So, the semester is coming to an end, and our last paper is over and done with. It didn't get printed correctly, though, so we have to wait until tomorrow to get our hands on the damn thing.
I guess now would be the most appropriate time to compile a list of things that I've learned over the semester.
- I have to fake being nice sometimes. I thought I would only have to deal with that at work, but oh no, making a good impression is always really important, so I have to act like some sappy kiss ass. Fantastic.
- i had to learn just about everything about news writing. Leads, quick to the point, no room for bullshit, etc etc. I had always excelled in my english classes, and I didn't necessarily stop to think that articles would be that different from essays. They really are, though. It's kind of insane. I mean, the idea is the same, and there's the thesis and all that. But there's just something about it that is so different. The content varies. You know, the essays that I write all the time are generally an analysis of something, whether it be a film, book, poem, or anything of that nature. With articles I'm the one delivering information to people. I don't have to prove WHY something happened, I just have to let people know that it did. Raising awareness FTW! Woo!
- Interviews are much more complicated than I imagined. Some people [as I experienced with my first article] DO NOT like being interviewed. They don't want their name printed, or anything. It's lame, and stupid, and I hate that journalists sometimes have terrible reputations. You think people would just be....better. Then they wouldn't have to worry about shit. Buh. So, an interview can either go really well, or really terribly, depending on the attitude of the interviewee. Now, another factor is that an interview might go really well, but you might get shitty information. They might not tell you anything interesting. One guy I spoke to kept talking about the same thing over and over again, but he just worded it differently each time. I wanted to smack the guy! BLAH!
- Selling ads kind of sucks. I'm not really a fan, and I suck at bargaining/negotiating with people. I'm not clever/sly enough to pull it off. People always want to pay less than we ask, and it pisses me off. I just end up getting frustrated with people. I don't want to do business stuff. No thank you.
- I can't believe how many errors I've found after people have exported their shit. HELLO!!!!!! Skimming over a page doesn't mean that you caught all the errors! You have to READ every fucking word! lsfjgldksgjl;sgjlk;djfkl;sjfgl;kdfjgasdf
- I learned how to use InDesign! Granted, I'd never had to use it before, and I had no idea what it was before this semester, I still learned how to meander around the program and do a thing or two for design.
- I learned a lot about myself this semester. I initially took journalism because I wanted to be sure that I wasn't missing out on something that I might enjoy more than what I'm currently doing. I wanted to be sure that majoring in music was the right choice for me. I thought that since I loved writing, journalism would be a great thing to try. I learned that music is definitely what I'll want to do for the rest of my life, and that I have the capability to do a lot more than I give myself credit for. I just need to get out there and do what needs to be done. I can't put things off. I have to be the responsible one; I can't rely on anyone else.
- As a whole, we all learned how to interact with other people, how to work in a sometimes stressful environment without ripping peoples' heads off, and how to put together a really great paper. We learned how to criticize people without insulting them, and I learned that I'm kind of intimidating, and all I need to do is stick up for myself.
This class was a really great experience for me, and I'm sad that I won't be able to come back next semester. I'll definitely stop by when I can, and I'll make everyone I know read the paper when it comes out! I made some really great friends that I'll continue to hang out with, and I hope that everyone else was able to gain as much as I did from working on The Voice this semester.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I think that Thursday is going to be interesting. I won't be there to see how things go, and IF EVERYTHING ISN'T SPELLED CORRECTLY I'M GOING TO BE PISSED.
It's just so annoying to keep finding spelling errors after all this time. Maybe I SHOULD take it upon myself to read every story myself. But I'm not going to be there at the next layout night, so someone PLEASE do me a favor and make sure the grammar, spelling, and punctuation is correct! RAWR!
Anyway, I'm kind of bummed out that I won't be able to be in newspaper production next semester. Everyone is really cool and fun to be around, and I hope I can still help out somehow. That would really be cool. I guess we'll see what happens.
It's just so annoying to keep finding spelling errors after all this time. Maybe I SHOULD take it upon myself to read every story myself. But I'm not going to be there at the next layout night, so someone PLEASE do me a favor and make sure the grammar, spelling, and punctuation is correct! RAWR!
Anyway, I'm kind of bummed out that I won't be able to be in newspaper production next semester. Everyone is really cool and fun to be around, and I hope I can still help out somehow. That would really be cool. I guess we'll see what happens.
This isn't the exact version that went in the paper, but it's good enough, right? Hahah.
To kick start the holiday season, Cabrillo Jazz Instructor Ray Brown and his Great Big Band will perform tonight in the College Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The band consists of mostly All Star musicians from San Francisco, accompanied by some former students and Ray's brother Steve Brown, who will be playing guitar and drums.
Throughout this afternoon, there will be various clinics available to all students specializing in saxophone, trombone, trumpet, rhythm, and improvisation. For more information, please contact the cabrillo music department.
For 33 years, Ray Brown has been educating Cabrillo College students about jazz improvisation, theory, and arranging.
Brown was hired in 1975 by Lile Cruse, who was looking to expand the jazz studies program at Cabrillo. After being on the road with the Stan Kenton Band for a year and a half, Brown taught part time in New York, and finally found what he was looking for here at Cabrillo.
“This was a complete jazz job,” said Brown. “Which were few and far between at that time. …There were very few places, if anywhere, that had a full-time jazz only position. So this was very special.”
Brown's experience with the hiring process was difficult, but definitely worth it.
“It was a long day,” said Brown. “I played at a wedding the night before from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am and I took a 6:30 am plane out of Kennedy, flew to San Francisco and then came [to Cabrillo] to run a rehearsal and play and I had interviews and so on and so forth. Then I got back on a plane and got back to New York at 7 in the morning and made it in time to teach my class at 9:00 in the morning.”
But Brown didn't always plan on being a teacher, “Up to my senior year in high school, I was going to go to Cornell for Hotel Administration. I was going to run a hotel, and the reason was so that I could have a jazz club in it that I could play in. In January of my senior year in high school, I realized the musical abilities that my parents had given me. I just thought everybody could do what I could do. I could do a lot of things, but it wasn't anything special, because in my family, I was the worst one. I never realized that other people couldn't write charts and improvise and stuff like that. I thought everybody did that. And only then did I realize how advanced I was from other people. Because in my house, it was the norm. At that point I decided to go into music. I really wasn't sure, but within a year I realized I was in the right place. From that point on I knew what I wanted to do.”
Brown went to Ithaca College in upstate New York, and studied classical music theory. As a junior he ran the Jazz Lab Band, which, he says, benefitted him greatly. He was able to learn how to work with his friends, but run a great band at the same time.
However, most of Brown's education came from his father, who started jazz education in America in 1944. Glenn Brown had elementary jazz bands, junior high jazz bands, and high school jazz bands in Long Beach, NY, and Ray's biggest influence has come from his experiences as a kid.
“Whatever I teach my students comes from how my dad taught me,” said Brown. “My whole curriculum is based on what I learned from him.”
Aside from what Ray learned at home, he gained playing experience in his father's jazz camp at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
“We had classes in arranging, copying, and improvisation. We rehearsed every day for an hour, and we had sectionals every day. After about two weeks we would go out and play four or five nights a week at all the camps around the lake.”
“That was an unbelievable education for me,” said Brown. “Nothing I could have gotten anywhere else.”
After graduating from college, Brown went into the army. He and some friends joined an Army Band, knowing that it would guarantee them the opportunity to play, and after one year, Brown found out that the army started a jazz band. Modeled after Glenn Miller's Big Band, the Airmen of Note, the Army's Studio Band was formed, and Ray found a way to join the band.
“I don't know how I did this, but they only had four trumpets and I convinced them to go to five.”
Ray became the jazz trumpet player for the band, and he was also a writer. He was able to rehearse the band and again find himself working amongst his peers. With this experience he learned that he was on the same level as some of the greatest players in the world, which he had not known when he was growing up.
When it came time for Ray to leave the band, he had made friends with these great musicians, some of whom had played with Stan Kenton. Two months after leaving the service, Ray received a call from Stan Kenton, asking if he would play with his band. To which Ray says, “Of course I said yes.”
Ray toured with Stan Kenton's Band for a year and a half as the jazz trumpet player, and ran all of the jazz improvisation clinics they held, which provided him with plenty of practice with teaching and running classes. He traveled and played in every club and major performance venue in the world.
After his experience with Stan Kenton, Ray got his master's degree and married Sue Brown, who is also a music instructor at Cabrillo. The two freelanced in New York for about two years before moving to California for Ray's position at Cabrillo, and after about five years, Sue was hired to run the strings and chamber music program.
Brown can now write and play for whatever he wants. When he was a freelancer he had to take every performance and job he got called for.
“That's the kind of stuff that teaching allows me to do on the side. That's what's really been cool about being here. As well as the students I've worked with; there have been a number of great players and it's been a pleasure to work with those people and see them go around and become major forces in the music world.”
To kick start the holiday season, Cabrillo Jazz Instructor Ray Brown and his Great Big Band will perform tonight in the College Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The band consists of mostly All Star musicians from San Francisco, accompanied by some former students and Ray's brother Steve Brown, who will be playing guitar and drums.
Throughout this afternoon, there will be various clinics available to all students specializing in saxophone, trombone, trumpet, rhythm, and improvisation. For more information, please contact the cabrillo music department.
For 33 years, Ray Brown has been educating Cabrillo College students about jazz improvisation, theory, and arranging.
Brown was hired in 1975 by Lile Cruse, who was looking to expand the jazz studies program at Cabrillo. After being on the road with the Stan Kenton Band for a year and a half, Brown taught part time in New York, and finally found what he was looking for here at Cabrillo.
“This was a complete jazz job,” said Brown. “Which were few and far between at that time. …There were very few places, if anywhere, that had a full-time jazz only position. So this was very special.”
Brown's experience with the hiring process was difficult, but definitely worth it.
“It was a long day,” said Brown. “I played at a wedding the night before from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am and I took a 6:30 am plane out of Kennedy, flew to San Francisco and then came [to Cabrillo] to run a rehearsal and play and I had interviews and so on and so forth. Then I got back on a plane and got back to New York at 7 in the morning and made it in time to teach my class at 9:00 in the morning.”
But Brown didn't always plan on being a teacher, “Up to my senior year in high school, I was going to go to Cornell for Hotel Administration. I was going to run a hotel, and the reason was so that I could have a jazz club in it that I could play in. In January of my senior year in high school, I realized the musical abilities that my parents had given me. I just thought everybody could do what I could do. I could do a lot of things, but it wasn't anything special, because in my family, I was the worst one. I never realized that other people couldn't write charts and improvise and stuff like that. I thought everybody did that. And only then did I realize how advanced I was from other people. Because in my house, it was the norm. At that point I decided to go into music. I really wasn't sure, but within a year I realized I was in the right place. From that point on I knew what I wanted to do.”
Brown went to Ithaca College in upstate New York, and studied classical music theory. As a junior he ran the Jazz Lab Band, which, he says, benefitted him greatly. He was able to learn how to work with his friends, but run a great band at the same time.
However, most of Brown's education came from his father, who started jazz education in America in 1944. Glenn Brown had elementary jazz bands, junior high jazz bands, and high school jazz bands in Long Beach, NY, and Ray's biggest influence has come from his experiences as a kid.
“Whatever I teach my students comes from how my dad taught me,” said Brown. “My whole curriculum is based on what I learned from him.”
Aside from what Ray learned at home, he gained playing experience in his father's jazz camp at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
“We had classes in arranging, copying, and improvisation. We rehearsed every day for an hour, and we had sectionals every day. After about two weeks we would go out and play four or five nights a week at all the camps around the lake.”
“That was an unbelievable education for me,” said Brown. “Nothing I could have gotten anywhere else.”
After graduating from college, Brown went into the army. He and some friends joined an Army Band, knowing that it would guarantee them the opportunity to play, and after one year, Brown found out that the army started a jazz band. Modeled after Glenn Miller's Big Band, the Airmen of Note, the Army's Studio Band was formed, and Ray found a way to join the band.
“I don't know how I did this, but they only had four trumpets and I convinced them to go to five.”
Ray became the jazz trumpet player for the band, and he was also a writer. He was able to rehearse the band and again find himself working amongst his peers. With this experience he learned that he was on the same level as some of the greatest players in the world, which he had not known when he was growing up.
When it came time for Ray to leave the band, he had made friends with these great musicians, some of whom had played with Stan Kenton. Two months after leaving the service, Ray received a call from Stan Kenton, asking if he would play with his band. To which Ray says, “Of course I said yes.”
Ray toured with Stan Kenton's Band for a year and a half as the jazz trumpet player, and ran all of the jazz improvisation clinics they held, which provided him with plenty of practice with teaching and running classes. He traveled and played in every club and major performance venue in the world.
After his experience with Stan Kenton, Ray got his master's degree and married Sue Brown, who is also a music instructor at Cabrillo. The two freelanced in New York for about two years before moving to California for Ray's position at Cabrillo, and after about five years, Sue was hired to run the strings and chamber music program.
Brown can now write and play for whatever he wants. When he was a freelancer he had to take every performance and job he got called for.
“That's the kind of stuff that teaching allows me to do on the side. That's what's really been cool about being here. As well as the students I've worked with; there have been a number of great players and it's been a pleasure to work with those people and see them go around and become major forces in the music world.”
Sunday, November 23, 2008
So I wrote a profile on Ray Brown for Issue 5.
I'm totally stoked about it; I mean obviously it could have been a lot better, but I'm learning a bunch of new things here and there.
This guy has my dream job though [aside from writing movie scores], I mean seriously, so awesome. All jazz all the time. That's the way to live, for sure.
Anyway, it was interesting process, writing this article. It was significantly longer than my past articles have been, and it was cool to have a page all to myself. I learned a lot just from the interview in general. I mean, when you tell people you want to have an interview, they don't think you're messing around at all. I mean seriously! It's like, people I've spoken to in the past, that I can make jokes with and have conversations with on any regular day, just don't want to deal with it during an interview. It's like they want to get it over with, without saying anything "bad", and then just be on their way. It was really odd dealing with that.
But with this, I learned that I need to work on my "professional" image.
Honestly, I don't really have one, and I lack the skills necessary to develop one. Or, better term, I lack the knowledge of how to develop one.
I don't own nice clothing, I'm not well-tempered, and I feel like, whenever I'm in a "professional" situation, I'm being completely fake. I feel like I'm not being true to myself, and that just bothers me. I don't like portraying someone I'm not just to be "approved" by someone's stupid standards.
However, if I ever want to get ahead in this world, I should probably start learning how to kiss ass.
I should probably dress nicer, care about my appearance, at least slightly....and, I don't know, be more...polite? Timid? Butt-kiss-y?
I don't feel as though I'm not a successful person....on paper I'm fantastic. I have good grades, lots of awards, I've done community service....but when people meet me they just get immediately turned off.
I'm too loud, or too obnoxious, or too weird. I don't know, I don't fit in with the majority of society, and I guess that's something I'll need to work on when I get out into the "real world."
Any ideas?
I'm totally stoked about it; I mean obviously it could have been a lot better, but I'm learning a bunch of new things here and there.
This guy has my dream job though [aside from writing movie scores], I mean seriously, so awesome. All jazz all the time. That's the way to live, for sure.
Anyway, it was interesting process, writing this article. It was significantly longer than my past articles have been, and it was cool to have a page all to myself. I learned a lot just from the interview in general. I mean, when you tell people you want to have an interview, they don't think you're messing around at all. I mean seriously! It's like, people I've spoken to in the past, that I can make jokes with and have conversations with on any regular day, just don't want to deal with it during an interview. It's like they want to get it over with, without saying anything "bad", and then just be on their way. It was really odd dealing with that.
But with this, I learned that I need to work on my "professional" image.
Honestly, I don't really have one, and I lack the skills necessary to develop one. Or, better term, I lack the knowledge of how to develop one.
I don't own nice clothing, I'm not well-tempered, and I feel like, whenever I'm in a "professional" situation, I'm being completely fake. I feel like I'm not being true to myself, and that just bothers me. I don't like portraying someone I'm not just to be "approved" by someone's stupid standards.
However, if I ever want to get ahead in this world, I should probably start learning how to kiss ass.
I should probably dress nicer, care about my appearance, at least slightly....and, I don't know, be more...polite? Timid? Butt-kiss-y?
I don't feel as though I'm not a successful person....on paper I'm fantastic. I have good grades, lots of awards, I've done community service....but when people meet me they just get immediately turned off.
I'm too loud, or too obnoxious, or too weird. I don't know, I don't fit in with the majority of society, and I guess that's something I'll need to work on when I get out into the "real world."
Any ideas?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
So tomorrow is layout night...hopefully it will be less stressful than it was last time. Meh.
I am learning a lot through this whole process, though, so that's nice.
What's hard for me right now is trying to figure out how to write a decent story out of something mediocre and possibly boring.
I keep writing about the Democrats Club, and I think it's great, but it just seems so BORING, and I lack the skills to make it exciting. Maybe I'll be able to figure it out soon...
I am learning a lot through this whole process, though, so that's nice.
What's hard for me right now is trying to figure out how to write a decent story out of something mediocre and possibly boring.
I keep writing about the Democrats Club, and I think it's great, but it just seems so BORING, and I lack the skills to make it exciting. Maybe I'll be able to figure it out soon...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
OMG Today was so f%^@ing stressful.
I finished my page but I didn't have the photo, because we had to do all this shit to it before we could send it in to get printed.
I had to wait like 2 hours to get the damn thing, and so did a few other people.
It was just obnoxious because I guess that photo teacher guy was showing people how to do it, and he took FOREVER.
Chad showed me how to do it in like five minutes.
I just wish that we would have been able to manage our time better.
I have so much to do, and I thought I would be done a lot sooner than I was. Buh.
We ALL need to learn to work on the pictures, and it's going to be SO NICE to get those new computers...that will hopefully ALL have PHOTOSHOP!!!
Ugh, I know I'm just complaining, so I'm sorry for that.
I probably pissed some people off today. I got so stressed at the end there.
Sorry......
I finished my page but I didn't have the photo, because we had to do all this shit to it before we could send it in to get printed.
I had to wait like 2 hours to get the damn thing, and so did a few other people.
It was just obnoxious because I guess that photo teacher guy was showing people how to do it, and he took FOREVER.
Chad showed me how to do it in like five minutes.
I just wish that we would have been able to manage our time better.
I have so much to do, and I thought I would be done a lot sooner than I was. Buh.
We ALL need to learn to work on the pictures, and it's going to be SO NICE to get those new computers...that will hopefully ALL have PHOTOSHOP!!!
Ugh, I know I'm just complaining, so I'm sorry for that.
I probably pissed some people off today. I got so stressed at the end there.
Sorry......
Second Article
Meeting every Monday at 2:20 p.m. in the East Wing of the Student Activities Center, the Cabrillo Democrats Club debriefs on the past week's activities, and plans for what lies ahead.
The Cabrillo Democrats Club are active advocates for the Obama-Biden campaign, canvassing and calling adults in nearby swing states to help gather support for the potential President and Vice President. Four members of the club traveled to Reno, NV last weekend to canvass and nearly 2,000 people in Reno alone registered to vote.
"It's hard to say why we're all voting for him, because everyone has a different reason," said Sophia Forde, the club's President. Two major factors are that Obama has "listened to young people" and that "as much as [they are] inspired by Obama, [they] are also driven to support each other."
The Democrats Club is also responsible for holding viewings of the recent Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates. Over 70 people attended last week's viewing of the debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. Cabrillo Professors Michael Pebworth, Bill Hill, and Dan Rothwell attended last week's debate and participated in a discussion with students about their thoughts and questions.
The club has also held what they call "Phone Banks" for the past three weeks. Cabrillo and UCSC students, along with members of the Obama-Biden campaign in downtown Santa Cruz call residents of Nevada and New Mexico to find out who they are voting for, why, and how they can help. Nearly 1,500 people have been contacted, and there is a running tally of undecided voters that have pledged to vote for Obama.
Members are empowered to go into the community and encourage everyone to vote. They attend Voter Registration Training Sessions and have a table set up in the quad to register Cabrillo students to vote. They also meet with local politicians to learn more about what's going on in our community. The club arranged a meeting with Planned Parenthood to learn more about Proposition 4, which prohibits minors from getting abortions until after a parent or legal guardian has been notified.
"Internet activism is huge," said Forde, of ways that students and clubs can get involved in campaigning.
The last day to register to vote is October 20th, and this year's election is November 4th. Every vote counts, so make sure your voice is heard!
The Cabrillo Democrats Club are active advocates for the Obama-Biden campaign, canvassing and calling adults in nearby swing states to help gather support for the potential President and Vice President. Four members of the club traveled to Reno, NV last weekend to canvass and nearly 2,000 people in Reno alone registered to vote.
"It's hard to say why we're all voting for him, because everyone has a different reason," said Sophia Forde, the club's President. Two major factors are that Obama has "listened to young people" and that "as much as [they are] inspired by Obama, [they] are also driven to support each other."
The Democrats Club is also responsible for holding viewings of the recent Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates. Over 70 people attended last week's viewing of the debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. Cabrillo Professors Michael Pebworth, Bill Hill, and Dan Rothwell attended last week's debate and participated in a discussion with students about their thoughts and questions.
The club has also held what they call "Phone Banks" for the past three weeks. Cabrillo and UCSC students, along with members of the Obama-Biden campaign in downtown Santa Cruz call residents of Nevada and New Mexico to find out who they are voting for, why, and how they can help. Nearly 1,500 people have been contacted, and there is a running tally of undecided voters that have pledged to vote for Obama.
Members are empowered to go into the community and encourage everyone to vote. They attend Voter Registration Training Sessions and have a table set up in the quad to register Cabrillo students to vote. They also meet with local politicians to learn more about what's going on in our community. The club arranged a meeting with Planned Parenthood to learn more about Proposition 4, which prohibits minors from getting abortions until after a parent or legal guardian has been notified.
"Internet activism is huge," said Forde, of ways that students and clubs can get involved in campaigning.
The last day to register to vote is October 20th, and this year's election is November 4th. Every vote counts, so make sure your voice is heard!
First Article
Of all the great things Cabrillo College has to offer, there are three constants that never cease to aggravate the student body: Parking, books, and a lack of available sections. New semesters bring with them a flurry of frustration that echoes throughout the main quad and cafeteria, as students struggle to cope with whatever obstacle they are facing.
Lucas Bailey is just beginning his third year at Cabrillo College. "It's not always a fair system," said Bailey, regarding registration for classes, "I'm an English major and I couldn't even get into English 1A when I first came here, because students concentrating on certain subjects don't get priority when they register. Universities do that, and it should be considered here at Cabrillo."
The most 'popular' classes generally turn out to be those that provide transferable General Education credits, such as Math, English, Psychology, Political Science, and the like. Many students come to Cabrillo to get a great education for less money, with the aspirations to transfer to a four year university in [generally] two years' time.
Students studying other subjects face similar issues, but are most concerned with fulfilling a UC or CSU requirement.
"I couldn't transfer at the time I had planned, because the classes here were so full," says Elysa Weber, whose major is currently undeclared. "I'm here for another semester just to finally get science and basic math out of the way."
Enrollment has increased nearly seven percent in comparison to last year, bringing over 15,000 students to Cabrillo College. Now, the hundreds of sections available to students are not always enough.
"There aren't always going to be the resources to open a new section," said Jay Jackson, a Cabrillo counselor, "The very best thing to do is register early - take advantage of early registration."
The Division Offices are another way to make sure you get into the classes you need. When every section has a full waitlist, the Division Office may open a new section to ease the demand for any particular class. If these sections are opened, they get posted on Web Advisor, rather than in the printed Schedule of Classes.
"A lot of students might not know about new sections because they don't check for online updates," said Jackson, "I don't think students are really aware that the Division Office even does that kind of thing."
Tim Moore, a former Cabrillo student, explains how he remained successful during registration. "I generally registered early, and I didn't always try to get into a class with the most popular instructor. That's where the trouble lies, when everyone wants to be with the 'cool teacher.'" He laughs, "Most schools have the same issues, so there are some pretty basic survival tips: Register early, and if something comes up and you end up on a waitlist, contact the instructor of the course! Let them know your situation, and though they may not make any promises, they will remember you on the first day of class. That's always beneficial, because they know how hard you tried."
Once students get into classes, the trouble then lies within affording books and finding parking.
"I spent all of my scholarship money on just books," said Cassandra Berot, a Marine Biology major, "I can't believe how expensive they are. Parking is just a nightmare; I don't even drive to school anymore."
Lucas Bailey is just beginning his third year at Cabrillo College. "It's not always a fair system," said Bailey, regarding registration for classes, "I'm an English major and I couldn't even get into English 1A when I first came here, because students concentrating on certain subjects don't get priority when they register. Universities do that, and it should be considered here at Cabrillo."
The most 'popular' classes generally turn out to be those that provide transferable General Education credits, such as Math, English, Psychology, Political Science, and the like. Many students come to Cabrillo to get a great education for less money, with the aspirations to transfer to a four year university in [generally] two years' time.
Students studying other subjects face similar issues, but are most concerned with fulfilling a UC or CSU requirement.
"I couldn't transfer at the time I had planned, because the classes here were so full," says Elysa Weber, whose major is currently undeclared. "I'm here for another semester just to finally get science and basic math out of the way."
Enrollment has increased nearly seven percent in comparison to last year, bringing over 15,000 students to Cabrillo College. Now, the hundreds of sections available to students are not always enough.
"There aren't always going to be the resources to open a new section," said Jay Jackson, a Cabrillo counselor, "The very best thing to do is register early - take advantage of early registration."
The Division Offices are another way to make sure you get into the classes you need. When every section has a full waitlist, the Division Office may open a new section to ease the demand for any particular class. If these sections are opened, they get posted on Web Advisor, rather than in the printed Schedule of Classes.
"A lot of students might not know about new sections because they don't check for online updates," said Jackson, "I don't think students are really aware that the Division Office even does that kind of thing."
Tim Moore, a former Cabrillo student, explains how he remained successful during registration. "I generally registered early, and I didn't always try to get into a class with the most popular instructor. That's where the trouble lies, when everyone wants to be with the 'cool teacher.'" He laughs, "Most schools have the same issues, so there are some pretty basic survival tips: Register early, and if something comes up and you end up on a waitlist, contact the instructor of the course! Let them know your situation, and though they may not make any promises, they will remember you on the first day of class. That's always beneficial, because they know how hard you tried."
Once students get into classes, the trouble then lies within affording books and finding parking.
"I spent all of my scholarship money on just books," said Cassandra Berot, a Marine Biology major, "I can't believe how expensive they are. Parking is just a nightmare; I don't even drive to school anymore."
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ahhh!
I COMPLETELY lost track of this thing. Sweet mother. I'm usually better about updating this, but it seriously just slipped my mind. I'm SO busy now that the semester is in full swing, I'm going nuts! I think my hair is actually falling out. Haha.
ANYWAY. I had an interview with the president of the Democrats Club today. It went really well. Sophia is a really awesome girl, and she's doing a great job with the club. It's really impressive. I got some good information out of it, and I went to the meeting today also, so I think that my article should come out pretty well.
I didn't have enough time to meet with the Republicans Club. I need to get in touch with the ICC and all that, to try and find these people...because it's proven to be really difficult! Hopefully I'll be able to work on that for the next issue.
People at Cabrillo are really great about working with THE VOICE. It's nice to have people actually welcome you, rather than resent you for showing up and asking questions.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I have a huge test tomorrow that I need to study for, so I should get going.
Of course, last but not least....GO RED SOX!
ANYWAY. I had an interview with the president of the Democrats Club today. It went really well. Sophia is a really awesome girl, and she's doing a great job with the club. It's really impressive. I got some good information out of it, and I went to the meeting today also, so I think that my article should come out pretty well.
I didn't have enough time to meet with the Republicans Club. I need to get in touch with the ICC and all that, to try and find these people...because it's proven to be really difficult! Hopefully I'll be able to work on that for the next issue.
People at Cabrillo are really great about working with THE VOICE. It's nice to have people actually welcome you, rather than resent you for showing up and asking questions.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I have a huge test tomorrow that I need to study for, so I should get going.
Of course, last but not least....GO RED SOX!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Alrighty, so the paper came out today! Wooo! I was excited to see it, so when I finally did, it was cool. It's awesome to see your own stuff printed out and everything.
There were a few things that I noticed that I was a little curious about.
First off, my page had a different font than everyone else's, so that was lame. I guess we just missed that when we checked everything out on Thursday night. I changed the font to Times New Roman, because the directions told me to....oops. lol. I should have just left it the way it was. Ah well, better luck next time.
Also, I know we were using blue on the front page, but why are the pictures blue? It's...interesting.
Overall, I like the paper. I like the tabloid form, and I like that we actually got our first paper out! It's a big accomplishment for us! Now we know what we need to work on, and we can go over it tomorrow! Woo!
On that note, hopefully I'll be on time tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment, and I don't know how long it's going to take...so yeah. Blah. Not looking forward to it.
Anyway that's all for now.
There were a few things that I noticed that I was a little curious about.
First off, my page had a different font than everyone else's, so that was lame. I guess we just missed that when we checked everything out on Thursday night. I changed the font to Times New Roman, because the directions told me to....oops. lol. I should have just left it the way it was. Ah well, better luck next time.
Also, I know we were using blue on the front page, but why are the pictures blue? It's...interesting.
Overall, I like the paper. I like the tabloid form, and I like that we actually got our first paper out! It's a big accomplishment for us! Now we know what we need to work on, and we can go over it tomorrow! Woo!
On that note, hopefully I'll be on time tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment, and I don't know how long it's going to take...so yeah. Blah. Not looking forward to it.
Anyway that's all for now.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Well, here we go! Finally some free time to blog a little!
The paper comes out tomorrow, and I'm really excited!
I felt pretty stoked after my page was laid out and everything...it was cool.
I was surprised at how calm people were on Thursday. I thought everyone was going to be at the end of their ropes. Hah.
Anyway, I made some stuff for the table tomorrow. I won't really be able to be there in the morning but I get out of class for the day at like 2....so I'll hang around for a bit. I'm excited to see what it looks like!
I need to think of another idea for an article...I don't really have one yet. Buh. I need to get on that.
Anyway, I need to go....we have an all-staff meeting at work. Oh joy.
How much can you really say about making smoothies?
You'd be surprised....
The paper comes out tomorrow, and I'm really excited!
I felt pretty stoked after my page was laid out and everything...it was cool.
I was surprised at how calm people were on Thursday. I thought everyone was going to be at the end of their ropes. Hah.
Anyway, I made some stuff for the table tomorrow. I won't really be able to be there in the morning but I get out of class for the day at like 2....so I'll hang around for a bit. I'm excited to see what it looks like!
I need to think of another idea for an article...I don't really have one yet. Buh. I need to get on that.
Anyway, I need to go....we have an all-staff meeting at work. Oh joy.
How much can you really say about making smoothies?
You'd be surprised....
Friday, September 19, 2008
So I guess my first story didn't suck....?
I'm not exactly sure...but I'm going to do what I can with it to make it ready for the paper next week.
Anyway, I'm gonna try and bust out two papers in four and a half hours so that I don't have to do them this weekend.
Ahhhhhh!!!!
I'm looking forward to reading Tanya's stress management article...I think I could use it. Haha.
I'm not exactly sure...but I'm going to do what I can with it to make it ready for the paper next week.
Anyway, I'm gonna try and bust out two papers in four and a half hours so that I don't have to do them this weekend.
Ahhhhhh!!!!
I'm looking forward to reading Tanya's stress management article...I think I could use it. Haha.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Well, my story is done, so I'll be e-mailing it now.
I'm a little....well, skeptical about my story. I got plenty of information, and it seems to be alright, but I have no experience writing a news story, so this was challenging for me. I hope that you guys enjoy it [if you read it], and if you have any feedback, I'd be glad to hear it.
The newspaper is something that I want to do for fun, just to get an experience, and I'm definitely getting one. I hope that I can learn a little bit more about the way stories work and all that.
Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I am DROWNING in homework, so I should probably get back to it.
I'm a little....well, skeptical about my story. I got plenty of information, and it seems to be alright, but I have no experience writing a news story, so this was challenging for me. I hope that you guys enjoy it [if you read it], and if you have any feedback, I'd be glad to hear it.
The newspaper is something that I want to do for fun, just to get an experience, and I'm definitely getting one. I hope that I can learn a little bit more about the way stories work and all that.
Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I am DROWNING in homework, so I should probably get back to it.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Well, the rough draft of my article is coming along nicely. It's not done - I'm trying to balance out my workload - but it's ok...at least for someone that's never written a news story before!
http://perezhilton.com/2008-09-14-must-see-tina-fey-and-amy-poehler-do-sarah-palin-and-hillary-clinton-on-snl
As of right now, I'm pretty glad to be taking this course. Though I've been having some issues with the news writing class [BUH...], newspaper production has helped me out in a number of ways so far.
When I entered this school year, I wasn't sure if I'd chosen the right major. I wanted to be sure, so I registered for classes that would throw me into the worlds of other subjects I was interested in. Journalism has been a really great experience for me so far, and I've already learned things, and met so many people that can help me in the future! Although I'm enjoying myself, I now know that majoring in something other than music would just be a foolish switch for me. I can't imagine doing anything else, though I'll probably always work on a paper if I can!
I've learned some interesting things while working on my story, and sometimes I just get pissed off about it and want to rant rather than write a decent story. After we had that discussion about retention in classes, and there not being enough sections open, I wanted to figure out what I could to help me with the story. I just got upset when I was talking to some students, because it is so BLATANTLY obvious that they don't care about their educations. Some kids just register for classes and fill seats because they don't know what they want to do, so why not start with GE courses? Of course, after they realize that they don't like the class, or the instructor, they drop after a couple of weeks...and then where does that leave the people desperate for courses? Out of luck. I just wanted to tell some kids to get their shit together or stop registering for things they don't care about. ESPECIALLY if they're not looking to go to a four year school.
Anyway, I didn't yell at anyone, but I needed to get this off my chest before I went off in class or to one of my friends or something.
I have a few more points, but I'll just save those for my article.....gotta keep you guys curious, right? :D
OH!
Did anyone see SNL last night?
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are awesome!
Check it out!
http://perezhilton.com/2008-09-14-must-see-tina-fey-and-amy-poehler-do-sarah-palin-and-hillary-clinton-on-snl
Thursday, September 11, 2008
So, today was chaotic as all hell in both News Writing AND Newspaper Production. I'm not exactly sure how this is all going to happen, but the first few weeks are bound to be very stressful. I'm trying to take in as much information as I can, but I'm getting so much thrown at me at once, it's insane.
I discovered today that I have five papers due on the same day in a couple of weeks. This is going to be hectic.
In other news, I don't understand what the hell is going on with College Publisher and it's pissing me off. Chad, Emily, and I met today to discuss what we're going to do about the website and the printed version of the paper.....and it looks like we're going to make the paper into a tabloid form. We're going to keep College Publisher and keep working on the website, despite the issue with the ad. We're hoping that everyone can bring in some ads and whatnot for the website and the printed paper...so that we don't have to worry so much about it. We got prices for the paper from the Pajaronian, so that's good.
I've been contacting a lot of people so that I can try and get help forming this website. Our plan is to have it up and running by the 29th. Hopefully everything will go according to plan, and I can start to make the site look presentable in the next couple of weeks. I'm having a lot of trouble though, so don't hate me if the site isn't perfect right away.
Also, Chad brought up the idea of having a Launch Party. We could have some food, and hand out the paper to students that are interested ...and who doesn't want free food? That would be a great way for us to get the paper known around campus. The idea of campaigning was also brought up...we should really think of some ways to publicize not only the printed paper, but the website. The website is going to need a lot of publicity, because I'm almost positive that no one has any idea about it yet. We really need to get the word out, so if anyone has any ideas for that, please submit them to Emily, Chad, or myself in an e-mail or facebook message. The more things we can cover outside of our class time, the better.
We have a lot of things in class that need to be covered. Since we didn't get around to it today, we have to get our photo requests in to Randi ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. There are no exceptions. Start thinking about what photos you need [Emily wants one for EVERY story] RIGHT NOW. If you guys already know what you need, you can fill out the photo request forms in a short amount of time, and we can move on to researching for our stories during the rest of class.
This was another topic that we discussed. After today's chaos, we decided that we should try to have an agenda for every class period. We don't have a lot of time with one another, and we're all busy people, so we need to stay on task during class. For the most part, we want to dedicate next Tuesday's class period to researching our stories for the paper, because Emily wants us all to be done by NEXT THURSDAY. This is the 18th of September. Emily wants all of our stories in by then so that they can be looked over and revised if necessary. This will give us more time to focus on the layout of our first issue...which brings me to my next point...
InDesign. Emily said that the CTC place across the street has TONS of computers that sit vacant most of the time. She wants us all to get in there one of these days so that we can all learn to work with InDesign. This would be a great asset to the paper, if we all have some knowledge of this program. I myself need to learn all about it, so it will be nice to have that opportunity.
I know that these deadlines are coming up fast, but just imagine if we were producing papers every day! This is just the way it has to be if we're going to be successful. Things will be fast paced, so you have to stay focused. Please don't stray off track.
WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR STORIES....send them to cabrillovoicefall2008@gmail.com
This is the e-mail that Emily and Chad have set up for us to use. This is where we will send our stories, and this is where photo journalists will send their pictures. Please have your stories in, again, by the 18th.
That's all for now guys! Start working on those stories!
Monday, September 8, 2008
One of those most droning, obnoxious, and very very sad stories I've heard...
Missing since June 9, 2008, three year old Caylee Anthony has been a hot topic for the past 60 days or so. There are a few things that bother me about this case...Casey Anthony, of course, being the most awful part about all of this. Her parents bother me, the publicity bothers me, and as I watch the news more and more, and see all of these protestors, I wonder what they think they're doing.
There are over 1,000 volunteers working on finding this little girl, and then there are the people that just stand in front her Casey Anthony's house and protest. How is that helping? I realize that people are upset, but running around playing the blame game isn't going to do anything.
I'm also utterly disturbed at the reaction that Casey Anthony's parents have towards this entire issue. They don't say anything that's helpful, and they just get angry and threaten people.
This story just continues to get more and more twisted, and I don't even know how to describe Casey Anthony.
I could go on forever about this, I guess I won't.
But here is a question that will not rest until it is answered:
What about all of the other missing children? Why are certain cases more important than others? Anyone have any thoughts on that?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Problems with the Online Ad
Brad sent us all messages via facebook to let us know of the current issue with the ad we spent so much time trying to place on our website, cabrillovoice.org.
The woman that sent us the ad said her company doesn't want to deal with papers that are going through College Publisher. Also, they only pay $1,000 annually, not monthly. So, we have to make the decision of whether we're going to keep the site and lose the ad, or keep the ad and use our old site, cabrillovoice.net. When we meet on Thursday, we all need to have a decision so that we can work from there by voting or some other method. As Brad said, we can lose the ad on the website, and just use it when the paper gets printed.
This is definitely something to think about, so let us know what you think!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Cabrillo Voice online!
Hey guys,
So we started the online page of The Voice today. We got that ad up, so hopefully we'll get some funds! The old site for the paper wasn't exactly....impressive, but this new site is most definitely starting to look good. It's still in its beginning stages, but we're trying to work on it as much as possible. All of you should have usernames and passwords that Emily and I [mostly Emily] set up for you with the e-mail addresses you provided on today's roll sheet.
The address for the actual site is: www.cabrillovoice.org
Check it out!
You guys can sign in to help out with the site also, but I'll discuss how to do that in class. Chad, Emily, and I are trying to figure out exactly how to use the site, because it's proven to be quite confusing. Once we get everything down, it will be easier to show you guys how to navigate around it yourselves.
I guess that's it for now. I hope you're all thinking of some good stories to contribute to this paper! We really want to make a comeback this year, and I'm excited to see it happen!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Two Different Newspapers...
Ok, so I'm not entirely sure what exactly this blog should entail, but today I picked up The Wall Street Journal and The Santa Cruz Sentinel.
First off, the difference in stories is very noticeable. The Wall Street Journal focuses on Finances, the Economy, and of course, America's new favorite tabloid monger, Sarah Palin. The Wall Street Journal is very engaged in the happenings around the globe just as much as the happenings here in the US. An English teacher from Texas is now suspect for provoking the the 'brief war in Georgia"! Movies with well-known actors and actresses aren't making the big screen, residents from New Orleans are still unable to return home, and I know I already mentioned this, but Sarah Palin is VERY popular! There are all kinds of stories running around this woman and her family; it's unbelievable.
The Sentinel focuses on national and global affairs, but is also very centered on what's happening locally, seeing as it is a local paper, rather than a national one. The story on the right hand side [the most important side, as I now know...] is about a football player from my old high school that was SERIOUSLY injured at the high school football jamboree. I heard about this shortly after it happened, but I wasn't aware of the severity until I read today's article. My heart goes out to the injured player and his family, and I hope that he can make a full recovery.
The Sentinel also has a story on...you guessed it! Sarah Palin! Wahoo! More juicy dirt about John McCain's newly selected running mate. Now, I know very little about politics, but this woman has got some skeletons in her closet, man. It's hard to ignore!
The Sentinel also features a story about a new home for the abandoned/lost animals in the county that will open on the 18th of this month, along with some highlights for the upcoming Greek Festival, details about the effect of Hurricane Gustav, and some news regarding surrounding counties, and that evil guy that abuses animals.
A notable difference that I discovered between the two papers....
The layout of the front page on these two papers is different. The Sentinel has one article that is laid on top of the page, and sprawled all the way across, with the articles on the right and left below that. The Wall Street Journal just goes for the article on the right, the middle, and the rest of the interesting content on the left.
I wonder why that is....
The Wall Street Journal is quite a bit thicker than the Sentinel, holding more stories, and definitely containing more categories to browse through whenever you have a minute to sit down and read the paper. It's definitely more informative, in that sense, at least, but it also seems to have something for everyone, whether you're a corporate executive, a guy that likes to talk about the weather [haha], a political fiend, a sports lover, movie lover, etc etc. As far as being accurate, informative, and business savvy, I would say that I enjoy the Wall Street Journal.
However, I love the Sentinel. Why, you ask? Pure bias. No joke. The Sentinel contains stories that hit close to home, that keep me updated locally, and it also throws in some business, world, sports, and weather. I like the idea of knowing what's going on in my hometown, and I sometimes feel guilty because I feel as though I should be more concerned about our entire country. I know it's going downhill, but it's still there for now! I'm not exactly business savvy, and I only know enough about politics to get by, and that is much more [in my eyes] what The Wall Street Journal addresses. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic paper, it just doesn't appeal to my current interests as much as The Sentinel does.
Though, give it a few years, I'm sure I'll broaden my horizons.
Does this happen when people protest against Democrats?
I saw this on Perez Hilton's site this morning.
I don't really know what to say about it....it's just very upsetting.
Here's a bit of an update for you guys...
My friend Rose saw this and she shared her opinion...I found it to be pretty interesting. So, here you go!
"I'm not really sure what to say either. I hate videos like this. It's very incomprehensive, as it starts in the middle of the protest. I make a point of staying away from the news, but I don't know what they were protesting or how they were doing it. I am absolutely one hundred per cent in support of the right to peaceful protest. But there were shots of people breaking shop windows and police cars. That is not peaceful, and in my opinion, when you become violent and destructive, the police have the right to use non-lethal force (like tear gas or whatever it is) against you. I saw a girl trying to hand an officer a flower. I hate to break it to her (honestly, i do), but this isn't 1968 and this isn't Chicago. Protest is rarely an effective form for change anymore. Ryan and I have had lengthy discussions about this recently.
I do doubt that the over 200 people really needed to be arrested. But some probably did, and I can see how this situation would cause an officer to react in the way they did."
I do doubt that the over 200 people really needed to be arrested. But some probably did, and I can see how this situation would cause an officer to react in the way they did."
Thoughts?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
First blog!
Hey there everyone!
I figured that I would start a new blog that is solely for the newspaper, rather than expose you all to my other blog, that is more of an...emotional rollercoaster. This will be dedicated to more issues that are relevant to the paper and its staff, and all the others that wish to be involved.
I'm really excited to start work on the paper. I've never produced any kind of publication before, but I've always had an interest in it, and I love to write, so I'm sure that will help me in this situation.
Let's see... I'm 19 years old, this is my second year at Cabrillo, and I am currently a music major. I've never really let myself explore anything outside of the music building and my general education classes, and I have always been so immersed in the amount of units I take, that I never gave myself the time to try anything new. I want to transfer at the end of this year, and I want to be sure that I'm going to the right school....but I can't know that if I don't try to figure out the reason behind this doubt in the back of my mind.
Journalism is something I never really considered. When I thought about writing for a living, my mind automatically went to novelists and the like. I took a course this summer that really opened my eyes to doing what I love, and making a living out of it. The idea struck that I could work on the newspaper at Cabrillo, and I immediately wanted to give it a try.
So here I am.... completely new to all things journalism, and anxious to learn as much as I can. I know almost nothing about the whole process, and music is definitely my forte. I want to expand my knowledge, and see if journalism is something I will enjoy. I hope that we can all bring some amazing things to this paper, and make it well regarded by students and locals alike.
I suppose that's it for now. I'm sorry to have written so much, haha. :D
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