Vol. 1 Issue 1 Southeastern Press Club November 2005Communication Department

I’m happy to have theopportunity to give all ofyou a sincere, although

belated, welcome back!This semester has beenunlike any we have everexperienced, and we contin-ue to cope with the chal-lenges brought about inKatrina’s aftermath. I hopeall of you and your familiesare safe, and that you did-n’t suffer much damage.

Even though the semesterhas been disrupted by twomajor hurricanes, our facul-ty in the Department ofCommunication is committedto providing you a qualityeducation, just as we havealways done. With that inmind, I’d like to remind youof an important date tomark on your calendar. OnThursday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m.we will have ourCommunication Colloquium.This event provides our stu-dents with an excellent

opportunity to present theirresearch to their professors,peers, family members andfriends. I urge you toattend.

If you are reading thismessage, you are doing oneimportant thing that will con-tribute to your academicand professional success—you are either a member ofthe Press Club or you areinterested in becoming amember. Research showsthat involvement in organi-zations such as the Press

Club helps students stay inschool, make better grades,and achieve their profession-al goals. When I was anundergraduate I belongedto an organization similar tothe Press Club, and becom-ing active in that group wasone of the best moves I evermade! I encourage you tobecome active in the PressClub and to help the officersin any way possible. I’mconfident that it will be arewarding and enjoyableexperience.

In the aftermath ofKatrina, conspiracy theo-rists and bias watchers

are learning thatunmatched tragedy isgood fodder forunmatched kookiness.

I have an uncle whothinks everything the main-stream media produces isliberally-biased. Yes,everything.

Because he knows mychosen major (mass com-munication), my personalemail account getsspammed daily with right-leaning pieces – editorials,

rants, etc. I guess it’s anattempt on his part to getto me before all those“ evil” mainstream jour-nalists do.

The email messagecame with this subject:“Libmedia with anotherblack eye . ”

Inside, I read about howthe media had exaggerat-ed fatality and damageestimates in the days afterKatrina. I read about thedoom and gloom speecheson cable network news. Iread about how wrongthose initial reports were.

According to my uncle,

Inside this issue...

Opinion: Commonsense gone with

wind after KatrinaRENEE ALLEMANDPress Club President

Department Head offers welcome

Communication department calendarPress Club announcementsRing tradition informationStudent book reviewThe real OCThe current job market (classifieds)

Live, Learn, INTERN

With internship,communicationstudents can

learn how to edit stories,write copy or practice publicrelations. They can gain pro-fessional contacts andimpressive resumes. Theyare available and offeredfor course credit.

Southeastern studentshave interned at local institu-

tions such as Campfire Girlsand North Oaks Hospital.

To receive three hourscredit for COMM 459, youmust:

•Submit a resume andinternship application (avail-able in the CommunicationDepartment office).

•Have junior standing (inhours).

•Show proof of scholar-ship.

•KATRINA pg. 5

•INTERN pg. 3

8

Communication Dept. Events•Academic advising for next semester can be done at any time by visiting the advising center, D Vickers room 259.•Nov. 14-18 - Early registration for Spring 2006. You must be advised before you can register for classes.•Dec. 1 - Communication Colloquium, D Vickers, 5 p.m.

Press Club Upcoming Events•Oct. 24-26 - Homecoming elections. Vote for Press Club sweetheart Renee Allemand and Vice President / Junior class beauDaniel Brown.•Oct. 26 - Press Club meeting. 4 p.m. D Vickers 283. (We will be working on our homecoming sheet design and discussingplans for a fundraiser.)•Nov. 2 - Press Club meeting. 4 p.m. D Vickers 283. •Nov. 7-11 - Homecoming Week. Look for the Press Club sheet in the Student Union Mall.•Nov. 9 - Press Club meeting. 4 p.m. D Vickers 283.•Nov. 16 - Press Club meeting. 4 p.m. D Vickers 283.•Nov. 21 - Associated Press writer and Southeastern alumnus Stacey Plaisance talks about her experience covering HurricaneKatrina as part of the New Orleans bureau. 4 p.m. D Vickers 283.•Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving holiday begins at noon.

Join it: OOrganizationalCommunication

AAssociationThe OCA will begin holdingmeetings every otherWednesday at 4 p.m. in aclassroom in D Vickers. Thenext meeting will be on

Wednesday, Oct. 26. OCA isa new organization and youdo not have to an an OrgComm major to join. Come tothe meeting to learn more!

Communication students:Connect on Facebook!

Go to thefacebook.com,sign in or register, and doa search for the group‘Comm Majors are CoolKids.’ You’ll be connect-ed to over 60 other com-munication majors to dis-

cuss classes, careers andget announcements aboutupcoming CommunicationDepartment, Press Cluband OrganizationalC o m m u n i c a t i o nAssociation events.

Press Club announcements•Call for writing: Press Club Career Watch is always in need of student writing, including feature stories, reviews, editorials ortales of communication-related job experiences. Email your stories and pictures to Renee.Allemand@selu.edu orDaniel.Brown@selu.edu for possible publication.•The Southeast Journalism Conference Best in the South Competition: The Press Club will soon be seeking clips and tapes forthis competition in a wide array of categories. Winners will be announced at the SEJC Conference in Atlanta in February.Details are coming soon.

Your announcement hereSo yo u ’ ve got an eventyou think communicationstudents should knowabout? Submit it to PressClub Career Watch! Keep in mind that we are amonthly publication. Our

next publication date will beduring the last week ofNovember.Simply email your informa-tion toRenee.Allemand@selu.edu

You got comments?Send them to us!

The Press Club is alwaysinterested in student com-ments. See something youlike? Dislike? Would youlike to see a certain feature

added to the newsletter?Email your comments toe i t h e rRenee.Allemand@selu.eduor Daniel.Brown@selu.edu.

Dr. Karen FontenotCommunication Dept. Head

COURTESY OFDr. Carol Madere

The real OC Historic Orange Countymay not be what television portraysDANIEL BROWN

Press Club Vice President

Laverne and Shirley, Lucyand Ricky, Bo and LukeDuke, Mork and Mindy.

Throughout television his-tory, there have been famousduos that have left theirmarks on the televisionworld. We remember theirstrange predicaments, theirzany problems and theirfamiliar phrases: “Lucy I’mHome;” “Yee Haw; ”“ Nano Nano.”

Today, television has a fewnew famous duos. They comecomplete with perfectlytoned bodies, bleachedblonde hair, bronze skin andthe best clothes and cars thatdaddy - I mean money - canbuy. They have becomehousehold names, and theirphrases are the new fad.

Each week we getwrapped up in the lives ofStephen, Kristin, Jessica, LCand Talan on “LagunaBeach.” They enter ourhomes with drama about loveand money. We fell in lovewith their high-income prob-lems, we learned from theirlove advise and we learned awhole new set of catch phras-es: “As If;” “Whatever; ”“ That’s Hot;” and “OhMy God.”

This interpretation of thereal OC may not be exactlywhat really goes on inOrange County, Calif. Oncea land of orange groves andconservative politics, OrangeCounty has become primpedand pampered for prime-timetelevision. It was only 50years ago that Walt Disney

built his California themepark in the midst of the citrusgroves in SouthernCalifornia. But from anative’s point of view, “TheOC” is just home andnowhere near its MTV image.

“I don’t like to refer to ita s ‘The OC,’” said OCnative and Southeastern stu-dent Janae Sheldon. “It’sjust home to me. I can takeyou to all of the places thatyou see on TV. I can take youriding down the LA strip. Ican show you aroundHollywood. I can take you toDisneyland. It’s the same asyou taking me for a tour ofthe French Quarter. ”

Sheldon has lived herwhole life in Orange County,in the city of Yorba Linda tobe exact. She recently beganSoutheastern to play for theLady Lions soccer team. Shesaid she hasn’t experiencedthe TV image that so many ofus are used to.

“I didn’t have a coffeeshop in my high school,”laughed Sheldon about thefaux high school seen in theFOX drama “The OC”. “ I twas a pretty generic highschool.”

According to Sheldon,high school coffee shops anddesigner clothes are only afraction of what really goeson in Orange County.

“I can show you the coastwhere Kristen and Stephenlive,” said Sheldon of thetwo characters from MTV’ s“Laguna Beach”, “Butwhere I live is the exact oppo-

site.” Only a few miles from the

now-famous OC coast, YorbaLinda, is one of the cities thatmake up Orange County.Sheldon says that the weath-er is mostly dry and arid withhighs during the summerreaching a scorching 110degrees. She jokes abouthow August can get“humid,” similar to theLouisiana weather she isbecoming accustomed to.

FOX ’ s “The OC” wasranked one of ten TV showsyou should be watching in2003 by Advertising Agemagazine. Both “The OC”and “Laguna Beach ”attract thousands of viewersin the key 18-49 year olddemographic.

“I love watching bothshows,” said TabithaCormier about the FOX and

MTV dramas. “I get caughtup in their lives and theyseem like real people. Plus,they are totally hot . ”

It’s true that both showsfeature attractive youth. And,according to Cormier, eventheir TV parents are attrac-tive.

“ E verything about thecars they drive to the clothesthey wear is hot. Their par-ents are even attractive. It’salmost plastic-looking. It lookslike a great place to live . ”

Although the televisionportrays it as a nice place tolive, the real OC is actuallythe opposite, according toSheldon. Although big,expensive homes dot thecounty, a majority of thetown’s natives are minori-ties, something that neither

Sun-kissed: The cast of “Laguna Beach,” one of MTV’s mostpopular teen series, returned this fall for a new season ofdrama from The OC.

2 PPrreessss CClluubb CCaarreeeerr WWaattcchh 7•OC pg. 4

area. Must have good orga-nizational skills an be able toreport on a wide spectrum ofnews, including police, gov-ernment, schools, courts andpolitics. Must also be a goodfeature writer. At least threeyears of daily newspaperexperience required, fiveyears preferred. Collegedegree required, journalismdegree preferred. Must beable to type 40+ wpm. Musthave own car.

To apply, send cover letterand resume to hr@theadvo-cate.com or mail to: TheAdvocate Human Resources -Ascension Section Reporter,Metro Reporter, or BureauReporter, PO Box 588Baton Rouge, LA 70821.Must be postmarked byWednesday, October 19th,2005. 10/13

•General AssignmentReporter - General assign-ment reporter sought for 7kdaily in Bogalusa. We areseeking a self-starter whohas the ability to add life to aboard story, write an enter-taining feature, cover hardnews, use a camera and dowhatever is necessary to getthe job done. In return foryour efforts, you will berewarded with competitivepay, a solid benefits pack-age and an organizationthat values the contributionsof those who help make itsuccessful. Please sendresume and clips to: John H.Walker, Managing Editor,the Daily News, P.O. Box820, Bogalusa, La. 70429or to john.walker@wickcom-munications.com. No phonecalls please. 10/11

•General AssignmentReporter - The Daily

Comet, an 11,000-circulationdaily newspaper inThibodaux, La, seeks a staffreporter to cover generalassignments. We are lookingfor someone with enterpriseand talent to write breakingnews and in depth stories.Four year college degreerequired. Previous experi-ence at a daily newspaperpreferred. The Daily Cometis part of the New York TimesRegional Newspaper Groupand offers excellent benefits.Thibodaux, La. is a vibrantunique community with cajunroots about an hour south-west of New Orleans.Send resume and five storysamples to: The DailyComet, attention KarenDauzat, Human ResourceLiaison, P. O. Box 2717,Houma, La. 70361. 10/10.

•Cops and CrimeReporter - The Courier, a20,000-circulation dailynewspaper in Houma, La,seeks a staff reporter tocover crime, public safetyand related topics. We'relooking for someone withenterprise and talent to writeboth breaking news and in-depth stories. Four-year col-lege degree. Previous experi-ence at a daily newspaperpreferred. The Courier,part of the New York TimesRegional NewspaperGroup, offers excellent bene-fits and is situated in avibrant, unique communitywith Cajun roots about anhour southwest of NewOrleans. The Courier hasearned the Louisiana PressAssociation's Newspaper ofthe Year award four of thepast six years. Send resumeand five story samples to TheCourier; attention Karen

Dauzat, Human ResourcesLiaison, P. O. Box 2717,Houma, La. 70361 or e-mailto karen.dauzat@houmato-day.com. 10/10.

•General AssignmentReporter – Tri-Parish Times inHouma, a 10,000 circulationweekly in a 250,000+ mar-ket has an immediate open-ing for a smart, enterprisingreporter to write qualitynews and features.Experience preferred, buttalented college grads willbe considered. This is a fulltime position with competi-tive salary and benefits.Send resume and samples toDarrin Guidry, 4924Highway 311, Houma, La.70360 or darrin@tri-parish-times.com. 9/16

•Education Reporter - TheTown Talk, the daily newspa-per serving Central Louisianafrom Alexandria, is lookingfor an experienced, aggres-sive and compassionatereporter to tell the story of K-12 education in our publicand private schools. Theideal candidate will connectthe classroom with the com-munity by reporting theshortcomings and successesof our schools and by devel-oping enterprise that identi-fies problems and proposessolutions. Check online atwww.thetowntalk.com tolearn more about the com-munity andwww.gannett.com to learnmore about the benefits ofworking for Gannett Co. Inc.Send letter, resume andappropriate material to: PaulV. Carty, Executive Editor,The Town Talk, 1201 ThirdSt., Alexandria, La. 71306.Send e-mail to

pcarty@thetowntalk.com.9/7

•News Reporter - Entrylevel position at twice-a-weeknewspaper in LaPlace. Goodopportunity for quick experi-ence for starting journalist.For more information, con-tact Publisher Kevin Chiri at985-652-9545 or e-mail tokchiri@bellsouth.net. 9/7

•General AssignmentReporter - The Daily Iberianof New Iberia, a six-daydaily, has an immediateopening for a smart, enter-prising reporter to dig intolocal beats. Must be a goodstory-teller who enjoys bring-ing relevant, insightful storiesto readers. The writer will beresponsible for coveringlocal government and gener-al assignment stories, as wellas crafting quality featurestories. Knowledge of APstyle a must. Professionalexperience preferred, butexceptional recent collegegrads will be considered.This is a full-time position withbenefits. Send resume,cover letter, references andclips TO: Steve Bandy,Managing Editor, The DailyIberian, P.O. Box 9290,New Iberia, LA 70562, e-m a i l :iberianedit@bellsouth.net orfax: 337-367-9640. 8/18

•Reporter - The DailyStar in Hammond, Louisiana,seeks a reporter to cover citygovernment and business inthe growing TangipahoaParish community. Sendresume and a few good clipsto Managing Editor LilMirando at opinions@ham-mondstar.com. 8/15

6 PPrreessss CClluubb CCaarreeeerr WWaattcchh 3

•Org Comm students maysubstitute COMM 215 forCOMM 159.

Students interested in printjournalism must also havetaken COMM 340 or 341Coordinator: Dr. Attaway-Fink, DVIC 253.

Students interested inbroadcasting must also havetaken COMM 256 or 357and COMM 341Coordinator: Mr. SteveBellas, DVIC 263.

Students interested in pub-lic relations must also havetaken COMM 256 andCOMM 463.Coordinator: Dr. Carol M.Madere, DVIC 260.

Students interested inorganizational communica-tion must also have takenCOMM 413 and COMM418 or COMM 471.Coordinator: Dr. SuzetteBryan, DVIC 264.

Graduate Coordinator:Dr. Karen Fontenot, DVIC225.

These courses cannot betaken concurrently with theinternship.

Interns are expected to:Work a minimum of 10

hours per week during fall /spring or 20 hours per weekduring summer semesters.

Wear professional attire.Participate in an internship

training session at the begin-ning of the semester.

Submit monthly progressreports to the internship coor-dinator.

Submit a final reflectionSubmit to forms to be com-

pleted by the employer.

National Opportunities

Information about nationalinternship and applicationsare always posted on the sec-ond floor of D Vickers rightbefore room 283. Here are afew upcoming programs:

Project Vote SmartNational Internship ProgramWebsite: vote-smart.org.Deadline: Open

The Scripps HowardFoundation Semester inWashington ProgramWebsite: www.shfwire.comto download an application.Deadline: Nov. 1, 2005

American Society ofMagazine Editors SummerI n t e r n s h i pWebsite: Applications avail-able at asme.magazine.org.Deadline: Nov. 15, 2005

INTERN cont.

On Sep. 4, my 18thbirthday, I got thebook I’d been hunt-

ing for since I heard about iton Dr. Phil McGraw’s showmonths ago. I’d never heardof it before. It was a bookabout all those things fathersworry about for their girls,with a title so true: Boys WillPut You On A Pedestal (SoThey Can Look up Your Skirt)by Philip Van Munching.

I don’t know if VanMunching is a best-seller, butwith personalities like KatieCouric and McGraw givinghim publicity, sales can’t betoo bad.

The book began with abunch of letters to his twodaughters, Anna andMaggie. He wanted “tomark big events in their lives,both good and bad.” Later,some friends convinced him topublish the letters, and I’mglad they did.

I celebrated my birthdaythe sixth day after HurricaneKatrina. I was so excitedabout my new book becauseI hadn’t read a good bookin a while, and it would be anescape from the crazy peopleI had to deal with. It wouldalso give me something to dofor a couple of days.

And that’s exactly howlong it took me to read thebook. It should have takenjust hours, but the electricitywas out, so I couldn’t readinto the night. VanMunching’s writing caughtand held onto my attentionfrom the front cover to the

back cover.The book made me feel

like my own father was talkingto me. Van Munching givessome exceptional advice. Itook most of those chapterspersonally. He acknowledgedsituations I encounter as apart of my everyday life.

In one chapter, he writesabout popularity. He said hetook the time to look up thedefinition of ‘popular,’ andit read, “Popular: well-likedby very many.” He followedthe definition by saying,“Most popular people arenot well liked.” That is verytrue.

Van Munching is funny too.Some of the things he saysand how he says them arehilarious.

Chapter five is about sex,and it has two parts, Chapterfive and Chapter 5-A.Chapter five warns, “Don’t

Thelisia Sonya DavisCommunication Student

Book review: A goodfather’s advice

Sound Advice: Philip VanMunching’s Boys Will PutYou on a Pedestal (So TheyCan Look Up Your Skirt)includes a collection of lettersfrom the author to his daugh-ters. (courtesy Amazon.com)

•SKIRT pg. 4

Southeastern Press ClubPresident - Renee Allemand

Vice President - Daniel BrownSecretary - Emma James

Treasurer - Robbie McCrayMembers - Jessica Malinkski, Charissa Fertitta, Amanda

Lee, Courtney WitherspoonAdvisor - Dr. Joe Mirando

Deptartment Head - Dr. Karen FontenotDeptartment Secretary- Ms. Mary McKelvy

Website -www.selu.edu/pressclub

The local journalismjob market at a glance

•Managing Editor - TheTri-Parish Times, an aggres-sive 10,000 circulation week-ly in Houma, La. has animmediate opening for a per-son who has a winning atti-tude and can lead by exam-ple. Applicant could be apolished reported interestedin moving up in manage-ment. Good editing skills andknowledge of AP style amust. Send resume to DarrinGuidry; 4924 Hwy. 311;Houma, La. 70360 or emaildarrin@tri-parishtimes.com.10/10.

•Copy Editor - The News-Star in Monroe, a 38,000-circulation, award-winningmorning daily owned byGannett, is seeking a copyeditor. Contact Ken Stickney,1-800-259-7788, ext. 230 or318-362-0230. 10/17

•Lifestyle Editor - TheCourier, a 20,000 - circula-tion daily newspaper inHouma, La. seeks a lifestyleeditor to lead a staff of tworeporters in producingvibrant, local features sec-tions. We're looking forsomeone who can write,plan and edit fun, entertain-ing, lively and hard-hittingnews and feature stories ona wide range of topics thatpeople care about. You'llhave the opportunity toshape daily sections focusingon health and fitness, faith

and spirituality, home andfamily and local entertain-ment. Other sections cele-brate the colorful peopleand places that make ourcommunity unique. You'llalso lead our monthly enter-tainment guide, theGrapevine, and its onlinecounterpart. We're 90 min-utes from New Orleans in acommunity with a Cajun andAmerican Indian heritageand a big appetitie for localnews. Send resume to TheCourier; attention KarenDauzat, Human ResourcesLiaison P. O. Box 2717;Houma, La. 70361 or e-mailto karen.dauzat@houmato-day.com. 10/10.

•Sports Editor - Twice-a-week newspaper in LaPlacelooking for hard workingjournalist to cover five localhigh schools. This is a greatopportunity for a youngwriter who is ready for astep up. Quark experienceneeded, but will train in allareas otherwise with veterannewspaper men having 30years in the business. E-mailresume to Publisher KevinChiri atkchiri@bellsouth.net. Formore information, call 985-652-9545. 10/3

•Copy Editor - The TownTalk, the daily newspaperserving Central Louisianafrom Alexandria, is lookingfor a high-energy copy editorwho knows how to make

words and images worktogether and how to writeheadlines that speak to read-ers. The successful applicantwill demonstrate solid editingskills, a functional under-standing of AP style, andfamiliarity with InDesign orQuarkXpress pagination soft-ware. This position on themain newsdesk requiresnight and weekend work andan interest in online publish-ing. Relevant experience at adaily newspaper preferred,although recent graduatesare welcome to apply. Visitour Web site atwww.thetowntalk.com tolearn more about the com-munity. Visitwww.gannett.com to learnmore about the benefits ofworking for Gannett Co. Inc.Send letter, resume and upto five work samples to: PaulV. Carty , Executive Editor ,The Town Talk , 1201 ThirdSt., Alexandria, La. 71306.9/7

•Reporter - TheAdvocate’s news depart-ment has three openings forreporters. All are full-time,40-hour-per-work-week jobswith benefits. Required testsinclude Expression, judgment& comprehension, typingand spelling. Scheduledhours vary (may includesome evenings and week-ends.)

Ascension SectionReporter - Summary ofduties: Reporting for The

Advocate’s zonedAscension Section, with afocus on feature writing andcommunity news for a week-ly publication. Required edu-cation, prior work experi-ence and specialized skillsand knowledge: Must beable to develop own storyideas. At least three years ofnewspaper or magazineexperience preferred.College degree required,journalism degree preferred.Must be able to type 40+wpm. Must have own car.

Metro Reporter -Summary of duties: Primarilygeneral assignment dutiescovering breaking news andwriting weekend stories forthe daily paper. May beassigned a beat. Preciseduties will depend on the suc-cessful applicant's strengths.Required education, priorwork experience and spe-cialized skills and knowl-edge: Must be an aggressivereporter with a record ofproducing section-front sto-ries. Must be able to developown story ideas and writeaccurately on deadline. Atleast three years of dailynewspaper experiencerequired, five years pre-ferred. College degreerequired; journalism degreepreferred. Must be able totype 40+ wpm. Must haveown car.

Bureau Reporter -Summary of duties: Coveringa variety of daily news in theTangipahoa-North Shore

COURTESY OFwww.lapress.com

4 PPrreessss CClluubb CCaarreeeerr WWaattcchh 5

have any, ever. At least waituntil I’m dead. Is that toomuch to ask?”

I also love the way he usedsome of his own experiencesto compare with some of thethings girls go through. In thechapter about cruelty, one ofhis friend’s daughters wasbeing teased by a boy abouther vitiligo (a skin disorder).Van Munching took the timeto write her a letter to makeher feel better. He recountedhow he got picked on as akid. After he was finished lift-ing her spirits, he closed hisletter, “Love, Phillip (formerlyknow as boney-bean).”

Van Munching was verytouching. Every word he saidwas moving. I’m happy forhis daughters; they truly havea good man to call theirfather. What I appreciatemost is that he not only wroteto his daughters, but to alldaughters in the process.

Since I had been searchingfor the book for months, I hadgreat expectations for it. It

met all my expectations andsome I didn’t know I had. Ifelt like one of VanMunching’s daughters. Hesat me down during the hoursof sunlight after Katrina andtalked to me. He finished ourconversation by saying,“ This, my dearest daughter,is my greatest wish for you:that you’ll look back oneday and be shocked by howfar yo u ’ ve come. For now,keep trying, keep making fab-ulous mistakes and keepdreaming. Aim high, anddon’t worry so much abouteveryone else’s expecta-tions, including your dad’s.What’s most important in life– what will really bring youhappiness - is that one dayyo u ’ re able to take a goodlook at yourself and findyo u ’ ve become the personthat you always hopedyou’d be.”

Thelisia is a freshman com-munication major with a con-centration in mass communi-cation.

SKIRT cont.

television show portrays. “ E veryone is getting the

wrong idea about OrangeCounty,” says Yasmin Juárezin OC Weekly magazine.

The Santa Ana, Calif.native says the televisionshows depicting her nativecounty are doing damage inwhat they are showing thethousands that tune in weeklyto catch a peek inside the sun-soaked county.

“I don’t like the standardthat the television portrays,”Sheldon said of the OClifestyle. “I’m a sweatshirtand ponytail kind of girl.There are different parts [toOrange County] than what[is] shown. There are the badparts, the historical parts andthen there are the parts yousee on TV. ”

“I don’t appreciate thekind of drama tha t ‘TheOC’ shows. I laugh and cor-rect it.”

“I don’t l ive on thebeach. I can be the tourguide but that lifestyle is notme.”

In fact, the U.S. Censusdetermined that the blonde,tanned and rich segment ofOrange County is actually aminority with whites makingup less than half of the totalpopulation.

Sheldon admits thatalthough the television showsdepict a small fraction ofwhat the OC really is, it’sstill a very different place tolive.

“Louisiana and OrangeCounty are on the oppositesides of the spectrum. ‘TheOC’ is superficial andmoney and status oriented.Here, everyone is family ori-ented. Everyone is real nice.They even hold a door openfor you. You can’t compareit though. It’s not homehere . ”

OC cont.

the media conjured upthose horrific numbers inorder to pin more of theblame on President Bush.

Then I remembered whatall the officials had said.New Orleans mayor RayNagin said there could beas many as 10,000 dead inOrleans Parish. FormerNew Orleans Police ChiefEddie Compass reported on“ The Oprah WinfreyShow” that babies hadbeen raped in theSuperdome. Gov. KathleenBlanco ordered a hugenumber of body bags.

Can the media really beheld accountable for incor-rect estimates when this iswhat it was being told atpress conferences? Howcan the media accuratelyand independently verifyinformation in a crazy situa-

tion like the aftermath of acategory 4 hurricane?

The short answer is thatall it can do is report whatthe officials want us toknow. And sometimes thatinformation is dead-onwrong.

But my uncle seemed tohave missed all those arti-cles pointing out the miscal-culation in his desire tocatch the mainstream medianeglecting to publish retrac-tions due to “arrogance.”

His sources tell him thatsix people died in theSuperdome in the daysafter Katrina and that therapes never happened. Aclassmate of mine whoknows a NationalGuardsman on the scenetells me otherwise.

Then there ’ s the conspir-acy theorists who think the

levees were deliberatelyblown up in order to rid thecity of African Americans.

Credit Nation of Islamleader Louis Farrakhan forthis one.

“I heard from a very reli-able source who saw a 25-foot-deep crater under thelevee breach,” Farrakhansaid. “It may have beenblown up to destroy theblack part of town and keepthe white part dry. ”

For people who didn’talready think this guy wasin the outfield of reality,recall that Lakeview, possi-bly the “whitest” neigh-borhood in Orleans Parish,was also devastated by alevee breach.

But what’s more disturb-ing is that people are actu-ally starting to believe this.A segment on CNN showed

a reporter interviewingsome 9th Ward residents,one of whom sincerelybelieved Al Qaeda was toblame for the flooding ofher home.

A Google searchrevealed that the crazinessgoes beyond bewilderedvictims. I found more thanone blog filled with com-ments from conspiracy theo-rists looking up otherinstances in U.S. historywhen levees were deliber-ately breached. Some go sofar as to suggest that ourgovernment wanted to getrid of New Orleans in itsentirety.

Right - that’s why it cre-ated Katrina and sent it ourway, and with it, all vestigesof common sense on bothsides of the political spec-trum.

KATRINA cont.

Anchors Away!: A boat landed on the other side of the road from the New Orleans MunicipalYacht Harbor after Katrina in Lakeview. People in the area are still dealing with mold anddestroyed belongings. Photo by Renee Allemand

Special thanks to Gary Keown of the Art Department foruse of the Digital Arts Lab.

CareerLinks

Each month we’l l provideyou with new career-relatedwebsites.

This month’s picks:•Journalism Job Bank:www.journalismjobs.com•Louisiana PressAssociation:www.lapress.com•Detroit Free Press JobsPage:www.freep.com/jobspage

Ring set for Homecoming unveiling

During the halftimeshow of theHomecoming gave

vs. Nicholls State,Southeastern LouisianaUniversity will unveil a newtradition. It has been a yearsince a committe of students,faculty and alumni met tobegin planning an officialring program. The officialring will feature severalaspects of Southeastern. Thering is being kept secret untilthe Homecoming game.

COURTESY OFRing Tradition Committee

Southeastern’s class ringswill be unveiled Nov. 12.

“ Students will want to be a part of this programto feel a greater sense of accomplishment thatcomes with wearing the Official Southeastern ringthat represents all that the university stands for. ”

-April Field (Phi Mu President)

“ The new ring tradition will allow the students ofSoutheastern to show their Lion pride long after theyleave their Alma Matter. It will serve as a tradition thatall Southeastern students can strive for. Overall, it willrepresent their educational journey, something thatthey can revisit each time they put on their class ring.”

-Daniel Brown (Junior)Join the

Press Club!Wednesdays @ 4 D VICKERS 283