Editing at the Review

I went to two shifts at the WU Review to edit the paper. In my first shift, I edited beside the copy editor who was on staff at the time. She wasn't sure what I needed to do, so we did some together. The first one we edited was very difficult formatted. It was in sentence format, not already put into paragraphs. This looked very difficult for the editor. Also, the wording was not the strongest. The second shift was more structured and planned. The editor printed out a page from the paper and told us to edit it. This was more difficult than I thought it was going to be. The sentences were poorly written, as well as word choice was poor. I noticed a lot of commas in stories. Overuse!

Free Chipotle in exchange for an ethics workshop

The Chipotle Ethics workshop offers free Chipotle, while providing an engaging discussion on ethics, morals, leadership every Monday at noon in Mabee Library.

The Center for Student Success offers workshops to provide students with the opportunity to learn and improve on skills to succeed. One set of these, started by James Barraclough, director of student success, offers more than tips.

The workshop starts a discussion on the tough topics to discuss – including what is right and wrong in regard to being a college student. Dilemmas faced by the student population are different from the problems adults and other non-student young adults face. The idea is that this tough topic will be easier to stomach if it is paired with food therapy. 

The Center is the department responsible for academic advising, academic testing, the First Year Experience, the Tutoring and Writing Center, the “Think 30 to finish in four” campaign, and a variety of success workshops. All are aimed at providing students with tools to use in order to find the most success during their time at Washburn. These opportunities are available to every student, just like the other services offered on campus. 

The workshop, titled “Chipotle Ethics,” is a weekly meeting that entices visitors with free Chipotle. The topics covered in the seminars range from skills to be successful, to ethical and moral dilemmas faced in everyday life. The workshop will be lead by David Carter, Doctorate Professor, and will discuss issues and topics that relate to young leaders at the university level. 

It will provide tools for students that can help them make the most of their time at Washburn, while finishing up as quickly as possible so they can move on to a job or a higher-level degree. 

Chipotle Ethics is only open to 20 students per session, so plan accordingly. It will take place Mondays at noon. Students may view the complete schedule for the Student Success Center online here and the Chipotle Ethics sign-up page online here.

Rainn Wilson speaks for WU Lecture Series [edited]

At 7 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2015, Rainn Wilson, spoke for Washburn's Lecture Series in the White Concert Hall. He is well known for his famous character as Dwight Shrute, from the hit TV series, "The Office". The event was open to students and the public. There was a suggested donation of $5 or five cans for Can Emporia. Wilson spoke about his childhood and the struggles of his life as an aspiring actor.

 The main focus during his speech was on his company, SoulPancake. SoulPancake is a media brand; for example, it produces the YouTube famous, "Kid President" videos. Its purpose is to encourage and inspire. Wilson wanted something people do not always see now, a brand representing hope.

Wilson, discussed how he grew up in Seattle, practicing and learning the religion of Bahai. Wilson's parents would invite random people over to their house to talk about Christ and religion. Wilson was inspired by his high school theatre teacher and moved to New York to act in college. He changed his lifestyle to Bohemian and left his Bahai religion behind him. As he got older he felt empty inside, so he went on a spiritual journey where he read and learned many different religions. Eventually he ended back up at the Bahai religion and is practicing it to this day.

After Wilson's talk, he had a Q&A with a few students that were mainly asking about advice or religion. A book signing followed, Wilson would only sign copies of his books. Wilson's goal is to inspire and give hope, and it showed through his speech tonight.

Kansas hike rate increases residents energy bill [Edit]

On September 24, 2015, the Kansas Corporation Commission approved a $78 million hike rate for Westar Energy, the largest electric company in Kansas. Due to the new hike rate, residents energy bill will rise about $5 to $7 a month per customer starting November 2015. This increase is going to be detrimental to the many struggling low and middle-class citizens throughout Kansas. 

The hike rate will be used for upgrades due to outdated coal power plants near LaCygne. The Kansas Corporation Commission have decided to continue to use these plants for 20 years longer than initially planned. This means they will continue to pollute the environment way past the year 2045.

The residents of Kansas should united to oppose this continued operation of the air-polluting coal power plant, especially since it was supposed to be shut down by 2025, which is still ten years away. Kansas residents should be outraged that this hike rate is justified by the Kansas Corporation Commission on the basis of keeping that power plant in operation. Instead, the increased revenue should be used for increasing use of renewable energy, such as solar power. Some residents may be happier knowing that their increased monthly bill is paying for a good cause, but not something that is outdated and obsolete. For more information, this article can be found here (KENT article here).

Rainn Wilson speaks for WU Lecture Series

At 7 p.m. Sept. 24, Rainn Wilson, also known for his famous character as Dwight Shrute from the hit TV series, "The Office," spoke for Washburn's Lecture Series in the White Concert Hall. The event was open to students as well as any public. There was a suggested donation of $5 or 5 cans for Can Emporia. Wilson spoke about his childhood and the struggles of his life as an aspiring actor.

 His main focus during his speech was on his company, SoulPancake. SoulPancake is a media brand; for example, it produces the YouTube famous, "Kid President" videos. Its purpose is to encourage and inspire. Wilson wanted a brand representing hope which is something people do not always see now.

Wilson discussed how he grew up in Seattle, practicing and learning the religion of Bahai. Wilson's parents would invite random people over to their house to talk about Christ and religion. Wilson was inspired by his high school theatre teacher and moved to New York to act in college. He changed his lifestyle to bohemian  and left his Bahai religion behind him.

As he got older and felt empty inside, he went on a spiritual journey where he read and learned many different religions. Eventually he ended back up at the Bahai religion and is practicing it to this day.

After Wilson's talk, he had a Q&A with a few students who were mainly asking about advice or  religion. A book signing followed, and Wilson would only sign copies of his books.

Kansas state government taking away from the middle-class

September 24, the Kansas Corporation Commission gave the final approval for a $78M rate hike for Westar Energy, the largest electric company in Kansas (KSNT article here). This hike amounts to an increase of about $5-7 a month per customer or about 4 percent. That may not sound like a lot, but for millions of struggling middle-class Americans in Kansas, a higher fixed cost per month could be detrimental nonetheless.

What makes this even more angering is that the rate hike will be used to cover costs for upgrades to an outdated coal-fired power plant in LaCygne. They have decided to continue to use it for 20 years longer than initially planned, and that means it will continue to pollute the environment all the way until 2045 and beyond if it gets an extension on its life again.

We as a people should be united in opposing the continued operation of the air-polluting coal power plant, especially since it was supposed to be shut down by 2025, which is still 10 years away. Kansas residents should be outraged that a rate hike was justified on the basis of keeping that power plant in operation. Instead, the increased revenue should be used for increasing use of renewable energy, such as solar power. Even if the rate hike was double what was just approved, I personally would be happier knowing that my increased monthly bill is paying for a good cause, not something outdated and obsolete.

(Edit) Mabee's new hours might affect study habits

Over the summer, Mabee library reduced its hours of operation. The stated benefit of reducing library hours is to save money. Mabee used to be open 24 hours Monday through Friday. Currently, the library opens at 7 a.m. on Monday through Friday and it is open until 2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday. Until 11 p.m. Thursdays and until 6 p.m. on Fridays. Weekend hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays.

While reducing the hours of Mabee may save the university some money, this new library time reduction might affect students' study habits. Some students relied on Mabee library being open 24 hours during the week to complete their studying. The extended hours were also an attractive selling point to prospective Ichabods. The library hours may be extensive for the average student living on campus, but Washburn has a lot of nontraditional students that need the library to be open either really early or really late. Only time will tell if saving money by reducing library hours is sacrificing students' grades.

Example of a poorly written article

Is it just me or is this article awful and terrible to follow?

http://m.ktre.com/ktre/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:k9QJ2kby

 70°

KTRE

1 of 1

  

Naked jogging couple leaves 1-year-old alone on beach

Johnathan Manning

Sep 22, 2015 01:10 PM

CAMERON PARISH, LA (KPLC) - A 20-month-old girl was found alone on Holly Beach Tuesday morning (alive or dead?), Cameron Parish Sheriff Ron Johnson said. The parents were located hours later jogging naked down the beach (what?)

The Cameron Parish Sheriff's Office received a report of the 20-month-old child alone on the beach at 10:16 a.m., Johnson said. When deputies arrived at the beach at 10:33 a.m., they found the baby two miles from a Ford Explorer, which was running (how is the Ford Explorer connected to the girl or her parents? What is the significance here?) 

The parents, Cody and Monique Bourgeois, were located nearly two hours later down the beach, Johnson said. Both were arrested and charged with child desertion and obscenity.

Johnson said drug abuse is suspected.

Child protective services has been called to investigate.

Copyright 2015 KPLC. All rights reserved.

Washburn Career Fair

I went to the Washburn Career Fair for my third year in a row last Wednesday. Honestly, I have never been totally impressed with our career fair. When I was an underclassman I felt as if people at the booths would not give me the time of day because I was not actively seeking a job. Now that I am actively seeking a job I felt as if there were not any opportunities in the mass media/Public Relations field. I could definitely tell a difference in the interest employers would take in me once they realized I was looking for a job. The only bad thing was that I was not interested because they were not offering what I was looking for.
Overall, I would say the career fair is good practice to talk to people and make connections. It never hurts to see what else is out there.

Editing at the Review

Today I edited three stories at the Washburn Review. It's amazing the time and detail it takes to go through a story and find even the smallest error. I read over my own edits a few times and even found things that I missed the first time through. If anything, this experience just reaffirms why I do not want to become an editor :)

Career fair lacks large corporations [Edited]

The semester is well underway and many students who expect to graduate in December are actively seeking jobs. One place professors and Career Services encourage students to go is the career fair. It was advertised that over 100 employers would be at the fair, but it was not made clear that some of the available positions do not require a college degree.

Some of the employers included Chick-fil-A, Walgreens, Alorica, Dillon’s, Sears and Sherwin-Williams. While some may argue that many management positions prefer a college degree, it is not a requirement for most positions. There is little room for advancement in local management roles. Some may also point out that there are corporate positions available within these companies, which is true, but take note: Chick-fil-a is headquartered in Atlanta, Walgreens and Sears in Illinois, Alorica in California, and Sherwin Williams in Ohio. However, the recruiters at the career fair are not seeking people for their corporate offices, they are seeking people to fill their lower-paying, local, entry-level jobs.

In a way, having a sparse selection of employers at the career fair devalues the degrees offered at Washburn. Cerner, Garmin, Sprint, and Burns and McDonnell were not at the Washburn fair. Due to “low student interest,” large employers from other cities are not at the fair. Career Services suggests that students interested in opportunities with large, Kansas City-based companies seek out career fairs at other universities. 

While the selection of regional employers was limited, some notable Topeka companies were in attendance, such as BNSF, Westar Energy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Payless ShoeSource, Security Benefit, Advisors Excel, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. If students are looking to stay local, the Washburn Career Fair is an opportunity to have a worthwhile experience. If students want to start their professions elsewhere, there are additional career and hiring fairs at Kansas State University, The UnIversity of Kansas, and TechWeek KC. 

Attending TechWeek

After talking to Olivia about TechWeek in Kansas City I decided it might be worthwhile to travel to Kansas City to go to their hiring fair Thursday night. While their hiring fair was really small, and Cerner wasn't even there, I had a good time. More companies seemed interested in getting my resume than at the Washburn Career Fair. I got to talk to Garmin! I really would love to work at Garmin because I would love to live in Olathe. But then who wouldn't want to work at Garmin? They took my resume and I got the recruiter's email. I should probably touch base with her, but I have been really, really busy. I haven't even unpacked my goodie bag. 

I also talked to a guy from a company called Valorem, which is a consulting firm. They do have copywriting positions! The recruiter was really friendly and vibrant! I got his card and we connected on LinkedIn. I sent him a follow up message on Friday because he mentioned something about coming to visit their office when I talked to him in person, but I have yet to receive a response... But it was Friday when I messaged him. 

I also talked to a tech company called DST, they were very nice and took my resume. They said they have some jobs related to the instructional design work I do at se2, but they do not have copywriting positions. I was impressed by their friendliness (as you may know not all recruiters are friendly). 

I talked to National Insurance Association (or something like that) and they told me they have some internships open. I am working two internships and a part-time job now... no more internships for me thanks. 

Career Fair Experience

I had an alright experience at the career fair. I got an interview with Payless. Other than that I didn't get any new job leads. I think the best approach at a career fair is to know which companies you want to talk to beforehand and research what openings they have. The employers kept telling me to go on their website to look at their openings, like I didn't already know that. Except Hills... they gave me a nice CD with company information AND a link to their company website. Jeez Hills, what are you thinking? Most students don't even have computers with CD-ROM drives.

I really wanted to talk to some Kansas City companies. I saw Trans Am was there... but I already know 2 weird guys that work there so I decided to pass. My team blog post might have been a little bit biased, but I would be very surprised if I was the only student that felt disappointed big companies skipped over Washburn. Career Services mentioned many students live in Topeka and have families in Topeka and want to stay in Topeka. Uhm, okay, market to the non-traditional students. Honestly, if I were a freshman or a prospective student and I knew this attitude, it might dissuade me from attending Washburn. Sometimes it is really discouraging when I look at companies like VML and see the majority of their employees are from Mizzou... Are they really getting a better education over there or is it just a brand name? Also, they are a much bigger school so I suppose it stands to reason they have more grads to hire. 

Career Fair Experience

On Wednesday I attended for the career fair for the first time since my sophomore year at Washburn. I was anxious to go because I didn't know what to expect or what exactly I should say to the employers. I spoke with Westar Energy, Payless and Hill's Pet Nutrition. I made a great connection with the recruiters at Payless and they actually invited me to come for an interview on Thursday! The interview went extremely well and I am expecting to be in contact with them regarding the next steps in the hiring process. Needless to say, the experience was very beneficial and I'm so glad I went!

Mabee Library cuts hours

Over the summer, Mabee Library changed its hours of operation. Mabee used to be open 24 hours Monday through Friday and is now only open until 2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, until 11 p.m. on Thursday and until 6 p.m. on Friday. Financial constraints and students' failure to utilize these extended hours are said to be the reason for the change.

While the cut in hours may benefit the library financially, students are worried that it will affect their study habits. There are still a number of students who relied on Mabee’s 24/5 schedule to complete their studying. The extended hours were also an attractive selling point to prospective Washburn students. Some may argue that the hours are still plenty extensive for the average student, however, for those students that work either really early or really late, the loss of those several hours may be crucial to them. Perhaps if this proves to be a problem to too many students, Mabee will decide to reinstate their previous schedule.

Career Fair

Today I went to the Career Fair for the first time, as moral support for Hef Woods. I was actually impressed on how many people there I had known. I talked to individuals at Advisors Excel, BNSF, Bankers, Payless and many others. I was shocked when I realized how many people who were representing these companies from my previous job at Walgreens and my current job at CoreFirst bank. I received a lot of information on Internships, since I will be actively looking for one following graduation in May. I explored many different types of business and internship possibilities.

Overall, I enjoyed going and wish I had attended in the past.

David

Washburn offers poor employer selection at career fair

As the semester is well underway, many students expecting to graduate in December are actively seeking jobs. One place professors and career services encourage students to go is the career fair. It was advertised that over 100 employers would be at the fair. What was not advertised is that some of employers are marketing to students with college degrees, but the positions they have available do not really require a college degree.

Some of these employers include Chick-fil-a, Walgreens, Alorica, Dillion's, Sears and Sherwin Williams. It is arguable many management positions may prefer a college degree, but it is not a requirement. Also, there is little room for advancement in local management roles. Another point may be that there are corporate positions available with these companies, which is true. But take note Chick-fil-a is headquartered  in Atlanta, Walgreens and Sears in Illinois, Alorica California, Sherwin Williams in Ohio. However, the recruiters at the career fair are not seeking people for their corporate office, they are seeking people to fill their entry-level, low-paying, local jobs.

Cerner, Garmin, Sprint, Burns and McDonnell skip over Washburn. When career services was inquired about why these large employers would not be at the career fair, their response was low student interest. Career services suggests students interested in opportunities with large Kansas City based companies seek out other career fairs, at other universities.

While the selection of regional employers was poor, some notable Topeka companies were in attendance such as BNSF, Westar, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Payless, Security Benefit, Advisors Excel and Hills. If students are looking to stay local, the Washburn Career Fair is a worthwhile experience. If students want to get out of dodge, they should look into the career fairs offered by Kansas State University, University of Kansas.

Review editing on Sept. 14

On Monday, Sept. 14, I edited four stories at the Washburn Review. I learned it is extremely important to proofread and edit your own story before giving it to another editor. It seems like a small task, but it is amazing what errors are missed when writing the first draft.

Career fair

Today I attended the career fair. This was the first time in the two years at Washburn that I have attended. I was a little nervous and didn't know what to expect. I was amazed with all of the business's that I already have been scoping out on their website's for job listings. I enjoyed walking through and talking to some of the vendors. I made a few contacts and hope to hear back from them. I am glad that I finally attended the career fair.

(EDIT) Aging exhibit displays at Mulvane

      "Perspectives on Aging," an art exhibition showcasing the different aspects of the aging process, will be displayed at the Mulvane Art Museum on the campus of Washburn University until Oct. 24. 
      The exhibit, located in the Joanna E. Harrison and Maxine J. Anton Galleries, features the work of Elizabeth Layton and Edward Navone. Their art displays different experiences that the elderly encounter during the aging process.

Artwork by Elizabeth Layton

      Layton's art features self-portraits that capture the wrinkles and sagging skin that accompany aging, as well as portraits that showcase her long-term companionship with her husband. Her portraits focus on silly, sweet and sometimes petrifying moments that supplement the golden years.

Artwork by Edward Navone

      On the other hand, Navone's artwork tackles the darker and terrifying sides of aging as he records his father's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Through heartbreaking and beautiful sketches, Navone is able to capture the challenges his father faced during his battle with dementia. 
      Despite the fact these two artists create contrasting pieces of art, they each offer thought-provoking perspectives of the aging process. This exhibition demonstrates that old age, like other stages of life, offers moments of pain, desire, joy and sadness. 

      The "Perspectives on Aging" exhibition is open and free to the public. For more information visit the Mulvane Art Museum webpage.