Media Comparison

Posted on October 10, 2013

There were many differences between the video story and the print story on the CNN website regarding the shooting and high speed chase at the Capitol last week. The stories were both posted on the same day but contained many differences.

The biggest different between the two stories was the focus. The video story was focused on the events that occurred and the questions surrounding the incident and the woman driving the car. The print story focused on the woman and her history of mental health issues. These are to very different main points. While the video leaves the viewer still unsure of what exactly happened and why, the print story leaves the reader with questions regarding the woman’s intentions.

The leads of the stories were also somewhat different. The video lead gives us the main information, like who, what, when, and where. However, the lead also brings up the Navy yard shooting that occurred two weeks ago and tries to draw a connection. However, this connection is never made throughout the remainder of the story. The lead also leaves the question of why for the audience to try and piece together. The lead of the article was almost the same, minus the part about the Navy yard shooting. It just give us the name of the women and the fact that police are still trying to piece together what happened.

Both stories try to make strange connections. The video tries to tie the incident to the Navy yard shooting, with no real evidence that the two incidents are connected. The print story ties in the woman’s boyfriend and her past mental health, before giving the reader all of the information regarding the incident.

Quotes are used in the print story from the boyfriend and sister of the woman who caused the incident. The article seems to be trying to make the case that the woman was mentally unstable and planned to do this. Quotes are used in the video from the U.S. Secret Service Spokesperson and eyewitnesses. This story seems to be trying to convey the confusion regarding the incident. It provides the audience with more information than the print story.

The two stories combined together almost seem to make a more through story. The the incident is explained and the background history of the woman involved is provided. This all together gives a somewhat clearer picture of what happened.

Video story: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/10/04/exp-newday-johns-dc-shooting.cnn.html

Print story: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/us/dc-shooting-miriam-carey/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3

 

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Article 2 – Final Draft

Posted on October 9, 2013

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Into the Streets

800 student volunteers, four hours, and a lot of hard work created Into the Streets 2013 at Morningside College. Volunteer students were sent out to different organizations and agencies in the Siouxland Community to help in any way they could.

This tradition has grown in size over the past seven years, to include two thirds of the Morningside student body. The number of participating organizations in nearby cities has also grown. Students have done many different activities, ranging from playing with kids to prairie cleanup. Into the Streets has become such a well-known event that organizations look forward to the help all year. Some organizations are able to save weeks of work on this day.

The director of the Crittenton Center’s Emergency Shelter said, “The volunteers did such a great job. What they did would have taken us months to do.” Regarding the painting and cleaning that the Morningside Men’s Basketball team did for them.

This unique event is also completely student planned. The honor society Omicron Delta Kappa hosts the event every year. This is an honor society for upperclassman students. In this society there is a committee devoted to the planning and preparation of the event.

One of the co-chairs of the committee, Emily Greenlee said, “This was the best committee ever. Over the past four years, I think this was the smoothest the behind the scenes work as gone.”

Emily along with her committee worked for months to find organizations willing to participate, as well as students willing to volunteer. They collectively called close to 125 agencies in the Siouxland area. This calling takes hours to complete as the committee members are working with the schedules of the agencies. The committee successfully found 831 slots for students. While this was over the 800 students that signed up, this was a problem that they greatly preferred to have. Past years had more students than slots, which is a harder problem to solve.

This volunteer service day sets Morningside apart from other colleges. Few colleges set out a day during the busy semester for students to volunteer in the community. What also sets apart this day is the fact that these students are doing this because they want to. Students are not required to participate and do not get class credit if they participate. This says a lot about the student body at Morningside and what is important to them.

Into the Streets represents the mission statement of the college. It takes a great deal of work by dedicated students to plan, as well as hard work on the day from the students who volunteer. Overall, two-thirds of the student body has participated the past five years and if history is any indication, Morningside students will continue to participate for years to come.

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Article 1: Final Draft

Posted on September 17, 2013

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

Many American undergraduate students have never left the United States and never will. Travelling abroad is seen as a luxury, not as necessary. However, in todays day and age a worldview not bound by borders in necessary. A student who is aware and has experienced the world outside of the United States is at a great advantage. A study abroad experience gives all of that and more to a student.

The majority of American students do not study abroad despite the many benefits. Joyce Lau from the International Herald Tribune reports that, “Many American students say they would like to go over seas… but only 1% of U. S. students study abroad during any academic year.” However, Unesco reports that there are 3.4 million students on the move each year all over the world, and that number is expected to grow. So, why aren’t more American students studying abroad and taking advantage of the experiences many benefits?

Studying abroad more often then not is an eye opening experience. Most students go through a period of personal exploration and growth while abroad. The Institute for the International Education of Students reported from a survey that, “When asked about personal growth, 97 percent [of students] said studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity, 96 percent reported increased self-confidence, 89 percent said that it enabled them to tolerate ambiguity, and 95 percent stated that it has had a lasting impact on their world view.” Being completely immersed in a new culture can be incredibly intimidating, but in the end it opens the students’ eyes to a whole new way of thinking and living.

Cultural immersion is a fast and efficient way to teach students that there is a larger world out there. It shows students that there are many different types of people and there are many different cultures. Learning about people and cultures different from oneself creates a global awareness in a student. If a student can prove he or she isn’t ignorant about other people and cultures due to real life experience, it is and invaluable trait for their future.

A study abroad experience can also often reshape the career path of a student. Students with an international experience often take a more reflective approach to the role they are going to play in the world. The study abroad experience gives a student new skills that distinguish him or her from other students entering the work field.

Diversity Abroad, a leading international organization that provides study abroad experiences, claims there are four major impacts career wise for students who study abroad. These four impacts include: A willingness and readiness to adapt to new environments, an ability to look at a project or situation from different perspectives, an understanding of diverse cultures, and self-confidence with an ability to take risks. Studying abroad prepares a student for a successful future in his or her career path.

Studying abroad is expensive. Higher education is expensive. This is the unfortunate truth in the world of education. Many students don’t end up studying abroad because they cannot afford it. However, studying abroad is possible on a budget. The individual students just has to decided if the benefits of the experience will outweigh the hit to his or her bank account. The benefits of studying abroad are costly but if a student takes the time to search for a scholarship, grant, or loan the cost is manageable.

A student who studies abroad is more prepared for life after undergraduate school. The study abroad student has already experienced taking risks, problem solving, interacting with new cultures, working under pressure, and successfully navigating the unknown. The student has gone through an important period of personal growth and an accelerated period of learning. While study abroad can seem like a daunting concept in the beginning, it’s benefits and future advantages outweigh the cost and other personal disadvantages every time. If a student is considering whether or not to study abroad the benefits show, the best response is to do it.

 

Source Links:

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/who-studies-abroad-who-stays-put-and-why/?_r=0

http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/news/benefits-study-abroad

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/09/158501278/weighing-the-benefits-of-studying-abroad

http://www.diversityabroad.com/study-abroad-career-benefits

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The Brookings Register: Spencer Lee Eiseman

Posted on August 29, 2013

Most people in Brookings, South Dakota know Spencer Eiseman as a soccer star at Brookings High School from the graduating class of 2011. In a town Spencer says is a, “last name kind of town”, everyone knows that Spencer has two sisters, one brother, and two cats. People in Brookings know that in high school he played on the soccer team and ran for the track team. However, while Spencer loved soccer, he also had another love not everyone in the close community of Brookings may know about. Now a Junior at Morningside College, Spencer is best known for his photography and artistic talents.

Spencer has played soccer since he was four years old. He played on school teams and on Sioux Falls club teams. Soccer was a very important part of Spencer’s life into his Sophomore year of college. However during this time he began to develop problems with his lungs. After multiple trips to the doctor’s office it was still unclear what was going on with Spencer’s lungs. Due to his medical complications Spencer quit playing soccer for Morningside College, so not to worsen the problem. This left room in Spencer’s life for a new passion. The passion which filled the spot was photography.

Spencer has been taking photographs for much longer than his two plus years at Morningside College. Throughout High School he took as many art classes as he could fit into his schedule, often spending four to five hours a day in the art classrooms. Spencer found a mentor in is art teacher Mr. Livingston, who became Spencer’s favorite teacher at Brookings High School. While a Junior in High School Spencer knew he wanted to more seriously pursue art. While Spencer started with disposable cameras when he was younger, he knew that he had a knack for framing a picture. He took more photography classes in High School and ended up falling in love with the world of photography. Now at Morningside College photography is one of Spencer’s majors and a large part of his life.

Within this last year Spencer has gone through a lot with quitting soccer and unclear medical problems. He has since found some resolution with these issues. At one point Spencer only knew that he had nodules on his lungs. Later he was diagnosed with Sports Induced Asthma. While Asthma hinders Spencer’s lung functions it will not stop him from playing soccer or other sports ever again. This is great knew to a guy who loves to play sports. In his time away from soccer he began more seriously playing volleyball. So much so, that he has started a men’s volleyball team at Morningside College.

Spencer has come a long way from the kid who spent his days in the art classrooms of Brookings High School. He has created a very successful life at Morningside College where he is involved in multiple student organizations and has been successful academically. Over the past years he has overcome medical issues and learned that when one door closes another door opens. Spencer plans to graduate in May of 2015 and attend Graduate School on the West Coast for photography. While he is still developing his personal style of photography he is also keeping his other options open, as he knows all too well that a person can’t predict the future.

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