2 The Voice, For Students, By Students I March 14,2012 | issuu.com/fsuvoice | send news tips to the editor; thevoice.fsu@gmail.com
White House welcomes FSU journalism students
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News Director Jim Asendio and Station Manager Karyn Mathys, both of WAMU, talk to students at the station.
Photo courtesy of Professor Skye Dent
By Professor Skye Dent
Road to The White House stories
are generally reserved for presiden
tial candidates. However, 13 Fay
etteville State University students
now have their own individual sto
ries to share.
The students include Shante El
liott, Nikki Scott, Matthew Camp
bell, Brian Ashley Nance, David
Antoine, Anna Lee, April Love, Ja
son Bouley, Terrance Autry, Quin
ton Graham, A.J. Hines, Chamell
Harris, and James Jackson.
The project began last sum
mer when 1 met Kevin S. Lewis, a
communications specialist for The
White House. We realized they
shared a common belief that jour
nalism students were essential to
this country and needed encourage
ment.
I raised money. The Raleigh Ob
server and News, The Fayetteville
Observer, and Charles Floyd John
son (executor producer of the hit
series N.C.I.S.) were the major con
tributors. Pooling additional funds
were her friends, writers, produc
ers, journalists and colleagues fix>m
The Closer, Law and Order, The
WGA west, journalists from Ra
leigh, national and local chapters of
the National Association of Black
Journalists, a New York based best
selling novelist, the Ambassador to
the Philippines, and members of the
FSU community.
We held a weekly meeting in
which the students updated their
knowledge of journalism and presi
dential politics. The number of
students was kept small to allow
for a greater connection between
the students and the professionals
they would meet. Rounding out
the trip were Sgt. Duane Whitaker
and University Photographer Den
nis McNair.
Elliott, Campbell and Lee are fo
cused on journalism and write for
The Voice. Scott is photojoumalist
who contributes to The Voice and
several other local publications.
David Antoine, Brian Ashley Nance
Photo courtesy of Professor Skye Dent
The group meets with White House spokesperson Jay Carney in
his offrce.
and A.J. Hines all work for the stu
dent radio station. James Jackson,
interested in public relations, works
as an intern for both FSU’s media
relations department and the Fay
etteville Police Station.
Chamell Harris holds executive
positions at both the student ra
dio station and The Voice. ARMY
ROTC cadet Quinton Graham sev
ered as the sports editor for The
Voice until he joined the National
Guard where his communication
skills give him the range of posi
tions from journalist to strategic
communicator. ARMY ROTC
Cadet Jason Bouley’s honed his
communication skills so that the
military can use him in positions
ranging from journalist to strategic
communicator.
“I wanted to show our students
that it takes all kinds of people to
have the kind of empathy, drive and
intellect to be the Idnd of journal
ists that this democracy was built
upon,”
Kendrick Faison, a board mem
ber of the FSU-DC alum found out
about the trip. He threw out the DC
welcome wagon with an offer to
host a swank Georgetown reception
for the students, DC alum and DC
journalists. The reception proved
to be of tremendous benefit in terms
of the students garnering valuable
contacts that they can use for future
job hunting.
The two-day trip included:
• A tour of The V^te House
• Attendence at a White House
Press Briefing with spokesperson
Jay Carney
• A private meeting with Jay Car
ney and Kevin Lewis in Carney’s
office
• An interview with Michael
Stiautmanis (Deputy Assistant to
the President and Counselor for
Strategic Engagement to the Se
nior Advisor)
• A meeting with ABC Senior
White House Correspondent Jake
Tapper
• A visit to the famous Newseum
(totally paid for by Orage Quar
les, Publisher of the Raleigh
News and Observer)
• A historical/cultural tour by
famed historian American Uni
versity Prof Edward Smith
• A meeting with American Uni
versity Production Professor
Russell Williams, an Oscar win
ner for Glory and Dances With
Wolves
• Meetings with WAMU-FM exec
utives News Director Jim Asen
dio and Station Manager Karyn
Mathys
The FSU-DC alunmi reception
for alum, students, and invited
, DC journalists.
The meeting with Jim Asendio
became an ethics in the making
lesson. Earlier that week, WAMU
management had arranged a meet
ing breaking the ethical firewall
between WAMU journalists and
financial donors. Asendio planned
to resign in protest. But, he stayed
until his meeting with the students
because he had made.
As the FSU group finished their
meetings and tour of WAMU and
walked out the door, Asendio fol
lowed. Only when the DC media
wrote about the controversy and
included bits about FSU did the
students realize what had happened.
Sophomore April Love even got
to ask Carney a question in the
press room along with the profes
sional journalists. Both Camey and
Lewis were so impressed by the
entire FSU contingent that we were
invited them to Carney’s office for
an impromptu hour-discussion.
The event, a first in the history of
the White House press room, ended
up paving the way for future visits
by journalism students from other
colleges and universities.
In all respects, I and Kevin said
the two day experience was a suc
cess.
FSU-DC Alum Board Member
Faison was so enthused that he
wants to host a group of FSU jour
nalism students each year.
And Matt Campbell summed it
up for all the students.
“Just being in an atmosphere
where decisions are made every
day that affect the world reaffirmed
for me our country's tradition of a
fiw press and a transparent govern
ment.”