Faculty Senate Meeting. 3/14

The Marshall University Faculty Senate meeting focused heavily on the annual budget report. A large part of the report, delivered by university President Stephen J. Kopp, focused on employee salaries and how they compare to other universities and budget cuts.

Kopp said during his presentation that more professors have full professor rank at Marshall University than any other South Regional Education Board Accounted universities — 46 percent more.

62 percent of university funds are dedicated to faculty salaries.

The next subject discussed at the meeting was upcoming statewide budget cuts. Marshall will face an 8.9 percent cut. Kopp said the easiest way to make up the loss is to raise tuition. Future students will pay about $730 more a semester.

Kopp said another possible solution is to impose a statewide “pop tax.” A similar tax is already in effect, with a 1 percent tax increase in order to fund the medical school at West Virginia University.

City Council Meeting. 3/25

The Huntington City Council has said July 1 will begin the cleanup of the Huntington. The ordinance, called the “junk” ordinance, will require residents to remove indoor furniture from outside.

Citizens who do not comply with the ordinance face fines up to $500 or possible jail time.

 Mayor Steve Williams said the ordinance is the first of many in efforts to improve and clean up the city. Beginning April 3, additional trash bins will be placed in neighborhoods to help citizens comply.

Citizens can also contact the Mayor’s office for assistance with garbage removal.

The ordinance was passed with a unanimous 8-0 vote.

The meeting closed by providing for Huntington’s youth. City council members approved the addition of a skate park to the Harris Riverfront Park, as well as a “Second Chance” prom geared toward giving to those with special needs, to take place at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena on Friday.

State of the Union prediction

TO: Professor Morris

FROM: Ashleigh Hill

RE: Proposal/Assignment 5

SUBJECT: A prediction on Obama’s State of the Union address proposal (1/28/12)

SCOPE: I will be researching Obama’s past State of the Union addresses and campaign speeches to see what changes have been made over the past four years, or what changes have not been made. I will also look into other presidential State of the Union addresses to see what advancements have occurred throughout the years.

NEED: The State of the Union address is a good outlook on the president’s plan of action involving important issues that impact the entire country. It is important for readers to have a grasp on what is happening and has happened.

METHODS: I will watch and/or read the speeches from the past four years in order to compare what has changed from year to year, what has improved or regressed, what issues are touched on that have been discussed as needing change and if said issues are still issues.

SOURCES: State of the Union address videos on YouTube, transcripts on Politico, campaign speech video/transcript. I will also be using house.history.gov, which has a broad history of the State of the Union addresses. I will use asksam.com, which is a database with a complete collection of past State of the Union addresses.

PRESENTATION: The piece will be 600 words or more in the style of a New York Times Op-Ed column predicting what will be discussed at President Obama’s State of the Union address using previous speeches and current popular issues in the country. I will also tweet during the State of the Union, and blog after.

FOLLOW-UP: Since this piece will be a prediction on what Obama will discuss at the State of the Union, there will be a follow up on what was actually discussed.

Technology and the Inauguration

The Presidential Inauguration has changed a great deal since George Washington became the first president in 1789. As Inauguration Day began Monday, people in attendance surrounded the ceremony with iPads and smart phones in hand. 

Throughout the years there have been many changes and additions that have turned the inauguration ceremony into what it is today. The ceremony itself has become accessible to anyone with WiFi or cable, not just those who venture to Washington, D.C. Twitter has been become an acceptable as a way to acquire data. In fact, with the vast number of users and user participation, it is the fastest way to retrieve date. While the accuracy is not guaranteed, it can act as a springboard into a more verifiable source.
In the long history of the inauguration, speeches have lengthened (Washington's speech was a total of 135 words), pieces have been added and taken away.

Some of the biggest changes have been as a result of the advancement of technology. Technology has made the inauguration accessible to a greater number of people with each ceremony. Instead of relying on the media for documentation of the ceremony, it is now within the realm of possibility to get pictures and videos of the ceremony from friends, family and neighbors.

The first advancement in making Inauguration Day more accessible to the public was in 1845 with James K. Polk. It was the first to be covered by telegraph, and also featured an illustration in "The Illustrated London News."  In 1897, William McKinley's ceremony was the first to be captured by a motion camera. Roosevelt's second ceremony in 1905 was the first to have telephone lines. It was not until Calvin Coolidge in 1925 that the inauguration was broadcasted nationally on the radio. In 1949 President Harry Truman's second inauguration was the first to be televised. 

Since then, technology has continuously advanced. The ceremony is now streamed live on the Internet. Everyone with a smart phone is capable of making the event accessible to the public. President Barack Obama's first Inauguration Day ceremony was the first to be live-tweeted during the ceremony, during which time over 82,000 tweets were sent out. During the 2013 ceremony, 1.1 million tweets were dedicated to the ceremony.

“I'm honored and grateful that we have a chance to finish what we started. Our work begins today. Let's go. –bo” The President tweeted before the event.

I personally watched a live stream on my laptop from home, and when I lost Internet I used my iPhone to follow the #inaug2013 trending topic. There was an entire Twitter page dedicated to the ceremony that updated frequently throughout.

Live-streaming options were far from limited. Some options included the LA Times, CBSNews, ABC News, Yahoo News, NBC News, Fox News, PBS, C-Span, Politico, New York Times and Wall Street Journal websites.

Even a great deal of those in attendance utilized the live-streaming apps. There are photographs of people on the lawn watching from iPads.

Apps dedicated exclusively to live-streaming the inauguration for both Apple and Android products were available.

One specific app provided a great variety of coverage for the event, including SMS messages from the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The app also catered to those who attended the event by providing a guide the National Mall, locations of ticket booths and restrooms, as well as volunteer information.

The app did, however, receive some criticism. By agreeing to the terms of service, those who downloaded the app agreed to share their information “with candidates, organizations, groups or causes that we believe have similar political viewpoints, principles or objectives.”

This particular clause received backlash for not being “nonpartisan.” The app requested the user’s phone number, home address as well as GPS location. They were not necessary to access the app's features. Although it seems strange to me that anyone would be surprised or upset that an app used by those interested in the inauguration would like to gather information as well as provide it. To me, it makes complete sense for the app to use that data to find out what demographic is paying attention. These features can also be used to improve and advance technology. The terms and conditions also state anything posted within the app can be used “"without limitation in advertising, fundraising and other communications in support of PIC and the principles of the Democratic party, without any right of compensation or attribution."
But harnessing the use of technology to benefit our government was even a subject touched on by Obama in his speech.

“We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more and reach higher,” Obama said. “But while the means will change, our purpose endures:  a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.  That is what this moment requires.  That is what will give real meaning to our creed.”

While the technology has increased the availability of the ceremony to the public, it has also arguably led to a shift in the focus. In the days following the ceremony, I have personally heard very little about Obama’s speech. In recent days, the story I have seen receiving significant coverage is centered around one of the performances during the ceremony. The controversy surrounding the Beyonce’s performance and whether or not she lip-synched has overshadowed a lot of the actual inaugural coverage. Michelle Obama’s bangs ended up being a trending topic during the ceremony, and has even become its own separate twitter account. A few months ago Michelle Obama received backlash from a variety of websites and magazines for wearing a dress from a thrift store to two separate events. And if that is a reflection of our country, I’m a bit frightened of the future.

While technology has without a doubt improved the public’s ability to gain access to a broader array of information, not all of it is beneficial. That is not at all to say the progress of technology is a negative thing, even though it is not always harnessed in a positive manner. It helps to keep the public informed, whether it is about the President’s speech, Beyonce’s singing ability or Michelle Obama’s bangs. 

Inauguration Day Proposal

To: Professor Morris
From: Ashleigh Hill

RE: Inauguration Day Proposal

Scope: I will conduct research about the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and compare this year's inauguration to the one prior. I will also look into what changes have occurred in the last four years of his term.

Need: The views and opinions of our nation's president are often a reflection on the country as a whole from an outside perspective--it's important to know where he stands on matters and what has changed over time.

Methods: I will research President Barack Obama's first four years in office, watch his 2013 Inauguration, as well as his 2009 Inauguration. I will research what has changed since he first took office, including how public opinion has changed since that time.

Sources: EBSCOHost, Government databases, www.whitehouse.gov, YouTube or other websites streaming Inauguration Day, New York Times and similar publications.

Presentation: A comparative look at the ceremony four years ago in the style of a New York Times Op-Ed piece.

Follow-up: There are no follow-up plans at the current time.

Op-Ed New York Times Analysis

Analysis of 

Deafness at Doomsday by Lawrence M. Krauss

 Krauss' Op-Ed piece in the New York Times is about nuclear weaponry. The author expresses severe wariness about the lack of scientists involved in the development of nuclear weapons throughout history following World War II. Part of Krauss' concern is the United States government and the lack of a ban on testing.

The tone throughout the piece is clear apprehension about the way the world is heading and lack of of scientist involvement. In some of his other op-ed columns for the Times,  Krauss often discusses science and politics. In this particular piece, he mentions his involvement with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which, as he states, "supported the call for a world free of nuclear weapons." Krauss is also a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University, and the author of "A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing."

Krauss' background indicates that he is qualified and an expert in the field of which he is writing.While the lead is a bit long, it accurately depicts what the rest of the piece is about without being unnecessarily wordy.  The column as a whole is timely—there is no particular issue discussed, so it reads as an evergreen piece. It is clearly and concisely written, and Krauss makes a strong argument. He manages to take the subject of nuclear weaponry and scientist involvement, and write at a level that can be read without difficulty if the reader lacks prior knowledge.

Analysis of

The Ugly Side of the Southern Belle

by Blain Roberts 

 In "The Ugly Side of the Southern Belle," author Blain Roberts discusses the latest Miss America Pageant. She begins by mentioning a specific contestant, winner Mallory Hagan, who was celebrated as being the first winner from Brooklyn since 1945. The interesting part, as Roberts states, is that Hagan was born in Tennessee and raised in Alabama. She leads into the discussion of exactly why America is fascinated with the "Southern Belle" in the world of pageantry. Roberts attributes the Southern Belle success to pro-segregation. "Southern beauty queens could serve as persuasive pubic relations agents, a genteel veneer to cover up the region's unsavory behavior," Roberts said. 

Contestants defended their Southern heritage, as well as the ideals. Roberts does state, however, that the racial overtones have faded over time. In 1993, an African-American contestant from South Carolina was crowned. "Still, we would do well to remember the troubling historical links between Southern beauty queens and racial politics, even when the winner lives in Brooklyn," Roberts said in closing. 

The Op-Ed piece was clearly written as a whole. The lead, however, does not truly give an idea on what the piece is about. While it is a was to lead into the racism issue Roberts correlates with the Southern Belle, and it does add timeliness to the piece, it lacks the depth the rest of the column has. The author seems to have knowledge about the subject matter, even stating that she is the daughter of a Texan beauty pageant winner. Roberts is also the author of the upcoming book "Pretty Women: Female Beauty in the Jim Crow and Civil Rights South." The argument Roberts makes is one that I have never heard before, and she makes a lot of interesting points along with evidential support.

 

This blog will be for the JMC 414 Reporting Public Affairs class in the Spring semester of 2013.