Veterans Memorial Taskforce
January 27, 2016
SURC 236 6:00pm
Call to order
Hauke calls the meeting to order at 6:06pm.
Present
 Co-Chair: Rene Mahnke, VP for Student Life and Facilities
 Co-Chair: Hauke Harfst, VP for Academic Affairs
 Army ROTC: Christina Black
 Alumni Association: Robert Ford, Director, Alumni and Constituent Relations
 CWU Veterans Center: Ruben Cardenas, Interim Director.
 Art Representative: Gregg Schlanger, Chair, Art Department
 Facilities: William Yarwood, Director, Facilities Planning & Construction Services
 KVA: Linda Huber
 CWU Student Veteran: David Sturgell
 Ellensburg Veteran: Jack Frost
 ASCWU Student Government: Ryan Anderson, ASCWU President, John DeHan, Executive
VP, Olivia Durham, VP for Equity and Community Affairs, Brittany Kinsella, VP for Clubs
and Organizations, Nina Caldwell, VP for Legislative Affairs
Update on Student Polling
Hauke Harfst: We got a map up the last week for three days that the students put pins on the map on
locations that they would like to see a memorial. Looking at the map there are two locations. In front of
McConnell Hall and in central campus. That is where the two most significant locations.
Jack Frost: How do we decided on or come to a final choice of where to put the memorial.
William Yarwood: This is a map of the master plan, we have this on the website. We would like to get a
consensus of what this group thinks is the preferred site for this memorial. There are all sort of
connections with the community, downtown, and adjoining neighborhoods. We would like to have this in
a pretty significant location. It is the aspirational masterplan.
Hauke Harfst: We can talk about pros and cons of the sites.
William Yarwood: The timing on this is prefect. We can push this up and get this approved on the
masterplan.
Rene Mahnke: We can look over some of the themes or opinions that students wrote down. There are
some interesting ones written down there.
Jack Frost: Was this referenced to the veteran’s?
Hauke Harfst: It was only labeled a memorial and not a military or veteran’s memorial.
Presentation from Gregg Schlanger
Gregg Schlanger: It is important to look at the progression of art and of its history.
Art in the public realm: Scale is extremely important.
Due to the controversy of the Vietnam Mem, the bronze statues were put in, but did not think that the
bronze statues stood up to the magnitude of the Vietnam Wall.
I have created a proposal for the memorial I have previously created for Spokane and placed it in from of
McConnell Hall. Due to it being created and for me doing this I would waive the art designer fee.
January 27, 2016
1
Jack Frost: I like the concept of having names on the stone, but instead, do we need to have that many
stones? Can we change it to have three or five stones? If names are put on this, I would think CWU
students should be highlighted on this.
Dave Sturgell: It think we need to start that the beginning and the end, the most recent student and the
first student to have given their life.
Jack Frost: There are locations already on memorials in Ellensburg.
Dave Sturgell: I think names are a hugely important part of this memorial. And there should be on this
memorial.
Jack Frost: Everything you are saying was manifested in the Cle Elum memorial.
Dave Sturgell: There is already a process in place for memorials there around campus.
William Yarwood: That has been going on for years but we are looking at moving away from that. There
is one in Barge plaza and it is a recognition. And then there are some that are memorials. We would like
to get away from the “tombstones” due to maintenance and utilities.
Dave Sturgell: We have names, and the rock here. Is there a place to put it in front of the students on
bronze plates on the rocks right outside on the basalt rocks here already. Can we use our resources on our
campus?
Jack Frost: I like what you are saying but the rocks are not symmetrical, and to answer one of your
questions, I personally am leaning to the area just East of Dean Hall.
Ryan Anderson: Also, I would like to include if it is a place to escape or to have it in a central area.
Jack Frost: I think I can easily see it in the central location rather than in front of McConnell Hall. If I
wanted it as a meditation area I would like it in the central area on campus than on the street.
Air Force: If there is a yearly ceremony for the memorial it is a place that is gathered to and revamps the
location every year.
John DeHan: In front of McConnell of seems to be open to more eyes.
Nina Caldwell: Having the gateway of the community going there, I feel like people will look more at
that location and that CWU actually cares for these people that are to be memorialized in the structure.
William Yarwood: There will never be a building put into that location as well.
Jack Frost: How will we know of the veterans from CWU that will be on this memorial?
Ryan Anderson: The tricky part of this is that there maybe people that may be missed.
Jack Frost: In that aspect, that is a good point.
Dave Sturgell: We need to always have a way to add names.
Gregg Schlanger: What do we want to communicate with this and what is the purpose of this we want to
convey? Do we want to have a sense of sacrifice, of awe? It was very personal at the DC Vietnam
memorial.
Dave Sturgell: That is the power of just the names, everyone brings their own experience to it.
Gregg Schlanger: I would have to disagree with you on that. It is important that the master plan allows
for this memorial in this location and having it in the central part of the campus hides the memorial from
the community.
Jack Frost: I absolutely disagree with you about that. Are we trying to impress the students or the outside
people? What is the focus? Being in the middle, I don’t think it isn’t hiding. We also need to choose who
goes on that plaque.
Ryan Anderson: This is task force, only temporary. And if we have to add names all the time we need to
have something to continue that.
Dave Sturgell: As Bill has said there will be building that may go into that location and may be replaced
in that central location.
January 27, 2016
2
William Yarwood: You have to look at it in the long term, the central green is way out of scale for the
size of the campus and having that large area in the middle of campus that is undeveloped. There is going
to be something happening there in the central green in the next 30 to 40 years.
Hauke Harfst entertains a motion to set the location North of University Way and South of McConnell
Hall.
Air Force so moves
Ruben Cardenas seconds
5-0-1
Design
Rene Mahnke: I would like to see students working on this or to use campus resources. That would be
the biggest part of the project.
Jack Frost motions to use Gregg Schlanger as the designer for the Veteran’s Memorial
Air Force seconds
Motion PASSED 5-0-1
Funding Structure
Next Steps
Rene Mahnke: (to Gregg Schlanger) What are the next steps?
Gregg Schlanger: Getting in contact with the stone cutting company and getting the stones from the
manufacture.
Jack Frost: Another avenue would to be gathering names.
Gregg Schlanger: We have to decide on what names we need to put on the memorial.
Ryan Anderson: I would like to bring forth an idea, the use of projection. I don’t know if that is a good
idea or not but that would be an easy way to make changes to the memorial.
Gregg Schlanger: Technology scares me and then it comes out of date and the maintenance for it as well
is too expensive.
Jack Frost: Looking at numbers, how many pillars do we need? It seems to behoove us to get lists of
names on this.
Dave Sturgell: I’m willing to say, due to only 150 people from 9/11, there may not be very many people
in total.
Hauke Harfst: Referring to Gregg’s mention on the importance of scale. I think having more names
would be a better idea because of the scale.
John DeHan: Would the next step for the next meeting could we generate more designs or what fits best
in the space allocated?
Hauke Harfst: We need to identify funding sources.
Rene Mahnke proposes to get a data request to gather the names of those that have been lost to get a
number of the names.
Hauke Harfst: For the next meeting we will discuss what will go on the memorial and our objective is to
have a finalized design.
Adjourn
7:38pm
January 27, 2016
3