This semester I took a crash course in journalism, seriously. The Journalism Practicum class is just that, writing actual articles for the school newspaper The Bullet. The once a week class discusses the nitty gritty details of the paper, ethics of newsgathering, and a few other general topics. What the class doesn’t cover is how to write for a newspaper, that is a separate class. I got my assignments from the newspaper and picked it up as I went along. Here are my 4 articles from this semester.

Confusion Arises Over Census Count

The 2010 Census has created confusion at Mary Washington as to how university students are counted, particularly for those living on campus.

The census is currently underway, with new, shorter forms featuring the catch phrase “ten questions in ten minutes.”

How college students are counted varies according to where they reside, according to the the official census Web site.  Students living both on campus and off campus who reside at their parents during vacation are “counted at the on-campus or off-campus residence where they live and sleep most of the time.”

Students living at their parents’ home who commute to school are counted as part of their parents’ household. Foreign students living in the United States are counted in the same manner as U.S. students, while U.S. students studying abroad are not counted at all.

Census Bureau workers are supposed to coordinate with the Residence Life staff between April 1 and May 21 to distribute forms for students living on campus to fill out.

“I received a census form at my residence. It indeed was separate from my parents, as I live in a different state than them,” Kevin Olson, a senior who lives off campus, said.

Olson said students should fill out a census form for themselves, since they spend the majority of the year at the school, rather than at their parents’ house.

“As a result [of living here], they have more of an impact on the community surrounding the school than the location they might call home,” Olson said.

The students who live on campus were less sure about how and where they are counted.

“I didn’t fill out my own census form because I was never sent one, nor was I ever approached about filling out a form,” Elisabeth Hancock, a senior who resides on campus, said.

Juniors Samantha Notti, Hoang Phuong and Annie Unger, who are all on-campus residents, also stated that they did not fill out census forms and had heard nothing about them.

Dr. Debra Schleef, chair of the department of sociology and anthropology, taught a course this semester on the census process.

“What I don’t know is who is doing the counting—someone in residence life, each RA in the dorm, or perhaps the count is just determined from official forms in the housing office,” Schleef said.  “I think in general, not at UMW, but in general, institutional census counts are problematic.  The counts are probably accurate, but not the information on the rest of the census, especially with regards to race, where the norm of the census bureau has been self-identification for decades.”

Christine Porter, director of Residence Life, was unavailable for comment.

The census is a long-standing practice that finds its roots in the Constitution. Article 1, Section 2 lays the groundwork by declaring “[An] Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”

The first census was conducted in 1790, with the 2010 census being the 23rd conducted in the history of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln: Axe Murderer?

What do the Roanoke Colony, Edgar Allen Poe and Abraham Lincoln all have in common? Well, vampires, according to Seth Grahame-Smith, the author of “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.”

In this novel, Lincoln is less honest and more lethal-stealth assassin. You may remember Smith from his 2009 release Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

As the semester quickly draws to an end students looking for entertaining summer reads should seriously consider picking up this book—but do not expect it to be all fun and games. The novel is a parody, and is laugh out loud funny at many points, but it is written as a serious story, in a similar style to World War Z.

The introduction ties the author personally to the story, as the one entrusted with secret journals of Lincoln and charged with telling the true story: “what follows nearly ruined my life. What follows, at last, is the truth.” This opening gives the book an exciting and undeniably compelling start.

The vampires are refreshingly portrayed as extremely violent and gory monsters, and Smith holds nothing back in describing their horrific acts.

Smith’s style of writing and use of language is as interesting as it is straightforward and uncomplicated, making the novel a quick read.

Though written as a biography, Smith incorporates a generous amount excerpts from letters, journals and newspapers. He compliments this with hilariously photo-shopped images, such as a 1913 oil on canvas, “Abe stands among his vampire victims.”

As with all mock biographies based on historical figures, the reader cannot help but wonder where the lines between fact and fantasy are blurred. Smith cleverly uses real history as the backbone of his novel, weaving the two together so closely that it is easy to stop caring about the blurred lines and just enjoy the story.

A short trip to Wikipedia can answer any basic questions about Lincoln’s life when the novel has been finished.

Smith is guilty of name dropping, tossing in such characters and events as Edgar Allen Poe, the Roanoke Colony, the Hungarian Blood Countess and the Five Points riots in New York City. He ties these to vampires, with varying degrees of success.

The last third of the novel, concerning Lincoln’s presidency, drags a little as the history is more familiar in this section. Most individuals remember John Brown, Dred Scott, Charles Sumner, Jefferson Davis and John Wilkes Booth from grade school. The descriptions of the Civil War battles seem routine at best.

Smith recovers with a strong, twist ending.

Vampires aside, Smith’s understated writing impresses the reader with the semi-tragic life of a well-loved president.

Five Emergency Lights Added

This semester, five new blue lights are being erected around campus as part of a project that will cost the university $160,000. The new lights received a makeover, and though they work essentially the same way as the existing ones, they have a completely different look.

The campus will now have two different sets of lights, as there are no plans to replace the existing ones.

The addition of five blue lights brings the total to 139 lights located on and around campus. The new lights have been placed to strategically fill gaps in high traffic areas like College Avenue in front of duPont Hall, the crosswalk to the University Apartments, and the corner of Seacobeck Hall by College Avenue.

These lights are already in place, and as of last week the blue lights at duPont Hall and the crosswalk to the Apartments are operational.

“The project was an undertaking as the result of findings on numerous safety walks, the most recent having been held in September 2009,” Assistant Vice President for Public Safety Susan Knick said.

The new blue lights are part of a larger project that also includes the installation of several dozen new sidewalk and streetlights. The new streetlights will be located mainly on Sunken Road.

“I think it’s really great that they’re putting lights up on Sunken Road.

I often walk that road, and it’s pretty unnerving at night, even sometimes during the daytime,” senior Melissa Merritt said.

The project has been delayed due to winter weather but should be finished later this spring, according to John Wiltenmuth, associate vice president for facilities services.

“The new blue lights look like they actually might work in case of an emergency,” senior Caitlin Oshida said. “They do remind me of hospital signs, but overall they look very modern and efficient.”

These blue lights are significantly larger, with ‘emergency’ spelled out in prominent white lettering on all four sides, as well as distinctly brighter lights. The increased size of the blue lights increases their visibility, but at a cost.

“The new blue lights are less aesthetically pleasing than the old ones,” senior Megan Thompson said.

Upcoming Grads Hunt for Jobs

From the Secret Service to Waffle House, the spring 2010 Employer Fair had an assortment of 41 employers at the Stafford Campus Thursday, March 18. The event was only open to UMW undergraduate and graduate students.

The Employer Fair offered students an opportunity to speak directly with potential employers and circulate their resumes.

“It’s really scary,” senior Brittany Adams said about trying to find a job. “Even though I am intimidated, I am trying.”

The fair was active, but not overly crowded, with around 60 students present at any one time and a total of 200 students participating.

Several key tables had lines for the majority of the fair, including the Department of Homeland Security, Geico and the Peace Corps. Other tables were notably deserted, such as Waffle House, Cellular Sales Verizon Wireless,and The Vitamin Shoppe.

Alion Science and Technology senior recruiter Bella R. Taylor was at the fair looking for engineering and electrical engineering majors. Taylor described the fair as “a little slow.”

“The resume is used for initial attention, but we’re looking first and foremost for people skills,” National Park Service representative Greg Marty said.

Student reaction to the fair was mixed.

“I was very happy with the size,” junior Ryan Lott said. “I went to the last job fair, one that had only government jobs, and it took two and a half hours to get into the building. There were quite a few good employers at this job fair. I got to talk to around 20 potential employers and handed out over 10 resumes in under an hour.”

“There was a good variety of schools, government jobs, and some other fields of work,” senior David Thompson said. “I think the job fair was helpful. It’s always good to get out and talk to employers.”

Senior Christopher Kamphaus was not as pleased.

“It’s too small of a location,” Kamphaus said. “I didn’t see Geico until I was almost out of the door because it was squeezed in between two other tables.”

The UMW Office of Career Services sponsors job fairs for students every year.

“I felt good about it,” Gary Johnson, director of career services, said. “Student attendance was up, and employer feedback was positive. Some schools were unable to hold job fairs, while we held two.”