Digital Journalism at Roger Williams University

RWU gets new women's hoops coach

2010-09-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

By Sarah Bourbeau

BRISTOL, RI __ Kelly Thompson, former Assistant Coach at Stonehill College, accepted the position of Head Coach for Roger Williams University’s Women’s Basketball team.

We are thrilled to have Kelly on board with us.... Kelly comes to Roger Williams with great coaching experience, both as an assistant at a top Division II program and at the Division III level. -- Acting Athletic Director Dave Kemmy.

Thompson comes to Roger Williams with experience already under her belt. She has worked as Assistant Coach for Stonehill College’s women’s basketball team for five years. She has practice with recruitment, scouting, conditioning, and fundraising. Her experience as Assistant Coach served as a great tool for her arrival at Roger Williams.

Her coaching career first began at Maine Maritime Academy. There she spent one year as Assistant Coach of the Women’s Basketball team.

Her hands on coaching experience and first hand experience as a player paves the way for Thompson’s expected successful season.

And here is some completely unrelated video to illustrate to students how to publish YouTube video on a blog:

[where: 02809]

Feature Writing Spring 2010

2010-05-11T07:33:00.001-07:00

The Wall Street Journal is a newspaper published daily by Dow Jones & Company in New York City. It was founded on July 8, 1889 and has won the Pulitzer Prize 33 times since its start. The paper covers both national and international business and economic news, as well as social and political issues. With a circulation of over 2 million, it is the second most popular newspaper published in America, with USA Today being the first. The Journal has been responsible for notable reporting for stories such as the ENRON scandal and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Currently, Les Hinton is the publisher and Robert Thompson is the editor.

Current events:
National Basketball Association playoffs!! Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Thunder, Hawks, -dw
“Air search resumes for 11 missing in oil rig blast,” the search for the 11 missing workers from an explosion on an oil platform on the Louisiana coast continues. The explosion occurred late Tuesday. [SB]
Volcano shuts down European air traffic [KB]
Earth day turns 40 years old [KB]

Obama will pay a visit to Wall Street calling for the big businesses to work with new reforms to a financial bill being worked out in the Senate. His speech that will be delivered near Wall Street will address many issues within these businesses as well as the role of their (the businesses) lobbyists on Capitol Hill. (CC)

Flights are slowly beginning to take off in Northern Europe and to these areas after a week of grounded flights. A Volcanic eruption resulting in a cloud of smoke and ash grounded flights in Europe as well as all incoming flights for the past week. Ash can be the cause of engine failure on planes and it is unsafe to fly near such conditions. (CC)

Goldman Executives are going to testify before a Senate panel because of their current fraud scandal. (CC)

Catholic Church Scandal: A German bishop admitted to abusing children while still a priest and has resigned over it. While the abuse was not sexual, it comes at a time when the Pope and Arch Diocese are coming under heavy fire for allegedly covering up sexual abuse within the Irish Catholic Church. [ED]

Iceland Volcano: European skies re-opened to flights Wednesday after being shut down for a week due to volcanic ash being spewed from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano. British airports faced a loss of almost $800 million in the first few days alone and there has been a monumental increase in air traffic in an attempt to get everyone home. [ED]

Oil Rig Explosion: 11 workers are still missing after an oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana late Tuesday. The Coast Guard continues to search for the missing workers, even though the odds of finding survivors are growing slimmer. [ED]

Financial Reform: President Obama’s plan for financial reform has won the key backing of a Senate Panel, comprised of both Republicans and Democrats. The two parties seem to be working together on the issue. The overhaul would impose tougher regulations for Wall Street, and is focused mainly on overseas trading and the practice of using derivatives. Democrats are pushing for a procedural vote on Monday. [ED]

Goldman-Sachs: The bank has been accused of fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission by setting up loans that were deliberately intended to fail. [ED]

Mexico City-- offers bikes its clean air campaign (GRS)

Stocks headed lower at the open - Strong earnings have helped boost sentiment recently, although investors still remain wary about the economic recovery. President Obama will make another push for tougher financial rules Wednesday. He is due to give a speech near the heart of Wall Street. The government released reports on first-time claims for unemployment benefits, and inflation at the wholesale level before the market opened. (AS)

Court fight over Brain-Damaged Mom’s Triplets – Abbie Dorn always wanted children, however when she gave birth to triplets, she suffered severe brain damage. Now her parents and former husband are battling over whether or not Dorn is capable of being in the children’s lives. (AS)

iPad: the ipad is a tablet computer designed and marketed by apple. It is meant for internet browsing media consumption, gaming, and light content creation. It was released this monthm and has introduced a class of devices between smartphones and laptops. It is all touch screen and has specific applications tht you may find similar to those on an iphone and ipod touch. (BM)

Baseball player flips over catcher – A Fordham baseball player leaps headfirst over Iona’s catcher to score during the team’s 9 – run eighth inning. (AS)

Language Blocked and Music Outlet: This boy was told he had Autism so he was not able to talk. Later he was listening to music and started to say the word “head”. This later helped him learn other words such as “mama”. (MB)

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Fashion trends
New eyewear trend: Cat Eye Sunglasses. Models were seen sporting the new eyewear on every runway this spring. “The retro-glam shape screams 1950s chic.[SB]
Bold painterly prints were among many of the new spring fashion trends. Designers such as Michael Kors, Marni, and BCBG are just a few who highlighted bold prints in their shows.[SB]

Nautical trends [KB]
Bright colors [KB]

Knee high socks are something that is predicted to be a huge fashion trend for this fall (2010). It is said that people have already started layering them up, and when it once was that people search for the lowest socks possible, people will now be searching their sock drawers for the highest socks of all. (BM)

Traveling taxidermy- dead animals are being taxedermys into suitcases. (MP)

Zippers- Zippers can be found on many skirts and dresses being sold and have become very popular.(MP)

Fitted dresses- while a few years ago flowy was in now form fitting tiht dresses are the new thing. (MP)

Gel nail polish- Nail polish that lasts a month and doesn’t damage nails like acrylics. (MP)

Jump Suits: This is a full-length body outfit. It can be worn as pants, shorts, or a skirt. It looks somewhat like overalls. (MB)

Boy Pants: Shorts that are extremely short. They are not as long as the usual shorts. (MB)

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Social Issues

Bernie Goldberg of Fox News admitted Monday night on "The O'Rielly Factor" that John Stewart host of the "The Daily Show with John Stewart" was correct in saying that Fox News generalizes liberals into a large category. The feud between John Stewart and commentators as well as hosts on Fox News have been battling words for quite some time. (CC)

April 22: National Earth Day. Every year the United States celebrates the natural earth by cleaning up trash, planting trees, etc. [kp]
Tea Party Patriots are holding “Thank you Mr. President for Bankrupting America” outside a Walmart in NJ today. The intention of the rally is to demonstrate to Obama how he has ruined the nation. [kp]

American Idol: Tim Urban, the 20 year old college student from Duncanville, TX was eliminated from the ninth season of American Idol. It appears viewers were not inspired to vote for him. Joining him in the bottom three were 27 year old musician Casey James, and 17 year old Aaron Kelly. (BM)

Facebook Prayer for Obama’s death – there has been a prayer circulating on facebook that seemingly calls for President Barack Obama’s death as well as New Jersey gov. Chris Christie and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Facebook spokespeople say that while it is highly offensive it does not violate the companys policies. (MP)

Goldman sachs- They have been under investigation for fraud after their profits have nearly doubled in 2010(MP)

Muslim group warns ‘South Park’ creators of death for last week episode for depicting the prophet Muhammed in a bear suit (GRS)

“Obama Looks to Close Sale on Financial Reform.” Obama addresses economic issues. The financial sector is completely out of balance and has suggestions for how to fix this.[SB]

Chicago Schools urge parents to not take their children to the annual bring your son or daughter to work day (GRS)

40^th Earth Day – The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970 and was an educational event. The environment movement has evolved dramatically over the past 40 years, the new concerns being sustainability and climate change. (AS)

Man Sheds 365 pounds through yoga – a Detroit man credits yoga and a proper diet with helping his lose 365 pounds. (AS)

Christian Group on Campus: The Supreme Court is deciding whether or not colleges can be known for having Christian groups that will not let non- Christian and gays join it. (MB)

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Roger Williams events
Free concert @ RWU: Four Year Strong to perform on campus in the fieldhouse for free this Saturday at 4. [kp]
Four Year Strong an alternative rock band from Worester, Mass. will play at Roger Williams University at 5:30 in the Field House. This event is hosted by WQRI. (CC)

S.E.X Week on Campus: A week at school filled with activities based on sex such as condom casino and a movement to get tested for STD’s [kp]
Roger Williams University was listed in Guide To 286 Green Colleges. RWU was chosen for its above and beyond method of greening the school and surrounding neighborhood. [kp]
Student body elections were held last week. The official winners for President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer were announced for each class.[SB]
Roving Eye Film Festival: Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) and Roger Williams University (RWU) are presenting the fifth annual Roving Eye Film Festival from April 22 to April 25. - dw
The Fray will perform on Wednesday April 28th [KB]
Spring weekend begins April 30th [KB]

Musician’s guild/CEN Expression Session “Art, Earth, and Music at 9:00pm--dw

RWU Baseball at Curry College 2:00 pm Thursday (GRS)
Woman’s LAX at Gordon College 7:00 pm Friday (GRS)
RWU sailing team 5 events Saturday and Sunday (GRS)

The Fray: On Wednesday, April 28^th, Roger Williams University will be holding their annual “spring concert”. Last year they had the band OAR come play, and this year the band called “The Fray” will be performing. (BM)

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Prssa gala – On Saturday the PRSSA chapter at Roger Williams is hosting the annual gala at the Viking hotel in Newport. All proceeds from the silent auction are going to the music and arts department of public schools in the area. (MP)

Dance Theater Performing in May: The students will perform at the University’s Performing Arts Center and will be on stage the first week of May. The students will work with Sean Curran and Deganit Shemy. (MB)

State Abbreviations

Melanie Puckett
San Francisco, Calif. __ In San Francisco, it is easy to go through high school without having a driver’s license. It wasn’t until my senior year that I passed the drivers test and was able to declare my independence. At that time, the family car was a gray ’87 Mercedes Benz, which we named Baby Benz. My parents, being thrilled that I finally could be independent, let me drive Baby Benz almost everyday to and from school. During the last semester of my senior year, I was a part of the musical “A Chorus Line” and often stayed for late rehearsals at school. One night, when I wasn’t able to come home until about 9:30 p.m., I received a call from my mother on my way home. She said that she was at a bar downtown, called Martuni’s, with my sister and asked if I would want to meet them. Since it was not even 10:00 p.m. yet, I decided to take a trip downtown.

I drove through the Haight and down Octavia Street until I saw a neon sign with the word “Martuni’s” flashing green. I walked inside the bar to my mother on stage singing “Dancing Queen” alongside my sister. We made eye contact and my mother said into the mic, “Somebody get this girl a drink!” I was blushing as I strolled over to the bar and order myself a raspberry martini, trying to regain my cool. The drunken rendition finally ended and my mother and sister staggered offstage to meet me at the bar. After a few laughs and a few martinis later, the three of us decided to call it a night.

We left the bar and walked to Baby Benz, sitting perfectly parallel parked on Market Street. My sister opens the door to the backseat while my mother walks over to the passenger side and pulls the lever. I said, “Mom, do you seriously want me to drive?”

“You’ll be fine! I’m right here with you, sweetheart,” she slurred. I finally understood why she wanted me to come downtown. I opened the door of the driver’s side and sat down on the beige cushion. I turned the key in the ignition and gripped the wheel tightly. Please God, don’t let me crash. I looked over to find my mother with her eyes closed. Slowly, I eased out of the parking space.

I drove back up Octavia Street at 15 miles per hour that night. After about five minutes, I became acclimated with the roads and eased the tension in my grip slightly. It wasn’t until my mother shrieked “Oh my god!” that I noticed that I ran a red light. I pulled off to the side of the road with my mother screaming in my ear, “What were you thinking? You could have killed us!” She told me to get out and move to the passenger seat. She was going to drive home, with which I was not about to argue. My mother drove us home at the speed limit, no swerving.

Feature Writing Spring 2010 - Google Docs

Cars

Kat

Acushnet, Mass __ My first car was a car that has been in my family since I was in Kindergarten, and in its prime it was a great car. A 1994 red Volvo 850, and it was all mine. Although I was excited to have any car at all, I’ve always been a little paranoid that something would go wrong with it while I was alone, and knowing nothing about cars I would be stranded. The first few years with my car were fine nothing major went wrong with it so my confidence with it grew.

The boyfriend I had at the time lived out in the woods surrounded by farms, and long scary roads that lacked any kind of lighting. I usually never went to his house because of this reason and driving back home late at night wasn’t fun or too safe because I was usually pretty lethargic. One night I decided to go there for dinner though and ended up staying a lot later than originally planned. Around 1 am I got into my car and made the scary trip back home, which should only take about 20 min. I usually blast the radio to distract my mind from thinking about scary people jumping out of the woods at my car or anything else I can come up with.

My favorite song had just come on the radio and I was happy until I reached the longest, darkest, scariest road of the trip. As soon as I got halfway down the road my car completely stalled out. I immediately panicked and tried frantically to start the car again. It started for 30 seconds and stalled again. Sitting the in pitch dark surrounded by fields I officially began to freak out. I went to call my father and could not locate my phone in the pitch dark of the night, I was so panicked I forgot that even when the car is shut off the inside lights still work. As soon as I located my phone I called my parents in hysterics at 1:30am and told them where I was and what had happened.

My mom had to calm me down while my dad made the trip in the middle of the night to rescue me from what seemed like the scariest place on earth. It felt like it took my dad hours to get to where I was and every noise that I heard made me panic just a bit more. Finally my father got to where I was and the first thing he said to me was “wow, this place is creepy hu?!” Just glad to be back with someone and in a working car I stopped sobbing and began cracking up at the whole situation. We had to get the car towed the next morning. The bill to fix the plug that caused the car to stall was scarier than the experience itself, and im still driving around in my not so trusty 94 Volvo 850.

Courtney

TRUMBULL, CONN. __ The thunderstorm just ended on June 2nd, 2007 and I just finished making the last touches to my hair before my boyfriend showed up for our senior prom. Our mothers took massive amounts of pictures of us before we realized that it was time to go to our friend Kristen’s, house where we would take more pictures and get into the limo.

My boyfriend and I hopped into my 1999 SAAB 9.5 sedan, dark ice blue in color. It looked perfect and brand new after the rain and I admired the newly stuck on Roger Williams University sticker on the back window, after choosing what school I would continue on to. I had just received the car from my uncle’s garage as a pre graduation gift since I would be driving more frequently when I went to school, my old 1994 gray shadow-like Volvo would not be able to make the 175 mile trips.

We left for her house and at the last leg of the trip, down the winding curves of Moose Hill Road that turned into a large hill, I was sitting at the bottom of it ready to make a left hand turn. At the moment I was about to cut the wheel I was struck from behind. My boyfriend looked at me with a look of not sadness or anger but concern because he knew what I would say to this person right as I stepped out of the car in my dark purple silk dress, hair done and fake nails, ready to go if this person wanted to live. I pulled my blue beauty to the side of the road and people drove by asking if I was all right, all I could do was nod. My mother was not too far behind, following us to take more pictures, which gave me ample time to get out of the car and confront the person who just hit me.

She stepped out at a mere 5-foot and blonde hair at a good age of sixteen. While I won’t describe what I said due to inappropriateness, she only could say sorry. I looked at the damage and it was a real fender bender to my SAAB, trunk pushed in and bumper cracked, while no damage was done to her daddy’s 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee. My mother pulled around and I had no tears, only frustration and anger towards this person who disrupted my prom experience. The house I was going too was on a hill that overlooked the road where the accident took place. The girl’s father arrived and my mother stood by my car as we waited for the cops to come to assess the damage.

Right as I was about to step in the limo the cop came out and explained I could have been arrested because I left the “scene of the crime”, cue water works. My mother boldly stated if any one was going to be arrested it was going to be the girl (I thank my mother for that everyday) and I skipped off to my limo and prom. Later did I find out that the girl who hit me, father, was best friends with the cop and said that to upset me. Hey- thanks for the 6,000 dollars to fix my car!

Lexi

Fairfield, Conn. __Looking up from my cell phone as I pressed the green button to send a text, all I can remember is the explosion from the right side of our car (my side) and the mixture of bright colored lights, before I passed out for what seemed like forever.

Waking up seconds later, my air bag was suffocating me into my seat and the windshield of the car was destroyed, with only little bits of glass still hanging together.

After a short movie night at our girlfriends’ house Laura and I decided to call it a night and head home. Gathering our belongings and saying our good byes, we headed to the door and made our way down the flights of stairs from the third floor apartment.

Laura found the car first after a few moments of forgetting where we parked on the long, packed, road, and reached for her keys. She pressed the unlock button that sounded the car with a quick and loud alarm noise and we both got in and simultaneously buckled our seat belts. Reaching to turn on the radio I find 106.1 BLI that’s ironically is playing the Black Eyed Pea’s latest hit, “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night,” and raise the volume. Laura puts the car in drive and we begin our short drive home in her hunter green, Volks Wagon Jetta.

With less than three miles into our drive we go through our first green light and ascend up the huge hill leading to one of the towns largest intersections. At 11:00pm the lights at numerous intersections turn to either blinking yellow or blinking red, because the traffic tends to slow down. Making our way to the top of the hill I notice the yellow light at the bottom of the hill and in the middle of our cross into Down Town Fairfield. With Planet Fitness to my left and a BJ’s shopping center the size of any other town’s local mall, we make our way to the top of the long steep hill. Going back to whatever conversation I was engaged in on my blackberry, Laura continues down the hill in a slower progression due to the yellow light that shortly greets us. Coming down the hill and looking to my right I notice a ford Escape who is coming to the red blinking light at Kings High Way and Commerce Dr. that signals her to come to a complete stop. Assuming that we have the right away we make our way closer to the yellow beaming light just as the Ford Escape does the same. Inch by inch within the matter of 40 seconds and the assumption that the Escape will stop, Laura accelerates on the gas just a tad and we hit the cross point as the Ford takes out the right front end of the helpless Jetta.

The lights go black and the loud smash of the two cars takes over the loud beeping of the non-stop horn that is going off. I wake up to see my best friend still passed out and scream at the top of my lungs. Another 30 seconds goes bye and she turns to her left to look at me and in her squeaky voice and non-stop joking personality, she whispers “Can you please stop screaming,” and weirdly enough we both start laughing hysertically.

Eryn

NORTON, Mass. __ It was a dark, rainy night. The kind of night where you really can’t see where you’re going, but you pretend to keep the person in your passenger seat calm. The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was just enough to cloud your vision of the road, and the fog rendered your high beams useless. The only sign of life on the roads were the occasional brake lights flashing in front of you, always just in time for you to stop. I was 17, maybe, driving the car my parents had bought me. It was a 2003 Ford Escape with fabric upholstery, a leather steering wheel, a state-of-the-art sound system, and that new-car smell still lingering. But the defining feature of the car was its color. Bright yellow. Not gold. Yellow, like dandelions, or the sun. I never lost my car in a parking lot, and my friends could spot me from a mile and a half up the road. That kind of yellow.

My friends Allison and Katrina and I were headed back from a late night trip to the Target in Easton, where I had just started work. Truth be told, I just wanted to show off my employee discount and didn’t actually need anything there. On the way back, I was tasked with dropping Katrina off at her house off Grove Street in Norton, while Allison drove back to her house in her brand new, light gray, hatchback Toyota Matrix. Her mom worked for Toyota, so she got the car for free, and we were all a little jealous. Her car had some pep to it, but it was nothing rivaling my 6-cylinder SUV.   Apparently Allison had never gotten the memo, because she thought it would be a wonderful idea to race me to the center of Norton. It was a fairly straightforward route spent predominantly on Route 123, which is known for its tight turns and high speed limits. It was an overconfident teenage driver’s dream come true, and that’s just what we were.

For most of the way home, Allison held the lead. She had exited the parking lot before us through a cheap move that had resulted in her scaring a poor soccer mom in the Target parking lot half to death. The road was a single lane until the highway I-495 overpass, where it split into two lanes to suit incoming traffic. Once you were over the highway, the lanes merged back down to one, although there was a dotted white line, meaning that passing, if within the speed limit and without oncoming traffic, was legal. I knew I had about one football field to make my move. I threw my Escape into overdrive coming up to the pass, and with all 6 cylinders pumping and straining, my nose edged up the side of Allison’s car, passing it completely as we went back down to one lane. I realized I had neglected to breathe that whole time, and let out a sigh of relief. I thought the race was over, and I had grossly underestimated the stupidity of my opponent.   Instead of conceding defeat to the clearly better driver, she wanted to make one more go at it. So without looking, and obviously without thinking, she pulled her car into oncoming traffic in a vain attempt at passing me. Alarmed at this, I sped up, not willing to let her take the lead. Unfortunately, neither of us were paying attention to the road in front of us. Allison didn’t realize there was a car coming straight for her at roughly 40 miles per hour. Time seemed to slow down. I saw the oncoming car, I saw her car, and I saw the car I front of me, all at the same time. Without thinking, I slammed on the breaks, creating a space just large enough for the compact Matrix to slide in.

I was frozen. I could not comprehend what had just happened. My car was still moving, but I wasn’t driving. I was on autopilot. My phone was ringing, Allison was calling, but I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t do anything except stare at the car in front of me, without actually seeing it. The rest of the ride home was silent as my passenger and I contemplated just how lucky we were to be alive.

Bridget

ORANGE, CT __ My friend Stephanie had just gotten her license. Although she didn’t have her own car yet, her parents let her borrow theirs every so often. Steph’s mom is a nurse she works a few towns over from their home in New Haven Connecticut. Hr dad Carl also works in New Haven. This was convenient because when Steph finally passed her driving test after months of preparation Carl would drive her mom to work each morning leaving her moms 2005 Volvo Sudan home with Steph.

It was a Monday morning. We had the day off from school and were home alone at Steph’s while her parents went to work. Her mom, Gail, left the car home under one condition. “You’re only allowed to drive to Bridget’s house and back,” said Steph’s mom before walking out the door. Steph agreed, and promised her mom she wouldn’t drive anywhere else.

The day continued on, the sun was shinning and their wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Steph had had her license for about a week now and wanted to show me how good she had gotten at it.

“Let’s go for a drive,” said Steph as she picked up the chunky silver key chain off the fancy table in the front entranceway in her house. It was a nice day for a drive, and we were getting bored. She jumped in the drivers seat as I buckled my seatbelt next to her on the passenger side.

As we drove out of her long narrow driveway I can tell that Steph was still getting used to driving, but trusted that she knew what she was doing. As we cruised through town and passed all the local shops and restaurants Steph decided she wasn’t ready to go home just yet and came up with an idea that we both thought would be a great one.

“You’ve never seen the college I want to go to,” Steph yelled with much excitement. I responded with a simple no, and she said we must go see it.

“My parents wont be home until at least 6, and the school is only 2 ½ hours away,” Steph said. We knew her mom would never let us make the trip, but it was something we really wanted to do.

Steph told her mom she was at my house, while I let my mom know I was still at her house. Little did they know we were on our way to visit Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts The drive wasn’t that bad, and after driving through the woodsy campus it was getting late and we knew we had to go home.

The trip was fun so far, the music was blasting and the sun was still shining. Steph’s driving was successful, and we had made it home safe. We had made it, it was our first official road trip and besides the empty tank of gas we left her moms car on, we had gotten away with it.

Mae

SOUTH BOSTON, MA__ The first few days after receiving your drivers license you don’t know what to do with all the newfound freedom, at least I didn’t anyway. Before leaving the house my parents were sure to give me a lecture about not going over the Sagamore bridge yet in the rain and making sure I turn my lights on at night, as if I was some kind of idiot. A few hours later I would learn that I was indeed an idiot and was to have my first of many learning driving experiences.

After assuring my dad I would be safe in my mom’s car, a silver 2001 Passat, not drive too fast and god forbid pick anyone up while still on my JOL, I sped out of my neighborhood and picked up my friend Melissa. There was a party going on in Southie at one of our friends houses with a roof deck and although my dad had warned me about driving over the bridge in the rain I did it anyway. We got all the way up to the Braintree split with no problems, going ridiculously fast the entire way.

“I don’t know why parents are always freaking out about driving fast no one ever gets a ticket,” Melissa said to me, “Besides the speed limit for the fast lane is like, 85 MPH or something like that.”

Just as we merged right towards Boston we screeched on our breaks as we hit bumper-to-bumper traffic and I love tapped the car in front of me.

“You think they felt that?” I asked Meilssa, “ No, they’d get out by now right?”

So we kept driving an inch at a time excited for the party we came so far for and weaseled our way into lies with our parents for. My phone was ringing and it was my friend Duncan who was surely already at the party.

“Don’t talk on the phone when your driving, people are killing themselves out there! And your life won’t be worth a plum nickel!” I can hear my mother telling me in her screechy voice.

I picked up the phone anyway answered it and then dropped it down by the pedals.

“Mae, Mae, Mae, Mae!” Melissa said frantically.

Boom! I slammed into the car in front of me which happened to be a big moving truck. The entire front of my moms car was bent upwards and there was steam coming from the hood.

“Are we gunna blow up?” Melissa said

“Should we keep driving?”

I pulled into a burger king off the highway in Southie where my parents met me about an hour and a half later. I lost my license for 3 months for having a passenger in my car and needless to say my already high insurance went out the roof. My parents couldn’t trust me that I was going where I said I was going for a long time and I felt the worst about misleading them. I thought I had learned my lesson, but then again nothing compares to when I got a $ 350 speeding ticket.

Katlyn

Weare, N.H_ “Today the aqua-green color of your car is becoming ‘shimmery silver’,” said Dad. In my head, I couldn’t believe that a ’91 S10 Blazer could ever look cool. The two door “beast” had rust along the entire bottom of it. The inside carpeting looked moldy, and a handicapped shifter had been removed to create a coffee cup holder for me.

My parents bought this car for me when I was 16. I don’t think I drove it until I was almost 18. It took my Dad, two years to “customize” it. Little did I know that my Dad went out of his way to make it “cool”.

Parked outside of my house, it was shimmering away in the sunlight, along with a purple pinstripe down the side for added effect. In the rear were custom LED taillights to create a more bad-ass look, so people wouldn’t tailgate me. I must admit, it looked pretty cool to me, but stuck out like a sore thumb in my high school parking lot. amidst the oversized pickup trucks and plethora of mini vans. My blazer was petite but bad-ass.

Also, like I said, it looked cool, but didn’t drive so well. The nickname “the beast” was adopted as I drove my sister, Alexe, and best friend, Lauren, to school every morning. Some cars purred. My blazer growled, constantly. This wasn’t the type of car that you were afraid to take down the dirt back roads that practically make up my entire town. You could take this thing anywhere. In a comical sort of way, I grew to love this thing, and pretended like I had some sort of bragging rights.

“Yeah, well you might have an Audi, but let me see you take your car down Hodgon Rd going 40 mph. Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I could take “the beast” down any road. I attempted corners at 40 mph with no heed whatsoever to the fact that my blazer could tip over at speeds like that. When it snowed, everyone called me. The Blazer could get through anything: snow, rain (even though it leaked in the car wash), extreme heat, potholes, dirt roads, ditches, the woods, you name it.

The radio never worked. Eventually, the passenger side door and window stopped working as well, making morning and afternoon rides to and from school somewhat of a pain. The heat stopped working and the heating coolant leaked all over the passenger’s floor. I only knew that when Lauren’s backpack was ruined. The windshield wiper fluid hose wasn’t connected to the windshield wipers so I had to clean the windshield at the gas station. On one occasion, my friends almost blacked out after sitting in the backseat, inhaling gas due to a second gas tank leak. Only one time, did the blazer die. It always made it through the snow. It never got into an accident, which is good, because the seat belts didn’t work either.

Melanie

George
San Diego, Calif. __ The midnight-blue Audi A8 was loaded with two roller suitcases in the trunk and full with a Dad and Mom in the front seats and my sister and I sitting in the back. After a very short drive to the San Diego International Airport, we arrived at the curbside check in of American Airlines. I helped pull the luggage from the trunk of the car as my father and mother kept giving my sister and I the house rules for the week as they were off to travel to London. With lots of head nods and Okays we jumped into what was my father’s car and drove off.

I was riding passenger and my sister who was 18 years of age was driving. I quickly turned the station from smooth jazz to the local Hip Hop station channel 93.3 FM. Every day when we would come home from school in my sister’s Volkswagon Jetta, we would try to drive as fast as we could up a street called Xephone Street. It had one steep hill would flatten out and then continue back to another steep hill. In the Jetta my sister and I were able to catch a little air off the lip of the first hill, but still have full control.

As we drove my Dad’s car home, we realized that the Audi had more horsepower than the Jetta and this could be the day to really catch some sweet air off the lip of that first hill. With the music on we sat with our left blinker flashing waiting to be able to turn up the street of Xephone.

My sister goal was to turn the car at the right moment so we could start the acceleration during the turn and continue it as we climbed up the hill. When the on coming traffic cleared she quickly hit the peddle of the car down to the floor and we charged up the street.

Not knowing how fast we were actually going I could tell and feel that the car was moving a lot faster than the Jetta that we were so use to jumping the street with. We climbed up the first hill at a fast pace hit the lip and flew across the intersection street. The car landed on the bottom half of the second hill and we were pumped as we had just accomplished our biggest car jump.

Within moments later as our adrenaline was racing high we both heard an awkward noise. We got to the top of the hill pulled the car over and realized pieces of the car were left scattered in the street.

Freaking out we called Triple A and they estimated that we had created 3,000 dollars worth of damage to the car. Not knowing really what to do at this point my cell phone rang and my Dad’s name appeared on the screen. I answered it did not mention a word that after dropping him off at the airport my sister and I had crashed his car. We wanted our parents to enjoy a nice trip and that Sunday they returned my sister and I picked them up in the Jetta drove them home and when the garage door opened my dad asked “Where’s my Car?”

With lots of fear my sister and I told him the story and his response was simple, “I’m strongly disappointed in your actions.”

Alexa

SOMERS, Conn.__ On an ordinary day in the small farm town of Somers, my mom and I were driving in our maroon colored Ford Aero star minivan. This van had been in our family for about five years already, and after this day, would remain to be our family car for about five more. In the back it had two huge benches that felt like couches, and one very large sliding door. One of the coolest features about this van was that it had a radio control in the back seat so my brother and I could mess with my parents when we were all driving. We used to go everywhere in this Aero star. This van had been on countless road trips including Florida and Vermont, which is where it got stuck in a snow bank and took everyone hours to dig out. We were on the road so much in this van that, as a joke, we used to call ourselves Team A Star.

On this regular day, when it was just my mother and I, only 10-years-old at the time, decided to stop at Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast. I remember ordering, “the usual,” for me, which was a plain bagel, lightly toasted with cream cheese on the side, with an orange juice. After getting breakfast, we continued on our way, Mom driving with me in the front seat. Of course I couldn’t wait to eat my breakfast, so I dug right in and began eating in the car. My mom always told me never to eat in the car because a spill was bound to happen, and that’s exactly what did happen.

As I was going to put my orange juice back in the center console cup holder, it spilled everywhere. Immediately, my mom pulled over to the side of the road, which happened to be on a bridge, about 15 feet over a small river.

My mom opened her door, and instead of putting the car in the park, left the car in drive and only stepped one foot out of the car, leaving the other one to hold the brake. Meanwhile, I’m still buckled into the passenger seat. As she’s brushing the orange juice off her lap and cleaning the car as best she could, without thinking, she stepped both feet out of the minivan. As a result, the brake was released with the car still in drive, and me still in the front seat. The van went lurching forward toward the drop down into the river.

Luckily, there was a guardrail along the bridge, and although it didn’t look like it could stand up against a gust of wind, it miraculously stopped the entire vehicle from plunging to, what would most likely be, my death.

All I remember is my mom’s terrified scream and little bump. I didn’t realize how serious the outcome could have been, had it not been for that guardrail.

After getting the van completely off the bridge, my mom pulled me over onto her lap and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my head.

Dan

WALLINGORD__It was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. The outside was a dirty white with a black trim only on the right side. The wheels were small and airless as they laid flat on the ground. The back bumper held on for its life with some support from a bungee cord. The windows, well four out of the five windows, seemed to be the nicest thing about it. It looked like a broken down go-cart. But it wasn’t. It was a two-door 1989 Honda civic…and it was mine.
   It was my first car. I was eighteen and for my graduation from high school my parent’s gift was a used, beat up piece of mettle on wheels. I ran over to it and slowly walked around the entire car admiring it slowly. I reached the handle to drivers side door and pulled the door open. The inside was totally black, with two giant rips in the passenger seat, had no radio, and smelled like they picked it right up from the junkyard. I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. I kept waiting for my Ford Tundra to pull around the corner, but it never came. So my brother and I stepped in to see if it would start.
   I could hear here the igniter clicking but the engine would not start. My dad, standing out side watching, yells, “give it some gas!” So I did. There was a loud, obnoxious bang. I though for sure we blew up.
   The car started, and my brother turned to me and says, “Rolling Thunder.” It was catchy. I was thinking more of a “white lightening,” but since the speedometer only reached 100 miles per hour, it didn’t fit. “Rolling Thunder” was its name. More appropriate of course once I could actually drive it. But for about a month until I took it to get some major repairs, every time I started the car, the same loud thunderous sound would be heard probably throughout the whole town.
   The car lasted close to a year. In that time I grew pretty attached to my car. But like all great things, the car was way past its prime and died on me one afternoon when I was home visiting from college. I went to go start it, kept clicking the key over, but nothing. It wouldn’t start. I kept trying, hoping that the loud band would come and I would roll away, but it called the quits.

Notes for Class April 13th 2010 by George Saunders
Hank Williams "Hey Good Lookin" country singer "Hey good Lookin what you got cooking?" Williams received the Pulitzer prize. Wendy Ruderman won the Pulitzer for investigative reporting. Wendy wrote a story abot a guy who looks at bugs back in college when she atteneded school with Prof. Scully. 5 of Prof. Scully friends have recieved the Pulitzer Prize. Prof. Scully accepted a poetry award once upon a time. Ask the simple question what did she win it for? When accepting the award one gets a 10,000 dollar prize and a piece of glass.
Joe Pulitzer-owned a newspaper and ran the St. Louis Dispatch and New York World. He started the Columbia school of Journalism.
Nigel Jaquiss- won the 2005 Pulitzer Prive for investigative repoerting. Busted the Mayor of Portland who had a weakness for a 14 year old girl.
Jerry Springer Hired a prostitute in 1974.
Nelson Rockefeller died from a heart attack having sex with someone who was not his own wife.
Poll Tax- One would show up at a polling center and a person would decide because of race and gender how much it would cost you how much to vote. 1868 The US congress gave African Americans the right to vote. Currently for one to be able to vote you have to be 18, US Citizen, No felonies, and must register.
Pat Mullins started to tell democrats that they could not vote. He was fibbing to people in the parking lot to scare them away.
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union- ACLU organization been around for 175 years that consist of lawyers to protect the US citizen rights.

Notes for class April 8, 2010 by Alexa Stark

Schering-Plough - a pharmaceutical company who's most famous product is Coppertone Sunscreen. Benjamin Green invented sunscreen in the 1940's. Who was the celebrity who began the tanning trend? CoCo Channel (the Paris Hilton of her age, except with a talent). At first she was fair, then she got a sunburn that turned into a tan and everyone decided that they wanted to have that look. Culture shifted in the 1920's. The mansions in Newport had the bedroom on the street side instead of the water side because they thought disease came from the wind across the water and they didn't want to get a tan. Tanning bed was invented in the 1970's by Frederick Wolfe. Stats on skin cancer - 68,720 people will get diagnosed with melanoma and 8,650 will die in one year. (about 12%) From 1971 to 2007, melanoma has doubled in diagnoses. Started talking about skin cancer in 1975.

hawksherald@gmail.com

Sarah Bourbeau-
Ithaca College graduate; class '07
UVM graduate school; class '09
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Current Employer: Roger Williams University Residence Life: CORE in Stonewall Hall since June '09
    -Went to UVm for Higher Education.
    -Very involved student while at Ithaca, advisor's encouraged her to persure a carrer like CORE.
    -Very demanding job. On duty several days throughout the month. Sometimes doesn't go to bed until 5 AM on weekends
While at UVM she lived in a Fraternity, she is now in the process of trying to start Greek life on RWU campus

Courtney Costello
BRISTOL, R.I.__
Laurel Dreher is a 2007 graduate from Ithaca College earning a Bachelors degree in Journalism. She then attended the University of Vermont for a Masters degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs. At UVM she worked as a graduate assistant in campus programs. She also was the house mother of a Fraternity at UVM, Sigma Phi Epsilon where there were 20 males living. Laurel is 24 years old and currently a Coordinator of Residence Life or CORE in Stonewall residence hall at Roger Williams University She was apart of the Greek life task force at RWU and helped faciliate the talks of putting a Greek soriority on the RWU campus.

Dan Weidmann - Laurel Dreher, 24, RWU CORE in Stonewall. From North Carolina, graduated from Ithaca College and went to graduate school at U. Vermont. Was part of the Greek life at UVM, lived in the Sigma Chi house. Not married to Andrew Bernier facebook lies. Spends one weekend out of the month patrolling campus for rowdy college kids, sometimes is up to 5 am filling out paper work and or calling parents.

Bridget Murphy

BRISTOL_RI

Larel Dreher is a 24 year graduated in 2007 from Ithica College in New York. According to her facebook she majored in Journalism, Spanish and English.

She attended graduate school at the University Of VT.

-It was here that she decided she wanted to make her hobby of being involved into a full time job.

-She was very involved with the school and her advisor told her to get a masters where she would be able to get a job as a director at a College.

She is currently a Core in Stonewall

-loves her job gives her "experience, responsabilities, and a sense of leadership...good way to get your feet wet".

1 core on job for an entire weekend.

8 resident halls

her job is to roam throughout the night

From Chapel Hill, NC

Not married to Andrew Bernier

Sigma Phi Epsilon

-"house mother"

-lived with 20 guys in a house, but 40 guys were in the chapter

-worked hard to keep the guys in line so they wouldn't be kicked out

Kat Blanchard- Laurel Dreher is 24 years old and a graduate from Ithaca College in New York. She attended grad school at University of Vermont where she lived with a fraternity for 2 years and graduated with a degree in higher education. She is originally from Chapel Hill North Carolina. Laurel is currently a CORE in the Stonewall residence hall at Roger Williams University.

Maria Bresnahan-

Graduated:

Ithaca College Alum 07

University of Vermont Grad Student ‘09

Works at Roger Williams University

Lives on campus

From Chapel Hill, NC

She is 24 years old

Coordinator of Residence Education

-Stonewall (not Alameda)

Not married to Andrew Bernier

Sigma Phi Epsilon-

2 years

Lived in house

Keeps in touch with her brothers (some are current seniors)

She advised some of them

UVM

Fraternity

Lived over dance floor

Was on the Greek Task Force for Theta Phi Alpha

Looked up Literary things for it

Will co-op advising for next semester

Mae Planert
- Laurel Dreher 24
- Birthday May 15
- Graduate of Ithaca College '07
- Journalism, Spanish, english
- Employee of RWU ACutto-i Intern
- CORE at Stonewall
- Participated in greek life at UVM Sigma phi epsilon 20 in the house 40 in the chapter), VT Gamma
- she is single
- won the Kenneth peace sorbet award (students that best displayed academic achievement, professionlism, intelligence)
- Helped her fraternity stay afloat when they were going to be dropped from UVM
- "Married" on facebook ( not real marriage ) to Andrew BernieMember of NASPA
-Lived over dance floor

Alexa Stark - Laurel Dreher, 24 years old, will be 25 on May 15th. She is not married, and is currently a core in Stonewall. When she attended the University of Vermont, she was involved in a higher education program that focused on student affairs. Also, while at UVM, she lived with a fraternity as the "house mother." There were 20 men living in the house, and 40 in the chapter and Laurel lived above the dance floor. Before she lived with the fraternity, they were extremely close to being shut down. However, once she began living with them, Laurel says that, "they have done a complete turn around over the past two years." She began working as a Core at Roger Williams because the job offers good entry level experience and also has a good turn over rate. Laurel was on a task committee at RWU for organizing the possibility of Greek Life at RWU. On this committee, she conducted research on the effects that Greek life has on college campuses. Laurel says that, "Greek like of Roger Williams might be happening next year because we are still in the process of organizing things and getting things going."

Lexi Diaz

Involved in college

Interested in persuing a masters in Student Affairs

Very good entry level experience

Employee of RWU A Cutto-i intern

Originally from Chapel Hill NC

Single

Birthday is May 15, She is 24 years old.

Photo by Lexi Diaz

Kat Blanchard-
Roger Williams statue standing 5-foot-7inches tall is located in the "quad" of Roger Williams University. Holding a book titled " Soul Liberty, 1636" in his left hand and his right hand reacing out, following his stare right over Mt. Hope Bay. He is a sturdy statue made of bronze and his face was modeled after the late Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams. He is dressed appropriately for this era wearing a colonial looking outfit which includes mid calf boots, a button up shirt with a collar and tassels and a jacket that is long to the back of his knees. His forehead is wrinkled with thought and the man appears to be in his late 50's to early 60's. He is placed conveniently with all the main buildings of the campus surrounding him and is placed on a boulder that is high up

Sarah Bourbeau
Roger Williams stands at 5-foot-7 in on a platform in the middle of Roger Williams quad. His body, which is facing the Mount Hope Bay, has his right hand outstretched towards the water. In his left hand he is holding a book, "Soul Liberty 1636." He's adorned in knee length jacket, ruffled top with buttons, and baggy pants tucked into knee length boots. Roger has shoulder length hair with loose waves and a centered part. He looks roughly 50 years old, but has several forehead wrinkles. He has a prominent butt chin. The entire statue is made from bronze and was created by Armand LaMontagne, a resident of Situate, Rhode Island.

Maria Bresnahan

Roger Williams stands at a height of 5-foot-7. Roger is a replica of Ted Williams. The artist who made the statue did not know what Roger looked like so he made him look liked Ted Williams. The artist of this statue is Armand Lamontagne.

As Roger stands he is not looking straight ahead. He is looking to the right off of the Global Heritage building. While he is looking that way he is holding a book and holding his hand out. The name of the book is Soul Liberty 1636.

His attire is very wrinkly. As his trench coat drapes over his wrinkly shirt it is neatly pressed. The tassels hang separated from each other on his shirt. The buttons run down the middle of his shirt. As there are multiple creases on the sides of them. Then the flared bottom of the shirt falls over his pants.

His pants are tucked into his boots. They are however, not tucked in tightly. They look like sweatpants that are creasing every single time someone moves. His boots however, are very fashionable today. At the top of the boots they flip over. They then proceed down his leg. At the bottom of the foot they is a major heal. This gives him some height to the 5-foot-7 frame.

Courtney Costello
The replicated statue of Roger Williams located on the seaside campus of Roger Williams University, stands tall at a mere 5-foot-7 in the university’s D’Angelo Common. Darning a knee length coat, as well as knee high pleated top boots, a ruffed vest and a tasseled neck tie, looking as if he just stepped off the ship into New England 400 years ago. His bronze figure stands on a platform a top a petite boulder holding a booked entitled Soul Liberty dated 1636. Roger Williams has shoulder length straight hair and his eyes look out to Mount Hope Bay. His right hand is held out as if to welcome all, including students looking for some good luck before an exam. Armand LaMontagne who resides in Scituate, Rhode Island sculpted him in 1997. Roger Williams dates back to the 1600’s so a face was never recorded, LaMontagne used his Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox sculpture to create the look of Roger Williams for the Bristol, R.I. campus.

Eryn Dion
A statue depicting Roger Williams stands in the quad with his right hand generously outstretched and his kind eyes gazing past Mt. Hope Bay and towards Portsmouth, which used to be known as Rhode Island. His left hand is gripping a book, Soul Liberty 1636, a reference to the idea he pioneered focusing on liberty of consciousness, far before the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence.
He was sculpted in 1997 by the American sculptor Armand LaMontagne. Lacking an actual model, LaMontagne drew from a previous statue he had sculpted of famed Red Sox baseball player Ted Williams for the face. The statue stands about 5-foot-7 with a 1 1/2 – foot base. Cast in bronze, and hollow, he is a dark brown color, with knee-high boots, a long coat, and a buttoned shirt. His hair is shoulder length and reflects the fashion of his time.
A distinguished part of the campus, students at Roger Williams University have taken to dressing him up for certain occasions, such as Spring Weekend and Spirit Week. Most recently students turned him into a large snowman after a snowday.

Alexis Diaz

BRISTOL RI__ If you are visiting Roger Williams University, in the middle of the D’angelo Square you will come across the thirteen-year-old statue that stands 5-foot-7, upright upon a rock. The statue of a man made of bronze, looks out toward the ocean in the direction of an Island that was once named Aquidneck Island, or what today is known as Portsmouth, RI. Dating back to the 17^th century, this man who went by the name of Roger Williams, found the land that today is known as Rhode Island. Standing with his right arm raised high, the statue portrays a man about the age of 50 years old, with hair that falls to his shoulders, and a look of concentration upon his face. In loosely fitting clothing and tall knee-high boots he holds a book titled “Soul Liberty 1636” close to his side. The statue, created by Armand La Montagne in 1997, is a symbol of the Universities profound admiration to Roger Williams. It also exemplifies the symbol he stands for to the history of Rhode Island and even more importantly to the University that is named after him.

Mae Planert:
A bronze statue of Roger Williams stands at 5-foot-7 In D'angelos square on Roger Williams University campus. He looks out toward Aquidneck Island, formerly known as Rhode Island, wearing traditional colonial garb and dons long straight hair. His face, modeled after the late Red Sox player Ted Williams, looks as though he is weathered and the wrinkles in his forehead are pronounced. His right arm is extended out toward Aquidneck and his left arm clutches a book entitled "Soul Liberty 1636" to his chest. His knee high colonial style boots are connected to a two foot bronze square engraved "Armand Lamontagne, Scituate, RI, 1997". Armand Lamontagne is the sculptor of Roger Williams and is a well known sculptor throughout the East Coast. He is a graduate of Worcester Academy and Boston College and now has a humble stone ender farm in Scituate, RI.

Melanie Puckett:
The Roger Williams statue stands in the D'Angelo Commons of Roger Williams University. He stands 5-foot-7, on a 9-inch platform, with his right hand splayed out in front of him and his right foot planted forward. He is a hollowed out bronze statue modeled after the late Red Sox baseball player Ted Williams because of the lack of physical history on Roger Williams. On his person, he wears folded riding boots with a small heel, a three-quarter length coat, and cloth shirt and pants. His hair flows passed his shoulders and his chin has a small cleft, appearing to be around 40-years-old. Under his left arm, Roger carries a book with the words "Soul Liberty 1636" and looks out across Mount Hope Bay towards the original "Rhode Island", now Portsmouth. The sculptor is Armand Lamontagne, who is known for his wooden and bronze sculptures throughout the East Coast.

George Saunders:

The Roger Williams University campus has a statue of Roger Williams located in the center of their quad. The statue was placed on a pile of rocks with trees surrounding it. A path with red bricks that have individual names of school donors takes you right in front of the school symbol Roger Williams. The bronze statue has Roger Williams standing in a position of him facing Mount Hope Bay and over looking Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He himself is sculpted at 5-foot-7 inches wearing boots to his knees, pants tucked into his boots, a button down shown shirt, and a long jacket. Placed in Roger Williams left hand is a book titled “Soul Liberty 1636.” His right hand is sculpted in such away that it appears Roger Williams is preaching to a crowd and using his hands to help demonstrate on a speech. Roger Williams was sculpted by Armand LaMantagne of Situate Rhode Island in 1997.

Alexa Stark -- In the center of the Roger Williams University's campus, stands the 13-year-old, bronze statue of Roger Williams. He looks to be about 5-foot- 7, but stands on a one foot block, atop a tall rock, looking over every student that passes, his eyes staring off towards Mt Hope Bay. Showing no teeth and with hair down to his shoulders, his creased forehead and somewhat wrinkled face makes him appear to be around 40-years-old. A small book titled, "Soul Liberty, 1636," is tucked between his torso and his left arm while his right arm is out stretched in a hand-shaking position. He is wearing loose-fitting colonial clothes that consist of an eight-button shirt with a tassel tie, a cuffed-sleeved coat down to his knees, a pair of puffy pants, and tall heeled boots. The artist is Armand LaMontagne, who currently lives in Situate, RI. Everything about Roger Williams sounds perfectly normal, however the story does not end there. Roger Williams first came over to New England in 1630, and because no cameras existed at that time, no one knows what he actually looks like. So who's face is on the Roger Williams statue? At the time that LaMontagne was creating this statue, he was also in the process of creating a statue for the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park, of one of their most famous players, Ted Williams. Having no idea what Roger William's face actually looked like, he decided to use Ted William's face for the statue. Both men just so happened to have the same last name; coincidence or not?

Dan Weidmann:

The statue of Roger Williams in the center of the campus's quad stands proud overlooking the campus mounted atop a foot high base on a rock. The statue itself stands around 5-feet-7 inches, made out of a dark bronze material, in a position as if he was preaching to the people below. He stands direct holding a book in his left arm and extending his right arm out as if he was acknowledging the crowd. The statue portrays an older gentlemen with long hair and a wrinkly face. He is wearing boots with a buttoned up shirt and a jacket with a back that hangs down to the knees. The statue was built in 1997 and has a striking resemblance of Boston Red Sox hall of famer Ted Williams.

Arik Hesseldahl - Katlyn
Mr. Hesseldahl is a technology writer and an American journalist for the BusinessWeek (now Bloomsberg BusinessWeek). He is a columnist who covers "Byte of the Apple" and "Tech 101"He formerly used to work at Forbes.com and Electronic News. On his personal blog page, he told onlookers to not contact him until they have researched him enough to be familiar with what he writes. his email is arik@arik.org and his AIM screen name is ahess247. Chances are, he won't respond unless he feels intrigued.
Sources: bloomberg.com, arik.org

Christopher Allbritton -- Melanie
Sources: Wikipedia, Back to Iraq Blog, LinkedIn, Insurgency Watch Blog, Christopherallbritton.com, Googleprofiles.com
Christopher Allbritton is a web blogger and journalist. He is the creator of various blogs, all for which he traveled to the Middle East. He has worked for the Associated Press and Ny Daily News but has mostly done freelance projects. He was just recently a fellow of the Knight Fellowship at Stanford, which is a program concerned with the future of journalism and printed news. He grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and attended graduate school at Columbia University for journalism and taught a blogging class at NYU until 2003, when he traveled to Iraq to write for his own blog, "Back to Iraq". He then contracted with Time Magazine to do reports from 2004 to 2006 concerning the conflicts there. He currently lives in Pakistan, where he reports through his own blog "Insurgency Watch" and is the Bureau Chief at Thomson Reuters.
Skype: ctbritt
Phone: + 92 300 500 1081
+ 1 415 602 7637
Email: chris@insurgencywatch.com
callbritton@mac.com

William Egbert -- Mae
Sources: LinkedIn, Ny daily News,
Bill Egbert is a journalist at the New York daily news. His beat is breaking news.

Juliet Macur -- Alexa Juliet Macur is a reporter for The New York Times. She used to work for the Dallas Morning News and while working there, had a story published in the book, "The Best American Sports Writing," edited by Buzz Bissinger. She is a sports writer that is currently covering the Olympics in Vancouver. She currently lives in New York, NY. She has a Twitter account that anyone can follow. All of her tweets consist of updates about the Winter Olympic Sports. She used to compete in rowing for the U.S. Olympic team and just recently got engaged.

Christopher Taylor

Nigel Jaquiss -- Courtney - Nigel Jaquiss is an American journalist who won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2005. His winning story broke the news of Oregon's governor, Neil Goldschmidt, who abused of a 14 year old girl when he was mayor of Portland, Oregon. The story was published in the Willamette Week in May, 2004. Before earning his Master's in Journalism from Columbia in 1997, Jacquiss was an oil trader for big names like Morgan Stanely and Goldman Sachs. He also earned his Bachelor's degree in English from Darthmouth College. (Wikipedia) Nigel Jaquiss started working for the Willamette Week in 1998. Besides winning the Pulitzer, he has won three national Education Writers Association First Place Awards and the 2004 IRE Award for weekly newspapers. (Proquest)

Soterios Johnson

Jon Patrick Barta

Raynard Kington

Barry Lank -- Lexi

Barry Lank was born in Diamond Bar, California in June, 1960. He attended high school in Claremont, California and earned a bachelors degree in English Literature from the University of California, Berkley 1983, a masters in creative writing from San Fransisco State in 1996 and a masters from the Columbie of University Graduate School of Journalism in 1997.- Wikipedia

Currently works in Broadcast Media in Greater New York City Area- Linkedin

Began performing as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco in 1982, and three years later formed the comedy team "Lank and Earl" with his high school friend Jim Earl. After the team broke up, he worked as a reporter at The Hour in Norwalk, Connecticut, a comedy writer at Court TV, night editor and columnist at the Herald News in Passaic County, New Jersey, and editorial writer, editor and columnist at the Courier-Post inCamden County, New Jersey, before joining Air America.- Wikipedia

Created the Radio Show- The Obscure County Election that Changed Nothing (this is available for people to download on Itunes)

Pod Cast Description:

A reporter steals from dogs, a happy-go-lucky heroin addict downsizes a company, the world's first fully functional computerized reporter tries to make good, one bakery owner runs everything, and a county's last major newspaper goes out of business. It's a 7-part satire about the fictional Keene County, New Jersey.

Review From Itunes:

This is literally one of the very most outstanding podcasts available on iTunes.
It recalls some of the greatest creations of radio from the last century
with up to the minute relevance within the current times.
It contains elements of political, social and psychological satire and farce,
mixed with science fiction and cynicism.
I await each new episode with ever-increasing expectation,
which, to date, has not been disappointed.
My only doubts concern the way in which I must struggle to go on,
once this series is ended. But such is life.

David Mark

Brian McDonald -- Eryn

Eric Adelson -- George Eric Adelson-
Adelson is a senior writer for ESPN magazine and also a freelance writer. He is graduate of Greenhills High School in 1992. He continued his education and graduated from Harvard University, and Columbia University’s School of Journalism. He currently lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Adelson is most known for his book The Sure Thing. The book is about woman golfer Michelle Wie. He was the first person to ever interview her when she was only 10 years old. SOURCES: ESPN, Random House Inc, MichelleWiebook.com,

Mark Beech -- Dan

Sports writer for SI.com. - sports news from CNN and Sports Illustrated. Covers mainly college football, nascar, and horse racing. Been with Sports Illustrated since 1997. spent five years in the Army, reaching rank of captain in the 84th Engineer
battalion. Received a B.S. in civil engineering from the U.S. Military Academy. Then received a M.S. in Journalism from the University of Columbia Journalism Grad school in 1997. Has a wife, Allison Keene, a son Nathan, and lives in Westchester, NY.
Bill Nack's story "Pure Heart" in a June 1990 addition of Sports Illustrated inspired him to become a sports writer. Writes a weakly racing auto racing column for SI.com and his favorite sport to cover is college football.

Source: SI.com archives.

Jennifer Jordan -- Bridget

She is a staff writer for the Providence Journal covering education. Se has just recently wrote an article with Linda Borg on February 13, entitled "Central Falls to fire every high school teacher."

She started working for the Providence Journal in July 2002 in the South County Bureau.

She covered politics, health and town news for the Eagle Tribune in Lawrence, Mass., for 2 years. Before that she was a city reporter at the Keende (N.H.) Sentinel.

She has freelanced for Boston are dailies and weeklies and life magazine

Graduated from Columbia University of Journalism in May of 1997.

Shira Boss -- Kat

Shira Boss grew up in Flint, Michigan she was an undergrad student at Columbia University studying economics and political science. She decided to return to Columbia University for her masters in journalism and international affairs. Boss has worked all around the world including editing for the main english paper in Russia, writing fiction (which she would rather not do) in Paris and has been a correspondent in the Middle East. She has been an idependent journalist for 12 years and has contributed work to The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Crain's New York Business, Forbes.com, Good Housekeeping and National Public Radio. Her book Green with Envy is about personal finance and takes an indepth look at how to live happy with your own financial situation. She currently resides in New York's upper west side.

Wendell Edwards -- Sarah

He is a native Texan, born in Dallas but grew up in Tennessee Colony, Texas. Edwards attended Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Edwards earned a full athletic scholarship for track in college. He is a Division II champion hurdler and qualified for the Olympic Trials in 1992. Edwards made it far into the trails, but Edwards chose journalism over track. He later attended graduate school at Columbia University's school of Journalism.

Edwards, worked for a variety of places, including the Burnet Bulletin in Burnet, Texas, and the Corsicana Daily Sun in Corsicana, Texas.

In January of 2009 Edwards is leaving Texas and planting his roots in Oklahoma City, OK. His new position is as anchor and general assignment reporter for Eyewitness News 5.

Wendy Ruderman-- Maria

40 years old

Works for Philadelphia Daily News

News Reporter

Won the award for Distinguished Writting Award for their local accountability reporting

David Cho

Jonathan Dube

Theo Francis

Interviewing Drills

Courtney

BRISTOL, RI __ Pull, squat, raise and repeat, the only thing he knew how to do well and alone. If anyone asked him where a machine was he would just point, not saying a word. Not because he was shy, because he barely had a grasp on English. Chi-Thanh (CT) Nguyen moved to Washington, D.C. with his family from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam at the age of 14, the prime time of starting freshman year high school.

His mother and father were diplomats who were assigned to spend 4 years working for the Vietnamese Embassy in America’s Capital and he and his brother had to uproot from their friends at home and make a new base in a foreign country.

“I expected high school to look like those scenes out of Baywatch in sunny California,” said CT, “D.C. schools were different, diverse and for my 1st 2 years, lonely, until I was approached by the football coach.”

Woodrow Wilson High School, located in the NW district of Washington, D.C. is one of the city’s best public high schools, yet Nguyen still found it hard to find a niche.

CT Nguyen’s size makes him stand out of the crowd. Asians are typically known for being of short stature and he rises above this. Standing at 6’3” and weighing a good 275 pounds in high school gave the coach of the football team something to question.

Being picked on freshman and sophomore year of high school made Nguyen work out even more, staying quite as he did so. Although he did complete ESL before the age of 16 with the help of his brother, CT usually didn’t have much to say.

“Friends didn’t come easy for me,” said Nguyen, “I think they were scared of my size or just thought I was a weird foreigner, but playing football changed that.”

As the football coach approached CT at the end of his sophomore year, he knew things could only get better. The coach asked him to come to a few summer practices and CT Nguyen’s life changed after that moment.

“Football broke me out of my shy shell and my language barrier, being able to speak English with people of my own age and style, it was amazing, I finally felt like an American,” said CT.

Playing football for his last 2 years of high school after spending countless nights at the gym, the only place where Nguyen found sanctuary, he was recognized as the 1st Asian to ever play football in the D.C. Public School League.

Nguyen never followed his football career in high school to college, but his legacy follows him, even though he hasn’t been on the turf in over 3 years. He still works out, no matter what country he is in, as his family now lives in Rome, Italy and he has a gym membership in Rome as well as in Florence where he studied abroad.

“Working out and being fit makes me who I am, no matter where I am,” said CT.

Maria

Maria Bresnahan

Bristol, RI_ As the interview starts Caitleen wears her Theta Phi Alpha Shirt along with a great big smile ready for the interview. Caitleen Evers is a senior here at Roger Williams University. She is majoring in Accounting and a minor in Spanish. She is a sister of Theta Phi Alpha. Before Caitleen transferred here from Saint Leo in Florida she belonged to Theta Phi Alpha. As a woman from Medway, Massachusetts she is very ecstatic that we are able to colonize Theta Phi Alpha on this campus.

As a sister of Theta Phi Alpha, Caitleen wanted to give more opportunities to every girl on campus. She brought this idea to Roger Williams because she wanted the girls to have a great college experience. She felt that some of the girls, especially freshman, may have a hard time making friends on campus and wanted the girls to have that special bond. Another reason why she brought Theta Phi Alpha to this campus was to get people more involved on campus. “Everyone needs to find their nitch on campus,” she says.

Theta Phi Alpha was a pleasure in Caitleen’s life but also a hardship to get on the Roger Williams campus. The process first started out with Caitleen Evers. After she realized how much work it was going to be she recruited two other people. The names of these people were Carolynn Klipfel and Brittany. After she asked them for their help she went to her Boss Tammy Von George. Tammy is the Dean of Student Programs. She introduced the idea of Theta Phi Alpha to her. Tammy told Caitleen that it has been proposed to her in the past and that it was a disaster. However, Tammy told Caitleen to present the idea to Senate. Caitleen would need the approval of Senate along with a proposal.

In order to make the proposal work Caitleen and the girls would meet once or twice a week. They would also practice with Senate what they would present to the administration. Senate would give them feedback and it would apply to the proposal. Due to the administrations involvement they formed a Greek Task Force. This educated them on Greek life. They would have weekly meetings and discuss Greek life. During the first week of February the administration and Greek task said yes to Greek life.

“The thing that made them say yes was that we did more then any club would do in one semester and we kept pushing to get Theta Phi Alpha,” Said Caitleen Evers. As she says this her friend Carolynn Chimed in “I also believe it was Michelle Coppollas meeting that made this idea happen,” she says. As they go back and forth they discuss the negative ideas the administration had about this process. They go are saying we do not discrimate, haze or kick people out of the group. “The only way we would kick someone out would be based on their gender or GPA requirement,” Caitleen says.

Sarah
Bristol, RI__ At 8:30 am Lyndsey LaBontee’s day is just beginning. She currently lives off campus on Bradford Street in the quaint New England town. She gets to her feet, knowing that her day will not be over until after midnight. Thinking about her busy day is almost as exhausting as actually going through it.

Lyndsey is a junior at Roger Williams University, a small liberal arts on edges of the Mount Hope Bay. Entering spring semester she knew that the semester would hold great challenges for her. Lyndsey, an accounting major and math minor, is surrounded by numbers and figures all day. For her extra curricular activities she enjoys doing things that are completely different from her sometimes monotonous schoolwork.

Roger Williams strongly encourages students to be involved and active members of the school’s community. Lyndsey is definitely a model Roger Williams student. She was a Residence Assistant her first semester junior year, she is vice-president of the dance club, a student ambassador, and works for WQRI, the school radio. On top of all of her activities, she has an on-campus job and worked as an orientation advisor over the summer.

Among the highest rankings of her extra curriculars is dance club. She has been dancing since she was a child and it has always been something she enjoyed. Dance is not work for her because she loves it so much. While some might think that the tremendous time commitment that the club demands is strenuous, Lyndsey finds that is it a stress reliever. Often times, her dance practices are until 11 o’clock at night, multiple days a week. It’s a great escape from her schoolwork, which can be dry at times.

“I like staying busy, if I didn’t like staying busy than I wouldn’t do all of these things,” said Lyndsey. While her schedule might be a busy feat for some, it is what makes her happy. She gets gratification from being able to accomplish all of these extra curriculars as well as getting good grades in a demanding major.

Competition does not intimidate Lyndsey. Three of her activities had stiff competition. For her summer position as an orientation advisor, 80 students interviewed and only 40 of those applicants were hired. Lyndsey was one of those 40 students. Orientation advisor was an extremely fulfilling experience for her. Through all of the actives she does, she has met people that she might not have met otherwise, for her, that is one of the biggest rewards. For the most part Lyndsey enjoys the decisions she has made in her college career. She has a full life as a student and contributor to campus. In order to get what you want you have to go after it, regardless of the possibility of rejection. While Lyndsey’s hectic schedule is not for everyone, she is perfectly happy. While at the end of the day she feels exhausted, “I’m tired, but I’m happy,” says Lyndsey.

Kat

BRISTOL, RI __ Today Lisa Fealy, a 20-year-old junior at Roger Williams University has her regular 6-month cleaning at her dentist. Although this is not too fun for anyone, Lisa has to add one more bothersome step to the routine of dentist visits, she must call her heart doctor and pick up medication before sitting in the dentist chair.

Lisa is able to lead a considerably normal life and no one would be able to tell she has undergone major surgery upon first meeting her. Amongst the frequent phone calls to the doctors to make sure she is able to do certain things, the scar in the middle of her chest is the only sign that this brave woman underwent open-heart surgery when she was just 3 years old due to an anti septal defect that was detected at a routine physical. The defect was a hole in the spectrum wall that divides the chambers of the heart, and if left uncorrected could lead to more complications in her adult life.

To fix this problem, the doctors had to operate, which included breaking her rib cage to be able to close the hole in the spectrum, and adding a metal plate so when she grew there would be no complications. While her daily routines are not often broken things that most 20 year-olds would be able to do on a whim she must speak to her doctor about first. She needs to get cleared to play any sport, has to take specific medications to visit the dentist to block infection, and it would be very dangerous for her to get a tattoo or body piercing without first consulting her heart doctor. Also if Lisa has any type of infection on her body she must visit the heart doctor to make sure it will not affect her heart negatively.

“Having heart surgery has made me realize something as small as playing sports or just running around with my friends should really be appreciated,” Lisa said “ There may come a day when my heart doctor says that I can’t do those things anymore.” Because of her age her doctor’s visits have become less frequent. She only has to see her heart doctor twice a year, but does have frequent contact with them.

While Lisa did not have a typical childhood and had to undergo a surgery that most people don’t experience in their lifetime she still does everything she can to excel. Lisa is double majoring in Chemistry and Secondary education at RWU. She has been a student ambassador, is involved with Alternate Spring Break which involves building houses for those in need or have suffered a disaster, and tutors chemistry a few nights a week. “I don’t take life for granted, or wake up everyday expecting things to be handed to me,” she added “ I enjoy each day and am thankful to be living what I consider to be a very healthy life.”

Lexi

Eryn

BRISTOL. RI __ The Senate Chambers are unusually quiet. Various clubs and organizations have held their meetings there all day, and while the room sits empty now, remnants of these meetings still remain. There is a flyer for CEN, minutes to the WQRI meeting, and an agenda for Student Senate. The agenda is filled with roll calls, reports, open floor, and committees. The desks are arranged in a half rectangle with eight chairs on each side, with 14 chairs in the back for observers. Parliamentarian Noor Alaweyat, 19, sits in her usual spot, at the top of the rectangle, where the E-board sits and presides over the meeting.

Noor joined Student Senate in her first semester sophomore year. Now in her second semester, she serves as its parliamentarian, the duties of which include keeping time and making sure the senators stay on topic and follow the senate by-laws. The job sounds similar to a referee, although according to Noor, it’s more like being a babysitter.

While the title of parliamentarian does not sound as prestigious as President of Executive, there is actually a lot of work involved. “On paper it may sound like a silly job,” she says. “But juggling a lot of things is tricky. I have to know all the by-laws and procedures.” She also has to be willing to call out senators who are not playing by the rules, which, as demonstrated on C-SPAN, happens quite often.

Noor is a currently a double major in Communications and Political Science at Roger Williams University, but she grew up in a country called Bahrain. Without any prior knowledge, Bahrain is almost impossible to find on a map. In fact, most graphics on the news just lump it into the Saudi Arabian landmass. It is a small island in the Persian Gulf, squeezing 791,000 people in an area encompassing a mere 290 square miles, less than half the area of Rhode Island. Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by the Al Khalifa family, which has ruled the country since 1783. Even though it lies off the coast of one of the most conservative countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is quite progressive, allowing women to vote and its Christian and Jewish minorities to hold a seat in its Parliament.

Despite its progressive attitude, Noor admits that certain pressures still exist. “In any religious society, you need to conform to expectations, and I’m not a conformist.” It wasn’t always like this. She refers to Middle School as her “religious years” when she was persuaded to follow traditional Islamic thinking. This ended abruptly when she became a teenager. “I’m a child of the media,” she says. “I saw movies and television shows from the West and I wanted that. I wanted a life.” She claims her independent, non-traditionalist attitude comes from her parents. Her mother worked as a very well respected travel agent while her father worked his way up from bellboy to Director of Sales in a hotel near their home. After she was born, her parents quit their jobs to open their own clothing business. The business was very time consuming and Noor was often left alone with the servants, forcing her to not only learn how to provide and entertain herself, but her little siblings as well.
After being away from her country for over a year, Noor was surprised how much it had changed. “Before I came here, I would wear Western style clothes at home and be in the minority. Now I go home, and I change into traditional garb, while there are more and more teenagers wearing leggings and miniskirts.”

Bridget

BRISTOL, RI __ The plane took off and there was no turning back. It would be a long thirteen hour journey, but one that would be remembered for a lifetime. The small windows on the plane which once looked out to a city like environment back in Istanbul Turkey were now filled with a totally different scenery as the plane prepared to land in Boston, Mass.

Alex Bahceci is foreign student from Istanbul, Turkey who attends Roger Williams University as a business major. He began his journey to the states two years ago after his parents decided it would be a great idea for him to study abroad hoping he would gain the best education possible. They have high hopes that he will someday be able to run the family business before perusing his own dream of opening up a restaurant.

“Going home isn’t weird to me, its just different since I’m now so used to living on my own,” Said Alex while talking about the two visits he makes home every year. He chose to come to Roger Williams mainly because one of his advisors who he had a close relationship at home used to work in the admissions dept. there. “I call home everyday, the close relationship between my parents and I is still there,” said Alex. But apparently just a phone call each day wouldn’t be enough, “My parents wanted to make sure they would can keep tabs on me while I was away,” added Alex, “I was excited about being 18 and completely on my own, but because we had already known someone here my family made me come to this particular school because they knew if I wouldn’t talk to them, the man they knew would always have a way of looking out for me through other people in the area.”

While it might not have been his first choice as much as it was his parents, he made it clear that he has “no regrets” in the decision that was made. Being one of the few foreign students here may not have been an easy task to take on. However, Alex used his strong accent as an advantage. “It’s not an easy thing trying to understand what I’m saying”, Alex said, “At first people were constantly asking where I was from, and what I’m here for. It was a great conversation starter, and I was easily able to make friends because of it.”

With all the great friends he has made here at Roger Williams, Alex says “the rules suck, although the drinking age was 18 in Turkey and I left there at 17, they didn’t care about anything back there.” He continued on with how he and his friends would stay out until 7am back home, “2am,” questioned Alex with a confused look on his face, “2am is just the start of the night for me and my friends at home.” Alex loves his life in the States and cherishes all the great friends he has made, however after he graduates he plans on returning back to Istanbul, and living the life he and his family have always dreamed of.

Mae

Mae Planert

BRISTOL, RI __ The Baypoint Inn dormitory is home to over 400 members of the class of 2012 and one member of the class of 2009. Megan Dumaine sets out a bowl of candy to hold her door open and greet the IRHA members called for a meeting in her apartment style bedroom. Living alone in a sophomore year residence hall is certainly not how she imagined her first year in the “real world” but she looks at home going over rules and regulations to a crowd of twenty. After a traumatizing experience, helping others is a passion of hers. After the crowd has filed out Megan greets a sophomore girl with a smile and settles into her couch to help spell check a resume.

It is not common for an alumnus to work as a CORE RA on campus but Dumaine had not been a common student at Roger Williams University. She has been extremely involved in the University and has held jobs in the athletics building, admissions, the bookstore, housing, and student advocacy. Student advocacy is what she claims she got the most out of. Her traumatizing experience as a freshman influenced her decision to help others.

“My freshman year I was placed into a ‘party’ room,” says Megan “and I don’t mean the normal amount of college partying, it was really bad.” Megan’s first night of college was a major shock compared to her quiet life at home. “I just wasn’t used to it. My roommates kept pressuring me to drink and do drugs and I stood my ground but the teasing didn’t stop.,” says Megan “I had no problem with them doing drugs an drinking but I was uncomfortable with the pressure.”

After only one night of college Megan told her parents she was coming home and that she couldn’t handle being on her own. She left that Sunday and e-mailed her Student Advocate about her choice to withdraw. Instead of writing Megan off and saying “good luck”, her Student Advocate got involved and pushed for housing to get Megan a single in Maple as well as counseling for Megan whenever she needed it. “Thanks to my Student Advocate I returned to Roger Williams the following Tuesday and moved into my single.”

Megan quickly lost touch with her party animal roommates and they eventually dropped out of school their sophomore year. Megan went on to be very successful at the University and she earned deans list every semester. She is forever grateful that she stood her ground her first night of college. “I stood up for what I believed in and what I was comfortable with,” Megan says “ A lot of young people get lost in the crowd and try to fit into what others think is ‘cool’. That’s why I loved being a student advocate, I could help people that were like me be themselves and find their niche.”

Katlyn

Katlyn Proctor

BRISTOL, RI __ The average person who suffers cardiac arrest has at most, seven minutes to be revived. Firefighters, EMT’s, emergency medical technicians, and ambulance drivers are trained to react in certain situations to help save the lives of sick and seriously injured people. Volunteer fireman, Christopher Meier, did just that.

He called it his first “save.” In the medical world, a “save” is bringing someone back to life and having them survive for at least 24 hours. Being the first to arrive at the scene of his neighbor’s house, Meier reacted quickly. Medical bag in tote, Meier began to enable CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a move that saved the victim’s life. The victim, who suffered from a heart attack, had already been dead on the bathroom floor for at least three minutes, leaving Meier with only four minutes to revive him. The amazing part is, he succeeded.

“As a non-emotional person, it was very emotional for me because it was the first time that I really helped someone. Like really helped. I made a serious impact on this man’s life,” said Meier. As a volunteer fireman for the Somers Volunteer & Ambulance Corporation in Somers, Conn., Meier deals with these heart-wrenching situations on a regular basis.

Meier is not only trained in EMS, emergency medical services, but also fire rescue and ambulance driving. He is trained to react and respond to anything ranging from house fires to car accidents. On the eve of the fifth anniversary of a firefighter killed in the line of duty in his town, Meier speedily responded to his first fire.

“The house number was 666 Main Street and it was on the anniversary of one of our fallen men. The entire department thought it was all very strange,” said Meier. Turns out, the fire was started by the homeowner in hopes of collecting insurance money. Ironically, after doing all they could, the fire resulted in a total loss, and the homeowner failed to collect any insurance money.

Back at the station, Meier removed his 75 pounds of gear that firemen are required to wear including, fireproof pants, a coat, thick boots, helmet, gloves, mask, air pack and a variety of tools. After cleaning and restocking everything on the fire trucks and ambulances and after detoxing and sterilizing all the safety equipment, the volunteers retire to their favorite chairs, waiting for the next alarm to go off. Meier’s favorite spot is a ratty, dark green recliner that faces the main road, but also sits next to the wall with all the ‘Certificates of Recognition’ his department has received.

As a 21 year old, Meier has seen a lot more than most people his age. He has seen people suffer from brain damage and people lose all their possessions to a haunting fire. But for Meier, it is all in a days work.

“Every day, you go to the station never knowing what the day will bring,” said Meier. “But the mystery is all part of the job.”

Melanie

Melanie Puckett

BRISTOL, RI __ Mary Kate Burns’s room is located on the corner bottom floor of Willow 42. The window overlooks the snow-covered Willow courtyard and has a glimpse of the water. The walls are covered in movie and band posters and art show promotions. It is a room built for one person but contains two beds, just in case one of her residents is “sexiled” and needs a place to stay. “I like to look after them. I feel very close to all of them.”

Burns, 19, a junior from Long Island, is the resident assistant (RA) for Willow 42. She has a total 22 residents in the unit, all freshmen. “I like to think of myself as their safety net. That’s probably my favorite part of my job. I like to take care of them.”

Burns applied for a position as RA her freshman year. “One of the main reasons was because I hated my roommate and I liked the idea of having a single [room],” she says. “But a also got along really well with my RA and she was very encouraging. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

Over 100 students apply for RA every year at RWU. The process is often drawn out and can be very competitive. Each person is picked with precision and it is considered an honor to be chosen for such a position. But despite the competitiveness and rigor of the leadership program, Burns says she was almost positive that she would be chosen. “It seemed like something I had the capability to do. I knew I had a great shot from the beginning. My parents were thrilled when I got it,” says Burns.

Growing up, Burns almost never rebelled or broke the rules. “I did sometimes get in trouble for being sassy,” she said, laughing. “But when it came to the rules, I always was very responsible. I got along well with my parents.” Even high school came fairly easy to Burns.

Burns’s mother worked as a teacher at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in Long Island – the same high school that Burns attended. “A lot of people ask me how I put up with it, but I saw it as a plus,” she says. “Everyone loved my mom and it was nice when a teacher was able to speak directly to her, telling her how well-behaved I was.”

Today, Burns sees herself completely different than who she was when she applied to be RA her freshman year. “This job forces you to set goals, and not just go through the motions,” she says. “It puts you into situations where people are going to get upset and it can be emotionally overwhelming.”

Being a resident assistant has taught Burns the responsibility that she needs for what she wants to do eventually, which is to work in the public relations department for the Special Olympics. “I know that I am where I am supposed to be at this point. I know that what I am doing now will help me in the future.”

George

Bristol, RI __ Geoff Moore, a junior at Roger Williams University, sits on a couch wearing a all black T-shirt with a Boston Bruin logo on it, a RWU club hockey jacket, and watching women’s 2012 Olympic Hockey on TV, shouts out, “Man that is one ugly goalie mask if I have ever seen one,” remarking on the team Switzerland goalie. He is not only a huge hockey fan but also loves to partake in the sport. Moore began his hockey career at age five in Belmont, MASS. The reasoning for wanting to play hockey was because of his all time child hood idol Mario Lemieus, the center for the NHL Penguins.

By 7th grade Moore dropped all other youth sports in which he played and focused only on hockey. He continued is hockey career as he played all throughout high school on the Belmont Varsity High School team for three years. He was proud to play for a High School hockey team who had never lost to their rivals Watertown High since 1983. With college hockey being the next step in his career, Moore did not think he could peruse a college hockey.

Moore decided to attend RWU and study criminal justice as his lifetime goal is to become a Boston police officer. When he thought is own hockey career was over and he was going to be stuck as just a passionate Boston Bruin NHL fan everything changed during his junior year. The University decided to start up a club hockey team that would play other college club hockey teams. Moore joined the hockey team and skated under the new RWU coach Pat Desire. Being in their first season of college club hockey the team took awhile to get unified and play as a team, but after practicing twice a week, long drills, working on how to break out of the zone, and power plays, the team won six games. Some highlights from their first season included victories against Coast Guard Academy, and Connecticut College.

For the next season “It’s a guessing game right now, however with a few seniors leaving, and a few new kids joining the club team, overall there is going to be improvement from this season,” said Moore. Moore playing right wing throughout the season had his best game against West Field State. He had one slap shot goal from the blue line that flew by the goalie on the short left side of the goal.

With RWU starting a club team Moore is pleased that he can continue to skate on the ice and be part of what might become a varsity sport one day at RWU. He finds himself looking for revenge next season, as he got open iced checked by a Coast Guard player that it snapped one of his sticks. “I hope during my senior year I can become a captain and lead my team to more than six victories,” Moore said.

Alexa

Alexa Stark

BRISTOL, RI __ It’s the first day of summer vacation and whereas most four year olds are on their way to their first day of summer camp, Britton Rose is on his way to his first sailing lesson with his six older siblings. Little did he know that by the age of five, he would be sailing competitively.

Britton Rose, 18, grew up in Long Island, NY in a house that has a bay for a back yard with his three brothers and three sisters, all who know how to sail. Britton’s father, now retired, owns the 23^rd largest beverage distribution company in the U.S., Clare Rose Inc., and mainly distributes Bud InBev, Heineken, and Monster Energy. The family got into the beverage distribution market because of Britton’s grandfather who was a rumrunner in Long Island during prohibition days. Brit’s mother is also retired and although both parents don’t sail themselves, Brit has them to thank for first getting him started with the water sport.

Britton then began describing his favorite sailing memory, which one would expect to be something along the lines of winning a regatta or getting a new boat. However, he told a story of how he was sailing in the bay behind his house with his best friend, Brendan, when a storm turned into a nasty hurricane. The sailboat was being tossed around like a feather by the intense waves and swells and did a complete cartwheel motion. Both Brit and Brendan somehow remained in the boat and amazingly enough, the boat continued sailing. To anyone else, this would be horrifying, but to Brit, it was his favorite and most memorable experience on the water.

“I consider myself a man of the water,” said Britton, “I plan on sailing for the rest of my life.”

Britton decided to attend Roger Williams University because of the size, location, and most importantly the division one sailing team. What he enjoys most about sailing at Roger Williams is the relationships that sailing creates with fellow teammates. “Some of my best friends I’ve met because of sailing,” said Brit.

When asked to describe sailing in one word, Brit’s answer was, “Euphoric.” He continued on to describe sailing as an extremely freeing experience, unlike any other activity.

“Sailing isn’t a sport to me, it’s a way of life,” said Britton.

Dan

By Dan Weidmann

BRISTOL, RI __ The season was over. He took one final look at his jersey, packed up his equipment and lacrosse quickly became a distant memory. His joy for the game ran out and that final game was surely his last.

No more pre-season, no more practices, and more time to do what ever he wanted. Those were things crossing Mitri Najjar’s mind as he exited his high school locker room at the end of his junior lacrosse season. He made the decision not to return for his senior year.

“It just wasn’t fun any more,” Najjar said. “I wanted to do other things.”

Three years later Mitri finds himself playing the game he once loved, on a level he never thought imaginable. He is in his sophomore year at Roger Williams University, and it took only a late night bet by his friends that has Mitri suiting up for the Men’s Lacrosse team.

“They said I couldn’t do it,” added Najjar. “No one believed me when I said I played lacrosse growing up.”

Mitri is not your typical lacrosse player. Standing in at a less impressive five feet, four inches with a hundred-sixty pound frame, he’s not your everyday division three defensemen. It was this that led his friends to believe that he could never have played Lacrosse. So the bet was on – he could not make it through one pre-season captains practice, and if he did he would have to try out for the team.

He made it. Barely.

“It was the worse hour of my life,” said Najjar. “I was so out of shape it was bad.”

However, it only took that hour to make Mitri realize that he missed the game. He missed the pre-season, missed the practices, and decided he wanted nothing more to do with his time than play lacrosse.

Mitri started attending all the pre-season practices, and with the help of his teammates and friends, got himself back into shape, and back into enjoying the sport. He won the bet.

“He’s great for the team,” said Collin Schmitt, a sophomore on the lacrosse team. “He has a great work ethic and that just helps all of us too because we’re good friends.”

Mitri plays long stick middie, a defensive position that he has adjusted to playing for the hawks. He played offense in high school but decided to try out for defense.

He has every intention on playing through out his next two years at Roger Williams, and says quitting won’t be a problem because fun is definitely involved.

“It’s a lot of fun playing lacrosse here, said Najjar.” “No, practices aren’t fun but the team atmosphere and being friends with all these guys, it’s a different experience playing at the college level, but it’s definitely fun.”

So as the season gets underway for the Hawks in 2010, Mitri finds himself back in the locker room, unpacking his equipment, and putting back on that jersey, which he says is the greatest feeling of it all.

Veteran's image haunts patriotic painter

   'This Fourth of July, I ask you to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom….'
   -- President George W. Bush, June 28th, Fort Bragg, N.C.

   By Michael Scully
   For the Times Herald-Record

   Warwick – On an easel inside Robert Fletcher's studio sits a work in progress, a portrait of a man he remembers only as "Sgt. Leach," a nearly forgotten veteran of World War I.
   The image is stark and distant and the work is only half done. In it, Sgt. Leach sits upright, leaning against a building. His khaki Army uniform appears nearly pristine, but his face is pinched and streaked with ashen gray and blue-gray watercolor brush strokes. Before him is an empty tin cup. And in the foreground is a little boy – about 7 – staring at him.
   "He used to just sit there ramrod straight … right there in the middle of the city," Fletcher said. "I remember his face was kind of bluish and pockmarked like those marks you get after smallpox … and I asked my mother what happened to this man and she said, 'He was gassed.' "
   Nearly seven decades later, that encounter in Paterson, N.J., continues to haunt the Warwick painter so much that he's taken brush in hand to capture the image. After nearly a year of work, Fletcher has finished only portions of Leach's face and uniform and the clothes on the little boy.
   Today, at 73, Fletcher continues to dedicate his life to painting. His work includes Hudson Valley landscapes and "scenes of Americana" but his real passion is for images featuring military traditions.
   "His work does great justice towards honoring our veterans and their sacrifices," said former Rep. Ben Gilman, who owns at least two of Fletcher's paintings. "He's got the Rockwell touch."
   In fact, like Norman Rockwell, Fletcher is an American realist who likes to work in watercolors and pencil. His work is honest and sober and reminiscent of works by other American realists, like Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth.
   These days, his workspace is inside a renovated barn. His studio is on the second floor with a northern exposure that overlooks a large, moss-green pond.
   He keeps his easel perpendicular to the windows to catch the light. He uses a Russell Stover candy box to keep a collection of 20 or so sable brushes organized, and he arranges his watercolors by pigment inside the 12 cups of an aluminum muffin pan.
   Beyond that, the space is simple but cluttered: There are etchings and photographs of pending projects.
   There's a loosely folded 48-star American flag stationed upon an antique filing cabinet. Nearby, a tailored World War II Marine uniform awaits attention behind the studio door.
   And then there is his work.
   Like the portrait of Sgt. Leach, the focus is more on the enlisted man and less on famous American officers such as Washington, Lee or Patton.
   "My work focuses more on the average guy … the sons of farmers and so on."
   His body of work covers all the American conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the present, and he draws inspiration from events and people both near and far. Often, his faces are those of friends, neighbors and local veterans.
   One portrait features Warwick veteran Sgt. Robert P. Stewart Sr., his six sons and one grandson, all in military uniforms. Six of the men are in Army uniforms; the others are Marines.
   "That's three generations in the military," said Ralph "Chip" Stewart, one of the sons. "That's over 140 years of military service in my family."
   These are just some of the 63 paintings and illustrations included in a book Fletcher co-authored with his son, Robert B. Fletcher, entitled "Remembrance: A Tribute to America's Veterans."
   And his work continues. He's painting a landscape of a friend's farm. And then there's the unfinished portrait of Sgt. Leach.
   It's not clear who Leach was. Fletcher said Leach served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and it was there that a mustard gas attack scarred his face and blinded him. Fletcher remembers him as the lost veteran sitting and waiting for handouts.
   "I don't know what I'm going to do about that (painting) yet," Fletcher said. "But I can't forget him."

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Melanie Puckett (Over 30)

2010-05-11T06:55:00.001-07:00

Revision:

BRISTOL, R.I.__ On the third floor of the Global Heritage Hall, Renee Soto sits in her office nestled into a long, bending hallway of offices overlooking the Roger Williams University quad. She wears silver bracelets on both wrists that jingle when she moves her hands. On the bookshelf sit books ranging from the epic poem Beowulf to works by Dylan Thomas. On the wall hangs a framed black and white photograph of two plants that have grown together, creating a coil.

“I love that picture," Soto says. "It’s almost like two plants came together and said to each other ‘Let’s have a party! It’s the plant party!’”

Renee Soto, 45, has many faces on—and off of—the Roger Williams campus. Some might see her as a professor up for tenure in classes such as Form in Poetry and various senior seminars. Some might see her as a published poet in literary magazines and websites such as storySouth, Crab Orchard Review, and Cimarron Review or the winner of the Academy of American Poets University Prize.

But as for artists all over the country and some Roger Williams students, Soto is seen as the editor-in-chief of the annually published student-run literary magazine, Roger. The magazine publishes poetry and prose from authors all over the world and has given many artists the opportunity to showcase their work. As editor, Soto is responsible for the hundreds of pieces of mail coming to the Creative Writing department in order to be published.

“It is really humbling that there are these stories that come to me. I have a responsibility to be respectful to the writers and to their work,” says Soto. “I run the best of what we get and the best of what we get is worth publishing.”

The Roger staff consists of Soto and nine others, who are all Roger Williams students.

“Working with students and teaching them the art of publishing is a challenge because there’s no room to fail," she says. "Writers from all over the world expect us to make a magazine every year and students don’t know what to do. But it is a lot of fun.”

“We try to maintain Roger’s reputation for being a really professional magazine,” says Katlyn Proctor, a sophomore on the Roger staff. “I like [this class] because it gives me a chance to see other peoples’ writing. Before taking this class, I never considered going into publishing. Now I think that maybe I can be a Renee some day.”

But long before Soto began sifting through Roger mail, she was a little girl yearning to read and write. One of her earliest memories was when her mother taught her to read.

“I felt separated from everybody else when I could read because it was the one way I could rebel and not be in trouble,” Soto recalls. “I have always liked wordplay and words that were spelled different and meant something different but sounded the same, like ‘balm’ and ‘bomb’. Those words are so completely opposite.”

Soto made her debut as a writer when she began to write and direct plays for her brothers and sisters to perform in: “I was the oldest of six and we would tell the stories of holidays like Christmas. I come from a strong Catholic background. We would incorporate song and dance into the shows. I took it very seriously.”

She recalls her favorite production, which she wrote during her freshman year of high school.

“It was the first time we had a Christmas baby, my baby brother Richard. So we went all out," Soto says. "My sister, Rosie, was to be the angel standing over the baby and the big theatrical moment would be her saying, ‘And the baby was born!’ But when it came to her line, she said, ‘And the baby was boring!’ Not only did she ruin my script, but it reminded me of the fluidity of language.”

Aside from language itself, one of Soto’s strong passions is her family and staying connected with them. For years, Soto spent her spare time writing letters and poems to her grandparents in southern California.

“I’d make them books for presents and when my grandmother died, I got to look at all of the poems I ever wrote her. It was kind of freaky,” she says. “When you’re in a big family, it’s hard to get away and this was how I could get away.”

After her first full year of graduate school, Soto had her first poetic moment of clarity when her poems began forming not as sentences, but as lines.

“All poetry is, is experimenting with language,” she explains. “I got so excited when that happened that I started paying more attention.”

When she completed graduate school, Soto took a position at the Southern Poetry Review, where she met Thomas Howard, professor of geography at Armstrong State University, who would later become her husband.

“Renee’s interest in poetry, both writing it and teaching it, became clear to me and this was one of the things that drew me to her," says Professor Howard. "I do what I can to encourage her, and safeguard time and space for her to work.”

In the past two years, with the death of her grandparents and her nephew, Soto has become closer with her family by creating a sturdy support system.

“When you’re faced with something so unanswerable, all you have is kinsman-ship. There’s no access by something as mechanical as language to get there,” she says. “We want language to do it all and we can’t. It’s so limiting.”

In 2003, Soto was offered the position at Roger Williams University and was encouraged to build back up a literary magazine which had been shut down by the administration a few years earlier.

English Department Chairman Dianne Comiskey, Soto’s close friend and mentor, recalls the first years of the magazine: “It took Renee a while to get it out there and be recognized. But she gets right down to it. She has a great deal of integrity. She has been a great colleague and she’s always willing to help out.”

“I’ve never seen anyone so selfless. Everything she does is for the better of someone else. She really makes the Roger staff feel like a family,” says Katlyn Proctor.

Since Roger has become a huge part of her life, Soto believes in the philosophy of the magazine, its team, and its published writers.

“Who knows where this magazine will go? I think it matters that there’s a place where anyone can go to read a really good poem or story and if I have the opportunity to build one of these places, how could I not care?” she says. “Everyone is charged with some artistic expression. I think that art can save us. Sometimes I want to hear someone else’s words. It’s like help for me. It comes through text.”

Melanie Puckett (Over 30)
For this feature story, I will interview Renee Soto. She is a part of the creative writing department and is a published poet. She also is head of the staff of Roger Literary Magazine. For my other sources I would like to interview other creative writing staff such as Professors Delaney and Braver. In addition to this, I will talk to some of the students who are on the Roger staff. I would also want to find someone who might have inspired her for some of the work that she has done. I will interview Dianne Comiskey, who is the head of the English department.

How did you get started as a writer?

What was your inspiration and what is your inspiration for writing?

What has been your greatest achievement?

What has teaching poetry taught you?

What has been a life-changing experience that has held a significance in your life?

You are head of the Roger staff. What is your favorite thing about the publishing world?

How is it working with students?

Whats the most valuable thing you could teach to a student?

RENEE SOTO'S INTERVIEW

- made plays so that brothers and sisters could act in them

- wrote stories and gave presentations to family

- Renee is the oldest of 6, would tell the stories of the holidays (strong Catholic background)

- incorporate song and dance into the shows

- make programs and everything

- the best play: freshman in high school ("this is embarrassing!)

- "it was the first time we had a christmas baby, my baby brother, he was born on December 16th

- we went all out"

- sister was in 3rd or 4th grade ("i took it very seriously")

- she was to be the angel standing over the baby and the big theatrical moment would be her saying "And the baby was born!"

- sister said, "And the baby was boring!"

- "not only did she ruin my script, but it also reminded me about the fluidity of language"

- "when i was getting interested in Beer, my mother always drank Bud Light, I remember reading the can, it said "Lagar beer"

- "thought it was supposed to be "larger beer""

- "start paying more attention"

- always writing letters and poems to grandparents in California

- "always like wordplay and jokes and words that were spelled and meant something different but sounded the same"

- "balm and bomb" - so completely the opposite

- "i wanted to keep learning about it"

- "all poetry is is experimenting with language"

- when grandmother died, got all the poems she ever wrote her, moved from Cal to Virginia, in Kindergarten, had a pen pal

- always been with words, never drew

- mother taught her to read

- "i'll never forget it. i felt separated from everybody else when i could read because it was the one way i could rebel and not be in trouble; when you're in a big family, it's hard to get away"

- "we'd make books for presents?"

- sister: does techinical writing now

- brother and sister: linguists

- sister: learning Persian Farsi

- "we all have that linguistic connection, but we're really different. sister works with the inspector general, she hunts"

- one sister who is very into the Indian scene, and pow wows and everything

- one sister who has kids, matching clothes

- "I realized this past Christmas, i would probably never have met any of my siblings if we hadn't been in the same family."

- Why do i need these people?

Why Christmas?

- "in the last two years, our grandparents died and I had a nephew who killed himself. it was my brother's son. It was horrible, it was on October 31st, Halloween, two years ago. he had younger brothers and sisters. when you're faced with something like that, that's so unanswerable, all you have is kinsman-ship, words failed me. there's nothing you can say, there's no access by something as mechanical as language to get there"

- "i can't do everything. i can do a lot. for as much as i love it, it's not a cure-all"
- "in the beginning there was the word and the word was God"

- "we want language to do it all and we can't. it's so limiting"

- first moment of clarity: "summer after first complete year of grad school, poems were coming out in lines and not sentences"

- blank piece of paper, write diagonally

- Storysouth.com, "Ghazal for Christian"

- taught high school english for 10 years

- was ice skating, was going fast, coming around a curve and there was a little kid, i fell and broke my wrist and i was left handed

- up until then, i was always afraid to write poems

- i started applying to grad school when i was 33-years-old

- got into University of North Carolina - Greensboro, summer i turned 35

- "the poetry that i submitted was bad. and still, to this day, i have no idea why they accepted me"

- in high school, a workshopping was for people who couldn't write

- man said "it's very nice to meet you, unfortunately we can't accept your application at this time, but have you ever been to a workshop?"

- was devastated

- i have no idea why they accepted me, its hard, it's very competitive, did that for 2 years, kept on for a year to teach

- worked at the Southern Poetry Review for 2 years in Savannah, GA

- took the job at Roger Williams 6 years ago

- challenge to teach students publishing because "there's no room to fail"

- "writers from all over the world expect us to make a magazine every year and students don't know"

- had 1,807 total poems and short stories that came to us

- they have to learn to be organized

- it's a lot of fun

- "i'm ruthless, i don't have time to run stuff but it is really humbling that there are these stories that come to me. I have a responsibility to be respectful to the writers and to their work. I run the best of what we get and the best of what we get is worth publishing"
- communicating with all of these people

- "who knows where this magazine will go?"

Why do you care?

- "Because i think it matter that there's a place where anyone can go to read a really good poem or story and if i have the opportunity to build one of these places, how could i not care"

- "I think that art can save us and if i can help with someone else's art, it gives me an independent place to be, sometimes i want to hear someone else's words. it's like help. for me, it comes through text. everyone is charged with some artistic expression"
- learned from a student three years ago:

"I don't want to confuse my reader, I want to make my reader curious"
because you're not trying to figure out a puzzle, i thought that was really insightful, you don't want a poem to have a secret message

- hoping to get tenure (up for tenure)

- "i'm pretty sure that i've lived in as many places as i am years old. i was always moving because my father was in the marine corps"

- this is kind of a big deal because by staying and positioning myself to be in a committed job, there is much more of a chance for my husband to live here

- "it's kinda freaky"

- grading papers in Savannah had the best walk, distinguished work and we met

- saw him coming and he followed her

- had lunch and was thinking that "this job is just a stone across the creek"

- got offer at RWU

- Tom took a leave of absence without pay from his job to be with me (he did some adjunct work) in Rhode Island

- "If it doesn't work, i don't want to grow old knowing that it couldn't work out between us" - Tom

- 4 years ago, on fall break, we just said "let's get married", got married in Bristol

- "you have to find ways, it's like a bug in amber, it's set in stone"
- "Wisconsin, cottage in the woods with Tom

- stone walls surrounding the cottage, started rebuilding the waters, replacing stones

- "What i'm learning is that building the wall is like writing a poem. i use Blake the cat as my inspector. he walks on it and if it clicks, then i've missed a spot. it has to be the exact stone in the exact place, like a syllable in a word. i can't see the other side so i have to go with my gut. if i go with the feel of it, and it fits, just let it go.
- i would not have had that metaphor if i hadn't met Tom

eryn Dion (over 30)

2010-05-11T06:51:00.001-07:00

MARIA

BRISTOL, R.I.__ Stepping into the Intercultural Center at Roger Williams University is like stepping into someone’s house. A full kitchen, dining room table, chairs, sofa, coffee table, and television all work to make the students feel at home. Covering the walls, and some of the tables, are decorations from all around the world, no doubt contributed by students who have been abroad. These elements all work together create a place where anyone, especially international students, can go and feel comfortable in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.

On the second floor, Maria Adkins, Assistant Director at the Intercultural Center, sits in her office with binders and papers piled around her. There are various photographs sitting on her desk and peppering the walls with souvenirs lining the windows. She is wearing a dark colored-cardigan with her straight, blond hair splashed onto her shoulders, and smiling with her blue eyes.

As the Assistant Director at the Intercultural Center, Maria, 33, is always busy. She works to coordinate and run activities on campus such as Global Fest and the “Hour With…” series, during which various cultures and countries are given the opportunity to give a lecture about their customs and help the student body become more informed. She’s held similar positions at other institutions; however, there she was only involved with international students through dealing with immigration. She came to Roger Williams University knowing she would be involved with the students on a much closer level.

“My job is way more than just immigration,” Maria says.

Maria grew up in South Brunswick, New Jersey until she was 18, graduating from South Brunswick High School in 1995. It was during this time that she developed an interest in international studies.

“Both my parents are Swedish and I grew up going there every year and speaking Swedish,” says Maria. This attitude carried over into college, where she decided to study abroad in France during her junior year. For Maria, that was the turning point. After she came back, she traveled everywhere. “It was like an addiction.”

She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1999, majoring in International Affairs and French. After graduation, she went to Africa, South America, and Latin America, even working for a travel company for three years before deciding to work with international students. Returning to school, she chose the School for International Training and received her Master’s in International Education in 2004. From there she went to work for Suffolk University and used her background in immigration to work with students. While she enjoyed immigration, she wanted to get closer to her students, so she came to Roger Williams University when there was a job opening.

“At Suffolk, I was working with over 1,000 international students,” she says. “Here, there are around 180 international students. It’s easier to get closer to them, to get to know them.”

For many international students, Maria is often the first person they have contact with from the University. She runs International Orientation, and is the go-to person for any legal documents students need, whether it is information about getting a Social Security number, filing taxes, or getting a drivers license. By providing guidance for international students, Adkins parlays her love for travel into something helpful and useful for many kids entering an unfamiliar environment. Such was the case for Noor Alaweyat, 19, a sophomore from Bahrain. She got to know Maria during international orientation and has remained in close contact with her ever since. Maria helped her obtain a Social Security number so she could get a job on campus and filer her taxes this year. “She was very helpful,” says Noor. “She really cares, and she’s passionate about what she does.” Maria maintains this relationship with most of the international students on campus.

Her duties as Assistant Director, Maria also serves as the faculty advisor to one of the smaller, but important clubs on campus: the Muslim Students Association. She became their advisor through her work in the Intercultural Center, becoming close with students she worked with from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Bahrain, and other Middle Eastern countries that were involved with MSA.

“I started helping them out, scheduling and planning activities, and eventually they asked me to be their advisor.” The affect Maria has on the club was obvious. “She really has made sure things were on the right track,” says Fatima Bukhamseen, the President of MSA. “And she has guided us when things were really rocky.”

For next year, Maria is busy planning events for international students and the MSA. One of her goals is to bring an Imam, or Islamic religious leader, to campus. The search is made difficult by the lack of Imams in the immediate area and the level of commitment necessary, but she is optimistic. “We need someone who can commit to being here for the students, and have their well-being in mind,” she says. But as overwhelming as her job may seem, it is obvious that Maria loves it, and loves what she does. She enjoys having a close connection and has left a lasting impression on many students on campus. On her impact on campus, Noor says, “If you were to ask any international student on campus, she knows them. She loves her job and she cares.”

ISLAM

NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I.__ It is a calm, cool spring night, standing in the parking lot of the Masjid-al Islam mosque in North Smithfield Rhode Island. The sun was setting: the last remnants of its light clung to the horizon as the metal minaret of the mosque punctured the sky like a dark needle. The wooden playground behind the mosque stands still save for a single swing swaying in the warm breeze. The building is constructed of red brick with huge windows and wooden double-doors framed in stone ogee arches. Then, as the clock hits 7:30, a voice pierces the silence, projected through the loudspeakers mounted on the four corners of the mosque. “Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar” the voice calls in a soothing tone. The phrase, meaning “God is bigger than everyone else”, starts off the traditional call-to-prayer, which is broadcast every day before each of the five daily prayers. By the time the closing phrase is sung, “Gat gamat al sala”, it’s time for prayer, and everyone heads inside.

Before entering the prayer room there are several customs that must be observed. Shoes are removed and women cover their hair with a scarf out of respect. Before praying, the face, hands, and feet must be washed. The mosque has separate washrooms for men and women. The men’s is located right outside the door to the prayer room, while the women’s is located up a set of wooden stairs, out of sight. The room itself is a large, open square, big enough to hold at least two hundred people comfortably, with enough room to allow them space to kneel and bend over. Protruding from the ceiling is a medium sized dome, a staple of mosque architecture. The walls are painted white, and the floor is covered in a luxurious red carpet with a repeating arch design. But the room looks strangely empty tonight, and even though the 12 worshipers, all men, have plenty of room to spread out, they all form a line in front of the Imam at the front of the room. In front of them is a large digital clock, displaying the exact time, military time, and Mecca time. All 12 men bow to the Imam and the prayer begins.

Scenes like this play out all over the world. With over 1.5 billion practitioners, Islam is the second largest religion on the world and is growing rapidly. However, despite this, many people still view Islam as foreign, strange, and something they will never come in contact with. But that is slowly changing as Islam becomes more mainstream. In the United States alone there are 2.4 million Muslims, which is a sizeable population. With this growing population, mosques, like the one in North Smithfield, are becoming a familiar sight as members become prominent fixtures in the community. One of their main functions, besides being a place of worship, is to be a place where people can learn about Islam. Masjid-al Islam welcomes all non-Muslims to attend daily prayers, ask questions, and attend lectures on Islam and Koran given twice a week. They even offer a copy of the Koran for guests as a gift. For Muslims, religion is a huge part of their life. The word Muslim means “one who submits to God”. They are identified not by their country of origin, but their religion and they want to share this important part of their lives with other people.

One of these people is Shahbaz Raja, the assistant Imam at Masjid-al Islam, who leads the daily prayers and gives lectures. Originally from Pakistan, Shahbaz has devoted his life to Islam, memorizing the entire Koran, an impressive feat considering Arabic is not his first language. “The Koran is the only book in history people have memorized all the way through,” he says. “We do this to prove that it hasn’t changed. Islam and its rules can never be changed.” Shahbaz is surprisingly soft spoken, considering his position. He is humble, wearing a gitra, or white hat, similar to a Jewish yarmulke, white baggy pants, and black slippers that can be worn in the prayer room. But as shy as he seems, he greets every man coming to worship like family, with a friendly handshake and warm smile, sometimes kissing them lightly on the cheek. The mosque draws in Muslims from all over Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, but Shahbaz is familiar with all of the regulars. “We usually have about seven or ten people coming in for regular, daily prayers,” he explains. “But on Fridays, for Jum’ah prayer, we can get up to 200.” The mosque is always open, and Shahbaz is there before sunrise, when the first daily prayer takes place, and leaves after the last prayer takes place after nine at night. With a fairly large Muslim population in the area, he tries to create a sense of community within the mosque and its followers. “We have a very strong community here, and we try to set up activities to build on that.”

Islam, especially since 9/11, has not gotten a fair shake in the media. It is often the case that the only Muslims Americans see on TV are extremists, fundamentalists, or terrorists. These groups in no way represent the majority of Muslims and their reactionary ideas often go against what many Muslims are working towards. Osama Syed, a student of Shahbaz at Masjid-al Islam, explains that, as in every religion, there are fringe groups in Islam. “There are some people who are distorting the message,” he says. “And some who are sticking to the correct beliefs.” Unfortunately, the people distorting the message of Islam are the ones broadcast on news channels across the world. But using this miniscule group to represent the beliefs of all Muslims is like saying the KKK represents the beliefs of all white people, when in reality they are a minority that is not well liked in the community. They are trying to change Islam, but as Shahbaz expressed earlier, Islam cannot be changed. He says, “People who want to change Islam will not succeed.”

It seems that in America especially, there is the prevailing notion of “us” and “them”. But even a basic examination of the fundamental Islamic beliefs reveals a startling discovery: at the core, Muslims are more like “us” than most care to believe. “Many people are not aware of the basics of Islam,” says Shahbaz. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all share common roots and most of the prominent figures in Christianity and Judaism play a major rule in the Koran. “Many of these figures, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, they are all mentioned in the Koran as prophets, or messengers of God,” says Shahbaz. “The prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the last prophet, but there are over 100,000, all with the same message.” And what is that message? “Worship the one Creator, Allah, and you will be successful.” That is what lies at the root of Islam, the worship of one God, the same God Christians and Jews worship.

There are other aspects of Islam that may seem baffling to those unfamiliar with the religion. There are five daily prayers Muslims perform, whether in a mosque or in a prayer room. When praying, Muslims face the direction of Mecca. There is also a special prayer on Fridays, called the Jum’ah. “There are five daily prayers, no excuses,” says Shahbaz. “You pray from age 10 to the last day.” Muslims are also required to fast during the holy month of Ramadan and cannot eat while the sun is up. There are also special prayers they must attend during this time. These prayers are around 20 times longer than the normal daily prayer, and they may cover the whole Koran in a single day. Another requirement is that they give two-and-a-half percent of their earnings to charity. “We give, from rich to poor,” explains Shahbaz. “We don’t discriminate based on race or religion. If you are needy, we will help you out.” The final thing all Muslims must do is once in their lifetime make a pilgrimage to Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia, if they have the means to do so. Mecca is the holiest city in Islam. It is where Muhammad was born in A.D. 570, and where he began to preach the Islamic religion in 610. If a Muslim prays at Masjid al-Haram, the sacred mosque in Mecca that surrounds the Kaaba, with the right intentions, then his or her sins will be forgiven by Allah. These four things, along with the belief in one God, make up the core beliefs of Islam, or the Five Pillars.

While the media tends perpetuate the belief that all Muslims are devout adherents, attending each of the daily prayers and wearing traditional garb, the truth is that there are just as many casual worshippers as dedicated ones. Just as in Christianity, where there are people who attend Mass every Sunday and those who may stop by on Easter or Christmas, there is a disparity among worshippers. Some Muslims may complete every daily prayer, some may only attend Jum’ah prayer, or some may only attend prayers during Ramadan. This is yet another way in which Muslims are more like “us” than we realize. It is time to do away with the “us” and “them” mentality pervading American thought and accept Muslims into the mainstream fold. Slowly Muslims are attaining high profile positions in the government, which allows for greater exposure. Keith Ellison from Minnesota was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress. André Carson became the second Muslim elected to the House of Representatives in 2008 when he won the seat for Indiana’s 7^th congressional district. There are also several Muslims serving as Senators and Representatives on the State level. These elected officials work together to promote Islamic causes on a national level, which have been traditionally ignored. Hopefully these elections are representative of a growing trend in both politics and culture that signals the end of an era of fear and misunderstanding and usher in a new one of tolerance and acceptance.

News Writing and Reporting

2009-10-09T14:53:00.001-07:00

News Writing and Reporting

Golf Swing

Open (Megan)

   The crisp air consumes Michael Scully as he pushes the large glass doors open to step outside into the dreary fall October day. With the old, worn in seven-iron in his right hand, Scully walks to the green with a small smile perched on his face. He presses the club softly into the damp ground, leaning on the black top with prestige. Scully is comfortable and confident with the apparatus he holds in his hand, and prepares himself for yet another golf swing.

    Scully takes off the reading glasses that hang around his neck and places them into the safety of his pants pocket. He looks around for the perfect spot while unzipping the pocket of his mountain green fleece to reveal the contents inside moments later. He pulls out two pristine, white golf balls and throws them onto the broken grass spotted with brown dirt and worms.

    Unsatisfied with the first spot of choice, Scully throws the club over his right shoulder and struts down the lawn towards the water. The breeze intensifies as he walks closer to the bay, standing out only due to the aluminum shaft of his club because his dark green fleece begins to blend in with his sorrounding area.

    With a perfect spot chosen, Scully throws the fresh,clean ball onto the grass and begins to prepare for his swing. His brown loafers have darkened in the front due to the damp ground that was earlier painted with rain droplets from a storm. He situates himself around the ball, separating his feet shoulder width apart and straightening the dampened toes. He practices his swing using the left arm as an extension of the club, concentrating ultimately on the ball the entire time.

   "If I hit it right, it will be a "schwap" and the ball will go into the woods," says Scully in anticipation for the future shot.

    Scully steps up to the single white ball on the ground before him and focuses his concentration. With a small bite of his bottom lip, Scully swings his arm back and hears a "whack." Dirt flies into the air like snow on a winter's day, and the ball loses sight landing a couple hundred feet away.

   "And that would be a bad hit," he says with a head nod of disapproval and a chuckle. "Seven-iron is usually always my best shot".

    Scully walks off to find the ball that scurried away after the hit, trying to escape the wrath of that powerful golf club and swing. He again hoists the iron over his shoulder as he walks, now dirt stained and grass speckled. Returning moments later with ball in hand, Scully prepares himself for yet another swing.

    "If you have confidence in yourself, it comes out in your golf stroke" says Scully as he prepares himself for the next shot. "If you have internal strife, it will show in your swing".

Psychology of the Golf Swing (Sara)

       Contrary to popular belief, the sport of golf is about more than the ability to perfect the art of swinging a club. The psychology of golf is a very prominent aspect of the game and is the main reason why many people spend every free minute on the green.

        In addition to the light and air, there is the moment when the golfer approaches the golf ball. Standing in the fairway, looking down wind towards the green, the golfer must address the ball, stand over it, survey "the lie" and select the club. Woods are for long distances, irons are for shorter positions. Once in place, the golfer forms his grip along the shaft of the club, considers his stance, and with a swift swinging motion, draughts the club backwards, behind his ear before snapping it forward, downward and with purpose at the little white-dimpled ball.

        When the club pierces the ball, the rubber-coated wad of cork and plastic actually folds a little, melding with the metal of the iron before launching forward, detatching itself arching skyward. If done well, with precision and precisely, the golfer can actually feel the pitch of the strike shake through his arms, his chest and into his heart.

        “All it takes is one good hit, and your hooked for the rest of the year no matter how bad you are,” says Scully, who learned how to play golf at the age of 15. He has learned through the years that the psychology of the game is what keeps people of a wide range of ages and athletic capabilities addicted to the sport. “It’s not all about coordination; it is about internal peace," he says. “That’s why 90 year old men can play golf.”

       Not only does the psychology of the game keep players set on the sport, but it also determines how well one plays. Many golfers complain of being their own competition. Whether a negative mental state, or losing concentration after missing a shot, golfers must train themselves mentally before they can move their physical game forward.

History (Melissa)

Of the Golf...

Golf is said to have originated from Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife during the 15^th century. They would hit a pebble around sand dunes, rabbit runs and tracks using a stick. (Golf Europe). It was then banned in Scotland due to its interference with archery practice, until King James IV (the ruler at the time) became an avid golf player. In 1651, the Scottish were free to play golf whenever they wanted to.

However, there are debates as to where golf really began.

The English claim that they have found pictures of people playing golf as far back at the mid 1300s. Also, the Chinese claim to have a book called "Dongxuan Records" that explain play the same type of game with the same type of rules as golf. The first golf club, The Gentlemen’s Golfers of Leigh, came about in 1744. It was an annual competition with a silver golf club as the prize. Other golf associations of this time were the Saint Andrews Society of Golfers, The Royal Blackheath, and the Royal Bombay Club. Golf did not become popular in the United States until the 1900s. In 1916, Professional Golfers Association of American formed and the first championship was played with Jim Barnes winning over Jock Hutchinson. Women’s golf grew simultaneously with Men’s, in which Professional Women’s golf came after World War II.

A man by the name of Tommy Armour's came out with the first book about golf called How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time, which hit the best-seller lists in 1953. In 1993, the first Golf channel came about under a group led by Joe Gibbs and Arnold Palmer, broadcasting for 24 hours a day. Currently the United States has over 16,000 golf courses and over 50 million Americans enjoy this game every year.

Nation wide golf is also starting to become a popular sport.

Recently in Japan, they have started building courses on the top of high-rise buildings due to the lack of space and high population. Tiger Woods is currently the highest paid golf pro , valueing in at $10,508,163.

Of the Golf Swing...

Famous Golfers (Ali)

    Today, when people think about famous golfers, Tiger Woods is probably the first name that comes to mind. As the number-one golfer and highest paid professional athlete of 2008, his athletic reputation is hard to ignore. However, some of the best players come from the earlier years of the sport.

   Tom Morris Sr., known on the course as "Old Tom," was one of the most influential golfers in the late 1800s. Morris was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the "home of golf", in 1821. According to writer Brent Kelly, Morris is remembered as a "great golfer, club maker, greens keeper and course designer." Morris won four British Opens in the same decade. He still holds two major records in the Golf Hall of Fame. He holds the longest margin win since 1862 with 13, and since 1867, he is still the oldest golfer to win British Open at the age of 46. He has been attributed with being the founder of golf. He often played with Allan Robertson, one of the first professional golfers in history. It is said that they never lost a game that they played together.

   As years go by, new up-and-coming golfers perfect their game to outplay their opponents.

   “Slammin” Sam Snead dominated the sport of golf for the majority of four decades, racking up 82 PGA Tour wins and 165 professional wins throughout his career. His rookie year alone he won five events on the Tour, proving to his fellow golfers that until he retired he would be a major force to be reckoned with.

   He didn’t disappoint. Snead went on to win seven major events: three masters events, three PGA championships, and the British Open once. The only event to elude him was the U.S. Open. He came close in 1949, but missed a two-and-a-half foot putt to lose the tournament to Lew Worshawn. At 52, an age where most people are thinking about retirement, Snead won a PGA tour event, making him the oldest golfer ever to accomplish the feat. An article in Golf Digest published in 2000 ranked Snead as the 3rd best golfer of all time. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and received the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

   Snead was not your typical golf player. Born in Virginia, he was tall and lanky, which allowed him to excel at most sports. He made his own golf clubs out of swamp maple limbs and taught himself the sport. Snead never lost his Southern style, even on the course, where he was known to go barefoot to regain his rhythm. He was described as having the “perfect swing” and was a long driver adept as using long irons.

   The "Golder Bear" Jack Nickluas is often referred to as the greatest golfer of all time. He has 18 championships, the highest number of wins ever. According to McCormack's World Golf Rankings, Nicklaus was the number one golf player from years 1968-1977. In 1986, he became the oldest player to ever win the Masters Tournament at the age of 46. Nicklaus made his final appearance on the professional course in 2005 at The Open Championship and Masters Tournament.

   Arnold Palmer, nicknamed "the king," is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on the PGA and American tours, dating all the way back to 1955. He was one of the first men to become a star on sports television and is credited along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player with popularizing golf around the world.Palmer won the PGA Tour Lifetime Acheivement award in 1998 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

    Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1929, Palmer learned to play golf from his father who owned a local country club. At age 7, he broke the record of 70 at Bent Creek Country Club and ended up going to Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship.After joining the Coast Guard for three years, Palmer returned to win the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1954. He went pro the year following and won his first championship, the Canadian Open as a rookie. The most prolific years in his career ranged from 1960 to 1963 when he won 29 championships in four seasons. In 2000,Palmer was ranked sixth greatest golf player of all time in Golf Magazine, and still continues to play for enjoyment at his own golf course today.

   Phil Mickelson is a somewhat newer famous face in golf. Nicknamed "Lefty" for his winning left-handed swing, Mickelson was born in California in 1970.   He attended Arizona State University on a golf scholarship. Since then, he has won three major championships and 37 events at the PGA Tour. He has been ranked second best player next to Tiger Woods for several years. Mickelson continues to perfect his game. In September 2009, he beat Tiger Woods in the PGA Tour Championship.    Golf fans will eagerly wait to see what this famous player will do next.

   Ever since golf was started, players have become widely known due to their unique golfing abilities. The future is sure to bring younger, stronger players with more precision and drive than the last. Even though the game of golf will continue with new faces, the legendary players and the skills and achievements they brought to the course will be remembered.

...Of the Golf Club (Bryanna)

The golf club

        For more than 700 years people all over the world have had a fascination with hitting balls with sticks. The game that we call golf today was coined in the 1400s in Scotland and brought along with it the evolution of the golf club. With limited materials available, not many crafts man, along with no standards or regulations on club design, it was up to the player to create their own equipment.

   By the 1500s, golf was becoming a popular game with royalty. King James IV of Scotland took such a liking to the game that he appointed William Mayne as his royal club maker and had him create the first set of golf clubs. At this time a set of golf clubs consisted of a set of play clubs; (longnoses) for driving, fairway clubs (or grassed drivers) for medium range shots, spoons for short-range shots, niblicks that are similar to today's wedges and a putting cleek.

   Through the 1600s, the wooden club was the club of choice for golfers. They were less damaging to the type of balls that were used, which were made from three pieces of leather filled with “one Top Hat’s worth of fine feathers” and then sewn together. These balls were used for over 200 years. The handcrafted wooden club's shaft was made with European woods such as hazel and ash.The heads of the wooden clubs were long and thin and made from harder woods like apple, beech and pear. Because of their shape, they became known as “long-nose woods.” When golf was introduced to America in the 1800s, hickory wood was used to create the club because of its durability.

    Although the wooden club was the choice of golfers, the iron clubs were available but were not used because of the damage they caused the feather balls due to their heavy design. By the 1800s the process of drop forging, a metal shaping process in which a heated workpiece is formed by rapid closing of mold forcing the workpiece to conform to a die cavity, made it easier to mass produce iron clubs in factories. Scotland became world famous for golf because of the balls and clubs it produced. Tom Morris and Willie Park, two of the early club makers from Scotland, handcrafted and shipped their golf clubs all over the world. Because of the materials and time consuming craftsmanship of the clubs and balls in the beginning of the sport, only the royal and wealthy in America and Europe could afford the necessary equipment to play the game.

   Wooden clubs made mostly of hickory, continued to be made until the early 1900s when factories began to take over to keep up with the high demand. Between 1900 and 1930 there were many advancements in the game of golf and the designs of materials used to play the game. One of the most important changes was the move from smooth faced irons to the grooved faced irons we use today. It was discovered that the grooves allowed for better back spin on the ball as it was hit by the club. The more backspin on the ball, the more distance and control the golfer had on the ball. The steel clubs came after the iron clubs were introduced in 1925. However, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club also known as R & A in St Andrew, golf's governing body and organizer of The Open Championship, only legalized the use of steel clubs in 1929 after the Prince Of Wales used them on the Old Course at St Andrew.

    By the 1930s, the popularity of the game of golf was on the rise and so was the design and style of clubs. "There was many variations of clubs available using both modern and traditional materials. It was common to see golfers using 20-30 clubs of varying styles and uses(1)." However, because there was such a varying number of clubs being used from golfer to golfer, in 1939 the R & A implemented the "14-club rule." In addition, the R & A removed the traditional names used and introduced the numbering system that we use today.

    Since the end of World War II, the design of golf clubs have been dominated by scientific research. Graphite clubs were used in the 1970s and are still used today. The latest trend is drivers with titanium heads and graphite shafts. Titanium is a very strong and light material that allows club heads to be made quite large without adding too much weight. The thin faces increase the spring-like effect of the ball off the club face and, in turn, increases the distance the ball travels. The evolution of the game of golf would be nothing with out the advancements and new technologies being used in the creation of golf clubs. They are an instrument of science and therefore forever changing. The golf club is not just a stick anymore.

...the Perfect Golf Swing (Carey)

A golf pro....

      For 12 years William Maguire has been playing golf. He currently hangs his hat at the Montaup Country Club in Portsmouth, R.I. Being his first season at the course, Maguire seems to be enjoying his time there. Boasting a personal best of 63: played on the Montaup Country Club last week Maguire seems to have his golf swing in check. In a few weeks, he will leave Rhode Island to take a Golf Pro position in Florida.

       "It's time for the seasonal change," he said, while standing inside the Pro Shop on a rainy autumn afternoon. "I'm going down there to work on my game."

       At 24, he's been out of college a year now but has an eye on the future.

       "I'm hoping to get my handicap down and get accepted by the PGA," he said. Should the PGA accept him, his plan is to enter the pro circuit and climb the ranks. "I'll probably teach on the side too."

       And he likes teaching:

       "Swinging the golf club is easy finding your golf swing is the hard part," says Maguire. When swinging the golf club there is a lot to think about. Maguire notes that you need, "Flexibility, balance, and a good quick shoulder turn." Teaching lessons at the course Maguire has had lots of practice helping his pupils find there swing.

       In the movie, "Tin Cup" actor Kevin Costner's character Roy McAvoy attempts to explain what he thinks the golf swing is about. He begins by describing the golf swing as "being like a poem."

         Roy McAvoy: The critical opening phrase of this poem will always be the grip. Which the hands unite to form a single unit by the simple overlap of the little finger. Lowly and slowly the clubhead is led back. Pulled into position not by the hands, but by the body which turns away from the target shifting weight to the right side without shifting balance. Tempo is everything; perfection unobtainable as the body coils down at the top of the swing. There's a slight hesitation. A little nod to the gods.

         Dr. Molly Griswold: A, a nod to the gods?

         Roy McAvoy: Yeah, to the gods. That he is fallible. That perfection is unobtainable. And now the weight begins shifting back to the left pulled by the powers inside the earth. It's alive, this swing! A living sculpture and down through contact, always down, striking the ball crisply, with character. A tuning fork goes off in your heart and your balls. Such a pure feeling is the well-struck golf shot. Now the follow through to finish. Always on line. The reverse C of the Golden Bear! The steel workers' power and brawn of Carl Sandburg's. Arnold Palmer!

       The perfect golf swing combines both the mental and the physical. Not only do you need to be completely focused on the ball but you also need to have your whole body working together. The only sure fire way to create the perfect swing is to practice. "Gradually, you will completely master the swing procedures... a particular sequence, which through constant repetition will become part of your golfing DNA," says Leslie King a golf pro, and author of the Perfect Golf Swing.

Scully's Golf Club (David)

   When Professor Michael Scully entered the office of Roberta Adams, Assistant Dean of Humanities and Performing Arts at Roger Williams University, at around 1:30 pm, he had an unusual request: he needed to find a 7-iron. He explained to the assistant dean that he was planning a golf demonstration for his News Writing and Reporting class; meaning that he had under two hours left to find the elusive sporting good. Scully's earlier attempt at requesting a 7-iron from the athletic department had fallen on deaf ears, so he decided to request help from the assistant dean. Roberta Adams is no golf professional herself, but felt it might be a good idea to try asking the Fitness Coordinator at RWU, Mark Andreozzi.

   "I figured he might be a golfer and have a few golf clubs lying around," said Adams.

While amused by the idea, Andreozzi was not actually a golfer, and offered the advice of calling the intramural sports office. Adams called the intramural sports office, and after leaving a message, she wrote down the name of the individual that Scully could try to contact. Andreozzi had also suggested another resource, the Montaup Country Club, just on the other side of the bay from the university, in Portsmouth, RI. The whole meeting lasted for around ten minutes before Scully left the office, planning to visit the Portsmouth golf course. He thanked Adams for the help and felt somewhat indebted.

   "He said that he owed me one, and that he would have to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich some time," said Adams.

    Scully called Mountaup's pro shop and was able to speak to William Maguire, the assistant professional at the course. When he asked about getting a 7-iron for use in a classroom demonstration, Maguire was more than happy to help. Arriving at the pro shop, Maguire met Scully with a grin and provided him with an old 7-iron, and six used golf balls.

Looking at the 7 Iron (Casey)

       The seven iron from the Montaup Country Club's pro shop, shows signs of aging. The club was abandoned by a golfer at the country club over a year ago, and since no one had claimed it, McGuire gave Scully the club as a gift.

       The silver aluminum shaft of the club is tarnished, with spots of rust accumulating at the end of the grip, and freckled rings of rust running down the shaft.

       The grip of the club is made of a black rubber, worn and misshapen from it’s excessive use. Six rows of golden lined grooves run down the grip, some betraying the shape of fingertips from such heavy use. In between two of the rows, the words “Fine Line” are written vertically down the grip, while the top of the grip has a small hole, also adorned by the words “Fine Line”. Around the outside edge of the words, “Golf Pride” and “Made In USA” can be seen engraved in the rubber. The hosel is made of black rubber as well, with a golden ring at the top. It had numerous dents and some dirt spread around the surface.

       The entire head of the club is made of iron, matching the sliver coloring of the shaft. The socket of the club, located below the hosel, has diagonal grooves in it, as well as numerous chips and scratches.

       There are twelve grooves that are evenly spaced over the surface of the club face; they are caked in a light brown layer of dried dirt. There are even small pieces of dead grass stuck in the old dirt, making it clear that the club has not been cleaned since its last use.

       The sole of the club has a large number seven engraved, and is filled with dark brown dirt. Next to the number seven there is a label, “REG. 259”, also engraved and filled with dirt.

       The back side of the club head has engraved writing as well. There is a name, “Matt Andrews,” carved in black, above a small red star, and the word “Executive” next to it, all in capital letters and written in gold.

Architecture of the Game (Tucker)

    The architecture of a golf course consists 18 holes. However, the golfer is given the choice to play either nine or 18 holes. Each of these holes have different distances defined by either a par three, par four, or par five. A par three hole usually stays below 250 yards. A par four hole is between 250-450 yards. A par five hole is between 450-550 yards.

    "Par" in golf is the number of strokes or tries is takes to get the ball into the hole. For example, on a par four hole, the golfer is expected to put the ball into the hole within four strokes. If the golfer exceeds four tries, he or she is now "over par", which is hurts an individual's score. If the golfer puts the ball in the hole in less than for tries, he or she is now "under par", which is improves an individual's score.

    When the golfer completes the hole one stroke under par, it is called a "birdie". When it the hole is completed two strokes under par, it is called an "eagle". If the golfer buries the ball in the hole on the first stroke, it is considered an"hole-in-one", which is extremely rare. It is considered to be one of the toughest feats to be achieved in all of sports. When the golfer completes the hole one stroke over par, it is called a "bogey". Two strokes over par is called a "double bogey", and so on.

   At the beginning of each hole, players take their first shot from "the tee". This is an area where the grass is cut very short so the golfer can make an effective swing with the large head of their driver club. The golf ball itself is placed on a small wooden tee no longer than two inches, which is then stuck in the grass. There are also two areas to tee off from. Each is color coated, usually blue and red. The tee furthest away from the hole is mainly for experienced golfers, while the tee closest to the hole is meant for amateurs and also women.

    In the center of the golf course is shortly cut grass, which is called "the fairway". All golfers aim for this area in order to have an adequate area to take their next shot. Landing on the fairway also gives the golfer a better chance of getting on the green quicker. The fairway is surrounded by "the rough", which is taller grass and is typically more difficult to swing in. Trees are also included in the rough. If a golfer hits his or her ball into the trees, the rules state they must take their next shot as it lies. A golf course also contains several sand traps or "bunkers". This is an area covered in sand and is typically about fifteen feet wide and four feet in depth. Bunkers are mainly located around the green, but are also included on par five holes next to the fairways.

    The green is the goal where every golfer aims. It is the area where the hole or "the pin" is located. The grass in this area is the shortest it can possibly be. Based on the way the grass is cut and how the ground is shaped, the green can control the speed and direction in which the ball is putted by the golfer.

Closing

    Blaming the unusually bad hit on the "New England ground, filled with divetts," Scully focuses his concentration on the ball for his next shot. Unhappy with the ball's position, Scully breaks his attention and steps back to roll the ball out of one of those stubborn divetts.

    "We'll call on the winter rule that is set up here for sucky players," says Scully. "This rule lets the player move the ball a little to take it out of the small slumps found in the ground."

    Stepping forward to the ball yet again, Scully places his hands one on top of the other with fingers overlapping, thumbs pointing down. The awkward feeling of this position and the uncomfortableness of the swing do not seem to phase Scully as he keeps his head down and focused.

    Scully swings back, never breaking his gaze, and pierces his lips as he makes contact with the small golf ball.

     "Schwap."

   The ball goes flying off like Superman at the speed of light into the woods and disappears within moments. Scully has done it, he has accomplished a perfect hit.

    "The thing about golf is one good hit and your hooked," says Scully with a look of satisfaction. "All it took was that one good hit a long time ago, and now, I'm hooked."

Sources:

http://golf.about.com/od/golfersmen/p/phil_mickelson.htm

http://golf.about.com/od/golfersmen/p/old_tom_morris.htm

http://www.philmickelson.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Nicklaus

sources : (1) http://www.golf-club-revue.com/golf-club-history.html

                 (2) http://class.et.byu.edu/mfg130/processes/descriptions/deformation/dropforging.htm

                 (3) http://www.randa.org/home/TheR%2526A

                 (4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Palmer

Authors

Sara Bagwell is a senior Communication major

Carey Baldwin is senior Communication major at RWU.

Megan Dias is a senior Communication major on the journalism track, minoring in Dance.

Eryn Dion is a sophomore Communication major.

Bryanna Fucci is a senior Communication major, music minor at Roger Williams University

Melissa Luneau is a senior Communication and journalism major, minoring in poli sci, legal studies and core concentration in international studies.

Casey Meagher is a senior Communication major at Roger Williams University with a concentration in journalism

Ali Murphy is a senior Communication major at RWU.

David Santos is a senior Communication major.

Michael Scully is an assistant professor of Communication at Roger Williams University.

Tucker Silva is a senior Communication major. He is an amazing golfer.

InSpring ‘09 released 9^th studio album, “Upl

Digital Journalism (Fall 2009)

2009-09-09T07:36:00.001-07:00

COMM 355: Digital Journalism I

(Fall 2009)

Professor Michael Scully

Roger Williams University

Web 2.0:

Following the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Internet became commercialized in the sense that it was available to the general public, as well as businesses. Before 1996, the Internet was used solely by government agencies and research laboratories as an internal system that was closed to the public. As a result of the commercialization of the Internet, many online businesses appeared in the years between 1996 and 2002. However, this period of rapid growth did not last long as almost all of these companies went out of business following 2002. This period in the history of the Internet is referred to as Web 1.0.

Over the past five years there has been a renaissance or rebirth of successful online companies, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. This rebirth of online business is called Web 2.0, and it has reshaped every media industry it can get it its hands on. In recent years there has been a proliferation of online newspapers and television stations, such Boston.TV. What differentiates online media from traditional media is that online media is less formal and more personal. Although the Internet market is still experiencing rapid growth, it is believed that it will eventually reach its capacity and be dominated by a few large companies.

Economics:

One of the reasons why media on the Internet is becoming so popular and widespread is its cheaper price tag; television media costs thirteen times more than Internet media. Television requires expensive sets, equipment, and man power to produce a simple 30-minute broadcast. The Internet however, eliminates most of these costs and can allow one person to write, produce, film and distribute the same news that television studios potentially spend millions of dollars on.

Media History:

The broad spectrum of mass media encompasses six major outlets. These media outlets include newspapers, radio, TV, Magazines, Internet, and video games. Newspapers first emerged in 15th century Venice. The city was a major trading post and needed a way to spread information to other cities to generate trade. The first American newspaper was published in 1690. This Boston publication was called "Publick Occurences". The early days of newspapers consisted of two daily publications. One newspaper was published in the morning, and the second was published in the evening. In recent years, the existence of evening newspapers has decreased, and now there are no longer evening newspapers in America.

The next media outlet to appear on the scene was radio. At the height of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt brought America together and gave them a sense of hope through his "Fireside Chats". Throughout World War II, Americans stayed informed on the happenings of the war through their living room radio sets.

Although television was invented in the 1930s, it was not commercialized until after World War II. The first TVs had small screens surrounded by large wooden structures, and were very different from the big screen TV sets we see today. Invented by Philo Farnsworth TV started out as a means to combat crime. Felix the cat waas th e first cartoon to

Marshall McLuhan:

Marshall McLuhan, a communications theorist in the 1960s, created a theory based on the advancement of technology, stating that "changes in communication technology inevitably produce profound changes in both culture and social order." (Baran, Stanley J. and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment and Future. 5th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Boston, MA. 2009. pp. 219.) He is said to be a technological theorist, as he believes that all social, political, economic and cultural change is based around the development of technology.

McLuhan also stated the idea of medium as a message, stating that media allows us to transform our experiences in society and with ourselves, which is more important than the content of the messages. In simpler terms, technology determines experience.

He used the phrase "global village," which refers to a "new form of social organization emerging as instantanious electronic media tie the entire world into one great social, political and cultural system." (Baran. pp. 220.) However, McLuhan focused more on the individual effects media had on people and how these people utilized the effects, instead of the effects it had on this global village. He also said media was an extension of man, and it "literally extended sight, hearing and touch through time and space." (Baran. pp.221.)

Facebook and Social Networks:

Facebook is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students get to know each other better.

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes while he was a student at Harvard University.The website's membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 300 million active users worldwide.

We use Facebook in our Digital Journalism class because of how convenient and easy to use it is. It makes communication between a large number of people so simple, it's almost frightening how many people can know what you are doing at a given time. The videos we are making in class as tests for future projects are uploaded to Facebook and shared with Professor Scully and our peers for thoughts and comments on our work. None of us knew how simple it was to broadcast ourselves within a matter of minutes. And with every new friend request, we are expanding our infinite audience.

Linda Clark Hall experiment:

A group of 13 Digital Journalism students decided to show how Facebook statuses can spread a common word to thousands of people at one time. Each student in the class was told to change their status to let their friends know that the North Residence Hall was going to be named after Linda Clarke. With her billboard being such a "hit" with the Roger Williams students the digital journalism class was sure this would cause some shocking reactions with their friends. After everyone worded the news differently in their status Professor Scully told the students to close Facebook until the end of class to see what we have caused on the social networking site. Right before class ended everyone logged on to share the different reactions with everyone. Some students received multiple comments and "likes", but some students didn't seem to make much of an impact on their Facebook friends. Both students and alumni had comments about the newly named residence hall. The next part of the experiement was to go out on campus and see if it comes up in conversations. The next Digital Journalism class would include a discussion about the outcome was. Some students said people came up to them and said, "Did you hear that the new residence hall was being named after Linda Clarke?" After reading and hearing the different comments from the rumor started by the Digital Journalism class, it is clear how Facebook is powerful enough to spread news to a mass of people very quickly.

Field Producing:

TV Field Reporting involves three people: the camera person, the reporter, and the producer. The camera person is responsible for managing the equipment and shooting all the images (including interviews, stand-ups, and B-roll). Interviews on camera usually run about 10-12 seconds. Stand-ups are the reporters introduction to the story, and B-roll is everything else. The B-roll enables the story to be told visually if there wasn't any sound. The camera person usually shoots at least 15 minutes of B-roll for a three-minute story.

The Reporter is the host, or face, that builds a reputation by gathering stories. As reporters become more popular and famous, the harder it is for them to gather information for their stories. They work very closely with the camera person and may even sometimes bring their camera person with them when they accept a new job. Interviews with people reporters encounter on the streets that are not scheduled are called "mos," or man on the street.

The Producer is "the boss." they have the last say on everything and schedule the interviews for the reporters. They are the schedulers and the connections to the network.

The most important piece of equipment in field producing is the field camera. The field camera is a view camera that can be folded into compact size. When filming in the field you need to be able to maneuver properly and quickly to capture last minute breaking shots, so it must be lighter and smaller. The film camera developed from the original early interlocking box cameras of the 19th century, they range in sizes from 6x9cm to 20x24 inches. The most popular sizes are 4x5 and 8x10 inches.

Tripod Rules and Use:

To set up the tripod:

1. Pull out shoe for camera by pushing side button.

2. Screw in camera so the hole is in the front.

3. Slide camera back into place, again pushing on the button.

Tripod Rules:

1. Never place the head of the tripod into the ground.

2. When done with a shoot, take the foot off the camera and place it back onto tripod. DO NOT LOSE IT!

3. DO NOT LOSE THE TRIPOD.

4. Do not give the tripod to a meathead

Other Stuff:

Don't use zoom on the Mino HD camera, it will pixelate the picture.

Video Codes:

Video Codes are the different names given to the different visuals and audios you see when you are watching television. "VO" is a voice-over, where all you can hear is the reporter's voice over the images. "NatVO" is when you hear the natural sound of the video with the reporter's voice over it, instead of just the voice. "SOT" is sound on tape; when you hear the recorded voice of someone who was interviewed over the images. Finally, "Stand Up" is when the reporter is on the screen and you can see and hear him or her. Throughout a video of about a minute we saw the codes change over 30 times.

Video Clip Length:

TV Interviews - 10-12 seconds in length on average. For example, in class we used an example from CNN Videos' Online. We estimated that the video changed between 21-33 times in the total clip (Clip Length - 137 Seconds). This particular online television clip averaged a change in clips between 4 & 7 seconds. Thus, in order to keep viewers attention, television clips must be changed quickly, rather then focusing on a long (in total) television clip.

Overall news videos should remain just over two minutes long, ideally an average of 130-150 seconds long. It is said that the average American watches six minutes of internet video a day, and will lose interest in anything over 2 1/2 to 3 minutes long.

Music:

Before Edison-

Had to go hear music live; could not hear the classics in your own home.

Listeners had to travel to Carnegie Hall or Boston Pops...etc.

Orchestras would take Mozart's piece and try to create an exact same replica of the piece, wanted it to sound exactly like Mozart.

After Edison-

Invents the record player (1877- "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was used for first recording)

The light bulb

General Electric (which owns NBC)

Music forms -

#1 requested Karaoke song of all time is "Crazy" by Patsy Cline.

Anatomy of the Song-

Opens with lead, then singing, followed by a chorus, more singing, chorus. 2/3 way through the song you find a solo piece called the bridge. Song continues to loop because your ear wants to hear what is at the beginning again.

Example: Moby song Porcelain- song takes you on a journey, halfway through it changes a little bit and then 2/3 way through artist takes a break and music stops completely. Artist breaks away from the song and then ends back to where we started by taking us back to the beginning.

Soundtrack Theory-

Movies will buy a song from a favorite artist and play it. In between a filler is used in order to groom the edges and make the video easier to look at. Tends to be very repetitive.

Example: Ocean's Eleven -David Holmes

Music & Video-

Has a way of smoothing out the rough edges in a video.

Music can set the tone and change the feel of the piece.

Video is a cool medium, but when music is added as a hot medium, it gives a different element.

Music is a hot medium, video is cool so when put together you are willing to look at more of it.

Record Industry Association of America v. Institutions of Higher Education-

The industry has given up trying to stop people from giving out free music. Instead, they attack the "johns," or people who are downloading the music. For the past few years The RIAA has been targeting college students, and college campuses across the country.

*see Record Industry Association of America located at bottom of page

Garage Band-

to create music for videos:

1. Open Garage Band and select loops.

2. Select genre and select songs. Green dotted songs are shorter and blue squares are longer tunes.

3.Can stack them all next to each other to create your own unique sounds.

4. Can put different tunes on different tracks in order to be able to overlap the sounds or have two play together.

5. After finished creating song, go to share, send song to Itunes.

6. Send as MP3 (compress using MP3 on drop down menu under send song to Itunes). Has to be an MP3 in order to be put in final cut.

7.Find mp3 in Itunes and put it onto desktop.

8.From desktop you can drag it onto Final Cut.

Lighting:

Lighting is about grabbing light and making it work for you. Different types of light burn different colors. For example, sunlight burns white and fluorescent lights burn blue. You don't want to shoot video in yellow light because it pollutes the shot and gives white things a yellow hue.

Lighting Do's:

1. Appreciate Light

2. Shoot in daylight when possible

3. Compose your shot

4. When shooting in sunlight, put the sun behind the camera.

Lighting Don'ts:

1. Never put your subject in front of a window because the camera picks up the lights and you can't make out skin tones. To fix this you shoot perpendicular to the window.

2. Never put your subject against a wall.

3. Watch hair lighting- lighting from above can create a shadow on the face. A person under light can look like they have no eyes.

Fluorescent lights burn a blue\green. Tucson lights burn yellow.

Hatchet Light- When the light on a face casts a shadow, making half the face in silhouette.

Motion:

Continuity, in all shots, is key. When continuity breaks, the audience's attention breaks and you lose them.

The Axis of Action is maintaining same direction during all shots of film. For example, if you are filming a cyclist traveling from North Campus to Willow, you need to film from the same side of the street at all times. *NEVER cross the axis of action!

-West to East

-(definition) a tool used during filming to create this spatial clarity. In most films, it is assumed that the action in a scene occurs along an apparent and predictable line. This imaginary and invisible line is called the axis of action, and is also known as the center line or 180 degree line. When filmmakers go to shoot a scene, they plan almost all of their camera placements to respect the axis of action. That is, the camera will always be placed on one side of the axis of action, and will never cross the line

Panning is moving the camera from left to right or right to left.

Apple j changes speed of motion on Final Cut Pro.

*Controlling the Shot: 1. Sound 2. Light 3. Humans

Story Boarding:

Television typically doesn't story board unless it is more on the 'talented side'.

Movies are story boarded. So are cartoons, reality shows, etc.

Final Cut Pro:

Final Cut Studio 2009

Fox, much like other television networks uses Final Cut Pro (Professional version of Studio) in editing pretty much anything video that they produce and show. To see Final Cut Pro in Action, please click the following: Final Cut Pro in Action - Fox Studios HQ

To download or learn more about Quicktime, please click here, Quicktime 7.

To download or learn more about Final Cut Studio Academic (College Student Edition), please click here, Final Cut Studio.

Types of Video Files: .mov, mp4 and .avi.

.mov: Optimal movie file format for Final Cut Studio. Remember to always covert to .mov otherwise repressing in Final Cut Studio will take 5 times the amount of time to complete the operation.

.mp4: The video file format that is most commonly taken off the video cameras' in class. When you save the video from the camera to the apple computer, the video file format will most likely be this one. An easy way to identify if the file is a .mp4 is to look at the end of the saved name of the video file. The end of the file name will identify the video file format.

.avi: This video file format is most commonly used when using video files' on Windows operated computers. As discussed in class, this video file format is 'toxic' on Apple computers and editing in Final Cut Studio.

Directions on Saving Video Files from the Camera to the Apple Computer:

The easiest way to do this is to use the Apple program, Quicktime. Quicktime is an Apple based video viewing program that both Apple and PC users can use to view video online and on their computers. The program can also be used to change the file format of imported video from cameras'.

To start simply plug the video camera into the USB port on the Apple computer. Note: The USB port on the Apple computers in the Mac Labs is located towards the bottom of the CPU. The USB port on the Mac computers in the library is located on the left side of the monitor.

Open the files on the video camera. The files are located in the DCIM folder located on the Camera's memory. In order to identify the videos on the Camera, you can simply double click on the video to view it. This, however, will not save the video on the computer, but only allow you to view it on the computer and stream the media through the use of the Camera's memory.

After you are able to identify which video files you want to save to the computer, you will have two options. Option 1: Using the mouse drag the video file to the desktop of the computer. This will copy and save the video file to the desktop of your computer. Option 2: Open the video file on the Camera's memory. Then go to File (located on the upper left of your screen) and look for the option save-as. You are then able to save the video file to whatever file folder you desire on the computer.

This should save the video file's from the camera to the computer. In either option, you are able to copy the video to the computer. The video file will remain on the camera as well as saved to whatever file folder or desktop you designated in either option. Always remember that the video file will remain on the Camera's memory until you delete it.

Directions on Converting MP4 Video File Format to .MOV Video File Format (Optimized file format for Final Cut Studio on Apple Computers):

Again, the easiest way to do this operation is to use the Apple program, Quicktime. After you have saved the video file to the Apple computer from the camera, open the program Quicktime or open the video file saved on the computer (Default video viewing program should be designated as Quicktime).

After opening the video file, you can then go to the option File (Located on the left upper part of the screen). Then go to the option save-as and you can then designate what video file format you would like to save the video (Option designated under Format - There should be a drop down menu of varying video file designation options).

Choose the .MOV save-as format option, since you are going to be editing the video in Final Cut Studio. As said before, the .MOV video file format is optimal for usage in the Apple program, Final Cut Studio.

Name the video file to your choosing and designate where the video should be saved on the computer (Easiest place is the desktop).

Then click save, and you should be all set to edit in Final Cut Studio with your newly converted .MOV video.

Editing in Final Cut Studio (Description of options used thus far as of class-time 9/18):

First and foremost, please restart the computer before converting video files on the Apple Computer. Do this before editing video in Final Cut Studio as well. Final Cut Studio uses a tremendous amount of memory on the Apple computers (Doesn't matter if it's a Macbook Pro or a top-of-the line Apple Desktop). The memory needs to be cleared by means of restart before using Final Cut Pro. Also note that the Apple computers at Roger Williams University are equipped with the program Deep Freeze. This program erases all saved files by Student users each time the computer is restarted. Thus, files need to be saved to either your camera, USB Jump Drive, or on the student network system.

Open Final Cut Studio, which is located in the Apple dock at the lower part of your screen (If you scroll over the varying applications, you can view the application name).

Please Note: Final Cut Studio will take a few minutes to open. The program uses a tremendous amount of computer memory while in usage, so in order to optimize the program please close other applications which are not currently in use.

Next you will have two options. Option 1: You can drag the converted .MOV video files into Final Cut Studio. This will then allow you to edit them in the program. Option 2: You can go to File and then under the menu choose open. You can the open your converted .MOV video files in Final Cut Studio. The option 2 suggestion is the preferred since you most likely will be inserting other video files into the editing software.

Once the video files are in Final Cut Studio, please save before you begin. You will then want to repress the file as discussed in class. This will take some time as seen in class. The 45 second video clips took a few minutes in this operation. The purpose of this operation is to optimize the video editing in the program, in order to ensure that there is no 'clipping' or dropped frame rate in the video's that you are editing.

As you can see, the video and sound are designated differently. The video is upper colored line, while the sound is the lower two colored lines (There is a line separating video and sound, so that there is no confusion).

The sound is identified in two colored lines' for this reason; the two lines represent left and right. One line is for listening in the left ear and the right is for listening in the right ear. Hence, one can potentially create a different sound for each ear, while the same video clip is being displayed. A good example of this would be inserting a natural sound and music, in which were played at the same time in order to enhance the video at either that clip or frame.

In-class we were asked to upload our 45 second converted video into Final Cut Studio and then insert B-roll into the video, which would be displayed in the final video. The B-roll was inserted for video purposes only, and we needed to cut the sound during the B-roll (Sound recorded during the filming of the B-roll and therefore ended up in the converted video file).

Professor Scully in-class described the sound cutting tool as an 'Ameoba' looking icon towards the left upper part of the video and sound editing rectangle. Once this tool is clicked you can then delete the sound of the B-roll and only have the video. You can then drag the B-roll video to whatever section of original video you want the B-roll to be displayed. You will want to repress the entire video file again in Final Cut Studio.

A few things to remember. At the top of the video and sound editing part of the rectangle-esk editing location in Final Cut Studio will exemplify a red-line if the video needs to be repressed. If you see this redline, you should repress and then continue editing. Each varying video or sound will be identified in different colors as not to confuse the editor. What I mean is that, you will see green colors as designation for original video and sound, and then different colors when you add other video and sound. Hence, you can differentiate varying video and sound from one another to eliminate confusion.

command+J allows for film speed control.

ctrl+u brings you to the correct editing screen.

Once you are finished editing:

File>Export

Using Quiktime Conversion

Save As>Desktop
Options>Size: preserve aspect ratio

Once you have saved your video, there will be 2 files. One of these files will open in Final Cut Pro, and the other will open in Quicktime.

FinalCut Pro Sound Tutorial: This tutorial explains how to alter sound decibels when using multiple audo tracks in FinalCut Pro

Deep Freeze:

The I.T. guys way of getting back at students for how he was treated as a child.

Record Industry Association of America:

The Record Industry Association of America is evil and is out to destroy the lives of all college students. Every 90 days the RIAA sues a college student in the United States. The RIAA likes to use single universities in a certain area of the country as an example. For example, in Boston, if the RIAA wanted to show a university whose students are illegally downloading music, they would sue MIT to create front page news. Because of the existence of this evil organization, Scully asks that we do not used licensed music in any of our videos. We are legally allowed to use 29 seconds of licensed music, but if we do, YouTube might strip our audio anyway, and our entire video will be ruined...so DON'T USE ANY LICENSED MUSIC IN DIGITAL JOURNALISM CLASS. An alternative is to use Garage Band where the music is usable.

Copyrights

1- Literary Works-Software

2- Music/lyrics

3- Dramatic works

4- Dance

5- Photos/Sculptures

6- Movies

7- Sound

Copyrights expire 70 years after the owner dies.

-publishing: find a way to document

-"fixing" ownership: putting things on youtube/facebook

Video Post Cards

Catalogue your journey through snippets. Show each part of what is going on in journey:

Ex: 1. Team, 2. NCAA, 3. NYC, 4. Playing, 5. NYC, 6. Game

Then put in order, only add music. Can use small VOs like "O look! We're in NYC!"

Camera Notes

Canon HF10

Shoots in 1080i (i=interlace) If you export in the wrong format, you will be able to see the webbing

Has the capacity to shoot still photos-10megapixels
Camera Set-Up Ritual:

1. Choose site

                2. Set up tripod
                3. Mount camera
                4. Set up Sound Device ("dead squirrel")
                5. White balance: Aim camera at subject holding white piece of paper-press button
                6. Shoot SHORT videos

Microphones

1. Squirrel Microphone

2. Stick Microphone

3. Lav Microphone

Assignments:

Final Project

Last Assignment-

Will and Allison- Examining the alcohol policy. It's been in effect for a semester, we want to find out if it changed anything and if the policy is going to be updated next semester.

About Roger Williams University-

Paul and Devery- The people behind the scenes of RWU:The Janitors

Will and Allison- Stressed out students/ how to deal with stress. We will get advice from Jim Azar from the counseling center, as well as talk to students about how stressed they are at this point in the semester and what they do to deal with their stress.

Kelleigh, Ryan, Sarah- We will be covering a new proposal for a safe-rides program on campus. We will be talking to Daniel Gough, Director of the Environmental Health and Safety Department, who is in charge of this proposal, as well as talk to the Health and Wellness Department to get a perspective on how this can help students, and how it ties into the new alcohol policies on campus.

Keith and Kerry-We will be covering the dance show that was just performed by the RWU Dance Club. We will interview the choreographers, club officers, and those in attendance at the show.

Kristina and Megan- we will be discussing the woman's volleyball team on their way to the NCAA tournament in New York this week. This is the first time they have gotten to this tournament.

Benjamin and Julie - We will interview me (Ben) on the dangers and expense of drinking and driving at Roger Williams University; showcasing the after effects of what can happen when you decide to drink and drive and the changes that Ben has made after experiencing the effects of receiving a DUI.

Things in Motion-

Will and Allison- We will be taping an interviewing a freshman Tom Lin and as a hobby he skateboards, certain effects and certain angles could make this assignment very interesting and fun for different motion affects

Keith and Kerry- We will be taking video of students walking past the library from inside the library.

Devery and Paul - We are going to do a video montage of motion. We will tape various kinds of motion and have VO's of people describing what they think motion is.

Kristina and Megan- We will be filming Leanne Smith, a Dance Major, doing different types of dancing. The film will be from many different angles and views and locations.

Sarah, Ryan and Kelleigh- We will be filming an intramural dodge ball match on Sunday evening.

Julie and Ben - We will be filming both human and vehicle movement. In this particular case, we are comparing the movements of humans vs. vehicles; contrasting varying movements by both to showcase filming movement and to exemplify how movement of humans and vehicles can sometimes be alike.

Someone Interesting-

Kristina Dolan and Megan Dias- We have decided to interview Kevin Hayden, the Study Abroad Director. He is well-known around campus, especially with the students who have studied abroad in the past or are about to study abroad in the near future. He has been to many different places around the world and experienced some very unique events on his travels. Mr. Hayden is a friendly and interesting individual and would make for a positive interview.

Paul and Devery- Nate Mott of the Nate Mott Band

Kerry and Keith -We will be interviewing Kenny "King of the Lower Commons". Kenny's larger then life personality and infectious charisma brighten even the gloomiest of days at Roger Williams University.

Kelleigh and Ryan- We will be interviewing Ruben Malves, a recent graduate of RWU. He is currently taking over the managing position of Sunset Cafe in Bristol.

Benjamin and Julie - We will be interviewing Joe Neri, a senior at RWU. He is currently a bouncer at Topsides, a local bar hot spot for students, in Bristol.

Will Boshes and Allison Collins- We would like to do a profile on Alan Levelle, an anthropology professor here at RWU. We will talk with him about his teaching and anthropology career. Levelle is a part time professor here at RWU, I (Will) have had several classes with Levelle and I find him to have a very free flowing teaching style and show an interesting way of looking at teaching. In our interview we will ask Levelle about how he got into teaching, how long he has been teaching for and who his biggest influence in his life and teaching career are.

Someone Talented-

Kristina and Megan- We will be interviewing Dave Simpson. He is an avid surfer here in Rhode Island and loves it so much he begins surfing in February every year. He has also begun the practice of muey thai, which is a form of martial arts, to stay in shape and help him keep in shape with his surfing. We will talk to him about his passion for surfing and hopefully touch on his new found passion for muey thai as well.

Kerry and Keith- We will be interviewing Chef Sai of DeWolf Tavern. He is a world-renowned chef from India who prepares sophisticated and award-winning dishes for DeWolf Tavern in Bristol, Rhode Island. We will ask him about his experiences in the kitchen, and his favorite dishes to prepare.

Will and Allison-- We will interview Billy Dunn, a closer for the RWU baseball team. He is a senior from Sturbridge, Mass. We will ask him about how he started playing baseball and how he feels about playing on RWU's team.

Paul and Devery- We will interview Eli Dunn, a chef at Bee Hive Cafe in downtown Bristol.

Kelleigh, Ryan and Sarah- We will be interviewing Joshua Marrese, a senior at RWU. He is known on campus for his amazing metal guitar skills, which would provide some great visual shots as well as some original music. We want to know how he got into this and how he learned to play such complicated music.

Benjamin and Julie - We will interview Carey Baldwin, a senior at Roger Williams University who has started her own clothing design company, and designs her own clothing for the company.

Class Time Notes 11/3/20

Copyright Laws - United States & Often times International Laws

Copyrighted Material

LIterature

Music & Lyrics

Dramatic Work

Dance Compositions

Photos & Sculptures

Movies & Films

Scripts (Video, Television, Radio, etc)

Copyright Length Terms

Lifetime of producer + 70 years

Fair Use Rights

29 Seconds and you do not violate the copyright law

Anything longer then 29 seconds & you will violate the copyright law

Corporate Notes

Ex. Boston Globe

Posted on Blog, work was done for the company, Boston Globe

Can be sued for posting the work on the Boston Globe, since you were being paid for doing the work by the Boston Globe (therefore, it belongs to the Boston Globe; not you)

If you do your own work on your own time with your OWN camera, then you own the rights to the content (Must be on your OWN time & OWN equipment)

Ex. Wedding Photography

If you pay a photographer to shoot the wedding, they own the copyright to the photos, even though you paid the photographer to shoot the pictures. UNLESS, you specify in the contract that you want exclusive rights to the pictures taken at the wedding.

Key Copyright Ideal

Roger Williams University equipment, which is accessible to students; in this example Flip HD, the copyright belongs to the students, since the students are paying tuition, and in theory paying of the usage of Roger Williams materials (such as the Flip HD)

Even, if you shoot the video & the camera belongs to someone else, the copyright is still the camera's owner's, not yours.

Current and Former Students:

Fall 2009:

Will Boshes is a Communications major from Easton, Conn. He is part of the Class of 2010.

Allison Collins is a Journalism major from Attleboro, Mass. She is part of the Class of 2010.

Kelleigh Welch

is a Journalism and Art and Architectural History double major from Holden, Mass. She will graduate in Spring of 2010.

Kerry Burke is a Public Relations major from Old Saybrook, Conn. She will graduate in May 2010.

Kristina Dolan is a Global Communications major from Glenmont, N.Y. She is part of the Class of 2010.

Julie Moody is a Journalism major from Plymouth, Mass. She is part of the Class of 2011.

Megan Dias is a Communications major and Dance minor from East Providence, R.I.. She is part of the Class of 2010.

Paul Chiera is a Communications major and Photo/Digital Media minor from Brewster, N.Y.He is part of the Class of 2010.

Devery Tracey is a Public Relations major from Simsbury, Conn. She is part of the Class of 2011

Keith Weiner is a Global Communications major and history minor from Easton, Mass. He is part of the Class of 2011.

Benjamin Williams is a Public Relations major from Chatham, Mass. He is part of the Class of 2010.

Sarah Smith is a Journalism major and German minor from Columbia, Md. She is part of the class of 2010.

Ryan Farrell is a Global Communications major from Dalton Mass. He is part of the class of 2010.

Spring 2008:

Geoffrey Baranger is a future RWU graduate from Fairfield, Connecticut; a journalism major and plays basketball. Geoff was recently named RWU Male Athlete of the Year, and will graduate in Summer 2008.

Ben Camobreco is a graduate of Roger Williams University with a Journalism degree. He is from Duxbury, MA and played on the RWU basketball team.

Brittany Costa is a 2008 graduate of Roger Williams University and is a Global Communications major from Rhode Island. She also has a double minor in Political Science and Creative Writing. Brittany has much experience in on-air reporting with local network affiliates in Rhode Island as well as within her job outside of school. Brittany is planning on continuing her work in the communications field.

Max Covill is a senior Computer Information Systems major from Rhode Island; also a minor in Music. He is a graduate of the Roger Williams University class of 2008. Max brought to the table experience with different computer technologies. He is pursuing video editing after college and hopes to continue in the field.

Greg Curtin is a graduating senior from Massachusetts majoring in communications PR and has a psychology minor. He still does not have a job.

Diana DeQuattro prefers to be called Dee. She is a double major in Political Science and Journalism and is a part of the class of 2009. Someday she expires to work as a producer for T.V. or radio.

Jake Dumond is a RWU Graduate. He majored in PR Communication with a core concentration in Psychology. He has learned a lot from New Media and plans to use his experience to persue a job in the television or radio field.

Katherine Fleming is member of the class of 2008 and a Global Communications and Spanish double major. She recently completed her Core Concentration of Italian Studies while abroad in Florence, Italy. After graduation she plans on landing a job, any job, to be able to live comfortably in Boston with friends.

Shaun Hogan is a member of the class of 2008. I was a communications major with a concentration in journalism and I plan on attending the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH next fall.

Joanna Nettelfield is a 2008 graduate Communications major from New York. She played on the women's tennis team for four years and is very sad to leave RWU behind. She doesn't have a job lined up for after graduation yet, but is excited to see what is outside of Roger William's little bubble.

Charles Schipani is a graduate of the communications dept. at Roger Williams University. And he is a champion at everything he does.

Kristen Seturins is a member of the class of 2009, a Communications major, and a Creative Writing minor. She is also a member of the Varsity Equestrian Team at Roger Williams. She hopes to do graphic design for a publishing company or work as a copy editor. Eventually, she would like to relocate closer to Boston at some point in her life so she can further establish her love for the Red Sox and Patriots.

Jason Smith is a senior Communications major studying Public Relations. He is from Weymouth Massachusetts.

Sophia Tiberi is a junior Communications (public relations) major and is finishing her core concentration in psychology. She was born and raised in New York and enjoys it in Bristol, RI. Sophia is a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and has a positon on the e-board as the historian. Sophia is part of Roger Williams University's class of 2009.

Greg Walsh is a 2008 graduate of Roger Williams University from Massachusetts. He majored in Communications, with a double minor in Marketing and Psychology. He was the DJ Manager for 88.3 WQRI and is starting an independent film company.

Fall 2007:

Michael Hurley is a graduate of the Roger Williams University Communications Department from Massachusetts. He was with The Feed in Fall '07 and worked as a field producer, writer, editor and cameraman. He aspires to write and produce sports stories for newspapers, television and the Internet.

Lorin Richardson is a Communications major graduating in 2009. She was with The Feed in Fall '07 and worked as a reporter and writer. She wants to be an on-air reporter for a television news company.

Phil Yacouby is a graduate of the Roger Williams University Communications Department from Massachusetts. He was with The Feed in Fall '07 and worked as a reporter, field producer, editor and cameraman. He aspires to work as a Final Cut Pro editor for a production company or news operation. In The Feed's story on the campus smoking ban, he appears in the opening and closing stand-ups.

Faculty and Staff:

Michael Scully is an Assistant Professor of Communications at Roger Williams University where he primarily teaches journalism classes. His classes include Writing for Mass Media, Feature Writing, Mass Media Law & Ethics, Digital Journalism I and Digital Journalism II. He has been working as a college professor since the Fall of 2004. Prior to academia, he wrote for a variety of new organizations including CNN, Fortune Small Business magazine, The (Middletown, NY) Times Herald-Record, The Fairfax Journal, Washington Technology, The Vienna Times and The (Glens Falls) Post-Star. He also worked for New Century Networks, an Internet news operation launched in the late 1990s by a consortium of newspaper companies.

Freedom Park Neighborhood Association

2009-03-02T14:55:00.001-08:00

hello mr. scully

Freedom Park Neighborhood Association.

2008-08-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Special Topics in Journalism: Digital Journalism I

(Fall 2008)

Professor Michael Scully

Roger Williams University

YouTube Page video homepage

Special Topics in Journalism: Digital Journalism I is a course on electronic media taught by Communications Professor Michael Scully at Roger Williams University. The purpose of this class is to expose students to the tools they may need to succeed in the evolving world of Internet journalism. To do this, Professor Scully will review current multimedia news sites and cite them as examples for student work. He will also train the students to think about nonlinear multimedia storytelling techniques. This class has 21 students, and currently meets on Tuesdays from 5 pm to 8 p.m. in Roger Williams' North Campus classroom building.

Students are required to purchase a Flip Video Ultra video camera as part of their course materials. The mini camera is about the size of a cigarette box, it uses two double-A batteries, it has a hard-drive memory chip that can record 60 minutes of video, and it costs $150. (See video consumer review.) Professor Scully first learned about the Flip Video Ultra camera from Arik Hesseldahl, a technology editor at BusinessWeek.com. Hesseldahl, who attended grad-school with Scully, found that the relatively new camera was cheap, easy to use and fun. Scully promptly purchased his at Wal-Mart in Newport, R.I.

From the outset of the semester, students will begin using the cameras to shoot mini-autobiographies, profiles of people and places, and -- finally -- news events. Each of these stories will be published to a blog of their own making. The purpose here is to get them in the cycle of crafting and producing stories and publishing in an electronic forum. Professor Scully's blog, Ode to Journalism, is an example of the work.

For their part, the students will have to create blogs on BlogSpot.Com, open a YouTube page, and establish a GMail account.

Professor Scully began teaching New Media at Roger Williams University in Fall '07. It was during his opening days at RWU when Professor Ted Delaney approached him about conducting an independent study with three Communications students. Delaney then introduced Scully to seniors Michael Hurley and Phil Yacouby, and junior Lorin Richardson. That same independent study, entitled, Special Topics in Journalism: New Media, was soon launched.

Lessons

Taking Video from Flip Video Ultra to Facebook

Insert Flip Video into USB port

Click on the DCIM (video file folder) icon

Click on the 100 Video icon

Drag Video to Desktop - (the most recent video is the last on the list)
NOW OPEN FILE

Open Quick Time Player

**in Quick Time Player**

-File

-Export

-Rename/ Desktop

-Set for Broadband Medium

-Option

-Size

-Preserve ASpect Ratio Using

-Save

Drag Flip Video Icon to Trash BEFORE removing camera

Open Facebook

Click on the Video Application

Click Upload

Browse for Video and Upload

Camera Techniques

Respect the light

-never put your subject in front of a window

-light should always be behind the camera and cameraman

-be aware of sunset

-best light is always the sun

Composition

-set camera as level as possible

-increase depth of field to aviod the "lineup" effect

-look out for lines (especially those that cut through the subject's head)

-dutch angles (intentional and for effect)

-be aware of what is going on around the subject

Camera Angles

-aiming up at a person makes them look authoritative

-aiming down at a person makes them look childlike

Working with the Canon HG-10

In class on 9-9-08, we had a lecture along with a tutorial in taking videos outside in the natural light. Today, the sun was gone at 7:03 pm, so the class quickly went outside to take small videos of each person. In each video, everyone said their name, year, major, where they were from, and then said "Roger Williams is..." We stationed the camera so that it was facing the field down in north campus. The sun was right over NC, so having the camera facing the field, allowed the person being taped to have the best natural light. Once the tripod was set up and all levels were even horizontally, we went over the system for taking videos. You need three people, producer, video cameraman, and anchor. The producer tells the anchor when to start and once they signal, the camera man starts recording and then the anchor starts. Anchors begin by saying "3, 2, 1," and then they begin their script.

Because each person appeared differently in the camera, whether it was skin tone or height, we had to make adjustments for each person. Also, adjustments were made so that there would be some variety in the final tape. With height problems, we were constantly tilting the camera up or down, or moving the tripod height itself. We had to make sure that any lines were not distracting to each person. Some people approached the camera by turning their body in a little or being straight forward. We centered and right and left justified people. A few select anchors were given a close up while some were given a long shot. Problems we encountered were natural sounds. Cars driving by and shuttles were disturbing to some videos, so we had to frequently wait, or hurry to get everything in before more disturbances came. All people needed to project their voices so that it came in clear. The wind was also a factor to the noises.

A Little History

The Feed (Fall 2007)

In Fall 2007, Professor Scully taught his first version of this class to three Roger Williams University communications students. Those included Michael Hurley, Phil Yacouby and Lorin Richardson. During that 15-week semester, the students created a video news digest called "The Feed," which published three-minute television news packages and published them online. During the course of the semester, the team published 12 video stories on YouTube.Com and Facebook.

About a month into the Fall semester, Professor Ted Delaney decided to shoot and produce a mini documentary on The Feed team, which he entitled "We Are the Feed." In it, the three students explained what they were doing in the course and what they were getting out of the curriculum.

Special Topics in Journalism: New Media (Spring 2008)

In Spring 2008, Professor Scully launched a full-course offering of Digital Journalism. The class opened with 15 students but dropped to 14 (because of a student's scheduling conflicts). The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is slowly easing its way into television tools for the Internet, blogging and building a collective WIKI page.

Building a Curriculum

In January 2008, Professor Scully addressed the Roger Williams University Curriculum Committee about his petition to add two new classes to the Journalism concentration. Those classes, Digital Journalism I and Digital Journalism II, are designed to address the systemic changes currently underway in the news media community. Digital Journalism I is an introduction of multimedia storytelling that fuses video with the written word. Digital Journalism II is about a more complex model for non-linear multimedia storytelling. In February, the committee tentatively approved COMM 355: Digital Journalism I and with some revisions also tentatively approved COMM 455: Digital Journalism II. Both these classes should turn up in the Fall 2008-2009 catalog. In March, the administration officially approved COMM 355 and COMM 455 for the 2008-2009 school year.

Past Stories

"The Feed's" first story was about the new entrance gate at the University. In this story, Lorin Richardson worked through her first reporting assignment as Phil Yacouby and Mike Hurley experimented with the camera, a Canon XL-1. The team had many technical problems throughout the editing process which lasted several hours. Starting at 3 p.m., The Feed filed its first story around 10 p.m.

Their next story was on the 9/11 memorial exhibit on campus.

In the fourth week, The Feed reported on Roger Williams' smoking initiative.

The Feed's most popular video package was on Roger Williams Professor Marilynn Mair, entitled, "My Mandolin." In it, Professor Mair plays her mandolin and talks about her career both in and outside the classroom. To shoot this interview, they set up a set inside an on campus dorm called Stonewall IV. They used a white wall for the background and used two lighting kits. They also used one microphone, which was mounted on a small mic stand in front of her. This report was a direct duplication of The Washington Post's "On Being..." series, which is running on its multimedia pages. Here, producers set the subject in a static environment and let them speak about a specific topic. With Professor Mair, The Feed spoke to her about her relationship with her mandolin. The idea is hyper edit the video to the essence of the conversation. The process also creates a series of "jump cuts", which are historically considered bad form in traditional television news settings. Oddly enough, the jump cuts are esthetically pleasing in this format. This issue of The Feed continues to be the most viewed video in the '07 catalog.

In the middle of October 2007, Professor Scully assigned The Feed team a song and told them to tell a story without words. The song was "The Breeze" by J.J. Cale. The idea was to get the students thinking about editing and images instead of words. This drill was also about continuity and storytelling. The team shot images from around the campus and the nearby Mount Hope Bridge, focusing on seasonal pictures and people in motion. And while the shoot went easy enough, the editing became a bear. The team spent several hours laying the video over the audio. The final project was aptly entitled, "The Breeze."

Current and Former Students

Fall 2008

Michelle Bazinet is from Taunton, Mass. and is majoring in Journalism and set to graduate in May of 2009.

Liz Birchall is a senior from Topsfield, Mass. and is majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Psych!

Codie Eisenberg is a senior originally from Woodstock, NY, I am a major in PR with a minor in Photo, and a core in Italian studies, i enjoy long walks on the beach and peach smoothies.

Shannon Flaherty is a senior from Plymouth, Ma, majoring in Communications/PR with a minor in Psychology. She wishes to one day be an event planner

Kristina Guttuso is from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and is a PR major minoring in marketing.
Kelley Holahan is a public relations major with a double minor in psychology and marketing. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2009 and is originally from Southbury, Conn.
Tess LeConche is a "super-senior" from Farmington, CT, majoring in Public Relations with a double minor in Psychology and Music. She can't wait to graduate in December, but is still a bit sad to leave RWU and to venture out into the unknown.
Jillian MacDonald is a senior at RWU from East Sandwich, MA. She will graduate in May of 2009 with a degree in Communications.
Michael Naymie is a super senior, but likes to be refrerred to as a "senior." PR major, graphic design minor. Part time security officer at Museum of Science. Lives in Westwood, MA. Likes sports and poker!
Shannon McNally is senior here at Roger Williams, from Auburn, Massachusetts. She is a Public Relations major with a minor in Psychology.
Kara Olson is a Public Relations major, Political Science minor. She is from Worcester, MA

Alyssa Persinger is a senior from Brick, NJ and a journalism major. What she really wants to do is become a professional ghostbuster.

Leslie Rumanoff is a Public Relations major with a minor in Music. She is from Cheshire, CT and plans to graduate in May 2009.

Ioana Hotnog is a senior from Romania, majoring in Communications/PR with a minor in Spanish. She wishes to move to Las Vegas and work in the entertainment industry.

Erica Scranton is a senior graphic design major with a minor in communications and music. Erica wishes to one day work in publication for a major magazine or in PR campaign/advertising design.

Mike Spark is a global communications major and a photo minor and is set to graduate in 2009. He resides in Barnegat Light, NJ located on Long Beach Island. Sailed for two and a half years at Roger Williams Team and will perpetuate his love for the sport for the remainder of his life after he graduates college.

Lindsey Spinella is a Senior Communications Public Relations major with minors in Spanish and Creative Writing. Lindsey was born and raised in Waterbury, CT. She plans to graduate in May 2009, but has yet to figure out what she is going to do with her degree.

Libby Stout is a psychology major and a double minor in communications and american studies. She plays lacrosse for RWU. Lives in Concord, Mass next door to Professor Scully's sister!

Kyle Toomey, once a teen heart throb, has now turned to education as a source of inspiration. A senior journalism major and creative writing minor from Hingham, MA, Kyle still enjoys writing and recording his own music.

Phil Devitt is a Communications major with a journalism concentration. He is editor of the campus newspaper, The Hawk's Herald, and news director for 88.3 WQRI, the campus radio station. He lives in Westport, Mass. and works part-time as a staff writer for a daily newspaper in New Bedford, Mass. When he had free time, he liked to play the drums.

Jennie Vaz is a Communications/Public Relations major in her senior year. She's from Dartmouth, Mass and currently resides in Bristol with her 5 other roommates.

Spring 2008

Ben Camobreco is a graduate of Roger Williams University with a Journalism degree. He is from Duxbury, MA and played on the RWU basketball team.

Greg Curtin is a graduating senior from Massachusetts majoring in communications PR and has a psychology minor. He still does not have a job.

Shaun Hogan is a member of the class of 2008. I was a communications major with a concentration in journalism and I plan on attending the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH next fall.
Joanna Nettelfield is a 2008 graduate Communications major from New York. She played on the women's tennis team for four years and is very sad to leave RWU behind. She doesn't have a job lined up for after graduation yet, but is excited to see what is outside of Roger William's little bubble.

Charles Schipani is a graduate of the communications dept. at Roger Williams University. And he is a champion at everything he does.

Jason Smith is a senior Communications major studying Public Relations. He is from Weymouth Massachusetts.

Fall 2007

Faculty and Staff