March 20, 2003
Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - As the opening stages in the war against
Iraq get underway, an increasing number of Central Washington
University students are being affected. Some are anticipating that
they will soon be called to active military service, while others have
friends and loved ones who have already been deployed. Others are
simply experiencing increased levels of anxiety.
In response, the university’s student health and counseling
center is now preparing to offer a drop-in support group for all
students wanting to share their experiences and receive support from
others. The group will meet Wednesday afternoons from 4 to 5 p.m. The
first meeting is slated April 2, in the health and counseling center’s
Wickerath Lounge, according to Rhonda McKinney, CWU director of
counseling services.
For more information about that group, or for persons of
disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509)
963-1391, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963- 2143.
Meanwhile, the CWU department of public safety and police
services has received an increasing number of inquiries about security
and safety.
“We have an excellent resource for general questions about
Homeland Security at www.cwu.edu/~police,” CWU Police Chief Steve
Rittereiser says. “Then click on the Homeland Security link on the
left hand side of the page. It is a very comprehensive link of
information related to all aspects of Homeland Security.”
In addition, the department is making available a number of
Family Emergency Preparedness Plan booklets at the Public Safety
Building (1211 North D Street).
“These are the same booklets we distributed during Y2K,”
Rittereiser adds. “They’re a nice planning guide designed for use at
home as well as in the workplace.”
In response to the National Homeland Advisory System threat
condition being orange, CWU police are following the governor’s
directive of heightened monitoring of facilities and locations that
could present a risk, according to Rittereiser.
“We will continue to work with local, state and national
officials to monitor the situation and consider additional security
measures as necessary,” he adds.
Rittereiser says that suspicious behavior, suspicious
circumstances or criminal activity should be reported by calling 911 or
(509) 925-8534 for non-emergencies.
