Q: Why do Washington State University grads keep their diplomas on their dashboards?

A: So they can park in handicap spaces.

Q: How many Washington State University freshman does it take to change a light bulb?

A: None, it’s a sophomore course.

We are only kidding. Really, we are. WSU is a fine university. In fact, we like to think of it as Princeton on the Palouse. Sure, they’ve earned a reputation as beer-swilling, partying fools, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Now, Cow Town U has caught the eye of The New York Times. And, you guessed it — it has to do with meat, well-marbled, pricey red meat.

More precisely, the college is now engaged in an ambitious marketing program that centers around putting a brand on its meat — expensive cuts of Wagyu, a Japanese breed that’s been raised here since the 1990s.

In January, as The Times reports, it shipped the first introductory orders of packed and frozen WSU Premium Beef.

At football games (none of which the Cougars won), students conducted surveys during tailgate parties to see if there was a craving for WSU meat. And sure enough, “they found ample evidence for a market share.”

Notes The Times:

Officials have since been promoting the product through campus dinners hosted by the School of Hospitality Business Management, and they say W.S.U. Premium Beef could also help recruitment at the animal sciences department, where student ranchers ride point in Wagyu husbandry from calving to packing. Revenue from beef sales, meanwhile, could help fill some of the gaps left by years of deep state budget cuts. Wagyu typically sells for about $5 a pound more, sometimes much more, than regular beef. The university is offering a variety box for $9.50 a pound.

All of which brings us to one last (meat-related) joke about WSU.

Q. How did the Washington State Cougar die from drinking milk?

A. The cow fell on him!