Thursday, October 23, 2008
Found him!
Good to see that President Gary Ransdell is finally available to make a comment on the suspected shooting at WKU, even if it is 24 hours AFTER it happened.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The Gary Ransdell Edition
The WKU Herald, WKU's independent student-run newspaper, ran this this morning...still no word from President Gary Ransdell. Why?
Something doesn't seem right here, stories aren't meshing well, things just aren't adding up.
One thing I'd still love to know is where in the world is Gary Ransdell? It's not that I have a conspiracy theory behind his absence, but I still find it extraordinarily odd that he hasn't said anything...at least nothing that I've seen in an article or on the school's website.
And the saga continues.
Something doesn't seem right here, stories aren't meshing well, things just aren't adding up.
One thing I'd still love to know is where in the world is Gary Ransdell? It's not that I have a conspiracy theory behind his absence, but I still find it extraordinarily odd that he hasn't said anything...at least nothing that I've seen in an article or on the school's website.
And the saga continues.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Shooting on WKU's Campus!!! Oh wait, omg, jk guys...
I was walking into Steak 'n Shake today when Jon turned around to me and filled me in on the news that there was a shooting at WKU and that it currently looked like there was a hostage situation in the process. According to his radio station that they were suspecting that it was the next Virginia Tech.
I told him to shut up.
And then he stared at me, and I fought what he was saying for about 3 minutes, until I finally gave in and called my dear friend Elizabeth. She confirmed what he said, and I ate my lunch in a pretty quiet state. I was not a happy camper.
{It is important to note that I've been fairly closely tied to the VT shooting, the Westroads shooting, the shooting in the Colorado church, and now the WKU shooting (well, what we thought was a shooting). To say I'm over this whole mass-shooting trend would be an understatement and thus, I was a little distraught.}
After lunch I headed back to the office, scrolling through radio stations in my car only to find nothing except the premature Christmas music on 101.1 and more talk radio about the never-ending 2008 election and *surprise* the plummeting DOW. So anyway, I made it back to Scott where I turned on my computer's video feed only to find more election and stock market news...not the information that I was looking for...after a few minutes they finally went back to WKU -- and they told me only that there were "no updates at this time."
It was about this time that I started scouring media outlets for written articles knowing that while they probably wouldn't be as up to date as a broadcast piece, they might have something other than "shooting occurred" and "hostage situation." The articles I found had better news: no one hurt, no hostage situation. But they still didn't make sense, they were contradictory, gun shots were confirmed, but there were no guns, armed men dressed in all black stormed the dorm, but the dorm had been evacuated nor had anyone seen the men, the campus was released from lockdown at 3:30, but I read that at 3:00...what?!?!
Fortunately, all is well in WKU land, and in reality it was an altercation carried over from Saturday night that was blown completely out of proportion. The rumor mill started and boy did it keep going, and going, and going all the way to the CNN Newsroom. How did a fist fight turn into national news of a shooting and a hostage situation? How did people get to that tragic conclusion?
Ultimately, what this blog is about is the epic fail of WKU's public affairs process. Yes, WKU did an excellent job of informing students that there was a dangerous situation at hand, and to stay put in a safe location. And I commend them for their efforts to make sure that their students were safe - they excelled at that.
However, their public affairs process and transparency to the public left something to be desired. I realize that in these situations not all details can be revealed for the safety of those involved. But why wasn't there a statement of the information they could release on the front page of WKU's website? Phone lines were tied up, concerned parents, siblings, and friends (not unlike myself) must have desperately wanted information, and there was none to be had. Sure the media outlets had something out, but the quality of those pieces were shoddy at best. Regardless of the media's efforts, WKU should have had something available during the time of the "crisis," period. WKU does have a bulletin posted now assuring students that they are safe - oh, and that classes and other activities will resume tomorrow as scheduled.
Additionally, the articles coming out of media outlets were a mess. Which, yes, is partial fault of the reporters, but mostly the fault of the public affairs office. If it were just one article that was screwed up, I'd probably chalk it up to that outlet having their flunky staff reporter on duty that day, but I didn't find one article that made sense, or that didn't have some sort of huge gap in information or contradiction. This can only be chalked up to someone in WKU's public affairs office not communicating well, or even decently, to the news media. It was a high-stress situation sure, but if a public affairs person can't operate in a high-stress situation then that's a problem. You have to be able to communicate to the media at all times, there is no negotiation for that. Your message has to come off clearly or it will never work, the system will fail.
Additionally, and probably most importantly, where in the world was President Gary Ransdell?!?! Does anyone know? I still have yet to see any sort of statement from him. Not in an article, not on the school's website, not anywhere. I realize that Bob Skipper is WKU's spokesman, and more power to him, but if your university is being shot up, your president needs to be making the statements, not your spokesman. Supposedly, there was a press conference this afternoon, I have yet to read (or see) anything about that press conference and thus, do not know who spoke there. I sincerely hope that President Ransdell was the one speaking, answering questions, and handling the situation.
Kudos to WKU public affairs for notifying media outlets, but really, that's all that seemed to go correctly on their end. Public affairs has never been a strength of WKU, not with today's "shooting," not with the fall of one of our freshmen a couple of years back from the 20th floor of the same dorm where today's events occurred, not with moving to Division I football, not with anything.
WKU has yet to tell me what happened. But thank goodness for CNN, they've got my back.
What happened to the "crisis plan" that we supposedly created after VA Tech? I sure hope today was not an example of it, because if it is, it's back to the drawing boards!
Well, WKU, I guess we got our name out there. Division I football was supposed to get us on the map, instead it's fist-fighting college kids turned wrongly-suspected mass murders.
Go Tops!!!
See ya at homecoming. And please, if you know a Hilltopper, give 'em a hug, it's been a long day.
Oh yeah, and major props to the groundskeeping staff -- campus looked BEAUTIFUL in all of the news shots. Seriously. It did.
I told him to shut up.
And then he stared at me, and I fought what he was saying for about 3 minutes, until I finally gave in and called my dear friend Elizabeth. She confirmed what he said, and I ate my lunch in a pretty quiet state. I was not a happy camper.
{It is important to note that I've been fairly closely tied to the VT shooting, the Westroads shooting, the shooting in the Colorado church, and now the WKU shooting (well, what we thought was a shooting). To say I'm over this whole mass-shooting trend would be an understatement and thus, I was a little distraught.}
After lunch I headed back to the office, scrolling through radio stations in my car only to find nothing except the premature Christmas music on 101.1 and more talk radio about the never-ending 2008 election and *surprise* the plummeting DOW. So anyway, I made it back to Scott where I turned on my computer's video feed only to find more election and stock market news...not the information that I was looking for...after a few minutes they finally went back to WKU -- and they told me only that there were "no updates at this time."
It was about this time that I started scouring media outlets for written articles knowing that while they probably wouldn't be as up to date as a broadcast piece, they might have something other than "shooting occurred" and "hostage situation." The articles I found had better news: no one hurt, no hostage situation. But they still didn't make sense, they were contradictory, gun shots were confirmed, but there were no guns, armed men dressed in all black stormed the dorm, but the dorm had been evacuated nor had anyone seen the men, the campus was released from lockdown at 3:30, but I read that at 3:00...what?!?!
Fortunately, all is well in WKU land, and in reality it was an altercation carried over from Saturday night that was blown completely out of proportion. The rumor mill started and boy did it keep going, and going, and going all the way to the CNN Newsroom. How did a fist fight turn into national news of a shooting and a hostage situation? How did people get to that tragic conclusion?
Ultimately, what this blog is about is the epic fail of WKU's public affairs process. Yes, WKU did an excellent job of informing students that there was a dangerous situation at hand, and to stay put in a safe location. And I commend them for their efforts to make sure that their students were safe - they excelled at that.
However, their public affairs process and transparency to the public left something to be desired. I realize that in these situations not all details can be revealed for the safety of those involved. But why wasn't there a statement of the information they could release on the front page of WKU's website? Phone lines were tied up, concerned parents, siblings, and friends (not unlike myself) must have desperately wanted information, and there was none to be had. Sure the media outlets had something out, but the quality of those pieces were shoddy at best. Regardless of the media's efforts, WKU should have had something available during the time of the "crisis," period. WKU does have a bulletin posted now assuring students that they are safe - oh, and that classes and other activities will resume tomorrow as scheduled.
Additionally, the articles coming out of media outlets were a mess. Which, yes, is partial fault of the reporters, but mostly the fault of the public affairs office. If it were just one article that was screwed up, I'd probably chalk it up to that outlet having their flunky staff reporter on duty that day, but I didn't find one article that made sense, or that didn't have some sort of huge gap in information or contradiction. This can only be chalked up to someone in WKU's public affairs office not communicating well, or even decently, to the news media. It was a high-stress situation sure, but if a public affairs person can't operate in a high-stress situation then that's a problem. You have to be able to communicate to the media at all times, there is no negotiation for that. Your message has to come off clearly or it will never work, the system will fail.
Additionally, and probably most importantly, where in the world was President Gary Ransdell?!?! Does anyone know? I still have yet to see any sort of statement from him. Not in an article, not on the school's website, not anywhere. I realize that Bob Skipper is WKU's spokesman, and more power to him, but if your university is being shot up, your president needs to be making the statements, not your spokesman. Supposedly, there was a press conference this afternoon, I have yet to read (or see) anything about that press conference and thus, do not know who spoke there. I sincerely hope that President Ransdell was the one speaking, answering questions, and handling the situation.
Kudos to WKU public affairs for notifying media outlets, but really, that's all that seemed to go correctly on their end. Public affairs has never been a strength of WKU, not with today's "shooting," not with the fall of one of our freshmen a couple of years back from the 20th floor of the same dorm where today's events occurred, not with moving to Division I football, not with anything.
WKU has yet to tell me what happened. But thank goodness for CNN, they've got my back.
What happened to the "crisis plan" that we supposedly created after VA Tech? I sure hope today was not an example of it, because if it is, it's back to the drawing boards!
Well, WKU, I guess we got our name out there. Division I football was supposed to get us on the map, instead it's fist-fighting college kids turned wrongly-suspected mass murders.
Go Tops!!!
See ya at homecoming. And please, if you know a Hilltopper, give 'em a hug, it's been a long day.
Oh yeah, and major props to the groundskeeping staff -- campus looked BEAUTIFUL in all of the news shots. Seriously. It did.
Monday, October 6, 2008
God Bless Texas
I find myself in San Antonio, Texas this week for an Air Force journalism conference. This morning has been solid briefings -- while not the most exciting things ever, they were at least somewhat informative and a good thermometer for the current public affairs climate in the Air Force.
We're staying a hotel near the Riverwalk which is nice. The one huge drawback: no wireless. Well I shouldn't say no wireless, there is wireless in the lobby, but not in the rooms. Which is kind of a pain. There are sleep number beds in the rooms, but no wireless? That just doesn't make sense. So down to the lobby I must go if I want to check e-mail, etc. As an added level of not-so-much-fun, the office laptop refuses to connect to the secure network so I can check my e-mail and, with several major projects coming to a head this week, that is nothing to be happy about.
Yesterday was a long day of travel -- it still never ceases to amaze me just how long it takes people to get on and off an airplane. I just don't get it. You stand up, grab your bag and you walk off the plane -- where's the hold up? But overall good flights, got some sleep on each flight which was desperately necessary after only three hours of sleep.
Well the next session starts soon so I'm off. Enjoy your day.
We're staying a hotel near the Riverwalk which is nice. The one huge drawback: no wireless. Well I shouldn't say no wireless, there is wireless in the lobby, but not in the rooms. Which is kind of a pain. There are sleep number beds in the rooms, but no wireless? That just doesn't make sense. So down to the lobby I must go if I want to check e-mail, etc. As an added level of not-so-much-fun, the office laptop refuses to connect to the secure network so I can check my e-mail and, with several major projects coming to a head this week, that is nothing to be happy about.
Yesterday was a long day of travel -- it still never ceases to amaze me just how long it takes people to get on and off an airplane. I just don't get it. You stand up, grab your bag and you walk off the plane -- where's the hold up? But overall good flights, got some sleep on each flight which was desperately necessary after only three hours of sleep.
Well the next session starts soon so I'm off. Enjoy your day.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I've been spotted!
Well folks, despite my best efforts the WKU Alumni Association has found me! Having had to work for said Alumni Association (although admittedly, only for a week and a half, I just couldn't handle asking people for money) I understood the plight of the Sophomore who called me -- she was really nice and sweet and I was nothing but the same back to her.
Don't get me wrong, I have every intention on giving back to my university, especially the Ad+PR program whether it be with my time, money, talents or a combination of the three. I got so much more out of college than what I paid for, I really did. But couldn't they at least wait until I'm done paying off my student loans?! Seriously.
I've actually made some progress (and some regression) with some of my goals that I listed in my previous blog, here's the update.
1. Get into an exercise routine with a minimum of at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. I actually learned that as civilian employee I'm allowed 3 hours per week of work time to work out at the base gym, all I have to do is get a medical release from my doctor saying that I am in well enough health to work out and I should be set to go. Just have to find a doctor. So now, not only will working out be able to fit into my schedule, but it's a part of my job *woot*
2. Have at least $1,000 combined in my savings accounts. This goal actually regressed, it makes more sense to pay off a credit card with a 7.9% interest rate than have money in a 2% interest rate savings account. It only regressed $301 though, so no worries.
3. Learn CSS & HTML, or at least have a good grasp on both. Started the basics of HTML yesterday...AND I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND IT!
4. Watch at least five movies that are considered pop culture icons that I missed growing up. Exact movies have yet to be determined. No progress yet...working on it though.
5. Use my yoga set and exercise ball daily for morning and/or nightly stretches. Semi Progress, we're actually getting a few exercise ball chairs for my office. Most of you know that I have degenerative disc disease in my lower back, and using exercise balls for chairs in the office is supposed to do remarkable things for your posture and your core, subsequently helping my back problems. So while it's not actual exercise my new chair will have physical benefits.
6. Get more creative and diverse in my cooking. i.e. pasta and soup should not be the core of my diet. Hasn't changed a bit.
7. Fly somewhere for a random weekend just because I can, booking this flight for next year is also acceptable. I am going to San Antonio in a few weeks for work...isn't exactly a random weekend, but it's still a new city!
8. Finish at least 3 books. One each full month remaining in the year. I have a few books started: The World is Flat, Get a Financial Life, and Captivating. Although, admittedly, I've already read the third one. These books may or may not be the ones I finish by the end of 2008.
9. Find a church. Definitely slept in on Sunday and didn't go to church, in my defense I barely got out of bed because I was so sore from the caving trip last Saturday.
10. Find somewhere to volunteer. Still nothing here, but I do have a few ideas.
Don't get me wrong, I have every intention on giving back to my university, especially the Ad+PR program whether it be with my time, money, talents or a combination of the three. I got so much more out of college than what I paid for, I really did. But couldn't they at least wait until I'm done paying off my student loans?! Seriously.
I've actually made some progress (and some regression) with some of my goals that I listed in my previous blog, here's the update.
1. Get into an exercise routine with a minimum of at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time. I actually learned that as civilian employee I'm allowed 3 hours per week of work time to work out at the base gym, all I have to do is get a medical release from my doctor saying that I am in well enough health to work out and I should be set to go. Just have to find a doctor. So now, not only will working out be able to fit into my schedule, but it's a part of my job *woot*
2. Have at least $1,000 combined in my savings accounts. This goal actually regressed, it makes more sense to pay off a credit card with a 7.9% interest rate than have money in a 2% interest rate savings account. It only regressed $301 though, so no worries.
3. Learn CSS & HTML, or at least have a good grasp on both. Started the basics of HTML yesterday...AND I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND IT!
4. Watch at least five movies that are considered pop culture icons that I missed growing up. Exact movies have yet to be determined. No progress yet...working on it though.
5. Use my yoga set and exercise ball daily for morning and/or nightly stretches. Semi Progress, we're actually getting a few exercise ball chairs for my office. Most of you know that I have degenerative disc disease in my lower back, and using exercise balls for chairs in the office is supposed to do remarkable things for your posture and your core, subsequently helping my back problems. So while it's not actual exercise my new chair will have physical benefits.
6. Get more creative and diverse in my cooking. i.e. pasta and soup should not be the core of my diet. Hasn't changed a bit.
7. Fly somewhere for a random weekend just because I can, booking this flight for next year is also acceptable. I am going to San Antonio in a few weeks for work...isn't exactly a random weekend, but it's still a new city!
8. Finish at least 3 books. One each full month remaining in the year. I have a few books started: The World is Flat, Get a Financial Life, and Captivating. Although, admittedly, I've already read the third one. These books may or may not be the ones I finish by the end of 2008.
9. Find a church. Definitely slept in on Sunday and didn't go to church, in my defense I barely got out of bed because I was so sore from the caving trip last Saturday.
10. Find somewhere to volunteer. Still nothing here, but I do have a few ideas.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
To-Do List
I never make New Year's Resolutions. There are sometimes some practices that I think I should adopt, but there never really January 1 centric as much as they are just enhancements that I think I should add to my life and they come at all times of the year. However, they generally pop up in excess around the August/September time frame. I think it's probably because it's nearing the end of the year and I don't feel like I've accomplished enough. And so, my friends, that time of year has come. And in hopes that some of you out there will hold me accountable to my goals and harass me relentlessly if I don't at least put forth a good effort to meet this goals* by the end of this year, I'm posting them all on my blog. Some are silly minor things, others are going to require more effort, but here they are, in all their glory:
1. Get into an exercise routine with a minimum of at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time.
2. Have at least $1,000 combined in my savings accounts.
3. Learn CSS & HTML, or at least have a good grasp on both.
4. Watch at least five movies that are considered pop culture icons that I missed growing up. Exact movies have yet to be determined.
5. Use my yoga set and exercise ball daily for morning and/or nightly stretches.
6. Get more creative and diverse in my cooking. i.e. pasta and soup should not be the core of my diet.
7. Fly somewhere for a random weekend just because I can, booking this flight for next year is also acceptable.
8. Finish at least 3 books. One each full month remaining in the year.
9. Find a church.
10. Find somewhere to volunteer.
*These goals may be changed at anytime, by my discretion if I determine them totally unattainable or too easily attainable.
1. Get into an exercise routine with a minimum of at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes each time.
2. Have at least $1,000 combined in my savings accounts.
3. Learn CSS & HTML, or at least have a good grasp on both.
4. Watch at least five movies that are considered pop culture icons that I missed growing up. Exact movies have yet to be determined.
5. Use my yoga set and exercise ball daily for morning and/or nightly stretches.
6. Get more creative and diverse in my cooking. i.e. pasta and soup should not be the core of my diet.
7. Fly somewhere for a random weekend just because I can, booking this flight for next year is also acceptable.
8. Finish at least 3 books. One each full month remaining in the year.
9. Find a church.
10. Find somewhere to volunteer.
*These goals may be changed at anytime, by my discretion if I determine them totally unattainable or too easily attainable.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Meet My New Baby
OK, so it's been a while since my last post - I have been extraordinarily busy, to the point of ridiculousness. My new job is amazing, it keeps me busy and I absolutely love the work as well as the people I work with. They are fabulous. In addition to the craziness at work, I've had many visitors already. Two weekends with my frien Rhonda and her daughters, and then a weekend with Mom. All of which were awesome.
As many of you know, my car went totally insane around the time of my last post and after going through several decisions to buy a new car, not buy a car, wait till next summer, wait till the next time my car gets FUBAR'd, etc. I finally got real with myself about the situation and bought a new car. This is my new baby. Mine is "magnetic gray" and has a rear spoiler, but it is the hatchback. I love it. I most love the fact that it doesn't die on me at stop signs like my last did. :)
The 2008 election season has worn me out. Completely. Entirely. I'm toast. I'm not sure if it's because I'm paying more attention to the election this year or if it's because this election has simply been dragged out far too long, but I am so over it. I'm over the slamming of the opposing candidates, I'm over the ads for it, I'm over the hype around it, and I'm over the candidates that hang on for far too long. However, I'm most over the fact that you can't seem to express an opinion on and issue or candidate without someone who opposes your thought coming to the conclusion that you are Satan incarnate solely for believing differently. I still don't know who I'm voting for, and quite frankly I probably won't know who I'm voting for until my ballot is cast.
I can't honestly say that either party is really inspiring me to be on their side. It's been some what of a tug-of-war for my vote. And right now, the rope is not moving far enough to pull down one side or the other.
I suppose a big concern of mine is that voters are now going to make a decision based on their ability to make history because it's the first african american/woman in office. Don't get me wrong, this is not an argument to only allow middle-aged white men in office, not at all. I just fear that people who may agree more with the McCain side will vote Obama because of his race, and I fear just as much that people who agree more with Obama will vote McCain solely because there is a woman on the ticket. Or that instead of finding who they agree with most they vote solely based on gender or race factors. Irrational or not, it's still a concern of mine. But November...please come soon.
As many of you know, my car went totally insane around the time of my last post and after going through several decisions to buy a new car, not buy a car, wait till next summer, wait till the next time my car gets FUBAR'd, etc. I finally got real with myself about the situation and bought a new car. This is my new baby. Mine is "magnetic gray" and has a rear spoiler, but it is the hatchback. I love it. I most love the fact that it doesn't die on me at stop signs like my last did. :)
The 2008 election season has worn me out. Completely. Entirely. I'm toast. I'm not sure if it's because I'm paying more attention to the election this year or if it's because this election has simply been dragged out far too long, but I am so over it. I'm over the slamming of the opposing candidates, I'm over the ads for it, I'm over the hype around it, and I'm over the candidates that hang on for far too long. However, I'm most over the fact that you can't seem to express an opinion on and issue or candidate without someone who opposes your thought coming to the conclusion that you are Satan incarnate solely for believing differently. I still don't know who I'm voting for, and quite frankly I probably won't know who I'm voting for until my ballot is cast.
I can't honestly say that either party is really inspiring me to be on their side. It's been some what of a tug-of-war for my vote. And right now, the rope is not moving far enough to pull down one side or the other.
I suppose a big concern of mine is that voters are now going to make a decision based on their ability to make history because it's the first african american/woman in office. Don't get me wrong, this is not an argument to only allow middle-aged white men in office, not at all. I just fear that people who may agree more with the McCain side will vote Obama because of his race, and I fear just as much that people who agree more with Obama will vote McCain solely because there is a woman on the ticket. Or that instead of finding who they agree with most they vote solely based on gender or race factors. Irrational or not, it's still a concern of mine. But November...please come soon.
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