Washington State University students accepted a grant from Cotton Incorporated and came together to create blankets for those in need. Around 60 students came together mainly from WSU’s Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles to make this effort a reality. Assistant Professor Xingqui Lou of the AMDT department stated that they wanted to give the students an opportunity to give back to the community and help those in need. 

These students paired into groups of two and ended up making around 30 blankets in just over an hour. These blankets were then donated to two groups based in Spokane that help the people within the houseless community. The blankets either went to women staying in night shelters or to people transitioning from homelessness to housing. This program was also used to simultaneously teach the students about the materials and textures they were using for the blankets. 

Programs such as these are exactly what sets WSU apart from the rest and not only benefits the community but allows the students a different approach to a multitude of situations and circumstances. Students, faculty, and community across all our campuses share similar morals and unity and this is something we are incredibly proud of. Bringing the OneWSU ideology to fruition will allow Cougs to connect with each other on a different level and make the different WSU locations even more unified. 

The one WSU essentially is the first-ever system-wide effort to create a smooth transition through each and every campus. This means a degree at our Pullman campus will hold the same value as a degree from our Tri-Cities or Vancouver campuses. The same goes for the faculty on staff and accountability across all locations. This is a big step in the direction of making WSU even better. We are very excited for changes were hoping to implement and continue to grow WSU into an event better school socially and academically.

About the author

Alex is a writer for the Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis at Washington State University. As a strategic advertising student, he focuses on brand development and promotion. He also works as an intern in Switzerland with the luxury watch company, Chopard.