The Student Veterans' Center.

Establishing The Student Veterans' Center was a time consuming process. I did not realize how hard it really was until i talked to Dr. Ardiaolo.  The difficulty was amplified by the fact it was done with absolutely no budget. For the center to even open its door it had to jump several hurdles. The fact it even opened shows the strong sense of community on the Winthrop campus. It took help from several people to make it possible. James Hammond, Katie Sardelli, Alicia Marstall, Residence Life, The admissions off, maintenance men, and custodians all made contributions. The things I learned while collecting this information makes me proud to be an Eagle. The tremendous show of support to our student veterans was astounding. During the open house the building was full of people out to support the opening. The Veterans Administration also influenced the opening of the center.
      The main thing i took away from this project was the way Eagles help each other. Nobody had to take time out of their days to help, because they certainly were not getting paid for it. They had no other motivations to help, besides love for the campus, appreciation of student veterans, and fear of being fired by the Vice President (joke).
    Although student veterans are a small minority on the campus with only 106 students, they still needed somewhere to go. Dr. Ritzer made an interesting comparison to student veterans gaining legitimacy like Greek Life organizations. This was an interesting comparison, because student veterans are like a fraternity or sorority.  They are a pack of brothers and sisters with similar common experiences. The veterans' center now gives this close nit group a place to call to home. Would this have been possible with out all the help from the Winthrop community?

Winnsboro and Churches Enterprise Story.

     In my Hometown Of Winnsboro, South Carolina the first thing you are going to notice are the churches that adorn every corner of the city. You are almost guaranteed to see a church on every corner. This dense number of churches always made me think, and this enterprise story was a chance to further investigate how these Churches affect my town. My main focus were on 3 main elements, how the Churches effected the economy, the community, the crime rate, or even if they had an affect at all.

Dr. Stonebraker

     To analyze the economy I first interviewed a church member, who was also the assistant clerk, and a member of the financial committee at her church. I wanted to see what her church did to aid the local economy, but also what more it could do. Then, I wanted to interview someone who would know the economy of Winnsboro better than most people. This is how I found Walker Miller, whose family has owned a dry cleaning business for several decades. Owning a local business means he is required to informed about local economics, and how the church helps or does not help. Lastly, I talked with Winthrop's own Dr. Rober Stonebraker, to further understand the economics that comes along with a Church.
     I always thought of the church as more than just a financial institution, and instead a place of community values. Churches to me, always seemed like a positive place for anyone with problems to go, and a useful tool in constructing strong community ties. To find out how other people felt about the Churches' role in community presence, I collected the opinions of resident in a Vox Pop. It was interesting to me that some people's reaction for fast and positive, while a couple seemed to doubt the Churches' real influence within the community.
     I was absolutely floored by the lack of impact Churches had on the crime rate of Winnsboro. Winnsboro's crime rates as of 2010 far exceeded the US average. Winnsboro has some of the highest crime rates, not just in the area, but in all of South Carolina. In South Carolina alone, 66% of communities are considered safer than Winnsboro including Chester, Columbia, and Great Falls. Violent crimes, theft, and arson are all on the rise and far exceed that of the national average. Of the theft attempts in Winnsboro, the Church has actually been the victim. Several churches were broke into my people seeking copper or high dollar electronics.   The churches seem to be grossly negligent when it comes to being a positive influence on troubled people. The only crimes that have not seen a significant spike and is less or tied with the national average are rape and murder. The church needs more youth programs, aid for the unemployed,job training services, and a closer relationship with law enforcement to help trim these shocking crime numbers.
    The thing I found most interesting that i found about is these churches are not huge helps to the economy or crime rates, but it does provide community moral for those who are not criminals. I feel like the Churches' are ultimately not living up to its responsibilities of helping the neighborhood. There is no reason the Church should not be providing assistance to the community. I feel the church has severed it's ties with the community and we are seeing struggles in our economy, crime troubles, and community relationship.




   
   
   

 Enterprise Story Video 1.
Enterprise Story Video 2

Sociology/ Anthropology

    These are two very interesting topics all rolled up into one department. I've taken a beginner course in both sociology and anthropology. I went into those classes expecting nothing, but extreme boredom as result of both. I took sociology first, and went into the class without really the vaguest idea of what it really was about.  Once the class really started though, it dealt with a lot of topics that are very relevant out in the real word. We talked about social classes, economic structures, women's right in the Middle East, and crime rates. I felt at the end of the course I was a more knowledgeable person especially about social subjects, particularly in other countries. Anthropology was the same deal, I got in the class with very little fundamental understanding of what it was about. But like its department mate Sociology, it teaches a lot of subject that people really should be familiar with. It really teaches about tribal societies that otherwise people probably would never know even existed, but it also covers things that should be common knowledge like our oldest ancestors.

Department Chair Dr.Marx

       During this project I got interviews with three Professors including the department chair Dr. Jonathan Marx. They were really nice, descriptive, and more than willing to spare their time which is hard to find. I think the Sociology/ Anthropology department has the most colorful cast of professors. All three different views i noticed very different personalities. They were each quirky but in their own funny nice kind of way.

Dr.Solomon

       Before, this project I would have a really hard time differentiating the difference between sociology and anthropology. Talking with the professor I feel like a came out of the project with a much better ability to differentiate the two. Anthropology is more of a broad subject and consists of 4 main parts. An Anthropologist could do everything from digging up fossils to search for the missing link, helping dying cultures preserve languages, or contacting primitive people many of whom have never seen outsiders. Now, a sociologist would most like be doing something that relates to stats maybe making surveys for example.
   The main challenges I faced was the length and applying my voice to the project. I had a lot of interview footage, B-roll, and stills so it was really hard getting that all into just three minutes which i failed at. I preferred that it was longer instead of shorts, that way I could make sure all the important material was thoroughly covered. The narration aspect was also a little difficult for. Not actually figuring out where and what to narrarate, but to actually keep the sound in Adobe premiere. For some reason the ZOOM files would not play after I disconnected the device. If i would've left the narration out, the section would have looked really odd, and would appear to just be random pictures floating across the screen.
       This project taught me a lot. Hopefully it will teach the class if they did not already know that this is one of the more important departments. Sociologists and Anthropologists covers topic that are
going to be close to home.



To see video click here
    

Vox Pop

     In my opinion the ultimate sign that you made it is your very own Autobiography. Only a handful of people will ever be able to say that they have written a book about their life. You would think naming a book about your life would be pretty easy, however the looks on the interviewees' faces said otherwise. I thought most would be able to rattle off a quick answer. The question however, left people perplexed upon the initial asking. After some time to think a surprising number of people used their name. This would not have been a surprise if they right when asked the question, but most hesitated. I think what was most interesting is how much though people really gave the question. I figured most people would blow it by just answering with a name. While a lot of people included their name it was after a long thinking period.

While doing my project on The Rutledge Building I learned a couple interesting things. First thing was the money for the building came from a very famous person. Secondly I also learned that Rutledge was not the initial name and it was not always an art building. During this project was the longest time I had even been in the building, and was shocked by just how good the stellar artwork was. It honestly is one of the more interesting buildings on campus, because of its history, and how far it has come since its original state.

Clemson Football 2013

PAW POWER 2013

     The Clemson Tigers ended the college football season 11-2 by knocking off the #8 LSU Tigers in the Chick-Fil-a bowl. After, finishing #11 in the BCS poll how will the Tigers respond in 2013? 

The first big win for the Tigers in 2013 is the return of Senior Quarterback Tahj Boyd. Boyd will have to work without his primary target Deandre Hopkins who elected to go pro.

Their 2013 out of conference schedule looks tough. They will open the season with the Georgia Bulldogs, followed by South Carolina State, South Carolina, and The Citadel.

Tyshon Dye

On the recruiting end of things look bright for the Orange and Purple.  Currently 15 players have committed to Clemson. Two standouts are Inside Linebacker Ben Boulware and Running Back Tyshon Dye.

Ben Boulware

To get opinions I had to look no further than my own family. My mother a die-hard Clemson fan said “With Boyd and Watkins this might just be Clemson’s year.” While my father a Gamecock fan seemed to echo these sentiments saying “ They will win the ACC this year and that offense is tough.” Now, we can only wait and see what 2013 hold for the tigers of Clemson.

Leads and Nutgraphs

1. Early Morning wreck leaves one dead, one fire truck heavily damaged, and two more injured. As firefighters responded to a false alarm at 7:10 am traveling 25 MPH, their fire engine was struck by a van traveling 40 MPH. Charles Lyndon the driver of the van was killed immediately, the two firemen were taken to the hospital but as of know their condition is unknown.

2. Washington DC report shows advantages of driving bigger cars. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute many smaller and midsize cars have worse injury frequencies and repair records.

3. According to the American Medical Association a bite size piece of hot dog is perfect for blocking a Child's airways. Every five days someone chokes to death on a hotdog.

4. Grief Stricken family received more bad news. The family of 51 year old Kristin Belcuore spent $7,000 only to find they buried the wrong person. The county medical examiner had to inform the family they had received and buried the wrong woman.