Volume 59.7

Open publication - Free publishing - More beauty queen

Behind the Scenes...

Since taking over Lyndon State College's newspaper The Critic as Editor-in-Chief in August this year, I haven't had much time for blog posts. Sad face. 

But that is because The Critic staff has been doing work!

The Club Fair Edition...
As far as I know, Critic has never published an issue before the start of the semester. I thought welcoming students back, and especially welcoming new freshmen, with a bright color edition would encourage involvement in the club and start the year off right.

Big thanks to Sierra Willenburg for patiently teaching me how to use our new program, Adobe InDesign, and pretty much laying out the issue even though she had already graduated in May. Just goes to show--you might think you're done, but you're not.

Here's a picture of me, sporting the redesigned logo (thanks to LSC Visual Arts major Ashley Christie) on our awesome new t-shirts (thanks to Wheeler Sports for discounting the shirts) with the Lyndon State College Hornet!

The New Logo...

The new design features a pair of glasses leaning on The Critic text. The hope behind the glasses was to tap into what people think of when they think "Critic"--for designer Ashley Christie, it the image was hipster glasses. The redesign also offered a chance to replace the image with timely images, such as a pumpkin on Halloween or a donkey and elephant during election week.

We've been doing some cool things with our new logo.
Unfortunately, we just lost our layout editor, Ashley Christie, due to time constraints. If you're ambitious, need portfolio pieces, and interested in taking over the Layout Editor position at The Critic, please send me an email at samantha.vanschoick@lyndonstate.edu.


The Website...
As many of you may have noticed, The Critic's website is missing in action. Or stagnant in action. Which doesn't quite make sense, but strangely suits the situation.
Our former website was maintained by a service called College Publisher. However, the free trial is expired and requires $2,000 to renew. Being a small orginaztion, there is simply no way we can afford this price. So we ran a contest with a $200 prize to design a WordPress based template for Critic. Hosting has been purchased, the site is designed, content ready to go on the pages. So where's the website?

Though The Critic owns the domain name, we have no way to transfer the domain name to the new site until College Publisher releases it. So, what's the problem?

Remember that $2,000? They want it. So they are not exactly rushing to help us get the domain name transferred. I have meeting scheduled tomorrow, Monday, Nov. 12, to talk with our College Publisher rep and her boss to hopefully get the problem resolved.

The Critic (and myself) hope to announce the new website debut soon. Until then, we will posting our current editions to issuu.com and constantly updating our Facebook page.

I would like to apologize about the lack of website. Ultimately, every mistake comes down to me. If I could do it again, I would have spent more time this summer planning the transfer. However, this is what student journalism is about. Learning from mistakes and growing from them.

The Office...
This summer, I came back from South Carolina a week early and I painted the Critic Office in an attempt to make it look less like a closet. I think it worked...

The new blue walls, brand new conference table, a couch and a little reorganization gave the office a larger feel.

The coffee station is very important. 

Still messy sometimes...

The Challenges...
In addition to the problems with the website, The Critic is facing other challenges.

Last year, our advisor, journalism professor Dan Williams, was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to teach abroad for this year. The switch to a new advisor, who was not only new to advising college newspapers, but new to Lyndon State, has been a struggle.

Critic is currently searching for a temporary faculty advisor. Again, please email samantha.vanschoick@lyndonstate.edu if interested.

As always, our small staff has always presented challenges. The Critic could always use reporters, columnists, editors, and ad salespeople. Email critic@lyndonstate.edu if you would like real experience to use for your portfolio, or if you just want to have some fun!


So...
We've had some good and some bad.
We just have to keep moving forward, learning, and publishing quality papers.

MATH

I tried to make math fun. This is what happened.

Moufy comes to LSC!

For the written story, go to The Critic's website.

Final

I will be doing my final project on the Moufy concert at LSC. I'll have backstage access at the concert, so viewers will be able to see what goes on before, during and after the show. Also, I'll be doing the project independently.

Karate

The dojo might be the basement of the Eagles Club, but every Wednesday night, residents of Bethlehem, NH are being transformed from beginners to black belts.

White Mountain Martial Arts is an independent Shotokan Karate Program that puts “martial arts in its proper perspective in today’s world.”  

Sensei Leon Currier, fourth degree black belt, teaches students of all color belts.    

“We’ve been open since November of ’97,” Currier explained. “I’ve taught some before, but mainly here.”

Shotokan is the most widespread and influential style of karate. It was developed from various martial art styles by Gichin Funakoshi.

The first official dojo Funakoshi built was named Shotokan, which is how the style received its name.  This dojo was destroyed in an allied bombing.

Funakoshi is credited for the popularity of karate clubs throughout the West because of the public demonstrations he would give. 

Today there is no leading organization guiding the way Shotokan is taught, but almost all styles include Funakoshi’s influence.

Currier teaches eleven forms of Shotokan depending on the level of ability his students have. To see the different forms and their explanations, click here.

Some of Currier’s students have been studying with him for as long as 8 years. 

“Sensei Tristan Emerson, second dan, eight-ish years,” student Tristan Emerson proclaimed. “Second dan” means that Emerson is a second degree black belt.

Currier describes the style of WMMA as “heavily dependant on the three K’s of karate.” This means there is a mixure of drills, forms of self defense, and sparring.

“We call our style ‘Tae-Sho Shotokan Karate,” explained Currier. The group has incorporated some Taekwondo into their style.

Classes are $10 per month and meet every Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Projects

Next video project: For our next video project, the group will be looking at a "dojo" in Bethlehem, NH. Heather Cobb will be doing the filming, Marc Samson and Sean Yergeau will be doing the video editing, and I will be writing the story.

Final project: I will be working separately from my team for the final project. I plan on combining still photography and video to create a mixed media slideshow.

My project is going to chronicle the lives of a few different characters who live in Lyndonville and/or St. Johnsbury. I poached this idea from the New York Times series "One in 8 Million," which follows sterotypical "characters" and created a series.

I'm not sure if I plan on following the black and white grid that the Times set for themselves. Depending on who I can interview, I plan on maybe having some still shots that emphasize one aspect by making that one aspect in color. That way, if I get a woman who wears a fantastic multicolored jacket, the still shot of her will be completely black and white with the exception of her jacket.