WSU Digest – for the week of Oct. 13 On the Calendar

The Washington State University student theatre organization STAGE One will present its annual showcase of student-written and student-directed one-act plays at 8 p.m. Oct. 15-18 in Daggy Hall’s Wadleigh Theatre. STAGE One continues to develop the talent of new writers and directors while entertaining audiences with a number of new plays, each with its own look, theme and atmosphere. STAGE is in its fifth year of providing an opportunity for new playwrights to showcase their work. For more details, read https://wsunews.wsu.edu/detail.asp?StoryID=4126 

Our nation’s Western heritage will be the subject when Washington State University Vancouver’s Honors Program hosts a free lecture titled “Rivers and Rodeos: New and Old West,” at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Student Services lecture hall. WSU writers and professors Alex Kuo and Joan Burbick will examine the myths of the American West and what they tell us about this region. Burbick, a professor in WSU’s American studies program and former senior research fellow at Stanford University, is the author of  “Rodeo Queens and the American Dream,” a study of the world of rodeo queens and their role in the shaping of the American West. Kuo is a professor in WSU’s comparative American cultures and English departments.  His most recent book, “Lipstick,” received an American Book Award. For more information, see https://wsunews.wsu.edu/detail.asp?StoryID=4125 

In the news

Eating better together: It’s “Eat Better; Eat Together” month in Washington, a designation which aims to encourage more togetherness at family mealtimes. “The challenge to having regular family meals is the increasing demand on our time,” said Sue Butkus, a nutrition specialist at Washington State University’s Puyallup Research and Extension Center. “Between work schedules, soccer and band practices for the kids, video games and the Internet, family meals together tend to get squeezed out.” But surveys have shown that children who regularly eat with their families have fewer behavior problems in school and are significantly less likely to get involved in high-risk behaviors. Also, regular family meals improve the nutritional intake of both children and their parents. Butkus can be reached 253.445.4553 or butkus@wsu.edu 

Minimum wage rising: The scheduled increase in the minimum wage in Washington State to $7.16 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2004, has again sparked discussion of the impact of the minimum wage on both employers and employees. David Young, a business development specialist in the Tacoma office of the WSU Small Business Development Center, said that overall, the effect of a higher minimum wage, either on employment or poverty rates, is anything but clear-cut. Among the clients of the center, he said, minimum wage is seldom a major business concern by itself. However, clients in very competitive industries, including apparel and light manufacturing, that are facing competition from abroad are concerned with anything including benefits, taxes or wage levels that might force them to an “off shore” business strategy. Young is available at dyoung@bates.ctc.edu or 253.680.7768.