WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin
Issue 2004-21 (November 17, 2004)
IN THIS ISSUE
Brian Pitcher named
campus chancellor
 Brian Pitcher, who has served as the provost
at the University of Idaho for seven years, has been selected as
the new chancellor for the Washington State University Spokane
campus. WSU President V. Lane Rawlins announced Pitcher's
appointment at the WSU Spokane Riverpoint campus Friday.
“We are pleased to have Brian on board. These are exciting
times on the Spokane campus. Enrollment is growing; so is the
campus's reputation as a home to world-class research. In
Brian, we think we have found the strong academic leader and an
excellent consensus-builder that we need to keep WSU Spokane moving
forward,” Rawlins said.
Pitcher came to the University of Idaho in 1997 as provost, the
university's chief academic officer. From March to June of
2003, Pitcher served as acting president of the university. During
his tenure at UI, Pitcher has also been a professor of sociology
and an adjunct professor of educational administration. 
Before coming to the Moscow campus, Pitcher worked for 19 years
at Utah State University as a faculty member and administrator.
Pitcher was the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social
Sciences at Utah State from 1992 to 1997.
Pitcher earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from
Brigham Young University and his doctoral degree in sociology from
the University of Arizona.
“I am attracted by the unique opportunity to work with
talented faculty and staff, with mobilized community groups, and in
collaboration with regional education institutions to create
world-class education opportunity in Spokane,” Pitcher said.
“The vision of the Spokane University District and leadership
from Washington State University for research and advanced studies
will synergize local and regional development. I am pleased to be
part of the team.”
Pitcher's start date is Jan. 17, 2005. He will take over for
Nicholas Lovrich, the director of the Division of Governmental
Studies and Services at WSU, who became interim chancellor at WSU
Spokane on July 1. Lovrich succeeded Rom Markin, who had served as
interim chancellor since February 2003.
Rawlins praised the work of both Lovrich and Markin in supplying
steady leadership during the transition period.
That period has been one of growth in both enrollment and
facilities on the Riverpoint campus. Head-count enrollment for WSU
in Spokane, including students at the Intercollegiate College of
Nursing, hit a record high of 1,427 students this fall, an increase
of 6.7 percent from comparable figures from last year. Two new
programs were created and new bachelor's and doctoral degrees
added. Construction of the 106,000-square-foot Spokane Academic
Center building is now underway, with completion scheduled by fall
2006.
One of WSU's top priorities in its capital budget request to
the legislature for the upcoming biennium is a new nursing
education building at WSU Spokane; given operating support to
match, the new facilities will enable expansion of the program to
meet critical shortages of nurses and nurse educators. The join
WSU-UW operating budget request would enable continued expansion of
the campus's growing research activities as well to help fuel
the state's economy.
Meanwhile, the WSU Spokane campus is at the heart of a planned
University District, which is being advanced by community and
education leaders as a way to enhance economic development and
quality of life in the downtown area. 
Couch potatoes and small fries “Sedentary Death
Syndrome” on the rise
Sally Blank, associate professor of
exercise science and director of the program in health sciences
at WSU Spokane, gave a presentation on SeDS as part of
“Cougar Conversations” on the Pullman campus Saturday,
Oct. 30. 
According to Blank, more than 350 of the nation's leading
physiologists are working to get federal lawmakers, the medical
community and the public to recognize SeDS as a serious health
threat and to increase funding for research that examines the link
between physical inactivity and disease.
Sedentary death syndrome, or SeDS, is a term coined by
researchers who are encouraging NIH scientists to look at a
syndrome that results from inactivity. They have formed a group
called RID (Researchers against Inactivity related Disorders,
www.ridinactivity.org)
and are spreading the word about a group of hypokinetic diseases,
or diseases that result from inactivity.
Physical inactivity causes: • 250,000 deaths each year in
the USA • 12% of all deaths & one-third of preventable
deaths • $300 billion/yr in unnecessary health care costs
• One-fourth of all health care costs • Costs equivalent
to the budget of 25 NIH's.
SeDS is one of the top three contributors to all-cause mortality
in the U.S. today. Approximately 2.5 million Americans will die
prematurely in the next ten years due to SeDS, a number greater
than all alcohol, guns, motor vehicles, illicit drug use and sexual
behavior-related deaths combined.
Blank says, “The clustering of several metabolic and
cardiovascular disease risk factors has been termed the metabolic
syndrome. The metabolic syndrome seems to result from a collision
between susceptible ‘'thrifty genes'' and a
society characterized by an increased prevalence of obesity and a
sedentary lifestyle. “
“Couch Potatoes”: Boom Times and Busted
Seams
Approximately two-thirds of American adults are overweight or
obese, and one-fourth of Americans are not physically active in
their leisure time. According to an article in the New England
Journal of Medicine, the biggest gain in the protective benefit of
exercise occurs when previously sedentary people begin to exercise,
yet physicians rarely prescribe exercise for people with serious
conditions that could be aided by an in increase in physical
activity.
Small Fries: The Offspring of Couch
Potatoes
Children are more sedentary than ever. They are increasingly
overweight or obese and developing type 2 diabetes. Between
l980-1994, obesity in American children increased 100 percent; 60%
of overweight children have at least one cardiovascular risk
factor.
Who is at risk for SeDS? Any person whose level of inactivity is
below the threshold for beneficial health effects, burning under
200 calories in daily physical activity (the amount burned in
approximately 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical
activity).
Symptoms of SeDS:
• Weak skeletal muscles
• Low bone density
• Hyperglycemia
• Low serum HDL [low good cholesterol]
• Obesity • Poor physical exercise capacity
• Resting tachycardia [high resting heart rate]
Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be
prevented or improved through regular physical activity:
• Coronary heart disease - 13.5 million people
• Heart attack - 1.5 million people per year
• Non-insulin-dependent diabetes - 8 million people
• Newly diagnosed colon cancer - 95,000 cases
• Hip fractures - 250,000 cases per year
• High blood pressure - 50 million people
• Over 60 million overweight (~1/3 U.S. population)
Physical inactivity also increases the incidence of a number of
unhealthy conditions, from arthritis pain to sleep apnea, and
increases the progression of disabilities resulting from conditions
such as chemotherapy, chronic back pain, and stroke.
So get up off that couch and move.
Blank is a member of the Riverpoint Campus Wellness
Collaborative, working to foster a thriving culture of wellness.
For more information on the Collaborative, contact Kelly LaGrutta,
lagrutta@wsu.edu.
Landscape architecture students help beautify Airway Heights
By Adriann Wade, ASWSU Spokane
WSU Spokane fourth year Landscape Architecture students Kerstin
Martell, Bryan Bailey, and Nick Freyberg recently collaborated with
Albert Tripp, city manager intern, in a beautification project for
the city of Airway Heights.
Tripp was familiar with the Design Institute thanks to having
graduated in 2003 with his master's degrees in urban and
regional planning and public administration from EWU. He approached
WSU Spokane associate professor Bob Scarfo,
landscape
architecture, in search of students to create a planting plan
for a 25 foot by 570 foot piece of land along Highway 2.
Martell, Bailey, and Freyberg met Tripp at the site, where they
took a tour and listened closely to the objectives of the job. They
worked for two weeks to produce a plan that included plant type and
the location of plants and planters.
The design had to address Department of Transportation concerns
with safety. The plan needed to include trees; however, the trees
had to be thoughtfully located so that they would not be a visual
barrier for drivers or a possible hazard should an accident
occur.
Tripp said, “The project is a tremendous success. The
students' design background was very beneficial in
conceptualizing the use of the space, and we're very pleased
with the results.”
Bailey was also pleased with the outcome and the process:
“Albert Tripp was very flexible with our school schedules,
which helped to make this an overall good experience.”
Initial site work is complete; plants will be added next spring.
The project was funded primarily by donations from local
businesses, along with support from the city of Airway Heights.
Study by Center for International Health Services Research and
Policy gives low marks to U.S. health system on diabetes type 2
management and prevention
“Has the performance of the US health system been
acceptable with respect to both disease management and improving
health outcomes for the patients with Type 2 diabetes? Recognizing
the rising incidence rates, the US health system would not receive
acceptable marks. Much work is still needed in this area.”
This is an excerpt from the conclusions to a comprehensive
review of the literature on diabetes type 2 by the recently
established Center for International Health Services Research and
Policy based at Washington State University Spokane. The paper,
authored by assistant professor of health policy and administration
Fevzi Akinci, HPA professor Joseph
Coyne, HPA graduate Joni Minnear, and
Bernard Healey, appears in the current issue of the international
journal Disease Management Health Outcomes.
WSU pharmacy student receives national
senior care scholarship
Katherine (Kitty) Anderson, a fourth-year
pharmacy student at Washington State University, recently received
a $500 scholarship from the American Society of Consultant
Pharmacists (ASCP) for her work in geriatric pharmacy.
Anderson is working on an elder care project with WSU faculty
member Stephen M. Setter, who also serves as a
pharmacy consultant for Elder Services and the Visiting Nurses
Association, both in Spokane. Setter, an assistant professor of
pharmacy at WSU Spokane, is one of a few certified geriatric
pharmacists in the state of Washington and is researching the
frequency of cognitive impairment in elders.
Reminder: 2nd Annual Riverpoint Holiday Faire today
Don't forget the 2nd Annual Riverpoint Holiday Faire today
in the Phase I lobby from noon to 6pm. Questions may be
directed to Susan Lopez slopez@mail.ewu.edu or 358-2234, or Cy
Parker at 358-2285.
Apple
Cup – Join in the Festivities on FRIDAY!
A Game that brings attorneys and bankers to their knees!
Break away for the annual Paine Hamblen Mini-Apple Cup Friday
morning, Nov. 19, from 10:30 to 11:15 in the lobby of the
Washington Trust Bank building, 717 W. Sprague Ave., downtown. This
clash of Cougars and Huskies has attorneys and bankers playing
football on their knees, complete with a referee, fight songs,
music, bleachers, and more. It's a Must-See event! For more
information call Jennifer Mitchell at 455-5184.
WSU & Tom's Turkey Drive
You don't have to be a WSU alumnus to show your Cougar Pride
and participate in this great community event! This is a perfect
start to the Apple Cup weekend. The goal is to get a large group of
WSU Cougars to help take in food for Tom's Turkey Drive at the
Rosauers on 29th - South Hill. The shift is Friday, November 19th,
5-7pm. KREM 2 TV is expected to be there so wear your crimson &
grey for added exposure! If you want to help, contact Heather
Watson at 838-7322 or by email at hwatson@krem.com.
Apple Cup WSU vs. UW football rivalry: 4 p.m., televised on
ABC
For the full rundown on Apple Cup activities go to http://www.football-weekends.wsu.edu/11-20-washington.html.
Community connections
What does it mean to
be educated for full participation in democracy? Gonzaga University
lecture Dec. 4
On Saturday, December 4, 2004, Matthew Shapiro, President of the
Mary Parker Follett Foundation, http://www.follettfoundation.org/mpf.htm,
will speak about Follett's legacy and its implications for
participatory democracy.
The lecture will take place on the Gonzaga University campus at
12:15 p.m. in the Jundt Lecture Hall and will be followed by a
presentation of the study group's paper in response to the
trigger question. Those who wish to participate in a deeper
consideration of democracy will then break into dialogue groups for
further discussion and generative thought that will culminate in a
group forum and publication effort (January/February 2005) on
selected issues related to the question.
The lecture/presentation portion of the program is open to all
who wish to attend. The dialogue portion of the afternoon will be
limited to 25 participants. Lunch will be provided for those who
elect to attend the full dialogue session. The afternoon will
conclude with a 4:30 p.m. reception for dialogue participants.
There is no fee to attend any portion of the program, sponsored by
the Graduate Student Association of Gonzaga.
For further details or to reserve your seat for the dialogue
portion of the program, please contact Mike Poutiatine –
makalu1@earthlink.net.
World AIDS Day Dec. 1,
2004
World AIDS Day
December 1, 2004
4:30 p.m.
Candlelight Vigil 5:30 pm
Northwest Museum of Art and Culture
2316 W. First Avenue, Spokane, Washington
Spokane AIDS Network (SAN) is collaborating with the Northwest
Museum of Art and Culture and other community agencies to bring the
World AIDS Day event to the MAC on Wednesday, December 1.
SAN is hoping to utilize the energy, optimism and creative minds
of the youth of our community to help raise awareness of the global
and local impact of HIV and AIDS. Youth are encouraged to get
involved by spreading information about HIV and AIDS and raising
awareness.
On December 1, there will be events at the Northwest Museum of
Arts and Culture:
• One of the activities is to create luminaries (brown
paper bags that have candles inside) and those luminaries would be
displayed in the outdoor amphitheatre at the museum in the late
afternoon.
• A second project is to create red ribbons. Red ribbon is
used to create small looped ribbons that are attached with a small
stick pin. The Red Ribbon is the awareness project for HIV and
AIDS. Ribbons can be distributed to school communities and the
greater community.
• The third project is to produce flyers and to distribute
the flyers to faith communities and school communities.
For more information: Spokane AIDS Network
Welcome to campus
 Welcome to
Terri Rothwell. Terri has joined the
Pharmacotherapy Department as an Office Assistant 2. She will act
as support person for the department, answering phones, responding
to inquiries, and many other office duties. She comes to WSU
Spokane from a dental office where she was an administrative
assistant and appointment scheduler. Terri and her husband have a
13 year old son who keeps them busy with his many activities.
 Welcome to
Rachel Young. Rachel is new to the Spokane area,
having recently moved from Seattle where she was employed by the
University of Washington Law School. She is the new secretary
senior in Health Policy Administration. Her duties include
assisting faculty, the academic coordinator and taking care of
clerical/administrative work for the department. Rachel is looking
for restaurant recommendations and fun things to do in Spokane.
Personnel &
staffing changes
Searches
Senior Associate/Full Professor, Criminal Justice, open until
filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Construction Management, open until
filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Interior Design, open until
filled
Assistant/Associate Professor, Pharmacotherapy, open until
filled
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacotherapy, 7 positions full-
and part-time, open until filled
Way to go!
"Way to go" is the place for you to recognize a
co-worker's extra effort, outstanding contribution, or
all-around good nature that makes your work day go a little more
smoothly.
Send your “Way to Go!” comments to Laura
Scholtens, scholtens@wsu.edu, and watch for
your thanks to be published in an upcoming issue of the
Campus Bulletin!
Find it on the Web
- Lab tours: Thanks to campus webmaster
Sicco Rood, we have two slide shows that highlight
some of the top-notch clinical equipment and facilities available
to students and researchers. See the Nutrition Lab Tour linked at
www.nutrition.spokane.wsu.edu
and the Exercise Science Lab Tour linked at www.exercisescience.spokane.wsu.edu.
- News
Releases: Recent news releases and links to news releases
organized by subject for WSU Spokane.
- WSU News
Service: Breaking news from WSU, links to all news releases,
and other information sources.
- World Class
Faculty: Check out the online profiles featured as links from
our home page. The images rotate randomly on the home page, but the
profiles are always available from this central profile page. You
can also navigate to this page by choosing "About WSU Spokane"
from the home page, "People"
in the lefthand navigation, and "Profiles"
in the lefthand navigation there.
-
Bulletin archives: Links to past issues of the Campus Bulletin
from Oct. 2003 forward.
- In the
News: Media coverage of campus programs and people
- Events
Calendar: What's going on around here, anyway?
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The Bulletin is usually published on Wednesday biweekly during the
academic year, every three weeks during breaks and summer session.
Publication date may shift due to holidays. Deadline is
Monday of the week of publication.
------------------------------------------------------
The Bulletin covers news of interest to the faculty, staff, and
friends of Washington State University Spokane, and associates on
other WSU campuses and on the Riverpoint campus.
Regular columns cover personnel changes, upcoming events,
professional accomplishments, opportunities for involvement in the
campus community and the Spokane community, notices of new
developments on campus, and other news.
The Bulletin also serves as a source of information for external
communications directed to alumni, future and current students, and
friends of Washington State University Spokane. You'll read it
here first!
Subscribers welcome! Also available: WSU Spokane News &
Events Update, an irregular email newsletter with brief excerpts
from news releases and articles, and links to more information
online (some duplication of Bulletin content). Send an email to
Barb Chamberlain, chamberlain@wsu.edu, to request
the WSU Spokane Campus Bulletin and/or the News & Events
Update.
Editorial staff
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