News & Features
Page () riic News Argiis Tuesday, March 22, 2011 wYw.thenews^irgus-coni
$0 to $9,000 in 90 days
College Publisher is starting to charge up to $8,995
for the once-free content management service for
online college newspapers.
March brings service, smiles
for Social Work Activity montli
Jamie Hunter
Staff Reporter
jhunt656@wssu.edu
The News Argus Online may
be experiencing son\e major
changes in April.
College Publisher, the online
content management platform
used by the Argus, has re
structured its business model
and the new owners of CP,
a branch of College Media
Network, will now be charging
for licensing its traditionally
free software.
In January, The Nexi’S Argus
received a notice from CP
announcing their plans to re
structure and said the Argus
online had 90 days to decide
if they would pay for the ser
vice. A standard service plan is
$1,995 per year. More advanced
plans can carry a price tag of
$8,995 per year.
The hefty fees being imposed
have caused college newspa
per editors all over the United
States to seek other options
available for their online pub
lications.
"Our budget can't pay for
the cost of their services," said
Lona D. Cobb, faculty advisor
to The News Argus.
The funds the Argus gets
are to pay for office supplies,
newspaper memberships, and
publishing the newspaper. The
senior staff member's stipends
also come from the budget.
Recent UNC System budget
cuts will not allow for any
extra spending.
The Neivs Argus has used
CP since 2003. The average
number of visits to the Argus
online is approximately 5,000
per month.
According to Mike Schoelch,
College Publisher's client rela
tions manager, CP is losing
money by working with online
publications that receive less
than 25,000 views per month.
like The News Argus Online,
attributing the websites low
traffic to weak content and bad
self-promotion.
CP hosts more than 550
online college news publica
tions, some of which receive
more than 500,000 views per
month. These are usually daily
college publications that have
a strong reader support pro
gram.
"Change was more of a
necessity than an option," said
Schoelch.
College Publisher has pro
vided options for online news
publications like the Argus
that cannot fit the new CP fees
into their budget.
For example, Wordpress is
a content management system
that can be used to create a
website or a blog. It provides
more freedom to design a web
site the way that an organiza
tion wants it to look and offers
technical support.
Wake Forest University and
Salem College currently use the
Wordpress platform. Another
option for online publications
is to build a website - a process
that could potentially prove
difficult if the staff is unfamil
iar with HTML code and web
design.
Chair of the Black College
Communication Association,
Valerie White, said the forced
change may provide an advan
tage. Cobb agrees that it could
provide students and their
advisors with more hands-on
experience by building their
own online publications.
According to White, BCCA
is going to deliver a proposal
to CP in hopes of attaining a
group rate for all of the HBCUs
that are members. This would
be great news for schools like
WSSU and NC A&T that cur
rently use CP.
Natalie Davis
Managing Editor
ndavisl07@wssu.edu
March is a special month for
social work majors.
A mixer and tutoring ses
sion, and a roundtable discus
sion are among the highlights
of "Social Work Activity
Month." It has been celebrated
at Winston-Salem State since it
was founded in 2007.
"Hope for Haiti," a campus
humanitarian effort, is another
Social Work Activity Month
program to give student an
opportunity to send letters or
postcards of encouragement
to children in Haiti, said Isaih
Marshall, program coordina
tor.
Students can also create and
ship care packages containing
donated baby items.
"With the current events
in Japan, this drive may be
extended to include Japan,
Hawaii and any other coun
try or area devastated by the
recent earthquake and tsu
nami," Marshall said.
"Caring, concern and having
a family like environment is
what social work is all about."
The Program have extended
work to local and global com
munities, he said.
The SWP is challenging and
instructors want their students
to be fully prepared when
they start their careers.
"I feel that the Social Work
Program is unique because
of the amazing staff and the
students; it feels as if we are
a family," said Tanya Beck,
junior social work major from
Mount Airy, and student com
mittee representative.
"The students interact with
their professors outside of
the classroom, so they get to
see them in a different light,"
Marshall said.
"We have scheduled activi
ties that allow our students to
interact with one another and
participate in activities that
will develop them into social
work professionals."
Since Feb. 14, the Social
Work Club has been conduct
ing a hygiene drive, with the
products going to the Crisis
Control Ministries, a Winston-
Salem agency that assists oth
ers in becoming self-sufficient.
The SWC started in spring
U
waring, con
cern and having
a famiiy lile envi
ronment is what
social work is all
about.”
2009, has 25 members, and is
open to any major.
Club president Shellvia
Cearnal, a senior social work
major from Durham, said
that the club promotes collab
orative learning, peer support
and an introduction to the
social work profession.
The club also operates as
an information and resource
guide for members, and
encourages community aware
ness and service, she said.
"This is the first time that
the Club has conducted a
hygiene drive," Cearnal said.
Vicki Jones, the director of
community and volunteer
relations, said that the Social
Work Club's hygiene drive is
wonderful, and will help tre
mendously.
"Toiletries are something
that nobody thinks about,"
Jones said. "Even if a fam
ily receives services like food
stamps, those [toiletries] are
not included."
The hygiene drive came
about when SWC adviser,
Janella Melius, an adjunct
faculty member and Crisis
Control Ministries volunteer,
along with other staff mem
bers realized there was a
shortage of hygiene items.
Thanks to the hygiene drive,
instead of spending money on
toiletries, the Crisis Control
Ministries will have funds
available for more urgent
needs.
"We thought it was a great
opportunity for the Club and
student body," Cearnal said.
"So far we are extremely
excited about the drive and
hope that it is a success."
Cearnal and Jones are not
the only ones who feel good
about the hygiene drive.
Kiara Watson is a junior
social work major from
Charlotte and a member of the
SWC.
"1 think it is important that
we conduct this drive because
there are so many people that
need the items we are col
lecting like a toothbrush, or
deodorant, or maybe even just
a bar of soap," Watson said.
"In the near future, I would
like to see the Social Work
Program continue to serve
the community in fun ways
that get the students of WSSU
involved."
Club members are accepting
items including deodorant,
combs, lotion, bath soap, and
disposable razors.
SWAM and the hygiene
drive ends March 31.
The Y3rd by Brandon Coley
rO HONEST wrTH
I JUST STARTBD THIS
HUSTU TO HBLP
&£T MONEY FOR
ROOKS AND
STUFF.
VVBLL CAN ! ATUAST &ET A
DOLLAR FOR A HOT DOG?
All I N££D fS A SHAPe UP,
NOT TOO MUCH OFF TH£ TOP,
JUST TAPER THE SfDBS... UMMM
HOtV LONG HAYS YOU RB£N
CUTTING HAIR ANYWAY?
c
I CAN'T B£LIV£ THIS
DUD£ CUT HALF OF
MY HAIR off!