By Hannah Williams
Dec. 11, 2008 

ELON, N.C. – President-elect Barack Obama will address the nation as America’s 44^th president and first black president in his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 2009 – just 40 days away.

Obama enters the presidency in a time of economic and social turmoil. The US is in the midst of an economic recession and a war on two fronts overseas and has just emerged from a divisive election.

The economy, the war and the future of the country are all issues people in Elon, N.C. said they hope Obama will address in his first speech as president.

The economy looms large

“I sure hope he touches on, in detail, how he’s going to help our economy because it’s certainly the biggest thing on everyone’s mind,” said Dale Hughes, a software writer from Burlington, N.C. “If he could reassure America about that, he’d be off to a good start.”

Trevor Kelly, who works in Elon University’s IT department, agreed that the economy was the most pressing issue.

“People are scared about the economy and we need to hear something reassuring about it from our new president,” Alyse Knorr, a senior at Elon from Cummings, Ga., said.

Other Elon students expressed concern about how the economy will affect them personally and their career outlook.

“I want to hear about the economy because I am graduating soon,” Ashley Culicchia, a junior from New Orleans said. “I want to hear that I am going to be able to get a job.”

“The job market is a scary thing and I would like him to talk about how he plans on turning around the economy for future generations,” said Michelle Longo, a junior at Elon from New York.

“Obviously he needs to address the economy since we’re in a recession,” Jennifer Burns, a junior from Eden, N.C., said.  “I can’t imagine he would, but it would be nice if he talked about the bailout. I think it would be a refreshing start if someone addressed an issue head-on.”

Kathleen Knoechel, a homemaker, said that Obama needed to address the obvious: the economy, the environment and foreign affairs.  “I would be disappointed if he didn’t address those three, because they affect me personally,” said Knoechel.

Don’t keep quiet on the western front

Locals said they hope Obama will spell out his plan regarding U.S. foreign affairs and its role in the international community.

Gas prices and the war in Iraq are the main issues Michael Medley, a Target employee, said he would like Obama to address in his inaugural speech.

“Those are the two things I was thinking about when he got elected,” said Medley, “what he would do about those two situations.”

“I hope he will address the war and his plan for withdrawal. I just hope he will talk more about what his plans are for the future and getting our troops out,” said Sarah Hindle, a junior from Lakeland, Fla.

Knorr said she also hopes Obama will discuss his picks for his cabinet.

A country divided will not stand

“[Obama] needs to say something to get the people behind him,” Liz Payne, a sophomore from Virginia Beach, Va. said. 
“[He] needs to say something to gain confidence in him.”

After a fierce presidential campaign, the country is still divided. The president-elect needs to garner support from both Republicans and Democrats in order to be effective.

“He needs to prove he’s more than an idealist,” Kyle Fisher, a sophomore from Atlanta, said.

“I hope to hear exactly how Obama plans to implement change,” said Lindsay Gund, 20, said. “He won, so he can afford to let us in on some of those juicy details now.”

Gund is from Washington, D.C. and will attend the inauguration.

“I am going to try to circumvent the masses and the cold by watching from a nearby office building combined with TV coverage and friends,” Gund said.

The 2009 Presidential Inauguration will be a historic event, and those around Elon’s campus said they hope Obama will deliver a message of hope, as he has done previously.

Setting expectations and following through on promises

“I hope Obama addresses whether or not he will live up to all of his promises and all the expectations we have of him,” Knorr said. “I want him to say something that will continue to give us faith in him.”

“He needs to make a speech that’s inspirational,” said Burns. Knoechel agreed, saying the country needed to hear uplifting words from Obama.

“I want him to stick to what he promised during the campaign, but what I’m most concerned about is that he’s inspiring,” said Amy Reitnouer, a senior from Lebanon, Penn.

 “That may sound trivial, but we all know the president will make changes and try to help the economy. What this country really needs now is some inspiration and hope, and I thoroughly believe that Barack Obama can provide that for America.”

Summary of Chapters 9-12

By Hannah Williams

3.1 Directional Measurements

Journalists need to know how to calculate directional measurements to both check the math of their sources and enhance the understandability of their stories for their readers. This relatively simple math can add a lot of oomph to your reporting.

Three common calculations include distance (how far), rate (at what speed) and time (for how long).

Distance = rate ´ time

Rate = distance ¸ time

Time = distance ¸ rate

Make sure to use comparable units in your calculations, which may mean converting yards to miles or minutes to hours before you proceed.

Common distance, speed and time conversions:

To use the chart above from Math Tools for Journalists, multiply the figure in the unit of measure in the left column by the number in the column of the desired measure.

Speed is another word for rate and measures how fast an object is moving,  whereas velocity refers to how fast and in what direction.

If a car goes “from zero to 60 in less than 15 seconds” that is referring to its acceleration, rather than its speed.

Acceleration = (ending velocity – starting velocity) ¸ time

In cases where acceleration, starting velocity and time are know, i.e., car accidents, freefalls, etc., it may be  of interest to readers to calculate the ending speed.

Ending speed = Ö[2(acceleration ´ distance)]

Momentum is another useful measurement, as it indicated the force necessary to stop a moving object.

Momentum = mass ´ velocity

3.2 Area measurements

Only so many areas are “about the size of a football field,” and analogies can only go so far to convey how large (or small) an area is.  Sometimes its necessary to include the figures themselves for readers to best understand the space described.

The perimeter of an object is the sum of the lengths its sides. For a rectangular object, perimeter = 2 ´ length + 2 ´ width.

Area is the two-dimension space an object spans. For a rectangular object, area = length ´ width. For a triangular object use the two smallest sides, area = ½ base ´ height.

Usually, measurement of area will result in square units of some kind. The following is a common list of area conversions:

·      144 square inches = 1 square foot

·      9 square feet = 1 square yard

·      30 square yards = 1 square rod

·      160 square rods = 1 acre

·      1 acre = 43,560 square feet

·      640 acres = 1 square mile

Not all objects have distinct measurable sides, and thus require unique formulae for measurements – a circle being one of them.

The radius of a circle is the distance from any point on its edge to the center. It is half of the diameter, or the distance from one side of the circle to the other. The radius is key to calculating all other measures of a circle.

The perimiter of a circle is its circumference = 2p ´ radius, where pi (p) = 3.14.

For a circle, area = p ´ radius².

3.3 Volume Measurements

 Volume measurements also play a large role in reporting specific figures, be it discussing food, fertilizer, fuel or floods.

Common liquid measurements can be used for any fluid.

·      2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce

·      ½ pint = 8 ounces = 1 cup

·      1 pint = 16 ounces = 2 cups

·      2 pints = 32 ounces = 1 quart

·      2 quarts = 64 ounces = ½ gallon

·      4 quarts = 128 ounces = 1 gallon

·      1 U.S. standard barrel = 31.5 gallons

·      1 U.S. gallon = 4/5 Imperial gallon

·      British or Canadian barrel = 36 Imperial gallons

·      Note: When used to reference crude oil on the international market, a barrel contains 42 U.S. gallons or 35 Imperial gallons

For a rectangular solid, volume = length ´ width ´ height.

Firewood is sold in cords, or 128 cubic feet when the wood is stacked neatly in a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high.

A ton is a ton is a ton, right? Wrong. There are three types of tons as follows:

·      Short ton = 2,000 pounds

·      Long (British) ton = 2,240 pounds

·      Metric ton = 1,000 kilograms = 2,204.62 pounds.

3.4 Metric System

The metric system is actually much more logical than the English system of measurement and is based on multiples of 10. Thus, once learned, it is much easier to use.

The metric system’s core unit is the meter – a measure that equals one 10-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator.

The basic unit of metric mass, the gram, is also derived from the meter. One gram is the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at 0 degrees Celsius.

The metric unit of force is the Newton, which when applied to a one-kilogram object will accelerate the object one meter per second per second.

The basic metric unit names are meter (length), gram (mass) and liter (volume).

Adding prefixes adjusts the units by factors of 10. Basic prefixes are as follows:

·      Micro (1 millionth) 0.000001

·      Milli (1 thousandth) 0.001

·      Centi (1 hundredth) 0.01

·      Deci (1 tenth) 0.1

·      No prefix 1.0

·      Deka 10

·      Hecto 100

·      Kilo 1,000

·      Mega 1,000,000

·      Giga 1,000,000,000

·      Tera 1,000,000,000,000

The following are metric to English approximations:

·      1 meter (m) = 39.5 inches

·      1 kilometer(km) = 0.6 mile

·      1 square meter = 1.2 square yards

·      1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

·      1 liter = 33.8 ounces > 1 quart

There are many online sites that aim to make metric to English conversion a mouse-click away. Try this one from Poseidon Software and Invention.

Temperature is also measured differently in the metric system – in degrees Celsius versus degrees Fahrenheit.

·      Celsius = .56 ´ (Fahrenheit -32)

·      Fahrenheit = (1.8 ´ Celsius) + 32

Using metric does not mean you can sacrifice style. The National Institute of Standards and Technology suggests the following style rules:

·      Capitals:

o   Units: use lowercase except at the beginning of a sentence or degrees Celsius.

o   Symbols: use lowercase unit symbols, except liters (L) and those derived from proper nouns, like a Newton (N).

o   Prefixes: use lowercase symbols for prefixes that mean less than a million and uppercase for those that mean a million or more.

·      Plurals: use plurals only when the preceding numerical value is more than one, with the exception of zero degrees Celsius; never use plurals for symbols.

·      Spacing: leave a space between the numerical figure and the unit or symbol, except when a numeral and unit are used as a hyphenated, compound modifier, and then replace the space with a hyphen.

·      Period: do not punctuate symbols.

·      Decimal points: use zero before a decimal point for numbers less than one.

Problems

2.1 If Elaine drove the 52.6 miles from Elon University to Raleigh Durham Airport in 45 minutes, what was her average speed? Was she likely speeding on I-40 where the speed limit is 65 mph?

a.     Rate = distance ¸ time = 52.6 ¸ 0.75 hour = 70.1 mph

b.     Yes, Elaine was likely speeding on I-40.

2.2 If your dorm room is 10 feet by 12 feet, how many square yards do you have on which to arrange your furniture?

a.     Area = length ´ width = 10 feet ´ 12 feet = 120 square feet ¸ 9 square feet/square yard = 13.3 square yards.

2.3 If your recipe calls for a quart of milk, but you’re halving it, how much milk do you need: in pints? In cups? In ounces?

a.     1 quart = 2 pints ´ ½ = 1 pint.

b.     1 pint ´  2 cups/pint = 2 cups.

c.      2 cups ´ 12 ounces/cup = 24 ounces.

2.4 If you are 5-foot-8-inches tall, how tall are you in centimeters?

a.     5 feet ´ 12 inches/foot = 60 inches + 8 inches = 68 inches

b.     68 inches ¸ 39.5 inches/meter = 1.72 meters ´ 100 centimeters/meter = 172 centimeters.

Aramark offers Elon students choice, for a price

By Hannah Williams
Dec. 1, 2008

ELON, N.C. – Elon University has lofty expectations for its dining services, and Aramark, its foodservice provider, fires back with higher prices to cover the costs of operating on Elon’s campus perhaps the greatest number of dining facilities per capita in the higher education foodservice market. 

Colleges and universities face an interesting challenge outside of education. Their administrators must determine the best methods for housing, feeding and otherwise serving a demanding domestic population of undergrads and the parents who are usually the ones footing the bill.

Elon has been contracting dining services to Aramark since 1960. The two share an exclusive contract that is renegotiated each year, according to Vickie Somers, Elon’s director of auxiliary services.

“As long as Aramark’s satisfied, we’re [the administration] satisfied and the students are satisfied, then we [Elon’s administration and Aramark] just sort of sit down and talk about what we want to do for the next year,” Somers said.

The bursar’s office reports 3,732 Elon students purchased meal plans with Aramark in the fall of 2008, which is more than the approximately 2,400 required to do so by the university due to their on-campus residence.

Aramark, the oft-lamented but rarely challenged food service provider at Elon University, serves up more than 200 million meals annually at more than 500 higher education institutions nationwide.

Students voice concern about high prices

The average costs per swipe were calculated by taking the annual meal plan cost, subtracting any declining balance dollars, and diving it on meals allotted per week based on a 14-week semester, plus a 4-week winter term at Elon University only.

The Elon meal plans cost students an average of $9.80 per meal plan swipe, ranging from the lowest per swipe cost of $7.63 on a 19-meal plan to the highest $12.32 on a 9-meal plan.

The average cost per meal plan swipe is $5.58 at Winston-Salem State University, another campus of slightly more than 5,000 undergraduates that contracts its dining services to Aramark and mandates meal plans for all students. The cost per swipe at WSSU ranges from $3.98 at the lowest on a 19-meal plan to $7.82 at the highest on a 9-meal plan.

At Wake Forest, an Aramark-served university with about 4,400 students, meal plan swipes average $8.21, which breaks down to a low of $6.70 on a 17-meal plan to a high of $9.43 on a 5-meal plan.

Wake students, however, may only swipe the meal plan card three times in any 24-hour period and are allotted a small number of guest passes proportionate to their plan.

University of North Carolina students are also dissatisfied with Aramark’s food service on their campus, according to their student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel.

“With the average cost per meal ranging between $5.75 and $8.60, depending on the meal plan,” writes a Daily Tar Heel staffer, “one wouldn’t expect long lines, flavorless food and meat quality ratings lower than your last midterm grade.”

Price per meal is only part of the picture

There are many factors at play that make a difference in dining services from institution to institution.

At Elon, Aramark operates 14 dining locations in eight buildings, offering its students various choices including three all-you-can-eat facilities, whereas WSSU and Wake Forest, each have just one traditional dining hall.

“The dining services can do whatever we want to, but somebody has to pay for it,” said Somers. “Since we’re a tuition-dependent school, the students ultimately will pay the cost.”

Jeff Gazda, resident district manager for Aramark said, “My responsibility is to take what you as a student collective have paid for the meal plan membership, and I give you as much as I can for it. That’s basically my job.”

Meal plan costs cover more than food

By purchasing a meal plan, a student is investing in the comprehensive dining services of the university, not just covering costs. The cost of the overhead involved in running dining-services operations complicates the figuring of food costs to consumers in different locations.

All swipes are not equal. Although an all-you-can-eat dinner in traditional dining hall at Elon is advertised at $7.25, a meal plan swipe in a retail location is only worth $2.50.

“The $2.50 represents what it would have cost us in food to feed you in one of the three dining halls. If you don’t eat in that dining hall, I save around $2.50 in food costs, but I don’t save labor costs; I don’t save direct expenses,” said Gazda. “Unless everyone left and people could go home, certain costs are fixed.”

Conversely, someone without a meal plan must pay for all the costs associated with the meal.

“On average a third of what you pay, Elon uses to maintain the facility,” said Gazda. “The remaining two-thirds is what we [Aramark] have to pay for the employees, the food, the dishes, the cleaning, the cooking.” Aramark also figures in additional overhead for administrative costs and other business needs, as well as profit.

Students at Wake Forest, however, get $4.23 in exchange for a meal plan swipe in their retail locations on campus, including the Aramark-operated Starbucks and Subway on their campus, thanks to a new meal plan system impletmented there this October.

When people question Aramark’s role at Elon University, the discussion usually revolves around meeting student demands for lower prices, extended hours, food offerings and sustainability.

Aramark capitalizes on required residency

Aramark’s exclusive presence on Elon’s campus gives it a monopoly over student dollars. Students are required to live on campus for their first two years at Elon, and all students living in traditional residence halls must purchase a meal plan.

Residence Life estimates that out of the approximately 2,800 students living on Elon’s campus, around 2,400 are required to have meal plans.

The required meal plan is an Elon policy, said Somers, and it’s in place as much for parents’ peace of mind as it is for the students’ well-being.

When the meal plans were restructured in 2004, auxiliary services was going to recommend a mandatory 9-meal plan, but residence life suggested that parents would be more comfortable with something in the double-digits, said Somers. She added, “A lot of socialization takes place in the dining facilities.”

Freshmen are required to have at least the 11-meal plan regardless of their housing assignment.

Sophomores must buy at least the 9-meal plan, unless they reside in university-owned apartments and thus are allowed to purchase the 5-meal plan.

If students select to live on campus during their junior and senior years, similar rules apply: Traditional hall residents minimally require the 9-meal plan; those in specialty housing select from the 5-meal plan or higher; and university apartment-dwellers are encouraged, but not required, to purchase a plan.

“The most satisfying meal plan I purchased was the 5-a-week plan,” said Will Allen, a 2007 Elon alumni who lived on campus and was required to purchase a meal plan all four years. “It allows the most flexibility, and I saved some money buying groceries for some meals while still being able to eat on campus with friends.”

Off-campus residents have the option of purchasing a meal plan, as well.

“By one’s junior and senior year, students should be able to meet their needs any way they see fit, and Elon shouldn’t supply Aramark’s monopoly by forcing these students to purchase a meal plan [even if they do live on campus],” Matt Christian, another student who was required to purchase a meal plan all four years of college due to his residency, said.

Students forgo meal plans to cut costs

Amy Reitnouer, a senior at Elon who lives off-campus, decided she’s better off without a meal plan.

The cost of a 9-meal plan for the academic year is $3,747. Without it, Reitnouer’s parents agreed that instead of paying Aramark, they would deposit $200 per month into her Phoenix Cash account, totaling $1,600 for the eight months she will be at Elon this year.

“I actually like being able to use my Phoenix Cash on and off campus,” she said,” and not having to calculate a weekly balance of meal plans is really nice.  I don’t miss the plan at all.”

While she still frequents Acorn, Brown & Co., Varsity, and downstairs McEwen, Reitnouer uses most of her weekly $200 to grocery shop off campus and cook many of her meals at home.

“Overall, I’m saving over $2,000 a year,” said Reitnouer.

Aramark at Elon goes green

Students indicated their desire for sustainable products to decrease their carbon footprint in Aramark’s annual dining-services surveys and Aramark recognized that desire in its MarketMatach service assessment.

This fall, Aramark distributed reusable aluminum water bottles to all resident students and installed filtered water dispensers to minimize the amount of plastic bottles used at Elon. The introduction of composting at all its dining facilities allows Elon students to dispose of their waste more responsibly too.

Organic and locally-grown fare comprise 60 percent of the groceries for sale at Fountain Market, the Aramark convenience-store concept located on the first floor of the recently constructed $6.7 million dining facility, Colonnades.

Sustainable products, however, mean higher costs. Gazda predicted that the proportion of organic to nonorganic products would flip flop based on students’ purchasing habits, but their buying patterns indicate students’ commitment to social responsibility.

Universities outsource for efficiency

A recent study of the outsourcing of foodservice on U.S. campuses that was published in the International Journal of Education Management suggested that most universities outsource dining services because it provides higher quality, better service and lower costs in most cases.

“Any of the companies that you would have operating your food service are probably going to be the same, in terms that they’re large and they’re international,” said Somers, citing this as an advantage bringing new perspectives to campus dining.

Somers listed Aramark and Sodexho, the two largest foodservice providers in higher education, and a third company, Chartwells, as the main alternatives to self-operating campus dining, which at Elon, she said just wasn’t feasible.

In 1960 when the in-house dining services manager retired, Elon turned to then-Slater, now-Aramark, to feed students.

A 2002 survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers showed that only 9 percent of responding schools didn’t outsourcing any services; about two-thirds of the respondents were outsourcing between two and five services.

Gazda explains that his company tailors its products to its customer. “We continue to differentiate ourself from the competition and retain accounts and really help campuses reach their goals, it grew even more,” he said.

“Best-practice sharing saves a lot of time,” said Gazda when explaining how his company operates. “Why reinvent the wheel?  If we know what you want and someone else has it, why not save time and money and go see what worked and what didn’t work and readjust it to that?”

Aramark: One brand among many at Elon

Somers said Elon seeks to provide students with the most cost-effective and best possible services and that she checks with her peers in auxiliary services at other institutions to make sure Elon is paying a fair price.

In addition to Aramark, Elon also has contracts with Barnes and Noble to run the bookstore, Coca-Cola to operate campus vending, Macgray to manage the laundry system and LRG to handle trademarks. Mail and print services are still in-house.

Somers said outside vendors play roles in various ways to rid Elon of extra responsibilities. She used the laundry services as an example.

“We’d have to buy all the washers and dryers, service the washers and dryers,” she explained referring to Macgray’s contractual duties, “and collect the money for the people who still use money and not their Phoenix Cards.”

In the case of contracting campus dining, cost, service and liability coverage all factor into the outsourcing equation.

“There’s a lot of liability in the foodservice area: the equipment you’re using; the preparation of the food,” said Somers. “You really want somebody who knows what they’re doing.”

Elon builds trust relationship with Aramark

Elon is one of hundreds of Aramark-operated institutions but Gazda points out that it has more dining options than most – maybe more than any comparable school.

“I think Elon is a great example of a really true collaborative partnership,” Gazda said. “We customize things to the university. Our goal is to be solution-providers for Elon In essence do everything we can to help Elon succeed in achieving its mission and goals.”

“It helps if you want to do something new and innovative. You’re a little bit more willing to take risks, if you’ve had that partnership for a while. There’s that trust factor there,” Somers said of the extended partnership with Aramark. “You’re a little bit more willing to take a risk and try something new, so I think that’s a big advantage.”

Gazda cited Aramark’s purchase and renovation of Brown & Co. as one of those trust-based ventures. “We would not probably have done this at a lot of campuses, but because of the tenure here and our partnership we were approved,” he said.

Gazda and Elon’s vice president of business affairs, Gerald Whittington, played crucial roles in transforming Elon’s dining services over the past 15 years.

 “The volume of our business here is nearly seven to eight times what it was when I started in 1992,” said Gazda.

Aramark caters to convenience

Elon’s exclusive contract with Aramark ensures that Aramark has sole rights to campus dining and campus catering.

“You need to have that [exclusivity] to have a successful contract,” Somers said, citing peer institutions where dining services have crumbled when multiple providers were allowed to compete.

“I think it’s a matter of economies of scale,” said Somers. “If they [food service providers] know they’re going to have a certain amount of business, then they can plan for that. You sort of get a lower price sometimes, because they know anything that’s going to be on campus, they’re going to be providing for. They’re set up and ready to provide for that. They’ve got the labor here. It works better.”

“It’s highly recommended that we use Aramark for our events,” said Student Union Board President Jenn Montrose who coordinates a host of student events on campus.

“Just because Elon does have a contract with Aramark, it doesn’t look good if you’re ordering out. We try to use Aramark as much as possible.”

SUB is in charge of student programming from weekly late-night meals and entertainment in The Zone in Moseley Student Center to themed monthly activities, such as  making candied apples, to Friday night concerts at Lighthouse, an off-campus bar acquired by the university in January 2008.

Aramark supplies the refreshments at midnight meals, supplied the materials for October’s candy-apple making, and operates Lighthouse’s food and drink services.

“Sometimes it’s easier, convenience-wise, to order from off-campus vendors,” especially for off-campus events, Montrose said. “Also, [Aramark] can get very pricey.”

At Elon, Somers said it’s permissible for students to solicit food from off-campus vendors for informal events. Usually, if the vendor is willing to donate the food, that’s okay; otherwise, Aramark has an opportunity to match the price.

“It’s just a matter of talking with him [Gazda] and getting his permission,” said Somers. “Now we wouldn’t want them [outside vendors] to come in and cater a sit-down dinner for 100 people. We would not approve that.”

Aramark costs stack up

The price of meal plans is determined by looking at costs and competition.

“We look at what Aramark’s costs are going to be for food and labor. Food was a big deal this year, and it’s still going up. Then we look at what shape our facilities are in,” said Somers. “And we look at what other colleges are charging too, so we know we’re competitive.”

 “We comparison shop, we don’t just slap prices on things,” said Gazda. “We have folks that constantly monitor market prices. Every week we get produce reports and protein reports, where things are going cost-wise and whatnot.”

In addition, Aramark employs over 300 people on Elon’s campus paying all waged, nonstudent employees $10 an hour.

“I think it’s a very socially responsible thing to do,” said Gazda.

The facilities maintenance and repair costs can be expensive, as Elon has zero deferred maintenance, meaning that anything that need fixing will be fixed, said Somers and Gazda.

“For instance, the ice cream machine in upstairs McEwen is on its last leg. So, I’m putting in a request for that ice cream machine to the tune of $14,000,” said Somers.

Somers explained that Aramark pays for the food, employees, liability insurance, and all associated costs, while Elon owns and maintains the facilities.

Aramark does, however, contribute funds to some of the building construction renovation costs – like the six-figure amount Gazda said Aramark invested in the Colonnades facility at Elon. 

If Elon ever wanted to change food service providers, it would have to buy out Aramark for its share in the facilities it has helped fund. Somers said this process was messy and undesirable. 

Complicating factors like these contribute to the unlikelihood that Elon and Aramark will sever ties, even if it means higher prices than the competition.

Aramarks aims for transparent future

As Aramark is a for-profit corporation, it maximizes earnings by minimizing costs.

“I don’t want to beat my budget. I want to be right on my budget,” Gazda said. “I don’t want to be below my budget, because I have no reason to do that. I don’t want to be behind my budget, because I like my job. If I have to be behind my budget, I will to take care of you guys.”

Gazda said there’s a lot of confusion about where the meal plan money is going.

“What I want to do next year is full transparency,” he said. “Maybe even have a whole page on the web site that says, ‘Where do my funds go on the meal plan?’”

Until then, students can use the “leave a comment” function on the campus dining web page or stop by Gazda’s office in the Colonnades to inquire further about Aramark at Elon.

Summary of Chapters 5-8

By Hannah Williams

2.1 Polls and Surveys

Polls and surveys pepper news reports, enhancing qualitative analysis with quantitative proof; however, not all polls and surveys are created equal – some are more representative and reliable than others.

Polls are generally a gathering of people’s positions on one question or topic while surveys tend to be more extensive.

When using either, it’s important to explain to the reader general background information about the measurement and thus the information presented.

When citing a poll or survey you should include the following information:

-Who conducted it?

-Who paid for it?

-How and when was it conducted?

-How were the questions worded?

-How large was the sample?

-How was the sample selected?

-What is the margin of error?

-Were there any extern factors that might effect the results?

Polls and surveys are more reliable if:

-Those who conducted/paid for it are objective.

-The questions are unbiased.

-The sample size is large and representative.

-The margin of error is small.

-The results are unaffected by outside factors.

Selecting a sample can be done in a variety of ways, all aiming for large representative portions of the population. Selection methods include:

-Census: Sampling the entire population.

-Cluster: Selecting a sample based on geographic or other well-defined areas.

-Multistage: Identifying a specific geographic area, the randomly selecting sub-groups, smaller sub-groups within those, and finally specific blocks.

-Systematic: Selecting every n^th person from a comprehensive database or list.

-Quota: Balancing the representation of specific groups within the sample, i.e. men and women, employed and unemployed, Republicans and Democrats, etc.

-Probability (Simple Random): Picking the sample at random with each member having an equal chance of being chose.

When interpreting poll and survey results, it is important to note the margin of error and confidence level. The margin of error indicates how many percentage points must be added and subtracted from each category to accurately convey the spectrum of possible results for each. The margin of error necessary is indicated by the confidence level, or the level at which the pollster is confident in the results, for example, a 95 percent confidence interval means that the results have a 95 percent chance of being accurate and a 5 percent chance of happening by chance.

2.2 Business

In a capitalistic culture, business will often be the subject of news stories, and it’s journalists’ job to help readers understand businesses’ standings by deciphering financial statements and ratios, often released in their financial reports.

When examining any financial records note the following:

-Currency and scale. Figures given are likely in the company’s native currency and given in increments of hundreds, thousands or millions.

-Parentheses. Parenthetical numbers are negative.

Profit and Loss statements are perhaps the most important, as they indicate whether the company is making money.

What you’re looking for is the company’s bottom line, or net income, which is how much money the company made after accounting for the costs of goods, operations, interest, equity and taxes.

Sometimes you’ll want to identify a company’s EBITDA, or “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization,” to better depict how much a company made during a single operating cycle, as is doesn’t account for inevitable costs and fees. The EBITDA is also known as the operational cash flow, for this reason.

A company’s balance sheet is a more comprehensive breakdown of assets, liabilities and equity.  A company’s assets equal its liabilities plus its equity.

Companies’ financial records are best understood when examined in context, compared with their previous records or with those of competitors.

Ratio analysis is one way to do this, but as a journalist you must explain what each ratio means and what aspects of performance it misses.

Current ratio is a measurement of a company’s liquidity by assessing its ability to cover current liabilities with current assets. Current ratio = current assets ¸ current liabilities.

Current ratio is a gauge of a company’s liquidity by measuring cash on hand in comparison to current liabilities. Quick ratio = cash ¸ current liabilities.

Debt-to-asset ratio is a measurement of a company’s long-term liquidity, comparing its liabilities (debt) with its assets. Debt-to-asset ratio = total debt ¸ total assets.

Debt-to-equity ratio is an indicator of how much of a company owes in comparison to how much it owns. Debt-to-equity ratio = total debt ¸ equity.

Return on assets measures a company’s profitability compared to its investments on assets. Return on assets = net income ¸ total assets.

Return on equity measures a company’s profitability compared to its investments on equity or ownership. Return on equity = net income ¸ equity.

Price-earnings ratio is a value ratio that measures the return on investment based on stock price. Price-earnings ratio = market price per share ¸ earnings per share.

NOTE: These ratios will not be meaningful unless compared to an industry standard.

If business reporting interests you, you’ll want a solid background in calculating, understanding and interpreting business statistics. Introductory courses, at least, in accounting, economics and finance will serve you well as a business journalist.

2.3 Stocks and Bonds

Stocks are sold by companies to raise cash and bought by people as investments. Owning stock means owning a small part of a company.

Stock tables are some of the most daunting lists of numbers in a newspaper. A typical stock table includes the following columns:

-52-week High/Low: the highest and lowest selling price within the last year.

-Stock: symbol of the stock, usually an abbreviated version of the company’s name.

-Div: the most recent dividend paid to shareholders per share.

-PE: price-earnings ratio.

-Last: the price of a share of stock at the close of the previous business day.

-Change: how much the price went up or down that day.

Bonds are issued by corporations and governments to raise money and work like loans, where the purchaser earns interest at an annual rate. They are low-risk investments, unlike stocks.

Bonds have a set interest rate, set dates for interest payment, and a set maturity value. The initial owner often pays “face value” for a bond, for example purchasing it for $1000 dollars to earn 5 percent interest at a rate of $50 per year for 30 years at the close of which the bond owner will receive his $1000 back.

Bonds, however, can be sold like stocks, and thus fluctuate in value with supply and demand. Bonds’ fluctuating values are referred to as “current yields.” Current yield = (interest rate ´ face value) ¸ price.

The cost of issuing bonds is also important, especially when issued by municipalities where taxpayers are ultimately responsible for paying the associated interest costs. Bond costs (interest) = amount ´ rate ´ years.

Market indexes, such as Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ, provide a snapshot of the overarching market conditions by collectively monitoring and analyzing a set of stocks.

 The Dow Jones Industrial average monitors the value of 30 key stocks and divides their values by the divisor (a key figure that accounts for compounding factors like dividends, splits, spinoffs and mergers) to give a broad view of how the market is performing overall.

The NASDAQ issues and automated quotation of over 5,000 companies listed with the Securities and Exchange Commission amongst numerous other requirements.

2.4 Property Taxes

The latter of the two inevitables does not have to be inexplicably frightening. Property taxes comprise the majority of income for local governments, school districts and municipal organizations.

Local governments determine the property tax rate by calculating the total amount of money needed and dividing that among property owners in the district. Property owners pay taxes relative to the assessed value of their property.

Property taxes are measured in mills, units equivalent to 1/10 of a cent. A mill levy is proposed by the governing body to distribute the costs of its activities amongst property owners. Mill levy = amount of tax money needed ¸ assessed valuation of all property in the taxing district.

Property is appraised by professionals according to use, characteristics (location, space, age, amenities, etc.),  market conditions and inspection. The taxable property value is a percentage of its appraised value, as figured by local policies, and is called its assessed value.

Tax owed = tax rate ´ (assessed property value ¸ incremental taxation rate [usually $100 or $1,000]).

Problems

2.1 If a poll indicated that 52 percent of voters support Obama and 48 percent support McCain with a 3.1 margin of error at 95 percent confidence, who lead the poll?

a.     Obama’s support = 48.9 percent to 55.1 percent. McCain’s support = 44.9 percent to 51.1 percent.

b.     Since there’s overlap, neither candidate led the poll.

If ABC company nets Current ratio is a measurement of a company’s liquidity by assessing its ability to cover current liabilities with current assets. Current ratio = current assets ¸ current liabilities.

2.2 How well is ABC, Inc. utilizing its assets to make a profit if it nets $1.5 million in profit while investing half a million in its assets? [Note: The industrial average return on assets ratio is 2.5.]

a.     Return on assets = net income ¸ total assets = $ 1.5 million ¸ $0.5 million = 3.

b.     ABC, Inc. is seeing a greater return on its asset investment than the industrial average, which indicates that its investments have been profitable.

2.3 If Bobby Bonds buys a bond with a face value of $1,000 and an interest rate of 5 percent for $800 from Debbie Downer who is selling it before maturity to cover medical expenses, what is the bond’s current yield?

a.     Current yield = (interest rate ´ face value) ¸ price = (5 percent ´ $1000) ¸ $800 = 6.25 percent

2.4 Sally Homemaker owns a house that has been appraised at $400 thousand in a tax district that assesses residential property at 25 percent and just passed a 1.5 mill levy to fund a local playground. How much will Sally pay if the area taxes per $100 of assessed value?

a.     Tax owed = tax rate ´ (assessed property value ¸ incremental taxation rate) = 1.5 mills ´ ([$400 thousand ´ 25 percent] ¸ $100) = $0.15 ´ ($100 thousand ¸ $100) = $150 

Perpetual tweets on the Twitter social network can perturb your followers, clog the info-pathways and waste everyone’s time.

By Hannah Williams
Nov. 21, 2008

Twitter’s 140-character tweets enable users to share information – short and sweet, but many Twitterers, intrigued by the voyeuristic nature of the social network, abuse their privilege and instead create the confusion, clutter and consumption that is Twitter.

 “Twitter users opt in to following the ‘tweets’ of the individuals or organizations from whom they want information – you follow the messages from the people you want to follow,” said Janna Anderson, director of a research project called Imagining the Internet.

 The flow of information, however, is hard to tap into (as you can only search people by email or Twitter name) and overwhelming to follow (as people tweet simultaneously about every aspect of their lives). 

“It’s called ‘microblogging’ because some people use it just to inform their friends about what they are doing minute-by-minute, for instance writing things like, ‘I just voted for Obama, and now I’m headed over to Starbucks to get my free cup of Election Day coffee,’” said Anderson.

 News flash: No one wants a play-by-play of your life. Even if you lead an extraordinary life and exercise the pithiness and wit enough to attract a multitude of followers, your compulsive tweeting perpetuates the time vacuum that is Twitter. 

“Twitter is massive waste of time,” writes Publishing 2.0 creator Scott Karp, a self-proclaimed recovering Twitter addict. “Let me immediately qualify that — it’s not that ALL of Twitter is a waste of time. It’s that TOO MUCH of Twitter is a massive waste of time.”

 Twitter could be a potentially useful info-sharing tool, but too many people create noise that impedes the communication exchange.

 “[T]he noise to signal ratio is WAY too high,” as is the impulse to tweet just to tweet, explains Karp.

 “It allows you to follow the information shared by interesting people you don’t even know and they are sometimes sharing extremely useful data,” said Anderson. 

 Key word: sometimes. Even the tech and media experts Anderson follows tweet haplessly about their day-to-day experiences and engage in Twitter-moderated conversations with other users.

 “The nature of networks means it’s impossible to ever follow everyone who the people you’re following are following — because then you’d have to follow the people those people are following, and the people THOSE people are following (and before you know it, you’d be Scoble — and few people have that superhuman capacity). So it’s guaranteed, by definition, that your Twitter feed will be filled with half conversations,” writes Karp.

Karp compares Twitter to social networks like Facebook and MySpace, defining them as “socializing on steroids, round the clock, always on, with no limits or boundaries or clearly defined utility.”

Social media are not inherently bad, but can be a major distraction from more important, more pressing activities, if the user overloads on mediated interaction at the expense of living.

 Obsessive twittering is mutually detrimental, preventing both parties from experiencing real life, as they are either slavishly tweeting or following, removed from reality and living through mediated platforms.

 Moral of the story: think before you tweet. Be respectful of the network, other Twitterers and your followers. Would you want to read your tweet?

 Karp writes that Twitter is a fun, easy and interesting – but not indispensible – web tool. “I got addicted to Twitter, and then tried seeing if I could live without it. And I did just fine.”

By Hannah Williams
Nov. 19, 2008

Search engine optimization suggests adding key words to standard print headlines, transforming the Chicago Daily Tribune's incorrect report of the 1948 president-elect to “Dewey defeats Truman in presidential election.”

Multimedia reporting spurs journalists to write to multiplatform audiences, manufacturing headlines that gain the approval of editors, catch the attention of readers and crack the algorithms of search engines.

“Journalists over the years have assumed they were writing their headlines and articles for two audiences — fickle readers and nitpicking editors,” Steve Lohr of the New York Times writes.

“Today, there is a third important arbiter of their work: the software programs that scour the Web, analyzing and ranking online news articles on behalf of Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.”

SearchEngineWatch.com explains how search engines work, “crawling” the web and spitting back keyword matches, and offers rankings of the “Top 10 Search Terms in 10 Categories” among other news, info and tips for optimizing your Web site to increase traffic.

Lohr credits search engine optimization with the decline of catchy headlines in “This Boring Headline Is Written For Google.”

“[S]oftware bots are not your ordinary readers: They are blazingly fast yet numbingly literal-minded,” writes Lohr. “There are no algorithms for wit, irony, humor or stylish writing. The software is a logical, sequential, left-brain reader, while humans are often right brain.”

Increased traffic often means increased revenue, a big incentive for those in the newspaper industry with ever-declining readership.

“Some news sites offer two headlines. One headline, often on the first Web page, is clever, meant to attract human readers. Then, one click to a second Web page, a more quotidian, factual headline appears with the article itself,” explains Lohr.

The BBC is known for its dual headlines, especially on extended stories. Today, The BBC’s top story headline reads “A social danger;” click through and you’ll wind up at “How dangerous are networking sites.” In BBC business news, a click on “Motor city misery” leads you to “Detroit hit as car firms beg for bail-out.”

This linking compromise caters to the various audiences of online journalism: editors, readers and search engines.

Writing for the Internet has turned the news media upside down. Traditional print tactics don’t always translate into online success.

New Media Bytes, a site helping journalists better understand how to utilize the online medium most efficiently and effectively for news, offers tips for headline writing. The best headlines will be clear and concise and will contain names, datelines and searchable keywords.

Furthermore, the site capitalizes on the opportunities to increase readership via allowing readers to share the article using web tools: email, del.icio.us, Digg, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Mixx and Sphinn.

CNET News advises journalists to think in reverse when titling stories. What terms would a reader search if they were looking for the story content?

CNET writer Elinor Mills tackles search engine optimizing some of the most memorable headlines in history and suggests avoiding abbreviations (“Wall Street lays an egg, stock market crashes” in Variety on Black Monday) and adding key words (“Dewey Defeats Truman in Presidential Election” in The Chicago Tribune’s incorrect report of the 1948 election results).

The Internet is a new challenge for reporters, and in order to succeed in this new frontier, journalists must master their new medium and utilize it to its full advantage.

Relinquishing creative control of the headline to search engine optimization does not have to mean sacrificing witty, poignant, pithy journalistic writing. It merely means making it easier for a worldwide audience to find and enjoy your journalistic eloquence. 

By Hannah Williams
Nov. 6, 2008

ELON, N.C. – Matt Belanger, investigative reporter for WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Penn. and Elon alumnus, told current communications students to hone their reporting skills and gain experience as undergraduates Friday.

“The novelty of television wears off,” Belanger warned. “In fact sometimes it gets annoying.”

“You have to really love this craft and this job in order to persevere in it,” Belanger said.

Bad news makes good news

As an investigative reporter covering government and politics, Belanger said he often reports bad news.

“If I’m doing my job right, people don’t like me very much, “ Belanger said.

Computers assist reporting

Belanger said he is heavily dependent on computers to do his job, both for investigation and creation, but drew a line between reliable and unreliable sources.

“YouTube is evil,” said Belanger. “I hate YouTube.”

Belanger cited emails and phone calls he received that referenced YouTube videos and inquired why he was not investigating claims that Sen. Barack Obama was an alien and thus ineligible to be president.

“Too many people are not critically evaluating the information that they’re getting,” Belanger said. He referenced The New York Times as a reliable and fairly unbiased source.

Belanger said the WGAL newsroom has an open atmosphere that aids collaboration so that stories can be edited, reedited and scanned for bias.

After all that editing, Belanger said, “Pretty much what you’re left with is a script that pretty middle-of-the-road.”

Develop sources

Build trust with your sources, Belanger said. Be a real person and earn the respect of the people you depend on for information.

Be memorable, said Belanger who uses humor to make an impression. He said he often makes jokes at his own expense to remind sources of who he is.

Finally, to develop long-standing relationship with sources, Belanger said to use information fairly. Sources will be checking the story to make sure the information is portrayed in context, he said.

Belanger said good reporting sometimes means burning bridges with sources when exposing their wrongdoing. To earn their trust again, he recommended showing up at their feel-good press events.

Watch Belanger’s advice.

Listen to Belanger’s explanation of the difference between writing for print and writing for broadcast.

Watch Belanger talk about his vision of the future of reporting.

An International Round-Up of Elon’s Election Reaction
By Hannah Williams
Nov. 5, 2008

ELON, N.C. – Sen. John McCain conceded the presidency to Sen. Barack Obama at 11:18 p.m. EST, but for many Elon students and faculty abroad it was the wee hours of the morning when they received news of their president-elect.

“It was a nice wake up call,” junior Ashley Barnas said. Barnas, currently in London, was awoken by one of her Elon flatmates announcing Obama’s victory at 4 a.m. British time.

Elon students in London gather at a local pub to watch election coverage prior to the polls closing stateside. Photo by Ashley Barnas.

Barnas and other students gathered at a pub to watch pre-election coverage. When polls started to close, everyone in her six-student flat was “glued to the television watching BBC1,” said Barbas.

“We could hear the students in the flat above us cheering and yelling as each state was announced for Obama,” said Barnas.

Slowly her flatmates trickled off and went to bed, leaving one student to witness Obama’s victory and share with the group.

Professor Brooke Barnett, teaching in London, pulled an all-nighter, observing the media coverage of the election results at Sky News.

Barnett simultaneously watched a multitude of broadcasts while sitting next to the executive producer, the graphics producer and the line producer of Sky News.

Sky News would not call the election even when Electoral College projections for Obama surpassed the 270 mark.

“He hasn’t won when he gets 270. He hasn’t won until McCain concedes,” said Barnett of Sky News’s methodology for determining the president-elect.

Also in London, Professor Tom Mould noted the difference between American coverage and British coverage.

Mould was watching the BBC on television while monitoring the NBC site. While NBC projected 103 electoral votes for Obama and 34 votes for McCain, the BBC projected 54 to 10, respectively.

Barnett said she was more surprised by how quickly every station followed suit in calling the election for Obama, within 6 or 7 seconds, rather than by the hour at which the election was called.

“When it did end up getting called, it didn’t seem early because there had been a thought that it may have ended earlier,” she said of the reaction in the Sky newsroom.

Alex Walton, a junior studying in Perugia, Italy, said he watched the election results at the only place in town with English coverage: a bar that stayed open all night and broadcast CNN.

People gather at Merlins, a bar in Perugia, Italy, to watch the election results broadcast on CNN. Photo by Alex Walton.

“I’m not sure how they got it, but it was CNN,” he said.

Perugia doesn’t typically offer much news in English, he explained.

“It was pretty heavily in favor of Barack Obama,” said Walton. People would cheer when states were called for Obama and boo when they went to McCain.

“I was sitting next to a local who said if he were American he would vote for Barack Obama,” said Walton.

Walton said it looked as though Obama would win when he departed the Perugia viewing party at 8:30 p.m. EST. “There were people celebrating already.”

A flier advertising the St. Andrews election coverage all-night viewing party. Photo by Lisa Bodine.

In St. Andrews, Scotland, Lisa Bodine attended a University watch party simultaneously screening various news feeds with a crowd that was about half American students.

The atmosphere was very pro-Obama, said Bodine. “Every chair had someone standing on it and each blue state that showed up caused an eruption of cheers. Every red state caused some booing.”

Students in St. Andrews Scotland cheer as election results are broadcast around 8:00 p.m. EST. Photo by Lisa Bodine.

“I was pretty happy once I saw that Ohio went to Obama,” said Bodine, who left thereafter, confident he would win.

All students interviewed said they voted from abroad. Some said they weren’t sure how their absentee ballots would be calculated, but they were glad they voted.

“I was a little worried that I wouldn’t have enough turn-around time, but I’m pretty sure that I got it back in plenty of time,” said Walton in Italy.

Barnas in London said that the Brits were very interested and informed about the American election. “It almost seems that they know more about our candidates than we do.”

Bodine said, every non-American student she speaks to about American politics is in favor of Obama.

“Some of the Danes in my hall literally had tears in their eyes [they were so happy Obama won],” Sara Pasquinelli, a junior studying in Copenhagen, Denmark, said.

“When I got off the tube, people were mobbing the newspaper stands,” said Barnett who left Sky News during the morning commute.

The international audience was mainly interested in the presidential race and the congressional balance of power, she said.

Barnett said, “As soon as I got home I rushed in looked at Burlington Times-News and The Pendulum for the results of local races.” 

Freeze frames of the international media’s election coverage throughout Tuesday night follow.

The BBC appeared more cautious about its projections said professor Tom Mould. 

The BBC site at 11 p.m. EST Nov. 4.

The BBC site at 10:15 a.m. EST Nov. 5.

Sky News waited for confirmation from two major US networks before calling states for either candidate, said Brooke Barnett, an Elon communications professor who observed the station’s coverage from inside the Sky News newsroom.

The Sky News site at 10:30 p.m. EST Nov. 4.

The Sky News site at 11:07 p.m. EST Nov. 4.

The Sky News site at 8:15 a.m. EST Nov. 5.

Alex Walton, a junior studying in Perugia, Italy, had rare access to CNN International in a local bar that stayed open all night for people to watch the election results.

The CNN International site at 10:25 p.m. EST Nov. 4.

The CNN International site at 11:01 p.m. EST Nov. 4.

The CNN International site at 8:15 a.m. EST Nov. 5.

Math Tools For Journalists Ch. 1-4
By Hannah Williams
Nov. 3, 2008

1.1 The Language of Numbers

Numerical literacy is the hallmark of a professional journalist. Journalists should do the work to make sense of numbers so that their readers do not have to. It is their aim to make numbers easily understood.

Therefore, reporters are encouraged to “interview the numbers with the same care that you interview people” (18). Furthermore, the language used to describe numerical information is highly sensitive and must be carefully selected to communicate the proper meaning.

A few important tips include the following:

-Spell out single digit numbers and fractions less than one.

-Limit the number of numbers in each paragraph to two to three, and include no more than one in the lead.

-Do the math and interpret the results for readers.

-Refer to the AP Style Manual for terms describing numbers: i.e. fewer for countable items and less than for masses, among many and between two, higher and lower temperatures, etc.

-Use Arabic numerals (0,1,2,3…) over Roman numerals (I, V, X…) except in proper names. 

1.2 Percentages

Percentages are often used in reporting. A percentage point merely means “of every hundred;” thus when calculating percentages, reporters must either move the decimal point two places to the right or multiple by 100 (either way is the same thing).

The most common percentages are calculated as follows:

-Percentage increase/decrease = [(new # - old #) / old #] x 100

-Percentage of a whole = (subgroup / whole) x 100

Business news may call for the calculating of interest. Interest can either by simple, adding value to the principal investment at a percentage of the principal each year, or compounding, adding value at a percentage of the principal plus the previously accumulated interest. 

The formulas for calculating interest are as follows:

-Annual simple interest = P x R x T where P is the principal, R is the annual interest rate and T is the time in years. *Some loan repayment plans are calculated this way.

-Monthly compounding interest = [P x (1+R)^N x R] / [(1+R)^N -1] where P is the principal, R is the annual interest rate as a decimal divided by 12 and N is the number of months. *Most credit card companies use monthly compounding interest.

-Annual balance of compounded interest = P x [1+ (R / T)]^T where P is the principal, R is the annual interest rate as a decimal and T is the time in years. *Most savings accounts us this method.

1.3 Statistics

Statistics are frequently used in news reports; however, journalists must be aware that statistics are easily manipulated and report possible manipulations.

Common statistics jargon includes the following:

-Mean = the average = sum of all items / number of items

-Median = the middle number (or average of the two middle numbers) when figures are arranged from highest to lowest

-Mode = the number appearing most frequently

-Percentile rank = the percentage of scores that fall at or below the designated score = # at or below designated score / # of figures

Interpreting the results:

-Standard deviation = how much a figure deviates from the norm

-Subtract the mean from each item in the set, square each result, compute the mean for these figures, this is the variance.

-The square root of the variance is the standard deviation

-In a standard, or bell shaped, distribution, 68 percent of the data will fall within one standard deviation on either side of the mean (higher or lower), 95 percent within two and 99 percent within three.

-Probability = “one out of X population” = # of occurrences per total population / total population

-Chance a series of events will occur = odds of first event x odds of second event x odds of third event, etc.

-Chance a series of events will occure when odds of each outcome is equal = (O)^N where O is the odds of each event and N is the number of possible outcomes

1.4 Federal Statistics

The federal government constantly publishes statistics as an indication of the country’s performance. These statistics include the unemployment rate, inflation as indicated by the Consumer Price Index, the gross domestic product, and the international trade balance. The first two can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics site, www.bls.gov, and the latter two can be found at the Bureau of Economic Analysis site, www.bea.gov.

The unemployment rate = unemployed people (those who have neither received pay for any work within the week prior to the survey nor completed 15 hours of unpaid work for a family enterprise) / labor force (those over the age of 16 who are employed or are actively seeking employment) x 100

Inflation as indicated by the Consumer Price Index is calculated monthly and annually and used to adjust prices to account for inflation.

-Monthly Inflation Rate = (current CPI – prior month CPI) / prior month CPI x 100

-Annual Inflation Rate = (current CPI – prior year’s CPI in same month) / prior CPI x 100

-Price Adjusting:

            -Target year value = (Starting Value / Starting CPI) x Target year CPI

            -Cost after 1 year = Original Cost x [1+(Annual Inflation Rate/12)]¹²

GDP = measure of the value of a country’s goods and services = Consumer spending + Investor Spending + Government Spending + Exports – Imports.

GDP per Capita = GDP/Citizens

Trade Balance = the difference between exports and imports = Exports – Imports.

Problems

1.1 If a ship is moving at 18 knots, what is its speed in miles per hour?

a.     Need to know the conversion factors: 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = 6076 feet per hour
and1 mph =1 mile per hour = 5280 feet per hour

b.     18 knots x 6076 feet/hour x 1 mile/5280 feet = 20.7 mph

c.      That’s the math, but you could also use the conversion calculator and it would do the math for you.

1.2 If a student takes out $50,000 in loans to pay for college, and the federal interest rate is compounded monthly at an annual rate of 1.5 percent, what is the student’s interest payment 1 year after taking out the loan (round to the cent)?

a.     Monthly compounding interest = [P x (1+R)^N x R] / [(1+R)^N -1]

b.     P = $50,000; R= .015 percent/year / 12 months/year = .00125 percent/month; N = 1 year  x 12 months/year = 12 months

c.      Monthly compounding interest = [$50,000 x (1.00125)¹² x .00125] / [(1.00125)¹² -1] = $4,200.60

1.3 If students’ scores on the editing exam are as follows, 65, 69, 72, 74, 80, 88, 88, 88, 90, 94, 94, 97, 99, 99, what is the mode?

a.     Mode = most frequent = 88

1.4 What is the unemployment rate if 150,000 people of working age seeking work are surveyed and 4,700 of them have not been paid for their work in the past week but 300 have worked 15+ hours for a family business?

a.     Unemployment Rate = Unemployed People / Labor Force x 100

b.     Unemployed People = 4,700-300 = 4,400

c.      Unemployment Rate = 4,400 / 150,000 x 100 = 2.9 percent

Garden grows laughter from Elon crowd, fertilized by a healthy dose of sarcasm
By Hannah Williams
Oct. 29, 2008

ELON, N.C. – Joe Garden entertained the Elon community with The Onion’s satiric headlines and faux news broadcasts mocking the media’s political coverage over the past few campaign cycles in Whitley Auditorium at the university Wednesday.

“I think we need more people that are reading the real news,” said Gardner in the question-and-answer session that followed.

Garden is a senior writer at the weekly online newspaper that provides an interesting take on current event by making fun of the media.

Those who read the real news are better informed and can better appreciate the comedic value of entertainment like The Onion, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, said Garden.

“What we end up doing,” said Garden, “is reflecting current events, because that’s what’s in the media. “

Garden said he considered himself a writer, rather than a “satiric informer,” as proposed by one student. He said his role was to mock the media.

“Stephen Colbert plays a character. His responsibility is to be true to his characters,” said Garden.

Of Jon Stewart he said, “I think as an entertainer, his responsibility is to the joke first, and to the current events second.”

“My job is important to the paper,” said Garner, “but my job is not important to the public at large.” 

“People who read The Onion are a minority. People who read past the headlines are an even smaller minority,” he said.

Garden landed his job with The Onion while he was attending University of Wisconsin – Madison and working in a liquor store where he met Onion staffers with whom he shared his writing.

“Just write,” Garden advised students seeking jobs similar to his. “Try to write as many things as possible, and just get out there and meet a bunch of people.”

Working on The Onion is a lot of fun, said Garden. “We’ll talk about pretty much anything as long as we find the right angle.”

 “We draw the line at nudity,” he claimed. Then he projected a photo of a nude man with a censor bar blocking his genitals, which was met with roaring laughter from the audience.

Writing for the paper is a collaborative, diplomatic process said Garden. “Everything we do is voted on,” he said.

Garden said it is becoming increasingly difficult to satirize the media, as the media itself becomes more outrageous.

He cited one of his favorite stories, written at a time when 3-blade razors were the big trend, titled “Fuck everything, we’re doing five blades.” Shortly thereafter Gillette launched a 5-blade razor and made Garden’s piece null. 

Garden said he doesn’t watch a lot of TV and doesn’t read reader emails. “Then we really start not being true to ourselves and chase after something,” he said.

Garden said he doesn’t watch a lot of TV and doesn’t read reader emails. “Then we really start not being true to ourselves and chase after something,” he said.

Still, Garden is vying to replace Conan O’Brien on The Late Show; however, seeing as NBC has hired Jimmy Fallon, Garden said his campaign at votejoegarden.com is basically moot.

Fortunately, Garden has a successful career at The Onion to fall back on.