Journalism Day

A panel of media experts gathered during Journalism day at CSULB on Wednesday to discuss new online innovations that have been changing the way reporters produce their stories and stay in contact with their readers.

All four members of the panel agreed that innovative social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are quickly restructuring the way in which news stories are produced and distributed.

"Online is how you publish for print now," said Chris Jennewein, president of U.S. Local News Network.

Over the past few years, readers have been searching for their news online at a very accelerated rate and that change has prompted Journalists to adopt blogging and online reporting into their repertoire.

"You need to have your content where ever your readers are," said Eric Richardson, founder of Blogdowntown.

In addition to providing reporters with a new means of distribution, social networking sites also allow Journalists to connect with their readers in a way that was previoulsy impossible. "This is the first time I've gotten so much feedback in a 20 year career," said Nancy Luna, reporter for the Orange County Register.

A Collection of Competitive Minds

A group CSULB students traveled north to CSU San Jose to compete in the 24th annual Student Research Competition on Friday and Saturday, April 30-May 1, according to the CSULB website. The group was made up of 12 students,both graduates and undergraduates, who competed in the competition created for students who have obtained outstanding accomplishments in research and creative activities of different academic disciplines.

Students had 10 minutes to orally present their work to jurors who then awarded cash prizes to the first and second place winners in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions of each category.

Some of the categories included were: behavioral and social sciences; biological and agricultural sciences; business, economics and public administration; and creative arts and design.

Students earned their place in one of the 10 categories by competing in the campus’ 2010 Student Research Competition earlier this spring and earned either first-place, second-place or honorable-mention honors. Campus officials then chose the best 10 overall research presentations to move on to the statewide event.

Who Wants to go to Saturday School?

CSULB's College of Business Administraion (CBA) will be starting a master of business administration (MBA) degree program on Saturdays this fall semester, according to the CSULB website. This innovative approach will strive to teach students more then the usual MBA curriculum entails.

“There was a time when just learning about business concepts and mastering a single functional specialty was adequate for personal success," said David A. Horne, College of Business Administration MBA director and marketing professor. A majority of MBA programs teach students a fundamental set of business skills and then concentrate on advancing knowledge in a single field, such as accounting or marketing.

"However, business leaders now tell us, that for managers and recent graduates to differentiate themselves, they must develop a broad perspective to effectively solve organization-wide business problems,” said Horne.

This accelerated program will meet once a week for two classes a day during the 14-week semester. In addition to being provided with free textbooks and materials, students of this new program will have access to a writing resource center that is exclusively for MBA students.

This 21-month program is accredited by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International).

Students Have Mixed Feelings About the SWRC

With the completion of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center(SRWC) steadily approaching, some students are left wondering if the $116 increase per semester in tuition is worth it.

Students voted to have the rec. center built in 2005 with 74.7 percent voting in favor of the new building. “The student’s voice was heard,” said Monterey Powell, USU BoT Vice Chair. Even after the SRWC vote passed though, not all students were seeing the benefits of the SRWC .

“A lot of people can’t afford the tuition increase,” said Taline Smith, a second year English major. “With all this furlough nonsense, you would think people could do a better job allocating money.”

The SRWC, which is scheduled to open in late August, will be two stories tall and include a four-court gym, 30–foot rock climbing wall, in-door jogging track, pool, spa and 20 thousand square feet of weights and cardio equipment.

“I’m gonna use it, but for the people who don’t it’s gonna suck,” said Jason Chang, a third year Engineering major. The ASI estimated that a majority of students spend about $33 a month on gym memberships outside of school and the idea is that the $116 cost to use the SRWC each semester will save students money and improve the overall health of the campus.

“People who don’t work out now, will not work out when a new gym appears,” said Smith. Some students worry that with there already being gyms on campus, such as Frogs and the Gold Mine, the SRWC will just be a waste of money.