CAS in the Media | Washington State University

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Workplace pandemic protocols impact employee behavior outside work

May 25, 2021 mikayla.makle

Employer COVID‑19 safety measures influenced worker precautions even when they were not on the clock, according to a new study out of Washington State University.

The same held true for attitudes toward the COVID‑19 prevention measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention such as mask wearing and social distancing: employees working for companies with strong COVID‑19 prevention measures were more likely to have positive attitudes toward the CDC guidelines.

“The workplace COVID‑19 climate had a direct effect on shaping employee attitudes towards the personal, preventative health actions that the CDC recommends,” said Tahira Probst, WSU psychology professor and lead author of the study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Public health officials and employers should be aware of the impact that organizations and workplaces can have on stemming the tide of the pandemic. It’s not just that employers have an impact on transmission that occurs within the workplace, but they are also influencing those same employees’ attitudes and behaviors outside of the workplace.”

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WSU Insider
The Ladders
News block

Associate professor of History selected for Excellence in Online Teaching Award

May 24, 2021 mikayla.makle

Associate Professor of History Aaron Whelchel is the winner of the 2020-21 Excellence in Online Teaching Award. The student-nominated annual award is sponsored by Academic Outreach and Innovation.

The award, now in its fifth year, seeks to acknowledge and reward Washington State University faculty members teaching Global Campus courses who employ best practices to engage, inspire, support, and show care for students in an online environment. He will receive $3,000 in faculty development funds and a trophy in recognition of his win.

“Dr. Whelchel has an obvious enthusiasm for the material he presents,” said Robert Fisher, one of the students who nominated Whelchel. “He gathered wonderfully thought-provoking content, often primary sources, that encouraged me to challenge what I thought I knew about the world.”

Whelchel earned his Ph.D. in world history from WSU in 2011 and taught his first Global Campus course the same year. He has been working at WSU’s Vancouver Campus since 2012.

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WSU Insider

Five faculty to join WSU in the fall through new cluster hire program

May 24, 2021 mikayla.makle

Five new faculty members will be joining Washington State University in the fall as the inaugural cohort of the “Racism and Social Inequality in the Americas,” cluster hire program. Four of the five are in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The program was initiated to address system-wide needs for scholarship, teaching, and outreach aimed at dismantling systemic racism and to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and student body.

The faculty positions were created based on proposals submitted by departments and campuses across the WSU system last fall. The program will continue in 2022, and will focus on health inequities and health justice in marginalized communities.

Michelle Brown

Digital Technology and Culture, WSU Tri‑Cities

Alan Malfavon

History, WSU Pullman

Arifa Raza

Criminal Justice and Criminology, WSU Pullman

Darryl Singleton

Music, WSU Pullman

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WSU Insider
The Daily Evergreen

How Washington’s political divisions are driving a troubling rise in recalls

May 24, 2021 mikayla.makle

Recall elections have been around in Washington since the early 1900s, devised as a way to hold politicians accountable and put more power in the hands of the people. But in recent years, it’s become more of a political cudgel used by an increasingly divided populous.

As for what’s driving this movement, Washington State University political science professor Cornell Clayton believes there are a few factors at play.

“One, of course, is the pandemic, and the government’s response in terms of lockdown measures, mask mandates, closing schools,” he told MyNorthwest. “That’s obviously produced some pushback, as people have challenged officials who are enforcing or not enforcing those restrictions.”

So, where does that leave Washington now? There’s little indication that the frequency of recall petitions will slow any time soon, despite the fact that those efforts have a low likelihood of succeeding. But if the state is going to move forward together, its voters will likely need to find a way to bridge a political divide that’s opened across the country.

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MyNorthwest

Taking the road less traveled

May 18, 2021 mikayla.makle

It was a busy road that drove Chris Mann to Pullman in 2018.

He had the option of attending the University of Washington or Washington State University. However, seeing the Seattle traffic during a visit to UW’s campus settled the matter.

“I hate traffic,” Mann said. “I toured the campus and couldn’t find a parking spot, so I pulled my application and called WSU to confirm.”

He graduates today with a double major in criminal justice and psychology.

After talking with other veterans and hearing about some of the challenges they face, Mann and others began meeting with the WSU administration. They set up a symposium to discuss issues faced by veterans and their families. That led to a realization that more resources were needed just to certify the paperwork required to receive VA benefits. Steps are also being taken to address health care access, so vets don’t have to go to Spokane or Walla Walla for treatment.

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The Lewiston Tribune