http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/ reflections from the faculty of the communication arts department at Union Univeristy Copyright 2012 Union University Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:07:01 CST http://www.uu.edu/images/Crest_Horizontal-300.jpg http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/ It’s a question I hadn’t really pondered until this moment. And now that it has been suggested, I can’t stop thinking about it. <br /&rt; <br /&rt; "http://www.flickr.com/photos/loimere/5444696391/sizes/m/in/photostream/"&rt;<img vspace="5" hspace="5" align="left" alt="Stairwell" src="http://www.ashleyfblair.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/whitestairs-225x300.jpg" /&rt;I’ve actually been avoiding the avalanche of 9/11 coverage over the last week. Not because I don’t care, or don’t think it is important to remember, but because I do. I feel in some way, that watching those towers fall over and over again may numb the visceral memories I have from that day, and there is some pain that should never be numbed.<br /&rt; <br /&rt; But the question haunting me now is what 9/11 would have been like if social media existed then as it does today. What if part of our national memory this week was tweets, pictures, videos and status updates from inside the Twin Towers. How would that have changed that day for those of us who were not there, and did not know anyone who perished? Would sharing that experience through social media created a different, more personal connection with the tragedy or just the illusion of connection? And would that connection or illusion change anything?<br /&rt; <br /&rt; It was the comments of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washpostco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=62487&p=irol-govHistBio&ID=204476"&rt;Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.j-lab.org/workshops/category/summits/2011-knight-batten-awards-and-symposium-for-innovations-in-journalism/"&rt;Knight-Batten Awards and Symposium for Innovations in Journalism on Wednesday that sparked my own questions. Weymouth, quoted in a <a target="_blank" href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/on-911-the-seeds-of-the-infinite-grapevine/?smid=tw-nytimes"&rt;New York Times column and on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/145411/wapo-publisher-katharine-weymouth-sees-new-media-as-them-not-us/"&rt;Poynter.org, said she was grateful these technologies didn’t exist: <blockquote&rt;<br /&rt; Most of us learned about the events of that day in one of four ways — by television, by radio, by newspaper, or by a phone call from a friend. And while we are all incredibly grateful for the ways in which technology has enhanced our lives, I think we are also grateful that we didn’t live through 9/11 with all of that technology.<br /&rt; <br /&rt; We didn’t have to see live video footage shot from inside the collapsing buildings and uploaded onto YouTube. Cellphones didn’t have cameras back then. … Can you imagine how horrifying it would have been if we had tweets from the victims on the planes or in the offices, or if they had posted to their Facebook pages?<br /&rt; <br /&rt; … Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and all the technologies that have yet to be invented make all these events more real, and more horrific. Television pales in comparison. </blockquote&rt; <br /&rt; <br /&rt; I understand the point Weymouth is making. But I don’t agree. Her argument seems to be that since social media would have made the experience “more real and more horrific” for those of us who weren’t there, it’s better that it didn’t exist. <br /&rt; <br /&rt; The value of social media and the role it plays in relationships, news and society is debated on a daily basis. But as I sit on my nice warm sofa 10 years later with my family, my home, and my city completely intact, the idea of saying “I’m glad social media wasn’t around to make 9/11 more horrific for me” rings hollow at best and heartless at worst.<br /&rt; <br /&rt; I don’t want to over romanticize the role social media could have played in our understanding of 9/11. The destruction of cell phone towers, the overload on others as well as lack of power, make the possibility of communication questionable. Precious last words from victims would have been mingled and possibly lost in a tsunami of “I can’t believe this is happening” tweets and updates.<br /&rt; <br /&rt; But in our nation’s collective conscious, we see the images of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania from the outside. Through social media the images seared in our minds could be different. We would see 9/11 from the inside looking out. Under the desk. In the stairwell. On the plane. <br /&rt; <br /&rt; Does this matter? I believe so. Whether true connection or just illusion, we would know stories that were never told. And the reality of that day would be written by the slain, connecting us in a profound way that would never grow numb.  [Originally posted on "http://www.ashleyfblair.com/?p=119"&rt;www.ashleyfblair.com] http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=130 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=130 ablair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 CST I have a confession to make. I love magazines. You could say I am a magazine addict. This doesn’t really fit with my image as a digital media professor, but I can’t help myself. Maybe it has something to do with the smell of a new magazine, that unique combination of glossy paper and ink. Maybe it has something to do with my upbringing. I first subscribed to a magazine when I was in 6th grade. It was 1980, and my class received an election info packet from U.S. News & World Report. It had bios about the main candidates (Reagan, Carter, and independent John Anderson) and information about the electoral process.<!--more--&rt; It also included a subscription card that I took home and asked my parents to send in. I continued subscribing to U.S. News & World Report for several years. I was a little Alex P. Keating in the making. (I’m still a little sad about the "http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/106712/usnwr-december-issue-will-be-our-last-printed-monthly-sent-to-subscribers/"&rt;end of the U.S. News monthly magazine) <img alt="Wired iPad app" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="left" src="http://www.uniondms.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/wired-ipad-trans-221x300.png" /&rt;Even today, I subscribe to a number of magazines, from Wired to Entertainment Weekly, from Southern Living to Parenting School Years. My mother used to give my wife a subscription to Woman’s Day every year, and I think I was the only one in the house who actually read it. But I think my love affair with magazines boils down to a love of what’s inside each magazine. I love the conciseness and variety of the articles. I like that I can finish an article in an evening. I love books too, but I have never been one of those people who can finish a book in an evening, or even a few evenings. I like being able to walk away from a magazine article with a little tidbit or an image or a statistic that I didn’t know before. The magazine industry also helped fuel my addiction. After I started teaching full-time, I started receiving offers for free magazine subscriptions! Magazines like DV, Studio Monthly (formerly AV Video and Multimedia Producer), Digital Content Producer (formerly Video Systems), EventDV (formerly EMedia magazine) came to my office every month for free, all I had to do is share some information. I loved taking my newly read magazines down to the computer lab and leaving them in the racks for my students to read. I required some classes to read related articles and write short summaries to encourage them to engage the ongoing discussion in their field. But then something began to change. Most of these magazines started getting thinner. Then some of them moved to a pay-only model. Others stopped printing monthly magazines and went completely online. This seems to be a growing trend in the magazine industry. In 2009, 64 magazines went online only, and in 2010 "http://www.audiencedevelopment.com/2010/print+magazine+closures+slow+so+do+launches"&rt;26 more made the digital jump. A funny thing happened, however; something just didn’t translate. I didn’t go to the websites of these magazines that I read religiously each month. It doesn’t make sense. The articles are the same. They often had more images and links to the things they were talking about. And it’s not like I’m a technophobe. I could easily visit these sites on my MacBook Pro, or my iPad, or my iPhone. I really can’t say why I don’t visit those sites. I can’t say why I resent assigning my students a list of URLs to visit instead of walking over to a rack of magazines. I guess I just prefer the magazine form. But I’m afraid that I am the exception not the rule when it comes to magazines. The fact is that more and more"http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.printFriendly&art_aid=119690"&rt; magazines are closing their doors permanently. <img alt="Last issue of Layers Magazine" vspace="10" hspace="10" align="right" src="http://www.uniondms.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Layers-end-of-era-224x300.jpg" /&rt;According to MediaFinder, "http://www.mediafinder.com/public.cfm?page=pressReleases/275%20new%20magazines%20launch%20and%20428%20fold%20in%202009"&rt;428 magazines stopped publishing in 2009, 525 magazines ceased printing in 2008, and "http://www.mediafinder.com/public.cfm?page=pressReleases/525MagazinesCeasedPublicationIn2008"&rt;591 shut down in 2007. And these are not just obscure, niche magazines that no one has heard of. Magazines like Gourmet, Modern Bride, Teen, Nickelodeon and National Geographic Adventure have all ceased printing in recent years, along with U.S. News & World Report that stopped printing its monthly magazine in December 2010. Many magazines that have survived are doing so by virtually giving away their product. Some are severely discounting their subscription rates to keep their numbers up, so they can maintain their advertising rates to stay afloat. I recently re-subscribed to Southern Living for less than $5 for the entire year. Recently, I received an offer to subscribe to a magazine for 3 years (36 issues) for only $12. That’s 33 cents per issue! Just like music, movies and books, the future of magazines is digital, but digital magazines need to work out a few kinks in the system. Instead of spending millions of dollars on a "http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/magazines-take-a-shot-at-the-net/"&rt;“Power of Print” ad campaign, the magazine industry should take that money to lower the cost of digital copies of their magazines. I believe the future of magazines is on devices like the iPad, and I’m not alone. When the iPad was first released, many were predicting that the device would "http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/2010/05/04/how-the-ipad-changes-the-future-of-magazines-and-single-copy-sales"&rt;radically change the future of magazines. But the honeymoon was short-lived. In the last days of 2010, dozens of articles focused on the drop in iPad magazine sales. One of the key statistics was that when Wired magazine’s iPad version debuted in June, it was downloaded more than 100,000 times. No one mentioned that the first Wired iPad edition was free! But the reality is that Wired’s iPad sales did drop from an average of 31,000 downloads between July and September, to around "http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/29/5732875-ipad-magazine-sales-are-dipping"&rt;22,000 downloads in November. This in no way surprised me. I am a Wired reader and an iPad owner, and I haven’t purchase a single iPad copy of the magazine. Why would I pay $3.99 for the iPad version of a magazine that I could get the print edition for $1 per issue? Wired took a step in the right direction this week, making its iPad versions available to its "http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20067760-243.html"&rt;subscribers at no additional charge. I truly hope that other magazines follow suit quickly. For the magazine industry to not only survive but also thrive in a digital economy, they need to address a few key issues: First, digital magazines cannot cost more than their print counterparts. No matter how much industry insiders argue that digital copies cost just as much, because of server space, copy protection and legal services, the average consumer does not believe it. The eBook market has shown us that digital editions that cost less than the print editions do sell and do make money. The pricing issue is paramount to the continued success of the magazine industry. Second, digital magazines need more outlets than the iPad. This one is tricky for me personally as an Apple person. I began working on a Mac in 1989, and I have never looked back. I also love my iPad. But if digital magazines are going to thrive, they need choice and they need competition. I know there are several companies hoping to dethrone the iPad as the tablet of choice, but someone needs to at least become a strong second if the magazine industry is going to make it through this transition. Third, the magazine industry needs to figure out how to make money on their digital editions. This has been the elusive component for every traditional medium from music to movies to newspapers to books. For magazines, advertising is the key. How can they leverage advertising in the digital realm in a way that is valuable to advertisers? Right now it seems that most magazines are just transferring their print ads over to their digital editions, and Google is dominating the online advertising scene. Some may disagree with my prescription for the magazine industry, and others may see a new, more interactive form replacing the traditional magazine. No one really knows what the future will bring. The big question is what to do next. I could just sit around and bemoan the fact that many of my favorite magazines are gone, but for now, I’m going to enjoy downloading the last year’s worth of Wired on my iPad and hope for the best. [NOTE: This article was originally published on the International Digital Media and Arts Association website "http://www.idmaa.org"&rt;www.idmaa.org.] http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=129 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=129 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 CST  I just wanted everyone to know the results of debate team’s record-setting season. Below is a partial listing of everything they accomplished. The statistics are pretty unrelenting! As a team, we had a 58% win percentage on the year, had a top-10 finisher in the varsity division season-long awards, 2 in the top-10 of the professional division, and 3 of top-10 in novice. We won novice (3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; year in a row), varsity (2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; year in a row) and scholastic IPDA Team Sweepstakes. Below is a chronological listing of the tournaments we attended and what we did. <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Henderson State University Warm-Up</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Jed Dugger, Novice Debate<span&rt;.......................................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate<span&rt;...................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Amelia Krauss, Varsity Debate<span&rt;............................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Kylie McDonald, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.............................................................. Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate<span&rt;....................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Kristin Tisdale, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;.......................................................................................... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;University of Arkansas-Monticello Weevil Wars</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Tournament One</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Jed Dugger, Varsity Debate<span&rt;..................................................................... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate<span&rt;.......................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Nicole Haynes, Varsity Debate<span&rt;......................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.......................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate<span&rt;........................................................ Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Amelia Krauss, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;............................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate<span&rt;.................................................................... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Emily Welborn, Varsity Debate<span&rt;...................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate<span&rt;...................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;............................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;............................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Tournament Two</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Seth Brake, Professional Debate<span&rt;........................................................... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker<span&rt;................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jed Dugger, Varsity Debate<span&rt;...................................................... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Shelly Ezell, Novice Debate<span&rt;.............................................................. Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate<span&rt;....................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;................................................. 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate<span&rt;............................................. Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker<span&rt;................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;Amelia Krauss, Varsity Debate<span&rt;...................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate<span&rt;........................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Andrew Roberts, Professional Debate<span&rt;....................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate<span&rt;..................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;............................................................. 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;............................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Combined Sweepstakes<span&rt;.................................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Louisiana State University at Shreveport Red River Classic</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate<span&rt;........................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;JD Cressman, Professional Debate<span&rt;.................................................... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Shelly Ezell, Novice Debate<span&rt;...................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate<span&rt;.............................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Nicole Haynes, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate<span&rt;.................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker<span&rt;.............................................................. 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate<span&rt;..................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Kylie McDonald, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.............................................................. Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate<span&rt;...................................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 1in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;......................................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Emily Welborn, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate<span&rt;............................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;.......................................................................................... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Union University Bulldog Classic</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Seth Brake, Professional Debate<span&rt;............................................................ Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker<span&rt;............................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jed Dugger, Varsity Debate<span&rt;........................................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jessica Haas, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Bethany Hogg, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate<span&rt;...................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate<span&rt;............................................................... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker<span&rt;............................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kaleb Noblett, Professional Debate<span&rt;........................................................ Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Mississippi College Deep South Debates</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate............................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Betsy Davis, Varsity Debate....................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jed Dugger, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Shelly Ezell, Novice Debate..................................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker........................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jessica Haas, Professional Debate.................................................... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate Speaker.......................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Nicole Haynes<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate................................................................ Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Bethany Hogg, Professional Debate.................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker............................................................... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate................................................................................ Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate......................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker............................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate.............................................................................. Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker......................................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Amelia Krauss, Varsity Debate............................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kylie McDonald<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................................ Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate.......................................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker......................................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Rachel Morgan<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate.................................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;........................................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Southern Forensics Invitational</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate........................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Seth Brake, Professional Debate Speaker..................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Betsy Davis, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jessica Haas, Professional Debate.................................................... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate.............................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Nicole Haynes<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate.................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker............................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate..................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker......................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kylie McDonald<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................................ Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker......................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate...................................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Rachel Morgan<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate................................................................ Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Emily Welborn, Varsity Debate<span&rt;.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate<span&rt;............................................................................ Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Debate Sweepstakes<span&rt;............................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Henderson State University Reddie to Rumble</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate............................................................ Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jed Dugger, Varsity Debate....................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker........................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate.................................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Kylie McDonald<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate<span&rt;................................................................ Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker......................................................................... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Rachel Morgan<span style="color: black"&rt;, Varsity Debate Speaker....................................................... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate Speaker.............................................................. 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate<span&rt;............................................................................ Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Debate Sweepstakes<span&rt;............................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;University of Central Arkansas End of Hi-bear-nation</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Nicole Haynes, Varsity Debate............................................................ Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate...................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Bethany Hogg, Professional Debate Speaker............................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate......................................................... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Professional Debate Speaker.............................................................. 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kylie McDonald, Varsity Debate.............................................................. Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Emily Welborn, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;........................................................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;IPDA Championships</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Amanda Bennett, Varsity Debate............................................... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Seth Brake, Professional Debate.............................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;JD Cressman, Professional Debate......................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Betsy Davis, Varsity Debate......................................................... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker......................................................................... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jessica Haas, Professional Debate.......................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hayes, Novice Debate.............................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Nicole Haynes, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Ali Holcomb, Varsity Debate..................................................................... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;David Knack, Novice Debate..................................................................... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kylie McDonald, Varsity Debate................................................. Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker........................................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate......................................................... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Lowell Van Ness, Novice Debate............................................... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Emily Welborn, Varsity Debate.................................................................. Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate............................................................. Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Sweepstakes<span&rt;........................................................................................... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Scholastic Sweepstakes........................................................................ 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt;Season</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kevin Moss, Novice Debate............................................................................. 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Abby Williams, Novice Debate......................................................................... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Kylie McDonald, Varsity Debate.................................................................... 10<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Jordan Hughey, Professional Debate............................................................ 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"&rt;Team, Novice Sweepstakes<span&rt;.............................................................................. 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Varsity Sweepstakes.............................................................................. 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Professional Sweepstakes................................................................... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Scholastic Sweepstakes........................................................................ 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in"&rt;<span style="color: black"&rt;Founders Award..................................................................................... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"&rt; </div&rt; http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=126 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=126 wdrake@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 CST <div&rt;An 8.9-magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami, causing death and destruction in Japan.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The extent of the damage in Japan is not fully known, but thousands, likely tens of thousands, died, countless homes were destroyed and the damage has been estimated in excess of $30 billion, making it one of the worst natural disasters of all time.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div style="text-align: center; "&rt;"http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentagon/5521408905/in/photostream/"&rt;<img alt="Stay Strong Japan! by Kent Ng., on Flickr" align="middle" src="http://www.uniondms.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/JapanTsunami.jpg" /&rt;<br /&rt; Stay Strong Japan! by Kent Ng., on Flickr<br type="_moz" /&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;In these difficult times we, as Christians, should pray for the suffering people of Japan. We should also seek to be the hands and feet of Christ, doing what we can to help the Japanese people in their time of need.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;In times like these, the words of Jesus should speak to us: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me . . . Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25: 35-36, 40).</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;At this moment, we are being encouraged to "http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5377.html"&rt;not try to travel to Japan, but the needs are so great. There will be numerous opportunities in the coming months and years to help Japan rebuild after this great disaster.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Now the greatest needs are for food, potable water, clothing and shelter. The most effective and efficient act of charity is to give to an aid organization that can provide food, water and clothing right now.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Here is information about how you can give (Courtesy of "http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/tsunami-aid-and-relief-how-you-can-help/?hpt=T1"&rt;cnn.com):</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The humanitarian group "http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?funnel=&item=2200736&go=item&section=10324&"&rt;World Vision is rushing personnel into the affected areas and providing food, water, medical supplies and shelter for victims.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;It also plans to establish one or more “child-friendly spaces” for kids “affected by disasters to resume normal childhood activities and experience structure and security that are often lost following emergency situations.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Follow "http://blog.worldvision.org/"&rt;World Vision’s blog for updates, and "http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?funnel=&item=2200736&go=item&section=10324&"&rt;visit its website or text “4japan” to 20222 to send a $10 donation to the group. It will show up on your next mobile phone bill.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The "http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000&s_subsrc=RCO_NewsArticle"&rt;American Red Cross also accepts donations via text message. Text "redcross" to 90999, and you can make a $10 donation to the organization.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;You can also keep up with updates from the nonprofit by following its "http://twitter.com/#!/redcross"&rt;Twitter feed or watching its "http://www.facebook.com/redcross#!/redcross?sk=app_143527638995189"&rt;Facebook updates.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The Salvation Army, which has had a presence in Japan since 1895, is sending a team to Sendai to assess damages and hopes to provide food, water and other necessities. In Tokyo, the "http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-news/D8671AC3DBC0514D802578500057871A?opendocument"&rt;Salvation Army opened its main building to house and feed commuters who were unable to reach their homes.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The aid organization is issuing updates via "http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/"&rt;its blog, its "http://www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus"&rt;Twitter feed and "http://www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa"&rt;Facebook page. It also is accepting donations via text message. Those interested in contributing $10 to the group's efforts can text "japan" or "quake" to 80888.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;<p>Also, "http://www.baptistglobalresponse.com/new/"&rt;Baptist Global Response has a team in Tokyo, working to distribute aid in the affected regions and formulate a long-term response to the tsunami. BGR is providing updates "http://www.baptistglobalresponse.com/new/"&rt;online, on its "http://twitter.com/#!/gobgr"&rt;Twitter feed and via "http://on.fb.me/hKaE6J"&rt;Facebook. Go to its website if you would like make a donation</a> to help with the disaster response.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;The "http://www.baptistglobalresponse.com/new/details.php?id=155"&rt;BGR post on the Japanese tsunami response give the following suggestions for Christians to pray:</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;— for survivors, for opportunities to minister, and for God to use the disaster to help people understand his great love for them.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;— that Christians will know how best to serve the Japanese during this time of crisis, that relief efforts will touch the hearts of people in</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;— that those who hurt will receive aid and comfort, that all will recognize there is only one Rock who will never be shaken.</div&rt;   http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=122 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=122 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:00:00 CST <div&rt;I just wanted everyone to know the results of debate team’s incredible second season. Below is a partial listing of everything they accomplished. The statistics are pretty unrelenting! As a team, we had a 58% win percentage on the year, had a top 10 finisher in the varsity division season-long awards, and 3 of top 10 in novice. We won both novice and varsity IPDA Team Sweepstakes. And because of the efforts of the wonderful team, I was given the Bennett Strange Coach of the Year Award! Below is a chronological listing of the tournaments we attended and what we did.</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Henderson State University Warm-Up</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in"&rt;Amanda Bennett</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Betsy Davis</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jessica Haas</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Nicole Haynes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jonathan Skagfield</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Professional Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kristin Tisdale</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Overall Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;University of Arkansas-Monticello Weevil Wars</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in"&rt;Amanda Bennett</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;John David Cressman</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jessica Haas</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Bethany Hogg</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Rachel Morgan</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in"&rt;Kaleb Noblett</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kristin Tisdale</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey and Kaleb Noblett</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Team Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Rachel Morgan and Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Team Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team Debate Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1st Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Wrecking Crew (Win Percentage)<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Individual Debate Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Overall Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Louisiana State University at Shreveport Red River Classic</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in"&rt;Amanda Bennett</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;John David Cressman</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:1.0in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jessica Haas</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Nicole Haynes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Bethany Hogg</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Will McClure</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Debate Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Union University Bulldog Classic</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Shelbi Williams</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Mississippi College Deep South Debates</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amanda Bennett</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Betsy Davis</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Bethany Hogg</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kaleb Noblett</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Louisiana State University Mardi Gras Classic</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amanda Bennett</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jessica Haas</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Nicole Haynes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Bethany Hogg</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Rachel Morgan</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Sam Houston State University “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” Swing</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;"&rt;Tournament 1</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Betsy Davis</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Rachel Morgan</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;"&rt;Tournament 2</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amelia Krauss</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Betsy Davis</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Rachel Morgan</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;"&rt;Combined Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;University of Central Arkansas End of Hi-bear-nation</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Champion</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Nicole Haynes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kristin Tisdale</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;IPDA Championships</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;JD Cressman</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Betsy Davis</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jessica Haas</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 9<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Nicole Haynes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Semi-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jordan Hughey</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker<span&rt;........... 6<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kaleb Noblett</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Double Octo-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Andrew Roberts</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Quarter-Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Debate<span&rt;........... Finalist</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Team</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div&rt; </div&rt; <div&rt;Season</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Season Long Sweepstakes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Jed Dugger<span&rt;........... 6<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Amanda Bennett<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Kylie McDonald<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Season Long Sweepstakes</div&rt; <div style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Emily Welborn<span&rt;........... 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Novice Team Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Varsity Team Sweepstakes<span&rt;........... 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Founders Award<span&rt;........... 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt;Web Drake<span&rt;........... Bennett Strange Coach of the Year</span&rt;</div&rt; <div style="text-indent:.5in;"&rt; </div&rt;    http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=105 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=105 wdrake@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 CST At the beginning of March, I traveled with a group of seven other communication arts students with Dr. Chris Blair and Professor Ashley Blair to Chicago on an academic trip arranged by Prof. Blair, Dr. Blair and PRSSA President Elizabeth Wood. It was great to take a break from school and learn a little about our majors, namely public relations, digital media studies and broadcasting, in “the real world.” Over two days, we visited two large public relations agencies, met with someone from the Art Institute of Chicago PR department, met with an events coordinator of the Mayor’s<br /&rt; Office of Special Events and with a project manager in the Chicago Film Office, and toured the NBC/Universal studios. <img alt="Meeting with Chai Lee at the Art Institute of Chicago" width="425" height="210" align="left" src="http://www.uniondms.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Chicago_ArtInstitute.jpg" /&rt; Our trip gave us unique out-of-the-classroom learning experiences. When we visited one of the public relations agencies, they invited us to sit in on a brainstorming session with several of their staff. Candy spread across the table encouraged a creative environment while one of the client account managers asked for ideas to help him develop a film competition to promote his client company. We jumped into the conversation and threw out ideas with the staff. We walked out an hour later with smiles on our faces. It’s not everyday you get to do as a student what you want to do after graduation. And this public relations agency, Golin Harris, is no small company. Its oldest client is McDonalds and it has received several awards, including an Agency of the Year award. We had been able to sit at the table with some of the best and the brightest young PR professionals in the nation. This was just one of many “behind the scenes” experiences we packed into two days in the Windy City. We also learned several tips for getting a job after school. Now we know informational interviews and asking questions over email every once in a while are two good ways to create and maintain relationships with professionals, which will help move our resumes to the top of a large stack on their desk when we begin looking for jobs out of school. Perhaps most of all, we returned to Union with a clearer picture of what we are preparing for while in school. We have a lot to be excited about.   http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=103 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=103 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 CST <span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;[Below is a sample of blog posts from Ellen Kay, senior Film Studies minor, who is finishing a semester in Los Angeles at the "http://www.lafsc.com/"&rt;Los Angeles Film Studies Center. For more of Ellen’s musings from this past semester, go to: </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;"http://elleninla.blogspot.com/"&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;http://elleninla.blogspot.com/</small&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; ]</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<!--StartFragment--&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img hspace="5" border="1" align="middle" alt="Ellen in LA" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EllenBlog.jpg" /&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Saturday, September 12, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Today I spent from 9:30 to 6:30 at my new internship. It's going pretty good there! I'm already beginning to feel more confident and comfortable there and I think it's going to be swell, even though it was an extremely long day... Other funny things happened tonight, but I'm getting too tired to tell them. Especially since I need to get up early tomorrow and start production for my first short film that I'm directing! Woo hoo and oh dear... mixed emotions.</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<br /&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Sunday, September 13, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;I had my first short film production filming today! yay! except boo....not that it went bad! It’s just that I am SO tired! Here's some pics from today!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt; <small&rt; </small&rt; <small&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; </small&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;     <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img hspace="5" border="1" alt="" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EllenShoot1.jpg" /&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img hspace="5" border="1" alt="" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EllenShoot2.jpg" /&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Directing takes a lot out of you! I did discover, though, that directing is not for me. I had kind of been considering directing as a direction to head towards, but after today I think I see it's not for me. I have found, however, another route that looks ten times more promising and interesting . . . production design!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Production designers are responsible for creating the world that the characters will inhabit, which can include setting, props, costumes, make up....everything! I really like it though!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;This past week my entire class (52 of us) were divided into 5 groups where everyone has an individual job and we create a team much like a real production crew including director, producers, director of photography, etc. SO! Guess what job I was assigned.... production design!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Not only were we assigned our jobs and groups but also what scripts we would be working on this entire semester until our big premiere in December. Our script is called "Candy" and it was written by one of my new friends Jeremy Navarro (the doctor that I was putting make up on up there). It's a sweet scary horror story involving children, werewolves, creepy santas, and all sorts of jacked up fairy tale characters gone bad. I really like it. And I have to create all of it.</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Insane, yet really exciting. So! You'll probably hear me talk quite a bit about this project, "Candy", as the semester progresses.</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt; <small&rt; </small&rt; <small&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; </small&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;     <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img alt="Ellen Editing" hspace="5" border="1" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EllenEditing.jpg" /&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Saturday, September 26, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;What a day! I got up at 8-ish then heading straight over to Joe's to start filming for his short! I actually had a part in it. I played a geeky comic book loving girl that gets hit on by a jerk but then saved by a cute geek. It's funny yet slightly embarrassing but it's all good. :)?After filming Joe's I headed straight back to the apartment to be in Maggie's film. I played a quirky hippie type girl that takes her goldfish with her wherever she goes. She meets a germaphobe in an elevator and they hit it off. It's cute, slightly embarrassing, but all good. Acting is interesting...I think I like it. It's fun to do but then slightly painful to watch yourself on screen. I'm kind of learning a lot about myself though. Like I said ...it's interesting. I have to pitch my next short film idea this coming Tuesday. I really, really, really want to do something about a little Asian girl that loves anime and dresses up like her favorite characters but gets made fun of at school but then stands up for herself in the end. Hahaha! I would love it! BUT this is my last shot for a film idea in class so I want to make sure it's one that I'll like and be able to do well. I love you all! Thanks for reading! It's fun to know people get on here and check up on me!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<br /&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Tuesday, October 6, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;Pre-production for my next short is going well. It is now officially called Pretty Solider Sailor Sun. (It's supposed to be a pun on a real anime cartoon). One of my friends, Kelsey, is the producer for me, which is AMAZING. She is casting real actors for me and will help me find locations and such. It's a great help! It was funny, yesterday it was REALLY slow at work so I started to do some homework and I began to sketch out little anime girls (a prop for my movie) and I kept on looking over my shoulder afraid that someone would catch me drawing little Japanese looking people and think i'm a weirdo! ....hahaha I'm just like my character!</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img hspace="5" border="1" align="middle" alt="" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EllenManga.jpg" /&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination: none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Monday, October 19, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;"Daddy! Meet the Crimson Crusader!" This was a short I just acted in for my friend Mitch. It's going to be hilarious. I bring my superhero boyfriend home to meet my supervillain dad. So funny and incredibly hard to shoot due to intense giggle factor.</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"&rt;<small&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</small&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<img alt="Crimson Crusader" hspace="5" border="1" align="middle" src=" /dept/commarts/blogs/photos/crimsoncrusador.jpg" /&rt;<br /&rt; </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;<strong&rt;Saturday, December 5, 2009</strong&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Georgia; "&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt; Our big premiere for our Hollywood Production Workshop films is this Tuesday night! I'm really excited! CANDY has turned out even better than I anticipated! Our teachers are super impressed with it and said it will most likely do really well in festivals and even get us IMDB credit. ME?!! on IMDB!?!? AWESOME!!! (that stands for...Internet Movie DataBase) I'm going to be proud to bring CANDY home and premiere at my senior show and call it mine!<!--EndFragment--&rt;</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; <span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;For more of Ellen’s musings from this past semester, go to: </small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt;"http://elleninla.blogspot.com/"&rt;<span style="font-size: small; "&rt;<span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;http://elleninla.blogspot.com/</small&rt;</span&rt;</span&rt; http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=97 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=97 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 CST  Congratulations to the 2009 Digital Media Festival winners! The Best of Festival awards went to Ben Peacock for his Flash-based website ""http://collegevue.org/"&rt;The Vue" for Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis (Best in Interactive) and Mary Annis, AJ Shelby & Kristen Marks for their ""http://www.uu.edu/events/dmf/2009/BaldSoprano.pdf"&rt;Bald Soprano" poster, used to promote the local Northside High School production of the play. Other top awards (The Red Awards), went to Rob Simpson, Erica Davis, Kristi McMurry, Kristen Marks and Ryan Oetting. Special thanks to Ms. Melinda Eckley, assistant professor of art, and Cam Tracy, web development agent, for coordinating this great event Go to the "http://www.uu.edu/events/dmf/"&rt;Digital Media Festival website for a list of all the winners! http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=96 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=96 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<span style="font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;I just wanted everyone to know the results of our new debate team’s exemplary first season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"&rt;  </span&rt;Below is a partial listing of everything they accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"&rt;  </span&rt;The statistics are pretty unrelenting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"&rt;  </span&rt;As a team, we had a 65% win percentage on the year, had 4 of top 10 novice debaters in the country, accumulated 224 points (no one had ever topped 200 before), and won IPDA Novice Team Sweepstakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"&rt;  </span&rt;Below is a chronological listing of the tournaments we attended and what we did.<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="font-family:Verdana;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;University of Arkansas-Monticello</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt; Weevil Wars</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Semi-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kristin Tisdale: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Champion<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack Classic</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Betsy Davis: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: Novice Debate Semi-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: Novice Debate Champion, </span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Jonathan Skagfield: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals, </span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Jessikah Stahl: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Octo-Finals, <o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 4<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Overall Team Sweepstakes: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Mississippi College Deep South Debates</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Betsy Davis: Novice Debate Octo-Finals</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Ben Fulton: Varsity Debate Quarter-Finals, </span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Varsity Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place <o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Overall Speaker (Lindsay Miller Award) : 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Jessikah Stahl: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Kristin Tisdale: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Semi-Finals <o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Overall Team Sweepstakes: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Louisiana State University Mardi Gras Classic</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Betsy Davis: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Ben Fulton: Varsity Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Bethany Hogg: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: Novice Debate Octo-Finals, </span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Kristin Tisdale: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Mandisa Wofford: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Team Debate Sweepstakes: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt; </o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:right dotted 6.5in"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Henderson State University Reddie to Rumble</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Champion<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Betsy Davis: Novice Debate Octo-Finals</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Kristin Tisdale: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Octo-Finals</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:right dotted 6.5in"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;University of Central Arkansas End of Hi-bear-nation</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: Novice Debate Champion</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Bethany Hogg: Novice Debate Semi-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: Novice Debate Semi-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Kristin Tisdale: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 5<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Mandisa Wofford: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Team “Bear It All” Award for Best Overall Win Percentage: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Overall Team Sweepstakes: 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:right dotted 6.5in"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;IPDA Championships</span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Betsy Davis: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 6<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Ben Fulton: Varsity Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Bethany Hogg: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: Novice Debate Quarter-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: Novice Debate Double Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: Novice Debate Octo-Finals<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Novice Debate Speaker: 2<sup&rt;nd </sup&rt;Place<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; </li&rt; </ul&rt; <p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:right dotted 6.5in"&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Season Novice Individual Season-Long Awards</span&rt;</strong&rt; <ul&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Kate Conkling: 2<sup&rt;nd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Jordan Hughey: 6<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Andrew Roberts: 9<sup&rt;th</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</li&rt; <li&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;Emily Welborn: 3<sup&rt;rd</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;</li&rt; </ul&rt; <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt;<strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;Season Novice Team Sweepstakes: </span&rt;</strong&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;1<sup&rt;st</sup&rt; Place</span&rt;<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"&rt;<o:p&rt;</o:p&rt;</span&rt; <!--EndFragment--&rt; http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=86 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=86 wdrake@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 CST This is a recent article from the Cardinal & Cream, co-written by Elizabeth Wood and Lindsay Dawkins. <h4&rt;Piercing eyes. Flawless complexion. Perfect figure. Impeccable smile.</h4&rt; In the world of advertising, altered imagery and misleading messages are found in glamour magazines, TV commercials and the Internet, said students across the campus of Union University. Some students said current advertising focuses on selling products for physical fulfillment rather than building character and individuality. Others said advertising can be positive and beneficial to the public eye. “The purpose of advertising is to allure viewers to buy their product,” said Benjamin Ferrell, junior psychology major. “People would be revolted by the advertisement if it were ugly.” Trey Peters, senior marketing major, said advertising is about drawing customers to the unique selling points of a company’s brand, product or service. “In our commodity driven society, we have become saturated with a constant exposure to advertisements,” Peters said. “In order for our economy to get back on its feet, people need to spend money. The way to do that is through advertising and marketing strategies.” Companies want consumers to demand their product, so they make their advertisements optimal, Peters said. The problem with advertising, Ashley Jackson, resident director of Heritage Complex said, is advertisers appeal to senses and emotions to make a connection with consumers. “Advertisers will do anything to sell their product, even if it goes against ethical violations,” Jackson said. Kim Middleton, junior advertising major, does not believe all advertisements are misleading. She said she looks forward to creating and promoting good, clean and positive messages in the advertising field after college. “There are many people working in advertising that desire to promote love and family through their work,” Middleton said. “Whereas some advertisements are misleading, not every advertisement is corrupted and dishonest.” Bethany VanCleave, junior social work major, said the world encourages people to follow the media’s lies instead of pursuing the image of Christ. As human beings, she said it is a natural instinct to follow what society proclaims as truth. “We should proclaim the gospel of Christ instead of proclaiming the media and their gospel,” Ferrell said. In January, ABC launched a new reality TV show, “True Beauty.” Contestants on the show assume they are being judged solely on outward beauty, when in reality, judges are looking at the contestants’ inner-beauty. The show raises the question, “What is the definition of true beauty?” Rob Simpson, freshman digital studies major, has high hopes “True Beauty” will help open the eyes of people who have preconceived notions as to what beauty is. “In order for people to be accepted in our world, the media will have to show a more diverse demographic in the things they portray instead of the perfect body figure,” Simpson said. “It would take all sizes, shapes, race, creed and origin.” Jackson said Proverbs 31:30 sums up the meaning of beauty when it says, “Charm is deceiving and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” “Find true beauty in Christ,” she added. http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=83 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=83 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CST <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt;<small&rt;“Get inside! Get inside the building now!” </small&rt;</span&rt; <spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt;<small&rt;Katie Shatzer and I are practically shoved into a building on Belmont University’s campus by a security guard, as we hear warnings of a blast in three minutes in the big hole on campus that will one day be their Pharmacy school. Barely inside the building, we suddenly hear a loud boom and feel the building shake under our feet. We look incredulously at each other and start laughing, clutching our bags to our sides. Just another great memory from the Southeastern Journalism Conference 2009.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;The SEJC Conference, which was Feb. 12-14 on Belmont’s campus in Nashville, Tenn., brought together hundreds of journalism students from several colleges throughout the Southeast. As a college in the Southeast region, the communications department takes students every year. This year, 15 students attended, providing a unique experience for everyone, as it was all our first time to attend the conference.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;The conference provided sessions ranging in topic to fit a variety of interests. The most interesting session I attended was on social networking sites and their importance in the modern-day communication world, as more and more people and businesses become a part of Twitter and LinkedIn. While I did not agree with everything the session leader said—he encouraged us to get a Twitter account in order for us to talk to future employers, which I don’t think is very professional—he provided a knowledgeable presentation on the benefits of creating an online identity.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;The most anticipated part of the conference, I dare say, was the onsite competition. In the competition, students participated in different writing areas—news, entertainment, feature—and had an hour to research their story and an hour to write. I participated in entertainment, where I attended a faux press conference with a member of a local Nashville band with around ten other students. After the conference, we had an hour to write our story and turn it in to be judged.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;While I enjoyed the fast-paced, thrilling side of writing a story for competition, I enjoyed more being able to connect with students from other schools and states and talk to them about their goals as a journalist. In the end, it wasn’t about the competition or who was going to win; it became more to me about reconnecting with other journalism majors from several different schools and backgrounds.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;Union students represented the school well, as we took awards in several of the onsite competitions. Katherine Pullen won first place in feature writing, Katie Shatzer won second place in news writing, Elizabeth Wood and Daniel Callicott took third place in public relations campaigns and I took third place in entertainment writing.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;We also took home awards from the overall competition—Jonathan Huskey came away with first place in Best Sports Writer, Emily Rawls took first place in graphic design, Kyle Kurlick took second place in best news photographer and Sarah McBroom took third place in best news writer.</small&rt;<spacer type="horizontal" size="36"&rt;</spacer&rt; <span style="font-family: Arial; "&rt; </span&rt; <small&rt;Overall, the conference provided a fun journalism filled weekend. For me, however, it wasn’t about scaring the other schools with our journalism skills—it was about connecting with the other Union students and professors on the trip that I had never really had a chance to talk with one-on-one before. The conference was an invaluable experience that all communication students should attend before they leave Union University.</small&rt; http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=84 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=84 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CST For those of you techie types interested in the details of the new studio equipment being installed in Jennings Hall, here you go. Click on the links to go to detailed info about each item. Video:<br /&rt; (3) "http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL101625"&rt;JVC GY-HD250U ProHD cameras with VF-HP840U LCD HD Studio Viewfinder, HZ-FM13U Focus Control, HZ-ZS13U Zoom Control, and RM-HP250AU Camera Control Unit <br /&rt; (1) "http://www.broadcastpix.com/The-Switcher-Redefined/Slate-3000.html"&rt;Broadcast Pix Slate 3016 HD switcher with 3 DVEs, built-in multiviewer, clip store, and Inscriber CG<br /&rt; (1) "http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/KDL-42V4100"&rt;Sony KDL-42V4100 42" LCD monitor for program, preview and camera monitoring<br /&rt; (3) "http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-videorecorders/cat-optical/product-PDWF75/"&rt;Sony PDWF75 XDCAM HD decks <br /&rt; (3) "http://www.telescript.com/hardware/15fps.html"&rt;Telescript Fast Fold teleprompters with TeleScript AV software and the 10-button controller <br /&rt; (1) "http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL101632"&rt;JVC DTV20L1DU HD production monitor<br /&rt; (1) "http://www.hamlet.co.uk/products/digiscope/9000/menu/main_i.html"&rt;Hamlet DS9000B Digiscope digital waveform/vectorscope<br /&rt; (2) "http://www.aja.com/html/products_rackmount_FS1.html"&rt;AJA FS-1 SD/HD audio/video converter to downconvert HD signals to SD signals<br /&rt; <br /&rt; Audio:<br /&rt; (1) "http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D451996%252526CTID%25253D560488%252526CNTYP%25253DPRODUCT,00.html"&rt;Yamaha LS9-32 digital audio mixer with built-in EQ, effects and USB Memory Recorder/Player<br /&rt; (4) "http://www.genelec.com/products/2-way-monitors/8030a/"&rt;Genelec 8030A audio monitors <br /&rt; (2) "http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WirelessMicrophones/us_pro_ULXP_content"&rt;Shure ULX wireless microphone systems <br /&rt; (2) "http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_SM93_content"&rt;Shure SM93 micro-lavalier microphones <br /&rt; (2) "http://www.telexradiocom.com/product.php?id=3019744000"&rt;Telex TT-16 Wireless IFB <br /&rt; (2) "http://www.telexradiocom.com/product.php?id=301945000"&rt;Telex TR-16 Wireless IFB receivers <br /&rt; <br /&rt; Updated pictures of the installation are available "http://picasaweb.google.com/drchrisblair/COMUnionNewHDTVStudio"&rt;here. http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=25 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=25 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 CST Brittany Howerton, a 2008 Union graduate, has been named to the inaugural UWIRE 100 list, which honors the nation’s top 100 collegiate journalists. Howerton, a Public Relations/Advertising alumna, served as managing editor of the Cardinal & Cream, Union’s student newspaper, and played a key role in the coverage of the Feb. 5 tornado that devastated the Union campus.   “As the campus lay in shambles, Brittany led the staff to move beyond their own problems and concerns and focus on telling the story,” said Union journalism professor Michael Chute. “We set up a make-shift newsroom in Penick Academic Center, which was also damaged by the tornado, and the facility had no heat. Students worked in coats and gloves in the frigid newsroom, making periodic treks out to the devastated areas to cover the news events.”   Among other stories, Howerton reported on the campus visit by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, and she interviewed Union students who were most seriously injured by the tornado.   “She told students’ stories of survival and how the storm had affected their lives,” Chute said. “On a couple of occasions, she also became a spokesperson for media outlets as one who was an eyewitness to the events. And, when students returned to campus two weeks later, Brittany wrote the main story on classes resuming.   “Through this coverage, Brittany exemplified the very best of journalism in that she put her own struggles aside and worked tirelessly to inform a nation clamoring for information about the storm and its effects,” Chute continued. “Her stories helped put a human face on a natural disaster that made national headlines.”   UWIRE is a free membership organization for college student media and is operated by CBS College Sports Network , a CBS company.   Howerton was selected for the UWIRE 100 from more than 500 nominations submitted by students and educators at 132 schools. A UWIRE panel evaluated each candidate based on demonstrated excellence in the field of collegiate journalism.   The UWIRE 100 students hail from 66 different schools, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large state universities. The full list of the UWIRE 100 is available at uwire.com/100.   Howerton is the daughter of Bob and Sharon Howerton. She has accepted a position as a staff writer for the Alabama Baptist newspaper.   Original story written by Tim Ellsworth, Director, News and Information. http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=23 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=23 mchute@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CST Be sure to come by and check out the updated High Definition editing suite in Jennings 204. This last semester we have upgraded to Final Cut Studio 2, featuring Final Cut Pro 6, DVD Studio Pro 4, Motion 3, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor 3, and the new color correction app, Color. We also upgraded to Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, so you will benefit from Photoshop CS3's new video features, as well as the new Flash CS3 video encoder. Finally, we have added Maya Complete 2008 to the suite! We are excited about this addition to our complement of video and 3D animation tools, and we are thankful to Autodesk for their generous gift. <img src="/dept/commarts/blogs/photos/EditSuiteImage.jpg" alt="Maya 2008, Final Cut Studio 2, Creative Suite 3" align="left" border="1" hspace="5" /&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; <br/&rt; All of this new software is powered on our MacPro with 2.66GHz quad core processors, 3GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. And we have added an additional Panasonic HVX-200 DVCPro HD camera to allow you to capture, edit and output in High Definition. So come by and check it out. If you have any questions, or are interested in shooting a project in HD, feel free to contact Dr. Blair. http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=16 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=16 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 CST Hello there! My name is Alison Ball, I am a senior Public Relations major and a Photojournalism minor that would like to share my love for our department with you. The first day I stepped foot on Union's campus I knew Public Relations was the path God had for me. The benefits of small class sizes and a close-knit department allow for numerous opportunities for growth in the lovely field of communications. My relationship with faculty has allowed for conversations that have sparked my interest in a number of organizations and events. One organization I have become very active in over the course of my four years is Union's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). This is a nationally recognized organization that extends Public Relations experience and knowledge, not to mention the great internships and scholarship benefits offered. We are a young but growing chapter who is beginning to make our mark on campus. At the beginning of the semester PRSSA hosted the return of "Mr. Campus." This hilarious event served as a fundraiser for us this year. Seven charming and talented gentlemen participated in this parade of male humor, we had cowboys, roosters even talented musicians vowing for the coveted title of "Mr. Campus." Our 2007 "Mr. Campus" received a dashing crown and scepter along with some pretty great gift certificates from area businesses. Needless to say, the event was a success and PRSSA members hope to see you there next year, maybe even on stage! Along with using our skills on campus, our bid for a Regional Activity was recently chosen. These events are hosted throughout the country by various PRSSA chapters and we are one of 13 schools hosting in 2008. Our activity will be held in Nashville this spring to learn more about our field, meet other peers and gain National recognition. When you come visit us, or even better, come join us, you will find we are not a major that sits around and waits for things to happen; we are seeking new ways to have hands-on-learning experiences and are becoming more active every day. At the end of October we will be working on the promotion of a campus-wide concert featuring artists from Nashville. In addition to this concert we worked with Hanson, yes "Mmmbop," last semester in promoting their new single, "Great Divide," on campus and hosted other Nashville artists to help bring students together to celebrate great music as well as the hope Hanson found in Africa. I cannot forget to mention the photojournalism aspect of my life. My visual creativity has grown and changed over the past few years in ways they wouldn't have anywhere else. At Union, I am able to visualize it and bring it to fruition thanks to the equipment available to students as well as the unbeatable instruction in the classroom. Throughout my time spent in this department I have been able to help organizations in the community through public relations campaigns and social documentary classes. The help I have been able to extend to the Jackson community in and outside of class has been more rewarding than any grade I have received. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our department; it is growing and changing everyday. We all hope you come visit us at Union University! http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=7 http://www.uu.edu/dept/commarts/blogs/blog.cfm?ID=7 cblair@uu.edu (Department of Communication Arts at Union University) Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 CST