New drawings but the old waiting game

Agenstein Hall has been under the banner of construction for several years now. Initial drawings were made several years ago with a new wing and modern improvements to the existing building. Griffon News was their covering that story many years ago in 2003.

For several years the drawings sat in the science and math building with people staring at them, looking at them and expecting.

Here it is 2008, the Agenstein still looks the same and still is falling apart.

The board of governors were introduced to new drawings two months ago but at their latest meeting, they did not mention it once.

Running a story on Agenstein Hall (and the new hall Remington Hall) is like kicking a dead horse, to use a cliche. We ran the pictures of the new renditions and a brief story on it but ultimately it was a submission of drawings and nothing more.

This would make a great news story because of the needed renovations but the continual stop and go of this story makes it less apealing to cover and the readers stop caring.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a very sensitive subject here at Western like most places. At the recent Board of Governors, Dan Danford brought it up again.

The idea that was brought up was that alcohol namely wine, should be served at special events like the convocation dinners and formal events like that.

The topic has been brought up several times before like with the building of the Fulkerson Center, but the News-Press and KQ2 ran the story like it was a big announcement.

At the Griffon News we did not overplay it like the other media and focused on the entire meeting and not just alcohol.

Yes alcohol on campus is big news but they just brought up the idea and did not say yes on it. If they actually allowed then it would be big news but they did not.

It is a good lesson on finding the balance of report the story truthfully and not sensationalizing a part of it that is still not reality. We at the Griffon News took the conservative approach at talked also about the incubator as well.

We could ramp up the font of the headline and have alcohol as the biggest word on the front page and get a lot of looks at our newspaper but we would not be good journalists.

Our story

St Joe News-Press story

Do the furniture shuffle

This week we had a story on the furniture move that occurred in the SU lobby, which caused a stir with the students who used that area. It has been said that this is the most read story maybe of the whole semester’ worth of newspaper.

We run numerous stories that effects student ig funding and new programs but this one has the most impact even though it is just about furniture.

It is an important story and a big issue because of the direct impact that it caused students who use the furniture. The other stories are big but don’t impact students that and sometimes its easy to over look that.

We deal with a lot stories that do impact students but they are indirect impact stories in most respects.

Student cannot physically see that they will have to pay more for tuition or things like that but the furniture they can.

That is why it’s the most student-oriented story this semester so far and ultimate goal of the Griffon News.

The Chiefs are coming

The Chiefs are coming, the Chiefs are coming but only for one day in June. They are coming on June 12 to hold a semi-pre-training camp session to allow fans to see them up close.

The Griffon News did cover the announcement but when it comes to the Chiefs and Western its been a long road.

We've reported (2) on the rumor of the Chiefs making their training camp here but they are rumors and nothing was definitive. A lot of excitement would build with the story each time but it is quickly deflated when nothing happens.

The school wanted the Chiefs here because it will give a lot of attention the Western that they are seeking to "better" the school, whether that is good or bad, who knows.

The condition that sets in with all this talk about the Chiefs coming to Western is the "Boy who cried wolf too many times."

It is good that they are coming to our school, the community will be happy (so will the administration) but this story is just another Chief story that fills space. That is all.

Twist of fate

The fatal shooting incident in Kansas City that involved a Western is not a story that is normal and is quite odd. But there is a student, Braynt King, who is suspected of being one of the shooters that killed some one. The story here or here

In the Griffon News, it was something that we had to cover but something ironic happened with this case. While other media outlets just ran a story about the incident, which we did, we also ran a photo of that person in the paper.

How did we get a photo of Brayant King?

Well, he was interviewed (and a photo was taken) for our campus voice section by our opinions editor several days before the act was committed. King said that he was going home to finish off some business and things of that nature.

Little did our editor know that he would be interviewing a soon-to-be suspected killer.

It still baffles us and makes us wonder the odds of this situation happening.

The News-Press may have trumped us; but we have the photo.

Wac is, well, wack

This week the Griffon News ran an editorial (click here) on how ‘WAC’ it is for the Western Activity Council to be so late in the spring semester and how they have not release who is going to playing at the spring concert. (A day after we published, WAC did release who the performers were: Young Joc and Rick Ross)

We at the Griffon News have been talking for a month or more about how they have not gotten a performer and we trying to figure out a way to bring this to light. Ultimately we did and editorial on it.

WAC’s president was not happy about our editorial but it was something that we need to inform the school on.

Usually the announcements are months in advance to build up excitement and to promote it. In our case, its two weeks in advance, which is cutting it down to the wire.

This is a case where we have to bite the bullet in order help fix a problem. Our editorial most likely did not effect the announcement but it provides good information on what was going on.

MIAA tourney

Last Thursday, the women’s basketball team made it into the first round of the MIAA tournament in Kansas City, their second in a row. They were in seed 8 and their opposing team is seed 1.

This story was happening outside of our normal news cycle since it was two days before spring break but there is always a chance of them winning, of them going further in the tournament, and ultimately winning (slim they may be but still a chance) but still newsworthy since we have a website.

Read the how the game went here: http://griffonbasketball.blogspot.com/2008/03/miaa-tournament-championships.html

But, there is a difference, no matter how well the Griffon News (or other journalistic venues) reports on the games, no words in our paper could accurately express how much the referees can change the game, how the players are frustrated, or how they are tired struggling with an aggressive and physical opposing team. Some writers can come close, but not all the way.

For that experience, one must actually be at the game, hear Jill Johnson yell out commands, see Yanique Jarvois struggling because of sickness, or see Chemia Woods go against opponents who are taller and bigger than her but still holding her ground.

Journalism comes close but being there is always difference.