Mike Oswald is the Dean of International Students at BYU-I.
He didn't plan on this being his job. "I'm still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up," said Oswald with a big hearty laugh. He however, did several things throughout his life to prepare him for his position now.
He use to work as an interpreter for Japanese and English.
He studied International Business at the University of Southern California. He then worked at the International Representatives office in Tokyo for the University of Southern California.
He's lived in Japan 3 different times including his mission, for a total of 9 years. He's traveled well across Asia.
He saw the position open up at BYU-I and thought he'd apply. "I'm originally from Idaho so, thought I'd give it a try and come back up here," said Oswald. He got the job and has been here since.
Most of his work is done behind the scenes, he deals a lot with US immigration reporting. He also is responsible for 400-450 students a semester. He sees anywhere from 1 to 30 students a day, it just depends on the time of the semester. He gets to know some of the students very well. The most rewarding part of his job is watching students grow and develop from when he first meets them all the way until they graduate. Helping students accomplish goals or get through the immigration process and get on the right track.
He sees some of the hardships International students have to go through. The most difficult thing International students have to deal with is learning English and finances, especially if they have a sponsor and they pull out. The International Student office has one party a semester for International students. They also invite different attorneys and agents over the semester to come and speak to students.
"I think the important thing to realize is that they go through great trials and tribulations just to get here to go to school," said Oswald. "They have a much different perspective on the world than Americans do and it is a great opportunity to get to know them and what their hopes and dreams are."
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Latin Dance
Every Friday students at BYU-I can have fun, get a workout, and experience a little Latin culture by coming Latin Dancing. The dance is held in the Hinckley Gym from 8:30-11:30 pm on Fridays.
The first hour usually involves a dance instructor teaching some new moves and steps to couples.
As energetic xylophone music plays in the background, hips shake from side to side. While the instructor counts one, two, three, five six, seven, couples spin around and giggle trying to familiarize themselves with the foreign steps and each other.
Then at around 9:30 the lights go down and a rainbow of flashing lights turn on. Loud and fast Latin music turns on which encourages heels to click, and skirts to twirl.
"I try to come every Friday," said Jana Mortimer, a senior studying CIT. "It's fun to meet new people and to learn the different cultures of dancing. I brought my little sister this time and it was fun to teach her how to shake her hips."
As the night progresses more and more people and couples file in and join in on the fun, and the room doubles in size from about 25 couples to around 50 or more.
The first hour usually involves a dance instructor teaching some new moves and steps to couples.
As energetic xylophone music plays in the background, hips shake from side to side. While the instructor counts one, two, three, five six, seven, couples spin around and giggle trying to familiarize themselves with the foreign steps and each other.
Then at around 9:30 the lights go down and a rainbow of flashing lights turn on. Loud and fast Latin music turns on which encourages heels to click, and skirts to twirl.
"I try to come every Friday," said Jana Mortimer, a senior studying CIT. "It's fun to meet new people and to learn the different cultures of dancing. I brought my little sister this time and it was fun to teach her how to shake her hips."
As the night progresses more and more people and couples file in and join in on the fun, and the room doubles in size from about 25 couples to around 50 or more.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Publishers
Here is the link to proof of my completion of the course:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/nwsu_medialaw08/9ab396d69a23bbdd3095e711472cb852
How to protect yourself:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/nwsu_medialaw08/9ab396d69a23bbdd3095e711472cb852
In this course I learned about:
Defamation-injury to reputation caused by the publication of falsehoods. Thiss includes libel-written defamation and slander-spoken defamation.
How to protect yourself:
- Follow good journalism practices.
- Strive to be as accurate as you can be.
- Use reliable sources.
- Be willing to correct or retract your mistakes.
- Be cautious when publishing negative info.
- False light.
- Commercial misappropriation-use of someone's name or image in a commercial setting.
- Intrusion.
- Publication of private facts.
- Report on subjects and facts that are newsworthy.
- Gather info in public places and from publicly available sources.
- Where possible, get consent from the people you cover.
How to protect yourself:
- stick to the facts and avoid taking someone else's creative expression.
- Use works you created yourself.
- Seek the copyright owner's permission to use the work.
- Make sure your use is a fair use.
Five Steps to Multimedia Storytelling
Here is the link to proof of my completion of the course:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/ucknight_multimedia07/f57b2471bce0546b6f240bb752b0db9e
In this course I learned the Five steps to Multimedia Storytelling:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/ucknight_multimedia07/f57b2471bce0546b6f240bb752b0db9e
In this course I learned the Five steps to Multimedia Storytelling:
- Choosing a story- multimedia stories are nonlinear, they engage readers by letting them choose which elements to read and when to read them.
- Making a story board-a sketch of how you plan to organize a story. You organize a story by defining the elements, identifying the media, and story boarding the concept.
- Reporting with multimedia-what is the proper equipment to pack your bag with when reporting with multimedia.
- Editing for the web-taking a storyboard from rough to refined.
- Producing the story-a multimedia reporter shapes the story, while a web designer will serve as the editor.
- video
- audio
- still photos
- graphics
- text
The Be A Reporter Game (journalism basics)
Here is the link for proof of my completed course:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/knight_reportgame08/3d691cce6efda104da3570f3bcecda44
This course was really fun because I was able to pretend I was a real reporter. I learned how to interview multiple people and ask the right kind of questions while racing against a deadline. I learned that it's important to go back to sources you've already interviewed because they may have new information or you may get them to reveal more information. I learned the importance of looking into documented sources because that is where you can verify a lot of facts. I learned that even though it is important to get your story out fast, it is even more important to verify all your facts before putting out your story.
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/knight_reportgame08/3d691cce6efda104da3570f3bcecda44
This course was really fun because I was able to pretend I was a real reporter. I learned how to interview multiple people and ask the right kind of questions while racing against a deadline. I learned that it's important to go back to sources you've already interviewed because they may have new information or you may get them to reveal more information. I learned the importance of looking into documented sources because that is where you can verify a lot of facts. I learned that even though it is important to get your story out fast, it is even more important to verify all your facts before putting out your story.
News Sense: The Building Blocks of News
Here is the link to the completed course:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/mah_newssense05/87a23e7424feb53fcbaf0c0ed7ae2f19
I learned that news happens all around us and good reporters are always open to finding a story. Good reporters strive for fairness, accuracy, context, and truthfulness in their stories.
A story is newsworthy if it has one or more of these elements:
http://www.newsu.org/course-tracking/report/mah_newssense05/87a23e7424feb53fcbaf0c0ed7ae2f19
I learned that news happens all around us and good reporters are always open to finding a story. Good reporters strive for fairness, accuracy, context, and truthfulness in their stories.
A story is newsworthy if it has one or more of these elements:
- Prominence-who
- Importance-what
- Human Interest-what
- Timeliness-when
- Proximity-where
- Meaning-why/how
- Direct Observation-finding the details
- Interviews-identify people being quoted, attribute facts and quotes, and double check facts.
- Documents and databases
- Leaders, Experts, and officials-use them judiciously, don't over use them.
- Researching-knowing your story
- Asking- asking for simpler terms, or the main point
- thinking-understanding what's going on and being able to put it into simpler terms for someone to understand.
- translating- telling what the meaning of the story is.
- Invite-your lead needs to invite readers into the story.
- Inform-tell the reader what's going on.
- Illuminate-shed further light on something to give the reader a clearer picture.
- Connect-connect a reader to a larger picture for understanding, such as history, culture, wider community, and human nature.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Excellence in Journalism
These are all news stories found off of Romenesko.
Jan. 14
Screen gems: Roger Fidler talks about e-readers and tablets
This is a good example of a feature article. Instead of just having a story on E-readers like the Kindle and the anticipation of the Apple tablet, I like how it told the story of Roger Fidler as well, because he is an expert on E-readers. The article had a good use of quotes, paraphrasing, and background information on Fidler. It was an interesting read to hear about how Fidler thought technology and the news would be in the future, which is today. This story is a good story for timeliness because E-readers and tablets are a popular topic right now, especially with Apple’s tablet coming out. I like this article better than others though, because it was nice to hear what a long time expert in this field had to say.
Jan. 22
John Edwards's paternity admission vindicates National Enquirer, its editor says
This article is a good example of journalism because it has a great comical lead in. The article has newsworthiness because, it has prominence, because it is about the scandal of John Edwards’ infidelity and denial of paternity and how the National Enquire of all publications, broke the story. It has human interest because the National Enquire is not a publication that wins Pulitzers and now the Editor is entering its work. The article also has timeliness because this scandal is something that happened recently. The article is enjoyable to read because it goes from the lead into the story of the scandal and back to what was discussed in the lead for a good closing.
Jan. 24
Next News From Haiti: Pulling Out
I really like this article, because it was a well written journalism story about good journalism, so it was good journalism on good journalism. The article had some fantastic quotes by prominent news figures such as Anderson Cooper. This story would be of great importance and human interest to people because the earthquake in Haiti was such a big story. The story also has timeliness because the Earthquake just happened. This article gives great details of what happened in Haiti and what journalists experienced and felt.
The story also had a great lead in and quote from Anderson Cooper and to tie it in another great quote from him to close the story.
Feb. 1
Fewer copy editors after staff cuts means more grammar errors
I think this article was an example of good journalism because it went at a story in an interesting point of view. Instead of talking about how cuts in journalists and copy editors is affecting the news, the story showed how the loss of copy editors is directly affecting the paper, by letting 133 errors get by in one paper. I liked how they also let you get to know a little bit of the story about the teacher to make it more personal. I also liked how they showed detail by putting actual mistakes that got by in the paper.
Feb. 9
Twitter is not killing journalism, journalists are killing journalism
This article is a great example of good journalism. I really like the journalist’s style of writing, it’s fun to read, it’s even comical at points. I like how he shows both sides on things. He shows the advantages and disadvantages of having Twitter as a source of journalism, and he shows examples of how some journalists are using Twitter for good and how others are using it for bad. The article is a good example of journalism because it is of importance because a lot of people use Twitter and use it to get breaking news. The article is of timeliness because it is something that is happening now, Twitter is continuously changing journalism at this moment.
Feb. 17
Survey: Paying for online content a tough sell
I found this article to be an example of good journalism for several reasons. First the lead drew me in, this article is on a topic of interest for me and many others so the lead made me continue to want to read more into the article. Since it is a popular topic it is of importance because it could effect all internet users. The article also has timeliness because it is on a research survey that was released the day before. The article was a great example of using documented sources because it pulled lots of information from a survey. The article also used a good amount of quotes and detailed facts.
March 1
Pew Research: 26% read news on mobile devices
This article is a good example of using documented sources in journalism. The article goes over a new research report with lots of factual and statistical data, this could be boring to read but the way it was done in this article makes it enjoyable to read. The article has timeliness because it is about a research study that just came out. The article is informative and has connectivity for the reader to a larger community because as the article says, “80 percent of adults now own cell phone and 37 percent use their phones to access the web” so, since most people have cell phones and a lot of them use them to go online, they would be interested in this article.
March 1
Magazines Team Up to Tout 'Power of Print'
This article is a good example of journalism because it had a good mix of sources. First it draws the reader in to want to know more about why the magazine industry is switching from being all about going digital to now wanting to preserve and promote print. Then it goes into the specifics of what the new campaign is, with quotes from experts, and people on the campaign. The article gives good details such as what the campaign will look like, who will participate in the campaign. The article also has documented sources giving statistical data about ads and magazine readership.
March 8
Digital Lift-Off
This article was a good example of journalism because it is a short article but it fit a lot of informative information in it. It is an interesting read because it is about something that has never happened before in the advertising world and it is a big deal in the journalism world as well. It has a good use of quotes from experts and statistical data from a study. It is balanced and unbiased and shows a good example of how digital advertising is not necessarily that much better of an investment than print if you look at revenues rather than numbers of people.
March 15
C-Span Puts Full Archives on the Web
This article was a good example of journalism because it was very balanced and unbiased. The first two quotes are even by journalists who favor different political parties. This article has lots of good quotes from leaders and experts. The article also has good usage of factual data. The article is of prominence and importance because it is about C-SPAN, which does video coverage of all the important political acts that happen in Washington, which is important for American citizens to know that this video coverage is available. The article is informative by telling about the history of C-SPAN and what C-SPAN on the web will have to offer.
March 25
What The Reader Elite Means for Journalism Schools
I think that this article is an example of quality journalism because it is a well written and interesting article to read for journalists, future journalists, and people interested in the news or journalism and it’s future. It’s unbiased and informative. Although it didn’t have quotes or documented sources, it was still good journalism because it was an editorial like piece since it was on the writer’s blog, and yet it wasn’t too opinionated, it was more informative. It brings up some good points about expertise and credibility in the world of journalism, and is speculative of the future of journalism itself.
April 1
The Citywide Leader in Sports?
This article is a great example of quality journalism and is extremely well written, it is lengthy and you don’t even notice because it is so interesting to read. It leads the reader into the story by describing things as if you are seeing them and experiencing them for yourself. This attention to detail continues throughout the rest of the story, as it captivates readers. It has lots of good quotes from leaders and experts. It has quite a bit of factual information to back things up including hard numbers and percentages. It answers the questions it poses through an investigative means, and obtains viewpoints from different sides making it unbiased.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
On the Media: March 26th
a.what did I learn about the practice of journalism and or expectations of journalists as described in the ten elements of journalism?
I learned that we should go back to the principles of journalism started by the forefathers of the profession and offer voice to the voiceless rather than focusing on celebrities and stars. We should also know what we are talking about, how can we tell the truth if we don't understand what is happening?
We need to always fact check, don't just get quotes from people making a crazy statement and leave it at that, get the facts of why they think what they do and also have facts to back up your story so it is truthful and not biased.
b.what did I learn about the ethics of journalism or an ethical challenge faced by a journalist?
We should avoid the sins of mischaricterization, such as saying their are large numbers of Americans for or against something, it misrepresents the public opinion, actual data should be used. We should cover all the points, views and groups, not just the groups we agree with. We should avoid point and laugh coverage which is where you find a group doing something crazy and make fun of it.
We shouldn't pay too much attention to when someone steps way over the line, you need to dig into the policy objection. So, if someone says something crazy you can't just put it in your story because it would seem biase, and you can't leave it out because it is biased as well, this is why you need to cover all the views and angles.
c.how can I apply what I learned from my chosen source this week to improve coverage of my beat or my future work in journalism?
What I learned this week can apply to my beat or future stories because it made me realize that I don't just need quotes from leaders, experts, and well-known people, I need to offer voice to the voiceless as well and tell their stories and opinions. I also learned that I need to be better about doing research and background information so I can know what I am talking about and be better able to share the truth.
I learned that I need to get more points of view for my stories as well so that I don't sound biased. I also learned to avoid and (ook for when listening to the news my self) the sin of saying this group believes this or the majority thinks this, without having good hard numbers to back it up.
I learned that we should go back to the principles of journalism started by the forefathers of the profession and offer voice to the voiceless rather than focusing on celebrities and stars. We should also know what we are talking about, how can we tell the truth if we don't understand what is happening?
We need to always fact check, don't just get quotes from people making a crazy statement and leave it at that, get the facts of why they think what they do and also have facts to back up your story so it is truthful and not biased.
b.what did I learn about the ethics of journalism or an ethical challenge faced by a journalist?
We should avoid the sins of mischaricterization, such as saying their are large numbers of Americans for or against something, it misrepresents the public opinion, actual data should be used. We should cover all the points, views and groups, not just the groups we agree with. We should avoid point and laugh coverage which is where you find a group doing something crazy and make fun of it.
We shouldn't pay too much attention to when someone steps way over the line, you need to dig into the policy objection. So, if someone says something crazy you can't just put it in your story because it would seem biase, and you can't leave it out because it is biased as well, this is why you need to cover all the views and angles.
c.how can I apply what I learned from my chosen source this week to improve coverage of my beat or my future work in journalism?
What I learned this week can apply to my beat or future stories because it made me realize that I don't just need quotes from leaders, experts, and well-known people, I need to offer voice to the voiceless as well and tell their stories and opinions. I also learned that I need to be better about doing research and background information so I can know what I am talking about and be better able to share the truth.
I learned that I need to get more points of view for my stories as well so that I don't sound biased. I also learned to avoid and (ook for when listening to the news my self) the sin of saying this group believes this or the majority thinks this, without having good hard numbers to back it up.
Friday, March 26, 2010
French Fondue
The French Association had their closing social on Friday, March 26 at 6pm at French teacher, Sister Geddes house.
Students from BYU-I French classes, French speaking Returned Missionaries, and French Teachers and their families were in attendance.
After a prayer was offered in French, the Fondue party began.
There was fondue from different French speaking parts of the world. choices included traditional cheese, marinara, and chocolate fondue from France, and a pot of maple from the French speaking region of Quebec, Canada.
You could dip a variety of bites sized food into the big pots including, graham crackers, grapes, bananas, strawberries, olives, tomatoes, meatballs, cheese, angel food cake, and homemade french bread.
"All the fondue was delicious, although my favorite fondue was missing, which is Fondue Bourguignonne, an oil fondue," said Branden Pronk, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering who is a French-speaking Canadian, who served his mission in France. "It consists of heated oil in a small pot and your choice of raw meats including small pieces of steak which you dip into the hot oil and deep fry to your preference, such as rare, medium rare, well, and well-done."
As everyone ate, soft french music played in the background while laughing and chatting in both French and English could be heard.
Then some of the group went down to the basement and watched a french movie called, Les Choristes at the end of the party.
Students from BYU-I French classes, French speaking Returned Missionaries, and French Teachers and their families were in attendance.
After a prayer was offered in French, the Fondue party began.
There was fondue from different French speaking parts of the world. choices included traditional cheese, marinara, and chocolate fondue from France, and a pot of maple from the French speaking region of Quebec, Canada.
You could dip a variety of bites sized food into the big pots including, graham crackers, grapes, bananas, strawberries, olives, tomatoes, meatballs, cheese, angel food cake, and homemade french bread.
"All the fondue was delicious, although my favorite fondue was missing, which is Fondue Bourguignonne, an oil fondue," said Branden Pronk, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering who is a French-speaking Canadian, who served his mission in France. "It consists of heated oil in a small pot and your choice of raw meats including small pieces of steak which you dip into the hot oil and deep fry to your preference, such as rare, medium rare, well, and well-done."
As everyone ate, soft french music played in the background while laughing and chatting in both French and English could be heard.
Then some of the group went down to the basement and watched a french movie called, Les Choristes at the end of the party.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
International Students Statistics
According to Mike Oswald, Dean of International students, this semester there are 430 International Students at BYU-I on track.
"The majority of International students are from Canada, then South Korea, and either Brazil or Mexico depending upon the semester," said Oswald.
The statistics for winter Semester are being calculated right now.
In analyzing the trends from previous semester's data we can extrapolate to predict trends of this semester and the future.
We can see from these graphs that the International student population is trending upwards. We can therefore predict based on this trend that the international student population will continue to grow year by year, with the majority of international students being present in the Winter and fall, but with an ever increasing percentage starting to attend during the summer months.
"The majority of International students are from Canada, then South Korea, and either Brazil or Mexico depending upon the semester," said Oswald.
The statistics for winter Semester are being calculated right now.
In analyzing the trends from previous semester's data we can extrapolate to predict trends of this semester and the future.
We can see from these graphs that the International student population is trending upwards. We can therefore predict based on this trend that the international student population will continue to grow year by year, with the majority of international students being present in the Winter and fall, but with an ever increasing percentage starting to attend during the summer months.
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