Campus Theme Events
Progress, Barriers, and the Pickle We Are In Now:
An Historical Perspective on American Transportation
March 26, 2008 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm, VADM 110
How has the Columbia River, the central transportation route in the Pacific Northwest for millenia, become a barrier? In a society centered on the current technology, the future of Vancouver may rise or fall with the Interstate 5 Columbia Crossing and whether we can influence the history to be made in our backyard. Are “old technologies” of bicycles and electric trolleys viable tools to solve our transportation issues? Can we think our way out of the current transportation trap? Who gets left behind with new transportation solutions? What can history teach us about what works?
Professor Steve Fountain will give a short history of transportation in the American West and discuss the unforeseen problems created by transportation improvements along the way. A series of technological leaps from the introduction of horses to the horsepower of the automobile have each shrunk the world while creating a series of unanticipated economic, environmental, and cultural consequences. Fountain argues that the continuous progress of innovation also formed a series of constraints and urges thoughtful reflection upon the past before embarking on 21st Century transportation solutions.
“Asphalt, Automobiles, and America: Can We Live Better by Driving Less?”
Author Katie Alvord visited Washington State University Vancouver's campus on February 21, 2008.
More than a century of American automobility has created a mobile nation, but downsides like pollution and traffic jams have led many to suggest a solution by driving less as well as differently. Looking at the past, the problems, and the potential, Alvord addressed this question by highlighting key moments in automotive history. She described some of the drawbacks of relying so heavily on cars and asphalt by detailing how changes in travel can generate a range of benefits from slowing climate change to saving money.
Best known as the author of, “Divorce Your Car! Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile,” Alvord is a long-term advocate of transportation reform. She has lectured in the U.S. and internationally; her freelance writing has appeared in a range of periodicals, including the Boston Globe, Orion Afield, E Magazine, and Utne Reader. A former librarian, she has also worked with several non-profit groups and bicycle advisory committees. She is a previous winner of a San Francisco Bay Area Clean Air Champion award, and recently won the 2007 Science Journalism Award for Online Reporting, given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She currently lives in Michigan.
WSU Vancouver New Student Reading Project and General Education sponsored the event with a grant from Humanities Washington.
Please use the following link to view Katie Alvord's presentation: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/videoconferenceservices/ram/academicaffairs/divorceyourcarlecture.ram
To download RealPlayer, click on the icon below:
Literacies for a Changing World
Come join us for this informative and thought provoking literary series, including discussions with faculty, guest speakers and work by our very own WSU Vancouver students. It's sure to be enlightening, so come and contribute.
Visions of the Road
Students from DTC 336, Design and Composition, presented multimedia visualizations of readings and images about the road and automobies in American society on April 15th, 2008. The students interpreted works such as Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and Robert Frost’s “The Road Less Traveled.” A DVD of the event can be borrowed at the Circulation Desk in WSU Vancouver's Library.
Donations of canned food will also be accepted for the North County Community Food Bank in Battleground.
Does 'everyone' have a car?
Katie Alvord, author of "Divorce Your Car", led a discussion open to all.
February 21, 2008 from 1:30pm - 2:30pm in the Library Reading Room
The Long Road to Publication: From Essay to Article
Kandy Robertson & Nicholas Schiller led a discussion on writing for scholarly publication.
January 23, 2008 from 12pm - 1pm in the Library Reading Room
Literacies for a Changing World brought to you courtesy of the Library, the Writing Center and General Education.
Campus Debate Engages Audience!
The Award Winning WSU Vancouver Debate Team
Thanks to the Debate team for providing a spirited discussion on the resolution:
Has the automobile ravaged our nation? Can we return to a world of human mobility?
The Government Team, Joseph Ficken and Tia Ostergren, as well as the Opposition Team, Anna Patterson and Bryce Smith, ably defended their positions, while enlightening the audience on the role of the automobile in American society.
Presented by: WSU Debate Team in conjunction with the General Education Program and the New Student Reading Project
Alternative Transportation Fair A Success!
Many thanks to the following agencies who participated in the Alternative Transportation Fair on Wednesday, October 10, 2007. We hope you had your questions answered about alternative transportation in the Vancouver area!
WSU Vancouver's Alternative Transportation Fair on KOIN 6 News:
http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/videoconferenceservices/ram/transportation/diller.ram
http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/videoconferenceservices/ram/transportation/stephenson.ram
To download RealPlayer, click on the icon below:
If you would still like more information, contact the following agencies:
Bicycle Alliance
City of Vancouver
Columbia River Crossing
Clark County Commute (Rideshare)
C-Tran
WSU Vancouver Human-Powered Machines
Southwest Clean Air
Nursing Network
WSU Vancouver Public Safety
Portland Fit
Portland Running Company
Eco-motion
Sponsored by General Education in support of the New Student Reading Project.
