Final Story

Economy may be down, but donations are up.

            In Moscow, Idaho, it was only 10 a.m. but the small parking lot at Hope Thrift Shoppe was full. The sounds of voices filled the store as customers scoured the shelves for new dishes, furniture and clothes. Two women sat in an alcoves talking and sipping coffee that was provided. Another woman browsed the clothes racks, continuously chatting to the small dog that seemed more interested in smells than styles.

            The treasures seemed endless for those who sifted through them; and they never stop coming.

            “Donations have stayed the same, but that’s still much higher than we expected,” said Steve Otto, manager of Hope Thrift Shoppe.

            Even in the down economy, the proximity to two universities and the holiday season bring in more donations than the shop can handle. They recycled over 90 tons of clothes alone in the last year Otto said.

            “We’ve got clothes covered,” said Otto. “We take in so many clothes that we end up recycling the ones that aren’t in great shape.”

            Patricia Baiar, operational manager of Palouse Treasures, agreed with Otto, saying they have so many clothes, but so little space for them. Palouse Treasures also recycles clothes that are too worn out or stained;  they get paid for every pound of clothes recycled to an organization in Seattle that turns around and sends the clothes to Africa, Baiar said.

            With fall semester ending and many students leaving, there has been a recent influx of donations.

             “Donations rise and fall with the college,” Baiar said. “It all depends on the semesters and when they end.”

            Location may play a major factor in why these thrift stores are experiencing more donations than expected. According to a July 2010 article in the Non-Profit Times, donations decreased by 3 percent in 2009. It was the second year in a row that donations decreased.

            While this isn’t the major downturn most organizations were fearing, it has led to many non-profits to still fall short of the materials needed to meet budget and project requirements.

            Palouse Treasures is a sister organization of Palouse Industries, an organization that helps persons with disabilities. The thrift shop functions as a source of income for Palouse Industries, while providing workplace training for clients. If Palouse Treasures were to close, so would those important resources, said Baiar.

            Hope Thrift Shoppe works with the surrounding communities to provide whatever services are needed. Recently, they have been providing free haircuts and interview clothes to those who can’t afford them, Otto said.

            Donations aren’t the only thing increasing for the thrift store. According to Otto, sales at Hope Thrift Shoppe have increased 50 percent since November 2009.

            “We thought it would take us two years to meet our overhead,” Otto said, “but we’ve been open just over a year and have already reached it.”

My secret

I'm so terrified of drowning that I'll "forget" a swimsuit when I go to the family lake house every summer. I'm a great swimmer too.

Ethics Dilemma #2

1. Define the dilemma. What is the concern?
Invasion of privacy. She was choosing to prosecute privately, not publicly. She isn't a public figure.

2. Examine the alternatives. Are there other options to convey the message?

• Use an alias
• Use just a first name

3. Justify your decision. Explain why you decided what you decided.
The woman deserves her privacy due to the nature of the crime. She could be afraid to have her name public, due to backlash.

Peer edit

1. Beat Officer Chris Engle, who was the one to write Felt’s citation, agrees that the issue of minors drinking will remain an issue in Pullman and that beat officers are important in helping control underage drinking.

Officer Chris Engle agrees that underage drinking will remain an issue in Pullman and that beat officers help it.

2. According to the data, WSU reported no homicides, 2 aggravated assaults, and several other incidence.

According to the data, WSU reported two aggrivated assults and several other incidences. No homicides were reported.


3. “If it was not for financial aid,” Smith said, “than I would have had a much harder time getting my Bachelor’s degree; not to mention my Master’s.”

If it was not for finacial aid then I would have had a much harder tine getting my Bachelor's dregree, not to mention my Master's,"Smith said.


4. Though the university is losing money, they are also receiving applications from more potential students, Jones said.
Although the Univerisity continues to lose money, more people are sending applications, Jones said.


5. The Whitman County housing market experienced a 31 percent decrease in home sales in the past year. (Shorten by five words)

In the past year, Whitman County home sales decreased by 31 percent.


6. As a 22 year old student at Seattle University Stephanie Marie did not know the different risk associated with having unprotected sex. (Correct and shorten by three words.)

22-year-old Seattle University student Stephanie Marie didn't know the risks associated with unprotected sex.


7. The Washington State Liquor Control Board has had enough of the caffeinated malt-liquor beverage, Four Loko. It is now in the process of banning it from shelves on Nov. 18. (Combine into one sentence and cut any unnecessary words.)

The Washington State Liquor Board is in the process of banning the caffinated malt-liquor beverage Four Loko from the shevles Nov. 18.


8. Despite criticism for its lack of change so far, legislators uphold their belief that the ban on cell phones while driving will eventually lower the accident rates.

9. Police said they do not know who attended the party last month.

2 story ideas

1. The busses and how the weather messes with their schedules. Saw a few FB posts about how people had to wait a while for the bus to show up and ended up being really late to class.

2. What the snow removal costs WSU and/or Pullman.

Pretty good ledes from our class

18. WSU student John sits in the library with others from his biology class at a table where he has been seated for hours, and will be for hours more.
“Looks like another all-nighter,” said John. “I’ll be here working on this until the library closes, then it’s back home to write a paper and cram some more for my exam tomorrow, good thing I got some Adderall.”

6. They do not believe in God or Jesus, Heaven or Hell, or any religion. People assume they have no morals and people are quick to judge them. This is a stigma that has been attached to atheists in America.

Atheism is ranked as the most hated minority in this country, according to an ABC report.

Trend Story 2: Textbook prices

Rising textbook prices send students looking elsewhere for textbooks.

Year after year, during finals week, students load their backpacks down with textbooks too heavy to carry comfortably. They brave long lines filled with their peers, worn-out from the exams they finally finished, grumpy from the load of books strapped to their backs.

            All this is done in hopes to recover a significant portion of the hundreds of dollars they spent on textbooks that semester. For Pacifico L. Bay III, the lack of money made from the Bookie buy-back sent him over the edge.

            “The biggest frustration for textbooks by far is buying them for over a hundred dollars, then bringing them back to the bookstore and they only offer to buy them back for about twenty dollars,” Bay said in an email.

            The Bookie has to keep up with the rising demand for used books, as well as make room for the new editions the publishers produce and the professors require. This causes used books that won’t be used the next year to be bought back for pennies on the dollar, since the Bookie won’t be able to turn around and sell them.

            But the cost of textbooks is steep all around the Northwest. A 2007 survey of students at Oregon State University found that over half the students spent about $750 a year on textbooks -with about 75 percent of the students buying only used books.

            Textbook prices increased of 3.2 percent from October 2009 to October 2010, according the Consumer Price Index. This increase, along with the constant flow of new editions from publishers, keeps the cost of textbooks up from year to year.

            “The profits for publishers are in the first year of a new edition”, Bob Carbaugh, professor in economics at Central Washington University and co-author of the article “Are College Textbooks Fairly Priced?”, said in an e-mail.

            With rising tuition, fees and textbooks, students have started to look for cheaper ways to gain access to textbooks. The same 2007 poll of OSU students showed that half the students surveyed used online bookstores to purchase their books. Third-party companies like Amazon and eBay have entire websites dedicated to college students and textbooks.

            Professors are also helping students find lower textbook prices by researching Amazon and eBay, then reporting back to the students. Others are finding ways to provide the material for free to students, by placing it on reserve at the library or finding free online copies.

            David Demers, a communication professor, was able to provide a PDF version of the book Athena’s Forum to his students for free. His wife owns the publishing company that owns the copyright to the book.

            Demers said he would love to provide the books he writes to students at no cost, but he doesn’t own the copyrights. He also pointed out that the authors should be rewarded for their works.

            “If you remove the financial incentive, it will reduce the quality of the books,” Demers said.

            Social networking sites can also help students find less expensive books.

            The Facebook group “Students buying/selling textbooks at WAZZU” is a group that students can join to post textbooks they need or textbooks they want to sell. Established by Pacifico Bay after his buyback frustrations grew, the group allows student to bypass third parties and work directly with each other.           

            The Facebook page has over 1,400 members who have already started posting books they want to sell at the end of this semester. Students can set their own prices, make offers of the books they need, and set up a convenient way to handle the transaction.

            “One of the main concepts of creating this page was for students to help other students,” Bay said. “Many students have found people to buy books from and to sell books to.”

            With the end of the semester approaching, students have already started posting the books they want to sell. By finals week the Bookie and Facebook page alike will be full of students trying to get the best price on an expensive commodity.