Meeting Story 1

             The International Student Council received funds from Associated Students of Washington State University senate towards their iConnections event. 

The ASWSU senate held a meeting at 5:30p.m Wednesday at the Compton Union Building. Among the topics discussed was the proposal to approve funding for the International Student Council’s upcoming event known as iConnections. Domestic Vice President Mark Hardee and Eva Hui, International Public Relations officer represented the ISC to ask for funds to help with the event.

Hardee and Hui requested $1,070 to be used for general allotments such as the catering from Golden Teriyaki and decorations. Their total budget for the event is $4,276. Mark mentioned that they could make about $1,000 profit if ISC sells the maximum amount of tickets (200), for the $5 entrance fee. The members of ISC estimate a total of 180-200 people to attend iConnections this year based of a successful turnout last year. Last year’s attendance consisted of 90 students. In compliance to the budget, ISC moved the event from the Gladish Community Center to Ensminger Pavilion on the Washington State University campus. Ensimger Pavilion is closer to Beasely Coliseum where the performances would take place and has more space and more equipment making it the ideal location to host this event.

As with any special event that takes place on campus, promotion is key to a good turnout. When asked by the ASWSU senate about promotion ideas, Hardee said they are promoting the event through a partnership with the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GSPA), running advertisements in the Daily Evergreen and creating an event on Facebook.

Mark also urged the ASWSU senate members to participate in the event as well. To have the senators there would boost awareness about ISC and perhaps increase the level of involvement. “iConnections is an event designed to bring together both domestic and international students,” ISC Financial officer Lauren Beebe said.

District 10 Senator Kyle Conboy has a few concerns of his own about the event. “What if you are in a relationship,” Conboy said. “What other options are available besides speed dating?” Mark explained that iConnections was not just centered on speed dating and the ISC named the event iConnections instead of Speed Dating because they are adding more cultural elements in the event and focusing on student networking. There will be two performances, one by the Pacific Islander’s Club, Breakdancing Club and more student organizations clubs are signing up every day for a chance to perform. This event is wonderful way to meet people and learn about different cultures. 

The ASWSU senate looked genuinely interested in the iConnections event. The motion to approve the funding passed 12-1. Hui giggles with one last request to the senate. “We could use some help with the decorations,” Hui said. “Maybe we could borrow or share them?” 

The iConnections event takes place on Feb. 11 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Enmsinger Pavilion Dinner is provided with international performances.

The ASWSU agenda covered other topics such as the renovation of the Fine Arts parking garage and the approval of an assistant to the Department of Legislation of Affairs.

Contact Information

Mark Hardee: (858) 414-4824

Eva Hui: evahui1222@gmail.com

Lauren Beebe: lrbeebe@gmail.com

Kyle Conboy: 425-495-0376

Meeting Story 1 Outline

What happened?

·      ASWSU Senate meeting Jan. 26, 2011 5:30 p.m.

·      ASWSU approves ISC funding request.

How did it happen?

·      Mark Hardee and Eva Hui from ISC.

·      Requested funding from senate to help with iConnections event.

·      Talked about current budget and previous success.

·      Estimate of total turnout this year.

·      Where the event is located and why.

·      How the event is promoted.

·      What the event is and how it works.

Reaction?

·      ASWSU senate voted 12-1 to approve funding for iConnections.

·      Time, day and location for event are presented.

Other topics addressed at meeting are mentioned.

City Budget Cuts

Section One: What happened/will happen?
-Seattle is planning on closing libraries for one week.
-Laying off 30 city workers because of midyear budget shortfall.
-Mayor Nickels plans to cut $13.3 million out of the 2009 general-fund budget and spend $5 million of the city's rainy-day fund to close a budget gap caused by lower-than-expected tax revenue.

Section Two: Why did this happen?
-"Worst economic crisis in decades here in Seattle"
-Midyear budget shortfall of $29.5 million.

Section Three: EXPANSION on ideas.

Section Four: Reaction?
-City Employee's quote on where cuts should be from.
-"Informal picket" outside city hall
-Public hearing announced.
-More budget problems in the future.

Comma Drama

Correct the following sentences. If the sentence is already correct, write “correct.”

1. He looked through the door, but he did not see anyone inside the church. 

*two independent clauses connected by a conjunction

2. "We could wait to see if anyone else came, or we could go back home," she said. 

*attribution in a sentence requires a comma

3. Reed, a graduate of Washington State University, was elected Secretary of State in 2000
*alert readers that there is a clause.

4. The organization paid the speaker $1,000, but its officers were unable to attend the event.

5. According to Washington state law, bars will become smoke-free on Feb. 15.

6. He saw Karen and they had coffee. 

*clause is less than 4 words, too short = no need for coma.

7. The bales are then sold to a processing center in Tacoma, Wash., which ships them to Moscow, Idaho.

8. It was raining, we stayed home.

9. Later he phoned again.
*short clause

10. This will end up having an effect on consumers, she said.

11. He introduced the speaker to Floyd, Moos and Wulff.

Appositions, hyperbatons and non-restrictive relative clauses: We don't need to remember the names of these grammar tools. But let's look at how they can help us form shorter descriptive phrases. In other words, squish these two sentences into one.


1. Sam Reed spoke at the Honors College on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Reed is a graduate of Washington State University.*Reed, a graduate of Washington State University, spoke at the Honors College on Wednesday, Sept 22.


2. The concert will be held on Friday night. The concert is part of WSU's Homecoming Weekend.*The concert, part of WSU's Homecoming Weekend, will be held on Friday night.


3. President Elson S. Floyd promised he would lobby legislators in Olympia. Floyd is frustrated by cuts to higher education.
*President Elson S. Floyd, frustrated by cuts to higher education, promised he would lobby legislators in Olympia.

Fixed Pulitzer Prize

Four boys age 7 to 11 drowned when a group of seven boys plunged through thin ice.

Dead are William Rodriguez, 11, of 292 Howard St.; Christopher Casado, 7, of 18 Jasper Court; Mackendy Constant, 8, of 7 Clinton St.; and Victor Baez, 9, of `46 Bernard Ave.

Surviving the incident were Francis Spraus, 9, 14 School St.; Christopher's brother Ivan Casado, 9, 18 Jasper Court; Jaycob Morales, 10, 4 Winslow Place.

 As seven boys finished their snack run from the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club to Hanson's Market yesterday afternoon, a sudden urge to slide around prompted 11-year-old William Rodriguez to dash for the serene expanse of river ice.

"Willie said he wanted to go down to the river, to slide on the Ice," Ivan said. “We tried to stop him.”

It was a playful impulse that ended with his plunge through the ice, setting off an ill-fated rescue attempt that deteriorated into a mass of desperate children clinging to each other in 35-degree water.

"He was in the middle of the river," Francis said, Ivan finishing the sentence: "Then the ice broke and he fell down in the water."

The ice was one to two inches thick where they ventured off the river bank. Four inches is considered the minimum to support more than one person, and river ice may not be safe even at that thickness because of currents and other factors.

"Then we all fell in," Francis said. "I thought I was going to drown."

Lawrence and Andover firefighters equipped with ice rescue suits arrived and after a search of the area where the boys went in, found the four remaining boys under the ice, 25 feet from shore in 15-20 feet of water.

Because of the steep embankment, rescuers were forced to use ladders to bring the children up off the river to the waiting ambulances.

Members of the state police, Lawrence Police and Merrimack Valley dive teams entered the 38-degree water and conducted an area search to be sure no one was left behind.

The catastrophe left four boys dead, their families crushed and rescue workers shaken following an afternoon of fighting a river of broken ice, the steep mud-covered bank and driving rain.

Police said the four dead boys were trapped under the ice at least 10 minutes.

Ivan and Francis were released from the hospital last night and recalled the story from its quiet start.

 "My legs started to get stiff, and I had a freezing headache," Francis said. "I was hanging on to Christopher, but he started to slip under. I tried holding on to his hand, but it was like he let go."

Order Exercise

After 45 minutes of debate, the City Council voted unanimously to ban alcoholic energy drinks within city limits.

The meeting began at 7 p.m. and was held at City Hall, 1492 Constitution Ave.  It was a public meeting, and the public was invited to attend.

First, the city council discussed its consent agenda. Then it discussed whether local residents should be able to buy energy drinks that contain alcohol.

The council then discussed public intoxication, the threat to student health, and whether any laws prevented the council from banning the drinks.

 

“These college kids are out of control and caffeinated booze is the only cause,” said Councilman Arlen Judge. “A ban will solve all our problems at once.”

Students planned to protest the meeting, but only two students attended the meeting.

“This ban will finally restore order to College Hill,” said Judith Peterson, a 44-year-old podiatrist who lives near campus.

 

Practice for meeting coverage

Whitman County Agenda

2. a) According to the agenda, the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committe is conducting a meeting on Thursday at 2 p.m.

b) Call (509) 397-5240 for more information.

3. a) The chairman for 2011 is Greg Partch.

b) If you wnat to learn more about the aquifer and water quality, you should contact Commissioner Michael Largent.

c) The contract number for the county's new contract with the Department of Homeland Security is #E11-119.

4. a) There are 4 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Whitman County.

b) There will be 600,000 doses of vaccine available in Washington state.

c) There will be 360 does of vaccine available in Whitman County.

d) Dr. Moody's suggestion on how to distribute the vaccine is to wait to distribute the vaccine until there is enough vaccine to offer to the majority of residents.

e) A limited number of H1N1 vaccines available to Whitman County caused controversy.

Pullman City Council

1. a) Two members of the Pullman City Council are Francis Benjamin and Keith Bloom.

b) Two items that will be discussed on January 25th 2011 are the 2011 Legislatve Priorities and WSU Research Activites.

ASWSU

1. a) The Healthy Choice program suggest a fundraiser on campus to sell cookbooks to help buy pedometers for middle school students.

b) Senator Tristan Hanon is promoting Coug Day at the Capitol.

Active vs. Passive

1. Rubber coated bullets were fired into the crowd by police in riot gear.

Police in riot gear fired rubber coated bullets into the crowd.

2. Later in the day, the employees were informed of the layoffs by the boss himself.

Later in the day, the boss informed employees of the layoffs.

3. With five seconds left, a three-point shot was missed by LeBron James.

 LeBron James missed a three-point shot with five seconds left.

4. Participants in the survey were asked about their changes in political affiliation.

okay

5. Tall buildings and mountain roads were avoided by Raoul because he had such a fear of heights.

 Raoul avoided tall buildings and mountain roads because he had such a fear of heights.

6. The bill is being considered by the Legislature.

 Legislature is considering the bill.

7. The tiny island has been destroyed by the earthquake.

  The earthquake destroyed the tiny island.

8. The class is reading the book.

  okay

9. An experimental operation was performed at the hospital yesterday.

needs clarification of who is performing the operation.

10. The wheat field was covered by debris from the downed airliner.

The downed airliner covered the wheat field with debris

Pullman Apartment Fire

A fire at a Pullman apartment kills four people.

At 7:30 a.m., Pullman and Moscow fire departments rushed to an apartment fire at 1172 S. Columbia Avenue.  Officers at the scene found four victims on the first floor of the apartment. The victims were rushed to Pullman Medical Center where Carolyn L. Carothers, a 13-year -old, and Samantha M. Jone, a 17-year-old, were pronounced dead. The two other victims were pronounced dead at the residence and their identifications are pending.

Police found a gasoline canister near the door to the apartment. “The presence of a gasoline canister has raised concerns,” Whitman County Prosecutor Paula T. Doe said. “We are investigating whether the fire was intentional or accidental.” The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office is offering up to a $10,000 reward as part of their CrimeStoppers Program for any details about the fire. Det. William Miles of the Pullman Police said they have opened a initial investigation into this fire and will hold a press conference at 4 p.m today to provide more details.

There were four individuals in the two other apartments in the building; three people on the second floor and one person on the third floor escaped without injuries.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact law enforcement.

Ethics: What would you do?

1. Citing unnamed sources, three rival news outlets break a big story on the arrest of a college athlete. Police have not yet released any information and refuse to comment. You choose to run a story even though your own sources are the competing media outlets. Do you need to attribute this information to other media, or is it in the public domain?

You need to attribute it.

2. A source at the county gives us “Top Secret” documents about an investigation into a suspected drug ring on campus. He tells us he made copies of the documents, which is against county rules. Can you use them? Should you use them?

 No you should not use them.

3. Police and social workers have found several instances of children in elementary school sniffing aerosol propellant gases – hairspray, WhipCream canisters and paint. They want to raise public awareness about the issue, but they cannot name the underage children or release the reports. Rather than identifying a child, you should create a caricature of a typical child, based on details provided by police and social workers. How do you respond?

I would create the caricature of a typical child based on details provided by police and social workers.

4. The U.S. Army offers to fly you and several other journalists to Afghanistan -- all-expenses paid -- to highlight the Army’s humanitarian work in the region. Each journalist will be assigned an Army spokesperson who will accompany them throughout the trip. Journalists must agree to report only on the humanitarian work -- building schools, repairing infrastructure and coat drives. The journalists cannot report on military conflicts in the region. Should you go?

 No you should not go because the Army is restricting your freedom of speech by telling you that you cannot report on military conflicts in the region and only report on humanitartian work.

The Ten Most Important Commandments of Journalism

1. Test the accuracy of information from all sources and excercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
2. Never plagiarize.
3. Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
4. Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
5. Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
6. Avoid conflict of interest, real or perceived.
7. Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
8. Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
9.Make sure that headlines, new teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites, and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
10. Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.