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HR Source Newsletter, March 2025
No full textIn this issue of HR Source (a newsletter for Washington State University employees): HRS Partners with WA State EAP to Support Employee Wellness & Resilience; Celebrating Creativity and Innovation Worldwide; System-Wide Strategic Pauses to Begin April 1st; Celebrating Excellence: Crimson Spirit Award Winner
BREAKING THE CYCLE WASHINGTON ECOLOGY AND THE SPOKANE RIVER REGIONAL TOXICS TASK FORCE’S APPROACH TO PCB CONTAMINATION
Get PDFThis study investigates the Washington State Department of Ecology’s decision to diverge from conventional regulatory frameworks by adopting a collaborative governance model to address PCB contamination in the Spokane River. Rather than initiating a traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process, the agency launched the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF), which operated from 2012 until its formal conclusion in 2022. Supported by both Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the initiative was framed as a participatory process intended to move beyond the procedural constraints of the Clean Water Act. It marked an early application of the Direct to Implementation (DtI) approach, where collaboration was pursued in cases where the TMDL model was seen as insufficient to manage diffuse or complex contamination. This research explores the internal motivations, institutional dynamics, and regulatory considerations that shaped Ecology’s choice to pursue this path. Drawing from interviews and document analysis, the study assesses whether the SRRTTF represents a unique deviation or a broader shift toward adaptive and flexible governance within state environmental agencies. The findings suggest that while collaborative governance was embraced as a strategic alternative, its success was conditional and ultimately constrained by legal frameworks, limited enforceability, and unclear closure mechanisms. The Taskforce's collapse into litigation underscores the risks of collaboration when not institutionally reinforced. By applying insights from Organizational Theory and Structuration Theory, the study offers a layered analysis of agency behavior and contributes to broader conversations about the potential and limits of participatory innovation in environmental regulation
ONTOGENY AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATIVE PERIDERM IN-FIELD AND THE IMPACT OF WOUND-HEALING INTERVAL ON POST-HARVEST METRICS
Get PDFPotato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber periderm development plays a vital role in mitigating skinning and protecting the tuber from biotic and abiotic stress. During development native periderm originates from the hypodermis, and as the tuber matures the meristematic phellogen divides to produce the phellem and phelloderm. As the phellem matures, shear resistance begins to increase and the protective polymer suberin begins to develop. Although these processes have been thoroughly studied, little research has been done measuring these factors throughout the growing season and across cultivar. Precutting seed tubers is frequently performed by growers to reduce seed cost and break dormancy. Allowing for the development of the wound periderm before planting is a strategy that is also commonly employed. Although the development of potato wound periderm is well established, the impact of cultivar on wound periderm ontogeny and post-harvest metrics has yet to be thoroughly investigated. The first chapter of this research was performed to examine periderm ontogeny in-field. Yield, foliar weight, phellem tissue thickness, phellem cell number, and skinning resistance were recorded to measure the impact of periderm development. The second chapter is dedicated to investigating the influence of cultivar (Russet Burbank, Clearwater Russet, Alturas) and precut seed tuber storage time on emergence, yield, tuber size, enzymatic wound response and potential revenue
THE EXPERIENCES OF GAY AND BISEXUAL LATINO MEN LIVING WITH HIV IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Get PDFGay and bisexual Latino men living with HIV face significant health disparities influenced by intersecting stigmas related to culture, sexuality, and HIV status. This qualitative dissertation study explored the lived experiences of 19 Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Pacific Northwest using Giorgi’s Descriptive Phenomenological Method. Through individual interviews and focus groups, participants described stigma in healthcare, family, and community settings—often experiencing compounded discrimination that impacted their mental health, care-seeking behaviors, and treatment adherence. Despite these barriers, many demonstrated resilience through advocacy, chosen family networks, and culturally grounded coping strategies. Key themes included intersectional stigma, healthcare access challenges, familial rejection and support, mental health impacts, and structural issues like housing and immigration. Findings highlight the need for culturally competent, stigma-informed nursing care and policy reforms that address systemic inequities. This research adds to the understanding of how intersecting identities shape health outcomes and offers actionable insights for improving care delivery for Latino MSM living with HIV
RACE AND HIGHLY PREVENTABLE MORTALITY AN EXPLORATION OF ASSOCIATED FACTORS AND COMMUNITIES DETERMINED TO LIVE
Get PDFIt is well established that mortality disparities within the United States exist by gender and race. Explorations of mortality posit that social and place-based determinants of health are highly associated with predicting the outcomes of these disparities. Less frequently studied are highly preventable causes of death and their association between established determinants of mortality such as education, poverty, and place of residence at death and how they look across racial groups and gender within a single state and how groups work to combat highly preventable diseases in their own communities. I utilize Washington state death records from 2011-2018 to estimate the odds of dying from highly preventable causes of death for non-Hispanic whites, Black people, Natives, Asians, and Latin(o)s controlling for sociodemographic (e.g., age, marital status, gender, and place-based factors at the census tract level and to identify the most vulnerable group to create an inventory of programs that address diabetes (a highly preventable cause of death) within Native communities in Washington state. I conducted regression analyses that considered social and place-based factors in combination with racial identity as predictors of disparities in dying from highly preventable deaths and discovered bleak findings for Natives. Results revealed that Natives with less than a high school education have a .70 probability of dying from a highly preventable cause of death. Additionally, Natives living in rural areas and who reside in high-poverty census tracts experience over .70 probability of dying from a highly preventable cause of death. No significant gender-specific findings by race were found. An inventory of diabetes programming in the Indian country reveals that Natives have implemented methods to address social and place-based predictors of dying from diabetes by providing free nutritional foods through gardening and cooking activities, vouching for medical services, and physical activity programming. Discussions must continue to explore how factors that are associated with highly preventable mortality can be addressed at the macro-level. Any efforts to address highly preventable causes of death disparities by researchers should first include an assessment of how priority communities are already tackling the problem because the lived experience is important