Audio/Video Project

Lyndon is a rare example of a college that is in the middle of nowhere but has strong programs that attract students from across the country. The television studies department, soon to become electronic journalism arts, is one of the few professional programs that draw these students.

Aaron Kormos, a sophomore at Lyndon, transferred here from the University of Connecticut at the start of this year to pursue his degree in TVS. Going into his freshman year at UConn, he was undecided as to which major he would choose. After taking a few general education courses, Kormos decided the path he wanted to follow was a concentration in television production. UConn did not offer this degree, so the college search began again for Kormos, this time as a transfer student.

Kormos found advice in his friend Tyler who was a student at Lyndon at the time. Tyler recommended LSC to him because it is one of a select group of colleges in the country to offer this program. Kormos decided that Lyndon appeared to be the right place for him. Kormos says he is quite pleased with the small class sizes and personable relationships he has with his professors.

One of those professors, Meaghan Meachem, a graduate of LSC, has similar feelings about the college. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Television Studies, and finished her education by receiving a master’s degree in Web communication.
Meachem has now returned to Lyndon as a member of the faculty. This is her second year as a professor here and she decided to make her return to the campus because of her familiarity with the school and love for the TVS program.

Television Studies is not the only professional program that excites students about the college. The Atmospheric Science major also brings students into the school from across the country. One freshman this year, Meaghan Fried, made the trek from the state of Montana to attend this education institution.

The ATM department is considered one of the best in the country, and the school’s student chapter of the American Meteorological Society consistently wins chapter of the year for their work putting on the Northeastern Storm Conference.

The Exercise Science department is another one of the strong and unique offerings at Lyndon. Exercise Science was recently certified by CAAHAP (the commission on accreditation of allied health programs) and NSCA (The National Strength and Conditioning association). LSC is one of only five colleges in the country to have both certifications for their exercise science program.

In spite of Lyndon’s small size and relative lack of recognition from people outside of the area as a high quality college, students are frequently pleased with their experience there.

iReport Review

After taking an hour or two taking a gander at what CNN's iReport website had to offer, I have come to the conclusion that it is a great idea that needs a quality filter of sorts. Sure, it's a website where people can post their stories, but many of them are just one pictured stories with almost nothing to offer. It's frustrating going into what you believe will be an interesting story, only to find out it was a 10 second cell phone video clip that you can't even make out.

I do like how CNN takes the good ones and posts them onto their broadcast. Of course, this can cause a sense of unfairness to some, since quality is completely opinion based in these senses, but it is good to know that iReport isn't completely an out of control YouTube of sorts, where anything goes.

But yes, there really should be a quality filter for what is put on the site in general. It is the part of the site that bothers me the most. It looks great and has a great atmosphere to their colors and is laid out fantastically, but it really needs to control what actually gets onto the site.

Fish Slideshow

No Idea

For my class. It has no relevancy at all.

Sports Podcast

We plan to highlight the following topics in our podcast:

* We will be highlighting the outgoing Men's and Women's basketball players and the effect that this will have on their respective teams next year.
* In order to do this, we are going to be interviewing Patrick McCarthy, Jacob Freeman, and Shauna Buck.
* We will specifically ask these players about their time playing basketball at Lyndon state and their thoughts on the past season.
* We will be looking at the underclassman who will be leading the respective men's and women's teams forward next year based on the performance and potential of younger players this year.

Critique of VT Digger

I really enjoyed the more sophisticated look of VT Digger. I also enjoyed how it was casual looking at the same time. I think it is a perfect mix of casual and sophisticated, and does really good updating everything that is going on within Vermont.

I did notice that there is a perfect mix of text and video, which is great for both the diehard political readers and the more casual ones that prefer to watch than read very long articles.

I would suggest better font, though, specifically of the font on the side bars. It looks fairly cheap, like when you come across those sites that do not load properly. The page is also fairly thin, and there could be a lot more fit on if it were a little wider.

Yeah, most of my critiques are more aesthetic, but it is a very good site that I see growing a lot in the future.

LSC Plans Tuition Decrease Next Semester

Blurb: Plans to lower tuition by 10 percent

Lyndon State Collection announced in a news conference that the college plans to lower its tuition by 10 percent by fall semester.

"Without a doubt, this decrease is long overdue for our students," says Harold R. Drazsnzak, Vice President of Finance, who went on to state this decrease in tuition is possible because of increased revenues from the state. This will mark the first tuition decrease in Lyndon State's history.

Update: Drazsnzak was soon fired for having a stupid name.

Local Bank Robbed

Blurb: Former Miss Vermont arrested for robbing a bank, says police

Daughter of prominent local attorney Jim Bensen, and former Miss Vermont Cathi Bensen, was arrested at today on suspicion of bank robbery.

The robbery occurred at the Lyndon branch of First Vermont Bank, when the masked assailant made off with an undisclosed sum of money. The accused was arrested at 2am the next morning.

Disclaimer: This story is an assignment, and any name or event that is similar is purely coincidental. Anybody by the name of Cathi Bensen that plans legal action may contact Dan Williams at Lyndon State College.

Source: The Fake Free Press

Student Files False Report

Blurb: False sexual assault claim will lead to legal actions

On January 26th, an unnamed Lyndon State College student reported being sexually assaulted when an unidentified male came through the first floor window at the Stonehenge Complex.

The report, however, is now under investigation for supposedly being a false claim and will lead to legal action, according to police.

Source: The Critic

Woman, 75, Killed in Accident

Blurb: Pedestrian struck by car on Interstate 91.

Cynthia Long was killed Sunday after being struck head on by Jonathan Ribas southbound on Interstate 91. Ribis, 28, sustained moderate front end and windshield damage to his vehicle but was not seriously injured.

Trooper Wagenbach was the first on the scene of the accident after Long, 75, stopped to try and rescue a cat. While in the passing lane, was struck by Ribas, in which Long sustained fatal injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

Source: http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/

NSN Sports

NSN Sports is a fairly good website that, I believe, could be improved by making it a little more personal. For instance, a lot of the blogs on the website seem to mostly be news stories, or really short blurbs of something that bothered them. Perhaps, when more of their opinions are expressed, they could have a comments section underneath the blog, making it easier for a debate going on.

But it is a good website and does a really good job of covering most of the sports teams that people actually care about.

Maybe they could get an athlete to create his own blog about what it's like being on a sports team? That seems like something people would enjoy, and it adds an element to the website that is more up to date, since a lot of athletes are doing blogs now.

Whatever, I am no website wizard or anything, but they're just a few ideas!