U.S. government’s decision against releasing bin Laden photos met with ambivalence

Ashley Fahey

The White House recently decided not to release the photos of bin Laden’s death, despite CIA director Leon Panetta’s statement on May 3 that the U.S. government would eventually release them. Image courtesy of The White House.

Recently, the U.S. government has decided to not release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s death. This decision has caused much controversy and dispute around the globe, leading many to question whether the decision was the correct one.

A recent NBC News poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans agree with the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos. Twenty-four percent felt the photos should be released.

The primary reasoning behind the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos of bin Laden’s death was, according to a Republican who has seen the photos, to avoid endangering U.S. forces. Another Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers said the pictures could inflame anti-U.S. sentiments around the world.

“It’s important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as propaganda tools,” said President Barack Obama in an interview with CBS News. “That’s not who we are – we don’t trot this stuff out as trophies.”

Top officials, such as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, said releasing the photos will create a national security risk.

But conspiracy theorists are not willing to believe the death of Osama bin Laden until hard evidence has proven it to be true. Other individuals, such as a 9/11 widow, wish to see the photos because such proof would be “reassuring.”

On May 2, according to a Pentagon spokesperson, the body of bin Laden was placed in the waters of the North Arabian Sea, following traditional Islamic orders. bin Laden’s body is now buried at sea, making it more difficult to prove his death to skeptical citizens.

“It plays into the hands of those who would like to believe it’s a conspiracy,” said Michael Skube, professor of communications who has taught Media in the Middle East. “The photos are available to certain people, but what’s the point in making them available? It would certainly create more problems because it would be a public document then.”

Elon University students generally felt releasing the photos would be good in proving bin Laden’s death, but wouldn’t be positive for any other reason.

“I don’t think someone’s death should be displayed like that,” said Emily Johnrude, a freshman.

The implications of releasing the photos is important to consider, according to Skube, who said al-Qaeda‘s reaction would be unpredictable and possibly dangerous.

Professor Michael Skube and sophomore Matt Curry discuss their opinions on how the government handled bin Laden’s situation following his death and the possible reaction of al-Qaeda if the photos of his death were released.

“I don’t think they should have released them,” said Matt Curry, a sophomore. “If you release them, it’s like releasing the body. You bring the body back, it can cause a big stir and then al-Qaeda will retaliate or something. It will just cause issues.”

Most Elon students agreed with the U.S. government’s decision to not release the photos, saying the photographic material was too sensitive to be released to the global public.

“I think the decision was a good one,” said Lauren Harbury, a sophomore. “I’m not a huge advocate of having photographic records of somebody’s death.”

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said releasing the photos would eliminate any doubt of bin Laden’s death and avoid people in developing conspiracy theories. Students agreed with this statement.

“If the pictures were released, it would reduce the suspicions of many people,” said Lauren Townsend, a junior. “But generally, I agree with the U.S. government’s decision not to release them.”

Elon professor Shereen Elgamal discusses the difference between bin Laden’s death and Sadam Hussein’s death. Video courtesy of Madelyn Smith.

Whether the U.S. government’s decision is the most popular one by citizens or not is debatable. But the issue continues to remain a conflict and will not be settled until physical evidence of bin Laden’s death is revealed to the world, proving his death for once and for all.

Taking flight of your dreams: Burlington Aviation offers piloting lessons, licensing

Ashley Fahey

For Burlington Aviation School owner Alan Ostroff, flying airplanes was a way to satisfy a lust for adventure. He took his passion for flying one step further by purchasing the aviation school in December 1998.

“We bought something that was already here,” said Ostroff. “It was very small and didn’t have anything.”

The Burlington Aviation School is able to train anybody age 18 or over how to fly an aircraft. The process in which to obtain certification for flying can be done, at minimum, in 16 full days, according to Ostroff.

“The first step is called a private pilot certificate,” said Ostroff. “You can fly, when you leave here, any single engine piston airplane to anywhere you want to go, anytime you want to go and you can carry passengers. The only thing you can’t do is fly in bad weather.”

Ostroff said there are other levels of certification as well, including instrument rating, in which certified pilots are allowed to fly in bad weather, and commercial certification, which allows pilots to earn money for flying aircrafts. Additionally, the aviation school issues multi-engine rating certification.

“It allows people to fly an airplane with two major engines,” said Ostroff. “We also teach people how to be pilots and instructors.”

The Burlington Aviation School is one of only five Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved flight schools in North Carolina. In addition to a flight school, Burlington Aviation specializes in aircraft maintenance, airplane hangar and fueling aircrafts, said Ostroff.

Additionally, the school features aircraft made by Cessna, a plane manufacturing and designing company.

Flight instructor Joshua Lehman talks about why he started flying.

“We have a few different kinds of planes used for flight instruction,” said Ostroff. “The Cessna 172 is a high wing airplane and the Cessna 152 is a two-seat airplane in which people can learn how to fly more cheaply. Piper aircrafts are used for other kinds of training.”

Ostroff’s love for flying began when he was 40, when he flew his first aircraft. Ever since, he has been passionate about aviation.

“One of the things that is fun about learning to fly is there are pieces that come together,” said Ostroff. “There are a lot of other pieces that have nothing to do about controlling the airplane.  You’re taught to understand weather better than any average person. You have to understand FAA regulations. You have to learn something about physiology and medical effects of higher atmosphere.”

Even though he got a relatively late start in learning how to fly aircrafts, Ostroff found purpose and satisfaction in his aviation pursuit.

“Most people learn to fly because they feel like it,” said Ostroff. “I started it because my wife went to nurse school and I had nothing else to do. When I finished training, I really felt like it was a big deal. It was an important new skill that I could exploit, so I started moving up through the stages. It just got me really bad.”

Burlington Aviation School flight instructor Joshua Lehman feels the same passion about aviation.

“I got into flying when my grandpa took me up when I was about eight years old,” said Lehman. “It’s a great school here. We have a lot of good instructors and it’s a really great place to get your license.”

He has been flying planes since 2002, when he got his private piloting license. His passion for aviation has been prevalent ever since.

“I enjoy flying, just being up in the air and teaching people and seeing the expression in their faces,” Lehman said. “It was the same expression I had the first time those wheels left the ground,”

Elon sophomore Hannah Cohan got a brief lesson in flying from one of the school’s instructors, Joshua Lehman. Image credit to Ashley Fahey.

Lehman gave Elon sophomore Hannah Cohan a brief lesson on flying an airplane, giving her an idea of why he is so passionate about aviation. Cohan learned the basics of flying a Cessna 127, a single-engine airplane that fits four passengers. She said it was an experience like no other.

“I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said. “It was not the same as driving a car, because you have resistance and the wind is coming at you from different angles yet, somehow, I feel like that might have been easier than my first driving test.”

Cohan said even with the turbulence of a small aircraft and the anxiety with flying a plane for the first time, it was an amazing opportunity.

“It was a fantastic experience,” she said. “It was mind-blowing, how awesome it was, and I would definitely do it again if I could.”

Hannah Cohan talks about her first experience flying a Cessna 172.

‘The thrill of adventure’: Leigh Burgess saves lives, delivers a baby as EMT

Ashley Fahey

Between leading a normal life as a college student, Elon sophomore Leigh Burgess is actively involved with EMT work. Image courtesy of Leigh Burgess.

During spring break of her junior year in high school, EMT technician and current Elon student Leigh Burgess didn’t think she would be delivering a baby. But that’s exactly what she did.

“I gave new life to the world. I was 17 years old and I delivered a baby,” she said.

Burgess, a sophomore at Elon, has worked as an EMT for three and a half years in her hometown of Morris Plains, N.J. Between her studies, a part-time job and a social life, Burgess found time to work 12-hour shifts, sometimes in the middle of the night during the week. She ran out to answer EMT calls, many of which were emotionally and mentally taxing.

“There is no standard job description for what you do as an EMT,” said Burgess. “You have to know what to do in every scenario or know what questions to ask. You have to have the right frame of mind. It’s definitely not for everyone.”

But Burgess knew that being an EMT was something she wholeheartedly wanted to do.

“I think, subconsciously, it gave me a chance to help a lot of people that I couldn’t help in my own life,” said Burgess. “EMT was a way for me to soothe my conscience and help families in a way I couldn’t usually help. I was also fascinated by the thrill of the adventure.”

She began her EMT training junior year of high school, in which she had to go through once-a-week training on Sundays, state-mandated training, a five-week course and an accelerated class to earn EMT certification for three years. Once the three years end, recertification courses must be taken, as the medical world is constantly changing and EMTs must be up to date on what is going on.

“It’s an ongoing process of training and renewing,” said Burgess. “The CPR world changes every year.”

Burgess is currently EMT certified through December of this year and she plans to get recertified.

“I’m going to get re-certified, but I’m pretty sure after those three years, I won’t be able to keep it up,” she said. “EMT is a big part of who I am, but I think it’s going to come to a point where I won’t have the time. I think it’s a natural phasing out because, right now, I don’t have a full-time job but when I am working full-time, it will be hard to fit it in.”

According to Burgess, she is also the only non-medical student on her squad. Instead, she is studying strategic communications, which isn’t likely to coincide with the EMT world.

But Burgess’ experiences have become a part of her, and she said she has learned life lessons she never would have learned otherwise, if she had never become an EMT.

“I love EMT,” she said. “I do it mainly because it makes me feel like I’m helping people, but it’s also about the thrill of it. It’s a huge rush. It’s a level of excitement and adrenaline, and it’s an adventure.”

Leigh Burgess talks about the best life advice she has ever received, which came from her dad.

One of Burgess’ biggest adventures was delivering a baby during spring break of her junior year. It is an experience she will never forget.

“It is the most memorable experience because life is most heinous,” she said. “It is the most disgusting thing. It was the most visually scarring and explicit experience of my life. It’s like the worst sci-fi movie you have ever seen. That’s why I remember it. Not because there was a beautiful baby girl brought into the world at three in the morning, but because it was the most grotesque thing I have ever seen.”

Many other experiences Burgess has had as an EMT have stayed with her. Another incident that has stayed with her happened her senior year of high school, when her squad received a call about a crashed vehicle with multiple passengers and possible entrapment.

“It was scary for me because we were at a football game on standby, and it could have been any of my friends,” said Burgess. “We drove to the accident and found an SUV with a bunch of girls that had spun against trees until it was totaled. Some girls had managed to get out and others were stuck inside. These girls who were 15-17 years old were holding each other and screaming.”

She said they brought the girls into an ambulance and drove them to the emergency room. But it was bringing them to the pediatric center that stuck the biggest note with Burgess.

Leigh sits outside of Sloan dormitory, where she lives with many of her communications fellow friends. Image courtesy of Leigh Burgess.

“The pediatric center was bright, with colorful paintings and ceiling tiles,” she said. “The contrast between the room we were in and the age of these girls was striking because, when you’re in high school, you don’t see yourself as a child, but you are medically.”

Burgess said bringing the girls into the bright pediatric room reminded her of the fragility of life.

“A lot of times, it’s really easy to remove yourself from a situation because there is no direct link,” she said. “But the girls were close to my age and it made the situation a lot more personal and heavy. To be able to drive and to be responsible for others’ lives, but not being old enough to be in a real hospital room, was a novel contrast setting.”

Adam Boxell is a lieutenant of the Morrisville Minutemen, the EMT squad of which Burgess is a part. He said working with her has been a great experience.

“Leigh is a one-of-kind, smart young lady who always knows how to brighten a mood,” said Boxell. “Having worked at the same EMS agency as Leigh, I’ve done quite a bit of EMS work with her. She’s actually one of the people who had an active role in training me. Considering I’m a lieutenant now, I’d say she did a pretty good job.”

Burgess is known by her fellow EMT technicians and Elon peers for her upbeat, outgoing personality, despite the horrors she has witnessed in her career as an EMT.

“I met Leigh working at WSOE,” said Logan Dunn, a sophomore. “She’s quite the character and such a fun, spunky person, too. And when it comes to helping friends, she’s like the giving tree.”

Boxell described a memorable experience in witnessing Burgess doing her EMT work, something that he distinctly remembers to this day.

“During my first call as being a lead EMT, we had a patient who was having a panic attack and hyperventilating,” said Boxell. “I tried everything I could to calm the patient down. Nothing worked. Then Leigh, who seemed like she wasn’t even trying, managed to talk to the patient and calm her down. By the time we reached the hospital, the patient had slowed her breathing and seemed just fine.”

And although Burgess doesn’t officially do EMT work at Elon, she has helped people in emergency situations at the university.

“During the Greek Week dance competition, she rushed to the guy’s side when he was thrown into the air and landed on his head,” said Dunn. “They had to stabilize him for 30 minutes or so.”

Burgess said being an EMT has allowed her to look at life with a new perspective.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen from the people I work with is realizing how good at heart people can be,” she said. “There is something more to EMT, a driving force that is pushing you to get out of bed and power through a long shift. There’s something greater than just volunteering. The best thing about EMT is the humanity and compassion someone can have for a complete stranger, which is not seen in everyday society, but you see it every time you do EMT work.”

Math Tools for Journalists: Chapters 9-12

Ashley Fahey

Numerical measurements constantly play a role in a journalist's life, so having a well-bred knowledge of them is crucial for success. Image courtesy of Etsy.

In Math Tools for Journalists, Chapters 9-12 go over more fundamental aspects of math, but about how journalists use these fundamentals: directional measurements, area measurements, volume measurements and the metric system. Students have been using these tools since elementary school, but it might not seem important for journalists to hone these skills and apply them to their work.

Chapter 9 goes over directional measurements, which are simple, but a refresher in the formulas necessary for directional measurements is always good. They help explain news reports, accidents, sports and other related events and put writing into perspective nicely. Wickham not only provided lots of useful formulas for volume, speed and so on, but she also gave several examples of commonly sought-after directional measurements, such as the speed of light, which is useful to know off the top of your head. And for someone who didn’t know what G-force really meant, this chapter was useful in explaining it (it is a measurement of acceleration) and then giving several examples of what uses G-force, and what their measurement would be. Weight, mass and momentum sum up the chapter with a quick refresher on each of the concepts, their formulas and how they might be used by a journalist.

Knowing the formulas for area measurements, such as perimeter, will enhance reporting immensely. Image courtesy of the Office of Real Property Tax Services.

In the chapter about area measurements, the author states there are two ways to explain measurements for journalists: one is through using analogies and the other is through simple, accurate numbers that convey facts easily for the reader. Analogies can be useful when describing relative distance but sometimes, more specificity is required, which is why using numbers can sometimes be the most effective means of conveying measurement. The chapter also goes over formulas for perimeter, area, square feet and yards, radius and circumference which are, again, tools that have been taught for years, but are not necessarily put in perspective for journalists until this book. Measurements are helpful in an article because they convey information. Knowing what measurements mean and being able to calculate different types of measurements will assist any reporter in writing as clearly and accurately as possible what the readers should know.

The next chapter, about volume measurements, goes over why volume is important to know and how journalists can use these numbers in context with their reporting pieces. Like in Chapter 9, the author goes over common volume measurements, ones that people should know or may use more often than other types of measurements. It was also useful in giving a practical approach to volume measurements, and how they would be used in more unexpected ways. For example, the author gives a scenario in which a journalist would have to calculate the electricity bill for an ad campaign. Wickham reveals that, surprisingly, only wattage and time are necessary in order to figure out the amount of energy consumed, in watt-hours, which can then lead to the cost of the bill. The chapter ends with a list of ton conversions, and what a cord is.

The United States is one of the only countries in the world to not use the metric system, making it important to understand the conversations. Image courtesy of Blogspot.

The metric system is the final chapter in Math Tools for Journalists. This chapter is important because, as Americans, we frequently forget that we are one of the only countries in the world who do not use the metric system of measurement. Therefore, having a comprehensive understanding of the metric system is vital in order to translate numbers, measurements and data from other countries so that it is understandable in American terms. Conversely, it is important to be able to translate our measurements into ones that the rest of the world can understand. Wickham starts the chapter with the definition of the metric system and a table of basic metric conversions. Formulas for length, area, mass, volume and temperature follow afterward, which can be plugged in easily into situations when you need to convert measurements. Finally, the chapter (and book) ends with some style rules to remember when using the metric system in reporting.

Practice Problems

1. Sunny Samson is a reporter at the CommStudent Gazette and is doing a story on the local aviation school. She is lucky enough to learn how to fly one of the helicopters. If the helicopter has a mass of 500 kilograms and travels at a rate of 300 kilometers/hour, what is the helicopter’s momentum?
   (Multiply 500, the mass, by 300, the velocity, to get 1,500,000 kilometers per hour.)
2. Zoe Buchanan, the owner of a wildlife preservation park, wants to construct a new fence around the entire perimeter. The park measures 15 miles due west and 32 miles due north. How long will the fence be? (Multiply 15 by 32 to get 480 feet of fence.)
3. Jenna Johnson, a reporter for the local paper, wanted to know the volume of an average cereal box. The dimensions of a box of Cereal Crunches is 40 inches by 30 inches by 5 centimeters. What is the volume of the box? (Multiply 40 by 30 by 0.05 to get 600 cubic inches.)
4. An investigative reporter interviews two sources about the amount of water being consumed by the average household. One source said 300 gallons and another source said 1,050 liters. Which source uses more water? (Convert 1,050 liters to 276.3 gallons, making source one the greater consumer of water.)

Beat the summer heat: Keep motivation levels rising with the temperatures

Ashley Fahey

The Stewart Fitness Center is a popular exercise facility at Elon during the school year, but students need to remember to exercise during summer vacation as well. Photo courtesy of Elon University.

The end of the semester is right around the corner: jobs, internships, summer courses and days of relaxation are taking over students’ brains. But one activity students may be forgetting about is exercise. Between the craziness of juggling commitments and the laziness of the sweltering summer, it is easy to disregard the gym, despite its importance to every individual’s life and health.

One of the most popular excuses for not exercising is the unbearable heat and humidity.

“The heart works two to four times harder to move blood into the vessels, which dilate as the body heats up,” said Janice Zimmerman, professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “Exercising in the heat places extra stress on the heart and this can be especially dangerous for those with cardiac conditions.”

There are several key elements to exercising outdoors during the summer: avoiding outdoor activity between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., avoiding direct sunlight, wearing light-colored clothes, drinking plenty of fluids and slowing exposing the body to heat may help it adjust better to the conditions, according to Zimmerman.

Another fact to keep in mind while exercising outdoors during the summer is how the body reacts to the climate.

“The hotter it is, the harder your body has to work,” said Todd Durkin, owner of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, Calif. “This is where a heart-rate monitor comes in handy. You can make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard in warm weather conditions, which can up your risk of heat exhaustion or even heatstroke.”

But if the dripping humidity of summer is too unbearable to consider, other alternatives are available. A local gym is always an air-conditioned option in addition to aquatic activities, such as swimming. Ice skating or hockey are extreme ways to beat the summer heat while still being active and fun.

Although it may seem like an odd sport for summer, ice skating is a unique way to exercise and cool off at the same time. Photo courtesy of WikiImages.

If laziness is more of an issue when it comes to staying motivated, then setting aside time just for a gym run is the first step in ensuring that physical fitness occurs, even during the sluggish summer days.

“Look for something that you enjoy,” said Sarah Luihn, a sophomore exercise science major at Appalachian State University. “Don’t try to go to the gym every day because that’s just not realistic. Also, as long as you make plans with friends, you are more likely to keep it up. For the super lazy people, definitely do not try to exercise on your own because it will work for about a day and then the motivation turns into procrastination.”

Psychologically, it can be easy to fall into the mindset that summer break is a vacation from the normal, jam-packed schedules of students during the academic year, which frequently includes hitting the treadmill. It can easily get forgotten or associated as an activity done at school, which is a dangerous trap to fall into, because staying active is important year-round.

A third challenge students may face this summer is balancing commitments, such as a summer job or an internship, with physical activity. While both internships and jobs are time-consuming and require dedication, exercise still needs to be done.

For people who are busy and struggle to make it to the gym, doing several shorter forms of exercise, such as walking the dog, counts as staying active. Image courtesy of Blogspot.

“The best thing to do is to look for something close by,” said Luihn. “You don’t need to factor in three hours a day for exercise if you are busy, so try to do something small or light during the week like taking your dog on a walk or going on a nature trail. Maybe look for pickup sports team through a nearby community center because most of those teams meet for pickup games at night.”

While breaking up exercise into small, 10-minute increments several times throughout a day is not the most effective method, it is better than nothing. On the busier days of summer vacation, it is still manageable to incorporate mild exercise, from stretching to crunches, several times.

No matter what your summer plans may be, whether it is an internship or relaxing on the beach, be sure to factor in gym time several times a week because it is just as important to stay active over summer vacation.

Writing with authority, confidence: Steve Riley talks investigative reporting

Ashley Fahey

According to Steve Riley, senior editor of enterprise and investigative reporting at the Raleigh News and Observer, writing with authority is paramount for any budding journalist.

“When I work with reporters in Raleigh, I work with a three-person investigative team and a fourth person writes almost exclusively for the Sunday paper,” said Riley. “You must write with authority, the kind of work that is assertive and confident.”

Riley has been working as a journalist for years, starting out as a sports reporter in Mississippi until he worked his way into news writing and, eventually, sports editor. His current position as editor of enterprise and investigative reporting for the last eight years has taught him a lot.

“Editors are not just there to move your story around,” he said. “I’m there from the very inception of story development and I’m responsible for making sure we don’t go down a lot of blind alleys. The stories we choose have to have high impact.”

And since his tenure at the News and Observer, Riley has been involved in editing and investigating many high-impact pieces, including a five-month investigation into the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), which exposed some corruption and unethical workings. Another big-impact story was investigating former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt.

Steve Riley talks about skepticism and how he applies it to the cases he investigates in reporting.

But he said it is not always easy to go about writing and interviewing for investigative pieces.

“While you don’t expect people to necessarily agree with what you’ve put in the paper, you want to be able to get back to them and feel that they’ve been treated fairly,” said Riley. “When I got through asking Gantt the little questions, it became clear that he had made the government work for him. At least he knew what was coming. You can diffuse a lot of that by being upfront with people.”

Investigative reporting is a league of its own, and Riley gave a lot of advice on what reporters should remember.

“The best advice is to not ever lie when you get caught in something like this,” he said. “We don’t enjoy seeing people suffer, but we have to get to the bottom of something.”

Riley said he gets investigative story ideas from several places.

The State Bureau of Investigation was one of Riley’s biggest series in his career as an investigative reporter.

“There’s no specific system, but the good projects come in a multitude of ways,” he said. “One is from good beat reporting. We also have a lot of tips come in, but we get a lot more tips than what we can look into.”

But the importance of investigative reporting is not to be underestimated. Riley said the time and research that goes into enterprise and investigative reporting can take anywhere from three days to a full year.

“With the SBI series, it was not until six or eight weeks into the reporting that we had a problem,” he said. “The lab was set up to solely help law enforcement and it was doing things to bend science to help convict people that might or might not be guilty. If you get the wrong guy, the right guy is out there somewhere.”

Math Tools for Journalists: Chapters 5-8

Chapters 5-8 of Math Tools for Journalists continue to explore how reporters use numbers in their journalistic pursuits. Image courtesy of Fresh Bump.

Math Tools for Journalists is a comprehensive book about how journalists use numbers and, more specifically, what knowledge of numbers is vital in order to succeed as a journalist. Chapters 5-8 of the book go over polls and surveys, business, stocks and bonds, and property taxes, some of which at face value may not seem like they would be relevant, but Dr. Wickham reveals in each of the chapters why it is important for journalists to know about these areas of math.

Chapter Five starts out with polls and surveys. It is a no brainer for any reporter that polls and surveys will frequently accompany a news story, and that the usage of polls and surveys can only enrich the journalist’s text. But one of the main things Wickham emphasized in this chapter is numbers can be, and are frequently, skewed in poll results. It is very important to ensure that no bias accompanies a poll, unless that bias is intentional and clearly stated so that readers understand the true meaning of the survey results. Random selection may seem easy and random, but the reality is, true randomness is hard to attain. Wickham also goes over margin of error and confidence levels, which can alter the results of a survey if they are not taken into consideration. She finishes the chapter by discussing the census, and how to properly read the results of a census report, in addition to a quick overview of t-scores and z-scores.

The numbers of business reporting enhance the story to make it more intelligent and more tangible for readers. Image courtesy of Moyal Accounting.

Business is a huge component of news. Every single there, there is at least one article, sometimes a whole section, devoted to the news of business. Since business employs many math skills, journalists should be aware of these skills and know how to employ them in their reporting. Looking at financial statements can tell a journalist about a company’s business transactions. The profit and loss statement of a business shows whether it is making money or not, and the specific breakdown of where money of a business is gaining or losing. Keep in mind gross margin and EBIDTA when calculating P&L statements. Balance sheets will show how financially stable a company is, through assets and liabilities. Being familiar with the ratio formulas is also useful to evaluate a business’ cash situation, profitability, operating efficiency and market value.

The seventh chapter goes over stocks and bonds, which is vital for a journalist to know because these are two important ways that companies raise money. Having knowledge of how stocks and bonds work will assist a journalist in reporting on businesses fairly and intelligently. Knowing the formulas for current yield and bond cost is helpful, as is being able to read and interpret market indexes. Wickham also gives a general overview of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations), which are both directly related to the business of stocks and bonds.

Figuring out property tax may not seem like a skill a journalist would need, but stories about property tax are frequently very important and newsworthy. Image courtesy of Dahm's Real Estate.

Property taxes comprised the content in Chapter Eight. It is important to have a well-bred knowledge of property taxes because stories about property taxes are often big news and, therefore, a journalist cannot afford to not be well-informed about the subject. After introducing the concept of property taxes, Wickham discusses mill levy, which is taxes to be collected by the government divided by the assessed variation of all property in the taxing district. Wickham then provides formulas for appraisal value and assessed value before finishing the chapter on calculating tax, one of the most important financial skills that any person, journalist or otherwise, should know about.

These four chapters provided a lot of information and formulas for business-related numerical data that journalists will frequently stumble across if they are reporting. Having knowledge of these numbers, what they mean and why they are important will make the reporter not only more educated, but more enriched in his or her journalistic work.

Practice Problems

1. Sally Sue, a reporter for The CommStudent Gazette, wanted to know how many college students drank coffee at least once a day four days a week. What sampling method would this be an example of? Why? (Sally Sue would employ quota sampling when conducting this poll because she is targeting a specific, identified demographic: college students.)
2. A department store bought 10,000 pieces of new merchandise from a buyer at $5.00 for each piece. The shirts were full price at $32.00 in the store for one week, in which 5,291 were sold. Joseph Johnson, the store’s manager, estimates his weekly overhead to be $70,000, which includes employee salaries, utilities and other related expenses. What was the store’s net profit on the new merchandise? (Multiply 10,000 by 5 to get $50,000. Add 50,000 to 70,000 to get $120,000. Next, multiply 5,291 by 32 to get $169,312. Finally, subtract 120,000 from 169,312 to get $49,312, which is the net profit on the new merchandise for that week.)
3. Zadie, a business reporter for her city’s paper, found that a company paid $8,000 for a bond with a $9,750 face value and a 4 percent interest rate. What is the bond’s current yield? (Multiply 4 percent by 9,750 to get $390. Divide 390 by 8,000 to get 0.04875. Move the decimal point over two places to get the answer: 4.9 percent)
4. Michael owns two homes: his home in Raleigh, appraised at $567,000 with a tax rate based on 50 percent of its true value, and his beach home in the Outer Banks, appraised at $390,000 with a tax rate based on 70 percent of its true value. The Outer Banks provides a $15,000 credit for homeowners. What are the assessed values of each home? (For the Raleigh home: multiple 0.5 by 567,000 to get $283,500. For the Outer Banks home: subtract 15,000 from 390,000 to get $375,000, then multiply 375,000 by 0.7 to get $262,500.)

Bursting the bubble while committing to change: liberal arts universities educate new generation of global citizens

Ashley Fahey

Elon University is striving to make its students “global citizens” – but what does this frequently undefined term really mean? Image credit to New England College.

Freshman Ling Zhou came to the United States and Elon University for her undergraduate studies because of the style of education, which is completely different than what is found in her hometown of Guilin, China.

“I really like how the U.S. teaches,” said Zhou. “You have more freedom to talk and the education here is more relaxed; you can be more creative. In China, you look more at the grades. Here, you look more at the creation.”

Creation has been one of the terms used to describe the increase of internationally-focused programs in liberal arts universities across the United States. Through initiatives and strategic plans, universities are striving to educate students and make them global citizens. Elon is following this path with The Elon Commitment.

But global citizenship frequently goes undefined. What does being a global citizen truly mean?

Liberal arts university students define it in different ways.

“Being aware of and concerned with cultures, peoples, and events across the globe.”

“A global citizen is a person who is knowledgeable and concerned about the state of the entire world, not just their local community.”

“Being a global citizen means being aware of what is going in the world around you, and knowing that what you do affects others all across the world.”

A few key words are constant: knowledgeable, concerned, aware and open-minded. But how are liberal arts universities making these definitions of global citizenship a reality for their students?

Many liberal arts universities are including global awareness initiatives and increasing international education opportunities at their schools. Image credit to Ashley Fahey.

Defining “global citizenship”

The Elon Commitment’s biggest concerns for the university are to diversify the student population and to make Elon students more globally aware.

According to Connie Book, assistant provost of Elon University, The Elon Commitment is a strategic plan with eight themes to affirm Elon’s place as a university known for academic excellence and exceptional student achievement.

“We started this plan a few years ago and began by watching other universities with the same goals,” Book said. “We did a lot of surveys and focus groups. The biggest issue was diversity, as students said they wanted more variety of language, color, domestic diversity and so on.”

She said one of the biggest conflicts students had with Elon University as a whole was the lack of conversations between individuals of different races, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds.

The building of a Global Village will house international students, the Isabella Cannon Centre, classrooms and an international cafe and theater. Image courtesy of Elon University.

“The plan has a domestic diversity commitment and a tripling international enrollment,” said Book. “We’re really focusing on recruitment to be a part of diversity. Additionally, we are building a Multi-Faith Center, increasing the number of foreign languages offered and dedicating a new residency called the Global Village to house international students.”

Currently, only 17 percent of Elon students are members of a diverse race or ethnicity, which is significantly low compared to other liberal arts universities in the country. She said increasing both international and domestic diversity is a large component of The Elon Commitment.

“We already had a good internationalism on the campus because we worked on that in our previous strategic plan,” said Book. “This new commitment is a deepening of those previous goals and paying special attention to the diversity of our campus.”

Elon University students on a Winter Term Barbados trip fulfill one of the many objectives Elon University has outlined in The Elon Commitment in making students global citizens. Image credit to Elon University.

Going global through study abroad

In order to get a thorough, full-circle international education, studying outside the U.S. for at least a month is necessary.

Elon University has been ranked as one of the top universities in the nation for study abroad programs, due to the high percentage of students who choose to study abroad at least once in their college tenure, according to the 2010 report from the International Institute on Education. Elon University was ranked the No. 1 master’s institution for the highest number of study abroad students.

“We have three different types of study abroad programs: semester programs, Winter Term programs and summer programs,” said Woody Pelton, dean of international programs and director of the Isabella Cannon International Centre. “These programs are all over the world.”

Elon has three Elon Centres throughout the world, including London, Florence and Costa Rica, which are popular study abroad destinations for Elon students. Image credit to Elon University.

One of the initiatives for the Isabella Cannon Centre is to introduce new programs in specific areas of the world. Pelton said new proposed Winter Term programs to be offered next year include Puerto Rico, Turkey and Greece, Dubai, Mexico and Vietnam. Most students choose to study in Europe, but there is a greater interest and gravitation toward other regions of the world, particularly in Asia.

“We research where student interest is and look at the most popular programs,” he said. “We’re now focusing particularly on Asia and South America.”

According to The Elon Commitment, another goal of the university is to reach 100 percent study abroad access. Currently, more than 70 percent of Elon undergraduate study abroad at least once, but due to lack of financial aid and demanding academic programs, many students cannot afford to fit in time to study abroad.

“Every department, if they work with us, can weave a study abroad program into their eight-semester program,” Pelton said. “I think it makes you better understand the United States and yourself because you have to look at it through a lens that’s different from what you have used all your life.”

Many students have eye-opening experiences during study abroad programs.

“My experience abroad put my learning into perspective because I had heard about all of the places I visited, but didn’t know what I would feel until I was actually there,” said Sarah Beese, a sophomore who traveled on the Winter Term Holocaust Journey this past January. “I never knew what it would be like to stand at the gates of Auschwitz until I experienced it firsthand.”

A pictorial representation of where students studied abroad during the 1999-2000 academic year. Image credit to Ashley Fahey.

A pictorial representation of where students studied abroad during the 2008-2009 academic year. Image credit to Ashley Fahey.

Students engage globally to burst the bubble

Part of assessing the success of making campuses more internationalized is examining how students are responding to the initiatives and what measures they are taking in order to become more globally aware. Student-led organizations, such as international-themed clubs and Project Pericles, strive to make students more internationally-educated and involved.

“We have meetings and several annual events such as Taste of the World, where students cook food and prepare drinks from other cultures around the world,” said Edith Veremu, an Elon sophomore and president of the Intercultural Relations Club. “Our goal is to serve as a forum of discussion in which international and domestic students can exchange ideas and cultures.”

Veremu said the students who attend the club are a diverse mix of both international and American students. At least 20 members show up to meetings each week.

“We create awareness and get to know other people who don’t have the same interests and views,” she said. “There are some people with whom I share similar experiences with and others that I have nothing in common with. It’s a great way to hang out and get people talking about different cultures.”

Veremu is originally from Zimbabwe but has lived in the United States for the past six years, which gives her a different perspective on both domestic and international issues. She said she decided to act as president for the club to not only gain experience as a leader, but to let her voice on cultural issues be heard.

Project Pericles at Elon University is an initiative by the university to transform students into global citizens. Image courtesy of Facebook.

Tom Arcaro, associate professor of sociology, leads Project Pericles, a program that combines both global citizenship and civic engagement objectives for students.

“I have tried to infuse and focus on understanding the connection between local and global, that they are interconnected,” said Arcaro. “It is important for Elon to have this focus. This is not PR rhetoric. This is what education should be across the board. This is our responsibility to provide models for the rest of higher education.”

He said it needs to be the priority of institutions everywhere to teach students to not simply fill jobs, but to fulfill a promise to make the world a better place.

“Project Pericles becomes a part of the DNA of the student,” said Arcaro. “The program is focused on taking on the part of the mission statement that says we integrate learning into the disciplines.”

According to Arcaro, Periclean Scholars have completed massive projects that have impacted entire global communities. He said the Periclean class of 2010 partnered with several villages in Ghana to raise the funds for and then to build an 11-room health clinic, in addition to a drug store and a kindergarten.

“We are literally creating the next generation of leaders that have to be globally involved and deeply skilled,” said Arcaro. “We can’t afford to wait and lag behind. Elon needs to be a leader and I fully endorse a commitment that underlines this promise.”

International students bring global awareness to campus

Part of The Elon Commitment’s goal for increasing global citizenship at Elon is to triple the number of international student enrollment by 2020. Elon reaches out to the world primarily through recruitment.

“Every year, Elon travels to various different countries throughout the world to visit high schools and attend college fairs,” said Cheryl Borden, director of international admissions. “This academic year alone, I personally have traveled for two weeks in Asia, three weeks in Latin America, another week in Central America and two weeks in the Middle East. The Dean of Admissions spent about nine days in Europe as well.”

Borden said Elon is constantly looking for ways in which the number of enrolled international students can be increased, and that the university targets specific regions.

“Through reports like the Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Door report, we receive information about which countries send the most students abroad for university studies as well as what the most popular majors are for international students,” she said. “If I had to qualify those regions, I would say that we look at Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East primarily.”

As Elon is a relatively small university, it can be difficult to recruit many students. According to Borden, several factors are taken into account in the recruitment process.

“We are continuing to build on Elon’s name recognition, and most importantly, ensuring that our current international students, who are the best representatives for a university, are having a positive experience here,” said Borden.

She said that international students ask about specific areas of interest to their needs.

“Issues such as available majors, campus climate, cost and academic requirements are important factors that students consistently ask about,” said Borden.

Zhou heard about Elon in a more unique manner.

“On a Winter Term exchange in high school, I went to Charlotte,” said Zhou, a freshman business major who will be at Elon throughout her four years of undergraduate studies. “Elon is not popular at all back home. I just happened to know about it through friends’ recommendations.”

Zhou said that her experience at Elon has been a good one.

“The class size is really amazing; I can get teachers’ attention and I can ask questions whenever I want,” she said. “People here are really nice and many of them have an open mind toward international students. There’s not a huge amount of international students, so I really get to get involved with American culture.”

The cost of a global education

A predicted estimate for all of the global citizenship objectives in The Elon Commitment is $295,905,000, according to Book. The total cost of all eight themes in The Elon Commitment is estimated at $586,156,000 when all objectives have been completed.

“This objective puts a lot of pressure on the university financially,” said Book. “We’re really going to have to raise money. It puts pressure on the alumni because, in order for this to be successful, giving back is so crucial.”

Book said in addition to putting pressure on Elon alumni, the annual Elon tuition will increase by 4 percent. Over a 10-year span of time, this increase will mean an additional $5,133 per student.

While The Elon Commitment is not the sole reason behind the tuition hike, it is a large reason for it. According to Book, though, need-based financial aid will increase from the less than $7 million in 2009 to a projected $13 million by 2020.

The tuition increase due in part to The Elon Commitment puts a damper for many current students financially. Image credit to Ashley Fahey and information courtesy of Elon University admissions.

Another problem that arises as a result of increased global citizenship objectives is the cost of studying abroad. Winter Term programs cost anywhere from $3,500 to $6,000. Semester programs are typically the cost of a semester at Elon, along with a study abroad fee, which is usually around $3,000 to $4,000.

Many of the programs that focus on global citizenship struggle as well.

“We’ve had to scrape together resources,” said Arcaro of Project Pericles. “As the program has grown, we’ve done more and more and more with no funding. I think we’ve done an amazing amount of things, but could we do more? Yes.”

And despite there being many initiatives underway to fulfill the global citizenship objective of The Elon Commitment, the term “global citizen” has yet to be fully defined. For now, it can define a multitude of people, ranging from a Periclean Scholar working internationally to help lesser privileged individuals, to a student studying abroad and living with a host family in a completely different culture to a future International Fellow residing in the future Global Village with students from across the globe.

Math Tools for Journalists: Chapters 1-4

Although they may not seem like a journalist's No. 1 priority, numbers play a huge role in reporting. Image courtesy of childof80s' blog.

Having a solid grasp of numbers is important for journalists, as numbers are constantly used in reporting and audiences everywhere must be able to digest and interpret these numbers as easily as possible. If a journalist cannot understand the importance of a number, then its readers most likely will not either. Therefore, anybody looking to pursue a career in journalism must thoroughly educate himself or herself in the language of numbers, especially the areas that come up frequently in reporting, such as percentages and statistical data.

The first chapter is useful because it is a solid introduction to the material that will be further discussed in the book. It gives a reason to the question that many journalists, myself included, ask: how much knowledge do writers need of numbers? Dr. Wickham, the author of this book, gives an explanation to this in the first chapter through useful tips. For example, one of the cardinal rules in reporting with numbers is to check the factuality and ethics behind every number found in a quote or a statistic being used in a report. Ignorance and laziness in ensuring that numbers make sense and are accurate is crucial because an exaggerated or untruthful number in an article can be disastrous.

Some other useful tips from the first chapter were style-related, such as remembering to always spell out numbers if they are the first word in the sentence and never using more than two, three tops, numbers in one sentence, as that becomes too overwhelming for the average reader to quickly process. It also went over common numerical phrases, such as the difference between fewer and less than, that were helpful to have a refresher on, as they come up frequently in articles.

Without understanding percents, journalists may wind up reporting unfairly or inaccurately. Image courtesy of adultswimbunker's blog.

Chapter Two was all about percentages, and since reporters constantly have to deal with or figure out percents to convey material to their audiences, this chapter was a good one to read. The formulas provided in the chapter are useful to memorize, as many times, journalists might get presented with data, but not the exact percentage increase or decrease. Therefore, by using the formula, they themselves can figure it out so readers don’t have to do it. Another useful component was figuring out how to calculate interest, and in what situations issues of interest would play a role. Although this is material frequently taught in early high school math or sooner, it is always imperative to be refreshed on it because interest and percentages play important roles in not just journalistic work, but in day-to-day living.

Statistics was the theme for Chapter Three and, just like percentages, reporters come into contact with statistics almost all the time. While statistics can be used to validate information and should be incorporated to established credibility and illustrate a trend, reporters must be careful, because not all sources are legitimate or truthful. Mean, median and mode are discussed in the chapter, the very fundamentals of statistics, in addition to figuring out percentiles or standard deviation. Percentiles are good in some forms of reporting because they show the relationship of an idea or a thing to others whereas standard deviation is commonly used in scientific reports and is oftentimes visually represented as a bell curve. Probability concluded the third chapter; by incorporating probability in particular case stories, such as traffic accidents, the story may become more enriched with the correct usage of probability.

By interpreting federal statistics, such as the Gross Domestic Product, journalists can convey important information from the government to the public. Image courtesy of RITA.

A subset of the concepts discussed in Chapter Three was found in the fourth chapter: federal statistics. This is a very important branch of numerical data because numbers and information provided by the government can be some of the most important statistics found in journalism. It is the job of a journalist to ensure the government is being truthful and, if a fallacy is found in the numbers they issue to the public, reporters must assuage that through their work. This chapter focused on four particular elements of federal statistics: unemployment, inflation and consumer price index, Gross Domestic Product and trade balance. These concepts may not be the most understood by the general public, so journalists must have a solid understanding of each of them in order to accurately convey information to the public. There were many useful formulas in this chapter that can be used in order to compute this information and be able to translate it to readers.

Practice Problems

1. What numerical style errors can be found in the following sentence?2,486 people filed into the train station at rate of 8.23%, a tenfold increase since eight a.m., in which 682 people filed through the station, located at twenty-nine Baker St.
   (The first number can be summed up in the term “almost 2,500,” as whole numbers are easier to digest. Additionally, never start a sentence with a numeral. Round 8.23 to simply 8.2, and make sure to spell out “percent” rather than use the symbol. Tenfold is a misleading term, and should not be used, especially since 2,486 is not 10 times greater than 682, which should be rounded to “about 680” or “almost 700.” There are also too many numbers in this one sentence; break down the information into two or more sentences. Finally, numerals in addresses are always spelled out: 29 Baker St.)
2. What percentage of communications students at SmartComm University are in print journalism if the following data was provided:
   79 broadcast journalism majors
   55 print journalism majors
   139 strategic communications majors
   98 media arts and entertainment majors
   48 communication science majors
   (The total percentage of print journalism majors in the communications department is 13 percent. By totaling all five majors, and then dividing that number by 55, you would get 0.13123. Move the decimal point twice over and round to the nearest whole number to get 13 percent.)
3. Sammy, a fashion columnist for the local paper, wanted to get the median price on an average pair of jeans in popular nearby stores. From the data below, what would the median price be?
   SmartSavingz: $15.99
   Bell Bottom Paradise: $29.99
   The Language of Denim: $25.99
   WASP Outfitters: $79.99
   Outrageous Vintage: $21.99
   Americana Living: $39.99
   Southern Belle Couture: $45.99
   (The median price of the jeans from these stores is $29.99. If you were to write all of the prices in order, from lowest to highest, $29.99 falls directly in the middle of the data, thereby making it the median price.)
   4. Jordan is examining inflation of cars in the U.S. and found the annual CPI increase rate of new vehicles is 1.6 percent. If convertible Volkswagen Eos Komfort currently costs $32,940, how much will a new model cost in one year from now?
   (If the CPI rate stayed the exact same, the car would cost just over $33,467 in one year. Calculate 1.6 percent of 32,940 to reach this figure.)

Earth Day at Elon: Raising awareness, taking action for a greener planet, community

Ashley Fahey

Friday, April 22 was this year’s Earth Day. Image courtesy of NOAA.

According to an informal survey of 158 Elon University students, 81 percent felt their Elon education has made a difference in their environmental awareness.

“I think Elon’s campus is pretty green,” said Eliza Hughes, a freshman. “People recycle here a lot; I try to do that too.”

When asked about the actions they took in order to help the environment, responders gave a wide variety of answers, from recycling to buying eco-friendly items to using their reusable cup to get a free cup of coffee from Starbucks, in celebration of Earth Day.

One of the most debated environmental issues over the past few years has been the global warming debate: whether to be worried about it or whether it is something that does not warrant concern. Of the 158 students surveyed, 50 were not concerned about the issues of global warming and taking personal action.

In celebration of Earth Day, Elon student organizations have organized many environment-related events to raise awareness about issues. From April 18 through April 22, events such as documentary screenings attempted to educate Elon students about issues such as the local food movement, sustainability and recycling.

Elon freshman Eliza Hughes talks about what she does for the environment on Earth Day.

“As educated people, we have a moral responsibility to take care of our home and to educate others to do the same,” said Molly Schriber, a senior. “We know we can do better than we do now and Earth Week is here to remind us of that.”

Earth Day started in 1970 to raise awareness of the environment and the impact of human activity on the Earth. It has since been celebrated by millions of people around the world.

“Earth Day is a time to celebrate and appreciate the Earth’s natural environment,” said Elaine Durr, Elon’s sustainability coordinator. “It is important for our community to understand the environment and sustainability issues that exist today and how each of us can contribute to solutions.”

One of the main objectives for Elon University is ensuring the campus is sustainable. Recently, the Princeton Review named Elon one of the nation’s “most environmentally responsible green colleges.”