Common Reading Program saved by donation

Dozens of copies of Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” the book selected for Washington State University’s 2009 Common Reading Program, were perfectly stacked near the entrance of The Bookie. Students occasionally stopped at the display, thumbed through the pages and placed the book back on the table. The students’ nonchalant reaction to the New York Times bestseller, which assesses the social and environmental repercussions of people’s diets, stood in stark contrast to the level of debate that has surrounded the book since early last month, when the Common Reading Program was removed from the WSU curriculum.

While thousands of copies of the book remained packaged, waiting to be distributed at Alive! sessions this summer, the fate of the book and the Common Reading Program dangled in the balance until WSU alumnus William Marler promised on Wednesday to donate $40,000 to help reinstate the program and the controversial book.

Concern about the book emerged in April, when WSU President Elson S. Floyd announced that the Common Reading Program would be suspended due to budgetary constraints. However, according to the Spokesman-Review, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” was pulled from the curriculum when Harold Cochran, a member of the board of regents, raised concerns about the depiction of agribusiness in the book.

Many students and professors expressed skepticism about the administration’s reasons for removing “Omnivore’s Dilemma” because the university had already purchased 4,000 copies of the book. In an Associated Press article, general education professor Jeff Sellen said, “Unless they wanted to have a big book-burning in the middle of Terrell Mall, I don’t see how they intended to save money by making this decision.”

Susan Poch, the associate vice president for Educational Development, Student Affairs, Equity and Diversity, said the program’s removal was primarily a budget issue and that it had already been slated for possible removal by the Academic Affairs Program Prioritization report. Discussing the future of the program, Poch added, “This could still be a watershed year for the program because of the budget crisis.”

Marler’s donation will cover the program’s financial shortfalls, including the cost of bringing Pollan to WSU. “I thought it would be important for the public to understand that WSU views freedom of speech and academic expression as something that is truly fundamental to its mission. I am pleased I could help in this regard,” Marler said, according to a WSU News Service release. Marler could not be reached for further comments on Friday.

Despite all of the events that transpired last week, little has changed. “The only thing that has changed is the distribution of the book,” Poch said. “Mr. Marler’s donation means that more students will have access to the book and that the author will be able to speak on campus.”

Although the book was reinstated, some still believe the university folded to political pressure. Assistant English professor Patricia Ericsson, who recommended the book to the Common Reading Program selection committee, maintains that the book’s removal was due to political pressure from the board of regents and not the budget crisis.

The Common Reading Program is entering its third year at WSU. Its goals are to start discussions amongst students and to introduce them to the numerous research projects at WSU, Karen Weathermon, Director of WSU Learning Communities and Freshman Focus, said.

The two previous book selections, Gina Kolata’s “Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic and the Search for the Virus that Caused It” and Mary Roach’s “Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers” did not stir as much debate as this year’s selection. “We knew the book could be controversial due to Mr. Pollan’s viewpoints and WSU’s role in the Washington agriculture industry,” Poch said. “However, judging how people might react to a book is hard to do."