WKU is seeking more captionists & sign language interpreters

By Shakia Harris | 26 March 2010

Student Disability Services is “now hiring” to help Western’s deaf and hard of hearing students.

........

Captionist Karen Porter said once students are registered with the SDS office, if they’re familiar with ASL, they can choose to have an interpreter, or they can have a trained captionist attend classes with them to summarize or take verbatim notes during class.

As a captionist, her ultimate goal is to blend in and not draw attention to the student she’s helping. There are times when she’s mistaken for a student, but she said that she considers that a compliment.

Even though captionists are trained to use specific software for note-taking, it’s hard for them to caption movies or video clips shown in real time, Porter said. If they’re given access to the media ahead of time, it’s not as hard.

Sparta sophomore Cortney Scott is hard of hearing and uses the captioning services.

During Scott’s first semester, an SDS employee recommended that she take vocational rehabilitation classes and have a captionist travel with her to all of her classes, she said.

“When I first came here, I didn’t know how to react to that,” she said.

Once the first day of classes arrived, Scott said she realized how overwhelming classes could be without assistance.

If a teacher lectured while walking around a class or spoke with their back turned, she couldn’t read their lips and missed out on notes, Scott said.

Apart from reading lips, she uses a hearing aid during class, but at times the background noise can be overwhelming.

Scott said her captionists help to keep her motivated in class.

“The services are there,” she said. “You just have to ask for help.”

Cadiz senior Charles Rockhold IV was born deaf and has used both captioning services and interpreters.

Some courses that use symbols, such as math, are easier to comprehend with interpreters, but the lecture courses are easier with a captionist because there’s a chance to read over the notes later, he said.

Rockhold said he appreciates having both services available because he had issues while attending public school.

“It was very, very difficult at times, because most of the time I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.

Scott said it helps when teachers are aware of her hearing impairment beforehand. Sometimes they think she’s not as advanced due to her disability.

“Some people just don’t know how to respond because it’s different.” she said. “I find it fascinating.”

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Continuing to fight for Domestic Partners Benefits

Employees, students protest decision

By: Shakia Harris

As Sam McFarland, a part-time psychology professor, stood in front of Wetherby on Thursday, he was greeted with glares, thumbs-up and partial nods.

Nearly a month after the Benefits Committee voted against offering domestic partner, or other qualified dependent (OQD), benefits to Western employees, faculty and staff members are standing at the steps of Wetherby Administration Building, urging officials to change their minds.

“We’re just trying to make it known to the president that there’s substantial support for domestic partner benefits,” he said.

Domestic partner benefits are benefits an employer chooses to offer an employee’s unmarried partner, whether of the same or opposite sex, according to information from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Starting this week, a student or faculty or staff member will be standing in front of Wetherby every day holding a sign in silent protest until a change is made, said Robert Dietle, head of the history department.

“It’s nothing big and dramatic,” Dietle said. “It’s just something we need to do.”

The silent protest began Tuesday with English professor Mary Ellen Miller.

“It was cold as blazes, but I was determined to stick it out,” she said.

A few people spoke to her and offered words of encouragement, while others avoided her entirely, Miller said.

Kari Aikins, committee member and manager of employee benefits and retirement, said the committee voted 8-6 against the benefits on Feb. 16.

Human Resources Director Tony Glisson, who voted against the benefits, declined to comment. But he said previously his vote was based on data concerning tax implications and changes in the payroll system.

Kevin Smiley, president of the Student Government Association, said he’ll be at Wetherby today.

Even though only a small portion of Western’s faculty would be affected by the decision, it’s still important to treat everyone fairly, Smiley said.

“I dislike the notion that there are people here at Western that feel like they don’t belong,” he said. “As a student advocate, I feel like that’s where we have to step in.”

Bowling Green senior Skylar Baker-Jordan said despite claims that the benefits were rejected due to cost reasons or because gay marriage is illegal in Kentucky, he speculates that personal prejudices played a part in the decision.

“Just because the state of Kentucky decides to discriminate doesn’t mean that Western should,” he said. “Fifty years ago, black students couldn’t go to school with white students. 100 years ago, women couldn’t vote, but that was the law in Kentucky. That doesn’t make it right.”

Former WKU student competes on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew show- BY: Shakia Harris

Louisville senior Josh Mabry always knew his fraternity brother had a passion for dancing.

Former Western student Dakota Smith has been determined to make it on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew since the show first aired two years ago, Mabry said.

This season, Smith got his wish.

“It was never a matter of if he’d make it but when he’d make it,” Mabry said. “I’m just finally glad to see he’s actually living his dream. It’s going to open so many doors for him.”

After four audition attempts with two different crews, Smith made the show’s fifth season as a member of the Royal Flush crew, representing the South.

“The energy on the stage was incredible,” Smith said. “I loved every second of it.”

Smith, an alumni of the Eta Rho chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity, first met members of Royal Flush while he was auditioning with Kaotick during the show’s second season, he said.

He kept in touch with Royal Flush group members until he and fellow former Kaotick member Tyrone “Ne-Yon” Foster decided to collaborate with the group and move to Atlanta in the summer of 2009, Smith said.

A week after their MTV debut, Foster and Smith visited Bowling Green, where they shared insights on their ABDC experiences with Smith’s fraternity brothers.

Lexington sophomore Justin Powell said that after watching Royal Flush perform on television, he was surprised to see Smith and Foster break dancing in the living room of the Sigma Nu fraternity house.

“When I walked into the house I was completely star-struck,” Powell said. “For a moment, it seemed like time was in slow motion.”

At one point, Smith and Foster performed an impromptu dance session in Downing University Center.

Lexington junior Jesse Caylor said the visit was a special treat, considering the guys were on their way to Atlanta to reunite with other members.

Caylor said the first night Royal Flush performed on television, he and other fraternity brothers crowded in their living room, waiting anxiously to watch their brother on stage.

“He’s always been that skinny white boy always showing off at parties, and now look at him,” Caylor said. “He’s still that same skinny white boy except now he’s dancing on America’s Best Dance Crew.”

The results show aired last night on MTV. As of press time, the results for Royal Flush weren’t available
<<<--- Me and Dakota Smith at the Sigma Nu Fraternity House, Bowling Green, Ky (Eta Rho Chapter)

Diversity is more than Black & White

Diversity plan to be reworked

By Shakia Harris | 09 February 2010

There’s more to diversity than black and white, officials now say.

The statewide Kentucky Plan for Equal Opportunities, which calls for a larger black student and teacher population at state secondary education institutions, is being updated to widen its scope of diversity.
......Excerpt from my article:

The drafting process is ongoing, and some members are shifting their perceptions of diversity to include varying races, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses or sexual orientations, Miller said.

“There are some members that are still race-focused,” Miller said. “It’s not just ethnic diversity anymore.”
Click Here TO READ FULL STORY

Being a female in the workplace isn't always 'Peachy'. Fighting the sexual advances in the workplace...

I attended a conference in India last month and there was a forum about being a female in the workplace and it detailed the need for more women in executive position. Though I agreed I never really understood what a lot of women go through in order to reach the top. For one thing, the harassment or discrimination that one may face can be incredibly disheartening.

At the conference I was faced with the unfortunate circumstance that some of my male counterparts were unable to look past my 'anatomy and physiology' to take me seriously within the field. Instead of approaching me professionally they proceeded to flirt and make sexual advances towards me, thus straying from anything remotely related to journalism. At one point during the conference I was in the presence of an award winning journalist who had great tips working in the field, but to my dismay he wanted nothing more than an opportunity to have sexual relations with me. Mind you I’m a 19 year old college student not a prostitute. I did not travel to India to "hook-up". I traveled to India to better myself as a journalist and meet people who could help me and give me advice.

It was incredibly discouraging for me when some of the men were at times transfixed by my breasts and curves. They referred to me as the "goody-goody" American at one point because I repeatedly turned down their advances. It was an eye-opener for sure. I was unaware that one of the qualifications for maintaining strong, 'personal' ties involved a positive response to the phrase, "Will you get naughty with me".

As I gain more experience in the workplace I sincerely hope that I do not run into more awkward, disrespectful, and disheartening situations like the one I faced in India.

That little "blurb" did not overshadow the fact that India was an amazing opportunity and I definitely experienced more good than bad.

'Irina Samokhina speaks of government harassment against the media in Russia' by Shakia Harris

Irina Samokhina (Russia), CEO of Krestyanin, described state run newspapers as 'monopolist' in Russia and discussed tensions between the media and the Russian government during the Press Freedom Roundtable.

In Russia the state has the right to establish its own media. Samokhina said that there are 63 newspapers established by the state in the region of Rostov. She said that the state uses its media ties to further oppress the independent media and take advantage of taxpayers.

"State newspapers use taxpayers money which means that we somehow compete with ourselves," said Samokhina. "The only way to compete with these newspapers is to use content."

Working for the independent publication Krestyanin, she said she initially wanted to focus on educating people in rural and country areas and provide information that wasn't published in the state-run newspapers.

"Our main mission is to educate and protect the people," said Samokhina. "We were happy initially because this created a healthy competition. Unfortunately our mission has become stronger. Dissertation in Russia is such that media is feeling huge pressure from the state. For many years the state has created a very special policy towards the media."

Hyderabad, India

The MOST AMAZING experience of my life. Much thanks to God and Western Kentucky University for making it possible :)

Dow Jones CEO: 'Free costs too much' by Shakia Harris

The first session of the World Newspaper Congress kicked off with talk of perhaps the biggest ongoing conversation amongst the media around the world: how to pay for the digital content the news industry creates.

Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones & Co., told the Congress that charging for online news is a must, and companies need to find more ways to improve their ad sales to survive. Paul Jansen, CEO of SPH search at Singapore Press Holdings, said his biggest mistake was initially going free in the infancy of the Web. Andreas Wiele, of Axel Springer AG in Germany, said the industry must come up with models to allow print to measure efficiency, or advertisers will "go away."

Righting past mistakes

The media industry must completely reinvent itself to increase productivity, quality and profits, Hinton said. Charging for online news is a must and companies need to find more ways to improve their advertisement sales to survive.

Continue Reading >>>

Dumb Criminals-"Jailbreak fugitive updates Facebook page"

British man escapes from prison but continues to update his Facebook profile about his life on the run. Maybe i've watched too many CSI or Law & Order episodes but it seems to me like this is a dumb idea on his part. He's updating his profile about eating steaks and who his next girlfriend will be??? Is he serious? I'm guessing that his ego will get in the way and eventually he'll post something that will lead to his capture OR if the police can they'll track the ip addresses from where he's updating his statuses and get him that way.

For More information:
"Jailbreak fugitive updates Facebook page"-CNN

A new way to publish

Hey everyone i recently found this alternative way to publish information to here. As i mentioned earlier and posted previously i reported in India but instead of scrolling through my seemingly endless blog postings you can click or view at the issu publication and see that some of them are published altogether to make it easier for you.
Enjoy & Thanks.