Pam’s Pitch: A reality check for this reporter

Last month, I attended my first ever Burlington Royals minor league baseball game. The Royals are located in Burlington, NC and are a rookie-level team.

As I walked up to the historic stadium, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But as a young reporter, what I received was a lesson that will stick with me.

At Elon, covering athletics has become somewhat of a convenient task. The Sports Information department helps set up our interviews and provide reporters with a print out of statistic sheets after ever game. Before the game, we’re showered with media guides, team rosters and player statistics.

We sit comfortably on press row or a nice press box. There’s a seat designated for each and every reporter with a name tag. To put it simply – our jobs are made easy.

When I walked into Burlington Memorial stadium, there was no need to have special media credentials. (I did talk to the Assistant GM before the game and let him know that I was coming.)

Someone directed me toward the press box and I didn’t realize the treck I was about to endure. I walked up a few narrow stairs at the top of the bleachers. Then walked horizontally across the roof (and I’m terrified of heights) of the stadium and found my way into the press box.

While in the press box, I found a beat up folding chair and squeezed in with several members of the Burlington Royals staff and a reporter from the Burlington Times-News.

During the game, there weren’t any statistics printed out for me. No media guide given to me and no roster sheets. I was on my own.

Since I was doing a feature story, I didn’t need to keep all my own stats, but did keep some of a few select players. Keeping my own stats reminded me of when I first began reporting in high school, covering high school sports.

After the game was over, there wasn’t any one from Sports Information making sure that I got the interviews I needed, I was on my own. I waited outside of the locker room hoping not to miss the player that I wanted to interview.

I got the interview I needed and was on my way out of the stadium for the night, but not before I had a serious reality check.

Covering collegiate athletics for me has been convenient and a lot of times, hassle free. For reporters who aren’t as lucky, their jobs could include: keeping their own stats and running down players after the game.

I have it pretty good covering athletics at Elon. I can count on my name being at a spot in the press box and stat sheets being handed out to me after the game. These are luxuries that I have taken advantage of over the past two years at Elon.

It took a trip to an old stadium and a rookie level baseball team to remind me how fun covering stories can be when convience isn’t an option.

Now when I take my seat in the press box during Elon football’s home opener against Davidson on Sept. 5th, I’ll smile and be remember that even a little name tag is a luxury.

Pam’s Pitch: A health care overhaul is needed

I don’t know a lot about the new health care bill that’s on the table in Washington now. I’ll admit it.

But there’s one thing I do know for certain – the current health care system in America cannot last in the current form. I never understood when people said we were in a health care crisis.

I have good health insurance. I’ve attended every doctor that I have needed and received all the proper treatment. So, when people talked about the health care crisis, it was far from my understanding.

This was until a family member of mine has been denied good treatment because of her insurance. An insurance company, decides whether or not her treatment will continue. The members of this insurance company have never seen her or examined her. From miles and miles away from an office, they decide the treatment she should proceed with.

It may seem a little far off, but shouldn’t the doctors be the one who decide whether a patient’s care should continue? When you call a doctor’s office, the top priority should be treatment, not how much money you have or if you can afford treatment.

To me it doesn’t seem fair that insurance companies across the country are determining treatment options of patients. I guarantee that most of these insurance buffs didn’t go to med school. But, yet they are making medical decisions.

For the first time, I’ve realized the health care crisis is alive and well. A new health care bill needs to be signed immediately to prevent insurance companies from making even more medical decisions.

It’s time to put the cost and budget aside. When it comes to human lives at stake, there should be no cost too great as to saving human lives. Let’s take the power out of the hands of the insurance company and stop them from putting a monetary value on human lives.

Elon University community reacts as Obama begins peace talks

Obama to meet with several Middle Eastern leaders in the upcoming weeks

Pam Richter
May 18, 2009

Today, U.S. President Barack Obama will begin peace talks with leaders from several Middle Eastern nations as they visit the White House throughout the month.

“I believe given the international support for Obama personally and politically, I think he has a better chance than the previous administration to move things forward diplomatically,” said Safia Swimelar, an International Relations professor at Elon University.

These talks will begin today when Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss several issues. This is the first meeting between the two since they took office.

“We know the root of the problem in the Middle East and Israel in particular is how to find some kind of stable system between Israelis and Palestinians,” said Glenn Scott, an assistant professor in the School of Communications at Elon University. Scott also teaches a class on international communications.

“We’ll hear from both sides today, but we’re not going to see any great change,” Scott said.

Glenn Scott speaks about Obama’s peace talks. Scott is a professor at Elon University and teaches an International Communications class.

According to a cnn.com article, Obama and Netanyahu agree on several points, but disagree on the endorsement of a two-state solution. Obama currently supports the idea of a Palestinian state next to Israel. Netanyahu disagrees with Obama’s position and states that his country needs security guarantees and a clear Palestinian partner for peace talks.

“Anything new to get the dialogue going will probably help,” said Catherine Reynolds, a sophomore communications major at Elon University. “I think we’re a long way off (from peace). They’ve been fighting for so long.”

Both leaders also disagree on the nuclear weapons situation in Iran. For Netanyahu and Israel, the situation is more urgent. Obama on the other hand, said a timeline for Iran is not necessary.

Leaders of Isreal argue that since Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s, called for the end of Israel as a Jewish state, quicker action with Iran is needed.

“Israel is concerned that they (Iran) are trying to build nuclear warheads as well,” Scott said. “The Israelis have a more pressing position on this. In any kind of foreign diplomacy your position begins by being something that is popular at home. You have to please your own constituents first.”

Tom Kenney shares his views on Obama’s foreign policy:

Today’s meeting is the first of several for Obama. On May 26 he will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and on May 28 will meet with Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“I don’t know if his plans are any different than any of the past presidents, but I think his ability to sit down and talk to someone is different than (President) Bush’s,” said Tom Kenney, a parent of an Elon University student.

These peace meetings will conclude on June 4, when Obama will deliver a speech in Cairo in hopes of winning over the Arab world.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he helped create peace with us and certain Middle Eastern countries,” said Katelin Downer, a senior at Elon University. “I don’t know if he could make a dent (with peace talks) with countries that have been fighting for so long.”

This statement was echoed by both Bob and Lauren Hannigan. Both agree that Obama has done a great job so far with the Middle East, but complete peace in that region is a while away.

Lauren Hannigan said she doesn’t know if one person, Obama, can create peace in the Middle East. For her husband, Bob, he said it will take some forgetting before it can be reached.

“It’s going to take a hundred years of people forgetting about what’s caused it all,” Bob Hannigan said.

Swimelar also said this will be difficult “given who the negotiating partners are and the recent Israeli-Gaza war.”

Glenn Scott speaks about President Obama’s diplomacy:

What does the future of journalism hold?

Pam Richter
May 16, 2009

Extra! Extra! Read all about it. The primary source of information and news across the globe is slowly dissipating. Paper boys are no longer standing on corners selling papers, but most importantly the major news source across the globe for more than two centuries is on the verge of extinction.

The future of journalism is changing rapidly and many more newspapers are looking as if they will not be part of it.

The Rocky Mountain News, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Tucson Citizen are just a few of the major newspapers that have gone out of business in recent months. These papers are no longer in existence, but there are many more on the verge of joining their lonely ranks.

Newspapers have provided news, entertainment and information for millions of people through the years. If newspapers fall out of existence, a major source of information will be gone.

One area that is forgotten is that newspapers serve as historical documents. When people want to know what was going on years ago, they look at old newspapers. These documents give a glimpse into the time period and into the lives of people.

If newspapers are gone, so will be a major way we document history. People don’t want to sit through hours of video to gain a perspective – they want to look at a newspaper article.

Twitter is becoming a big news source that is rapidly growing. Is twitter going to be archived for people to look at in 35 or 40 years? Even if it is, how much information can someone get years later out of 160 characters?

Many of these tweets link to newspaper stories. Some people joke around that if newspapers disappear then broadcast news will have nowhere to get their stories from. Broadcast stations simply do not have the time or man power to do the type of reporting that newspapers are able to accomplish.

The papers that are holding on to dear life have made many cuts that take away from the content of the paper. Entire sections have been cut and more content is being forced to appear online only as pages are being eliminated.

With budget cuts taking place in virtually every career field, there are few media organizations willing to pay for lengthy investigative journalism. The days of Woodward and Bernstein are long gone.

This past fall, I had the opportunity to see Leonard Pitts, a national syndicated columnist, speak at the Greensboro News & Record. He said that newspaper writers are the only ones willing to dig through the mayor’s garbage. These writers are willing to go at great lengths to find the truth for their stories.

These long investigative pieces are the stories that provide social change. They make a difference in our world and they are becoming few and far between.

These changes will no longer be made and soon all that will remain of these papers that have gone out of business will be old archived copies. These newspapers will begin to collect dust as their former readers search for new ways to get their news and information.

No one knows how news will be conveyed. Users will twitter, watch the news online, read articles online and through other information systems that develop in the next few months.

In this age with many different ways to receive information, people can be overwhelmed. They can receive twitter updates, absorb online news or watch broadcast news.

All of these new technologies will never replace a newspaper. It is a concrete object that you can hold in your hands. It is paper. Whatever new technologies develop, the paper form of something will never become obsolete.

To show that I’m not completely far off, take for example what happened with newspapers after Barack Obama’s election – extra copies had to be printed.

The Chicago Tribune Media Group alone printed 200,000 extra copies of the election edition alone. It was one of many papers across the nation to print extra copies, including the local Greensboro News & Record that printed more commemorative editions.

If newspapers weren’t important and were not valued in our society, then these extra copies would not have been necessary to print. People wanted to save the newspaper of this historic election. They want to be able to hold that forever. A newspaper stands the test of time.

The future of journalism is uncertain and seems to change daily. One thing is for certain: Newspapers serve an important function in our society that no other medium will be able to replace.

If we save newspapers, we save journalism and we save our ability to document history.

President Obama’s first 100 days brings mixed reactions at Elon University

Pam Richter
May 1, 2009

“I want to thank the American people for their support and their patience during these trying times, and I look forward to working with you in the next hundred days, in the hundred days after that, all of the hundreds of days to follow to make sure that this country is what it can be,” said President Obama in his press conference on Wednesday evening.

Wednesday marked President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in the oval office. The first 100 days in office is viewed as an important landmark for presidents and for others to evaluate how much progress they have made in office.

Professor Anthony Hatcher at Elon University teaches a senior great ideas capstone class in the School of Communications about President Obama’s first 100 days.

The class has talked the Obama administration “day-by-day” and has also examined news sites and news outlets and how they have covered it.

“We haven’t talked about whether it’s successful or not,” Hatcher said. “We have talked about the wisdom of bailing out the car companies. We have talked a lot about how we’re trillions in debt.”

Dr. Anthony Hatcher at Elon University teaches a class examining President Obama’s first 100 days in office. PHOTO BY PAM RICHTER

One area the class does examine is if the 100 day-landmark is an appropriate mark to reach. He said that Franklin Roosevelt set a precedent being successful in his first 100 days in office.

“Sadly for every president who has Roosevelt…every President that has followed has had to meet this high standard,” Hatcher said.

Elon University freshman, Olivia Dubendorf agrees with Hatcher’s statement.

“I think in the first 100 days it’s hard to say how well he’s done,” Dubendorf said. “The American people can’t expect much of a change in a third of a year.”

In his first 100 days, President Obama has faced challenges both foreign and domestically. The economic crisis is the issue that has taken forefront in Obama’s time in office.

Also domestically, President Obama overturned former President Bush’s veto on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Jack Garratt, a senior at Elon University, said President Obama has done a good job with domestic issues like stem cell research and the environment.

“Entering into a dialogue is good for the American economy and the country in general,” Garratt said.

Garratt did say that how the president has handled the bailout can be criticized in his mind.

Hatcher’s class will present about what they have discussed when they host an event to reflect on Obama’s first 100 days at 7 p.m. on May 6 in LaRose Digital Theatre in the Koury Business Center.

Elon University professor Anthony Hatcher explains what his class is studying with Obama’s first 100 days:

Elon freshman Grant De Roo reacts to President Obama’s first 10o days in office:

For the media, fashion is first

Michelle Obama must step out of the shadows, catwalk
Pam Richter – Columnist
April 29, 2009

President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in the presidential office is here. There have been comparisons made to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his first stretch in office.

Both presidents have wives who have received a lot of attention. Currently, Michelle Obama is being called a role model for young women and a fashion icon.

What type of message is this sending to young girls across the nation? If you marry the right man, then you will become famous?

First lady Michelle Obama has received a lot of media attention in the past 100 days. PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

There’s no question the current first lady has an impressive resume that has made her a reputable lawyer. It was her work at the law firm Sidley & Austin that led to her relationship with her husband.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton Law School. From there, she went on to attend arguably one of the best law schools in the nation: Harvard.

These are the qualities young girls should be looking up to with Michelle. But these accomplishments seem to have been swept under the rug with superficial elements being emphasized. But Michelle is not the face of women lawyers — she is becoming the face of feminine fashion instead.

Her role as a fashion icon is being publicized worldwide. She has made speeches supporting her husband’s policies, but her influence so far has only resulted in an expansion of the AmeriCorps.

During times of crisis, Eleanor Roosevelt helped run this nation with her husband, serving as first lady from 1933 to 1945. She was not initially publicized as a role model for women, but allowed her prominence to develop over time.

She helped guide this country out of the depression when her husband was not physically able. After her husband’s death, she became a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.

But her resume doesn’t end there. She was the president and chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights while she was a delegate from 1946 to 1951.

Not even with the iconic Eleanor have we seen a first lady receive as much attention as Michelle in her first 100 days in the White House.

Laura Bush did not receive this much attention, even toward the end of former President George W. Bush’s terms. She did not dress as fashionably as Obama does, but she has had some notable accomplishments as first lady.

Throughout her tenure, she focused on issues that impacted women and children. Most notably, she has been an advocate for breast cancer research.

Michelle has the platform and the capability of being an influential first lady. She is the wife of the most publicized president in recent memory and can be a role model for young women everywhere. It is important to remember that she has only been in office for 100 days as well.

Right now, Michelle is famous for marrying Barack. She would not have been plastered all over television without her marriage to her husband.

So does this mean you marry the right guy and you’ll be okay?

Before we begin replacing Eleanor’s picture of an iconic first lady with Michelle’s picture, in which she will, no doubt, be wearing a trendy dress, we need to give her some time to succeed.

Maroon vs. Gold spring football game sets the stage for upcoming season for Elon

Pam Richter
April 28, 2009

Elon junior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins caught a pass over a defender and marched into the end zone for a touchdown. The crowd erupted.

Elon football was back in action Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium in front of about 1,800 fans.

Sophomore running back Brandon Newsome, left, faces off against freshman running back Dontay Taylor in drills in-between quarters of Saturday’s spring game. The gold team prevailed with a 28-10 victory. PHOTO BY ANDREW DODD.

This 36-yard touchdown grab was a little different than most for Hudgins. It was thrown by sophomore quarterback Donny Kirby, instead of sophomore quarterback Scott Riddle – who was on the opposing team for this game. Hudgins and Kirby helped lead the gold team to victory in the spring football game 28-10.

“Every year the excitement continues to build around the program,” head coach Pete Lembo said. “It was a great turnout today.”

Riddle, the starting quarterback for the maroon team, came up short with the victory. He finished the game with 144 passing yards and one 60-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Aaron Mellette.

Mellette finished the day with four catches for a total of 86 yards and one touchdown reception.

“It was encouraging because we certainly need a fourth receiver to emerge,” Lembo said. “We’ve got three veteran guys (Terrell) Hudgins, (Sean) Jeffcoat and (Lance) Camp. We need more guys to step up for us to run our offense the way we do.”

Riddle said he liked throwing to Mellette in the spring game and hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to throw to him before Saturday’s game.

“I think we did a lot of good things today,” Riddle said. “It was a lot of fun. It was good to see a lot of guys who don’t play a lot get some reps and be in game situations.”

Riddle also tried out a different position. The quarterback took some punts during the game. He punted four times for an average of 31.2 yards per punt.

“I punted in high school, but I think I need some more coaching on it now,” Riddle said, laughing.

Lembo said it was good to get through the game without any major injuries. It was also beneficial for the coaching staff to evaluate the players in game situations.

“When you come into the stadium and when the bullets start firing, you find out how guys perform under pressure,” he said. “We learned a little bit about that today.”

In the fourth quarter, the gold team stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. Both sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Gibson and redshirted freshman linebacker Joshua Jones returned interceptions for touchdowns to solidify the gold team’s victory.

Junior Carlos Sullivan led the gold team with a total of five tackles on the day. For the maroon team, junior linebacker Travis Green led the team in tackles with 4.5.

The game will help the team transition into conditioning mode before it opens preseason camp in August.

Lembo said the coaching staff will reevaluate all of the spring practices for the team’s strengths and weaknesses before the camp begins.

The Phoenix will open its regular season when it hosts Davidson College on Sept. 5. A game against Presbyterian College will follow, before the highly-anticipated match-up when the team travels to Wake Forest.

The team opens Southern Conference play Sept. 26, when it will host Georgia Southern.

Even though Mellette didn’t see much game action last season, he is confident in the team’s performance in the upcoming season.

“I think we’re going to have a good run this season in the conference,” he said.

Elon men’s golf finishes in middle of pack in SoCon tournament

Pam Richter
April 28, 2009

The Elon men’s golf team finished sixth this season at the Southern Conference tournament in Florence, S.C. The team posted a final score of 883. UT Chattanooga won the tournament with a final score of 852.

Junior Phil Bartholomew led the Phoenix with a three-day total of 217, which was good enough to tie for a 13th place finish. He was one of the top leaders in birdies out of the entire field.

Sophomore Stephen Dressel takes a swing earlier in the season. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELON ATHLETICS.

“He played well this spring,” Elon head coach Bill Morningstar said. “I think he just put things together and was ready to play when we got there.”

Morningstar also said sophomore Scott Hockemeyer and junior Mike Fekete played well. Hockemeyer finished the tournament tied for 19 with a three-day score of 220. He parred the final round of the tournament.

Fekete finished the tournament tied for 26 overall, with a score of 225. In total, he parred on 36 holes.

“Down the line, these kids played well,” Morningstar said.

Prior to the SoCon tournament, the team’s previous best finish was fifth overall at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate tournament.

Junior Jayson Judy led that tournament in 10th place out of 81 golfers.

“I think the conference tournament was the first time we had four or five guys playing as well as they were all year,” Morningstar said. “That was key.”

The Phoenix had a shaky season, starting strong at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate, but the level of play dropped during the season.

The team finished last place out of 15 teams at the Palisades Invitational April 13-14, in Charlotte, N.C.

At the Palisades Invitational, Judy played well for the Phoenix and tied for 18 overall with a three-round score of 216.

Morningstar said the team’s play was up and down.

“We’d maybe get one (player) playing well and two playing mediocre and two playing bad,” Morningstar said. “We never got all of them playing well at the same time.”

The team doesn’t have any seniors on the roster this season, which Morningstar said is good for his young team.

“We hope it’s going to be a big plus for us next year,” he said. “With all of them back and a little more age we should hopefully make a run at the conference tournament next year.”

Elon women’s golf secures third place SoCon tournament spot, ends successful season

Pam Richter
April 28, 2009

The women’s golf team secured a third-place finish at the Southern Conference Championship in Moss Creek April 21 in Hilton Head, S.C. The team finished with a score of 955 behind Furman and UT Chattanooga.

Furman won the championship with a three-day score of 916. Chattanooga finished second with a score of 938.

Elon senior golfer, Danielle Mills, finishes second in the Southern Conference tournament. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELON ATHLETICS.

“We obviously could have played better,” Elon head coach Chris Dockrill said. “We played well the first day. The second day we played poorly. It was difficult with the weather and course conditions.”

After the first round, the Phoenix was in second place, only five strokes off of the Furman Paladins. The Paladins held the lead throughout the tournament.

Elon dropped to fourth place overall in the tournament after the second round.

“(The team) played well on the last day (of the tournament) and on the back nine to finish up,” Dockrill said.

Senior Danielle Mills led the Phoenix with a second-place finish, shooting a 227. Mills finished behind Furman’s Stefanie Kenoyer, who won the individual title with a score of 223.

“(Mills) has been playing great all year, especially in the spring,” Dockrill said.

In the first two rounds, Mills shot scores of 73 and 79, respectively. She shot three over par in the final round of the tournament.

The senior had the second most birdies in the tournament with a total of eight. Mills also had 30 parred holes, which was among the tournament leaders.

“She didn’t play very well on the last day, but hung in there to secure the second-place finish,” Dockrill said.

Sophomore Tara McFadden tied for 11 with a score of 237. Elon’s freshman Virginia Mayer tied for 24 and junior Kelsey Johnson tied for 28.

Going into the tournament, the team was ranked fourth or fifth in the conference.

“We were pleased,” Dockrill said. “It was nice to finish ahead of our ranking.”

The tournament capped off a successful season for the Phoenix. Dockrill said the highlight of the season for him was the University of North Carolina Wilmington Lady Seahawk Classic.

The team finished second, six shots behind East Tennessee State. It was one of the most competitive tournaments the team played in this season, Dockrill said.

Mills captured the title at the tournament, and senior Frederique Bruell placed third.

“Both girls played and worked hard over four years and played well at UNC W,” Dockrill said.

Both Mills and Bruell will graduate in May, leaving the Phoenix golf program.

“One of the great things is that the younger players see the work ethic (Mills and Bruell) have,” Dockrill said. “In order to play at that level, you have to work that hard.”

Next season, the Phoenix will have a young team. Ashley Barbee and Kelsey Johnson will be the seniors for the team in the fall. But the five freshmen on the team this year will bring more experience to the team next season.

“We’ve got a rebuilding process that we’ll do next year, but I’ll be looking forward to working with them,” Dockrill said.

Elon football team gears up for spring game

Pam Richter
April 21, 2009

Sept. 5 is more than four months away. For some Elon football fans, this may be a long time to wait to see the Phoenix in action when it opens the 2009 season against Davidson College.

So on Saturday the team will host its spring football game to give fans a preview of what the season will look like. The spring game will be at 3 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Shay Newcomer, right, hands off the ball to red-shirt freshman running back A.J. Harris in a spring practice. PHOTO BY ANGIE LOVELACE.

“It’s the last time that we’ll be able to simulate game conditions until August,” Elon head coach Pete Lembo said.

After the game, the team will transition back into offseason mode. The players move back to the weight room up through final exam week, then they receive a few weeks off before starting the summer conditioning program. That will carry the team to preseason camp in early August.

Lembo said the spring practices have been competitive.

“When I say competitive I mean offense against defense, but also (competitive) within the position,” Lembo said. “Guys are competing because they want more playing time. That’s all encouraging to see.”

Last season, Elon finished with an 8-4 record. It was the first time an Elon team defeated three top-25 Football Championship Subdivision opponents in a season. The team finished ranked No. 17 in the FCS polls.

Elon finished the 2008 season with a 26-3 loss to Liberty and finished just short of a postseason appearance.

In these early practices, Lembo has seen some signs that the team is maturing. One small thing, Lembo said, is the team can practice in just uppers. This includes shoulder pads and helmets, but not full pads.

“I think it’s a sign of a mature team when they can come out in just uppers and fly around and stay off the ground,” Lembo said. “I think that’s something we’re getting better at.”

One of the things that has benefited the team early on is that the members have not had any major injuries in the spring practices.

“We have a couple of guys that were out since the winter that haven’t participated, but other than that, we’ve stayed relatively healthy,” Lembo said.

The last remaining practices before the spring game will determine whether or not the Phoenix will be split up into two teams for the spring game.

Lembo said if the team does not have enough healthy players for two complete teams, the game will be an offense and defense scrimmage with special teams mixed in.

Lembo said the spring game is an important showcase for his team.

“For a lot of guys this is the last time they can show what they can do to put themselves in a position to gain playing time in the fall,” Lembo said.