COMSTRAT 485 - Final Research Report

PULLMAN PR: Research Report
Situational Analysis & Research Report: Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
The Future of Murrow: The Transition to a Laptop Requirement
Pullman PR
Amoje Moody, Jordan Kercheval, Rachel Baker, Lauren Campanella, Katherine Barner, and
Jamie Waters
Washington State University
November 4, 2018
PULLMAN PR: Research Report 1
Executive Summary
Pullman PR conducted this research to gather evidence that would help the Edward R.
Murrow College of Communication have a better understanding of how to successfully
communicate a laptop requirement policy to prospective students and parents of students. The
purpose of this study was to be able to draw conclusions from our research by analyzing findings
from current Murrow students, parents of current students and faculty.
The methods for this research involved one focus group, two online surveys and in-depth
interviews. Pullman PR spoke to current students in a focus group to gain a better understanding
of potential feelings towards a laptop policy. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of
current Murrow students and faculty. Two online surveys were sent out: one to parents and
another to current students. All research methods resulted in tangible results that allowed
Pullman PR to make realistic suggestions for our client.
The major findings from current Murrow students are that most students come to school
with a laptop already and most use their laptops daily. The biggest concern for students is an
increase in price that would come with needing to purchase Adobe. The major findings from
parents are that they view laptops as a very useful tool for student success in college, and a
majority of parents assisted their child in buying a laptop. Parents often voiced that if the college
were to have a laptop requirement, assistance should be provided to students who cannot afford
to purchase one. Finally, the overall thoughts of faculty are that the implementation of this policy
may end up being costly for the college, and applying for a grant may be a good idea.
Table Of Contents
Introduction & Situational Analysis 4
Methods 20
Findings 22
Conclusions and Recommendations 37
References 41
Appendices 42
List of Tables and Figures

Figure 1 29
Figure 2 29
Figure 3 30
Figure 4 31
Figure 5 32
Figure 6 39
Figure 7 40
Figure 8 40
Figure 9 41
Figure 10 41
Figure 11 42
Figure 12 42
Figure 13 43
Figure 14 43
Introduction and Situational Analysis

The Purpose
“The current computer labs are falling apart,” said Devin Gay, an IT staff member in the
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. The Edward R. Murrow College of
Communication has the opportunity to fix the problem of failing computer labs by implementing
a laptop policy for undergraduate students.
The purpose of this analysis is to examine the current media practices of the Edward R.
Murrow College of Communication to identify and measure outreach success, and to figure out
how to effectively communicate a new laptop policy to parents and prospective students.
The two key publics Pullman PR will focus on are parents and prospective students from
the WSU Pullman campus. In the analysis Pullman PR will explain each target public in-depth
and why these two publics are key to the success of the laptop policy.
Background on Organization and Industry
Mission, Vision and Goals
The mission of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is to expand Edward
R. Murrow’s legacy through the embodiment of his values and expertise to serve the evolving
fields of communication and mass communication. To accomplish this mission, the College
facilitates articulate, effective, ethical communication on the part of individuals and institutions
in the service of just democratic societies (The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication,
n.d.).The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication will be recognized as an international
leader in communication education and scholarship for its application of the values and expertise
Murrow championed as a courageous, professional communicator and engaged citizen (The
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).

1. To provide a professionally-oriented, skills-based education that emphasizes experiential
learning and excellence in writing, speaking and digital communication skills.
2. To highlight the ability to communicate articulately to global and diverse audiences,
accentuating an entrepreneurial mindset with social responsibility.
3. To develop meaningful, productive collaboration among Murrow College students and
other units at WSU, relevant external organizations, communication professions and society in
ways that facilitate clear, effective and ethical communication on the part of individuals and
institutions.
4. To expand opportunities for research and graduate education that place faculty and
students at the cutting edge of communication scholarship contributing to the greater society by
increasing our understanding of health, science, public affairs and related areas of scholarship.
5. To cultivate a strong internal foundation for the Murrow College of Communication that
successfully includes and extends to the Everett and Vancouver campuses and throughout
Washington State (The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).
History
The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is named after one of the most
famous Washington State College graduates. Edward R. Murrow, class of 1930, is known for his
London rooftop broadcasts during World War II air raids. Murrow is also known for his CBS
nightly program, See It Now. On this program, he took on U.S. Senator McCarthy during the Red
Scare. McCarthy was targeting people in the political arena by calling them communists, even if
they were not. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, fought McCarthy through true
investigative reporting to prove McCarthy’s claims were false. The Edward R. Murrow College
of Communication holds true to his legacy. The college is dedicated to providing students with
inspiration, experience, and real-world experience.
The Department of Communication was first named in 1964 under the College of Liberal
Arts when the Department of Journalism and the Broadcast major in the Department of Speech
were merged. During the 1980s, the
department saw an exponential growth
due to the guidance of Glenn Johnson
and W. Neal Robison. In 1986, Dr.
Alexis S. Tran led the effort to
designate the department as the Edward
R. Murrow School of Communication.
The new name was approved by the
WSU Board of Regents in 1990. In 2008, the department separated from the College of Liberal
Arts and became the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. The first Dean of the
college was Dr. Lawrence Pintak, a journalist with over 30 years of experience in the field. In the
past year (2018), the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication appointed a new Dean,
Bruce Pinkleton (The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).
Undergraduate Studies
The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication offers three different fields of study
for undergraduate students.
● Communication and Society
○ Communication and Technology
○ Science Communication
○ Risk and Crisis Communication
● Journalism and Media Production
○ Broadcast News
○ Media Production
○ Multimedia Journalism
● Strategic Communication
○ Advertising
○ Public Relations
While each field specializes in a specific area in the communication field, all students receive a
well-rounded education in all aspects of communication. The Edward R. Murrow also offers
minors in Communication and Sports Communication.
Current Status
Currently, the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication has 8 computer labs. These
labs are used for classes as well as for students to work on projects during non-class times. There
are 240 computers in these labs for students to use.
Writing Labs for Word Processing
Jackson 373 – 20 computers
Murrow 243 – 20 computers
Media Labs:
Goertzen Studio 1 – 40 computers
Goertzen 117 – 20 computers

News Room:
Research Lab:
Not all of the computers are being used by students. Most of these computers are eight
plus years old which is causing difficulties for the Murrow College Information Technology (IT)
staff. The IT staff are struggling to keep these computers up to date with the newest Windows
and software updates. Within the first few months of the Fall 2018 semester, two computers from
the Jackson 52 newsroom have broken. These computers were originally $3,000 when first
purchased, but are now so old the IT department cannot find the correct parts to fix them. With
old equipment, it is difficult for the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication to complete
its goal of developing experiential learning in digital skills.
Major Issues Affecting Organization
Murrow also recently faced a budget cut after WSU overspent its budget by $20-$30
million annually from 2014-2017 (The Daily Evergreen, 2017). In response to Schulz’s budget
cut, Murrow College Dean Bruce Pinkleton responded in a memo that there will be a 2.5 percent
expenditure reduction by allocating fiscal resources away from unplanned travel support for
faculty and related financial requests.
Another issue facing Murrow is lack of updated technology. Murrow College IT Staff
Member Devin Gay has said that the technology currently available to Murrow students is out-
of-date and constantly breaking. The computers have important programs like Adobe and Avid
available to students, but are always in reparation, making it hard on students without laptops to
access useful resources.

Strengths
The Murrow College holds the namesake of notable alumni Edward R. Murrow. This is a
strength for the college because its brand is nationally recognizable. Alumni of the Murrow
College have gone on to be very successful and are actively involved in the college by donating
or participating in Murrow Symposium and the Murrow Mentor Program.
The Murrow Symposium is an event that brings prominent media figures to the WSU
Pullman campus to discuss and provide valuable information on issues or events occurring the
field of communications. This gives Murrow students the opportunity to obtain valuable advice
from alumni and other communication professionals. For example, students can also receive
advice from alumni through the Murrow Mentor Program, which pairs students with alumni to
build upon students’ resumes and expand professional networks in preparation for post-graduate
job searching.
There are many ways for students to get involved in the Murrow College. Cable 8
Productions is a student-run television station that gives real-life experience to students
interested in broadcast journalism or television production. Murrow also offers a backpack
journalism program funded by alumni that sends accomplished students within the college all
over the world to cover an international event unique to that country’s culture. Previous
backpack journalism destinations have included Nepal, Greece, Guatemala, Costa Rica, China,
and Sri Lanka. Students involved with these organizations within the college often rely on
editing software such as Avid or Photoshop to produce holistic coverage. The laptop policy
could prove to be very beneficial to students interested in getting involved.
Weaknesses
A few weaknesses facing the Murrow College include the lack of a comprehensive and
updated section of student work on the website. Murrow’s social media pages are relatively
successful with a moderate engagement rate, but there is a lack of response on Twitter and a lack
of followers on Instagram with only 350 followers. Murrow’s Twitter account currently has
around 4,700 followers and their Facebook account has about 3,000 followers.
Twitter
Instagram
Edward R. Murrow Website

Also, the allocation of expenses within the college creates a sense of uncertainty among faculty
members as to what administrative expenses will be cut.
Future Plans
In the future, the Murrow College hopes to potentially save money by implementing new
policies and altering administrative fiscal operations. By the fall of 2020, the Murrow College
hopes to implement a laptop policy requiring all certified students to own a laptop. Along with
this requirement, Murrow is weighing the pros and cons of switching from Avid to Premiere Pro
for recommended video editing software according to IT staff member Devin Gay.
Communication/Management Techniques
The Murrow College maintains steady communication with its students by sending out
emails with important information on upcoming events in the college. Students, parents, and
alumni are able to stay connected by following Murrow on social media to see updates. Both
Facebook and Twitter accounts are steadily maintained, with moderate interactivity from
followers.
Murrow’s website (https://murrow.wsu.edu/) is easy to navigate and has a great deal of
information for prospective students, current students, parents, and alumni. Recent press releases
are listed on the home page of the website. The website has information about the college and its
majors offered, as well as contact information for faculty and examples of student work. Many
different tabs that are clearly labeled exist in the drop-down box of each section. Overall, the
website is very organized and communicates information effectively.
Pullman PR has reached out to Corrie Wilder, Director of Marketing and
Communications for Murrow, but we have not yet heard back. We asked important questions
that would give us more insight to the PR techniques currently in place. We hope to find more
information on the data analytics for the website, Facebook, and Twitter as well as any
information on the demographics of the college and its followers.
Organization in Larger Scope of Field
According to the Murrow College website, Murrow has consistently ranked nationally for
research publications and submissions. Here are a few accomplishments directly cited from the
website:
· 9thin the nation by Journalism & Mass Communication for articles published and 13th for
articles submitted from 1993-2013.
· Ranked #1 in the nation by ComVista in three research areas: Advertising, Literacy (i.e.
media literacy) and Drugs (Substance Abuse Prevention).
· Listed among the top ten research programs in 27 of 99 research areas (by CIOS).
· In 2014, the journalism program was ranked in the top 20 nationally by a survey done by
NewsPro Magazine, and RTDNA.
Popular college ranking website Niche.com ranks Murrow College at Washington State
University as number two for communications programs in Washington (2019). The University
of Washington ranks number one. These rankings are based on statistics and student reviews
using data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Murrow alumni have gone on to work predominantly in organizations located in the
Northwest, increasing the college’s relations and interconnectivity with regional companies
(Murrow Job Placement, 2019). Due to the geographical location of alumni distribution,
graduates often compete with other Pac-12 schools throughout the application process.
Washington State University competes with other Pac-12 schools for prospective students
as many students decide between universities regionally. According to the university’s website,
WSU has an approximate acceptance rate of 80%, which is moderately higher than state
competitor the University of Washington, which has an acceptance rate of approximately 50%.
For laptop requirements in other communications programs in the Pac-12, we found that
the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon requires students to
have regular and reliable access to a laptop computer (SOJC Laptop Policy, n.d.). The school
gives professors the right to require that students have laptops in order to be enrolled in the
course. Most other Pac-12 schools strongly encourage communications students to have a laptop,
but do not specifically require it.
PART TWO: Target Publics
Our campaign will be targeted specifically toward prospective students and their parents
in order to inform them about the upcoming policies that the Murrow College will be
implementing starting in the Fall semester of 2020. We also want to gather information from
current Murrow students to gather opinions and input on the matter. By targeting future students
and their parents, the Murrow college will be able to inform those who will be affected the most
before they begin their college journey.
Prospective Students
Incoming students are the ones that will be the most affected by the new policy so our
agency has decided they will be one of our main target audiences for this campaign. There are
several ways we will communicate with future students, one being through the WSU admissions
website. Students all over the country choose Washington State University for our highly ranked
Communication department which is why the new policy should be detailed online so
prospective students are aware of the laptop policy before applying. We also plan to reach
prospective students through our social media presence. Prospective students nowadays lean
toward social media for guidance, which is why we plan to advertise and inform the new policies
that WSU College of Communication will be initiating. Another way we plan to inform future
students is at WSU admission events such as “Alive”, “Experience WSU”, and “Preview
Events.” This way future Murrow students will have a clear understanding of the laptop policy
from the beginning.
Parents of Prospective Students
Parents will most likely have the most amount of opinions regarding the laptop policy
that is happening, due to extra personal costs, so we chose to communicate specifically to parents
and their future Cougs about what the newfound policy will entail. In order to gain further
knowledge on how to effectively communicate to parents we reached out to Sara Stout.
We also plan to create a survey to be sent to current parents of Murrow students to find
out what social media platforms they use and how they receive WSU news updates. Once we
have this information we will use it to create online content whether that be for the Murrow
website, Facebook, Twitter, or emails detailing information about the upcoming laptop policy.
We also want to find out if parents would be willing to purchase laptops for their students or if
they would require their child to provide it on their own, and/or how much they would be willing
to pay for this type of product. This will tell us if parents are more likely to financially help with
the laptop requirement for their child or if more students will be having to purchase a laptop on
their own.
Current Murrow students
Current WSU Murrow students are not one of our main target audiences but they play a
crucial role in our research development throughout our campaign. As part of the research our
agency is wanting to conduct, we plan to have a focus group with current Murrow students to
cover a variety of topics addressing the new policy. We also plan to send a survey to current
Murrow students in regards to how often they use their own laptop now, how often they use the
Murrow labs on campus, and if they believe this new policy will help future students throughout
their college education. Current students we hope will have useful insight and opinions regarding
this policy and give us an idea to whether or not they believe it will be beneficial for the students
and educators at WSU to implement.
Target Publics and How They Will Work Together
Before we assess how to effectuate this policy across campus, there are interdepartmental
communications and coordination that need to take place in order for us to truly implement this
laptop policy effectively. Below you’ll find the backend process of getting this campaign
together:
Murrow College
Sara Stout, director of student services, is spearheading this campaign. After discussing
some of her goals for the laptop policy, she plans to purge the current computer labs and replace
them with more sophisticated technology including digital screens and adaptive apparatus’ for all
students to use, similar to the Spark. However, this will come at a cost. The new innovation labs
will most likely require maintenance costs that were supposed to be redacted through getting rid
of the current equipment and CougTech assistance (students pay for those services through
course fees, which will likely continue). We need to make sure that we have concrete
improvements to be made and express that in this campaign. Per Sara, her first priority is finding
out if parents and students feel that this is financially possible.
Jeff Snell and Doug Krehbial: Jeff, director of engineering, will be crucial in identifying
what equipment will be required for the innovation labs as well as laptop specifications we give
to students when we implement this policy. Doug, finance/budget manager, will be key in giving
us the fiscal details about how much these expenditures will cost.
Chris Cooney: We’ve reached out to Chris, clinical assistant professor, and will attempt
to meet with him soon to get an update on his relations with Adobe. The most important part of
his contact is getting discount prices on licenses or creating a deal with them. Pullman PR is
looking to assist Chris with pitching to Adobe, even if on an individual level. This would help
incentivize students to buy laptops because it is an investment to become tech savvy. Using
demographics of Murrow students acquired from Sara will be useful for a number of sources.
Some of those include:
● 1200 Murrow students
● 60% Strat. Comm., 30% Journalism & Production and 10% Risk & Crisis
● All Murrow students will use Adobe products at some capacity, especially in upper division
courses
● COM 210 is a U-CORE class, meaning anyone at this university can take it and it has over 50
sections with a total of 400 students a semester.

Financial Aid: Bryan Dixon is the director of financial aid here at WSU. We will need to
get in contact with him ASAP. Once we contact Jeff and Doug about what and how much these
innovation labs will cost, we need to discuss with financial aid how they can package another
laptop expense for Murrow students and if these costs will bleed into course fees as well. We
spoke to Dorthy Moore at financial aid, another fiscal specialist, and she suggested grant writing
to the government to pay for some of these expenses if the budget didn’t allow. This may be a
step we take. If this step was necessary, we would need staff, third parties or knowledgeable
people to teach us how to write grants to the government. One or two students should be
responsible for this task along with a staff member to coach. Their main objective will be to help
create and provide a visible budget for parents and students. They should be the last contact
while we continue to work with our contacts in contemporaneity with financial aid.
Donations: Sara suggested that through Give Day, our annual philanthropy event, that we
ask alumni to chip in to technological advancements of students. Another idea was asking alumni
to donate, support or sponsor Adobe-related projects at Murrow Symposium by highlighting
students’ work.
PART THREE: Evidence & Rationale for Problem Statement
Pullman PR values that in-depth research and evidence are crucial for solving the
problem. By gathering sufficient evidence, we will be able to explain to prospective students and
parents of prospective students how a required laptop policy will have a positive impact on both
students and the Murrow College.
Laptop Use in the Classroom
As laptops have gained popularity throughout the years, they have become increasingly
more popular in the classroom. The 2015 Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey found that
laptops are still the most commonly used mobile device for schoolwork. 87% of college students
use a laptop every week in order to do their school work (Pearson, 2015). As laptops become
commonplace, favorable attitudes about laptops continue to rise. In 2015, 83% of students
believe that laptops and tablets will transform the way college students learn in the future. This
point references eBooks, with 83% of students believing that laptops and tablets encourage the
purchase of digital textbooks instead of print textbooks. 70% of students believe that laptops and
tablets will effectively replace print textbooks within the next five years (Pearson, 2015). This
study also found that device ownership is nearly identical to device usage, with 88% of students
owning a laptop in 2015. Pullman PR spoke to Sara Stout, the director of student services for the
Murrow College, and she mentioned that she sees most students coming into their freshman year
with a laptop already.
eBooks Effect on Learning
One issue the client should be aware of is the impact of eBooks on learning. Research
finds that when the reading demands more comprehension or a deeper engagement, students are
better off reading on print (Alexander & Singer, 2017). Another study published in the
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology found that comprehension of digital text was
found to be challenging, and enjoyment of using eBooks was low among participants.
Participants who spent less time using digital books seemed to enjoy it more, but those who had
to use it for extended periods of time had less favorable attitudes (Lam et al., 2009).
Issue or Opportunity Background
Pullman PR’s opportunity statement is to increase communications with our target
publics. We plan to see this through by examining current media practices of the Murrow
College of Communication by measuring outreach success. The problem the Murrow College
faces currently is not knowing how the public's will react to the implementation of a laptop
policy starting in the Fall of 2020. The goal is to create a way to effectively communicate this
policy to parents and prospective students.
Implementing a new policy in the Murrow College will come with many challenges.
Prospective students and parents need to understand the guidelines and conditions of this policy
since it will require the student to possess a laptop. Communication colleges across the country
have achieved this goal. Boston University’s College of Communication website has links to
FAQ sheets, laptop support, and hardware and software recommendations (“Laptop
Information”, n.d.). This allows interested students and parents know what is happening in the
college, what is expected, and why. Effectively communicating with potential Murrow College
students and parents requires focus on reaching them through popular media channels and WSU
hosted events such as Alive!.
It is Pullman PR’s goal to answer the problem of communication within the Murrow
college by specifically focusing on the following:
1. Creating an effective social media campaign targeted towards prospective students and
parents.
2. Communicating this policy at Alive! and Destination events.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication were to target these
public, we at Pullman PR believe the rollout of the undergraduate laptop policy would be a
success. This policy would help the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication reach their
mission in, “expand[ing] Edward R. Murrow’s legacy through the embodiment of his values and
expertise to serve the evolving fields of communication and mass communication.”

Methods
The research methods used were implemented to gather the attitudes and opinions of
targeted demographics. Pullman PR focused on speaking to prospective Murrow students,
current students, and the parents of students. We also interviewed current Murrow staff members
to gain insight on the policy, which helped us create a more comprehensive understanding of the
policy specifics. Our agency used a variety of research methods including focus groups, in-depth
interviews, and online surveys. There were two online surveys distributed digitally between two
separate target publics. We targeted WSU parents by posting the survey on the WSU parent
Facebook page and we targeted current WSU students by posting on student organization pages.
Our agency also held a focus group that included eight students from a variety of undergraduate
study backgrounds. The majority of students were upperclassmen, with most being Murrow
students already certified into the college. We asked questions in the focus group that would
encourage discussion among participants and give us a stronger understanding of current
students’ concerns regarding the implementation of a laptop policy.
Twelve in-depth interviews were held with Murrow staff members and undergraduate
students’ parents. We interviewed staff members Chris Cooney, Sara Stout, Bryan Dixon, and
Jeff Snell. We attempted to reach out to staff member Corrie Wilder but received no response.
We also interviewed a recent Murrow graduate Emery Dinman and seven current WSU parents.
The information gathered in these interviews is critical to our agency’s comprehensive
understanding of the policy specifics, as well as the overall opinions and attitudes surrounding
the Murrow College’s upcoming laptop policy.
Pullman PR’s research goal was to gather information on the tech specifics of the
upcoming laptop policy from staff members, as well as the reactions and attitudes of target
publics that will be directly affected by the laptop policy implementation in the near future. The
target publics researched include WSU parents, and current or prospective Murrow students. Our
agency’s objective is to provide valuable demographic information on policy concerns to the
Murrow College, as well as create a recommended timeline for message deliverance in
implementing the college laptop policy by fall semester of 2020.
How much change will this policy create for current and prospective students? What are
the concerns of students and parents? What is the best way to effectively communicate the policy
to current students, future students, and the parents of students? These were the research
questions that our agency had in mind when focusing our research efforts. Before we began our
research, we hypothesized that financial concerns would be the greatest worry of both students
and parents. We also hypothesized that current students would express their concern for the
future state of the Murrow computer labs or propose the introduction of some sort of financial
support when implementing a laptop policy.
We tailored our questions in the surveys, focus group, and in-depth interviews to address
our research questions and hypotheses. Our agency focused on questions that pertained to
students’ laptop usage, as well as their overall attitudes toward their undergraduate work in
relation to their laptop. We wanted to find out student laptop technology preferences, as well as
the variety of uses that students use their laptops for.
As stated earlier, Pullman PR used a variety of different sampling methods including
focus groups, online surveys, and in-depth interviews to gather information from target publics.
We used both qualitative and quantitative research methods to gather a holistic view of financial
specifics, opinions, and concerns from each group. Using a focus group, we were able to gather
qualitative data in a group setting. Focus groups allow the moderator and the participants to
engage in conversation about the proposed idea, giving our agency a more detailed insight than
just an online survey would. We had eight participants, one moderator, and five note recorders.
Our agency required that each participant sign a consent form before participating. The focus
group occurred over the span of 30 to 40 minutes total.
Like focus groups, in-depth interviews are beneficial when gathering research because
they allow the participant to discuss their opinions more thoroughly, giving researchers greater
insight. Online surveys are very useful in gathering a larger sample of information by reaching
more participants in a digital format. This surveying method was inexpensive and allowed our
agency to reach a wider audience, while also narrowing our target interview groups to both
parents and students by posting on the appropriate Facebook pages.
By combining a variety of survey methods, we approached our research questions by
gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. The focus group and in-depth interviews created
qualitative data by focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of participants. The online survey created
quantitative data because some research was gathered numerically. Having both types of data is
central to Pullman PR’s mission, which is to identify research questions, find answers, and
accomplish campaign objectives.
Findings
Qualitative Findings
To ascertain specific and more detailed attitudes about the potential policy, we conducted
a focus group with eight individuals who will be directly affected by its implementation.
We held our focus group in Murrow 307 on Sunday October 21 between 5:00-5:40 PM.
We had a total of eight participants with various educational backgrounds including educational
levels between freshmen and seniors. Our selection of participants were convenience samples of
students that may be directly or indirectly affected by the impending laptop policy. Each
participant and their aggregate information can be found below:
● Zoey Ramberg - Sophomore Major: Humanities
● Lauren Charleson - Senior, Major: Advertising
● Kelly Charleson - Freshman, Major: Communication
● Megan Juran - Senior, Major: Public Relations
● Abby Olson - Junior, Major: Public Relations, Minor: Sport Management
● Sarah Shurm - Senior, Major: Elementary Education
● Emma Epperly - Senior, Major: Journalism/Production
● Abdirahman Abdi - Junior, Major: Communication
Each of these participants were pre-screened and updated on how the proceedings of the
focus group would go previous to their arrival. Upon arrival, subjects were treated to pizza and
drinks and all eight participants completed the focus group consent form. We began questioning
our participants at 5:10PM. We used opening questions to have participants introduce
themselves. They were understandably tentative in their mannerisms at first, but as we explained
that the “purpose of this focus group is to gather attitudes about potential technological policies
on campus” they nodded and began to open up- through their body language and responses. We
began with the introduction questions which asked the participants if they had their own laptops
and the duration. Many revealed that they first obtained their laptops during their senior year of
high school, some during their freshman year of college and others sporadically throughout the
timeline of their college career. One participant, Lauren giggled as she revealed that she had a
Surface Pro, which presented the potential issue we reached with Sara before: if students have an
incompatible laptop with the specifications we asked for, how will we address that?
Shortly after we moved on to our questions about laptop use. Many claimed they used
their laptop for assignments often because of the immediate access to schoolwork. Abby claimed
it was “more convenient because 90 percent of [her] homework is on [her] laptop.” When asked
about the use of lab computers, Megan and Emma dominated the conversation, mostly because
of their experience as seniors. They provided more information about using Adobe for class
projects, mostly because their “laptops can’t handle the programs.” The rest of the participants
were on lookers until a brief moment of silence where Abdi validated Megan and Emma’s claims
that labs like the dimension labs in the Holland/Terrell library and Jackson Hall had available
labs for students.
Most of the group was in agreeance that finances was the common denominator for their
support of a policy. The cheaper and more efficient it is, the more support you will get from
college students. This was ascertained once we mentioned electronic versus physical textbooks.
Megan and Emma were our leaders of the focus group. Their experience and overall confidence
bled through and facilitated a lot of discussion between other group members which was helpful.
While most supported having e-textbooks, Sarah remained traditional with pen and paper
because it is just “how [her] brain works.”
Adobe was another topic that took more for surprise. Most of the participants were not
content creators, meaning that if they did not have to do an assignment for class, they would not
have a need for Adobe. I saw an overwhelming amount of support through the body language of
the other participants in the room. Emma uses Photoshop for work, Abby purchased the entire
program for one year and other participants like Sarah have never had a need for it. Abdi on the
other hand depends on the labs for the programs. There’s a good mix between users and non
users and the overall purpose they use Adobe for. We asked them to rate on a scale from one to
ten how likely they were to buy it for recreational use. Almost all of them said one (not likely to
buy at all) while some rated it a five, depending on the need for it including for their career.
Social media is a common source that people gained their WSU related information from.
Twitter and Instagram are the most frequented sites where students receive that information.
When asked about whether they visit WSU sites, it was slightly polarizing. Over half of the
participants did not visit any WSU related sites at all, while Abby and Emma did it out of
necessity (classes and school) and Kelly visited these sites at least twice a week. The purpose for
gathering this information was to solidify the sources of information and the hierarchy of
importance each source is to students. Many also named the Daily Evergreen, but on an
infrequent basis.
Use of social media by parents was even more scattered than the students, to little
surprise of the group. Some parents used Instagram, mainly Facebook and Abby reported no
social media because her parents are “very old fashioned.” The other sources where they gain
their information include the Facebook parent page, word-of-mouth (we assume from their
students) and an overwhelming response of email as well.
When asked how parents prefer to be informed of important policy changes, most were in
agreeance that email was the most appropriate channel. Kelly claimed that “so that it doesn’t get
lost in social media” her parents are more attentive to “email because it is direct.” Abby
concurred with that statement by stating “it is more official” while clarifying that authenticity
from the source is important (email from WSU administration and letterhead for example).
The next few questions were telling as to the relationship and boundaries between
students and parents. Out of the eight participants, seven received their laptops as gifts (most as
gifts from parents for an achievement or assistance with college) and all of them receive active
financial support from their parents. Most of them keep a distance, however, when we discussed
low achievement between grades and other issues depending on the severity of the stain on their
records. This piece of information was crucial when we surmise how parents and students will
react when this policy is put into effect. Some participants, including Emma and Megan will
openly discuss grievances with their parents about school and other irritations so we can expect
that headstrong, experienced students who are further in their academic careers, if they are upset
with the policy, will reject the campaign and overall message if not communicated correctly.
Because incoming students will have plenty of time to prepare, that gives us the advantage to
reduce outrage.
Now for the meat of the focus group. We began gathering their perspectives on a
potential laptop policy. One of the focus group members asked for more clarity. Amoje, as the
moderator, explained the basis of this new policy. Once he ran through all of the intricacies and
explanations behind it, it opened the conversation up more now that these questions were put into
perspective. Relating back to earlier discussions, money was another issue that they identified as
being the key factors into rejecting it. The initial thoughts are as follows:
● Lauren Charleson - good idea. A lot is online based. Might be expensive, however.
● Group - not everyone can afford it
● Zoey Ramburg - no. reason why we have resources on campus and it’s hard enough to
get into college if you are low income. Classes are structured officially to have laptop.
Geology class you are required.

● Emma Epperly - take away funding from computer labs. Wouldn’t make sense to keep
labs up.
● Abby Olson - have to factor it into tuition so people can afford to buy a laptop
● Emma- is there a way to create programs to help pay for it (financial aid) reduce class
fees?
● Megan Juran - school should provide us with programs to use. Can’t buy adobe that’s
expensive too.
● Abby Olson - have to provide antivirus too.
Most of the participants raised important questions that we are actively trying to answer
and diagnose. The summation of their points were to provide programs that are affordable and
backup resources for students who cannot afford expensive programs such as Adobe. We
received mixed responses when asking if this policy would turn them away from the college as a
whole. Most agreed that finances are on the the main determinants and clarified that it would be
the cost of programs, not the laptops themselves that would ultimately decide their favorability.
Emma and Abby spearheaded this conversation by emphasizing that COM 210 is a course that
plenty of non-Murrow students take and it could isolate students from the Murrow college by
removing labs. This is where the two participants restated their need for information on program
costs for software like Adobe.
The sum of the focus group stated that though this policy seems innovating in essence,
this did not seem fiscally possible. The group echoed that this would not be a beneficial policy.
With some added context and a clear outline and objective for new labs on top of funding, the
group may have complied with the policy.

Quantitative Findings
In order to conduct further research for our campaign, we conducted two online surveys
through WSU Qualtrics for certain audiences to participate in. We also conducted 12 in person
interviews all of which are in further detail below. Surveys are a great way to gain information
quickly, at relatively no costs and are mobile with accurate and reliable results.
Parent Survey
An online survey of nine questions was created through WSU Qualtrics in order to find
Washington State University parent’s knowledge about their child’s laptop use in school and
their financial contribution regarding their child’s laptop. The survey was posted for two weeks
although, most participants completed the survey within the first two days it was posted. There
were a total of 62 responses to the survey during the research period. The survey was posted by
one of our own parents through Facebook in a secured Facebook group called WSU Parent Chat
Cafe. A great majority of the participants who took the survey said their child was either a
freshman or sophomore and was not studying in the Edward R. Murrow College of
Communication. When asked if their child had a personal laptop before entering college, 56
people said yes while only six people said no.

When parents were asked if they assisted their child in purchasing a laptop 53
respondents said they either paid for it entirely for their child or assisted in some way.
Figure 1
A breakdown of the following costs parents said they would be willing to spend on their
child’s laptop is shown below in question five.
Figure 2
Results continued...
When parents were asked if they or their child currently pay for Adobe Cloud Software,
42 people said no, six people said yes, and 14 were unsure. One of the most important questions
we asked on this survey was if the Edward R. Murrow College required students to have their
own personal laptop would that create hesitation about their child applying or not. Not one
person responded “yes” and only three people responded “maybe.” No parents found that laptops
in school are “useless,” 80 percent actually believes laptops to be “extremely useful.” The last
question was regarding which social media platforms parent’s most commonly use so we could
then target how exactly we are going to communicate with them about upcoming policy changes.
The results shown below state that roughly 67 percent of parents use Facebook as their main
form of communication to receive WSU related information and 29 percent of people use email
as their second choice. Twitter and Instagram were the least popular options for parents to
receive their information while the WSU website was right in the middle.
Figure 3
Overall parent survey findings:
This survey was overall very successful. We were able to get a reliable amount of
responses with a variety of student’s ages and majors. The big takeaways from conducting this
parent survey was that parents, in general, are willing to spend the money for their child to have
the necessary tools and equipment for their classes, including their own personal laptop. The
greatest price ranges that parents would be willing to spend on their child’s laptop is between
500 and 1500 dollars. Parents in general think laptops are extremely useful in a classroom setting
and would not be hesitant if their child needed a laptop before applying to the College of
Communication. The last big takeaway is that most parents receive their WSU related
information from Facebook, through email and on the WSU website so these are the three ways
we want to be in contact with parents about upcoming policy changes.
Student Survey
In order to understand one of Pullman PR’s target publics, current undergraduate students
in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, we conducted a survey to find out what
their computer usage was like on personal laptops, as well as on Murrow College computer labs.
We conducted this survey by posting it on Facebook and asked current communication students
to participate.
From the students who
participated in the survey, every
student owned a laptop which was
either a PC, Mac, or Microsoft Surface.
In the findings, 62 percent of Murrow
College students own Mac computers,
while 35 percent own PC’s, and 3
percent own Microsoft Surfaces
Figure 4
We also looked not only what type of laptop students purchased and when they purchased
them. Forty percent of students purchased their laptop while still in high school, while 60 percent
purchased their laptop during college. Sixteen percent spent $1,500 - $2,000, 40 percent of
students spent $1,000 - $1,500, 18 percent spent $500 - $1,000, and 14 percent spent $0 - $500.
Of the 40 percent of students who purchased their laptop in high school, 50 percent of those
students trended towards spending more money. Of the 60 percent of students who purchased
their laptop in college, 57 percent of those students spent more on their laptop. There was a
seven percent spending increase in student who purchased their laptop in college.
The survey also showed that 45 percent of Murrow college students pay for the Adobe
Creative Cloud. When looking at the majors of students who pay for the Adobe Creative Cloud,
49 percent of Strategic Communication majors pay for the software, 51 percent of Journalism
Media Production major pay for the
software, and zero percent of other majors
pay for the software.
In this student survey, we also
looked at lab use. Thirty five percent of
students say they use the Murrow College
labs ‘very often’ to ‘often,’ while 22 percent
use the labs not often, and 43 percent say
they never use the Murrow College
computer labs.
Figure 5
When comparing students who use the labs ‘very often’ to ‘often’ with students who pay
for the Adobe Creative Cloud, 27 percent of students who pay for Adobe still use the labs ‘very
often’ to ‘often.’
In-Person Interviews
Emry Dinman
After conducting the online surveys, we conducted in person interviews. One interview
was done with recent Edward R. Murrow Graduate Emry Dinman. Emry graduated in December
of 2017 with a degree in Journalism Media Production. When he was told the prompt for the
research project he responded with, “oh wow this pisses me off already.” We choose Emry
because he went through college without a laptop and we wanted to hear from a student who
experienced college by having to rely on the Murrow Computer labs.
On the topic of having to pay for a new requirement he said, “the first thing that comes to
mind is more broad about the industry in general, we have enough problems attracting and
keeping people who are low income or just moderate income, I mean everything about it from
the unpaid internships to the amount of traveling you have to do and the fact that your spending
four years for a degree that will likely not actually pay a whole lot of money.”
Jeff Snell
Jeff Snell is one of the main IT managers for the Edward R. Murrow College of
Communication. When prompted with the first questions about his opinion on the possible laptop
policy, he started with a sigh and long pause before answering with, “ultimately my position is
whatever the college wants to do I will do. Not only do you have to have the right hardware, you
have to have the right software and on top of that it has to work and on top of that who you have
to talk to if it doesn’t work. That is where my bigger concern.” One of the most interesting things
Jeff said was, “is if they have a problem with their computer, we end up with the whole, my dog
ate my homework, but now it is now my computer won’t do what it needs to do.” This statement
prompts the questions of will homework policies possibly change due to a laptop policy. Jeff also
talked about how they are legally not allowed to touch student computers because it is a liability
issue for the university.

The opinion from the IT department will be very vital when telling students what type of
computers they will need. When looking at PC laptop specs, Jeff said that students would need at
least two gigs of ram and an i7 processor in order to have a fluid experience when editing video
in Premiere Pro. When looking at costs, Jeff Said, “the dells we buy are right around $1,700, but
those are also more business class equipment. The consumer class, any kind of gaming laptop
will get you want you need, probably some serious overkill to be honest. Depending on how
much you want to spend your base will be between $1500 and $1700 or more like $2,000.” Jeff
does not recommend a Microsoft Surface because they are particularly not good for video
editing.
Sara Stout
We’ve had lengthy discussions about the interdepartmental framework of the Murrow
college, financial aid office and others in order to ratify this new policy. It has not been as fluid
as we had hoped, however. Sara was instrumental in pointing us in the right direction as far as
getting contacts including Chris Cooney. The problem is that there are many moving pieces and
the contact between each department, at least from our perspective, is disorganized. Originally,
this campaign was supposed to be a project for former Murrow employee Jeff D, however he
moved on to other pursuits and now Sara is spearheading this project. During our numerous
discussions, she wanted to explore the practicality of this policy by assessing attitudes of both
prospective and current parents and students alike. That meant seeing if this would have any
negative financial impact on families or add any other unfavorable stressors on potential
students. She emphasized that this was an assessment based on findings, and that the conclusivity
of the findings would determine whether the policy would be executed or not. She pointed us in
the direction of the financial aid office first, to determine whether increasing the budget was
possible and then speaking with Chris Cooney to determine the Adobe deal and those
proceedings.
Dorthy Moore
Moore operated as a liaison between us and Bryan Dixon. From our conversation with
Sara, we headed to the financial aid office. We were told that Dixon would be able to answer our
questions about creating separate financial aid packages for Murrow students, but Moore was
crucial in giving us ideas about how to fund the campaign with limited resources including grant
writing by distinguished Murrow students. Not only was that a good idea, it is a good
opportunity for professional development for Murrow students that should be seriously
considered.
Bryan Dixon
Student Financial Services Coordinator Bryan Dixon. He discussed the financial
implications of implementing this laptop policy. His most helpful suggestions were applying for
a grant (previously stated by another SFS employee Dorothy) or spreading the total cost of the
new innovation labs over a period of four years to be paid in full. The reason for this is because
based on the price of the innovation labs (to be determined) and his discussions with Bruce
Pinkleton and other Murrow staff, this policy would come at a price. He also mentioned that he
would be able to create a separate price breakdown on the SFS website for Murrow students
specifically, however, statistically if we were to increase the price of cost of attendance for our
target audience, it could reduce the chances of students enrolling in Murrow dramatically.
According to Dixon, there’s an unmet need threshold, meaning that if students have more than
$7500 of unmet need, students are likely to cancel their enrollment from the university and the
Murrow college laptop policy could potentially push people to that threshold.
Chris Cooney
Cooney is in coordination with ASWSU (Taylor of the Murrow College of
Communication) and CougTech to reduce the cost of licenses for Adobe by breaking the price
down by through course fees. This would give students year round access to use the program
without depending on the dilapidated labs the college intends on getting rid of. The goal is for
each student to pay no more than $35-40 in course fees that require the use of Adobe software
for assignments. The reason for this is because Adobe savvy students are basically paying for
Adobe multiple times throughout the year with their own money and through course fees. This
would remove the need of having students pay almost $300 a year for a license independently
and giving them access to the software by endowing them with licenses they pay for through
course fees.
Parent Interviews
Five in-depth interviews were conducted with parents of current WSU students to get a
better understanding of the public's attitudes towards the possible implementation of a laptop
policy. The interviewers asked questions about their thoughts on laptops in school and their
feelings towards a potential laptop requirement policy. Every parent believes that laptops are
beneficial to a student’s success in school.
Susan Baker, a parent with two children at WSU and one prospective student, believes
that laptops are extremely useful in classroom settings.
“Kids can’t write as well without grammar and spell check which is why laptops can be
so helpful” said Baker.

She went on to say that college classes should be allowed to require personal laptops but
the school must implement some way to help financially support those who cannot afford it
themselves. She suggested having a program that would allow students to rent laptops if they
could not purchase it on their own.
“I think if the school or department requires the kids to have computers then they need to
have a program to help those that cannot afford to buy their own. Especially if they have
programs to help purchase or rent,” said Baker.
Baker said she would not be skeptical of her kids applying to the Murrow College if a
laptop policy was implemented because they already had laptops before beginning college.
When asked what forms of media she uses she said only Facebook and LinkedIn.
Conclusions and Recommendations

Current Student Conclusions
To gather evidence from current students, Pullman PR conducted a focus group and sent
out an online survey. This provided both quantitative and qualitative results. The student survey
allowed us to examine laptop usage and spending. Every survey participant currently owns a
laptop, with the majority being Apple computers.
The overarching result from current students is the concern that implementing this policy
will be too costly. During the focus group, every participant mentioned that they do not believe
this is a realistic policy. Some students voiced concerns about the dissolvement of the current
computer labs, because this is where they can go to use Adobe software. One student mentioned
that even though she owns her own laptop, she uses the Jackson labs very often and would be
upset if those labs went away because of this policy. There were mixed feelings on the use of
online textbooks compared to physical textbooks. Most participants stated that they prefer a
physical textbook for studying, but would prefer an online textbook if it was less expensive.
Parent Conclusions
From the research we have gathered through this process, we have come up with several
conclusions based on the feedback and results of general WSU parents. First, we found that
parents in general, believe laptop use in college classes is extremely useful. We also found that
because of this, if parents are financially able to afford it they generally are willing to provide
adequate technology equipment for their child’s success. Parents want the best for their child so
having the necessary technology in this day in age is a very practical requirement. We also found
that in general, parents would not be skeptical of their child applying to a certain program if a
laptop policy was implemented. This means that the Murrow college will have support from
current parents regarding the policy implementation.
Lastly, we found that parents find most of their WSU related information through
Facebook and through emails sent from the university. All of these conclusions will help for
Pullman PR to effectively communicate with parents about the upcoming laptop policy and it
gives us a general idea of parent’s opinions regarding future programs. These conclusions are
based on a reliable share of participants although it was conducted on a parent Facebook page
which could present a social media based bias. Also, the parent survey did not only reference
parent’s of Murrow students, instead it was open to parents of children in any college.
Recommendations
After reviewing the information gathered through our agency’s research, we have
compiled a set of suggestions that are based on both the qualitative data and quantitative data we
have collected. Pullman PR has analyzed opinions, attitudes, and numerical figures that reflect
each target public’s voice.
To communicate the changes in laptop requirements with Murrow students effectively,
Pullman PR recommends that Murrow addresses student concerns’ before policy
implementation. Main student concerns include financial support, affordability of Adobe
software, anti-virus software, and the decline of current Murrow computer labs. Through our
focus group research, we found that current WSU students overwhelmingly agreed that the
laptop policy is not a realistic idea due to these concerns. The college must also be clear on
technology requirements and software accessibility when introducing the policy. This should be
done in a comprehensive, easy-to-access FAQ section available on the college website.
Figure 6
When addressing the concerns of the target public of WSU parents, Pullman PR
recommends transparency on technology specifics and the financial implications of the laptop
requirement. We found that the majority of our parent participants preferred email
communication over social media updates for communicating university changes. Below is a
recommended email and Facebook post that could sent to WSU parents.
Figure 7 Figure 8
We also have created a brochure that could be handed out throughout the Communication
buildings, at advising appointments, at “Alive” sessions and any time perspective students come
to tour the college. This brochure is easily printable and lays out the necessary information for
students and parents to make their decision regarding which laptop to purchase.
Figure 9
Figure 10
Our agency was surprised to find that students were more reluctant to accept the laptop
requirement than parents were, so it is important to focus on student needs when moving forward
with the laptop requirement. We recommend that the Murrow college takes into account the
costs associated with laptops in order to address the financial concerns of students and parents
alike. Creating financial support for students needing aid or covering the costs of Adobe
programs in course fees would create more acceptance of the new policy amongst target publics.
We also recommend keeping the computer labs for the duration of the transition to a laptop
requirement.
In order to get current students thinking about the upcoming policy and changes that will
be happening we have created three different posters that could be hung up throughout the
Murrow building, Goertzen building, and Jackson building. Additional posters can be displayed
in the Compton Union Building and student dormitories.
Figure 11 Figure 12
Figure 13
To implement the laptop requirement by fall semester of 2020, we have created a
proposed timeline for policy announcement and implementation:
Figure 14
References
Alexander, P., & Singer, L. (2017). A new study shows that students learn way more
effectively from print textbooks than screens. Retrieved from
https://www.businessinsider.com/students-learning-education-print-textbooks-
screens-study-2017-10
Cottier, C. (2017, November 3). Colleges plan for reduced spending. Retrieved from
https://dailyevergreen.com/20701/news/colleges-plan-for-reduced-spending/
Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://murrow.wsu.edu
Harris Poll. (2015). Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey 2015. Retrieved from
https://www.pearsoned.com/wp-content/uploads/2015-Pearson-Student-Mobile-
Device-Survey-College.pdf
Lam, P., Lam, S., Lam, J., & McNaught, C. (2009). Usability and usefulness of eBooks on
PPCs: How students' opinions vary over time. Australasian Journal of Educational
Technology, 25(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1179
Laptop Information. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.bu.edu/comtech/students/laptop-information/
SOJC Laptop Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://journalism.uoregon.edu/students/undergrad/sojc-laptop-policy
Appendices
Focus Group Notes and Observations
Outline:
Intro
Get everyone to sign waiver-- “You all have volunteered to be part of our comstrat 485 focus
group regarding a potential upcoming policy in the Murrow college. This new policy will
potentially require students to have their own personal laptop before being admitted to the
Murrow College of Communication.”
Theme 1 Student Habits

Opening question: Start with everyone saying their name, what grade they are in, their major
Zoey- sophomore, humanities major
Lauren - senior, advertising com
Kelly - freshman, com
Megan - senior, PR
Abby - junior, Pr minor sport management
Sarah - senior, elementary ed
Emma - senior, journalism
Abdirahmada - junior, com
Introduction question
1. Do you own a laptop? Have you all throughout college?
Megan - Yes, since senior year of high school
Abby - Yes but mine is not apple, (laughs) I get made fun of for it. Bought it freshman year of
college
Freshmen year - emma
Junior year of high school - Abdirahmada
Last year for Christmas - not apple either
Kelly - ?
Sarah Shurm - This summer
Lauren - surface, kind of a laptop (haha laughter)
2. What kind of laptop do you have? Mac, PC, Surface?

Answered above
Transition question
1. How does having your own laptop make assignments easier to accomplish?
Abby - more convenient, almost 90% of hw is on laptop,
Megan - everyday use, take it places with you
Emma - transfer stuff from library

Lauren - online base campus
Amoje - how much you use it alone?

Almost half the time
Emma clarifying question? Group agreed
100% of time for assignments unless video project, lab computer
2. How else has having a laptop helped you throughout your college career?
Kelly - Netflix
Sarah - Shopping
Abby - Exec stuff - sorority, - nice to keep on notes in computer, easy to access
Emma - ASWSU media , work
Key questions
1. Do you utilize the labs on campus? Would you still if you had your own personal laptop?
Megan - video projects, comjour 333, adobe don’t have on laptop
Emma - use labs all time- not enough space on entry level laptops
Kelly - haven’t had to yet
Dimension labs
Jackson labs most popular- most of group agreed
2. Do you prefer online textbooks or physical textbooks? Why or why not?

Abdirahmada - Physical , hard to read on computer
Highlight, in front of me
Megan - agreed, I like to command find also online
Abby - electronic
Emma - depends on class, physical book for reading entire textbook. Cheaper online
Kelly - laptop, raised in technological era
Sarah - Take notes with pencil and paper- how my brain works. Only one writing stuff down
Emma - it would be nice if people used pad on keyboard to stay quiet
Zoey - Taken to class with me- on campus for 12 hours I don’t want to bring it with me
Does price affect?

Biggest factor - group consensus
Abby - resell them and get money after group laughter
3. Do you already purchase Adobe for your own laptop? Would you if WSU got rid of labs?
Emma - had it at different times, depends on class. Photo class I have photoshop. Video class I
won’t cause storage space
Abby - com 210 bought all of it, kept the subscription still have it
Emma - had it for com 210 then got rid of it

No one else has it
Sarah - never needed it
1-10 scale would you purchase it?

Lauren - probably wouldn’t keep it after college when I don’t need it
Emma - 5. Only use it for class. Not personal use. 0 if personal use
No one would purchase for recreational use
Ending questions
1. What form of social media do you find the most WSU related information?
Twitter - ?
Emma - twitter most engagement
Zoey – Instagram - can’t figure it out
Emma - instagram getting there
2. Do you visit to the WSU website much? Why or why not?

Abdirahmada - zero
Kelly - twice a week
Abby - a lot. Blog classes. Website to find another website. Outlet
Emma - everyday. Has to do with job and classes she’s taking
Theme 2 Parent Habits

Transition Question
1. Switching gears to your parents now, which forms of social media do your parents partake
in?
Facebook mainly!!
Sarah - instagram
Abby - none. Very old fashioned. Explained parent’s job history
2. Which forms of media do they use to receive WSU related information? Email? Website?
Social media?
Facebook - parent’s page
Email? Group agreed
Abby - alumni association
3. How do you prefer to be communicated with about important policies? How do your
parents?
Kelly - both prefer email. Doesn’t get lost in sea of social media. Direct.
Abby - agreed. Official. Convenient. Won’t think it’s fake or not
Emma - important, you will get an email about it. Social media is more fun
Zoey - email addressed to you, personal

Amoje - asked follow up question
Emma - parent’s aren’t alum. Out of state. Related to safety on campus, mom find’s out through
email or parent page
Megan agreed
Abby - how would it affect athletics? (Parent’s thoughts)
Key Questions
1. Did your parents purchase your laptop for you/ Help out?
Abby - no
Abdirahmada - sister did
Most of people got it as a gift from parents
Sarah - first one from grandparents, new one from parents
2. Do your parents provide any other type of financial support?

Abby - yes
everyone yes
Someone just walked in right now****
3. How often do you communicate with your parents about your coursework and grades?
Abby - doesn’t share everything. Here is my grade
Emma - if I’m irritated I’ll tell parents
Megan - I’ll tell them about my professors
Theme 3 Implementing the policy

Transition Question
1. Switching gears again, if this new policy goes into effect, what would your initial thoughts
be?
Lauren - good idea. A lot is online based. Might be expense you can’t make them do
No - not everyone can afford it
Zoey - no. reason why we have resources on campus and it’s hard enough to get into college if
you are low income. Classes are structured officially to have laptop. Geology class you are
required.
Emma - take away funding from computer labs. Wouldn’t make sense to keep labs up
Abby - have to factor it into tuition so people can afford to buy a laptop
Emma - create programs to help pay for it (financial aid) reduce class fees?
Megan - school should provide us with programs to use. Can’t buy adobe that’s expensive too
Abby - have to provide antivirus too
Amoje clearly explaining what would happen if policy went into effect
Key Questions
1. If Murrow implemented this policy do you think it would have prevented you from
applying?
Abdirahmada - Might- financial reason.
Emma - personally, no. frustrated if labs were gone
Abby - factor that would differ person to person. Would effect people
Emma - not having as many resources would turn me away. Com 210 not having lab hours to
work on projects or if you have issues with your computer
Abby - couldn’t get rid of every single lab. Com 210 you go in to learn how to do it.
Emma- not just money for laptop. Money for programs and external devices
2. Do you think this policy will further student’s academic performance and/or after college
work experiences?
Abby - it would be awesome if everyone was able to. But realistically that’s not possible
What would make you vibe with it?

Kelly - having adobe and programs covered
Emma - still having one computer lab or a lab TA
Group agreed
Abby - never went into lab and every computer was taken so you can get rid of some but still
need some
3. Overall, do you think this new policy will be beneficial?

Most everyone said no.
Katherine asked Sarah specifically a Q:

Having electronics is huge but not necessarily having a laptop would be necessary
Amoje asked if it was implemented how would you want to be communicated with about it?
Lauren- tell freshman when they are applying. Super transparent. Student’s already in program
shouldn’t be affected
Emma- transitional thing. Everyone agreed
Observations
- every participant has a laptop
- “makes school work a lot more convenient, 95% of the homework you do is going to be on
your laptop”
- “no need to transfer files”
- “I feel like I’m the only one that writes notes with a pencil and paper”
- netflix, shopping, work
- “use labs all the time for com stuff”
- mixed feelings on ebooks / physical books
- twitter for wsu information
- parents use Facebook / parents page for information
- email for important information
- parents supplied most laptops / financial support
- requiring a laptop is a risky move
- provide access to adobe if its required
- general consensus is that laptop policy isn’t feasible
-Red shirt pointed out that’s it’s not Apple and was kind of proud of it.
-Elementary Ed also not Apple
-Kind of scared to say it was a surface
-“Everyone has to have one”
-Says very online based campus
-Head nod in agreement that it’s convenient
-Elementary Ed does pen and paper. Feels like they are the only one
-Everyone agrees 100% of time you need computer for school work
-Laughs at Netflix and shopping
-Using labs to use adobe
-Not enough space on laptops to run adobe
-Wants to not have to use adobe or labs in general
-BODY DOES NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF EBOOKS
-can highlight and take notes
-Everyone agrees with command find stuff
-It depends on class
-Zoey is like “yeah” in agreeing it depends on class
-If it has to be taken to class e-books are better
-Price everyone agrees is a big factor as everyone nodes
-Would put up with reading online
-No one likes what they get back when they try to resell physical books
-Has at different times. Depends on what you’re in
-People node to agree with using it outside of classes
-Two have never needed it before
-People aren’t going to keep it if they don’t use after graduation
-If someone ELSE will pay they would all 100% have it
-Would not purchase for personal use
-Everyone says twitter at the same time
-Twitter gets the most engagement
-Also Instagram
-People nod no about going on websites
-Only on it for classes mostly
-On Parents
-They all say Facebook mostly
-Parents use none
-Parents page everyone nods
-They get emails from alumni association. People nod
-People all nod about emails because it’s more professional
-Everyone agrees that it’s more official
-Social media is more fun
-Email are more personal
-Parents don’t follow unless it’s safety related
-Parents did not help purchase for most. Or it was a gift.
-Everyone says their parents help pay
-people in the middle ground about what they share with them about grades. Everyone agrees. -
Tells parents about their professors
-Some people laid back in chair not interested. Zoey body language not good
-Two say no because it’s hard
-They way classes are structured. People are kind of forced to have a laptop
-Detract from funding from computer.
-People who have laptops still use computer labs
-Has to factor it into tuition
-Create program to help people pay for it
-School should provide the programs. Everyone agrees
-Has to provide anti-virus
-Virus BIG ON
-It would effect if people would come to college. People agree. Frustrated body language
-It would differ person to person
•Sideways lips scrunch•
-Not having as many resources people nod
-Not having lab hours for 210 would not be good. Or having issues on a computer
-saying they should not get rid of every lab. People agree
-It’s not just money for laptop but for programs and external drives
-If everyone was able it would be awesome but not all people are people nod in agreement
-People REALLY want adobe covered
-Everyone says no and nods your head
-Can’t force students already in program to apply to policy
FOCUS GROUP CONSENT FORM

Thank you for your participation in our focus group. This is a student-led focus group
assignment for COMSTRAT 485 “Public Relations Management and Campaign Design.” It is
strictly for education purposes and helps fulfill a key component in the Strategic Communication
program at Washington State University.
Your opinion is vital to research opinions and attitudes toward laptop use in Murrow College.
You have been selected because you fall in the target audience identified Pullman PR. For that
reason, what you think will help create information for future use.
Please feel free to communicate with any person in the focus group who makes you feel
comfortable. This group is designed to be open and a safe space to express your opinions. Your
moderator(s) will be with the group throughout the specified time to ensure such.
Beyond this focus group, the moderator will not contact you for additional or follow-up
information.
We want to be very clear about your agreement to participate. Your participation is entirely
voluntary. For that reason, we request your signature on the consent form below.
Topic: Murrow Laptop Policy Implementation
Moderator(s): Amoje Moody
Date: 10/21/18
Location: Murrow Hall 307
Time: 6:00 PM PST
Participant Name: _______________________________________ (Print please)
I have voluntarily agreed to participate in the focus group surrounding laptop policy attitudes.
This forms authorizes Pullman PR to capture my opinions as relevant to the topic. I am aware
that my responses may be recorded and transcribed. I understand the transcription will not
include any identifying information about my identity.
I understand the purpose of this focus group is for educational means and I will not be receiving
compensation of any kind.
Signed: ____________________________________________ Date: _____________________

Moderator’s signature: ________________________________ Date: _____________________
Group Consent Forms

In Person Interviews
Ryan Baker (prospective student)- DIDN’T END UP USING THIS INTERVIEW**
Do you have a laptop now and do you pay for adobe?

yes- I have surface pro. Dad bought it and then gave it to me. I don’t pay for adobe.
What form of social media do you use the most to receive information?
Instagram- WSU specifically for sports
website for WSU school information
Have you started looking at universities to apply for?

yea- wsu, boise st, asu
I haven’t started applying yet though.
Do you know what program you want to get into yet? Sports Management, Com…?
I want to get into business I think.
Does the program reputation matter to you when you decide which college you want to attend?
Not really, no.
Have you gone onto WSU website to look at programs and application process?
No- spring I plan to though. I’m only a junior.
If a laptop policy were set in place for your desired major, would that alter your decision in
attending that college?
No it wouldn’t change my decision because I already have one.
Emry Dinman (Murrow College Alumni)
Katherine: you will be quoted in the strategic analysis plan that I am giving the Murrow College
Emry: well, I’ll try to keep my cussing to a minimum.
Katherine: So the plan that they are having us do is, they want to implement a policy that all
students in the Murrow College have to have laptops. So, um, when they first told us about this
idea, the first person I thought about was you because you went through the college without a
laptop.
Emry: sure, so they are not thinking about providing them, they are just think of making students
get them, themselves?
Katherine: they are requiring students to purchase a specific type of laptop based on software and
hardware requirements.
Emry: oh wow this pisses me off already, sorry I said I wouldn’t swear
Katherine: that’s fine
Emry: that aggravating
Katherine: so that’s why I wanted to talk to you. What are you thoughts then?
Emry: well the first thing that comes to mind is more broad about the industry in general, we
have enough problems attracted and keeping people who are low income or just moderate
income, I mean everything about it from the unpaid internships to the amount of traveling you
have to do and the fact that your spending four years for a degree that will likely not actually pay
a whole lot of money. There is a certain amount of classism already baked into this industry and
requiring students to find funds for more devices, the adobe suites are extremely expensive you
have to regularly update them. It seems absurd to me to put an extra barrier there that will hurt
low income students that most. If they were to try to implement something like this they would
have to have heavy substitution for low income students, and even then it’s just another pain in
the neck. It’s annoying to have another implement you are required to have. What are they
asking for? Macs?
Katherine: No actually they are thinking PC’s.
Emry: Oh,
Katherine: Pc’s are cheaper than mac’s but the vast majority of students have mac computers.
Emry: Sure, and all of the college’s computers are apple, or most of the ones I’ve worked with
Katherine: which is interesting because WSU is a PC based campus
Emry: Huh,
Katherine: if you were a student looking at the Murrow College, how would you feel about their
being a laptop policy? Would that have impacted your decision to come to WSU?
Emry: Yeah, I was about to say, I came through Wazzu specially for the Murrow College but if I
had been aware of a requirement like that was in place, it wouldn’t make or break the decision
but it would certainly be factored into the cost of attendance. That’s not a cheap implement
because we spend enough money on books. To my knowledge, there aren’t a lot of federal
funding for laptops.
Katherine: well the idea behind it is they would have students buy e-books in order to save them
money. What do you think about that?
Emry: oh I mean, that’s, e-books are frustrating to work with they’re not as visceral as having a
real physical textbook. You’re not actually buying the book, your licensing it so you have less
ownership over the things that you are working with. And I mean, there’s a general rules the
closer you’re going to be to technology the closer you are to a distraction. Picking up a text book
doesn’t have bells and whistles and flashing lights. It’s conducive to a more focused learning
experiences and trying to forces it into e-books, is um short sided. The whole things sounds
really frustrating.
Katherine: What were your experiences like with the computer laps in the Murrow College?
Emry: They are fine. The biggest issue is they don’t post schedules online. When I was trying to
figure out times to go in, it was kind of a crap shoot in that I really wouldn’t know until I got
their if it was use for class or reserved for class. I was available and was an acceptable suite but I
wish it was more clear which computers were accessible. And there are other computers labs on
campus students could use who were double majoring or minoring in a different department. A
lot of the other computer labs were far more available, especially in the evenings, like I would
regularly go to the Murrow computer labs, realize it was occupied and run down to the English
computer lab which was much more regularly vacant in the evenings when you actually have
time out of class to do work. I wish they would make it more available and made the schedules
more available so people would coordinate better.
Katherine: do you know anyone else on campus that used the computer labs as often as you did
and did not have a laptop?
Emry: I assume because I did know a lot of students who would regularly use the computer labs.
Clearly they were using it because they didn’t have access or couldn’t afford that accessory or it
could be they had a laptop but didn’t have the Adobe Suite. It’s like buying a whole new laptop
every year.
Katherine: that’s all the questions I have unless there is anything else you’d like to say.
Emry: No.
Jeff Snell (Murrow IT)

Katherine: what is your opinion on Murrow possibly implementing a laptop policy for students?
Jeff: [sighs] ultimately my position is whatever the college wants to do I will do. In my opinion
there are a lot of hurdles that have to be overcome. And a lot of other organizations that say you
have to have a laptop in order to do your studies, they are not nearly as computer intensive unlike
what we do. Some statistical software requires horsepower, but when you start talking about
things like manipulating graphics it become a bigger deal. Not only do you have to have the right
hardware, you have to have the right software and on top of that it has to work and on top of that
who you have to talk to if it doesn’t work. That is where my bigger concern is. What happens,
Say we implement a laptop policy depending on weather you are startcom or JMP. What kind of
specifics you need. It could be a Mac or PC. I’m a PC person so I prefer PC’s but it’s up to you.
What happens then, is if they have a problem with their computer, we end up with the whole, my
dog ate my homework, but now it is now my computer won’t do what it needs to do. So in a
sense, you’re kind of putting the onus on the student and the instructor. At least with the labs we
know the labs work. And laptop policy doesn’t mean we wouldn’t have labs as well so that
would be one of those things. If I could get some kind of insurance that we would keep one or
two of the labs or we will have several machines in each lab that would work. In my own studies
I have found having a computer in class is a downside. I can’t type fast enough, I spend my time
thinking about other things instead of actually listening and writing in the way I studied before I
would write my notes, then go home and type them out so they were searchable so you are
actually doing it twice, whereas if you are only typing it in, it might not stick as well. But that is
my concern, what happens if a student’s computer breaks.
Katherine: Devin was telling me that WSU IT cannot legally touch a student’s computer.
Jeff: that is correct. We are employees of Washington state university and so our time is to only
be spent on Washington state university systems. So anything that the college buys I can support
if the college doesn’t buy it technically I am not allowed to. Occasionally we have a student
come in with a software problem and we will say by saying this and this, but if it looks like a
hardware issue we will tell them they need to go get it repaired. And that’s the extent because if
we did we would be liable.
Katherine: The Murrow College is looking at doing a PC based laptop policy even though more
students have Mac computers. If they were to go towards PC, what would the requirements be
and the average cost be?
Jeff: once again, it depends on what track you are on. If it’s something like JMP, you need a
heavier processor because you’ll be editing video and on top of that, if you’re encoding video.
Those are the two big resources. Editing video is graphic card intensive so you have to have a
good graphics card. Encoding video, that is processor intensive. In both those situations, when
we are spec’ing PC’s for the college we go in and look at what are they going to do being, how
are they going to be doing it and then we base the system requirements on the most stressful
application they would be using. So it is kind of a wash with graphics card and processor. You’ll
need a graphics card with at least 2gig of ram and an i7 or higher processor to really kind of get a
fluid experience will editing. One of the problems that you have is, you’ll have a processor that
can do the editing but when you render or play back it will lag and you’re never sure if it is your
computer or your video there is no way of knowing that unless you move it onto another
computer. If you buy a computer with alright graphics card and processor you should not see a
lag happening when you are playing back. Laptops, you kind of run the gamut. I would not
recommend a touch, I like the Microsoft, but they are not good for video editing. The dells we
buy are right around $1700 but those are also more business class equipment. We don’t buy the
consumer class we buy the business class. The consumer class, any kind of gaming laptop will
get you want you need, probably some serious overkill to be honest. Depending on how much
you want to spend your base will be between $1500 and $1700 or more like $2,000. It is a lot.
The idea is the students can take out loans for that, but you are heaping on more loan debt. It
really isn’t necessary.
Katherine: what I have been told is they would get rid of the computer labs because they
wouldn’t be needed.
Jeff: and to me that is not the cause the computer labs are more than just a place to go work on a
computer but a place to go collaborate with other students. Or if you are having issues, if you’re
in your dorm room and can’t figure something out, you google it but if you’re in a computer lab
you’re like hey I know this other kid, I’ll ask them.
Katherine: do you think there is a lot of stress to make sure the labs are up to date and
functioning properly?
Jeff: no, I think that’s more of a finance consideration because they are expensive to buy. Our
newest lab is Jackson 53 and that cost 38,000 for the computer and then on top of that we have to
buy the adobe software. So as far as maintaining, we only do updates on them at the beginning of
each semester. You are guaranteed that you will have something that works.
Katherine: so my understanding is that college owns Avid, but we have to pay for adobe.
Jeff: that is correct. Avid is a perpetual license. You can also do a rental, which is what Adobe
does. Our agreement with Adobe is coming due and the university is in discussions with Adobe
which will really impact on how the college uses adobe. And this may actually make is move.
Right now through the university agreement, for university systems. I have two licensing
methods I can use for my college. I can either use a user ID with is $190 a year. No cloud
storage. The other option is lab license, so I can put the license on three machines, so if I have 30
machines I have to buy 10. That’s a huge savings over the use ID. But right now, it looks like the
lab licenses is going again. Now we will have to have $190 for each computer with Adobe on it.
And I have 70 machines. We kind of keep hoping that the agreement gets sorted out. When
students leave here, they will probably be working on an Adobe system, so it is important that
we give students that tools they need to move forward. That is why we use Avid and Adobe
because a lot of newsrooms use Avid.
Katherine: what I have also been told with the laptop policy is the college is thinking of moving
away from Avid and only using adobe.
Jeff: avid is paid for. We have storage for it, everything is there for it. It is a cost that has been
absorbed. There is some maintenance. The problem is the Avid systems are in 52 and then we
have a couple editing bays. The laptops that are running in 52 for Murrow News 8 are seven
years old.
Katherine: I just heard that two of those laptops died.

Jeff: and we can’t get replacements for them. We can no longer buy parts to fix them since they
are so old. The only choice is to put new machines in and those new machines are going to run
right around
Susan Baker (parent)
Do you think laptops are beneficial to student’s success in college?

YES because kids can’t write as well without grammar and spell check
Would you have been skeptical about me applying to Murrow if the laptop policy were in place
already?
NO - Because we got you a computer so we were fine.
Do you think parents in general would be willing to help pay for their child’s laptops if this
policy goes into effect?
YES, IF they can.
If this lowered the cost of textbooks and students purchased E-books instead would you be more
for it?
YES- I think most kids going to college have a computer of some sort so ebooks need to be
available on all these different types.
Follow up- Do you think the school needs to help cover these costs?
Yes, I think that they can justify the cost of a computer if they can limit the cost of ebooks or
regular paper books.
Where do you receive most of your WSU information?

Social Media and Via child.
What social media platforms do you partake in? Facebook? Snapchat? Instagram? Twitter?
Linked In?
I use Facebook and LinkedIn only
Do you believe it is realistic for the college to expect every student to have a personal laptop in
the near future?
YES, I think if the school or department requires the kids to have computers than they need to
have a program to help those that cannot afford to buy their own. Especially if they have
programs to help purchase or rent.
Vince Campanella (parent)
Do you think laptops are beneficial to student’s success?

Yes. At this point with technology, mobile computing – laptops, iPads, Surface, etc. - is quickly
becoming the standard for most industries, and I would see the communications industry as
being on the leading edge of this movement with its focus on social media platforms, graphic
software, etc.
already?
No. I would think that this is forward thinking at some level, although the cost of these devices
can be significant for some and might make others skeptical about applying.
That’s up to individual parents, but for me, I would equip my child with the necessary tools to be
successful in college, whether I pay for it or work something out with my child.
If this lowered the cost of textbooks would you be more for it?
Yes, definitely. Textbooks are terribly expensive and if more classwork were available via
computer at a significantly reduced cost than a textbook, then I think that would be much more
appealing.

From my child primarily, or the WSU website periodically.
What social media platforms do you partake in?

Facebook and Instagram primarily.
the near future?
I think it’s getting there quickly, but the financial aspect of requiring every student to have a
laptop might be hard to push. The college might look to technology grants or sponsorships to get
more mobile devices that can be loaned to students who can’t afford to purchase one on their
own. Until that can happen, requiring every student to have a laptop might be a barrier to some
applying to the college.
Chris Campanella (parent)

I think so, it benefits them in taking notes and having everything they need in one place.
already?
No, I would feel it’s part of the curriculum, same as books and supplies.
I think so, it’s part of college. Maybe it would be something that Financial Aid could help with,
either a dollar amount or percentage.
Absolutely. That money would go toward a laptop.

Where do you receive most of your WSU information.
Email.

Facebook and online news.
the near future?
Yes, it is what most professional positions have as their database and communication.
Karen Barner (parent)

I believe laptops are beneficial to a student’s success.
already?
As parents we would not have been skeptical about Katherine applying to Murrow College.
In general I believe parents would help their student pay for a laptop. I would hope that if a
student did not have the means to purchase a required laptop that WSU or Murrow College
would assist, the student with a financial loan or scholarships.
For us the cost of textbooks would not be a deciding factor in a laptop purchase.

Most of the WSU information comes from my student, e-mails, and WSUParent page on
Facebook

Facebook; Instagram; Twitter
the near future?
I believe that every student should have a laptop.
Kathleen Waters (parent)

Yes, I think to be competitive in the business world you need to be comfortable with a computer.
already?
I’m not sure what the laptop policy is but Murrow has an excellent reputation so it wouldn’t
cause me to be skeptical at all.
I think some parents would be unable to afford it. Maybe having rentals available that are
inexpensive for anyone that needs the help.
The cost of textbooks is outrageous so anything that would help with that I’m all for.

Twitter

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat
the near future?
I think you’d have to have programs in place that ensure it’s not a hardship for students that can’t
afford them.
I think it’s also worth noting that there was an article that just came out that revealed that a lot of
Silicon Valley Tech families
are sending their kids to schools that don’t allow any kind of computer technology. Going back
to traditional ways of teaching without
technology …which is interesting.
Jeremy Kercheval (parent)

Yes - it enables students to use the internet to search for a broad amount of information that can
help the student learn more about a topic with a variety of perspectives.
already?
No, having a laptop policy is encouraging in the sense that Murrow has the expectation that
students be able explore topics in depth and not just from the set of books the Professors require.
I think in general that parents would want to be willing, however every students parents have
different financial limitations that could affect their ability.
This would have no relevance to me as I am all for it at the start.

From both my daughter and from WSU’s website as well as other sources that I find on the
internet.

I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I only really use LinkedIn as it
has become more clearer to me that the current social media platforms as they exist today are
creating as many or more problems than they are solving. Particularly with respect to the actual
social nature of the platforms - people are becoming more ensconced within a specific circle
instead of more aware in general
the near future?
I believe that it is realistic that if colleges require personal laptops that they figure out a way to
provide them for those people that cannot meet that financial obligation to buy them.
Rhonell Kercheval (parent)

Yes, I think it’s important for students to have access to the online tools, assignments, reading
etc that colleges today utilize for instruction. And that access needs to be portable for ease of use
wherever the student finds they have extra time for study - between classes, at work, etc
already?
No, I would have understood that the policy was probably there to help the student succeed.
I think so if the parents have the means to help pay. I would expect there to be some sort of
financial aid available specifically for the laptop for students whose parents couldn’t afford the
additional fee.
Even better - yes!

From my daughter.

Instagram rarely- just starting to use it again. Mostly just to browse photos, rarely comment or
post.
the near future? Not unless they figure out how kids with financial need can get the cost covered.
Bryan Dixon
• Concerns: unmet need threshold ($7500 indicator of when students drop out)
• When would students would need to get a laptop, who would change majors
• How do we get the message out
• Recommendation: university has a laptop leasing program. Meet with those people.
Protects price, allocates price for years to come
• Budgeting spreading the cost between the four years, how many students will need to
lease laptops
• Grant incentives, etc
• Create a webpage (coug family page) almost like a go fund me or gift registry
• How many laptops are available for the leasing program?
• Most likely become a program cost
o What policies will we implement when students can’t pay that cost?
o How will late fees, etc be counted into it?
o Maintenance and support costs
• Can adjust the budget for students
o Spreading it across four years or a collection of years, students can pay these fees
over time VOLUME PRICING
o How can we find other resources to help pay for these costs?
o Corporate partner that can help pay for these things (ex. Paul Allen)
• Look for donors, alumni and more that can help with the cost
• Using an existing infrastructure
Dorthy Moore
Moore operated as a liaison between us and Bryan Dixon. From our conversation with
Sara, we headed to the financial aid office. We were told that Dixon would be able to answer our
questions about creating separate financial aid packages for Murrow students, but Moore was
crucial in giving us ideas about how to fund the campaign with limited resources including grant
writing by distinguished Murrow students. Not only was that a good idea, it is a good
opportunity for professional development for Murrow students that should be seriously
considered.
Chris Cooney
Cooney is in coordination with ASWSU (Taylor of the Murrow College of
Communication) and CougTech to reduce the cost of licenses for Adobe by breaking the price
down by through course fees. This would give students year round access to use the program
without depending on the dilapidated labs the college intends on getting rid of. The goal is for
each student to pay no more than $35-40 in course fees that require the use of Adobe software
for assignments. The reason for this is because Adobe savvy students are basically paying for
Adobe multiple times throughout the year with their own money and through course fees. This
would remove the need of having students pay almost $300 a year for a license independently
and giving them access to the software by endowing them with licenses they pay for through
course fees.
Sara Stout
• What services will be provided to students through this laptop policy (financial aid to
cover the cost, student deals on laptops, free Adobe software, etc.)?
• Where will the money saved from closing down labs go? Could this possibly go into a
fund for students to pay for software programs like Adobe on a first-come, first-serve
basis?
• Are there any open lines of communication with Adobe or any other companies that
could save students money right now? How can our group help you establish partnerships
with these brands
• What is one of your main concerns about the laptop policy that we could help address?
• How many students in the Murrow College on average use Adobe products for classes?
(We would then use our survey to ask how many students use it recreationally as well).
Default Report
Student Laptop Policy Survey
November 4th 2018, 7:00 pm MST

Q1 - What year in school are you?
# Field Minimum Maximum Mean Std Variance Count

Deviation
1 What year in school 1.00 5.00 3.00 1.04 1.09 46

are you?
# Answer % Count
1 Freshman 10.87% 5
2 Sophomore 17.39% 8
3 Junior 36.96% 17
4 Senior 30.43% 14
5 other 4.35% 2
Total 100% 46
Q2 - Are you certified in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication?


Deviation
1 Are you certified in 1.00 2.00 1.22 0.41 0.17 46

the Edward R.
Murrow College of
Communication?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 78.26% 36
2 No 21.74% 10
Total 100% 46
Q3 - Which discipline are you studying or plan to study?
# Answer % Count
1 Public Relations 41.51% 22
2 Advertising 13.21% 7
3 Integrated Strategic Communication 5.66% 3
4 Multimedia Journalism 3.77% 2
5 Media Production 7.55% 4
6 Broadcast News 20.75% 11
7 Risk and Crisis Communication 5.66% 3
8 Science Communication 0.00% 0
9 Communication and Technology 1.89% 1
Total 100% 53
Q4 - Do you own a laptop?

Deviation
1 Do you own a 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 46

laptop?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 100.00% 46
2 No 0.00% 0
Total 100% 46
Q5 - If yes, what type?
# Field Minimum Maximum Mean Std Deviation Variance Count
1 If yes, what 1.00 3.00 1.72 0.50 0.25 46

type?
# Answer % Count
1 PC 30.43% 14
2 Mac 67.39% 31
3 Microsoft Surface 2.17% 1

Total 100% 46
Q6 - Did you purchase it in high school or in college?

Deviation
1 Did you purchase it 1.00 2.00 1.58 0.49 0.24 45

in high school or in
college?
# Answer % Count
1 High School 42.22% 19
2 College 57.78% 26
Total 100% 45
Q7 - How much was your laptop?


Deviation
1 How much was your 1.00 4.00 2.65 0.96 0.92 43

laptop?
# Answer % Count
1 $0 - $500 16.28% 7
2 $500 - $1,000 20.93% 9
3 $1,000 - $1,500 44.19% 19
4 $1,500 - $2,000 18.60% 8
5 $2,000 plus 0.00% 0
Total 100% 43
Q8 - What software programs do you use on your computer?
# Answer % Count
1 Microsoft Office 63.24% 43
2 Adobe Creative Cloud 36.76% 25
3 Avid 0.00% 0
Total 100% 68
Q9 - Do you pay for the Adobe Creative Cloud?

Deviation
1 Do you pay for the 1.00 2.00 1.52 0.50 0.25 46

Adobe Creative
Cloud?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 47.83% 22
2 No 52.17% 24
Total 100% 46
Q10 - How often do you use computer labs in the Edward R. Murrow College
of Communication outside of class?

Deviation
1 How often do you 1.00 4.00 2.78 1.20 1.43 46

use computer labs in
the Edward R.
Murrow College of
Communication
outside of class?
# Answer % Count
1 Very Often 23.91% 11
2 Often 13.04% 6
3 Not Often 23.91% 11
4 Never 39.13% 18
Total 100% 46
Default Report
Parent Survey-‐ Laptop Policy
October 31st 2018, 5:43 pm MDT
Q1 -‐ What year in school is your child?


Deviation
1 What 1.00 5.00 2.19 1.20 1.45 62

year in
school
is your
child?

# Answer % Count
1 Freshman 38.71% 24
2 Sophomore 25.81% 16
3 Junior 16.13% 10
4 Senior 16.13% 10
5 Fifth year 3.23% 2
Total 100% 62

Q2 -‐ Is your child currently studying in the Murrow College of Communication at
WSU?


Deviation
1 Is your child 1.00 3.00 1.84 0.41 0.17 62

currently
studying in the
Murrow College
of
Communication
at WSU?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes 17.74% 11
2 No 80.65% 50
3 He/She 1.61% 1
has
applied
4 I'm not 0.00% 0

sure
Total 100% 62

Q3 -‐ Did your child have a laptop before starting school at Washington State
University?


Deviation
1 Did your 1.00 2.00 1.10 0.30 0.09 62

child have a
laptop
before
starting
school at
Washington
State
University?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes 90.32% 56
2 No 9.68% 6
Total 100% 62

Q4 -‐ Did you assist your child with purchasing the laptop?


Deviation
1 Did you 1.00 3.00 1.44 0.73 0.54 62

assist your
child with
purchasing
the laptop?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes-‐ I 70.97% 44
paid for
all of it
2 Yes-‐ I 14.52% 9
paid for
part of
it
3 No-‐ My 14.52% 9

child
paid for
all of it
4 My 0.00% 0
child
does
not
have a
laptop
Total 100% 62

Q5 -‐ How much would you be willing to spend on a laptop for your child?


Deviation
1 How 1.00 5.00 2.65 0.95 0.91 62

much
would
you be
willing
to
spend
on a
laptop
for
your
child?

# Answer % Count
1 $0-‐ 6.45% 4
$500
2 $501-‐ 45.16% 28
$1000
3 $1001-‐ 30.65% 19
$1500
4 $1501-‐ 12.90% 8
$2000
5 more 4.84% 3
than
$2000
Total 100% 62

Q6 -‐ Do you or your child currently pay for Adobe cloud?


Deviation
1 Do you 1.00 3.00 2.13 0.55 0.31 62

or your
child
currently
pay for
Adobe
cloud?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes 9.68% 6
2 No 67.74% 42
3 I'm not 22.58% 14

sure
Total 100% 62

Q7 -‐ If the Murrow College required laptops would you be hesitant on your child
applying to the program?


Deviation
1 If the 2.00 3.00 2.05 0.21 0.05 62

Murrow
College
required
laptops
would
you be
hesitant
on your
child
applying
to the
program?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes 0.00% 0
2 No 95.16% 59
3 Maybe 4.84% 3
Total 100% 62

Q8 -‐ Do you believe laptops are useful in a college classroom environment?


Deviation
1 Do you 1.00 3.00 1.21 0.44 0.20 62

believe
laptops are
useful in a
college
classroom
environment?

# Answer % Count
1 Extremely 80.65% 50
useful
2 Moderately 17.74% 11
useful
3 Slightly 1.61% 1
useful
4 Neither 0.00% 0
useful nor
useless
5 Slightly 0.00% 0
useless
6 Moderately 0.00% 0
useless
7 Extremely 0.00% 0
useless
Total 100% 62

Q9 -‐ Please rank which media platform you most commonly use to receive WSU
information (1 being most frequently used to 5 being least frequently used)


Deviation
1 Facebook 1.00 3.00 1.44 0.68 0.46 55

2 Email 1.00 5.00 2.76 1.09 1.20 55
3 Twitter 2.00 5.00 4.25 0.84 0.70 55
4 Website 1.00 5.00 2.56 1.00 1.01 55
5 Instagram 1.00 5.00 3.98 1.18 1.40 55

# Question 1 2 3 4 5 Total
1 67.27% 37 21.82% 12 10.91% 6 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 55

Facebook
2 Email 12.73% 7 29.09% 16 34.55% 19 16.36% 9 7.27% 4 55
3 Twitter 0.00% 0 5.45% 3 9.09% 5 40.00% 22 45.45% 25 55
4 Website 18.18% 10 25.45% 14 40.00% 22 14.55% 8 1.82% 1 55
5 Instagram 1.82% 1 18.18% 10 5.45% 3 29.09% 16 45.45% 25 55

COMSTRAT 485 - Final Research Report

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COMSTRAT 485 - Final Research Report

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PULLMAN PR: Research Report

Situational Analysis & Research Report: Edward R. Murrow College of Communication

The Future of Murrow: The Transition to a Laptop Requirement

Washington State University

Murrow College of Communication have a better understanding of how to successfully

from current Murrow students, parents of current students and faculty.

Pullman PR to make realistic suggestions for our client.

Conclusions and Recommendations 37

List of Tables and Figures

Introduction and Situational Analysis

Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. The Edward R. Murrow College of

a laptop policy for undergraduate students.

Background on Organization and Industry

Mission, Vision and Goals

The mission of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is to expand Edward

n.d.).The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication will be recognized as an international

Murrow championed as a courageous, professional communicator and engaged citizen (The

Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).

1. To provide a professionally-oriented, skills-based education that emphasizes experiential

learning and excellence in writing, speaking and digital communication skills.

2. To highlight the ability to communicate articulately to global and diverse audiences,

accentuating an entrepreneurial mindset with social responsibility.

3. To develop meaningful, productive collaboration among Murrow College students and

Washington State (The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).

inspiration, experience, and real-world experience.

were merged. During the 1980s, the

department saw an exponential growth

due to the guidance of Glenn Johnson

and W. Neal Robison. In 1986, Dr.

Alexis S. Tran led the effort to

designate the department as the Edward

R. Murrow School of Communication.

The new name was approved by the

Bruce Pinkleton (The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, n.d.).

for undergraduate students.

● Communication and Society

○ Communication and Technology

○ Risk and Crisis Communication

● Journalism and Media Production

minors in Communication and Sports Communication.

are 240 computers in these labs for students to use.

Writing Labs for Word Processing

Jackson 373 – 20 computers

Murrow 243 – 20 computers

Goertzen Studio 1 – 40 computers

Goertzen 117 – 20 computers

Goertzen 123 – 20 computers

Goertzen 217 – 24 computers

its goal of developing experiential learning in digital skills.

Major Issues Affecting Organization

faculty and related financial requests.

access useful resources.

or participating in Murrow Symposium and the Murrow Mentor Program.

Productions is a student-run television station that gives real-life experience to students

interested in broadcast journalism or television production. Murrow also offers a backpack

could prove to be very beneficial to students interested in getting involved.

Edward R. Murrow Website

members as to what administrative expenses will be cut.

Murrow’s website (https://murrow.wsu.edu/) is easy to navigate and has a great deal of

website is very organized and communicates information effectively.

Pullman PR has reached out to Corrie Wilder, Director of Marketing and

information on the demographics of the college and its followers.

Organization in Larger Scope of Field

articles submitted from 1993-2013.

media literacy) and Drugs (Substance Abuse Prevention).

NewsPro Magazine, and RTDNA.

using data from the U.S. Department of Education.