Blog HW #5

Catch up work. All the better to get it done instead of slide it under the bed. I don't really know if Helen Thomas is worth the time right now?

I have been reading snips of her book. Progress is hard to come by. At the beginning of the quarter I could devour a chapter in an hour. Now my mind wonders back to the task at hand. Thomas is an interesting woman. I can't help but think that by the time the book wraps up things will make better sence. I guess that is why I have to read the book? no?

Around the time this was originally due I imagine I was working on some aspect of the Fire extinguisher story, even the security task force meetings. Either way I was up to my ears, boiling with the tirelessness of my day. The days are long. I spend them wrangling the facts, devouring them, dividing the numbers, scouring the opinions, editting the editting...

Some how my reputation got thrown into the mix. I have to balance my ego, knowledge nad zeal to unravel the ravelling. Hal Dengerink the chancellor of WSUV pinned me to the wall with an assumption. Some how I projected a misunderstanding. It is the hard lessons that mold one self, I'll clear up the misunderstanding in the article I wrote.



Nathan Childs
Gina McIlvenny
News


May 18, Graffiti scrawled on a men’s restroom at Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV) forced administrators and campus security personnel to heighten measures in attempts to quell any supposed threats.

“WSUV’s response to the current threat is to increase police presence on campus,” said Lt. Dave Stephensons of campus security WSUV.

The heightened security measures are in response to the threats written in the men’s bathroom.

“This response level matches the level of the threat,” said Stephenson.

Information about the threats and whom they are directed to are not available.

“Just like before, investigation content, results, and data are subject of police investigation,” said Stephenson.

This is not the first time threats have been scrawled in restrooms at WSUV.

The April 25th issue of The Independent covered a news story about an evacuation on the WSUV campus.

At that time it was unclear who wrote the threat at WSUV.

Chancellor Hal Denrink said, “Prank or not it is against the law, we will prosecute,” according to a quote in the April 25th issue of The Independent.

“The threat level was analyzed as somewhat less this time, because it wasn’t in the immediate time of the Virginia Tech events, which it was last time,” said Sheri Byrd Communications Coordinator at WSUV.

The events at Virginia Tech were referenced in the original threats that caused a campus wide evacuation. The specifics of the most recent threats are still under investigation, yet the response was measured by campus security.

Lori Brockman-Torres, Director of Marketing and Communications at WSUV mentioned the relationship between the events at Virginia Tech and the graffiti being scrawled in WSUV restrooms.

“Basically, when you’ve got a threat that’s referencing a previous incident like the Virginia Tech event,” said Brockman-Torres, “… and the threat occurs further away from the date or the anniversary date of the Virginia tech shootings or the Columbine shootings, the level of the threat is a lot less as if it were to occur right around the time of the Virginia tech shootings or the Columbine shootings.”

Ami Ahern-Rindell an associate professor of Biology at the University of Portland uses the research library at WSUV where the original graffiti was discovered on April 17. Ahern-Rindell sees the measures being put in place.

“Someone has to make the decision as to whether this is a false alarm or not,” said Ahern-Rindell, “ From a certain standpoint, we always want to lean towards being overly conscious.”
Ahern-Rindell also sees the importance of transparency surrounding these issues.

“I think people should be made aware of the threats and to be told what is in place to protect them. They need to know specific details, or anything that jeopardizes the actual process of protecting them,” said Ahern-Rindell.”

WSUV student Sue Ann McWatters was on campus at the time of the heightened security.
“I think that someone just has an exam and doesn’t want to take it, that’s like really main thing. I’m trying to convince myself, that that’s what it is because if it’s not I’ll be scared out of my mind,” McWatters said.