When reporting goes astray

By Alyssa Sanford
for Media Ethics (JPW 309-01) | 9/14/15

Compassion for an alleged rape victim, and fear of losing a crucial source, led Sabrina Erdely astray in her reporting for the November 2014 Rolling Stone article, “A Rape on Campus.”

It was a story that captured national attention, and a story that drew harsh criticism from the public and journalists alike when Erdely revealed that she harbored doubts about her source’s narrative just weeks after publication.

The editors at Rolling Stone who oversaw the publication of the article from its inception to its final draft consulted a team of media experts from the Columbia School of Journalism to examine the problems inherent in the article, and ran the report in an article entitled “‘A Rape on Campus’: What Went Wrong?”

College begins revising existing strategic plan

April 1, 2015 | Alyssa Sanford, Signal Staff Writer

Members of the College’s Strategic Planning and Resource Committee (SPARC) met with Student Government to evaluate the College’s mission statement and update it for the future at the general body meeting on Wednesday, March 25.

SPARC seeks to revise the existing strategic plan from two and a half years ago and present the new plan to the Board of Trustees in February 2016 for their vote of approval.

The new plan, if approved, will be implemented in fall 2016 and extend through 2021.

Changes coming to Liberal Learning program

March 26, 2015 | Alyssa Sanford, Signal Correspondent

Upcoming changes to the College’s Liberal Learning program prompted Student Government to invite Christopher “Kit” Murphy, associate provost for Liberal Learning and Curriculum under Academic Affairs to the general body meeting on Wednesday, March 11.

Murphy, who is a “biologist by trade” specializing in animal research, is part of an effort to reevaluate the Liberal Learning program and its requirements, which have baffled students for years.

Taking effect in the fall semester of 2015, First Seminar Programs (FSP) will no longer have “domain designation.” While an FSP course traditionally fell under a specific domain — such as World Views and Ways of Knowing, Natural Science, etc. — now FSP courses will simply count as an FSP course, and students will be required to take eight liberal learning courses to satisfy the six domains.

Alumni share how Student Government shaped them

March 4, 2015 | Alyssa Sanford, Signal Staff Writer

In lieu of a general body meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, Student Government hosted an Alumni Panel event in Roscoe West Hall.

The panel addressed how their individual experiences in Student Government have shaped their career goals and also offered advice to SG members regarding networking, teamwork and applying skills from involvement in student governance.

“It’s an honor to be reinstating a Student Government Alumni Panel event,” Vice President of Advancement Sarah Drozd said. “We’re hoping that this promotes learning for our students and communication with our alumni.”

Shift toward blended learning and online courses

February 11, 2015 | Alyssa Sanford, Signal Staff Writer

The Student Government general body meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4, opened with a presentation about instructional design and technology.

Judi Cook, director of the College’s newly formed Task Force on Instructional Technology, transferred from Salem State University in Massachusetts and started her position as director in August of 2014. Cook, who was the chair of the Communications department, led faculty members at SSU in discussions about blended and online learning at the collegiate level.