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.”

........

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.

Culture Shock?...not so much

In anticipation of my trip to Hyderabad, India, I asked people who have travelled to that part of the world about what to expect and the consistent response that I received was that it would be somewhat of a culture shock to the life i'm used to living in the United States.  There were some immediate differences but I wasn't terribly surprised by my surroundings even though they were extremely impoverished and underdeveloped.  The United States isn't this fairytale Utopia, there is poverty in the United States...there are thousands of people lined along the streets forced to beg and rely on donations from strangers to eat. There are protesters, theft and violence.

The one thing that I adored about being in India was being able to experience firsthand their extremely rich culture. Some of the people were very nice and hospitable and didn't mind showing more of their everyday life or explaining the meaning (if they spoke english) of certain cultural customs. Some of their mannerisms were incredibly misleading, like the "nodding". In the U.S. we typically shake our head left to right to say "No" or up and down to say "Yes. In some parts of Hyderabad, India they would nod their heads loosely left to right, very similar to a bobble head to say yes but shake their hands to say no. So if someone begs from you and you shake your head and think you're saying no...guess what you're really saying yes. It took nearly a week to get used to that custom, and by that time it was almost time to leave.

It was intriguing to watch how the mothers would use their children i'm guessing for a sympathy factor to solicit money. They would watch for foreigners and point them out for the kids.  I'm very big on donating so whether it was Rupees or in my case  Pringles, chocolate bars, bottles of Coca-Cola, money, or whatever  I gave whatever I had on me at the time.  I read somewhere that you shouldn't always give them money because gangsters would use the children to collect money then put that money towards criminal activities, so i gave them food and money. Although I don't support criminal activities, I'll take my chances. No child should be left hungry. No child.

I'm especially thankful that i received the opportunity to travel across the world and make such everlasting memories.

Schibsted International editor Frederic Filloux says journalists must learn how to sell themselves and their content

By:Shakia Harris


Frederic Filloux, editor at Schibsted International, emphasized at the 16th World Editors Forum that journalists should be thinking long term and learn to promote themselves by selling their content with multimedia, blogs and other websites.

When Laura Olivier, editor of journalism.co.uk, United Kingdom, asked if it was possible for multimedia to be picked up late in the game, or if it's something that must be learned as a student journalist, Filloux said that training at any stage is essential in the newsroom.

"The biggest collective failure when we're facing the management of the newsroom is the training of people," Filloux said. "We have failed to actually train our people to new techniques."
He said that a keen sense of the business side of the media is extremely important and traditionally journalists are not very good at promoting themselves. He said that if they utilize the internet effectively then journalist can not only sell their content but themselves as well. Apart from publishing outlets, blogs and websites can also be viewed as resumes.

"You are actually a voice, you are actually a face, you are actually a publisher," Filloux said.

When paired with good content he said that journalism and entrepreneurship are good ingredients to start publishing businesses as well.
Read More....

NEWSROOM CAFES!!-Roman Gallo shares how Nasa Andresa is making money off media content

By: Shakia Harris

Roman Gallo, director of media strategies, PPF, explained how his hyperlocal weekly papers, websites, and newsroom cafes have directly affected the monetization of media content.

When Nase Adresa introduced its pilot hyperlocal program six months ago, the company chose four of the fourteen regions in the Czech Republic in which to launch three hyperlocal weeklies, five websites, and a specialized newsroom café in the Kroměříž district.

The print weeklies are created in part by the editors with direct involvement from the local communities and suggestions given at the cafés. Gallo said that people are able to walk directly into a café and work alongside the news staff to contribute ideas.

He said that printing dailies on Monday morning enables them to be the first medium in the Czech Republic to bring the people the news on popular topics like football.

They decided against mimicking the classic newsroom and instead built a newsroom café where the people can have direct contact with journalists and editors while enjoying the same amenities of a normal café . The café also offers entertainment to increase community involvement. The sales from the café are able to pay for rent and expenses, 25 to 35 percent of which go directly towards the centralized newsroom, said Gallo.
Read More...

Facebook provides Alibi for Robbery suspect

Facebook status update provides alibi

This article is about a man who was falsely accused of robbery and jailed for two weeks but luckily his facebook status was able to prove his location during the time the robbery tooke place and now he's free. This article really makes me wonder, how credible is facebook? How often will it be used for cases like this? My biggest fear is that criminals with say "hey i just became a fan of starburst on facebook, there's my alibi!".

British man provides photo for HIS own WANTED poster

Man provides photo for his own wanted poster-MSNBC

A british man wanted in regards to a string of house burglaries submitted an updated photo of himself IN FRONT OF a police van to the police and newspaper...because he didn't like the printed mugshot of himself.

Atleast it wasn't his facebook profile picture...i guess it could worse. THe paper printed his updated picture on their front page but I wonder if this guy is one of the dumbest criminals or simply a very smart 'smartass'..if he gets caught then the jokes on him.

Iraq Veteran discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

Discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell'-CNN
In this article it talks about an army veteran who was discharged from the army after he went public about his homosexuality thus violating the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. I don't understand why he shouldn't be able to serve? According to the story he served two tour in Iraq, and was in the army for atleast 6 years where he was promoted several times. The man in question, Darren Manzella, seemed to be a very valuable asset to the army. I'm floored as to why the army just doesn't allow these individuals from serving, especially when replacing them is not only wrong but going to cost them more money. I thought we lived in a country where discrimination from frowned up??? right??? If we're going to disagree with racial discrimination then i think it's only fair that we do away with discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation. I don't feel like their sexual orientation is anyone's business but their owns, and for the army to 'discipline' someone based on their orientation is beyond disgusting to me.

The most humane thing to do would be to do away with "Don't ask, Don't Tell" and let individuals who are currently affected by the policy to serve without fear that their sexual orientation with bring harassment or termination.

Life-logging camera brings new hope for memory-loss patients

Developers in London, England have created this mini-camera called a SenseCam to help those that suffer from alzheimer's disease, amnesia, or other forms of memory loss. The camera is designed to automatically take pictures of everyday activities and it helps patients to recall what went on in their lives from day to day.  It's an unusual feeling when someone who you've known and loved for years can't remember who you are. The article sites that the camera may be used for voyeuristic activities but the way I see it, the world is already so advanced they even have little cameras to put in their shoes and belts so with all do respect we're past the voyeuristic threats. I hope this product is able to help millions that suffer from memory loss so they can have some part of their life back and enjoy their families.

"Life-logging camera brings new hope for memory-loss patients"-read story here!

Orlando shooting stirs nation

**CNN-Orlando suspect caught after shooting spree

Just yesterday people worldwide were humbled by the unfortunate shooting at Fort Hood, now another shooting in an Orlando office building. It deeply disturbs me that individuals would take out their personal frustrations on innocent bystanders this way. I could maybe understand the shooter's motive if they only attached someone who had deliberately hurt them-I'm not saying it's right...but I just feel so sorry for all the families of the dead and injured especially since many of the individuals were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. It pains me to see people losing their lives for absolutely nothing. Regardless of the shooter's reasoning I just think that there is nothing that can justify the events that just took place in Fort Hood and Orlando.

My prayers go out to all of their families.

MOVIE REVIEWS!!

Here's my latest videocast of my movie reviews!!
I decided to provide reviews for recent releases The Proposal and The Orphan. I've included still photos of movie scenes accompanied with commentary. Hope you enjoy them!
CLICK HERE to watch them!!!

Washington, D.C. at a Glance

The nation's capital Washington, D.C. is a city rich with historical references dating back to the founding of the nation. Here are a few of the landmarks including the Capitol Building, George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon, and Arlington National Cemetary...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WASHINGTON, D.C. GIS MINIPROJECT