Email, dated April 30, 2020
Dear Honorable Sirs and Madams:
In January of this year, Central Washington University made the decision not to renew the lease with APOYO Food Bank at the 18th Avenue property. I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment with that decision. I am a proud member of the Wildcat family--an alumnus, having earned both my Baccalaureate and then my Master's from CWU, and currently a member of the faculty. What originally brought me to CWU and what has kept me here in Ellensburg is the strong sense of community, witnessing how much people care about and for one another here. For the past two decades, APOYO has been an integral part to cultivating and nurturing this strong sense of community. The University's public statements about the decision not to renew the lease have focused on what CWU has to gain from the relationship; one administrator stated, on the record, "It [APOYO] is a non- university program that doesn’t serve students and our students aren’t volunteering at... CWU needs to receive something in return" (Belcher 23 Jan. 2020). After reading that comment, I was aghast. Such a narrow-minded, selfish, uncharitable view is not the Wildcat Way. I began to question whether the values my alma mater purported to uphold were, in fact, valued by the institution. How, I asked myself, could CWU claim it makes "efforts to advance the social and economic health of the region" when administration makes decisions that actively contradict its Mission and Vision? I have devoted past 18 years of my life to CWU. I thrived in my time as a student and now pay forward the mentorship and education I received to help students thrive. I am proud of being a Wildcat, but administration failing to make decisions that align with our stated Mission and Vision is profoundly dispiriting and extremely embarrassing. The fact of the matter is APOYO does serve Central. Students, faculty, retirees, and their families benefit from volunteering their time, labor, and materials. Members of our campus community and their families receive services from the food bank. The stronger the surrounding community of Ellensburg is, the stronger Central Washington University will be. Rather than making decisions that harm the community and its people--our community, our people--CWU, we , ought to actively support its "social and economic health," just like we proudly claim. I hope you, Honored Trustees, will make the right and proper decision to continue supporting APOYO, to continue supporting the well-being of our community and its people.
Thank you, most humbly,
A.I. Ross
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