A flyer contrasting WSU Vancouver cabinet salaries with food and housing insecurity percentages circulated last week. The VanCougar posted a photo of the flyer on social media asking students and followers, “Do you know the author? Are you the author? The VanCougar would like to talk to you.” A person claiming authorship of the flyer, which included photos of the WSU Vancouver Chancellor and his cabinet, alongside info-graphics representing statistics from the 2018 Campus Climate Survey (all publicly available information, with sources cited on the flyer), contacted The VanCougar via email that evening. The email was sent from an “AnonCoug” email account.
Students who allegedly know the author’s identity but also refused to reveal the source’s name describe “AnonCoug” as male and a WSU Vancouver student. “AnonCoug” told The VanCougar via email that in order to “protect myself from administrative retribution,” they would remain anonymous and refused to meet for an interview or speak with The VanCougar staff over the phone.
WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer responded to a request for comment via email writing, “I would challenge anyone to find an instance when I or anyone on my cabinet took retribution against someone exercising his or her free speech.” He added, “It’s not the culture of this campus.”
In a statement sent via email, “AnonCoug” said that by posting the flyer, they intended to create a conversation. The VanCougar reporter Katie O’Boyle discovered the flyer tacked to a bulletin board in the Multimedia building on Thursday. Multiple people commented on The VanCougar’s Facebook post saying that they too had noticed the flyers at various locations around campus. Reactions on social media regarding the content and intent of the flyer were mixed.
Gavin Lockard commented on The VanCougar’s Facebook post writing, “Do those 36 percent know that WSUV offers a Cougar food pantry?” presumably in response to the statistic listed on the flyer that 36 percent of respondents were food insecure.
Also in their email statement, “AnonCoug” wrote, “We need to be ensuring that our administration is working for us. That their salary is justified. And that they’re aware of the power and class differential between them and the students they’re charged with caring for.”
In response to the flyers, Chancellor Netzhammer wrote to The VanCougar, “I believe that the fact that we ask questions about food and housing insecurity on the Campus Climate Survey and are transparent about the results of those questions is an indication of how important this issue is for us.”
According to Netzhammer, cabinet members lobby members of the state legislature to keep tuition rates as low as possible while continuing to “fully fund the state need grant.”
Netzhammer also mentioned implementation and fundraising for the Cougar Food Pantry as a priority. “Fall harvest baskets will be available to students in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday,” he said.
The VanCougar invites letters to the editor regarding the flyers around campus. Details for requirements and how to send in letters are located on page two of every issue.