Summer Times 2007

BY ARIEL ROTHFIELD

Every morning Cypress Bay student Cali Garber wakes up, gets dressed and goes online to receive her daily news. Many people like Garber are distancing themselves from newspapers and instead are turning to the computer for their news stories.

“The reason I read the Miami Herald online is because it is easier to access,” said Garber, 16. “Instead of rumbling through the newspaper to find an article I want to read, I can just scroll down my computer screen and find it easily.”

University of Florida doctoral student Dave Stanton said many large newspapers have announced that online delivery is driving the industry. One reason newspapers are turning to technology is because readers have a greater choice online than with print newspapers, he said. Online media sources have the ability to use different visuals and information graphics that a newspaper cannot use. Sound, video clips and other new tools are enabling online media sources to blossom.

“I like reading The New York Times online rather than in print,” said Coral Springs Charter senior Casey Goldstein, 17. “The New York Times’ website has a lot of different visuals that the paper does not have. To me, the different visuals make the stories friendlier to read.”

Journalists are beginning to broaden their horizons because of the capabilities online media sources have to offer. Many journalists and aspiring journalists like Goldstein are taking classes to enhance their computer skills as well as exploring photography and graphics.

“I don’t think that journalism will ever come to an end,” Goldstein said. “I think that it will continue to change like it has in the past. And what a journalist needs to do is learn to adapt to these changes.”

BY SARAH TAYLORAs the Beaty Towers elevator comes to a slow stop on the fifth floor, 17-year-old Courtney Robinsn gets off to go enjoy her few hours of relaxation before waking up early the next morning to attend a full day of biology lab. From any other campers’ quick, hindered view from the elevator, the confetti streamer decorations adorning the ceiling wouldn’t let on to that of a floor filled with dedicated scientists no older than 17.

The Student Science Training Program, less formally known as SSTP, is a seven-week research program for this select 100 rising junior and senior high school students. The campers stay in the Beaty Towers, an on-campus residential hall for the full time, soon making the facility their home for the summer. The camp is specifically targeted toward students considering math, medicine, computer, science, or engineering careers. Building on each field, campers are taught effective skills such as in oral presentations, study strategies, and technical writing.

With a clear emphasis on research participation, campers work with a UF faculty scientist in lab five days a week from 9 in the morning to 5 at night, a full and grueling schedule. Campers are assigned the particular lab they will be working in the day after arriving based on the interests they indicated when applying. SSTP head counseler 22-year-old Joseph Bucchri said that campers are excited to work hard on their lab even if its not the exact one they specified. All is done as a “discovery process,” teaching safety techniques and lab equipment use.

Sixteen-year-old Tampa native Cher Hubsher is a camper at SSTP, studying psychology as her lab assignment. Being the only one in her lab, Hubsher spends the day learning about common teen troubles, the symptoms, and hopeful cures.

“It’s actually a lot of work, but I am really getting to know the campus well,” said Hubsher, who hopes to attend UF for college.

Another camper, 17-year-old Omar Hussain, is spending his seven weeks researching speech recognition. Complex enough, his lab involves simplifying the errors made in speech and dissecting the verbal language. From Pemeroke Pines, Hussain came to SSTP to learn more about his field of engineering and computer sciences.

Hubsher and Hussain both heard of SSTP from friends of friends, others who have previously attended and greatly enjoyed the time. With such a clear hype over SSTP, one can only wonder what is so great about working in a lab five days a week, slaving over intricate research. Many other campers residing in Beaty Towers fail to see the redeeming factors, as the “science camp” has become their ubiquitous butt of jokes. Yet both Hubsher and Hussain both made a point of just how fun science camp is. Only into its third week, SSTP campers have enjoyed socials and a dance. Still planned are trips to DisneyWorld and Busch Gardens, concerts, and even a covered dish.

“The trips we have been on so far have been great, and I am really looking forward to DisneyWorld,” said Robinsn.

Despite the obvious possibilities of having a good time, SSTP is no joke. Campers have daily lecture and seminars hosted by university scientists, with past topics including: Ecoestrogens and Alligator Embryo and Tracing the Migration of Sea Turtles with Genetic Markers. Campers also are not allowed to room with friends and/or fellow students from the same school while staying for the program, immersing campers into a better college experience. Options can be taken to earning up to six college credits while at camp by taking certain courses.

Not even half-way done, campers are already beginning to get a real taste of lab research and their fields. Lectures and lab assignments that keep them busy until 9:30 in the evening will be tough to continue to handle, but these dedicated students seem to be enjoying every minute of it.

” Even though campers attitudes change every year, almost all the campers are excited about their assigned labs and work hard on them while here,” Bucchri said.

BY CALI GARBER

With 35,110 total undergraduates enrolled at University of Florida, it is only appropriate for the campus to offer 35 different dining options that range from dorm food to four Starbucks locations.

UF’s two residential dining halls, Gator Corner Dining Center and Broward Dining Hall, are open to all students. Students can purchase different meal plans that allow them to eat at either dining hall for 10, 14, 19 or an unlimited number of meals a week. If they live off campus they can purchase the Regular Declining Balance Account, which is a credit card that allows students to put money on it whenever and then go eat food at the dining halls.

“Going to Gator Dining Center is so much easier then going to the other fast-food places around campus,” visiting student Ariel Rothfield said. “I like knowing what is in my food and being able to eat a healthy balanced meal.”

However, visiting student Alix Cohen prefers just picking up a cup of coffee or something small at the other restaurants.

“It is just much easier when I am in a hurry or just need something to wake me up to stop at Starbucks,” Cohen said. “I can get a refreshing drink and just a little snack to munch on without having to wait in annoying lines.”

UF has 17 different dining areas around campus where food is available for purchase. The foods range from sushi and noodles, Italian food at Capeesh, to bagels and cream cheese at Einsteins Bagels. Along with these foods, fast food restaurants are also available.

Whether it be eating at the schools two dining halls, or just picking up a quick bite to eat at the numerous fast-food chains, UF offers something for even the pickiest eaters.

BY DANA SOLOMON

While Lindsey Lohan journeys in and out of Promises rehab, Bono and many other celebrities voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to a world stricken with epidemics of disease, poverty, and genocide. More than 22,000 people die every day from poverty and preventable illnesses in Africa-the cradle of life. However, international figures have begun to shine the light on what is known as the Dark Continent.

A recognized Hollywood actress, Drew Barrymore is also a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. World Food Program, an organization that aids to improve the nutrition of people during critical and vulnerable times. After a trip to Kenya she helped to raise $25,000 for her cause.

“It is life-altering, and it has humbled me to the core”, Barrymore said in a 2007 Washington Post article.

However, Barrymore is not the only one fighting to aid Africa’s millions living in destitution. U2 frontman Bono initially began his efforts in Africa in 1984 by taking part in fundraising concerts like Band Aid and Live Aid. Today he is one of the leading celebrities raising money to battle HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. In 2006 he and business partner Robert Sargent Shriver III founded Product Red, an organization that donates sales affiliated with brands including Converse, the Gap, and Apple Computer to alleviate such rampant epidemics.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently donated $47 million from his organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to control the spread of tropical diseases in Africa, according to a 2006 article in The New York Times.

George Clooney’s work against the genocide in Darfur contributed to a 20%, rise in donations to the United Nations Children’s Funds after he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss his trip to the tumultuous region, reported from a 2007 Washington Post article.

As the cover-girl for helping Africa, Angelina Jolie is probably most famous for adopting her baby daughter from Ethiopia. However, she is a United Nations goodwill ambassador and made her third trip to the African continent in February. Also, she has recently been nominated to join the Council on Foreign Relations, a prestigious organization selected by an interest in foreign affairs with members that include Dick Cheney and Colin Powell.

While their generous deeds are noble, one has to wonder, why now? Africa has been in shambles for hundreds of years but it has only been within the past few years that so much attention has been directed toward it.

Political science professor at the State University of New York in Purchase, N.Y., Peter Schwab has written many books on Africa and says that celebs are not doing any good, published from a 2006 Fox News online article.

“It helps their self-image and it makes them feel like they’re doing something good, and it reverberates among their fan base,” Schwab said.

In agreement with Schwab, 17-year-old high school journalist, from the University of Florida’s Summer Journalism Institute, Reed Yaras says that celebrities make the effort for the publicity aspect.

“People have suffered for such a long time, but one day Angelina adopts a baby and all of a sudden we want to help…Africa has become the new black.” Yaras said.

Contrary to what Schwab and Yaras believes, 16-year-old SJI student Jessica Stallone says she believes differently.

“I think for the past 10 years efforts have been severely lacking in funds and support, but since stars have become involved they have reached out to the public.” Stallone said.

Whether celebs give their support for their own selfish reasons or because of their sincere interest in a cause, the publicity their actions has caused the public to educate themselves about the tragedies occurring. If the best that these celebrities do is shine the light on the issues to make the shadows of ignorance disappear, then the rest is up to us.

By: Casey Goldstein

In a world where typing has replaced talking and the standard keyboard is a cell phone key pad, it seems that a teenager’s vocabulary can no longer be defined by Webster’s dictionary but only by diehard “texters” or the few who know about urbandictonary.com.

When text messaging came out it was the biggest craze, but it took too much time. In order share information by text as quickly as over the internet or even speaking, a new language was created. This language is now known as txt spk, which for those who are not fluent translates into text speak.

This language was not a major issue until recently when it started creeping into teenager’s everyday vernacular and even school work. Listening to a conversation between two teenagers baffles most adults with the use of paraphrased words such as diff instead of difference and even phrases such as nbd instead of no big deal.

According to 17-year-old Adam Brock, a parent either looking at a text message conversation or listening in to a verbal one would most likely have “no clue” what he was talking about.

“I text fast and type my own words like, abt for about and idk instead of I don’t know,” Brock said.

This language has become a new form of slang for the first true technological generation spoiled by information moving across the country or even the world in seconds. Katie Martin, 17, feels that this can be contributed to laziness and the fact that teenagers want to get their point across in a short and speedy fashion.

“Our generation has a tendency to take the easy way out and avoid doing any extra work. Even entering a vowel into a word seems to be too difficult.” Martin said.

As this generation begins to network more new issues involving these typing habits will arise, such as knowing when it is okay to abbreviate and when it could be harmful to their professional relationships. Even high school students such as Brock find themselves writing e-mails to teachers as if they where talking to a peer.

“I have slipped up when e-mailing a teacher or typing an essay, but I catch it before I actually send it or turn it in.” Brock said.

According to USAToday.com, New Zealand is making it easier for students to transition from texting to testing by allowing text speak on national exams. This issue caused a separation for students who loved the idea of their “second language” being allowed during testing, and teachers who feel that this new addition to tests will degrade the English language. University of Florida graduate student Paula Rausch said she had no idea if there is any university protocols when it comes to text speak.

From sea to shining sea, from the United States to the Netherlands, it is clear that text speak is taking over the world one medium at a time.

By Chay Dallas Baxley

Legend goes that in the late 1960s, a young female University of Florida student committed suicide by leaping from the thirteenth floor of the Beaty Towers dormitory.

There are several variations of the story, which has become a wide spread rumor among locals and students.

Most of the rumors can be traced to Gainesville native Tom Petty’s song, “American Girl.”

One theory that circulated around campus says that there was an “All-American,” seemingly innocent girl, who was experimenting with LSD in her dorm. With the effects of this hallucinogen in her system, she began to believe she could fly. Attempting this impossible feat was the reason for her death.

Another take on the matter is that after finding out she was impregnated by a young man who was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship, the pain was overwhelming. She wandered over by her window to collect her thoughts. Try as she may she could never imagine her life without him. The promise of a new life wasn’t enough, so she took the leap.

There’s no evidence to confirm this myth. Neither the Gainesville nor Campus Police Departments have any records of this event. The University of Florida’s Department of Housing was unable offer any information about the matter.

Tom Petty’s lyrics create eerie similarities to the myth:

Well she was an American girl,
Raised on promises
She couldn’t help thinking that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else.
After all it was a great big world,
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die,
Trying she had one little promise
She was gonna keep. Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Well, it was kind of cold that night,
She stood alone on the balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by,
Out on four forty one like
Waves crashing on the beach,
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God, it’s so painful when something that’s so close
Is still so far out of reach

For the most part, the song matches the legend – no matter which variation you choose. “High Way 441″ is more commonly known as 13^th street, and runs right in front of Beaty Towers. The windows are all full length, but were sealed shut during the 1980s.

A main arguing point for nonbelievers is the simple fact that there are no balconies in Beaty Towers. And Tom Petty himself even denies the claims.“Tom Petty was very amused by the situation,” Dave Schlenker, Ocala Star Banner Entertainment Editor, said of his interview with Petty. “He laughed about it when I asked him. People love a good story. Not to mention it all fits pretty well. I guess that’s why they took the leap on assuming he was referring to the

Beaty Towers.” He laughed at his unintentional pun.
SJI Student Kristina Kostkas had a different spin on the issue. “Of course I believe it! It’s a little fishy that there’s no record of it, but this story is nationwide. The song has so much in common with the story, I’m not sure how any could say that they’re not directly connected.”

With no name, no remembrance from the people of Gainesville, and no records of a suicide in Beaty Towers, this myth is likely to remain exactly that.

BY JOEY POLITO

In one word the weather in Gainesville can best be described as “sticky”. When you walk outside your feet stick to your sandals, your shirt sticks to your back, and you try to stick to the shade. Not to mention being stuck behind 47 hungry soccer girls in the lunch line, or stuck in the elevator on the fourth floor—but that’s another story. With highs in the 90s and lows in the 70s Gainesvillians along with the rest of Florida are in for a toasty couple of weeks.

Here at the University of Florida’s Summer Journalism Institute walking is the only means of transportation for students. The current temperature may say 86, but, with the handy-dandy “Heat Index” measurement, weather reports can now helpfully inform us that it actually “feels like 92”.

While students complain about the heat saying that it is “unbearable” and the amount of sweat they produce is “disgusting” they might be surprised to hear that there are sweatier people in the United States. In fact, Old Spice named Orlando the 23^rd sweatiest city in their Sixth Annual Ranking of Summertime Perspiration. It was concluded that the citizens of
Phoenix, Arizona, the first ranked city, produced an average of 26.3 ounces of sweat per hour while in the summer average temperature of 94 degrees. Their sweat from just one day could fill an entire Olympic sized swimming pool.

Help is on the way though. The rest of the week’s forecast has a common theme: scattered T-storms. Earlier in the week the best we could get was a slight breeze and perhaps a small afternoon drizzle. But with The Weather Channel predicting storms each day until late next week, perhaps our prays have been answered.

Speaking of storms, how about this amazing 27 day streak without a hurricane report? Headlines from the National Weather Service read: “Still tranquil in the tropical
Atlantic.” The names for this year’s giant swirling balls of wind and death have been excellently selected. With names such as “Felix”, “Ingrid”, and “Sebastian”, feel as if your grandparents are actually the ones tearing off the roof of your house and knocking trees onto your car. Or take it overseas with “Humberto”, “Pablo”, and “Olga”.

In conclusion Floridians just be glad that so far the most we have to deal with is a little moisture on our brows and backs instead deadly Atlantic storms. But if you’re still feeling too heated just think—at least I don’t live in Phoenix.

“Current Temperature: 102 Feels like: hell”

BY KRISTINA KOSTKAS

High school students attending the University of Florida’s Summer Journalism Institute have little insight of the horrors and murders that took place in Gainesville around the time of their birth, a simple seventeen years ago.

“I am shocked that events like this can occur while attending a school or sitting at home in your apartment. I suppose all I can do is hope it never happens,” Reed Yaras stated.

On August 26, 1990, police received a phone call from the vexed parents of Christina Powell, a 17-year-old student attending UF and living in an apartment. They were requesting to have the door broken in, as nobody was answering the door or phones.

Once the dead bolted doors were opened, the bodies of both Christina and her friend, Sonja Larson, also 17, were found on the bed and in the stairwell.

The second scene of homicide was exhibited on August 27, 1990. Police received a second emergency call and rushed to the scene of Christa Hoyt’s, a student at Santa Fe community college, apartment.

The last scene of murder was discovered on August 28, 1990 at the Gatorwood Apartments by Christopher Smith, the maintenance man whom was sent by worried friends of both Tracy Inez Paules and Manuel Taboada.

Eventually, police targeted a prime suspect whom was said to have fled Gatorwood Apartments the final night of murder. His name was Edward Humphrey and he was not the serial killer. While police were under surveillance of Humphrey, Danny Rolling fled Gainesville by larceny of two automobiles and headed toward Ocala where he attempted to rob a Winn-Dixie and was arrested and was eventually identified as the serial killer.

Ironically, Rolling’s killings took place a year after Ted Bundy, Florida’s most notorious serial killer, was executed.

“Even when I attended, people were cowering in their apartment and dorm rooms,” Will Kenneth, a University of Florida Alumni reported. “ When I first got here, I didn’t know or understand how anything like this could have happened. I joked around and talked about creating a Danny Rollins Band after the Rollins Band. I figured it would be funny, but many of my friends were still sensitive to it and brought it to my attention that I could get killed for that.”

Students five to 10 years later remained still worried and were cautious as the memories of Danny Rolling’s killings remained lurking in the backs of their minds.

“Because of Rolling, the University of Florida began running the Later Gator night bus routes and blue emergency lights with an emergency phone along the sidewalks in case of an urgent situation. This really helped everyone to feel safer,” Kenneth also commented. With these cautious plans, students and teachers felt more comfortable and the pain, memories and fear began to weather and erode away.

However, now 17 years later, many students are not even aware of the murders that took place in Gainesville.

“I knew who Ted Bundy was, but I wasn’t aware about a serial killer in Gainesville and how awful the situation had been until we all started talking about it one night,” Chay Baxley, a high school student attending UF’s SJI program, commented.

Some students had no idea what the little blue emergency lights and phones were even for.

“I never even noticed those blue lights after being on this campus for about five days,” High school student, Kara Michelotti said.

Students presently attending University of Florida’s Summer Journalism Institute seem to have diminutive familiarity and information on past serial rampages. Not many individuals believe that happenings like this are possible. It is almost as if their brains are aware of past events but block them from consciousness, causing them to feel invincible.

“I could never see this happening to me,” Michael Butterfield notes.

Expect the impossible. Events like the “Gainesville Ripper” and the Virginia Tech murders can happen at random and despite how safe an individual may feel, the possibility still lingers. Students should be aware of all of their surroundings and precautions they can take. Seventeen years ago, Danny Rolling walked the same ground students walk today around Gainesville. Safety is nothing to take for granted.

BY CAROLINA BARRIOS

Leaving home and heading off to camp for some students has become a summer routine. For others, attending the Summer Journalism Institute at the University of Florida was a brand new experience. We all had ultimately one thing in common and that was to learn and understand the broad field of journalism and communications.

On Saturday, June 23, 2007, eighty seven high school students from all over the nation flew and drove to Gainesville, Florida to spend a few days at the prestigious University of Florida to experience life as a true journalist and to learn from skilled professionals. Though the main focus was indeed to grasp all of the beneficial information given by speakers and special guests, the students did also intend on meeting new friends and actually living the college lifestyle for a few days.

As students eagerly arrived at the university they checked in at the Beaty Towers where they would be welcomed by the friendly assistants and of course, the famous Meredith Cochie whom we all were previously introduced to through SJI emails.

“I love Meredith, she’s so funny” said SJI writing student, Sarah Blanc, 17.

Meredith has the most outgoing, energetic, crazy, awesomely eccentric personality here. She’s in charge of helping put just about everything together for us students; and what a great job she has done! The Beaty Towers would be the sleeping quarters for the following time spent at the camp. Rooms were spilt into groups of fours on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth floors. At the towers, students soon realized they were not the only ones staying at Beaty. The remaining floors were being occupied by students taking part in other camps and as well as students in the infamous, seemingly intense, seven week long science camp. Once checked in, students impatiently headed for the awfully slow elevators to see what the dorms looked like. For me, I know that I had always heard terrible dorm stories about how simply filthy, bug infested and disgusting they were; I was not too excited. SJI writing student Kristen Sibeitt, 16, also had the same mindset prior to entering the dorms.

“They weren’t what I thought they would be, I like it a lot better.” She said.

Finally, I made it up to dorm room 1106, and I must say that what I was looking at did not match the picture I had created in my mind – thankfully! The rooms were exceptionally pleasing. Dark blue carpets and bright empty white walls stood out first to me; walking in, you would find a fridge, oven and cabinet equipped kitchen/living room area with a round table and four semi-comfortable chairs. To the left would be the plain and rather dull bathroom which reminded me of the bathrooms at the elementary school I attended.

“The bathrooms reminded me of (the movie) The Ring”, said SJI writing student, Catie Mouw, 17.

I agreed! But really, what do you need? Simply a sink, shower and toilet, it’s got it! Ahead were two doors leading to each of the bedrooms. As I opened that door I was actually pretty impressed. It obviously did not look like my bedroom at home, but what I had pictured in my mind was once again deceived. To the left were the two low beds with a tiny wood night table in between. To the right of the beds was a small desk in front of a window reaching from the roof to the floor of the dorm. The view was appealingly nice, the streets, hospital and other places on campus. Next to that were the closets. The closets were made up of drawers, shelves and places for hanging clothes. Like the rest of the students I unpacked my belongings and made my bed.

“We’re at one of the oldest campuses, its college life, its dorms. Wouldn’t have it any other way,” said SJI writing student Reed Yaras, 17.

None of my roommates were in the room and as I was talking to my parents about how anxious I was to meet them. That’s when I heard a knock at the door and it was some other friendly girls who were part of the camp as well, knocking from door to door trying to get to know everyone on the eleventh floor. I was so excited to finally meet people! They were the sweetest girls; we immediately all got along.

At four sharp we were to all meet at the lobby of the Beaty Towers to get ready for a walking tour of where we would spend the following days. We took what we students thought was a long and exhausting walk to the College of Journalism and Communications auditorium where introductions took place. That walk would be our daily routine for the next five days. As students rambled into the auditorium we were told we would be called by numbers on the name tags that were assigned to us. Anytime we would meet as a whole, we were to shout out our numbers and then would be accounted for. That’s when it began. The simplest thing would become one of the hardest tasks for us students. If it wasn’t that someone would always be late then it was that they would forget their number; counting numbers has never been so difficult! SJI writing student Sarah Blanc, 17, not surprisingly, chose one of the first times counting off as one of her highlights at camp.

It was 5:30 and dinner would be next. The food was something everyone was looking forward to and like everything else, no one knew what to expect. As we bunched into the Gator Dining Hall everyone headed in a different direction which was a good sign of a large variety. From Italian foods to sandwiches to cereals to Hispanic foods and more, the café was full of diverse meals to satisfy most, if not all taste buds. The afternoon ended with a final meeting they called “Ice Breakers.” There all eighty seven students introduced and said a little about themselves. Once we all shared sixty seconds about us, it was time to head back to the dorms. I met my three roommates and quickly got along with them. We shared a little bit more about each other and then phoned our parents to say our goodnights. Everyone at camp was happy with their roommates.

“I came with my best friend, but the girls in the other room are awesome, they’re great” said Sarah Blanc.

One of my roommates, Leah Arnold, 16, and I had brought our laptops in hopes of connecting to the Internet and being able to impatiently check our Myspace’s and Facebook’s for new comments and new wall posts each day. This would be a problem; we soon realized the Internet was not in that of our access. Once we got over our little issue we decided it was time to hit the sack. I realized that this was not my soft, high, excessively padded bed I was used to sleeping on. Surprisingly, I woke up on Sunday morning without any back pains.

Sunday, we had the morning free so everyone took great advantage of that and either explored campus or hit the Gator Bookstore/Clothing shop! At 12:30 we all met at the auditorium for a presentation by UF professor John Freeman. Freeman started off with showing very well known pictures like the soldiers at Iwo Jima. As a photographer, he explained to us why the picture was such a great shot. The pole was running diagonally across it, “diagonals are good!” he said. SJI writing student, Meaghan McGowan, 17, viewed the presentation as “creative and really well done. I realized how important photography is in this field and the pictures he showed were so touching, almost like a cultural lesson.”

After Freeman came Meredith Cochie’s lesson on “Tips for Being a Rad J-school Student in College.” Speaking from experience, she left us with thoughts to always keep in mind while working in the field like “talk to your teachers”, “dress appropriately and be prompt”, “take ownership”, “learn to listen”, “its not what you know, its who you know- kind of” and more. She shared with us key skills that will always be useful whether we continue with journalism or change our mind. Her lesson was more of a college survival speech; everyone enjoyed it because we can all relate to it. College is right around the corner for most of us and of course it was also enjoyable because Meredith is quite entertaining- in the best way! That night was “Movie and Pizza” night so all the students met at the auditorium and impatiently waited for the movie to begin. Once numbers were counted off, we watched “Accepted”; extremely appropriate for the moment being! After that was back to the dorms!

Day three, Monday June 25, students rushed into class at 8:30 in the morning and were finally assigned what they would be working on to be due at deadline on Wednesday 3:30 sharp. Topics like cosmetics for men, speaker personal interviews, hockey’s declining population, Gator Dining Hall food and Paris Hilton were among those chosen. When class was finished, students from all three classes gathered at the auditorium to listen to Ted Spiker’s presentation titled “The Art of a Good Interview: It’s All in the Details.” Spiker, associate professor of journalism and communications and contributing editor for Men’s Health, gave the greatest and most helpful tips on how to go about interviewing someone.

“The basics: prepare- research, write a list of basic questions, have your tools ready, think conversation, not interview” were some of the key bullet points he helped us understand better.

He often stressed to “get in the game, to depict the person in a different atmosphere.”

A favorite speaker of many students like Sarah Blanc, Spiker gave students a top ten for interviewing tactics. Among the top ten were tips like “know the hot questions: why questions and superlative questions (those that end in –st)”, “listen and follow up”, “keep your mouth shut! Silence is a powerful tool”, always go on a second date” and the infamous “think Mike Tyson: jab, jab, jab, cross!” meaning of course hard and awkward questions.

After Spiker’s interesting and passionate lesson, came David Stanton’s presentation. His topic was interesting simply because it is the changing point, the transition all journalists everywhere are seeing and having to go through. Stanton’s presentation was based on the Internet and how powerful it’s becoming in today’s society. Truthfully I had not noticed it until he really pointed it out and explained the change.

“Parents go to the newspaper for information, you go to online sources,” he said.

That statement really hit me! It is so true, we are the future, and eventually there will no longer be a need for any newspapers. Why would anyone read a newspaper when reading it online is so much faster; not only can you read it online but you can watch or listen to interview clips. He really opened up the eyes of many students with this lesson because many of us do not realize the changes happening right in front of us daily in this field.

After Stanton’s presentation on the Internet, the rest of the afternoon was ours to make the most of! Students once again explored campus or hit the shops! Many discovered the Starbucks at the Library across Century Tower, which was a hit! The following day began like the one prior, with breakfast and class.

Our first speaker for Tuesday would be Mike Foley. Foley has been given the honor of being theUniversity of Florida’s teacher of the year for 2006-2007. He is also the master lecturer and former St. Petersburg Times executive editor. His presentation was based on journalism ethics.The first main point he brought out to us was that no, “the media can’t say, print or broadcast anything they want.” He defined good journalism with five main key words; being “fair, accurate, complete, interesting and profitable.” He also added to that, here at the University of Florida, you will get fifty points taken of your paper for getting the fact wrong, whether it is a small as the wrong time or a misspelled name. He listed what he believes are the nine attributes of a good friend. Some were “fair, a friend is fair”, “helpful and useful”, “rejoices in success” and “is compassionate”. Foley showed us a different side of journalism that many people who are not journalists do not get to see. Journalists don’t have one of the easiest jobs out there. It is not a simple task to get insight on the latest news of Paris Hilton being arrested. Journalists are the ones they all hate, yet everyone wants the latest information. So Foley gave his lesson on the right and ethical ways to approach these difficult situations that need to be reported.

The following presentation was by two high school teachers speaking on “You and Your Adviser: Making it Work”. Kerri McLean and Terry Sollazzo gave us the best tips on how to be flexible with our advisers. The presentation began with a little game they called “Whose Staff is it Any Way?” Entertaining to say the least! Several students went up on stage and acted out scenes that as high school staff members we are faced with. McLean and Sollazzo helped us face these situations properly and professionally. The rest of the afternoon, students were allowed to once again explore or shop!

Wednesday morning, everyone rushed to breakfast and class, typing up and getting information for their articles! Deadline would be at 3:30 this afternoon! When class finished we all headed for the auditorium. Kristin Harmel was our guest speaker. She was my personal favorite speaker of all! Her lesson was titled “Beyond the Red Carpet: Entertainment Journalism.” Harmel, an alumna of theUniversity of Florida, is the author of several novels, an online course instructor of mediabistro.com and a reporter for the well-known People magazine. For most girls this was definitely a favorite! Meeting people like Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew McConaughey and Patrick Dempsey must be fun.She gave out some of the best tips like to “prove yourself first through writing.” Often, being young it is more difficult to prove yourself and that you really can handle writing for a publication. Her advice was to write on a topic that interests you and submit it to any local publication; don’t allow them to automatically judge you because of your age without even seeing your writing. She also said it was important to get a lot of contacts and to start small. She also gave out a handout with more information on how to get your foot into the door the right way! Following Harmel was Media Law Professor Sandra Chance. Chance spoke on the first amendment and the rights journalists do and do not have. She gave political examples to us from the past like Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969). She also gave some guidelines for acting reasonably in the field like “using trustworthy sources”, “talking to all sides of the story” and “be open minded.” Chance allowed us to see the political side and aspect of journalism that all journalists have to be aware and alert of, like laws, copyrights and more.

Our last speaker of the day was John Wright, the interim dean for the College of Journalism and Communications. Considering the power he holds at the university, students were excited about what he had to tell us! Many students questions were based on applying and getting accpeted to this university. What he empahsized most was the essay for applying. “Write things about you, thats what will make the difference”, he told us. Wright also repeatedly reminded us to maintain the high grade point averages and the high SAT or ACT scores, as well as being a diverse all-around student.

All in all, the experience all the students received here at SJI will be a memorable one. All the teachers, special guests, the dean and new friends we met have been a highlight of our summer.

“It’s an all around good experience”, said Reed Yaras. With the way SAT’s and scores are going; at least we are able to say ‘we went to a UF class. It’s hard to be sitting here during the summer working on articles but we’re soaking up the experience here at UF; taking time out of our summer. The only problem was that it’s too short!”

BY SARAH BLANC

It is a month into summer, and 17 year old Natalie Cerabino is packing for a trip when she receives a phone call from her classmate, Jasmine Jahanshahi. The College Board released the scores from their June SAT online five minutes ago, and Jahanshahi is ready to compare. Cerabino, on the other hand, is more reluctant.

Both girls attend Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. They are both ambitious, athletic, involved in their student council, and immerse themselves in a curriculum of not only academic rigor, but also artistic training. They are both approaching their senior year in which they submit their applications to colleges, and this -being their second SAT- is the source of their anxiety.

“I feel like the more caught up I get in these standardized tests, the more I degrade myself to this number that says very little about my goals for college,” Cerabino said.

Jahanshahi, meanwhile, devotes a large portion of her time to practicing on her SAT. She goes to two separate tutors every week for math and English, and pays $75 for each hour-long session. In school, however, Jahanshahi is at the top of her class. So why does this sharp minded scholar need tutoring for a test that assesses the most basic level of academic achievement?

“Its getting so competitive for the colleges that I am applying to in a way that intellect, passion, and a good record can only take a person so far,” Jahanshahi said. “Everything I do is going to push me a little further, and I know that beyond this test, I am still going to be able to think about real-life problems in a creative and less standardized way.”

It is this very pressure affecting Jahanshahi that has jumpstarted the SAT counseling industry. Initially, the American Council of Education’s College Board claimed that the SAT could not be cracked by tutors and techniques, but now they sell their own line of SAT preparation material and earn more then $125 million every year on exam revenue, according to College Board statements online. The coaching industry as a whole grosses well over $100 million per year, as average courses can costs upwards of $800. A popular Washington DC based tutoring center, PrepMatters, recommends twelve visits to fully improve scores, costing between $1800 and $3600 for completion. The masses of money spent on courses guaranteed and proven to raise scores by at least 100 points allow students with the adequate funding for such score-boosters to stand above the rest. This draws the skepticism that the SAT has now become less about academic performance, and more about financial resources.

“The SAT aptitude test has outlived its usefulness as a prime predictor of college success because it has become such a national icon and obsession,” said the President of State University of New York at Stony Brook Shirley Strum Kenny, in a statement to the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates. “The SAT often rewards test-taking ability more than the ability to do college work.”

“The coaching industry, which supports the SAT and other admissions tests, casts a shadow over the tests by its very existence,” said Irving Reid, president of Wayne State University, a school that has dropped the SAT requirement for admission. “Coaching provides pupils who can buy tutoring with a distinct advantage over other students,” Reid said in a statement to FairTest.org.

These counseling services, however, have struggled to fully crack the new writing portion. While some praise it for being more subjective to fully developed skill, it encourages educators to focus on formulaic writing methods that college students rarely use. What’s more, the tutoring programs stress that factual information comes secondary to style an authority, and encourages the use of clichés and traditional ideas. In 2005, the first year that the College Board instituted the writing portion, MIT professor Les Perelman analyzed 23 graded essays and observed that scores were proportional to the essay length. Contrary to its initial intention, the SAT writing portion has proven impotent in assessing applicants for a writing-based college curriculum according to various college officials.

“Sarah Lawrence College feels that standardized testing is not effective in evaluating a students’ ability to succeed in a writing-based curriculum such as ours,” a representative of the Sarah Lawrence College admissions office said in an e-mail.

Cerabino has been very interested in Sarah Lawrence College, and feels very comfortable with its admissions process.

“They look at us on a very intimate level, and knowing that all students passed that same evaluation equally says a lot about the learning environment,” Cerabino said.

Critics agree that the SAT also impresses gender and race bias that lessens diversity in the colleges that weigh it heavily. One aspect of the SAT is strategic guessing. The graders penalize wrong answers, but test takers are encouraged to guess if they are able to eliminate multiple options. Males are more inclined to take risks such as guessing, while females will only devote themselves to answers that they know to be correct according to a 1989 study by Phyllis Rosser. Additionally, females are more inclined to assess a multifaceted subject more successfully, where the black-and-white SAT requires logic that is more prominent in males. Males on average score five points higher on the verbal section and 34 points higher on math, according to FairTest.org.

There is also the argument that writers design the SAT with racially biased, Euro-centric ideologies and traditions. Carl Brigham, the man who developed the test in 1926, believed that he could rank the intelligence of different races based on these test scores, a bad start for a test that colleges now refer to as a fair and equal evaluation of aptitude. The test has clearly evolved since then, but many still argue the Anglo-Saxton tendencies.

One such example of cultural bias is the oarsman-regatta analogy question where the test taker was looking for a relationship analogous to “runner” and “marathon.” The answer was “oarsman” and “regatta,” but only 22% of black students -contrary to the 53% of white students- were familiar enough with the subject matter to answer the question correctly.

Whether it is the opinions of these gender and ethnic groups that they are at a disadvantage, or just the fact that the SAT has become an industry that rests on both skill and money, many colleges have decided to adopt an SAT Optional policy. Bates College, a liberal arts school in Lewiston, Maine, first pioneered this program in 1984. By 1990, the Bates Admissions Office made all standardized tests optional in the college’s admissions process. In 2004, Bates published a study of how this program affected their admissions, and through those two decades, the academic performance between those who submitted SATs and those who did not differed by 0.1% with a doubled applicant pool, one third of which were not submitting scores. This program also successfully nourished diversity in the school.

“If I had had to choose between making tests optional and losing 1000 applications it would have been tough,” said Bates Vice president and former Director of Admissions William Hiss in a statement to World Report. “But when you gain 1000 applications? There’s no downside.”

The surge of applicants and the diversity of the student body are invaluable, but the academic success of these schools is what keeps the program in existence. According to U.S. News and World Report, 27 of what are considered to be top tier schools by national standards are SAT Optional.

In 2001, former President Emeritus of University of California Richard C. Atkinson delivered a speech to the American Council on Education urging them to drop the SAT altogether. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing, also known as FairTest, monitored and lobbied for fair and accurate testing. The ACE responded instead by redesigning what is now the current test and adding the writing portion. For some, however, this was hardly a solution, and as a result, 719 colleges and universities to date have opted to institute an SAT Optional program. Wilson College, a Women’s College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, has just announced that they are instituting the SAT Optional program for next year’s applicants.

“The faculty who set admission standards had to vote on this revision of the application process,” said Mary Ann Naso -admissions director for the program- in an e-mail. “They were provided with information about research conducted at other colleges that shows the best predictor of a student’s chance for academic success in college is the high school transcript which includes college prep courses and grades.”

Other schools take evaluation of college preparedness to the next level- college itself. Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, is a transfer-in school where students must have completed their first two years of school at a previous college or university.

“We recognize that the information assessed in the tests fails to tell us whether or not a student would be well prepared for the experiential and personal academic work that happens at our contemplative university,” said Dean of Admissions Susan Boyle in an e-mail.

One problem faced by the SAT Optional program is the time-consuming review of a more intimate evaluation. With less stress placed on numbers and statistics, admissions offices instead scrutinize essays, résumés, and interviews.

“[Interviews] have served us well, and while they certainly are more time consuming, we feel that better inform us to make decisions about who would not only contribute to the Naropa University community, but who would benefit from it,” Boyle said.

For smaller liberal arts schools, these admissions processes may be effectively feasible, but larger institutions such as California State University have to find less intimate solutions. They base their admissions system instead on high school credits and grade point averages. They utilize an Eligibility Index that factors in either their GPA, or their standardized test scores as up to the applicant. Since the program began in 1998, 276,000 undergraduates- 73 % of whom did not submit standardized test scores raised the diversity level 15.3%. However, California State University’s applicant pool caters to 29.6% of California’s graduating high school students, and the university’s 22 campuses have a larger, less specific curriculum than Bates, Sarah Lawrence, and Naropa.

Jahanshahi is looking at an even greater applicant pool at her favored school, Columbia University. With the school’s 14.7% acceptance rate, she seeks any opportunity to positively contribute to her application.

“I know that analogies and scatter plots aren’t going to help me in international law,” Jahanshahi said, “but in some sick way, they’re the first step.”

Cerabino has had a successful record of accomplishment on her standardized tests despite lack of specified practice, but she hopes that the college that she will attend is not swayed by the numbers so much as the content of her application.

“I would hope it’s my involvement or the essay that I worked on that gets me in,” Cerabino said, “because I will work just as hard on college essays and be just as involved in their programs. I’m not going to go to a tutor for basic skills now; because that is certainly not something I will continue in college.”