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Show AT A GLANCE 2 EDITORIAL 3 FEATURES 4 SPORTS 6 CLASSIFIEDS 7 • VOL 82 ISSUE 8 TUESDAY, JULY26, 2011 WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM Wildcats master prof, comm. WSU unveils the newest of its 11 new master degree programs By Thomas Alberts asst. news editor I The Signpost Introducing the first master's degree in the Communication Department, Weber State University is stepping up to help students meet the new requirements of the business world. The newest of only 11 master's programs to be unveiled at WSU is the professional communication master's degree. At the beginning of summer semester, this particular master's degree was added to the Communication Department after many in the community expressed a desire to add to their professional communication skills. "Achieving a master's degree period is important to anyone in the professional world," said WSU graduate Christee Kyte, who said she is strongly considering enrolling in the professional communication master's program. "I think the communication program absolutely needed a master's program." Master's degrees are becoming more and more expected. This was the belief voiced by both students like Kyte and the director of the professional communications program, Sheree losephson, who is also a professor of communication. losephson outlined why the Communication Department's only master's program was in professional communication. The reason for this is also the reason for a wide array of diversity in the program, with students coming from career fields varying from public relations to law enforcement. "Communication is the No. 1 skill employers need," losephson said. The new program aligns WSU with a national trend of an increasing number of students who apparently seek out master's degrees. According to a recent New York Times article, the number of master's degrees awarded in the United States has doubled since the 1980s. This is a shift from WSU's usual focus on undergraduate teaching, losephson added that the See Master's page 5 From WSU to biking ill Weber alum bikes across country with green attitude By Spencer Garn editor-in-chief I The Signpost When a Weber State University alumnus finishes his journey to San Francisco this weekend, he will have traveled more than 2,500 miles on a bike with a frame he crafted from a plant. "It's been incredible," said Jason Dilworth, a 2006 WSU graduate. "It doesn't ride like a plant. It's exactly like riding any other bicycle, except having the satisfaction of knowing that I built it, which, I think, makes it a little better." Before commencing the ride in Greensboro, Ala., Dilworth and three other bicyclists harvested shoots of bamboo and cured them over an open flame. "Like roasting a marshmal- low," said fellow rider Marc O'Brien. The fire melts the sugar coating on the surface of the bamboo shoot, hardening the Top: Members of the bike team put finishing touches on Marc O'Brien's bamboo bicycle at the Bamboo Bike Studio in New York. Below left: O'Brien's bicycle, complete with 60 pounds of gear before the 2,500- mile See Bamboo page 5 trip. Below right: Jason Dilworth, right, bikes with two other members of his team toward Moab, Utah. Buy smart: local vs. global Local markets offer many benefits, but are they worth it for students? By Cade Hancock news reporter I The Signpost In recent years, the most popular accessory people have adorned isn't diamond earrings, gold watches or overpriced shoes. That honor belongs to the "Buy Local" bags that people all over the country have slung over their shoulders. Buying local, though, raises the ques tion of what the benefits of buying locally actually are, when it can be easier and seemingly cheaper to run to the nearest superstore conglomerate. With unemployment high and the economy still in poor condition, is it worth it to consumers to spend the extra buck at locally owned vendors? "We have a duty to our local businesses to keep them afloat first," said Alex Ger- rish, a Weber State University junior majoring in music. "As soon as we forget that, we lose the underpinning of the American economy and our society." According to a study out of the Center for Sustainable Systems from the University of Michigan, producing agriculture fit for the local environment has become difficult for farmers because of its competitiveness. This type of competitive market control is exacerbated by contractual agreements, which, in many cases, also limit a farmer's ability to make management choices that benefit the local environmental, social and See Local page 5 |