Now, at a college level, I have little in the way of advising as far as our newspaper goes. As editor-in-chief, I am the final say in everything editorial for The Daily Athenaeum. I do have people I can consult, such as the managing editor or the student publications board, but they're not there on a daily basis - like me. Sometimes this is extremely difficult, as I am only 21 years old, and I'm not trying to get sued for libel or defamantion. But, the majority of the time, I enjoy the freedom. My staff is very knowledgable, and they're usually my first line of defense against such problems.
However, an adviser also gives feedback - something necessary for any learning environment. I gather some feedback here and there, but it's mostly disgruntled students disagreeing with our opinions. Sometimes I need someone to critique me, sometimes I need someone to tell me what I need to work on, sometimes I need the encouragement that I am on the right track and doing the right thing.
Advisers are those people. This goes wrong, though, when advisers lack those skills necessary to help motivate students and ultimately help them succeed. On Chris Slater's blog post "Looking at the Nov.17 'Imagine...' column" he critiqued, gave advice, etc. It was interesting, and it received a good bit of comments. The author of the column he was critiquing also commented, but the really interesting part is that the newspaper adviser commented, as well.
The comments go something like this:
Justin said...
I find the assumption that once you've made it to college that you're not ignorant quite hilarious.
Anonymous said...
My comments: This is a great blog post Slater. I think the "Imagine" column is getting better but hopefully like fine wine she will get better with time. Justin: You are soooo right on! Ms. Mullins
Anonymous said...
wow... i don't know what to say... obviously, thank you for liking my column... and i guess thank you for telling me how to improve... i'm rolling my eyes at a few of these comments, but i know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion... MariLuz PS When I was talking about college students not being ignorant, I was leaving out the athletes
Chris Slater said...
Mullins, Thank you. We need more opinions from more people in the paper in order to get more discussion out there. It's much easier said than done, as my biggest goal during all my years on the staff was to get increased staff & community involvement on the Opinions section. One thing I'm proud of is that there were a lot of Letters to the Editor during my tenure as EIC. I think the biggest way to get community involvemnt is to try & encourage staff participation. Make the Opinions section important & others will see it that way. I think the "Imagine" column can be an important part of making that section important again.
Chris Slater said...
MariLuz, Keep up the good work. A great way to improve is to read other columns from other writers. Charles Blow from the NY Times is one of my favorites. Coincidentally, he written a lot about the race debate that you & I just discussed. Find people you like and follow them. Take the formats and styles you like from other people and give them your own twist.
Anonymous said...
The Imagine columns are getting worse to me. Each week it complains more and more. The use of the "n" word isn't going to stop. People havent taken it and embraced it and have made it their own... but I think something she forgets to realize is that it's not "nigger" that persons typically use, it's more like "nigga" and the inflection is often different than if they were meaning it to be derrogatory.
Chris Slater said...
I disagree about the column getting worse. I think they started out a little rough and have slowly gotten better. Although, the one about a few weeks back about how awesome JD Estep is was pointless. I'm not saying that he's not awesome - I have no idea. Not to make light of this, but I thought it was ironic that she wrote a column about a guy she thought was awesome and then next week's column was about how she and her boyfriend broke up. But, I do agree with you on the point on the intent of the word, the "er" versus "a" issue. Sometimes the intent of the word isn't malicious. It's like George Carlin said - "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the word 'nigger' in and of itself. It's the racist asshole using it that you ought to be concerned about."
Anonymous said...
Slater, Good use of Carlin...I also like the post above that discusses the difference between "nigga" and "nigger." (see urban dictionary's second definition above that you provided) Sometimes the use of the word (both of them) is acceptable in social circles. I prefer to join the group that doesn't use either of the "n" words we are discussing. Lastly, I think we could get great responses to articles if those of us who were bold enough to complain on here would send their responses to the column in to us via email at concordian@concord.edu Mariluz, Try to avoid attacking people when they comment/criticize your work. When you place your work out there to be read it is only natural for it to be discussed and critiqued. Use the positive feedback (i.e. Slater's suggestion to view other columns) to your advantage and the negative feedback as a reminder that there are people out there who are going to find holes in your opinions pieces. Use the negative comments to remind yourself to review pieces and think about what isn't logical. You also need to do your research before you make comments. More athletes graduate from Concord then students who are non-athletes (35% v.s 55% Source:Coach Kellar.) This means that saying something like, "PS When I was talking about college students not being ignorant, I was leaving out the athletes" isn't an effective response." Why not challenge them to write a response to your column? Lastly, I have to agree that the Estep column wasn't your finest work.It was basically a rant. Be sure to back up your pieces with facts. Keep Reading! Ms. Mullins
You can read the full list of comments on Chris's blog. Judging from this, Chris looks like the adviser here. He is suggesting constructive criticism, without bashing, as a fellow student. The last comment from "Ms. Mullins" completely, full out bashes MariLuz. Yes, maybe her writing isn't up to par. Maybe she needs to do some more work, but when was it ever, ever okay to critique your student's work on the public blog of another student?
I am genuinely upset about the lack of professionalism this adviser is portraying. In interest of not reflecting badly upon Chris, I chose to keep my nose out of it. But, this is obviously a problem. Advisers are there to help students, not crush their spirits. This adviser is representing her university, and Concord seriously made a flawed decision in hiring this women if this is any indication of how she runs her newspaper. "It was basically a rant" is never a sentence an adviser should say in a public setting. "Lastly, I have to agree that the Estep column wasn't your finest work." -- agreeing with another student that your student's work is subpar, in public, is acting as an enemy. Not as a friend.
Praise in public, criticize in private is an essential rule to live by a a leader, as a teacher. "You also need to do your research before you make comments," is some advice Ms. Mullins would benefit from using. It's sad to see this ... but hopefully these students are getting help from somewhere.
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