Story beat

Students seek more bang for buck appeared in The Towerlight today which talks about how community colleges are reporting increased enrollment. Community colleges are usually much cheaper than traditional four-year colleges and because of the state of the economy most students are looking for the cheaper way out. Students are beginning to choose their schools based on money, not whether they like it or not. 

It is hard to afford college whether it be a community college or traditional four-year school. Many students are transferring to an instate school or transferring from a four-year school to community college, which is reverse of what used to happen. 

Many college students don't live on a budget in college which really hurts their financial future. I am guilty of it too sometimes, we all are at times, especially when that new outfit is calling our name but living on a budget is key to surviving the college years. Everyone should figure out exactly how much money they need to pay out in bills and then with what ever amount is left over some should go into a savings account and the rest can be spending money for the week. Saving accounts are necessary at any age because at anytime something unexpected could happen that a large lump sum is needed up front. 

So this week I encourage everyone to start looking at their income and compiling all bills that you pay out each month and determine your spending limit for each week. 

My beat is...

Staying on a college budget, is it easy, not always but I will give tips to guide college students through those tight budget years. I also plan to provide cheap and free weekend activities for college students, where to find the best deals and the cheapest grocery stores in the Towson area! I am a bargain shopper and always have my coupons in hand in order to spend the least amount possible for what I need.

This week I want everyone to check out the Baltimore Collegetown website. It is full of fun and cheap ways to enjoy the Baltimore area. They have a section on the homepage called cheep and free, now how are you supposed to beat that! All the activities are within the Baltimore area and the collegetown shuttle stops near each activity so you can even save on gas by taking the FREE shuttle.

This website is good for everything a college student could be looking for. There is a section where you can find internships in the area, you can see the shuttle route, you can even plan your visit by mapping out the places you want to go. A lot of my future blog posts will include activities found on the website but I won't be able to mention them all so check it out!

Hi...

Hi everyone, I'm Abby, I am a sophomore here at Towson and studying all three tracks within the Mass Communication department. MCOM 257 was one of my favorite courses last semester and I am hoping 258 will be my new favorite. I have always enjoyed journalism and wanted to be a broadcaster for as long as I can remember. I still have that as an interest but I also really enjoy public relations, so I really don't know what I will end up doing but I would be happy in the journalism or public relations field.

Now a little more about me in the present, I am a Senator on Towson's SGA, and I also work on Towson's yearbook as managing editor. Along with the organizations I am involved with I also work part time in the Provost's office here on Towson's campus. I keep myself very busy but I also am able to enjoy plenty of time with friends and enjoy college life.

Rules to follow

There are several rules that journalists have to follow for every story they write but there are certain rules that I feel are very important.

The first rule is something we all learned in elementary school. Tell the truth, it is something that seems so simple but is broken all the time. Whether it is plagiarizing or fabricating a story it is wrong and shouldn't be done. Lying in a story or about a story is one of the top three rules that is so easy to follow but also is very easy to brake, especially if you are on a time crunch. 

Now the next rule is also a basic rule we learned in grade school, and that is to be fair and respectful. I feel that journalists should be there to get a story out but not by defaming an individual. If someone asks to be anonymous then either need them anonymous or find another source. Also being fair entails not cutting words out of a quote just to get a better story. 

Accuracy is also a must in writing a story. Nothing looks worse than a story full of errors. Journalists should always use an AP style guide and check and recheck their stories. Being accurate is not only spelling and grammar but is also checking and rechecking the facts. Even if just one fact is not right in a story a journalist can lose all of its credibility. 

Journalists are held to a very high standard and should always be looked at as fair, accurate and truthful people. We should be looked at a people trying to help the community and get stories out to the public. As journalists we need to not just try but always follow these ethical and legal rules. 

Picture Perfect

Taking the perfect photograph can take a lot of practice but there are a few tips that can ensure a great photo even for beginners. One tip to always follow is to fill the frame of the photo. This means instead of the focal point of the picture being far away get closer and fill the whole frame with the focal point. For portraits always shoot at eye level and make sure nothing looks like it  is coming out of the persons head. Also for portraits a soft light with a little shadowing is always good. 

To make a photo more interesting look for different angles to shoot from. Sometimes a photographer will have to lay down or stand on a chair to get that perfect shot. If a photograph is always shot straight on it gets boring. For example the tiger photo that is posted above it is shot from an angle looking up, if I were to shoot the picture straight on it wouldn't have the same effect and would look boring. 

Photography is an art and takes practice but just always be ready to catch the unexpected. This means have your camera ready in in position for that perfect shot! 

Dylan Rothman, left, a junior business major at Towson University uses a unique fundraising activity to support testicular cancer research. The event, hosted by Delta Sigma Phi, was 48 hours of see-sawing and all the money raised went to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. 

Ideas...

For the multimedia story, I plan on writing about Light the night. Light the night is a fundraising event for Leukemia. Groups and teams participate in a walk around the Towson campus after raising money for the Leukemia Society. This is a great event raises a lot of awareness for the cause.

The sources I plan on getting for my story are volunteers coordinating the event and people who raised money and are walking. I plan on asking questions such as, why are you walking, what has your experience been like throughout the walk and do you feel like this event raises awareness around the community for the Leukemia Society?

The photos I plan on taking are of teams and groups that are walking and the groups that gather before the event. Last year a lot of teams made shirts and were really spirited so I am hoping that is the case this year because that makes great photos.

Towson Supports idea of Slots

After a long debate on Tuesday October 7th the Student Government Association passed a resolution to support the upcoming referendum on slots.  Towson administrators agree and also support the referendum. 

 

 

According to The Towerlight article "Towson Supports USM Endorsement of Slots," The national economic

downturn has hit the state finances, which is causing budget reductions across Maryland including the University System

of Maryland.

"Education needs additional revenue. The University Systems of Maryland supports slots, and as president of a

USM member campus, I support their decision, " President Robert Caret said in an e-mail.

Dayvon Love, the diversity representative on the Student Government Association argued against the resolution,

"We need to really consider our social responsibility... we have to think about whose lives we are effecting."

 

Even though slots would increase revenue and bring money to Towson and other colleges in Maryland, the social factors need to weighed. The USM is expected to receive around 48.5 percent of the revenue from the slots which could help tuition costs and construction costs on campus. The slots are expected to go in and around poor communities, slots are known to increase crime and attract lower class people. With the slots going in those areas it seems a bit unfair that the USM is benefiting from them.