Semester at Sea

Semester At Sea Costs Climbing
Semester at Sea is undeniably the most expensive way to study abroad. The program is increasing the tuition each semester, causing noticeable hesitation in student applicants at Washington State University.
The dream of someday studying abroad for some students at WSU, is staying just a dream. Not only do students have to worry about increased program tuition, they also have to worry about the other expenses that come along with studying abroad. They must take into consideration the visa costs for multiple countries, airfare, excursions, books, meals and traveling fees. Students typically estimate an additional $8,000 on top of their tuition. The website does say that prices are subject to change until the departure date, however students are shocked to see by how much.
Lindsay R. Agnew, a junior at WSU, applied for the Semester at Sea program in February 2008, when the cost for a double cabin was $22,000. The cost for the same room now is $25,475 for the spring 2009 trip.
There is only a small paragraph on the web site explaining why the prices are increasing so dramatically. “The web site said that in the past year the cost of one ton of bunker fuel had increased 100 percent,” Agnew said. “I was devastated when I found out about the inflated gas prices pushing the tuition up by about $3,500.” Agnew was planning to study abroad this coming spring but was forced to cancel her plans because of the cost.
Being that the Semester at Sea program is already the most expensive abroad option available, Agnew said “I couldn’t ask my parents to pay that much more, I just couldn’t do that to them.”
Another junior at WSU, Mollie V. Finlon, had a similar reaction to the increase. “I had dreamed about doing Semester at Sea ever since I was little” Finlon said. “I was planning on going abroad my junior year of college until my parents received an e-mail from the program this past summer telling us about the huge price increase.”
Even though Finlon’s heart was set on doing this program, she decided there are different ways she would rather spend the money. “I would rather ask my parents to help me pay for something useful once I graduate, like helping me with putting a down payment on a house, getting a new car, or possibly even a wedding someday,” Finlon said.
The tentative cost for the fall 2009 trip is on the webpage already. The double cabin that Agnew and Finlon were both interested in will be $29,295. That $3,820 difference already has students outraged.
People intending on canceling their trip for this spring must notify the program by October 20th to receive a full refund.
The WSU Study Abroad department encourages students to study abroad because of an unmatched cultural experience they gain that will last a lifetime. However, more and more students and parents are asking about the costs of the program. They are very concerned with the dramatic price increase so far this year.
Research and Special Programs Coordinator for the study abroad office, Melanie A. Jones, said “I advise them all to look into scholarship options. It is very worthwhile to apply because there are so many possibilities.”
“With the falling value of the U.S. dollar in other countries, we have seen a huge decrease with students in all the programs,” Jones said. “We are trying to focus students’ interests on countries that don’t use the Euro, less traditional places.”

Summary Lead Example

A 20-year-old man was killed Monday night when his vehicle ran into a utility pole at the intersection of Main Street and Broad Street in Moscow.

Summary Lead

McCain drifts away from a legacy of deregulation
(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain has spent much of his two decades in Congress pushing deregulation, but the Republican presidential nominee is continuing his election year migration toward more government control of the economy as the nation faces one of its greatest financial crises since the Great Depression.

Sen. John McCain strikes a populist tone during a campaign stop in Media, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

"I want the people in Ohio here to know that I have not forgotten the economy on Main Street," McCain said during a campaign stop in Strongsville, Ohio, on Tuesday. "Not Wall Street, not Washington, D.C., but Main Street is the focus of our attention and our efforts."
McCain's latest populist message comes as Congress weighs a $700 billion bailout plan to prop up struggling financial firms beset by bad mortgages and head off a severe credit crunch.
McCain expressed doubts about the bailout during a campaign stop in Media, Pennsylvania, on Monday, in an attempt to help distance himself from the unpopular president.
"We need to put our country first and focus what's best for Main Street. It's the excess and greed of Washington and Wall Street that got us in this situation to start with," the Arizona Republican said. Watch McCain's bailout plan »
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McCain's populist bent has made some fellow Republicans unhappy, but McCain's advisers say that is fine by them.
With the economic crisis dominating, McCain has one overriding political objective right now: connecting with anxious and angry voters in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio and convincing them he understands the financial pressures they face. Watch the nominees' aides debate the economy »
A McCain aide told CNN Monday night that the senator won't decide how he will vote until he sees the completed package being negotiated between the administration and Congress.
Despite McCain saying he was "uncomfortable" with the bailout plan on the campaign trail, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson assured the Senate Democratic leadership that McCain would be "fine" with the measure and will vote for the bailout, a Democratic congressional leadership source told CNN.
Senate Democrats are worried that other Senate Republicans would vote against the bailout if McCain decided to oppose the measure, the source said. Watch how the candidates are handling the crisis »
If Republicans do not back the bailout, it would force more Democrats to vote for the politically unpopular proposal, which President Bush and his administration says is desperately needed to end the financial crisis.
As part of his populist message, McCain is siding with Democrats in demanding a cap in compensation for CEOs for companies that participate in the government rescue to no more than $400,000 -- the amount the president makes.
"We can't have taxpayers footing the bill for bloated golden parachutes," McCain said. "The senior executives of any firm that's bailed out by the Treasury should not be making more money than the highest-paid government office." iReport.com: Is the financial crisis hurting your business?
McCain is also expressing great concern about giving one person, Paulson, control of a $700 billion bailout package and has not decided whether he will vote for the measure, a senior aide to McCain said.
"Never before in the history of our nation has so much power and money been concentrated in the hands of one person," McCain said. "This arrangement makes me deeply uncomfortable. And when we're talking about a trillion dollars of taxpayer money, 'trust me' just isn't good enough."
Instead, McCain is proposing a bipartisan oversight board to supervise the rescue, suggesting three people for it: former Republican rival and businessman Mitt Romney, Barack Obama supporter and Wall Street heavyweight Warren Buffett and independent New York mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg.
"We won't solve a problem caused by poor oversight with a plan that has no oversight," McCain said.

3 Pitches

Pitch 1:
Minors and 21-year-olds alike are upset with the increase in policemen around College Hill on Thursday through Saturday nights.
The number of police officers at night is a huge increase from the previous years at WSU.
My article will include why there is an increase in police officers as well as interviews of students who are uneasy of the increase in officers and also someone at the police station explaining the increase.
The intended audience would be the people of Pullman, more specifically, the students that attend WSU.

Pitch 2:
The increasing cost of semester at sea is driving more and more students away from the program.
The price for semester at sea has never been so high. It has raised its price due to fuel costs to almost $4,000.
My article will include situations where a student had to drop out of the program and facts about the increase as well as interviews from people who have decided against semester at sea because of the price increase. Also I would want to talk to the semester at sea program to see how badly the increase has effected their quota.
My intended audience are students who have been planning to study abroad

Pitch 3:
The U-District proposal has people has students that live on College Hill outraged.
Allowing this proposal to pass would allow police jurisdiction over all the properties on College Hill.
My article will include exactly what would happen if the proposal is passed as well as interviews from what students think about the proposal who live on College Hill and also from someone who strongly supports this proposal.
My intended audience is anyone who lives on College Hill

Compare & Contrast News Sites

The three news sites that I chose to compare the differences between "news judgment" and style are CNN.com, KING 5 News, and Fox News. I looked at them all on Monday, Sept. 1st at about 5 p.m.

The type of stories that appear in the most prominent place for CNN are stories about the most newsworthy or shocking information that is going on in the United States. For example, the second story listed on the web page is about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter who is five-months pregnant. This story is newsworthy because it has to do with someone with a position of great distinction that everyone in the US knows. CNN's main audience are people who live in the United States and who are primarily Democratic. I don't think that CNN adheres to the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

For King 5 News, the most important stories that happen in Washington state are typically higher on the web page than other stories. For example, the second story on the web page is about Bellevue, WA teachers who voted to strike. This is newsworthy for this publication because the people who look at this site are from this area so it is extremely relevant to everyone in the Bellevue School District. However, when there is an important incident going on in the United States, such as Hurricane Gustav and articles that have to do with the presidential election, it will typically replace the local news stories. King 5's primary audience are mainly people who live in Washington or in the Pacific Northwest who like to see articles involving both local and national news. I think that King 5 does adhere to the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

For Fox News, the most important or shocking stories that happen nation wide are in the most prominent position on the web page. The first two articles on foxnews.com are the same as CNN's, but from then on they differ in order. Fox News' main audience are people who primarily live in the United States and only want to know the most important issues going on nation wide. I do not think that Fox News adheresto the Murrow standard of being fair and balanced.

Personally, since I am from Seattle, Washington, I would most likely read King 5 News because I like to know what is going on around the state and the important stories that are happening in the United States.