My Final Post

Where to start? How about on friendships. I know that this topic is not entirely related to FAU, but to me it is. I have two very important people in my life all because of FAU. Two years ago when I started at FAU as a transfer student, I walked into my first class on the Jupiter campus and met Heather and Nina. Nina was very outgoing and Heather kept more to herself at first. Once we realized that we three had several classes together we began to sit next to each other and get meals together between classes. Our friendship caught on quick!

If only you could see us now! We have come so far in the short amount of time that we have known each other. I am the oldest of the three and yet I seek the advice of my dear friends often. I have so many fond memories of FAU because of these two amazing women. They have done nothing but support me and encourage me throughout these past two years.

I have called upon them countless times for help with school work and they have always answered my calls. College is not entirely about getting the grades to get the degree. It is about the relationships you build with people and how those relationships carry you through the toughest and the best times of your life. FAU would be so different for me if I did not get to see Nina and Heather in class every week.

These two women are smart, funny, beautiful and oh so caring. I know that our "Cracker Cubed" relationship will continue on past graduation. They are my crutches to which I have leaned on many times and without them I would have given up on school long ago.

So here's to Heather and Nina- My FAU lifeline and my true friends. I only hope that other students find and form friendships like ours!


GO OWLS!

Guest Speakers

One thing I have found FAU is good at is bringing in outside sources to talk to the students. In many of classes, even those outside of the journalism major, I have found that FAU's professors like to bring in people to talk to the students in relation to what the students are currently studying. 

I know that within the last two weeks I have had four guest speakers. People speaking on writing novels in my English class to a channel five news reporter to a Sun Sentinel employee. All of whom have opened the class for questions from the students and they have been more than willing to answer our questions. 

I know that this time last year I was in a storytelling class and we had several professional story tellers from around the country come in and talk with our class. One of the speakers actually listened to the students tell their stories and then they gave us a professional critique. 

FAU's professors seem to be really in touch with sources in the field. This of course comes from loving what you teach and wanting the students to benefit from the class, other than just getting a passing grade. 

A good professor feeds the minds of students any way that he or she can.

GO OWLS!

A Quick Note

Today I was interviewing a man for a story I am covering for class and when I told him I was from FAU he started laughing. Then he looked at me and said "you know what that stands for right, Find Another University". 

He then went on to explain that he studied here for his undergraduate degree and majored in business and that he had so many problems with the administration and that the school was constantly changing things on him and that it took him one year longer than planned to graduate. 

I told him that I was a journalism major and that I was graduating in August and he then said "well you can change your fate, I did". Then I was thinking that as many issues that I think I've had, I would not change schools. I like FAU and most of the students I have spoken with agree with me. Every university has its difficulties and in the end FAU has been very enjoyable for me.

I cannot wait to be an Alumni :)

GO OWLS!

Art Exhibitions in Boca Raton's library

FAU just hosted an Art Exhibition in the Wimberly Library on the Boca Raton campus. The art exhibition was done because a couple, the Chodorkoffs, donated 18 pieces of art to the university.

The 18 pieces of art included fiber art, studio glass, ceramics, paintings and sculptures. According the couple they plan to continue donating artwork to the university until they have none left. The couple really liked the idea of giving art to a university for the specific reason that students would be the one to view and learn from the art. One of my professors stated that she would be taking her classes over to see the new collection, so that they may practice writing art critique pieces. 

This new collection of art joins other pre-existing collections within the library and within the campus walls. FAU's Boca campus has several art galleries around campus. This includes the art pieces that are already housed in Wimberly Library. FAU prides itself in containing student and professional artwork. This gift from the Chodorkoffs can be viewed inside Wimberly Library during gallery hours. 

I know that I thought the art pieces were very beautiful and they make a great addition to the university.

GO OWLS!

Personalized FAU Jersey

I am a true advocate for school spirit, as you all know by now and I love sporting my school spirit wear. While browsing around the FAU official gear website, I discovered a page where you can order your own FAU jersey. Even better when you order your own jersey you can personalize it with whatever name you want. 

This jersey cost $69.95 and it is oh so adorable for the true OWL fan!! The name you choose to have personalized will go on the back of the jersey above the number you want. 

I am ordering this jersey for myself and you can count on me wearing it around campus and to the games!

                                                                                    GO OWLS!

On Air at FAU

When walking around the campus and listening to the Owl Radio programs FAU provides for the students I often find myself tuning out. I was walking through the breezeway the other day and I kid you not they had Miley Cyrus singing on the show. I said to my friend Heather" isn't that girl like 13". To which Heather said "I never like the music they play. It is geared towards a very isolated audience".

I started to pay attention to it more over the past week and The music they play and the subjects they talk about are not aimed at a general audience. There is only a select few that like and/or relate to the show. When producing a college radio station or when just playing music throughout the halls for students don't you think the university or the radio producers would think to create topics that would interest a larger audience and the music they play should be more top 40's, instead of class oldies.

Heather and I mentioned this to a couple of our classmates and they all agreed that if they worked at the station they would do things differently!

GO OWLS!

Study Abroad Continued

Did you know that there are two types of study abroad programs? There is the Lead and the exchange programs.

The Lead program most often occurs over the summer and this is when an FAU professor travels with the students to the abroad location. Usually on these trips the professor has mapped out the trip with excursions included in the price and schedule. These trips are less expensive than the exchange program most of the time and are more touristy.

The exchange program is more culture driven and this is for the fall or spring semesters. This is when the student travels independently to the abroad location and they are immersed into that culture as if they lived there permanently. In this case a student can stay in the dorms or with a host family. When a student chooses this option they are actually enrolled in that countries university and when they come back to FAU they will request a transfer of credits.

Both of these sound so exciting and full of adventure, I wish I had participated in study abroad programs. If you are looking for a different way to earn credits, this is it!

GO OWLS!

The Hardest Class I have ever taken

Sigh! For you journalism majors out there.... good luck! I am in my last semester here at FAU and I am taking a broadcast journalism class and I hate every minute of it. This class is so different from the rest of the classes one will take in this major.

All of my previous journalism classes were styled around AP writing and they were writing classes. Well this broadcast class is all about radio broadcasting and National Public Radio (NPR) style of reporting on the radio.

in this class we have to work on a project titled "Mini-Doc". This Mini-Doc is required to be a minimum of 10 minutes in length. The Mini-Doc is a radio segment produced by each individual student. You are required to write a script for the project and have at least 16 sources and 12 sound bite inserts. Once completed this project will air on the Wavelengths page on the FAU website. 

Now on paper this all sounded possible, but when you begin interviewing, recording, downloading and editing the project transforms into this huge tedious task that just hangs over your head. I have two weeks left in this class and I am no where near being done with this project.

I am enrolled in five classes this semester and this project is throwing off all my other classes and the work I need to do for them. When taking this class try not to take a lot of other classes with it; It very quickly becomes overwhelming!

Good-Luck and GO OWLS!

It's All About the simple Things In Life

We all love it when something so small happens to us and when it does it highlights our whole day! I know that yesterday I went to the vending machine to get a bag of chips and I put just enough money in for one bag but the machine gave me two bags....Yeah!! I thought to myself "this is going to be yummy and more calories than I need".

I know that the parking lots can drive us all crazy, especially on the Boca Raton Campus. So don't you just love it when you pull into the lot and right up front there is any empty spot waiting for you. There is no one else there to gun for the spot and cut you off ; you get to pull right in.

My friend Marc and i were walking to class the other day from dinner and it was pouring the entire evening and we waited as long as we could before we had to leave. Just as we were leaving the skies cleared and we walked all the way to class without a single drop of rain hitting us.

Things like these are what makes a persons day!

GO OWLS!

The Center for Civic Engagement and Service

The Center for Civic Engagement and Service at FAU is an organization that establishes connections between the school and the community. The Jupiter branch is the most recent to join in with the likes of the other campuses. the Boca Raton center was established in 1996, by Daniel Weppner.

The organization helps to find students volunteer activities on and off campuses. The organization tracks the students volunteering and once the student has completed their degree here at FAU the hours are logged onto the students transcript and the will be receive proper recognition and in some cases, possibly even an award.

The center host programs throughout the year such as food and blood drives, adopt a child or family for the holidays and alternative spring breaks, to which the students travel outwards to help those who are less fortunate. The center has worked along side Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. So if you are looking for another way to stay in touch with the community, while getting credit for it, then check them out.

GO OWLS!

Dinning Hall Survey

I have spoken with many of my fellow classmates since my earlier post on the Cafeteria. We all like what the dinning hall serves up on the Boca Raton campus, but when speaking with them I find the issue is that the dinning hall has a survey box and the students who are taking the time to fill it out are not giving the cafeteria the best scores.

The survey box is located on the opposite counter from the cash registers. The survey is short and to the point. When I was in the dinning hall the other night I filled one out, taking a few extra seconds to make sure I was giving them the proper ratings. I then slipped it in the box and headed off to class.

If you enjoy eating at the cafeteria and you enjoy all the service and options they provide for us, then take 2 minutes and fill one of these guys out so that our dinning hall can know that we have taken note in their efforts and that we are pleased with them!

GO OWLS!

Study Abroad

Italy, a place that is known for its fantastic food, wine, art and history. I personally have been to Italy and I instantly loved it and I cannot wait to go back.

Italy, Venice and Orvieto to be exact are two locations that FAU is offering for study abroad programs this summer. They are no longer taking applications for the Venice trip, but they are still taking applications for the Orvieto trip through May 27th, 2009. The website listed above also provides you with financial aid information for the study abroad programs.

The study abroad application provides you with a checklist of everything you will need to fill out and send in, to be able to participate in these types of courses.

If the same classroom day after day is wearing you thin, then you should definitely try studying abroad this summer. Oh, and you will love Italy!

GO OWLS!

Brogan's Promise

When logging onto My-FAU students will come across a new message from President Frank Brogan. This message does not provide new vital information that differs from the frequently updated Budget Q & A page.

however in this message to FAU's students Brogan clearly states the following:

"At the outset of this difficult process, I want to make three pledges to you:

-I will always be honest with you, even if that means delivering bad news. We are going to continue to face this crisis together, and all members of the University community need to be fully informed if we are to make good decisions both for ourselves individually and for the institution we serve.
-Your input will be welcome every step of the way. We must come together in the effort to chart a new course for the University and bring fresh thinking to bear on defining FAU's role in the 21st century.
-Every decision that is made will be aimed at protecting the core academic functions of the University and ensuring that FAU emerges from this process of reinvention not only leaner but stronger".

Hopefully the choices he implements through these cut backs continue to support the needs of the students first and foremost.

GO OWLS!

Class Schedule

I know that within my department that I have found it hard to obtain the classes I need, when I need them. I often have had to wait till the next semester to get into a class that I wanted to be enrolled in now.

When looking over the new course schedule for Summer and Fall, I am once again concerned. I know that I will not be here in the fall, but for the rest of you that will be here these are issues that need to be addressed from the students. That being said please know that I have voiced my thoughts, but this is something that will not change from one student writing a letter.

With the economy going through this hardship we all know that there will be cutbacks. What we need to do is make sure that these cutbacks do not affect our need for classes. Instructors being laid off is not okay. I am sure there are plenty other ways that President Frank Brogan and the board members can cut back.

This is a university and its job is to provide students with an education that meets the needs of the students who are paying for these degrees. As students we should be always be checking on our status within the school, so that we can monitor our own path at FAU. Thus when the school does not offer the proper classes when they are needed this becomes a set back for the individual student, you, and for the school.

FAU has been around since 1962 and we the students need to voice are thoughts and needs so that we can succeed through FAU! Taking this path of higher education means knowing what you want and how you want to get it. After all, isn't that what you are doing at FAU in the first place?

GO OWLS!

FAU on YouTube

I enjoy being on YouTube, mostly for the never ending supply of music videos. I get all excited when I can find a song on YouTube that I researched because the one line I heard of that song from the radio, I liked.

While I was on YouTube the other day I decided to see what kind of videos were posted for FAU. There was mostly stuff for our sports teams. There is a lot of FAU football videos about the games, good plays, the player's and so on.

I did however find two videos of our sports teams that I thought were well made. One of the videos being all about the FAU football team, but as a general overview tied in with a nice song. The other one being about sports teams in general within FAU. The general sports video has a nice 'rap' song about FAU that I found enjoyable. I hope you do too! Check them out!


GO OWLS!

What Not To Wear To The Dinning hall

My friend and I eat in the dinning hall on the Boca Raton Campus almost every Wednesday before our evening class. Last night we were enjoying our pizza and fries when we saw this entire group of girls walking around the cafeteria with see through cover ups and bikinis underneath them.

First off, this is only okay to wear if you are near a body of water. This is not appropriate for the the cafeteria. My friend and I were not the only ones making comments. A table next to us was saying things such as "what? do they think that is attractive to wear here" and my friend said "Do they realize that the attention they are getting from the guy's is not the right kind".

This look was disrupting dinner for my table and a few other ones as well. These girls in the bikinis are walking around flaunting their goods and I can tell you exactly the two types of looks they were getting.
Girls- What are they wearing? They look easy
Guy's- Nice! How can I get me some of that

Neither one of these remarks are good. Ladies please realize that the way you dress in certain places affects the way people view you. You can be sweet, smart, talented and beautiful but when you walk around the dinning hall with your breasts and butt hanging out then the only thing people see is nothing good at all.

GO OWLS!

Graduation Requirements

I know there are many requirements for graduation for each of the departments and colleges, but these requirements apply towards the Multimedia Journalism majors within the College of Arts and Letters.

I have been visiting the adviser's for our department making sure that I have lined everything up for my undergraduate graduation in August. So through this process I figured I would share some of the first steps you need to make towards graduation.

First off for Summer 2009 graduation you must have all your paperwork filled out and into the office by May 29, 2009. Once the paperwork is filled out you must perform a graduation audit with Vada Taylor, and then you must perform a degree audit with Student Academics. Taylor will go over your requirements from your major and give you the approval for the next step which is the degree audit. In this part of the process Student Academics will review all of your records from day 1 in college to make sure that you have everything required for an undergraduate degree.

Vada Taylor's office is located in the Social Science building, second floor. Student Academics is located in the Arts and Humanities building, second floor room 213. You will need to set up an appointment with Student Academics, they do not take walk-ins.

Good Luck and GO OWLS!

Pleasure Reading

With all the crazy reading assignments our professors give us, I understand that is hard to find time to do some pleasure reading for yourself. I am an avid reader and I always try to find time to squeeze a book of my own into my busy school schedule.

The other day I was in Starbucks on the Boca Raton campus and I over heard this group of girls discussing and book series called the House of Night Series. This series now consist of 5 books total, the fifth book being released just last week. I was excited to hear this conversation occurring because I had just finished the fifth book, while having already read the previous 4 books.

The stories are about a group of vampyre fledglings who exist in world where humans know of vampyres and where we know they too exist among us. The series is quick and easy to read. The books are written together by P.C.Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast.

In this series each vampyre is Marked, which ironically is the name of the first book in the series. The mark shows up on their foreheads and for the fledglings the mark is just outlined and it will only be filled in once they have changed into a full fledged vampyre.

The picture is of me and my friend Nina, I am on the left. While I was looking at the website they have a place where you can download your own picture and 'Mark' yourself, so we did.

GO OWLS!

FAU Journalism Class is Helpful in Preparing Students for Life After College!

FAU's Communication department offers a class titled Coverage of Public Affairs. This class is a requirement for Multimedia Journalism majors, but for everyone else it is an inside view into the life of a journalist. In this class, which is taught by Professor Glenn Singer, the students are assigned ‘beats’ or topics to write on and throughout the semester each student uncovers topics to report on within their beat.

An example would be if I had the beat of Arts within FAU, I would cover performances within the art departments, profile pieces on distinguished professors, upcoming projects, interesting classes that do not follow your typical academic scale etc…The student then researches their beat constantly, choosing stories and keeps up with their reporting, all while consulting with the professor every step of the way to keep the student on the right track. Just recently part 2 of this class was added to FAU. This class 'part 2 class' works with the part 1 students and assists them as if they were editors.

Once finished the articles/stories are entered onto the OWL OBSERVER. This is an online website where anyone can go and view what the Coverage of Public Affairs students have written.

Throughout this course interviewing skills and techniques are what the professor continually instructs the students on; when to interview, how to start an interview. This class is a helpful tool for any student in any major, due to the fact that the class touches on skills that everyone can and will use on their career path. Professor Singer says that, “ The interviewing process for an article helps prepare students for interviewing for jobs and the face to face encounter that we deal with everyday in the workplace."


GO OWLS!

Budget Cuts at FAU!

Everyone knows how the economy is suffering in these hard times. We as college students are also more aware of how these hard times are not making 'attending a university' any easier. Prices are increasing, taxes are increasing and we are losing our jobs that pay for our classes.

The state will most likely need to cut $700 million by the end of this fiscal year (June 30), which means that FAU will need to immediately reduce our budget by $12 million dollars and by another $15 million in July.

The Board of Trustee's were discussing in their January meeting that these cuts will come from programs, consolidating duplicate services, promoting and increasing the distant learning classes, etc... Leaving layoff's as a last resort.

More detailed budget information, that lets you post a specific question and the university will answer them. President Brogan recently traveled to Washington D.C to help figure out how much of the new stimulus package will FAU receive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMY_kkOxpaU, President Obama speaking on behalf of the new stimulus package.

GO OWLS!