Monthly Archives: May 2014

Major Memo: End Of Year Manual

Use of Journalism Building Facilities After May 21.

Use of Building:

Members of the Class of 2014 will have access to the building and its facilities through June 30, 2014.

Exceptions include: any area under construction, and any classrooms and computer rooms being used for summer classes or special programs. If you are in one of these rooms when a class is scheduled to begin, please leave immediately. Refusal to cooperate may result in the termination of your access to the building.

Equipment
All current fines must be paid by Friday, May 9 or a hold will be placed on your student account. All equipment must be returned to the Equipment Room (507) by Friday, May 16th. Action will be taken to repossess equipment from outstanding checkouts after May 16.

There will be no equipment checkouts from 5/16 – 5/21. (If you will need equipment during this time you must supply a written request from your professor.)

After graduation, students will be allowed to check out equipment, as available, until Friday, June 6th. However, check out of the C100 will require a note from a professor. Please remember that scheduled summer school classes and master’s project students, as well as necessary equipment maintenance upgrades, have priority for equipment and editing rooms.

Please be aware that individual computer rooms will be closed at different times for maintenance and upgrading. Though it is likely, it is not guaranteed that there will always be a computer room or terminal available. Due to maintenance schedules, summer class schedules and the master’s projects, it is possible that you will be unable to use a computer at a specific time. Please use the following online schedule to assist in room space availability, though it is not a guarantee and event or maintenance is currently underway: bit.ly/cujrooms

Student Lockers:
All May graduates must empty their lockers by noon, Friday, May 16.

Continuing part-time students and documentary students may keep their lockers. Graduates who will be working on a demo tape or other approved projects during the month of June may also keep their lockers. To request such a locker extension, please send e-mail to Derek Gano at dg2382@columbia.edu with your name and the reason for your request.

Graduates’ lockers that have not been vacated by noon on Friday, May 16, will be have their locks removed and contents moved to a storage bin and eventually discarded. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GRADUATION CEREMONIES UNTIL YOUR LOCKER IS EMPTIED. All locker questions should be directed to Derek Gano at building@jrn.columbia.edu (must be sent from CU email).

Student Mail Folders:
The mail folders of graduating students may be used until noon, Friday, May 23. All items remaining in boxes after that date will be discarded.

Computer Account and Class Shares:
Access to J-School computer accounts for all graduating students will remain active until June 30, 2014.

All personal server space, class shares and computers (posted below) will be deleted on May 30. Please be sure to backup all of your files to external media (Personal Hard Drives, CDs, DVDs, flash media, iPods, etc.) before your account is deactivated. These shares will no longer be available to you and the data will be unrecoverable. Even if you are not graduating this May please also note these shares will be deleted as they are for class work only, so do not continue to use them. New shares will be provisioned for summer courses.

Shares:

Broadcast
Video
Photo
Radio
City News Room
CNS
International Newsroom
Magazine
Masters
Nightly
Yearbook
Workshop
TVReporting

University Services After May 21

Health Services
Access to Health Services at the University expires on August 31 for all graduating students. For those with major medical health insurance through Columbia (Chickering), coverage ends on August 31 You do have the option of purchasing an extension on this policy. Please see http://health.columbia.edu/student-insurance/about-columbia-insurance-plan for details.

University Libraries
Recent alumni will retain full library privileges, including borrowing privileges and access to licensed electronic databases, for a period of three months beyond the degree conferral date. Access information can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/lio/access/. Library Services for alumni can be found at http://www.alumni.libraries.columbia.edu/

Dodge Physical Fitness Center (aka the Gym): You may use the gym over the summer with your current CUID. However, you will have to pay the $91 gym use fee. Beginning in September, you will be eligible for alumni gym use. Please see http://www.dodgefitnesscenter.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9610&ATCLID=205330326

Alumni Benefits and Services
A variety of benefits and services are available to Journalism School graduates. This page answers most of your most questions and concerns, from auditing a class at Columbia to updating your address information, from obtaining a transcript of your time here to using Columbia’s recreational facilities – http://bit.ly/alumni_benefits

Please note that you will automatically be subscribed to your class listserv using the real world e-mail address supplied in your graduation survey (more details en route from Career Services). To update any of your contact information with us or sign up for a regional listserv, use this form:
http://bit.ly/cugsj_update

LionMail: Since all of you began using LionMail while at Columbia, you will be able to continue using your LionMail email account.

Fellowship: UNITY Summer Reporting Fellowship

UNITY: Journalists for Diversity is now accepting applications for the pilot UNITY student reporting fellowship. This is a rare opportunity for college students to develop immersive multimedia and reporting skills from all over the country. The fellowship is designed to simulate convergence journalism, technology and cross-cultural communications.

One UNITY fellow will be selected to cover the AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ, NAJA and NLGJA conventions, with travel and hotel accommodations provided. The student fellow will participate in convention training that will include interactive online courses in interviewing, multimedia, ethics, and visual and audio techniques. The student fellow will also be given convention assignments to cover issues related to the journalism industry as well as the AAPI, LGBTQ and the Native communities today. A group of skilled journalists and media professionals will also be selected to act as mentors and guide the UNITY fellow as they report on the convention.

Apply Now: Deadline is May 30

Eligibility

  • Applicants must have a strong commitment to UNITY’s mission.
  • Applicants must be enrolled as a full-time college or graduate student or recent graduate (within one year) with a serious interest in pursuing journalism as a career.
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
  • AAJA, NLGJA and NAJA membership is not required to apply; however, accepted students will have to sign up for a student membership in at least one of the UNITY alliance organizations.
  • Applicants must be available during
    • NAJA convention in Santa Clara from July 10-13
    • NABJ convention in Boston from July 28 -Aug. 3
    • NAHJ convention in San Antonio from Aug. 3-9
    • AAJA convention in Washington, D.C. from Aug. 11-16
    • NLGJA convention in Chicago from Aug. 18 –24

Requirements

  • Recent college transcript (PDF or JPG only)
  • Average GPA: 3.0
  • Two letters of recommendation from a supervisor at a journalism internship, a journalism publication advisor or college professor (PDF only)
  • Two essays answering the two questions below (500 words limit):
    Why do you want to pursue a career in journalism?
    Why is diversity important to the growth of journalism?
  • Five (5) best work samples. (Please provide links to your work.)