As part of BC’s The Heights special edition for Black History Month, several articles highlight “Black Individuals and Groups Shaping the History of Boston College and Beyond.” The article I read under this special edition category by Romero and Murphy looks at the work that the Women’s Center of Boston College has done to try and make an inclusive and safe space for everyone regardless of race, gender identity, etc. – especially since former staff member Courtney Wright and director Katie Dalton took notice of a “low traffic of Black female students.” This is how the Black Women’s Matter Initiative took shape, and it is now a cornerstone of extracurricular and self-care opportunities for young Black women of BC. With over 60 retreat participants, which they call “sisterhoods,” faculty and alumnae can lead discussions and foster that space to share experiences and struggles in a supported community. But more relaxed and informal events and free time are scheduled as well. The overarching goal of the various events and programs that BMW’s organization aims to highlight is how essential representation is – bolstering confidence and feeling like a part of a shared community when school life appears predominantly white. Interviewing a few student members illustrates how important it is to their time at BC. For instance, Esther Olojede, CSON ’26, says, “I think you have to do it at least once. It impacts you in a way where it reminds you that there is a group of people who know exactly what you have experienced and that is not something you get to come across very often.” While the article ends on a positive note, there is also a glimpse into the growing mood that spaces like retreats should be a part of on-campus life, and it urges more groups to grow on campus.
I was drawn to this article as I am starting to think about my post-graduate education – perhaps both abroad and in the U.S. – and I always find the complexities of tuition and opinions on it very intriguing. This piece examines the differences between BC’s study abroad experience and the financial struggles that pose significant barriers to student experiences. Additionally, the article points to a similar program at Duke University to compare experiences abroad and asks questions regarding how universities decide what justifies a certain cost. BC’s study abroad program poses financial burdens as students have to find housing on their own wherever the program is located, which does not include food, transportation, or travel costs. Yet the article clarifies that “…above all these expenses is the glaring first cost of every abroad program: tuition.” Delving into the specifics, each student considering studying abroad must pay the cost of BC tuition, $33,205, and use the same scholarship or financial aid as if they were at home. The Duke University example is the “Duke-In” program, which, like BC, requires the cost of their home- university tuition – yet the key difference lies in the cost of the majority of Duke’s study abroad offerings, which are external. The example of DIS Stockholm, an external study abroad program, is one that both BC and Duke students have the opportunity to do, yet there is an $11,155 difference between the two. The article makes us think about what is so different about student experience that it can amount to thousands of dollars in difference. In allowing for both sides of the argument, the article interviews BC’s director of Global Education, who points to the need to remain equitable in allowing students on financial aid to keep that aid if they wish to study abroad. But, more importantly, this article asks why it matters how much the tuition is to receive aid. Duke offers financial assistance to their students regardless of whether the tuition is from Duke or through their contracted host university. Another central point is that there is no transparency as to what services BC students gain from this extra cost compared to other external programs — highlighting how parents face the brunt of these costs and deserve to know what they are paying for and why.
UW’s environmental career fair provides opportunities for students interested in the environmental field
By Brendan Sheehan Contributing Writer
An article was posted this week about an environmental networking event the week prior. It discusses the benefits of hosting these events, especially at an environmental-focused school like the University of Washington. The journalist here incorporates quotes from students and visiting representatives from companies that focus on various environmental concerns, creating good credibility. There appears to have been an array of corporations at this event with national and international titles, such as the Peace Corps., and local environmental companies like Birds Connect Seattle. This affair got me wondering if UNE could have something similar. While Seatle is a much larger city, the Portland campus could host such events to get students involved and in contact with potential employers. One of the interviews from this article is with a student who is graduating; they are looking for entry-level positions. They state that it is more helpful for students such as themselves to have opportunities like this instead of hunting down contacts on LinkedIn or other online job search engines. I am curious about the attendance rate of this event, as the article mentioned loads of big company names in addition to local protection agencies. The occasion was hosted by UW’s School of the Environment. I am curious as to how many were at the event. A beneficial idea for college students to get engaged and more confident in their networking, communication, and job-searching skills. I wonder if more of these could be implemented here at UNE.
This article is an opinion piece about the institute’s response to student activists and protests occurring in and around the school. It’s a petition an open letter, stating that the school was acting to silence students and stifle their right to freedom of expression and assembly. It references the school’s agreement for faculty on freedom of expression, which states that the institute values civility and wide open debate. They state that the university, per this agreement, must support their right to express their opinions non-violently. They then go on to describe a situation where the emergency alert system was used to direct students away from a non-violent protest, which they claim could cause people to ignore more pressing issues announced by the emergency alert system. The article ends by stating that MIT is a school that is “of the world”, and therefore has to honor the attendee’s right to freedom of speech and expression.
This article discusses the annual Festival of Learning, which occured Jan. 31 at MIT, which specifically discussed applications of generative artificial intelligence’s uses in academia. There were panels held which hosted multiple professors that described the usage of generative AI in their classes. One professor, Ana Bell, described that generative AI was helpful in some cases, such as in helping students understand complex homework assignments for her Introduction to computer science and programming with python class, but also had been used to violate academic integrity by using it on in-person assignments. Other professors agreed with her statements, in that there was some uses for the software, but it was also used in academically dishonest contexts frequently. Another professor, Thaler, uses generative AI in the context of research into theoretical physics, saying that it helps him made predictions about using the Large Hadron Collider. Another professor described generative AI as a useful tool to improve linguistic skills in learning a different language. While she recognizes that it is a useful tool, it also leads her to question whether it’s worth learning a foreign language if generative AI will soon be able to translate between people. The article ends with speaking about the next Festival of Learning, , which will be hosted by Open Learning.
For the fourth week of Blog Proj, I decided to focus on an article entitled, “With new research on psychedelics therapy, Syracuse has its own practice”, written by Ahna Fleming. The piece touches on the research currently being done into the usage of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of trauma. This research indicates that the clinical use of psychedelics could be helpful in the treatment of several mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. However, the use of these treatments is not feasible everywhere in the United States, due to many of the researched drugs being illegal. Despite this, many prestigious institutions, such as Johns Hopkins, are still looking into the potential use of these drugs in therapy and treatments.
This article is a feature focused on the stressors of midterms from social media posts by the newspaper. This piece explains that week 5 at Union starts testing and that many students start studying way ahead of time. The Concordiensis posted surveys on Instagram for students to express their worries and share their preparations. The first survey question asked is what tests students dread the most; of course, the sciences are always a worry but some of the social sciences can be a struggle to take as well. Then some studying tips were shared, like finding a quiet study room or utilizing study groups and the whiteboard walls in academic buildings. When studying for so long it’s important to have a snack to keep the energy up. Some survey respondents shared their go-to snacks like dill pickle chips, while others chew gum as a way to stay focused and alert. Everyone has a different way of studying and focusing when it comes to Midterms. The author of this piece wishes everyone at Union a good test season and a reminder to participate in social media discussion poles.
This piece discusses the school’s Physics and Astronomy Department and its vast research program. In the Summer of ‘24, new projects centering around Biophysics, Quantum Mechanics, and others will hopefully pique students’ interests in the sub-fields. The research for these programs will be proposed to a committee and must be approved. Typically lasting six to eight weeks, researchers will meet with their supervisors, use lab equipment, and complete their research. Often the work done by students results in the publication of their findings in a journal. The school has research available for upperclassmen and lowerclassmen which looks good on a resume and can help them further their careers at another school. These opportunities are still in the works but will be available after the summer break!
Something from the Daily Free Press from Boston University that caught my attention immediately was pertaining to city news. Published on 2/23/2024 Leia Green shared a piece titled “Developers announce new plans for Fenway, potential library”. In this article Green shares a 600 million dollar project that is aimed to “enliven” the Fenway area. Green shares that the end goal of this project is to construct office space and possibly add a branch of the Boston Public Library. While a timeline has yet to be established, this project aims to bring new components to the Fenway area.
Blog Proj #4
From the Daily Mississippian: From hands to table: City Grocery Plate Project showcases talent of UM ceramics students. By Caroline McCutchen. Published February 21, 2024. I choose this because it is definitely soft news and I thought it was interesting, because the community is using students working in a restaurant to show homemade stuff and an environment that isn’t commercial and bland. I feel like this collaboration helps teach ceramics students what restaurants need in terms of shape and how the plates are made to help showcase and hold different dishes. Especially on the weight of the dishes so waiters don’t carry heavy plates. One of the people interviewed Grocery head chef Eric Tait came and taught them what they needed in terms of shape and size and how big they were for certain dishes and the students made them. As well as being creative about it but not making them too heavy. I think that this is interesting because of the intertwines the students and the community. I think it helps prepare the students if they went down that career path to know what to do and how to make plates for a restaurant. I think that it had two good interviews in the piece that helped line up the reader to see if it was credible. The message was about combining culinary arts and ceramics together both being homemade and thus more personable and unique rather than boring.
Once again, this week’s version of the Lantern was heavily favored with sports as both of Ohio State’s basketball teams are gearing up for march madness. The most recent article from the lantern was released today after Ohio State’s men’s basketball team won on the road against Michigan State 60-57 on a buzzer beater. Along with the caption “WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: OHIO STATE SECURES 14TH-STRAIGHT VICTORY AFTER THUMPING MARYLAND 79-66”. A theme I’ve noticed with the Lantern is that a lot of their news is considered hard news, especially the sports sections that they cover as most articles are released shortly after the game has completed. Another Article I liked this week was called” SGSR MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST-EVER ALL-WOMEN BROADCAST SUNDAY”. The article was about the Scarlet and Grey sports network having their first ever all women’s broadcast for the most recent women’s basketball game. I chose this article because I myself am interested in sports broadcasting and it’s just a pretty cool thing to see boundaries being broken and history being made with something like this first ever all women’s broadcast for the network.
This article is about the Duke golf team and starts with the headline, “Duke men’s golf responds from slow start, finishes joint-fifth in stacked field at The Prestige”. The lead goes right off the headline by stating similar information but adding on that this is Dukes sixth consecutive time to finish fifth or better in the season so far. The article goes into how some of the golfs played including Ethan Evan and Bryan Kim who both had a solid -5 performance. The article then goes in depth into each of the rounds talking about stats, key players, and placement at the time during the team tournament. Then. Goes into those same stats however talking about the individual tournament and how duke played in that as well. The article finishes up by talking about how duke is doing as a season so far. One thing the author highlights is that Duke has yet to win a tournament sense Sept. 25, a stat that can both be used as motivation as well as a potential lead into a future story. https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/02/duke-mens-golf-the-prestige-ian-siebers-ethan-evans-bryan-kim-daniel-choi
This article is a continue as well as clarity to a previous article that I talked about talking about the laying off and less pay for education staff. The headline of this article is, “DPS Board of Education approves 11% raises for staff, $300k severance from former superintendent, by Zoe Kolenovsky. This article talks about a board meeting that made everything official that was stated in the highline and again in the lead. The article then goes into a mini summary of the actions that lead to the decision made during the meeting. The article the goes into details about the two major actions that happening during this meeting. The first talks in depth about the Salary actions made at the meeting. The author uses stats as well as quotes from the article to deliver the most actual information and to make the story more credible. The article then ends with the author talking about comptroller updates and talking about more stats involved with that. https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/02/duke-university-durham-public-schools-nc-dps-board-of-education-approves-11-percent-raises-staff-300-thousand-severance-former-superintendent
The first article I read this week was “Students feel impacts of increasing rent, low apartment inventory in Boston” by Grace MacDonald (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/42889/news/students-feel-impacts-of-increasing-rent-low-apartment-inventory-in-boston/). This article is about students who are having a hard time finding housing in Boston. Suffolk only provides housing for the first two years of a student’s attendance at the University, meaning that after this, they are all on their own. The author provides a couple of student interviews, giving the reader a real glimpse into the struggles that these students are dealing with. Students in the interviews also provide advice to others who are having the same issue, which is very helpful to other Boston students.
The second article that I chose for this week was “66th Grammy Awards breaks records and warm hearts” by Brooklyn Leighton (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/42837/ac/music/66th-grammy-awards-breaks-records-and-warm-hearts/). This article gives the reader a run-down of the winners of this year’s Grammys. Leighton goes through each category, also touching on records broken this year by Taylor Swift. I thought that the article was missing the promised “heartwarming” information, as none of the information shared was particularly emotional. The article gave an informative summary useful to any music fans, but no touching moments.
The article I found for this week is called “Freedom Cafe: The Coffee Shop that Fights for Humanity”, by Aimee Rothman. The title really grabbed my attention right off the bat, and the subheadline does as well, stating that the article details a “local coffee shop [that] operates as a non-profit with the goal of stopping human trafficking”. The article details a coffee shop called “Freedom Cafe”, located in Durham, New Hampshire, that donates twenty five to thirty percent of its sales to support “initiatives, organizations, and projects with similar missions” that try and, as previously stated, try and stop human trafficking. Apparently, the co-founder, now director, Bryan Bessette, was struck with the idea after a mission trip where he tried to raise money for victims of human trafficking and exploitation in Nepal. He originally tried to raise the money by going to various bars in Durham to try and ask for donations. The goal was to ask people to “donate what they would spend on beer that night to support survivors of bonded slavery in Nepal”. He raised three thousand six hundred dollars in one night. In 2015, the bar became a certified non-profit organization.
Unlike other cafes, the prices are pre-set, but customers can choose to pay what they want, because the purchase is seen as more of a donation. The cafe itself serves the basic coffees, lattes, teas, as well as soft drinks and pastries, but also baked goods, jewelry, pottery, and even chocolate. The last four are all ethically sourced, sustainable,and many of them come from local businesses and other nonprofits.
The cafe’s goal is not only to raise money, but also to educate people, plastering its walls with various materials and posters to help people better understand the attention that needs to be given to human trafficking.
For week 4 of the blog broj I read an article published on February 16th 2024 titled “ResLife to implement tiered pricing structure for fall 2024” this article was tagged as a headliner news article, that was discussing a new housing strategy that UVM will be trying to implement next year. According to the FAQ page posted by UVM housing, they will be splitting up their dorms and rooms into three tiers and each tier will see a different price increase range. The three tiers are Standard, Enhanced and Premium. Standard rooms will be seeing a 3% price increase Enhanced rooms will be seeing 5% price increase, and Premium rooms will be seeing an 8% price increase in overall cost. The article sourced an FAQ and interviewed two students about the topic. The FAQ and UVM housing announced that although they have had steady housing costs for a while, there have been too many increases in payment in different departments to keep housing prices at the same level being quoted as “unsustainable” for the school to keep the prices as is. The first student talked about how this only incentivizes people to live off campus more, but with the Burlington area being also fairly expensive, it has left some wondering what they are supposed to be doing for housing in the coming year. The other student mainly talked about how this flew kind of under the radar of most students, with only a single real announcement about the price increases, the student expressed that they only heard about it from a friend, and hasn’t heard anyone else talking about it. This was a really well put together hard new article that was very engaging and easy to read. And even as someone who doesn’t go to UVM I feel like the article captured some of the biggest ideas about the topic within the article, and I feel like I could strike up a conversation about this with someone from UVM.
13 thoughts on “BLOG-PROJ WEEK 4”
Story 1: “Black Women Matter Initiative Cultivates Black Joy and Community at Boston College” By Ernest Romero and Carina Murphy
https://www.bcheights.com/2024/02/19/black-women-matter-initiative-cultivates-black-joy-and-community-at-boston-college/
As part of BC’s The Heights special edition for Black History Month, several articles highlight “Black Individuals and Groups Shaping the History of Boston College and Beyond.” The article I read under this special edition category by Romero and Murphy looks at the work that the Women’s Center of Boston College has done to try and make an inclusive and safe space for everyone regardless of race, gender identity, etc. – especially since former staff member Courtney Wright and director Katie Dalton took notice of a “low traffic of Black female students.” This is how the Black Women’s Matter Initiative took shape, and it is now a cornerstone of extracurricular and self-care opportunities for young Black women of BC. With over 60 retreat participants, which they call “sisterhoods,” faculty and alumnae can lead discussions and foster that space to share experiences and struggles in a supported community. But more relaxed and informal events and free time are scheduled as well. The overarching goal of the various events and programs that BMW’s organization aims to highlight is how essential representation is – bolstering confidence and feeling like a part of a shared community when school life appears predominantly white. Interviewing a few student members illustrates how important it is to their time at BC. For instance, Esther Olojede, CSON ’26, says, “I think you have to do it at least once. It impacts you in a way where it reminds you that there is a group of people who know exactly what you have experienced and that is not something you get to come across very often.” While the article ends on a positive note, there is also a glimpse into the growing mood that spaces like retreats should be a part of on-campus life, and it urges more groups to grow on campus.
Story 2: “When BC Students Study Abroad, They Pay BC Home-Tuition. BC Should Justify This Policy” By The Heights Editorial Board
https://www.bcheights.com/2024/02/19/when-bc-students-study-abroad-they-pay-bc-home-tuition-bc-should-justify-this-policy/
I was drawn to this article as I am starting to think about my post-graduate education – perhaps both abroad and in the U.S. – and I always find the complexities of tuition and opinions on it very intriguing. This piece examines the differences between BC’s study abroad experience and the financial struggles that pose significant barriers to student experiences. Additionally, the article points to a similar program at Duke University to compare experiences abroad and asks questions regarding how universities decide what justifies a certain cost. BC’s study abroad program poses financial burdens as students have to find housing on their own wherever the program is located, which does not include food, transportation, or travel costs. Yet the article clarifies that “…above all these expenses is the glaring first cost of every abroad program: tuition.” Delving into the specifics, each student considering studying abroad must pay the cost of BC tuition, $33,205, and use the same scholarship or financial aid as if they were at home. The Duke University example is the “Duke-In” program, which, like BC, requires the cost of their home- university tuition – yet the key difference lies in the cost of the majority of Duke’s study abroad offerings, which are external. The example of DIS Stockholm, an external study abroad program, is one that both BC and Duke students have the opportunity to do, yet there is an $11,155 difference between the two. The article makes us think about what is so different about student experience that it can amount to thousands of dollars in difference. In allowing for both sides of the argument, the article interviews BC’s director of Global Education, who points to the need to remain equitable in allowing students on financial aid to keep that aid if they wish to study abroad. But, more importantly, this article asks why it matters how much the tuition is to receive aid. Duke offers financial assistance to their students regardless of whether the tuition is from Duke or through their contracted host university. Another central point is that there is no transparency as to what services BC students gain from this extra cost compared to other external programs — highlighting how parents face the brunt of these costs and deserve to know what they are paying for and why.
UW’s environmental career fair provides opportunities for students interested in the environmental field
By Brendan Sheehan Contributing Writer
An article was posted this week about an environmental networking event the week prior. It discusses the benefits of hosting these events, especially at an environmental-focused school like the University of Washington. The journalist here incorporates quotes from students and visiting representatives from companies that focus on various environmental concerns, creating good credibility. There appears to have been an array of corporations at this event with national and international titles, such as the Peace Corps., and local environmental companies like Birds Connect Seattle. This affair got me wondering if UNE could have something similar. While Seatle is a much larger city, the Portland campus could host such events to get students involved and in contact with potential employers. One of the interviews from this article is with a student who is graduating; they are looking for entry-level positions. They state that it is more helpful for students such as themselves to have opportunities like this instead of hunting down contacts on LinkedIn or other online job search engines. I am curious about the attendance rate of this event, as the article mentioned loads of big company names in addition to local protection agencies. The occasion was hosted by UW’s School of the Environment. I am curious as to how many were at the event. A beneficial idea for college students to get engaged and more confident in their networking, communication, and job-searching skills. I wonder if more of these could be implemented here at UNE.
https://thetech.com/2024/02/22/growing-concerns-on-mit-safety
Growing concerns about the safety of the MIT community
This article is an opinion piece about the institute’s response to student activists and protests occurring in and around the school. It’s a petition an open letter, stating that the school was acting to silence students and stifle their right to freedom of expression and assembly. It references the school’s agreement for faculty on freedom of expression, which states that the institute values civility and wide open debate. They state that the university, per this agreement, must support their right to express their opinions non-violently. They then go on to describe a situation where the emergency alert system was used to direct students away from a non-violent protest, which they claim could cause people to ignore more pressing issues announced by the emergency alert system. The article ends by stating that MIT is a school that is “of the world”, and therefore has to honor the attendee’s right to freedom of speech and expression.
https://thetech.com/2024/02/22/2024-festival-of-learning
Annual Festival of Learning discusses applications of generative artificial intelligence inside and outside of the classroom
This article discusses the annual Festival of Learning, which occured Jan. 31 at MIT, which specifically discussed applications of generative artificial intelligence’s uses in academia. There were panels held which hosted multiple professors that described the usage of generative AI in their classes. One professor, Ana Bell, described that generative AI was helpful in some cases, such as in helping students understand complex homework assignments for her Introduction to computer science and programming with python class, but also had been used to violate academic integrity by using it on in-person assignments. Other professors agreed with her statements, in that there was some uses for the software, but it was also used in academically dishonest contexts frequently. Another professor, Thaler, uses generative AI in the context of research into theoretical physics, saying that it helps him made predictions about using the Large Hadron Collider. Another professor described generative AI as a useful tool to improve linguistic skills in learning a different language. While she recognizes that it is a useful tool, it also leads her to question whether it’s worth learning a foreign language if generative AI will soon be able to translate between people. The article ends with speaking about the next Festival of Learning, , which will be hosted by Open Learning.
For the fourth week of Blog Proj, I decided to focus on an article entitled, “With new research on psychedelics therapy, Syracuse has its own practice”, written by Ahna Fleming. The piece touches on the research currently being done into the usage of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of trauma. This research indicates that the clinical use of psychedelics could be helpful in the treatment of several mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. However, the use of these treatments is not feasible everywhere in the United States, due to many of the researched drugs being illegal. Despite this, many prestigious institutions, such as Johns Hopkins, are still looking into the potential use of these drugs in therapy and treatments.
Midterm Madness
How Union Students Are Feeling About This Term’s Midterms
https://concordiensis.com/5391/opinions/midterm-madness/
This article is a feature focused on the stressors of midterms from social media posts by the newspaper. This piece explains that week 5 at Union starts testing and that many students start studying way ahead of time. The Concordiensis posted surveys on Instagram for students to express their worries and share their preparations. The first survey question asked is what tests students dread the most; of course, the sciences are always a worry but some of the social sciences can be a struggle to take as well. Then some studying tips were shared, like finding a quiet study room or utilizing study groups and the whiteboard walls in academic buildings. When studying for so long it’s important to have a snack to keep the energy up. Some survey respondents shared their go-to snacks like dill pickle chips, while others chew gum as a way to stay focused and alert. Everyone has a different way of studying and focusing when it comes to Midterms. The author of this piece wishes everyone at Union a good test season and a reminder to participate in social media discussion poles.
Research Opportunities in Physics Department
https://concordiensis.com/5298/sci-tech/research-opportunities-in-physics-department/
This piece discusses the school’s Physics and Astronomy Department and its vast research program. In the Summer of ‘24, new projects centering around Biophysics, Quantum Mechanics, and others will hopefully pique students’ interests in the sub-fields. The research for these programs will be proposed to a committee and must be approved. Typically lasting six to eight weeks, researchers will meet with their supervisors, use lab equipment, and complete their research. Often the work done by students results in the publication of their findings in a journal. The school has research available for upperclassmen and lowerclassmen which looks good on a resume and can help them further their careers at another school. These opportunities are still in the works but will be available after the summer break!
https://adarcangelo.uneportfolio.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=117&action=edit
Something from the Daily Free Press from Boston University that caught my attention immediately was pertaining to city news. Published on 2/23/2024 Leia Green shared a piece titled “Developers announce new plans for Fenway, potential library”. In this article Green shares a 600 million dollar project that is aimed to “enliven” the Fenway area. Green shares that the end goal of this project is to construct office space and possibly add a branch of the Boston Public Library. While a timeline has yet to be established, this project aims to bring new components to the Fenway area.
Blog Proj #4
From the Daily Mississippian: From hands to table: City Grocery Plate Project showcases talent of UM ceramics students. By Caroline McCutchen. Published February 21, 2024. I choose this because it is definitely soft news and I thought it was interesting, because the community is using students working in a restaurant to show homemade stuff and an environment that isn’t commercial and bland. I feel like this collaboration helps teach ceramics students what restaurants need in terms of shape and how the plates are made to help showcase and hold different dishes. Especially on the weight of the dishes so waiters don’t carry heavy plates. One of the people interviewed Grocery head chef Eric Tait came and taught them what they needed in terms of shape and size and how big they were for certain dishes and the students made them. As well as being creative about it but not making them too heavy. I think that this is interesting because of the intertwines the students and the community. I think it helps prepare the students if they went down that career path to know what to do and how to make plates for a restaurant. I think that it had two good interviews in the piece that helped line up the reader to see if it was credible. The message was about combining culinary arts and ceramics together both being homemade and thus more personable and unique rather than boring.
Once again, this week’s version of the Lantern was heavily favored with sports as both of Ohio State’s basketball teams are gearing up for march madness. The most recent article from the lantern was released today after Ohio State’s men’s basketball team won on the road against Michigan State 60-57 on a buzzer beater. Along with the caption “WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: OHIO STATE SECURES 14TH-STRAIGHT VICTORY AFTER THUMPING MARYLAND 79-66”. A theme I’ve noticed with the Lantern is that a lot of their news is considered hard news, especially the sports sections that they cover as most articles are released shortly after the game has completed. Another Article I liked this week was called” SGSR MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST-EVER ALL-WOMEN BROADCAST SUNDAY”. The article was about the Scarlet and Grey sports network having their first ever all women’s broadcast for the most recent women’s basketball game. I chose this article because I myself am interested in sports broadcasting and it’s just a pretty cool thing to see boundaries being broken and history being made with something like this first ever all women’s broadcast for the network.
This article is about the Duke golf team and starts with the headline, “Duke men’s golf responds from slow start, finishes joint-fifth in stacked field at The Prestige”. The lead goes right off the headline by stating similar information but adding on that this is Dukes sixth consecutive time to finish fifth or better in the season so far. The article goes into how some of the golfs played including Ethan Evan and Bryan Kim who both had a solid -5 performance. The article then goes in depth into each of the rounds talking about stats, key players, and placement at the time during the team tournament. Then. Goes into those same stats however talking about the individual tournament and how duke played in that as well. The article finishes up by talking about how duke is doing as a season so far. One thing the author highlights is that Duke has yet to win a tournament sense Sept. 25, a stat that can both be used as motivation as well as a potential lead into a future story.
https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/02/duke-mens-golf-the-prestige-ian-siebers-ethan-evans-bryan-kim-daniel-choi
This article is a continue as well as clarity to a previous article that I talked about talking about the laying off and less pay for education staff. The headline of this article is, “DPS Board of Education approves 11% raises for staff, $300k severance from former superintendent, by Zoe Kolenovsky. This article talks about a board meeting that made everything official that was stated in the highline and again in the lead. The article then goes into a mini summary of the actions that lead to the decision made during the meeting. The article the goes into details about the two major actions that happening during this meeting. The first talks in depth about the Salary actions made at the meeting. The author uses stats as well as quotes from the article to deliver the most actual information and to make the story more credible. The article then ends with the author talking about comptroller updates and talking about more stats involved with that.
https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/02/duke-university-durham-public-schools-nc-dps-board-of-education-approves-11-percent-raises-staff-300-thousand-severance-former-superintendent
The first article I read this week was “Students feel impacts of increasing rent, low apartment inventory in Boston” by Grace MacDonald (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/42889/news/students-feel-impacts-of-increasing-rent-low-apartment-inventory-in-boston/). This article is about students who are having a hard time finding housing in Boston. Suffolk only provides housing for the first two years of a student’s attendance at the University, meaning that after this, they are all on their own. The author provides a couple of student interviews, giving the reader a real glimpse into the struggles that these students are dealing with. Students in the interviews also provide advice to others who are having the same issue, which is very helpful to other Boston students.
The second article that I chose for this week was “66th Grammy Awards breaks records and warm hearts” by Brooklyn Leighton (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/42837/ac/music/66th-grammy-awards-breaks-records-and-warm-hearts/). This article gives the reader a run-down of the winners of this year’s Grammys. Leighton goes through each category, also touching on records broken this year by Taylor Swift. I thought that the article was missing the promised “heartwarming” information, as none of the information shared was particularly emotional. The article gave an informative summary useful to any music fans, but no touching moments.
The article I found for this week is called “Freedom Cafe: The Coffee Shop that Fights for Humanity”, by Aimee Rothman. The title really grabbed my attention right off the bat, and the subheadline does as well, stating that the article details a “local coffee shop [that] operates as a non-profit with the goal of stopping human trafficking”. The article details a coffee shop called “Freedom Cafe”, located in Durham, New Hampshire, that donates twenty five to thirty percent of its sales to support “initiatives, organizations, and projects with similar missions” that try and, as previously stated, try and stop human trafficking. Apparently, the co-founder, now director, Bryan Bessette, was struck with the idea after a mission trip where he tried to raise money for victims of human trafficking and exploitation in Nepal. He originally tried to raise the money by going to various bars in Durham to try and ask for donations. The goal was to ask people to “donate what they would spend on beer that night to support survivors of bonded slavery in Nepal”. He raised three thousand six hundred dollars in one night. In 2015, the bar became a certified non-profit organization.
Unlike other cafes, the prices are pre-set, but customers can choose to pay what they want, because the purchase is seen as more of a donation. The cafe itself serves the basic coffees, lattes, teas, as well as soft drinks and pastries, but also baked goods, jewelry, pottery, and even chocolate. The last four are all ethically sourced, sustainable,and many of them come from local businesses and other nonprofits.
The cafe’s goal is not only to raise money, but also to educate people, plastering its walls with various materials and posters to help people better understand the attention that needs to be given to human trafficking.
For week 4 of the blog broj I read an article published on February 16th 2024 titled “ResLife to implement tiered pricing structure for fall 2024” this article was tagged as a headliner news article, that was discussing a new housing strategy that UVM will be trying to implement next year. According to the FAQ page posted by UVM housing, they will be splitting up their dorms and rooms into three tiers and each tier will see a different price increase range. The three tiers are Standard, Enhanced and Premium. Standard rooms will be seeing a 3% price increase Enhanced rooms will be seeing 5% price increase, and Premium rooms will be seeing an 8% price increase in overall cost. The article sourced an FAQ and interviewed two students about the topic. The FAQ and UVM housing announced that although they have had steady housing costs for a while, there have been too many increases in payment in different departments to keep housing prices at the same level being quoted as “unsustainable” for the school to keep the prices as is. The first student talked about how this only incentivizes people to live off campus more, but with the Burlington area being also fairly expensive, it has left some wondering what they are supposed to be doing for housing in the coming year. The other student mainly talked about how this flew kind of under the radar of most students, with only a single real announcement about the price increases, the student expressed that they only heard about it from a friend, and hasn’t heard anyone else talking about it. This was a really well put together hard new article that was very engaging and easy to read. And even as someone who doesn’t go to UVM I feel like the article captured some of the biggest ideas about the topic within the article, and I feel like I could strike up a conversation about this with someone from UVM.