Sain delivers the ultimate hat trick

Merlinda Sain, human resource specialist, caught the holiday spirit in a big way this year. She hand made more than 500 fleece hats to benefit Share House, a Vancouver non-profit organization serving the hungry and homeless. She bought yards and yards of fleece—much of it with donated funds—and wore leather gloves to protect her hands while cutting around the hat’s pattern hundreds of times.

Making 500 hats is a small manufacturing operation and Merlinda pulled in some help from Events Coordinator Kim Estes’s mom. Merlinda would bring the hats to Kim in Facilities Operations to take home to her mother. That’s when Dave Zilavy, building maintenance supervisor, got a peek at the hats. He teasingly asked Merlinda if she could whip up hats for the Facilities Operations Team.

Why not? Merlinda went in search of crimson and gray fleece, and got to work. She made 43 more hats, each with a cloth tag that says “many thanks” and a Cougar pin. “I did this because I am passionate about recognizing employees and all the great things they do,” said Merlinda. She delivered them at the Facilities Operations holiday party on Dec. 19. The FacOps team was happy and surprised.

Thank you, Merlinda. What an extraordinary display of Cougar Spirit and community caring.

Financial Services running short staffed

Abril Hunt, financial aid and scholarship counselor, left WSU Vancouver on Jan. 2 after serving in her position for five years. She has accepted a job as senior financial literacy trainer for the ECMC Foundation. Student Affairs is grateful for Abril’s services and will miss her.

Abril’s departure creates a hole in the Student Financial Services team at a critical time. The first two weeks of spring semester are the second busiest two weeks of the year for financial services, second only to the start of fall semester. Please be patient with Student Financial Services this spring, and help our students understand the situation. Student Affairs is redeploying some internal resources to provide assistance until a search can be conducted and a candidate is hired.

Career Counselor joins the team

Nolan Yaws has joined the Student Resource Center as the career counselor. He is tasked with helping students prepare for meaningful employment after they graduate. Prior to coming to WSU Vancouver, Nolan worked at Seattle University, directing learning communities that assisted students with vocational discernment and career readiness. 

Café offers new coffee and catering menu

Dining Services conducted a coffee taste test with staff, faculty and student panelists last semester. The results are in! Starting now, the cafés in both the Dengerink Administration Building and the Firstenburg Student Commons will serve Kobos coffee—both drip coffee and at the espresso bar.

The Kobos Company is a Portland-based company. It was founded in 1973 and operated out of a small retail location at Johns Landing. The company’s master roaster has more than 25 years of experience.

Dining Services has also updated its catering menu. The menu goes into effect Jan. 12. View the updated menu online.

Become a member of the MLK 100 Club

Departments are invited to participate in the annual MLK 100 Club challenge by committing to collect 100 or more new school supplies for Evergreen and Vancouver school district children now through Jan. 19. Notebooks, pencils and backpacks are desirable. Even coats and socks can be considered school-related items.

Drop your donations at the Student Diversity Center in the Firstenburg Student Commons. All groups that reach the 100 mark will be recognized at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event on Jan. 19. Individual donations can be dropped at one of the many bins located throughout campus.

RSVP for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Jan. 19
Firstenburg Student Commons

Make it a “day on” at WSU Vancouver’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. This year’s theme is “Educational Justice: Creating Awareness and Challenging Inequities within our School Systems.” The event will include a keynote speech, music, interactive workshops and fun, educational activities for youth. RSVP today!

Student takes the lead on first December graduation reception

Karissa Kysar, a junior majoring in hospitality business management, saw a need—a need for a celebration designed to recognize WSU Vancouver students who graduate in December. She made a presentation to Cabinet. After receiving administrative approval, Karissa went to student government to seek funding and was granted $1,500 for the event. She then enlisted the help of fellow Hospitality Business Management Student Club members to plan and manage the event.

This was the first graduation reception planned by students for students, and the results were spectacular! On the afternoon of Dec. 19, more than 50 graduates and 150 guests came to the reception. Karissa planned presentations, giveaways, goodies and a photo booth for the graduates. Guests mingled, laughed and shared memories. And on the last day of their last finals, the graduates celebrated.

Special thanks to the faculty and staff members who took the time to celebrate December graduates.

Order WSU Vancouver mugs

Marketing and Communications is collecting orders to purchase WSU Vancouver mugs. By ordering together, campus departments get quality mugs at a low price (~$4 – $6 per mug). In fact, the cost per mug lowers the more we order, so don't wait. Send your mug quantity and budget number—no personal orders, sorry—to Maureen Keller by Friday, Jan. 16.