Final Story

WSU STUDENTS RESPOND TO HEALTH INFORMATION

By Conor Devitt

I). The study process

·         Introduce CJ Woytovech

·         Explain study calculation

·         Explain study process

II). Results

·         Overall percent changes

·         Gender differences

·         Rebuttal

III). Overall health at WSU

·         WSU as a ‘fit’ college

·         WSU policies that promote weight gain

·         Dining Services health movements

The simple presentation of information can make a large difference in people’s health choices, according to a research study done by one WSU kinesiology student.

The study, led by Cynthia “CJ” Woytovech, was centered on students’ decisions to either take the stairs or the elevator leading up to the CUB from the practice fields.

Woytovech, a senior, first calculated the average amount of weight gained by students who chose to take the elevator everyday instead of the stairs.

Using 158.65 pounds, a number she calculated in an earlier study, as the average weight for a WSU student, Woytovech calculated that the normal student would gain 2.12 pounds a year by choosing to take the elevator each day.

After gathering data on the number of students who decided to take the stairs for one week, Woytovech then gathered data on a different week with similar weather, only this time with the weight gain statistic posted on flyers in and around the elevator.

“It’s all about education nowadays,” Woytovech said. “The public needs to be educated about healthy options.”

According to the study, about 27 percent of the 3141 students tallied before the signs were put up chose to take the stairs. After the signs were posted, about 45 percent of the 4498 students tallied chose to take the stairs.

The increase was especially prevalent among female students. Originally, male students chose to go down the stairs at a higher rate than females. However, with the posters up female students descended the stairs at a consistently higher rate than males.

“On our motivational sign phase of this project, we saw a drastic difference with the number of females taking the stairs,” Woytovech said.

However, not all female students found the flyers effective.

“So the signs that were put into the CUB Elevator about taking the stairs and losing weight really didn’t affect me that much, because if I’m in a rush I’ll take the stairs up because its faster but if I’m leisurely walking I’ll take the elevator,” said freshmen Megan Thompson, a  resident of Streit-Perham and a regular CUB elevator user. “It really doesn’t make that big of a difference to me, I’m a pretty active person.”

This study and others completed by Woytovech and her research partner Geoff Hoffman, a WSU graduate student last semester, centered on the topics of student health and weight gain in college.

“We are an extremely fit college in general,” Woytovech said, noting that the average BMI for a student on campus was around 23.5. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that number falls in the ‘healthy’ range for adults.

Hoffman said, however, college freshmen at WSU do tend to gain weight. He attributes this to both unhealthy food options and a tendency to have a less active lifestyle compared to high school.

“All of these studies came out of the idea that WSU is breeding weight gain in students,” Woytovech said, citing policies such as required meal plans for freshmen and RDA expiration, which she believes encourages binge eating.

WSU Dining Services have also been attempting to increase education on healthy options. According to the WSU website, Dining Services launched a new site called myNutrition in an effort to spread knowledge about healthy dieting and exercise. The site includes resources such as nutrition calculators, exercise recommendations and dietary intake guides.

Dining Services also employs a registered dietitian named Chelsey Woods, who helps advice university chefs on how to make recipes healthier.  Woods helped the chefs set up 500-calorie meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She also offers free nutrition consultations to students, faculty and staff.

However, Woytovech would like to see the university become even more health-conscious.

“Just because we are a fit college doesn’t mean we can’t make some changes,” Woytovech said. “Who knows what just putting a little sign up saying this is your healthiest option could lead to?”

CJ Woytovech: 360-970-8553 (face-to-face)
Geoff Hoffman: 360-719-9191
Chelsey Woods: chelsey.woods@wsu.edu
Megan Thompson: megan.thompson.129@facebook.com (face-to-face)

Conor Devitt

TAKE PKG: THE SIMPLE PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION CAN MAKE A LARGE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S HEALTH CHOICES, ACCORDING TO A RESEARCH STUDY DONE BY A WSU KINESIOLOGY STUDENT. THE STUDY INVOLVED MEASURING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO DECIDED TO TAKE THE STAIRS AS OPPOSED TO THE ELEVATOR LEADING UP TO THE CUB FROM THE PRACTICE FIELDS. THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO DECIDED TO USE THE STAIRS WAS THEN MEASURED ON ANOTHER WEEK WITH SIMILAR WEATHER, ONLY THIS TIME THE ELEVATOR WAS DECORATED WITH POSTERS ADVERTISING HOW MUCH WEIGHT THE AVERAGE STUDENT GAINS BY TAKING THE ELEVATOR: APPROXIMATELY 2.2 POUNDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.

CJ WOYTOVECH: We had three data collectors per time slot, which was every hour on the hour, that helped out in basically doing a tally-count system that counted how many students used the stairs to the left of the CUB elevator and to the right of the CUB elevator as well as whether they ascended or descended.

THE RESULTS WERE DEFINITE. 27 PERCENT OF STUDENTS CHOSE TO TAKE THE STAIRS IN THE FIRST DATA COLLECTION. AFTER THE MOTIVATIONAL SIGNS WENT UP 45 PERCENT OF STUDENTS DECIDED TO WALK INSTEAD OF USING THE ELEVATOR. THERE WAS AN ESPECIALLY LARGE CHANGE IN THE FEMALE PERCENTAGE.

CJ WOYTOVECH: In the results of our pre-motivational sign data collection we saw that females used the elevator far more than males. On our motivational sign phase of this project we saw a drastic difference with the number of females taking the stairs.

NOT ALL FEMALE STUDENTS THOUGHT THE SIGNS WERE EFFECTIVE, HOWEVER.

MEGAN THOMPSON: So the signs that were put into the CUB Elevator about taking the stairs and losing weight really didn’t affect me that much, because if I’m in a rush I’ll take the stairs up because its faster but if I’m leisurely walking I’ll take the elevator. It really doesn’t make that big of a difference to me, I’m a pretty active person.

THIS STUDY IS ONE OF MANY SPEARHEADED BY WOYTOVECH IN AN EFFORT TO EXAMINE STUDENT HEALTH AT WSU. THE RESULTS SEEMED PROMISING ENOUGH TO WARRANT FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

CJ WOYTOVECH: It would be interesting…to see later on whether a longitudinal study of having those signs up for a longer period of time would affect and get better statistics on males’ and females’ elevator use and stair use.

WITH MURROW NEWS, THIS IS CONOR DEVITT. 

Libelous Statements

1. Not Libelous
2. Not Libelous
3. Not Libelous
4. Libelous



1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True

WSU FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATE RISES

By Conor Devitt

I). Initial Statistic

·         Number of years it has risen

·         Percent increase

II). Factors leading to increase

·         Poor economy

·         Effective Advisors

·         Rising Tuition Rates

III). Tuition and Graduation Rate Correlation

·         Tuition increase over the last decade

·         Four year graduation rate over the last decade

·         Tuition and four year graduation rate changes since 1989

IV). Concluding Information

·         Retention rate

·         4 year graduation rate in relation to the national average

Due to the struggling economy, WSU students are graduating at an increasingly rapid rate.

The percentage of students at WSU who graduate in four years has risen consecutively each of the last four years, according to a report by the Office of Institutional Research at WSU. Using the 2005 incoming freshmen class as a cohort, 37.5 percent of them graduated in four years. Of the incoming freshmen in 2008, 41.5 percent graduated in four years.

 The increase in percent is largely due to one overarching factor, WSU Vice Provost Mary F. Wack said.

“My number one reason is I would point to the poor economy where people are really focused on getting through as quickly as they can,” Wack said. “Financial reasons are motivating people to get through faster.”

However, the percent increase cannot be solely attributed to one reason.

“In educational research there are always multiple factors,” Wack said. “The advisors are trying to get students through without too many detours.”

Wack also mentioned that rising tuition rates in combination with the poor economy probably contribute to the percentage increase.

“Basically the thing that really made me want to get this whole education thing done in four years is it costs a lot of money to go here,” said senior communication major Colin Findley-Meyer, who is graduating in May. “And it’s gotten more and more expensive over my time here. “

Tuition has risen by $3596 for in-state students in the last four years, according to a different report by the Office of Institutional Research. In-state tuition has more than doubled in the last decade, from $3898 in 2002 to $9886 in 2012.

The large change in tuition over the last decade is matched by the stark difference in the 4-year graduation percentage between the beginning of the decade and the end. Only 30.3 percent of the 1998 freshmen class graduated in four years, a ten percent decrease compared to the 2008 freshmen class.

The four year graduation percentage and tuition prices continue to correlate farther back in time. In 1989, when tuition was $1798, only 23.9 percent of the freshmen class graduated in four years.

“Our mean time to degree is not a whole lot more than 4 years now,” Wack said, estimating it was around 4.3 “I’m glad to see a piece of good news.”

The news is not all positive. Retention rates were lower for the 2011 freshmen class (81.3 percent) than they had been in over two decades.

WSU students are just above the national average regarding four year graduation percentages, said Fran Hermanson, the Associate Director for the Office of Institutional Research. The Department of Education reports that the national four year graduation rate is 39 percent.

The struggling economy, rising tuition prices and advisors are not the only factors motivating students to graduate in four years.

“[My parents] said ‘Hey, you’ve got four years and after that you’re on your own,’” Findley-Meyer said. “That’ll give you some motivation to get it done and get out of here and go make some money yourself.”

Fran Hermanson: 509-335-3942

Mary F. Wack: mwack@wsu.edu

Colin Findley-Meyer: 360-770-3818

<script src="//storify.com/cdevitt7/increase-in-use-of-synthetic-drugs.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/cdevitt7/increase-in-use-of-synthetic-drugs" target="_blank">View the story "Increase in use of synthetic drugs" on Storify</a>]</noscript>

NBC Nightly News ‏@nbcnightlynews4h

Engineering a solution for penguins’ aching feet. @kevtibs reports: http://nbcnews.to/YMB2VA 

The New York Times ‏@nytimes3h

DealBook: F.B.I. Agents Caught KPMG Executive in Sting http://nyti.ms/ZafFgf 

CNN Breaking News ‏@cnnbrk52m

Missouri Gov. declares state of emergency after tornado hits near St. Louis. Another touched down in Arkansas. http://on.cnn.com/ZOfkvE 

Sources: New York Times, Barack Obama, Rick Reilly

https://twitter.com/UNIC_Kazakh

#nationalsiblingday: 20 views in the first minute

Pullman Weather, Andy Officer, Josh Miller

WSU Professor uses Global Experiences for Education

By Conor Devitt

I). Background on Charles Weller

·         Places of Study

·         Crowning Achievement

·         Experience Kazakhstan

II). Dissertation Controversy

·         Reasons for Controversy

·         Response

·         Overall Experience

III). Life after Kazakhstan

·         University Experiences

·         Guest Lectures

·         Student Response

Charles Weller encountered global firsts, worldwide friends and national controversies during his studies and research abroad.

The WSU professor has lived across the globe in places such as Kazakhstan and Japan in effort to further his studies of cultural and religious differences and interactions.

In fact, Professor Weller is, to his knowledge, the first and only Westerner to write a dissertation completely in the Kazakh language, a feat accomplished after living there from 1995-1999 and 2002-2006.

“[Living in Kazakhstan] helped change my perspective on the relationship of religions and cultures as well as politics, i.e. international relations, in the world,” Weller said.

Weller studied religious-cultural history and achieved his Ph. D. at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University while he was in Kazakhstan. His knowledge of the Kazak language was very little before his first four year-stint in the Central Asian country.

“It was definitely challenging,” said Weller when asked about the difficulties of living in Kazakhstan, “in terms of bureaucracy, daily life, and certain social attitudes.”

His dissertation in Kazakhstan became especially challenging. Written on the topic of religion and culture and how they influenced each other, his work became a national controversy as certain conservative Islamic revivalists protested an American studying Islamic history in the Kazakh language.

“The people that attacked me and my dissertation work really had no contact with me, no personal knowledge of me, they didn’t work with me,” Weller said. “They didn’t even read my work very much, for that matter. It was more of an external image thing for the most part.”

His dissertation was not published in Kazakhstan due to the controversy and the Kazakh Ministry of Education delayed release of his degree by two additional years. However, Weller continues to think about his time in Kazakhstan with a positive outlook.

“For the most part all of my visits were marked by very hospitable people and good friendships,” Weller said. “To this day I still have good relations with scholars and others from there.”

In fact, Weller has such good relations with his former associates in Central Asia that he has been asked to teach in Kazakhstan this spring. Should his schedule allow it, Weller will leave in mid-May after the school year is over and teach at his former university for a month.

In 2006 Weller moved from Kazakhstan to Japan where he continued his cultural research. After four years in Japan, he spent a year as a visiting fellow at Yale University. In 2011 Weller came to WSU, where he has since taught courses in Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Islamic and world history.

“With all of negative associations people have to the Middle East, and the preconceived notions people have, Dr. Weller does a great job keeping an open unbiased atmosphere where students can feel comfortable asking questions and discussing relevant issues,” sophomore Ali Brooks said. “The Middle East and religion are two incredibly sensitive topics, and yet he managed to teach about both objectively and without offending anyone.”

Weller’s cultural prowess and knowledge of Central Asia is recognized throughout the country. He gave public lectures at Yale in the fall of 2010 and Princeton in the spring of 2011. This April he will visit UCLA to give a public lecture on the religious and cultural history of Kazakhstan in the post-Soviet period. In May he will deliver a similar lecture at the University of Washington.

The Journal of Islamic Studies will publish Weller’s most recent article, ‘Religious-Cultural Revivalism as Historiographical Debate: Contending Claims in the Post-Soviet Kazakh Context’ either in late 2013 or early 2014.

Students who have had Weller in class appreciate his seasoned and knowledgeable viewpoints.

“The experiences he gained from his college days in Kazakhstan really made his class interesting,” sophomore Ryan Pearce said. “He brought a unique perspective to the classroom, which I really appreciated.”

1. "We just buy and sell real estate. It is what we do but the market does not dictate the price," she said.

2. No

3. Going green took on a new meaning this year when WSU Waste Management announced dramatic changes to the recycling program in an effort to save money across the university. The city plans to follow suit.

4. No

5. Dan is using an emergency dairy trend. He installed an anaerobic digester two years ago.

6. He entered the three mile race yesterday morning. However he does not have any shoes.

• Experience is the most important thing
• Don't be afraid to take unpaid internships
• Internships are more important than college experience
• Patterns of how communities function are very similiar, regardless of size
• Journalists are challenged to hold elected officials accountable
• The challenge of a writer is to make stories interesting to their readers

The Newly-Renovated Lucky Dude Salon

The Newly-Revamped Lucky Dude Salon (script)

TAKE PKG: LUCKY DUDE SALON, FORMELY KNOWN AS RICHARD’S HAIR STUDIO, REOPENED THEIR DOORS LAST AUGUST WITH A NEW LOOK AND A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE. LOCATED ON 904 NE COLORADO ST., THE LUCKY DUDE IS NOW A MULTI-SERVICE SHOP THAT CATERS TO A WIDER VARIETY OF CLIENTS.

RICHARD COFER: “We wanted a new concept in a salon. We opened the Lucky Dude in August and we wanted to add a club-like vibe to the salon, so we built a bar and students sit on bar stools and get their haircut.”

THE LUCKY DUDE NOW ALSO HAS A RESIDENT TATTOO ARTIST, WHO HAS BEEN OPERATING IN THE SHOP SINCE JANUARY.

NIKOLAS CAMIS: “I just moved out here from Los Angeles, California. I was tattooing down there in Hollywood… I stumbled upon this gem they call the Lucky Dude Salon...I want to offer something to kids in Pullman that they haven't  had: tattoo shops. People drive over to Moscow to get a quality tattoo when they could just come right here.”

IT DID NOT STOP AT TATTOING, HOWEVER. ON FEBRUARY 8 A NAIL ARTIST MOVED INTO THE LUCKY DUDE SALON GIVING THE SHOP A SECOND NEW SERVICE.

NICOLE GILBERT: “I moved here from my previous salon, which was basically the older generation, and I really wanted to get into more of a hip thing. I do acrylic flowers, I do art. I like to do wild things with nails so I think I will fit in really nicely here.”

COFER CO-OWNS THE SALON WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND, ALISA FRANCK. BOTH HAVE BEEN PLANNING EVENTS TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THEIR NEW SHOP, INCLUDING A RAVE PARTY AT THEIR SHOP ON MARCH 23 WHERE THEY WILL UNVEIL THE NEW ‘LUCKY DUDE GIRL’.

RICHARD COFER: “We are working on marketing our salon to WSU students…enjoy fantastic service in hair, in chemical services, in foils, in nails, in tattoos, in piercings, and we think that we have it all here for you, so please come by and see us.

WITH MURROW NEWS SERVICE, THIS IS CONOR DEVITT.

 

Active vs. passive

Would you change the following sentences? If not, why not? Rewrite those that need clarification.

 

 

1. Police in riot gear fired rubber-coated bullets into the crowd.

 

2. Later in the day the boss informed the employees of layoffs himself.

 

3. With five seconds left, LeBron James missed a three-point shot.

 

4. The survey questioned participants about their changes in political affiliation.

 

5. Raoul avoided tall buildings and mountains because he was afraid of heights.

 

6. The Legislature is considering the bill.

 

7. The earthquake destroyed the tiny island.

 

8. The class is reading the book.

 

9. An experimental operation was performed at the hospital yesterday.

 

10. Debris from the downed airliner covered the wheatfield.

 

 

Red flag: “To be” + past participle

 

 

 

ASWSU Presidential Debate Highlights Differences

By Conor Devitt

Summary: The ASWSU presidential debate took place on Feb. 13 between the ticket of Taylor Hennessey and Kevin Massimino, who are focused on improving student life, and the ticket of Jake Mayson and Harrison Diemert, who are focused on getting money back to the students.

Outline:

I). The Debate

·         Time and place

·         Competitors

II). First Questions

·         Student Services

o   Massimino’s perspective

o   Mayson’s perspective

·         Senate

o   Diemert’s perspective

o   Massimino’s perspective

III). Executive Ideology

·         Hennessey’s perspective

·         Mayson’s perspective

IV). Big Ideas

·         Mayson’s gas co-op

·         Hennessey’s world record

V). Conclusion

·         Success of event

·         Election

The ASWSU presidential debate showcased ideas, beliefs and strategies of the two presidential tickets in the upcoming ASWSU election.

The debate, which was held on Feb. 13 in the CUB Senior Ballroom, pitted hopeful president Taylor Hennessey and hopeful vice president Kevin Massimino against hopeful president Jake Mayson and hopeful vice president Harrison Diemert.

“I couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout and a better set of answers from the candidates,” said Colin Moravec, the debate moderator and ASWSU Election Board Chair.

The debate began with a question regarding what each ticket would do for student services. Massimino, a junior sports management major, said their key focus would be the promotion of existing services, and that they would make better known the vast resources already available to the student body. Mayson, a senior political science and philosophy double major, said they would like to expand the Cougar Leadership Retreat to include leadership groups from organizations across the campus at large, increasing campus unity.

The next question was about Senate representation, and how in the last year it had switched from geographical representation to academic representation. Diemert, a sophomore hospitality business management major, expressed his support for the switch. Massimino did as well, but also called for greater accountability among senators, requesting that they meet with deans of their respective colleges on a regular basis. Massimino noted his experience previously as a senator and an executive, and said this would help him effectively work with the Senate.

“I think I have the tools necessary to help the Senate, provide them with the necessary resources and assist them in setting goals,” Massimino said.

The two tickets disagreed on how active the executive office should be. Hennessey, a senior political science major, discussed ideas he would actively carry out if elected president, such as the campus-wide breaking of a world record or the revamping of homecoming week. Mayson said he believed the executive office should be responsible for the encouragement and assistance of the ideas of university committees and organizations, but take a less active role in carrying them out themselves.

“Our priority is putting money back into the student’s pockets,” Mayson said.

                Mayson did, however, speak extensively on one idea his ticket was promoting. If elected Mason and Diemert would attempt to set up a gas co-op that students could buy shares of, which they believe would give students a heavily discounted option for gas. A separate and independent committee of student shareholders would be selected to run the co-op, giving students an outlet for leadership opportunities within the business world.

                Hennessey and Massimino consistently stressed the importance of students’ four or five years in Pullman. Both discussed fostering opportunities that make those years as special as possible. Hennessey talked briefly about breaking a world record as a student body, mentioning the record for the largest game of dodgeball as a possibility.

                Conan Campbell, the Director of Student Involvement, though the debate was very successful, noting that both sets of candidates illustrated their points effectively.

                “I think the students that were here got to learn a lot about ASWSU,” Mayson said. “They were presented with a choice between two very different tickets.”

                Students will have a chance to vote electronically in the ASWSU Presidential and Senate races on March 5-6.

Contacts:

Connan Campbell, Director of Student Involvement: connan@wsu.edu

Colin Moravec, ASWSU Election Board Chair: colin.moravec@email.wsu.edu

Jake Mayson, ASWSU Presidential Candidate: jkmayson@wsu.edu

Help your peers. Fix the following sentences and post to your blog.

1. More than 200 people received complimentary gifts for donating blood.

2. For the fourth year, the center hosted its charity event “Dinner with a Coug.”

3. Only 5 percent of the public donates, according to William Jones, marketing coordinator for the Palouse Food Bank.

4. From retail stores like Abercrombie & Fitch to hospitality companies like Coastal Hotel Groups to tank operations firms like Washington River Protection Solutions, there are opportunities for all majors.
         “I discovered a lot of companies previously unknown,” Lee said.

5. Johnson will speak at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19.

6. The world-renowned artist will shock with her creative sculptures.

7. The exhibit is titled "Ceramics from the Kolva-Sullivan Collection."

8. Anderson, a sophomore engineering major, was the team's coach.

9. “It's a branding opportunity for our community. We don’t want to just be a community but rather be known as a green community,” Blacker said.

After each sentence, write the subject, verb and object.

a. Sustainability and a green friendly lifestyle is something the city council plans to promote this year in Pullman.

lifestyle, is, something the city council....

b. A discussion on getting the city of Pullman involved in social media was also mentioned.

discussion, was, city of Pullman....

Gov. Christine Gregoire will introduce a bill that will allow same-sex couples to get married in Washington State.

Gregoire has previously withheld support from gay marriage legislation due to religious beliefs, but has recently seen her views change.

“The religions can do what they want to do, but it is not okay for the state to discriminate,” Gregoire said in a speech Thursday to 100 gay marriage supporters.

Neither the marriage for procreation or the sanctity of marriage arguments against gay marriage are legitimate,  Gregoire said.

Global Learning Fair Exhibits Worldwide Opportunities

By Conor Devitt

Summary: The International Programs Global Learning Fair, held January 24, showed off the multitude of global opportunities available to WSU students.

Outline:

I). The Event

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Time and Place

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Goals

II). Global Options within Campus

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Global Leadership Certificate and Global Studies minor

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Language Options

III). Global Case Competition

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Purpose and Description

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Prize

IV). Study Abroad

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Statistics and options

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Economic effect

The International Programs Global Learning Fair offered WSU students a chance to learn about study abroad possibilities, foreign language options and the Global Case Competition.

The fair, which was held on January 24 in the CUB Junior Ballroom, was put on by the Office of International Programs Global Learning Department.

“President Floyd hopes the fair will get students to think about global issues,” said Kajsa Hendrickson, a Global Learning Adviser who coordinated the fair. Booths lined the walls of the Junior Ballroom, each highlighting a different global learning opportunity.

“We want to expose different global options within our curriculum”, said Jeff Koch, the communications coordinator for the Office of International Programs. “We are gaining more relationships with universities in other countries every week.”

One of the goals of the fair was to expose the variety of global options offered to students within the curriculum at the Pullman campus, Hendrickson said. Students can attain a global leadership certificate by taking a mix of globally-focused and leadership courses. Another option is the Global Studies minor, which requires 18 credits of course work in a variety of global topics. According to the WSU website, students also have the opportunity take Chinese, French, German, Russian, Japanese and Spanish language courses.

One of the global options offered within the university curriculum that was highlighted at the fair was the Global Case Competition. In its third year, the competition pits groups of students against each other to see who can come up with the best solution to a major world issue. The global issue for this year has yet to be decided, but previous issues were the Nigerian energy crisis and the Haitian earthquake response.

“The goal is to get students to work together to derive a creative solution to a global problem,” project specialist Charles Snyder said. The winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to a foreign country, the location of which has yet to be decided. A possibility is that the group of students who win will be sent to the location of the problem and given the opportunity to present their solution to local officials, Snyder said. Registration for the Global Case Competition will open February 18^th.

The largest portion of the fair was devoted to traditional study abroad programs. There were more than 15 external study abroad providers present at the fair, Hendrickson said. There were also more than 15 faculty-led trips advertised and several WSU department programs present. New study abroad locations offered this year include Cuba, Colombia and Croatia.

“We’ve seen a slight downturn,” said Hendrickson when describing the numbers of people who have chosen to study abroad since the economy collapsed in 2008. “Less than 3 percent of students study abroad nationally.”           

With the economic recession many people are transitioning to study abroad programs that take place in the summer, Koch said.     

Hendrickson stressed the large amount of scholarships available to students who choose to study abroad. Federal, Global Learning Department, university and independent scholarships are all offered to help pay for study abroad programs around the world.

             

My first news assignment will cover the Global Learning Fair that took place in the CUB Junior Ballroom on January 24th.

Federal prisoners will be housed in dorms in an effort to raise funds, Alaska State University President James H. Wilson said.

Parts of his book were fabricated, but that should not take away from the greatness of his story, author Jonathan Fabulist said.

Outline of the Seattle Budget Story

1). Mayor Greg Nickels is making major cuts across the board for the city

• 30 city employees will lose their jobs
• Libraries will close for a week in the summer
• Most departments will take a 1-3% cut

2). Seattle is in a budget crisis

• $29.5 million shortfall
• There will be a $40 million shortfall in 2010

3). Final cuts will be made by May 1st

• Nickels will brief City Council on Monday
• Public Hearing Wednesday
• No vote is neccessary

2 Great Ledes

"A SQUAT grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY."
-Aldous Huxley, Brave New World


"The snow burst through the trees with no warning but a last-second whoosh of sound, a two-story wall of white and Chris Rudolph’s piercing cry: “Avalanche! Elyse!”"-John Branch, "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek", The New York Times 

"The young man staggered down a city street as blood flowed from a puncture wound. The weapon used in the steely attack — an ice pick — was sticking out of his lower back. The scene was reminiscent of an era in the 1930s and ’40s when members of a notorious Brooklyn murder syndicate left a trail of bodies riddled with ice-pick holes. This attack, however, was set in modern-day New York City, specifically, on Aug. 21, at 4:20 p.m. in the Norwood section of the Bronx."

This lede is the best of the five posted because it is the most active and dramatic. It utilizes a bizarre historical connection to attract the readers' interests, and it plunges the reader into a gruesome scene immediately. It is the best written and most intriguing lede of the group.

One man was killed and two more were injured in a shooting early Monday morning in Pullman.

Police responded to a call at 1:45 a.m. The shooting, which took place on the 2400 block of S.E. 19^th Ave, is believed to be gang-related, detectives said.

The suspects were seen driving away in a blue Honda Civic, witnesses said. The driver was wearing a black ski mask, and the shooter was described as male, 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, with a shaved head and a butterfly tattoo on his left forearm.

“We raided a home in South Pullman and recovered a .357 that we believe was used in the shooting,” said Det. Calvin Anderson of the Pullman Police Dept. “However, the suspect was not home.”  

News is an unbiased report of events. It lacks any spin or motivation other than the simple desire to reveal an objective truth to a populace, and it is the distribution of information about events considered important to the target audience.