2022-23 Budget Proposal Comment Forum

There is a massive amount of interest among current students for an MS in Neuroscience. Similarly, we get many students applying to the MS in Experimental Psychology graduate program who would be a much better fit for a MS in Neuroscience graduate program since the Experimental Psych program does not facilitate appropriate training in experimental approaches for neuroscience or have courses with relevant content. There is little doubt that the MS in Neuroscience would be hugely popular among WWU students and others around the state who looking to further their neuroscience training and coursework but don't have any other MS options. Furthermore, MS level researchers would substantially enhance the research capacity of the neuroscience research program at WWU.

Funding this proposal will provide necessary resources to increase WWU's capacity for students majoring in pre-healthcare majors (e.g. biology and biochemistry). Without such resources, access to majors and courses in these fields will continue to be severely restricted. Trained healthcare professionals are in demand, thus this proposal will address important needs of the State of Washington.

The department of Health and Human Development supports this proposal to increase access for pre-healthcare majors.

This proposal is of critical importance to our student who currently travel out of state for the training this program could offer. Students have been asking for this kind of program at WWU for a very long time and if we can offer it, they will be more likely to put their skills and training to work in Washington State companies instead of staying out of state.

A graduate program in Neuroscience will be a great benefit to the WWU community. Right now, graduate students who are interested in neuroscience must complete an MS degree in experimental psychology (EXP). This is not a good fit for the students or the faculty. The EXP degree has many broad psychology requirements that do not benefit students with neuroscience interests, and that only serve to delay their progress toward a degree. We have allowed some exceptions to the EXP requirements for neuroscience students, but it's not an ideal situation because we don't offer any good courses to substitute and the students end up doing independent study or taking undergraduate courses, sometimes in other departments. Many years ago, we created a new undergraduate major in neuroscience that was distinct from the psychology major. The neuroscience major has been very popular and very effective, and the time is right to offer a similar degree at the masters level.

I would love to see this proposal succeed. We are not able to meet the demands of students with interests in health care careers and at the same time our hospitals are struggling to fill positions in WA and around the country. The Biology and Chemistry buildings are at full capacity for faculty and our degree programs are at full capacity. In order to meet demand, we need to renovate space in our buildings to create space to hire new faculty which would then allow us to increase the number of pre-health students we can support in our degree programs.

Approval of the Pre-Healthcare Student Access Proposal is vital for meeting student needs and ensuring Pre-Healthcare students are adequately prepared for a future in healthcare.

This is a very important proposal for the university to pursue. The availability of daycare for Western and faculty is directly related to our ability to hire and retain people. Considering the high housing costs in Bellingham as compared to salaries at Western, any and all initiatives such as an expansion of daycare options for families (and students!) are critical.

The MS Neuroscience degree is an exciting opportunity for the Behavioral Neuroscience program, an "in demand" major to extend its reach. Currently, MS students working in BNS labs are typically in the Biology department via their MS program. However, the BNS program certainly stands alone and it would be a boost to molecular biosciences on this campus to see its expansion.

A significant benefit of this proposal is the addition of capacity for prehealthcare courses that are needed by the majority of students planning to apply to professional programs. These courses (e.g., biochemistry, genetics, cell biology) have effectively become service courses in CHEM and BIOL. Increasing capacity in these courses will have two significant benefits: (1) increased capacity for the BA Biochemistry major which represents a true 2-yr option for completion of a BA by incoming transfer students, who want to apply to healthcare professional programs, and (2) increased access for all prehealthcare students at WWU irrespective of their major. The latter will encourage students to remain in majors outside CHEM and BIOL (and largely outside CSE) because they won't have to be a declared biochemistry or cell biology major to get access to those courses. The renovations requested are necessary since the ISB was reduced form 5 floors to 4 in the final project and new lab and office space is needed before any new TT or staff hiring can occur in CB and BI.

I'm impressed by the retention and recruitment data from Honors, and more importantly, the ways in which Honors serves Western more widely. I am a faculty member who teaches in and outside of Honors and regularly supports Honors Capstone Projects. BOTH of the Honors students I have mentored had portions or all of their Capstone projects published in peer-reviewed journals. This kind of mentoring takes time and effort, but also creates more opportunities for students and faculty (win-win!). Some incentive for faculty to supervise projects would go a long way. I'm especially pleased to see the Honors College is taking clear and well-informed steps to diversify its faculty and student body, as well as support under-represented students. The Honors College is doing great things, and with further budget support can do even more.

The BNS program is a good example of one of Western's areas of excellence. It makes sense to capitalize on this already strong, well-regarded program, to creates a MS program that will further attract students and set students up for success post-graduation (as well as attract neuroscience faculty to the program thus benefiting both the BS and MS programs). The proposal will allow for faculty outside of BNS to add to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, thus increasing the applicability of the degree program to the workforce post-graduation. Since much of the difficult groundwork already exists, the feasibility of this proposal is very high and with high potential outcomes.

As a junior at Western, having the opportunity to gain a dual degree in neuroscience would greatly impact my educational and career goals. I have actively volunteered in Dr. Kaplan’s lab studying phytocannabinoids and cannabis-inspired terpenes as a novel treatment approach for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since the Spring of 2022. My training thus far has prepared me for running numerous behavioral assays, solution preparation, and python-based video and data analysis to empirically assess different pharmacological interventions on core ASD deficits like reduced sociability and increased anxiety. Recently, my experience as a psychiatry medical intern has opened my eyes to the ineffectiveness and adverse side effects caused by currently available medications. Consistent medication usage is integral for symptom management in many psychiatric disorders; however, pills are not the only solution. Ultimately, my career goal is to work as an osteopathic psychiatrist, providing a holistic approach to healing. Admittedly, many psychiatric disorders have a biological basis and require pharmacological intervention to improve symptoms. However, I plan to approach patients as people first, not as an array of dysfunctional circuits and chemicals. Environment, social connections, and underlying disease impact the mind’s state just as much as neurotransmitters and deserve equal attention.

Being able to complete a MS in neuroscience during my undergrad is an integral part of achieving my career goal because to understand whole-body healing truly, I must first deepen my knowledge of what we currently know about alternative medicines and their mechanisms in the brain and body. Additionally, conducting my own empirical research will bolster my abilities as a practitioner by gaining insight into how to better interpret and assess the quality of research in consideration of treatment. Over the last year of working in Dr. Kaplan’s lab, I have contributed to research demonstrating that vaporized cannabidiol (CBD) improves prosocial behaviors in our BTBR mouse model of ASD. With the support of this MS, I hope to gain key mechanistic insight into cannabis’ prosocial effects on ASD. One particular target of interest is neuroinflammation, which is known to be increased in BTBR mice and humans with ASD. One potential origin of this inflammation is via the gut and a dysregulated gut microbiome. I hypothesize that CBD has prosocial effects by restoring the gut microbiome and reducing neuroinflammation. Over the master's program, I plan to address this hypothesis by investigating the interaction between different consumption routes, neuroinflammation, and the composition of the microbiome on core ASD deficits in BTBR mice. Empirically addressing this hypothesis with the support of this MS will facilitate my training in valuable research techniques and support my efforts to introduce novel research directions for the lab.

I am a current WWU undergraduate student in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program and I am a proponent of the MS Neuroscience proposal. I graduate this quarter, but if this degree was an option in a timeline that aligned with my graduation, I would strongly consider pursuing this MS. It sounds like a great way to continue the research I have engaged with in a BNS research lab during my undergrad degree. I also value that this degree is meant to be interdisciplinary. I have recently began to appreciate the overlap between techniques used in BNS research and techniques used in the Biology Department and I think this degree would be a smart way to increase collaboration between programs to maximize access to the expertise and instruments at Western. This program would attract current Western undergrads and outside students. Please consider this proposal to support the training of future biomedical researchers.

I would like to express my strong support for the laboratory and safety infrastructure project. Best practices in laboratory safety are constantly evolving and it is essential that the university continually invest in safety upgrades that allow us to deliver high quality scientific experiences in the safest manner possible. I encourage the administration to fund the high priority projects identified in this proposal but also to recognize that a one time allocation is not sufficient to "solve safety".

I am a junior looking into graduate schools and I am extremely interested in the possibility of an MS in neuroscience at Western, especially if it can be taken as an additional year to the 4 undergraduate years. I think this option is great for those looking to specify their focus in science whether that is going from a degree in biology to an MS in neuro, or an undergrad student from BNS who would like to explore deeper into the world of neuroscience (like me). I think this will also be cost-efficient for students who are coming from Western's BNS program.

The three graduate programs in Psychology (experimental psychology, clinical mental health counseling, and school counseling) have been historically underfunded. We typically have about 40 students enrolled in the three programs at any given time, and we are allocated roughly 11 TA positions each year. Some students receive no TA funding at all, and many others get as little as one quarter of support across two years.
We lose quality applicants to other programs that provide better funding. This proposal will benefit many departments, but Psychology in particular needs these additional TA positions to be able to continue to recruit and support our students.

TAs are a critical part of our mission - they facilitate our educational goals, making connections with and serving as models for our undergraduate students, and supporting and contributing to our research outputs. Many of our programs and courses would not be possible without TAs. Further, our graduate programs are part of training Washington state's workforce. Our students learn valuable skills they take into the workforce and their next educational pursuits. If they are not funded through TAships we are asking them to take on massive debt, at the same time as they are serving our institution, our students, and faculty and student research endeavors. Finally, if we continue to underfund our graduate students, we will continue to meet road blocks in diversifying our graduate student body in terms of economic backgrounds, which is antithetical to the mission of the university.

There is also an inequitable distribution of TAs across Departments. In some Departments students are fully funded by TAs. In Psychology, for example, we get about 11 TA positions per year. And those must be distributed across about 40 students in 3 different programs. More TAs please!!!

I strongly support expanding support for Graduate Teaching Assistants. Western's mission of advancing inclusive access cannot be achieved on the backbone of individual instructors. Instead, each class needs strong support, and Grad TAs are a critical part of that support system.

As highlighted in the proposal, a Master's program in the field of neuroscience does not exist in Washington, nor more widely on the West coast. In addition to being a fantastic choice for a career-boosting stepping-stone, Master's programs are an excellent option for our graduates that don't want to commit to a longer PhD program or have questions about whether full-time academic research is for them. Without having options in Washington, many of our students leave the state for these, or similar, programs. Having a flexible program with a combined BS-MS as well as direct MS admit would be an excellent way to serve neuroscience students at WWU with further research opportunities, as well as capturing excellent students from the region who are currently underserved.

Many of our undergraduates have been asking about a graduate program in Neuroscience instead of having to apply typically out of state for this opportunity. Being able to provide a research-intensive Master's experience would serve many students in WA who were unable to gain a research experience in their undergraduate degrees and want to go to Neuroscience PhD programs. This program would use Western's strengths to reach an underserved population of neuroscience students in WA.

With some departments being able to guarantee TAships for their graduate students and others relying on a piecemeal distribution of TA opportunities has allowed for inequities in graduate support across departments. Graduate students should be able to rely on consistent support for the time they are expected to be completely dedicated to their graduate programs.

Full funding for our graduate students via teaching assistant positions is essential for grad student quality of life, academic success, and increased representation of grad students from diverse and under-represented socio-economic backgrounds. In our own department of Psychology, there is an enormous gulf between the number of graduate students who need quarters of TA funding, and the number of quarters available. Expansion of grad TA positions would be of enormous and immediate benefit to our students and to the department (and by extension, the university and the labor force beyond Western). Thank you.

Many graduate students receive the equivalent of only one quarter of a full-time TA position during their two years at Western. These students often work evenings and weekends at minimum wage jobs, which makes it challenging for them to immerse themselves in their studies and get the education and experiences they're paying for. They graduate exhausted, some with new health issues from unrelenting stress, and with a high debt burden. Increased TA funding will have a direct, positive impact on the well-being of our graduate students.

Full funding for our graduate students via teaching assistant positions is essential for our programs to continue to recruit, support, and retain diverse and historically marginalized student populations. All of our graduate TAs support the mission of our department and university. I specifically work with counseling graduate students who impact the community through counseling services starting in their 2nd quarter and finishing in their 6th and final quarter. These students provide free counseling services to local community members, at a time where finding any counseling services is extremely difficult. Our coursework provides limited opportunities for our students to secure work outside of the university and with the cost of attending a graduate program and living in an expensive community like Bellingham we continue to see extreme financial hardships. As our department continues to prioritize the recruitment of diverse student populations we see the need for financial support from the university. This funding could change student experiences and allow more equitable experiences for students from many different SES backgrounds.

This proposal for additional TA positions will not only benefit recruitment, support, and retention of Psych graduate students, but also ensure our undergraduate majors and minors have access to course support, academic/program advising, and equitable application/declaration processes.

I write to request support for the expansion of graduate teaching assistantship opportunities. The psychology department has three outstanding graduate programs that attract many strong applicants. Both the cost of living in Bellingham and the costs of attending WWU place considerable financial strain on our students. Lack of sufficient financial support impedes our ability to attract the most promising and diverse set of students for our programs. To make ends meet, many of the students who do come to WWU have to hold jobs unrelated to their study, and these jobs directly limit student ability to succeed and to gain research and other experiences that are valuable aspects of their training through our programs.

I'm a current grad student in biology, but I work in a BNS lab. I would have loved to do an MS in Neuroscience as that is where my interests in research are. The MS in Biology provides minimal neuroscience courses that would otherwise help me with my research. I have had many students interested in neuroscience, but end up applying to other institutions that have MS in Neuroscience. I think the MS in neuroscience would be an amazing intersect between psychology and biology.

I work as a staff member at Western as an advocate for all Western stakeholders. My work is deeply integrated with many divisions, departments, faculty, staff, and students to help ensure every Western stakeholder has equitable access to an education, a place to thrive in meaningful work, a place to grow and succeed as humans collaboratively, and a place to enjoy the many opportunities Western provides to its world-wide stakeholders.
ICDS has fostered a collaborative environment for stakeholders to participate in designing the outstanding program they have created. I feel lucky and invigorated to be involved in early planning of the ICDS. It was especially interesting for me to learn of how many people in the Western community understand why an accessible and equitable Western is so important for all humans. Most importantly our students at Western. All faculty, staff, and students collaborating on the ICDS have student success as a core belief. This aligns with my moral compass, and my daily work at Western, so well that I am willing to do whatever I can to help the mission of the ICDS.
I look forward to working collaboratively with the ICDS many years into the future. Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are all inter-related and often complicated principles to understand. Especially as society and technologies change so rapidly. The Western community needs the ICDS to help guide and support us all so Western and its stakeholders will remain relevant in the higher education space.

This topic is so important, and what I hope to pursue in my time at Western. This program deserves the opportunity to grow and flourish. Disability justice is a passion of mine personally, politically and academically: and I deserve the support from my university to delve further into the topic.

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies crosscuts every college in the university. With sustained funding it will become a national leader in Disability Studies, drawing applicants (students and faculty) from across the state and US.

WWU's mission is committed to advancing inclusive success for all students. The university budget is a statement of value and the underinvestment in this program is a symptom of a systemic unwillingness to distribute resources more equitably towards historically underserved and marginalized communities. WGGS is unique because it responds to the needs of an array of underserved populations at Western. 90% of WGSS students identify as women, 10% as members of an underrepresented class, 27% as first generation, 17% as persons of color, and 37% as Pell Grant eligible - among the highest percentage in CHSS. In addition, faculty estimates suggest 40% of our majors and minors identify as LGBTQ+ or gender nonconforming (the percentage in our upper division classes is often higher). All these students face unique challenges at the university. Funding WGSS to become a department will support WWU’s strategic plan’s commitment to low income and underrepresented communities. Our students have experienced numerous delays, cancelled classes, and related insecurities due to our lack of stable and predictable staffing to teach courses. We have over 100 majors and minors and our numbers continue to grow. The program has been around since the 1970's and it is time to fund the WGSS Department.

Since moving to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2013, the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program has flourished. Enrollment in the minor and major has more than quadruped since 2013. The program has been an interdisciplinary haven for students, faculty, and staff and a source of rich extra-curricular programming on feminism, gender, and sexuality.

But at this point the program urgently needs to become a department. Our curriculum desperately needs the stability of tenure-track faculty. Our students have suffered from waitlists, delays, and cancelled courses due to lack of tenure-track faculty. Our students also suffer from the lack of departmental resources and support. Our students deserve an equitable and fully funded department -- and they have needed a WGSS department for years. Students from every college enroll in WGSS courses and complete WGSS minors and majors. They do so out of true passion for the field. As a former WGSS advisor, I often spoke with students who pursued their WGSS minors and majors as labors of love and they often paired their WGSS studies with complementary courses of study in the sciences, humanities, arts, social studies, environment, and business. In addition, students viewed WGSS as transformative -- a form of study that they could only have at the university level -- and students would often make significant sacrifices to pursue their WGSS majors and minors.
I fully support making WGSS a department and doing so will benefit not only the College of the Humanities and Social Science but the entire university community as well.

For a relatively modest cost, WWU could continue the growth and development of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the university by funding its transition into departmental status. The university compares unfavorably to many of its peers in the lack of a department dedicated to the study of gender and sexuality. Student interest in this field has grown enormously in recent years and is likely to continue an upwards trajectory, as the program did during the pandemic-induced university-wide enrollment declines. WGSS contributes more to WWU's goals around equity and inclusion than any other academic unit and it's past time to recognize those contributions with a status commiserate with other academic departments.

I have been involved with and advocated for WGSS since my start here in 2008. While other universities have cultivated gender studies departments, in fact I graduated from one 1998, WWU has been sorely left behind. Since the program's move to CHSS in 2013, the program has grown exponentially, cultivating a first-rate major and minor and regularly filling seats in core-courses. Yet, the program continues to be limited by the limited financial investment of the university. It is time now to put our money where our mouths are. If we believe in a pedagogy predicated on critical thinking and have a true commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging, than there is no doubt that the funding of WGSS as a department should be at the top of the list.

Simply, we owe this to our students.
As the proposal makes clear, the student body at WWU necessitates the creation of a WGSS department with dedicated faculty to support them. Additionally, the feminist praxis that characterizes teaching in WGSS may not be appreciated by the tenuring departments of faculty "borrowed" by the program, whereas it would be rewarded by a department. A WGSS department would also have the opportunity to hire in areas not currently covered by WWU faculty.

It’s time to make this change. It’s not revolutionary; it’s common sense.

90% of WGSS students identify as women, 27% as first generation, 17% as persons of color, and 37% as Pell Grant eligible, among the highest percentage in CHSS. And faculty estimates show that 40% of WGSS students identify as LGBTQ+ or gender nonconforming. WWU has a strategic commitment to low income and underrepresented communities. This is a great opportunity to show that commitment through this tangible, important change.

While WGSS contributes more to WWU's goals around equity and inclusion than any other academic unit, WGSS students have experienced delays and cancelled classes due to a lack of resources and lack of predictable staffing to teach courses.

Additionally, while WWU’s overall enrollment has declined in recent years, WGSS continues to grow. The program has been around since the 1970's and has grown despite lack of proper resources and proper recognition. It’s time to invest in WGSS the way our students do. WGSS Department status is long overdue. WGSS Department status will show WWU’s commitment to underrepresented communities, will support the goals of the university overall, and will bring WWU in line with other universities that already have department status for their WGSS programs.

Expanded childcare access is critical for WWU faculty, staff, and students. This is also an equity issue because we know that women are disproportionately affected by childcare responsibilities.