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

Twitter

SBC_Consulting: McDonald’s board of directors opposes proposal from HumaneSociety http://bit.ly/bquHd4

Trend story I liked

5.Washington State University has had a notorious party school reputation for more than 10 years, but is it influencing the quality of education students are receiving?

15.Tracy Johnson, a Washington State University nutrition major, openly admits she has an addiction. 

Trend Story

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

Otto Zehm

Spokane police officers did not commit a crime when they restrained a mentally ill man, Otto Zehm resulting in his death on March 18, 2006, according to a police department internal investigation.

Police report lede

A Spokane bishop is thought to be a person of interest in the Green River killings after a male prostitute said he was allegedly strangled by the bishop during an oral sex act in Chicago on Aug. 8, 1986.

"When asked if he put his hands on the victims throat he said that he had put his hands all over the victims body. He said that he would NEVER deliberately do anything to hurt anybody and that he did not think he did anything to hurt this individual," according to the Spokane Police report.

Police report story

Gang members are suspected to be involved in a fatal shooting in Pullman on March 28 at approximately 11:45 p.m..

Pullman Police Officers arrived at the scene where they found three individuals with gunshot wounds resulting from a alleged argument. Donald James Connelly, a 21-year-old male, was found dead at the scene located at the 2400 block of S.E. 19th Avenue.

The two other victims were transported to area hospitals, one was critically injured in the face. The other was shot in the leg. Witnesses report that two men sped away from the scene in a blue Honda Civic.

 

"The shooter jumped into the car, and the driver gunned it. I got a good look at the shooter but the driver was wearing a black mask," Karen Potts an artist who lives in the area of the shooting said.

The police investigation is ongoing, and they do not have any suspects in custody at this time.

"We raided a home in south Pullman and recovered the gun that we believe was used in the shooting. However, the suspect was not home," Det. Calvin Anderson said.

Police Activity Log

Provide a sentence describing the incident; the names of anyone arrested; the address; and the date and time.

Staff members of the Avalon Care Center reported receiving harassing phone calls on March 26 at 2:15 pm.

AVALON CARE CENTER 

1310 NW Deane St PULLMAN WA 99163

Call Received By: Susan Waltz

Ethics Questions 1

News Value: knowing if public officials are taking bribes is highly news worthy. They are people who are supposed to be serving our community and doing so ethically, if they are not the public will want to know about it. 

Concerns: There is a line between getting the information for a story and going too far. Making up an entire bar to test the limits of the police, is a far stretch to go to. 

Consequences: Police officers and building inspectors will be angry when they discover that they have been deceived. 

Alternatives: Finding another way to interview an ex-police officer who cant lose his job, or find a witness of these crimes, some way to prove what has been going on without creating this undercover operation.

Explanation: the journalist wouldnt be violating any aspects of libel, but it is deception. Its an ethical issue, not a legal issue. it is legal

Story 4

What began as a typical evening of college partying quickly turned into a nightmare for Washington State University sophomore Gretchen Kramer. She set her drink down on a table for what she felt like was a mere moment during a pre-party for a greek chapter function. After finishing that second drink, Kramer remembers nothing but waking up in the hospital the next morning.

“All I can remember is the nurse saying stay with us, stay with us. Don’t fight the tube, it will help you breathe,” Kramer said tearfully as she described what she could remember of the night she was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital for alcohol detoxification.

“I’m over six-feet-tall and 180 pounds, two drinks shouldn’t have affected me like that,” Kramer said.

Her friends quickly realized that she needed immediate medical attention when she began puking excessively, sweating and became unresponsive. Kramer was rushed to Pullman Regional Hospital.

The next morning, an emergency room doctor told her that because of her symptoms she was likely drugged the night before. Kramer and her friends believe out-of-town visitors are responsible for her drugging at the party. She never pressed charges against the alleged perpetrators because she didn’t want to cause a scene within the WSU greek community.

Kramer is only one of the many college students whom have experienced the nightmare of alcohol detoxification. The rate of alcohol detoxifications in Pullman has increased by more than 22% since 2007, according to the Pullman Police Department annual incident report. The police department took 22 individuals to detox in 2009, according to the incident report.

Commander Chris Tennant of the Pullman Police Department witnesses cases similar to Kramer’s on a weekly basis. Kramer believes that dangerous situations like her's happen more often than college students would like to believe.

“Its normally about two to three times a week that we take students into detox. Way too often if you ask me,” Tennant said.

The annual rate of alcohol detoxifications has been a growing problem in Pullman over the past decade. The rate of individuals being taken to the hospital for alcohol detox by the police department has skyrocketed since 1997, jumping from a total of three in a year to over 20 cases every year.

As the rates of detox continue to rise, Tennant and his fellow officers don’t believe that there is much they can do to stop it. They say that the responsibility is resting on the shoulders of the students. In Pullman, most cases of detox are not from drugging incidents like Kramer’s but rather drinking irresponsibly, Tennant said.

“I don’t subscribe to the Nancy Reagan ‘just say no’ approach. The best advice I can give is to drink responsibly and make alcohol a topic of discussion at the beginning of the night before you go out, not at the end of the night when we’re scooping you off the sidewalk somewhere,” Tennant said.

Contacts for Story

Gretchen Kramer (face-to-face interview)- 406.570.3328

Commander Chris Tennant- 509.334.0802

Police department records- http://www.pullman-wa.gov/Departments/Police/

Ethics 3

I would not run the name of the accuser. Running the woman's name would only hurt the victim and any future individuals who are victims of rape. This woman may still feel that she was violated, despite the courts decision stating that the men are not guilty. Other women who are raped and considering pressing charges may choose to not speak out in fear they will be publicly known as a liar. I do not believe the readers would benefit any from knowing the woman's name, it is better for all involved that she remain anonymous.  

About my story

I'm looking at the trend of an increasing rate of alcohol detoxification and general dangers of alcohol use in Pullman.

10-minute feature

After three years at Washington State University, student Eric Stewart is left feeling unprepared for the real world and bogged down by his thousands of dollars of debt.

"College puts students into a la-la land. WSU isn't like reality," Stewart said.

Edit Your Peers

1. Another issues with these beverages is the way they are marketed in stores.

 

2. The team won its first sweep of USC in 11 years.

 

3. If the committee passes the bill, it will open up approximately 1,000 internships for students in Washington state.

 

4. “Police guilds have a duty to defend their fellow officers, whether they are found being dishonest or not.”  Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, said. 

 

5. “We're not requiring high-quality wine, but if you’re going to put Washington on the label 95 percent of the grapes must be grown within the region,” Lacey Hulbert, 21-year-old enology major said.

 

6. The wine-tasting endorsement will be available to stores in September, Culinary Coordinator for Metropolitan Market Jane Westman said.

Local government data exercise

I. State and local

Using the online resource www.census.gov, answer the following questions:

1. What’s the population of Washington state?-6,664,195

a. What's the percent change since 2000?- 11.56%

b. Go back to the main page. Now look at 'Washington' under the 'Area Profile with QuickFacts.' What's the median household income?- 58,081

2. Now look at Whitman County.

a. What's the population?- 41,664

b. Percent white?- 86.6%

c. Percent with bachelor’s degree?-44%

d. Median household income?- $39,691

e. Persons below poverty?- 23.7%

3. Let's go deeper. Click on 'Browse data sets for Whitman County.' You'll find a slew of entry points into the U.S. Census Bureau database. This is a great area if you're interested in finding a particular fact (how much federal $ came into the county last year), as well as if you're just browsing, looking for a little light reading.

Click on the 'Building Permits 2009.'

a. Find the annual construction costs for building permits for Pullman from 2004 to 2008. Report it for each individual year.

2004-26,250,489

2005-46,479,544

2006-40,499,193

2007- 38,770,838

2008-20,019,498

b. What’s the most current construction cost for 2009? (Obviously the annual report isn’t yet available, but we can look at the December 2009 report to get the cumulative construction cost.)- 10,398,856

c. Write a lede based on this information.

Annual construction costs for building permits in Pullman, Wa. have dropped by about $30 million since 2006.

4. Let’s take another big national issue: Health insurance. Return to census.gov.

Click on the QuickFacts page, and then Washington state. Click on 'Browse data sets for Whitman County.'

a. Under People Quick Links, locate “2005 Health Insurance Coverage.

b. Choose Washington and then ‘Submit.’

1. Which two counties have the highest percent of uninsured people?- king and pierce

2. What’s the percentage in Whitman County?-9,118

II. Federal grants and insurance

Who needs government? Well, Whitman County certainly received some federal help last year. But we want to know how much.

But fumbling through this site can be cumbersome. Plus, the Census Bureau isn't the only government site with information on Whitman County. If only there were an easier way to search all these sites at once (ah, but there is!)

Google/unclesam is a powerful tool that let’s us search all “.gov” Web sites. Go to the search bar and type “Whitman County Consolidated Federal Funds Report.”

a. Click on the first two links and try to find the the report. Any luck? Let's try the third, which takes us to the Office of Financial Management, which overseas $ going into and out of the state of Washington.

b. Click or search for 'Consolidated Federal Funds Report.' At the top of the page, click on 'Online Query System.'

c. Under ‘Available Data,’ choose 2008 and Geography (Federal data almost always lags a year behind). Click ‘Submit.’

d. On the next page, choose ‘Washington’ and ‘Yes’ on County. We want ‘All Fund Types.’

e. On the next page, choose Whitman County.

1. How much did Whitman County farmers receive in Crop Insurance?

5,191,477

2. How much did Whitman County receive in grants (block, formula, project,

etc.)? - 122,982,596

3. Name three of the grants.- FORMULA, PROJECT, AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

III. Population

Is Whitman County’s population growing? Let’s look at population trends.

1. Type “Whitman County population" into Google Uncle Sam. We've looked at the Census data so let's try the second link, the Office of Financial Management.

2. On the top, click on the 'Population' tab, then 'County GMA Projections.' (That's Growth Management Act.)

3. We want 2007 projections, which are the most recent. On the next page, we want projections by 'Single Year After 2010.'

a. What’s the 2010 project population for Whitman County?- 51,349

b. What’s the 2030 projection?-67,031

c. What's the projected state population in 2030?- 10,026,660

d. What's the percent increase for Washington state from 2000 to 2030? What's the increase in Whitman County during that same time period? WA- 41.22% Whitman- 39.23%

Spokane City Council Agenda

1. The city of Spokane provides all its City Council information online. Google “Spokane City Council.” Choose the first Google result, which will take us directly to the Council’s home page.

2. Let’s look at the Sept. 14 agenda. Under ‘Current Agendas,’ choose Sept. 14.

3. What’s the number of the ordinance that would create a new alcohol-impact area?- ORD C34475

4. We want to know more about this ordinance. In fact, we want to see the actual document. Under the ‘Services’ tab at the top of the page, scroll down to ‘Documents and Forms.’ Navigate to ‘City Clerk Records.’

5. Type in the keyword ‘alcohol.’ That will bring up the actual ordinance. We have several different listings for the same ordinance. So, under ‘Sub Type,’ find the ordinance designated ‘SMC.’

6. Click ‘View’ and open with Adobe Acrobat.

7. What will the ordinance do? Write a lede based on the City Council’s approval of this ordinance.

Further restrictions of the sale of alcohol are soon to come in Spokane if the city council approves ordinance C34475.

8. Google 'alcohol-impact area.' Are other Washington cities enacting similar ordinances. Why?

Tacoma and Seattle are also looking to put an ordinance like this in place due to stats and surveys that show a high level of unsafety when it comes to the sale of alcohol.

Story 3

Good news for higher education?

Program expansions and additional degree options are on the horizon for Washington state higher education campuses. A light at the end of the tunnel is approaching as a bill for education expansion makes its way through the Senate. But not all Washington residents consider the bill to be a positive proposal.

In January the Higher Education Coordinating Board proposed a systematic mechanism for communities and the state to identify educational programs needed to expand the states higher education system. The mechanism would identify the needs of Washington students allowing education programs to be more widely available, and with a wider range of options. According to the Washington State Legislature fiscal note, the bill will have no fiscal impact.

According to the bill, “postsecondary educational opportunities for Washington residents must be expanded in order for the citizens and the state to remain significant participants in the global economic marketplace.”

The bill itself will not change higher education, but it will allow the mechanism to detect the necessary developments that are needed on the state’s campuses and changes will be made based off of that information.

If the Senate Bill 6355 is passed the mechanism will implement changes such as new degree programs developed by four-year institutions and also expansions of facilities by four-year, community and technical colleges.

According to the bill “making better use of existing capacity at the branch campuses, centers and comprehensive institutions to broaden the geographic availability of baccalaureate education” is one of its main plans for expansion.

With the tuition increases and budget cuts on student’s minds the bill has left some wondering if expansion should be the state’s current priority.

“With all the suffering that students are going through with tuition increasing as much as it is, it doesn’t make sense to me that the state would try to expand an already broken system,” Washington State University junior Katie Hertzberg said.

The Senate argues that the bill would improve the economic condition of the state by giving opportunity for more students to receive the degrees they want at additional locations.

“It’s been difficult budget times for us all but I think the university's message in this one is clear that investment in student, investment in research and investment in innovation is the best investment you can make in our economy for long term growth,” Margaret Shepherd Director of State Relations for University of Washington said.

On Feb. 12 the bill received 47 yeas and 0 nays from the Senate Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development. The bill was sent to the Rules Committee on Feb. 24, which will decide if the bill will be placed on the floor calendar for a second reading.

Contacts for story

Katie Hertzberg- 425.442.1424

Margaret Shepherd- (TVW source)- mshep@u.washington.edu

Outline

Who: higher education coordinating board (HECB) and the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee.

What: expanding the states higher education system so that the system can be capable of delivering more degrees. Plans for expansion- making better use of current branches, new degree programs and making degrees more readily available to those who desire them.

Why: will improve the economic situation in Washington according to some in the legislation. Allow WA to stay in the game and start to reverse some economic damage.

Why not: The legislatures focus should be on the rising tuition and budget cuts rather than the expansion of the higher education system. It needs to be fixed before it can be expanded.

When: Bill 6355 is currently going through the senate and has been active since its first reading on Jan. 13.

Help your peers

1. Washington state provided a subsidy of more than $2,000 for in-state students.

2. “The $13.5 million is the tip of a larger iceberg,” said Jerry McCollum coordinator of arts and culture

3. What I know is that the system is broken right now, President Floyd said. We can’t live in a world with 14 percent tuition increases.

4. The co-presidents announced a club to meet more people who are interested in hiking.

5. Floyd supports the Senate Bill 6562, sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer.

6. The legislature has made no decisions on the budget cuts.

7. The bill would give Washington State University the authority to set its own tuition.

8. Senator Jessica Smith, presented the proposal at the committee meeting, which was held in the auditorium on Feb. 4.

 

Legislative Party

3. Find SB 6562.
What does the bill propose?
Addresses an institution of higher education's tuition setting authority.

Who is the sponsor?
Senators Kilmer, Tom, Delvin, Regala, Murray, Hargrove, King

What is the companion bill in the House?
HB 2946

What was the most recent action taken on this legislation?
Feb 15- 2nd substitute bill substituted (WM 10) was the most recent action taken.

What does the fiscal note tell us?
It tells the specific amounts of money that will be spent on this bill. Its a recipt for the bill.

According to the fiscal note, if WSU increased tuition by 1 percent next year, how much more money would the university receive?
$1.05 million

If tuition increases 10 percent, how much more would the university collect in S&A fees from from 2012 to 2018?
$ 37.3 million

If it increases 7 percent, how much would the university collect in S&A fees?
$23.8 million



4. That's great if we already know the bill number. But what if we want to see general topics be addressed by the Legislature?
a. Click on Legislative Committees on the left side of the screen.
b. Find the Higher Education Committee. Who chairs this committee?
Wallace, Deb (D) Chair
Sells, Mike (D) Vice Chair

c. List one bill from the Feb. 19 agenda.
SSB 6359
d. At the bottom of the page, click on Committee Meeting Documents. Let's pull up a document from the Jan. 29 meeting. Click on agenda to see what legislators saw that day as they worked.

e. Click on Possible Executive Session. Under 2854, click on bill report. What was the final vote tally on 2854 and who opposed it?

f. Finally, return to the home page (leg.wa.gov) and click on bill search. This time, search by a keyword that may interest you.

1. Search for 'salmon.' What are two recent bills dealing with salmon?
HB 1063
2SHB 1951
5. On the main legislative page (leg.wa.gov), click on Bills Clearing Latest Cutoff
a. Identify two bills that you might find interesting. Search for information on both bills and provide the following:

HB1148 Protection of animals
1. Representatives Williams- (360) 786-7940 , Rodne- (360) 786-7852
2. Declares an intent to prohibit perpetrators of domesticviolence from further terrorizing and manipulating theirvictims, or the children of their victims, by using the threatof violence toward pets.
3. http://tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2009031185&TYPE=V&CFID=5264614&CFTOKEN=98019986&bhcp=1
4.

SHB1189Retail store carryout bags
1. Representatives Chase-,(360) 786-7880. Campbell- (360) 786-7912
2. Prohibits a person who owns or operates a retail storefrom providing a carryout bag for free or for charge to aconsumer unless the carryout bag is either a compostableplastic carryout bag, a recyclable paper carryout bag, or areusable carryout bag.
3. http://tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2005030228&TYPE=A&CFID=5264614&CFTOKEN=98019986&bhcp=1

4. A list of three sources (non-legislative) that may be interested in the bill

Quotes

1. “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,”Janice said.

2. Lisa said she planned to attend the rally.

3. He will be there Wednesday, Jones said.

4. He asked “Are all your flights full?”

5. Jones said he made a “freshman mistake”: throwing the ball into a crowd of defenders.

6. Did Bennett say it will be a long season?

7. Did Bennett say, “Will it be a long season?”

8. "Wulff's statement that he would 'beat the Huskies in Seattle' has outraged our fans", Sarkisian said.

9. “We think it’s a great situation for our band,” Kurt said. “We’re ecstatic.

“Can you get us backstage passes?” Kurt asked Dave.

10. "How can we not succeed?" he asked.

Speech story

Floyd committed to working together on budget crisis

WSU President Elson S. Floyd expressed his loyalty to students on Feb. 3 as he gave a somber speech covering the tuition increases and budget cuts.

With 14 to 40 percent tuition increases and millions of dollars being cut from the WSU budget, Floyd reassured the audience in the CUB auditorium that he is on their side.

“What I know is that the system is broken right now, we can’t live in a world with 40% tuition increases,” Floyd said.

Protecting those who work here and the students who learn here is Floyd’s core value during the budget crisis. Preserving the quality of the education, being open and transparent are other values Floyd identified.

Floyd also hopes for a university-shared government, in which the Board of Regents would set the tuition prices. The 10-member board currently has one student member. Floyd would like to see an increase in the number of students on the board to better voice student opinions.

“It seems logical to me to have students around the table when making decisions about tuition,” Floyd said.

Floyd and the members of ASWSU, including Vice President Jay Hendrickson encourage all students to involve themselves in the fight against the budget crisis.

According to Hendrickson, ASWSU is asking three things of students wishing to aid in the fight against tuition increases and financial aid cuts.

First, sign up for WSU’s Democracy in Action and receive updates on the legislative session. Secondly, go straight to the source with ASWSU’s Coug Day at the Capitol, where students will meet directly with legislators to show them how important higher education is. Lastly, write, email, or call the local legislature with your student opinion and testimony.

With the legislature in Olympia being in an “absolute state of confusion,” Floyd emphasized the importance of students voicing their opinion.

After the university was cut to the bone last year with $54 million budget cuts, a heavy impact on WSU is expected with this year’s proposed budget cuts of about $22 million, according to ASWSU.

“I feel like we are going to see a difference in the demographics of students applying here. I also think we will see an influx of people heading to community colleges and not to our four-year institutions. Without students we lose out on money, it would be a chain effect. Without that money we won’t have funds or people for our programs,” ASWSU Executive Board Intern Cailee Olson said.

The budget cuts and tuition increases are currently in the proposal stages. After concrete decisions are made through the legislature process, preliminary budget cuts will be seen at WSU.

“Only once the finalized budget comes out, will WSU be able to fully comprehend and respond to the budget crisis,” Hendrickson said.

As the legislation process continues WSU administration will have forums to keep the students informed of the budget crisis decisions.

Questions for speaker- Elson Floyd

1. What can students do to make an impact on the rising tuition problem

2. How do you think the tuition increases will affect enrollment and dropout rates?

3. Could you sum up why the tuition would need to increase by such a large percentage of 40%?

Contacts for story

Cailee Olson- cailee.olson@email.wsu.edu

Jay Hendrickson- jh214@wsu.edu

Elson Floyd- floyde@wsu.edu