News Comment #5

Students lament lunch in viral ‘We Are Young’ video

Link here

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.
Link here

News Comment #4

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

link here

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.

BPI Law Suit

link here

BPI is hiring a lawyer for a lawsuit about the “pink slime” incident that took over social media last May of 2012. BPI’s lean meat was a major source of meat for major grocery stores, schools, and fast food chains. When the “pink slime” phrase took over, a large percentage of their sales were gone and plants were permanently shut down. The lead of this article states exactly what the article is about right at the beginning. Even though this conflict happened last year, I believe that it is still news. It affected the Siouxland area because the main plant was based here. When I see an article about BPI, I read it to see what they are currently doing/what they are planning for the future of the company.

Social Dimmitt Lounge

Edit:

Painting of Lillian E. Dimmitt

As I sit in a boxy chair, probably from the 90s, groups of college students surround me preparing for classes in shabby, wooden couches. Some are there for studying and others are there just for the social element. Dimmitt is the most social residence hall building on campus. It is not much of a surprise than that in the study lounge; the atmosphere does not change much. As a junior, I realize why I never accomplished any studying while living here. Two years ago, I lived here during my freshman year. Every time I attempted to study, it usually resulted in failure.
People are everywhere. The sounds of students walking and talking echo down the hallways. Doors are constantly slamming and “rap/hip hop” music screams from multiple computers. People walking past continually distract me. Every time a different person passes, I find myself gazing up from my computer to see who it is.
Blake Schany, an RA in Dimmitt says, “It is very distracting and I cannot concentrate or even clear my head for things that are important, but it is nice to have plenty of potential social interactions.” Complete silence is a rarity. In fact, while writing this, there have been a couple of major interruptions lasting a total of forty-five minutes. One “Chatty Cathy” has approached me and talked my ear off. She sits down and does not seem to care that I am attempting to study. I give her what seem obvious hints that I am trying to focus. I stare at my computer, keep writing, and even respond with one-word answers. The piano has also started to play to add to another distraction. First off, it is not tuned and secondly, it is not a relaxing classical tune, but rather chopsticks. This version of chopsticks sounds like children banging on the keys without a care.
I remember my freshman year; I was one of those noisy, obnoxious students in Dimmitt. My days were spent sprinting past the lounge, yelling down the hallways, playing my music too loud, and of course getting in trouble for noise during quiet hours. Upperclassmen would give me death glares because of these obnoxious habits.
This building is home to approximately 400 students, many of which are freshmen. Built in 1927, Dimmitt Residence Hall is named after Lilian E. Dimmitt. She was the Dean of Women for Morningside College for twenty-six years.
There have been many improvements to the Dimmitt study lounge in the past two years. There are now colorful paintings placed evenly on the walls of the crescent shaped room. Televisions in the lounge have been improved from the 70’s style resting on the floor to now flat screens mounted. As I look ahead of me, I can see the painting of Lillian E. Dimmitt staring at me. Just like the Mona Lisa, whatever direction I move, her eyes follow.
Being one of the oldest buildings on campus, Dimmit does not have the capabilities for air conditioning. In the fall and spring it is warm because of the temperature outside. In the winter it is also warm because of the heater. The heat is very difficult to escape. The uncomfortable warmth is yet another distraction that prevents studying.
Despite all of the distractions in Dimmitt, it is still and will be the most popular place to live for freshmen. It is a great building to develop friendships and lasting relationships.

group study in Dimmitt study lounge

Senior, Mariah Stauffer studies in Dimmitt lounge

First Draft:

Built in 1927, Dimmitt residence hall is named after Lillian E. Dimmitt. She was the dean of women for Morningside College for 26 years. This building houses approximately 400 students, mainly freshmen.
Dimmitt is the most social residence hall on campus. As a junior, I realized why I never accomplished any studying while living here. I lived here two years ago during my freshman year and every time I tried to study I never succeeded. The sounds of people walking and talking echo in the hallways. Doors are constantly being slammed and “rap/hip hop” music is screaming from people’s computer. I am continually distracted from the people walking past. Every time a different person passes, I find myself gazing up from my computer to see who it is. There is never a place to go to have absolute complete silence. In fact, while writing this, there have been two major interruptions lasting a total of forty-five minutes. One Chatty Cathy has approached me and talked my ear off and the other interruption was when the piano started to play. Of course I had to forget my headphones.
This is me being a hypocrite. I remember my freshman year, I was one of those noisy obnoxious freshmen in Dimmitt. I spent my days sprinting past the lounge, yelling down the hallways, playing my music too loud, and of course getting in trouble for noise during quiet hours. I would get death glares from the upperclassmen studying because of these obnoxious habits.
There have been many improvements to the Dimmitt study lounge in the past two years. There are now colorful paintings placed evenly on the walls of the crescent shaped room. Televisions in the lounge have been improved from 70’s style sitting on the floor to now flat screens with stands. As I look up I can see the painting of Lillian E. Dimmitt staring at me. Just like the Mona Lisa, whatever direction I move, her eyes follow.
Being one of the oldest buildings on campus, Dimmitt does not have the capabilities to have air conditioning. In order to keep the temperature down, all the windows possible are kept open to create airflow. In the lounge, you can hear the sounds of cars driving past, wind blowing into the building, and yells from the “crazies” roaming around outside.
Blake Shany, an RA in Dimmitt says, “It is very distracting and I cannot concentrate or even clear my head for things that are important, but it is nice to have plenty of potential social interactions.”

no picture for now–there will be one on the final draft

Romney to Visit Northwestern

Romney to visit Northwestern

link here

On Friday, Republican presidential candidate will be speaking at Northwestern College at noon. Politics are always in the news, especially with the election around the corner. Presidents on campus have been news lately because it is not a regular occurrence for the current president or presidential candidate to speak at a small private college. Orange City is not a large town, so this is a great opportunity for the members of the community also. Being from Nebraska, I see a major difference in politics. With Iowa being a “swing” state, politics are concerning everyone on what seems like a daily basis.

Jordan Jacupke

Jordan Patrick Jacupke

Jordan Patrick Jacupke was born on July 22, 1990. From Hastings, Nebraska born and raised, St. Cecilia High School is where he spent most of his days. He is currently a second semester Junior Corporate Communications major. When Jordan isn’t studying, he enjoys watching television shows on Netflix, especially South Park. In Nebraska, Valentino’s is a popular restaurant chain. Being from the Cornhusker state, Jordan enjoys himself a slice of hamburger pizza from Valentino’s. Even his perfect date includes eating there for dinner. After Morningside College, Jordan is planning on attending law school with the goal of becoming an attorney. He says, “I want to be able to help people.”

New Lead: From Hastings, Nebraska born and raised, St. Cecilia High School is where he spent most of his days.