University Services

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The Archives at Central Washington University was established in 2004 to act as the repository for official and unofficial records that document the history of the university. The archives also serves as a regional repository to house, preserve, and promote the history of Central Washington. It is located on the fourth floor of the James Brooks Library on the Ellensburg campus.

The primary objectives of the archives are to appraise, collect, organize, describe, preserve, and make available university records and regional collections of permanent historical value. It also aims to support research, teaching, and public awareness of the rich heritage of central Washington and the university.

The archives consists of records, photographs, and artifacts produced by CWU or its predecessors: Washington State Normal School at Ellensburg (1891-1937); Central Washington College of Education (1937-1961); and Central Washington State College (1961-1977). The collection contains documents published by the university as well as materials produced by university administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The collection includes administrative reports, department and committee records, student publications, photographs, printed records, and the correspondence of former presidents, deans, and other university officials.

The regional manuscript collection, which is part of the archives, consists of historically significant 19th and 20th century personal papers, business and organizational records, photograph collections, and other materials produced in central Washington State by individuals, businesses, and organizations that reside, or have resided, in the region. One-of-kind unpublished works from the counties of Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima are represented in the collection. The collection includes materials relevant to the history and cultural development of central Washington.

The Center for Spatial Information (CSI) encourages, supports, and coordinates research projects for students and faculty using hardware and software technologies that gather and analyze “spatial” information to solve problems in the social sciences, natural sciences, and business. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), high-precision Global Positioning System (GPS), ground-penetrating radar, precision conventional laser surveying, and satellite image processing are some of the spatial technologies used by CWU faculty and students. Typical GIS applications include projects in resource geography, archaeology, field biology, geology, and planning. CSI also relies on the Department of Geography’s GIS laboratory, where a variety of undergraduate and graduate GIS courses are taught, and numerous large and small research projects are conducted using state-of-the-art computing systems.

CSI is also part of the National Consortium for Geospatial Innovations in America (RGIS) program which is funded by the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. As part of eight national RGIS centers, the goal of RGIS-PN is to evaluate emerging geospatial technologies and to develop methods to use geospatial data to solve real problems on the ground. These pilot projects are then used as a foundation on which to build educational materials for training appropriate personnel in rural agencies and communities around the Pacific Northwest, and to disseminate information to a broader rural audience via collaborations with other western universities, journal articles, bulletins, conference presentations, and web-based outreach. Where possible, RGIS-PN attempts to incorporate stakeholders and interest groups in GIS-based community and watershed modeling, and subsequent decision-making processes.
CSI encourages creative, interdisciplinary uses of spatial technology, and actively works with the private and government sectors to identify problems to which CWU personnel and equipment can provide effective solutions. CSI’s home page is at www.cwu.edu/~csi.

The Central Washington Archaeological Survey (CWAS) is a research and public service office that is part of the anthropology department. An advisory board which includes the dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Continuing Education, the dean of the College Of The Sciences and the chair of the anthropology department, provides direction and support for CWAS activities. CWAS conducts archaeological investigations in the central counties of the state and promotes public involvement in the identification and protection of regional archaeological resources. Closely integrated with academic programs in anthropology, CWAS involves faculty and students in research projects funded through external grants and contracts. CWAS cooperates with state and federal agencies, Native American tribes and nations, professional archaeologists throughout the state, and state and local archaeological societies in the study and preservation of central Washington’s archaeological resources.

The GIS laboratory supports computer hardware/software systems for analysis of spatial data (maps, aerial photos, satellite imagery, digital terrain data, etc.). The laboratory provides an excellent teaching and research facility for faculty and students from a variety of fields, including anthropology, archaeology, biology, geography, geology, land-use planning, resource management, and sociology. In addition, the laboratory offers contract and consultation services to public and private agencies for GIS applications.

Additional information can be found at http://www.cwu.edu/~geograph/

The Information Technology Services department (ITS) provides student computer lab management services, telephone services to the Ellensburg campus and its centers, networking and computer operations and services, maintenance and repair of university-owned computers, coordination of new purchases, desktop support, help desk services, and applications development and maintenance. ITS staff members work closely with all segments of the university to ensure that information technology is broadly developed, acquired, used, and available to all students, faculty, and staff. ITS information is available on the Web at www.cwu.edu/~its and ITS can be contacted at 509-963-2924. The ITS HelpDesk can be contacted at 509-963-2001.

Faculty and students have easy access to contemporary hardware and software in 30 general-purpose and discipline-specific computer labs spread throughout major academic buildings on campus. Virtually every residence hall room is equipped with an Ethernet connection providing free Internet services for those students that bring computers to campus. Students who opt to live off campus can take advantage of free modem connections. In all cases, they can access their e-mail and centrally maintained file services directly via Internet connections.

Wireless access to the Internet is available across the campus and via laptop checkout in the SURC and library. Information on wireless at CWU is online at  www.cwu.edu/~wireless.

Emergency Phone: 911
Non Emergency: 509-925-8534
Business Phone: 509-963-2959 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fax: 509-963-2750
Courtesy Assistance Team (CAT)
509-963-2950

Central’s Police Agency operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is a general authority state police force. The department employs 14 armed police officers who are fully commissioned by the state of Washington and have the same arrest and investigative authority as other law enforcement officers in the state.

All of the officers are graduates of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission’s basic academy, and each has numerous hours of annual specialized police training. The majority of the officers hold bachelor’s degrees in law and justice or a related field of study. The department has the primary responsibility for law enforcement on Central’s campus and works closely with other law enforcement agencies. Commissioned officers patrol the campus 24-hours-a-day with emphasis on crime prevention and education, including encouraging the reporting of all crimes.

Each year the officers conduct between 60 and 75 crime prevention programs for the university community, with the majority held in the residence halls for the benefit of students. These programs include personal safety, rape awareness and prevention, operation I.D., bicycle registration, drug and alcohol use/abuse, auto theft prevention, guidance for surviving an active shooter situation, rape aggression defense, and related crime prevention techniques.

Outdoor emergency telephones have been installed at the entrances to residence halls, while other strategically located “blue light” emergency telephones are installed throughout campus. Each phone has a direct line to the KITTCOM (Kittitas County 911) dispatch center. University police officers respond to all campus emergency calls placed through KITTCOM.

In addition to the commissioned officers, the department employs two parking enforcement officers, an office manager, a secretarial staff, a switchboard operator, and student employees.

The Department of Public Safety and Police Services employs students in a program called Courtesy Assistance Team (CAT). CAT provides walking companions on campus between buildings, parking lots, or residence halls. The CAT team also checks doors to buildings and conducts a walk-through in buildings that are open. CAT operates nightly, with the exception of holidays, finals week, and breaks, 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

Central Transit provides transportation from campus to various locations in the city of Ellensburg and other points of interest.