What is a provost?

A provost is the top academic officer at a university. Not only does this person have academic responsibilities, he also handles budgetary affairs. The provost works with the university's president to determine academic priorities, and provides the funds to implement these ideas. There are many people that work under the provost. Some of these people include the dean, and all other kinds of provosts. The provost at the University at Albany is Susan Herbst. At a univeristy, the president still holds the highest amount of power.


http://www.provost.umich.edu/about/what.html

Questions answered in "Albany mosque has new imam"

Marc Parry's article in the Times Union answered a lot of questions about the mosque on Central Ave in Albany. Since I do not know much about mosques, I learned a lot of information. First of all, I did not know what a chaplain was or that they even existed in prisons. One of the questions the article answered was what happened to the previous imam at the Masjid As-Salam mosque. The previous leader is currently in prison for his support of a fake terrorist plot. This happened two years ago, and the mosque has not had an official imam since. Elmi is a part-time imam, meaning that the mosque still needs a permanent replacement. Through this article, I also learned some of the types of people that worship at this mosque. The Masjid As-Salam has members that were once inmates, making Elmi a helpful tool to transition back into society. The article also did a good job at explaining Elmi's background and life previous to accepting the job as a part-time imam. I thought it was interesting that he has a degree in agriculture yet became a prison chaplain. I also thought it was selfless how he taught Islam for free at mosques that lacked teachers. Another question that the article answered were Elmi's plans for the mosque now that he is the new imam. He plans to furnish the mosque, hire teachers, and make it possible for women to view the services. I thought it was an interesting article that gave the reader the ability to learn a lot about a little known subject in our culture.

New Six Word Bio

I conceal my thoughts with sarcasm.

Interview With Someone "Different"

For my interview with someone different, I decided to interview M Keith Peifer, a freshman football player here at UAlbany. Since I am not and never will be a Division I athlete, I decided to learn a little more about one of the athletic programs that I pay $399 a year for.

M Keith Peifer is a Offensive Tackler for the UAlbany football team. He is from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, a town outside of Harrisburg. He has been playing football since he was in 4th grade. He took a year off in 8th grade, and had no intentions of playing the following year until his high school coach approached him. His eight years of playing football led him to be one of UAlbany's recruits. When asked why he chose UAlbany, Peifer said "I liked the coaches, I liked the university itself, and I got a nice little scholarship." He is glad he made this decision and plans to stay at the university for his entire football career. Peifer did not get playing time this past season because he made the decision to be a Red-Shirted Freshman. This means that the freshman sits out his first academic year, but it does not count towards the NCAA four-year eligibility that an athlete has. Peifer believes that people do this "to get more confidence, to develop as a player."

Being a Division I football player is not an easy job. The members of the team have to lift weights four times a week for an hour and a half to two hours each time. Two mornings a week, the players complete a team run which lasts about an hour. On Wednesday's the freshman football players are required to do yoga. There are also academic requirements that the athletes must meet. Each freshman must attend Study Hours for at least six hours the first semester. After the first semester, required time may range from four to eight hours, depending on the player's GPA. If the athlete earns a GPA higher than a 3.3, then he is exempt from Study Hours. The GPA requirement for Study Hours exemption drops drastically sophomore year to a 2.5. During what's left of his free time, Peifer usually takes naps, plays video games, and studies. Many people think that student athletes receive a lot of privileges, but Peifer disagrees. "Maybe early registration, so we can schedule around our practices, but that's it." When asked what the best part of UAlbany football was, Peifer didn't hesitate to say his fellow teammates. "There's some good guys on the team," stated Peifer with a look of assurance.

On-campus Interview (2/13/08)

I'm not sure what we are supposed to do with this yet, but for my on-campus assignment, I interviewed a young woman named Willow Burns. These are the questions I asked and the responses I received:

Veronica: What year are you?

Willow: I'm a Freshman.

V: Do you like it here?

W: I love it.

V: So, where are you coming from?

W: Statistics.

V: How was it?

W: I just had a test, so it wasn't bad.

V: How do you think you did?

W: Pretty well.

V: Do you have a lot of classes in the Lecture Center?

W: Yeah, four of them.

V: Was it hard to get out of bed to go to class today?

W: Ha. Yeah, especially with the weather.

V: Where are you from?

W: Saratoga Springs, NY

V: Oh, so you must be used to the Albany weather then.

W: Yeah, but I have to walk around a lot more than usual since I don't have my car.

V: So what are you going to do when you get back to your room?

W: I'm probably gonna go check my Facebook and then go to dinner. (laughs)

Lelac Skellie

Every person you interact with has an interesting story that you can relate to in some way. This person could be your boss, your best friend, or the person sitting next to you in class. Lelac Skellie is no exception to this. Skellie is a twenty-one year old transfer student from Adirondack Community College. This is her second semester at SUNY Albany. She is a Journalism major who is also minoring in Music. She is originally from Fordan, NY, but currently lives in an apartment in downtown Albany with her two roommates Blaise and Greg. Although she lives with two guys, she swears that they are "fairly clean." When she's not in class or working at Hollywood Video, Skellie enjoys singing, and writing poetry or short stories. Her hidden secret is her fascination with celebrity magazines like People. Like most young women, Skellie is a self-claimed "text messaging freak," and enjoys shopping at stories like Forever 21. After receiving her journalism degree, she plans to move to Boston or New York City to pursue her desire of becoming an environmental journalist.

What Is Compound Interest?

Compound interest is a type of interest which is calculated by the principal, or initial investment, and also by the accrued interest, the amount of interest earned since the last interest payment. This is a different concept from simple interest, where the interest is only based upon the initial principal. This results in the investor having more money in the end.

To test out this concept, try this sample problem:

If Bob has $100 in his savings account, which will be compounded at an interest rate of 10% a year, how much money will he have in his account by the third year?

There is an equation to help figure this out, but since many people do not know it off-hand, there are many websites that will do the work for you. Putting this information into an online Compound Interest calculator like the one at moneychimp.com will give you the correct answer of $133.10, making it much easier to figure out how much compound interest your investment will earn.

Sources: http://www.investorwords.com/1013/compound_interest.html
http://www.moneychimp.com/calculator/compound_interest_calculator.htm
http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/accrued+interest.html

How Does An Idea Become A Law?

An idea can become a law at any time. One's idea becomes a law through a series of steps, which could take a long time to complete. After one comes up with an idea, he must contact his local congressman who will then write the bill and propose it to Congress. This person is known as the bill's sponsor. Only members of Congress can sponsor a bill. Bills are introduced differently depending on if they are introduced in the House or in Senate. If introduced in the House, the bills are placed in a box called a "hopper." Bills introduced to the Senate are presented on the Senate Floor or on an officer's desk. After, the bill is sent to a committee for discussion, and the bill is put into electronic form for the Library of Congress and placed on a public website.

The bill then gets referred to either a House committee or a Senate committee. Each has its own set of public policies that they specifically deal with. They then choose a date to discuss the proposed bill and make any needed changes to it. If the committee members decide to make numerous changes, they can make a "clean bill," a bill with a new number. The committee then votes on the bill and decides if it is necessary or not. If it is found unnecessary, the bill is then "tabled," or stopped. If this does not happen, the bill is then sent to a subcommittee for further review, or it is reported back to the House floor for consideration. House bills are normally considered through a tool called a Committee of the Whole, which speeds up the process. The members debate, and the bill is read a total of three times. After the third time, the members then vote on the bill using the electronic voting system in the House Chamber. If a majority of the House passes the bill, it is then sent to the Senate for a second vote. Both houses of Congress must pass a bill before moving on to the next step. The Senate also has the right to make amendments to the bill, and both houses must come to an agreement on the revisions. When the House and Senate both pass a bill, it is "enrolled," and then passed on to the president to sign. If the president takes no action for ten days, and Congress is currently in session, then the bill automatically becomes a law. If the president takes no action, and Congress has adjourned its session, then the bill dies and is not made into a law. However, if the president does take action and sign the bill, then it becomes a law. The president also has the right to veto the bill and send it back to Congress with an official statement of objections. Congress then reads the president's objections and decides whether they agree or disagree. If enough people in Congress disagree, they take a vote to override the veto, and it is then made into a law if two-thirds of the House and Senate vote in favor of the bill. This long process of checks and balances is how one simple idea can become a law.

Sources: http://clerkkids.house.gov/laws/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ (Schoolhouse Rock: How A Bill Becomes A Law)

Final Project Ideas

One of my ideas for my final paper would be to do an article on "hooking up" in college, and interviewing fellow college students. Another idea would be to do an article on college nightlife and interview students who party in college.

The John Merrill Debate

After reading the article "The John Merrill Debate: As journalists and educators, this much we know for certain," I believe that Merrill's plagiarism was unintentional, and not done as an attempt to steal someone's work. However, what he did was wrong, and a proper journalist would have cited the source of the quotes. I think that the publication was looking for a reason to end his column, and that is why they handled the situation the way they did.

Election 2008

As many know, today is Super Tuesday. Today, 22 states host their primaries, ultimately determining who the final two candidates will be. The polls haven't closed yet, however there have already been many key wins on both the Republican and Democratic sides. McCain has had victories in states like New Jersey, and Delaware. The race between Obama and Clinton remains a close one. Clinton has had key wins in New York and Oklahoma, while Obama swept away Georgia and Illinois. It will be exciting to see who the projected winners are at the end of the night.

I was just reading an article on Yahoo.com entitiled "Obama wins Ga. with strong black support," and it made me think of how the media is attempting to make race a major issue in this election. Most of Obama's wins during the primaries, the media has tried to justify it by saying he has a lot of support in the black community. Although this may be true, I don't believe that African-Americans are the only people that are voting for him. Obama has received strong support from people of all backgrounds, including a significant amount of support for young people. I do not think it is fair of the media to accredit his success only to the black voters. Besides race, there are many issues and beliefs that separate Clinton and Obama, and the media should take more time to focus on the issues rather than the superficial. Race did not have to become one of the main issues in this election, and I think it is disappointing that the media chose to perpetuate this idea.

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a group of 538 electors that meet every four years to help influence who will become America's next president. They are chosen by the citizens who trust them to make the right decision and best represent the popular vote. This process began in the Constitution and was slightly altered by the 12th amendment. The purpose of the electoral college is to balance the popular vote with the votes of Congress. The number of electors for each state is determined by the population of the state. The state of California leads with 55 electoral votes, while less populated states like Vermont and North Dakota only have three electoral votes. In order to win a presidential election, the candidate must receive 270 electoral votes. If no majority is reached, then the House of Representatives determines the next president. This has happened only twice in history. This has faced much criticism due to the uncertainty of whether the popular vote is important in determining who wins a presidential election. Some argue that the popular vote is being compromised, while others believe that it maintains a separation of power in our government.