‘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.”

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.

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.

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.”

‘Evil is elusive’: 2010 Elon Distinguished Scholar reads excerpts from new book, blog from Satan

Ashley Fahey

Jeffrey C. Pughs new book "Devils Ink: Blog from the Basement Office" writes from Satans perspective in a blog post format. Image courtesy of Amazon.

Jeffrey C. Pugh’s book “Devil’s Ink: Blog from the Basement Office” is no ordinary read. Pugh, the 2010 Elon University Distinguished Scholar and professor of religious studies, wrote the entire book from the perspective of Satan, in the form of a blog.

“We can bring our ideas in different forms the way we are now rather than through dense philosophical tones,” said Pugh. “It was intentional to use blog style to make short, pithy points to leave the reader inflecting and thinking about it.”

Pugh spoke about his new book and read excerpts from it at the Distinguished Scholar Lecture on April 14. The book is a result of Pugh’s research that seeks approaches to religious studies with both historical and contemporary relevance. He said the book was a different form of scholarship and that he examined evil as something that is not elusive.

“I started with the understanding of the great spirit of negation,” said Pugh. “In what way have we constructed the world that actually negates well-being and human flourishing? The totality of existence. Once I climbed in and stayed there, it just kind of came out every night.”

Professor Jeffrey C. Pugh reads aloud an excerpt from his new book “Devil’s Ink: Blog from the Basement Office” at Elon University.

Pugh read aloud several excerpts from his book, which addressed topics ranging from politics to the atomic bomb to Disney World. The blog-like format of the book was written entirely in first person perspective from Satan’s point-of-view.  The posts even include the tagging function that would be found on a normal blog site.

“What I want is for the reader to start asking questions, to think about things in a way they haven’t before,” Pugh said in a recent interview. “Hell has its own logic. I want to confront the reader with whether or not they’ve embraced the logic of hell within the societal structures they live under.”

He discussed how reading the book for him was now like an out-of-body experience. But Pugh stressed the importance he felt in writing the book in such an intimate and unyielding manner.

“The book is an attempt to think through perplexing concerns,” said Pugh. “If you look a little closer at the field of theology, it is more about illuminating the claims of human life that have emerged from tradition and symbols to construct the realities we live in.”

Finding what you love and giving it away: Brian Williams leads discussion at Elon University

Ashley Fahey

Brian Williams moderated a discussion at Elon University about confronting challenges facing America and the world. Photo by Heather Cassano.

“Are we going to go forward? Are we going to achieve like we know we can as a country?”

These questions were posed by Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. Williams led the conversation We Can Be Better: Courageous Voices Confront Our Greatest Challenge on Thursday, April 7 at Elon University’s annual Spring Convocation for Honors. Students who have achieved academic success were acknowledged and notable guest speakers took part in the panel moderated by Williams. The conversation addressed important social issues, in the past, present and future.

“I’m here today in the capacity only as an Elon parent,” said Williams in his opening address. “We can be better. In this nation, in this day and age, we can be.”

Williams addressed all members of the panel, asking their opinions and thoughts about issues related to religion, education, politics and other relevant topics. All panelists offered their insight and opinions, frequently connecting the issues at hand to the college-aged generation.

“In this country, if you get a good education, work hard, have solid values, you have unlimited opportunity,” said David Walker, founder and chief executive officer of the Comeback America Initiative. “America is a great country and once we rally, we can do anything. Young people need to be involved because this is your future. Your future is being mortgaged, investments are being cut and, in addition to that, you’re going to face tougher competition.”

Every panelist approached the conversation with a perspective that pertained to his or her background or area of expertise, but all individuals emphasized the importance of young generations participating.

“I think it would be helpful to talk about things that people can do across multiple sectors, but also to be inspirational to young people,” said Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “Because of you, the future is great. We do have a responsibility and an opportunity to inform.”

KIPP is a program started by David Levin, one of the panelists at the convocation. Image courtesy of Gotham Schools.

The achievements and innovations by the panelists acted as a framework for the potential of college students. All panelists discussed their own personal expertise and experiences, which segued into discussion about programs and movements to what Generation Y can do for their country. David Levin, co-founder of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), talked about how education is one of the keys in solving America’s problems.

“KIPP is a national network of public schools located in low-income neighborhoods, in which the predicted college graduation rate is 8.3 percent,” said Levin. He compared the problem of the college graduation generation to that of the students in KIPP schools. “One of the challenges the young face is the idea that it takes so long. The problems that we have and the commitments that we need are going to take folks who are willing to make that commitment.”

All of the panelists agreed that the time to take an active role in overcoming the challenges facing the country is now. David Gergen, senior political activist for CNN, said that America cannot afford to wait any longer.

“We let things accumulate and then, unfortunately, we may get hit with crises in your generation and then you pay a huge price,” he said. “We face a tough future. You can be the leaders of today. We cannot wait another 10 years because it takes a long time to get hard work done.”

But the biggest focus for the college generation is doing something that you love, according to Eboo Patel, founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Center. His path began when his parents immigrated to America from India and he said he knew exactly what he was meant to do.

“Ultimately, when it comes to who you are in the world, you have to do what you love,” said Patel. “I didn’t choose my life based on who was suffering most in the world. I had to do what I loved and then figure out how I was going to give it away.”

National trend shows lack of income, traditional print media in receiving news

Ashley Fahey

Forty-seven percent of Americans get some type of news on their mobile devices. Image courtesy of ShutterVoice Review.

Forty-seven percent of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on their cell phone or tablet computer, according to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellent in Journalism. But only 1 percent of all Americans are paying to receive news on their mobile devices.

“Tablet penetration is growing so rapidly – as quickly as any device we have seen to date,” said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Research Center. “It will be fascinating to see whether that changes whether people will pay for content online, but for now it hasn’t happened.”

With the prediction that print media will become extinct because of the digital age, the question of how the news industry will survive with a lack of income for online news or news apps is continually raised. Only 23 percent of survey respondents said they would pay $5 a month to receive full access to online newspaper content. Three-quarters of those surveyed said they would not pay anything to receive news online.

Opinions about the future of news are varying, but the biggest difference in public opinion is based on age. Several students at Elon University were pessimistic about the future of print news.

“I’m pretty sure print news is going to be nonexistent in the near future,” said Laura Morell, a freshman.

Students who had Smartphones, iPads or other mobile devices that receive apps had differing opinions as well.

“There is a widget on the Droid where you can collect any RSS feeds,” said Alex Rosenbaum, a sophomore. “I follow news, sports news, almost anything. I think print media is going to stick around because I think some people need to physically hold a newspaper, though I think there will be a greater percent of people getting their news online.”

Michelle Ferrier, associate professor in Elon University’s School of Communications, talks about the future of print journalism.

But most students who did not receive their news from mobile devices said they received their news online rather than print media.

“I use MSN or Yahoo! to get a good idea of what’s going on,” said Andy Hurst, a junior. “I don’t think print media will go extinct, but certainly diminished. There’s a huge stack of papers downstairs and nobody seems to be taking them.”

Elon sophomore Heather Cassano discusses her opinion on print journalism versus online news content.

Online content becoming more prevalent is inevitable, and receiving news through traditional print sources is becoming less commonplace, but how will the news industry survive without any current income from applications or online news sources?

Technology, interaction, art blend together for Golan Levin

Ashley Fahey

Golan Levin spoke to Elon University students about his experiences in developing interactive artistic programs. Image credit to Flong.

The Elon University Liberal Arts Forum sponsored Golan Levin on March 31 in a speech entitled “The Crossroads of Arts, Science, Technology and Culture.” Levin is an artist and instructor at Carnegie Mellon University who focuses primarily on communication and abstraction in an interactive medium. Levin discussed his objectives of marrying art and technology in an engaging and entertaining manner.

“The world has changed a lot in the last five or 10 years,” said Levin. “Now, I and thousands of people around the world are able to make things in completely new ways.”

Levin makes his own software and develops programs that set up a connection between him and those interacting with his programs. According to Levin, art is not complete until another person participates with it, which he titled the “reader response theory.”

Scrapple is one of Levin’s programs that allows individuals to place objects on a table to create unique sounds and patterns. Image credit to Flong.

“Each of us has a completely unique way of moving through space,” said Levin. “It encodes something of our spirits.”

In his presentation, Levin showed several examples of the programs he has developed and presented around the globe. He said he has invented many new interfaces that project possible futures in the world today, such as his programs for analyzing numbers and texts on blog posts.

One of Levin’s main points focused on how a seemingly neutral question could lead to much more complex answers through the programs and interfaces he has developed.

“You end up with a very charged answer to what, on the face of it, seems like a very banal question,” said Levin. “The answers produce a response that is full of interesting territory for us to argue about and to discover new things.”

Golan Levin discusses the reasons behind his software creations to Elon University students.

Levin used the example of a satellite image that shows the Earth at night, and what parts of the world are bright with electricity and which ones are dark. Inferences and discussion can spur as a result of analyzing just this one satellite image, according to Levin, which is the response he hopes to instigate in those who interact with his artistic programs.

Other technologies that Levin has developed and used in various mediums include the program Yellowtail, an iPhone app in which individuals can create animated scenes to create repetitious abstract art. Opto-Isolator is a more recent program that focuses on human eye contact and has the ability to invert the condition of spectatorship, according to Levin.

Yellowtail is an iPhone app program created by Levin that allows users to create their own repetitious abstract art. Image credit to Flock.

“Learn to love the randomness,” said Levin of the strange, sometimes disconcerting nature of his unique technologies. “I am attempting to allow people to discover their potential as creative actors and curious agents.”

Levin illustrated this in the videos he showed of people around the world interacting with his programs, such as Seeing the Voice, in which images and the direction of lines and shapes were determined solely by the voice of those interacting with the program.

For the future, Levin hopes to continue developing the programs he has created while introducing more that will continue to interact with individuals everywhere and tap into their creative and artistically curious side.

“This is a significant revolution,” said Levin. “Artists have now taken technology into their own hands.”

Engaging minds and thinking critically: conversations about politics, the media engage Elon University students

Ashley Fahey

Professor Laura Roselle led the Media and Politics Conference workshop on Wednesday, March 30. Photo by Ashley Fahey

A two-day conference that examined the relationship between politics and the media was hosted at Elon University on March 29-30. The conference consisted of several speakers and discussion forums which culminated in a workshop titled Media & Politics: Evaluating Media Sources.

“Dave Turnage approached me about putting something together and he was really interested in this nexus between politics and communications,” said Laura Roselle, professor of political science and leader of the conference. “He offered to fund this project for this year, and ongoing for the foreseeable future, to have a project between media and politics.”

Turnage was present at the workshop, which consisted of a small group of professors, students and faculty. He has no affiliation with the university, but lives locally and was excited by the idea of change through awareness. The entire conference was sponsored jointly by the Turnage Family Faculty Innovation and Creativity Fund for the Study of Political Communication.

“I realized that [Roselle] had great potential for tackling some problems through the university,” said Turnage. “I love the prospect of the future and maybe helping to change people’s thinking for the better.”

The workshop allowed all attendees to talk amongst themselves in an engaged discussion about the portrayal of politics in the media. Issues of communication and how journalists can communicate information ethically and clearly for all audiences were addressed.

“Engage your mind and think critically about the information you process,” said Roselle. “It is your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy.”

Examining where people get their news and how that affected their perceptions of political issues started off the discussion, which examined how to critically evaluate media sources. Issues such as credibility, sources, news presentation and content were discussed.

“You have to be very careful, whether you’re a leader or a media professional, in the way you speak,” said Roselle. “You need to make sure your audience knows that you don’t know everything. It’s not definitive. You give them context, you give them enough information, but you don’t overpromise.”

Every individual present came from a different background or major and offered different perspectives on the issues being discussed. The open forum nature of the workshop allowed everybody to give their opinion and ideas.

Dave Turnage discusses his reasons for funding Elon University’s Media and Politics conference.

“I’m frustrated by getting false information on the Internet,” said Turnage. “People are constantly sending me ‘factual information’ that I know is wrong and they don’t check it out.”

Turnage said that it was crucial that Elon students, in addition to other college students, correct the problems that politics, the media and communications overall have in conveying ethical and accurate information to the masses.

The discussion culminated into three departments of changing the future: encouraging students to better critically analyze the media, looking closer at government sources and data, and disseminating research that faculty and students alike are discovering. Figuring out solutions that pertain to all three problems would, according to Turnage, begin to rectify the problems that politics and the media currently face.

The workshop was a great way to end a successful two-day conference, said Roselle, the primary organizer behind the entire event. She said this year was the launch of an annual media and politics conference at Elon University.

“Everybody on this campus just jumped right in to help,” said Roselle of the organization process. “It’s been a great experience and I think the students really liked it.”

Paying dues and taking risks: Elon alumnus Nathan Rode’s path to the dream job

Ashley Fahey

Nathan Rode landed his dream job at Baseball America right after graduating Elon University. Image courtesy of Nathan Rode.

For Nathan Rode, the first job he landed after graduation just so happened to be his dream job.

A reporter and photo editor for Baseball America, Rode knew what he wanted to do before he graduated from Elon University in 2007. He interned with Baseball America starting his senior year, putting in 15-20 hours per week in the fall semester and increasing his time to 30-40 hours in the spring, when he was a part-time student.

“I got my foot in the door,” he said. “Fortunately for me, there was an opening when I graduated and I was hired a few weeks later.”

While the timing of Rode’s hire was lucky, he said he had to put in a lot of time, effort and grunt work in order to make a good enough impression at the publication.

“I worked my tail off and paid my dues where I wanted to be,” Rode said. “The way I did things, there was a lot of risk involved because I concentrated my efforts on Baseball America and didn’t have backup plans.”

Rode shared tips on how to be successful in the journalism industry. Image by Ashley Fahey

Rode’s approach to achieving his ultimate dream of working at Baseball America is unorthodox in comparison to most college graduates, who spend time and energy into getting resumes and interviews with as many companies as possible. But Rode knew exactly what he wanted to do and put all of his energy into making that dream come true.

While at Elon, Rode worked at The Pendulum, as a sports reporter, sports editor and eventually editor-in-chief. He interned as a stringer for a newspaper in Va. as a student, in addition to a Durham baseball team before he was taken on as an intern at Baseball America, where he currently works.

Rode talked about his road to Baseball America with Elon University students, sharing tips and experiences that taught him valuable lessons and led him to where he is now.

“The biggest thing for me in reporting is accuracy,” he said. “Make sure you fact check and have everything right and don’t take anything at face value.”

At Baseball America, Rode’s main focus is on high school prospects for college and professional baseball teams, and many of his pieces require him to travel around the country to report on interesting high school baseball players. He said that he has a feature story in every issue of Baseball America, which is published every two weeks.

Rode also talked about how social media and the Internet have made his job and Baseball America more accessible, user-friendly and timely.

Rode shared helpful insight and stories about his career at Baseball America to Elon students. Image courtesy of Nathan Rode.

“I no longer have to wait until publication to break a story,” he said. Social networking has also been useful. “I was the last to join Twitter on staff, but it’s useful – just keep it professional.”

Rode also has his own blog and uses it to publish stories that are not found in Baseball America or are timelier than the biweekly publication.

While Rode managed to land his dream job in a short span of time following graduation, he emphasized how important it was for students to be diligent in their educational pursuits and follow their passions doggedly in order to achieve success.

“You’re going to learn stuff all of the time,” he said. “You’re always going to be students, even after you graduate from Elon.”