Page 181 - ThePhoenix1997-98

COMMENTARY Thursday, May 7, 1998 ~ Page 9 Salute to Departing Phoenix Staff Thanks Terry Dalton is the advisor they answer him. I don't think r will ever forget Jonathon Shacat looks of something. It must be Que to a to the PHoenix. But Jonathon is much more my first Phoenix meeting. back at his last four years past article I wrote about UPS than a curious, aggressive journal- Ionly went because Ihad some on The Phoenix. fees. This issue of the Phoenix is the ist uncovering stories thai some experience working with Page I continued working on "Lock last one that will oarry the work of might prefer not be uncovered. Maker on the Macintosh comput- I conducted a short interview and Key" for three semesters, five graduating seniors who have First in his "Lock & Key" column ers we used in my Graphic Arts with a ROTC sergeant and sat striving to provoke a change to a made enormous contributions to and later in his many articles and class in high school, and I figured down to write the article. I must college policy or at least get this newspaper and to student jour- opinion pieces, Jonathon emerged it'd be fun to help layout the pa- have spent hours. And even after people to think about and discuss nalism in general. It is time to sa- as a true champion of his fellow per. Well, 1guess another reason all that work, the finished product many of the current campus is- lute them. students. Whether it be an in-depth was because my freshmen semi- - a mere four column inches - sues. I don't know if my opin- As adviser to the Phoenix, let look at the issue of professor- stu- nar professor and the Phoenix's still seemed pathetic. Completely ions had any effects, but perhaps me try to give you some idea of dent dating or a glimpse at how advisor, Terry Dalton, pleaded frustrated, I asked then-managing what I had to say about junk mail why these five will be missed so easy it is for students to run up with his students to lend a hand to editor Lisa Hill for assistance. She made people aware of paper-sav- much. massive credit-card debt, his hard- the paper's limited staff. But, little went over what I had and made ing options. And maybe my point Adam Dean has opinions. And nosed reporting always put the stu- did I know, that'decision would some corrections. Actually, she re- of view let the faculty realiZe that for the past three years, he has dent first. Soon he'll be headed to change my life. wrote it. eliminating the foreign language shared his views with you. First as Africa for two years in the Peace When 1 arrived at the office, I It was instant gratification to see requirement would be a grave a contributor to the paper's com- Corps. Then, one hopes, back to took a seat on a sofa and said to my article in print and that's what mistake. It's too hard to say. mentary pages/and later as the the world of journalism. then-editor-in-chief Susan kept me writing. I felt I was ac- Because I studied abroad in section's editor and "Soapbox" col- If there is a true unsung hero at Sommers, "All Iwant to do is help complishing something by inform- Spain for a semester, Idiscontin- umnist, Adam has/overseen a sec: the Phoenix these past few years, with layout." She had a different ing the public. After one 'full year ued the column. Upon my return tion that grew to several pages. it may very well be Jennifer Vick. idea in mind and insisted I write of being a reporter, I showed im- I decided to go back to being a You surely did not always agree In her own unassuming way, she "a little something" about the large reporter. My articles were now with Adam's often unconventional has provided the paper with a ROTC class. I tried to convince provement in my writing and took less controversial and more fo- a position Thus as a columnist. views (once he even defended wealth of talent, most notably as her I wouldn't make a good re- came about "Lock and Key." cused. By then, Iunderstood the Glar), but I'll bet you read them. both a topnotch writer of human- porter and recall repeating the role of a journalist in society and "L&K" ~.Whether scolding, the college for interest stories and as 'the phrase "I can't write" several controversy, was a column based on took the job seriously. Iwas writ- there's no sense in ly- putting up new academic buildings Phoenix's features section editor times, but either she didn't listen ing about it. I would search for ing page one news stories, one of while the donns swell at the seams, for several semesters. or I wasn't assertive enough. good stories and write about them. which recently won third place in or second-guessing the recent al- Currently completing a suc- I left that meeting with a story This attitude quickly earned me the a national contest organized by phabet war that turned freshman cessful internship (her third over- to write. title "the most feared journalist on the Society for Collegiate Jour- orientation SO's and CA's into all) at Baltimore magazine, Jen has When Ibegan working on that campus." nalists. PM's, Adam kept his fmgers on the also served this past year as presi- first article I realized what a mis- Even to this day, Brenda So, in a few short yeers.Iwent pulse of the campus. More impor- dent of the WMC chapter of the take I had made by taking the as- Palsgrove drops her pen in shock from "Non-writer" to "Phoenix tantly, he helped turn what too of- aforementioned Society for Colle- signment. Iwas in no way capable when I enter the Academic Affairs senior staff writer." In hindsight, ten had been a blah and arcane giate Journalists. In that role, she of writing something that would Office to ask a simple question. It's I.never did do much layout for the opinion secnorr into a frank and has worked diligently to build the be read by a large group of people. like she's thinking to herself, newspaper. I did. however. gain feisty one that came to set the tone chapter into a model of student I mean, you're talking about aguy "What dirt is Jon trying to dig up a valuable skill that I could not and temperament for an entire journalism at its very best. The who had his mother write his es- now?" And even Joan Stickles have acquired ifit weren't for the newspaper. And that's no small organizational and leadership say to apply to college. And, quite quickly comes to my service when Phoenix. I'm proud to say I will thing. skills of this aspiring magazine simply, I had no clue how to write I stop by the campus post office to never let my mother write any- If Adam Dean gave the journalist will be difficult to re- a news story. buy a stamp. She too, seems scared thing for me again. Phoenix's commentary pages more place. vim and vigor, Michelle Hamilton When I think of Chris Iian WiI- gave them something equally im- wohl, the seasoned news editor of portant: a professional and inviting the Phoenix, I think of the con- Letters to the Editor, Cont'd look. Indeed, one of the first things science of the newspaper. As both Michelle did when she took over a student journalist and a member as editor-in-chief in January 1996 of my Media Ethics class last fall, Dew We or Don't We lege has an exclusive contract with any other college - scoreboards, was to totally redo and modernize Christian consistently demon- Coca-Cola, Mr. Bosley arranged for ground improvements (suches steps a section that needed a new face. strated a keen sense of fair play and Has Western Maryland College Pepsi products to be allowed to remain leading down to the sports fietd). It Fifteen months later, Michelle's compassion in both his words and been affected by the Coke and Pepsi in the bookstore. It was understood that seems to me that should the school persistent efforts paid off with a na- deeds. If a story of his own or an- war? You bet we have. in the event of a problem with Pepsi in decide to change to an exclusive con- tional award for editorial page de- other reporter's tilted too much to In February, our Barnes & Noble the future, the bookstore would change tract with Pepsi, changes to score- sign and content from the Society one side, he would restore the bal- bookstore removed Pepsi products to Coca-Cola Unfortunately, this board advertising and soda vending for Collegiate Journalists. ance. If an article seemed slightly from the shelves. As an avid Moun- problem has arrived and been resolved machines will automatically take But her contributions went well more negative than it needed to be, tain Dew drinker, Ibegan to ask why without the consumers (students, staff, place since Pepsi would not allow beyond that. Just a sophomore he would find a way to give it a has the consumer's choice been lim- and faculty of Western Maryland Col- Coca-Cola's logo to be present in when she became editor, Michelle more positive spin. ited in this way? In talking to Kyle lege) being allowed to voice their opin- their exclusive territory. Advertising accelerated and expanded the Always a gifted news reporter Meloche, Manager Campus Book- ion in the switch. I believe that had the rights shouJd be basic components paper's welcome turnaround in the and writer, Christian's output this store, I discovered that ourchoice was consumers been involved in this situa- offuture mid-90s that had begun under her past year reached new heights _ limited for a questionable reason, tion, we could have made a difference contracts. Do the consumers have predecessor. During her two-se- three or more quality articles in a "poor service from Pepsi Corpora- in the quality of service received from to give in to this blackmail by being mester editorship, the paper began single issue was not an uncommon lion." Deliveries were repeatedly de- Pepsi Corporation. made to choose between their pref- to achieve what every student sight. Whether journalism is in his layedandrnixedup. Kyle,outoffrus- Ethan Seidel, Vice President of erence and whether or not we get a newspaper longs for but only a few future or not, I'm not sure. But tration, decided to eliminate this pr0b- Administration and Finance, new scoreboard? obtain: respect. whatever career path he chooses, lem with Pepsi guaranteed me that the student's choice What do theconswners at West- In 13 years of advising two stu- he will bring to it the very highest by joining with the College'S exclu- will be on the top of his list when he ern Maryland College want? In a dent newspapers, I have never of professional and ethical stan- sive contract with the Coca-Cola Cor- reviews the new contracting options. survey of 40 randomly selected con- known a student to change more dards. poration. This was not enough of an They may on1y offer exclusive con- sumers, 75% expressed a desire for over four years than Jonathon So to these five graduating se- answer to appease me. I decided to tracts. He stated that he was not the Pepsi to retwn. Have we been af- Shacat. A shy, quiet student in my niors, I say thank you. Your com- see what I could do to get the bever- individual who signed the present con- fected bythe conflict between Coca- fall, 1994 freshman seminar class, bined contributions over the past age of my choice restocked. tract with Coca-Cola and would need Cola and Pepsi? Absolutely! The Jonathon joined the Phoenix later four years to this newspaper can- First, I spoke to Bany Bosley, Di- to review the current contract more individual Western Maryland Col- that year and gradually became the not be accurately measured. Your rector of Auxiliary Services and Fa- closely to see how the contracting pro- lege consumer shou1d not be forced paper's top news reporter. The work has set a standard for the cilities Management, and found that cess works. to choose between a scoreboard and same student who rarely spoke a Phoenix that others will strive to the bookstore and the college are 0p- How do theexcJusive contracts af- a soda, but what do I really know, word in that Media Ethics class reach in the years ahead. To you erated independently of each other. fect the consumers at Western Mary- I'mjust a Mountain Dew activist. now fires off e-mails to Provost all, good luck and good journal- Coca-Cola has an exclusive contract land College? Coach Carpenter said, Coley and President Chambers ism. with Western Maryland College for? "Coke does no more for us on an inter- AbigaH D. Engel when he needs information. And years. In spite of the fact that the CoI- collegiate athletic level than they do for