and later police identified the three suspects as WSU football
players Christian Haangana, Fa’avae Fa’avae and soccer player Makamae
Gomera-Stevens.
Tennant
said officers were dispatched to the scene of the alleged crime and found
evidence corresponding to the descriptions given by the witnesses, including
dented roofs and a broken windshield.
Bill
Stevens, associate director of athletics, said WSU’s athletic department is
aware of the alleged incident.
“We are
still looking into it,” Stevens said. “We consider it a team matter and it will
be handled internally.”
Haangana,
Fa’avae and Gomera-Stevens denied any involvement with the alleged incident,
Tennant said.
“They were
subsequently arrested and later released … on their own recognizance,” Tennant
said. “We are still investigating and a final report will be filed with the
Whitman County Prosecutor.”
He said
the Whitman County Prosecutor’s office will review Pullman Police Department’s
final report and decide whether or not to officially charge the three suspects.
Stevens
said the three involved are still currently on their respective teams.
“We’ll see
how the process plays out and wait for the legal system to run its course,” he
said. “As of right now they’re not guilty … if action needs to be taken then
that will be handled internally.”
Tennant
said Pullman PD has yet to determine a motive for the alleged crimes, as well
as whether or not the three suspects were under the influence of alcohol.
:::::::::::::::::
WSU International
enrollment, study abroad increases
Upward
trajectory has risen over the last four years, director says
By GEORGE
ERALIL, Evergreen April 29, 2019
An
increased participation in study abroad programs and international enrollment
becomes more apparent as the university embarks on its “Drive to 25” initiative
with a greater focus on internationalization and building diversity.
Asif
Chaudhry, vice president for WSU International Programs, said a total of 744 students
participated in study abroad programs that offered academic credit during the
2018-19 academic year.
“We have
seen an increase over the last three to four years — significant enough that we
are now happy to see this upward trajectory, and we are putting more effort
into taking it to the next level,” Chaudhry said.
He said
the university engages in many creative measures to send students abroad.
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication’s “Backpack Journalism” program is
one measure, in which students enrolled in the program go to places like Nepal
and Africa to cover stories and events.
The Global
Leadership Certificate is another program that encourages study abroad
participation, Chaudhry said.
Christine
Oakley, director of the Office of International Programs’ Global Learning
Department, also talked about the Carson College of Business’ incorporation of
an international education requirement into their curriculum.
Oakley
said the college sends about 35 percent of the total number of WSU students going
abroad.
She said
students participating in study abroad programs have a range of scholarships
they can apply for. While the Office of International Programs has multiple
donors who want to see students going abroad, the different colleges in the
university also have specified scholarships that can help ease students’
financial load, Oakley said.
She added
that students also have the option to earmark funds received from the all
university general scholarship for study abroad programs.
Oakley
said WSU has about 25 partner universities for exchange programs and has about
500 study abroad programs in different countries to select from.
“We had a
student one year that said, ‘I want to go where no other Coug went before,’ ”
Oakley said. “So, we said, ‘How about Antarctica?’ ”
In
addition to increased participation in study abroad programs, Chaudhry said
they also saw a significant increase in international student enrollment. About
seven to eight percent of the total student population at WSU are international
students, Chaudhry said, and they aim to grow to about 15 percent.
Chaudhry
said their growth persists despite a national decline in international
enrollment.
“The
reason [for the increase] is we’ve been aggressive in making sure that we
maintain it,” Chaudhry said.
When the
political climate in the country changed and the number of students enrolling
as freshmen or transfer students declined, the university partnered with INTO
University Partnerships (IUP). Together, they created pathways for students
that require additional assistance to make the transition to WSU, Chaudhry
said.
Students
that choose this path take classes at WSU and spend a semester or two, gain the
knowledge required and then register to become WSU students, Chaudhry said.
During the
2018-19 academic year, about 150 students enrolled through this program, he
said. About 230 international students enrolled as direct-entry freshmen or
transfer students during the same period.
Chaudhry
intends for the growth in international enrollment to contribute toward
enriching the student experience at WSU and building the diversity profile of
the university.
:::
WSU Tennis
selected to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2012
Cougars
will face Miami in first round match Friday
By TY
EKLUND, Evergreen
April 29,
2019
No. 34 WSU
tennis was selected to the NCAA Tournament on Monday and will face No. 19 Miami
in the first round Friday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The
Cougars (19-10) were one of 64 teams selected to the tournament. The winner of
WSU’s match with the Hurricanes (18-7) will face the winner of the match
between No. 15 overall seed Oklahoma State (19-7) and Central Arkansas (20-7)
in the second round Saturday.
When the
team received the news, they celebrated and took to social media to show off
the vanilla and chocolate cake they enjoyed during their viewing party.
This is
the first time since 2012 that WSU has been selected to the NCAA Tournament and
third time under Head Coach Lisa Hart.
“It’s been
awhile,” Hart said. “We barely missed it last year, we were the first team out.
I think our returning players have done such a great job in continuing to work
really hard and use that as motivation.”
Miami was
most recently swept 4-0 by No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC Championship
semifinals.
The
Cougars are coming off being swept 4-0 by No. 4 Stanford in the second round of
the Pac-12 Championship.
Seniors
Aneta Miksovska and Tiffany Mylonas said they were both excited to be playing
in the NCAA Tournament in their final season.
“I think
it’s amazing, it was worth the wait,” Miksovska said. “We waited for the last
bracket and it was stressful but we got the great draw, I’m super excited.”
Mylonas,
who was smiling ear to ear listening to Aneta’s comments, said the Cougars are
looking to do some damage in the tournament.
“We’re
ready to win the first two rounds and then go to the Sweet 16,” she said.
The time
for the Cougars match against the Hurricanes on Friday has yet to be
determined.
::::
Lack of
resources prompted research of WSU buildings
WSU students
used the history of buildings on the Pullman campus to create a book that
should help the university staff on future construction projects.
By CAMERON
SHEPPARD, Evergreen
April 26,
2019
Students
at WSU researched the architectural history of the university to compose an
informational booklet that will help guide future builders to be consistent
with the campus’s design standards.
Phil
Gruen, WSU associate professor of architecture, said the idea for this project
came from the lack of easily available resources regarding the design and
history of buildings on campus, for both the general public as well as designers
and builders.
“I think
it’s a beautiful campus, and it’s not appreciated enough,” Gruen said.
Abigail
Shane, a master’s student of architecture, said this was a collaborative class
project to help aid in the historical preservation of the WSU campus and the
buildings that make it up.
Gruen said
groups of students were assigned to research different eras of construction and
development on campus ranging from 1890 to present-day. He said it was up to
students what kind of information they wanted to include in their parts of the
booklet.
Shane said
the research process required them to look through online databases as well as
through boxes of files from the campus library.
“We did a
wide variety of research,” Shane said. “A lot of it had to do with this idea of
significance.”
She said
the students had to consider what information would be significant to
individuals of the community as well as to those outside of the community who
may want to know about these buildings.
Gruen said
students found some consistencies in buildings from specific eras of WSU’s
development.
Buildings
built from the 1890s to the 1920s were built with the recognizable red brick,
while structures like the Compton Union Building, built after World War II,
were made of concrete, steel and glass.
Gruen said
the booklet composed by his students will offer a relatively brief overview of
the history of the built environment and landscape of WSU.
He said
the booklet will be given to WSU Facilities Services, which is in charge of
building structures on campus. The booklet will help lay out the design
standards shared between all the buildings at WSU, things like acceptable
materials and accessibility issues.
“The basic
codes that go into the construction of any building,” Gruen said.
He said the
research done by students will also help give historical context to these
structures and the campus as a whole. It will help people understand the time
period when these buildings were constructed.
“The hope,
optimism and dreams of these builders, planners and administrators of that
time,” Gruen said.
::::
Five
Washington State football players who could hear their names called next year
at the NFL draft
UPDATED:
Mon., April 29, 2019, 7:31 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
A
seven-year streak of having players selected in the NFL draft continued for
Washington State last weekend when left tackle Andre Dillard and quarterback
Gardner Minshew were taken off the board in the first and sixth round,
respectively, in Nashville.
It’s
anyone’s guess how next year’s draft will look for WSU, but the program’s
recent track record – in the win/loss column and with draft selections –
suggests the Cougars will have something to celebrate when the event moves to
Las Vegas in 2020.
Knowing
there are plenty variables in play between now and then, we take a look at five
WSU players who could hear their names called this time next year, from most
likely to least likely.
1. Jalen
Thompson, safety
Of the
Pac-12 players taken in the recent draft, no position had a higher selection
rate than defensive back. Seven of the 33 selected were defensive backs and one
year ago, some thought Thompson would be part of that crowd, and would have an
opportunity to make the NFL leap after his junior season. Thompson didn’t
cultivate the same numbers he did as a sophomore – not a sign of his regression
as much as it was a byproduct of WSU’s defensive scheming – but he returns as
one of the league’s top safeties after earning all-league honorable mention in
2018. Pound for pound, he’s one of the fastest players on the team and as sure
of a tackler as the Cougars have had at the position during the Mike Leach era.
2. Dezmon
Patmon, wide receiver
The Air
Raid doesn’t pick favorites, so Patmon won’t be targeted as much as he might
elsewhere and because of Easop Winston’s emergence at the “Z” position in 2018,
he’ll also have to share reps. But if the senior-to-be can even match his
production in 2018 – 61 receptions for a team-high 816 yards and five
touchdowns – he’ll have a good chance to become the first Cougar receiver
drafted since Vince Mayle in 2015. Patmon continues to fill out his 6-4,
225-pound frame – which projects extremely well to the NFL – and coaches insist
he still hasn’t broached his ceiling. “He’s still got room to grow,” outside
receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said. “If I can get him to play as good as
he looks, he’s really going to be special.”
3. Abraham
Lucas, right tackle
Lucas
being drafted in 2020 obviously hinges on the offensive lineman making a
decision to forego not just one, but two more years of college eligibility.
And, yes, it’s unlikely he’ll do that, but it doesn’t mean he won’t have the
opportunity. For one, it isn’t a bad time to be an offensive tackle at WSU.
Lucas’ predecessor at right tackle, Cole Madison, was picked by the Green Bay
Packers in the fifth round of the 2018 Draft and last weekend, Dillard was
taken in the first round by Philadelphia. Lucas was tabbed a Freshman
All-American last year – something Madison and Dillard never achieved – and he
could be more projectable at the next level than both, standing at 6-7, 320
pounds. Last year, Mike Leach called Lucas “one of the best offensive linemen
in the conference” and Dillard labeled him “some kind of robot or demigod.”
4. Tay
Martin, wide receiver
Next on
the list of WSU receivers who could catapult themselves into the draft
conversation is Martin, a junior who probably has more untapped potential than
even Patmon. The Louisianan tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with his eight
touchdown catches last season and made 69 receptions for 685 total yards. Even
with those numbers, Martin fought inconsistency all last season, totaling
100-plus yards in three separate games and finishing with 30 or fewer in six
others. At his best, Martin is easily an NFL-caliber wideout, and if he can tap
into that more times than not this fall, the rangy, athletic “X” receiver will
have a chance to leave school a year early and pursue a pro career.
5. Gage
Gubrud, quarterback
Each of
the last four starting quarterbacks to start for Leach have earned NFL
opportunities and it isn’t lost on anyone that the coach turned the last two –
both former walk-ons – into sixth-round draft picks. Gubrud doesn’t have Luke
Falk’s height or precision, or Minshew’s mojo, but his ability to improvise
might be better than both and his starting point, as a former FCS All-American
with 11,026 yards of total offense under his belt, is better than Minshew’s was
this time last year. There’s a reason he’s the last player named on this list,
but if Gubrud can produce in the Air Raid like a few of his predecessors did,
he’ll have an opportunity at the next level. Winning the job, of course, is
step one.
:::
Grip on
Sports: WSU’s Mike Leach seems to have another former SMU runningback mad at
him
Mon., April
29, 2019, 6:04 a.m.
Some of
what Vince Grippi said in his Grip of Sports blog at Spokane S-R website …
A GRIP ON
SPORTS • Having a party soon? Check the invite list. Make sure Mike Leach and
Eric Dickerson’s names don’t overlap. It could get ugly. Read on.
This is
going to be short. I’m on an airplane somewhere between Houston and Denver,
winging over the football country both Dickerson and Leach made their football
bones, one first in high school then SMU, the other at Texas Tech.
But right
now the two Texas legends aren’t seeing eye to eye, and James “Boobie” Williams
is the reason.
Williams
left Washington State a year early to chase his dream as an NFL running back.
That’s a pretty powerful temptation to try to resist. Add in the Williams’
family’s financial situation – James is engaged there is a baby on the way –
and the decision was understandable.
Leach
didn’t like Williams leaving early, and that is understandable as well. Not
just because the Cougars are losing their best running back. That happens for a
variety of reasons often. Nope, Leach is adamant about his belief in the value
of education as well.
Much of
the discipline he does as a college coach revolves around school work. That’s
been clear everywhere he’s been, even as an assistant. Sure, the cynic may say
it’s all part of keeping the best players eligible and able to play, which
benefits Leach, but it doesn’t take long talking with Leach outside of a
football context to believe in his commitment to life-long learning.
When
Williams announced he was leaving, Leach, never shy, shared his feeling about
the decision. He wasn’t happy.
That’s
where it sat, until this week. That’s when Dickerson, the former All-Pro
running back and now Williams’ agent, entered the fray.
When
Williams’ wasn’t drafted, Dickerson posted a couple missives on social media,
blaming the coach and his comments for the NFL passing over his client.
There was
even some pretty strong intimation Leach had been talking Williams down to NFL
teams in the predraft process.
That just
seems dumb.
Whenever
there is a disagreement about issues, it pays to examine motives. What would
Leach’s motive be to make Williams’ look bad? He’s not coming back. He can’t
affect the present. The future? If Leach is bad-mouthing him and other recruits
hear about it, some doors will close. And all football coaches love open
recruiting doors.
Dickerson,
on the other hand, needs the best deal possible for his client to attract other
clients. Williams not being drafted doesn’t speak highly of Dickerson’s ability
to sell his wares. Unless, of course, it is someone else’s fault.
Whatever
the truth, it’s now in the public arena. Sides have already been chosen. And
neither looks all that shiny.
::::
::::::::::::::::
Pullman
depot group marks debt retirement
Center
celebrates payoff with symbolic burning, looks to generate $3 million for
restoration work
By Garrett Cabeza, Moscow Pullman Daily
News
April 29,
2019
There is
nothing quite like the feeling of paying off a debt — and sometimes you have to
celebrate.
On Saturday,
members of the Pullman Depot Heritage Center executive committee and a handful
of others commemorated the center’s full payment of a $200,000 debt by burning
an unofficial promissory note in the depot’s parking lot on North Grand Avenue.
The Whitman
County Historical Society purchased the depot for $300,000 in March 2018, and a
depot executive committee was formed to manage the center.
The
society promised to pay $200,000 plus interest back to Columbia Bank — which it
did thanks to donors — and $100,000 back to a private individual — which it is
working to retire, PDHC Co-chairwoman Linda Hackbarth said.
John-Mark
Mahnkey, an executive committee member, sounded a loud train horn a few times
before lighting the note on fire in a portable fire pit Saturday afternoon. In
addition to working to pay off the remaining $100,000 debt, Hackbarth said the
committee is trying to generate $3 million to restore the 102-year-old
building, the green Northern Pacific Railroad passenger car and the red caboose
railroad car. Both cars are located near the building. So far, about $300,000
has been committed toward the $3 million goal.
Hackbarth
said the committee is looking for someone to remove the other two railroad cars
directly adjacent to the building.
“We want
to expose the front of the building again because now you can’t see the
architecture of the building and we can’t start on a restoration until we have
better access to the whole building,” Hackbarth said.
She said
the plan is to convert part of the passenger car into a movie theater where
historic videos can be shown and to install train displays in another area of
the car. A train simulator where children could “operate” a train is another
possibility for inside the passenger car, Hackbarth said.
She said
the committee wants to renovate the caboose back to its original state. Both
cars are expected to be repainted.
Hackbarth
said the committee wants to create exhibits and displays inside the building
and make repairs to the interior and exterior of the structure.
“We’re
fortunate that in 100 years no one has come in and just ripped out all of what
makes it so unique,” said Debbie Sherman, an executive committee member.
Hackbarth
said the space will be focused on Pullman’s history, including the significance
of trains carrying Washington State University students, farmers’ products and
equipment and other people and goods to and from the city.
“It’s
touched the whole community — not just any one part — and that’s an honor to be
able to save it,” Sherman said.
Hackbarth
said Pullman has never had a place to celebrate its history.
“This is a
museum for people who live here, who have lived here — whether they’re
students, whether they’re farm families, whether they’re business people,”
Sherman said.
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