This is a presentation I gave to the State University of New York at Plattsburgh PRSSA chapter during their general member #Mullet (business in the front, party in the back) event. It lays out a plan for students as they progress through their schooling. Thank you to Anthony Atkins and Laura Miller for allowing me to connect to their profiles.
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I love students as they are the reason I am able to do what I love to do - teach.
There are similarities and differences, positive and negative, amongst the students from each school for which I have taught. The positive attributes I appreciate about SUNY Platts students are 1. They are polite 2. They are courteous 3. They are appreciative 4. They are active learners 5. They question what is being taught Hands down SUNY Plattsburgh students are the most polite (and not in a "Minnesota Nice" way either) bunch I've come across. Doors are held, hellos are returned, and the thing that I am still getting used to is that they thank you for everything. It amazes me that every student says thank you when they hand in a quiz. The crazy thing is, some of them actually mean it. Today two students thanked me for asking a particular question on the quiz, because it made them think. Happy Friday to me. I will be smiling as I grade today. Thank you students. Why is it that schools take such pride in being the, "we never close due to weather" campus. If that's the case - then actually mean it! Quit playing the oh so tough guy and close at noon. This is not just for my current campus, but for the past three for which I have taught.
Having gone to college at the University of Minnesota Morris, we truly were tough and according to my friend Dan Gorder, only closed once during my four years there (fall 1995 - spring 2000). I don't remember this, I must have been busy studying ;) - I vaguely remember going behind the PE Annex and trying to snowboard down a little hill with Joe Radunz, Jill Druley and Ryan Raske, it may have been on this day. All I got out of the lesson was, "don't cut the front edge." I digress... Morris didn't have to ever close because on a campus of less than 2000 students, in the middle of nowhere, there were only a handful of commuters who travelled more than four or five miles. Then when moving to Milwaukee, still snowy, still cold, but with more people, cars, roads and buildings (I remember snow drifts taller than my car in Morris) - the story rang true, almost. They also prided themselves on not closing due to bad weather but it was only a half-truth. They just typically waited until 2 p.m. This was at Marquette, Mt. Mary and UW-Milwaukee. Here at SUNY-Plattsburgh, "that never closes due to the weather" we've already closed early twice - I've only been here two semesters! Well, sorry schools, but get over the tough guy image, or figure out a better system - show that not everything at a University takes 50 people and twice the time to make a decision. When you do this the entire day is a waste. Students are too busy checking their phones to see when school will close to pay attention. Not productive. If you err and close school when you could have driven (UW - Milwaukee did that once or twice) then you just note that it was bad in some nearby commuter areas, even if driving around campus was fine. This saves you the Charlie Sykes argument about wasting precious taxpayer dollars for canceling class (as he did when the President of the United States last visited Madison and the roads around campus were closed, hence classes were cancelled - again someone playing a false tough-guy image). Enjoy snow days for what they are - days to enjoy the snow. University professors are resourceful and hopefully can come up with alternative (off-campus) learning activities and lessons on the fly. I did. Students will learn the lesson of driving through crappy roads to get to their "real life" jobs and it's not because they were forced to do the same in college. Don't risk accidents. Need I go on? In closing - you're not tough for closing for a portion of the day. You're not setting any records. Even if you are - it's an irrational record, so stop it! Stop making everyone hold their breathe waiting for the all important announcement. Take the time and build a snowman, make a snow angel, go skiing, or just sip some hot cocoa and enjoy the beauty of freshly fallen snow - the work will still be there after you've exhaled. In a prior post I alluded to the long-standing tension between advertising and public relations. There's also a love-hate relationship between public relations and journalism. They need each other. A strong working relationship is really beneficial on both sides (as with most relationships). But there is a key difference.
1. A journalist hates a lazy PR practitioner but 2. A PR person LOVES a lazy journalist #FoodForThought |
AuthorI am assistant professor in the Journalism & Public Relations department at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Archives
April 2016
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