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

May 15, 2008

GRADUATION: Help out Dean sree-knee-VAH-sun

Filed under: Graduation, Fun stuff

sree-NA-th sree-knee-VAH-sun was reading the article below and wanted to
remind all graduating students that he needs help with their names. he’s
walking around with a list of pronunciations, and would like you to say your
name for him at least once between now and wednesday. please catch him in
the hallway or stop by his office. meanwhile, he’s glad he’s not at
macalaster college.

Associated Press
May 8, 2008

Commencement readers cram to prep for tongue-twister names
By JUSTIN POPE
AP Education Writer

PHOTO: Jayne Niemi, second from right, registrar at Macalaster College in
St. Paul, Minn., talks with students, from left, Baitnairamdal Otgonshar,
from Mongolia, Nokuthula Sikhethiwe Kitikiti, from Zimbabwe, and Udochukwu
Chinyere Obodo, from Nigeria, at the campus, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Niemi is
responsible for pronouncing 450 names correctly at commencement ceremonies
on May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Janet Hostetter)

A week from Saturday, 453 new graduates will cross the commencement stage on
the lawn of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. Among them: Nokuthula
Sikhethiwe Kitikiti, Udochukwu Chinyere Obodo, and Baitnairamdal Otgonshar.

Jayne Niemi will be ready.

No-oo-TOOL-a SEE-kay-tee-way Ki-tee-ki-tee. Oo-DO-chu-koo CHIN-yea-ray
Oh-boe-doe. Bat-NAI-ram-dal OT-gone-shar.

Niemi’s job is to read out the graduates’ names without mangling them.

“People invest a lot of time and money and commitment to be here at
Macalester and get this education, and they get one day of celebration in
the end,” says Niemi, a college registrar who will spend several days
studying pronunciation cards submitted by students. “Their families are here
from all over the world. I don’t want to embarrass them or the college.”

Niemi is part of a cadre of deans, professors and even outsourced
professional public speakers that is gearing up to perform one of academia’s
quirkier, and tougher, jobs _ getting every name right, so nobody leaves
campus feeling angry or ungenerous toward his or her alma mater.

Read the rest of the piece.

April 19, 2008

VIDEO: NOT Your Graduation Speaker

Filed under: Fun stuff, Video

Speaking of graduation, here’s video from 1979:


March 26, 2008

PHOTO: Master’s Project Deadline Day

From Student Affairs

MARCH 24, 2008: Student Affairs coordinator Yahaira Alonzo (left), receiving Channtal Fleischfresser’s Master’s Project. It’s a new media project (WomenInTransit.com), but her team still needed to submit printouts. PHOTO: Yian Huang

March 20, 2008

ALUMNI: Two alumni appear on one “Daily Show” show

Filed under: Fun stuff, Alumni

Two Columbia J-schoolers made appearances on tonight’s “Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”

Alex Kingsbury, J2004, U.S. News & World Report associate editor, was the guest on the show, talking about his recent reporting trip to Iraq:

You can read some of his Iraq pieces here: “Putting a Human Face on the American Military Presence in Baghdad” and “Tragically Little Help for Sick and Wounded Civilians in Baghdad”.

Courtney Kealy, J’97, is the Baghdad correspondent for Fox News shown in this segment, “International Man of Misery”:

August 1, 2007

VIDEO: New J-school International welcome videos

HELLO, 2009: The international students of the Class of 2008 welcome the new class and offer tips that everyone can use in this video. Take a look and post your comments. Older videos below.

- - -

HELLO, 2008: The international students of the Class of 2007 welcome the new class and offer tips that everyone can use in this video. Take a look and post your comments.

- - -

HELLO, 2007: The international students of the Class of 2006 welcome the new class and offer tips that everyone can use in this video. Take a look and post your comments.

June 15, 2007

INCOMING CLASS: Some fun networking resources

Filed under: Fun stuff

Dear Incoming Students:

In order to have you all get to know each other, here are some fun tools you might want to use. Many thanks to our volunteers who have set these up.

FACEBOOK.COM SITE (different from the “facebook” directory published by the school):
http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2422437369

CLASS YAHOOGROUP
(mailing list):
Jschool2008: Informal class Yahoogroup.
To sign up, send e-mail to jschool2008-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jschool2008/ and click on “Join This
Group”

CLASS VIRTUAL MAP
:
Sign in to the guest book below, posting your photo and location. If you wish to add a little YouTube video saying hello, please do that, too! In the comments section, tell us your degree program and concentration.

(As you can see, I posted two photos for me. One for my DOS job and one for where I am right now, in Kerala, India - that’s a sign on a beach here… it’s for the “White House Ayurvedic Beach Resort”)


May 15, 2007

PHOTOS: The Hat Project slideshow

Filed under: Fun stuff, Photos, Photo pool

lemannMore than 150 students, faculty and staff participated in student Jennifer Redfearn’s “Hat Project” during the two weeks before graduation. Scroll below to see the photos and to see Jennifer’s original e-mail request (the project has since closed).

Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:43:02 -0400
From: Jennifer Redfearn

Fellow J Schoolers,

As the year comes to an end, I’ve made it a personal mission to photograph
students, faculty, and staff for something called the *Hat Project * (see
FAQs below). It’s been a challenging and inspiring year, and as a
community we’ve experienced some difficult times and an inconceivable
tragedy. This is a way of ending the year on a light note. It’s also a bit
selfish. I’m in awe of the talent and experiences of people that I’ve met
at school. The Hat Project is an opportunity to meet more of you and fully
enjoy the last couple of weeks we have together.

The photos will be uploaded daily on FLICKR. I’ll also make a folder on the
shared drive so that everyone who wants copies can download the photos to a CD.

Check out the HAT PROJECT!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hatproject/

*FAQS
What was your inspiration for the Hat Project?
*A group of us were having drinks at 1020 (at 10:20) last week, and someone
passed around the hat. Different people tried it on, and we noticed that it had
transformative powers. One moment someone looked like an ordinary jschooler -
then poof! - they shape-shifted into a street dogging journalist from the 1940s
or a writer for the New Yorker.

*How do you know it wasn’t the effect of alcohol?
*That’s a really good question. The following day I started taking more
pictures and noticed that the hat had the same impact. It has the power to draw
people out and allows you to express an extended version of yourself.

*I want to be in the hat project. How do I sign up?
*I prefer to catch people on the fly, engaged in a moment. But if I haven’t
found you by the time classes end, please email me: jtr2113[at]columbia.edu

*Wait! Isn’t that Bill Wheeler’s hat?
*Ah, ha. You’re very observant.

*Are you hiring at the Hat Project?
*Yes, Julie Hartenstein is accepting applications for a 2 week unpaid
internship. You can make me coffee and occasionally write photo captions, I’m
kidding. Yes, if you’re photo savvy, I could use help resizing the images and
uploading them to Flickr.
*
What do you hope will become of the Hat Project?
*It is my dream that someone will be so inspired by the Hat Project that they
will throw a “Wigs and Hats” party where everyone dresses up in outrageous wigs
or hats and dances until the wee hours of the morning. (If I didn’t live in a
studio, I would throw the party).

-Jennifer Redfearn

November 14, 2006

FUN STUFF: Intramural championship game

Filed under: Fun stuff

Ten Month Beatdown, the JSchool intramural football team, has made it to the final round of the playoffs through pure grit and determination.

Come support YOUR team this Sunday at 5 p.m. in Wien Stadium up in Inwood. (215th stop on the 1 line, then up two blocks on the left.) Any questions? E-mail captain Ernest Scheyder (ejs2132) or co-captain Elizabeth McGarr (enm2107).

Take a break from studying and come root for the team players as they go for the championship! See you there!

November 7, 2006

PHOTOS: Your pix, using Flickr

We have a new way for us to have a giant pool of school photos of all kinds. If you have any photos you’d like to share (fun, serious and anything in between), please follow these instructions.

Create a FREE account at http://www.flickr.com.
Upload some photos, making sure you fill the “tag” field with the following:
“columbiaj2007″ (no quotes) - this is the key to the success of this project… That way, all our pix can be found very quickly.

For the captions, please TRY to use the following format:
KEYWORD IN ALL CAPS WITH A COLON: Followed by some text
eg: RWI: Student on a bus tour in the Bronx
other keywords - INTL, ORIENTATION, PICNIC, etc, etc, etc.

Here’s what we have so far:
http://flickr.com/search/?q=columbiaj2007
or
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/Columbiaj2007/
(click on any photo to see the
captions, even during the slideshow).

Please take a look and try it out…

NOTE: We have 100 photos as of Nov. 7
34 photos as of Oct. 10, 2006

September 20, 2006

HISTORY: Exhibition at NYHS

The J-school is co-presenting a major new exhibit at the New-York Historical Society: ““Suspicious Truths: Politics and the Press in American History.” It features exhibits from 19th Century newspapers and a short video produced by Columbia alumni Amy Rubin and Stefan Knerrich. The exhibition continues through Dec. 17 at the New-York Historical Society, 2 West 77th Street, Manhattan; (212) 873-3400; nyhistory.org.

Here’s an excerpt from the NYT review at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/arts/design/20yell.html

“Presenting the news objectively,” reads the introductory text, “was often only an occasional and tangential goal.” The show (and brief video commentary from Nicholas Lemann, the dean of Columbia’s journalism school) argues that complaints about newspapers have often been the same as they are now, and — just as often — both justified and unjustified.

September 1, 2006

SKED: Update on Labor Day Friday

Filed under: Schedule, Fun stuff

Dear Colleagues:

* The Palestinian journos told us yesterday they are NOT coming today to the J-school; they have cut their tour short. So no post-picnic event. We will, of course, have plenty of other speakers, foreign and domestic, speak to us in the months ahead. But I’d like to alert you to the arrival, on Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 12:30-1:30 pm, of journalists from the two
biggest Swedish newspapers. Watch for info.

* The picnic, from 1-5 pm, is still on (follows Prof. Span’s 11:30 am-1 pm feature writing lecture). You will be able to purchase a boxed lunch and soda for $5 (normal price is $13; 150 lunches for sale) if you wish. You are welcome to bring your own food, blankets, Frisbees, etc. If it doesn’t rain, the really nice lawn that is fenced off in front of the school will be ours
for the afternoon. If it rains, we will be on the floor in the World Room on the third floor (no Frisbees there!)…

* Details coming shortly of a post-picnic Happy Hour at The Underground Lounge, 955 West End Ave (SW Corner of B’way and 107th).

August 4, 2006

STUDENTS: Class of 2007 photos

Filed under: Fun stuff

February 20, 2006

CONTEST: Create Your Own Caption #2

The Daily Plan-It is proud to announce round two of our occasional create-your-own caption contest. Below is a photo taken in August 2005. To enter the contest, write a creative caption in the comment field below (instructions below). The contest runs until the next photo goes up. There will be a prize for the best caption, as judged by the DOS Office. Multiple entries from individual students, faculty, adjuncts, staff and alumni ARE allowed, but we reserve the right to reject entries that are truly tasteless (and we have seen some that fit the bill). Meanwhile, see the winners of Caption Contest #1, starring Dean Klatell.

Caption Contest #2
Photo by Rebecca Castillo, MS 2006.

The entries so far:

  • Marisa Taylor: Whenever Khody Akhavi and Abe Lebovic were meeting new women during the August session, they made sure to mention their newly formed hip-hop group, LL Cool J, which stood for “ladies love cool journalists.”
  • Lawrence Lanahan: “One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war.”
  • Abe Lebovic:
    1. “I write for the New Yorker, and my friend writes for the Atlantic Monthly.”
    2. “We are new to this school. Can you tell us how to get to your dorm room?”
    3. “Oh, come on. You never heard of the the “Flying Duo” of Cirque De Soleil?”
    4. “We both think your eyes are beautiful.”
  • Antonio Neves: “He’s not letting go of your hand until you apply to the M.A. program.”
  • Eric Jaffe: “No way. We’re ‘print’ too.”
  • David Ressell: “Congratulations, you are winner of the last Caption contest, your prize…. a brand new J-school student! Now get me some damn pie!”
  • Badru Mulumba: “You plus him make a perfect…ugh, ugh…a perfect…ugh… reporting pair!”
  • Ed Krayewski:
    “I’m a student here, and so is he. We just started, but in ten short months we’ll be done. Then we’ll be reporters. And the best part is a degree from Columbia will get you ANY job you want. Reporters make dough, too, and girls love dough. We’re gonna be raking in the ladies better than the entire student body at the Law School and the Business School combined. Oh yeah, and I heard RW1 is a pushover. Want a drink?”

Two ways to enter:
a. If you haven’t registered on this site earlier, follow these instructions to post a comment - in this case, your caption entry. If you have already registered, just go ahead and log in.
1. To register for this blog (you only have to do this once for all future comments), go to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/wp-register.php (once you are registered - includes a password being sent to you via e-mail), go to step 2.
2. Click on the “Comments” at the bottom of this post and fill in your FULL NAME - first and last - and e-mail address (just fill it in once, typing in just “N/A” in the URL section if you don’t have a site.
Your caption WILL NOT show up there immediately, but will be there when we approve the comment within a few hours.

OR

b. E-mail your caption to dos@jrn.columbia.edu (subject = caption contest #2) - and we will add it here.

February 14, 2006

CAPTION CONTEST: Create Your Own Caption #1

UPDATE: The winners of our exciting prizes, in a tie:

  • Domenico Montanaro:
  • “The future of TV Journalism is here in my hand and behind me: Cow sounds… and cheerleading. It’s a revolution.”
  • David Ressel: “After 14 years of sobriety, I make this champagne toast!”
  • See the next round of the caption contest - and thanks for playing.

    Caption contest #1
    Photo by Rebecca Castillo, MS 2006.
    The Daily Plan-It is proud to announce our occasional create-your-own caption contest.
    To enter the contest, write a creative caption in the comment field below (instructions below). The contest runs until the next photo goes up. There will be a prize for the best caption, as judged by the DOS Office. Multiple entries from individual students, faculty, adjuncts, staff and alumni ARE allowed.

    THE ENTRIES SO FAR:

    1. Nina Gregory: “Every time the cow moos, a Knight Ridder paper gets sold to Big Tobacco. Don’t make me moo the cow.”
      [EDITOR’S NOTE FOR THOSE NOT PRESENT THAT NIGHT: In the gentleman’s hand is a novelty item that produces a “mooooo” sound.]
    2. Dikla Kadosh: “These objects are symbols of my former lives as a championship cheerleader from Texas and sacred cow from Delhi. As a result of my good karma, I am now your dean.”
    3. Domenico Montanaro: “The future of TV Journalism is here in my hand and behind me: Cow sounds… and cheerleading. It’s a revolution.”
    4. Austin Fido: “Behold: the soul of a student who DIDN’T apply for the MA program.”
    5. David Ressel: “After 14 years of sobriety, I make this champagne toast!”
    6. Francesco Radicati: “For a good time, make it Suntory time.”
    7. Ed Krayewski: “Who am I and what am I doing here?”

    Two ways to enter:
    a. If you haven’t registered on this site earlier, follow these instructions to post a comment - in this case, your caption entry. If you have already registered, just go ahead and log in.
    1. To register for this blog (you only have to do this once for all future comments), go to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/wp-register.php (once you are registered - includes a password being sent to you via e-mail), go to step 2.
    2. Click on the “Comments” at the bottom of this post and fill in your FULL NAME - first and last - and e-mail address (just fill it in once, typing in just “N/A” in the URL section if you don’t have a site.
    Your caption WILL NOT show up there immediately, but will be there when we approve the comment within a few hours.

    OR

    b. E-mail your caption to dos@jrn.columbia.edu (subject = caption contest #1) - and we will add it here.

    February 1, 2006

    FAQ: Serving alcohol at Journalism School events

    Filed under: FAQ, Fun stuff

    Q: What are the rules about serving alcohol at student sponsored events?

    A: An extensive explanation can be found in FACETS at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/facets/appendix.pdf

    Here are the basics:

  • You must have a University issued permit if you are charging for attendance or for the drinks.
  • You must have designated personnel check indentification of all attendees for proof of age.
  • You must have an ample supply of food and non-alcoholic options on offer.
  • For flyers announcing the event, you must include language stating that double proof of age is required for consumption of alcoholic beverages. No other mention or depiction of alcohol is permitted.
  • At the event, you must post signs about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.
  • For questions regarding specific events, please send an email to dos@jrn.columbia.edu.

    December 24, 2005

    J-SCHOOL EVENT: Two items from the duPont Center

    Filed under: Schedule, Speakers, Fun stuff

    Two items below from the duPont Center on the seventh floor.

    1. Volunteer request.
    2. Winners Circle invitation.

    To: All Journalism School Students
    From: Jonnet Abeles & Mary Kay Duffy, duPont Center
    Date: December 23, 2005

    Re: duPont Events, January 18 and 19, 2006

    The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards will be presented on Wednesday
    evening, January 18, 2006, in Low Library in a ceremony hosted by Bob
    Schieffer. Michel Martin of ABC News, Dean Nick Lemann and Columbia President
    Lee Bollinger will join Schieffer in presenting the awards to 13 outstanding
    television and radio programs. At the ceremony, we will be shooting final
    scenes for our PBS documentary, Telling the Truth: The Best in Broadcast
    Journalism, produced by FRONTLINE Producer Martin Smith.

    The duPont Awards are the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes, and this
    event is a gathering of the clan of the television and radio news industry. We
    will need 25 students to volunteer to help us at the duPont events, and the
    first 10 volunteers will be able to attend part of the reception. All
    volunteers will be able to attend the ceremony. Please email
    dupontawards@jrn.columbia.edu to volunteer.

    In addition to the awards ceremony on January 18, we will hold our annual
    Winners. Circle discussion for students on Thursday morning, January 19, from
    10:00am to 1:00pm in the Lecture Hall of the Journalism School. We will show
    excerpts and discuss three of the winning programs with the reporters,
    producers, and editors who made them. The lineup for these three discussions is
    attached.

    Broadcast students are required to attend the Winners. Circle, which will be
    moderated by members of the faculty and the duPont Jury. All other students
    and faculty members are welcome to join us if their workshops are not scheduled
    at that time. The Winners. Circle is a wonderful opportunity to learn about
    what makes great broadcast journalism at a local tv station, on public radio
    and in a large-scale documentary for PBS.

    Read about the 13 duPont Award winners at www.dupont.org.

    Telling the Truth: The Best in Broadcast Journalism will air on PBS stations
    nationwide beginning January 24. It will air in the New York area on
    Thirteen/WNET on Thursday, January 26, at 10:00pm ET. Check local listings
    elsewhere.

    o o o o o

    You are invited to attend

    THE DUPONT WINNERS. CIRCLE

    A Discussion of Three Award-Winning Programs
    With the reporters, producers and editors who created them.

    Thursday, January 19, 2006
    10 A.M. . 1 P.M.

    Lecture Hall, Room 301
    Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
    116th Street and Broadway

    WFTS-TV, Tampa
    Crosstown Expressway Investigation
    10 A.M. . 11 A.M.

    Mike Mason, Reporter
    Adam Wische, Executive Producer
    Bill Carey, VP & General Manager

    North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC, Chapel Hill
    North Carolina Voices: Understanding Poverty
    11 A.M. . 12 P.M.
    Emily Hanford, Senior Editor & Producer
    Leoneda Inge, Producer
    Joan Siefert Rose, General Manager

    FRONTLINE: The Secret History of the Credit Card
    (a co-production with The New York Times)
    12 P.M. . 1 P.M.
    Lowell Bergman, Correspondent
    David Rummel, Producer
    Lawrie Mifflin, J.74, Executive Producer for
    The New York Times

    December 20, 2005

    BOOK CLUB: Update on Prof. Weiner’s book club

    Filed under: Fun stuff

    Here’s the information from Professor Weiner on his wonderful book
    club, which will meet the first Monday of every month, beginning
    February 6. The group will meet in room 601C from 11:00-1:00. All you
    have to do to participate is read the book(s) and show up.

    “We’ll meet at the J School one morning a month. Columbia will
    provide box dinners and (for students) free books, too. The main idea
    is to give people at the J School an excuse to read. Our first four
    months’ of readings will be Saturday, by Ian McKewan; Radical
    Evolution, by Joel Garreau, and Elementary Particles, by Michel
    Houellebecq; Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder; and
    possibly The Lost Painting, by Jonathan Harr. All students are
    welcome, in or out of the J School; so are teachers and friends.”

    SPJ: Lucille’s Ball photos available

    Filed under: SPJ, Fun stuff

    Subject: Lucille’s Ball Photos available for purchase

    The event is now in the history books and the photos are now available
    for purchase.

    The address is: www.islandphoto.com

    Go to “View Your Photos” and click on “Special Events”

    The password is “lucille”

    The photos will be available until Dec. 22nd.

    Any questions, please contact Megan Chan, meganhchan@aol.com.

    December 9, 2005

    PARTY: Lucille’s Ball & Holiday Party, Dec. 15, 2005

    From: SPJ President, Rebecca Castillo.

    You are invited to the Annual Graduate School of Journalism Holiday Party
    (named for Lucille, Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter).

    Graduate School of Journalism and the Columbia chapter of the Society
    Professional Journalists invite you to join the faculty, staff and students
    of the School in a celebration of the Holidays on Thursday, December 15, at
    Faculty House, 400 W. 117th St., (right next to the President’s house,
    behind the law school.)

    6 pm - 6:30 pm: Mingling

    6:30 - 7:45pm: The Annual J-School Follies & Variety Show (including
    faculty-skewering skits)

    8:00pm - midnight: Party begins.

    - Spouses and significant others are welcome

    - No RSVP required, just show up.

    - Attire: Reporter semi-formal meaning: ties and jackets - and pants! - for
    men; cocktail dresses or something similar for women).

    All general questions about the event please email ColumbiaSPJ@gmail.com

    December 1, 2005

    SKED: J-school Holiday Party on Thurs, Dec. 15

    Filed under: Schedule, SPJ, FAQ, Fun stuff

    “Lucille’s Ball,” the Student Holiday Party named for Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter, is Thursday night, Dec. 15. Details to come.

    November 19, 2005

    FAQ: Thanksgiving Volunteering

    Q: How can I find out about volunteer opportunities for Thanksgiving weekend?

    A: Columbia’s Community Impact runs a food pantry and soup kitchen. You can find out more from Caty Saintil at x46310. You can also call 864-6100.

    Here are some others:
    http://www.volunteernyc.org/org/opp/10206148.html
    http://www.bowery.org/features/thanks_volunteer.htm

    November 16, 2005

    OFFER: New discussion group for recent alumni and current students

    A note from Brandon Keim, M.A. 2006 and M.S. 2005, brandon[at]earthlab.net

    Hello out there,

    Last week there was some emailing among 2005 alumni about Bob Woodward’s recent misconduct.? Afterwards it seemed we needed a place to talk shop without adding to
    everyone’s unsolicited email flood, so I set up a list for us. Everyone, of course, is invited. To join, go to http://groups.google.com/group/CSofJ

    and sign up. Then feel free to post whatever interests you — questions, observations, good journalism, dilemmas — and hopefully some wisdom will come out of this.

    Dean Sree asked me how this is different from TheTenMonthBeat… TheTenMonthBeat is more an event & logistics source — it’s not a place where someone would go and say, “Did you hear about what Bob Woodward did?? What do you think?” or “I was reading this article and trying to figure out how they sourced this part — little help?” or
    “I’ve got this source who wants to be identified as such and such — what should I do?” and then have some community discussion about it. Hopefully the seed will sprout into a network whose dialogue helps us be better journalists.

    REQUEST: Photo shoots of students reporting

    From Lane Johnson, J2004, photo[at]laglj.com.

    Hi, howdy and what’s up. My name is Lane Johnson. I’m a recent alumnus –
    ’04 – of the school and more recently a photo adjunct. I’m writing because I would like to photograph you reporting. No, it’s not an incestuous news story
    but rather a promotional endeavor for the school; the administration would
    like to present a more visual image (read hip) of the school to prospective
    students. My present charge is to photograph you – working, reporting,
    interviewing. The images need to be self-contained and, well, cool. I’m
    looking for lots of color and commotion—cops, fires, any wacky spot news,
    festivals, big demonstrations, prominent faces, the whole gamut really. If
    you’re reporting a story that lends itself to this project (or just want the
    attention) please call me: 917.327.2722. You can email as well,
    photo@laglj.com, but I think phone calls will move the project along quicker.

    I’m setting aside Thursdays-Sundays until semester’s end to work on this and
    am even hoping to begin tomorrow, Friday. The weeks will slip by I’m sure,
    especially with the holiday next week, so please call me asap with ideas. I’m
    open to all queries. I’m hoping to capture both broadcast and non, and while
    the administration suggested I focus on RW1 I’m looking forward to hearing
    about any and all stories where you’re out and about rocking in the field. But
    call too if you’re interviewing a famous face (or at least has a prominent look
    – politicians, doctors). Just call. Thanks.

    The images will be used in the sundry promotional publications the school
    puts out.

    Sincerely,
    Lane Johnson, photographer
    http://www.laglj.com
    917.327.2722
    Lane Johnson

    November 12, 2005

    OFFER: NYT event about the Supreme Court on Nov. 15

    The New York Times invites J-school students and faculty to…

    What’s the Future of the Supreme Court?,
    presented as a part of TimesTalks, the New York Times Speaker Series

    Tuesday, November 15
    6:30 - 8 p.m.
    The Kaye Playhouse, Hunter College
    68th Street and Lexington Avenue

    Participants:
    Martin Garbus, trial lawyer and partner, Davis & Gilbert
    Suzanne Goldberg, associate professor and director, Women’s Rights
    Litigation Clinic, Rutgers Law School
    Anthony Lewis, former New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning
    journalist
    Thomas Merrill, Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law, Columbia Law
    School

    Moderator: Linda Greenhouse, Supreme Court correspondent, The New York Times

    We hope you will be able to join us at Hunter College for this important
    and timely discussion.

    Advance RSVPs are strictly required for this complimentary invitation.

    Kindly respond no later than Monday, November 14 to Jennifer Pauly via
    e-mail to paulyj [at] nytimes.com. Please identify yourself as a Columbia Journalism School student or faculty member and provide your name so that we can add you to our guest list.

    November 1, 2005

    OFFER: Reading group with Prof. Weiner

    Filed under: Schedule, Fun stuff

    Please consider joining Professor Jonathan Weiner, the Pulitzer Prize
    winning science journalist, for a lively series of brown-bag lunches to
    discuss non-fiction literature. These discussions are open to all students,
    whether or not you have a strong interest in reporting on science or the
    environment. M.S. students are especially welcome - here’s a chance to read,
    think, talk - and not have to write anything about it!

    The reading group will meet November 10 in room 709 and December 1 in room
    204, both meetings scheduled 12:30-2:00. We anticipate continuing the
    reading group next term.

    -30-

    October 21, 2005

    OFFER: Five free student tickets for covering corporate crimes panel

    UPDATE (10/21/05 at 7 p.m.): These five tickets are gone, but we are keeping a waiting list.

    First five students to write to sree@sree.net with “Corprate crimes panel” in the subject line can have these tix. First come, first served. Only those who make the cut will be contacted.

    Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York
    in cooperation with SAJA
    presents
    A Panel Discussion on:
    “Challenges faced by Media in covering White-Collar Crime and Impact
    of Corporate Scandals on American Economy”
    Panelists
    Bethany McLean, FORTUNE
    Charles Gasparino, NEWSWEEK
    Liz Claman, CNBC
    Chris Byron, NEW YORK POST
    Nelson Boxer, ALSTON & BIRD
    Moderator: Sanjay Sanghoee - author of MERGER, a Financial
    Thriller - http://www.merger-novel.com

    Wed, October 26, 2005
    6:30 - 9:30 PM
    VENUE: The Warwick Hotel New York, 65 West 54th Street (on Ave. of
    the Americas)
    COST: SAJA Members: $15 (special rate - must register with Sanjay directly)
    Columbia Alumni Club Members: $25
    Non-Members: $35

    NOTE: 20 FREE PASSES AVAILABLE FOR WORKING PRESS ONLY

    FOR MORE INFORMATION/TO REGISTER, PLEASE CONTACT SANJAY AT
    SANJAY9000@YAHOO.COM

    October 13, 2005

    OFFER: Tix for Reuters celebrities and media event

    Limited passes available for this. Let Dean Sreenivasan know if you’d like to attend ASAP. E-mail sree@sree.net, subject line = “Reuters event.” Only those who make the cut will be informed.

    Reuters and VNU invite you to join a panel of experts to discuss the state of relations between celebrities and the media, and explore the impact this is having on the nation’s news agenda.

    Thursday October 20th 2005
    6.00pm - 8.30pm
    (panel discussion to commence at 6.15pm)
    The Reuters Building,
    3 Times Square, 30th Floor, New York NY 10036

    STRICTLY INVITATION ONLY

    The event is the third in this year’s series of Reuters Newsmakers events held in its US headquarters in 3 Times Square.
    The Issues

    * Has the relationship soured and who is to blame?
    * When is a celebrity’s private life a matter of public interest?
    * Who is really feeding off whom?
    * Do celebrities deserve to have their privacy protected or does their courting of the media for publicity make them fair game?
    * Is the coverage of personalities driven by news values or dollars?

    The Panel
    Paul Holmes Moderator, Global Editor, General and Political News, Reuters
    Janice Min Editor, US Weekly
    Jessica Coen Editor, Gawker
    Anne Thompson Deputy Film Editor, The Hollywood Reporter
    Michael Wolff Columnist, Vanity Fair
    Ken Sunshine Ken Sunshine Consultants, Celebrity Publicist
    More panelists to be confirmed.

    Reuters Newsmaker Events offer us an opportunity to share our position at the heart of the news industry with you. We would be delighted if you could join us for this event.

    Places are limited.

    OFFER: Tickets to Walter Cronkite event

    10/13/2005 UPDATE: I got a fresh batch of tickets this morning. E-mail me as per below if you’d like to claim one.

    10/6/2005 UPDATE: The tickets below have already been claimed. We are going to give one ticket away, by lottery, at the BBLWD.

    Original post:

    We have a handful of tickets to the following event. If you are interested in one of these tickets, please e-mail your name, e-mail address and (cell)phone in a message to sree@sree.net with the following subject line = “Cronkite event” (no quotes). Messages are sorted automagically, so be sure to follow the instructions. First come, first served. Only those who make the cut will hear back from me.

    Please sign up only if you can attend the morning session AND the lunch. And please sign up only if you are sure you can attend. Here’s the official description…

    We are pleased to inform you that Walter Cronkite, this country’s most respected journalist, will be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Freedom Broadcasting Foundation. We would like to extend an offer of complimentary tickets for you and 5 of your students to attend this significant event.
    This award will be presented at a luncheon in mid-town at noon on Thurs., October 20th. Preceding the luncheon will be a panel discussion with distinguished leaders of the U.S. international broadcasting community, focusing on the critical importance of a free press in the post-communist world. The panel discussion will begin at 10:30 AM, followed by the lunch and presentation ceremonies at noon. The session will end promptly at 2:00 PM.

    October 12, 2005

    J-SCHOOL EVENT: Tickets for Clooney movie, event

    Filed under: Schedule, Fun stuff, Offers

    Please watch for an announcement tomorrow in your e-mail inbox from Irena Stern in the alumni office for free tickets being set aside for students for the J-school’s special screening of “Good Night and Good Luck” at Miller Theater and the discussion starring George Clooney and Dean Lemann.

    October 4, 2005

    OFFER: Brown-bag lunch with the Deans

    As you know, we have several breakfast and evening sessions for students to interact with Deans Lemann, Klatell and the other deans. We have had requests for lunch-time events, so Deans Sreenivasan and Huff are hosting the first of a series of brown-bag lunches.

    Brown-bag Lunch with the Deans
    Wed, Oct. 5, 2005
    12:30-1:30
    Room 601B - no RSVP required.
    Brown-bag lunch means you are welcome to bring your own lunch; chips, cookies and soda will be served.
    All are welcome. Apologies for the short notice, but there will be other versions of these, the breakfasts and the evening events.

    No specific agenda: Just come and chat; we will take questions and look at what’s ahead.

    Don’t forget next week’s Nick@Night!






















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