Here is the late John Candy singing the WSU fight song in the 1985 movie Volunteers. Looking at the reviews it seems the critcs panned it but hey if he is singing our fight song it can't be all bad. More on the movie from IMdb and MSN. " target="_blank">.
We at Cougster love stats (even though part of the team had to take one of Dr Ahn's classes more than once) so we liked this rapping about stats (or how it is called on the streets statz) video. Let this lighten your day when you are looking up numbers on the Z chart. " target="_self"> "Stats rap video.
Comparative Ethnic Studies Department professor John Streamas is alleged to have called WSU student and College Republican, Dan Ryder, a “white shit bag” during last week’s pro fence and anti fence demonstration.
According to a report in the Moscow Pullman Daily News Streamas acknowledges making the statement but denies directing it at any specific person. Ryder is considering pursuing some kind of legal action against Streamas through WSU or outside the university system.
The university investigates claims of expression of bias or harassment based on race, gender, etc. Clearly there is a claim here. See the WSU website on reporting bias here. What will happen to a prof who has made a racial slur? Will he be reprimanded? What kind of punishment does he deserve?
Now we at Cougster don’t think that this racial slur is to the same level as if it were one directed at a person who is not white. Clearly whites have not been the victim (for the most part) of raced based discrimination and violence for a few hundred years like blacks, Asians, etc, so the slur has less impact. This being said professor Streamas should be reprimanded as it is still a race based slur.
Now it seems the best way Streamas could deal with this situation is apologize immediately and say he got caught up in the moment and won’t do it again, thereby killing most of the controversy before it starts. If he doesn’t apologize more controversy is going be generated. This incident could easily be picked up by the media outside the general Palouse region. This would not be good for either him or WSU.
In the same article daily news article Streamas does says that when he first arrived at the demonstration site, someone connected with the university said something “extremely racist” to him and left. If this is the case I think most people would accept his apology and move on. We do think though professor Streamas should tell us who the person was and what was said.
On a more general note we at Cougster think the Comparative Ethnic Studies Department has some valuable insight to offer students on the reasons for the power and economic disparity in our country. Unfortunately some CES profs often use rhetoric that unnecessarily alienates many students. Some profs use the word white like it is an epithet (though don’t use it in a slur like professor Streamas). People are not going to listen when they feel attacked. This means the only people who are listening to these profs otherwise generally insightful teaching are the people in the CES department. They are preaching to the choir and are failing to meet one of their own objectives that is listed on their website:
“CES hopes to assist students and the larger campus community in gaining an understanding of today's racial problems. Through your participation in our new and expanding initiatives and projects, the potential for challenging existing assumptions and inequalities exists.”
We encourage some of the CES profs (and students) to think more carefully about the rhetoric and the language they use because as they know language has a powerful effect. Don’t be so quick to call people racists even if they are insensitive. Most WSU students and administrators are not filled with hate and out to actively oppress others. The way to reach them is not attack, but inform and explain concepts such as institutional racism in a non threatening non condescending way. This takes a lot of patience but in the long run means more people that will be aware of and challenge unequal and unfair power structures and institutions.
We at Cougster invite you to share your thoughts and opinions on this case or anything else in the forums. If you have inside info on what profs and admins are saying on this case you can email us at
All correspondence is strictly confidential.
Former WSU student Frederick Russell has returned in handcuffs to Whitman County 5 years after he crashed his SUV into 2 others cars on his way back from a bar in Moscow. 3 WSU students where killed in the wreck, Brandon Clements, 22, of Wapato, Yakima County; Stacy G. Morrow, 21, of
Milton, Pierce County; and Ryan Sorensen, 21, of Westport, Grays Harbor
County. Injured where John Wagner of Harrington, Lincoln County, Kara Eichelsdoerfer of
Central Park, Grays Harbor County; and Sameer Ranade of Kennewick.
Here are links to more on this story: KLXY ABC News
KHQ is reporting a man was stabbed at ZZU bar. From KHQ: PULLMAN, Wash- Right now Pullman police are looking for a suspect in an early morning stabbing in Pullman. It happened around 2:20 Friday morning at the "ZZU" Bar on Northeast Merman drive. Officers arrived to find a 25-year-old male inside the bar with numerous stab wounds. Apparently a fight had occurred among several individuals in the parking lot and that's when the male victim was stabbed. He was was transported to the hospital. The investigation revealed that the victim does not know the suspect, who fled the scene.
Update: 2 people have been arrested in connection with this case. Apparently one is wanted for murder in California. Good thing they got caught, we wish the victims a quick recovery. More from Moscow Pullman Daily News:
The Pullman police and the Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant on Clarkson Court in Pullman at about 10:20 a.m. today and both suspects were taken into custody.
Rafael Moya, a student at Washington State University and a disc jockey at the ZZU Bar, said the victim was a regular at the bar. Moya watched the fight develop as he loaded stereo equipment into his van outside the establishment. “One minute they were yelling and pushing each other around,” he said. “In just like 30 seconds it was over, and (the victim) was coming over to me saying he had been stabbed.”
Moya said the victim’s hands were covered in blood when he removed them from his abdomen. When officers arrived, Moya and his coworkers had pulled the victim into the bar and administered first aid. According to police, the victim did not know the suspect. The names of the suspects have not been released, pending verification of their identity.
Here is a video of the pro fence demonstration and some of those in opposition from last week. It is filled a lot of back and forth arguing . The highlight is Professor David Leonard's stupid demand that one of the pro fence demonstrators show Leonard his student ID (why did you need it David?)! Leonard also says that student can't film him...apparently Leonard doesn't know that the mall is a public area and thus he and anybody else has no expectation of privacy. There is a bigger story on coming out about events at this demonstration...stay tuned! " target="_blank">.
