In Response to article today in the SL TRib.
The article mentioned that Sloan was at least part of the problem in the Jazz's recent collapse. I think everyone on the team should be partially credited some blame, but I think this article suggested Sloan was a main ingredient in their recent failure. I disagree. He is a great coach that got them through tough times this season and now when players fail to perform recently he gets the blame? He doesn't get enough credit as it is. Now the local media is trying to find someone to blame for something that has gone wrong. They have looked in the wrong place.
April 15, 2009
Response to article on PRweek (Oldham)
How Twitter saved public relations from PR
This was an interesting article on how public relations can and is being affected by Twitter. It is the responsibility of public relations professionals to master and use this device or otherwise be pushed aside. It helped me learn more about twitter and its vast audience and possibilities. I like the examples it gives of benefits of using twitter. From avoiding catastrophic communication problems to making a "business meeting" so much more convenient. Good article.
This was an interesting article on how public relations can and is being affected by Twitter. It is the responsibility of public relations professionals to master and use this device or otherwise be pushed aside. It helped me learn more about twitter and its vast audience and possibilities. I like the examples it gives of benefits of using twitter. From avoiding catastrophic communication problems to making a "business meeting" so much more convenient. Good article.
April 08, 2009
ACUI games (Oldham)
USU students prepare for Nationals
Many USU students fared very well in the Region 13 Association of College Union International (ACUI) games, held on the Utah State campus February 19, 20 and 21.
ACUI games consist of men’s and women’s table tennis, men’s and women’s billiards nine-ball and a college quiz bowl. Region 13 consists of nine teams from five states: USU, University of Utah, Weber State, Arizona State, Wyoming, New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech, Colorado Springs-Colorado and University of Colorado-Denver.
The event marked the first time in 16 years that Utah State hosted the ACUI games.
Utah State finished first overall in the College Quiz Bowl event, where they are asked random questions from any field. Led by team captain Kevin Webb (ASUSU), the team members were Ben Pollock, Trevor Grant, Kimberly Campbell and Lance Pflieger.
Rick Skinner, who teaches all of the billiards classes at Utah State and is also the Region 13 coordinator for ACUI, said he was very impressed with the turnout to this year’s event.
“For billiards we had 43 players, which is the most in ACUI history – the average is usually 20 to 25,” Skinner said. “This year for some reason we had a lot more players.”
USU’s Mike Hancock took fourth place out of the 43 in men’s billiards nine-ball. The top five in each event get to go to nationals which will be held at Illinois State University on July 21, 22, and 23. Hancock will join multiple Aggies that qualified for nationals.
“That’s a pretty big deal, because if they win at nationals they actually get a shot to go professional," Skinner said.
The men’s billiard participants from USU were Mike Hancock, Jeff Fulmer, Ben Johnson, Chris Kelton, Ben Knecht, Jeremy Frint, Trevor Knudsen, David Verable, Mark Glade, Tim Worthen and Nickolas Frost, with Skinner as the captain.
Nickoli Hambly led the women’s side of things for USU billiards nine-ball. She finished second out of 13 competing, and qualified for nationals as well.
Hambly was joined with Torri Bills, Brittany Stainbrook, Amanda Young and Brittany Packard for the women’s.
The Aggies fared very well in men’s and women’s table tennis as well. The men’s team had the second- and third-place finishers. Jennifer Jones finished first in women’s table tennis. Each qualified for the national event.
William Marsden, Van Tran, Nathan Orton, Matt Innes, Christian Ivins, Cris Jepsen, Jay Bickmore, Larry Bucio and Kevin Crouch rounded out the men’s table tennis team, while Jennifer Jones and Whitney Hammond were the only women’s competing for USU.
All of the events were held on the USU campus. The billiards was held in the bullpen of the Nelson Fieldhouse, the table tennis was in the HPER and the college quiz bowl in the TSC.
The ACUI also holds “I-lead” and “You-lead” programs where students are given scholarships to go to places like Hawaii and others to learn how to be leaders of groups.
“Last year it was up in Washington state and there’s quite a few people that go but we’ve never had anyone from USU go, and it’s usually because of funding," Skinner said.
For the games it is a $60 entry fee for each participant, and most of the students pay their own way. The university was able to pay for some of them until they ran out of funds. When the students travel they have to pay to rent a van, pay for gas, rent a motel and anything else they do.
“It would be great to get regular funding from different sponsors or the university if possible," Skinner said. "In the past ASUSU has helped in sponsoring us a lot.”
Those USU students who are preparing to go to nationals at Illinois State in July are still in need of funds, and donations would help them immensely with their trip.
“It’s something that the students really enjoy, they really enjoy getting out and meeting students from other schools. The competition is excellent for them, but also the camaradarie.” Skinner said. “There are people that have played each other for three or four years, they look forward to meeting each other again each time.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Many USU students fared very well in the Region 13 Association of College Union International (ACUI) games, held on the Utah State campus February 19, 20 and 21.
ACUI games consist of men’s and women’s table tennis, men’s and women’s billiards nine-ball and a college quiz bowl. Region 13 consists of nine teams from five states: USU, University of Utah, Weber State, Arizona State, Wyoming, New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech, Colorado Springs-Colorado and University of Colorado-Denver.
The event marked the first time in 16 years that Utah State hosted the ACUI games.
Utah State finished first overall in the College Quiz Bowl event, where they are asked random questions from any field. Led by team captain Kevin Webb (ASUSU), the team members were Ben Pollock, Trevor Grant, Kimberly Campbell and Lance Pflieger.
Rick Skinner, who teaches all of the billiards classes at Utah State and is also the Region 13 coordinator for ACUI, said he was very impressed with the turnout to this year’s event.
“For billiards we had 43 players, which is the most in ACUI history – the average is usually 20 to 25,” Skinner said. “This year for some reason we had a lot more players.”
USU’s Mike Hancock took fourth place out of the 43 in men’s billiards nine-ball. The top five in each event get to go to nationals which will be held at Illinois State University on July 21, 22, and 23. Hancock will join multiple Aggies that qualified for nationals.
“That’s a pretty big deal, because if they win at nationals they actually get a shot to go professional," Skinner said.
The men’s billiard participants from USU were Mike Hancock, Jeff Fulmer, Ben Johnson, Chris Kelton, Ben Knecht, Jeremy Frint, Trevor Knudsen, David Verable, Mark Glade, Tim Worthen and Nickolas Frost, with Skinner as the captain.
Nickoli Hambly led the women’s side of things for USU billiards nine-ball. She finished second out of 13 competing, and qualified for nationals as well.
Hambly was joined with Torri Bills, Brittany Stainbrook, Amanda Young and Brittany Packard for the women’s.
The Aggies fared very well in men’s and women’s table tennis as well. The men’s team had the second- and third-place finishers. Jennifer Jones finished first in women’s table tennis. Each qualified for the national event.
William Marsden, Van Tran, Nathan Orton, Matt Innes, Christian Ivins, Cris Jepsen, Jay Bickmore, Larry Bucio and Kevin Crouch rounded out the men’s table tennis team, while Jennifer Jones and Whitney Hammond were the only women’s competing for USU.
All of the events were held on the USU campus. The billiards was held in the bullpen of the Nelson Fieldhouse, the table tennis was in the HPER and the college quiz bowl in the TSC.
The ACUI also holds “I-lead” and “You-lead” programs where students are given scholarships to go to places like Hawaii and others to learn how to be leaders of groups.
“Last year it was up in Washington state and there’s quite a few people that go but we’ve never had anyone from USU go, and it’s usually because of funding," Skinner said.
For the games it is a $60 entry fee for each participant, and most of the students pay their own way. The university was able to pay for some of them until they ran out of funds. When the students travel they have to pay to rent a van, pay for gas, rent a motel and anything else they do.
“It would be great to get regular funding from different sponsors or the university if possible," Skinner said. "In the past ASUSU has helped in sponsoring us a lot.”
Those USU students who are preparing to go to nationals at Illinois State in July are still in need of funds, and donations would help them immensely with their trip.
“It’s something that the students really enjoy, they really enjoy getting out and meeting students from other schools. The competition is excellent for them, but also the camaradarie.” Skinner said. “There are people that have played each other for three or four years, they look forward to meeting each other again each time.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
A response to an article in PRweek (Oldham)
Why PR matters in a down economy
This was a good article to read for many reasons. It helped me understand the importance of my career path, and what I can provide for companies in need. Also it shows what companies need to survive in this recession. It seems to me that good PR is a much cheaper way that more advertising or just "hiding behind your lawyer." Now is the time to let the truth out, to be completely honest with the public in a time of uncertainty. In short there is a need for good PR.
This was a good article to read for many reasons. It helped me understand the importance of my career path, and what I can provide for companies in need. Also it shows what companies need to survive in this recession. It seems to me that good PR is a much cheaper way that more advertising or just "hiding behind your lawyer." Now is the time to let the truth out, to be completely honest with the public in a time of uncertainty. In short there is a need for good PR.
Utah PR Conference (Oldham)
The Utah PR Conference being held here at Utah State is coming up on April 13. I have had the opportunity to be involved in helping with some fund-raising and anything else needed. It has been a good experience so far. Not just from what I've done, but mostly being able to see how much the students in charge are doing to prepare. They have worked so hard and it's a cool experience to see how to get something like this PR Conference prepared. I am excited for this opportunity and hopefully something will come of it for me and those that have worked so hard to get it ready.
April 01, 2009
Another Sports Debate article - Utah Statesman (Oldham)
1. More dominant: Tiger or Michael Jordan?
It is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison if you ask me, because the dynamics in each sport are so different. I think Jordan lost a couple titles because of retirement(s). And six NBA titles is pretty impressive win you consider he did it pretty much by himself, just like Tiger does. I’d say Michael is more dominant by just a bit. However, Tiger’s run of four consecutive major tournament victories could possibly be the greatest feat by any athlete ever in any sport. The only edge Tiger has is that he can continue to build his legacy as we speak. When all is said and done, “I wanna be like Mike!”
2. Jazz Playoff Prospects?
It’s not looking too good right now. A lot hinges on the games at Denver and Portland this week. I don’t want to make excuses for them, but they really lost their chances early on with the injuries. The Jazz still haven’t proven that they can win on the road, and they must do so to go anywhere at this point. I am hoping that they get either the Hornets or Rockets in the first round because I feel they can beat either of them on the road. The Spurs would be the worst case scenario. I predict a five seed because of their tough schedule and a second round exit versus LA. I hope I’m wrong.
3. NBA Champion Prediction?
The Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s not just because they have Lebron James either. OK about 99% of the reason is Lebron James, but don’t underestimate the job of a role-player in basketball. That is the main reason I will not say the Celtics. They lost two very key role-players from last year – James Posey and P.J. Brown, and that’s why they will come up short this year. It doesn’t help that their star has been hurt for a while now. Obviously the Lakers deserve attention here and a lot depends on Andrew Bynum’s health for them. If he gets healthy soon, the Lakers will be tough. They will breeze through the west and lose in the finals because of Cleveland’s home-court advantage.
4. Final Four thoughts
I’m excited how in turned out, with a few upsets this past weekend. A week ago I said that it would be North Carolina and Uconn, and here we are with them being the favorites to go to the final. I always thought Calhoun was a good coach. I think Izzo is also, but I don’t think Suton and Lucas will be able to handle Price and Thabeet. The Heels will beat ‘Nova I think. I stated before that NC’s experience will carry them to the title. Villanova is a great story for the tournament, but I’m not sure if they have what it takes to win it all.
5. Rant
It’s been said before that Michael Phelps is one of the greatest athletes of all-time. Although I think he has accomplished some amazing feats and is probably the greatest U.S. swimmer ever. When we’re talking athletes I don’t think he deserves consideration. Sure he is good, but he is a swimmer. I believe it takes a lot of training, strength, determination, etc. However the competition isn’t there like in other sports. When I think of athletes -- Carl Lewis, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice come to mind. And they are all in highly competitive sports with ultra-amazing athletes competing against them. I’d like to see what Lebron James could do in a pool if he trained his entire life.
Current Events: Fee Increase (Oldham)
It is kind of a kick in the butt in this down economy to have to pay a little more next semester for tuition. However, I do not feel that it is totally unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, I am just as broke as the next college student, but I feel we are getting a really good education for really cheap. You can't find a better education at a school with equal prices to USU. Even with the pay increase it is still very inexpensive for how big the school is.
It has risen nearly every semester since I've been here at USU, and I suspect it will continue to do so long after I leave. It is a fact of life that we just have to get use to.
It has risen nearly every semester since I've been here at USU, and I suspect it will continue to do so long after I leave. It is a fact of life that we just have to get use to.
March 29, 2009
Softball article in Utah Statesman (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
The Aggies softball team snapped their losing skid on Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over the San Jose State Spartans. The game was the second game of a 3-game series. USU fell 9-1 on Friday night and lost a close one, 3-1 in the second game on Saturday.
The win put an end to a 13-game WAC losing streak for the Aggies, dating back to last season.
USU junior pitcher Kate Greenough had a phenomenal performance to help get the Aggie victory on Saturday. She pitched a complete game 4-hitter and only gave up one run. With only one strikeout in the game, Greenough had a lot of help from the defense.
Utah State coach Candi Letts said, “Today we handled the ball, we didn’t boot it around. We really took care of business and controlled the game.”
Coach Letts stated how happy she was with the hitting of junior Emily Reilly, freshman Gina Rawls and many others in the win.
Reilly had the first RBI of the game in the second inning as she knocked in freshman Jasmine Harris, who had singled to start the inning. San Jose State answered back in the fourth inning, scoring one run off of Greenough. However she got out of a one-out jam with runners in scoring position to keep them from scoring any more. And that was it as far as scoring goes for the Spartans.
USU tacked on a run in the fourth inning with a single by senior Jeanine Hernandez and tacked on a couple insurance runs in the seventh for good measure. The damage was done by many base-runners in the seventh inning for USU.
Letts was very pleased with the effort after losing badly the night before to the same team.
“We played with much more energy and at a higher level today,” Letts said. “They just finally took a breath and realized what they can do and what they should do (to win).”
The story of the second game of the double-header Saturday was put simply by the USU coach. “We didn’t get that timely hit,” Lett said, “The bottom line is we left too many people on base.”
USU got another gem of a performance in the pitchers spot by senior Lindsey Benson in the second game, but to no avail. Benson gave up only four hits, but took the loss falling to 1-13 on the season.
The Spartans were able to get the first three runs of the game over the first five innings on timely hitting and key errors by the Aggies. The Aggies would fight back with base runners in the sixth inning. Shortly after a triple by junior Simone Hubbard, senior Aubrie Stroman was able to hit her in with a double to left-center. But the threat from Utah State would end there as 3-1 would prove to be the final.
USU now holds a 7-21 overall record, and 1-5 in WAC play.
The Aggies will play Utah Valley on Tuesday March 31 in Orem and then resume WAC play this weekend in Logan as they play host to the Aggies of New Mexico State. They will play a 3-game series starting Friday.
Utah State will strive to get better at hitting in clutch situations as they get ready for the Wolverines and Aggies.
Letts said, “Performing with some pressure has got to be our number one goal.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
The Aggies softball team snapped their losing skid on Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over the San Jose State Spartans. The game was the second game of a 3-game series. USU fell 9-1 on Friday night and lost a close one, 3-1 in the second game on Saturday.
The win put an end to a 13-game WAC losing streak for the Aggies, dating back to last season.
USU junior pitcher Kate Greenough had a phenomenal performance to help get the Aggie victory on Saturday. She pitched a complete game 4-hitter and only gave up one run. With only one strikeout in the game, Greenough had a lot of help from the defense.
Utah State coach Candi Letts said, “Today we handled the ball, we didn’t boot it around. We really took care of business and controlled the game.”
Coach Letts stated how happy she was with the hitting of junior Emily Reilly, freshman Gina Rawls and many others in the win.
Reilly had the first RBI of the game in the second inning as she knocked in freshman Jasmine Harris, who had singled to start the inning. San Jose State answered back in the fourth inning, scoring one run off of Greenough. However she got out of a one-out jam with runners in scoring position to keep them from scoring any more. And that was it as far as scoring goes for the Spartans.
USU tacked on a run in the fourth inning with a single by senior Jeanine Hernandez and tacked on a couple insurance runs in the seventh for good measure. The damage was done by many base-runners in the seventh inning for USU.
Letts was very pleased with the effort after losing badly the night before to the same team.
“We played with much more energy and at a higher level today,” Letts said. “They just finally took a breath and realized what they can do and what they should do (to win).”
The story of the second game of the double-header Saturday was put simply by the USU coach. “We didn’t get that timely hit,” Lett said, “The bottom line is we left too many people on base.”
USU got another gem of a performance in the pitchers spot by senior Lindsey Benson in the second game, but to no avail. Benson gave up only four hits, but took the loss falling to 1-13 on the season.
The Spartans were able to get the first three runs of the game over the first five innings on timely hitting and key errors by the Aggies. The Aggies would fight back with base runners in the sixth inning. Shortly after a triple by junior Simone Hubbard, senior Aubrie Stroman was able to hit her in with a double to left-center. But the threat from Utah State would end there as 3-1 would prove to be the final.
USU now holds a 7-21 overall record, and 1-5 in WAC play.
The Aggies will play Utah Valley on Tuesday March 31 in Orem and then resume WAC play this weekend in Logan as they play host to the Aggies of New Mexico State. They will play a 3-game series starting Friday.
Utah State will strive to get better at hitting in clutch situations as they get ready for the Wolverines and Aggies.
Letts said, “Performing with some pressure has got to be our number one goal.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Recent article on Sports Debate (Oldham)
Blue & White Sports Debate
Chet Gardner
1. Thoughts on basketball season
It was an incredible season. It was one of the best I’ve ever seen as a lifelong Aggie basketball fan. It was heart-breaking to see it end like that, but at the same time very encouraging. You know that the season is gonna end up with a loss unless you win the NCAA championship (disregarding the NIT & CBI). They were ranked for part of the season, which doesn’t happen often. They got no respect going into the tournament with an 11 seed and proved they were better than that, and were a couple calls away from the second round of the NCAA tourney. I won’t forget this season.
2. Thoughts on fee increase
I believe that to vote yes on the fee increase is a must for a sports fan at Utah State. We students are guaranteed 39 percent of the seats in the Smith Spectrum and 25 percent in Romney Stadium. We have the lowest sports funds in the WAC which has held us back from competing as much as we’re capable. USU sports serves as marketing for the university to the world. If you want good publicity, better recognition and something to lose your voice over each football and basketball season, you will vote yes as I did on the sports fee increase.
3. March Madness: Cinderella & Favorite?
If you are a fan of Cinderella come March, this tournament has turned into a dud. Arizona is the only legit Cinderella left. Coming from the Pac-10 they’re not an exciting one. Utah State was a sexy pick to go deep in the tourney, not only from the USU faithful (including my bracket), but from analysts across the land. As for the favorite, I think it will go to the team that has been here before – North Carolina. Virtually the Heels whole team is back after a final four appearance last year. At this point I see them beating UCONN in the final.
4. MLB Predictions for 2009
This is a tough one. However baseball is so unpredictable that it is fun to predict in March. I am a National League fan, but I admit the National League seems very weak this year. I think the Rays and Phillies are not able to live up to the hype this year. The Rays will fail to make the playoffs and the Phillies will lose in the division series. The Bay Area teams (Giants and A’s) will be surprises in weak divisions and make it to their respective league championship games but fall to deeper teams in the Cubs and Red Sox. Something will happen to curse the Cubs in the Series and they’ll lose in seven. “The Nation” is happy once again (yawn).
5. Rant
We are in the midst of the greatest era in Aggie basketball history. Stew Morrill is the main reason for this. He has 5 NCAA appearances out of the 17 in Aggie history. He has done that in only 11 seasons. It’s a miracle that he has hung around at Utah State and not moved on to bigger schools and more money. Some critics have speculated that he schedules cupcakes, however he has stated that he will play anyone home and home. I admire him for standing up for his players and fans. If USU fans want a tougher schedule then they can get used to playing many more road games than home games. Stew’s hands are tied. No one wants to play in the Spectrum. Hopefully the WAC gets stronger, that is the best bet for a tougher schedule.
Chet Gardner
1. Thoughts on basketball season
It was an incredible season. It was one of the best I’ve ever seen as a lifelong Aggie basketball fan. It was heart-breaking to see it end like that, but at the same time very encouraging. You know that the season is gonna end up with a loss unless you win the NCAA championship (disregarding the NIT & CBI). They were ranked for part of the season, which doesn’t happen often. They got no respect going into the tournament with an 11 seed and proved they were better than that, and were a couple calls away from the second round of the NCAA tourney. I won’t forget this season.
2. Thoughts on fee increase
I believe that to vote yes on the fee increase is a must for a sports fan at Utah State. We students are guaranteed 39 percent of the seats in the Smith Spectrum and 25 percent in Romney Stadium. We have the lowest sports funds in the WAC which has held us back from competing as much as we’re capable. USU sports serves as marketing for the university to the world. If you want good publicity, better recognition and something to lose your voice over each football and basketball season, you will vote yes as I did on the sports fee increase.
3. March Madness: Cinderella & Favorite?
If you are a fan of Cinderella come March, this tournament has turned into a dud. Arizona is the only legit Cinderella left. Coming from the Pac-10 they’re not an exciting one. Utah State was a sexy pick to go deep in the tourney, not only from the USU faithful (including my bracket), but from analysts across the land. As for the favorite, I think it will go to the team that has been here before – North Carolina. Virtually the Heels whole team is back after a final four appearance last year. At this point I see them beating UCONN in the final.
4. MLB Predictions for 2009
This is a tough one. However baseball is so unpredictable that it is fun to predict in March. I am a National League fan, but I admit the National League seems very weak this year. I think the Rays and Phillies are not able to live up to the hype this year. The Rays will fail to make the playoffs and the Phillies will lose in the division series. The Bay Area teams (Giants and A’s) will be surprises in weak divisions and make it to their respective league championship games but fall to deeper teams in the Cubs and Red Sox. Something will happen to curse the Cubs in the Series and they’ll lose in seven. “The Nation” is happy once again (yawn).
5. Rant
We are in the midst of the greatest era in Aggie basketball history. Stew Morrill is the main reason for this. He has 5 NCAA appearances out of the 17 in Aggie history. He has done that in only 11 seasons. It’s a miracle that he has hung around at Utah State and not moved on to bigger schools and more money. Some critics have speculated that he schedules cupcakes, however he has stated that he will play anyone home and home. I admire him for standing up for his players and fans. If USU fans want a tougher schedule then they can get used to playing many more road games than home games. Stew’s hands are tied. No one wants to play in the Spectrum. Hopefully the WAC gets stronger, that is the best bet for a tougher schedule.
March 26, 2009
Helping sponsor the PR Conference (Oldham)
As part of the PRSSA we are planning the Utah PR Conference on April 13 at USU.
As I was looking for sponsors I was lucky to find that my current employer - Golden Corral - was able to help me out a little bit.
They do a "celebrity server night" to help us raise money for our cause (which is raising money to put together the PR conference).
A few of the members of the PRSSA will be the "celebrity servers" on Mon. March 30. We get the opportunity to sell tickets to friends, family and whoever for $12. When they come with their tickets on that night our organization will get $2 per ticket redeemed. We (PRSSA) will be their servers and will get to keep the tips that we make to go toward the PR Conference.
This has been a learning experience and hopefully all will go well come Monday night. I am excited for the opportunity this has provided me and the PRSSA in raising money.
As I was looking for sponsors I was lucky to find that my current employer - Golden Corral - was able to help me out a little bit.
They do a "celebrity server night" to help us raise money for our cause (which is raising money to put together the PR conference).
A few of the members of the PRSSA will be the "celebrity servers" on Mon. March 30. We get the opportunity to sell tickets to friends, family and whoever for $12. When they come with their tickets on that night our organization will get $2 per ticket redeemed. We (PRSSA) will be their servers and will get to keep the tips that we make to go toward the PR Conference.
This has been a learning experience and hopefully all will go well come Monday night. I am excited for the opportunity this has provided me and the PRSSA in raising money.
March 22, 2009
Assignment 5 in Online JCOM - Photoshop
I changed the texture of the picture to a tile background. I changed the brightness of the background. I changed the color of my brother and sister in law. Also changed the background to black and white (except my brother and sister in law).
I changed the picture in a few ways: I changed the color to black and white except for my mom. Also I changed the color of my brothers tie. I also changed the color of the chair in the background to a reddish-brown.
March 08, 2009
March 06, 2009
Current Events: Raise in tuition (Oldham)
There has been quite a bit of speculation and a lot said about the possibility of a raise in tuition to support athletics at Utah State University.
Some people suggest to cut the athletics to get us out of the economic crisis. Or to cut it if they need our money in a time like this.
Athletics keeps the University where it is at, yet I don't feel it's more important than the school. However it is obvious the athletics is struggling financially, and I don't think we should just give up. A small increase is fair considering the circumstances.
Utah State is the lowest funded athletic school in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference). So it seems a fee increase has been long overdue. Also the school would not be anywhere near where it is now, academically.
Not only will the slight fee increase help us students have a more enjoyable time, it will help us build for the future. It will help market the school and when others get here after us the school will be better off, academically and athletically.
I'm glad we get to vote for it, so everyone can have an opportunity to voice their opinion.
Some people suggest to cut the athletics to get us out of the economic crisis. Or to cut it if they need our money in a time like this.
Athletics keeps the University where it is at, yet I don't feel it's more important than the school. However it is obvious the athletics is struggling financially, and I don't think we should just give up. A small increase is fair considering the circumstances.
Utah State is the lowest funded athletic school in the WAC (Western Athletic Conference). So it seems a fee increase has been long overdue. Also the school would not be anywhere near where it is now, academically.
Not only will the slight fee increase help us students have a more enjoyable time, it will help us build for the future. It will help market the school and when others get here after us the school will be better off, academically and athletically.
I'm glad we get to vote for it, so everyone can have an opportunity to voice their opinion.
March 01, 2009
Utah Statesman article - Softball (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
The Utah State softball team had a disappointing weekend at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, going 0-5. The last game was Sunday against WAC foe New Mexico State where they lost in a close one, 4-2.
After the weekend the Aggies fell to 3-12 on the season
USU did not play well to start the tournament and had a hard time finding their way back to playing the way they’re capable of. “When you don’t play well and you start thinking too much, you start losing a little confidence, then everything you’ve done to get confidence, you can’t find it anymore, and it takes a while to get it back,” said USU coach Candi Letts.
The Aggies started the weekend with a Friday game against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds started off quick scoring the first three runs of the game, but USU junior Emily Reilly hit a bases loaded single in the fourth inning that scored two runs and cut it to 3-2. That score held until SUU exploded for six runs in the seventh, and eventually went on to win, 9-3.
That night the Aggies faced the defending Women's College World Series champion Arizona State Sun Devils. Things didn’t go very well from the get-go for USU. ASU scored three runs in the first inning and five in the third inning to go up 8-0.
The Sun Devils held the Aggies to just one hit and only four base-runners all game. Junior Simone Hibbard recorded the lone hit with a single in the fourth inning. Hibbard and freshman Gina Rawls and senior Aubrie Stroman each walked in the game.
Saturday the Aggies played better against Northern Colorado and South Alabama, but with the same results as the first day.
The game against Northern Colorado was a rematch of a game earlier this season in which Utah State won 8-2. This time the Bears of Northern Colorado got the best of the Aggies 3-1. The Bears manufactured a couple of runs in the first inning, and that would prove to be enough to hold off the Aggies. Freshman Rayna Bradshaw had the lone RBI for USU on a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning
The story of the day for USU was not being able to get runners in once they reached base. They out-hit Northern Colorado 8-5 in the loss.
The inability to hit runners home continued in the game against South Alabama and they eventually fell 5-1. The Aggies would only get one hit in the game but had many runners on. The lone run came when Rachel Evans was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The only hit came from Michelle Workman, a single in the third inning. The Jaguars had eight hits off of USU pitcher Lindsey Benson who pitched all seven innings, but fell to 0-6 on the season.
Letts said that the team did some good things defensively but left too many players on base.
The Aggies fought hard to get out of their slump Sunday against the Aggies of New Mexico State but lost a close one 4-2.
The Aggies will resume play this weekend at the Cal Poly Tournament beginning Friday against UC Riverside at 10 a.m. The tournament is in San Luis Obispo, California.
“It’s now back to work,” Letts said. “They know they have to work a lot harder and do a lot more to get back to where they want to be.”
The Utah State softball team had a disappointing weekend at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Arizona, going 0-5. The last game was Sunday against WAC foe New Mexico State where they lost in a close one, 4-2.
After the weekend the Aggies fell to 3-12 on the season
USU did not play well to start the tournament and had a hard time finding their way back to playing the way they’re capable of. “When you don’t play well and you start thinking too much, you start losing a little confidence, then everything you’ve done to get confidence, you can’t find it anymore, and it takes a while to get it back,” said USU coach Candi Letts.
The Aggies started the weekend with a Friday game against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds started off quick scoring the first three runs of the game, but USU junior Emily Reilly hit a bases loaded single in the fourth inning that scored two runs and cut it to 3-2. That score held until SUU exploded for six runs in the seventh, and eventually went on to win, 9-3.
That night the Aggies faced the defending Women's College World Series champion Arizona State Sun Devils. Things didn’t go very well from the get-go for USU. ASU scored three runs in the first inning and five in the third inning to go up 8-0.
The Sun Devils held the Aggies to just one hit and only four base-runners all game. Junior Simone Hibbard recorded the lone hit with a single in the fourth inning. Hibbard and freshman Gina Rawls and senior Aubrie Stroman each walked in the game.
Saturday the Aggies played better against Northern Colorado and South Alabama, but with the same results as the first day.
The game against Northern Colorado was a rematch of a game earlier this season in which Utah State won 8-2. This time the Bears of Northern Colorado got the best of the Aggies 3-1. The Bears manufactured a couple of runs in the first inning, and that would prove to be enough to hold off the Aggies. Freshman Rayna Bradshaw had the lone RBI for USU on a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning
The story of the day for USU was not being able to get runners in once they reached base. They out-hit Northern Colorado 8-5 in the loss.
The inability to hit runners home continued in the game against South Alabama and they eventually fell 5-1. The Aggies would only get one hit in the game but had many runners on. The lone run came when Rachel Evans was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The only hit came from Michelle Workman, a single in the third inning. The Jaguars had eight hits off of USU pitcher Lindsey Benson who pitched all seven innings, but fell to 0-6 on the season.
Letts said that the team did some good things defensively but left too many players on base.
The Aggies fought hard to get out of their slump Sunday against the Aggies of New Mexico State but lost a close one 4-2.
The Aggies will resume play this weekend at the Cal Poly Tournament beginning Friday against UC Riverside at 10 a.m. The tournament is in San Luis Obispo, California.
“It’s now back to work,” Letts said. “They know they have to work a lot harder and do a lot more to get back to where they want to be.”
February 26, 2009
Statesman Article: Women's Tennis (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
The Utah State women’s tennis team lost a nail-biter, 4-3 to Weber State Wednesday at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club.
The long and exciting match came down to the very last set. USU had won the doubles point and had also won at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. So with the overall score deadlocked at 3-3 going into the final match, the No. 6 singles between USU’s Britney Watts and WSU’s Elsje Beneke, was do or die.
The matchup was the only one to go to all three sets. Watts won the first set 7-5 and Beneke won the second 6-3. That led to a heartbreaking defeat for Watts and ultimately USU on the third and final set 6-4.
Watts was getting into it and played hard all the way to the end. “I fought my guts out, I left my heart on the court, and the whole time I thought I was gonna win the match.” She said, following her match that lasted over two and a half hours.
The Aggies first home match of the season got off to a good start however with Hailey Swenson and Bridgette Strickland winning their doubles matchup against Weber State’s Caroline Drugge and Britiny Moore 9-7. Monica Abella and Carla Limon followed suit for the Aggies, defeating Karlie Hancock and Elsje Beneke of Weber State, 8-6 in the second doubles matchup. That secured the doubles point for USU.
USU sophomore Hailey Swenson dominated at No. 1 singles, winning 6-0, 6-0 against WSU’s Greyce Farias, and fellow Aggie freshman Monica Abella defeated the Wildcats' Caroline Drugge, 6-2, 7-6, at the No. 3 position.
Aggies coach Christian Wright was pleased with the team effort, but was obviously disappointed after the loss. “I thought it was a good team effort.” He said. “We’re kind of bummed a little because we didn’t get it in the end, but the focus was there, and the fight was there.”
“It came down to that last match, and it was hard fought, she [Watts] gave everything she had, and a couple points are all it really boiled down to,” Coach Wright said. “It happens, we just got to learn from it and come back a little sharper the next time.”
The loss drops the Aggies to 1-7 on the season.
USU will play host to the Idaho State Bengals Wednesday, Mar. 4 at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club, where admission to USU games are free to the public. The matchup between ISU and Utah State will be the second this season. Utah State took the first match 6-1 in Pocatello Jan. 22.
Although the Aggies were noticeably disappointed after the loss they are going to use it as motivation and move on.
“I think it was good for our team, we came together and we cheered.” Watts said. “This is just gonna fire me up for the rest of my matches.”
The Utah State women’s tennis team lost a nail-biter, 4-3 to Weber State Wednesday at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club.
The long and exciting match came down to the very last set. USU had won the doubles point and had also won at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. So with the overall score deadlocked at 3-3 going into the final match, the No. 6 singles between USU’s Britney Watts and WSU’s Elsje Beneke, was do or die.
The matchup was the only one to go to all three sets. Watts won the first set 7-5 and Beneke won the second 6-3. That led to a heartbreaking defeat for Watts and ultimately USU on the third and final set 6-4.
Watts was getting into it and played hard all the way to the end. “I fought my guts out, I left my heart on the court, and the whole time I thought I was gonna win the match.” She said, following her match that lasted over two and a half hours.
The Aggies first home match of the season got off to a good start however with Hailey Swenson and Bridgette Strickland winning their doubles matchup against Weber State’s Caroline Drugge and Britiny Moore 9-7. Monica Abella and Carla Limon followed suit for the Aggies, defeating Karlie Hancock and Elsje Beneke of Weber State, 8-6 in the second doubles matchup. That secured the doubles point for USU.
USU sophomore Hailey Swenson dominated at No. 1 singles, winning 6-0, 6-0 against WSU’s Greyce Farias, and fellow Aggie freshman Monica Abella defeated the Wildcats' Caroline Drugge, 6-2, 7-6, at the No. 3 position.
Aggies coach Christian Wright was pleased with the team effort, but was obviously disappointed after the loss. “I thought it was a good team effort.” He said. “We’re kind of bummed a little because we didn’t get it in the end, but the focus was there, and the fight was there.”
“It came down to that last match, and it was hard fought, she [Watts] gave everything she had, and a couple points are all it really boiled down to,” Coach Wright said. “It happens, we just got to learn from it and come back a little sharper the next time.”
The loss drops the Aggies to 1-7 on the season.
USU will play host to the Idaho State Bengals Wednesday, Mar. 4 at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club, where admission to USU games are free to the public. The matchup between ISU and Utah State will be the second this season. Utah State took the first match 6-1 in Pocatello Jan. 22.
Although the Aggies were noticeably disappointed after the loss they are going to use it as motivation and move on.
“I think it was good for our team, we came together and we cheered.” Watts said. “This is just gonna fire me up for the rest of my matches.”
February 24, 2009
Final Media Pitch
February 19, 2009
Charles McCollum, Managing editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
Financial Independence is for Anyone
Local organization teaches investing
Dear Charles McCollum,
I want to let you know that anyone can be financially independent when they learn and follow the concepts taught at the Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA).
Preston Parker is the president and founder of the non-profit organization that teaches people how to invest.
If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. CVAIA teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.
Parker brings in experts on any concerns members may have. Anyone is invited to attend the meetings held every other Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Cache County Chamber of Commerce. There is also a facebook group under CVAIA. Visit the website for more info at www.cvaia.com, and we’ll see you there!
Thanks,
Chet Gardner
PR spokesman CVAIA
Charles McCollum, Managing editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
Financial Independence is for Anyone
Local organization teaches investing
Dear Charles McCollum,
I want to let you know that anyone can be financially independent when they learn and follow the concepts taught at the Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA).
Preston Parker is the president and founder of the non-profit organization that teaches people how to invest.
If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. CVAIA teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.
Parker brings in experts on any concerns members may have. Anyone is invited to attend the meetings held every other Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Cache County Chamber of Commerce. There is also a facebook group under CVAIA. Visit the website for more info at www.cvaia.com, and we’ll see you there!
Thanks,
Chet Gardner
PR spokesman CVAIA
February 23, 2009
Final: Press Release 4
For Immediate Release
Date: February 22, 2009
Contact info: Robert Steed, Head of Delegation
Aggie Special Olympics provides awesome experience for Athletes
Three local athletes compete at world games
The Aggie Special Olympics Team, which provides athletic competition in many sports for many special cache valley athletes, had three of their athletes compete at the world games in Boise, Idaho recently. Matt Szorick competed in cross-country skiing, Travis McWilliams competed in snowboarding and Melissa Smith competed in snowshoeing.
The Aggie Special Olympics is a university-sponsored and state-sponsored organization that has between 35 and 40 actively participating athletes. It is the biggest team in the state which has roughly 2 to 3 thousand Special Olympic athletes from teams all over the state.
Robert Steed, Head of Delegation (HOD) for Aggie Special Olympics loves being with the athletes and teaching them. “It’s the best experience ever while going to Utah State.” Steed said. “You just get to help them with sports that they absolutely love, it’s a blast!”
For each sport there are several divisions for each skill level. Each division gives out medals at each event. There are state events every couple of months with different sports being played each time. In the past state event Szorick, McWilliams, and Smith received a gold medal in their respective sports. Their names were then put into a hat with the other gold medalists, and they were among the names chosen to compete at the world games.
The athletes and coaches are now preparing for the next state games which will be held on Mar. 27. The events will include bowling, volleyball, and unified volleyball. Unified volleyball is where the athletes and their coaches play together in the event.
The second Saturday in May the Aggie Special Olympics will be having a fund-raiser where there will be a torch run, using the official Olympic torch. The run will be approximately three miles in Logan.
The USU Special Olympics Team website says, “The Special Olympics oath is, “Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” These athletes are not special because of their disability; they are special because they have the extraordinary ability to lift spirits of all those who come in contact with them.”
Steed is in agreement with that. “You can’t help but be happy when you’re around the athletes,” He said. “They don’t care who you are they just love to have people help them out.”
The Aggie Special Olympics is always willing to take any volunteers to help coach the athletes. Feel free to contact me or get more info at the website. Go to usu.edu and put "USU Special Olympics" in the search box.
-END-
Chet Gardner,
Utah State University student
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Date: February 22, 2009
Contact info: Robert Steed, Head of Delegation
Aggie Special Olympics provides awesome experience for Athletes
Three local athletes compete at world games
The Aggie Special Olympics Team, which provides athletic competition in many sports for many special cache valley athletes, had three of their athletes compete at the world games in Boise, Idaho recently. Matt Szorick competed in cross-country skiing, Travis McWilliams competed in snowboarding and Melissa Smith competed in snowshoeing.
The Aggie Special Olympics is a university-sponsored and state-sponsored organization that has between 35 and 40 actively participating athletes. It is the biggest team in the state which has roughly 2 to 3 thousand Special Olympic athletes from teams all over the state.
Robert Steed, Head of Delegation (HOD) for Aggie Special Olympics loves being with the athletes and teaching them. “It’s the best experience ever while going to Utah State.” Steed said. “You just get to help them with sports that they absolutely love, it’s a blast!”
For each sport there are several divisions for each skill level. Each division gives out medals at each event. There are state events every couple of months with different sports being played each time. In the past state event Szorick, McWilliams, and Smith received a gold medal in their respective sports. Their names were then put into a hat with the other gold medalists, and they were among the names chosen to compete at the world games.
The athletes and coaches are now preparing for the next state games which will be held on Mar. 27. The events will include bowling, volleyball, and unified volleyball. Unified volleyball is where the athletes and their coaches play together in the event.
The second Saturday in May the Aggie Special Olympics will be having a fund-raiser where there will be a torch run, using the official Olympic torch. The run will be approximately three miles in Logan.
The USU Special Olympics Team website says, “The Special Olympics oath is, “Let me win; but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” These athletes are not special because of their disability; they are special because they have the extraordinary ability to lift spirits of all those who come in contact with them.”
Steed is in agreement with that. “You can’t help but be happy when you’re around the athletes,” He said. “They don’t care who you are they just love to have people help them out.”
The Aggie Special Olympics is always willing to take any volunteers to help coach the athletes. Feel free to contact me or get more info at the website. Go to usu.edu and put "USU Special Olympics" in the search box.
-END-
Chet Gardner,
Utah State University student
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
February 19, 2009
Utah Statesman article III (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
Aggies get one win in the weekend tournament
The Utah State softball team continued their tough preseason schedule this past weekend at the Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego where they posted a 1-4 record.
The rainy weekend was highlighted by an upset over UC Santa Barbara 6-5 on Friday afternoon.
“We told our team going into the tournament, my concern was where our minds were mentally, to go in and play 5 of the top 30 teams in the country,” Coach Candi Letts said. “And honestly, I think the girls did a great job, we came out that first night and played San Diego State to eight innings and they’re ranked 24. By all rights we probably should have won that game we just didn’t get the timely hit we needed,” She said.
After losing a tough one in the first game 3-1, a game in which USU pitcher Lindsey Benson pitched a two-hitter to no avail, the Aggies showed their toughness and jumped on Santa Barbara 6-0 early.
The big lead was started in the first inning after a triple by senior Jeanine Hernandez which scored the first two runs. After the Aggies got the six run lead Santa Barbara fought it back to 6-5 after six innings. But Lindsey Benson came in to pitch the seventh and held the one-run lead for the Aggie victory.
Coach Letts said she was proud of how the team showed resilience, coming back after a tough loss and beating a good Santa Barbara team.
After a couple of rough losses against no. 10 Washington and no. 24 Long Beach State, Utah State showed some toughness once again in the last game of the weekend against no. 8 Stanford. USU eventually fell to Stanford 9-5.
In the game against Stanford, the Aggies fell behind 7-0 after the first three and a half innings. USU Sophomore Megan McDonald got her fourth RBI of the season in the bottom of the fourth to cut it to 7-1, but Stanford would later add two more runs to go up 9-1. But in the sixth the Aggies struck for four runs, capped by a three-run homer by freshman Rayna Bradshaw to make it 9-5, which would eventually be the final score.
The Aggies are now 3-7 on the season.
Coach Letts was very excited about the play of three freshmen over the weekend, Gina Rawls, Rayna Bradshaw and Jasmine Harris. “Gina had a really good weekend at the plate,” she said. “Jasmine has stepped in and played shortstop after we lost Kelly to injury.”
USU will have a week off before taking the field again in the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Arizona on Feb. 27 through Mar. 1, where they will play five games.
The Aggie softball team is excited about playing such good competition. “Our kids look at it as an opportunity to play the best teams in the country, and to prepare ourselves for our conference,” Letts said. “The girls know when it counts, and if we apply what we’ve learned from playing the best teams in the country we’ll be better because of it.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Aggies get one win in the weekend tournament
The Utah State softball team continued their tough preseason schedule this past weekend at the Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego where they posted a 1-4 record.
The rainy weekend was highlighted by an upset over UC Santa Barbara 6-5 on Friday afternoon.
“We told our team going into the tournament, my concern was where our minds were mentally, to go in and play 5 of the top 30 teams in the country,” Coach Candi Letts said. “And honestly, I think the girls did a great job, we came out that first night and played San Diego State to eight innings and they’re ranked 24. By all rights we probably should have won that game we just didn’t get the timely hit we needed,” She said.
After losing a tough one in the first game 3-1, a game in which USU pitcher Lindsey Benson pitched a two-hitter to no avail, the Aggies showed their toughness and jumped on Santa Barbara 6-0 early.
The big lead was started in the first inning after a triple by senior Jeanine Hernandez which scored the first two runs. After the Aggies got the six run lead Santa Barbara fought it back to 6-5 after six innings. But Lindsey Benson came in to pitch the seventh and held the one-run lead for the Aggie victory.
Coach Letts said she was proud of how the team showed resilience, coming back after a tough loss and beating a good Santa Barbara team.
After a couple of rough losses against no. 10 Washington and no. 24 Long Beach State, Utah State showed some toughness once again in the last game of the weekend against no. 8 Stanford. USU eventually fell to Stanford 9-5.
In the game against Stanford, the Aggies fell behind 7-0 after the first three and a half innings. USU Sophomore Megan McDonald got her fourth RBI of the season in the bottom of the fourth to cut it to 7-1, but Stanford would later add two more runs to go up 9-1. But in the sixth the Aggies struck for four runs, capped by a three-run homer by freshman Rayna Bradshaw to make it 9-5, which would eventually be the final score.
The Aggies are now 3-7 on the season.
Coach Letts was very excited about the play of three freshmen over the weekend, Gina Rawls, Rayna Bradshaw and Jasmine Harris. “Gina had a really good weekend at the plate,” she said. “Jasmine has stepped in and played shortstop after we lost Kelly to injury.”
USU will have a week off before taking the field again in the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Arizona on Feb. 27 through Mar. 1, where they will play five games.
The Aggie softball team is excited about playing such good competition. “Our kids look at it as an opportunity to play the best teams in the country, and to prepare ourselves for our conference,” Letts said. “The girls know when it counts, and if we apply what we’ve learned from playing the best teams in the country we’ll be better because of it.”
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Current Events: Economical Stimulus (Oldham)
I don't consider myself politically savvy, but I have a few opinions on the new economic stimulus plan. In my humble opinion it seems as if this could be hurtful to the American people. I feel that if people aren't allowed to fail, and see what they did wrong, they will do it again. Look at the housing market and people who were in way over their head. Now that they can't pay their mortgage, they will get bailed out at the expense of the American people. No lesson learned.
In my life I've learned a few times through trial and error. For instance my freshman year at college I didn't have good habits in my studying and school life. In consequence I received bad grades. However, I learned that if I did the same I would continue to get bad grades and waste money and not be able to graduate. Therefore I changed and in turn got much better grades ever since.
There could be some good from the stimulus, but it seems there is a better way.
In my life I've learned a few times through trial and error. For instance my freshman year at college I didn't have good habits in my studying and school life. In consequence I received bad grades. However, I learned that if I did the same I would continue to get bad grades and waste money and not be able to graduate. Therefore I changed and in turn got much better grades ever since.
There could be some good from the stimulus, but it seems there is a better way.
February 12, 2009
"Sports also paying a price amid struggling economy" (Oldham)
An article written by: Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
This article is interesting because it talks about how even the economy of sports is struggling. While I believe that is very true for a lot of new or low-budget sports, I'm not ready to concede to the notion quite yet. I believe ticket prices may drop, even though there have been no signs of it yet. I believe more people will buy better TV's (HD, flatscreen, or just bigger), and will be just as religious about their respective sports. It will drive up the market for sports games, and perhaps drop sales in tickets. However with the increase of price each year it doesn't seem that some teams appear to be hurting (ex: Yankees, Red Sox, Celtics).
It'll be interesting to see how the next year plays out in the economy of sports, but for now I wouldn't be too worried about it.
This article is interesting because it talks about how even the economy of sports is struggling. While I believe that is very true for a lot of new or low-budget sports, I'm not ready to concede to the notion quite yet. I believe ticket prices may drop, even though there have been no signs of it yet. I believe more people will buy better TV's (HD, flatscreen, or just bigger), and will be just as religious about their respective sports. It will drive up the market for sports games, and perhaps drop sales in tickets. However with the increase of price each year it doesn't seem that some teams appear to be hurting (ex: Yankees, Red Sox, Celtics).
It'll be interesting to see how the next year plays out in the economy of sports, but for now I wouldn't be too worried about it.
February 11, 2009
Current Events: My thoughts on the possible change of USU logo (Oldham)
I find myself saddened that the U-state logo may be phased out within the next few years. It seems the goal is to get back to identifying the institution with one logo. The A, in my opinion, is much less distinguishable and indentified than the U-state logo. How many U-state logos are out there? On the other hand, there are many universities who use an A logo. When people see the U-state logo nationally, people can identify and the same can’t necessarily be said about the A. I like both logos and understand the history of the A. Ideally I hope that something can be agreed upon to keep both.
"On the internet nobody knows you're a dog" (Krebs)
I think that this cartoon was hilarious and there is a lot of truth to that. It makes you realize how risky the world wide web is. It also helps you realize the responsibility we have personally and as a society to do what is right. These days it's easy to get caught and for people to find out any information they need on you.
[Source: http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.html]
Facebook Article:
There is a lot of truth to this article in the fact that "friends" on facebook might not necessarily be close friends and you might not want them knowing some of the things you have on there. For me personally, I don't put anything on my facebook that I don't care to be shared with people I have as "friends", but I know not everyone thinks that way. The part about your parents knowing about your life might be bad if you're in high school, but I wouldn't be too worried about that now. I think Facebook is good for what it is for.... which could be different for different people.
[Source: http://www.shanekrebs.com/jcom/fcbook.swf]
[Source: http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.html]
Facebook Article:
There is a lot of truth to this article in the fact that "friends" on facebook might not necessarily be close friends and you might not want them knowing some of the things you have on there. For me personally, I don't put anything on my facebook that I don't care to be shared with people I have as "friends", but I know not everyone thinks that way. The part about your parents knowing about your life might be bad if you're in high school, but I wouldn't be too worried about that now. I think Facebook is good for what it is for.... which could be different for different people.
[Source: http://www.shanekrebs.com/jcom/fcbook.swf]
February 09, 2009
Response to article in PRweek: "New Social Network hopes to spur economic conversation" (Oldham)
New social network hopes to spur economic conversation
I think that this is a move in the right direction and I hope that this site gains some traction. It seems that if done right it will give people the freedom and voice they deserve instead of depending more and more on the government.
We all want to know where our money is going and better yet, have a say in where it goes. With all of the government spending sometimes this is the case.
Schools seems to always be one of the first to be cut, and I often wonder why does it have to be that way. It's just a quick fix that will hurt us big time in the future.
Everyone in a position as important as the government needs accountability.
I think that this is a move in the right direction and I hope that this site gains some traction. It seems that if done right it will give people the freedom and voice they deserve instead of depending more and more on the government.
We all want to know where our money is going and better yet, have a say in where it goes. With all of the government spending sometimes this is the case.
Schools seems to always be one of the first to be cut, and I often wonder why does it have to be that way. It's just a quick fix that will hurt us big time in the future.
Everyone in a position as important as the government needs accountability.
February 08, 2009
Utah Statesman article II (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
Aggies are ready to play ball
Utah State softball is ready to get the 2009 season started. They have been practicing for the spring season for nearly a month now, most of which has been in less-than-friendly weather. They are set to open the season at the Red Desert Classic in St. George today where they will face 12th ranked Tennessee.
USU is returning six starters from last year’s team that ended up at 14-34 and 2-15 in conference play. The Aggies lost two key players from last year’s team in Kayla Dunn and Amy Schaible, both all-WAC selections for 2008. However, USU is returning its leading hitters in batting average and totals hits from last season. Sophomore Kelley Kaneshiro hit .359 while Emily Reilly had 46 hits last season. They are returning 12 players from last year’s team.
“We won’t know how good we really are until we play and see how we handle the pressure” Coach Candi Letts said about this year’s club. “It’ll be good playing somebody besides ourselves, and seeing live pitching from other kids.”
Senior pitcher Lindsey Benson said, “I’m more prepared this year than any year.” That could be a good sign for the Aggies. Lindsey had 136 strikeouts last year which is good for sixth all-time on the Aggies single season strikeout list. She has 290 K’s for her career which puts her at seventh all time for Aggie pitchers.
The Aggies were recently slated at number seven on the WAC preseason polls while Fresno State was picked to repeat as champions. The team acknowledges where they are at in the standings but refuse to concede. “We understand why we’re there, we definitely don’t except that but understand that we’re there based a lot on last year. Every year is different, and they need to prove themselves” Coach Letts said. “It is motivation for us.”
USU’s Benson doesn’t really think about the polls, and says it doesn’t really matter. “We’re looking forward to the season, I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people this year” She said.
Utah State is gearing up for what appears to be a very tough preseason schedule. They acknowledge that it is good to have a tough preseason schedule to prepare them for what really matters: conference play. Benson said that their goal is to have a winning record this season and to finish off the conference season in the top three going into the tournament.
Coach Letts and Benson both agree that everyone seems to be a lot more committed this year, in focusing on team chemistry and just playing well together. “We’re all in it to win it, and everyone is working hard on and off the field” Benson said.
The Aggies are set to play Tennessee at 10:30 a.m. today and will play Loyola Marymount immediately following that game. Saturday they will play another back to back against Northern Colorado and Utah. They will finish the tournament in a game against Idaho State on Sunday.
-chet.gardner @aggiemail.usu.edu
Aggies are ready to play ball
Utah State softball is ready to get the 2009 season started. They have been practicing for the spring season for nearly a month now, most of which has been in less-than-friendly weather. They are set to open the season at the Red Desert Classic in St. George today where they will face 12th ranked Tennessee.
USU is returning six starters from last year’s team that ended up at 14-34 and 2-15 in conference play. The Aggies lost two key players from last year’s team in Kayla Dunn and Amy Schaible, both all-WAC selections for 2008. However, USU is returning its leading hitters in batting average and totals hits from last season. Sophomore Kelley Kaneshiro hit .359 while Emily Reilly had 46 hits last season. They are returning 12 players from last year’s team.
“We won’t know how good we really are until we play and see how we handle the pressure” Coach Candi Letts said about this year’s club. “It’ll be good playing somebody besides ourselves, and seeing live pitching from other kids.”
Senior pitcher Lindsey Benson said, “I’m more prepared this year than any year.” That could be a good sign for the Aggies. Lindsey had 136 strikeouts last year which is good for sixth all-time on the Aggies single season strikeout list. She has 290 K’s for her career which puts her at seventh all time for Aggie pitchers.
The Aggies were recently slated at number seven on the WAC preseason polls while Fresno State was picked to repeat as champions. The team acknowledges where they are at in the standings but refuse to concede. “We understand why we’re there, we definitely don’t except that but understand that we’re there based a lot on last year. Every year is different, and they need to prove themselves” Coach Letts said. “It is motivation for us.”
USU’s Benson doesn’t really think about the polls, and says it doesn’t really matter. “We’re looking forward to the season, I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people this year” She said.
Utah State is gearing up for what appears to be a very tough preseason schedule. They acknowledge that it is good to have a tough preseason schedule to prepare them for what really matters: conference play. Benson said that their goal is to have a winning record this season and to finish off the conference season in the top three going into the tournament.
Coach Letts and Benson both agree that everyone seems to be a lot more committed this year, in focusing on team chemistry and just playing well together. “We’re all in it to win it, and everyone is working hard on and off the field” Benson said.
The Aggies are set to play Tennessee at 10:30 a.m. today and will play Loyola Marymount immediately following that game. Saturday they will play another back to back against Northern Colorado and Utah. They will finish the tournament in a game against Idaho State on Sunday.
-chet.gardner @aggiemail.usu.edu
February 04, 2009
FInal Press Release 3: Cause Promotion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 4, 2009
Contact: Preston Parker, president and founder CVAIA
E-mail: pp-cvaia@hotmail.com
Phone: 435-257-1155
Investing for Financial Independence
CVAIA helps people gain financial freedom
LOGAN, Utah – Preston Parker, president and founder of Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) stresses that people should be able to spend their time doing what they love, not just a job that provides an income. The message CVAIA brings is if people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can be successful in what they desire.
CVAIA is a non-profit organization that teaches people how to invest. Parker realized in the summer of 2007 that many of his ideologies he knew, and was practicing, were working. He realized that most people don’t understand these financial concepts, even he didn’t understand before. Parker said, “It is education, but it’s all about how you practice it.”
The foundation of financial independence is financial health and wealth which is achieved first by physical, mental, social, and spiritual health and wealth. One of the problems associated with the economic downfall is not being able to understand these concepts. “Anyone can be financially independent,” Parker said. “The philosophy is to get passive income above their expenses.”
CVAIA is a member-driven group that is held together through people helping each other out through networking and other means. It is a group of everyday people who have learned to be very successful in handling finances. Parker brings in experts on any concerns members may have. He has the philosophy of never, ever, ever investing in something you are not comfortable with.
If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.
Anyone is invited to attend the meetings held every other Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Cache County Chamber of Commerce. There is also a facebook group under CVAIA. Visit the website for more info at www.cvaia.com.
Chet Gardner
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
-END-
Date: February 4, 2009
Contact: Preston Parker, president and founder CVAIA
E-mail: pp-cvaia@hotmail.com
Phone: 435-257-1155
Investing for Financial Independence
CVAIA helps people gain financial freedom
LOGAN, Utah – Preston Parker, president and founder of Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) stresses that people should be able to spend their time doing what they love, not just a job that provides an income. The message CVAIA brings is if people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can be successful in what they desire.
CVAIA is a non-profit organization that teaches people how to invest. Parker realized in the summer of 2007 that many of his ideologies he knew, and was practicing, were working. He realized that most people don’t understand these financial concepts, even he didn’t understand before. Parker said, “It is education, but it’s all about how you practice it.”
The foundation of financial independence is financial health and wealth which is achieved first by physical, mental, social, and spiritual health and wealth. One of the problems associated with the economic downfall is not being able to understand these concepts. “Anyone can be financially independent,” Parker said. “The philosophy is to get passive income above their expenses.”
CVAIA is a member-driven group that is held together through people helping each other out through networking and other means. It is a group of everyday people who have learned to be very successful in handling finances. Parker brings in experts on any concerns members may have. He has the philosophy of never, ever, ever investing in something you are not comfortable with.
If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice the methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geographical locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risk of investing.
Anyone is invited to attend the meetings held every other Thursday, 7 p.m. at the Cache County Chamber of Commerce. There is also a facebook group under CVAIA. Visit the website for more info at www.cvaia.com.
Chet Gardner
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
-END-
February 02, 2009
Final Press Release 2: Image building
For Immediate Release
Date: January 31, 2009
Contact: Mr. James E. Muellenbach III, CEO
E-mail: www.burgerplanet1.com
Phone: 904-556-1122
Health Professional, Jayne Peterson to Promote Burger Planet
GARY, Ind. – Burger Planet has announced the hiring of Jayne Peterson, health guru to promote new healthy items on its menu.
Jayne Peterson, known for helping the famous talk-show hostess Opal Whitcomb lose weight, will be bringing that same desire and motivation to Burger Planet. Peterson said, “Well, I emphasize a message of moderation. Women can have a burger and fries now and then as long as they are active and also try some of Burger Planet's exciting new menu choices, such as the fruit packages."
In the past year, Burger Planet has added white meat chicken breasts to the menu. They offer consumers the option to buy the chicken breast wrapped in lettuce in case they are on a low-carb diet. They also can ask to hold the mayo for a calorie reduction of 500 calories. Packets of five different types of fruit were added to the menu: Apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas; a claim that no other quick service restaurant can make.
Muellenbach III, CEO of Burger Planet said, "Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen have helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet. Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy."
Burger Planet has served 52 billion customers and counting, and is the leader of the quick service restaurant industry. Burger Planet will maintain its status in providing the same delicious items it has in the past, such as the Satan Burger, while adding a few new health-conscious items. A comprehensive program to eating healthy by Jayne Peterson can be found at www.burgerplanet1.com or in stores around the world.
-END-
Chet Gardner
PR Assistant Account Exec.
chet.gardner@burgerplanet.net
Date: January 31, 2009
Contact: Mr. James E. Muellenbach III, CEO
E-mail: www.burgerplanet1.com
Phone: 904-556-1122
Health Professional, Jayne Peterson to Promote Burger Planet
GARY, Ind. – Burger Planet has announced the hiring of Jayne Peterson, health guru to promote new healthy items on its menu.
Jayne Peterson, known for helping the famous talk-show hostess Opal Whitcomb lose weight, will be bringing that same desire and motivation to Burger Planet. Peterson said, “Well, I emphasize a message of moderation. Women can have a burger and fries now and then as long as they are active and also try some of Burger Planet's exciting new menu choices, such as the fruit packages."
In the past year, Burger Planet has added white meat chicken breasts to the menu. They offer consumers the option to buy the chicken breast wrapped in lettuce in case they are on a low-carb diet. They also can ask to hold the mayo for a calorie reduction of 500 calories. Packets of five different types of fruit were added to the menu: Apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas; a claim that no other quick service restaurant can make.
Muellenbach III, CEO of Burger Planet said, "Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen have helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet. Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy."
Burger Planet has served 52 billion customers and counting, and is the leader of the quick service restaurant industry. Burger Planet will maintain its status in providing the same delicious items it has in the past, such as the Satan Burger, while adding a few new health-conscious items. A comprehensive program to eating healthy by Jayne Peterson can be found at www.burgerplanet1.com or in stores around the world.
-END-
Chet Gardner
PR Assistant Account Exec.
chet.gardner@burgerplanet.net
February 01, 2009
Utah Statesman Article (Oldham)
By: Chet Gardner
Aggies Smash Bengals
The USU men’s tennis team beat Idaho State 6-1 on Thursday afternoon in Pocatello. The Aggies improved to 1-3 on the season, while the Bengals fell to 0-1.
The impressive win was led by freshman Jordan Barlow who swept David Kutchins of Idaho State in a 6-0, 6-0, match at number-six singles. Junior Amit Maharj won a hard fought battle at number-two singles, defeating Idaho State's Danel Barrenchea, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4. Bryan Marchant made quick work of ISU’s Ross Dechant, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-1, for the number-three singles and teammate Alex Thatcher, junior, did the same to the Bengals’ Dan Buckingham winning 6-2, 6-3, in the number-five slot. Senior Mike Banks battled it out with Alex Buceta and won at the number-four singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
As for the doubles matches, it was the same story as the singles. The Aggies dominated in winning at all three spots. The closest match on the doubles side came at the number-two spot as USU’s Amit Mahraj and Alex Thatcher played hard and beat Idaho State's Danel Barrenechea and Alex Buceta 9-8, 12-10. Sophomores Jakob Asplund and Bryan Marchant won easily against the Bengals' Javier Royo and Ross Dechant, 8-2 at number-one singles while USU’s Banks and Barlow followed suit with a convincing 8-0 win against Dan Buckingham and Dan Kutchins of the Bengals.
The Aggies were coming off a ten day span of not playing and were ready to play. They will be looking to have that same energy next time as the Aggies will now have an even longer layoff until the next match. It is set for Friday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club. They will play host to Montana State-Billings.
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Aggies Smash Bengals
The USU men’s tennis team beat Idaho State 6-1 on Thursday afternoon in Pocatello. The Aggies improved to 1-3 on the season, while the Bengals fell to 0-1.
The impressive win was led by freshman Jordan Barlow who swept David Kutchins of Idaho State in a 6-0, 6-0, match at number-six singles. Junior Amit Maharj won a hard fought battle at number-two singles, defeating Idaho State's Danel Barrenchea, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4. Bryan Marchant made quick work of ISU’s Ross Dechant, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-1, for the number-three singles and teammate Alex Thatcher, junior, did the same to the Bengals’ Dan Buckingham winning 6-2, 6-3, in the number-five slot. Senior Mike Banks battled it out with Alex Buceta and won at the number-four singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
As for the doubles matches, it was the same story as the singles. The Aggies dominated in winning at all three spots. The closest match on the doubles side came at the number-two spot as USU’s Amit Mahraj and Alex Thatcher played hard and beat Idaho State's Danel Barrenechea and Alex Buceta 9-8, 12-10. Sophomores Jakob Asplund and Bryan Marchant won easily against the Bengals' Javier Royo and Ross Dechant, 8-2 at number-one singles while USU’s Banks and Barlow followed suit with a convincing 8-0 win against Dan Buckingham and Dan Kutchins of the Bengals.
The Aggies were coming off a ten day span of not playing and were ready to play. They will be looking to have that same energy next time as the Aggies will now have an even longer layoff until the next match. It is set for Friday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club. They will play host to Montana State-Billings.
-chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Business letter to Olive Garden (Oldham)
January 29, 2009
To Whom It May Concern,
My wife, Annaliese, and I recently dined at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant and because of the service and atmosphere that was there, we returned again.
Because of the usual below-par service and high prices Annaliese and I generally receive at restaurants we consider to be nice, sit down restaurants, we sometimes hesitate to go, especially on weekends.
Annaliese and I are both attending school at Utah State University and were married this past May. We obviously, being young married college students, are poor. As such, we are very weary of how we spend our money.
For Christmas we received a gift card to the Olive Garden. Later in the Christmas week we decided to go and use our gift card. When we got there it was noticeably crowded and we were a little disappointed. The greeter told us our estimated wait time and we waited. During our wait we were given a small appetizer, which was nice for the wait. To our nice surprise it was probably ten minutes less than they had said our wait would be. It was contrary to what we had experienced at restaurants in the past where they tell us a time less than it really is so we will stay and it ends up being much longer.
We were then given a seat right next to the fireplace which was a welcome sight because of the bitter cold outside. We were pleased with the service that was given that day especially because we are so you used to the average service we get. I say that because I feel that the fact that we’re young married college students and we are poor that we are not a priority. This visit proved us wrong with the prompt seating and what my wife calls, “the best seat in the house,” and great service. Upon leaving one of the managers had a quick, yet genuine conversation with us asking us about our experience. This was nice and made us feel like a priority.
Due to the experience we had we decided to return this past Friday the 23rd. We were given much the same experience as the time before. It was pretty crowded, we were in there quicker than expected and given great service once again.
As I stated above I am a little weary and a bit cynical when it comes to spending precious money at this point in my life, but I was impressed at the length that this Logan, Utah Olive Garden went to earn my respect and satisfaction. I feel like they lived up to the following Olive Garden motto:
“Olive Garden is a family of restaurants focused on delighting every guest with a genuine Italian dining experience. We are proud to serve fresh, simple, delicious Italian food, complemented by a great glass of wine, served in a comfortable, home-like Italian setting where everyone is welcomed as family and friends. Our purpose is Hospitaliano!, our passion for 100% guest delight”
As long as I am given this treatment I will always be more willing to spend my precious money at the Olive Garden.
Sincerely,
Chet Gardner
USU Mobil Home Park
Logan, UT 84341
(435) 225-2438
To Whom It May Concern,
My wife, Annaliese, and I recently dined at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant and because of the service and atmosphere that was there, we returned again.
Because of the usual below-par service and high prices Annaliese and I generally receive at restaurants we consider to be nice, sit down restaurants, we sometimes hesitate to go, especially on weekends.
Annaliese and I are both attending school at Utah State University and were married this past May. We obviously, being young married college students, are poor. As such, we are very weary of how we spend our money.
For Christmas we received a gift card to the Olive Garden. Later in the Christmas week we decided to go and use our gift card. When we got there it was noticeably crowded and we were a little disappointed. The greeter told us our estimated wait time and we waited. During our wait we were given a small appetizer, which was nice for the wait. To our nice surprise it was probably ten minutes less than they had said our wait would be. It was contrary to what we had experienced at restaurants in the past where they tell us a time less than it really is so we will stay and it ends up being much longer.
We were then given a seat right next to the fireplace which was a welcome sight because of the bitter cold outside. We were pleased with the service that was given that day especially because we are so you used to the average service we get. I say that because I feel that the fact that we’re young married college students and we are poor that we are not a priority. This visit proved us wrong with the prompt seating and what my wife calls, “the best seat in the house,” and great service. Upon leaving one of the managers had a quick, yet genuine conversation with us asking us about our experience. This was nice and made us feel like a priority.
Due to the experience we had we decided to return this past Friday the 23rd. We were given much the same experience as the time before. It was pretty crowded, we were in there quicker than expected and given great service once again.
As I stated above I am a little weary and a bit cynical when it comes to spending precious money at this point in my life, but I was impressed at the length that this Logan, Utah Olive Garden went to earn my respect and satisfaction. I feel like they lived up to the following Olive Garden motto:
“Olive Garden is a family of restaurants focused on delighting every guest with a genuine Italian dining experience. We are proud to serve fresh, simple, delicious Italian food, complemented by a great glass of wine, served in a comfortable, home-like Italian setting where everyone is welcomed as family and friends. Our purpose is Hospitaliano!, our passion for 100% guest delight”
As long as I am given this treatment I will always be more willing to spend my precious money at the Olive Garden.
Sincerely,
Chet Gardner
USU Mobil Home Park
Logan, UT 84341
(435) 225-2438
January 24, 2009
You can do what you desire (Oldham)
In doing a project this past week in my public relations class I found out a few things. The main thing is that you can do what you desire. The paper was about "positioning". It was to help us students learn how to position ourselves in the career/place we want to get to. In doing research I was able to find out that I could get in contact with certain places I could see myself working. I contacted some people in a few of the potentials jobs I saw. I was able to get some positive feedback and possibly got my foot in the door at a couple places. It was fun to see where I am at, and where I need to get to in order to get the job I want. I found out my strengths and weaknesses and am now in better position to get out into the real world when I'm done with school.
Current Events: Aggie basketball goes to 18-1 (Oldham)
The USU men's basketball team continues to impress. It's amazing how well Stew Morrill's teams continue to excel. They are beginning to be getting some national respect, however in my opinion, not enough. The Aggies are one of the most consistent programs in the country over the last ten years yet it seems the respect has to be earned all over again every year. It seems that many teams are not judged in the same light. With that said the bottom line is that the Aggies keep winning and they need to keep winning to command the respect needed to get in the big dance.
It is awesome to see how the team is playing the year after losing their all time scorer in Jaycee Carroll. They have a great team, with all the ingredients to succeed. A solid senior who will step up in big moments in Gary Wilkinson, a defensive stopper in Pooh Williams, a stat sheet filler in Quayle, and four guys who could take the game winning shot on any given night (Wilkinson, Quayle, Newbold, Wesley). On top of that they have had two guys off the bench hit the game winning shot (Formisano vs. Santa Barbara, and Stavon Williams vs. San Jose St.).
This team continues to have a bigger and bigger target on their back with every win they get. The better they get the more impressive they are.
It is awesome to see how the team is playing the year after losing their all time scorer in Jaycee Carroll. They have a great team, with all the ingredients to succeed. A solid senior who will step up in big moments in Gary Wilkinson, a defensive stopper in Pooh Williams, a stat sheet filler in Quayle, and four guys who could take the game winning shot on any given night (Wilkinson, Quayle, Newbold, Wesley). On top of that they have had two guys off the bench hit the game winning shot (Formisano vs. Santa Barbara, and Stavon Williams vs. San Jose St.).
This team continues to have a bigger and bigger target on their back with every win they get. The better they get the more impressive they are.
January 15, 2009
Response to article on PR week (Oldham)
This article shows that the world's consumers are changing the way that they purchase. Along with the changing consumer the PR professionals are also changing the way that they research and develop information. I liked some of the statistics that they found to talk about this.
"Of those who visit shopping sites, 44% said they read consumer reviews and comments posted there, according to the "2008 US Media Myths & Realities" survey". The article states. "Nearly one-quarter (24%) of consumers responded that they read blogs, up from 13% in 2006. Meanwhile 26% of respondents said they use social networking Web sites, up from 17% more than two years ago".
I believe the research is done well here, and that it will lead to better enable them to get to the consumer.
Source: http://www.prweekus.com/Blogs-making-a-bigger-impact-at-the-point-of-purchase-study-finds/article/123842/
"Of those who visit shopping sites, 44% said they read consumer reviews and comments posted there, according to the "2008 US Media Myths & Realities" survey". The article states. "Nearly one-quarter (24%) of consumers responded that they read blogs, up from 13% in 2006. Meanwhile 26% of respondents said they use social networking Web sites, up from 17% more than two years ago".
I believe the research is done well here, and that it will lead to better enable them to get to the consumer.
Source: http://www.prweekus.com/Blogs-making-a-bigger-impact-at-the-point-of-purchase-study-finds/article/123842/
Current Events: Facebook serving as tool to save higher Ed? (Oldham)
In the midst of all of the negativity about the economy and budget cuts which has now appeared to be coming to Utah State University soon, it is great to hear that there are a lot of people out there that are willing to put up a fight against that notion.
As I read in the Herald Journal a facebook group called Save Higher Education in Utah has been started and has students all over the state involved. It appears that there are going to be many activities put on here at USU and in Salt Lake and I think it is fantastic. It's amazing how fast the word can spread through facebook and it will be interesting to see what can get done.
I am all for doing all that we can to help and I am willing to do my part to help our school get through the financial crunch that the state is experiencing.
I'm glad this article was front page of the Herald Journal and I hope that this can lead to getting something done for USU.
As I read in the Herald Journal a facebook group called Save Higher Education in Utah has been started and has students all over the state involved. It appears that there are going to be many activities put on here at USU and in Salt Lake and I think it is fantastic. It's amazing how fast the word can spread through facebook and it will be interesting to see what can get done.
I am all for doing all that we can to help and I am willing to do my part to help our school get through the financial crunch that the state is experiencing.
I'm glad this article was front page of the Herald Journal and I hope that this can lead to getting something done for USU.
January 14, 2009
A fresh look at real estate
For Immediate Release
Date: January 14, 2009
Contact: President Preston Parker
Email: www.abcrealestatellc.com
Phone: (801) 555-4567
ABC Real Estate LLC
123 Creative Way, Logan UT 84341
LOGAN, Utah – Preston Parker, President of ABC Real Estate LLC here in Logan, is looking for investors. A beneficiary directed, equity holding, land trust company can benefit buyers with bad credit and those having a hard time selling their home. Started in August of 2008, it is the only company of its kind in northern Utah and is pending a patent.
Parker started this company from what he learned from mentors in California. Parker is now looking for investors and creditors to get the company off the ground. "What we want is for people to be able to progress and advance. Their credit can now look good to a bank. It looks good to a seller to get 30% of the home instead of it being foreclosed upon.” He said.
The buyer doesn't pay rent they pay trust contributions, along with the investors and creditors, and each gets a benefit from doing so. Because the seller can’t sell the house originally they put it in a trust. The company find buyers and sellers and connects them in this way. An outside lawyer is the trustee and puts his/her name under the title of the house and also does the paperwork for it. Parker will handle much of the paperwork, including finding people and putting together mortgages. He is the guarantor. There is no owner of the house, when it sells the Seller/investor/creditor each get 30%, and the buyer gets 10%.
ABC is a company who handles real estate using land trusts. Investors should come if you have money, sellers should come to guarantee a sell and stock in a house and a buyer who has bad credit should buy to increase their credit. Contact us for more information and to be a part of this opportunity.
Chet Gardner
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
-END-
Date: January 14, 2009
Contact: President Preston Parker
Email: www.abcrealestatellc.com
Phone: (801) 555-4567
ABC Real Estate LLC
123 Creative Way, Logan UT 84341
LOGAN, Utah – Preston Parker, President of ABC Real Estate LLC here in Logan, is looking for investors. A beneficiary directed, equity holding, land trust company can benefit buyers with bad credit and those having a hard time selling their home. Started in August of 2008, it is the only company of its kind in northern Utah and is pending a patent.
Parker started this company from what he learned from mentors in California. Parker is now looking for investors and creditors to get the company off the ground. "What we want is for people to be able to progress and advance. Their credit can now look good to a bank. It looks good to a seller to get 30% of the home instead of it being foreclosed upon.” He said.
The buyer doesn't pay rent they pay trust contributions, along with the investors and creditors, and each gets a benefit from doing so. Because the seller can’t sell the house originally they put it in a trust. The company find buyers and sellers and connects them in this way. An outside lawyer is the trustee and puts his/her name under the title of the house and also does the paperwork for it. Parker will handle much of the paperwork, including finding people and putting together mortgages. He is the guarantor. There is no owner of the house, when it sells the Seller/investor/creditor each get 30%, and the buyer gets 10%.
ABC is a company who handles real estate using land trusts. Investors should come if you have money, sellers should come to guarantee a sell and stock in a house and a buyer who has bad credit should buy to increase their credit. Contact us for more information and to be a part of this opportunity.
Chet Gardner
chet.gardner@aggiemail.usu.edu
-END-
January 12, 2009
Response to reading of email etiquette and netiquette rules
This is good to read because it is so simple that those who don't know much about email etiquette can learn and it's also a good refresher for those who are a little more well versed on the subject.
The rules about netiquette seem to be simple and common knowledge with such rules written as "do unto other as you would have them do unto you," but if everyone followed them things like this wouldn't need to be written. You can never be too careful and I think this is a good reference book/article for the future for me. There are plenty of bad examples out there of how these rules have been broken, and it looks bad for the person, or even the company they represent.
I especially liked the part how it mentioned that the net is its own culture and if you do or say something wrong it can easily offend someone.
Sources:http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
http://www.emailreplies.com/
The rules about netiquette seem to be simple and common knowledge with such rules written as "do unto other as you would have them do unto you," but if everyone followed them things like this wouldn't need to be written. You can never be too careful and I think this is a good reference book/article for the future for me. There are plenty of bad examples out there of how these rules have been broken, and it looks bad for the person, or even the company they represent.
I especially liked the part how it mentioned that the net is its own culture and if you do or say something wrong it can easily offend someone.
Sources:http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
http://www.emailreplies.com/
Letter to my cousin
January 8, 2009
Dear Jenny,
I’m writing to you in response to the question you asked me the other day about what public relations is and what public relations professionals write about. After speaking to some people involved in a public relations related career, taking some classes related to the subject and now starting to read a book called “Public Relations-The Profession and the Practice” I feel I can give a good answer.
As you know I was previously majoring in marketing but I am now doing marketing as a minor. Public relations and marketing and even advertising are often confused as to what the difference is. As I learned in a P.R. writing class, marketing and public relations both are there to sell something. Marketing sells products and P.R. sells people/organizations. The book I am reading talks about the difference between advertising and public relations. It mentions how advertising is paid time and space in the media, whereas public relations describes publicity or stories that run without charge in the news columns of the media (p.7). A woman I talked to that is practicing P.R. said that it is organizing resources in such a way that you are able to provide a positive, yet honest view of the organization you represent. From what I understood about her profession she would write pamphlets, magazines, and letters constantly to explain what the organization did and why and bring about a positive outlook to the organization that she represented.
To me, a public relations professional is a good communicator with many different people, companies/organizations and whoever they can to bring about positive attitudes towards the company, and to build positive relationships. This way they will be better able to facilitate changes or issues with the community and influence them and their organization for the better. This is often done by P.R. professionals through the media, research, community relations, fund-raising and many others. Each one of the messages is often executed through writing to different people and outlets that they need to have a relationship with.
As you can see public relation is important to business/people/organizations and is a growing part of the business world today. I hope this brief explanation answered the questions you have. I’ll talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Chet
Dear Jenny,
I’m writing to you in response to the question you asked me the other day about what public relations is and what public relations professionals write about. After speaking to some people involved in a public relations related career, taking some classes related to the subject and now starting to read a book called “Public Relations-The Profession and the Practice” I feel I can give a good answer.
As you know I was previously majoring in marketing but I am now doing marketing as a minor. Public relations and marketing and even advertising are often confused as to what the difference is. As I learned in a P.R. writing class, marketing and public relations both are there to sell something. Marketing sells products and P.R. sells people/organizations. The book I am reading talks about the difference between advertising and public relations. It mentions how advertising is paid time and space in the media, whereas public relations describes publicity or stories that run without charge in the news columns of the media (p.7). A woman I talked to that is practicing P.R. said that it is organizing resources in such a way that you are able to provide a positive, yet honest view of the organization you represent. From what I understood about her profession she would write pamphlets, magazines, and letters constantly to explain what the organization did and why and bring about a positive outlook to the organization that she represented.
To me, a public relations professional is a good communicator with many different people, companies/organizations and whoever they can to bring about positive attitudes towards the company, and to build positive relationships. This way they will be better able to facilitate changes or issues with the community and influence them and their organization for the better. This is often done by P.R. professionals through the media, research, community relations, fund-raising and many others. Each one of the messages is often executed through writing to different people and outlets that they need to have a relationship with.
As you can see public relation is important to business/people/organizations and is a growing part of the business world today. I hope this brief explanation answered the questions you have. I’ll talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Chet
Summary about me
I am 23 years old and a junior at Utah State University. While at USU I have changed my major a couple of times. My major went from accounting to marketing to public relations with a minor in marketing. I am excited about the learning opportunities found within public relations. Utah State has helped me in finding out what I want to do and how I can succeed later in the business world.
This past year has been an exciting one for me. About 11 months ago I proposed to Annaliese Witzel, and she said yes! We were married on May 16, 2008. Married life has been good and has gone by fast.
I come from a family of all brothers, two older and two younger. I grew up on a dairy farm in Honeyville, Utah. I have milked many cows in my life and it is not the most fun job in the world. Therefore I have not lived on the farm for about five years. I have been attending Utah State with a two year break to serve an LDS mission in Jackson, Mississippi.
I am a sports fanatic. I played just about any sport growing up and stuck to basketball and baseball once I got to high school. Now I just root for my favorite teams and play a little city league ball quite often. I love the Aggies basketball and foot ball teams even though the football team is hard to cheer for right now. Other favorite teams include the SF Giants, Jazz and 49ers.
I would love to carry my public relations major into a career with a sports program, college or pro. That would be my dream job.
This past year has been an exciting one for me. About 11 months ago I proposed to Annaliese Witzel, and she said yes! We were married on May 16, 2008. Married life has been good and has gone by fast.
I come from a family of all brothers, two older and two younger. I grew up on a dairy farm in Honeyville, Utah. I have milked many cows in my life and it is not the most fun job in the world. Therefore I have not lived on the farm for about five years. I have been attending Utah State with a two year break to serve an LDS mission in Jackson, Mississippi.
I am a sports fanatic. I played just about any sport growing up and stuck to basketball and baseball once I got to high school. Now I just root for my favorite teams and play a little city league ball quite often. I love the Aggies basketball and foot ball teams even though the football team is hard to cheer for right now. Other favorite teams include the SF Giants, Jazz and 49ers.
I would love to carry my public relations major into a career with a sports program, college or pro. That would be my dream job.
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