Trends in Modern Media

Why do we use Facebook? Are we seeking content or connections?

We use Facebook because it is a way of feeling connected to people, even if you are not. It is more of connections rather than content. Seeing all of the people on the news feed or wall makes people feel like they are connected with others even if they haven't spoken with that person. It makes you feel like you're keeping up your relationships with people when in actuality you are not.

Who/Whom

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. (Who/Whom) failed the quiz? Who

5. We know (who/whom) pulled that prank. Who

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

Best Lede

1. WSU student Miranda M Crowell, 21, runs her fingers anxiously through her hair and chews her bottom lip as she stands at Chevron, watching the total price of her gas purchase rise higher and higher.

News Feature

The end of freshman year at college is an emotional time for many. Saying good-bye to new friends for three months can be very difficult. For Amanda Strempel, she was saying good-bye to many people that she would never see again.

Like many students, Strempel entered college full of excitement for the possibilities that lay ahead of her.  Unfortunately for Strempel, she was entering higher education at one of the worst times in history.

Beginning in July 2009, WSU has passed a series of tuition increases to offset diminished state and federal funding.  Tuition for the 2009 to 2010 academic year increased 14 percent. It has increased another 14 percent since then.  For a student on financial aid, like Strempel, the tuition increase was too much.

“Because I didn’t have time for a job with my classes,” Strempel said, “I wasn’t able to get a loan on my own for the next year. My parents weren’t able to help me so I had no choice but to go home”

Strempel switched from the Pullman campus to the Distance Degree Program so she could live at home and still take classes without the expense of dorm or apartment life. Strempel was sad to be missing out on the college experience, but also frustrated.

“If I had known prior to enrolling for freshman year that tuition would increase this much,” said Strempel, “I would have done my first two years at a community college and then transferred to WSU to finish my degree.”

Due to the limitations on the number of credits distance degree students can take, Strempel is likely not going to graduate on time.

Rachel Harris is another student in a financial limbo due to increased tuition and decreased funding.

“Tuition keeps going up,” Harris said, “But I’m no longer receiving the grants that I used to get because the state has cut funding. I need to take summer classes to graduate on time but summer financial aid isn’t enough to include rent”

Harris lives with her sister who is on food stamps to help make ends meet.

“Having enough money for food is a constant worry,” Harris said. “We have to buy a lot of frozen or pre-made food because fresh food is too expensive, which is also unhealthy.”

Susan Chon is an out-of-state student from Hawaii, paying her way here through federal grants and the Cougar Academic Award.  The amount of aid through the Cougar Academic Award has decreased over the past two years.

“It’s hard because my father is the only one working full time,” Chon said. “My mom works part-time and my sister goes to the University of Hawaii so they’re trying to support us both.”

Students not on financial aid are also feeling the effects of increased tuition. Like many families, Tasha Totten’s parents were paying for her education but the increases have become too much.

“Paying for my tuition with the 14 percent increases both years is too much of a burden,” Totten said. “I plan on taking out loans in the fall to pay for what I hope is my last year.”

Similar to Totten’s situation, Harris’s only option for financial aid this fall is the Parent PLUS loan, but she is unsure if her family can afford it with the cost of attendance over $20,000.

The 28 percent tuition increase from 2009 to 2011 has been a major hardship to many students.  Unfortunately there is little improvement in site, with the likelihood of 13 percent increases in tuition for each of the next two academic years.

Although Harris is living in Pullman, she also feels like she is missing out on the college experience.

“When you don’t have a lot of money it’s really tough,” said Harris. “I can’t go out to eat, it makes some clubs difficult to join, and it’s embarrassing to ask for money. It’s hard to have the college experience when you can’t afford to do anything.”

Outline

1.      What happened?

a.       Tuition increases

b.      Financial Aid Reductions

2.      How it affects students

a.       Miss out on college experience

b.      Stressed/worried about money

c.       Have to borrow more money

d.      Have to take longer to graduate

3.      How it affects families

a.       Increased expenses on tuition/student loans

b.      Increased stress

Sources

Amanda Strempel
Amanda.strempel@wsu.edu

Rachel Harris
Pipstar15@hotmail.com

Susan Chon
susan.chon@wsu.edu

Tasha Totten

Tasha.totten@wsu.edu

Libel

1. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
No because everyone knows it's false, it doesn't hurt her career, and there is no actual malice.

2. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
No because he's dead

3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
No, because it's opinion in a court of law

4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
Yes, because it's provable therefore not an opinion

Mohyeldin Talk

Al-Jazeera correspondent Ahman Mohyeldin shared his experiences reporting on the Egyptian revolution to students at Washington State University.

Questions:
1. What was it like being captured?
2. After having been imprisoned, are you nervous about going out as a reporter again? Is this just a risk that reporters must learn to deal with?
3. Any advice for aspiring journalists? What skills does it take to be an international reporter?

Mohyeldin highlighted the importance of emerging social media technology for both journalism and the success of the revolutions taking place throughout the Middle East.  Rebels relied on social media websites like Twitter while the news stations utilized Twitter, Facebook, blogs and traditional formats to spread the news of events taking place in the Middle East.

"These are the first revolutions to be powered by information. People are aware of the rights that they are being denied and are more empowered because they know what is being denied."

"A lot of journalism is being in the right place at the right time with the skills to take advantage of it."

Trend Story

State cuts to higher education continue to impact the quality of education for students as the next round of budget cuts approaches.

Cuts to Washington State University’s budget over the last 18 months have totaled $136.7 million and administrators are expecting an additional reduction of $98 million or more for the 2011-2013 biennium budget currently being discussed in the Legislature.

The continuing state budget deficit is caused by the current financial crisis and less tax revenue than anticipated.  Decreasing state funding for higher education is one way to reduce the state budget deficit.

If the governor’s proposed reduction of $98 million is approved, the cumulative percent reduction in funds from July 2009 to present will be 49.6 percent, according to the Washington State University Budget Office.

In the last round of budget cuts, the Department of Theater and Dance was eliminated.  The program is slated to officially be removed July 1.

“I was already certified in my major,” said Katy Nuttman, a recent theater graduate. “So I was fortunate enough to finish my degree last May. A lot of my friends were not lucky enough and transferred to schools elsewhere in the state and country”

Depending on the extent of budget reductions, more students will face a similar situation as classes and programs are eliminated.

Since July 2009, 1,080 courses were removed from the university's catalog, 16 degrees or program options phased out, eight degrees consolidated or reduced, seven academic units consolidated, reduced or phased out, and three academic program areas eliminated. Ultimately, 517 jobs were eliminated, said WSU President Elson Floyd.

Since 2009, budget cuts have affected nearly every college and degree program at the university, according to the WSU Budget Office. The Distance Degree Program is one program affected by budget cuts.

“The number of classes being offered has gone down a lot,” said Amanda Strempel, a distance degree student. “You get e-mails around registration time telling you to register ASAP because there likely won’t be enough spots for everyone.”

In addition to fewer classes, many of the service centers across the state that assist with exam proctoring and tutoring have shut their doors, Strempel said.

The College of Education is inundated every year with students seeking certification and an increasingly small number of spots in the program.

“The education program is only accepting half of the applicants into the program,” said history major Nathan McClure. “After my group interview, they warned us that we might not get in and suggested that we apply to the master’s program through WSU if we don’t get in.”

Many students who don’t get in are forced to consider different programs or reapply multiple times to get into the program, drawing out their time at WSU, said McClure.

The number of sections for required classes has plagued students in nearly every department. 

“There is only one section for many of my classes,” said Rachel Harris, a kinesiology major, “which creates problems when multiple classes only start at certain times on certain days.”

Despite the budget cuts, Harris feels that WSU has still been able to provide a solid education.

“Though we have very little flexibility with our courses, and it may take a little longer, the staff is very good,” said Harris. “The students become familiar with each other and tend to know each professor personally. Though I do wish our program had more funding, I believe we have a very good staff that is making the best with what they can.”

As the Legislature continues debating the 2011-2013 budget, students, teachers and administrators must wait to see how the further reductions will manifest in their programs.  Floyd hopes that no additional programs will be eliminated and that the burden of tuition increases will lessen.  Nuttman hopes no future students will experience their program being cut like she did.

“Having an entire program cut is awful,” said Nuttman. “It's like having to watch your family slowly be taken away from you, and everything you've become comfortable and happy with just falls apart. What shocks me even more was the loud and clear message from the university that what I care most about in this world, theater, is not important.”