Final Feature

HOUSING CHANGES RUNNING SMOOTHLY
By Jessica R. Maas




KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Trowbridge Hall’s lounge was packed with nearly 60 people one Sunday night in November for the Women’s Resource Center’s Open Mic Night. The green couches and rocking chairs placed in front of the two microphones were all occupied, forcing many people to stand in back. Wall-lamps surrounded the room to highlight the performers, and students of all classes had come to see the show.

A year ago it would not have been uncommon to find upperclassmen in the now first-year only residence hall, but it’s now only on evenings with events like these that a significant number of those in other classes enter the building, according to Selin Oner, a first-year student living in Trowbridge Hall.

The decision to change the housing was made late in winter quarter last year, according to Sarah Westfall, Dean of Students. Now two halls, Trowbridge and Hoben, are devoted to first-year students and Crissey, Severn, and DeWaters are composed of upperclassmen. Harmon is the only mixed residence hall.

According to Westfall, benefits to changing the housing included the following:
1) It allows the upperclassmen to have what they consider better housing, i.e. suites.
2) Residence hall programming can be geared towards the individual classes’ needs.
3) The first-year class can develop a community that they can maintain throughout their
time at K.

Drawbacks were the possibility of the upperclassmen responding negatively to the new housing and the change creating a difficulty for first-years to meet upperclassmen, she said.

Oner said that it has been hard to meet upperclassmen, but she does feel as if she knows a great deal of people within her own class. She enjoys meeting upperclassmen, though, and wishes there were more opportunities for it.

“They’re really beneficial and a great resource to draw on,” she said. “I know that if I have questions I can come to them and ask them.”

Prior to this school year, about 45 percent of each residence hall was reserved for first-year students, according to Dana Jansma, Associate Dean of Students. She said that sophomores felt as if they had worse access to housing than they did as freshmen because they were given whatever was left after the reservations were made. When the administration restructured, they wanted to let the upperclassmen have the suites and access to singles, as well as some of the better doubles.

“I did not have one upperclassman complain at the housing process last year,” said Jansma.

According to her, it was also important to get the freshmen out of suites, which have typically made it harder for them to find their niches because they are so closed off.

Other administrators pointed out additional benefits. Zaide Pixley, Dean of the First-Year Students, thinks that the new housing is beneficial for the targeted programming it allows.

“Some colleges have University 101 courses,” she said. According to her, those courses allow undergraduates to learn about making choices related to alcohol, time, and personal
decisions.

Pixley said that these topics get discussed in first-year forums and orientation, “but it’s kind of spotty.”

She said that she hasn’t heard one negative comment and that parents have told her that their children are happy at K.

“I haven’t heard that before this year, that level of enthusiasm,” she said.

Senior resident assistants, students who have previously had at least one year of RA experience, say that they have noticed changes in their jobs and differences between halls.

“Being an RA in an all first-year building is different than being an RA in the suites with mostly sophomores,” said Elizabeth Swisher, senior RA in Trowbridge Hall. “They have different needs.”

Programming, according to all of the SRAs, has become tailored to each individual hall, but the atmosphere in the halls also seems to be different.

Elena Brooks, senior RA in Hoben and a previous RA in Severn, attributes the atmosphere change in first-year halls to the fact that they don’t have any upperclass influence.

“No one hung out in the lounge in Severn because upperclassmen wouldn’t, so why would they?” she said.

Brooks also noted that there has been a change in the number of problems with residents.

“I can say that I’ve seen a significant drop in the amount of incidents that I’ve had to deal with,” she said. The same can also be said of other buildings, according to Clark, Swisher, and Lee Karraker, senior RA in DeWaters.

All of the senior RAs expressed that they were initially concerned that first-years would
not have the same opportunity to interact with upperclassmen, but don’t think it’s been a problem so far.

“I don’t think that my worry has really been an issue,” said Ali McCubbrey, senior RA in Crissey Hall. “There’s a lot more reliance on extracurricular activities to make that connection now.”

At least one of them, though, is worried that relationships may be hindered.

“I met one of my best friends my freshmen year – she was a junior – and I don’t think I would’ve met her if we were in segregated housing,” said Britnei Clark, senior RA in Harmon.

Both Westfall and Pixley believe that connections like the type Clark described will occur more readily when Hicks Center re-opens.

“The idea is that the building will be really inviting,” said Westfall. “We’re hoping that it’s a place students want to be.”

Though Westfall is committed to three years with this housing setup, the changes are not set in stone.

“If we were to find that this is the worst thing we’ve ever done, of course we would change it,” she said.

In the meantime, Oner has attended many college events, such as dance parties and a salsa dancing night, that have brought multiple classes together. She thinks that these events allow for connections to be formed and that relationships with upperclassmen are important for first-year students to have.

“I feel like they have so much wisdom to offer,” she said.



---30---

Article Analysis - 10th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Retail Sales Rise, but Stores Relied on Discounts" by Michael Barbaro of the New York Times. The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/business/26retail.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

I liked the lede - I thought that it was short and catching and described the topic of the article well. The next paragraph did a good job of supporting it and attributes to the reports of two research companies, which it pulls specific information from in the following paragraphs.

Statistics and numbers are used well, spread throughout the article and are easily understood.
I thought that the article itself was well written and interesting, but I thought that the end could've been better. It was just information that didn't really fit to begin with and was just stuck at the end.

Article Analysis - 9th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Missouri, No. 1? College Football Surprises Again" by Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans of the New York Times. The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/sports/ncaafootball/26bcs.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

I liked the headline and the lede. Thamel and Evans used a soft lede that was really effective at drawing readers in. But about halfway through the article I started to wonder if the lede, headline, and first supporting paragraph had misled me about the topic of the article. Suddenly the focus was from Missouri being a surprise this season in college football to describe other football facts that don't really seem to fit. Initially, I wondered if Missouri had just been used as an example to talk about football, but when the story went back to Missouri itself and became more interesting again, I realized that a few unnecessary paragraphs that would probably have lost some reader attention were added.

I thought that the subject of the story was interesting, but the story would have flowed much better had it not drifted to other facts in football. I understand that the authors wanted to show that a lot of crazy things have happened this football season, but I don't think that they needed to go on about it for so long with facts that don't necessarily seem relevant.

At the end of the article the focus is again from Missouri and instead about football teams in general. I wonder if the article should have maybe been about the unpredictable football season as a whole using Missouri as a really strong example. It's something to consider, anyway.

Article Analysis - 8th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "New Princeton Coach Aims to Revive Tradition" by Bill Finley in today's NYT. The article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/sports/ncaabasketball/14princeton.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin.

I think that the lede is good. It's soft, but it draws the reader in, and the first paragraph itself really sets up the article well and allows the reader to understand the focus. It then goes into background, detailing the last few years for the men's basketball team at Princeton, and has a good backup quote from one of the seniors on the team.

I also thought that the article flowed really well. It could've easily been written like a preview for an upcoming basketball season, but it instead became more like a preview written through the new coach and team hopes for the future. The quotes and story itself were very effective, and I really felt like I got a feel for the team.

The end was also a really good signoff, I think. I really liked this article.

Article Analysis - 7th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Sex Diseases Still Rising; Chlamydia Is Leader" by Lawrence K. Altman. It can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/health/14diseases.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

I didn't like this article, I thought it was boring. The title caught my eye, I'm sure, because of the word "sex," but the article itself didn't turn out to be very interesting at all.

The lede had a clause in it, which annoyed me, and was a summary lede, which worked well in this case. There were only two quotes in the entire article, and one of them didn't need to be quoted; it wasn't something that couldn't have simply just been stated in the article, it didn't involve any thoughts or feelings or explanations.

The article was full of statistics, which just got really overwhelming and tedious, even to someone who loves numbers. It read more like a report than anything else and I can see how it would be hard for the average American to wade through.

Revised Crime Piece

THREE CHILDREN TRAPPED IN DUPLEX FIRE, ONE DIES

By Jessica R. Maas




KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A child died this morning as the result of a fire that erupted at a Monroe Street duplex at 2 a.m., according to Patricia Clarkson, Deputy Chief of the Kalamazoo Fire Dept.

The fire was called in at 2:10 a.m. and within five minutes three trucks from two different companies had responded. Upon arrival, seven of the 10 tenants were safely out of the building, but three children remained trapped on the second floor, according to Clarksen.

Clarksen named Samuel Walsh of Company 4 and James O’Brian of Company 2 as heroes for their efforts in saving the children when they tore a hole through the roof of the building and carried the children out.

The children were brought into Bronson Memorial Hospital at 3:12 a.m., according to hospital officials. Tiffany Blanchard, 3, died of smoke inhalation less than an hour later. Her brothers, 5-year-old Tory and 6-year-old Terry, were treated for minor injuries and released to their mother, 32-year-old Marie Blanchard, at 10 a.m.
---MORE---
The cause of the fire is being investigated by Fire Marshal Sam Johnson but an accelerant is suspected, according to Clarksen. There were no smoke detectors found within the building, a violation of city code, and the total building is at a loss, with damages estimated at $250,000.

Kalamazoo Police Department Lt. Regina Santarpio announced that neighbors saw a man run from the building with a canister in his hand, and at the same time spotted a juvenile hanging around the scene.

Two suspects have been arrested in relation to the fire and are being held in the county jail, according to Santarpio. Vincent DeNofrio, 33, and a juvenile, 16, both of Mattawan, are expected to be arraigned tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Santarpio has stated that officials believe Marie Blanchard may have been the target of the arson by her estranged boyfriend. DeNofrio and Blanchard were known to have spent time together off and on.

“What I can say without hesitation is there is a nexus between DeNofrio, Marie Blanchard, and the fire,” said Santarpio.


---30---

Narrative Piece

The following piece is from today's edition of the New York Times. It's by Jere Longman and Lynn Zinser and can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/sports/05marathon.html?ref=todayspaper.

This article is about Sunday's New York City Marathon winners and it does a few things well. The first thing is that it doesn't tell you who the winners are right away - it draws you into the story and makes you want to keep reading to find out. The following, as we read in Chapter 9, also made the piece stronger:

1) Descriptive Technique - the piece used description without being overbearing, and it worked really well. It also wasn't sexist - it didn't focus too much on the fact that the winner had just gone through a pregnancy, and it gave a lot of focus to the men's race as well.

2) Use of Narrative Technique - I could really picture the route and these women running down it as I read the piece, and that's a huge part of why it's so effective. I was there. The writers were very successful in how they set up the scene. Dialogue was used in a few appropriate places to make it seem more real and more like a story. The scene was set and the plot established, and the reader wanted to find out what happened. It was done very well.

I really liked this article. I thought the story was carried about well, though I wonder if the lede could have been a little stronger. It drew me in, but I wonder if it could've been stronger. I don't know if it's acceptable to put the runner's respective countries in the paragraph following the lede, but if it is I think that that would've allowed it to flow better.

Article Analysis - 6th Week

The article that I've chosen for this week is "Less Homework, More Yoga, From a Principal Who Hates Stress" by Sara Rimer. It was published on the front page of Monday's NYT and can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/education/29stress.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

I liked the lede. I thought it was catching and even though it's a soft lede, it gives you enough to draw you in. I do wonder though if the word "affluent" is necessary. There's no other mention of wealth in the article, so it just seems like an unnecessary accessory, so to speak.

I really liked the article idea itself. Stress reduction in high schools where the competition for college admissions gets fierce is an important problem in today's society and brings about the big debate of where we draw the line - when is enough achievement enough?

Rimer initially uses the example of one school to bring in the overall big picture, and I think that it's effective, in this case. If she had started with a hard lede about the number of schools that are trying to add stress-free programs, I don't know if it would've been as alluring.

She does a good job at bringing both sides in. She puts the benefits of the stress-free programs in, but adds information and quotes about how the programs force cuts in curriculum areas. There's also good information at the end about how quickly the programs will be gone if results aren't seen.

It ends with a good kicker quote. I really liked this article, and thought it was really well written.

Speech Revisions

Lede: Cecilia Zarate-Laun urged audience members at Kalamazoo College to take political action and pay attention to what's going on in the United States government during a speech on Wednesday night.

Explanation of Lede: Who Zarate-Laun is and topic of presentation

Back-up Quote

Nut Graf: History of problem and why we should care

Quote

Suggestions for what needs to be done

Kicker Quote

Looking back, I should've gotten more audience response and paid attention to reactions. I got good information, but anyone could've given a summary of her arguments.

Article Analysis - 5th Week

The following is an analysis of Brad Stone's article "Microsoft Buys Stake in Facebook" in today's New York Times. The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/technology/25facebook.html?ref=todayspaper.

I thought the lede was really good. It was short and to the point, and pulled the reader in with big names like Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Yahoo that affect all of our lives.

There were a lot of parts of the article that I liked. The elaboration of the lede was good, but I was disappointed that there wasn't really much in terms of an actual "battle" between the three companies as had been stated in the lede. There was a little mention of Google, but nothing on Yahoo. There was a good explanation of how much Microsoft is going to be involved, and how much it was important to them.

I also thought that it was good that there was some reference to MySpace, Facebook's leading competitor. It was good to have that comparison between them and learn how each of the companies is considered by leading advertisers.

Overall, I thought that the information in the article was good, though it did not really focus as much on what was stated in the lede.

Press Conference - Ahson Obit

NAVY VETERAN DIES OF EMPHYSEMA
By Jessica R. Maas



KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Jeffrey R. Ahson, navy veteran, died last night at home from emphysema. He was 79.

Mr. Ahson served in World War II as a petty officer, during which he crossed a burning deck to remove four wounded soldiers in the 1942 Battle of Midway. Upon taking over the gunner’s position he shot down three enemy planes. Mr. Ahson was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Cross when he returned home, and was promoted to the rank of ensign.

“He was a genuine American hero,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe.

Born in Chico, Calif., Mr. Ahson was with the navy until 1946 when he moved to Kalamazoo to work was a firefighter. He retired from the job in 1966 and went to work as a car salesman at Seelye Ford until 1985. Known for collecting firefighter memorabilia, Mr. Ahson restored a 1924 fire truck, which is on permanent display at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

During his time in Kalamazoo, Mr. Ahson also served as the post commander of the
American Legion post 702 and VFW 4206.

Mr. Ahson was affiliated with the National Checkers Association, the Elks Lodge, and Gideons International. He was also a member of the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, where he worked as an usher.

Mr. Ahson is survived by his wife, Therese Alpert of Kalamazoo; three children; three siblings; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services for Mr. Ahson will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Littleton Mortuary, followed by the burial at Memorial Park Cemetary. The viewings will occur on Friday evening from 4-5:30 and 7:30-9. The family requests no flowers.

Article Analysis - 4th Week

The following is an analysis of the article "Lifers as Teenagers, Now Seeking Second Chance," that was published on the front page of the NYT today by Adam Liptak. This is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/17teenage.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin.

The first thing I noticed was that I don't like the lede. I think that it may be a really good second or third paragraph, but I don't thnk that it gets to the heart of the problem right away; it doesn't mesh right with the headline. Even if one considers it acceptable, I don't think it's a good idea to start with "In December" because I read that and the first thing I thought was "Well if it happened in December why do I care now?" The paragraph itself is very important to the article, but I don't think it's the right way to start.

I thought that the one girl that Liptak used as an example throughout the article was a good one. He was able to show both sides to the story through her - how maybe some teenagers shouldn't get life without possiblility of parole, but it's a case by case basis, because some of them may need to be in there. I thought that it was interesting that he didn't bring up the possibility of mental facilities because that was something I thought of when I was reading the quote by the prosecutor who said that the girl doesn't have a conscience. If she doesn't have a conscience, that's a psychological problem but not necessarily one that's her fault, so should we punish her for life because of it, or try to get her help? I understand that psychological defenses are overused, but I do think that there are cases where it's appropriate. This article was really good at causing people to think about their own opinions, and how they may feel about this issue.

His facts were good and relevant and I thought that his sources (the prosecutor, the grandma, the girl herself, etc.) were well-rounded and unbiasedly portrayed. He also did a good job at taking her case and then talking about the entire country. I also thought that his ending was appropriate - sticking in an opinion of what should happen to the girl's boyfriend, who was also convicted, as it wouldn't really have fit anywhere else in the story. Overall, I really liked the article, and it was very interesting.

Obituary Analysis

The following is a link to an obituary published by Corey Kilgannon in the New York Times on October 13, 2007. The obituary was on Sri Chinmoy, a man famous for combining spirtuality practices with strenuous exercise.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/13/nyregion/13chinmoy.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin.

I thought that the lede was good - it answered four of the five W's and the second paragraph, in further explanation of the lede, answered the "why."
The article went on to mention highlights before it delved into chronological history, which was interuppted with information about the memorial service and burial. I found that irritating, though there was a lead into it, so it may be considered acceptable.
The history was good and I liked the end - a nice quote about Chimnoy from the Gorbachev, the past Soviet leader. However, there was no mention of survivors, which I found odd, but maybe there aren't any?

Article Analysis - 3rd Week

The following analysis is of the article "Guard Awarded $850,000 Over Sexual Harrassment" by the Alan Feuer of the New York Times on October 12, 2007. The article can be found at the this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/nyregion/12harass.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

The lede answers the 5 W's well, but I wondered, upon reading it again, if it could've been worded in a different order. I feel like it might've been better to start with "A lesbian prison guard" because I think that people's eyes are more like to be drawn in by the word "lesbian" - it catches people's attention more.

The second paragraph is an elaboration of the lede and goes on to explain how the suit was filed and the wrongdoing that occurred. From there Feuer goes on to give a chronological account of what happened. I think that he does a good job of explaining things and keeping the reader interested with details of the harassment, and the story has a good flow.

A lot of his information is taken from the guard herself and the opinion that the judge wrote. He also makes sure to give an space to the opposing side. The ending appeared somewhat abrupt and like he just didn't have anything else to say afterwards, but I really liked the article overall.

Reflection: People on the Street Exercise

I have mixed feelings about yesterday's exercise. It was a good experience, and definitely one that a person can learn a lot from. One of the biggest problems for me was that I'm totally ignorant when it comes to foreign policy, and I'll be the first to admit that. It was a disadvantage in this case, however, because I had to look up a few things before I went out on the street. Even then I'm still not sure that I asked the right questions - I know that the exercise would've been much easier had the subject been something I'm more familiar with.
There were many people hesitant to give answers, even after they knew that what they said wouldn't be published, and it was also awkward because I always felt as if I was interuppting someone's day. I managed to get quotes from a variety of viewpoints though. Once I had them it was a little difficult to format them, and I think that I could have done a better job at that. I was annoyed most by my ending but couldn't figure out a way to change it.
Though uncomfortable, I think that this experience is a beneficial one for everyone to have to go through.

Inverted Pyramid Exercise

A ban on hand-held radar guns used by Connecticut State Police was ordered yesterday in Meridian, Conn. due to concerns that troopers may develop cancer from long-term exposure to radiation waves emitted by the devices, according to Adam Berluti, a state police spokesman.
The ban was ordered as a precaution while researchers study the possible links between cancer and use of the devices. It will affect 70 radar guns, which will be withdrawn from the service. Radar units with transmitters mounted on the outside of the cruisers will continue to be used by state troopers.
"The feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue," Berluti said. "The whole situation is under review."
The decision has come two months after three municipal police officers in Connecticut filed workers' compensation claims, saying they had developed cancer from using the hand-held radar guns. The move is the first of its kind.

Effective Hard News Lede

The following is an excerpt from the New York Times' article "Blaze Kills 5 Workers in Colorado," which ran today, 10/3.

DENVER, Oct. 2 — Five workers at a hydroelectric plant outside Georgetown, Colo., were killed on Tuesday when a chemical fire trapped them in a water tunnel where they were working, officials said.


This is an effective hard news lede because it indicates that the story was written in a timely fashion (the event occurred yesterday) and it answers the 5 W's:
Who? Five workers
What? They were killed
When? Tuesday
Where? At a hydroelectric plant outside Georgetown, Colorado
Why? A chemical fire trapped them in a water tunnel
It also has an immediate impact on those people involved and the people who knew or were close to the deceased.