Comm 208 Shooting

The honeymoon phase didn’t last long for Richard Brunson and Laurette Kenny Brunson. They were married at 2:00 pm on Saturday. Richard shot his wife in the abdomen at 5:00 that evening.

Neighbor Michael Martin commented

Michael Martin

The couple had been living together for four or five months before the wedding. The bride’s three children were at the house when this incident happened. Laurette is in St. Luke’s hospital in satisfactory condition.

News Comment #8

Obama to Leno: Issue with Trump ‘dates back to when we were growing up together in Kenya’

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I saw this news when I was watching the Today Show this morning while getting ready. Donald Trump says he will donate $5 million to the charity of Barack Obama’s choice if he gives his college and passport applications.

I think that all of this political news is getting out of control. I am not personally for Obama, but I do think it was quite rude of Trump to make that statement. I like Obama’s humorous response to the statement. If Obama gives in to Trump’s donation proposition then a charity will be benefiting. But also it will be giving Trump satisfaction. Obama is not obligated to prove once again his heritage.

News Comment #7

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Mailing a letter to cost a penny more next year

I think that it is common knowledge that stamps are going to go up because of general inflation. I do think this is news though because of the post offices that have closed in the past year. Hand mail is decreasing and email is taking over. The personal touch of a hand written letter is not as popular as it has been in the past. The post office won’t go completely out of business because people will still have packages shipped, but as the years go on, the personal touch of the hand written letter will keep decreasing

Article #2 Draft #2

Students are the life and breath of Morningside College. Without students, the college would not exist. The Admissions office is in charge of recruiting students to Morningside.

Admissions includes about eight counselors and around 35 student workers, also known as ambassadors.

Ambassadors are hired based off of many aspects. Amy Williams, Morningside admissions counselor said, that personality plays a big role. “You have to be out going and not scared to meet, greet, and get to know prospective students.”

Throughout the day, there is always a student ambassador scheduled. Their duties consist of writing postcards, handling mail flow, helping counselors with tasks, and most importantly, giving tours to prospective students.

Tours are an important aspect of a prospective student’s visit. Alex Howrey, a current ambassador, said her campus tour was when she decided if she was coming to Morningside or not.

The Ambassador is given one hour to give a complete tour of the college campus. Howrey said that during the tour, she tries to connect with the student. She also said, “You always need to be positive, promote the school, and share your own experiences.”

Having student ambassadors give tours rather than admission counselors is a positive asset. Williams said that counselors are seen as the paid person that is there to sell and market the college. “Coming from the student vantage point, they believe what they’re hearing, the students are living it and doing it.”

There are many different students ambassadors that work in the office from all over campus. For example, there are nursing, mass communications, business, art, choir, and students in all different kinds of clubs and sports on campus. Williams said that they hire ambassadors that are active on campus, so they can share their experiences with prospective students.

Not only is an ambassador involved on campus, but they also must carry a positive attitude with them. Howrey said that the environment in admissions is calm, relaxing, and positive. “You have to keep it that way, so the positivity is relayed off to prospective students.” The office has to keep a positive attitude daily. Their attitude is a reflection of the college as a whole.

The Morningside Admissions mission statement: The Morningside College Office of Admissions seeks to provide comprehensive, personalized service to all prospective students interested in the Morningside experience while facilitating a positive learning environment for current students and staff.

Morningside College Admissions does a good job of living up to their mission statement. They give prospective students positive attention and sell the school well. They also still focus a large amount of time on current students and are interested in their lives as well.

Article #2

Admissions: The Heart of Morningside College

The first impression of prospective students at Morningside College is based upon how their visit day goes. This responsibility is placed on those working in the Morningside admissions office.

There are about eight admissions counselors and around 35 students working, including student ambassadors and student assistants.

When you first walk into the office the front desk worker greets you with a big smile. Alex Howrey, a sophomore Nursing student said, “The attitude in admissions is always positive. It has to be, so that the positivity is relayed off to prospective students.” Garret Ehlers, a junior Religious Studies student also commented about the friendliness of the counselors. “I enjoy the full time staff that’s there and their attitudes and the fun jokes that go on to help pass time. You can tell that they care about you and your day.

As you venture into the back of the office, the students are hard at work writing postcards, handling mail flow, and preparing for their tours with prospective students. Morningside tries hard to make sure they keep the mail flow personal to each prospective student. Howrey said, that we spend a lot of time writing postcards. Each student receives a hand written one.

The responsibility of those working in admissions is ultimately, to get people to attend Morningside College. Just like how salesmen sell their product, counselors and ambassadors sell Morningside to future students.

Having student workers in admissions is a positive asset, because those visiting will get to see campus from a current student’s point of view. There are many different students that work in the office from all over campus. For examples there are nursing, mass communications, business, art, choir, and students in different athletics.

What makes a good student ambassador? Ehlers said, “It is the willingness to help out any way they can, while having a positive and loving attitude.”

When ambassadors take students out on tour, they have one hour to show the student campus and tell the student about their own Morningside College experience. Howrey said, “My campus tour is when I decided if I was coming to Morningside or not. The Ambassador has to keep the tour positive, promote the school, and share their own experiences. Also, every tour needs to be individualized. Each student is different with different interests, so make sure to talk about what the student is potentially interested in.”

With the efforts of bringing students to Morningside, the office of admissions has to keep a positive attitude daily. Their attitude is a reflection of the college as a whole. One bad experience could turn a potential student away.

News Comment #6

Today: The New Normal: Surrogates defining family

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This video was on the Today Show this morning, as I was getting ready. Many couples are choosing surrogacy as an option. The numbers are higher than ever before. One of the reasons is because of the improvements in the medical area. We have the capabilities to do this much easier now than ever before. This is news because so many “different” types of couples are now able to have children. This is especially relevant with the gays in the nation. This makes it much easier for them to start a family if they can afford the cost and can find a surrogate.

News Comment #5

Students lament lunch in viral ‘We Are Young’ video

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Students are complaining about the lack of energy they have at the end of the school day from their lunches. New regulations make school lunches 750-800 calories. The meals also include more fruits and vegetables than they have in the past. This is a good idea to help children struggling with obesity and preventing obesity. Unfortunately it is having an effect on students in athletics, not having enough energy when it comes to practice time. I think this story is news. It is showing America that the new regulations have been put into practice. The students make a good point. Even though they’re cutting calories for obese students, what about those that are already “in shape”?

The high school students also made a parody video to their situation.
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News Comment #4

Mom: Substitute teacher duct-taped kid’s mouth shut

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Down in Louisiana, a mother is taking legal action against a substitute who has been accused of duct-taping her child’s mouth shut. I’m not sure if they’ve actually proven that the teacher is guilty or not, but I believe the family is pressing charges. I think this article is news because of public concern. The fact that this is going on in the public school system is embarrassing. The mother quoted, “He just told me he didn’t want to go back to school no more.” I think this quote makes the mother/family sound not intelligent. I think for the family’s sake of embarrassment in their grammer I would have rephrased the quote to saying, “He just told me he didn’t want to go back to school ANY more

The Jefferson Nickel

As I was handed this assignment, my eyes shot to the bottom of the page to see what my task was. Your Object: A Jefferson nickel. A Jefferson nickel, I asked myself, “don’t all nickels have Jefferson on them?” Yes, yes they do but there are now new nickels that have the front view of Jefferson rather than the profile view. At 10:30, I set out on my journey for the nickel.
I started by first heading to Lewis Hall. I approached the desk on the main level. A freshman named Colin Higgins was working. I introduced myself and explained that I needed a “new” nickel for my Journalism class. A slight chuckle came out of his mouth as I asked, probably because already multiple students had approached him for similar requests. He emptied his wallet only to find one quarter.
Next, I ventured into the admissions office. Char Jorgensen was sitting behind her desk, greeting me with a smile. Once again, I asked if she had a “new” nickel for my Journalism class. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse and dumped all of the loose change onto her desk. We sorted through the coins and found one nickel! Unfortunately, it was not what I needed. I then approached the students working at the table behind her desk: James La Pointe, Mary Froeshel, Kaylee Betteron, and Maria Bohling. I asked them the same repetitive question that I had been asking. They all just looked at me and gave me a blank stare. OK, obviously the answer to that question is a no!
Finally, my last destination was the Post Office. Kaleb Horton, a sophomore was working at the time. I asked if they had any “new” nickels in their change drawer. He asked me, “Is this that scavenger hung. I already had someone come here. I don’t know if we have any nickels.” I responded back, “Well I sure hope you do!” As he was digging through their change I was hoping and praying for the right nickel. And surely enough after 20 minutes of searching, there it was! A shiny new, 2011 Jefferson nickel.

Writing Struggles

Struggles: Problems in Writing

The three main things that I struggle the most with when it comes to writing are leads, being descriptive, dragging on and adding more than needed, and writing an effective conclusion.
I don’t exactly have a good idea of how to get people’s attention at the beginning of an article. I’m learning how to be more descriptive, but I need to remember to not bore the audience. Putting in too much information is usually a bad thing. I also always struggle with writing a conclusion. I never know how to correctly wrap up a story.