Beat Note

The Palouse region is undeniably dominated by Caucasian farmers. Without WSU, Pullman would essentially represent the same demographic. The university brings in nearly 20,000 students to a town that otherwise would support a minimal local population. This influx of people from not only around the state but from around the world creates diversity of people, ideas and cultures. I am interested in such cultural issues that Pullman and WSU face on a day-to-day basis and how issues outside our somewhat isolated town embedded in wheat fields still affect our lives.

A culture beat is further important because the diversity of Pullman makes it different from the rest of the county and most of the Eastern Washington region. Therefore it is important to develop knowledge and simply be aware of the cultural issues in our area. For this, the WSU multicultural clubs (such as Muslim Student Association, Filipino American Student Association, etc.) and Multicultural Student Services would know what is happening locally and on campus. I know the Gladdish Community Center also hosts cultural events throughout the year. National issues and trends trickle down to Pullman as well. Obviously one of the biggest issues of the day is the state of the economy. Economic hardships can affect culture. Some possibilities could be the economy’s affect on the number of people studying abroad or on a decrease in cultural awareness events due to costs. I read an article about a trend in collegiate study abroad programs that said that more and more students are opting for short-term abroad programs due to the economy here in the U.S. This trend will most likely show up in WSU’s programs as well.

My take on culture as a beat will not be like the “Arts and Culture” page in the newspaper. Occasionally a story or idea may come up that incorporates cultural topics such as food, dress, etc. However, my main focus will be stories that deal with ethnic issues and how they affect the Pullman and WSU communities. According to the City of Pullman website, there are 27,600 people living in the city limits of Pullman, a 9.67 square mile area. We are practically living on top of each other. In addition, many of these people are from out of town, out of state, and out of the country. A 2007 article on the WSU website stated, “The single largest percent increase for freshmen applicants and enrolled students was among international students.” Because of this mass of people from a variety of different lifestyles and cultures all residing in an incredibly small area, cultural issues will undeniably arise both on campus and in our town. Therefore, stories need to be covered about cultural issues, awareness and appreciation.

From a historical context, I have a few examples of past articles on cultural issues in the area. At the end of spring semester, The Daily Evergreen published a week-long series on the DREAM Act (the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act). The series discussed what the act entailed and featured some students from WSU who were campaigning for the act and who would benefit from its induction. Last February, The Spokesman Review ran a story about Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative, which pays for high school students with social and ethnic diversity and leadership abilities to go to Washington state colleges. Also, several months ago, The Seattle Times published a piece on elementary school closures. The article relates to culture because all of the schools being shut down were predominantly attended by minority students and the incident created an uproar.


3 story ideas:

I have a couple ideas for stories that deal with the study abroad programs. I would like to see how the economy has affected both students from WSU choosing to go abroad and also foreign students choosing to come here? Does the study abroad program financially help or hurt WSU’s economic state?

One of the cultural clubs on campus, the Middle Eastern Student Association, was once a relatively well established club with stable membership. After Sept.11, membership dropped off and last year the club essentially started over with all new members and is experiencing an influx of people. I would be interested in doing a story on the club and why it is experiencing an increase in membership.

I know that some elementary schools are now offering Spanish classes/tutoring to English-speaking students. I would be interested in doing a story on if Pullman’s elementary schools are also participating in such a program. If they are, why and why now? And if not, do they see a need?


3 relevant articles:

UCLA puts on a cultural seminar for school teachers
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-teach12-2009aug12,0,6753624.story

Attacks on Indian students studying abroad in Australia
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2009/gb2009064_609700.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_global+business

Four school systems in Mississippi have asked to be a part of an educational program that will teach civil rights curriculum at every grade level k-12.
http://www.sunherald.com/newsupdates/story/1551335.html

3 sources:

Candace Chenoweth
Education Abroad Director at WSU
chenow@wsu.edu
(509) 335-6204

J.Manuel Acevedo
Director of Multicultural Student Services
(509) 335-7852

Brian Moore
Principal of Franklin Elementary (Pullman)
brianm@psd267.wednet.edu
(509) 334-5641