147 Years and Counting

La Salle's "birthday" is March 20, when the state of Pennsylvania granted the University its charter (the year was 1863). The "charter" dinner -- or heritage dinner -- has faculty and staff serve dinner (and dessert!) to students. Channel 6 stopped by to film it, and got a great picture of the "Birthday Cake." The notion of faculty/staff serving the students is the appeal; TV has covered this in the past, and, I hope, in the future.

Getting closer...

After several weeks, Daily News columnist Jen Armstrong met with La Salle student Kara Harpel and a student at Logan Elementary School who have been bigsister/littlesister for four years. I'd mention the elementary student's name, but I probably would have to get permission to do that, so I'm going to hold off givin her name: but if she's reading this, I promise I'll post it!

Jen talked to the two students for about an hour. I normally don't stick around when a reporter meets the La Salle subject, but I'm glad I did because Jen asked a question that I didn't think to ask: did either of them have sisters? The answer is no, and perhaps that's one reason the two bonded. In more than two years of talking to Kara, I never thought to ask her that question!

Jen is looking into having a photographer take their pictures, and you know what that means: more permission forms, probably. But it will be worth it. (By the way, I was in the principal's office, and got a call from Jen saying she was on her way, when I was told that a permission slip was not filled it. I saw my life flash before my eyes.....)

Patience is required...

OK, the story with the student/3rd party will have to wait for at least two weeks (spring break). All the parties want to see this story in print, it's just getting everyone on the same page. The good news is the journalist is still interested in pursuing it. I'm not complaining but I stay a few hours after work one night in case I got an important phone call (I had to be in the office when I got the call, which, by the way, didn't resolve anything). Wednesday night I made a call and learned the story could not be done this past week. This is why people in my profession die young! No, only kidding....

Space is tight!

Again, I'm not complaining, but yesterday a newspaper published a list of La Salle student who were inducted into the University's Alpha Epsilon Society, which recognizes academic achievement with community service. I sent the info to the paper in January! But that's the reality of the business.

Always go through channels

I have a reporter scheduled to interview one of our students and a non-student for a story, and then I remembered: I forgot to go through channels and get a third party to OK the story because of the non-student factor. How do you spell stupid in Italian -- stunad???

I preach going through channels. I'm not going to give the specifics here, but students at another university, on their own, set up a memorial for a professor and, again I'm being deliberately vauge, when the media learned of this memorial it became a media storm. It was overblown (pun intended) coverage, but it was out there for a while until the school administration took several steps, which included an acknowledgement of the professor. If the students had gone through channels, both they and their school would have experienced a great deal less angst.

I can't imagine the 3rd party won't give an OK to this, but this is going to nag at me until I see the story in print.

On February 18, the Philadelphia Daily News published an oped by senior Kayleigh Reed on what she had learned and experienced from her course in and work on community journalism. This took some time: first, one editor passed on it, then another said let me think about it; they then thought it was OK but it needed some editing and additions, which Kayleigh was amenable too. Let's see if I can find a link for it:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/84678732.html

More updates: watched "A Man for All Season" in Br. Gerry Molyneaux's class on film and law. Alum Tim O'Toole did a great job in leading a class discussion afterwards. The Pennsylvania Law Journal is scheduled to do a story with photos in an upcoming issue, and, cross your fingers, KYW Newsradio will interview one of the lawyers participating for a story on March 3. If there's no more snow, it might have a chance to make it on the air.

Thanks to Kevin Grauke, assist. prof. of English at La Salle. At the Inquirer's request, he did a quick read and writing of a book review (and it was very good). Again, let's see if I can find a link to it:

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/literature/85476592.html

This is the third review he has done for the paper.

A film for all seasons

Tomorrow I have to watch a great film for work. Well, someone has to do it! Br. Gerry Molyneaux is teaching a course called "Film and Law" in which students will watch a film with a legal angle and then discuss it with a "real" lawyer afterwards. A reporter with the Pennsylvania Law Journal is coming to do a story on it, and I'm picking him up from the subway and taking him to the comm ctr. The movie is "A Man for All Seasons" which is about the trials of Sir Thomas Moore; it won Oscars for best picture, actor and director.

The "real" lawyer discussing it is Tim O'Toole, and I have a present for him. In 2006 Tim received an honorary degree from La Salle (he was graduated from the U in 1977). His acceptance speech was so good the Phila. Inquirer published it. But Tim hasn't seen it, so I'll give him some copies.

Last week the Inquirer published an oped by Dr. Marc Moreau, chair of the Philosophy Dept., on Darwin and Genesis. He wrote it last year to commemorate the 200th birthday of Darwin, but the paper didn't publish it. Since nothing has changed except the 200th part, I resubmitted it and the paper ran it. So far, Dr. Moreau says he's received about 80 emails from readers, mostly positive.

I tell students that the main thing for newspaper coverage is that it contain the words "La Salle"; last week I sent a reporter in California some comments from Br. Gerry. The reporter used th comments but attributed them to me! The kicker is that Br. Gerry used to work in that area and read that paper!! I've asked (nicely) for a correction.

What to do when a big storm is coming?

What do you do, you contact Donna Tonrey, a professor of social work here who studies and treats emotional trauma. She's given me a good soundbite, so let's see if anyone picks it up.

Next week we could have two opeds written by La Salle folks appear in both city newspapers...or we could have zero opeds appear next week. As I wrote earlier, all we can do is wait.

DON'T Let it snow

Yesterday an electronic media outlet did an interview for a La Salle story ... and then we woke up to some snow...just enough to get the traffic reports expanded, etc., so I think the La Salle story will never be broadcast....