The purpose of this blog is to show the editing I have done during my Editing and Design class this year. The articles here are not written by me, but I edited them for the campus newspaper. If you are interested in reading articles I have written, there are links on the right leading to my other blogs.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

My Resume

Here is an example of my resume:

Micaela Fikar


Objective
To obtain a position in the area of journalism or marketing.

Education

Bachelor of Arts (May 2012 (exp.))
 Doane College
 Majors: Journalism, Spanish and International Studies
 Overall GPA: 3.5/4.0

Significant Courses/ Activities
 Media Production
 Basic News Writing and Reporting
 Beat Reporting
 Multiplatform Journalism
 Legal and Ethical Issues
 Editing and Design
 Frees Hall Council
 Writing for the student newspaper
 Honors Program

Experience
Work Study/Intern (Aug. 2009 – present)
Marketing Department- Doane College
• Helped write and send out press releases.
• Wrote stories for the Doane magazine.
• Assisted in setting up for events.

Cafeteria Worker (Aug. 2007 – Summer 2008)
Sodexho- Doane College
• Helped to prepare and serve food for college students.
• Assisted in cleaning the kitchen and dining room after closing.
• Informed cooks when food was running low.

Cook/ Dietary Aide (Feb. 2005 – Fall 2009)
Garden Square, Crete, NE
• In charge of preparing food for around 40 people.
• Set up dining room for residents.
• Serve food and coffee to residents.
• Clean kitchen and dining room when dinner is over.
• Trained and managed other employees.

Presidential Search Progress

By Richard Creeger
Edited Dec. 8, 2010

A presidential search committee has been created to help find the next Doane College President

According to an e-mail sent out by Human Resource Coordinator Laura Sears, “the purpose of the search committee is to assist in the candidate screening process through a broad representation of the campus community.”

The members of the search committee are:
Student: Nicole Williams, Student Congress President
Faculty: Jim Johnson, Heather Lambert, Les Manns
Staff: Carrie Petr ,Suzy Carter
Alumni: Michael Weston, Alumni Council liaison to the Board
Crete: Paul Schelstraete
Other Board Members: John Bauer, Dr. Toni Ganzel, Rick Gibson, Ken McCumber, John Nelson, Ms. Kim Robak

According to the e-mail, Doane has “retained Jim Davis and Tom Courtice of Academic Search to assist us. They are prior college presidents and provide advice and counsel to colleges like Doane during a presidential search. In addition, they will be ‘selling’ Doane to high quality candidates who might not otherwise be looking to change jobs.”

“The search committee will screen, interview, and recommend presidential candidates to the Board of Directors for approval,” according to the e-mail sent by Sears.
Junior Dylan Kendallsaid he was looking for a president that represents the school well.

“When I think of a president, I think of someone who is an icon of the school,” Kendall said. “I want someone to make Doane more nationally known.”

Sophomore Tyler Weihe said he hoped the current students would be the main focus of the new president.

“I want someone that wants to make the students happy instead of alumni, and who is looking to be more interested in what the students want; trying to connect,” Weihe said. “I think that students that are present instead of students in the past should be the focus.”

Junior Sadie Hoefler agreed Weihe, and said she wanted a president who focuses more on the students.

“I would like him/her to have a working relationship with the students,” Hoefler said.

Students will be able to voice their opinion from 7 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9th in the Curtis Room in the Perry Campus Center and 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10th in the East/West Dining Room.

According to Sears, the process the committee will go as follows:
--Assessment of Needs
--Documentation of Position Profile
--Advertising of Position
--Identification of Candidates
--Interviews and Screening
--Finalist presentations
--Recommendations to the Board
--Final Board Approval

The committee won’t available to comment until after the meeting on Thursday.

Smith Renovations Keep Students Involved

By Lyndsey Hrabik
Edited Dec. 1, 2010

Smith Hall renovation designs are now being made.

Julie Schmidt, finance and administration vice president, said the board of trustees approved a payment to Performa to start making design plans. She also said official design and construction plans need to be approved at the February board meeting.

If the designs are approved, construction will begin after classes in May of 2011 and be completed before student athletes arrive in the fall.

Schmidt said the extent of the renovation depends on the finances available, and that a loan is needed to cover the costs of construction.

“We maintain a very conservative debt policy,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said possibilities for the dorm include air conditioning, bigger bathrooms, energy efficient windows and possibly co-ed living.

The theme, Schmidt said, might be a gaming theme, with ping pong tables, foosball and gaming systems. She said recent renovations established the concept of themes with the theater theme in Frees Hall and spa theme in Sheldon Hall.

Sophomore Smith resident Ross Schulenberg said he was looking forward to air conditioning in the hall, because the first couple of weeks of school this year were hot without it.

Schulenberg said he thought Smith should stay an all-male dorm, since Sheldon is all-girl. However, he said he thought all of the dorms could eventually switch to co-ed.
Residence Life Director Kevin Bollinger said the decision about whether or not the hall will switch to co-ed living will be decided before the spring housing selection process. He said it depends on the population of the incoming class.

Bollinger said the general idea for the Smith renovation was to create a hub for the North side of campus, with a feeling of warmth and comfort.

To gain student feedback, Schmidt said groups are being formed to gain input.
A meeting open to all students will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the first floor Smith lounge.

Schulenberg said he liked that students could attend planning meetings.

“I think that’s (meetings are) good because the students are actually helping create the renovations,” Schulenberg said.

Flying Through Security

By Jordan Johnson
Edited Dec. 1, 2010

Doane students who flew home this Thanksgiving break were confronted with the new controversial security procedures implemented by the Transport Security Agency.

The new measures include full body scans and more invasive body pat-downs. Screeners are now authorized to use the front of their hands to touch the areas around the breasts and groins, according to an article by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Senior John “Jeeves” Carvana flew to Chicago from Omaha over Thanksgiving break but said he didn’t experience the new procedures.

“I saw the big body x-ray thing and occasionally they had people going through it,” Carvana said. “Both there and back I didn’t have to go through the thing.”

The body scanners Carvana referred to were implemented by TSA in March 2010. The scanners use Advanced Imaging Technology to create a photograph image of a passenger. The image created reveals items concealed under clothing but also the physical features of the passenger without clothes.

Senior Jessie Stewart said she would feel uncomfortable with the scans and would prefer not to fly.

“They basically can see you naked, and I’m not comfortable with that,” Stewart said. “I’d rather take the train or drive than bare all for TSA.”

Stewart isn’t the only one uncomfortable with the body scans. Freshman Courtney Wood said she was highly uncomfortable with the body scans, but the pat-down alternative was just as embarrassing.

“It’s a little strange,” Wood said. “I wouldn’t choose either one but I would probably be more comfortable with the scanners.”

Despite negative news coverage, wide-spread criticism and even YouTube videos, TSA procedures have remained in place. According to the TSA Web site, they have implemented strict measures to protect passenger privacy while ensuring the safety of all who fly.

Those who wish to avoid the scans can go online and check the list of airports that have Advanced Imaging Technology systems. Also, creative solutions to the privacy concerns have been discovered. One such example is a new underwear that protects a passenger’s modesty during the scan through a radiation blocking panel.

Despite privacy concerns, Carvana said he understood the precaution and was willing to accept it.

“Honestly, if it means that my plane is going to get securely from once place to another,” Carvana said. “I would rather be a little bit uncomfortable for a few seconds than dead.”

Food for Thought: Doane's Cafeteria

By Callie Cox
Edited Dec. 2, 2010

Doane’s cafeteria serves an estimated 6,000 meals each week to feed the campus population.

According to Vice President of Student Leadership Kim Jacobs the amount of food ordered each week costs 21-25 thousand dollars. This includes food costs for Tiger-Inn and Common Grounds.

Chef manager Mike Bush said he plans the number of meals to serve each week based on the numbers served the previous week. He also plans breaks based on how many were served at the same time the previous year. Bush places food orders for the cafeteria twice a week.

The most popular food among the students in the cafeteria is cereal, said Bush. He said he orders about 88 bags of cereal each week, and each bag weighs about 21 pounds. The cafeteria also serves about 300 pizzas a week. Bush orders the topping ingredients separately and his staff adds them to the pies before baking.

Potatoes are also a popular food item and are served in a variety of styles. For example, when the potato bar is served as the main entre, french fries and mashed potatoes are served as well.

“Some people don’t want the main entre [when it is potato bar], so we offer french fries and mashed potatoes, too,” director of Sodexo food service Tony Hayes said. Hayes also said that is the reason baked potato bar day has so many choices of potatoes.

“When they serve potatoes I usually get them,” freshman Gabrielle Chavers said. “I see a lot of people eating french fries, too.”

French fries are a common side offered. “I see a lot of people eating hamburgers and french fries,” freshman Gentry Doane said.

Students also consume a large amount of salad dressing, and ranch tops the popular list. The cafeteria goes through 25-30 gallons of ranch dressing a week. The lettuce on the salad bar is ordered pre-cut and comes in 51-pound bags. Bush said he orders 56 bags of lettuce a week, for a total of 3,000 pounds of lettuce.

“I love salad, I get a salad every time I eat in the cafeteria,” said Chavers.

Hayes said he doesn’t know the amount of ice cream served in the cafeteria, because Roberts Dairy takes care of the amount of ice cream.

Roberts Dairy is the company Sodexo orders all its dairy products from for the cafeteria, Tiger-Inn and Common Grounds. Other companies Sodexo uses directly include; Pepsi, Pegler-Sysco and Sara Lee.

On a normal day, Bush said they plan on serving around 200-250 meals at breakfast, 300 meals at lunch, 175-200 at Simply to Go for lunch and 400 meals at supper. These numbers apply to meals served in the cafeteria alone.

“I eat in the cafeteria a least a meal a day,” freshman Lauren Zimmerman said. “I love the caf’s breakfast, and always get eggs, bacon or sausage.”

Sodexo runs on a food management system that helps them calculate how much food they need to order, and it also helps decrease the amount of excess food they have left over. This system is on a wWeb site and runs on a four week cycle.

To change things up in the cafeteria, Sodexo provides special meals twice each month. They provide a premium meal, such as steak night, and a theme meal, which often coincides with an upcoming holiday. The cafeteria will also be serving snacks during finals week.

Monday, November 29, 2010

2010 Student Dinner, Served with Cutbacks

By Jordan Johnson
Edited November 17, 2010

Despite monetary changes to Student Congress’ Student Appreciation dinner served last Wednesday, the growing cost of the meal was not offset.

Freshman Senator Bettye Reyes was in charge of organizing the annual event.
“The cost of last year’s dinner was around $6,500,” Reyes said. “This year the cost was around $7,000.”

Reyes explained the rise in cost was directly related to the increase in student population and the cost of food. Despite the rise in cost, Reyes said that it was not a factor in Stu-Co’s decision to limit proportions. She said proportions were changed to avoid wastefulness.

This year’s meal consisted of prime rib, crab legs, side dishes and cheesecake. A vegetarian option was also available. The significant change to the dinner was the new ticket system- each student was given two tickets to exchange for a serving of prime rib or crab legs. The students were allowed to have unlimited servings of the other food items.

Students’ reactions to the meal were mixed. Senior Steven Jerina said he enjoyed the meal and Stu-Co’s efforts.

“The food was a really great deviation from the food we regularly have in the cafeteria,” Jerina said. “It wasn’t five-stars, but it was nice.”

Student turnout was expectedly high. But with limited seating, overcrowding occurred. For some students the crowd was reason enough to avoid the event. Sophomore Laura Anderson said she intentionally skipped the dinner.

“It [the cafeteria] was really, really full,” Anderson said. “And it’s never really that good anyway.”

Even with some complaints Reyes said she felt the event was a success.
“I’ve heard good things,” Reyes said. “I think it went very well.”

Safety Office Keeps Campus Safe

By Cassidy Stefka
Edited September 21, 2010

While freshmen are enjoying the new freedoms of college, many are realizing that there are still people looking out for their safety.

With a staff of five, the Doane Safety Office can be seen patrolling the paths or helping students at the safety desk throughout the day. “Anything they [the students] don’t feel comfortable with…we want to know about it,” Safety Administrator Jeremy Carther said, “We customize our patrol hours the way we feel necessary; it changes everyday. We try and stay out on patrol as much as possible, both on foot and in a vehicle.”

Carther said the number of rounds varies from shift to shift, but a round officially consists of going to every floor of a building, checking the keyless entry locks and pushing on doors to make sure they’re closed. Carther said some rounds focus more on high-traffic areas, while others focus on less-used spots on campus.

While on patrol, officers may be reached at (402) 826-8669. This line rings directly to the administrator cell phone.

If a student needs a room unlocked and the safety officer is on rounds, Carther said the officer will either return to the safety desk to give the student the key, or go the building and unlock the room, provided the student has their ID.

Other services the safety office provides include replacing ID’s, managing parking and escorting students across campus.

“It’s good to have their services available to students,” Freshman Ryan Mueller said. “When I lost my Doane ID, they [the safety office] had it replaced for me in almost 10 minutes. I feel very comfortable at Doane.”

According to their website, http://www.doane.edu/Students/Campus/Safety/mission/, the safety office accomplishes their mission of safety by securing, monitoring, enforcing and providing administrative resources while offering visibility to the community, coordination of safety related events, and by acting as a liaison with local emergency services.

“I feel the quality of safety at Doane is a lot better in comparison with bigger schools,” Freshman Bryan Greenough said. “The safety guys do a great job of making themselves seen around campus.”