Student regent aims for authenticity

PULLMAN — Kassandra Vogel is bringing a unique perspective to the Washington State University Board of Regents.

The applied economics graduate student was welcomed onto the board to serve a one-year term in September. Since then, she’s been representing the student population with the goal to give them a seat at the table.

One of the most commonly asked questions Vogel gets is “what’s a student regent?” Other than being enrolled at the university, she serves as a full regent and attends all board meetings. What sets her apart is being a member of the student body, she said, and serving one year rather than the standard three years for faculty.

Vogel said not many students know the position exists, and while she’s a member of the board, her aim is to make the role better known within the community.

Hailing from Vancouver, Wash., Vogel attended Running Start on her local WSU campus as a high schooler. She was hesitant about continuing her education at the university, but after visiting and falling in love with WSU Pullman, it was the only school she applied to for undergrad.

“My mom was the one who pushed me to visit,” she said. “The first thing I noticed was how friendly everyone was, and I hadn’t experienced that on any other campus. … After that, it kind of changed everything. I knew that’s the one I wanted to go to and pushed the others out of my mind.”

Vogel graduated in May with bachelor’s degrees in English and economics. While completing a double major, she still found time for several commitments outside her program.

Her first semester she attended at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but was able to stay connected to on-campus life through reporting at The Daily Evergreen. When in-person classes resumed, she worked at the WSU Creamery, Office of Admissions and a few research lab positions.

The role she’s most proud of was serving as the deputy director of campus sustainability her senior year. It was there she worked with the Environmental Sustainability Alliance to put on the largest Earth Day event WSU has had in 20 years, which brought Adam Savage of “MythBusters” to Pullman.

Vogel was also involved with the Associated Students of WSU her last year of undergrad, which she said led her to the student regent position. She had originally applied to be a student senator, but after interviewing with ASWSU’s president, her colleagues convinced her to be on the executive team, where she learned about the regents job.

“I had been accepted for my masters program and knew I was going to be here for another year,” she said. “So I went for it. I think I owe a lot to the people around me.”

Being a student regent has made Vogel more engaged in the university’s issues. She is optimistic of the institution’s future.

When it comes to WSU’s budget, Vogel believes the system is in capable hands. She said leadership is thoughtful in how financial challenges are addressed.

Vogel is aware of WSU’s declining enrollment, but doesn’t think the shift is unique to WSU. She said the smaller class populations WSU is experiencing is part of a broader trend affecting universities nationwide. She added that higher education as a whole will need to adapt by developing strategic programs and outreach to grow enrollment, including becoming more welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds and providing educational pathways.

She’s excited WSU is entering a new era in athletics. From her perspective, the atmosphere around the future of athletics at WSU is completely different from a year ago. She thinks the realignment of the conference has created hope for the future, and she said it has been a unique experience to be a WSU student living through athletic history in the making.

As a member of the board, Vogel said her job is to bring the student perspective to conversations the regents are having. She believes collaborative communication is key, and she will continue to engage as many students as she can to bring their voices to the board for an additional perspective on challenges WSU is facing.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.