Mayor Johnson: Hills of Pullman will prepare you for hills of life

Welcome back (or welcome for the first time) to Pullman as you start your 2014 fall semester at WSU. This semester represents something new for me as well. For the first time since 1979, I won’t be teaching a class and will miss the daily interaction with students that I’ve enjoyed for 35 years.

But as Mayor of Pullman, I’ll still be working with and for you in the years ahead, and I am looking forward to starting my 35th year as the “Voice of the Cougs” for Cougar football and men’s basketball.

We have one of the best home schedules for football that I’ve seen in many years, so make sure you’re in the stadium when I remind you, “That’s another Cougar first down.” Coach Ernie Kent is bringing new excitement to men’s basketball, so get the schedule on your calendar. Actually, get all sports on your calendar and support the Cougs!

I know that most of you come from larger cities, so for some of you, our population of 31,420 might be an adjustment. After all, we don’t have wall-to-wall buildings or people and there’s actually green space – lots of green or golden space (depending on the maturity of the wheat) between cities.

You will never be stuck in freeway traffic in Pullman – I guarantee it. There are no freeways in all of Whitman County. Imagine four years (or more) without being gridlocked on a freeway! There’s also no point in dialing the local radio stations for traffic reports; it’s not part of the format.

You will be exposed to all four seasons in Pullman over the course of the year. It’s highly possible that you might experience the entire seasonal gamut in less than four hours since Pullman’s elevation is around 2,500 feet. Anything can blow through this region and often does. Learn to be flexible, check the forecasts, prepare and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature.

If you’re from an area that doesn’t experience snow, do us all a favor at take Pullman Transit. Regardless of the weather, most of you can avoid driving to campus and paying for those parking permits or parking tickets by using our excellent transit system.

Our fourth hybrid has just joined our fleet of 20 buses, and all you have to do to use Pullman Transit is show your student/faculty/staff/retired WSU ID. As a city, we appreciate the cooperation from ASWSU and WSU Parking Services, as well as your student fees, to help fund our transit system.

Over the years I’ve shared with students that WSU, and Pullman in particular, is superb in preparing you for life! If you’re new to this city, you’ll discover that Pullman has four hills – College, Pioneer, Sunnyside and Military. But it also seems that every class is uphill. That’s why you are so much better prepared for life than those Huskies with their highly inflated egos.

Life is constantly made up of uphill challenges – whether passing a class, landing employment or getting a promotion. You will experience lots of hills and valleys in your lifetime and because of those Pullman hills, you’ll be in far better condition to face those uphill trials. So the next time you’re winded going to class, remember there are positives to all those hills.

Thanks for being Cougs, and best wishes in your academic work. If you need to contact me, you can call me at City Hall at (509) 338-3316 or email me at [email protected]. As always, go Cougs!