I'm beginning to reach a breaking point. My inability to say 'no' to commitments has now begun to creep its way into affecting my sleep cycle, eating habits, workout habits and oh yeah... my social existence. I ran into a friend today on my way across campus who I used to spend a lot of time with. "I thought you were still abroad," he said. "You look tired."
No. I'm here. And thanks. I am tired.
I don't know if I am starting to feel the early signs of "slowing down" with age OR if I have just finally bitten off so much, that not only am I unable to chew -- but I'm having trouble breathing too. cough cough.
I know New Years resolutions are miles away from now, but during moments of downtime I fantasize about a reduced workload that a strict resolution might bring. Simple things like being able to cook myself a proper meal, or sneak in an hour with my running shoes and iPod seem like luxuries that I will never be able to afford.
I've convinced myself that if I don't do a million things day that I will not be a successful person in life. Sure, there's some correlation. But if I am starting to wince at my quality of life because of it, maybe success isn't really worth it after all. Can I be happy being average? Part of me hopes so.
I've got two months left until the end of the hardest semester I've experienced to date. To make matters worse, I came into the hardest semester after having basked in the easiest. London was leagues short of academically challenging -- to be honest, academia was more of a nuisance getting in my way of fully capturing the city. Oh to be back again.
But yes. Two months left of sprinting. Then I think I might settle down and jog for a while.
Note to self this January 1st: chill out.
11 October 2007
article: statistics matter.
I'm going to start posting some of the articles that I have been busy writing for class/The Pendulum/University Relations. Below is an exercise in writing about statistics.
Elon competes with flagship public colleges
ELON—The number of students from North Carolina who attend Elon University has hovered around 30 percent for the past ten years. Now, higher standards for admission are threatening to reduce the number of students coming from the Tar Heel State.
“North Carolina enrollment is very important to us,” said Greg Zaiser, dean of admissions at Elon. “Students from the state receive the North Carolina Legislative Tuition Grant. That money can be channeled into the financial aid budget, which can then be allocated across the board.”
These financial incentives encourage Elon to admit a high number of in-state students, but Zaiser explains that there is difficulty getting high school students from North Carolina to consider Elon. North Carolina’s well-established public university system boasts such academic heavyweights as North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Coming from high school, Chapel Hill was my top choice,” said Sean Flynn, a junior at Elon from Raleigh, N.C. “Carolina just has a name in this state that Elon hasn’t established yet. I was nervous to tell my friends about attending Elon since they didn’t recognize the name.”
Other North Carolina high school students are turned away from Elon because of tuition disparities that make public schools more attractive. In-state tuition for UNC-Chapel Hill costs $5,300, while Elon’s in-state tuition rate is three and half times more at $20,200.
“It’s usually the North Carolina family who makes the comment about Elon being outrageously expensive because we do have the flagship public school system,” Zaiser said. “At this point we’re really looking at the same student.”
In a survey distributed to students that Elon accepted for admission but did not enroll, one out of 11 respondents indicated enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill instead, making the school Elon’s top competitor.
In the past, Elon’s student “market” was comprised of students who would not be competitive candidates for admission at UNC-Chapel Hill or NC State. In the past five years the standards for admission to Elon have been rising beyond expectation, placing the university in closer competition with the top public schools.
In the demanding industry of higher education new admissions standards mean a new strategy. Elon’s is simple and direct: money.
Increased presidential and fellows scholarships are aimed to put Elon on equal footing with the less-expensive public schools, said Zaiser. The university is also in the middle of a capital campaign that is focused on raising money for the endowment, which should lessen the school’s dependence on tuition increases in the future.
Money, however, can only do so much. To remain a viable option for North Carolina students, Elon will need to keep standards for admission from competing directly with NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Though the admissions office has no plans for intentional degradation of standards, they are monitoring the situation with caution.
“We may reach a point at which we need to stop increasing the admissions standards,” said Zaiser. “We would be foolish to leave the market we’re in. We’re not trying to be a Duke or a Davidson. We know who our students are and which students we want.”
Elon competes with flagship public colleges
ELON—The number of students from North Carolina who attend Elon University has hovered around 30 percent for the past ten years. Now, higher standards for admission are threatening to reduce the number of students coming from the Tar Heel State.
“North Carolina enrollment is very important to us,” said Greg Zaiser, dean of admissions at Elon. “Students from the state receive the North Carolina Legislative Tuition Grant. That money can be channeled into the financial aid budget, which can then be allocated across the board.”
These financial incentives encourage Elon to admit a high number of in-state students, but Zaiser explains that there is difficulty getting high school students from North Carolina to consider Elon. North Carolina’s well-established public university system boasts such academic heavyweights as North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Coming from high school, Chapel Hill was my top choice,” said Sean Flynn, a junior at Elon from Raleigh, N.C. “Carolina just has a name in this state that Elon hasn’t established yet. I was nervous to tell my friends about attending Elon since they didn’t recognize the name.”
Other North Carolina high school students are turned away from Elon because of tuition disparities that make public schools more attractive. In-state tuition for UNC-Chapel Hill costs $5,300, while Elon’s in-state tuition rate is three and half times more at $20,200.
“It’s usually the North Carolina family who makes the comment about Elon being outrageously expensive because we do have the flagship public school system,” Zaiser said. “At this point we’re really looking at the same student.”
In a survey distributed to students that Elon accepted for admission but did not enroll, one out of 11 respondents indicated enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill instead, making the school Elon’s top competitor.
In the past, Elon’s student “market” was comprised of students who would not be competitive candidates for admission at UNC-Chapel Hill or NC State. In the past five years the standards for admission to Elon have been rising beyond expectation, placing the university in closer competition with the top public schools.
In the demanding industry of higher education new admissions standards mean a new strategy. Elon’s is simple and direct: money.
Increased presidential and fellows scholarships are aimed to put Elon on equal footing with the less-expensive public schools, said Zaiser. The university is also in the middle of a capital campaign that is focused on raising money for the endowment, which should lessen the school’s dependence on tuition increases in the future.
Money, however, can only do so much. To remain a viable option for North Carolina students, Elon will need to keep standards for admission from competing directly with NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Though the admissions office has no plans for intentional degradation of standards, they are monitoring the situation with caution.
“We may reach a point at which we need to stop increasing the admissions standards,” said Zaiser. “We would be foolish to leave the market we’re in. We’re not trying to be a Duke or a Davidson. We know who our students are and which students we want.”
07 October 2007
inspired by watergate.
On June 17, 1972 five men broke into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Two young reporters – Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – with meager reputations who worked at the city desk of The Washington Post were assigned to the story, which was expected to be nothing more than a blip on the radar.
“I thought to myself … this is where they keep the yard signs! Why would anybody break into a campaign office,” said Bob Schieffer, as he reflected on his first impressions of the story.
Soon, however, opinions changed as the biggest known cover-up in Presidential History was revealed. Woodward and Bernstein were the driving force – able to get to the bottom of the truth by prodding sources for more and more information. As the dust settled, America learned that President Nixon and his staff had taken part in a slew of illegal activity that included campaign fraud, espionage, wire tapping, money laundering and break-ins.
Nixon, sensing his impending doom, resigned.
It’s stories like these that inspire journalists today to push boundaries, ask tough questions and be critical of our administration. While at the SPJ Convention this afternoon we listened in on a panel discussion between journalistic heavyweights Bob Schieffer, Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Daniel Shorr and Alicia Shepard.
The group reflected on their experiences during the Watergate Scandal with humor and nostalgia. They spoke in depth about from the first moments that they heard about the break-in at The Watergate to the making of All The Presidents Men years later. What was most interesting though, was the insight they shared about how the Watergate scandal has changed the face of journalism.
“Watergate taught us that there could be conspiracy in the government,” said Dan Shorr. “We don’t assume that a President, or vice president, or secretary are telling us the truth anymore.”
Though this may seem a sad regression, I think it is probably good that a case like this alerted journalists to the darker side of politics. Think of all that we might have missed if we hadn’t been watching the government closely. I can’t even imagine what they might have gotten away with.
The mood lightened when Woodward reflected on the making of the movie All The Presidents Men. He explained how actor Jason Robards was being considered for Ben Bradlee’s part in the movie. They gave him a script and had him look over it.
He returned the next day saying “I can’t play this part! This guy only says one thing – “Where’s the fucking story!”
“Well,” the movie exec’s replied, “That’s what an executive editor does! We need you to find 15 interesting, creative ways to say ‘Where’s the fucking story?”
Sure enough, Robards played the part and ended up winning and Oscar.
I think I may have found a new catchphrase for myself at The Pendulum.
“I thought to myself … this is where they keep the yard signs! Why would anybody break into a campaign office,” said Bob Schieffer, as he reflected on his first impressions of the story.
Soon, however, opinions changed as the biggest known cover-up in Presidential History was revealed. Woodward and Bernstein were the driving force – able to get to the bottom of the truth by prodding sources for more and more information. As the dust settled, America learned that President Nixon and his staff had taken part in a slew of illegal activity that included campaign fraud, espionage, wire tapping, money laundering and break-ins.
Nixon, sensing his impending doom, resigned.
It’s stories like these that inspire journalists today to push boundaries, ask tough questions and be critical of our administration. While at the SPJ Convention this afternoon we listened in on a panel discussion between journalistic heavyweights Bob Schieffer, Ben Bradlee, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Daniel Shorr and Alicia Shepard.
The group reflected on their experiences during the Watergate Scandal with humor and nostalgia. They spoke in depth about from the first moments that they heard about the break-in at The Watergate to the making of All The Presidents Men years later. What was most interesting though, was the insight they shared about how the Watergate scandal has changed the face of journalism.
“Watergate taught us that there could be conspiracy in the government,” said Dan Shorr. “We don’t assume that a President, or vice president, or secretary are telling us the truth anymore.”
Though this may seem a sad regression, I think it is probably good that a case like this alerted journalists to the darker side of politics. Think of all that we might have missed if we hadn’t been watching the government closely. I can’t even imagine what they might have gotten away with.
The mood lightened when Woodward reflected on the making of the movie All The Presidents Men. He explained how actor Jason Robards was being considered for Ben Bradlee’s part in the movie. They gave him a script and had him look over it.
He returned the next day saying “I can’t play this part! This guy only says one thing – “Where’s the fucking story!”
“Well,” the movie exec’s replied, “That’s what an executive editor does! We need you to find 15 interesting, creative ways to say ‘Where’s the fucking story?”
Sure enough, Robards played the part and ended up winning and Oscar.
I think I may have found a new catchphrase for myself at The Pendulum.
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