Skip to main content Skip to navigation
CAS in the Media Arts and Sciences Media Headlines

Spokane County undersheriff received suspension for saying ‘ex-wives should be killed’

A Spokane County undersheriff received a four-week unpaid suspension in January after he joked to a member of the Spokane Valley Precinct staff that “ex-wives should be killed.”

Policy violations by leadership in law enforcement can often create the precedent that the behavior is acceptable unless swift action is taken by the chief or sheriff, said Richard Bennett, professor of justice at American University who earned his doctoral degree in sociology/criminal justice at Washington State University.

“Leadership sets the tone,” Bennett said.

Bennett researches police organization and procedures along with comparative criminology, and comparative criminal justice. “If the leader shows no regard for abusive language or racial slurs … the consequences are there,” Bennett said.

Find out more

Spokesman-Review

Ancient technology for today

Long fascinated by early civilizations, Robert Ullerich signed up for a class in ancient art and culture at Washington State University expecting to gain new insights to human history but not ancient skills – surely nothing he could apply in his 21st-century life.

Hallie Meredith.
Meredith

This spring, Ullerich and his classmates in Hallie G. Meredith’s “Arts of Ancient Greece and Rome” course were conducting research and preparing workshops to teach Pullman and Spokane community members about ancient technology and how to create books the way early people did, including binding pages and making their own ink, styluses and paint brushes.

Meredith, a clinical assistant professor of fine arts, designed the workshops to coincide with an exhibition of artifacts from the lost Roman city of Pompeii at Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC), where some 500 people were expected to participate.

Find out more

WSU Insider

Police training programs have a pseudoscience problem

As Black Lives Matter protests continue to be held throughout the US following the death of George Floyd, many people are evaluating the role of policing in society.

Lisa Fournier.
Fournier

In recent years, police departments in New York and Ohio have backed out of trainings with Bill Lewinski, and his work has been criticized by Lisa Fournier, a Washington State University psychology professor and an “American Journal of Psychology” editor.

But Fournier told Insider that the work of Lewinski’s that she has evaluated often lacked control groups, and drew conclusions without the support from data. She said she had issues with Lewinski’s peer-review processes, and said she didn’t believe enough scientists were involved.

“It’s amazing to me that the Force Science Institute gets away with this stuff,” she told Insider.

Find out more

Insider

Business Insider India

Simplifying board game instructions for translation into other languages

Go Fish. Life. Apples to Apples. Checkers. These are games that bring people to together for the purpose of family and friend bonding. But for some new to the English language, translating how to play the games into a structure that is easy to understand can be difficult, considering the complexity of some instructions.

Vanessa Cozza.
Cozza

“Board games are great ways to spend time with families, and they wanted a way to make their game nights not only more inclusive, but more accessible by a variety of individuals locally in the Tri-Cities,” said Vanessa Cozza, clinical assistant professor of English. “This is a fun project for students to use the skills they learn and develop in an English class to make a difference in their local community.”

“These are great opportunities for students to not only develop their skills in the English language, but also give back to a local organization that will have a real-world impact,” Cozza said.

Find out more

WSU Insider

Would resuming or halting the NBA season help the league’s efforts to fight racial inequality?

In recent seasons, NBA players have refused to just shut up and dribble. With the NBA slated to start next month in the middle of a pandemic and racial strife, however, is it time for players to stop dribbling so the bouncing ball does not drown out their voice?

David Leonard.
Leonard

“I don’t think playing the season necessarily has a positive or a negative affect,” said David Leonard, professor in the School of Languages, Cultures, and Race, at Washington State University. He teaches classes on politics of sports and wrote the book, “After Artest: The NBA and the Assault on Blackness.” “People can make an argument that each space can be used and leveraged toward shining a spotlight on racism and police violence,” Leonard said.

“Even if there are no games going on, their voices and their platforms are still big,” Leonard said. “The power in their voices transcend the game.”

Find out more

USA Today