My very first clip

This article was written with Jennifer Sikora, Associate News Editor for the Buffalo State College Newspaper, The Record. Forgive me...I don't remember the date but I know that it was before October 21, 2007.

Accrediation: just a hop, skip and a jump away

Communication students at Buffalo State College will hopefully have an additional benefit this year when graduating, they may be able to tell their future employers they came from the only accredited school in the State University of New York system.

The Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications institutes educational requirements and standards for schools that wish to become accredited.

This status gives students, parents, and the public the knowledge that a department is offering the best curriculum and students are receiving the highest education.

"It would be a very big deal for our department, for our current students, for our graduates, for recruiting purposes, and for scholarship funding purposes for all sorts of things," said chairman of the Communication Department, Ron Smith. "It basically throws us into a whole new category of recognized prestige that goes with being here and being a graduate of our program."

Buffalo State will join the rankings of only 111 other colleges within the country, alongside intitutions like Columbia University.

The accrediting organization selects a combination of four professionals and academics from throughout the country to review the program, but because Buffalo State offers a public relations program, the accrediting body will also have someone from the field of public relations.

The accreditation body was here two years ago for a pre-accreditation visit; it was part of the regular SUNY review, which occurs every five years. At that time, the department fell short in a few areas, but has made the necessary improvements and is now ready.

One of the changes included building stronger relationships with alumni by reinstating newsletters and developing meetings in which the alumni could be involved.

Also, until last year there were no scholarships offered exclusively to communication students. Now $5,000 scholarship for a junior, $500 for a graduating senior and two $1,000 scholarships for freshman, awarded by the communication department, which was money raised by the department.

The ACEJMC will be returning here for one day between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24. At this point the department will know whether they have gained accreditation. Every six years the department will have to be reviewed to maintain this status.

The academic standards will not change; students will still be required to maintain a 2.6 grade point average and a letter grade above a "C."

"Current students will see some benefits when looking for a job because they can say they went to an accredited school. Students have met high standards going through a strong program," said Smith.

However, some students have different opinions on whether accreditation will positively affect their chances of employment. A broadcasting student, Alexandra Alston, preparing for graduation in May said, "I know it'll be hard to get a job whether the department is accredited or not."

On the other hand, according to senior Jen Radomski, a journalism student said, "I think of course it looks better to have come from an accredited school. I think they take it more into consideration, even if they don't say so."

Description 1

This is from one of my journalism texts. I tried to describe something using all five senses. Tell me if I did a good job and it will be improved later.

Fisherman pull in their catch for the day. The fish scales sparkle green and gold against the setting sun. The smell of the catch lingers in the air mixing with the crisp smell of the ocean and aromas from nearby hamburger and french fry food stands. Children run and play on the docks, the thump of their feet on the wooden planks provide a rhythm for the moment. The air gets cooler and goosebumps bubble up on bare arms and legs. The sky turns colors of dark orange an red like a ripe mango.

After that exercise there were two questions:

Why do I Want to Write?

I want to write because I have always liked to write. I can remember keeping diaries and journals, writing stories and poems, and anything else when I was younger. In high school I loved english and in college I never found a major I liked until journalism. At first it was a struggle but now it is a challenge that I love! I love learning about journalism. I want to change the lives of Black America and I believe that I can do that through writing. My ultimate dream and goal in life is to be a mother I want to write children's and parenting books and write for a parenting magazine. I want to inspire and motivate people with my writing. I love what motivational quotes and passages do for me and I hope to do that for others.

Looking critically at my personality and the traits that I have that will help and hinder me, I love to research and find out about things. I think that is the key trait for journalists. I don't want to go to the extremes that Veronica Guerrin did and get killed, but I would like to do all that I can to inform my audience. I am getting better at talking to people and asking for help. My only setback is that I get distracted very easily. I am somewhat naive and if I have to move to NYC or another cutthroat town I have to get a thick skin and stop looking for the best in people.

I am going to make it happen...just wait.

My Black Is Beautiful

Here's a little background information before my post. In the beginning of the semester for my com 319 class, the teacher asked what journalism field we wanted to work in and what kind of publications we wanted to write for. Since January 2005, I have wanted to write for Essence magazine and when I said that, one of my class mates said: "Every black girl I know wants to write for Essence magazine." He was black by the way. I was kind of offended at first but after reading the advertisement, which was seven pages long, I am no longer offended but proud and excited about wanting to work for a magazine or a publication that wants to uplift black women which is what I want to do with my writing.

In Essence magazine's December issue, there is a special advertising section for a website called http://www.myblackisbeautiful.com/. The advertisement included a personal journal and discussion guide. The first page held the actual poem, My Black is Beautiful, then an introduction by Najoh Tita-Reid, the Associate Director of Multicultural Marketing at Protor and Gamble. Instructions are to start a conversation group by discussing the topics mentioned in the Personal Journal and Discussion Guide, it tells what the goals of the discussion should be and how to go about starting one.

The next page asks a series of questions titled: My Beauty Journey. Some of the questions are; When do you feel most beautiful? Who did you think was the most beautiful girl in school when you were growing up? Describe her appearance. In what ways is being a Black girl different from just being a girl? Then it gives action activities. This one was to intentionally affirm Black women and girls by reminding them how beautiful they are. Be specific.

This is something that black women of all ages need today. I am a black woman and I feel that our image is not affirmed and continues to be the slowest image to change into a positive over the years. This is so important to for us black women and I am going to spread this around.

I don't have any new years resolutions. I just have things that I want to do. I want to get closer to GOD, get out of debt, get better with my writing, and try to do this campaign. I think that this is something that I want to be a part of. Go to the site and enlighten yourself!