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Portland’s broken window epidemic: Who’s behind the vandalism and what is going to stop it?

Every 42 minutes there is a report of vandalism in Portland — often involving broken windows. Some storefronts have been hit repeatedly.

There were more reports of broken windows and vandalism in Portland last year than during the violent protests of 2020.

Laurie Drapela.
Drapela

“It is a complex problem that really requires a complex solution,” said Laurie Drapela, a criminal justice professor at Washington State University Vancouver. Drapela explained that because there are fewer people living and working in downtown Portland, there aren’t as many eyes and ears around to help prevent crime.

 “You have a lot of office complex space now where people are working from home, so they’re not downtown taking lunch breaks, going to and from the MAX or TriMet,” said Drapela. “They provide natural surveillance. What we call in the field — guardianship.”

Drapela says the community should focus on bringing people back downtown, especially on nights and weekends — when much of the vandalism occurs.

Increased police presence and social services will help, Drapela explained — but at the end of the day, it’s less likely that criminals will break windows if people are around and watching.

“You could see some turnaround here that is not short lived. It is more into the future and gets us back to the downtown Portland we know and love,” said Drapela.

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KGW8

Kim Christen appointed associate vice chancellor for research advancement and partnerships

Kimberly Christen.
Christen

The Office of Research has appointed Kimberly Christen as associate vice chancellor for Research Advancement and Partnerships. Christen takes up the role on Feb. 13.

In this role, Christen will provide leadership, long-range strategy, and short-term planning for Research Advancement and Partnerships and the research centers supported by the Office of Research. She will lead systemwide efforts to develop and strengthen the research culture at WSU, including an emphasis on equity-centered research; to increase the capacity of, and productivity in, transdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative activity across all disciplines; and track emerging trends, growth areas and new opportunities in strategically important research areas by capturing research intelligence related to the external funding environment.

As a key member of the Office of Research management team, Christen will serve as an advocate and advisor to Christopher Keane, vice president for research at WSU and vice chancellor for research at WSU Pullman, in matters relating to initiatives and programs aimed at increasing the impact, stature, and visibility of the university’s research, scholarship, and creative activities.

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WSU Insider

New Democratic presidential primary calendar keeps Washington’s primary in March

President Joe Biden’s plan to change the Democratic presidential primary calendar could soon become a reality, but it likely won’t mean much for Washington.

The Democratic National Committee last week approved changes to the 2024 Democratic presidential primary calendar, switching which states get the first few primary dates. Under the new plan, South Carolina will hold the first primary on Feb. 3, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6. Georgia would hold theirs next on Feb. 13, followed by Michigan on Feb. 27.

The proposal pushes Iowa, which for decades has been the first stop for Democrats, out of the first few spots, in an effort to better reflect the diversity of the party. Four of the five states are also considered battleground states.

Though the new calendar won’t affect Washington’s date, newly elected state Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad, the first woman of color to chair the state Democratic party, said she was proud of the changes made at a national level.

Cornell Clayton.
Clayton

This isn’t the first time the calendar has been changed and it certainly won’t be the last, said Cornell Clayton, director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University. Almost every cycle there are changes as most individual states still have a say in when they can hold their primaries.

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Spokesman-Review

More Kids Vape Weed in States Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal

It’s not clear why, but youths in U.S. states where medical marijuana is legal report more vaping of cannabis than their peers in states where weed is legal for all adults or it is completely illegal.

New research found that about 27% of 12th graders in medical marijuana states reported vaping cannabis compared to 19% in states that bar the drug or allow it for adult use.

Christian Maynard.
Maynard

“More than a quarter of our youth in medical states were vaping cannabis. That’s a lot,” said first author Christian Maynard, a doctoral student in sociology at Washington State University.

“We were expecting medical and adult use states would be more similar. Instead, we didn’t find any statistical difference between prohibited and adult use states,” he said in a university news release.

Jennifer Schwartz.
Schwartz

For the study, Maynard and his university adviser, sociologist Jennifer Schwartz, analyzed responses from 3,770 high school seniors in the 2020 Monitoring the Future survey. It has surveyed U.S. youth since 1975.

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KUOW
Globe Gazette
UC San Diego Health
WSU Insider

WSU partners with conservation groups to preserve shoreline

A significant portion of Puget Sound shoreline will be permanently conserved, providing environmental research and education opportunities to the entire region, thanks to a new cooperative effort by Capitol Land Trust (CLT), Washington State University and affiliated groups, including the Squaxin Island Tribe.

As part of that effort, the land trust has purchased a permanent conservation easement on nearly 95 acres of land, known as Meyer’s Point Environmental Field Station, owned by WSU on the western shore of Henderson Inlet. The majority of the $1.6 million paid for the easement comes from grants from the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.

The easement allows for the maintenance of WSU’s existing facilities, plus the development of up to 20 upland acres for teaching, research and outreach. The university is investing the revenue from the sale of the easement in an endowment to permanently support the research and teaching that occurs there.

Development of the rest of the property is limited by the conservation easement to maintain the wildlife habitat values.

Stephen Bollens.
Bollens

“This new partnership will provide additional resources to further advance WSU’s vision of a teaching, research and outreach facility at the Meyer’s Point Environmental Field Station, where students and scientists can incorporate the extensive nearshore, wetland and upland forested habitats into outdoor learning and research projects,” said Stephen Bollens, director of the field station and WSU professor of biological and environmental sciences.

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Capital Land Trust
WSU Insider