Tailgate party offers food and fun before homecoming game

Glendale Community College celebrated homecoming with a tailgate party Oct. 24. The event kicked off at 5 p.m. in the grass to the east of Matt O. Hanhila field on GCC main campus. Faculty staff and students showed up with their family and friends to support Gaucho football.

Faculty and participants were able to reserve free tickets ahead of time. The tickets were for food from one of the four food trucks GCC had on campus as well as a ticket to watch the game at 7 p.m. The food trucks offered a variety of items to please different taste buds. There was a burger and fries truck, a quesadilla truck, a taco truck and a seafood truck.

“I really didn't get to enjoy the homecoming tailgate because I was working.  I only had enough time to eat before I had to set up the audio for the stadium,” Joe Ranus, GCC employee, said.

Different clubs/groups set up tables with activities for participants to enjoy. The nursing table had a skeleton where people could stick corresponding body parts. Think, “Pin the tail on the donkey.”  After tailgate goers made their best attempt at placing the body part labels on the right part of the skeleton, they won a small prize.

A few other clubs that also had tables were LGBTQ+, biotechnology and The Voice student newspaper. Associated Student Government provided soft drinks for all who attended.

There was a silent auction with different baskets of goodies and money collected was in support of GCC’s United Way campaign.  The total amount raised from these baskets was $1,807.33.

Journalism Hero

I don’t think I have a journalism hero, but I do have a few journalists I respect greatly. Maureen Dowd would be at the top of that list. Let me count the reasons why.

Dowd fascinates me with her Op-ed articles. I have always loved the opinion page and have spent a great deal of my college career writing them myself. I love when people have something to say and can say it I an educated and factual way. Dowd is what I aspire to be.

Dowd works for the “New York Times.” Is there a better place to write for in the entire world? Not to me. That is the end game.  Now, let me be clear, I personally am aware of the fact that I will never work there. However, in the fantasy that plays in my head— I would work here. It is literally THE dream.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Dowd worked for “Time” and “Washington Star.”

During this time she covered news, features and sports. That is pretty awesome. Sports writing is a language all it’s own. What I appreciate most about Dowd is that she is a well-rounded journalist. She seems to be able to write for any section of the paper.

Dowd won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for her coverage of the Monica Lewinsky/Clinton scandal. Another dream. Who doesn’t want to be a Pulitzer Prize winner in this field? “Glamour” magazine also named her woman of the year in 1996.

I love that Dowd speaks out about politics and gender topics. She tends to cover the topics I personally find fascinating so it is easy to look to her for inspiration.

Although I cannot go as far as to say she is my journalism hero (there are just too many wonderful journalists out there to narrow it down to one) she is definitely the kind of woman and professional I aspire to be someday.

Branding

1. Why would a professional journalist want to create an online resume site or web presence?

The main reason I can see is because journalism is moving to online. Print is becoming obsolete so journalists need to become web friendly. Also, in general when you apply for jobs these days, it is mostly done online anyway. Almost no one does in-person resumes anymore. Setting up a page that shows who you are and what you are capable of is an easy way for a future employer to recognize you. 

2. What kinds of tools would you use to build your site?

This particular area has been a struggle for me as I am not as tech- savvy as I would like to be. Personally, I have been building a web presence on Wix and I am learning how to put my social media icons into it so whoever happens upon my page can be taken to those as well. I am not quite sure how to make my web presence more interactive but hope to figure that out by the end of this class.

3. What considerations do you have to keep in mind regarding branding and consistency? How does this helps a reader or potential employer find you?

Consistency just makes things look more professional. I have to go back through my social media pages and make sure all my names are the same. Until I started school again, I didn't realize the importance of branding. When a person visits one of my pages, I automatically want them to recognize that it is me. I don't want them to have to guess if I am the same Jessica from the Facebook page they were just at. Branding differentiates you from others. When done effectively, it helps make you stand out.

5. What types of files will you collect to present and link to (be thinking what types of digital formats)?
I am thinking of clipping and scanning past articles and uploading them to my wix page as well as posting some of the PDF's too. I am open to more suggestions on this one. 

6. How will you organize your site? Explain and provide one link from a search of professional journalists' websites as an example.
I think on my homepage I will have information about me. Then I will have links to social media pages on the top or bottom of page. I will also have links to my articles from here as well. This is my first attempt at building an interactive page so I hope I succeed. 

7. Finally, how can creating a web presence help you work or represent yourself better as a professional?
I think this is a similar answer to number one. I think if you are applying for a job and the person in charge of hiring is able to get a feel for who you are and what you are capable of, it can be a very positive thing. You have everything they need right on one page where they can just type in a web address. It also gives them a quick view into how social media savvy you are. 

Spirit Halloween offers chills and thrills

A customer waits in line to buy her Halloween custom at Spirit Halloween near Metro Center Mall in Phoenix, Arizona  Oct. 16. As she waits, she peruses the costume jewelry on display. 

Spirit employee, Jenna, carefully puts a costume back into the bag for a customer to purchase Oct. 16.. The Metro Center Spirit Halloween is her favorite location  

An animatronics display at the Spirit Halloween store at Metro Center serves to give customers an idea of how the items work as well as providing a little in store entertainment. "Our kids think this is a haunted house. We come every year, just to see the new displays," said Courtney Reed Oct. 16. 

The cashiers at Spirit Halloween are always busy. This employee is answering the phone, taking down information and assisting people with their purchases Oct. 16. 

Batman joins the fun! Customer, Aaron Ciolek tries on masks as he attempts to find his Halloween costume Oct. 6 at Spirit Halloween in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Ethical Obligations of Journalists

Of al the ethical obligation listed, I think it is most important to seek truth and report it. If a journalist fails in this area, we are left with mistrust in the media. A real example I can think of is Stephen Glass.   Over a three-year stretch at “The New Republic,” Glass fabricated many of his stories and made up sources.  Glass was a talented writer—in fiction.

The story that finally got him caught was a story about a made-up company named “Jukt Micronics” hiring a 15-year-old hacker as a security consultant.  The entire story and sources were fabricated. This not only makes Glass look bad, but also “The New Republic.”

When the public hears stories like this, they start to question the authenticity of news stories as a whole. As the “watchdogs” for the public, we have an obligation to always tell the truth.

This includes verifying our work before we publish it. That is a problem in today’s media. Everyone wants to be the first to put a story out and sometimes facts get misrepresented.  Sadly, some news outlets release information first and correct the information later.