Desperate days at the Merlin

2 key elements that stand out:

1. Cockroaches scurrying across the room

2. Gumming food and fighting diabetes have shrunk the 54-year-old man's frame by 80 pounds.

Find the following

Median income:

State Poverty Level:

County Poverty Rate (all ages):

County Poverty Rate (under 18):

Federal stimulus funding:

One project funded by stimulus:

Average commute:

County growth rate:

libel smackdown

Why the tabloid IS libel:

Defamed her reputaion through a written article about her.

Also some of the facts in the article are not correct, and the editors had some knowledge that she was clean, so they DID have mulishes intent.

Paper #4

Brittney Calabro

Mar. 26, 2012

J305 Story #4

Education at Risk

WSU’s inflating tuition results in increased student debt

             Brynnea Bowman, chief justice in the Judicial Branch for the Associated Students at Washington State University (ASWSU) can attest to the problem of tuition increases at WSU. In her three years with ASWSU, said Bowman, not a day goes by without students reaching out for financial support. This was not always the case, said Bowman, every year it seems to be worse then the last.

“ I have to sacrifice my involvement in campus organizations to work in order to compensate for tuition increases,” Bowman said.

Bowman, a junior at WSU, expects to rack-up nearly $60,000 in debt by the time she graduates.

Patty Winder, assistant director for the university’s scholarship services, said 76 percent of students apply for need-based financial aid. Realistically, only a quarter of those students’ ever receive the full-amount of financial aid they need.

As a result of the inflating tuition rate over time, WSU’s retention rate is slowly declining as well. The average retention rate decreased from 84.8 percent in 2006, to 81.2 percent in 2010.

As a freshman on campus, David Stewart pictured the next four years of his life to be filled with collegiate sporting events, schoolwork, and having fun with friends on campus. Instead, rising tuition costs have forced Stewart to put his education on hold.

 “I have been saving money for college since high school knowing my parents couldn’t afford it,” said Stewart. “But with the spike in tuition, I am already falling behind in payments.”

The university budget office reports the average amount of debt post-graduation for all student groups at WSU is $22,000, double the national average student debt in 1991 when it was just over $9,000. Annual in-state tuition costs have almost doubled since 2005, as a result of government budget cuts to higher education, along with state funding, dropping from $530 million to $260 million in the last four years, according to the university’s budget office

Tuition increases will enable the university to continue to make classes available so students can graduate in four years, according to the university’s budget office. Outlining, that the cost for students if they had to attend the university for an additional semester or two because classes weren’t available, would be much higher than the costs resulting from the tuition increases.

On par with many students at WSU, Stewart finances every penny of his education through working, student loans, and financial aid. Even with all this support, in more cases then not, its not enough to cover a students full-time tuition and living expenses.

“My greatest fear with taking a semester or two off to work is knowing I probably wont come back,” said Stewart.

In October 2011 the Education Department and Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Americans now owe more on outstanding student loans than on credit cards. In 2010 student loans hit a record breaking high $100 billion.

Today, the total outstanding student loans exceed $1 trillion.

Outline

      I.         Introduction

a.     Brynnea Bowman

                                               i.     ASWSU Judicial Board Chief Justice

                                             ii.     Sacrificing club involvement to work more

    II.         Patty Winder; director of scholarship services

a.     In-state tuition doubled since 2005

                                               i.     Current cost of attendance $24,93

Due to state budget cuts to higher education

                                               i.     $530 million to $260 million in four years

                                             ii.     Attempt to provide classes vs. students not graduating in  years.

  III.         Evidence of this trend

a.     WSU retention rate

                                               i.     84.8 percent in 2006

                                             ii.     81.2 percent in 2010

  IV.         Other students’ experiences with student debt

a.     David Stewart

                                               i.     Already in a lot of debt

                                             ii.     Taking a semester off to work full time

b.     Fear of not coming back to finish education.

c.     A lot of WSU students are struggling with debt due to tuition increases

Contacts

David Stewart

(360) 213-9931

David.stewart100@email.wsu.edu

Patty Winder

(509) 335-1059

pwinder@wsu.edu

Brynnea Bowman

(253) 279-2808

Bbowman1@gmail.com

Libel

Defamation by written words agaisnt someone which is false. Different then slander because slander is spokane and libel is written.

Proof That Trend Is Real

http://www.pullman-wa.gov/departments/police/department-services/copy-of-police-report
report on drinking statistics in Pullman, WA dealing with underage drinking.

trend story

One possibility for my trend story could be the increasing number in job loses, and the affect it is taking on our community.

Two people i could potentially talk to are:

Local community members of the Palouse who can tell their testamony of their communities hardship.

I could also talk to a member of the city council board, who could give me their opinion on the issue and what the city council plans to do in the next years to resolve the problem.

Three questions i would ask are

1: When did the job loses begin and what triggered the decline

2: How has it affected the community and your family

3: What do you plan to do to resolve the problem

math quiz

6. Research funding at WSU increased 40 percent this year to $218 million. What was the funding last year?
130,800,000

7. Joe Smith wants to build a 2,500-square-foot house for him. The builder tells him it will cost $112 a square foot to build. How much will the house cost?
280,000

8. Desperate for revenue, the government decides to increase the tax on beer. The tax was 5 percent. But now it's jumped to 6 percent.

     a. What’s the percent increase?
          20%
b. What’s the percentage increase?
         1
9. Parents are always worried about the safety of their college student. But is Pullman safer than other areas? Let's say Pullman had 183 assaults last year. Spokane had 502. Spokane has 200,000 people. Pullman has 25,000. How do we compare those two numbers? Is the average person more likely to be assaulted in Spokane or Pullman? (Again, not real figures.) How much more likely?
 More likely to be safe in Spokane

10. Five houses sold in your neighborhood for the following prices: $225,000; $207,000; $3.2 million; $129,000; $192,000.
a. What’s the mean price?
790,600
     b. What’s the median?
225,000
     c. Which is a more accurate measure of the typical home price?
Mean

Zillah, WA

Website froze and closed down, but i was in class!

My area  Zillah, WA which is in Yakima County.

Find the following

Median income:

State Poverty Level:

County Poverty Rate (all ages):

County Poverty Rate (under 18):

Federal stimulus funding:

One project funded by stimulus:

Average commute:

County growth rate:

children and homelessness

1. Washington State is 25th (right in the middle) nationally, in child homelessness.

2. Housing is not affordable

Paper #3

Brittney Calabro

JOUR 305 Sec 2

Paper #3

Giving Back to Palouse Community, One Volunteer at a Time

A Washington State University student was able to choose the path less traveled and pursue his passion for helping animals within the Pullman community, while setting an example for other peers. 

Michael Peet, a junior communication major at Washington State University (WSU), said the Whitman County Humane Society changed his life. After coming to WSU three years ago with a troubled past causing a court ordered 500 hours of community service, said Peet, I felt overwhelmed and helpless in a small town. I had six months to complete my hours, but I wanted to find an organization that was interesting and made a difference in the community.

 Peet explained his advisor at the time, told him over 25 percent of students at WSU are either court ordered, required by their Greek chapters, clubs, or classes, to participate in volunteer hours within the Palouse community. Peet spent over a week researching all the service opportunities the Center for Civic Engineering was offering and selected the Humane Society. Their dedication to the community along with their desperate need for volunteers was the main reason I wanted to give back to their organization, said Peet. Since that day three years ago:

“I went from volunteering around ten hours a week, to volunteering around 25 hours a week, to completing my 500 hours of court ordered community service at the animal shelter. But it didn’t stop there… I was then offered a full time position as Animal Care Specialist, where I have been employed for over two years,” said Peet

A volunteer coordinator and front desk representative for the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Brittney Kreagurud, said everyday we have organizations contact us asking for student volunteers. The advantage about completing service hours through the CCE, is the diverse opportunities available for students, said Kreagurud. Once students sign up for service opportunities online, their hours will be tracked through the CCE, making it more convenient for teachers and peers to view their volunteer hours. Kreagurud recommends all students visit the CCE office in TODD, to learn more about volunteer opportunities and help local organization prosper.

All Greek members are required by Greek Counsel to participate in eight hours of community service every semester,  including many chapters requiring their members to exceed this number dramatically. Cari Crane, a member of the Greek community at WSU, completes her hours through the Humane Society with a small group of friends every semester. Even if our chapter didn’t require the members to volunteer in the community, said Crane, we would still volunteer at the Humane Society, everyone loves playing with all the animals, and the shelter is always in need of help.

“ I felt so appreciated when I first started volunteering, if more students would give back through volunteering, our community would become much stronger,” said Crane.

I have had many jobs and volunteered in various organizations, but no experience has been more powerful and appreciated then my time at the Whitman County Human Society, said Peet. Community members can attend a volunteer information session at the animal shelter every Monday night. Every volunteer who walks through the door, said Peet, is a valuable asset. The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization, backed by 11 million Americans. The Whitman County animal shelter has seven full time employees who take care of up to 100 animals at a time, causing them to rely heavily on their dedicated volunteers. The animal shelter welcomes  all volunteers, whether your looking to complete hours for school, extra curricular activities, or just love animals, said Peet, the Whitman County Human Society is a great place to give back to the community.

 Outline:

             I.     A Washington State University (WSU) student was able to choose the path less traveled and pursue his passion within the Pullman community

          II.      Introduce Mike Peet and give background of how Mike arrived to his position at the Humane Society today.

a.     How it has affected Mikes Life

b.     Why the Human Society needs student volunteers

c.     Give stats of impact and # of volunteers that Mike has given me.

       III.     Impact of the Human Society in the Palouse region and CCE contributions to organizing WSU volunteers.

a.     Brittney Kreagurud about the the importance of Volunteering and effectiveness of the CCE

        IV.     All Greek members are required by Greek counsel to participate in eight hours of community service every semester, with some chapters requiring their members to exceed this number dramatically.

a.     Testimony from Cari Crane, a member of the Greek community at WSU who first volunteered at the Humane Society for the first time two years ago, and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since.

           V.     WSU is calling all students to make a difference and volunteer in our community.

a.     Besides the Humane Society, the Center for Civic Engineering has a vast amount of alternative opportunities to give back to the community.

Dallas Morning News Images

Photo #1
Woman sitting in the middle of the highway with a shopping cart full of her clothing and possessions, with no where to go. Shes lost everything.

Photo #2
Woman fanning a man who is lying down in the hospitals parking garage waiting to be air lifted from New Orleans. Why are they outside? She is using a cardboard box to fan down a man who needs immediate attention.

Desperate days in the Merlin

1.But cockroaches still scurry across his kitchen table.

2.Gumming food and fighting diabetes have shrunk the 54-year-old man's frame by 80 pounds.