n GRANT, p5

Students join Dr. Susan Ingram in her lab at WSU-V in a study of addiction and its cause.

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In this issue:WSU Job Freeze

n ASWSUV, 6

The do’s and don’t’s of writ-ing emails. What do you say to someone when inquiring about grad school or a job?

Email Etiquette

The Eyes, Ears and Voice of the Students at WSU-V

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n NEWS, 7

By Hannah WalkerThe VanCougar

n SPORTS, 10 & 11

$1.6 million research grant for WSU-V

Washington State University - Vancouver October 6, 2008 www.vancougar.com

Award for study of drug addiction and brain con-nection to involve WSU-V professor and graduate students.

What’s with the jelly beans?

Assistant professor of psychol-ogy, Susan Ingram, has recently been awarded $1.6 million in grant money for her continued research on how drugs of abuse work in the brain. The five-year grant, awarded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, is the largest awarded to Ingram for her research. The grant was made acces-sible to Ingram June 1, 2008.

In speaking with Ingram, it be-comes clear that this is a broad and loose statement of the nature of her work. More specifically, Ingram, along with a handful of students and a post-doctoral fellow, will research how dopamine transporters in the brain respond to a variety of psycho stimulants with the use of fluorescent biosen-sors. Confused yet?

D o p a m i n e transporters are proteins that take released neu-rotransmitters like do-pamine and bring them back into the cell that released them. “These proteins have been thought of as a vacuum, where it would suck-up and termi-nate the responses that the released dopamine creates.” Ingram explains her research and its significance: “We

have found that it actually acts like an ion channel…the ion activity changes in response to the drug.” That the ion activity, she says, excites neurons, a fact which is inconsistent with the

vacuum theory. This research

will contribute to and potentially change enormously how peo-ple who work with ad-diction think about its treatment. When asked about how radical that change might be, In-gram smiles and says that is the very thing

her research is meant to discover. “I don’t know yet. That is the whole jus-tification for this five year grant.”

The research is carried out

through a process called fluorescent imaging. This process is one that uses an isolated protein with fluorescent properties to effectively “light-up” the cell being monitored. When the protein gene is introduced into a cell, the cell then produces the fluorescent protein, lending its luminous quality to the cell and allowing for research-es to view activity within the cell prompted by psycho stimulants that target transmitters.

So what do the students at WSU-V get out of such a prestigious award? Ingram is very adamant that any of her students interested in working with her on this process are more than welcome. Past students have used the experience as a step-

COUGARFOOTBALLWSU-V entourage visits Pullman for PSU game; quarterback in-jured, Freshman finisher. Two page spread of photos.

Research is an inevitable part of college life. Whether you’re writing an actual research paper, an analytical essay, or are doing other projects that require literary support, you will be forced to delve into the arduous realm of research—even-tually. Some students love it, some hate it, and some are utterly apathetic, but all of them can count on the campus library’s vast assortment of resources and its dedicated staff of librarians, who are there to guide students through what can sometimes be a confusing process.

Nicole Campbell, the library’s Electronic Services Coordinator, talked to me about stu-dent’s frequently asked questions, the research tools offered, and how the campus librarians can help. “We can’t do your homework for you,” Campbell said. “But we can get you on the path to finding what you need.”

When it comes to research, Campbell said she hears the following questions most often: “How do you find information? How do you find full text? How do you order it from other libraries? [And then] how do you get your hands on it?” To answer those questions, she covered the many tools available on the library’s website that help serve student’s research needs.

“There’s lots of resources that are online, and it’s not obvious right away, but there are,” Campbell said. “We love having people in the

library, but we also make our website available so you can work wherever you need to work. So most things are available from off campus or at your local coffee shop, or wherever you are.”

Most prominent perhaps are the library’s databases. “I think there’s over a hundred [da-tabases] and each database focuses on different subject areas,” Campbell said. “A lot of them have full text content in them, so you can just find your stuff right away, which is cool.” Camp-bell also told me that WSU is subscribed to more than 9,000 electronic journals (represented by the jelly beans) and has access to full-text electronic books.

Most students are probably already famil-iar with The Griffin (the WSU library catalog), which lets them search for the books located on any WSU campus. But if you need a book that WSU doesn’t have, online resources like Summit and ILLiad can help you. Campbell explained the differences between the two.

“Summit is a library catalog that includes 33 colleges and universities in the Pacific North-west,” she said. “You can search it to find books and videos at other libraries and then order them through Summit. ILLiad is the WSU interlibrary loan system. So you could use that to order a journal article you can’t find full text for, or a book you need, from another library. The idea here is that whatever you need, we try to get it.”

By Rosie BartelThe VanCougar

n RESEARCH, p5

An under the microscope shot of a glowing brain cell.

Meet the Two Audacious Guys

n A.C.E., 9

The VanCougar2 EDITORIAL

Staff Writers & Photographers Beau Baxter Rosser, Rosann Bartel,

Robert Chu, Matt Hunter, Collin Rickman, Willy Chi Shue Tsang, Louise Wynn, Jason Garcia, Hannah Walker,

Shane Monroe, Kevin Raymond, Danielle Mosier, Ruth Zschomler, Kyle Ralston,

Jake Kleinschmidt, Isaac Madsen, Matthew Wright

Illustrators Danielle Mosier and Anita Fleming

Layout and Design Greg Zschomler and Kati Hughes

Web Editor Michael Hatch

© 2008 The VanCougar

General e-mail , comments, and employment inquiries

vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu

Letters to the editor, guest columns, and corrections

vancouged@vancouver.wsu.edu

Advertising queries vancougad@vancouver.wsu.edu

The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper serving the students, faculty and staff of WSU Vancouver. Copies of The VanCougar are available free of charge every other Monday during the school year .

We are hiring! We are always hiring. No experience is nec-essary; we will provide all the training you need in journalistic style, photography, and digital printmaking. E-mail us at vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu or visit our office in CLS 212 for more information.

Letters to the Editor We encourage letters to the editor. Please include your full name as part of the letter, and a phone number or e-mail address for confirmation follow-up. Letters must be by a student, faculty, or staff member.

Guest Columns & Comics The VanCougar accepts guest columns and comics from current students of WSU Van-couver. Interested students should e-mail us at vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu.

Advertising queries Advertising information and rates can be found on our website at www.vancougar.com. Advertising rate sheets are available via e-mail and postal mail. E-mail vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu for quotes.

Corrections policy It is our policy to correct errors. Please con-tact the editors by e-mail at vancouged@vancouver.wsu.edu.

The VanCougar

CLS 21214024 NE Salmon Creek Ave.

Vancouver, WA 98686 Phone: (360) 546-9524

Fax: (360) 546-9072

Editor-in-Chief Gregory E. Zschomler

Managing Editor Kati Hughes

Ad Manager Dan Rauchenstein

Advisor Dean Baker

Copy Editor Rebecka Reed

ACE Editor Beau Baxter Rosser

Sports & Rec Editor Katie Wells

We are working on video, blogs, pod-casts and picture shows. Visit us online @ vancouger.com

The VanCougar has been informed by Kris En-gel, Public Safety Program Assistant, that the 30-min-ute free meters that have been removed from the drive near VCLS have found a new home in Orange Lot 2. According to Engel the change was the result of student and visitor requests for longer parking time near VCLS and VADM.

The new location of the 30-minute free meters also allows for handy “just for a few minutes” parking near

VSSC to support increased visitor traffic caused by the Student Ser-vices move last year.

O t h e r changes are also the result of stu-dent and faculty request, such as more motorcycle parking (see relat-ed newsbrief p12). Thanks Public Safety for listen-ing.

Parking meter update

We all know that College isn’t cheap. Cougs know that and try to find the best way they can afford to go to WSU-V but each student seems to have their own way of paying for it. TheVanCougar asked around on campus to find out how many different ways one could pay for college. Very few had actual scholarships and most paid through grants or other means. Some were lucky enough to have their fam-ily pay for them. Others worked with financial aid and loans. Loans were the most popular choice. Here is some input from students on paying for college.

Story & Photos by Jake KleinschmidtThe VanCougar

Man on the Street: Coug Sense for Cents

Thonda PiccolaEducation

“I receive help from the G.I. bill and I get grants from the state. The G.I bill covers what you can’t cov-er on your own.”

Angelica LiebhaberBusiness

“The G.I. bill doesn’t pay for everything, like books and

stuff so I have to pay some of it out of my own pocket. I save my money a lot so I have some

to scrounge from.”

Stephen HeathPublic Affairs

“I pretty much have col-lege paid for, by my parents and grandparents who in-vested in an arrangement that has this year and next year covered.”

Russell VigiMechanical Engineering

“I don’t have any scholar-ships. I have to find other ways to pay for college. I

get half my tuition paid for through loans.”

Angela AndersonBiology

“I got a scholarship through my biology depart-

ment by qualifying in the financial and academic

requirements.”

Ryan SeifertBiology

“Grants, and small student loans help for that. It comes as being a low income stu-dent”

This map shows the existing and under-construc-tion parking lots on campus. Noted in yel-low are the types of park-ing available.

For more information on parking see the newsbrief below and the related brief on the back page or contact Public Safety at 6-9001.

October 6, 2008 3OPINION

Caffein’d Kati’s curiously captivating coffee-addled commentary

When I was around seven years old my Aunt Sheryl and I spent a lot of time together. My grandma had recently died, and I think my Aunt was trying to help me through. So we started having fun “Aunt Sher-yl” days each week. It was on one of these fun Aunt Sheryl days that I was given my first espresso drink.

I know what you’re think-ing. Who gives a seven-year-old an espresso drink? For your in-formation, one of the kindest and most loving people in the world. It was decaf, anyways. She asked if I wanted anything from the drive-thru espresso stand, and I think she was expecting me to order a hot chocolate or something. I cop-ied what she had ordered and she got it decaf. It was a raspberry mocha.

I loved spending time with her because she had a brand new dachshund puppy named Trinket who got a biscuit from the barista. She always sang me the “K-k-k-ka-tie” song, and let me sleep on her huge sectional sofa with the puppy when I stayed over at her house.

My Aunt Sheryl, my grandma-replacement, my coffee-enabler. She is the reason I started this column. Ever since that first raspberry mo-cha, I have loved coffee. Each time I tried a new coffee drink, I thought about her and the time we spent together when I was little. She was the first person I thought of when I decided to write a coffee column.

Even after I started middle school and high school, whenever I saw my Aunt we ended up with

coffee. My dad is a coffee drinker as well, and our Christmas’ and Thanksgiving’s have become cof-fee-days in a way. Dad likes plain coffee with sugar, but I always made sure we had plenty of fla-vored syrups and creamers to make “foo-foo” drinks. It was on a Christ-mas morning that I made my first home-made raspberry mocha, and I thought of Sheryl and the barista who gave Trinket a biscuit.

Aunt Sheryl’s maternal love didn’t stop with her children, but seemed to grow and overflow to me and my brothers. I went to see her

at work once and she told all of her coworkers, one

at a time, about how I have my own column in the school newspaper. The last time I saw her she called me her “schol-arship girl.” She has al-ways been so proud of all of us, her children and her nieces and nephews.

My Aunt Sheryl passed away on Friday,

September 26. She was just sixty-one years old. She be-

came ill very suddenly, and even though I tried not to keep my hopes up, it was still a shock when she left us.

I didn’t review a café for this issue’s Caffein’d, because I spent most of my time at the hospital when I wasn’t doing homework. Instead of reviewing the hospital café, or just not writing anything, my mother suggested that I write about my Aunt. I hope everyone enjoys my memories as much as I do. Have a raspberry mocha and think of us.

To suggest your favorite coffee shop for review, email me at kati.hughes.04@gmail.com, or come by the VanCougar office during my office hours.

By Kati HughesManaging ediTor

Bail Me Out, ScottyI’m glad the House originally

shut down the President’s bailout plan last week. Too bad they didn’t stick to it. It’s not going work in the long run. It is a bad idea. It’s just a bandage that will not heal the dis-ease. Yes, we’re in deep doo-doo folks and something (many things) need(s) done, but it ain’t “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Back in April/May the Gov “gave” us a tax kickback to “stim-ulate the economy.” I guess that didn’t work. On to plan B. Now the Pres wants the money back so he can give it to the greedy big business people—you know banks and mort-gage-like entities that have been rob-bing us blind for some time now.

Oh, don’t get me started on banking institutions. They charge more and more interest, to give us less and less service. They ding us for any new fee they can dream up and reduce the interest they pay on the money we lend them. Yup! That’s how they used to look at the money you deposited. Now, they’re doing us a favor by allowing us to store our cash in the system. You may not remember, but I do: banks actually used to pay you to save; now they charge you for it.

But, I digress. (I told you not to get me started.) The point is you don’t reward mismanagement. That’s what a bailout would amount to. We Americans have been warned for sometime by our financial advi-sors that this was coming. We should have taken steps to avoid rather than deny. (“There is no recession” my foot!)

Money Doesn’t Grow on TreesThrowing money—money we

don’t have, or artificial money, or borrowed from China money—at the problem will not “save us.” Print-

ing bogus bills only compounds the problem. We don’t really have the money for this. It wouldn’t help if we did. And what about next time? There will be a next time, you know.

The big corporate financial gi-ants—those who work with money (or credit)—want a quick, easy res-cue. That’s why they are so much behind this plan. That’s why King George is pushing it so hard. That’s why he will keep trying, beating his dead horse (like the Iraq war), fool that he is. Even those corporations NOT (yet) smarting from the reces-sion want this because they’ll want a handout when they are in trouble.

As for the average Joe, it won’t hurt too badly. Sure, there will be trickle down and, either way, we’ll have to tighten our belts. Some more! But, we will live through it (if we keep our heads) and be better for it.

Possibly you know adults who were poor during the Great Depres-sion. These are cool people. They know how to save for a rainy day, they’re frugal, they recycle or save everything (including gum wrap-pers and dental floss), they don’t waste stuff. “Waste not, want not,” you know. They learned something. Their children and children’s chil-dren, distracted by “the good life,” have forgotten.

Chimps and ChumpsIf the Gov insists on monkey-

ing with the economy here are seven practical things (just for starters) they ought to do: 1) Quit shipping jobs outside, and goods into, the U.S.—especially to/from China and other non-democratic nations; 2) Get off foreign oil; depend on no one; 3) Don’t borrow money from other na-tions; 4) Don’t lend money to other nations without serious collateral; 5) Control corporate greed in the banking/lending and insurance in-dustries; 6) Raise the price of wheat/corn (and other goods) sold to world markets; 7) Get out of Iraq!

I could go on, but I will jump off my soapbox and back into my yard. I will quietly watch from behind my shrubbery and white picket fence and should the “powers that be” manage to push this bill through, I will—when the stock market crashes like King Kong off the Empire State building and pandemonium en-sues—say, “Ni! I told you so.” Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. We’re talking $700 BILLION, folks! It ain’t chump change.

NEED TO EXPRESS YOURSELF?

The Salmon Creek Journal is now accepting submissions. Faculty, staff, and students currently enrolled at Washington State University Vancouver are encouraged to submit their poetry, prose (fiction, non-fiction, or essay), and visual art to be considered for publication in the 2009 Salmon Creek Journal.

2009 Salmon Creek Journal The Literary Journal at Washington State University Vancouver

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 15, 2008.

Visit our website for printable submission guidelines& the submission form:

http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/scj/scj/scjhome.htm

Questions? Please contact:

A. K. Huseby Editor-In-Chief

2009 Salmon Creek Journal scj@vancouver.wsu.edu

The views expressed on the editorial and opinion pages are those of the authors and do not necessar-ily reflect the opinions or biases of the writers, edi-tors, or other staff members of the VanCougar.

The VanCougar4 NEWS

December 4, 2008 5OPINION

Rewind to a year ago. At the time, Republicans had about eight possible presidential candidates and the Democrats had three sig-nificant presidential candidates. For the Democrats, it was widely assumed that Senator Hillary Clin-ton would be the nominee. For the Republicans, Rudy Giuliani seemed to be in the lead.

Until a month ago, this elec-tion appeared to be a Democratic year. John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were all lively candidates with strong supporters. Clinton had been preparing for the presidency for years, was well connected, and was married to one

of the most popular presidents of the former century. Edwards was young and had nice hair. Obama was able to inspire crowds to a tur-bulent frenzy without ever actually saying anything.

And then there were the Re-publicans. Last year at this time, McCain’s campaign was, in every-one’s estimation, out of gas. Giu-liani was shining his smile around the country but was failing to in-spire the conservatives of the Re-publican party. And conservatives themselves were split between five or so different candidates who were largely uninspiring.

The Surge was under way in Iraq but had still to show its poten-tial. Even many Republicans were not hopeful about the war.

The choice of McCain as the Republican presidential nomi-nee failed to excite conservatives. Even though he has experience, he lacks passion and tends to side with democrats on many issues. A com-mon opinion among conservatives was that their vote would be a vote against Obama not for McCain.

Oil prices were starting the climb. The housing bubble had burst. In short, it had the appear-ance of a Democratic presidential year.

However, everything has changed. What had looked to be a boring election year has sudden-ly become a lot more interesting. McCain’s completely unexpected choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate put life into his dying cam-paign. The choice solidified conser-vative support for McCain: support that he had been lacking from the beginning.

For Obama, the last few months have not been positive for him. Connections between the can-didate of hope and former terrorist William Ayers put doubts in the minds of many Americans already disturbed by the Reverend Jeremi-ah Wright incident.

But the real bane of the Obama campaign in the long term ap-pears to be his vice presidential candidate. For many Democrats, the choice of Senator Joe Biden as Obama’s running mate is appear-

ing an increasingly bad idea. He is a loose cannon, bombing around the country making embarrassing remarks or simply contradicting Obama’s words.

So in a year, the election has gone from being one of the most predictable and boring elections to a nail-bitingly exciting toss-up. There are so many variables to con-sider.

Iraq is now a plus for Repub-licans, but the present economy could give Obama a boost because Democrats are viewed as strong on the economy. Obama is taking a hit from news about his former connec-tions. However, it is hard to believe that Palin will survive the scorch-ing scrutiny of the media without some lose in popularity.

And of course, Americans will be making history no matter which side wins. America will either have its first black president or its first woman vice-president. Just anoth-er reason this election is the most exciting in decades.

What makes human language unique?

I asked last time where human children get their ability to learn lan-guage. An ongoing debate among lin-guists is whether this ability is inher-ent, or hard wired, so to speak. The issue will continue to provide fodder for academics as well as language teachers and speech pathologists in-definitely. There are so many aspects to human language, including vocabu-lary, syntax, brain functions, the vocal tract, and the ability to form abstract concepts.

One way to study human lan-guage is by contrasting it with animal communication. It seems clear that while human vocal cords are unique and give us speaking abilities that apes, for instance, don’t have, the physical apparatus isn’t the only requirement for language facility.

Think of those famous apes that have learned to communicate using sign language. Watch a clip of Washoe the chimpanzee, using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate, for instance (http://www.friendsofwash-oe.org/washoe_video.shtml). Washoe learned by the age of five to sign about 130 words, and used them in short sentences, leading some researchers to claim she had a human-like language capacity. Before she died a year ago, at age 42, Washoe was teaching sign language to younger chimps, another spectacular ability previously thought to be purely human.

But other researchers pointed out that Washoe’s use of ASL lacked some qualities of human language use. It turned out that her supposed ability to put together short phrases and sen-tences with different subjects and ob-jects using the same verb (the human language structure we call grammar or syntax) likely happened by chance. When she saw a swan and signed “wa-ter” and “bird,” for instance, she prob-

ably wasn’t making a sentence. And she probably wasn’t even making an expression uniquely for a swan. She might make the same sign for a duck in the water, or for a duck flying, or for a starling in a birdbath.

Watching Koko the gorilla “talk” with Mr. Rogers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5RrORtDZuQ&feature=related) will give you an idea of why most linguists don’t take seriously the idea that apes can communicate in the same way humans do.

More importantly, though, all of Washoe’s, and other great apes’, com-munications involve the here-and-now. There is a lot of association of words with objects, with verbs describing ac-tions that have been rewarded, with responses to questions that have been repeated many times. There is no ap-parent concept of the abstract, or of the future or negativity or conditionality. Human children, even at a very young age, can use language to express mean-ings and ideas beyond “cookie now.”

An experiment that seems to show this difference was based on the Washoe experiment: Dr. Herbert S. Terrace of Columbia University raised “Nim Chimpsky” in the same way Washoe had been raised. But Nim only repeated his human keep-ers’ signs, learning in the same way a pigeon could learn to peck a certain key to get some grain. When Terrace and others re-examined the videos of Washoe more closely, they decided that Washoe’s supposed language abil-ity resided mainly in the minds of her human interpreters.

But others point out that Washoe and Koko and Nim used language as well as many human two-year-olds. And then there’s the case of Alex the talking parrot, who learned more than 100 words and could recognize colors and shapes, and count. (In one popu-lar video, Alex is solving a problem that would stump most young human children (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KvPN_Wt8I). But then he tested out with the cognitive ability of a human five-year-old.

Next time: More about the hu-man language faculty, and where our language ability can be found in the brain. Also, if language is a purely hu-man faculty, is emotion also limited to humans? In fact, what’s so special about humans?

Why do you ask?

By Louise Wynn

The Sluice BoxBy Matt Hunter

The Most Exciting Election in Years

It’s important to note that both services are free to students.

These electronic resources are wonderfully convenient for busy col-lege students, but there is plenty of one-on-one help available as well. Every fall and spring, the library has a resource workshop to teach stu-dents how to conduct research.

This fall’s session has already passed, but Campbell stressed that students are always welcome to schedule meetings with librarians to address their specific needs. This can be especially advantageous, as the librarians each have expertise in specialized fields.

“That’s more practical in a way, so if you know you have a research paper in business, then you can meet with a business librarian and find the specific resources that are best for you,” Campbell said.

More than anything, Campbell

emphasized that the librarians are there to help students. Research can be a daunting task, and she under-stands the difficulty involved.

“Don’t get too frustrated,” she advised. “You can always order something from another library, so if it’s not on the screen, we can always try to get it for you. It’s very confus-ing, so the big thing to remember is that there’s always somebody here to help you out. That’s our job.”The library’s website can be accessed at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/li-brary/

n RESEARCHfrom p.1

-ping-stone into lab work after grad-uation. Further, anyone in the gener-al student population is welcome to come up to the lab and have a look around.

“I really feel strongly that stu-dents that take that chance to try dif-ferent things as an undergraduate are going to find what they really like…so I love having students come see the lab is all about, if it is some-thing they would at all be interested in seeing. There aren’t that many uni-versities that have labs like WSU-V.”

Still in the early stages of her research, her focus now is on secur-ing the equipment required for the highly technical endeavor. When

asked what her long term goal is for this research, she says, “The implica-tions of there being an ion channel property to these transporters really opens up a new field of research and I’m just excited to be a part of it. All the transporters have it…so I just think it’s really exciting to be work-ing on something people just don’t know anything about.”

Up to three undergraduates and one postdoctoral fellow will be in-volved in this research. For more information on this grant, see http://www.researchgrantdata-base.com/g/1R01DA024041-01A1/Dendritic-DAT-activity-monitored-with-fluorescent-biosensors/.

n GRANT from p.1

As WSU-V has grown over the past decade, it has become increasingly au-

tonomous. Initially relying on WSU Pullman’s support

and infrastructure, we have slowly moved

away from Pull-man, accepting re-sponsibility of our own programs and services. Less and less do we rely on Pullman to aid our decisions as we have the re-

sources and expe-rience to make them ourselves. In this changing climate, it is

important that our student voices be heard. There are several key opportunities

that have yet to be utilized by WSU-V stu-dents. The first is through involvement with the Bookie Board, the governing body that oversees the administration of the Student Book Corporation. In its history, the board has never held a student director that hailed from one of WSU’s urban campuses, and this needs to change.

Job descriptions and applications will be available in the spring of 2009. Please ap-ply if you are interested in influencing the policies and procedures of our Bookie.

The second opportunity is through ap-pointment to the Student Regent position. As you may know, the WSU system is over-seen by the Board of Regents, similar to a board of directors. Board members, includ-ing the Student Regent, are appointed by the governor and oversee university policies and

procedures, university finances, and they maintain a clear vision of the university’s strategic plan. The Student Regent is a voting member. Talk about having your voice heard within the University! Student Regents also have a history of receiving lucrative job of-fers upon completion of their terms. Appli-cations for this position will also be available in the spring of 2009.

It is one of my goals to see WSU-V stu-dents attain these incredible roles of leader-ship and representation, paving the way for more WSU-V influence in the WSU com-munity. As the fastest growing campus, it is critical that the voice of our students be heard across the State. In order for that to happen, we need strong leaders to step for-ward and accept this responsibility. Are you up to the challenge?

~PeterSterr,ASWSUVPresident

The VanCougar6 ASWSUV

From the President: Step up and be heard

The dropping tempera-tures are a reminder that school will be in session for a while longer, and many are searching for jobs to earn some cash and warm up those pockets. According to a June press release from Washington State Governor Christine Gre-goire this may not be possible, “The June revenue forecast for Washington shows projected General Fund revenue down a combined $167 million for the remainder of this biennium and the next two-year budget period.”

Gregoire requested that all areas of Washington report-ing directly to her freeze hir-ing, traveling, and equipment purchasing. Other state agen-cies were asked to cooperate;

Washington State University-Vancouver (WSUV) is one of those agencies. President Elson S. Floyd agreed to freeze hir-ing for classified, administra-tive and professional positions, as well as out-of-state travel. Lynn Valenter, Vice Chancel-lor for Finance and Operations at WSU-V, explained what this means for students.

“The administration is most directly affected by this, so student support staff will be lacking and administrative pro-cesses will be slower.” How-ever, Valenter assures students that there is still hope, “Direct education will not be affected by this, and student work-study and time-card positions are exempt from the freeze.” Despite the exemption, hir-ing for student positions will undergo a time-consuming

process that requires authori-zation from higher university officials, often including Presi-dent Floyd.

Current students are not the only ones affected by this budget deficit; recent college graduates have something to worry about as well.

One former student was surprised to learn of the re-percussions this freeze would have after graduation. Brandon Duncan, who moved here from Arizona so his girlfriend could go to school, has been trying since May to join the Vancou-ver Police force. Duncan’s girlfriend is a WSU-V student, and both feel the effects fo the freeze as she looks for on-cam-pus work.

“I expected to graduate from school, move here, and start on my career,” says Dun-

can, “but instead I’m working a part-time job, which does not allow me to achieve my goals.”

He believes that this defi-cit is bigger than it may seem, “This is reflective of the U.S. economy crisis, and when the economy is bad law en-forcement and school systems should not have to suffer be-cause those are two areas of the state that help to boost the economy.”

Washington is experienc-ing a crisis, as with the rest of the United States. Recent changes in spending and hir-ing may seem unfavorable for recent graduates and current students, but may prove favor-able for the future.

Budget deficit: Cooler temperatures, freezing jobsBy Kayla Page

The VanCougar

NEWS October 6, 2008 7

E-mail etiquetteIn an increasingly technology-de-

pendent culture, many people use e-mail as their primary means of communication. Us-ing e-mail, messages can be quickly sent and received without the need for a lengthy con-versation over the phone or in person. This is nothing new. People routinely send e-mails to casually communicate all the time. What is new is that our lives are becoming increasing-ly paperless and as a result, we are becoming more reliant on e-mail to communicate in our professional lives in addition to our personal lives.

This shift is of particular importance for college students as they rely on e-mail to make contacts as they enter the professional world. One WSU-V student, Tanya Smith, re-layed her story of agonizing over the perceived professionalism of her own e-mails when an-other student in her class was admonished on their class’ Google Group for not sounding professional enough in an e-mail she sent to a professional working with the class. Smith was in the process of writing an e-mail when she read her teacher’s post about the other stu-dent’s e-mail. “[I]t really made me think about what I was going to write and how to word it. Although I wouldn’t have used slang or any thing such as that, I also probably would have written the e-mail with an informal tone to it, but instead I really thought about it and tried to make it as professional sounding as pos-sible,” said Smith.

Students want to leave a good impres-sion on advisors, teachers, professionals in their chosen field, and other contacts. If e-mail is used as an informal means of communica-tion between family and friends, the writer may take a too informal tack when writing something that should be more formal. On the other hand, the writer might also agonize over his or her phrasing for fear of writing “the wrong thing,” delaying communication unnecessarily.

In an effort to better understand the finer points of e-mail etiquette (hopefully we all know that TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS IN-TERPRETED AS YELLING, aNd ThAt StIcKy CaPs Is EvEn MoRe AnNoYiNg), I contacted Jane Cote Ph.D, Academic Director of Busi-ness programs, and Associate Professor in Accounting at WSU-V. She agreed that adher-ing to proper e-mail etiquette can be difficult to do, but advised that if you are conscious of how you’re writing, your e-mails can be both effective and courteous.

Subject LineOne of the most crucial aspects of writ-

ing effective e-mails is grabbing the recipient’s attention, especially if you are making first contact with someone who doesn’t know you. You want to be sure your recipient will de-cide to open your e-mail within the first few seconds they see it in their inbox. Cote offered more advice regarding this. It’s important to include a relevant subject line, never leaving it blank, and state why you’re contacting them immediately in the body of the e-mail. You have to convince them right away that your e-mail isn’t spam, and that it’s worth reading.

Convincing your reader that the e-mail isn’t spam and is relevant specifically to them can be tricky, especially if you need to e-mail multiple people about the same thing. For example, many students will at some point need to contact former professors to ask if they can be used as references. An e-mail sent to ten different professors with a generic message won’t generate a lot of response. You may only need two or three references, but if someone sees that you’ve sent this same mes-sage to ten other people, they may not take the request seriously, or assume that someone else will take on the task. If you decide to e-mail multiple people at once, address each of them in the salutation. For example, “Dear Su-san, Robert, and Allison, I’m writing to each of you because you are familiar with my work ethic and I need three references for…” In a personalized, rather than generic message, the readers understand that each of their in-put is needed and appreciated, and they will be more likely to respond.

StructureStructure is also key to

writing a good e-mail. Cote says, “People don’t read e-mails the same way that they read a let-ter. It also should have more paragraph breaks. … Peo-ple are going to move their eyes to the para-graph statements, move down and see what the progression of the para-graphs are so you want to make sure that you have lots of line spac-ing in there. So when you’re com-ing into a new topic, make sure there’s a line space in there because people are going to read that e-mail really fast.” She says it is important for the reader to be able to under-stand the theme of the e-mail by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. The Online Writing Lab at Purdue suggests that e-mails should have “clear, short paragraphs and be direct and to the point.”

It is also important to introduce your-self in the beginning of the e-mail along with your purpose for writing if you’re writing to someone you don’t know. For example, “Dear Mr. Stevens, My name is Jessica Nicholson, and I am a student at Washington State Uni-versity. I am writing to you because….” This way, the recipient knows right away who they’re corresponding with and why.

Carbon Copy and ForwardingCote also emphasized the importance

of sending e-mails only to those who need to see the information. A writer might want to send their message to many people and feel like they should be as inclusive as possible, but this isn’t advisable. According to Cote, e-mails should be sent selectively, and if that means not including some, then that’s ok. You can always send out another e-mail to some-one who didn’t get one, but you can’t un-send an e-mail once it’s been sent. Be selective.

In addition to being cautious about who you send an e-mail to, Cote also advised that it is important to be cautious of what you send in an e-mail. “If you have something sensitive to say, don’t say it in an e-mail,” Cote says, “Never consider e-mail as a private form of conversation. You lose control of the e-mail once you send it to somebody.” If it is important to communicate some sensitive information, Cote suggests calling the person you need to speak with. Never send your so-cial security number, or similarly sensitive in-formation, in an e-mail. The OWL at Purdue echoes this message emphasizing that, “Most people do not realize that e-mail is not as private as it may seem, and those sending e-mails should avoid “…information that could be potentially damaging to someone’s career and/or reputation, including your own.” So even if you just want to e-mail your best friend about your bad day at work, and how annoying your boss may have been that day, don’t do it in an e-mail. You never know for sure how it may come back to haunt you.

ToneOne of the most difficult things to com-

municate in print or electronically is tone. In person or over the phone, tone can be picked up in the speaker’s vocal inflections. It is easy to listen for sarcasm, for example, but this can be a pitfall for e-mail writers who seek to make a good impression. Cote suggests estab-lishing a formal, professional tone upon first contact. For example, the salutation should read, “Dear Mr. Jones,” rather than “Hi” or “Bob-“. When addressing a woman you haven’t met, and you don’t know whether she prefers Ms, Mrs, or Miss, use “Ms.” If you are unsure of the recipient’s gender, use their full name (e.g.: Dear Terry Lewis,).

Tone can also get out of hand if you become more impassioned as you write. Cote

sug-g e s t s

wri t ing a draft in

a word pro-cessor, saving it,

and returning to it to read it over again

before sending it. This time to reflect on what you’ve written can

help you decide whether your e-mail says what you really intend it to say. Also, writing it in a word processor first forces you to think before deciding to send it. If you write directly into your e-mail browser, you are more likely to hit send, and possibly regret it later.

Avoid making jokes or getting too personal. Even if you think you have similar tastes, you may accidentally offend someone you’ve been working very hard to impress. When deciding between a more formal or in-formal tone, err on the side of formality. It is more likely to leave the reader with a positive impression of you as a professional person. Cote says it is important to maintain bound-aries between personal and professional rela-tionships.

If you are ever unsure if an e-mail is worded appropriately, Cote says it is a good idea to ask a third party to read the e-mail for you so he/she can let you know what their im-pressions are of it. Be sure that the person you ask for advice is fit to give it, though. Your academic advisor is usually a good resource, and the writing center is also a great resource for a variety of student writing needs.

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MADAMStory and Illustration By

Danielle MosierThe VanCougar

Eight Edicts for E-mail Etiquette:1. Make your subject line rel-evant.2. Use a proper salutation and closing.(e.g. “Dear Mr. Jones, …body… Sincerely or Thank You, Mary Smith”).3. State the purpose of your e-mail clearly, briefly and completely.4. Distinguish your e-mail as relevant, not spam.5. Be selective of who you send your e-mail to.6. Do not send sensitive in-formation in an e-mail.7. Be aware of the tone you are setting in your e-mail. Re-read before sending, and have someone else read it if necessary.8. Never assume your e-mails will be private.

The VanCougar8 ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

“Nights in Rodanthe” is a half baked romance about two pretty, but wounded, people who quickly fall in love whilst vacationing at an impossibly beautiful location. That about sums it up and with-out revealing the ending, which I correctly guessed upon learning the movie was based on a Nico-las Sparks novel (like Message In A Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and The Notebook). The man is nothing if not consistent.

The premise: Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is a busy mother of two who has recently lost her father and is separated from her cheating husband (Christopher Meloni). Now he wants her back, but she’s off to oversee her friend’s inn and will give him an answer when she returns. Little does she know that the tortured-but-dreamy Dr. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere) is destined to be the only other guest. He’s initially brusque and reticent, but soon thaws over Adrienne’s can-dlelit dinners and their shared love of old, jazzy music and red wine. They are quick to divulge personal information and establish their ro-mantic availability.

We eventually learn that Dr. Paul is in town to speak to a man suing him for malpractice. Paul is emotionally repressed and angry, and Adrienne exorcises his despair by challenging him to acknowledge his insensitivity. The weather has read the script, and their heated ar-gument and resulting passion are accompanied by a violent storm.

Romance is tricky to depict in a convincing, digestible way

and in this case, I just wasn’t con-vinced. Gere and Lane give solid performances (particularly Lane, who does most of the work), but their relationship is hollow and contrived.

I am not a fan of microwaved love stories, which want us to be-lieve that two people can fall in love and solve all of each other’s serious emotional problems in a matter of days. Things are further diluted by too many character “is-sues,” all obligatorily clicked off throughout the film’s swift ninety-seven minute running time.

But then things take a tear jerking turn and I must admit: it worked on me. If you’re a weepy sap like I am, you’ll probably cry, too. Yes, this movie is a brutal, full blooded chick flick, and the show-ing I attended was indeed domi-nated by women (though a few

of them dragged their husbands along, one of whom was literally snoring away in the row behind me.)

Despite the film’s many flaws, I loved the cinematography (es-pecially the oceanfront dwelling house, hazardous as it is), and en-joyed Adrienne’s friend Jean (Viola Davis), who delivers her lines with perfect comedic timing and is not utilized nearly enough. Adrienne and her daughter Amanda (Mae Whitman) have some nice mo-ments towards the end, too.

Ultimately, while I can’t vouch for book-to-movie accuracy, I can say that “Nights in Rodanthe” is better than “A Walk to Remember” but falls way short of “The Note-book.” If you’re craving a deep, en-gaging romance, look elsewhere.

The film is rated PG-13 for sensuality.

By Rosie BartelThe VanCougar

UPCOMING EVENTSDIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL

Everything is Illuminated Tuesday, October 7, 4 p.m.

Crooklyn Wednesday, October 8, 7 p.m.

Osama Tuesday, October 14, 4 p.m.

Halloween Craft Night Thursday, October 23, Time TBA FSC Building, for students, friends and family.

Movie NightThursday, October 16, 7-9 p.m.Pineapple Express, rated R for per-vasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence.

Indoor Archery Instruction Tuesday, October 7, 7:30 p.m. Located at Archery World in Van-couver. Admission: $5 for students, $8 for non-students.

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ACEArts, CultureEntertainment

Richard Gere (left) and Diane Lane (right) talk over a romantic candle-lit dinner in Nights in Rodanthe.

Tepid romance fails to deliver

Being an English major, I don’t have much time to dive into a great piece of fiction and get lost in anoth-er world.

However, when I do find a few spare hours to read leisurely, I need a novel to be worth the time. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen does not disappoint.

For those non-fiction readers out there, Gruen’s novel is based on fact. She conducted extensive research on 1930’s train traveling circuses, and used the information to transport the reader to another time.

The novel has unforgettable voice, and is told from a ninety-some-thing year old man, Jacob Jankowski, in a nursing home. Throughout the novel, Gruen switches back to when

Jacob quickly found himself part of the 1930’s Benzini Bros circus.

Just when you find yourself comfortable living amongst the ti-gers, clowns, elephants, a lunatic ring master, and everything in be-tween, the novel leaps ahead to a cynical Jacob in the nursing home.

Water for Elephants is packed with tragedy, love, violence, sex and hope. Gruen allows the reader to ex-perience a historical era first hand. The novel is written tastefully and without hesitation.

Water for Elephants is the kind of novel you don’t want to finish. The ending is a bit of a stretch, however a fitting conclusion.

As a lover of all books, Water for Elephants will definitely remain on my top shelf at home. The bookie has copies for sale at 20% off. It is worth the time and money, I promise.

Book Review: Water for ElephantsBy Shantel Erickson

The VanCougar

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Entertainment and Recreation: An overwhelming number of students (and friends) showed up for a good time at last month’s FREE BOWLING and PIZZA night at Crosley Bowl.

October 6, 2008 9ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

By Will & GregBy Beau Baxter Rosser

aCe ediTor

Game Review: Penny Arcade Adventures, Episode 1

For those not in the know, Penny Arcade is the world’s most popular webcomic on all things gaming. Within the gaming com-munity, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins’ comic counterparts, Gabe and Tycho, are as recognizable as Master Chief or Mario.

What started as an every-oth-er-day webcomic has grown into a massive business with an equally massive fan base. Over the years, Penny Arcade has evolved into selling clothing and books, created a wonderful charity called Child’s Play, and founded the annual pub-licly open gaming convention PAX. These feats are not too shabby for a webcomic whose punch line could be a simple F-bomb.

Outside Penny Arcade’s afore-mentioned contributions to the gaming industry, their biggest achievement is their skewed view toward said industry by bringing in their fresh, and sometimes con-troversial opinions in every blog post.

With almost every comic ei-ther about some game they had a problem with, or how ludicrous the video game industry can be, one would think that they would make their own game with elements that they enjoyed. And so they did.

On top of being a mouthful to say, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Dark-ness, Episode One marks Gabe and Tycho’s first foray into the pastime they so thoroughly enjoy.

At first thought, one would think that a game based on the Penny Arcade comic would be that of a satire of the video game in-dustry at large or revolve around the premise of the characters being self-aware and knowing they are in a video game. However, at its root, Penny Arcade Adventures is tradi-tional on all accounts. That’s not to say the game is bad; in fact, it is the exact opposite.

Developed by indie game maker Hothead, the story takes place in a 1920s, H.P. Lovecraft-in-spired world called New Arcadia: a place where evil mimes, villain-ous barbershop quartets, and fruit loving robots are the norm. Instead of playing as Gabe and Tycho, players build their own character through a simple creation process at the beginning of the game.

The game is split between 3D game play and 2D cut scenes, with the player’s created character mod-eled out in each respectively. The 2D cut scenes play out like a living comic book and are presented in a manner most suitable to the eyes: colorful and smooth.

Overall, the feel of the Penny Arcade characters translates well into 3D, with a handful of loca-tions complimenting the art style. Speaking of locations, some would argue that the four areas in this game equal too few, but being an

episodic game, I feel the amount of areas to explore was suitable, even if each setting was a tad small.

At first glance, one would think this game is set in the adven-ture genre due to its point-and-click navigation method; however, after the first five minutes of play, players will see that Penny Arcade Adventures is more so a role-play-ing game than it is an adventure game. Sure, there are a variety of puzzles one must solve to get past objectives, but fighting the correct enemy who holds the proper item generally solves all puzzles.

Some gamers are turned off by the idea of turn-based combat, but Penny Arcade Adventures does a fine job at handling the pacing of each encounter. Each playable character has three different types of moves to choose from: items, at-tack and special attacks. Like other RPGs, each move must charge up before it can be used.

The items command is the first one ready, followed shortly after by the attack command, then lastly the special attack command. I found this method of play very engaging because it forced me to keep an eye on when certain com-mands were ready and strategize accordingly.

Adding more depth to the combat is the ability to counterat-tack everything the enemies throw your way via a timed spacebar click. At first, having to juggle counterattacks while keeping an eye on my attack preparation was a pain in the neck. Couple that with the over all difficult enemies, and you have a recipe for a headache. Eventually, though, the combat be-comes second nature with one part passive and another part active.

This first episode has a decent soundtrack for the situations the player is in, but the zero voice act-ing outside the beginning narrator/tutorial does hamper the experi-ence. For size constraints, I can see why Penny Arcade and Hothead would leave voice acting out, but it was still a pain having to read ev-erything.

Many people have been up in arms about the price of this game being $20. Personally, I had no problem shelling out the cash on this game. However, if the subse-quent episodes are the same price, then I may get annoyed. It would be smart to release each follow-ing episode with a $5 cut in price, therefore making a $50 game in completion.

Going into the creation of this game, Jerry and Mike must have known how people would be cri-tiquing their game. After all, Gabe and Tycho are the first ones to bash a game if it plays horribly.

But after six or so hours of playing Penny Arcade Adven-tures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One, I can gladly say that they get no harsh complaints from me.

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The VanCougar10 RECREATION & SPORTS

An entourage of WSU-V students “bussed” to Pullman for the WSU vs. PSU football game on Septem-ber 20. The excursion included transportation, hotel, tickets to the game, and the pre-game BBQ—all for just $25. The VanCougar had a team on the sidelines to cover the event.Top: Famous fanatics. Right: ASW-SUV President Peter Sterr toasts the Cougs at the pre-game BBQ. Below: The cheer squad and band perform at the BBQ.Bottom: Sea of Crimson and Grey. Left: Butch knows how to work the crowd.

Van Cougs visit Pullman

Photo Credits: Katie Wells and Michael Hatch forThe VanCougar

Student trip all fun and game

Recognize anyone?

October 6, 2008 11

WSU-V finally has its first outdoor fields. The two mid-sized soccer fields and an additional multi-purpose field that will host flag football and ultimate disk are ready to be used. The new soccer goals have been visible to anyone arriving from the southwest entrance. The soccer fields have already seen significant use the last couple weeks. Every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. open play soccer is hosted by the WSU-V Recreation Department. Recreation Intern Denise Eyerly, runs the event. “We had a great turnout last Thursday, with about 26-28 people between 4 and 6 p.m.” said Eyerly. “We used both of the fields and at one time had four teams going with substitutes.” Teams were made up of both advanced and beginning players. Besides organizing teams, Eyerly is responsible for getting the equipment to and from the fields. That includes shin-guards. Shin-guards are required for

play. Plenty are on hand, in case someone needs a pair. The most important thing is show up! Bola Majekobaje, the Assistant Director for Student Diversity, showed up on September 11. She said, “As a beginner I felt really welcome.” She also gave the recreation department high marks for hosting the event. “It was really fun,” she said. “It was well organized and it had a good mix of students and staff.” Her advice to anybody unsure of whether they want to play is, “even if you have no skill, you should come out and play.” Unfortunate for the ultimate disk enthusiasts numbers haven’t been as strong. The first Thursday for pick-up games saw only a handful of interested players—not enough to get a game going. Eyerly indicated that the Recreation Department will organize whatever sport a “majority” of people want to play. So far volleyball and soccer have been the popular choices.

Field of Dreams: If you build it they will come

By the third quarter, PSU had eliminated WSU’s two starting quarterbacks leaving redshirted Freshman Marshall Lobbestael, #8, to run the show. Lobbestael threw two touchdown passes in the final 30 minutes of the game to add extra insurance to the Cougar victory.

This was the first win of the season for WSU, and with a final score of 48-9, they earned it. The Cougs weren’t expecting such a harsh loss to OSU the following week. After such a let down, many wonder if WSU can comeback after such a radical blow.

One Cougar who won’t be coming back anytime soon is Senior Quarterback Gary Roger, #17. Rogers suffered a “stable cervical spine fracture” during the PSU game and will be out for the next five months.

For the next couple months, it will be imperative that Junior QB Kevin Lopina, #9, and Lobbestael stay injury-free in order to insure Cougar victories against their opponents and improve their record 1-3.

The team plays the Beavers next, Oct. 11 in Corvallis and the University of Washington at home for the Apple Cup, Nov. 22.

Trip packages for the next home game, Oct. 18, against USC are available from the ASWSUV for $25. Apple Cup package will be available in the near future.

Can Cougs comeback?

By Kevin RaymondThe VanCougar

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Jeshua Anderson, #85, scored a touchdown in the third quarter while picking up 86 yards. Christopher Ivory, #23, scored the first touchdown of the game and is the second leading rusher on the team. Dwight Tardy, #31, carried the ball for a total of 49 yards in the game against PSU and leads the team in rushing yards.

Freshman Quarterback Marshall Lobbestael threw a total of 149 yards and finished 9 for 12.

Students and staff gather on one of the new playing fields for a rousing game of soccer. Open play soccer takes place each Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Story & Photos By Katie WellsreC & SporTS ediTor

Senior Quarterback Gary Rogers was injured on the field for over 15 minutes.

A Conversation with President Elson S. Floyd OregonMuseumofScienceandIndustry

1945 SE Water Ave. • Portland October 7•6:00-8:00p.m.

Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd, Ph.D., cordially invites you to a special reception and dialogue about the University’s important work in research, education, and outreach. WSU’s contributions to the economic and civic vitality of the state of Washington , the nation, and the world help to enhance the quality of life for our global society.

Yourparticipationisimportantandmuchappreciated.Reserveyourspot(freeofcharge)athttp://wsu.edu/email/president-portland2.htm

ArcheryInstruction(ArcheryWorld)October7 Sign up at the OSI by October 3. $5 student price, $8 for non-students.

OpenGym@ChinookOctober8 Sign up at Chinook Gym. This event is free.

TheOtherBlackNorthwest:BeyondPortlandandSeattleThur, Oct. 9 at noon, WSU-V Auditorium in VADM 110, FREE

Hold‘emClinic(FirstenburgCommons)October10Sign up at the OSI. This event is free.

OutdoorPaintball(Woodland)October11 Sign up at the OSI by October 7. $10 student price, $15 for non-students.

Winterhawksvs.SeattleOctober11 Tickets went on sale September 22 at Student Affairs Special student price: $9 (Limit 2 per person)

OpenGym@ChinookOctober15 Sign up at Chinook Gym. This event is free.

DiscGolfTournametOctober16 Sign up at the OSI by October 10. This event is free.

MovieNight:PineappleExpress FSC, October 16, 7-9 p.m., free.

CHI-ALPHA Christian RSO

The VanCougar12 TAIL ENDThe VanCougar BulletinTo include a bulletin on this page, drop a flyer for a school or club-related event into our “Bulletins” folder outside VCLS 212 or email vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu. Free for registered student organizations!

October 2008

Chi-Alpha is a Christian group meeting on campus every Monday 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and every

other Tuesday, 10:00 -10:30 a.m. in the Firstenburg Student Commons cafe area.

Cody Winkler, College and Career Pastor at Turning Point Christian Center will be leading the discussions of interest to students.

Mark Dahl, a church youth worker, will be sharing Tue., October 7 about his climbing rescue experience on Mt. Adams.

Classified Advertisment Space is AvailableYour ad here for just $3.50 an issue or two issues for $5. 50 words or less. Cash in advance. Students recieve a fifty cent discount. No business listings, please. Call or stop by the VanCougar office for assistance. 546.9524 • VCLS 212

Take a look around the WSU-V parking lots and you’ll see a lot more motorcycles these days. In fact, there’s a lot more space for the bikes, too. Public Safety has divided several for-mer car spaces into those for motorcycles.

The additional spaces in Orange 2 are classified as tempo-rary/seasonal and could dis-appear with disuse when the weather turns nasty. Right now that doesn’t look like a problem. The spaces seem well used.

According to Public Safety Manager, Lt. Dave Stephenson “We are seeing approximately 14-20 motor-cycles on campus per day on nice days.”

Stephenson says the new motorcycle parking was add-ed in the ORANGE 2 due to increased motorcycle traffic this year. He cites high fuel prices and extended good weather as possible triggers

for increased motorcycle traffic. Should the additional motorcycle spaces be removed over

the winter due to disuse they will be returned in the spring as need increases.

“All vehicles parking at WSU-V,” notes Stephenson, “are required to purchase and dis-play a parking permit unless they are using a parking meter with time showing on the me-ter.”

Motorcycle parking permits are sold annually for $55.85 or as an addition to a standard se-mester/annual parking permit at a cost of $5.00

A parking map—showing motorcycle parking—is avail-able from Public Safety. Ad-ditional lots, with motorcycle parking are under construction. GRAY 5 is expected to open in late October. GREEN 3 will open with the Undergraduate Classroom Building next year.

More space for motorcycles

Photo by Matt Wright