Elon citizens give their suspicions

By Emily Silva

December 11, 2008

As America prepares to hear President-elect Barack Obama present his inaugural speech January 20, 2009, citizens are beginning to wonder what he will say and what effect, if any, it will have on the country. 

“This has been an extraordinary year, economy-wise,” said Stephanie Thomas, of Gibsonville, N.C. “I think it’s scary.” 

Citizens discussed three major issues they anticipate Obama will discuss in his speech: the economy, foreign policy, health care and immigration issues. Of these, the economy clearly came out as the most important. 

“I’d like to hear a little more detail and what his thoughts are on the economic stimulus plan,” said Kevin O’Brien, vice president of sales at SupplyOne, from Kernersville, N.C. 

“Traditionally,” O’Brien said, “I’d be against [a bailout], but the fate of the U.S. economy depends on it now.” 

Many Americans, no matter what financial standing, are concerned about the economical situation the U.S. is currently dealing with. They question is whether or not Obama, or anyone, can rescue us from complete bankruptcy within a very short amount of time. 

“How in the world,” Thomas asked, “Does he expect to pay for all this money he’s getting ready to hand out?” 

Thomas is focusing her attention on Obama’s ability to convince the American public that he can offer a way out of this seemingly inescapable financial problem. She, like other working-class Americans, is wondering if it is even possible. 

“It’s not going to be easy,” said Rudy Zarzar, a political science professor at Elon University. “The guy (Obama) has the knowledge; he sometimes talks like an academic. He’s committed to fixing the economic system.” 

“The U.S. has to be like the general public,” Thomas said. “When you’re out of money, you’re out of money.” 

Bailing out big businesses is only going to get us into more trouble because the money the government puts forth has no backing. 

“Our government is bankrupt; our world is bankrupt,” said Jeff Barbour, of Burlington, N.C. “We can’t continue to print money. There’s going to be some hard medicine people are going to have to take and politicians don’t realize that. You have to make people feel good or else they’re not going to like you.” 

Barbour said Obama will present the same ideas in his inaugural speech as he did in his campaign; “a very feel-good kind of thing,” rather than telling the American public what is really going on economically. 

“This is an issue that effects all Americans,” Zarzar said. “Not just the people who have lost their jobs.” 

Not only is the U.S. dealing with its economic problems domestically, but the economic situation is seriously affecting U.S. foreign affairs and the way the world views The Promised Land. 

“We just can’t be the bully around the neighborhood,” Zarzar said. “That’s what Bush’s policy was about.” 

Zarzar, who refers to himself as a humanitarian, hopes Obama will offer peaceful possibilities to end world conflict, rather than continue on the path that has been laid out for him. The currently international disagreements might be solved if the U.S. were independent from foreign resources, such as oil. 

“All countries depend on the U.S. to bail them out,” Thomas said, “And right now, we can’t take care of ourselves.” 

Thomas anticipates that in the future, the Middle East will rise as to be a greater power than the U.S. “Little by little,” she said, “They’re going to take us over.” 

The only way to ensure that does not happen is to break from our dependence on foreign oil and other natural resources, while strengthening our domestic economy. 

“We need to conserve our own resources,” said Brenda Wilson, director of Christian education at Davis Street United Methodist Church in Burlington, N.C. “It’s a real predicament they’re in now.” 

“We cannot repeat,” Zarzar said. “We cannot solve world problems alone. We need to ask for help; we need to cooperate with others. We need to see also that other nations have their own interests and have mutual respect with other countries.” 

The balance between helping ourselves and playing the role of a superpower on the international stage is one that America is having difficulty reaching. Two of the other main issues citizens discussed were the U.S. health care system and immigration system. 

“It’s a cruel system,” Zarzar said of health care. “We, as human beings, should care for others.” 

The U.S. needs to “set up some process of becoming legalized and becoming a citizen,” said Wilson, who works closely with illegal immigrants and their children in Alamance Co., where regulations involving immigration are tightening. 

“It’s producing more negative results now than it is positive,” she said. 

Obama has the ability to convince Americans that immigrants should be welcomed, based on his family history, Wilson argued. Obama’s father was an immigrant. 

“In his speech,” Wilson said, “He’s got to be proud of that and proud that America stood for that when his father came here.” 

The U.S. is currently facing very difficult times, but Obama is promising some relief. Americans are looking to him as a leader during this time of struggle and are depending on him to get us out of this mess. Citizens are waiting to see if he will deliver as promised.

Journalists have to understand basic measurements in order to communicate fully. Making things as clear and simple as possible for the reader is crucial to good journalism. There are two ways to communicate measurements to a reader: through analogy and through exact numbers.

Analogies are good if measurements have no purpose besides how large it is. It’s easier for the reader if the writer explains the height of an object in an analogy, rather than just telling how large it is using numbers. Readers can’t necessarily visualize x-feet, but they can understand the size of a building or a car. The journalist must make sure the reader understands the comparison, though. Also, if exact numbers are required for the situation, the writer should not use an analogy.

Formula (perimeter):                   perimeter = (2 x length) + (2 x width)

Formula (area):                               area = length x width

Formula (triangle area):              area = .5 base x height

Formula (circumference):         circumference = 2pi x radius

*When measuring small spaces, use square inches or square feet. When measuring large areas, use square feet, square yards, or square rods.

3.2 Volume Measurements

Measuring volume is important for journalists in communicating how large an object is. Goods are sold based on volume and terms involving volume measurement fluctuate based on the market.

*Firewood is sold by cords. A cord is 128 cubic feet when the wood is neatly stacked in a line or row.

Common liquid conversions:

2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce

½ pint = 8 ounces, or 1 cup

1 pint = 16 ounces, or 2 cups

2 pints (36 ounces) = 1 quart

2 quarts (64 ounces) = ½ gallon

4 quarts (128 ounces) = 1 gallon

1 U.S. standard barrel = 31.5 gallons

1 U.S. gallon = 4/5 Imperial gallon

British/Canadian barrel = 36 imperial gallons

Formula (volume):        volume = length x width x height

3.3 The Metric System

The metric system is based on the decimal system. Almost the entire world, excluding the United States, uses the metric system as their basic measuring tool. It is based on multiples of 10.

Meter: the basic unit of length; equals one 10-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator along the meridian running near Dunkirk in France and Barcelona in Spain

Mass: also derived from the meter; one gram is the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at 0 degrees Celsius

Newton: metric unit of force; one Newton is a force that, applied to a one-kilogram object, will give the object an acceleration of one meter per second per second

Converting American lengths to metric:

MULTIPLY

Inches by 25.4 to find millimeters or 2.5 to find centimeters

Feet by 30 to find centimeters or 0.3 to find meters

Yards by 90 to find centimeters or 0.9 to find meters

Miles by 1.6 to find kilometers

Converting metric lengths to American:

MULTIPLY

Millimeters by 0.04 to get inches

Centimeters by 0.4 to get inches

Centimeters by 0.033 to get feet

Meters by 39 to get inches

Meters by 3.3 to get feet

Meters by 1.1 to get yards

Kilometers by 0.62 to get miles

Converting American area measurements to metric:

MULTIPLY

Square inches by 6.5 to find square centimeters

Square feet by 0.09 to find square meters

Square yards by 0.8 to find square meters

Square miles by 2.6 to find square kilometers

Acres by 0.4 to find hectares

Converting metric area measurements to American:

MULTIPLY

Square centimeters by 0.16 to get square inches

Square meters by 11 to get square feet

Square meters by 1.2 to get square yards

Hectares by 2.5 to get acres

Square kilometers by 0.4 to get square miles

Converting American mass measurements to metric:

MULTIPLY

Ounces by 28 to find grams

Pounds by 0.45 to find kilograms

Pounds by .07 to get stones

Short tones (2,000 pounds) by 0.9 to find metric tons

Converting metric mass measurements to American:

MULTIPLY

Grams by 0.035 to get ounces

Grams by 0.002 to get pounds

Kilograms by 35 to get ounces

Kilograms by 2.2 to get pounds

Metric tons by 1.1 to get tons

Converting American volume measurements to metric:

MULTIPLY

Teaspoons by 5 to get milliliters

Tablespoons by 15 to get milliliters

Fluid ounces by 30 to find milliliters

Cups by 0.24 to find liters

Pints by 0.47 to find liters

Quarts by 0.95 to find liters

Gallons by 3.8 to get liters

Cubic feet by 0.03 to find cubic meters

Cubic yards by 0.76 to find cubic meters

Converting metric volume measurements to American:

MULTIPLY

Milliliters by 0.034 to get fluid ounces

Milliliters by 0.002 to get pints

Liters by 2.1 to get pints

Liters by 1.06 to get quarts

Liters by 0.26 to get gallons

Cubic centimeters by 0.06 to get cubic inches

Cubic meters by 35 to get cubic feet

Cubic meters by 1.3 to get cubic yards

Twitter: Journalists learn measurements to accurately communicate information to readers.

Hundreds of women each year become victims of sexual violence. The questions are many and the answers are few; victims and experts share their stories.

By Emily Silva

December 1, 2008

She was 19, he was 25. It was a typical party night at the on-campus bar. She got dressed with her friends, pre-gamed and hit up the bar. The only difference was she was drunker than she had ever been.

“I remember seeing this guy and I thought he was cute, so I was drunk enough that I went up and introduced myself.” Life was never the same after that fateful Valentine’s Day night. Kelly McDonald*, an active freshman at Elon University, was raped by the man she had called “just a nice guy.” Over the course of a semester, he raped her four times.

Bursting the Bubble

“One in three to one in four women will be a survivor of attempted or completed sexual assault during their time in college,” said Leigh-Anne Royster, the coordinator for personal health programs and community well-being at Elon. Royster helps both male and female students cope with the stress of relationship and sexual violence, despite the stigma that women are the only victims of rape and violence. Roughly five percent of women abuse men, said Sam Parker, executive director of Family Abuse Services in Burlington.

“I think it’s a cultural issue,” Royster said. “I certainly don’t think it is individual behavior, which is why I try to steer clear of this whole, ‘Be safe, always lock your door’ thing.” However, being alert in situations can help, she said. Traveling in groups at night, being aware of surroundings and staying in a group while out partying are tips for staying safe. Alcohol consumption is a major way college students lose control over themselves and what’s going on around them.

“After drinking, it becomes easier to dance, easier to make conversation with people we don’t know, to talk, to laugh, whatever. Inhibitions break down,” according to The Bacchus Network, the world’s largest student health organization that has been in effect since 1975. The network tries to educate college students about their potential risks by providing educational brochures to universities around the country. Elon provides several brochures and pamphlets about sexual and relationship abuse upstairs in Moseley and in the health center. The question is: do students really look at them? And if they do, do they help?

Every Elon student knows the term “The Bubble,” and we all think it exists. But really, it doesn’t. Sexual and relationship violence is prevalent at Elon, just as at any other school in the nation. Although sexual violence is prevalent among college-aged students, it definitely happens in “real life,” as well. On the national level, “the sanctions and punishments set in place for rape and sexual assaults are strong, which is what they need to be,” said Elon junior Josh Pfeiffer. “It’s important for governments to recognize the seriousness of this issue.”

Although the punishments are in place for perpetrators, “in general, sexual violence has been a neglected area of research,” according to the World Health Organization’s World Report on Violence and Health. Because not much has been studied about it, there are still many issues with people reporting incidents of assault. “Probably a large number of relationship violence and sexual violence goes unreported,” Royster said. “Roughly 40 to 50 women and men per year seek services from my office and that includes intimate partner violence or rape or sexual assault; all those things together.”

Forty-two people sought services from Royster’s office from August 2007 to February 2008 and that number is about average for that time frame, Royster said. She usually sees between 400 and 500 cases a year, but she knows the number of people needing the services is higher. Reporting a sexual assault can be difficult for people because of many reasons. Victims may be afraid to tell their story to the police, their family or their friends because of embarrassment or shame. Also, they may have also been threatened by the perpetrator, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But in order to tell someone what happened, the victim has to relive the experience, said McDonald, and many do not want to do so because of the emotional distress it causes.

Elon encourages students to visit the health center if they have experienced rape or sexual assault. “The next morning (after being raped), I went to the health center,” McDonald said. “I had been going a lot because I was scared. I knew he didn’t use a condom, so that’s why I had to go the first time. But they never asked me if I was raped.” Rather, McDonald was asked if she was having “rough sex” because she was bleeding. No one ever hinted toward her being raped. She never told any health care center nurses or doctors that she was raped. They assumed she had a boyfriend, she said, and she just went along with it. “I was kind of hoping someone would bring it up,” she said. “I was in such a state of denial.”

Sexual violence “truly is a horrible thing which needs to be taken more seriously,” said Johnie Blackwell, a senior at Elon. “Elon has the right idea by having counselors and people there to talk to.” Elon is known for its organizations led primarily by students, and having “a student-run organization would be a big help to minimize this ongoing problem,” Blackwell said.

Seeing Double

                “I didn’t really think ‘rape’ until long after the fact,” McDonald said. “All I knew was that I was very uncomfortable and not ok with it, but I never could really call it rape because I knew that I had been hanging out with him and I had initiated so much of getting to know this person.”

                Deciphering between rape and consensual intercourse shouldn’t be the brain-racking decision it is for many women. “Domestic violence is a pattern of domination in which batterers intentionally choose to cause fear, injury and/or pain in order to gain and maintain power and control over their partners,” according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV). Although many students experience rape or sexual violence during their time in college, there are many who experience it at an earlier age, as well. One in four women experience sexual abuse before college, Parker said. Since deciding what constitutes rape and what does not is so hard for older women, it is possibly harder for younger victims. “Not a lot of people will talk about it and recognize rape as rape and take it for what it is. But that doesn’t mean that you’re not justified in saying you were raped and seeking help,” McDonald said.

                Elon sophomore Marcy Holland* became a victim of rape her sophomore year of high school; she was 15. During a trip to Pittsburg, Pa. to visit a friend, Holland was introduced to Greg, a student in her friend’s math class. “Everybody said, ‘Greg’s the shit,’” Holland said. “Everybody loved him.” Their talking led to making out and making out led to much more. “It got really intense and I was not comfortable with that,” Holland said. She then passed out. She woke up later that night to Greg raping her. She repeatedly told him “no” and “stop,” but she was too drunk to do anything else, and passed out again. To this day, Holland does not know how she got back to her friend’s house that night, where she was staying while in Pittsburg. The next morning, she woke up in her friend’s bed with absolutely no recollection of what had happened the night before until she found a used condom in her underwear and “it all flooded back.”

                “I couldn’t believe I had let it happen,” Holland said, “I was drunk and I didn’t fight back. I was stupid enough to hook up with him in the first place. I never thought it was his fault because I had let myself be taken advantage of, even though I had said no.” All she needed to do was say no and he should have stopped. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Holland and is not the case with many more victims of rape.

Date-Rape Drugs

                The third time she was raped, McDonald ran into her rapist at the local bar. “I remember talking to him and him apologizing [for the previous two times] and just acting like it was a normal thing,” she said. “Not apologizing because he did something wrong, but I just remember him being apologetic.” Her memory is a complete blank until the next morning, when she woke up to him lying next to her in bed.

Her abdominals in pain, McDonald found herself wrapped in a bloody towel with wet hair. She woke up the sleeping man and told him he had to leave because she had class. Oddly, he obliged. “At that point, I was scared,” McDonald said. As she entered the bathroom to take her morning shower, “I noticed his clothes at the bottom of the shower,” she said. “I started to remember a little bit and the only thing I did remember was being in the shower, but it was really brief.” Brief, but clear; her memory is of him holding her up by her neck in the shower with the water running. “It was obvious that he did have sex with me,” she said.

Starting in health class in middle school, students are warned against the dangers of date-rape drugs. Yet, they still manage to circulate themselves around our schools and communities. The three most common drugs are Rohypnol, gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and Ketamine. “The drugs can make you become weak and confused – or even pass out – so that you are unable to refuse sex or defend yourself,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). “If you are drugged, you might not remember what happened while you were drugged.”

These drugs come in all forms; they can be odorless and/or colorless and slipped into drinks or food without any trace. They can also be in the form of pills, powder or vaccinations. Out of these three, Rohypnol is the only one illegal in the U.S. The other two are used for medicinal purposes; Ketamine more predominately in veterinary clinics. Ecstasy is another drug that can be used as for date-rape, but it is not as common as the other three. Alcohol is actually the most common drug used in instances of sexual assault. “Even if a victim of sexual assault drank alcohol or willingly took drugs, the victim is not at fault for being assaulted. You cannot ‘ask for it’ or cause it to happen,” according to the USDHHS.

From “I Do” to “I Don’t”

                “Often, men who coerce a spouse into a sexual act believe their actions are legitimate because they are married to the woman,” according to the World Health Organization. Rape can occur in all kinds of relationships: between strangers, acquaintances, relationships and marriages. In the early 1990s, North Carolina labeled unwanted sex between spouses as rape. Domestic violence (also referred to as “family violence”) affects every man, woman and child in America. “Sexual violence can destroy relationships and marriages,” said Pfeiffer. Perpetrators of rape are reported to be intimate partners 30.4 percent of the time, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 1.5 million women each year are raped or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner.

                After being raped, Holland found herself in a two-year relationship with a physically and emotionally abusive boyfriend. He hit her twice; both times it was completely uncalled for. “I was irritating him and he slapped me,” Holland said. “We’d fight all the time because I’d be doing sweet things for him and he wouldn’t appreciate me.” She was forced to drive 20 minutes to pick him up so they could spend time together and never once during their relationship was her birthday celebrated. “We’re in a relationship; you can get over it,” he said, according to Holland, whenever she protested. After one fight, he called her a “fucking cunt bitch” and Holland cut herself off from the relationship entirely. “I didn’t get anything from him,” she said.

A Societal Change

“We live in a culture of violence,” Royster said. “We socialize gender roles from a very early age. Expectations of men, or expectations of women in our culture contribute to sexual and relationship violence in the biggest way.”

                “Males should be made aware at an early age about the negatives of sexual violence,” Pfeiffer said. “As someone who has experienced a violent act within my family, I have seen firsthand the damages that can be done.”

“‘Domestic violence’ is a name we’ve given to extreme violence in our culture,” said Parker. “It’s a civil rights issue.” Girls who grow up in an abusive home are much more likely to end up in a violent relationship, Parker said, and young boys who see violence being inflicted upon women in their lives are more likely to do the same thing. It’s a vicious circle.

Parker and his co-workers at Family Abuse Services are working to change the current cycle our society is in, as are many organizations in the U.S. Parker recommended four ways to prevent sexual violence among future generations: educate the public, set standards for treating one another at an early age, teach children and work toward equal rights for women and children in our global society. Part of working toward a better future is helping those suffering now from violence at home; primarily women and children. In Burlington, Family Abuse Services acts as a transitional housing center, equipped with 28 beds, where women fleeing abusive home lives can stay for up to 90 days. Each year, roughly 700 people utilize this community service, Parker said.

On a state-wide level, The North Carolina Coalition against Sexual Assault (NCCASA) created The Statewide Campus Consortium to “present an opportunity for colleges and universities in North Carolina to work together on the issue of sexual violence on campus.” Bringing college students together in awareness will hopefully bring some peace to campuses around the country. Currently, there are approximately 30 schools involved.

In order to keep in connection with the other resources in the U.S. for victims of sexual assault and rape, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) was created in 2000 as a hub of information about the various resources available around the country. “The NSVRC enjoys a strong partnership with state, territory and tribal anti-sexual assault coalitions and allied organizations.” Understanding the resources available to the public is important for victims of sexual assault, so they know they are not alone and that help is out there. Services are not supplied directly to victims from the NSVRC, but the organization supports other organizations who do work directly with survivors.

“It’s important to work with local people,” Parker said, like the police and organizations trying to work toward the same goal of helping people in need. Most communities have service locations such as Family Abuse Services, but there are not as many as there should be, Parker said.

Looking to the Future

                Being honest with oneself and with others is the most important thing after experiencing trauma such as rape, McDonald said. “This is not something you can deal with on your own,” she said. “I thought I could and it gets to you if it doesn’t have an immediate effect, it has a long-lasting effect.”

“You can either let it take over you, or you can be in control of it,” Holland said. “You will eventually be at a place that’s ok. You can still be successful. No one’s going to look at you and define you by what happened to you.” The more survivors that speak out to tell their stories, like McDonald and Holland, and the more people get involved with helping those in need of safety from situations of violence, like Parker, the closer our culture is to eliminating the epidemic of sexual assault. “We’re a violent culture. There’s tension in the world,” Parker said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

* = Victim’s name has been changed per their request.

Twitter: Sexual assault is a big, sometimes overlooked, problem at Elon. Victims share their stories.

Journalists rely heavily on polls and surveys to quantify information for their readers. Polls and surveys offer broad numerical data, which allows the reader to get a better understanding of the public opinion in a given area. However, they are often skewed one way or another. Journalists have to qualify the data that polls and surveys present for the audience.

The person performing the polling should try to get at least 400 people to participate. That is a rough number that gives enough of a balance between the two sides presented, while allowing room for a middle ground. The more people who are polled, the less likely error will occur.

Terms:

-          Random selection: every person in the population has an equal opportunity to be polled

-          Margin of error: the degree of accuracy of the research based on standard norms; expressed as a percentage; based on the size of a randomly selected sample

-          Confidence level: the percentage of confidence researchers have in their information

-          Adjusted figures: statistically manipulated figures that have been changed to compensate for missing information

-          Z score: (aka “standard score”) shows how much one figure differs from the mean

-          T score: (aka “Student’s t distribution”) used when the sample size is small (at most 100)

Formula:             z score = (raw score – mean) divided by (standard deviation)

2.2. Business

The worlds of business and communications are very much linked. Without communication, the business world could not function. Without the business world, nothing else would function. They are the twin pillars keeping our global society on its feet. Journalists who write about business must be careful to keep all numerical data exactly correct. Business deals could be lost because of something incorrectly written by a journalist, which could cost people a lot of hard-earned money.

Terms:

-          Financial statements: formal documents accessible to shareholders, regulatory agencies, and other people interested in how well or how poorly a company is doing

-          Profit and loss statement: (P&L) shows whether or not a company is profiting

subtract expenses from income

-          Gross margin: selling price minus the cost of goods sold

-          Balance sheet: a written financial statement that shows the financial stability of a company

Formula:             assets = liabilities + equity

-          Current ratio: liquidity ratio measuring the ability of a company to meet its liabilities

Formula:             current ratio = (current assets) divided by (current liabilities)

2.3 Stocks and Bonds

Journalists need to understand stocks and bonds to better understand the way businesses work, and to better report on them. Stocks are sold by corporations to individuals who, upon purchase, become co-owners of the company. Bonds are loans from an investor to the government or another organization that plans to sell the bond. Bond value changes due to supply and demand on the open market.

Formula for bonds’ current yield:           current yield = (interest rate x face value) divided by (price)

Formula for bond cost:                                                bond cost (interest) = amount x rate x years

Terms:

-          Face value: the amount the owner receives back after the bond is sold

-          Stock index: track the prices of groups of stocks, which allows investors to see briefly the overall market conditions; they track bonds, as well

-          Divisor: takes into account stock dividends, splits, spinoffs, and other applicable corporate actions

2.4 Property Taxes

Property taxes are the largest source of income for municipal organizations such as school districs and local government. The rate of property tax is determined by dividing the total amount of money the area needs among the property owners in the district. This formula only works depending on the local and state government rules and regulations. More than one governing body often taxes property tax. The type of property also affects the tax paid.

Formula (assessed value):          assessed value = appraisal value x rate

2.5 Directional Measurements

Bill Dedman developed a mathematical problem for journalists that involves time, rate and distance. It has become famous for its simplicity. The problem is for journalists to calculate how much time a truck driver had to cross a set of train tracks before a train reached the crossing. The point of this is to teach journalists the basic mathematical tools they need to be able to check officials’ work with ease.

Time, rate and distance can be switched around depending on the solution needed, but it’s important to keep in mind the units of measurements the same. For example, if the rate is miles per hour, the time needs to be in hours and the distance in miles.

Distance = rate x time

Rate = (distance) divided by (time)

Time = (distance) divided by (rate)

The difference between speed and velocity is important to note. Speed measures how quickly something is moving. Velocity adds direction into the equation. Mostly, journalists will only need to calculate speed. Average speed is calculated by dividing the distance traveled by the time it took to get there.

Twitter: Journalists need to learn mathematical business information to write well.

By Emily Silva 

November 21, 2008 

“I honestly thought I’d hate Twitter,” Patty Van Norman, administrative assistant at Duke University Press, said. “Who cares what you’re doing right now? But now that I use it, I find it invaluable.” 

The micro-blogging system known as Twitter has had varying effects on users since its debut in 2007.  The system, which is set up somewhat like a series of Facebook statuses, was named for the snippets of information updated by users in 140 characters or less, called “tweets.” Some users, like Van Norman, initially wondered, ‘What’s the point?’ Now, they can’t stop twittering. 

“I have a Firefox add-on called Twitterfox that shows new messages in the lower right of my screen,” Van Norman said. She uses Twitter throughout her workday, while at her computer. 

Businesses are using Twitter as a way to communicate while traveling. “Most of the early adopters using Twitter to communicate today are writing on the road, from conferences, sales calls and other mobile situations in which they want to share tightly written information chunks,” Janna Anderson, communications professor at Elon University and director of a research project called Imagining the Internet, said. “Twitter users opt in to following the ‘tweets’ of the individuals or organizations from whom they want information – you follow the messages from the people you want to follow,” Anderson said. “This differs from texting on cell phones because it allows you to follow the information shared by interesting people you don’t even know and they are sometimes sharing extremely useful data.” 

President-elect Barack Obama has a Twitter account and updates almost daily, as does comedian Steven Colbert. The program works well for people with small bits of information to communicate at a time, rather than writing an entire press release or article on their one issue. “Another way to share ideas is to ‘retweet’ something somebody else has already Twittered,” Sarah Milstein, a New York Times reporter, wrote in her article “How Twitter Can Help at Work.” Not all Twitter users are pleased with Twitter messages’ brevity, though. 

“Twitter minimizes and worsens communication and the art of storytelling,” Colin Donohue, the coordinator of student media at Elon University, said. Donohue is displeased with “the limited amount of space you have to provide an update.” It’s easier for people who want a loose connection with distant friends, he said, but not for people who want more communication. “Twitter fragments communication and tells people to boil down their days or their feelings or their sentiments into 140 characters,” Donohue said. “There’s something disconcerting about that.” 

A typical Twitter page

On the opposite end, other users are pleased with Twitter’s condensation of thought. “With its requirement for people to squeeze their thoughts into 140 characters or less, Twitter is a perfect tool for a fast-paced, mobile society,” Anderson said. “Compressed information fits and it offers quick-hitting details we can apply to our lives.” 

“Sometimes I find out something that’s going on right now that I didn’t know about, or get a link to an interesting article and often my friends just post something funny,” Van Norman said. “Since the posts are so short, they don’t take much time or attention.” 

As media continues to develop and change, new applications replace outdated ones. “My research for the Pew Internet Project indicates that mobile devices such as smartphones are going to become most people’s primary communications devices globally by 2020,” Anderson said. 

A concern floating around the media is that Twitter is the new AOL Instant Messenger or text messaging system and the old ones will become obsolete. But users are not quite ready to give up on current technologies. “Sometimes people need to have real conversations,” Donohue said, “So AIM will (always) be important. Text messaging is pretty similar to Twitter, anyway.” 

Other users are confident the systems will stay with their respective purposes: AIM with instant messaging, texting with texting. Twitter is just another part of media convergence. “Text messaging and Twitter will definitely continue as our dependence on media and connectivity progresses,” Van Norman said. “The form will probably change, but the ‘in-touch-ness’ will continue.”

Writers are typically not numbers people. We frequently run in the opposite direction when the word “math” is thrown out. However, using numbers correctly in journalistic writing is a sign of excellence and professionalism. Numbers are necessary in our line of work to give the reader a better sense of reality. Even if the writer is not a mathematical thinker, that does not mean their reader isn’t.

Numerical literacy is the hallmark of professionalism. When writing with numbers, journalists should interview numbers with the same care they interview people. Do the math for your readers. Chances are, they are not math people, either! There are several style tips for writing with numbers, but most of them are explained in the Associated Press Stylebook. A few examples are:

a)      Spell out fractions less than one.

b)     Use words if the number is between first and ninth.

c)      Rewrite a sentence to eliminate a number at the beginning.

Many writers have difficulty with numerical terminology. The way you write when writing about numbers can make or break the experience for your readers. They will either understand your writing, or they will not. Frequent mistakes in writing involve language. It is important to master language skills to write properly, simply for the sake of comprehension on your reader’s part. Similarly to the style tips, most language tips are in the Associated Press Stylebook, but here are a few examples:

a)      Under is used to refer to a physical relationship; less than is used when referring to a smaller quantity or amount.

b)     Use percentages in sentences with more or less, or words ending in –er.

c)      Use farther for physical distance and further for degree, time or quantity.

1.2   Percentages

Reporting is all about communicating the facts of a situation to the reader. People like hearing percentages because it gives them a better overall feel for the situation. It quantifies things. Writers who use percentages correctly are helping their reader understand the situation and they are gaining more of their reader’s trust through providing accurate, understandable information. Sometimes, writing percentages is just an easier way to write numbers. By calculating the percentage of a whole figure, journalists are able to put things into perspective for their reader.

The word percent means “out of one hundred.” Therefore, you can look at percentages like division. An example is:

13/15 = 13 divided by 15, which is 0.87; therefore, 87%.

A common point of confusion for writers and readers is between percentage and percentage point. One percent is one out of one hundred (ex: one cent is one percent of $1). One percentage point can be one out of one hundred, but it is not always. An example is: if a company starts out at 5 percent and loses one percentage point, they are then at 4 percent.

Interest is another point of importance involving writing with numbers. Some vocabulary is:

Principal: the amount of money borrowed

Interest: the money that is paid to the lender for the borrowing (the rate is the percentage charged)

Compounding: the interest is added to the original principal

1.3   Statistics

Like percentages, statistics are frequently used in reporting. Their presence in journalism allows readers to understand the situation more easily. Reporters must be cautious, though, to not report incorrectly manipulated statistics. Some basic terms used in statistics are:

Mean: the sum of all the numerical figures in a group, divided by the total number of figures

Median: the middle numerical figure in a group

Mode: the most frequently appearing number in a group

Percentiles are another important concept to master within statistics. A percentile is a number representing the percentage of scores either at or below the designated score. An example would be: if you scored within the 75^th percentile on an exam that means that 75 percent of the people who took the test received either the same score or a lower score than you.

Standard deviation shows how much a group of numbers deviates from the norm. If there is a small standard deviation, that means the numbers are close to the mean.  If there is a large standard deviation, that means the numbers are not close to the mean. When writing about standard deviation, journalists may use language similar to the original data, like “points,” “dollars,” etc.

The formula for computing standard deviation is:

Step 1: subtract the mean from each score in the distribution

Step 2: square the resulting number for each score

Step 3: compute the mean for these numbers. This is called variance.

Step 4: find the square root of the variance

Probability is involved with many subjects of reporting. When reporting on a car accident, the writer may indicate the probability of this type of accident occurring again. Probability is calculated using a ratio. If 2,600 people in the United States die in a car accident every year, and there are 280 million people in the United States, you can calculate the probability of one person dying in a car accident by dividing:

2,6000 deaths divided by 290 million people = .0000089

From there, you can divide one by .0000089, because you are focusing on one person dying. Therefore,

1 divided by .0000089 = 112,000 so the chance of one person dying from a car accident is one out of 112,000.

When discussing probability, writers must be cautious not to scare their reader. Probability frightens people when discussing death or injury, so journalists should take care to find out where their numerical data is coming from. It is important to provide your reader with accurate facts, but if a reader is frightened by or uncomfortable with information you have provided, your readership may decline.

1.4   Federal Statistics

The United States government provides us with facts and figures every day. They focus on issues like unemployment, inflation/CPI, GDP, trade balance and others.

Unemployment: The rate of unemployment is the percentage of labor force (everyone over the age of 16 who has a job) that is unemployed and currently looking for work. The formula is:

Unemployment rate = (unemployed divided by labor force) x 100

Inflation/CPI: In the United States, we measure inflation by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which shows the amount of inflation for one month among eight product groups (ex: food, housing, transportation, etc). Sometimes CPI is written as a number more than 100, sometimes it’s reported as a monthly or annual inflation rate. The formula for calculating monthly inflation rate is:

Monthly inflation rate = (current CPI – prior month CPI) divided by prior month CPI x 100

Gross Domestic Product: The GDP is the value of goods and services produced by our economy. When that number goes up, the economy is doing well. When it is going down, the economy could possibly be in recession. GDP is reported quarterly and its rate is annual. The formula for calculating GDP is:

C = consumer spending on goods and services

I = investment spending

G = government spending

NX = net exports (exports minus imports)

GDP = C + I + G + NX

Trade balance: This is the difference between the goods and services a country exports and those it imports from other countries. The United States currently is at a negative number, which means we import more than we export. The top seven categories of imports/exports are:

a)      Capital goods (other than autos)

b)     Services

c)      Industrial supplies

d)     Autos and auto parts

e)      Consumer goods

f)       Food and beverages

g)      “Other”

Practice Problems:

1.       Find the problem with the following sentence in terms of numerical language.

The bill was under what the customer had anticipated it would be.

2.       If your salary was raised from $43,200 to $5,360, what was the percentage increase?

3.       Find the mean, median and mode of the following set of numbers:

4, 38, 61, 3, 89, 1, 87, 34, 44, 21, 19

4.       Calculate the probability of someone running a red light in one specific location if 2,850 cars drive through that light every day and it the red light is run by 876 cars.

Twitter: Although journalists are not usually “numbers people,” they need to understand basic numerical skills to communicate.

September 26, 2008 

Tolley

“I always considered myself not the smartest person in the class, but surely not the least capable.” But capable is all Jerry Tolley is and ever was, both in school and out. A sports fanatic from the start and named MVP twice in high school, Tolley led his high school football team to the state championship, where they took the title, winning 13-0. But his lack of enthusiasm for schoolwork kept him worried and self-conscious. “I never gained confidence as a student until college,” Tolley said. “All my good buddies – I felt like they were much smarter than I was and I would sort of tag along.” 

College, however, proved to be just the place for Tolley to become more confident. He attended Eastern Carolina University and, after spending his first semester being terrified of failing out, he realized if he went to class, paid attention, took notes and studied, things pay off. “If you do those things,” he said, “Then it’s easier to make a good grade. So for the first time, I was studying, taking notes, sitting on the front row and doing all my papers and I did just fine.” Tolley graduated with a degree in physical education and minors in social studies and biology. 

In 1967, Tolley took a job at Elon University as assistant football coach to Shirley “Red” Wilson. “I was surprised he hired me,” Tolley said. “He could have hired anybody.” Both Tolley and Wilson started out as coaches at Fayetteville Senior High School in Fayetteville, N.C. and then transferred to Elon, to a team that was in desperate need of some help. “We had taken over a team that had only won three games in two years,” Tolley said. After Tolley and Wilson were there for a year, “We were playing for the conference title.” Two of his athletes went on to play football professionally. Joey Hackett played in a Super Bowl and Quinton Ballard played in the NFL, but suffered an injury to his knee. 

Elon

Wilson left Elon after ten years of coaching, which opened up the position of head coach and Tolley accepted. “We had quite a bit of success,” Tolley said. “We won two national titles during my time as head coach.” His team also won four conference titles, three district titles and participated in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division-I National Playoffs three times. “Despite his marvelous and unparalleled coaching career,” Nan Perkins, vice president for university advancement, said, “I’ve never heard him second-guess another coach’s decisions, no matter how bad their team was. He was never criticizing.” 

After winning the second national title, Tolley resigned from coaching in 1982. Fred Young, Elon’s then-president, put Tolley in fundraising for the university. Tolley stayed with the position for five years.

In 1986, he left the world of fundraising for a job at what is now known as LabCorp. Tolley was first named the company’s Associate Vice President for Training and then Vice President of Government/Community Affairs. After retiring from that position, Tolley came back to Elon University. “I wasn’t quite ready to give up everything,” he said. The university was in the process of building a new football stadium. Tolley took a job as the Major Gifts Officer for the project in 1999. “I’ve been doing some other fundraising – annual giving and things like that – since,” he said. Tolley started working with Perkins through fundraising when Perkins was the director of publications and public information. “[Tolley] was highly successful in fundraising,” Perkins said. “He managed to push the percentage into the 40s of people who give to the school,” which was the highest the university had ever seen.

Elon today knows Tolley as the director of the Elon Society, which, as Tolley put it, is the university’s primer giving level. “We try,” he said, “To attract around 900 to 1000 Elon Society members every year.” Members include alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations that give money for the advancement of the university. “[Tolley] has a knack for grooming his staff to take on bigger professional challenges as they develop their careers,” Sallie Hutton, director of alumni relations, said. Tolley was Hutton’s first supervisor at the university.

Along with his position at Elon University, Tolley has a very prominent position in the town of Elon. He has been mayor for three terms now. Before that, Tolley served on the town’s Appearance Commission and then on the Board of Aldermen. His political experience from those two positions qualified him to run for mayor in 1989. He served two four-year terms. “I’ll run again next November,” Tolley said, “If I decide to run and I don’t know if I will.”

Tolley’s primary job as mayor is to set the agenda for town meetings, along with town manager Mike Dula. “He is intense at times,” Dula said of Tolley, “[He is] quick to move from one subject to another.” Tolley is known by his coworkers as very goal-oriented and determined. “He’s very willing to stretch goals,” Perkins said. “He sets very measurable goals and then works very hard to meet them. He’s very methodical about developing a plan.” 

Tolley has had 5 books published

Although Tolley holds the title of mayor, Dula, as town manager, “runs the town,” Tolley said. “

The state of North Carolina has a town manager form of government, then the Board [of Aldermen] and the mayor sort of set the policy, so we don’t get involved that much, with the day-to-day operations. I probably stop by Town Hall once a week.” Although Tolley is not in charge of day-to-day things, “the town has grown a lot while he’s been here,” Dula said. 

Not only has the town and Elon University grown with Tolley, but Tolley himself has grown with the community of Elon. “Anyone who’s lived here that long and done this for so long has to be very dedicated,” Dula said. Tolley is a dedicated leader, as well as a “very good family man,” said Perkins. Tolley is married with two sons; Jerry “Jay” Jr., 34, lives in Tuscon, Az. and Justin, 31, lives just down the road from Tolley and his wife in Burlington, N.C. Justin frequently jokes with his father about never moving too far away from home. 

In his spare time, Tolley enjoys playing tennis on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. He also enjoys writing. Five of his books have been published; they are all technical manuals for football. Just this year, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame; the highest award given by the organization. “Jerry is a people person,” Hutton said. “He is also a delegator. He combines those attributes in a way that enables him to be successful.”

Watch Tolley explain the best advice he’s ever been given by a mentor:

Twitter: Town of Elon Mayor Jerry Tolley shares his experiences through high school and college, playing football, and then coaching.

By Emily Silva 

November 19, 2008 

“The supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service,” wrote Walter Williams. The Missouri School of Journalism’s founder wrote what is known as The Journalist’s Creed, in which Williams dictates the responsibilities journalists have to their audience and to themselves. He calls journalists “trustees of the public” and claims that if they fall short of absolute service to the public, their job becomes obsolete. 

Ultimately, journalism exists for the public: to alert people of news in their community (be it local, national or global) and to work openly for the benefit of our fellow citizens. When news or information is withheld from the public, and it involves the state, Williams calls that “indefensible.” North Carolina has established the North Carolina Public Records Law and the North Carolina Open Meetings Law to ensure journalists the right to obtain and communicate governmental information to the general public. 

The Public Records Law defines public records as “all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material.” Therefore, nearly any communication regarding the state is open information to the public. The Open Meetings Law says, “It is the public policy of North Carolina that the hearings, deliberations, and actions of [governmental] bodies be conducted openly,” enabling journalists to attend such meetings and communicate their contents to the public, without concern. 

The North Carolina Open Government Coalition (NCOGC) began in 2004 to unite organizations that want to allow the public access to governmental “activity, records and meetings” without any repercussions from the government. Open government is necessary in a democracy because anything that is state-related involves the people. Therefore, those people deserve to be granted access to that information. “The intent [of the NCOGC] has been to unite people from many disciplines who are engaged in access issues and to move the discussion beyond the normal battles between journalists and government to the realm of citizenship.” Creating an open environment among the three main players (the government, journalists and citizens) is necessary in a democratic state. 

Williams calls for “journalism of humanity,” encouraging us all to work together. North Carolina has made great strides by establishing the Public Records Law and the Open Meetings Law and allowing both journalists and the general public access to the goings-on of government. After all, if the government is protecting its citizens as it should, there should be nothing to hide, so access should always be granted to whomever requests to view it.

Twitter: Walter Williams developed the Journalist’s Creed to teach writers the proper ethics of journalism.

November 4, 2008

Just after national TV networks announced Sen. Barack Obama as the next president of the United States, Elon students stormed out of the Oaks apartments, into the parking lot, across the street and out onto main campus. A sea of camera flashes and screaming people flooded the campus sidewalks.

“I can’t be more happy,” Jack Treanor, a freshman from Maryland, said. “I’m one hundred percent with Obama.”

“We contributed to a historic event,” Hannah Berg, a freshman from Connecticut, said. “I’m so excited!”

Students joined together in happiness over Obama

“My vote really counted because I voted in N.C.,” Berg said. She chose to vote here because Connecticut is typically a Democratic state, she said.

Sydney Hass, a freshman from Boston, said she voted in N.C., as well. “It’s really awesome to come out here,” she said. Hass expressed happiness over “young people getting into voting.”

The group from the Oaks parking lot grew as more and more students streamed out of dorm rooms and apartments along the way to the center of campus. Students held hands, hugged one another and yelled out “My president is black! How about yours?” and “We did it!”

“This is the first time I’ve had any type of belief our country can get away from the race thing,” Frances Gee, a junior from North Carolina, said.

Sophomore Katie Lampe cheered for Obama.

“I’m so inarticulate,” she said, explaining that her excitement was inhibiting her ability to put sentences together.

The mass of bodies finally stopped on the quad outside Belk Library and the Mosley Center, while students chanted, “O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma!”

Students jumped up on one another, screaming and crying out of elation.

“It’s about time,” Brandon Ward, a junior from Florida, said. “He’s black!” Ward said he watched the entire news coverage of Election Day. He said he flipped back and forth through all the major news networks until Obama’s win was declared.

“I was watching my boy!” she exclaimed. “It was awesome!”

Twitter: After Obama’s victory, Elon students are hopeful their new President-Elect will change some current policies.

November 3, 2008

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

“Either way you look at it, it’s history,” said Jose Colon, a UNC-Charlotte student from Puerto Rico. Colon and other UNC-C students shared their campus with the world Monday. Thousands of people flocked from all over the South to hear Sen. Barack Obama speak at his last rally before Election Day. 

The 2008 election’s uniqueness has drawn a new kind of voter enthusiasm that hasn’t been seen in American politics for years. “I never thought I’d see this time,” said 55-year-old Aza Shakur from Charlotte, N.C.”Young people are excited for the first time in my life.”

This election has brought about a sense of history in-the-making within the United States. Whether voters are Republican or Democrat, they sense the importance of this election, especially in swing states like North Carolina.

Something is happening within our country like never before. For the first time, we will see either a black man become our president, or we will see a woman become our vice president. Either way the election goes, it will be a change that will be recorded in future textbooks as unique.

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

“We’re here to see history and be part of history,” said Sal Alfieri, a physical education professor at Livingstone College in Concord, N.C. “I’m voting for the belief,” he said. “For the unifier [Obama] can be. He brings the best of black and white, and that’s what we should all be about.”

Alfieri, a registered Democrat, described seeing Obama speak tonight as “a moment we would love to carry into the future.”

Many children were present at tonight’s rally, as well as adults. Wisdom Jzar, from Charlotte, N.C., brought his two children, ages five and three, to “keep them in touch with the political process,” he said. “I want to get it into them early enough, so when they get older, they can make…a change.”

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

“Young people are wondering what’s going to happen in their future,” Obama said. “The last thing we can afford is the last four years again.”

Children scampered across the wet field, waving “Change We Need” signs and American flags. Parents from both political parties said it was important for their children to witness this process of political history. It’s important for their future, parents said.

“This is history in the making,” said Jackie Weigel, an elementary school art teacher from Matthews, N.C. “I wanted my children to take it in. The part of a parent is allowing children to see these opportunities. This is history right before our eyes.”

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

Looking into the future has been a theme of this year’s election. Both parties are promising differences in American life from the past eight years.

“It is time for change and… that is why I’m running for president of the United States of America,” Obama said at tonight’s historical rally. He promised North Carolinians two million new jobs during his time as president, a $15 billion investment in renewable energy, more health care benefits for the working class and benefits for military service.

He spoke of the current economical crisis and how John McCain would not help the situation if elected president. “You and I know there is something fundamentally wrong with our economy,” Obama said. “It’s a philosophy that hasn’t worked and I will change it when I am president.”

“If you participate in national service, we’ll make sure you go to college – no ‘if’s,’ ‘and’s,’ or ‘but’s,’” he said. “That’s my commitment as president.”

That change doesn’t have to happen just in Washington or on Wall Street, people are saying. It needs to happen on a basic, grassroots level and people think Obama is the man for the job.

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

“I won’t stand here,” Obama said, “And pretend this is going to be easy. The change we need comes from each of us doing what we can.” 

“He’s such a moving speaker,” said Gregory Jackson, from Charlotte, N.C. Jackson went to Raleigh to see Obama speak a few weeks ago.

Jackson told a story of a woman in the Raleigh crowd fainting from the heat. Obama, he said, stopped talking and went behind the stage to get a bottle of water and tossed it out into the crowd for the woman. Obama was distracted, Jackson said, and couldn’t find his place in his speech. However, he made a point to make sure that one woman was alright.

“You never forget something like that,” Jackson said.

Democrats are looking for a fundamental change in our nation and they believe Obama is it. However, not all Obama supporters started out Democrats.

“I first saw him on Oprah and said, ‘That’s a smart guy!’” Julie Frye drove all the way to Charlotte, N.C. from Greenville, S.C. to see Obama speak. She understands how crucial it is to be informed and educated on the topics at hand, she said.

Frye, a registered Republican, said this is the first election in which she is voting Democrat. She said that, after reading Obama’s book, “That was it.” She was hooked. “He actually thinks the same thoughts that I think,” she said. “He gets it.”

Photo courtesy of Bryce Little

Obama has made the election not about black against white, or Democrat against Republican, Frye explained. “He just wants what’s best for the country,” she said. “He’s so calm.”

“It makes you feel more a part of the movement,” said Turquoise Lane, from Winston Salem, N.C. “I’m feeling really patriotic. His voice is so powerful.”

Lane expressed excitement about this historical election being her first time voting. Many first-time voters have turned out for rallies throughout the country for both Obama and McCain. The votes of young people are crucial right now, Lane said.

Obama passionately encouraged people to get out into the community on Election Day. He asked people who have voted early to volunteer to help out the campaign locally.

“We are a union,” Obama said. “(It is) not perfect, but we can work to perfect it. It can start in 24 hours if you are ready.”

Despite the on-and-off rain downpours, people stood in miles-long lines to catch shuttles from parking lots to the UNCC baseball field, where Obama was scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8_NxI_boeU

Twitter: Democratic candidate Barack Obama urges voters to vote for a change this coming election.