Tuesday, February 26, 2013


 

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

 

 

 

Thursday, February 14, 2013


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


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

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....