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

WHAT: New Media Shot Documentary Film Screening
WHEN: April 21, 2009 (Tues). 6:30 to 9 PM
WHERE: Stabile Student Center, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

Brooklyn Step (27 min)
Produced by Celina Canales, Dana Chivvis, Mariel S. Clark.
Description: The Brooklyn Tech High School step teams take time away from their school work, families, friends, and jobs to practice a dance they love.

My Life After Bear (10 min)
Produced by Chikodi Chima, Heather Grossmann, and Alan Haburchak
Description: In the aftermath of Bear Stearns’ collapse, a former employee shows the human side of the bank’s failure.

Debugging and Decluttering (4 min)
Produced by Karn Dhingra, Jacquelyn Kasuya, Ben Piven
Description: Frederick’s belongings are packed up and moved out by Magic Exterminating so that his studio apartment can be fumigated for bed bugs.

Hostage to Hoarding (4 min)
Produced by Karn Dhingra, Jacquelyn Kasuya, Ben Piven
Description: Having cluttered her East Village apartment for decades, ex-actress Fran begins to combat her problem.

Paliative Care (5 min)
Produced by Greg Emerson Bocquet, Gaia Pianigiani, and Paul Daniel Stephens
Description: In palliative care, there are good deaths and there are bad deaths. Hear the hospital team describe this aspect of end-of-life care.

Hunger (2 min)
Produced by Jamie Oppenheim, Parul Malik, Owen Kiben
Description: escription: Eric Johnson, the 44-year old luxury bus driver was laid off before Christmas. From having a respectable annual income of $54000, today Johnson and his wife have to do multiple rounds of food pantries. But they have not lost faith.

Rise of the Machines (4 min)
Produced by Nicole Breskin, Jenny Brown, and Jeff Otieno
Description: How bagel machines de-ethnicized the bagel and made it an American phenomenon.

Wheat Crisis Havoc (2 min)
Produced by Nicole Breskin, Jenny Brown, and Jeff Otieno
Description: How the wheat crisis hurt business for New York bagel bakers like never before.

Hoop Knight (26 min)
Produced by Collin Crowell and Chris Kieffer
Description: A short documentary film chronicling the nationally-ranked Mount Vernon Knights high school boys’ basketball team and the season it almost lost.

Two Rivers in DC (5 min)
Produced by Lina Ejeilat, Khalil Jetha
Description: Traditional Jazz meets Iraqi Maqam in Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Concert at the Freer & Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C.

Rail Riders (9 min)
Produced by Eric Baliantz, Alex Lowther, and Meredith Melnick.
Description: An exploration of the contemporary freight train rider.

The Making of Rail Riders (2 min)
Produced by Eric Baliantz, Alex Lowther, and Meredith Melnick.
Description: A romp through the sand line with Team Hobo.

———————————————————–
Duy Linh Tu
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Coordinator, New Media Program
Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University
2950 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
P: 212.851.0791
F: 212.851.0751
E: dnt3@columbia.edu

“The Dark and the Light of the Internet”

at the Italian Academy at Columbia University

“The Dark and the Light of the Internet,” a symposium sponsored by the Marconi Society and Columbia University, features experts on national security and terrorism, privacy, technology and society, and journalism to discuss the societal impact of the Internet and the challenges it poses. General admission $50; free to university students and faculty.

Chaired by Columbia Professor Joseph Traub, speakers include: William Grueskin, Dean of Academic Affairs at the Columbia School of Journalism; Georgia Tech Professor Seymour (”Sy”) Goodman, Columbia Professor Steven M. Bellovin; FBI Assistant General Counsel Sean M. Wash; Marconi Fellow Robert G. Gallager, MIT Professor Daniel J. Weitzner; University of Massachusetts Professor David Jensen; and Herbert S. Lin, Chief Scientist of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board at the National Academies.

Advance registration required. Go to www.marconisociety.org or visit http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=176388 to register online. Call Hatti Hamlin at 925.872.4328 for more information.

Please join Dean Nicholas Lemann, the class of 2009 and J-School alumni

Columbia University Association of Black Journalists present:

Panelists:

Frankie Edozien: Director, NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute’s Ghana ‘Reporting Africa’ program, co-founder, African Magazine, 2008 Kaiser Foundation Fellow, former reporter, New York Post.

Allan Dodds Frank: President, Overseas Press Club of America, contributor, the Daily Beast, former investigative and legal correspondent, Bloomberg Television, former Business Investigative Correspondent, CNN’s “Moneyline with Lou Dobbs”, former Business Investigative Correspondent, ABC News, former Senior Editor, Forbes, Columbia J-school Grad.

Milton Allimadi: Founder, publisher and Editor-In-Chief, The Black Star News, former stringer, The New York Times and The City Sun, author, The Hearts of Darkness, Columbia J-school Grad, ’92.

Arlene Getz: Senior Editor, Newsweek Worldwide Special Editions, former Deputy Editor & Foreign Editor, Newsweek.com, former foreign correspondent, Gemini News Service, St. Petersburg Times, the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia, first vice-president, Overseas Press Club.

Howard French: professor, Columbia University, freelance reporter, the Washington Post, former Metropolitan reporter, the New York Times, former bureau chief; Central America and the Caribbean, West Africa, Japan, the Koreas and China for the New York Times, former columnist, the International Herald Tribune, author, A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa.

Q & A with panelists to follow. This is the only event
of this kind this year…don’t miss out!

ADL’S CAMPUS LEADERSHIP STUDY MISSION TO ISRAEL

Stacey

The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, US-Israel relations, Hamas, Hezbollah and the threat of a nuclear Iran make daily headlines and often resonate on your campus. To learn about and assess these important issues first-hand, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is offering qualified campus leaders the opportunity to go on a FREE study mission to Israel.

ADL’s Campus Leadership Study Mission to Israel, to take place June 8-17, 2009, provides student journalists and politically active leaders with an up-close and personal perspective of Israel by learning about the strategic and social challenges facing Israel today. Mission participants will meet with key decision-makers, government and military officials, diplomats, journalists, students and everyday Israelis –Arab and Jewish — from diverse communities, cultures and backgrounds. Participants will visit sights of historical, religious and contemporary interest. The group will take all necessary security precautions and will avoid potentially dangerous areas. The group will travel by private bus.

Thanks to generous funding from the Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, there will be no cost to selected participants. This includes travel to/from New York and Israel, accommodation and meals. Please refer to the attached Campus Leadership Mission Overview and Application for more detailed information. Students who have previously visited Israel are not eligible.

To apply for this unique opportunity complete the application form, accompanied by two letters of reference, your resume, and a 500 word essay. You can register online at www.adl.org/campusmission or fax your application to 212-490-0187.

The application deadline is April 15th. If you have any questions, please contact Stacey Popovsky, ADL’s Director of Campus Initiatives, at spopovsky@adl.org or 212-885-7837.

Sincerely,

Stacey Berkowitz Popovsky

Director of Campus and Confronting Anti-Semitism Initiatives

Anti-Defamation League

605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158

t: 212-885-7837

f: 212-490-0187

spopovsky@adl.org

The Office of the University Chaplain hosts

Peabody Award winning journalist Krista Tippett is the host of the nationally syndicated “Speaking of Faith” program of “religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas”. A leading voice in talk radio, Ms. Tippett has interviewed luminaries such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Prof. Karen Armstrong, Gov. Mario Cuomo, theologian Martin Marty, and writer Annie Lamott. Ms Tippett’s most recent venture, “Repossessing Virtue is part of [an] ongoing series exploring the moral, spiritual, and practical aspects of the economic downturn”

[http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/first-person/repossessing-virtue/].

Seating is limited. Contact COMMONMEAL@COLUMBIA.EDU

Enhancing Your Relationship:
A Workshop for Couples

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!

This hands-on, sequential 3-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

When?
Tuesdays: April 14, 21 and 28, 2009
What time?
5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Where?
Counseling and Psychological Services
Alfred Lerner Hall, 8th Floor
Conference Room

For: Couples only (one member of couple must be a Columbia student who
has paid the health services fee)

To reserve a spot or for more information, please e-mail:

Dr. Yaniv Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu
or
Dr. Lakeasha Garner at lg2418@columbia.edu

Columbia Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and
Office of The Pulitzer Prizes (http://www.pulitzer.org)

* Meet many of the newspaper editors and writers who judge the Pulitzer entries. Just to name a few they include managing and executive editors from The Austin-American Statesman, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Detroit News, Miami Herald, The Newark Star-Ledger, Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

The European Institute

RSVP to Myrisha Lewis, msl2155@columbia.edu

This will be a timely and open discussion with two veteran Sri Lankan activists, sponsored by The Center for Place, Culture and Politics at The Graduate Center, CUNY (http://web.gc.cuny.edu/pcp/events.html).

With a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the brink of military defeat by the Sri Lankan State, we are grappling with important questions about the future of a political solution and the conception of peace in Sri Lanka. Join us is a public conversation with two veteran Tamil activists who were involved with Tamil militancy in their youth to discuss possibilities for the future after thirty years of militarization and armed struggle. The conversation will explore the shifts in political engagement, the decimation of dissent, and the concerns of ordinary people caught between a brutal non-state force and a repressive state.

___________________________________

Nirmala is a Sri Lankan Tamil activist who lives in exile in London. She was the first woman to be detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in the early eighties. A survivor of the government engineered Welikade prison massacre, Nirmila was subsequently freed from prison by LTTE guerrillas. She left the LTTE as a result of the total lack of internal democracy within the movement and its serious human rights abuses. Nirmala is the sister of Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, founder-member of the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), who was assassinated by the LTTE for her outspoken views.
They are the subjects of the documentary No More Tears Sister by the National Film Board of Canada.

Ragavan, a founding member of the LTTE, left the movement in the mid-1980s after ten years of involvement with Tamil militancy, due to the increasingly authoritarian character of the LTTE and its internal abuses. Ragavan lives in exile in London and is active on questions relating to democratization and a political solution in Sri Lanka. He has worked in solidarity with the Dalit communities of Sri Lanka.

Both Nirmala & Ragavan are active members of the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF), an international network of Sri Lankan democracy and human rights activists campaigning
for a political solution through a democratic and just political process.

___________________________________

To contact organizers of event, please email: pchandrasekaran@gc.cuny.edu

Sponsored by

The Center for Place, Culture and Politics

at The Graduate Center, CUNY

We have three complimentary tickets to the event below.

We are giving the three tickets out on a first-come basis.

Asia Society and Oxfam America invite you to:

The Global Food Crisis: Time for Another Green Revolution?

Friday, February 20, 2009 — 8:00 - 9:30 AM

In recent years, erratic weather due in part to climate change, fluctuations in energy prices, and increased demand for commodities are all contributing factors to drastic spikes and volatility in food prices. Adding now the impact of the global financial crisis, the number of people around the world considered food insecure has soared to nearly one billion, and counting. Can technological innovation produce another “green revolution” to increase food supply? What role can genetically modified crops play in raising crop yields amidst changing weather patterns and resource scarcity? How can global agriculture production accommodate a growing world population and increasing demand for grain and meat in emerging economies? With agricultural productivity stagnated for decades in Africa and Asia, identifying root causes and finding durable solutions to this ongoing food crisis is imperative, more now than ever before.

Panelists:
Kevin L. Eblen, Vice President, Public Policy and Sustainability Lead, Monsanto
Doug Gurian-Sherman, Senior Scientist, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists
Dr. Robert Zeigler, Director General, International Rice Research Institute
Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America (Moderator)

Preview of the National Geographic Documentary
“T Rex Walks Again” - Feb 24th @ 5:15, Lecture Hall

Message from Prof. Marguerite Holloway,

My friend, Thomas Lucas, will be previewing his new National Geographic documentary on Tuesday, February 24th, here at the journalism school! It is called “T.Rex Walks Again.” Here is a short description: “”How could a tiny Tyrannosaurus rex baby grow into a six-ton super carnivore? Dinosaur builder Hall Train and renowned paleoartist Jason Brougham team up with some top scientists to attempt to bring a new vision of T. rex to life. Will they be able to uncover the truth about this fascinating animal and create the world’s most accurate, fully skinned, mechanical replica of a walking juvenile T. rex?”

Filmmaker Thomas Lucas and two of the film’s subjects—Hall Train of Hall Train Studios in Toronto and Jason Brougham of the American Museum of Natural History—will be available after the film to answer students’ questions about making science documentaries, modeling dinosaurs and other related topics.

The film will start at 5:15 in the Lecture Hall.

Discussion will run from 6:15 until 7:00.

Thanks very much,

Marguerite

Message from Prof. Josh Friedman:

The email below is self-explanatory. I spoke to Liat today and she said they’re right up against a deadline if your’re interested.

JF.

From: liatshetret@gmail.com [mailto:liatshetret@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Liat Shetret

My name is Liat Shetret, a second year SIPA student studying International Security Policy. Professor Judith Matloff suggested I write you about the following opportunity that may be interesting to J-School students.

I have volunteered to organize a trip to Israel over spring break (March 14-23, 2009) and would love to have J-School students on board.
Professor Matloff thought you might be able to spread the word. Here is the trip information:

The trip takes place across Spring Break March 14-23rd with a direct flight to Israel. We will visit Jerusalem (all holy sites), Tel-Aviv, Haifa, Golan Heights and have a number of meetings with political and military officials.
Currently most students signed up are from SIPA, but I thought it would be great to have J-School students on board.
Deposits are due on Feb. 4th (short notice I know…), but the trip cost (all inclusive hotel, meals, flights, taxes etc) is $2,179.

I appreciate your assistance with this.

Sincerely,

Liat Shetret

Dear J-School Students,

President Bollinger holds annual “Fireside Chats” with undergraduate students, providing an informal venue for students to engage with him and ask questions about the university, administration, student life, and other topics.

This spring he is holding the very first “Fireside Chat” for graduate students on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at the President’s House.

Given the limited number of slots for this event, only three students from the Graduate School of Journalism are invited to attend. The three students will be picked at random through a lottery.

For a chance to be one of the lucky three, simply click on the registration link at the bottom and fill out the required information.

The deadline for registration is Monday, February 9 at 7:00am.

Please only submit your name if you are able to attend the event on March 4th from 6-8 pm at President Bollinger’s Residence on the Morningside Campus.

Students will be selected and notified via e-mail by mid-February.

Register for Fireside Chat: https://calendar.columbia.edu/sundial/webapi/register.php?eventID=29339

View Event Details: https://calendar.columbia.edu/sundial/webapi/get.php?vt=detail&br=default&id=29339

Maryse Condé & Elizabeth Nunez

Author and Professor Emeritus of French and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, MaryseCondé will be joined by Elizabeth Nunez in an exploration of the role of biography in her work. Condé’s most recent book, Victoire, les saveursmotsis the biography of her mother and grandmother. Her writings include Heremakhonon;I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salemand Segu. Elizabeth Nunez, Ph.D. is Provost and Senior Vice President at Medgar Evers College and a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English. Dr. Nunez is the award-winning author of six novels: Prospero’s Daughter; Grace; Discretion; Bruised Hibiscus; Beyond the Limbo Silence; and When Rocks Dance. Dr. Nunez co-edited the anthology Stories from Blue Latitudes: Caribbean Women Writers at Home and Abroad and her seventh novel, Anna In-Between, will be published in 2009.

January 28th, Wednesday, 7:00pm
Martin E. SegalTheatre
TheGraduate Center, CUNY
365Fifth Ave (btwn 34th&35th)
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
No registration. Please arrive early for a seat. 212-817-2005

www.LeonLevyCenterForBiography.org

Move with Alice!

It’s 2009! Capture the momentum of a new year and take time to renew your mind, body, and spirit. Plus, as a reward for your effort, you can earn great shirts, water bottles, music gift cards, and more. Beyond these great incentives and countless health benefits, physical activity can help you improve concentration, increase energy levels, and relieve stress.

http://www.health.columbia.edu/docs/services/100mc/index.html (formerly the 100 m.i.l.e. club) is an exercise motivation and tracking program that offers the University community an opportunity to learn about, design, and record personal fitness activities using an online, interactive tool. Participants set individual exercise goals and record progress on their personalized exercise journal. CU Move is free and open to all Columbia students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Progress is measured according to the number of minutes a user spends exercising. The goal is to spend at least 100 minutes per week doing physical activity.

Helpful Resources:

CU Move

Alice! Health Promotion Program

Health Services at Columbia

Dodge Fitness Center

Related Q&As from Go Ask Alice!

Is there a proper workout order routine?

No time for working out.

Is it better to be fit and fat, or unfit and thin?

Move your body in 2009 and reap the rewards! Happy New Year!

As can be seen by the photos, yesterday’s excitement was felt throughout the Columbia community.

Nowhere was it more noticeable than at Low Plaza.
Some got to Low Plaza early, braving the cold, just to park themselves in front of the Jumbotron.

One by one, classmates, friends and others in the community came by to watch yesterday’s historic inauguration.

Hope you enjoy the slideshow,

Claudia Castillo - Student Affairs

Chinese New Year Splendor at Radio City Music Hall
Discount tickets available for Jan 24 and 25
Go to: Lerner Hall West Ramp or call 646-522-5599

Divine Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance and music in gloriously colorful and exhilarating shows.
An art form some three millennial old, Chinese dance is refreshingly dynamic and expressive.
Ancient legends and heroic figures come to life through its leaps, spins, and delicate gestures.
http://www.divineperformingarts.org/

Here are some of the highlights from the 2008 holiday party and faculty roast on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. This year, Lucille’s Ball was held at Teachers College [the event is named for Lucille, Joseph Pulitzer’s daughter]…

• VIDEO: “Sree in my inbox” by Sonia Moghe, starring Matt Katz & Adi Narayan
• VIDEO: “Election Night Spoof” by Dan O’Donnell, Franz Strasser, starring Devin Dwyer and the broadcast majors
• VIDEO: “Oh You Lucille’s Ball” by Collin Crowell, with reporting by Ali Fenwick and Mark C. Burns
• VIDEO: “What’s Your Name, What’s Your Concentration?” by Matt Katz, Ko Im, Jeremy Herb
• SCRIPT: “New Media Mindset” by Keith Staskiewicz and Alex Lowther - the full, uncensored version, with Prof. Klatell
• FACULTY SONG: Lyrics of “I’m Dreaming of a Good Student” by Prof. Rhoda Lipton, et al

VIDEO: “Sree in my inbox” by Sonia Moghe, starring Matt Katz & Adi Narayan

VIDEO: “Election Night Spoof” by Dan O’Donnell, Franz Strasser, starring Devin Dwyer and the broadcast majors

Election Night Spoof from Franz Strasser on Vimeo

VIDEO: “Oh You Lucille’s Ball” by Collin Crowell, with reporting by Ali Fenwick and Mark C. Burns


[Learn about the origin of the historical film used by Crowell]
- - -

VIDEO: “What’s Your Name, What’s Your Concentration?”
Lyrics and lead vocals by Matt Katz
Vocals by Ko Im
Lead guitar by Jeremy Herb
[NOTE: This is the video from rehearsal; they performed the song live during the faculty roast]

- - -

SCRIPT: New Media Mindset by Keith Staskiewicz and Alex Lowther - the full, uncensored version, with Prof. Klatell.
Download the PDF of the script

- - -
FACULTY SONG: We’re Dreaming of a Good Student
- written circa 1998 by Professors Rhoda Lipton, Carole Agus, Craig Wolff, et al

We’re dreaming of a good student
Just like the ones we used to know
Where the work’s enriching
And there’s no bitching
And no excuses, don’t ya know

We’re dreaming of a good student
Who doesn’t yell or scream or whine
Where the work submitted is fine
And you don’t have to edit every line

We’re praying for a real deadline
Like when you hand it on time
And you get the facts right–without a re-write
And word lengths are close to what’s assigned

We’re dreaming of a lede and nut graf
Statistics and some context, too
Where there’s attribution by you
Where at least some facts are vaguely true

We’re dreaming of a good student
For whom good writing is knack
Journalistic skills they don’t lack
And who’ll never turn out to be a hack

We’re all grateful that we got to know you
You’ll all turn out to be just fine
You have guts and soul and you shine
And we think that your class if just divine

May your days be merry and bright
And may all your dreams turn out all right

-30-

The Arts Initiative at Columbia University
www.cuarts.columbia.edu
Discover the arts. Discover New York

The Arts Initiative and all its programs are here to make the arts and the culture a part of your educational experience here at Columbia. Whether you’re an artist, a performer, an audience member or an occasional onlooker, the Arts Initiative is your portal to the arts on and off campus. From discounted Broadway tickets to a list of all arts-related student organizations - graduate and undergraduate - to a centralized calendar of most major campus events, you can find your 24/7 campus culture connection here. These programs include:

* CU Arts, the website and portal to Arts @ Columbia, all Arts Initiative programs and many other on and off campus arts resources.
* Arts Initiative Weekly E-newsletter, the best way to stay on top of arts and culture on and off campus
* The Ticket and Information Center (The TIC), a centralized box office for on and off campus events including discounted movie vouchers ($6.50 - $8.50) for faculty, staff and students.
* The Gatsby Charitable Fund, a fund for individual students and student organizations who produce arts-related campus events and projects.
* The Passport to New York, free museum entry with student CUID to over 30 major cultural institutions in New York City
* Columbia Alumni Arts League (CAAL), an alumni program whereby members join for $25 and enjoy discounts and special benefits to over 50 cultural NYC organizations as well as connect with fellow alumni at CAAL Events.

We would not exist without your questions, IDEAS and comments! Please send them to cuarts[at]columbia.edu. Thank you and have a great fall.

www.cuarts.columbia.edu
www.tic.columbia.edu

Best,

Chad Miller
Events and Outreach Coordinator

—
Events and Outreach Coordinator
Arts Initiative at Columbia University
212.851.1875
www.cuarts.columbia.edu
www.tic.columbia.edu
facebook group: cuarts

Dear Students:

WHY and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism will be honoring the winners of the 2007 Harry Chapin Media Awards on Tuesday, October 7 starting at 6 pm at CUNY. The event will begin with a cocktail hour and CBS News Sunday Morning anchor Charles Osgood will give a keynote address.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the winners will participate in a panel discussion from 3-5 pm moderated by Trudy. The confirmed participants are: Carlos Caminada of Bloomberg Markets; Bent-Jorgan Perlmutt, a director of Lumo; Scott Haissen from The Miami Herald; Jonathan Cohn, author of Sick; John Bowe, author of Nobodies; Mona Reeder of The Dallas Morning News and Donald McNeil Jr. of The New York Times. The journalists will discuss their work and the challenges they face reporting on poverty-related issues.

Thank you so much!

Best,
Lisa

Lisa Ann Batitto
Communications Director
WHY

505 Eighth Ave., Suite 2100
New York, NY 10018
Telephone: 212-629-8850
Fax: 212-465-9274

Dear Incoming Students and Continuing PT Students:

Please note four opportunities for you to connect this week.

1. Wednesday, 6-8 pm: Happy Hour at Havana Central (113th St and Broadway).
This is not a formal J-school event - but do stop by - the right side of the
bar is where we will try to gather.

2. Thursday, 6-8 pm: Happy Hour at Lion’s Head Tavern (109th St and Amsterdam).
This is not a formal J-school event - but do stop by. The international
students will have just finished up with their all-day off-campus orientation
session.

3. Friday, 7:00pm - midnight: Olympics at the J-School. Come watch the opening ceremony
of the Beijing Olympics this Friday in the Stabile Student Center.
Bring your own snacks and refreshments.

4. Sunday, noon-???: SPJ’s J-school summer picnic at Central Park. See details
from current PTer Ko Im below. ALL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS TO HER.

BYO “Summer Lawn Party”: Attention summer part-time and incoming fall
students!

From: Ko Im
Join us before all the craziness - on the Great Hill (W. 106th St., Central
Park NW) this Sunday from noon onwards. We will bring refreshments, snacks and
a frisbee. If you’re in the area, it’ll be a casual get-together between the
international/m.s. orientation sessions. If you are new to NYC (welcome!),
please meet me at 11:45 at 110th & Amsterdam and we will walk down together.
Ko Im
Society of Professional Journalists- Columbia
ki2156[at]columbia.edu

Meanwhile, if you haven’t listened yet to the Open Mic webcast with some
of your classmates yet, please do so:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ColumbiaJournalism/2008/08/01/MEET-THE-J-SCHOOL-Open-mic-session-for-students

ARCHIVE OF ALL THE WEBCASTS: http://blogtalkradio.com/columbiajournalism

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.

Speaking of graduation, here’s video from 1979:

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”:

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.

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”)

More 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

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!

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