Final Story

The opening of a book has become synonymous with swallowing a tiny pill for a number of Washington State University students. College students across the country are abusing the drug Adderall by taking it as a studying tool according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.

“It makes you happy and it makes it fun to do what you’re doing. I focus and feel smart. I don’t get tired, it’s pretty much a miracle drug,” WSU junior pre-veterinary major Rachel Reynolds said.

An estimated 6.4 percent of full-time college students age 18 to 22 used Adderall non-medically in the past year according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s national survey on drug use and health. According to the study full-time college students are twice as likely to misuse Adderall as non-students of the same age.

Adderall is intended to treat attention deficit disorder, also know as ADD and also narcolepsy. When the drug is taken by someone who does not have the disorder it creates an adverse affect and helps the individual focus.

“It’s just like drinking a lot of caffeine,” Health and Wellness Services pharmacist Mike Poch said.

As final exams come around again at Washington State University many students find themselves overloaded with coursework and discover new ways of dealing with the stress. Some WSU students have noticed the growing trend with their classmates misusing Adderall, including Vice President of Intellectual Development for Alpha Chi Omega Kristen Coan.

Coan is an advocate of traditional study methods and time management. The amount of students relying on drugs to get the good grades is appalling to her.

“I sat next to a girl during a bio test and she told me that she’d been on Adderall for two days straight studying for it. I was really freaked out by it to be honest,” Coan said.

Other students, like Reynolds rely on the drug to get the grades needed to earn their degree. Reynolds confessed to have lost count of how many times she had taken Adderall to get her schoolwork done. She began taking it when she was a freshman and continues to do so every time any major school comes up.

The drug can be very addictive and easily be abused by those using it non-medically according to Poch. The potential for the drug to become addictive is one that students such as Reynolds haven’t taken into account.

“I don’t think its bad for me, I don’t see it ever hurting me. It’s just something most people I know do when we cant deal with school on our own,” Reyonlds said.

Coan hopes that students will begin to understand the potentially harmful effects of the drug and rely on their own brain and talents rather than a pill.

“I hear students talk about it all of the time. They talk about it like it’s nothing, like they aren’t doing something illegal and awful,” Coan said.

Story contacts:

Rachel Reynolds- 206.790.8907

Mike Poch-(face-to-face interview) 509.335.5742

Kristen Coan-(face-to-face interview)907.354.7429

Secret

There are times I wish I was apart a different Greek chapter.

Who/Whom

Who: Subject of the clause

 

Whom: Object of the clause

 

I hired him for the internship.

 

Subject: I

Object: him

 

 

Trick: Try substituting “him” or “he” into the sentence. If him (object) sounds right, you’ll know to use whom. If he (subject) sounds right, you’ll know to use who. (Works the same for her/she).

 

 

1. (Who/Whom) did you go to the game with? whom

 

2. She’s the student (who/whom) writes the best articles. who

 

3. (Who/Whom) did you vote for? whom

 

4. We know (who/whom) pulled that prank. who

 

5. We want to know on (who/whom) the prank was pulled. whom

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Their big round eyes, wagging tails and loving nature easily persuade college students to adopt a pet while they are trying to make it through tight financial times and balance a busy schedule. The lifetime responsibility of a pet can prove to be too much for some students, resulting in the Whitman County Humane Society housing a large number of animals surrendered by college students.

“It may be cool to have a cat now but they live 15 years,” Whitman County Humane Society employee Rachel Reynolds said. “Not many students think about that, it’s more than just a college thing. A pet isn’t an impulse purchase.”

Hundreds of pets fill the humane society each year leaving some student pet owners questioning their decision to take on the responsibility of pet parenting. Moving to a place where pets are not accepted, owners no longer being able to afford pets or no longer wanting the responsibility of an animal are the main reasons that Derek Keno, the director of shelter operations at the Whitman County Humane Society commonly sees when animals are given to the shelter by college students.

Owning a dog was a lifelong dream for Washington State University sophomore Edward Callahan. Three weeks ago Callahan’s wish was fulfilled when he purchased a six-week-old chocolate lab from a breeder in Idaho. His excitement ceased once he realized the amount of responsibility it takes to raise a puppy while in college.

“I’ve never had a pet before and I really wanted the companionship,” Callahan said. “But she’s a puppy, so it’s a lot of training. You have to plan ahead for every little thing and I wasn’t prepared for it.”

Whether owners willingly surrender the animals or the police department brings in strays, the humane society is constantly packed with furry residents.

“We currently have nine dogs, 25 cats, six kittens, and quite a few more that are in foster care right now,” Keno said. “But those numbers are constantly changing.”

Keno and Reynolds both agree that college students are responsible for a majority of the animals at the Whitman County Humane Society. According to Reynolds, the humane society takes in a lot of animals that were taken into residences where pets are not allowed. Once the animals are discovered in the non-pet friendly living they are forced out are typically given to the humane society.

Many of the other animals that are living in the humane society are brought in by the Pullman Police Department as strays. The amount of stray animals in Pullman that were reported by the police has multiplied over the past decade. There has been a 75 percent increase of stray animals in Pullman during the past 10 years according to the Pullman Police Department incident report.

“We have to take in strays first, they get priority over the other animals,” Reynolds said. “It’s hard because then we have to turn away animals who need a good home. They go on a waiting list and some animals can’t afford to wait for a spot in the shelter.”

Contacts for story

Rachel Reynolds- 206.790.8907

Edward Callahan- 509.679.2668

Derek Keno- 509.332.3422

Math Quiz

From the Poynter Institute's Math Test for Journalists

1. Last year, the school spent $8,300 for office equipment. This year, it will spend 5 percent less. How much will it spend this year? 

$7885

2. The spelling and grammar test was taken by 217 students. Thirty-seven failed. What percent passed? 83% passed

3. The former assistant manager was demoted to sales clerk. His pay was cut from $8.04 to $4.02. What was the percent decrease? 50%

4. Bruce Springsteen was born on Sept. 23, 1949. How old will he be in May 2016? 66 years old

5. One out of 12 students at WSU are in the Greek system. What percent are in Greek system?
8.3% are Greek

6. Last year, your property tax bill was $1,152. This year, it rose to $1,275. What’s the percent increase? 10.7% increase

7. Joe Smith wants to build a 2,500-square-foot house for him. The builder tells him it will cost $65 a square foot to build. How much will the house cost? $162,500

8. You and your four roommates have ordered a 16-slice pizza. Because you skipped lunch, it is agreed that you should have a 1/4 share of the total. The roommates divide the remainder equally. How much does each one get? 3 slices

9. The Poynter Institute’s budget for computer programs jumped from $5,500 to $7,300. By what percent did it increase? 24.7%

10. Checkers at a grocery store earn the following salaries: $5,890, 10,000, $12,500, $14,000 $16,453, . The median salary is: $12,500