Bloglander

WSU

Tobacco free: A policy for a tobacco-free campus at WSU passed by 59.5 percent with 1,781 votes last Wednesday. The student government will work with an administrative task force to implement the policy, which must also be approved by the Board of Regents. (WSU News)

Recruiting teachers of color: A longtime program to increase the number of underrepresented students who become teachers, principals and education leaders has a new coordinator and a new name — Alhadeff Future Teachers of Color led by Brenda Barrio. She will work with the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment to identify students for the program as the diverse student population continues to grow. (WSU News)

click to enlarge

Dane Baird/Daily Evergreen

Foam houses: A group of students will help house the homeless with foam. Engineering and marketing students make up a company called Mobile Foam whose goal is to supply construction companies and nonprofits with a mold to create foam blocks onsite to address homelessness. (Daily Evergreen)

U of I

Journalism workshop: High school students and teachers will be able to explore multimedia journalism during a workshop this June at U of I. The program targets students in grades 10 and 11 from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Graduating seniors who plan to attend U of I next fall are also eligible. (U of I News)

Supercomputer: Researchers at U of I have a new gadget to work with, a supercomputer roughly the same physical size as normal computers but with 1,000 times more memory and about eight times as many processors. (U of I News)

Flexibility with purchased services: The Idaho Senate has defeated a measure that would allow the state’s public colleges and universities the option to opt out of utilizing certain state-government provided services and, instead, use the services of private companies and contractors — insurance being a big component of it. (Idaho Reporter)

Whitworth

Meth/sleep study: Assistant professor Michael Rempe recently received a $60,886 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his project with WSU associate professor Jonathan Wisor about the effects of chronic methamphetamine use on sleep. (Whitworth News)

Community College of Spokane

Alexie in Spokane: Tickets are now on sale to hear Sherman Alexie talk in a benefit for the Salish School of Spokane at 7 pm May 3 at SFCC. Alexie, a member of the Spokane Tribe, is a best-selling author and poet whose works include the National Book Award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. (S-R)

Men of color summit: The first annual summit for young men of color comes to SCC on Saturday from 9 am until 4 pm in the Lair-Student Center. Co-sponsored by EWU, the Inland Northwest Black and Brown Male Summit features seminars that examine masculinity, stereotypes of men of color and issues that limit their educational access and success. (CCS News)

North Idaho College

League change: NIC trustees decided Thursday that for all sports except wrestling, the college will leave the National Junior College Athletics Association and realign itself with the Northwest Athletics Association of Community Colleges. (CDA Press)

Donated funds: The Coeur d'Alene Tribe donated $1.2 million Thursday to 52 educational programs throughout the region, including college scholarship programs at the North Idaho College Foundation. (CDA Press)