One of the topics that I found unique about was when the author began to talk about significant interest and relevant news. “Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. It must balance what readers know thry want with what they cannot anticipate but need.” (Pg 4 Par 2). When reading or watching the news the most important thing is to make sure the information is being given and to keep the audience interested.
Another passage that I found unique is, “Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news”. “One comes across information, decides whether or not it’s believable, assesses its strength and weaknesses, decides if it has value to other…” Most of the information that the news gets is not information that is primary sources, it’s from citizens that were there when the crime or situation occurred. Without those people there that witnessed everything, we wouldn’t be able to get information on what happened or be able to provide it to the people.
Miller Replicates a NO “Bullshit” Newsroom
Biddeford, ME- Through the typical greeting at the beginning of class Miller gives a brief introduction to the topic of the day which was to review previously submitted feature news story ideas.
During Friday afternoon at the time where the afternoon slump starts to kick in Professor Miller enters the classroom with an eager and ready to go attitude. Miller immediately sets the tone for the following class period with an agenda and stack of news pitches to address. Over the course of a class period of 80 minutes Miller dedicates an introduction to journalism. The class of 19 plus was directed by Professor Miller, an associate professor here at the University of New England for 15 years.
Within Professor Millers greeting he says something striking in a very calm tone, essentially that as a class there were a number of things to be addressed and expressing his importance to pay “put the phones away and no bullshit” (Jesse Miller, associate writing professor, he/him) grabbing the students attention with a informal realness that is for sure to grab the attention of his students. Following this opening we dove right into the product of the last class period of Millers and began addressing the number of story pitches that everyone had submitted. There were pitches on a wide array of matters residential and parking to sports and different student services on campus.
To replicate an authentic newsroom aesthetic Miller directs the class to arrange the tables to form a square where the students can look around and see fellow “reporters” if you will while Professor Miller fired off the pitch ideas to be reviewed as a whole sharing ideas and suggestions to help better each others craft such as the idea that it is “important to follow up” ( Elia O’Hara, Junior, English and Political Science, She/Her). Overall Professor Jesse Miller brings a very real and wide array of ideas and ways of thinking to his classroom that will be sure to shape and educate his students no matter what their future careers hold.
CMM 211: Pitches Thrown for 100% on Pop Quiz Ultimatum.
Biddeford, ME; Introduction to Journalism class. Tuesdays- Fridays 2-3:20pm. Professor Jesse Miller, who has been an Associate Teaching Professor of Writing at the University of New England for 15 years, brought an ultimatum at the start of Friday’s class.
On this last Friday February 2nd, 2024 the class of 19 students according to University of New England’s Brightspace Class list, were given an ultimatum at the start of class. Be present, and participate in the newsroom “Pitches” for peers today and get a 100% on the quiz or don’t, and get the original grades for the last class pop quiz. The Pitches could be anything that interested the students around campus and had been assigned in the weekly assignments paper. The class kicked off with the ultimatum slammed down and then talked of examples of Headlines about the current class. Zak Ramos(He/Him) a Sophomore and a Communications major, said “Professor Says Cut the ‘Bullshit’.” as a response. Professor Miller quickly moves on to the most important in the agenda of the day. The Pitches which had been submitted for review to the class before. They were rapidly getting read off for the rest of the newsroom to assist their peers with giving more ideas about who to contact. It was a whirlwind of speed one of the pitches Professor Jesse Miller(He/Him) who is an Associate Teaching Professor of Writing who has worked at the University of New England for 15 years; helps out by saying how the campus is photographic “ Campus Instagramable” in regards to a pitch about the rules of living on and off campus. Over the course of the class the students put in a lot of effort by giving ideas for each other’s pitches on campus issues. The students’ pitches ranged from ‘the mystery of the shark boat, to the internet problems as well as to the turf field at Blue Storm Stadium, to all kinds of campus issues. The ultimatum still has to be determined.
Physical Disability and Financial Accessibility on Campus; Journalism Students Discuss
University of New England, Biddeford, ME
Nineteen students taking an introductory journalism course at UNE found issues in student accessibility across several sites on campus, both in the freshman dorms and the school’s own bookstore.
A curious installment, or lack thereof, within the freshmen dorms, leaves students confused as to why only one of the five freshmen housing buildings includes an elevator. An introductory course in journalism examines the older quad buildings built for rooms to house two people, whereas the newer building, Featherman Hall, has larger room capacities. Over the past decade, students have been placed in triples in the smaller rooms, while the rooms in Featherman have between one and two occupants. This scenario is due to the addition of the elevator in Featherman, making it the only accessible dorm to those who require its assistance. Students in the older buildings are confined to limited spaces with hardly enough leeway to keep their belongings. This design also limits students who require elevator assistance from entering the other quad buildings. Freshman Nick Coneau, a sports management major, states, “[This is a] big issue without wheelchair accessibility.” It is a vital safety concern and an inhibiting factor for students with limited mobility.
Additionally, students inquire about the additional costs of academic textbooks required for many classes. With most of the class nodding their heads in agreement, they question why UNE upcharges so much at our bookstore. Freshman Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture major Cole LaChapelle formulates, “[Some] Community Colleges have textbook funding programs, why don’t we?” This link is intriguing since, while UNE is a private college, students may still struggle to afford these costly textbooks. Implementing a program may alleviate the financial stress numerous students face without continual income.
Addressing such topics may bring light to the adverse aspects of student life here on campus and could be imperative to driving change.
Local Professor Cracks Down on Yapping!
“More structure, less ‘drift-away bullshit'”, says Miller
Biddeford ME – Last Thursday, on the afternoon of February 2nd, 19 students at the University of New England received a call-to-action from their professor, Jesse Miller. Miller, an assistant teaching professor of 15 years, allegedly said, “Get to work”, before producing a stack of student-proposed pitches for on-campus stories and beginning to do an in-depth analysis of each.
Up first was Cole LaChapelle, who, after having his handwriting insulted by Miller, proposed an exposé-type story concerning accessibility in UNE’s freshman dorms. Upon hearing this idea, many students joined in with more information, specifically referencing the lack of elevators and outdated structural design of the buildings.
Following this pitch, students talked rugby, the GUST program and what exactly it is/does, and struggles in the mailroom, to which many students angrily related. Evan Glynos pitched a story concerning injuries that have happened as a result of turf on the UNE football field, to which Prof. Miller demanded context, suggesting Glynos title the feature “Danger on the Field”.
Students continued discussing pitches, with topics including expensive textbooks, college football communities, and the lives of professors before they began teaching. One pitch in particular piqued students attention, as Caitlin O’Brien pitched a feature about the length of on-campus living. Students felt that students shouldn’t have to live on campus for 3 years, but also understood that the money made by the university from room and board is important to the tuition-dependent school. Miller reminded students that residential housing is an “arms race” and the class briefly discussed the “Instagrammable” nature of the campus.
After more discussion about basketball courts, dining halls, potentially destroyed shark boats, and coastal erosion on campus, the class once again landed on a sore subject for many: WiFi on campus. Brady Spring pitched an investigation into the campus WiFi, and why it’s seemingly gotten less efficient after break. Students and Miller alike encouraged Spring to look into it, for the greater good of the community.
After more brief discussions about RSLA, the swim team, the schedule change that blind-sided UNE’s student body, and favoritism in clubs, the class disbanded to dwell on Miller’s instructions.
Among the chatter post-discussion, sophomore Sarah Bourdeau was heard describing class as “enlightening”, with Environmental Science student Caitlin O’Brien calling it “helpful and enlightening”. Needless to say, students in CMM-211-A are anxious to see what Jesse Miller has prepared for next time.
Its All On The Line: Miller Makes a Proposition on the Quiz
UNE professor Jessie Miller proposed a task with a huge upside to his journalism class this past Friday at 2:00 pm. The task in question being that if the student proved their engagement in that class then they would all receive a grade of 100 on their last quiz.
On Friday, February 2nd, 2024 Professor Jesse Miller( he/him) challenged his students to show a maximum effort in their class engagement then all students would receive a 100%. The catch being that all students had to show that they were engaged in class by participating in the discussion. The students as well as professor Miller were discussing pitches for the upcoming feature project, with the idea being that students will hear feedback from their peers and be advised. The objective being to simulate what it is like to be in a newsroom pitching story ideas. Many students had thoughts on how they viewed the class dynamic with the grades on the line. Freshman communications major Wesley Chandler( he/ him) said “with the extensive feedback that I was given, I am ready to surprise the class with my report.” Additional comments were provided from Sophomore communications major Gage Maxfield (he/him) stating ” I find that sharing ideas and pitches makes for an interesting class.” Overall the incentive provided a more captivating and engaged class where students benefited from the class discussion and were paying attention to their own merit, not necessarily “half assed effort” Most students reamed the benefit of a more engaged class for their feature project. It is safe to say that with Maxfield and Chandlers testimony that professor Miller’s wager on the grades as well as the in class activity was a success and those students, among 17 others( per UNE Brightspace classlist) have benefitted from this experience, but only time will tell whether or not that is the case.
Workshopping leads to big questions about UNE budgeting
In Marcil 217 on the UNE campus in Biddeford, ME this past Friday, our Journalism class met and discussed a multitude of things, primarily among them our pitches for feature stories, which led to revelations regarding the primary questions we were asking. We started with discussion of the main portions of news articles, including headlines, leads, and nut graphs, but then moved on to discussing our feature story pitches. These pitches ranged from UNE bookstore prices, to campus services, accessibility, book prices, and finances, to the crash of the UNE Shark boat. One recurring theme that was pointed out in a lot of the feature story pitches was regarding tuition and finances at UNE; where is the money going, what is it being spent on, would tuition increase to fix some of the problems brought up, such as accessibility? Interestingly, UNE tuition has risen across the span of the pandemic, reaching to near Ivy League costs for a school that offers less in terms of prestige and education. Our professor, Jesse Miller, weighed in on each feature story pitch, and gave ideas towards where we should focus our story, making it a point to try and tease out specific parts of each pitch to focus and expand on, paying specific attention to finding the most interesting portions of each story pitch. With the last 20 minutes of class, we were asked to reflect and get quotations from our peers about the story of the day’s class. When asked the question of what was the main point of class, Sarah Bedor, sophomore communications major, responded that “We’re all individually working on our own stories, but as the book says, we’re also keeping each other honest and working on each other’s ideas”. “It felt like an accurate simulation of a newsroom. It felt authentic to what working in a newsroom is really like” said Tony D’Accongelo, Class of 2026 communications major when asked what the main takeaway of the day’s class was.
Future stories begin production as well as planning for the bigger story.
Professor Miller’s Journalism class at the universality of New England in Biddeford Maine talk about their future feature stories as well as giving feedback to each other.
As the last class of the week of the third week of classes starts, the students talk about how to develop story using a head, leds and a nut graf. This built of the pervious class which was about these same topics however the professor wanted to make sure his students have mastered these concepts. After Professor Miller, who has a assoate teaching professor at the University of New England with a MIA, felt these concepts were understood by his students, the class shifted. The class was now about giving feedback to students from their professor and other fellow classmates about their pitches of their feature idea. Each student had one their pitches stated to the class by Professor Miller. After the pitch is stated, the student was able to explain their pitch and what direction they were possibly thinking of going. Professor Miller also gave feedback about with stating about the piece I mentioned stating, “Taking this to the favoritism side has something there” (Miller). Professor Millers feedback helped student understand their feature more and he was able to provide a prospective with Miller working in the journalism field. The students were also giving feedback from their peers with their peers mention possible people needed to be interviewed or what information might possibly need to be found. Brady Spring a junior in the class majoring in environmental studies stated about piece I will be writing, “Talk to student engagement” (Spring). Hearing from peers gives students a ability to hear from people who will be doing the same thing as them and to know what would be necessary to add as well as wanting by a potential reader. As the class ended, students were able to get information and quotes from their peers to give an article about the class and what was said and done. As the clock hit three twenty in the afternoon, Professor Miller gave final statements about what was do for the next class and then dismissed students.
On February 2nd of this year, a brainstorming session for aspiring journalists was held in room 217 in Marcia Hall at University of New England’s Biddeford campus. The workshop was facilitated by UNE’s own Jesse Miller as part of his Introduction to Journalism class. Before the class, students were expected to give a list for review detailing two or more separate pitches for a potential feature they’d write for their next writing project: a feature piece as if they were writing for a paper. Students each pitched their ideas to the class, and were encouraged to ask the question, “What the heck happened?” (Kristen Leite, first year, Animal Behavior Major, she/her) with regards to how their topics started, and built a rapport with one another to find people to interview, topics to research, and the impact of their questions. Other topics discussed include titles for their articles, such as “Bummer of the century: student falls down stairs” (Brady Spring, Junior, Environmental Studies, he/they), among other things. The class as a whole drummed up excitement and anticipation for the writing needed to complete the piece, and encouraged students to consider the possible people they’d need to interview. Not only this, students also were able to gather information from unbiased third parties on what they might want to write about with regards to the possible questions drummed up from their articles, as well as potential formatting needs for the everyday newspaper. The goal of the class, preparing students for their feature piece, was almost certainly achieved thanks to the cooperation between students and the supportive environment fostered by Professor Miller, who observed the whole process. The professor offered his own two-cents as well with regards to the importance of the article and its relevance to current issues or events.
The Enduring Battle Between Students & Universities: Journalism Class Asks Why?
Biddeford, ME – In last Friday’s Journalism class located in University of New England’s Marcil Hall, students conducted a newsroom-style pitch session for their upcoming feature story assignment, and an unmistakable theme emerged.
For one semester, these students are tasked with stepping into the shoes of a journalist. The semester is just beginning to ramp up from conversations on the role and importance of journalism to now attempting the hands-on craft themselves with a feature story pitch session. However, the conversation soon turned to that age-old clash between students and their institutions. Whether it’s Aristotle complaining about Platonic Academy’s facilities in the 4th century BC or a 2024 UNE student trudging from the Forum parking lot to Decary Hall, you have grievances to air. With no topic requirements for this feature, the classroom began picking up on a recurring theme of just where UNE’s money is going. Whether sports, residential halls, staffing, or bookstore prices, students are adamant about transparency and accountability on behalf of the administration.
As associate teaching professor Jesse Miller, M.F.A (he/him), a cornerstone of UNE’s writing and communications program for 15 years, said, “The complexities of higher education systems begin when the business of education meets the academic.”
Never without an element of humor, the class can understand the role of a journalist in those very instances they discuss through their pitches with some moments of casual riffing. Junior Environmental Studies major Brady Spring (he/him) adds “Bummer of the Century” while discussing potential headlines about school safety issues. Nonetheless, the interactive circle regroups with news-room style quickness and is off on the next pitch.
The students of Introduction to Journalism have gotten a taste of the stories waiting to be detected all around them and hit the core of those timeless tensions within higher education. In maintaining the goal of the class to balance both theory and practice, the class will now set out to find the essential facts and unveil the significance of their stories with the artistry of a true journalist.
Miller Goes Over—CMM211 Takes All Day To Pitch Stories
Friday’s meeting was all about stories, and much unplanned time was used to steer students in the right direction as they pitched their firsts of the semester.
Jesse Miller’s Intro to Journalism class is new to the newsroom, and used about sixty out of eighty minutes available to them in order to get their ideas out in front of them on Friday, February 2nd. While this was a divergence from the original lesson plan for the class, it was met with positive feedback as students enjoyed the extra time to both express their ideas and to inform the angle of others’.
“Jesse really pulled it together today,” said freshman animal behavior major, Kristen Leite, on the switch from the original plan for the class. In the room, there was a very strong sense of collaboration as people raised their hands to give comments and express agreement with the ideas of others. This will certainly be constructive to students as they continue to pitch stories throughout the semester—the perspective of a peer is a great help to the writing process, especially as one works to take an angle on a subject.
“Just because we are aware of something, doesn’t mean other people are,” said sophomore communications major, Sarah Bedore, in encouragement of many of her peers’ pitches related to on-campus tensions. Many feature ideas included sports-related updates, such as the community surrounding football, the overlooked members of the hockey team, or even a look into turf-related injuries as identified by an athletic trainer. Broader subjects were chosen as well, like the hours of the dining halls on Saturdays and Sundays, the schedule change which took place in 2021, the recent problems with internet processing speeds, and countless others which gently take aim at the operations of the university, and even vaguely question their commitment to the quality of student life.
Une Professor Guides and Inspires the Minds of Future Journalists
On February 2nd, 2024 at two o’clock the students of Professor Miller’s Journalism class at the University of New England gathered in Marcil Hall to discuss the importance of storytelling.
The assignment for this Spring semester course is to learn how to write a feature story. What are the important facts to cover? What details do viewers need to know? Miller made sure to stress the importance of providing context. The key to storytelling is effective communication and ensuring all sides of a story are covered. Finn McDonough (he/him) is a senior Medical Biology major who shared his perspective on the class states, “When writing a story it’s important to find the most interesting way to look at the story”. Investigations and interviews must occur for those who are impacted by an event to understand what they are going through. Journalism not only updates the people in a given environment but gives them a place to share their aspects. A news piece must also hold elements that grab the attention of viewers. The class proceeded to practice catchy headlines as they expanded their knowledge of writing a lede and nut graph; all key elements in writing a short article. Professor Miller aided in this practice by explaining what these elements mean, such as providing a recap and setting the scene for an article with who was involved, what occurred, when it happened, and where. As the class wrapped up at 3:20, the students left with a greater understanding of what makes a good story and brain-stormed how they could apply their own spin to it. Sophomore, Caitlin O’Brien (she/her) who’s majoring in Environmental Science found the class “constructive and provided a helpful perspective for getting a feel for real Journalism”.
A Day of Discovery: Insights from Journalism Class
In the busy halls of the university of New England, a group of eager students gather for their intro to journalism course. Their enthusiasm for the craft is so extreme as they share their experiences from today’s class.
Sophomore communications major Anthony D’Arcangelo said his thoughts on the class today were “very productive, and he felt he learned a lot about a newsroom,” remarked D’Arcangelo. For Tony, it seems, the class was informative and interesting.
Meanwhile, his classmate, Zac Ramos, echoed similar sentiments. “Positive, beneficial, and amazing,” Ramos said when asked to describe the class in three words.
As the day ends and everyone goes home, the excitement and new things learned in journalism class stick around. For D’Arcangelo, Ramos, and their classmates, each class isn’t just about getting a degree; it’s like going on an adventure. They’re slowly learning more about how journalism works, step by step.
Millers thrillers learn the industry of journalism
Jesse Miller on Friday February the 2nd, in marcil hall taught his intro to journalism class at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
Jesse Miller who is a professor of the communications major at the university brought his class together and stated “Cut the Bulls**t and lock in today.” Millers students were very enthusiastic about class after this was said. Miller’s students after being brought together worked intelligently together and gave each other great ideas and feedback on their future journalism projects. These projects are pitches for new stories they can create about the university they attend.
Student Wesley Chandler who is a communications major stated “Class time was used in a respectful yet a very useful manner.” This was stated by Wesley because he was very excited about the new ideas he was able to learn about with his pitch idea. His pitch to the class was about the university basketball court in the Harold Alfond forum. He pitched this idea to create less slipping and prevent more injuries.
Student Tony D’Aarcangelo who is also a communications major stated “I was helped with getting a great view at what this major will be like in the future and how it will help me once I graduate and go into the field.” Tony stated this because he is eager to learn more in journalism as he wants to continue with writing in the near future. With Tony getting the feel of a real news room feel from Miller’s class it has shown him how a true newsroom will be for his future.
PITCH PERFECT : Students gather to give pitches for news features.
On Friday February 2nd, nineteen undergraduate students taking introduction to journalism at The University of New England gathered in Marcil Hall room 217AB to discuss their respected news feature pitches.
However, the class for these students started off with a bang when their professor gave them an ultimatum which gave students a second chance and also allowed them to know how class was to be set up and operated that day. Miller’s soliloquy started off by telling students that he would reward the class with 100’s on their last quiz, IF AND ONLY IF he had 100 percent of students’ attention throughout the class. From here, students went around the room in newsroom fashion and shared their respective pitches for their upcoming feature assignment. These ideas from students covered a multitude of areas of campus-based topics. These pitches ranged from revamping the university’s lack of parking to solutions to the bookstores’ high prices to even a discussion on whether or not the University should remove their innovative blue turf at Blue Storm Stadium in favor of a natural grass surface. During this period students were able to receive feedback on their pitches from one another whether it was positive or negative, however it was mainly positive feedback. Another talking point that had come up in the class as students discussed potential areas of concern for the campus, was the question of “has college changed?”. Professor Miller often posed this question to the class stating that “we had the same problems in the 1600’s when I was in college,”. When speaking to students about how class went in their eyes, they saw it as a helpful experience. “Class was very instructive. There was a lot of feedback on our pitches,”. (Nate Delgado/ Freshman/ Sports Management/ He/him). Nate wasn’t the only one with this view. “Class was helpful, we shared a lot of information in a very effective and positive way,”. (Gage Maxfield/Sophomore/Communications/He/Him).
Biddeford, ME- Professor Miller’s students discuss UNE’s problems. Twice a week Professor Miller teaches an afternoon journalism class at the University of New England. This class consists of many students from different ages and majors. The goal of this class is to practice the skills and techniques that real journalists do. Professor Miller inspires to make the classroom feel like a real life newsroom. During class on Friday February 2nd, Professor Miller started with and intriguing proposition, as Zak Ramos, a communications major at UNE says, “My favorite part of class was Mr. Miller saying cut the bullshit.” This meant that Professor Miller agreed that if every student could be fully engaged in the class discussion he would give everyone a one hundred on the last quiz the class had. He then assigned an assignment called “What was the Story of today’s class”, where the students had to report on what happened during class. As the class went on, they got into their main discussion for the day, everyone’s feature story pitches. The students had to pick a topic about a problem or something happening at the University of New England for their feature stories. Professor Miller read aloud everyone’s topic one by one as the class would discuss each one and give some insight. Topics ranged from UNE sports, to the dining hall, the bookstore, campus living, and the price of tuition for UNE. The class talked through problems such as the dorms being outdated, the fields being unsafe, and why books are so expensive. For every topic the class discussed things like narrowing down a topic, who should be interviewed, whether it had to be students, employees, coaches, or sports players. Also being able to see different perspectives of a problem, and how to take an angle on a topic for your story. Wes, a communication’s major at UNE said, “The class today gave us a feel of what it’s like to be in a newsroom. To end off class Professor Miller gave some insight on how its funny that he is hearing the same problems that he had in college twenty years ago.
Journalism students at the University of New England gather and discuss where their tuition money is going and how it can be better spent.
(Biddeford ME) Today Friday February 2nd 2024 a professor at the University of New England Jessie Miller (he/him) met with his Journalism class to discuss some local news stories that intrigue them . Stories that they would be interested in potentially writing an article about. While students shared their ideas for their news stories a main theme emerged throughout. Students believe that there are a wide array of problems on campus that should get more attention and they want to know how their tuition money is being spent and what financial decisions can be made to address these problems on campus.
The First problem that was mentioned was the inaccessibility of dorms and how the outdated dorms and small living quarters are not convenient for anyone, especially the disabled. One of the main solutions students were able to come up with for this problem is making sure all of the dorms have elevators and potentially building more freshman dorms so that freshmen no longer have to live in 12×12 rooms with three people. Another pitch was that the UNE should switch from artificial turf to real grass on their fields to help prevent injuries which would be beneficial for the athletes of UNE. Also students brought up the increasing prices on textbooks and how much they are raising textbooks prices at the student store. Students feel that the textbook prices that you see at the student store should be similar to what you would get the same textbook for online. Topics that got a lot of attention from the group was the idea that UNE is letting too many students bring their cars on campus and that UNE should shorten the time that students are required to live on campus. The thing that the journalism students realized about these problems are that letting too many people bring their cars on campus and forcing students to live on campus are some of the main sources of revenue for the university so these topics are extra hard to deal with and it is understandable why the university is taking that approach.
Right now the majority of students of this journalism class feel that UNE has gotten money hungry and put the wellbeing of their students on the back-burner. Maybe there is more to the story and that’s why the students feel that UNE should have a place like an online portal or some other kind of way where students can see how UNE is budgeting the money and how much money is going to what causes.
Coach Beudry’s court, otherwise known as the Alfond Forum courts has been a part of the University of New England for almost twelve years and is a key part of athletes’ gameplay as well as training throughout the year. Some athletes here at our University wouldn’t change a thing about the courts because of the nostalgia they have with the wood, but some people have stated their different opinions. Though the courts may look the part of a college facility, the conditions and maintenance could be in much better conditions. I had time to catch up with one of the athletes at the University Tyrell Kade to get his opinion on what he thinks of the court. “During covid we were only allowed to lift in the courts because we could not be in close contact with each other. I would not change a thing about the forum”. When I talked to Tim Viall, offensive coordinator and professor at UNE though, his opinions deferred. “I believe we have an amazing facility in Coach Beudry’s court but could use continuous maintenance. If our athletes here are always practicing or training in the gym the floors should at least get mopped every few days and even waxed as well”. Some people may be more about the memories and conditions of the place they grind rather than having the best accessibilities. Others may want the best equipment and surroundings to make them succeed, but for the Beudry courts only time will tell if leaving the court alone is the best decision for the school and its athletes.
A Deeper Look Inside of one of UNE’s Most Important Classes
Biddeford, ME – Inside a small, unassuming classroom inside on the University of New England’s Biddeford campus, there are groundbreaking discoveries taking place. Introduction to Journalism students are not only gaining the opportunity to write a feature article but are also experiencing a “real-life newsroom” scenario, laid out by Professor Jesse Miller.
At 2 PM this past Friday, February 2nd, the students in the course gathered as they normally do in Marcil Hall, setting up the tables in their token round layout which Professor Miller prefers. Professor Miller started the class period off by explaining that there would be a teaching demonstration on February 9th for a new faculty member in the communications department, and that students would have the opportunity to attend and give their input. The communications department at the University of New England has recently undergone a large amount of change, including a program-wide name change, so this news was quite positive for all present communications majors.
After the usual run down, Miller gave students the opportunity to pitch their stories to the room, as if they were in a newsroom. Students not only had the opportunity to hear the pitches of their colleagues, but also had their own pitches critiqued.
Every kind of pitch was present, some were emotionally charged, and some were more disconnected.
“The mail room pisses me off!” Sarah Bordeau, a student in the class, exclaimed while she went into detail about the issues with the campus mail room, including hours and staffing.
Another story that was discussed in detail was about the football team. Zach, a student in Miller’s class, plans to write his feature piece about the team, which he is a part of.
“Football brings in money for the school through its’ roster of 120 people.” Zach explained, giving this as just one of the examples of how the football team supports the school.
As the conversation wrapped up, Miller moved into an activity. At the end of class, each student left feeling confident and satisfied with their story, ready to move into the drafting phase.
19 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 5”
One of the topics that I found unique about was when the author began to talk about significant interest and relevant news. “Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. It must balance what readers know thry want with what they cannot anticipate but need.” (Pg 4 Par 2). When reading or watching the news the most important thing is to make sure the information is being given and to keep the audience interested.
Another passage that I found unique is, “Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news”. “One comes across information, decides whether or not it’s believable, assesses its strength and weaknesses, decides if it has value to other…” Most of the information that the news gets is not information that is primary sources, it’s from citizens that were there when the crime or situation occurred. Without those people there that witnessed everything, we wouldn’t be able to get information on what happened or be able to provide it to the people.
Miller Replicates a NO “Bullshit” Newsroom
Biddeford, ME- Through the typical greeting at the beginning of class Miller gives a brief introduction to the topic of the day which was to review previously submitted feature news story ideas.
During Friday afternoon at the time where the afternoon slump starts to kick in Professor Miller enters the classroom with an eager and ready to go attitude. Miller immediately sets the tone for the following class period with an agenda and stack of news pitches to address. Over the course of a class period of 80 minutes Miller dedicates an introduction to journalism. The class of 19 plus was directed by Professor Miller, an associate professor here at the University of New England for 15 years.
Within Professor Millers greeting he says something striking in a very calm tone, essentially that as a class there were a number of things to be addressed and expressing his importance to pay “put the phones away and no bullshit” (Jesse Miller, associate writing professor, he/him) grabbing the students attention with a informal realness that is for sure to grab the attention of his students. Following this opening we dove right into the product of the last class period of Millers and began addressing the number of story pitches that everyone had submitted. There were pitches on a wide array of matters residential and parking to sports and different student services on campus.
To replicate an authentic newsroom aesthetic Miller directs the class to arrange the tables to form a square where the students can look around and see fellow “reporters” if you will while Professor Miller fired off the pitch ideas to be reviewed as a whole sharing ideas and suggestions to help better each others craft such as the idea that it is “important to follow up” ( Elia O’Hara, Junior, English and Political Science, She/Her). Overall Professor Jesse Miller brings a very real and wide array of ideas and ways of thinking to his classroom that will be sure to shape and educate his students no matter what their future careers hold.
CMM 211: Pitches Thrown for 100% on Pop Quiz Ultimatum.
Biddeford, ME; Introduction to Journalism class. Tuesdays- Fridays 2-3:20pm. Professor Jesse Miller, who has been an Associate Teaching Professor of Writing at the University of New England for 15 years, brought an ultimatum at the start of Friday’s class.
On this last Friday February 2nd, 2024 the class of 19 students according to University of New England’s Brightspace Class list, were given an ultimatum at the start of class. Be present, and participate in the newsroom “Pitches” for peers today and get a 100% on the quiz or don’t, and get the original grades for the last class pop quiz. The Pitches could be anything that interested the students around campus and had been assigned in the weekly assignments paper. The class kicked off with the ultimatum slammed down and then talked of examples of Headlines about the current class. Zak Ramos(He/Him) a Sophomore and a Communications major, said “Professor Says Cut the ‘Bullshit’.” as a response. Professor Miller quickly moves on to the most important in the agenda of the day. The Pitches which had been submitted for review to the class before. They were rapidly getting read off for the rest of the newsroom to assist their peers with giving more ideas about who to contact. It was a whirlwind of speed one of the pitches Professor Jesse Miller(He/Him) who is an Associate Teaching Professor of Writing who has worked at the University of New England for 15 years; helps out by saying how the campus is photographic “ Campus Instagramable” in regards to a pitch about the rules of living on and off campus. Over the course of the class the students put in a lot of effort by giving ideas for each other’s pitches on campus issues. The students’ pitches ranged from ‘the mystery of the shark boat, to the internet problems as well as to the turf field at Blue Storm Stadium, to all kinds of campus issues. The ultimatum still has to be determined.
Physical Disability and Financial Accessibility on Campus; Journalism Students Discuss
University of New England, Biddeford, ME
Nineteen students taking an introductory journalism course at UNE found issues in student accessibility across several sites on campus, both in the freshman dorms and the school’s own bookstore.
A curious installment, or lack thereof, within the freshmen dorms, leaves students confused as to why only one of the five freshmen housing buildings includes an elevator. An introductory course in journalism examines the older quad buildings built for rooms to house two people, whereas the newer building, Featherman Hall, has larger room capacities. Over the past decade, students have been placed in triples in the smaller rooms, while the rooms in Featherman have between one and two occupants. This scenario is due to the addition of the elevator in Featherman, making it the only accessible dorm to those who require its assistance. Students in the older buildings are confined to limited spaces with hardly enough leeway to keep their belongings. This design also limits students who require elevator assistance from entering the other quad buildings. Freshman Nick Coneau, a sports management major, states, “[This is a] big issue without wheelchair accessibility.” It is a vital safety concern and an inhibiting factor for students with limited mobility.
Additionally, students inquire about the additional costs of academic textbooks required for many classes. With most of the class nodding their heads in agreement, they question why UNE upcharges so much at our bookstore. Freshman Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture major Cole LaChapelle formulates, “[Some] Community Colleges have textbook funding programs, why don’t we?” This link is intriguing since, while UNE is a private college, students may still struggle to afford these costly textbooks. Implementing a program may alleviate the financial stress numerous students face without continual income.
Addressing such topics may bring light to the adverse aspects of student life here on campus and could be imperative to driving change.
Local Professor Cracks Down on Yapping!
“More structure, less ‘drift-away bullshit'”, says Miller
Biddeford ME – Last Thursday, on the afternoon of February 2nd, 19 students at the University of New England received a call-to-action from their professor, Jesse Miller. Miller, an assistant teaching professor of 15 years, allegedly said, “Get to work”, before producing a stack of student-proposed pitches for on-campus stories and beginning to do an in-depth analysis of each.
Up first was Cole LaChapelle, who, after having his handwriting insulted by Miller, proposed an exposé-type story concerning accessibility in UNE’s freshman dorms. Upon hearing this idea, many students joined in with more information, specifically referencing the lack of elevators and outdated structural design of the buildings.
Following this pitch, students talked rugby, the GUST program and what exactly it is/does, and struggles in the mailroom, to which many students angrily related. Evan Glynos pitched a story concerning injuries that have happened as a result of turf on the UNE football field, to which Prof. Miller demanded context, suggesting Glynos title the feature “Danger on the Field”.
Students continued discussing pitches, with topics including expensive textbooks, college football communities, and the lives of professors before they began teaching. One pitch in particular piqued students attention, as Caitlin O’Brien pitched a feature about the length of on-campus living. Students felt that students shouldn’t have to live on campus for 3 years, but also understood that the money made by the university from room and board is important to the tuition-dependent school. Miller reminded students that residential housing is an “arms race” and the class briefly discussed the “Instagrammable” nature of the campus.
After more discussion about basketball courts, dining halls, potentially destroyed shark boats, and coastal erosion on campus, the class once again landed on a sore subject for many: WiFi on campus. Brady Spring pitched an investigation into the campus WiFi, and why it’s seemingly gotten less efficient after break. Students and Miller alike encouraged Spring to look into it, for the greater good of the community.
After more brief discussions about RSLA, the swim team, the schedule change that blind-sided UNE’s student body, and favoritism in clubs, the class disbanded to dwell on Miller’s instructions.
Among the chatter post-discussion, sophomore Sarah Bourdeau was heard describing class as “enlightening”, with Environmental Science student Caitlin O’Brien calling it “helpful and enlightening”. Needless to say, students in CMM-211-A are anxious to see what Jesse Miller has prepared for next time.
Its All On The Line: Miller Makes a Proposition on the Quiz
UNE professor Jessie Miller proposed a task with a huge upside to his journalism class this past Friday at 2:00 pm. The task in question being that if the student proved their engagement in that class then they would all receive a grade of 100 on their last quiz.
On Friday, February 2nd, 2024 Professor Jesse Miller( he/him) challenged his students to show a maximum effort in their class engagement then all students would receive a 100%. The catch being that all students had to show that they were engaged in class by participating in the discussion. The students as well as professor Miller were discussing pitches for the upcoming feature project, with the idea being that students will hear feedback from their peers and be advised. The objective being to simulate what it is like to be in a newsroom pitching story ideas. Many students had thoughts on how they viewed the class dynamic with the grades on the line. Freshman communications major Wesley Chandler( he/ him) said “with the extensive feedback that I was given, I am ready to surprise the class with my report.” Additional comments were provided from Sophomore communications major Gage Maxfield (he/him) stating ” I find that sharing ideas and pitches makes for an interesting class.” Overall the incentive provided a more captivating and engaged class where students benefited from the class discussion and were paying attention to their own merit, not necessarily “half assed effort” Most students reamed the benefit of a more engaged class for their feature project. It is safe to say that with Maxfield and Chandlers testimony that professor Miller’s wager on the grades as well as the in class activity was a success and those students, among 17 others( per UNE Brightspace classlist) have benefitted from this experience, but only time will tell whether or not that is the case.
Workshopping leads to big questions about UNE budgeting
In Marcil 217 on the UNE campus in Biddeford, ME this past Friday, our Journalism class met and discussed a multitude of things, primarily among them our pitches for feature stories, which led to revelations regarding the primary questions we were asking. We started with discussion of the main portions of news articles, including headlines, leads, and nut graphs, but then moved on to discussing our feature story pitches. These pitches ranged from UNE bookstore prices, to campus services, accessibility, book prices, and finances, to the crash of the UNE Shark boat. One recurring theme that was pointed out in a lot of the feature story pitches was regarding tuition and finances at UNE; where is the money going, what is it being spent on, would tuition increase to fix some of the problems brought up, such as accessibility? Interestingly, UNE tuition has risen across the span of the pandemic, reaching to near Ivy League costs for a school that offers less in terms of prestige and education. Our professor, Jesse Miller, weighed in on each feature story pitch, and gave ideas towards where we should focus our story, making it a point to try and tease out specific parts of each pitch to focus and expand on, paying specific attention to finding the most interesting portions of each story pitch. With the last 20 minutes of class, we were asked to reflect and get quotations from our peers about the story of the day’s class. When asked the question of what was the main point of class, Sarah Bedor, sophomore communications major, responded that “We’re all individually working on our own stories, but as the book says, we’re also keeping each other honest and working on each other’s ideas”. “It felt like an accurate simulation of a newsroom. It felt authentic to what working in a newsroom is really like” said Tony D’Accongelo, Class of 2026 communications major when asked what the main takeaway of the day’s class was.
Future stories begin production as well as planning for the bigger story.
Professor Miller’s Journalism class at the universality of New England in Biddeford Maine talk about their future feature stories as well as giving feedback to each other.
As the last class of the week of the third week of classes starts, the students talk about how to develop story using a head, leds and a nut graf. This built of the pervious class which was about these same topics however the professor wanted to make sure his students have mastered these concepts. After Professor Miller, who has a assoate teaching professor at the University of New England with a MIA, felt these concepts were understood by his students, the class shifted. The class was now about giving feedback to students from their professor and other fellow classmates about their pitches of their feature idea. Each student had one their pitches stated to the class by Professor Miller. After the pitch is stated, the student was able to explain their pitch and what direction they were possibly thinking of going. Professor Miller also gave feedback about with stating about the piece I mentioned stating, “Taking this to the favoritism side has something there” (Miller). Professor Millers feedback helped student understand their feature more and he was able to provide a prospective with Miller working in the journalism field. The students were also giving feedback from their peers with their peers mention possible people needed to be interviewed or what information might possibly need to be found. Brady Spring a junior in the class majoring in environmental studies stated about piece I will be writing, “Talk to student engagement” (Spring). Hearing from peers gives students a ability to hear from people who will be doing the same thing as them and to know what would be necessary to add as well as wanting by a potential reader. As the class ended, students were able to get information and quotes from their peers to give an article about the class and what was said and done. As the clock hit three twenty in the afternoon, Professor Miller gave final statements about what was do for the next class and then dismissed students.
Flurry in the Drawing Room
On February 2nd of this year, a brainstorming session for aspiring journalists was held in room 217 in Marcia Hall at University of New England’s Biddeford campus. The workshop was facilitated by UNE’s own Jesse Miller as part of his Introduction to Journalism class. Before the class, students were expected to give a list for review detailing two or more separate pitches for a potential feature they’d write for their next writing project: a feature piece as if they were writing for a paper. Students each pitched their ideas to the class, and were encouraged to ask the question, “What the heck happened?” (Kristen Leite, first year, Animal Behavior Major, she/her) with regards to how their topics started, and built a rapport with one another to find people to interview, topics to research, and the impact of their questions. Other topics discussed include titles for their articles, such as “Bummer of the century: student falls down stairs” (Brady Spring, Junior, Environmental Studies, he/they), among other things. The class as a whole drummed up excitement and anticipation for the writing needed to complete the piece, and encouraged students to consider the possible people they’d need to interview. Not only this, students also were able to gather information from unbiased third parties on what they might want to write about with regards to the possible questions drummed up from their articles, as well as potential formatting needs for the everyday newspaper. The goal of the class, preparing students for their feature piece, was almost certainly achieved thanks to the cooperation between students and the supportive environment fostered by Professor Miller, who observed the whole process. The professor offered his own two-cents as well with regards to the importance of the article and its relevance to current issues or events.
The Enduring Battle Between Students & Universities: Journalism Class Asks Why?
Biddeford, ME – In last Friday’s Journalism class located in University of New England’s Marcil Hall, students conducted a newsroom-style pitch session for their upcoming feature story assignment, and an unmistakable theme emerged.
For one semester, these students are tasked with stepping into the shoes of a journalist. The semester is just beginning to ramp up from conversations on the role and importance of journalism to now attempting the hands-on craft themselves with a feature story pitch session. However, the conversation soon turned to that age-old clash between students and their institutions. Whether it’s Aristotle complaining about Platonic Academy’s facilities in the 4th century BC or a 2024 UNE student trudging from the Forum parking lot to Decary Hall, you have grievances to air. With no topic requirements for this feature, the classroom began picking up on a recurring theme of just where UNE’s money is going. Whether sports, residential halls, staffing, or bookstore prices, students are adamant about transparency and accountability on behalf of the administration.
As associate teaching professor Jesse Miller, M.F.A (he/him), a cornerstone of UNE’s writing and communications program for 15 years, said, “The complexities of higher education systems begin when the business of education meets the academic.”
Never without an element of humor, the class can understand the role of a journalist in those very instances they discuss through their pitches with some moments of casual riffing. Junior Environmental Studies major Brady Spring (he/him) adds “Bummer of the Century” while discussing potential headlines about school safety issues. Nonetheless, the interactive circle regroups with news-room style quickness and is off on the next pitch.
The students of Introduction to Journalism have gotten a taste of the stories waiting to be detected all around them and hit the core of those timeless tensions within higher education. In maintaining the goal of the class to balance both theory and practice, the class will now set out to find the essential facts and unveil the significance of their stories with the artistry of a true journalist.
Miller Goes Over—CMM211 Takes All Day To Pitch Stories
Friday’s meeting was all about stories, and much unplanned time was used to steer students in the right direction as they pitched their firsts of the semester.
Jesse Miller’s Intro to Journalism class is new to the newsroom, and used about sixty out of eighty minutes available to them in order to get their ideas out in front of them on Friday, February 2nd. While this was a divergence from the original lesson plan for the class, it was met with positive feedback as students enjoyed the extra time to both express their ideas and to inform the angle of others’.
“Jesse really pulled it together today,” said freshman animal behavior major, Kristen Leite, on the switch from the original plan for the class. In the room, there was a very strong sense of collaboration as people raised their hands to give comments and express agreement with the ideas of others. This will certainly be constructive to students as they continue to pitch stories throughout the semester—the perspective of a peer is a great help to the writing process, especially as one works to take an angle on a subject.
“Just because we are aware of something, doesn’t mean other people are,” said sophomore communications major, Sarah Bedore, in encouragement of many of her peers’ pitches related to on-campus tensions. Many feature ideas included sports-related updates, such as the community surrounding football, the overlooked members of the hockey team, or even a look into turf-related injuries as identified by an athletic trainer. Broader subjects were chosen as well, like the hours of the dining halls on Saturdays and Sundays, the schedule change which took place in 2021, the recent problems with internet processing speeds, and countless others which gently take aim at the operations of the university, and even vaguely question their commitment to the quality of student life.
Une Professor Guides and Inspires the Minds of Future Journalists
On February 2nd, 2024 at two o’clock the students of Professor Miller’s Journalism class at the University of New England gathered in Marcil Hall to discuss the importance of storytelling.
The assignment for this Spring semester course is to learn how to write a feature story. What are the important facts to cover? What details do viewers need to know? Miller made sure to stress the importance of providing context. The key to storytelling is effective communication and ensuring all sides of a story are covered. Finn McDonough (he/him) is a senior Medical Biology major who shared his perspective on the class states, “When writing a story it’s important to find the most interesting way to look at the story”. Investigations and interviews must occur for those who are impacted by an event to understand what they are going through. Journalism not only updates the people in a given environment but gives them a place to share their aspects. A news piece must also hold elements that grab the attention of viewers. The class proceeded to practice catchy headlines as they expanded their knowledge of writing a lede and nut graph; all key elements in writing a short article. Professor Miller aided in this practice by explaining what these elements mean, such as providing a recap and setting the scene for an article with who was involved, what occurred, when it happened, and where. As the class wrapped up at 3:20, the students left with a greater understanding of what makes a good story and brain-stormed how they could apply their own spin to it. Sophomore, Caitlin O’Brien (she/her) who’s majoring in Environmental Science found the class “constructive and provided a helpful perspective for getting a feel for real Journalism”.
A Day of Discovery: Insights from Journalism Class
In the busy halls of the university of New England, a group of eager students gather for their intro to journalism course. Their enthusiasm for the craft is so extreme as they share their experiences from today’s class.
Sophomore communications major Anthony D’Arcangelo said his thoughts on the class today were “very productive, and he felt he learned a lot about a newsroom,” remarked D’Arcangelo. For Tony, it seems, the class was informative and interesting.
Meanwhile, his classmate, Zac Ramos, echoed similar sentiments. “Positive, beneficial, and amazing,” Ramos said when asked to describe the class in three words.
As the day ends and everyone goes home, the excitement and new things learned in journalism class stick around. For D’Arcangelo, Ramos, and their classmates, each class isn’t just about getting a degree; it’s like going on an adventure. They’re slowly learning more about how journalism works, step by step.
Millers thrillers learn the industry of journalism
Jesse Miller on Friday February the 2nd, in marcil hall taught his intro to journalism class at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
Jesse Miller who is a professor of the communications major at the university brought his class together and stated “Cut the Bulls**t and lock in today.” Millers students were very enthusiastic about class after this was said. Miller’s students after being brought together worked intelligently together and gave each other great ideas and feedback on their future journalism projects. These projects are pitches for new stories they can create about the university they attend.
Student Wesley Chandler who is a communications major stated “Class time was used in a respectful yet a very useful manner.” This was stated by Wesley because he was very excited about the new ideas he was able to learn about with his pitch idea. His pitch to the class was about the university basketball court in the Harold Alfond forum. He pitched this idea to create less slipping and prevent more injuries.
Student Tony D’Aarcangelo who is also a communications major stated “I was helped with getting a great view at what this major will be like in the future and how it will help me once I graduate and go into the field.” Tony stated this because he is eager to learn more in journalism as he wants to continue with writing in the near future. With Tony getting the feel of a real news room feel from Miller’s class it has shown him how a true newsroom will be for his future.
Biddeford ME.
PITCH PERFECT : Students gather to give pitches for news features.
On Friday February 2nd, nineteen undergraduate students taking introduction to journalism at The University of New England gathered in Marcil Hall room 217AB to discuss their respected news feature pitches.
However, the class for these students started off with a bang when their professor gave them an ultimatum which gave students a second chance and also allowed them to know how class was to be set up and operated that day. Miller’s soliloquy started off by telling students that he would reward the class with 100’s on their last quiz, IF AND ONLY IF he had 100 percent of students’ attention throughout the class. From here, students went around the room in newsroom fashion and shared their respective pitches for their upcoming feature assignment. These ideas from students covered a multitude of areas of campus-based topics. These pitches ranged from revamping the university’s lack of parking to solutions to the bookstores’ high prices to even a discussion on whether or not the University should remove their innovative blue turf at Blue Storm Stadium in favor of a natural grass surface. During this period students were able to receive feedback on their pitches from one another whether it was positive or negative, however it was mainly positive feedback. Another talking point that had come up in the class as students discussed potential areas of concern for the campus, was the question of “has college changed?”. Professor Miller often posed this question to the class stating that “we had the same problems in the 1600’s when I was in college,”. When speaking to students about how class went in their eyes, they saw it as a helpful experience. “Class was very instructive. There was a lot of feedback on our pitches,”. (Nate Delgado/ Freshman/ Sports Management/ He/him). Nate wasn’t the only one with this view. “Class was helpful, we shared a lot of information in a very effective and positive way,”. (Gage Maxfield/Sophomore/Communications/He/Him).
Biddeford, ME- Professor Miller’s students discuss UNE’s problems. Twice a week Professor Miller teaches an afternoon journalism class at the University of New England. This class consists of many students from different ages and majors. The goal of this class is to practice the skills and techniques that real journalists do. Professor Miller inspires to make the classroom feel like a real life newsroom. During class on Friday February 2nd, Professor Miller started with and intriguing proposition, as Zak Ramos, a communications major at UNE says, “My favorite part of class was Mr. Miller saying cut the bullshit.” This meant that Professor Miller agreed that if every student could be fully engaged in the class discussion he would give everyone a one hundred on the last quiz the class had. He then assigned an assignment called “What was the Story of today’s class”, where the students had to report on what happened during class. As the class went on, they got into their main discussion for the day, everyone’s feature story pitches. The students had to pick a topic about a problem or something happening at the University of New England for their feature stories. Professor Miller read aloud everyone’s topic one by one as the class would discuss each one and give some insight. Topics ranged from UNE sports, to the dining hall, the bookstore, campus living, and the price of tuition for UNE. The class talked through problems such as the dorms being outdated, the fields being unsafe, and why books are so expensive. For every topic the class discussed things like narrowing down a topic, who should be interviewed, whether it had to be students, employees, coaches, or sports players. Also being able to see different perspectives of a problem, and how to take an angle on a topic for your story. Wes, a communication’s major at UNE said, “The class today gave us a feel of what it’s like to be in a newsroom. To end off class Professor Miller gave some insight on how its funny that he is hearing the same problems that he had in college twenty years ago.
Where is all of our tuition going?
Journalism students at the University of New England gather and discuss where their tuition money is going and how it can be better spent.
(Biddeford ME) Today Friday February 2nd 2024 a professor at the University of New England Jessie Miller (he/him) met with his Journalism class to discuss some local news stories that intrigue them . Stories that they would be interested in potentially writing an article about. While students shared their ideas for their news stories a main theme emerged throughout. Students believe that there are a wide array of problems on campus that should get more attention and they want to know how their tuition money is being spent and what financial decisions can be made to address these problems on campus.
The First problem that was mentioned was the inaccessibility of dorms and how the outdated dorms and small living quarters are not convenient for anyone, especially the disabled. One of the main solutions students were able to come up with for this problem is making sure all of the dorms have elevators and potentially building more freshman dorms so that freshmen no longer have to live in 12×12 rooms with three people. Another pitch was that the UNE should switch from artificial turf to real grass on their fields to help prevent injuries which would be beneficial for the athletes of UNE. Also students brought up the increasing prices on textbooks and how much they are raising textbooks prices at the student store. Students feel that the textbook prices that you see at the student store should be similar to what you would get the same textbook for online. Topics that got a lot of attention from the group was the idea that UNE is letting too many students bring their cars on campus and that UNE should shorten the time that students are required to live on campus. The thing that the journalism students realized about these problems are that letting too many people bring their cars on campus and forcing students to live on campus are some of the main sources of revenue for the university so these topics are extra hard to deal with and it is understandable why the university is taking that approach.
Right now the majority of students of this journalism class feel that UNE has gotten money hungry and put the wellbeing of their students on the back-burner. Maybe there is more to the story and that’s why the students feel that UNE should have a place like an online portal or some other kind of way where students can see how UNE is budgeting the money and how much money is going to what causes.
Coach Beudry’s court, otherwise known as the Alfond Forum courts has been a part of the University of New England for almost twelve years and is a key part of athletes’ gameplay as well as training throughout the year. Some athletes here at our University wouldn’t change a thing about the courts because of the nostalgia they have with the wood, but some people have stated their different opinions. Though the courts may look the part of a college facility, the conditions and maintenance could be in much better conditions. I had time to catch up with one of the athletes at the University Tyrell Kade to get his opinion on what he thinks of the court. “During covid we were only allowed to lift in the courts because we could not be in close contact with each other. I would not change a thing about the forum”. When I talked to Tim Viall, offensive coordinator and professor at UNE though, his opinions deferred. “I believe we have an amazing facility in Coach Beudry’s court but could use continuous maintenance. If our athletes here are always practicing or training in the gym the floors should at least get mopped every few days and even waxed as well”. Some people may be more about the memories and conditions of the place they grind rather than having the best accessibilities. Others may want the best equipment and surroundings to make them succeed, but for the Beudry courts only time will tell if leaving the court alone is the best decision for the school and its athletes.
A Deeper Look Inside of one of UNE’s Most Important Classes
Biddeford, ME – Inside a small, unassuming classroom inside on the University of New England’s Biddeford campus, there are groundbreaking discoveries taking place. Introduction to Journalism students are not only gaining the opportunity to write a feature article but are also experiencing a “real-life newsroom” scenario, laid out by Professor Jesse Miller.
At 2 PM this past Friday, February 2nd, the students in the course gathered as they normally do in Marcil Hall, setting up the tables in their token round layout which Professor Miller prefers. Professor Miller started the class period off by explaining that there would be a teaching demonstration on February 9th for a new faculty member in the communications department, and that students would have the opportunity to attend and give their input. The communications department at the University of New England has recently undergone a large amount of change, including a program-wide name change, so this news was quite positive for all present communications majors.
After the usual run down, Miller gave students the opportunity to pitch their stories to the room, as if they were in a newsroom. Students not only had the opportunity to hear the pitches of their colleagues, but also had their own pitches critiqued.
Every kind of pitch was present, some were emotionally charged, and some were more disconnected.
“The mail room pisses me off!” Sarah Bordeau, a student in the class, exclaimed while she went into detail about the issues with the campus mail room, including hours and staffing.
Another story that was discussed in detail was about the football team. Zach, a student in Miller’s class, plans to write his feature piece about the team, which he is a part of.
“Football brings in money for the school through its’ roster of 120 people.” Zach explained, giving this as just one of the examples of how the football team supports the school.
As the conversation wrapped up, Miller moved into an activity. At the end of class, each student left feeling confident and satisfied with their story, ready to move into the drafting phase.