Announcement of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum at Marshall University

The Dr. Carter G Woodson Lyceum at Marshall University was publicly announced Friday afternoon. The program is intended to address inequalities and other challenges in education, provide room for free speech and encourage the community to solve social and racial issues. It will support scholarships for minorities and disadvantaged students, while encouraging diversity within the University. The Lyceum will also educate, not only on Carter G. Woodson’s tremendous endeavors, but black history recognition, as well. Beginning in February, the lyceum will assume responsibility for Black History Month events at the University.

The lyceum is a collaboration between the Drinko Academy and the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The program will be directed by Burnis Morris, the Carter G. Woodson journalism professor.

“Dr. Woodson’s contribution to society about the role and culture of black people in America, to a large degree, originated from his research and his teachings, and certainly inspired so many educators over the years,” said Dr. Maurice Cooley, Associate Vice President of Intercultural Affairs.

“The lyceum becomes a center of thinking for all kinds of facets of American life that Woodson was interested in as a scholar: African-American lifestyle, culture and race issues.”

Woodson’s achievements in the local and national communities merit the establishment of the program in his name. Woodson was one of the leading educators in the 20th century, a former West Virginia coalminer and Huntington resident, according to Morris. He graduated high school in Huntington and returned four years later as principle. Woodson was the first person, whose parents were former slaves, to earn a doctorate degree. He was the second African-American student to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. The lyceum’s name is also inspired by Aristotle’s Lyceum, a school founded as an open encouragement for thinking and learning.

“It is not enough for us to be complacent where we are with race relations or equality in general,” said MU president Jerome Gilbert in a press release.
“It is our duty to further Dr. Woodson’s mission for making educational institutions breeding grounds for understanding and acceptance, and today’s announcement moves Marshall another step closer to that goal.”

The winners of the Black History Month Poster Contest were also announced Friday afternoon. Moriah Lockhart and Leah Gore both received honorable mention. The winner of the contest, Phuong Mai Bui, originally from Vietnam, said she applied to the contest to learn about a different culture through research and design.

Apart from overseeing Black History Month events, the first act on the lyceum’s agenda is a summer workshop for school teachers. “The Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum’s Summer Program for Black History Instruction” is funded by a grant by the West Virginia Humanities Council. Experts in history, writing and journalism will lead the teachers in three days of classroom sessions. The last day of the workshop will include a bus tour of regional black history sites.

“One of the first things we’re doing this summer is a workshop to help secondary education teachers to know more about Woodson, and largely how to infuse Black History Month into their lessons”, said Janet Dooley, director of the School of Journalism.
“We want to help give them some ideas for how to bring Woodson into the forefront because he is such a prominent local figure.”

“There is much yet to be done in our country to develop awareness of and appreciation for black history,” said Don Van Horn, Dean of the College of Art and Media.

“The lyceum’s mission to prepare schoolteachers to include black history in curriculum is essential to increasing that awareness and appreciation.”

Marshall students recieving their awards for the Black History Month poster contest.  

Jim Justice's silence on higher education speaks volumes

By Caitlin Fowlkes

Fowlkes assignment 3

January 17, 2017

Newly elected West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice did not live up to Marshall University students’ expectations Monday during his inauguration speech. Higher education and rising tuition were not discussed. Although he did briefly mention education, he referenced issues of public school and underpaid teachers, but nothing related to the collegiate level. 

Justice’s silence on the subject of higher education can be concluded to mean one thing – it is not a priority. His attention is focused on coal and financial stability, leaving higher education to the backburner. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV News Metro and multiple other news agencies have made it clear that Justice is very close to the youth basketball teams he coaches. Players from the teams sat in the VIP section during his speech, and Justice even mentioned his close relationship with the children. For a man who understands the importance of youth for the future of the state, he’s not concerned with the future of the state’s higher educational facilities. Unfortunately for Marshall, students shouldn’t hope for support in paying tuition like other states this year.

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has proposed free tuition at two and four-year public colleges to be voted on this year by New York legislature. He hopes to enact the program for the 2016-2017 academic year. According to a CNN article “New York governor proposes free tuition at state colleges,” the “Excelsior Scholarship” would begin this year, making families earning up to $100,000 eligible in the fall. The plan will increase to $110,000 in 2018 and finally up to $125,000 in 2019. The scholarship would only cover tuition, leaving students responsible to cover other costs such as fees, books and dorms.

The Excelsior Scholarship is very similar to the plan Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed during his presidential campaign. Under the “College for All Act,” the federal government would cover 67 percent of the estimated $70 billion cost for four-year colleges for American students, according to a summary of the proposal on the official Sanders website. The remaining 33 percent of costs would be the states’ responsibility. For states to qualify for federal funding, they would need to meet very strict requirements, all based around keeping educational costs low. The same legislation would decrease student loan interest rates by half. The funding would come in part by taxing Wall Street stock trades, bonds and derivatives. Bernie even attended Cuomo’s proposal and backed the similar policy.

West Virginia may not be moving towards tuition-free universities any time soon, but other parts of the country are considering it. It is a concept that is no longer so taboo. Hopefully, more advanced cities like New York will influence the mountain state when it comes to higher education policy and free tuition sooner rather than later.

How Journalists Use Social Media

In the digital age, everyone uses social media. Smart phones, computers and TVs allow for quick installation of social media apps. A study released by the Pew Research Center, titled “State of the News Media 2016,” shows that 48 percent of men and 52 percent of women in the U.S. use social media for news. But, what about the people who give us our news? How do journalists use social media?

Journalists use social media, not only to share news, but to brand their name, network with other journalists and to advertise their news agency’s name. Sharing links to stories and videos written by the journalists allows for their name to travel, not just locally, but all over the world. According to the article, “Journalism branding: Impact on reporter’s personal identities,” it is common for news agencies to request journalists to promote their work and the company’s brand on social media. This tactic allows for more readers, both for the news agency and for the journalists. Although, this online branding method, allows for little to no personal social media usage for the journalist.

Another problem presented is how are journalists distinguished from an endless mass of digital information? The article “Journalism Ethics in the Digital Age: A Model/Open Source Syllabus,” discusses the differences between professional and amateur journalism. The difference is “The highest of ethical standards and a commitment to the uncorrupted pursuit of truth based on verifiable facts and knowledge.” In a system that has never required a license to practice, the world of journalism is becoming largely more competitive.

Because of this plethora of information, both formally and informally written, fake news presents yet another issue to journalists, when it comes to using social media. According to the article, “Fake news and the spread of misinformation,” fake news can be anything from satire to conspiracy theories. 23 percent of adults have shared fake news knowingly or unknowingly. This open circulation of fake news is calling journalists to quadruple check their news sources. The same article offered resources to debunk fake news.

Personally, I plan on using my blog and tweets in the same manner. Social media is a fantastic way to promote my articles. As a journalist, I uphold the code of ethics and I promise to be extra careful when it comes to checking my news sources and references. I promise to not post anything that is not true and to never post fake news.