Month: June 2020

As a global citizen and active participant in the world, it is important to stay informed about issues globally and locally. Essential aspects of our lives are changing on a daily basis and it is our job to learn, assess our emotions towards the change, and take action. Being a college student, I find that due to my schedule and personal obligations, I tend to miss the daily news on television. Instead, I have found that using a combination of other resources has been effective for me—and below are recommendations on how to stay current and involved.

One of the simplest ways to receive information is through subscriptions to various news outlets. I receive daily emails from different accredited outlets and have found that it is the best way for me to receive information without being overwhelmed.  I can sift through and read articles from various sources at the start of and throughout the day which allows me to make the most of my time and the information I receive.

Bridget’s Suggested Email Subscriptions:

• 

  The Skimm: focuses on telling the in depth story of one main topic each morning. The writers of The Skimm use easy to understand language as well as slang to relate to and get the message across generations. The Skimm also has links to websites that further explain certain aspects of an article within the email for easy access. The Skimm also has a regular podcast!

• Apple News: presents highlighted stories from around the world and provides links to articles from various media outlets. This email allows one to read a small blurb about each article and delve deeper into those that interest them.
• The New York Times: morning briefing emails showcase the top stories from their website and newspaper that day. Like The Skimm, the email provides readers with one main story but also has a section called “4 more big stories” where they give a quick summary of each and provide readers the option to navigate to the full articles. Since the New York Times is one of the most widely read newspapers in the United States and has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other media company in U.S. history, I trust this source over many others.
• National Geographic: keeps me informed one what is going on in the world environmentally.

Another way to stay informed is listening to a daily podcast to get an overview of what is going on in the world today. Personally, I prefer listening to a short podcast that will give me the information I need, without going into significant detail. Listening to a short podcast works well for me because I can listen to it while I walk to class or while I’m doing other activities. The length also ensures that I will stay interested the entire time. These podcasts give me the opportunity to learn about topics and further research the ones that either interest me or confuse me, without taking up large amounts of time.

Bridget’s Suggested Podcast Subscriptions:

• The Gist: describes itself as a “daily evening show about news, culture, and whatever else you’ll be discussing with friends and family tonight.” It is a 30 minute long podcast where host, Mike Pesca, spells out the most prevalent issues related to news & politics, culture, technology, business, and human interest. Pesca starts his podcast with a comedic or satirical take on a current issue. He then gets into the show which includes interviews with guests to offer their insight or perspective on certain topics. Additionally, Pesca introduces an abundance of facts followed by stating his own fact-based insights and opinions on the matter.

• 

  The Daily: describes itself as “how the news should sound.” It was created by the New York Times and is hosted by Michael Barbaro. For 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week, Barbaro hosts a show where he delves into what he believes to be the most important issue or event going on in the country on that day. Barbaro often collaborates with a different New York Times journalist or experts on the topic he is discussing to provide Americans with detailed facts and insights on a particular topic—allowing people to create informed, educated opinions on these topics. Barbaro ends the show with a two-minute segment about what else a person needs to know on that day.

Further, since most of us are constantly logged into social media, a way Chandler Potts stays informed is to follow news accounts online:

I am a Gen-Z college student who relies on her phone more than she should. I accept that I fit this stereotype and the pros and cons that accompany it. However, it can be incredibly useful to utilize different social media accounts and platforms in order to receive well-rounded news. Older generations may have various opinions about media consumption from strictly social platforms or, but I have found that I enjoy controlling where my views go. Instead of supporting mass media and news channels that are almost all owned by the same two companies and undoubtedly push their own agenda while reporting news with an underlying bias, I choose to not contribute to their views and ratings. I follow independent reporters and news accounts on Instagram and gain my knowledge via posts and linked articles.

News channels are known to post negative, dramatized news because it is good for ratings and therefore more profitable. Likewise, anger and separation generates more cash flow than unity does. However, in my experience, independent news sources are less inclined to include bias and social media accounts tend to generate followers and account interaction by posting stories that create positive or authentic imagery and generate positive feelings. Personally, I am happier in this space that highlights the good while still informing on current issues rather than being constantly bombarded with the negativity around us.

Chandler’s Suggested Instagram Accounts:

• 

  @gaurdian_us: The Guardian provides serious content in an Instagram friendly form with videos, linked articles, and strong graphics. It originated as a British news source prior to the creation of a US version. It’s motto is “no hidden influence, no agenda, no commercial interests. Just open, honest, fearless journalism.” The Guardian provides independent insight on a variety of national and international hot topics.

• @theonion: The Onion is a satirical digital media and newspaper company that publishes articles on international, national, and local news. It is targeted toward millennials and gen-z therefore, if you are sensitive to foul language or sarcasm, it may not be the source for you. However, if you can get past the shock value, it is a good source of current events and alternative viewpoints on what is going on in the world.
• @tanksgoodnews: Tank’s Good News describes itself as a place for people to get away from the toxic news cycle. Here, you get your daily dose of positivity happening around the world and can have your faith in humanity restored. It links positive articles in its bio and takes submissions from followers. It may not be the spot to get informed on political happenings or social injustice, although it has delved into these topics more as of late given the events going on in our country, but if you want to see a teacher recognized for going above and beyond for their students or a community rallying around a child with disabilities, this is the spot for you.
• @globalpositivenews: Much like the account above, Global Positive News is dedicated to spreading positivity and providing a retreat from what one would see when they turn on the six o’clock news.
• @goodnews_movement: Again, this is an account that focuses on positive current events and spreading joy throughout the community of its followers.

Staying Informed is cool, do it!!!

In this day of the 24/7 news cycle, staying informed is a choice we have to make each day so that we can form educated opinions and make educated decisions. Lack of knowledge of specific facts and figures about current events can lead to ignorance and the spread of misinformation. By using the resources above, you can easily become a more informed citizen of this world.

Author: Bridget Kane, ft. Social Media Insight by Chandler Potts

Sources:

www.theskimm.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/podcasts/the-daily/

When the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States, universities across the country shut down all on campus activity and switched to an online forum. First, Spring sports were suspended indefinitely, large group events were postponed, and the cancellation of classes soon followed. With our spring semester in upheaval, uncertainty soon followed. However, a sense of unity spread among college students across the nation as they were sent back to their hometowns to finish up their remaining two- to three-months of classes in their childhood bedrooms.

As a Clemson student and student-athlete, I was unsure how this transition would work. For many students, not only were they stripped of an in-person learning environment, but athletes lost their sports, seniors lost their end of college festivities, roommates lost one another, and all students lost any sense of normalcy.

In this time of drastic change, Clemson University administrators and professors did the best they could to make the transition as seamless as possible. In my experience, professors developed plans they believed would best fit their students and were also prepared to switch their plans based on reactions and feedback from their students. Professors combined Zoom classes, Canvas discussion forums, virtual office hours, assignments, and assessments to create the best environment possible for their students to finish out the semester strong.

Similar to other institutions, Clemson University provided an opportunity for students to receive an alternative to the standard letter-grade earned for the Spring 2020 semester.  This opportunity enabled students who were not satisfied with the A, B, or C they earned in a class to receive a “pass” on their transcript. Additionally, this policy allowed students who were not satisfied with a D they earned in a class to receive a “special pass” on their transcript and students who were not satisfied with a D or F they earned in a class to receive  “no grade” on their transcript.

The spring semester concluded in a way that no one expected and required students, faculty, and staff to be more creative, forgiving, and exemplary with themselves and others as we all faced unique circumstances. Continue reading below to hear how this impacted the student perspective.

Chandler Potts, Senior, Graphic Communication on Online Learning

This summer I enrolled in eighteen credit hours in order to finish my last semester of college. To say that eighteen credits combined with a full-time internship, job interviews, and the current events happening in our world is a lot to manage would be an understatement. However, the online education provided by the university has actually helped to alleviate some of the pressure that I have experienced. My professors made a huge effort to give their students everything they would get from an in-person class and have also made modifications to make the transition smooth for students.

The majority of my classes are taught by recorded lectures and shared learning decks; with instructors creating availability to meet on Zoom as you would with office hours. Email correspondence has strengthened and I feel that any question I may have is valued and answered quickly. The most prominent change that I have experienced comes from a professor that completely restructured her course and made it self-paced. This means that students can complete and submit assignments on their own timeline so long as they are turned in before the end of the semester in order to alleviate any added stress of due dates. While policy changes such as this may not be suitable for everyone, it has helped me hone my management and self-accountability skills while also helping me manage my stress levels.

This semester has been challenging, everything has changed, but it has also been incredibly uplifting to see my community come together to support and empathize with each other. I find myself feeling grateful that I have had the opportunity to gain this experience of learning in an adaptive environment. Although challenging, the Clemson community coming together to make changes and adapt to improve learning for all is what makes this place so special.

Authors: Bridget Kane and Chandler Potts

Intern Insight By Brooke Bailey

Communication Intern, Student Athlete (Volleyball), Protestor at Clemson Community Demonstration

Some of the most important people in my life have been affected by racism and it hurts me to know that this is still happening. One thing I have recently learned from the black people in my life is that we should all continue to have open hearts and continue to learn. Finding sources that educate us on racism and how to genuinely become anti-racist is the first step in our journey to a better world. I see so many people post on social media about the systemic racism in our country, but it is not enough. To make a change we need to take action, which is exactly what the group of student-athletes who organized the demonstration were doing.

As I sat in the grass of Bowman field surrounded by thousands of members from the Clemson community, I could not help but shed several tears. At first I could not pinpoint where these emotions were coming from, similar to how I have been feeling for the last month or so. As Darien Rencher spoke about being a young Black man in the United States, we all felt his emotion and passion about racism in 2020. He titled his speech, “The Time America Didn’t Look Away,” he talked about how for some reason this time around change is coming and we could all feel it. Regardless of what happened several years before, when “Black Lives Matter” and the “I Can’t Breathe” movements first surfaced, today people cannot look away.

We are demanding a change for the better. We demand justice for the black lives which have left this earth too soon because of ignorance and ego. We demand equality for all humans who walk this earth, no matter the color of their skin or where they come from. We demand that those who do not understand have open hearts and open minds to be able to learn about the injustices happening in our communities.

Like Trevor said, as white men and women we have experienced an entirely different America than our Black brothers and sisters. Because of this horrifying fact we understand that we will never understand, but choosing to stand with our friends and family, and those who have fallen to the great injustices is what America needs. As the Clemson community came together that warm summer evening, we chose to live in solidarity and walk with purpose. We honored the innocent lives that we have lost, and we looked within ourselves to hope and pray that all parts of racism be erased from our hearts. I am proud to say that I am a part of the generation that will no longer allow racism to infiltrate our communities and our hearts. Often we don’t realize the beliefs we have until we are confronted with life changing events or education. Being vulnerable and willing to learn will help all of us create a safe environment for every human being. The unity seen at the peaceful protest was overwhelming and filled my heart with hope for a better tomorrow.

Recommended Resources:

• Social Justice Books: https://socialjusticebooks.org
• Media Handles: @theconsciouskid (Instagram); @ClemsonCLD (Instagram)

Mike Jones, Darien Rencher, Cornell Powell, and Trevor Lawrence

Clemson students Mike Jones, Darien Rencher, Cornell Powell, and Trevor Lawrence were able to rally the Clemson community around them for games and events surrounding the Clemson Football program as members of the football team. When organizing this event, the four men envisioned themselves bringing individuals of different racial and ethnic and backgrounds together to rally around them once again. This time, instead of supporting their athletic endeavors, the community was tasked to rally around Mike, Darien, Cornell, and many more to fight against the social and racial injustices they have dealt with their entire life. When asked why he organized this event, Communication student, Mike Jones, explained “I felt it in my heart, I wanted to do something. I felt like we could make a change in our own community.”

In conjunction with Mike’s desire for change, on Saturday, June 13, 2020, over 3,000 members of the Clemson community made their way to Clemson University’s Bowman field, marching side-by-side and standing in solidarity with the black community. When standing on stage looking across Bowman Field and seeing the diversity of the crowd gathered, Darien Rencher exclaimed, “I find myself here with hope because I’m seeing the good already coming out of this madness and tragedy.”

Talking with event organizer Mike Jones after the event, I found that he was on the same page as Darien and was feeling hopeful:

“It meant so much seeing everyone come out to the demonstration. Seeing more of a turnout than just black people showed me that the issues facing the black community aren’t necessarily just black issues anymore, and it showed me that people are starting to realize that it takes more than one group of people to create change and promote equality. Both the oppressed and the oppressors have to do their part in other to change the system.”

Throughout the event, the voices of not just student-athletes, but black men were heard. They not only expressed the pain and suffering contained in their own hearts as black men in America today, but also encouraged the audience to look into their own hearts. For Darien Rencher, this was the most important

and influential element of the event because “when we look in the mirror and deal with what is inside, this is what brings about change. When our heart changes, we change. As we change our homes change. As our homes change our society changes and hopefully our future changes.”

The turnout for this event gave these four student-athletes the affirmation that they can use their platform and extend it beyond football. Rencher noted, “step by step we are seeing we have the power to create change.”

When catching up with another one of the event organizers, Cornell Powell, he mentioned his satisfaction with the way he was able to use his platform to unite the community and is prepared to continue to do so:

“Saturday was beautiful. It was everything I could have imagined and more. To see the community come out and unite as one for the same cause was simply amazing! It was definitely a step in the right direction along with the renaming of the Honors College and the executive board requesting authority from the South Carolina General Assembly to rename Tillman Hall. Saturday showed that together we can achieve more. But it doesn’t stop there. We have a lot more work to be done and won’t stop until every black student, athlete or not, feels equal on Clemson campus.”

Call to Action

It is time for Clemson student-athletes, students, faculty, staff and fans to take the famous Clemson motto “ALL In” seriously. It is our job as members of this Clemson Community to support the students and athletes and off the field, inside and beyond of the classroom. It is time to stand up as a community to fight against and eradicate racism. If you can support members of the black community on game days, as a colleague, their roommate, or a friend; then you can support them every day and be a part of the change to combat racism.

We Thank the Following Student-Athletes for their Contributions to this Article:

Mike Jones: Communication Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

Darien Rencher: Psychology Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

Cornell Powell: Business Management Student and Student Athlete (Football) at Clemson University

All Photos Attributed to Clemson Athletics Staff (Via @clemsontigers on Twitter)

Author: Bridget Kane

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a great deal of uncertainty to individuals worldwide. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and the deadly impact it has had on nearly 120,000 Americans, many businesses were closed down for in-person operations. These actions led companies to downsize and lay off workers as well as convert their operations to an online arena.

COVID-19 directly impacted students who had summer internships, jobs, or study abroad/work abroad plans. Despite the new challenges presented by the global pandemic, many Clemson Students still found a way to advance their career development.

Read about how Clemson Students have turned their challenges into opportunity:

KJ Henry, Sports Communication with a minor in Athletic Leadership:

KJ’s original plan for the summer was to stay in Clemson to take classes and participate in summer football workouts. However, when team workouts were postponed and classes were moved online, he had the freedom to travel home to spend time with his family.

The class that has been impacted the most by being in a virtual setting is his sign language class. KJ mentioned that learning a new language, especially sign language, is very hands-on during a face-to-face class. Instead, KJ has to watch videos and lectures to learn the language. His class now involves a lot more assignments than his previous sign languages courses. These assignments are often videos that he must take of him signing to ensure to his professor that he is learning the language. Still, KJ found that one positive aspect of the online forum is that he is able to do the assignments on his own time and has as much time as he needs to think things through before turning them in.

If this had been a typical summer, KJ would have been in week 10 of summer workouts with his team, instead he has been working out from home. This has been difficult for KJ because he strives to be the best player he can be and can never know for sure if he is getting the full workout his coaches would be giving him. Additionally, KJ does not have access to nutrition, rehabilitation, and medical staff resources. Nevertheless, KJ has been able to make the most of the situation by working out with family and friends, sleeping more, and being able to fit his workouts more easily into his schedule.

In his newfound free time KJ has mostly been hanging out with his family and friends, getting schoolwork done, and playing video games. Overall, the best thing that KJ has been able to do during this time is take a step back and think about life. He has been able to reflect and make sure he’s doing what he wants to do and that he is on the right path to achieve his goals. Further, KJ has had more time to think about and process the current social and racial injustices that are finally receiving the global attention they deserve and how he can foster change.

Natalie McCrudden, Marketing:

Before the COVID-19 disrupted the world, Natalie had planned to move to Charlotte, NC and start her job in July at E&J Gallo Winery in their Sales and Leadership Development Program. The program would place her as a sales representative where she would be work directly with the distributor. Natalie would have managed several accounts where she would go to liquor stores and bars and work directly with the owners to engage and encourage them to sell them different wines and liquors based on their consumer touchpoints. Her tactics to do so would include building displays, having wine tastings, and more. Given the level of engagement and interactivity required in her position, her start date was pushed back to August 2020, at the earliest.

Since Natalie does not know when she is going to relocate, she is using this time to change her driver’s license, buy a car, and do other little things to make the transition easier. Some positives that have come out of the delay in starting her job are that she is able to spend more time with family and friends and has more flexibility to be able to do things such as home workouts, making homemade meals, and reading books. She has also been able to go on walks and appreciate nature. The best thing she has done during this time is talk to her study abroad and high school friends, whom she has not had the time to contact in years.

On the other hand, if she is tasked to work remotely in the near future, it will make her job a lot harder because a lot of it involves trying to get people to try a product which is harder to do if you cannot show it to them or let them taste it. Additionally, it will be harder for her to start a new career without face-to-face communication—a key driver in the sales experience.

Isabel Strinsky, Mathematical Science:

Isabel planned to spend the summer in Morocco studying Arabic through ROTC Project GO. Project GO (Project Global Office) is a program that provides cadets with language intensive training in a foreign country. Unfortunately, due to travel bans, the summer program was moved to an online forum that will provide her with two months of lessons for four hours a day. This was a disappointing change for Isabel because she will no longer be able to supplement her language lessons with everyday communication with native speakers. She is nervous to have to learn the language at a rapid pace without engaging in any face-to-face conversations and knows it will be a lot more difficult and she will have less available helpful resources. Further, Isabel is often hesitant to speak up or ask questions in Zoom calls because she does not want to interrupt a classmate or fellow student.

To supplement her time, Isabel applied to and was granted a UPIC internship with the College of Science Recruiting and Inclusive Excellence. Here, her main task is managing the science information accounts where she answers email questions about the college of science. She is also involved in COSMIC, a program designed to provide mentoring to incoming students and to increase the inclusivity of minority groups in the College of Science. Towards the end of her internship she will be using this found data to write an end-of-year report. The best part about this internship being online is that Isabel is able to pick her hours, allowing her to often work in the evening. The only negatives Isabel sees about solely being online is that she has to be more adamant about communication with her supervisor than she would if the internship was in person.

In addition to her internship, Isabel has been doing home improvement projects. Her biggest accomplishments were plumbing, taking the door off her shower, and cleaning up and redesigning her loft.

Jack Grozier, Civil Engineering with an emphasis in construction engineering and management:

Jack’s initial summer plans were to work as a paid intern at Bohler Engineering in Center City Philadelphia, PA. Here, he would have shadowed engineers who did design work for land development in the city, including land planning, determining where buildings and roads will go, and deciding how to properly integrate utilities. Jack would also have had the opportunity to go to site visits in person, attend meetings with customers, and get involved with as many aspects of engineering as possible.

Unfortunately, Jack’s internship transitioned into a 2-month unpaid virtual internship. This internship is still a great learning opportunity for Jack because he is going to be taught the programs he would have used, attend live lectures, and learn what he would have needed to know to do the job. The biggest downside for Jack about this transition is that he will not get as much hands-on experience which he believes is the best way of learning and would have given him a better understanding of what he wants to do in the future. Additionally, he will still be able to talk about this internship in future interviews, but he believes the lack of experience is a detriment. Further, now that this internship is unpaid, he has had to find other forms of income.

Through this challenge there has been opportunity. The internship transition gave Jack more free time to work and earn income in a warehouse where he helps ship flags. He also able to help renovate his parents newly purchased beach house and help his youngest brother with online school. He has also been able to sleep in and spend time with his brothers and parents.

Since Jack does not have to commute to Philadelphia every day, he is able to live in his parents’ beach house in Ocean City, New Jersey where he also works at a bike shop in the hours that he is not completing his internship. Additionally, since this internship is now less of a time commitment, he will have more time to enjoy summer with his family, since it is his last one before he moves out. Overall, the best thing that Jack has been able to do during this time of uncertainty is safely hang out with his friends while maintaining social distancing. Being able to interact and talk with his loved ones has made this bad situation more bearable.

Have you found yourself in a tough spot this summer with delayed, altered or cancelled internship and job opportunities? See below for resources for students to engage in career development:

Clemson’s Center for Career and Professional Development is offering virtual programming, workshops, and guest speakers throughout the summer. This is a great summer to fine tune marketable skills that employers are looking for and the career center is here to help. Below is a schedule of the upcoming events.

https://career.sites.clemson.edu/events.php

Author: Bridget Kane