Notices and Announcements

Are you considering retiring? Join a pre-retirement seminar to assist you in your planning.

Topics include:

• Retiree Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance Enrollment Processes
• Medicare and Social Security
• Voluntary Employee’s Benefit Association Medical Expense Plan (VEBA MEP)
• Annual Leave Payment
• Voluntary Investment Programs
• Retirement Income
• Retirement Supplementation for WSURP participants

These seminars are split into separate sessions for Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) and WSU Retirement Plan (WSURP) participants. Please verify which plan you participate in to ensure you attend the correct seminar. In Workday, click the Benefits and Pay application, then Benefits > Benefit Elections.

• WSURP Participants
  Thursday, April 23
  9–11 a.m.
• DRS Participants
  Thursday, May 21
  9–11 a.m.

The Zoom link and additional information is available online.

We hope that you are able to join us.

During Summer Session, students can enroll in classes on any WSU campus, choosing from in-person and online options that fit their schedule. With over 1,000 course sections — including 3-, 6-, 7-, and 12-week formats — there’s something for everyone.

Encourage students you know to register early and take advantage of a flexible, fast-paced summer!

See the courses on the Schedule of Classes.

Learn more at summer.wsu.edu.

During Summer Session, students can enroll in classes on any WSU campus, choosing from in-person and online options that fit their schedule. With over 1,000 course sections — including 3-, 6-, 7-, and 12-week formats — there’s something for everyone.

Encourage students you know to register early and take advantage of a flexible, fast-paced summer!

See the courses on the Schedule of Classes.

Learn more at summer.wsu.edu.

Commuting from Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and dropping off in Moscow while picking up additional riders going to WSU. Tired of driving alone, battling the weather, wear and tear on your car, and high parking fees?

Our van pool has spaces available for riders 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday workdays. (Note: pickup and drop-off times may vary for Moscow riders.)

Please email karp.packer@wsu.edu (Katherine Packer) if you have any questions or need additional information.

The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium offers fellowships for graduate students in science, engineering or math at Washington State University. These competitive fellowships are based on academic achievement, two short essays, and the strength of a recommendation from a faculty mentor. Scholarships of up to $2,500 will be awarded at the end of the 2026 spring semester. A cost share commitment of 1:1 from non-federal sources will need to be included as part of the project. Examples of cost share can be faculty salary, wages, teaching assistantships, benefits, and supplies for the project. The deadline to apply is May 4.

Eligibility — applicants must:

• Be pursuing a graduate degree within the following colleges (any campus):
  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
  • College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
  • Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
  • College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Have a research project in a field broadly related to activities supported by NASA.
• Have a faculty mentor who will supervise the research project.
• Be a U.S. citizen.

Preference will be for applicants who have not yet received a Space Grant Fellowship, although previous years’ recipients are eligible to apply again.

Apply online

Questions about this fellowship can be addressed to Erica Crespi, director of WSU Space Grant: erica.crespi@wsu.edu.

The Health Professions Student Center has partnered with Kaplan to offer major discounts on MCAT, DAT/OAT, and GRE prep courses. These discounts are available to any student or alum, regardless of campus. Additionally, this program is open to non-pre-health students or anyone that needs to take the GRE.

Here’s the breakdown:

• MCAT Prep: Normally $3,299 → $700
• DAT & OAT Prep: Normally $1,699 → $400
• GRE Prep: Normally $999 → $200

What’s included:

• Live and on-demand instruction — new classes start every week
• Full-length practice exams
• Thousands of practice questions
• Physical and digital books
• Personalized study tools
• Access for one year
• Flexible scheduling

Registration is open now through Dec. 31, 2026. More information can be found online.

Please share this with your students, alumni, and any other department as you deem necessary. If you want flyers printed and dropped at your office, please email lindsey.grasmick@wsu.edu.

The Center for Civic Engagement is seeking volunteers for Move Out Pitch In, a campus-wide sustainability effort taking place May 7–8. Morning and afternoon volunteer shifts are available both days, and students, faculty, staff, and community members are encouraged to sign up via GivePulse.

Move Out Pitch In is a coordinated effort to reduce waste during campus move-out by helping students donate unwanted items rather than throwing them away. As students move out of residence halls and off-campus apartments, volunteers will assist with collecting gently used items that can be reused by others.

Volunteers will be stationed near residence hall exits and dumpsters to help students identify items suitable for donation, such as small household goods, school supplies, and everyday essentials. Donated items will be redistributed to incoming students in the fall and shared with Habitat for Humanity, extending the impact beyond campus.

Those interested in volunteering can view shift availability and register through GivePulse. No prior experience is required — just a willingness to help and support a more sustainable move-out process.

Are you a student employee? Come grab some ice cream outside the CUB on the Pullman campus on April 17!

We’re celebrating our student employees for National Student Employment Week in classic Cougar fashion — with Ferdinand’s ice cream! Come tell us where you work in exchange for a scoop!

• Friday, April 17
• 1:30 p.m. (First-come, first-served while supplies last!)
• CUB main entrance facing Terrell Mall

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This event is hosted by WSU’s Academic Success & Career Center (ASCC) in celebration of National Student Employment Week (NSEW).

An annual College of Veterinary Medicine event for the whole family!

Saturday, April 18
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Teddy Bear Clinic: Children are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal so they can get scrubbed in with veterinary students and assist with surgery.

The open house also features

• An anatomically-painted horse or cow
• Hospital tours
• Dental trivia questions
• Arts and crafts
• Animal/nutrition-themed games
• Scavenger hunts
• And many more opportunities to learn about animals

Numerous veterinary clubs will be on hand to visit with the public.

More information on the college site

Share the Facebook event

Commuting from Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, Uniontown, Colton, or Johnson to work? Tired of driving alone, battling the weather, and high parking fees?

Our van pool has spaces available for riders 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Monday–Friday workdays. Our van will drop you off and pick you up at your office.

Please email karp.packer@wsu.edu (Katherine Packer) if you have any questions or need additional information

The WSU Fulbright Academy warmly welcomes the opportunity to work with WSU faculty and their colleges to host a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. As an eligible institution for participation in this enriching program, the Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF) has been in touch with WSU and is enthusiastic about expanding opportunities for the university to engage with Fulbright scholars through this initiative.

The OLF highlights excellence in American higher education by supporting short-term travel grants for Fulbright Visiting Scholars already in the United States, enabling them to visit additional institutions like WSU. These visits foster meaningful exchange, exposing scholars to diverse educational approaches and connecting them with new audiences. In turn, they bring global perspectives, innovative research, and cutting-edge knowledge to American students and faculty.

We invite you to take part in this exciting opportunity to host a Fulbright scholar at WSU. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please reach out to Erin-Kae Rice, WSU Fulbright Liaison, at ekrice@wsu.edu.

Thursday, April 23, 4–5 p.m.
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU

This event celebrates the work of several artists who played a role in creating Plant Companion Field Guide: A New(Old) Way to Know the Plants of the Palouse. In this durable book, Linda Russo’s poems and essayettes for five Indigenous Palouse Prairie plants are presented alongside botanical portraits by Cori Dantini.

Emphasizing companionship between humans and plants throughout time and place, Plant Companion asks: How can getting to know plants take part in transforming relationships to the land we inhabit, the traditional homelands of the Nimíipuu and Pelúuc, and to each other? Can we together remember and image future lineages of earth-honoring practices of interspecies kinship, reciprocity, and care?

The event will feature a short poetry reading, Shalla Newman’s printed broadsides framed by David Herbold, and a preview of copies of Plant Companion Field Guide, designed by Krista Brand. Free and open to the public.

Plant Companion Field Guide is funded by the 2025–26 David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship.

Information Technology Services (ITS) is performing scheduled technology infrastructure updates beginning at 8 p.m. on April 14. This scheduled work may temporarily impact the availability of the Notices tool within myWSU.

The Notices tool within myWSU is expected to return to full functionality by 10 p.m. on April 14. Once all scheduled updates are complete, no changes to the functionality, appearance, or use of the Notices tool are expected.

No action is required as a result of this maintenance. Other myWSU services will remain available and online as this work is completed.

For any questions, please contact Crimson Service Desk at crimsonservicedesk@wsu.edu or 509-335-4357.

Money can be stressful — especially in college. The good news is that building strong financial habits now can make a big difference later.

In this hands-on workshop, we’ll cover the basics of budgeting and money management with strategies designed for college students. We’ll also explore how everyday financial habits shape our financial well-being. You’ll leave with practical tools you can use right away and money habits that can stick with you long after graduation.

Thursday, April 16, from 4–5 p.m. in the ASCC Lobby (Lighty 180) on the Pullman campus or you can join via Zoom.

Register on Handshake

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This event is hosted by WSU’s Academic Success & Career Center (ASCC) in celebration of National Student Employment Week (NSEW).*

*Note: This workshop is open to everyone — you don’t need to be a student employee to participate.

Juggling both work and school is a lot. Decompress from it all by hanging with therapy dogs!

A team from Palouse Paws will be visiting Terrell Library, Cougar Commons (second floor) on the Pullman campus from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. on April 15. Come pet some pups while you do your homework, eat your lunch, or spend the whole two hours on the floor giving belly rubs — we don’t judge!

Hosted in celebration of National Student Employment Week!*

*Note: This event is open to everyone — you don’t need to be a student employee to participate.

Adam Dvorak of Information Technology has been approved for shared leave. Those interested in donating may do so by following these instructions:

From your Workday home page:

• Click on the Manage Absence applet.
• Click on today’s date only on the calendar (even if donating more than 8 hours).
• Click blue Request Absence button on the page bottom left side.
• Select Absence Type as Donate Leave, then choose type of leave you wish to donate. The next screen will come up automatically.
• On the Request Absence screen, your name and position are auto-populated.
• Choose Reason type.
• Then enter total number of hours to donate in the Hours box.
• Enter the name of the donation recipient in the Comment box.
• Click Submit Request.

When submitting donated leave, please list only one recipient per transaction.

Questions about the procedures to donate shared leave to an approved individual can be directed to Human Resource Services, 509-335-4521 or hrs@wsu.edu.

Thank you for your generosity.

We are excited to announce Vanessa Syms, custodian with Facilities Services at WSU Pullman, as a Crimson Spirit Award recipient.

Learn more about Vanessa’s commitment to WSU.

The Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology welcomes Dr. Danielle A. Garsin, PhD, McGovern Medical School, UTHealth-Houston to WSU Spokane on Tuesday, April 14. She will be providing her seminar at 12:10 p.m., “Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans Inter‑Kingdom Interactions,” in SAC 147 and via Zoom.

The microbiome comprises not only bacteria but also fungi, parasites, and viruses that can have profound biological effects on one another and on the host. Here, I will describe our work looking at interactions between the fungus Candida albicans and the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis, two opportunistic pathogens that share host niches in both commensal and diseased states. We discovered that these two bugs inhibit each other’s pathogenicity and will describe our studies elucidating the secreted molecules that mediate these effects, as well as our efforts to apply this knowledge to develop new anti-infective therapeutics.

Dr. Garsin is a professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Garsin is interested in microbial pathogenesis, gene regulation, host-microbe, and microbe-microbe interactions.

We look forward to you joining us in person (SAC 147) or through Zoom!

Questions/Zoom link? Contact Michelle Sanchez at michelle.r.sanchez@wsu.edu.

The Sleep and Performance Research Center welcomes Dr. Horacio de la Iglesias, PhD, University of Washington, to WSU Spokane. He will present his seminar entitled, “Lunar Modulation of Sleep,” in SAC 147 and via Zoom on Wednesday, April 15, at 10:15 a.m.

Throughout evolution and history, humans have progressively isolated themselves from natural cycles through built environments that isolate them from the external environment. Key to this isolation is our ability to manipulate artificial light and extend our activity into the nighttime. However, recent studies from our laboratory show that both the sun and the moon continue to shape our daily sleep even in highly urbanized communities. I will present data from human and non-human primates that provide evidence for the synchronization of sleep with both the solar day and the lunar month; surprisingly, synchronization with the lunar cycle is not explained by moonlight but instead by its gravitational pull.

Dr. Horacio de la Iglesias finished his undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He earned his PhD in Neuroscience and Behavior at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1997. He joined the University of Washington Department of Biology in 2003.

We look forward to you joining us in person (SAC 147) or through Zoom!

Questions/Zoom link? Contact Michelle Sanchez at michelle.r.sanchez@wsu.edu.

Information Technology Services (ITS) will perform scheduled wireless network updates that may impact wireless connectivity in select WSU Pullman buildings on the following dates:

• April 13–17: Neill Hall, Abelson Hall, and Eastlick Hall
• April 20–23: Wilson-Short Hall and Troy Hall
• April 27–May 1: McCluskey Services Bldg-Office, McCluskey Services Bldg-Shops, and McCluskey Services-Shop Annex

You may also refer to the ITS website for the most current maintenance schedule.

On the dates listed above, limited areas within the affected buildings may experience weak wireless signals or brief wireless outages lasting up to 10 minutes. Wired internet connections will remain available where currently in use.

After the updates, users may need to reconnect to the WSU wireless network using WSU credentials.

For any questions, please contact Crimson Service Desk at crimsonservicedesk@wsu.edu or 509-335-4357.