Final Feature

IS CONTROVERSIAL EDUCATION AN APPROPRIATE METHOD?

By Paul Ellis















Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative pundit, spoke at Stetson Chapel on Nov. 14 about the conservative approach towards feminism in order to expose a conservative viewpoint around a topic that is important on the Kalamazoo College campus.
This was the purpose of bringing in Schlafly: to show a conservative position about a topic that is large on our liberal campus and to promote discussion about different views that many believe are not equally represented on campus, according to Andy Lukas, vice president of the college republicans.
Schlafly’s visit brought a large amount of awareness to campus. On the day of her visit, many students who opposed her viewpoints wore shirts that said ‘I do NOT support Schlafly,’ a group of students wrote and distributed a newsletter, The Feminist, that argued Schlafly’s points in several different columns written by students.
Using topics that create dialogue and require students to think from a different perspective is the form of education for students to expand their thinking to a different
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perspective and is the purpose behind the Liberal Arts Colloquium, or LAC, goal. LACs are education presentations that include lectures from scholars, presentations from significant artists, talks and panels that discuss topics from disciplinary perspectives to pressing contemporary issues with the ideas of the pursuit of knowledge, artistic innovation, intercultural understanding, and moral inquiry fueling the topics.
According to Jennifer Einspahr, associate professor of political science, the number one goal is education. “That is the philosophy of the LAC goal, to expose people to information they normally wouldn’t encounter otherwise.”
For a group that normally brings in speakers that are considered ‘controversial,’
the LAC goal is the goal of the College Republicans. According to Lukas, “Controversial speakers are a tool to get as many people talking as possible, and if after going to hear another side of an argument, they are reaffirmed, that’s fine by me. If they are converted, that’s fine by me, but if they were unsure and get a stance, that’s great. Also, we try to bring in shocking people sometimes to try and get more attendance, and if for no other reason to get people talking. I think the majority of our group disagrees with some of Schlafly’s points, but we did it to start dialogue.”
The requirement of 25 LACs to graduate can be a hassle according to several students, but events that introduce controversial topics usually end up being informative as long as they are attended with an open mind.
Liz Pittman, a member of the women’s resource center, said “LACs are for education, some are boring but you can learn from them. And the system isn’t too bad. There are so many to pick and choose from. You can go to the ones you like, and over
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the course of four years, 25 isn’t a ridiculous amount.”
There are also other students who feel that despite having to attend LACs, they are beneficial.
Amelia Laing, another member of the women’s resource center said, “The annoying thing is that you have to do it, and having it mandatory makes it irritating but people wouldn’t go in their free time if they weren’t required. I have gone not wanting to, then come out learning something. The only thing is, you need a certain mindset, and if you can do that, LACs are very beneficial.”
Exposing yourself to a variety of viewpoints, ideas, and thoughts allows the formulating of an educated opinion about a topic after hearing what each side has to offer. These are the ideas behind a liberal arts education and how a liberal arts education is obtained.
“It goes back to the liberal arts idea. It’s valuable to entertain and listen to the ideas of the people with whom you disagree with. And even if you think something is right, it’s good to challenge it from time to time so that it holds its weight,” said Einspahr.
This is not necessarily the case when it comes to a speaker that has a drastically different viewpoint than the majority of the campus. This is usually the cause for a negative reaction from a group on campus that has opposite viewpoints from the speaker.
As seen in the Schlafly forum and other speakers in the past at Kalamazoo College, there is a general disrespect from the crowd that can be seen throughout the presentations with laughing, scoffing, and inattentiveness.
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Kevin Groth, a member of student commission, said, “I don’t agree with the points that every speaker on campus makes, but those views aren’t present as much as liberal views. It is very embarrassing to be associated with the Kalamazoo College student body at controversial presentations. For the most part, the theatrics, personal attacks, and attempts to disprove opposing viewpoints are unnecessary and out of line.”
Even though a view is not shared between groups, information can still be obtained from those who have more experience. According to Laing, “You can dislike and disagree but you have to respect others’ views. They reason people bring speakers in is because they have been around the block, they know more, and they bring their experience to campus.”
The best time for a student to expand their views and understanding of a subject is at these particular LACs. They can learn about the topic from another viewpoint and respond in different and positive ways. With controversial speakers that talk on campus, “the hope is that people think about it and not just react emotionally, we ought to
be able to entertain this stuff, and if the ideas are stupid, it doesn’t harm us. We become enriched by it, if we approach it with the right attitude,” said Einspahr.



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Crime Press Release

*Info obtained from blotter at the Oakland County Sheriffs Department*

CRIME PRESS RELEASE/Ellis


HIGH SPEED CHASE ENDS WITH DRUGS AND ARREST
By Paul Ellis



Rochester Hills, Mich.-A 33-year-old Pontiac resident was arrested last Wednesday after a high-speed chase with Oakland County Sheriff's deputies from Rochester Hills into Pontiac, police said. The man arrested may face charges of assault, home invasion, and criminal sexual conduct according to the Oakland County Sheriffs Department.
According to authorities, the man, a could-be drug dealer, broke into a 28-year-old woman's house on several occasions at the Rochester Estates Trailer Park. He took belonging from her while also demanding money and sexually assaulting her over the past several months. Police said it is still unclear why the man demanded money, whether because of drug compensation or something else.
Police described the events as follows: last Tuesday, according to police, the man broke in and took off with the woman's computer. She called the sheriff's department on Wednesday telling police that the man was heading to her house to obtain more compensation or money, according to police. As the man left the woman's house, deputies pulle dhim over outside the trailer complex. As the officers approached his car, the woman was thrown out and the man sped off.
Police used several different methods to stop the suspect's car such as stop sticks and boxing him in with patrol cars, both of which he ran through. The patrol car barricade forced the driver to swerve off the road where he was stopped and arrested.
Dugs and scales were discovered in the car of the suspect by police.


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Obit Review

THE HISTORY OF THE LEG PROPELLING THE LIONS
By Paul Ellis

Jason Douglas Hanson (Thunderfoot) died last night at his home in Detroit after a brilliant career placekicking for the Detroit Lions.
Hanson, born June 17, 1970 in Spokane, Wash., was the Detroit Lions all time leading scorer and only their second kicker in the past 25 years.
A graduate of Mead High School in Spokane, Wash., Hanson was a tri-sport athlete earning first team All-State and the All-Greater Spokane League honors as a kicker and punter.
Upon graduation from high school, Hanson attended Washington State University. Hanson set seven NCAA records at WSU. Hanson earned All-American honors in college as a kicker and punter. He graduated from WSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-med holding a 3.8 GPA, earning Academic All-American honors.
Following his final season at WSU, Hanson was drafted by the Detroit Lion. Prior to beginning his professional careern, Hanson married his wife, Kathleen. They now have two sons, Ryan and Luke, and a daughter, Jessica.
When asked how he feels about spending his entire career with the Lions, he replied "I feel good about it. It's something that I hoped would happen, so when the Lions approached me about setting something up and it worked out, my family and I were very happy about it."
His records for the Lions are as numerous as in college. Career points, longest field goal, field goals made, field goals attempted, Pro Bowl selections, and 17 game-winning field goals.
After being asked about his role in games and the pressure he faces, he said "I put the same pressure on myself no matter what the game situation is. I still have to prepare the same way. It doesn't matter if I'm kicking one field goal or if I'm kicking six."

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Well Done

Baby's Body Burned in Grill

This article was written about a couple who killed their children and burned them in order to hide the evidence. The author did a good job at attributing all of the facts to police and authorities. The author did a good job of nailing the 5 W's in the lede in this hard news lede. The author also made effective details play into the story in order to add to the drama of the story. The author also nailed the other aspects of a hard news lede to make this a pertinent and effective hard news story.

Where is the Sony Hero?

The author uses a summary lede describing how the video game market is still booming, despite PS3 sucking it up and falling behind. The author uses statistics and figure to show how PS3 is falling far behind the XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii because of the lack of successful mainstream titles for the system such as Guitar Hero by Activision. This author also uses an interview with a member of a organization that studies home entertainment to discuss the problems with the PS3 and why they aren't competing in the market. The article is written well to inform the readers with statistics and believable interviews.

U.S. Aid to Pakistan
In this article, the author uses a good, hard lede to answer the five W's. The article is written in a timely manner, but the article could have been written at any point in time describing the aid we offered to a middle eastern country. The article also discusses the Pakistan point of view, giving two sides to the story creating a stronger argument for the delivering of this article to the reader.

Barry Bonds - The Cheater

This article is a profile of the man who helped indict Barry Bonds for perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to the grand jury about using steroids. The article talks about the position and work schedule of this man's job and the work he has to do after hours, such as listening in on phone calls and digging through trash. Discussing Mr. Novitzky's credibility is respected by everyone except for the defendants of Barry Bonds. Using quotes from people he has even convicted saying he did what his job entails. So using these methods, the author uses facts and the biases to describe this man and what type of a job he does.

Article Review

Race Issues in Detroit

This article discusses the problems of race in Detroit. Using more of a narrative lede than a hard lede for the news story. The author uses quotes and personal accounts of incidents with race to prove the point that this is a problem in the city. The author also uses an interview with the head of a committee to look at the problem of race and how it has changed since the 1960s. This is a good use of quotes to add meaning to an article.

Crime Writing Revised

DEATH AND FIRE/Ellis

CHILD DIES AND MATTAWAN RESIDENT ARRESTED FOR CONNECTIONS WITH FIRE

By Paul Ellis

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Tiffany Blanchard, 3, died this morning due to smoke inhalation suffered because of a fire at 1275 Monroe St. in the Oakwood Duplex.

A 33-year-old native of Mattawan and a juvenile were arrested by police early this morning as suspects related to the fire.

According to Deputy Chief Patricia Clarksen of the Kalamazoo Fire Dept., the events of this morning are as follows: firefighters of the 2^nd and 4^th companies arrived on the scene to the complex engulfed in flames. Of the 10 known tenants, seven were accounted for by the time the fire department arrived. Three children trapped inside the burning building were rescued by two firefighters, Samuel Walshe of 4^th Company and James O’Brian of 2^nd Company.

The children were taken to Bronson Memorial Hospital and admitted to the emergency room at 3:12 a.m. Tiffany Blanchard, 3, died due to smoke inhalation at 3:57 a.m. Her older brothers Tory, 5, and Terry, 6, were treated for minor injuries and released later that morning, according to hospital officials.

Lt. Regina Santarpio of the Kalamazoo Police Dept said neighbors saw a man

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running from the complex after midnight with a canister in his hand and a juvenile loitering around the scene. The police said they arrested Vincent DeNofrio, 33, from Mattawan, and a 16-year-old, also from Mattawan, as primary suspects in this case. Their arraignment is tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Santarpio said Marie Blanchard, 32, and DeNofrio were frequently at her apartment together according to tenants. They had seen him at her house on several occasions, and according to Santarpio, he is the estranged boyfriend of Blanchard.

“What I can say without question, there is a nexus between Marie Blanchard, Vincent DeNofrio, and the fire,” Santarpio said.

According to Fire Marshall Sam Johnson, an accelerant had been used that was sniffed out by Smokey, the fire department’s black lab. There also were no smoke detectors inside the building, and it suffered upwards of $250,000 in damages, according to Clarksen.

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Narrative Article

Space Stations is Repaired

This article, about how an astronaut went out on a mission to repair a solar array. Using descriptive and powerful verbs, the author portrayed how difficult and crucial of a mission this was for the repair technician who had to risk his life and travel out to the array and repair it. He takes the readers through the dangers of these tiny damages to the space stations and the aftermath it causes in delays of sending supplies and planning repairs on the space station dramatically due to the amount of research needed to discover exactly what the problem is.

This used good narrative article techniques to make an effective story.

Speech Review

Five Kalamazoo alumni, four athletic teams, and two retired professors were recognized for their superior achievement during their tenure at Kalamazoo College last Friday.


In order to improve this piece:
Interview audience members after the ceremony
Write observations of the audience throughout the awards.
Talk to the award recipients and inductees into the Hall of Fame for first person emotions and quotes from them.

Article Review

Fires Threaten Homes in Los Angeles

As with any hard news lead, this article covers the five W's in the opening sentence.
Who-Pepperdine University, homes and businesses.
Where-Malibu canyon, Northwest of Los Angeles.
When-Today
What-Wind-driven bush fires
Why-Hot climate and dry conditions.
Also, this was printed in a timely manner because it occurred today and caused a large amount of damage to a major university near a large city in the highest
populated state in the country.

Obituary Review

AHSON OBITUARY/Ellis

JEFFREY AHSON, NAVAL ENSIGN, DIES AT 79

By Paul Ellis





KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Jeffrey R Ahson, a native of Chico Calif, died yesterday at his home due to emphysema at age 79.
"Ahson was a genuine American hero," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeraldine Fyfe.
Mr. Ahson was promoted to ensign after his display of bravery at the Battle of Midway. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Navy Cross for crossing the burning deck of the USS Emery to pull four wounded sailors and a wounded gunner to safety followed by manning the gunner's seat and shooting down three enemy fighter planes.
After retiring from the military, Mr. Ahson moved to Kalamazoo and joined the Kalamazoo Fire Department where he worked until 1966. He collected firefighting memorabilia and was part of a group that restored a firetruck. He used the restored truck to drive to local elementary schools teaching fire safety to the children at those schools. After retiring from the fire department, he became a car salesman where he worked until 1985.
Mr. Ahson became the post comander of the American Legion 702 and the VFW 4206 in Kalamazoo. He also became a member of Elks Lodge, Gideons International, the National Checkers Association, and was an usher at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Ahson married Therese Alpert and they had three children, Richer Ahson, of Philipsburg, Kan; Lela Stalling, of Pipecreek, Texas; and Angela Molino, of Omaha, Neb. He had a brother and two sisters. Henry Ahson, of San Francisco; Judith Eaker, of Reedsville, N.C.; and Shirley Solomon, of Newark, N.J. along with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Viewing will be held this Friday, 4:00-5:30 and 7:30-9:00 PM at Littleton Mortuary and the burial will be held Saturday at 10:00 AM at Memorial Park Cemetery. The family requests no flowers.




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Weekend Obituary

Bud Ekins, Stunt Cyclist, Dies at 77

The obituary related to the death of Bud Ekins was written almost identically to the 'anatomy of an obituary' described in class with only a few pieces missing. The lead answered who died with a brief summary of who they were. Following that, a narrative of his feats and stunts were blended with quotes of family and friends that described the type of person he was making the reader almost feel like they knew Mr. Ekins. Movies he was a stuntman for, personal activities such as motocross were mentioned along with his racing titles and bitter defeats due to his 'push it to the limit' mind set. Finally the article closed out with a list of family members that were quoted describing how wonderful Ekins was to the family and his knowledge about the dangers of his profession. The elements that were missing from this obituary were the narrative of his early life prior to his professional carreer, his memberships, and the services related to the death.

Exercise 1, Page 181

According to a new order passed in Meriden, Connecticut, a ban was made that stopped police officers from using radar guns inside of trooper cars due to a recent study thaty said proglonged use of these radar guns will cause cancer.

This ban passed yesterday was ordered as a precaution as more studies are conducted relating the links between cancer and the use of radar guns. This ban removed 70 guns from the inside of troop cars, however, they will be used on the outside of their cruisers.

According to Adam Berluti, a state officer, "the feeling here is to err on the side of caution until more is known about the issue."

This ban was provoked by three municipal officers in Connecticut filed workers' compensation claims declaring they developed cancer due to prolonged use of the radar guns.

The Next Leap for Linux

"Circuits"

The article, "The Next Leap for Linux," describes how the Linux operating system is making a second run at becoming more widely known and popular than it has been in the past. Even though this is a soft lead, this article uses a blend of long, informative sentences with short and direct sentences to emphasize the benefits and drawbacks to using the Linux OS for computers. The columnist starts off this piece by describing what everyday electronics are controlled by Linux software while gradually moving into how Linux is designed and is making its way onto commercial laptops for business and personal use. He follows the inverted pyramid format moving from general information about the companies producing Linux OS laptops to information about how to obtain a Linux OS disc and where to search for other applications to use while booting in the Linux Operation System.


New York Times

Hard News Lead 03OC07

A federal jury in Manhattan found yesterday that Madison Square Garden and Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas sexually discriminated against a former top executive and ordered that the company and its chairman — but not the team’s coach — pay her $11.6 million in punitive damages.

New York Times
Many of the characteristics of a hard news lede were in this introduction. The 5 W's were answered, the article was printed in a timely fashion considering the verdict was passed yesterday. Also, this article has immediate significance in relation to sexual harassment in the workplace.