Fall Break 2010

I just wanted to let everyone know how my fall break is going.

I left Huntington on Friday and ended up having almost 5 hours in flight delays. The aircraft did not leave Orlando until the time in which we were to depart. After the plane landed, the pilot had mechanical issues and had to fly a mechanic in to take a look. Needless to say, I did not land in Orlando until dark and then I had a 2 hour shuttle ride to get where my grandparents live.

I am at The Villages, Florida centered between Ocala and Leesburg. It is a retirement community and residents here is past the age of 55. I have just been hanging around the grandparent's house enjoying their company considering I have not seen them in almost 2 years. I have been getting out everyday and enjoying this great weather.

I have been golfing with my grandfather and going to some expensive restaurants. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon with the grandparents and some of their friends.

Even though I didn't get to go to Disney or the beach, I am enjoying the time I have with my grandparents considering they are getting up there in age and might not be around for much longer.

I am heading back to Huntington this Friday and I am dreading the full-body scanners the TSA installed in Orlando. I am perfoming in the game on Saturday and resuming classes on Monday. GO HERD!!

Speech Story

CHEAT THE SYSTEM NO MORE

Hundreds of Students at the University of Central Florida Cheat on Midterm Exam

Business instructor at UCF said the days of being able to cheat the system are over.

Richard Quinn said nearly 200 students were caught acquiring answers from a test bank prior to the midterm exam and many of those students can face expulsion if they do not own up to their wrongdoing.  

Quinn said there was one lecture he hoped he would never have to give and his luck ran out Friday, Nov. 5 when he addressed his class about the cheating scandal that has the university’s Academic Affairs in an upheaval.  

            Quinn has taught at UCF for 11 years and said he has delivered course content to tens of thousands of students. He said the incident left him “physically ill, absolutely disgusted and completely disillusioned”

            The class sat speechless as Quinn used forensic analysis of data to verify that the cheating took place. He used data from the summer and fall course and said the results jumped a grade and a half. He said, “You do not see that kind of improvement by chance.”

            To put it in perspective, Quinn said, “When you get into your labs this week, look at the person on your left side, look at the person on your right side. Statistically, one of them cheated on the exam.”

            Quinn said the midterm grades are being tossed and everyone in the class will have to take the newly revised exam that is composed of 200 questions, none of which are from a test bank. He said he doesn’t care if you are giving birth, everyone must complete the new exam before Wednesday, Nov. 10.

            Quinn said he worked out a negotiation with the Dean and said if students come forward, he/she will be able to finish the course but would have to complete a 4-hour ethics course offered by Academic Affairs in order to graduate. He said those who do not come forward will be turned in and can face expulsion from the university.

            Quinn said “I do not want to be the one to have to explain to your parents why you are not going to graduate.” He said “this kind of behavior cannot, and will not, be tolerated.”

            In a stern manner, Quinn said, “For those of you who took the shortcut, do not call me. Do not ask me to do anything for you ever.”

           

Revised Speech Story

John Gibb

11/4/10

11:30 p.m.

Arnold Speech Story

            Retired faculty member at Marshall University said Tuesday that he is a self proclaimed “grammarholic” who is constantly annoyed by mistakes on menus and billboards.

            George T. Arnold, journalism professor at Marshall for 35 years, taught classes dealing with newspaper writing and editing and told students what he learned from his experience as a “habitual” copy editor. He said “I know I should mind my own business. I’ve known that for a long time. I just can’t help myself. I’m an addict.”

            Arnold said he wrote the “Media Writer’s Handbook,” published in 1996, because nothing in the market back then provided this information in a suitable manner. He said he is working on the sixth edition which is due out soon.

            Arnold, in his humorous sense, told students about specific instances that inspired him to write “Confession of a ‘Grammarholic’.” He said it annoys him when he sees those nice stones that sit in driveways that says the Jone’s or the William’s when is should be the Joneses or the Williamses because he said the apostrophe adds possession rather than being plural. He told of the State Fair of West Virginia incident in which he spoke with a woman that designs these rocks and was asked to leave when his critique offended her.

            Arnold said he admits to correcting everything and bothering everybody but it’s just habit considering his work with copy editing. He said he usually leaves notes for the managers about the mistakes that he reads but is typically “given a cookie and pointed to the door.”

            Arnold told of an article he had written titled “I Don’t Sound Like a Vice President,” where Arnold focuses on the use of pretentious language. He said he once had a graduate student that worked for one of the university’s vice presidents. Arnold said her boss was not pleased with her after she eliminated the wordiness and simplified the language because it didn’t make her sound like a vice president.

            Arnold talked about the new chapter he is including in the sixth edition of the handbook and said it is important to observe the fundamentals of journalism writing. Arnold said “you don’t need to apologize for your mountain accent,” when he spoke about various types of people and the ways in which they speak.

            Arnold moved to South Carolina 1 year ago and is still collecting material for future editions of his book which has been adopted by over 80 colleges and universities. Arnold said that he will continue coming back to Marshall as often as he can.

           

Dr. Arnold Speaks with Newswriting Class

            Long-time serving faculty member at Marshall University and author of the “Media Writer’s Handbook,” came back to Huntington Tuesday to speak to a newswriting class about his confessions as a “grammarholic.”

            George T. Arnold, journalism professor at Marshall from 1968 to 2004 who taught classes dealing with newspaper writing and editing, told students what he learned from the 35 years of experience as a “habitual” copy editor.

            Arnold said he wrote the handbook, published in 1996, because nothing in the market back then provided this information in a suitable manner. He said that he is working on the sixth edition which is due out soon.

            Arnold, in his humorous sense, told students about specific instances that inspired him to write “Confession of a ‘Grammarholic’.” He said “it annoys me when I see those nice stones that sit in driveways and it says the Jone’s or the William’s when is should be the Joneses or the Williamses.” He told of the State Fair of West Virginia incident in which he spoke with a woman that designs these rocks and was asked to leave when his critique offended her.

            Arnold said that he admits to correcting everything and bothering everybody but it’s just habit considering his work with copy editing. He said he usually leaves notes for the managers about the mistakes that he reads but is typically “given a cookie and pointed to the door.”

            Arnold told of an article he had written entitled “I Don’t Sound Like a Vice President,” where Arnold focuses on the use of pretentious language. He said he once had a graduate student that worked for one of the university’s vice presidents. Arnold said her boss was not pleased with her after she eliminated the wordiness and simplified the language because it didn’t make her sound like a vice president.

            Arnold talked about the new chapter he is including in the sixth edition of the handbook and discussed the fundamentals of journalism writing. Arnold said “you don’t need to apologize for your mountain accent,” when he discussed various types of people and the ways in which they speak.

            Arnold moved to South Carolina 1 year ago and is still collecting material for future editions of his book which has been adopted by over 80 colleges and universities. Arnold said that he will continue coming back to Marshall as often as he can.

Recap of Marshall-ECU Game

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Dominique Davis threw for a career-high 208 yards and two scores and East Carolina crushed Marshall 37-10 Saturday night in their homecoming contest.

Marshall’s defensive back, Omar Brown, seemed unstoppable in the first quarter but the Pirate offense kicked it in high gear and dominated the game. Marshall (1-6, 0-3) falls to the bottom of the Conference USA standings.

East Carolina’s, Jonathan Williams, ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Pirates. ECU (5-2, 4-0), is now the front runner for Conference USA. Pirate linebacker, Dustin Lineback, ended the night with 12 tackles and wide receiver, Mike Price, scored the final touchdown. It was the first touchdown reception of Price’s career.

Marshall’s running game had many ECU fans worried in the first half. Wide receiver, Troy Evans, scored the touchdown that tied the game 10-10. Quarterback, Brian Anderson, threw 217 yards before being pulled for a backup. This marked the third consecutive time for Anderson.

The Herd scored one touchdown which was Anderson’s 9-yard pass to Evans in the second quarter. Anderson threw 3 interceptions, all resulting in ECU scoring drives.

Pirate running back, Williams, ran for a 29-yard touchdown, leaving ECU on top at halftime 17-10. Davis opened up the second half by throwing a 26-yard touchdown to make it 27-10. With 12:59 left in the fourth quarter, Price scored for the 37-10 victory.

Marshall’s next matchup is at Joan C. Edward’s field in Huntington as they take on the UTEP Miners of Texas El Paso. That game is set to begin at 3 p.m.

Non-Profit Preparation

As I prepare to interview several people about the Non-Profit that I am covering, I thought I would share several things with my readers. Keep in mind that the Non-Profit is the Boy Scouts - Tri-State Area Council located here in Huntington.

Below is a list of questions that I am planning on asking officials.
1) What is the primary goal of the organization?
2) Do you receive any help or support from the community whether it be volunteerism or monetary support?
3) How do you recruit new scouters?
4) I am aware that the organization gets grant funding through the United Way. Are there any other sources in which funding is provided to the Tri-State Area Council?
5) What led you to serving as executive director of this organization?

In addition to the questions listed above, I will ask more personal questions related to the individual I will be speaking with. As of now, I am scheduled to speak with Rick Loudin who is the executive director of the council. I also will dig deeper into the financial side of the organization and find out where money is being spent and where money is coming from. I also want to gain a better understanding of what this particular council does and the benefits that these scouters are receiving.

Below is a list of websites that I plan to visit.
1) http://www.tsacbsa.org/tsac/    (This is the home page for the Tri-State Area Council)
2) http://www.independentsector.org/
3) http://liveunited.org/     (This is the United Way of America website)
4) http://www.sos.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx    (This is the West Virginia Secretary of State site)

Below is a list of documents that I plan to request.
1) Copies of the last three tax returns
2) Copies of the IRS tax-exempt letter
3) Copy of the organization's annual report

Please leave feedback if you think that I should go about things differently. I appreciate all comments. Thanks.

United Way Story

This is my United Way story that I wrote about the presentation last Tuesday in class. Enjoy!!

            Two executives of the United Way of the River Cities told students at Marshall University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication about the importance to give, advocate, and volunteer last Tuesday.

Laura Gilliam, executive director, and Casey Bowden, marketing director, voiced concerns about current problems facing Huntington and outlined the objectives and outcomes of the organization when invited to speak to a news writing class. The United Way of the River cities serves Cabell, Lawrence, Mason, and Lincoln counties and is a non-profit organization that betters human conditions in and around the community.

Gilliam said that the United Way started its outreach back in 1922 and has since served the tri-state area. The organization gets it’s funding from partnerships, fundraising, and grant writing.

“No money, no mission,” Gilliam said. She told students about the need for community donors. “We need to reach our projected fundraising goal of $1.25 million.”

            Bowden said that the money goes toward medication, food, shelter, and other basic safety needs that people tend to go without. Gilliam said that rather than go straight to the homeless, unemployed, and drug abusers, the organizations tries to find the root cause of the issue and move forward from there.

 Gilliam outlined the four focus areas of the United Way. These include health/wellness, learning/earning, families/children, and basic needs/unforeseen hardships.

“We provide funding to local agencies and organizations,” Gilliam said. Some of these include the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, Boy Scouts – Tri-State Area Council, Huntington Area Food Bank, City Welfare Mission, and YMCA. Gilliam also told the initiatives of the organization including the Financial Stability Partnership of the River Cities, Success by Six, and the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership (CCSAPP).

Gilliam told students that she was working on a grant from USDA which would address hunger in Cabell County. “It is due Friday and we are excited about it,” Gilliam said.

Gilliam is a 1985 graduate from the University of North Carolina and has been executive director with the United Way since 2005. She is active in the community and within her church. Bowden is a Marshall University graduate and is a member in many community organizations. She began at United Way in 2004.

The class of 12 students asked questions and Rachel Hunter, student, said that the presentation was a great success. The United Way of the River Cities is located on Madison Avenue in Huntington. For more information, call 304-523-8929.