JMC Wrap-up

As I complete my JMC degree at the University of Northern Colorado, the thing that sticks out most in my mind is the experience I have gained in the journalism world. Aside from the real life first-hand reporting, editing and production experience I have received from my time working at The Mirror, the courses I have taken part in as a JMC major have counted most in the development of my desire to persevere through the troublesome times that have fallen upon the world of the press.
Visual Journalism was one of the first JMC courses I enrolled in after changing my course of study to journalism. This course, taken several years ago, is what initially opened my eyes to the necessity of the media convergence that is occurring in the press. I then fully understood my ability to incorporate my passions for photography and film in storytelling.

As I continued my studies, I acquired further strength in my abilities and found new passions in upper level courses such as Magazine Writing, News Editing and Layout and Advanced News and Feature Writing. These courses further enhanced my skills in both the reporting and production sides of journalism. I have never seen that much was missing in the JMC curriculum at UNC, but rather that the program showed me that I must go out and fetch what I need, and to let little to nothing stand in the way of what I want. This is how I will continue to think in my future career as a journalist. If I want to work for a major magazine publication, like Rolling Stone or National Geographic, I may have to start small, but I have to go out and make it happen.

Passport prices increase

The cost of applying for a U.S. passport is soon to increase by 35 percent. The current price of obtaining a first-time passport is $100, and the price after the proposed increase will be $135. Official dates of implementation have not been announced, but it is sure to occur. If someone wants to renew his or her passport, the new price for doing so will be $110, up from $75. What is even worse, an outrageous additional fee of $82 will be put in place for passport holders wishing to add extra pages to their booklets. This service has always been provided for free.

Fortunately, the U.S. has not yet been faced with the multiple upsurges in passport fees that the U.K. has had to deal with – three increases in 2 years totaling a growth of 70 percent.

The proposed hike in fees is supposed to be used for increasing anti-fraud and other security measures.

By and large, the moral here is if someone has been hesitating to apply for a passport, the time to stop procrastinating is rapidly approaching – the price increase is to occur by the end of this month. One can expect extra-long waits due to an onslaught of people trying to save this $35 (or more).

UNC students can apply for a U.S. passport at the Center for International Education's Passport Application Office in the University Center.

Soon it will be costing American citizens even more to get out of the U.S., when it currently costs little to nothing to get into this country.

Debt and rioting prevalent in Athens

Greece’s economy currently does not have a strong standing. Regarding the fact that UNC’s Center for International Education has a student program journeying to Athens this coming summer, the crisis occurring in Greece is of high concern.

The socialist party in Greece took control of the government in October and Prime Minister George Papandreou said he is determined to cut the budget deficit, assist the nation’s poor citizens and help the country recover its lost credibility. The government anticipates the public debt to increase from from 2009’s rate of 113.4 percent of GDP to 121 percent, yet the European Union predicts the rise to reach 125 percent. Either way, the debt crisis will still be the most severe in the EU.

President Obama wants to raise the amount of U.S. exports over the coming years. But this goal will be difficult if Greece’s debt is not contained. If things get worse in Europe, the strength of the dollar will rise in relation to the euro, in turn making exports more expensive. Therefore, Greece’s financial problems have the potential to weaken the euro and cause the amount of U.S. exports to fall, causing issues for America, as well as Europe as a whole.

Further and more urgently, destructive riots have recently broken out in the streets of Athens – something that is recurrent every few years – as nearly 60,000 people protested the cash-strapped government.

Greece’s financial concern currently takes a backseat to the safety issue that UNC’s CIE department has to consider.

Observing CIE

Two weeks ago, I spent the better part of a day observing the happenings of the UNC Center for International Education study abroad division. Soon, this “Day in the Life” story will be uploaded here on my Bears Abroad blog.

Spending the day in the CIE office, I realized that in obtaining information for such a story a reporter can never know when the most important time might be. The day began quite slowly, but activities picked up tremendously in a short period of time and the office was quickly flooded with interested students.

I now understand the importance of becoming fully immersed in ones beat. I couldn’t become an expert in my beat without understanding how difficult it is to stay in contact with the “actors” in the study abroad department.

I had the opportunity to speak with many different groups of people that day. The coordinators discussed their regular routine. Students dedicated to a study abroad program spoke of their excitement of traveling. Still, other students showed up to voice their interests and concerns in considering a program that might be right for them.

Overall, the day turned out to be fun, informative and eye-opening. I’ve only just begun my experience with CIE, but I am extremely excited about what is still to come.

Welcome to Bears Abroad

I created this blog to jump start my experience in the industry and develop my abilities in the cross between blogging and journalism. I have always been open to new methods of offering information and admit I am somewhat behind in the realm of blogging. Nonetheless, I am here to catch up.

As a senior at the University of Northern Colorado, I have nearly completed my degree in journalism and mass communications with a news-editorial emphasis. The first journalism course I was enrolled in was Visual Journalism with Gary Swanson. The class began just as professor Swanson had returned from covering the Olympic Games in China. This course elevated my interest in travel writing and photo journalism.

Over the past year, I have been working as a editor and reporter for the UNC Mirror student newspaper, beginning as a co-A&E editor and currently as a copy editor. I will be traveling to Greece this coming summer with a communications group from UNC and will continue blogging during my time abroad.

In covering the UNC Center for International Education as my beat, I hope to thoroughly prep myself for my own journey abroad while informing and updating the UNC community about important issues and interests concerning areas to which UNC has study abroad programs. As an arts and entertainment reporter, I have largely covered the music program at UNC and have received excellent feedback from its members. However, covering CIE will be the heftiest beat I have taken on as of yet.

I am very passionate about my writing endeavors. My writing is generally kept simple so as not to have it bogged down with unnecessary commentary, but I still manage to throw in some pizazz. I also tend to stress about the thoroughness of my reporting, which may seem like a weakness, but will ultimately amount to one of my biggest strengths.

The burden of consistent blogging carries an air of overwhelming necessity, but I also see it as a new and invaluable step in the growth toward my goals as a travel writer and photo journalist. I will learn that their is a much broader scope to the field of journalism as well as the world in general.