The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

Mark your calendar for an expert panel tackling the very current issue of citizen journalism. Here are the details:

Panel: Citizen Journalism, December 1, 2011

As police arrested credentialed journalists trying to cover sweeps against Occupy Wall Street protestors, “citizen journalists” stepped in to fill the gap, posting their accounts on websites like Storify. From covering OWS to Hurricane Irene to an impromptu striptease on the L train, “citizen journalists” are documenting their everyday experiences. But is it journalism? If not, what is it? Join us for a lively discussion with Anjali Mullany, social media manager at the New York Daily News; Mayhill Fowler, author of Notes From a Clueless Journalist; and Paolo Mastrangelo, curator of NYC the Blog. Moderated by Latrice Davis, chairwoman of the club’s social media and newsroom technology committee.

When: December 1, 2011, 7-9 p.m.

Where: The NYC Seminar and Conference Center, 71 West 23rd St., btw 5th & 6th

How much: $5 members; $15 nonmembers; $10 students

RSVP: to reserve a spot, please visit www.newswomensclubnewyork.com/panels

Panelists:

— Paolo Mastrangelo is the founder and curator of NYC The Blog, which attracted 50,000 monthly page views at its peak. Its original content was frequently cited by major media outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Gawker, The Huffington Post, The London Telegraph, and numerous TV outlets. Currently on hiatus from blogging, he remains active on Twitter, where he reports on daily life in the city. Prior to creating NYC The Blog, Mastrangelo co-hosted a weekly radio show on community affairs in Northampton, Mass., where he also wrote a monthly column on politics, arts, and current affairs for a local alternative newspaper. Also, he’s since launched the @Newyorkist Twitter account.

— Mayhill Fowler is a freelance journalist whose previous career was being a stay-at-home mother to two now-adult daughters. She is the author of Notes From a Clueless Journalist: Media, Bias, and the Great Election of 2008, which detailed her experience covering the aforementioned presidential campaign for the Huffington Post. Fowler, who holds degrees from Vassar College and the University of California at Berkeley, served as a Knight Journalism Fellow at the University of Maryland.

— Anjali Mullany is the social media editor at the New York Daily News. She received her master’s degree in journalism from New York University.

— Latrice Davis is a freelance multimedia journalist and had been an online editor at the Associated Press from 2000 to 2007. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication from New York University.

Tue, November 22, 4:30pm – 5:30pm, Stabile Student Center, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 116th & Broadway, NYC.

Come hear from Ahmed Herzenni about how Morocco is being transformed.

Hezenni, who is with MoroccoTomorrow.org, was imprisoned for 12 years by King Hassan II of Morocco. The charge was treason, since he was an outspoken advocate of democracy.

King Hassan’s son, the present King Mohammed VI, granted amnesty to Mr. Herzenni and appointed him head of Morocco’s National Human Rights Council. Earlier this year, the King placed him on a panel of 19 citizens to draft a new constitution for Morocco (which would not only provide for a freely elected Parliamentary government, but for a Prime Minister who would become Head of State.

The King remains head of Islam, the state religion, but the new constitution also provides that every religion is not only tolerated but protected by constitutional law–the first such law in any Arab country. Mr. Herzenni will be speaking at a luncheon at the Council on Foreign Relations earlier in the day.

All are welcome. Questions to cr2586@columbia.edu

Welcome to Spring 2012

MA students will be automatically registered for their seminar in discipline (6 points) and for the thesis (6 points). Additionally you must take two additional 3 point electives.

Tali Woodward has prepared an MA Spring memo with detailed instructions on the registration process for outside classes. Please keep an eye out for it.

MA students are expected to take their spring electives OUTSIDE the J-school. This is essential to the subject-matter immersion that is the bedrock of the MA program.

There are two primary exceptions to this rule in the spring semester:

• Skills Classes: MA students may attempt to take a skills course in the spring semester. The skills classes are described at http://bit.ly/spring12skills The skills schedule is available at http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/Skills_SP12.htm. To request a skills class, you must submit an online ballot before November 28 at 10 a.m.

• The “Cost and Effect in Digital Journalism” course taught by Profs. Emily Bell and Duy Tu. This course is designed for MA students and Knight-Bagehot fellows. Any M.A. student is welcome to submit an Add/Drop form for it. If you get in, it’ll take the place of one of your outside courses. Please note that these forms are processed on a first-come, first-served basis so please submit at form right at 7 a.m. on January 4 if you want to take it.

MA students are generally not eligible for J-school courses designed for MS students. (There are two reasons for this: 1. They won’t boost your subject-matter expertise, and 2. They were created for a different set of students.)

In very rare cases, an MA student may receive permission to take one of the 3-credit MS electives. But this only happens when a seminar professor recognizes a hole in a MA student’s journalism training or experience, and asks the Dean of Students office to let the student take a specific J-School elective. In that situation, the student may try to add the course during the Add/Drop period. However, many of the MS electives are full before Add/Drop begins, so you should develop a backup plan.

Lastly, MA students cannot take the 6-credit MS seminars or workshops like next semester’s Investigative Reporting class. (As you may have noticed, MS students can’t take MA seminars either.)

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Monday, November 21: 1,000-word thesis proposal due to primary adviser and to Tali Woodward. If you wish to apply for second-round thesis grants, submit your application at the same time. [Business students can submit a revised budget up until Nov. 28]
• Tuesday, December 13, time TBA - Lucille’s Ball
• Late December: Students will be registered for their Spring courses.
• December 18-Jan. 16: Winter Break (Please note that outside departments may be working with different dates so please check the schedule of the school hosting your outside class as well)
• January 4-January 27: Add/Drop period
• Tuesday, January 17: M.A. classes begin
• Wednesday, Jan. 18, 9:30-5:00: ALL-CLASS EVENT: SPRING PREP DAY: “An annual day of academic, career and writing/reporting tips and advice, before the semester formally begins. Brought to you by Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Career Services “ - mandatory for all full-time MS students and MA students (except those MA students whose outside classes begin then); all others welcome. Presented by DOS Office and Career Services.
• Monday, January 30: MA THESIS - First Draft due. Talk to your adviser about what the “first draft” should entail. Some will want full drafts; others may prefer a detailed outline and a section of the story or a progress report. This draft can be shared with the outside adviser when appropriate (and at the discretion of the primary adviser). All drafts should be emailed to Tali Woodward.
• Monday, February 27: MA THESIS - Second Draft due to both advisers. This should be a reasonable facsimile of the thesis—outlines no longer suffice. Send a copy to Tali Woodward.
• Spring Break: March 12-16.
• Monday, April 16, noon: FINAL THESIS DUE. Hand in your hard copies. You must also email an electronic copy to Tali Woodward and to your adviser.
• GRADUATION: Tuesday, May 15 is Journalism Day; University and Journalism School graduation celebrations are on Wednesday, May 16. More details en route.

You have been cordially invited to TEDx event hosted by Columbia Engineering.

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.

Registration for TEDxColumbiaEngineering on November 29, 2011 is now open.

Find us on College Walk this Thursday from 11am-3pm for giveaways to early registrants, including free TEDxColumbiaEngineering T-shirts. Later on Thursday night, meet us at Pourhouse (982 Amsterdam Ave.) from 6-8pm for the official TEDx social gathering.

Register now before it’s too late!

Register for all three sessions.
Register for individual sessions.

Dear M.S. Students:

The Spring 2012 curriculum for M.S. students is now available at http://bit.ly/MS_Spring12

Please review it carefully. The deans will be will be available throughout November to discuss your options and help you plan for the Spring, as are your RWI professors, who serve as your advisers the rest of your time here.

*MA Students will receive a Spring briefing next Thursday, November 17, following E&I.

Please make note of the following dates:

• Monday, Nov. 14, 5 p.m. Applications due for Covering Religion and Personal & Professional Style
• Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6-8 p.m., Lecture Hall: Spring Preview Session - an evening when professors who teach Spring seminars, workshops and new electives are invited to present three-minute previews of their classes. Typically, most professors present and all M.S. students gather for this session. Please note that only a handful of classes have individual briefing sessions so it is critical that you attend this large gathering.
• Wednesday, November 16, 10 a.m.: Spring Ballots go live; close Monday, November 28, 10 a.m. noon You can submit ballots any time during that period - NOT first come, first served. If you applied for an application class, please do not submit your ballot until you have heard back about your acceptance.
• Wednesday, November 23, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Pre-Thanksgiving Pies and Advice with Deans Sree & Huff
• Friday, November 25: Students notified of application results for Book Writing; Covering Religion; Personal & Professional Style
• Monday, November 28, 10 a.m. Spring Ballots close.
• Tuesday, December 13, time TBA - Lucille’s Ball
• Late December: Students will be registered for their Spring courses.
• December 18-Jan. 16: Winter Break; work on Master’s Projects for M.S. students (first draft due Tuesday, Jan. 17)
• January 4-January 27: Add/Drop period
• Wednesday, Jan. 18, 9:30-5:00: ALL-CLASS EVENT: SPRING PREP DAY: “An annual day of academic, career and writing/reporting tips and advice, before the semester formally begins. Brought to you by Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Career Services “ - mandatory for all full-time MS students and MA students (except those MA students whose outside classes begin then); all others welcome. Presented by DOS Office and Career Services.
• Tuesday, January 17: M.A., and other University classes begin.
• Thursday & Friday, Jan. 19 & 20: M.S. Workshops begin.
• Spring Break: March 12-16. Please note final submission of your completed Master’s Project is March 19.
• GRADUATION: Tuesday, May 15 is Journalism Day; University and Journalism School graduation celebrations are on Wednesday, May 16. More details en route.

Do you already have a strong foundation for your committed relationship, but want to see it get even better? This might be the workshop for you!

You have been invited to participate in the a workshop series hosted by the Counseling & Psychological Services (CPS) Department.

When: Tuesdays, 11/22, 11/29, 12/6, & 12/13/11
What time? 5:45pm to 7:15 p.m.
Where: Counseling & Psychological Services’ Conference Room, Alfred Lerner Hall, 8th Floor
For: Couples only (one member of couple must be a Columbia student who has paid the health services fee)

This hands-on, sequential 4-session workshop will provide practical tools for couples who wish to strengthen their relationship.

Topics include:

Understanding Relational Expectations and Beliefs
How to Nurture the Positives in the Relationship
How to Improve Problem Solving Ability and Communication Skills

To reserve a spot or for more information, please e-mail:
Dr. Yaniv Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu or
Dr. Aoife Villafranca-West at saw19@columbia.edu

You are cordially invited to attend….

The Jack and Lewis Rudin Lecture - “Religion and the Media”

When: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 @ 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) - 3080 Broadway at 122nd Street, New York City

Panelist:

Juju Chang, Emmy Award–winning Correspondent for ABC News’s Nightline
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Senior Religion Editor, The Huffington Post
Brent Staples, Editorial Board Member, The New York Times

Moderator
Nicholas Lemann, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Admission is free, but reservations are required.
RSVP online at www.jtsa.edu/religion or call (212) 280-6093.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow sufficient time for registration, and have photo ID available.
Cosponsored by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of JTS.

About the Program

Religion increasingly affects world events. But do the media (print, television, online) truly understand each of the religions they cover? Is current religion coverage adequate to the task? Are there better ways for the media to address religion and religious issues? Hear and engage with a panel of media luminaries from The New York Times, ABC News, and The Huffington Post. The Dean of Columbia Journalism School will moderate.

American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Next Talks

Featuring: Brandon Holley, Editor-in-chief, Lucky

When: Tuesday, November 15th, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Where: The Professor’s Loft - 219 Second Ave, NYC

ASME Next Talks are a series of open bar nights for those interested in advancing their careers, learning more about magazines from industry leaders or just meeting new people. It is open to junior-level magazine and web editors, journalists and anyone interested in learning more about the magazine industry.

Please register for the event here: http://www.magazine.org/asme/asme_next/Talks.aspx.
Admission for ASME Next members is $10; admission for non-members is $20.
Payment can be made at the door, but space is not guaranteed. To secure your spot at the event,
please register.

You have been invited to the SIPA Columbia Dual Degree Information Session

When: Friday, November 11th, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 pm.
Where: International Affairs Building, Room 1510

Please come to this information session if you are a first-year MPA or MIA student interested in pursuing a dual degree from the following Columbia schools - Business, Law, Social Work, Public Health, Journalism, Architecture/Urban Planning, GSAS for QMSS - OR if you are currently a first year student at any of these schools and want to explore doing an MIA/MPA at SIPA.

Please email Leah Gunn Barrett - leahgunn.barrett@sipa.columbia.edu – for more information

Dear M.S. Students,

There are three spring seminars for which students must submit applications to be submitted:

• Book Writing
• Covering Religion
• Personal & Professional Style

Covering Religion and Personal & Professional Style both have applications that must be submitted by November 14, at 5 p.m.

Book Writing has its own application process which will be explained at the class information session on Friday, Nov. 4, 8:15 a.m., Stabile Student Center.

Please click on the class links for instructions.

Please Note:

On November 9 at 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time, the federal government will conduct the FIRST NATIONWIDE test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The test will last up to three and a half minutes. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. We are sharing this message so that you and your members, staff and volunteers are aware that this event will be just a test, and not a real emergency alert.

The test is being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of their ongoing efforts to keep the nation safe during emergencies and strengthen our resilience against all hazards.

The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA’s National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency.

For additional information about this test please visit:

FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=55722

FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test

Degrees are awarded in October, February and May. Every candidate, regardless of graduation date, is invited to participate in the May Commencement ceremony.

You must have completed all graduation requirements to participate in a May graduation ceremony.

In order to be considered for a degree or certificate, you must file a degree/certificate application form with the University.

This link will provide you with a pdf document that you may complete online, save to your computer, and then attach as an e-mail to diplomas@columbia.edu.

If you are unable to save the completed form, you may print it and fax it to 212-854-8747.

Alternately you may mail it or hand deliver it to:

Diploma Division
Office of the Registrar
Columbia University
210 Kent Hall, MC 9202
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Application Deadlines
Graduating in - Apply by
October - August 1
February - November 1
May - December 1

Please Note The Following:

• When a deadline for application falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
• Doctoral students must deposit their dissertation at least a week before the conferral date in order to graduate.
• You may check the status of your degree application in SSOL. Please note that during peak times, it may take a week for your status to be updated in SSOL after you submit your application.