This is a request to you High Point basketball fans to back away from the ledge, take a deep breath, and realize while this season has been the worst in recent history, the future is as bright as it has ever been for the Panthers.
With the Panthers holding a record of 9-18 and 4-12 in the Big South, it is easy to look at all the negatives. As fans, however, you need to take a step back and look at the storm that led to the struggles this season. First and foremost Arizona Reid is no longer on the court; any time you lose one of the best players in conference history and statistically one of the top players in the nation, not to mention the heart and soul of the team, you are going to take a step backwards. Lost in the hype over Reid, the departure of point guard Mike Jefferson was huge. Jefferson finished the season 4th in the nation in assists per game and provided stability at the most important position on the court. In contrast, only one player has started every game for the Panthers this season, freshman point guard David Singleton. No matter if you are High Point Duke or UNC making the transition from one of the top point guards in the nation to a freshman is not going to be easy and it has showed as Singleton averages nearly 4 turnovers a game.
Reid and Jefferson weren’t the only two important pieces to leave the High Point program. Bart Lundy’s top two assistants both left for head coaching jobs. Don Burgess is the head coach at Bridgewater College, and Josh Schertz is the head man at Lincoln Memorial University.
Most teams would take a step back with those losses. Even with a nucleus of upperclassmen, it would be difficult to have continued success. Toss in the fact that the Panthers are the 2nd youngest team in the nation with only three upperclassmen, only one of whom is a senior (who doesn’t see the court much at that) and the Panthers were due for a long season.
The future is bright, however; the Panthers have six freshmen and two guys red-shirting. Nick Barbour, Steadman Short and Singleton have combined for 57 starts this season. Sophomores David Campbell, Ibrahim Appaih, Jourdan Morris, and Earnest Bridges have combined for 26 starts. Sixty percent of starts this season have come from underclassmen.
If there is one definite reason to be excited about the future of Panther basketball, just look at what Barbour has done over the last seven games. After being inserted back into the starting line-up against VMI on Jan 24, Barbour has averaged 25.4 points per game, including performances of 32 against Coastal Carolina and 31 in a home win over Winthrop. The victory over the Eagles gave the Panthers their first ever season sweep over the much-hated Eagles. Barbour, a known scorer out of high school, chose the Panthers after only being offered a walk-on spot at Virginia Tech. He struggled early while coming off the bench, battling injuries, and only playing around 20 minutes a game, but has gained confidence in himself and earned the confidence of Coach Lundy as his minutes have increased.
Next season the Panthers will also have a couple of solid seniors. Eugene Harris has struggled finding his grove this season but has proven in the past that he is a very capable shooter and shut-down defender on the perimeter. Down low the Panthers will have the Big South’s leading shot blocker Cruz Daniels back. Daniels who is the favorite to win the Big South Defensive Player of the year this season is having his best season of his career so far averaging 7 points, 7 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks per game.
Head coach Bart Lundy will also be looking to rebound next season as this year will go down as his first losing season. Lundy feels that this season has been humbling and has made him a better coach, “As a coach I have never been through a losing season and first of all I is a very humbling experience but also it has been rewarding and presented different challenges than I have ever faced. I have been forced to stay very positive and use a different style of play than I have in the past. We traditionally have been all man to man but we have been forced to play the majority of our games in a zone this year because it gave us a better chance to win. This is one example of many things that have happened this season that have made me a better coach. The biggest thing is that I know I never want to experience this again.
Improvements are already starting to show for the Panthers who have won four of six. The team is maturing as a group and is becoming more unselfish and willing to sacrifice one another for the good of the team. According the shooting guard Eugene Harris, “great things are starting to be done.”
These are just some of the reasons to believe that the future is as bright as the morning sun. “I believe we have pieces in our program to be a dominant Big South team. I expect that these hard times will pay huge dividends in the future and we will see these young players become the stars of this league and High Point University become the team to beat year in and year out,” said Lundy.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Column
running a little late but I finished up my column and I wrote on the High Point Men's basketball season and future. It was a fun article to write as I was able to talk to guard Eugene Harris and head coach Bart Lundy to help me out and give me some quotes. I basically talked about all the reasons that led to the troubled season that High Point is having on the court and why there is hope for the future due to the youth and experienced gained throughout the season. I'm hoping to get this article published in the chronicle.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Editorial - It's About Time.
It’s about time.
High Point University faculty voted in a new four hour curriculum on Jan. 22. that will differ from the current academic structure in four major ways including four-credit-hour classes instead of three, the creation of an in-depth freshman seminar that will help students decide upon a course of study, a May semester that would be used for internships or study abroad opportunities and a complete overhaul of every major.
It’s a change that will put High Point University on the same academic system as Elon University, Davidson College and Greensboro College. According to Dr. Dennis Carroll, vice president of academic affairs, the curriculum will “take us to the next level academically.”
And it’s about time.
That’s because the decision to change the school’s curriculum came almost four years after the university began the initial stages of a $110 million (eventually increased to $225 million) transformation that included single-bedroom dormitories, a Slane Student Center with a swimming pool and a hot tub, and the University Center that includes a steakhouse and a movie theatre under construction on North College Drive.
Five buildings and two stadiums were constructed within two years alone. Construction began on the first new building, a dormitory named Blessing Hall that contains all single bedrooms for freshmen, in spring 2006 and was completed when freshmen arrived in fall 2006. Several more dormitories have also been constructed in a matter of months since then. Numerous new buildings have sprouted up like plants across the university since the transformation began.
But what about academic programs? Unfortunately, they haven’t sprouted as quickly.
While new buildings were being constructed, Dr. Carroll says that the four hour curriculum was first considered two years ago by the administration before it was proposed to faculty in November 2008. Now that it has finally been proposed and accepted, the curriculum won’t be put into effect until fall 2010.
And while it may be true that some of the new curriculum can’t be taught without new buildings like the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication that contains the latest technology, many new classes could have been created long before new buildings began to pop up on campus. Curriculum could have been improved much sooner.
For example, HPU once had a student radio station that broadcasted around the city until the school forgot to renew the station license in spring 2005. This past January – four years later – the school began an online student radio station that is operated in the Hayworth Fine Arts Center. It is broadcasted from a makeshift studio that won’t compare to the facilities offered by the new School of Communication, but it is at least a radio station. It’s giving seniors hands-on experience before they graduate without the opportunity to take classes in the new building. It’s something.
There are other changes that the university could have added sooner as well, like a sports writing class that was taught for the first time in fall 2008 though the journalism program has existed since spring 2005. While this might seem like a small change, the addition of courses that are significant to a student’s education have a greater effect on their lives than any new building.
It’s true that some academic improvements have been made. Dr. Nido Qubein created an entrepreneurship major not long after his arrival on campus, and the Department of Political Science was established. But the amount of new programs only serves as a tiny fragment of the transformation that is dominated by immaculate architectural structures.
That’s not to say that the buildings aren’t important, either. Sure, we need a place to house students. Of course, we need facilities with the latest technology. But academic programs could have been significantly improved before the physical transformation of campus took place. New programs could have been added sooner and the four hour curriculum could have been proposed before swimming pools and steakhouses began to take form.
“It takes due process for faculty to explore, study and approve matters such as this,” said Dr. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University. “I think it took a normal period of time to approve.”
But we disagree. Curriculum should always come before buildings, and those took little time to approve.
After all, this is a university. It’s about time that the administration began to treat it like one.
High Point University faculty voted in a new four hour curriculum on Jan. 22. that will differ from the current academic structure in four major ways including four-credit-hour classes instead of three, the creation of an in-depth freshman seminar that will help students decide upon a course of study, a May semester that would be used for internships or study abroad opportunities and a complete overhaul of every major.
It’s a change that will put High Point University on the same academic system as Elon University, Davidson College and Greensboro College. According to Dr. Dennis Carroll, vice president of academic affairs, the curriculum will “take us to the next level academically.”
And it’s about time.
That’s because the decision to change the school’s curriculum came almost four years after the university began the initial stages of a $110 million (eventually increased to $225 million) transformation that included single-bedroom dormitories, a Slane Student Center with a swimming pool and a hot tub, and the University Center that includes a steakhouse and a movie theatre under construction on North College Drive.
Five buildings and two stadiums were constructed within two years alone. Construction began on the first new building, a dormitory named Blessing Hall that contains all single bedrooms for freshmen, in spring 2006 and was completed when freshmen arrived in fall 2006. Several more dormitories have also been constructed in a matter of months since then. Numerous new buildings have sprouted up like plants across the university since the transformation began.
But what about academic programs? Unfortunately, they haven’t sprouted as quickly.
While new buildings were being constructed, Dr. Carroll says that the four hour curriculum was first considered two years ago by the administration before it was proposed to faculty in November 2008. Now that it has finally been proposed and accepted, the curriculum won’t be put into effect until fall 2010.
And while it may be true that some of the new curriculum can’t be taught without new buildings like the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication that contains the latest technology, many new classes could have been created long before new buildings began to pop up on campus. Curriculum could have been improved much sooner.
For example, HPU once had a student radio station that broadcasted around the city until the school forgot to renew the station license in spring 2005. This past January – four years later – the school began an online student radio station that is operated in the Hayworth Fine Arts Center. It is broadcasted from a makeshift studio that won’t compare to the facilities offered by the new School of Communication, but it is at least a radio station. It’s giving seniors hands-on experience before they graduate without the opportunity to take classes in the new building. It’s something.
There are other changes that the university could have added sooner as well, like a sports writing class that was taught for the first time in fall 2008 though the journalism program has existed since spring 2005. While this might seem like a small change, the addition of courses that are significant to a student’s education have a greater effect on their lives than any new building.
It’s true that some academic improvements have been made. Dr. Nido Qubein created an entrepreneurship major not long after his arrival on campus, and the Department of Political Science was established. But the amount of new programs only serves as a tiny fragment of the transformation that is dominated by immaculate architectural structures.
That’s not to say that the buildings aren’t important, either. Sure, we need a place to house students. Of course, we need facilities with the latest technology. But academic programs could have been significantly improved before the physical transformation of campus took place. New programs could have been added sooner and the four hour curriculum could have been proposed before swimming pools and steakhouses began to take form.
“It takes due process for faculty to explore, study and approve matters such as this,” said Dr. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University. “I think it took a normal period of time to approve.”
But we disagree. Curriculum should always come before buildings, and those took little time to approve.
After all, this is a university. It’s about time that the administration began to treat it like one.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Should Texting Whiling Driving Be Banned
Imagine riding a bike and being struck from behind. Imagine finding out the driver was texting.
A Julian motorist struck UNCG professor Mark Schulz from behind on his way home from work on the night of March 26, 2008, knocking him unconscious, breaking his ribs and sternum, shattering his kneecap and crushing his vertebrae, according to the News and Record. The crash left him with a concussion and ongoing physical therapy. He started physical therapy in the hospital seven days after the crash and is still having to do physical therapy today.
The crash has changed Schulz’s life in a few ways. “It has made me grateful to be alive and able to walk, more committed to remain physically fit, more of an advocate for wearing bicycle helmets and for laws banning cell phone use of any type while driving a motor vehicle,” said Schulz.
There are at least two versions of a bill to ban texting while driving that have been introduced in the House and Senate that now await committee hearings.
Under these bills it would outlaw texting or using other auxiliary functions on a mobile phone such as e-mail. Drivers would be fined $100 and court costs under one version, according to the News and Record.
It is bad enough being out on the road with drivers talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to driving. It is much worse with drivers who are texting and taking their eyes completely off the road for a couple of seconds.
“An estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, according to a Nationwide Insurance study in a U.S. News and World Report.
Texting while driving is 50 percent more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving, according to a University of Utah study.
In 2006, there were more than 158 billion text messages sent, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association in a USA Today story.
Something needs to be done to make it clear to drivers that texting while they are driving is not good driving practice. It will be difficult enforcing this if the bill passes, but having a ban banning texting while driving is a step in the right direction.
A Julian motorist struck UNCG professor Mark Schulz from behind on his way home from work on the night of March 26, 2008, knocking him unconscious, breaking his ribs and sternum, shattering his kneecap and crushing his vertebrae, according to the News and Record. The crash left him with a concussion and ongoing physical therapy. He started physical therapy in the hospital seven days after the crash and is still having to do physical therapy today.
The crash has changed Schulz’s life in a few ways. “It has made me grateful to be alive and able to walk, more committed to remain physically fit, more of an advocate for wearing bicycle helmets and for laws banning cell phone use of any type while driving a motor vehicle,” said Schulz.
There are at least two versions of a bill to ban texting while driving that have been introduced in the House and Senate that now await committee hearings.
Under these bills it would outlaw texting or using other auxiliary functions on a mobile phone such as e-mail. Drivers would be fined $100 and court costs under one version, according to the News and Record.
It is bad enough being out on the road with drivers talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to driving. It is much worse with drivers who are texting and taking their eyes completely off the road for a couple of seconds.
“An estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, according to a Nationwide Insurance study in a U.S. News and World Report.
Texting while driving is 50 percent more dangerous than talking on the phone while driving, according to a University of Utah study.
In 2006, there were more than 158 billion text messages sent, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association in a USA Today story.
Something needs to be done to make it clear to drivers that texting while they are driving is not good driving practice. It will be difficult enforcing this if the bill passes, but having a ban banning texting while driving is a step in the right direction.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Housing Pricing-
Welcome to High Point University where each student receives an extraordinary education, in a fun environment, with caring people. The living conditions are exceptional and are numerous in options, however make sure you are prepared to shell out a pretty penny, especially if you are an upperclassman.
There are a few pluses. First there are several housing options open to upperclassmen. They include all three 6th Street Apartment Buildings, Millis, Wilson, University Village, York, Finch, Yadkin, both Village’s at High Point University, and York.
The negative is that for some of these options there are certain stipulations that a student needs to fit.
For example, Millis is only open to upper class females involved in Greek life. Two of the three apartment buildings are reserved for upper class men who are Greek affiliated, leaving only one apartment building up for grabs, and majority of those rooms are filled with Greek women. And oh, if you are lucky enough to score one of these limited apartments, it’ll cost you and additional $2000/year.
If you are a student involved in many things on campus living in either University Village or the Village at High Point University just doesn’t seem practical, especially if you don’t have a car on campus. Valuable time would be lost waiting for and riding the shuttles to and from campus. If you do have a car you get spend money on the extra fuel burned at all of the red-lights and the starting and stopping of your car, not to mention the extra mileage it takes to get to campus in the most round a bout way. So take the cost of your fuel money and add it to the cost to live in these halls, which is $1400 for U-Ville and $2000 for The Village.
The likelihood of an upper class male getting housed in Finch is slim to none. Leaving males with few “standard” priced housing options. Because of the increase in housing and the limited availability for males, many are looking to move off campus.
“High Point University housing is not competitive to the price of outside housing,” says Keith Brinsfield, a rising chemistry senior and Presidential Scholar. Even with the scholarships he is receiving, paying the price to live on campus isn’t affordable and doesn’t seem reasonable to him.
Upon the completion of York residence hall, students were told that the building was going to be the upper classmen version of Blessing Hall (the only all freshmen hall on campus). York is apartment suite style and can contain two, three, or four people. Just like in Blessing there is a kitchen equipped with a full microwave, refrigerator, and two-burner stove. Upperclassmen were excited to finally have a living option as nice as the one that freshmen get.
However that changed this year. With the increase in incoming freshmen and the over booking of Blessing Hall, two floors of York Hall were taken away to accommodate freshmen.
Next school year there are only two floors that will be available for upperclassmen. One floor for upperclassmen Honor’s Students and another floor for the average upperclassmen. The other two floors now belong to freshmen. What was once promised as a strictly upperclassmen residence hall is now being split up into three sections to serve three different groups of students.
Administration could argue that instead of York Hall, upperclassmen have the ability to live in the University Center, High Point’s newest residence hall. However when comparing the cost to the amenities provided, it just doesn’t seem logical. To live in the University Center it costs $2000/semester. The same it costs to live in York. Except that by living in the University Center you get to have a roommate, share one bathroom with three other people, and lose a kitchen and a living room, totally worth the money right?
Rising senior, Benjamin Tutterow doesn’t think so.
“The Multiplex (University center) charges the same amount of York without all of the amenities. It really seems like for upperclassmen there’s no way to cheaply live on campus. It’s like the school will not allow upperclassmen to live on campus without extra cost,” claims Tutterow.
It’s hard to disagree. It makes one wonder, is living on campus and having convenience worth the extra money?
There are a few pluses. First there are several housing options open to upperclassmen. They include all three 6th Street Apartment Buildings, Millis, Wilson, University Village, York, Finch, Yadkin, both Village’s at High Point University, and York.
The negative is that for some of these options there are certain stipulations that a student needs to fit.
For example, Millis is only open to upper class females involved in Greek life. Two of the three apartment buildings are reserved for upper class men who are Greek affiliated, leaving only one apartment building up for grabs, and majority of those rooms are filled with Greek women. And oh, if you are lucky enough to score one of these limited apartments, it’ll cost you and additional $2000/year.
If you are a student involved in many things on campus living in either University Village or the Village at High Point University just doesn’t seem practical, especially if you don’t have a car on campus. Valuable time would be lost waiting for and riding the shuttles to and from campus. If you do have a car you get spend money on the extra fuel burned at all of the red-lights and the starting and stopping of your car, not to mention the extra mileage it takes to get to campus in the most round a bout way. So take the cost of your fuel money and add it to the cost to live in these halls, which is $1400 for U-Ville and $2000 for The Village.
The likelihood of an upper class male getting housed in Finch is slim to none. Leaving males with few “standard” priced housing options. Because of the increase in housing and the limited availability for males, many are looking to move off campus.
“High Point University housing is not competitive to the price of outside housing,” says Keith Brinsfield, a rising chemistry senior and Presidential Scholar. Even with the scholarships he is receiving, paying the price to live on campus isn’t affordable and doesn’t seem reasonable to him.
Upon the completion of York residence hall, students were told that the building was going to be the upper classmen version of Blessing Hall (the only all freshmen hall on campus). York is apartment suite style and can contain two, three, or four people. Just like in Blessing there is a kitchen equipped with a full microwave, refrigerator, and two-burner stove. Upperclassmen were excited to finally have a living option as nice as the one that freshmen get.
However that changed this year. With the increase in incoming freshmen and the over booking of Blessing Hall, two floors of York Hall were taken away to accommodate freshmen.
Next school year there are only two floors that will be available for upperclassmen. One floor for upperclassmen Honor’s Students and another floor for the average upperclassmen. The other two floors now belong to freshmen. What was once promised as a strictly upperclassmen residence hall is now being split up into three sections to serve three different groups of students.
Administration could argue that instead of York Hall, upperclassmen have the ability to live in the University Center, High Point’s newest residence hall. However when comparing the cost to the amenities provided, it just doesn’t seem logical. To live in the University Center it costs $2000/semester. The same it costs to live in York. Except that by living in the University Center you get to have a roommate, share one bathroom with three other people, and lose a kitchen and a living room, totally worth the money right?
Rising senior, Benjamin Tutterow doesn’t think so.
“The Multiplex (University center) charges the same amount of York without all of the amenities. It really seems like for upperclassmen there’s no way to cheaply live on campus. It’s like the school will not allow upperclassmen to live on campus without extra cost,” claims Tutterow.
It’s hard to disagree. It makes one wonder, is living on campus and having convenience worth the extra money?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Bills to ban texting, driving introduced
I was having trouble coming up an idea to write my editoral on, but when I saw this article in the News & Record this past week a light bulb went off and I thought that this would be a great editorial. Through the News & Record article I was able to find a college professor to make my editorial around because this professor was seriously injured when a driver texting hit him. I have an interview with him Monday morning.
I think this is a good topic to right about, but I am just worried about me writing an editorial because I haven't written one yet.
I think this is a good topic to right about, but I am just worried about me writing an editorial because I haven't written one yet.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Villagio
I'm having a lot of fun writing my editorial about the Village especially because I live there and have experienced the problems first hand. I emailed Nido and asked him a few questions about the constructions itself, but I don't think he knows what I am writing about because he probably won't answer if he knows. He already dislikes me anyway because of another article I wrote that didn't show HPU in it's best light. Hopefully I can get all the information I need, and if I don't get it from the man himself I can get it from someone else!
Things are going well so far.
Also, Dr. E if you are checking these, hope everything went well with the delivery and see you back soon! Let us know how you're doing!
Things are going well so far.
Also, Dr. E if you are checking these, hope everything went well with the delivery and see you back soon! Let us know how you're doing!
First assignment
I'm writing about the new four hour curriculum and how I agree with it, but there's also a twist.
The twist is this: Yes, it's great that a new, more in-depth curriculum has been passed. But shouldn't that have been done long ago before fancy student centers and dorms started to go up?
I've ran into a few problems already. For example, HPU has grown and we obviously need more dorms to house the students. Also, some of the curriculum opportunities wouldn't be possible until new buildings are completed. But I believe that much of the new curriculum could have been passed long ago.
This is the first year that opinion writing has been offered at the university since the journalism program began in 2005. If a school has a journalism program, they desperately need an opinion writing class. Also, HPURadio.com just launched without the Nido Qubein School of Communication being opened. The school hasn't had a radio station for four years, yet we've created a make-shift radio station that runs just fine out of the Fine Arts Center. This is giving students experience in learning how to use microphone and promote the station.
I've gathered some quotes and information from Dennis Carroll about the new curriculum, and I've gathered some information about the university's transformation from the website. My next task is to interview students and faculty on campus to see what they think.
I also need to pick and stick with a structure, but that's been hard at the moment since I still need to get more quotes and more sides of the story.
The twist is this: Yes, it's great that a new, more in-depth curriculum has been passed. But shouldn't that have been done long ago before fancy student centers and dorms started to go up?
I've ran into a few problems already. For example, HPU has grown and we obviously need more dorms to house the students. Also, some of the curriculum opportunities wouldn't be possible until new buildings are completed. But I believe that much of the new curriculum could have been passed long ago.
This is the first year that opinion writing has been offered at the university since the journalism program began in 2005. If a school has a journalism program, they desperately need an opinion writing class. Also, HPURadio.com just launched without the Nido Qubein School of Communication being opened. The school hasn't had a radio station for four years, yet we've created a make-shift radio station that runs just fine out of the Fine Arts Center. This is giving students experience in learning how to use microphone and promote the station.
I've gathered some quotes and information from Dennis Carroll about the new curriculum, and I've gathered some information about the university's transformation from the website. My next task is to interview students and faculty on campus to see what they think.
I also need to pick and stick with a structure, but that's been hard at the moment since I still need to get more quotes and more sides of the story.
Report, report, report.
Report and talk to people in your community.
This message is clear in most every chapter of "Writing Opinion for Impact." The book advocates talking to every day people who can tell you what's on their mind. This will give you ideas and sources that you can't get while sitting in front of a computer all day.
In class on Tuesday, Mr. Gaspeny mentioned a columnist who, when out of ideas as to what to write about, would jump on the subway and head to the poorest area in town. I'm guessing that this habit lead him to some pretty interesting stories.
I love the fact that this book advocates reporting. One of the Campus Chronicle staff writers, Bryan Rothamel, did just that and broke a major story in the Chronicle before any major media outlet. He started out by going to the mall. While he was making a purchase, the cashier noticed his HPU attire and said, "Oh, so you go to High Point. Did you know they bought the mall?"
This single sentence lead Bryan to investigating this story which broke in the Chronicle Jan. 31. The News and Record, the High Point Enterprise and local television stations didn't run the story until Feb. 11.
Of course, the claim that the cashier made only turned out to be a rumor. But it was a rumor that Bryan investigated and cleared up for the student body.
And he started by talking to a cashier.
This message is clear in most every chapter of "Writing Opinion for Impact." The book advocates talking to every day people who can tell you what's on their mind. This will give you ideas and sources that you can't get while sitting in front of a computer all day.
In class on Tuesday, Mr. Gaspeny mentioned a columnist who, when out of ideas as to what to write about, would jump on the subway and head to the poorest area in town. I'm guessing that this habit lead him to some pretty interesting stories.
I love the fact that this book advocates reporting. One of the Campus Chronicle staff writers, Bryan Rothamel, did just that and broke a major story in the Chronicle before any major media outlet. He started out by going to the mall. While he was making a purchase, the cashier noticed his HPU attire and said, "Oh, so you go to High Point. Did you know they bought the mall?"
This single sentence lead Bryan to investigating this story which broke in the Chronicle Jan. 31. The News and Record, the High Point Enterprise and local television stations didn't run the story until Feb. 11.
Of course, the claim that the cashier made only turned out to be a rumor. But it was a rumor that Bryan investigated and cleared up for the student body.
And he started by talking to a cashier.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
first assignment
I think I'm going to do my first editorial assignment on the housing options available on campus and the prices. I know that a lot of people aren't happy with the housing options and also that the prices have gone up. It seems like the upperclassmen miss out on housing because the university wants to cater to the incoming freshmen. I think if I talk to enough people I'll be able to see all sides of the situation.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Editorial Assignment
I am still having trouble coming up with an interesting topic to write my editorial on. Nothing that I am thinking of right now really strikes me. I had thought of writing an editorial about a group in Greensboro hoping to place homeless people in shelters in 10 years, but I am somewhat uncomfortable going up to a homeless person and doing an interview.
Editorial Assignment
It has taken me some time to come up with a topic for my editorial. For some reason my mind went blank as I tried to brainstorm ideas. I want to make sure the issue I choose is something I want to write about. Obviously, in an editorial, it is important to have a strong, powerful stance on the given issue.
I have decided to focus my editorial on the struggles college students will face after graduation. It is hard enough to enter the real world right out of college. Interning and/or job searching is already a difficult task in itself. With the recent struggles in the economy, students are facing more troubles. The reason we are here (at a university/college) is to further our education, which in turn will earn us a higher paying job in the future. These days we are bombarded with breaking news informing us of this company or that company going bankrupt. Circuit City, Starbucks... the unemployment rate is simply unbelievable. I don't think any of us thought it would get this bad, or how it could affect so much.
Most of us aren't paying a mortgage or supporting three kids, trying to feed a family. We aren't being laid off from companies we have been a part of for five years. As college students, many of us aren't directly affected by this economic downfall. It hasn't hit us yet and many don't even know what's coming to them. Before we know it, we will be let go into this world, on the search for a job, degree in hand. But these days a college degree simply won't be enough. And in my opinion, that's a scary, scary thought.
I have decided to focus my editorial on the struggles college students will face after graduation. It is hard enough to enter the real world right out of college. Interning and/or job searching is already a difficult task in itself. With the recent struggles in the economy, students are facing more troubles. The reason we are here (at a university/college) is to further our education, which in turn will earn us a higher paying job in the future. These days we are bombarded with breaking news informing us of this company or that company going bankrupt. Circuit City, Starbucks... the unemployment rate is simply unbelievable. I don't think any of us thought it would get this bad, or how it could affect so much.
Most of us aren't paying a mortgage or supporting three kids, trying to feed a family. We aren't being laid off from companies we have been a part of for five years. As college students, many of us aren't directly affected by this economic downfall. It hasn't hit us yet and many don't even know what's coming to them. Before we know it, we will be let go into this world, on the search for a job, degree in hand. But these days a college degree simply won't be enough. And in my opinion, that's a scary, scary thought.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
First Editorial Topic
I am begining the work on my first editorial piece and I am planning on writing about the High Point Men's basketball team. I am going to write a piece regarding how even though the team is going through struggles on the court this season, the future is bright. I've already done some research and found out that High Point has the 2nd youngest team in the nation as far as underclassman (High Point has 13 Freshman or Sophmores on the roster). I am planning on setting up some interviews with the head coach Bart Lundy and a couple of the players (freshman and one of the juniors). I also plan on looking up some of the other young teams in college basketball and look to see what kind of success they are having and compare it to our team. I'll also provide what I would do to help the team the rest of this year and into next season.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
first assignment
For our first Editorial piece about what is happening in and around High Point, I think I am going to write about the structure (or lack there of) of the new buildings on campus; particularly the Village.
There was a section about this in our reading, however, I thought of this idea as I was sitting in my apartment looking at the crack from floor to ceiling before I even opened the book. I think this is a good idea because 540 kids live in the Village so it will reach a lot of people on campus.
Also, I think I will be able to get a lot of good interviews from administration on campus because they are so proud of that building they will be more than willing to tell me how much it cost to have it up in three months and destroyed in a year. I look forward to starting my research.
I really enjoyed this chapter of the book because I think the tips will help me in writing my first editorial. I was really surprised at how little time some writers spend researching their editorials... such as 50 percent of writers spending one to two hours researching their opinion piece.
Another important thing I took from this chapter is that a reporter should never believe the first version they hear of something. They should always always always double check information.
There was a section about this in our reading, however, I thought of this idea as I was sitting in my apartment looking at the crack from floor to ceiling before I even opened the book. I think this is a good idea because 540 kids live in the Village so it will reach a lot of people on campus.
Also, I think I will be able to get a lot of good interviews from administration on campus because they are so proud of that building they will be more than willing to tell me how much it cost to have it up in three months and destroyed in a year. I look forward to starting my research.
I really enjoyed this chapter of the book because I think the tips will help me in writing my first editorial. I was really surprised at how little time some writers spend researching their editorials... such as 50 percent of writers spending one to two hours researching their opinion piece.
Another important thing I took from this chapter is that a reporter should never believe the first version they hear of something. They should always always always double check information.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ideas for critical editorial
I am having trouble coming up with ideas to for what to write my critical editorial on. I have thought of one idea, which is of a new way for us to get taxed in North Carolina by how many miles we drive, but I know that isn't a local issue. And, I have also thought about a local issue where some volunteers went around in Greensboro counting the homeless people to see about placing them in shelters, but I am not sure if this would work for my editorial or not. Does anybody have any ideas of where I could look for more ideas?
Adding Value in a Hurry
Maria Henson's series on spouse abuse was time consuming to say the least. She spent almost two years on research for her editorial while others tend to spend between one or two hours. The results to a nationwide survey by Dr. Ernest C. Hynde of the University of Georgia found that almost half of those surveyed felt that lack of time to write editorials is a major problem. It is important to remember "Henson was reporting on statewide spouse abuse in Kentucky writing nearly 30 editorials in a series published over 13 months." This was obviously not a simple task. Also, Henson had to be sure not to bore her readers since it was in the format of a series.
I agree with Conrad C. Fink, author of Writing Opinion for Impact, when he says in-depth reporting should follow three guidelines. I learned that readers on average spend 26 minutes reading a newspaper proving that there is a lot of competition for your writing. "True added value" is needed to catch and keep your readers attention. Fink writes, "Don't let your reporting stray into matters of secondary importance." It is simply not good enough to use only an anecdote in your reporting; factual substance must be included to help build credibility between you and your audience.
Writing your opinion certainly doesn't mean you can take the easy way out. I see now that opinion writing takes just as much research as news reporting.
I agree with Conrad C. Fink, author of Writing Opinion for Impact, when he says in-depth reporting should follow three guidelines. I learned that readers on average spend 26 minutes reading a newspaper proving that there is a lot of competition for your writing. "True added value" is needed to catch and keep your readers attention. Fink writes, "Don't let your reporting stray into matters of secondary importance." It is simply not good enough to use only an anecdote in your reporting; factual substance must be included to help build credibility between you and your audience.
Writing your opinion certainly doesn't mean you can take the easy way out. I see now that opinion writing takes just as much research as news reporting.
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