The copy editor and editor did not know about the letter to the judge.
Also, she was in the public eye for five years, making her a public figure. Even though she is a limited public figure, she put herself into fame and wanted to be famous by going onto American Idol.
Her husband was also on a reality TV show, which adds more fame to their job.
Her drug abuse and alcoholism was a very public issue when she was in the public eye.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Feature story
Frozen pipes, mold, mice, and floods were all problems junior communication major Jacob Kenna and his six roommates faced this year while living in their rental house.
When they moved in, the house was dirty, and there was trash left behind by the previous tenants.
They also had mice in their kitchen.
These types of problems are common complaints of students who rent and live in the older buildings and houses on College Hill.
Many students when considering where to live make their priority the location of the house instead of the quality and condition of it, WSU’s Director of Student Assistance Programs, Karen Fischer said.
A lot of the houses closer to campus are older and create many problems for students, she said.
During the sudden cold snap in February, the pipes in Kenna’s house froze and then later burst, flooding the basement of the house.
It took two weeks until the all of the water was cleaned up by their rental agency.
Kenna said he and his roommates called their agency, DRA Real Estate, regarding the stagnant water numerous times.
The owner and manager of the DRA, Kathy Wilson said there was flooding and frozen pipes at Kenna’s residence, however she feels the agency responded appropriately.
She said when she sent people to clean up the water, the basement was so full of the tenant’s stuff it was impossible to clean up all of it.
“When I sent people to clean it up no (tenants) would get out of bed to move the stuff in the basement,” Wilson said. “They have so much stuff down there that they couldn’t clean up the water. You can’t clean up water if you can’t get to it.”
Wilson said she never allows her tenants to live in these types of conditions; unless they chose to do so.
“They weren’t ignored when there was water all over their floor,” Wilson said. “But they declined to get up and help us move anything. I simply can’t hire people to go move their stuff.”
When the weather gets cold and pipes begin to freeze, Wilson said she keeps plumbers on-call because frozen pipes are sometimes unavoidable.
She doesn’t consider frozen pipes to be the tenant’s fault as long as they have taken all the precautionary measures to avoid it, such as leaving the heat on to at least 60 degrees.
This year, she did not charge any of her tenants including Kenna, for the cost and damage of frozen pipes.
These types of problems, as well as other issues students have when living off-campus is a serious concern for the dean of students’ office, Fischer said.
Some of these issues she hoped could be avoided by informing students and new tenants about their legal rights and giving them advice during WSU’s housing fair.
Another tenant of the DRA and a junior mechanical engineering major Aaron Martz, said in the past he has been involved in legal disputes with rental agencies and he believes the university should do something to help protect students from bad rental situations.
“I don’t know why someone with more power doesn’t do something,” Martz said. “It’s hard for college students to go to court and spend the time and the money.”
Fischer said a few years ago there was an idea for the creation of a program affiliated with WSU that would keep rental properties and agencies who rented to students accountable for the quality of housing they provide.
However the idea never moved forward because the university does not have the legal right to inspect private residences or properties.
“There are codes for the city to regulate,” she said. “If you don’t have a safe premise, and it doesn’t meet code, then you can contact the city and request an inspection.”
Dan Harlander, a Pullman building inspector said college students seldom file a complaint or a request for an inspection.
“Their mothers come in after the students have already rented the place,” he said. “That’s when problems happen.”
The health and safety of DRA’s tenants are Wilson’s main priority in her business. She said she believes every property managed by the DRA meets Pullman’s building and fire codes.
“Every one of my tenants deserves to have a house that is safe and healthy,” Wilson said. “And I believe we provide that.”
Sources
Kathy Wilson
DRA Real Estate
Phone:(509) 334-7700
Karen Fischer
Dean of Students’ Office
509-335-6665
Jacob Kenna
Communication Major
503-984-1576
Dan Harlander
Pullman building inspector
509-338-3230
Aaron Martz
Mechanical engineering major
509-387-1538
When they moved in, the house was dirty, and there was trash left behind by the previous tenants.
They also had mice in their kitchen.
These types of problems are common complaints of students who rent and live in the older buildings and houses on College Hill.
Many students when considering where to live make their priority the location of the house instead of the quality and condition of it, WSU’s Director of Student Assistance Programs, Karen Fischer said.
A lot of the houses closer to campus are older and create many problems for students, she said.
During the sudden cold snap in February, the pipes in Kenna’s house froze and then later burst, flooding the basement of the house.
It took two weeks until the all of the water was cleaned up by their rental agency.
Kenna said he and his roommates called their agency, DRA Real Estate, regarding the stagnant water numerous times.
The owner and manager of the DRA, Kathy Wilson said there was flooding and frozen pipes at Kenna’s residence, however she feels the agency responded appropriately.
She said when she sent people to clean up the water, the basement was so full of the tenant’s stuff it was impossible to clean up all of it.
“When I sent people to clean it up no (tenants) would get out of bed to move the stuff in the basement,” Wilson said. “They have so much stuff down there that they couldn’t clean up the water. You can’t clean up water if you can’t get to it.”
Wilson said she never allows her tenants to live in these types of conditions; unless they chose to do so.
“They weren’t ignored when there was water all over their floor,” Wilson said. “But they declined to get up and help us move anything. I simply can’t hire people to go move their stuff.”
When the weather gets cold and pipes begin to freeze, Wilson said she keeps plumbers on-call because frozen pipes are sometimes unavoidable.
She doesn’t consider frozen pipes to be the tenant’s fault as long as they have taken all the precautionary measures to avoid it, such as leaving the heat on to at least 60 degrees.
This year, she did not charge any of her tenants including Kenna, for the cost and damage of frozen pipes.
These types of problems, as well as other issues students have when living off-campus is a serious concern for the dean of students’ office, Fischer said.
Some of these issues she hoped could be avoided by informing students and new tenants about their legal rights and giving them advice during WSU’s housing fair.
Another tenant of the DRA and a junior mechanical engineering major Aaron Martz, said in the past he has been involved in legal disputes with rental agencies and he believes the university should do something to help protect students from bad rental situations.
“I don’t know why someone with more power doesn’t do something,” Martz said. “It’s hard for college students to go to court and spend the time and the money.”
Fischer said a few years ago there was an idea for the creation of a program affiliated with WSU that would keep rental properties and agencies who rented to students accountable for the quality of housing they provide.
However the idea never moved forward because the university does not have the legal right to inspect private residences or properties.
“There are codes for the city to regulate,” she said. “If you don’t have a safe premise, and it doesn’t meet code, then you can contact the city and request an inspection.”
Dan Harlander, a Pullman building inspector said college students seldom file a complaint or a request for an inspection.
“Their mothers come in after the students have already rented the place,” he said. “That’s when problems happen.”
The health and safety of DRA’s tenants are Wilson’s main priority in her business. She said she believes every property managed by the DRA meets Pullman’s building and fire codes.
“Every one of my tenants deserves to have a house that is safe and healthy,” Wilson said. “And I believe we provide that.”
Sources
Kathy Wilson
DRA Real Estate
Phone:(509) 334-7700
Karen Fischer
Dean of Students’ Office
509-335-6665
Jacob Kenna
Communication Major
503-984-1576
Dan Harlander
Pullman building inspector
509-338-3230
Aaron Martz
Mechanical engineering major
509-387-1538
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
- Not if it is parody.
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 is dead.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
- no because it is in court (?)
4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
- yes.. if he is found not guilty. (even though it's opinion it can still be found to be true or false, therefore it can still be libelous and sometimes opinion can be as damaging as presenting it as 'fact')
- Not if it is parody.
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 is dead.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
- no because it is in court (?)
4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
- yes.. if he is found not guilty. (even though it's opinion it can still be found to be true or false, therefore it can still be libelous and sometimes opinion can be as damaging as presenting it as 'fact')
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Murrow Symposium Ledes
The key to a successful media career is forming an identity that cuts through the clutter, Eric Johnson from KOMO TV.
One constant of journalism is change, the assistant managing editor of the Seattle Times Eric Ulken said during the Murrow Symposium Tuesday.
One constant of journalism is change, the assistant managing editor of the Seattle Times Eric Ulken said during the Murrow Symposium Tuesday.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Trend Story: Increase in popularity and enrollment in online-based courses
Online-based classes continue to increase in enrollment and popularity at WSU due to the flexibility and convenience it offers students in fulfilling their General Education Requirements (GERs.)
Enrollment in online courses and in WSU’s distance degree program rises an average 10 percent each year, Debbie O’Donnell, director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education said.
“It’s a national trend that WSU will also be participating in,” said O’Donnell. “I think that the institution can expect growth in the online programs.”
In addition to online GER courses for on-campus students, WSU also has numerous online degree and certificate programs for students who are unable to attend an actual university campus.
“Overall, the appeal is the flexibility online courses offer,” O’Donnell said.
Another attraction is the quality of the online classes, she said. The same WSU professors and instructors who teach the on-campus sections of the class also teach the online ones as well.
“The reality is that an online course is as really as good as the instructor makes it,” O’Donnell said. “We have ways of making online courses very interactive and very engaging. It’s not like you sit in front of a computer and have no interaction with your classmates or instructor.”
Danica Goodman, a junior art history major, is currently enrolled in the online Spanish 101 course in order to fulfill the foreign language requirement for her major. However, she said she would not recommend a taking a language class online.
“It’s not what I expected,” Goodman said. “I realized that taking a foreign language should be done in a classroom.”
She said she chose to take Spanish to fill her language requirement because she already took two years of it during high school.
Even though she was already familiar with basic-level Spanish, she said taking the course online was much more difficult than it would be than if she were in an actual classroom.
“There is no way to figure out pronunciation unless you find someone to help you or have taken classes before,” Goodman said.
It’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time without a lot of help, she said.
Spanish 102 is also offered online, however Goodman said she plans to take it next year in an actual classroom instead.
“It’s just easier to learn a foreign language from a person than from a computer,” she said.
Spanish 101 was not Goodman’s first online course she had taken at WSU.
“I have taken online history and online math and those were alright,” she said.
Goodman is one of 70 students enrolled in either the online sections of Spanish 101 or Spanish 102. Each individual class can have up to as many as 100 students.
Laurie Heustis, the Academic Coordinator for the Department of Foreign Languages & Cultures said Spanish 101 and Spanish 102 are the only two language classes at WSU offered online.
The Spanish classes, she said, were created for students who needed to fulfill the university’s language requirement but attended WSU campuses that did not have language classes, like the Tri-Cities campus.
Overall, Heustis said had heard mixed reviews from students regarding online classes.
It’s a good way for students to get their foreign language university requirement done, especially if they have conflicts in their class schedule, she said.
She said often times however students are hesitant about taking online classes.
“I really think it depends on learning style,” Heustis said. “Some like that learning style and some would rather be in the classroom.”
In the future, Heustis said, the foreign language department may look to offer more online classes, however not for the more advanced language courses because of the importance of one-on-one interaction.
Sources
Debbie O’Donnell
Director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education
509 335-3557
Danica Goodman
509-953-3235
danica.goodman@email.wsu.edu
Laurie Heustis
Academic Coordinator for the department of Foreign Languages & Cultures
509-335-4136
Enrollment in online courses and in WSU’s distance degree program rises an average 10 percent each year, Debbie O’Donnell, director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education said.
“It’s a national trend that WSU will also be participating in,” said O’Donnell. “I think that the institution can expect growth in the online programs.”
In addition to online GER courses for on-campus students, WSU also has numerous online degree and certificate programs for students who are unable to attend an actual university campus.
“Overall, the appeal is the flexibility online courses offer,” O’Donnell said.
Another attraction is the quality of the online classes, she said. The same WSU professors and instructors who teach the on-campus sections of the class also teach the online ones as well.
“The reality is that an online course is as really as good as the instructor makes it,” O’Donnell said. “We have ways of making online courses very interactive and very engaging. It’s not like you sit in front of a computer and have no interaction with your classmates or instructor.”
Danica Goodman, a junior art history major, is currently enrolled in the online Spanish 101 course in order to fulfill the foreign language requirement for her major. However, she said she would not recommend a taking a language class online.
“It’s not what I expected,” Goodman said. “I realized that taking a foreign language should be done in a classroom.”
She said she chose to take Spanish to fill her language requirement because she already took two years of it during high school.
Even though she was already familiar with basic-level Spanish, she said taking the course online was much more difficult than it would be than if she were in an actual classroom.
“There is no way to figure out pronunciation unless you find someone to help you or have taken classes before,” Goodman said.
It’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time without a lot of help, she said.
Spanish 102 is also offered online, however Goodman said she plans to take it next year in an actual classroom instead.
“It’s just easier to learn a foreign language from a person than from a computer,” she said.
Spanish 101 was not Goodman’s first online course she had taken at WSU.
“I have taken online history and online math and those were alright,” she said.
Goodman is one of 70 students enrolled in either the online sections of Spanish 101 or Spanish 102. Each individual class can have up to as many as 100 students.
Laurie Heustis, the Academic Coordinator for the Department of Foreign Languages & Cultures said Spanish 101 and Spanish 102 are the only two language classes at WSU offered online.
The Spanish classes, she said, were created for students who needed to fulfill the university’s language requirement but attended WSU campuses that did not have language classes, like the Tri-Cities campus.
Overall, Heustis said had heard mixed reviews from students regarding online classes.
It’s a good way for students to get their foreign language university requirement done, especially if they have conflicts in their class schedule, she said.
She said often times however students are hesitant about taking online classes.
“I really think it depends on learning style,” Heustis said. “Some like that learning style and some would rather be in the classroom.”
In the future, Heustis said, the foreign language department may look to offer more online classes, however not for the more advanced language courses because of the importance of one-on-one interaction.
Sources
Debbie O’Donnell
Director of marketing and student experience for the Center for Distance and Professional Education
509 335-3557
Danica Goodman
509-953-3235
danica.goodman@email.wsu.edu
Laurie Heustis
Academic Coordinator for the department of Foreign Languages & Cultures
509-335-4136
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Most Telling Details
An elderly couple knee-deep in water push across a flooded street with their walkers, a military tank driving past them on the street behind.
A young woman sits on the side of a deserted highway, a shopping cart filled with her last remaining belongings - shoes and clothes - beside her.
A young woman sits on the side of a deserted highway, a shopping cart filled with her last remaining belongings - shoes and clothes - beside her.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
anecdotes and evidence - social media and athletes
1. How does the writer use personal accounts and anecdotes to enrich the story?
Burnett used the example of Isaiah Thomas tweeting, and how WSU students reacted to it.
2. What evidence does the writer provide to demonstrate the subject's story is part of a larger trend or problem?
He included information about universities hiring private companies to monitor athletes facebook and twitter.
Burnett used the example of Isaiah Thomas tweeting, and how WSU students reacted to it.
2. What evidence does the writer provide to demonstrate the subject's story is part of a larger trend or problem?
He included information about universities hiring private companies to monitor athletes facebook and twitter.
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