It's been an ongoing issue, but at the last RSA meeting as well as Monday's SGA meeting; the changes in the Cyber were brought up.
What some may not know, the Cyber was designed with a focus on being a cash flow service - meaning not for heavy use of meal exchange. But students have been using the Cyber for meal exchange when they should be going to the dining hall.
Amy Preston and other executive board members of Resident Student Association met with Chartwells a few weeks ago to discuss these issues. As RSA representative at the SGA meeting, Preston informed attendees that Chartwells wants to reduce traffic to the Cyber and encourage people to go to the dining hall for meal exchanges. To this effect, that is why there is now a limit of 2 meal exchange transactions at one time at the Cyber.
Preston also mentioned that Chartwells employees at the Cyber were having to stay until midnight cleaning up - and that wasn't a part of their job description. As a result, hot food service has been changed to end at 9:30 PM (while closing is at 10 PM) to allow more time to close up.
At the RSA meeting, an executive board member said that the clean-up crew was behind on their duties because security was kicking them out - due to staying two hours more past closing time.
With all the changes, it's hard to keep up with what can be ordered on meal exchange and what can't be. The chicken caesar salad and outtake sandwiches were on meal exchange, but then they weren't. They may be back on meal exchange, I don't know, but I feel it could just as easily get shifted around the next day with the way things have been working. I'm glad that the pizzas and subs allowed on meal exchange are clearly labelled. I understand the supreme pizza not being allowed on meal exchange (with all the ingredients on it), but I usually order that and have found myself ordering something different or just going to the dining hall.
I understand the need to encourage meal exchange use in the dining hall - that's what it's primarily there for, but you never know what to expect there. Even with the buffet selection, some days the food choices are not worth a meal exchange. For example, today I only grabbed dessert from the dining hall before heading to the Cyber for dinner. Nothing else was worth getting.
What you might not know: A little over half of the money made in the Cyber goes back to Dominican (out of $10, only $4.50 goes to Chartwells).
With the tragic plane crash in Buffalo, New York Thursday evening, I've been thinking about the growth of participatory journalism. No matter how many trained journalists there are, nothing can beat a local who is already at the scene as it happens before their eyes. Time is of the essence and journalists can only get to the scene so fast. The question is, "Where do you draw the line?"
On CNN.com, they have iReport submissions where people took photos or recorded video right when the Buffalo plane crash happened. One particular video includes a woman screaming, frantic and wanting to know if her family was all right in a house near the crash site. I first saw this on CNN and I felt uncomfortable, almost guilty for viewing a very emotional and tragic scene.
True, it is interesting to see live, eyewitness video versus reporters telling the story after the fact. But there is a point where the interest for watching the video makes way to "why am I watching this in the first place?" Sometimes, too much information is too much information.
Now I'm all for online journalism because of the opportunity to do more rather than writing a story and maybe a color photo (if the newspaper has the money for it) along with it. The chance to do an in-depth photo essay - in full color - or adding video to attach the names in the written story to faces allows for news to be presented in more colorful, interesting ways. Black and white print isn't what it used to be.
And traditional print media can't compete with the interactivity of online journalism through the ability for viewers to comment on a story, video or photo. Reading one comment on the previously mentioned plane crash video, I had hope that some people are able to step back and say what we all should be thinking...
[viewer comment to video posting below]
Why is this out for public viewing? I understand the freedom's of press, but this is a very personal glimpse of a tragic moment for people who haven't even had a moment to think about or reflect on what just happened to them. Is their no common decency left in America, or are we all just gore addicts?
Even so, there's just something about having a camera or camcorder to document an event as it occurs. Unexpected things happen all the time and while it may not be a plane crash right in your backyard, the need to know is relentless. As iReport shows, it's not just journalists who have that need to know - it's any one of us, however much we deny it. Celebrity gossip is popular for a reason after all.
We marvel at how many millions of dollars are spent on 30- or 60-second commercial time slots during the Super Bowl every year. It can be quite easy to dismiss the ever-so-hyped Super Bowl Sunday commercials as over the top, silly, or a waste of money, but the fact that companies are willing to shell out upwards of $3 million for individual commercials holds much significance. Analyzing the whole spectacle from a sociological standpoint can speak volumes about American culture in a particular era...and what we allow major corporations to convince us.
My personal hypothesis in analyzing the most-viewed sporting event of the year (95.4 million people!) was based on previous observations: Super Bowl commercials will use the allure of hot babes, status, and machismo to sell products, as well as the promise of happiness and well-being—and most importantly, the ads will capitalize on stereotypes.
I mean, obviously. But while it’s not a groundbreaking theory, And people are more open to the messages when they’re expecting the ads to be sensational—is there ever a time when commercials are more anticipated? (Other times of the year, we use TiVo or fast-forward through ads!)
The most pressing issue for Americans in 2009 is the crumbled economy. By the millions, people are hesitant to spend, worried about jobs, and uncertain about the future. Advertising companies don’t ignore the trends—they strive to give the people what they’re starving for.
For example, Career Builder capitalized on that with their witty commercial displaying people who hate their jobs—and ending by saying it’s okay to be on the job hunt—you’ll revamp your life and obtain more personal happiness and fulfillment.
AP
Priceline, an online travel agent that allows you to name your price for travel packages (and NEGOTIATES for you!), also reinforced that feeling. Their message was that it’s okay to travel still—just use their service and you won’t be overspending in these tough financial times.
Racial stereotypes are also integral in Super Bowl advertisements. Save for a new talkin', singin' baby in the E-Trade commercials, the blacks in the ads were mostly athletes inspiring young black kids to dream big! Read: become professional athletes. The executive hot shots were white men in business suits. The Asian executives at Hyundai (Oh, it sounds like "Sunday?" We can pronounce it now!) were yelling like it was a kung fu movie; almost mockable.
Sex and gender roles are also key. A new Pepsi product is the diet cola for a MAN, not women. Mr. Potato Head is driving in the mountains with his nagging wife when her mouth pops off and falls down a cliff; thank goodness! GoDaddy.com uses busty babes and suggestive same-sex shower scenes to sell domain names. Teleflora allows men to send flowers to women and simultaneously avoid the typical female over-analysis and mixed signals.
And isn't it interesting how the only female athlete prominently featured in the ads was completely objectified?
The many advertisements during the most-watched broadcast of the year reinforce and perpetuate the stereotypes. And there’s clearly a reason why these tactics work—they’ve been deeply embedded in our subconscious; we’re used to perceiving people or situations certain ways. Blacks are athletes, women are either confused or sex objects, white men are either executives or idiots ("I'm good, I'm good."), Asians sound funny when they yell and it’s always okay to spend money! In fact, you must!
I wasn’t surprised in the findings of my Super Bowl "sociological experiment," if you will, but viewing the commercials with a critical eye—specifically looking for the time-tested selling tactics—brought new perspective to our culture and norms.
And I don’t get offended that the marketing execs exploit women and typecast non-whites. Obviously the advertising strategies work, and stereotypes are in place for many reasons including the fact that we allow them to be. I enjoyed almost all of the commercials and laughed a lot (after being rendered speechless over Jennifer Hudson's tremendous National Anthem performance!).
Other than that, we know that bugs are Coke addicts and MC Hammer loves gold. Good times.
As Joe posted earlier today, the Stars lost one of their biggest games of the season last night. Our men's basketball team lost to Concordia's Cougars 75-41. Ouch.
Starting senior and point guard Kyle Tipton spoke with me this afternoon about the defeat. He's thinking positive about the rest of the season and the next game, this Saturday against Marian University. The home game's tip off will be at 4:15 p.m.
In this video, hear why Tipton thinks the Stars lost and how they'll make a comeback.
"I always dread the week before finals since my sophomore year," says senior Gwen Geever. She's a Business major and while she has only one final during finals week, she has five group presentations this week.
Considering her major, this is no surprise. I know how important it is to have good presentational skills in the business world - my sister is in marketing and there is always an annual presentation she has to do along with the rest of the marketing team. It is a big deal and there's no room for mistakes.
So while the opportunity to practice essential presentation skills is beneficial, Geever finds it hard to schedule meetings with all the groups she is a part of. She works two jobs - 15-20 hours during the week and 25-30 hours during weekends. While she's a resident, most of her group members are commuters. And while she's free in the evening hours, commuters - especially the ones who have to drive far - probably wouldn't want to go back and forth from home to school just to meet in the evening.
I know that if I'm finished with classes for the day and don't have a night class, I'd want to go straight to my room and relax. Who doesn't think that no matter if you're a resident or commuter?
I'm grateful that at least I don't have all of my papers due in one week - some were due last week or the week before. Though I wish all my papers had been due last week so I could have this week more or less free to focus on studies for finals week. I have two presentations as well, but if some people have up to five presentations in one week; then two doesn't look so bad in comparison.
On Trayless Tuesdays, residents are hit the hardest because they eat most frequently in the dining hall. I know that I almost dread going to eat in the dining hall Tuesdays because there will be no trays. I know it may be a good thing for the environment, but I'm not fond of that extra trip to get a drink - unless I can manage to balance everything in one trip.
But is it really helping the environment and we should just deal with the inconvenience or have other problems arisen as a result?
Senior resident Anne Marie Barrett gives her thoughts on Trayless Tuesdays (transcribed from video interview):
"...there have been more spills, more breaking of plates than I have ever seen because of trayless Tuesdays. And I would like to know if they really are conserving water. How much water they are conserving? And how much money they have to spend on paper towels to pick up the messes and plates that have been broken?"
Barrett also says that she sometimes sees paper plates, which she thinks is just as wasteful.
"So, it’s like why would we have paper plates on trayless Tuesdays when you know, we’re trying to help the environment. It’s just – I don’t know – kind of seems like a contradiction."
Barrett explains what it's like on Trayless Tuesdays...
After growing sick of the subs at the Cyber Cafe last year, I couldn't even look at them this semester and chose the pizzas or the dining hall food over it. Too many times last year I went and ordered the Philly Chicken sub to the point where I really rather not eat that anymore.
This year, a friend of mine said they chose the subs over pizzas because the wait wasn't as long. Logically, it takes longer for the pizzas to be made. But the only reason I opted for the pizza was due to the fact that I could eat it without contemplating throwing it out.
Yesterday (Tuesday), after my 5:30 P.M. night class, I had no choice but to order a sub. I had missed dinner in the dining hall, and two hours before the Cyber closed - there were no pizzas. This may have had something to do with this being right before Thanksgiving break, so maybe traffic was expected to be decreased?
I know at least one friend of mine who was planning to hightail it out of here right after night class Tuesday. I told him I was planning to get something from the Cyber for a late dinner. He said he'd just get something from McDonald's on his way back home. I probably would too if I had the option - I do like their crispy chicken sandwiches...
But despite the sometimes not so great selection in the dining hall, I prefer going there because at least there are more options - it's not just a sub/pizza with chips or fruit. Though a few times, the only thing worth eating was the potatoes or quesadillas; there's always salad. You can't really mess up salad, right?
The Cyber was open until 2 P.M. because of Thanksgiving break and they had limited options (sausage/pepperoni pizza or turkey/ham & swiss sub). I could have ordered a pizza, but I just went with a sub again. I'm guessing months of avoiding the subs has done its job - my appetite for them has returned. The subs are better in moderation though - I really don't think it's a good idea to eat them often during the week because you will grow tired of them.
Anne Marie Barrett, a senior at Dominican, weighs in on what she has heard from others on the food at the Cyber.
The Office of Marketing and Communications recently launched the new DominICAN website for potential students. Guess what this website includes... Blogs .
The difference between DominiNET and DominICAN blogs: the student bloggers on DominICAN get paid $25 per post.
The other obvious difference is that this is a news blog with multimedia content, while the student blogs on DominICAN are personal blogs about their lives and experiences at Dominican.
According to Junior Andrew Infanger, a contributor to the DominICAN blogs, he was emailed by the PR department offering this position. He then had to submit a writing sample and was chosen for the job.
There are 6 student blogs on the page and, of course, Dean Jeff Carlson's blog.
After discovering that students were getting paid to blog I had mixed feelings. I understand this is a great PR tool and is new with the changing technology, but I think it is silly DU has to PAY students to say things about Dominican. If students are passionate about Dominican and love our school, they should be willing to write about it without charge.
I am not upset that I am not getting paid. DominiNET is strictly for a class and I am receiving credit, not to mention great blogging experience to add to my resume. I just wish that Dominican realized they are a good school and students are willing to say good things about them without getting paid for it.
Today, Charlotte and I were on a mission: get the word out about dominiNET.....to DU students. Tom and Megan also helped promote our blog. Fliers were posted all over campus. We also handed out promo fliers to about 100 students. Hopefully, students will become familiar with our blog. We encourage all readers to please leave comments!!
Check out this video to find student's first reactions to dominiNET.
I hope students will agree with Javier and become regular dominiNET readers. And commenters.
Mandatory attendance at extracurricular academic activities.
Make 'em optional for extra credit. Offer something in place of the event. Give students a choice! I already am scheduled to be on campus for certain classes at a certain time. Beyond that, I'm not just sitting at home; I'm working around my ridiculous class schedule.
Let's back up here.
This week I've been faced with a challenging predicament as a full-time working, self-sufficient (barely), commuting student. I have two and a half jobs, and one of them is at a private season-ticket holders' club at the United Center. This week we have events (Bulls and Blackhawks games) Sunday through Sunday, with the exception of Monday night. I already request off every Tuesday and Wednesday night event because of night classes, and I just cut my losses with that because you have to sacrifice and be magnanimous and all that jazz.
However, this week, in addition to missing two nights for class, I am required to attend the Etiquette Dinner on Thursday night, and one of the performances of the musical Into the Woods either on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And if you'll notice again on the November schedule, there are events on all four of these nights, meaning an inevitable missing of FOUR nights out of a six-night workweek!
But it gets better! Each year, during the last two weeks of November, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus comes to United Center.
joesportsfan.com Being that I work in a classy white-tablecloth establishment on the Club level (or so my bosses like to drill in our heads every day), my restaurant in particular won't be open for the circus crowd (they must prefer unruly, beer-guzzling hockey fans who wear shorts in the winter to ice arenas), so I have two weeks off.
Am I seriously supposed to work two out of six nights in one week when I won't be working (at the U.C.) for the next two?
I know it's not my professors' faults that the U.C. planned their schedule this way. Our great teachers want us to learn how to not slurp our soup and which fork to use when. They want us to experience the magic and excitement of stage performances and stories in solidarity.
These, inherently, are good things (even though the only time I'll slurp is for the last couple sips of my cocktails--but I use a straw! Plus, I saw Into the Woods in high school six years ago).
But I don't have the time (or money) for this!
I'm not donning a Miss Misery sash for pity points here, but something's gotta give. It's a lot easier for some students to attend events outside of the classroom than it is others. I get that for every 3 hours in the classroom, you have to devote an additional 300 outside the classroom per week, yes.
But I should be able to choose when I devote those 300 additional hours. If I want to stay up all Monday night to finish a reading or start a project due Tuesday, that's my prerogative. But to have to pay to attend fairy tale plays and pseudo dinners while forgoing income...uh, yeah. I don't think I can hit up my profs for rent money.
Nothing replaces actually attending an event, but teachers should remember that we are adults and a lot of us work. Give us options. Give us us free! I understand scholarly responsibility, but you have to draw the line somewhere, right?
Is that too much to ask?
Well. I'll figure my life out, friends, but THAT'S: investorial.com
Four Dominican students discuss diversity on campus, compare it to their experience in high school and talk about any improvements DU should make in connection with diversity.
Students interviewed: Christina Kim, Monica Prisco, Nadya Remy and Dulce Melo.
The issue of self-segregation was brought up by Dominican student Nadya Remy after we discussed diversity at Dominican. She mentioned that she saw a clip on YouTube where a student at Duke University interviews fellow students about self-segregation. There is a trend among college campuses, though high schools may have the same predicament as well, where students of the same race and ethnicity sit together at the same table in the cafeteria and hang out together.
I've seen this at Dominican and it has been discussed among my friends. It is an unavoidable subject as you look around the dining hall at lunch or dinner. I've definitely noticed how certain types of people sit together.
Now while ideally, college should be a time to mix and mingle with other people from different backgrounds; self-segregation may not exactly be an obstacle to that. Some students in the YouTube video say that it's easier to connect with others of the same background.
Even though self-segregation is prevalent on some college campuses like Dominican, the question is: is it negatively affecting the campus environment here? Or is it something that's just there, but it's not really detrimental to promoting campus diversity at DU?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will go down in the books as one of the most ground-breaking days in the history of the world.
Eager with anticipation of The Big Day, I could not sleep Monday night. After a couple hours of intermittent shut-eye, I rose early to go to my classes and do my duty as a citizen, supporting Senator Barack Obama.
*Flashback* February 11, 2007. Dominican students Mariya Kozlova, Tyson Schutz and I went to the UIC Pavillion to attend one of the first campaign stops in the days after Barack Obama announced his decision to run for the presidency.
The MC announced Obama as "the next President of the United States." The energy and excitement in that arena was unbelievable, and that man stirred up deep emotion within all. Little did we know about what was in store for the nation over the next 21 months...
Back to Election Day.
Pumped up from the nationwide energy at the polls, I waited at a CTA stop to head to Dominican for my Tuesday morning classes, rocking the "HOPE" shirt I made at 3 a.m.
On my train car, I found a flier for Senator Harmon from Oak Park.
I tried to finish my Dostoevsky reading on the train to no avail; my mind was on the election. On campus, you could sense the nervous energy; the collective panic attack feeling throughout--but in a good way.
On the way home, I saw many more "I voted!" stickers and election pride, exciting me further.
I bet this man with an Obama/Biden button was up early to vote...
I got home around 4:30, ran some quick errands, and hopped back on the El to head downtown for night two of Hanson at the House of Blues.
Excitedly waiting for my friend Natalie to meet me at State and Lake...
...my inner journalist started to itch and I ran across the street to capture the people hanging out in front of the ABC News studio, peering in the glass and watching the news ticker. They were talking about New Hampshire, but these headlines made my heart jump:
Natalie arrived and we walked across the bridge to the House of Blues just as doors were opening. Hanson's opening artists were an LA band called Everybody Else and an artist named Dave Barnes. The musicians were all excited for the elections, stating their Obama pride and applauding all the concert attendees who had voted in the past month, regardless of which candidate they supported.
Near the end of Dave Barnes' set, Zac and Taylor Hanson surprised us by taking the stage to serenade the crowd with an a capella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
The guys played a rockin', energetic set and everyone in the House had a fantastic time.
In addition to their originals, Hanson covered Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," as well as other classics--"Oh! Darling," by the Beatles, "Hole in My Life" by the Police, "(I Want to Take You) Higher" by Sly and the Family Stone...
And during their song "Running Man," Zac modified the lyrics to sing, "Life isn't what it seems/Dave Barnes is in my dreams/That's exactly what I mean!" while the other bands goofed off onstage.
It was definitely a party.
The show ended around 9:40, and Natalie, Sara and I made our way down to Michigan Avenue to be a part of the Grant Park festivities. The outpouring of people was overwhelming, and the excitement was unlike anything I've ever witnessed in my life. Cars honking, people cheering.
This was BEFORE it was "officially announced that Obama was the winner," but at this point it was pretty much a given.
The Obama gear being sold on the streets was in high demand!
And the police presence was so reassuring. It was all hands on deck; there were at least five on EVERY corner. But they didn't have to do anything because nothing ever got out of hand.
A sweet girl offered to take our photo in front of the Art Institute. "This is history in the making," she said, smiling. "You girls'll show this picture to your grandchildren and say, 'I was there!'"
This is me skipping down Michigan Avenue.
We finally found a JumboTron with CNN footage and the words: Barack Obama Elected President of the United States.
There are no words to comprehensively describe that feeling.
Only pictures. And I apparently couldn't keep my mouth closed all night!
Finally, after a number of commercials, we sang the national anthem (I felt like part of the biggest choir in the world [and I thought the Hanson boys did it better;)]), and Senator John McCain took the stage in Arizona to address the world.
And finally, our guy came out with his beautiful family.
CNN footage of the first 2 minutes of his speech:
The crowds walking toward the parking lots, trains, and buses were unbelievable. The sheer magnitude of people who had all come out for the same purpose, in solidarity, was astounding. For miles, all you could see were hoards of people...of all colors, all ethnicities, all ages.
People were standing on ledges, dancing, singing, hugging, chanting, LOVING.
And finally, over an hour later, the streets started to clear.
A few friends and I went to Sanjay's house to have a couple celebratory cocktails:
And finally, at 1:15 a.m., I decided to head home to hopefully catch one of the last pink line trains. As I approached the station, a lady was selling the first copies of the Chicago Tribune.
I asked a few officers who were on the State & Lake platform if the trains were still running, and had a wonderful conversation with a police officer. I was looking over the front page of the Trib, overwhelmed with emotion, and he came over to chat with me. "You look very sentimental," he said, smiling.
"Tonight was just...unlike anything I've ever experienced," I told him. "The solidarity, the turnout...tonight I am TRULY proud to live in Chicago, and proud to be an American. There is hope."
"Oh, yeah, this has been a remarkable night," he said. "America elected a person because of his character. What happened here tonight doesn't just affect you and me. The whole world was watching. Tonight will impact the entire world."
He said he had heard that gunshots were fired on the south side, but they were celebratory shots and no one had been injured--that he knew of. He also told me that Tuesday had been his day off, but since it was an all-hands-on-deck night, he was getting paid time and a half and was very happy about that! With some more words of encouragement and a handshake wishing me well, the 54/Cermak Pink Line train approached.
I cried as I read the front page on the train:
"Barack Obama, son of an African man and a white woman from Kansas, a figure virtually unknown outside his home state of Illinois just five years ago, emphatically captured the presidency Tuesday night, as crowds massed in Grant Park to cheer his victory...
...With his victory, America's tortured relationship with race has entereed a new phase. The Obama presidency may be a sign that a country that all too recently tolerated segregation has moved irrevocably forward, or it may mean only that the nation is so hungry for change that it set aside racial struggles.
Obama is a man of extraordinary political gifts. The challenges facing him are many, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a struggling economy. He will confront them soon enough.
But Tuesday night, at least, was a time to marvel at a once-inconceivable moment in American history."
Reading about the events that I had been in the midst of, a part of merely HOURS ago was mind-blowing.
At 1:50 a.m. I walked the two blocks from the California stop to my house on Marshall Boulevard. The streets were still and silent; I encountered not a soul.
Still riding the waves of euphoria from the evening, I reflected on all I had seen and experienced that night. As a person who fits into many "categories"--female, college student, first-generation African (like Obama), hopefully to have a family some day, the events of election night have definitely changed the face of my future, and that of the world. To see America stand behind an exceptional man, one that I have personally admired for over two years, and a man of color...there are no words to truly encompass that feeling.
And when I got home, I dumped the contents of my purse onto my bed.
Tagged in this photo: Nov. 5 issue of the Chicago Tribune, Barack Obama poster, Harajuku Lovers hoodie, wallet, handout from Revolution, my reporter's notebook, Starburst wrappers, assorted Sharpies and pens, lighters and matches, keys, Hanson HOB tickets, a comb, the Nov. 4 issue of the Red Eye, and my trusty Moleskine notebook.
It's time. It's been a long time coming, but well worth the wait. It's as though America had to go through hell the past eight years--it makes this victory for HUMANKIND so much more fulfilling. You catch more bees with honey, and Obama took the high road, never stooping to the level of his naysayers. In a manner not unlike MLK's philosophy of non-resistance and peace, Obama proved that with love and virtue, we can do anything.
Martin Luther King had a dream. As my friend Diana said, "Rosa Parks sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly!"
Yesterday, that dream was actualized: America selected a man because of the content of his character.
This evening was Student Government Association's Town Hall Meeting. While the panel of university administrators (8 in total) answered a variety of questions, one comment caught my attention.
A commuter student asked a question about what student involvement is doing to get commuters more involved at Dominican. Bill Dlugokienski, Associate Director of Student Involvement, said that they "would really love to get them [commuter students] more engaged" though there are opportunities for commuters to get involved (Commuter Student Association, Stars On Wheels publication, etc.).
After Dlugokienski's answer, Dan Bulow, Director of Building and Grounds, cut in to bring up a point that relates to student involvement. It made me think of a previous post about the struggle to get students involved in different campus events. This extends to club and organization involvement as well.
Bulow commented that students should "band together and get the word out." There are chances like the Town Hall meeting to get pressing questions about university life, academics and more answered by university administrators. He said that "you have these administrators here" but there aren't a lot of students who are not a part of SGA. The Town Hall meeting is counted toward SGA attendance - all senators are required to attend. I did see a few people who weren't senators, though some of them were active members or officers of other campus organizations.
Campus Climate's Open Forum was also brought up by Trudi Goggin, Dean of Students. A student asked a question about class size and Goggin said that this issue was discussed at the open forum a few weeks ago.
I think it's good to have multiple chances within a semester to get questions answered by a panel of administrators. Who doesn't want an opportunity to get answers from administrators who cover different areas of Dominican University - from Chartwells to Building and Grounds - while they're available to take questions at the same time?
An email I received recently stated that "ABC NEWS issued orders forbidding reporters to wear lapel pin American flags or other patriotic insignia."Both snopes.com and truthorfiction.com have verified this statement. When I first heard this statement, I was disappointed, a little shocked. I understand that journalists must remain objective, but since when is patriotism, pride in one's country, considered a bias??
At first I thought nothing of the email. But soon I became curious, on a mission to find out whether this ban of patriotism was really necessary. I spoke with several reporters on the issue.
One reporter, Alex Shabad, of Evansville, Indiana's NBC affiliate WFIE-TV, also agreed that patriotic insignia interferes with objectivity. "It's hard to criticize our country when you wear an American flag pin. If a reporter is covering a bad story on the government, and wearing an American flag pin, it raises questions." Shabad also made a valid point about international journalists. "International reporters wearing the American flag pin are not objective. They are working in another country and should not display their patrioitsm for the US."
Chicago's NBC 5-WMAQ-TV's anchor and reporter Anna Davlantes said she understands the reasoning behind the ban, and refrains from displaying her views on air. "After the 9/11 attacks, we all wanted to wear American flag pins. The news director here told us that we couldn't. The display of patriotism contrasts our goal as reporters: being objective at all times."
Dominican University's Lund-Gill Chair Stephen Kinzer supported the reporters' views on journalists displaying their patriotism but spoke about a deeper meaning of patriotism. "Patriotism is a high virtue. It is love for one's country through hard work and sacrifice. Patriotism is giving back to the country that's given us so much."
Kinzer made the point that many Americans display their patriotism as an excuse, an alternative.A way out. "Don't tell me you're a patriot. Show me. Show me you're a patriot in a more profound way (other than wearing an American flag," he said. "Displaying one's patriotism is easy symbolism as an excuse for substance. We're moving into an era where people become suspiciousif you're proving to be patriotic."
After writing this post, I walked from the Tech Center to the Cyber Cafe, hoping to snap a photo of something patriotic. I was disappointed to find nothing. No American flags, no stars and stripes. No Uncle Sam. Nothing. Dominican University does have an American Flag that is flown in the Quad. But there's another story here:
According to the United States Code, compiled by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives, the flag is not to be displayed at night. The US Code states: "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness." In this video, you will see Dominican's flag display violating two rules from the US Code.
While DU is not supported by government funding, as this is a private university, shouldn't patriotism be displayed? AND when displayed, shouldn't it follow the US Code's laws regarding proper flag etiquette?
As a private insitution there are numerous religious figures displayed throughout campus. I enjoy the fact that I can see them while walking DU's hallways. As an American, and a journalist who is limited from diplaying personal beliefs and supports, I would enjoy seeing my university display their patriotism. There are numerous countries around the world that do not afford their people educational opportunities as the United States of America does. We should be proud and fortunate to be Americans, living here, studying here, and should embrace and encourage patriotism at Dominican. Allposters.com
With the latest issue of the Star in the makings the last couple days, I've been running around Dominican (and the surrounding community) reporting for a couple different stories. One story, or little blurb rather, about the bullet found on campus, led me to the office of Jeffrey Carlson, Dean Rosary College of Arts and Sciences. What I assumed to be a 15 minute interview turned into a 45 discussion on many different things all relating to Dominican and journalism.
Carlson was very interested on my suggestions about expanding the courses offered for journalism students. While a state of the art media center is not in the picture, new opportunities may come!!
We touched on the possibility of an online Star website including blogs (like most newspapers have). We also discussed technology use that allows DU journalists to provide exclusive multimedia coverage for various stories. And my favorite: We discussed the possibility of adding new journalism courses to the curriculum.
In my opinion, future DU journos would greatly benefit from a continuation of Convergent Journalism (CAS 352). This type of class would challenge students to create better multimedia projects and provide additional experience with cameras, editing software and the like. I also suggested that a course teaching the writing style of broadcast journalism should (in my opinion, most definitely) be offered. The intro and intermediate journalism courses here provide extensive instruction on how to report, write and structure a story the correct way. The correct way for print.
I told Carlson that based on my experience interning at WMAQ NBC 5 this summer, DU journos should know how to write stories for broadcast...(not only for an internship or possible career in broadcast, but also for) the multimedia projects we're working on for this class. When I began my internship, my advisor and DU's journalism guru, John Jenks, provided me with a book on broadcast. If it weren't for his advice and guidance, the resume tape I left my internship with would've been half as good as it is now.
I've learned an immense amount on journalism from the journalism courses I've taken at DU. But a broadcast writing course, in my opinion, is a Must Have. Print and broadcast are two totally different information highways. The stories are written in two totally different languages. By this I mean the structure is completely different. So different, it's like comparing the Eiffle Tower to a local 7-11......not saying that either or is in my eyes a 7-11....just saying that print and broadcast are completely different. Both give audiences all the facts. But each has its own method of delivery: printed vs. spoken words. Newspapers are written to read, not hear, and vice versa.
After the 45 minute discussion Carlson and I shared, I left his office feeling fabulous about the possibilities DU can provide future journalists. I was enthusiastic to see how receptive, appreciative and understanding Carlson was in hearing what, why, when and how I think new courses would dramatically enhance the journalism curriculum.
Although I will be graduating from Dominican with my degree in journalism this spring, I hope that my efforts will have made some sort of impact on the future of DU's journalism program. I am confident and very satisfied with the skills I've learned here thus far and hope that future DominiNET bloggers and Star staff writers will have more opportunities to explore their passions for news delivery.
Dominican club officers are required to go to countless Officer Training sessions throughout the semester in order to follow the guidelines of Student Involvement. If you do not attend these sessions your club will be suspended.
This is the case with the wonderful Dominican Star. Myself and my Co-Editor Tom, see no point in these sessions. Honestly, we have not gone to any of them, which is our own fault. I just do not understand why the sessions are so frequent. I think I have done my fair share of leadership building exercises throughout my education. Eventually it gets over done.
I would be more inclined to attend these sessions if there was only one at the beginning of each semester. The late notice on the sessions is also not appreciated. I received an email Monday reminding me that officer training was Tuesday and Wednesday. I never received an original notice that we had training at all, so this was no reminder to me.
To anyone that has attended Officer Training, really what is the point?
This is going to be a somewhat mixed post. I wanted to give an update on the Chartwells Dish Pick-up on Power 2. Over the past week, I've noticed that there were about four or five dishes in the bin as well as most recently, glasses and utensils. The dishes are taken on the designated days (Tuesday and Friday). It looks like the dish pick-up service is catching on and more residents are utilizing it. Above, is a picture of what was in the bin today, but the same thing has been there since yesterday.
I want to follow-up on a comment I made here on Natalie's post about Recycling at DU. While it's great that DU does recycle and color code their bags to that effect, I get disheartened when I see items that clearly should be recycled aren't thrown away in the right bin. Now I am guilty of this too sometimes - it happens, but I hope there is a system that sorts out recyclables that are accidentally thrown out in the regular waste bin.
Case in point - the trash bin on Power 2 this morning (11/12):
A gallon of milk...shouldn't that be recycled?
An unopened Outtakes Chicken Caesar Salad is in the regular waste bin as well. Considering it is a plastic container, this should be in the plastic recyclable bin. But I think it is worse that it's been thrown out without even being touched/eaten. I admit I have thrown away unopened food items once in a while. But I'm always reminded of my sister's speech about how you should clean your plate because of all those people starving in the world. The food you leave on the plate and then throw away equals less food for those who deal with hunger everyday.
On a light note, not the best advertisement for the Chicken Caesar Salad (which is most likely from the Cyber Cafe): "So good, you could throw it right away!"
Finally, Show Your ID at the Coughlin Commons Desk. You just may get free candy.
The Hershey's candy bar I received this morning after I showed my ID without prompting. I don't know if it makes a difference if you show it without the desk person asking you or if they have to ask you. Either way, I was surprised when the Resource Desk Assistant stopped me and put a basket of candy in front of me asking me if I wanted a piece of candy for showing my ID.
I don't know if I just chose a lucky time of day or if this is something that will continue on for the rest of the school year. Judging by the Hershey's candy bar with its Halloween theme...it could just be leftover Halloween candy that they'd like to get rid of. If this didn't just happen to me, then I hope that others who got some free candy feel more incentive to show their ID in the future. As for me, I think it was a one-time thing, but if I get more candy for showing my ID in the future, then I'm all for it.
We marvel at how many millions of dollars are spent on 30- or 60-second commercial time slots during the Super Bowl every year. It can be quite easy to dismiss the ever-so-hyped Super Bowl Sunday commercials as over the top, silly, or a waste of money, but the fact that companies are willing to shell out upwards of $3 million for individual commercials holds much significance. Analyzing the whole spectacle from a sociological standpoint can speak volumes about American culture in a particular era...and what we allow major corporations to convince us.
A new Pepsi product is the diet cola for a MAN, not women. Mr. Potato Head is driving in the mountains with his nagging wife when her mouth pops off and falls down a cliff; thank goodness! GoDaddy.com uses busty babes and suggestive same-sex shower scenes to sell domain names. Teleflora allows men to send flowers to women and simultaneously avoid the typical female over-analysis and mixed signals.
A gallon of milk...shouldn't that be recycled?
An unopened Outtakes Chicken Caesar Salad is in the regular waste bin as well. Considering it is a plastic container, this should be in the plastic recyclable bin. But I think it is worse that it's been thrown out without even being touched/eaten. I admit I have thrown away unopened food items once in a while. But I'm always reminded of my sister's speech about how you should clean your plate because of all those people starving in the world. The food you leave on the plate and then throw away equals less food for those who deal with hunger everyday.
The Hershey's candy bar I received this morning after I showed my ID without prompting. I don't know if it makes a difference if you show it without the desk person asking you or if they have to ask you. Either way, I was surprised when the Resource Desk Assistant stopped me and put a basket of candy in front of me asking me if I wanted a piece of candy for showing my ID. 
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