Love each other. We need each other. Right now.

Stop this.

Now.

Enough is enough.

I apologize for straying from my life updates for a post, but I have to tonight.

I don't care what your stance on gun control. I just don't.

I don't care what your race is. I just don't.

I don't care what your religion is. I don't care what your sexual orientation is. I don't care where you're from. I don't care who you're voting for in November. None of that matters to me.

I care that you're a member of the human race. I don't love you for your beliefs. I love you because you're you.

I'm sick and tired of waking up every morning and going to bed every night reading news about tragedy. I'm sickened by the thought that people are actually firing on police officers ambush style. I'm disgusted when I read posts by cowards on social media saying that police officers deserve to die. I'm saddened by the fact that we're numb to tragedies and mass shootings in 2016.

Don't you get it? It doesn't matter who you are and it doesn't matter what you believe. It just doesn't. We are people. We are Americans. We are all members of the human race. We all look different than other humans and some are treated unfairly because of this and that is not fair. That is not right.

It's obvious that something's wrong, isn't it? It's obvious that we're hurting as a nation, isn't it? It's obvious that we're all divided by way too many issues, isn't it?

It's obvious that we're all people, isn't it?

People who know me know that I'm passionate about sports and music. I played a wonderful concert Thursday night with a talented group of musicians in my hometown in front of a lively audience. I'll sit in the press box Friday at PNC Park when I watch the Pirates host the Cubs with 35-thousand people in the stands.

When we're all on that stage under a conductor's baton and we're all playing the notes on our sheet music, nothing else matters. The audience doesn't care what political party the third chair French horn player is affiliated with or what the trumpet soloist thinks about gun control. That same trumpet player doesn't care what the trumpet player sitting next to him thinks about immigration.

It doesn't matter. It just doesn't.

When Fransisco Liriano throws his first pitch against the Cubs Friday night, the Pirates fan in right field will cheer along with the Pirates fan behind home plate despite their differing opinions on civil rights. When the Pirates score their first run Friday night, the fans in the seats at PNC Park will cheer and clap for the players on the field regardless of their thoughts, beliefs and political views.

They don't matter. They just don't.

On the stage, we're all coming together to play music. We're all musicians. At the ballpark, we're all coming together to cheer for our team. We're all fans.

In the streets, we're all human beings. In the movie theaters, in the concert venues, in the schools, in the restaurants, in the hotels, we are all members of the human race.

Stop tearing each other apart because of your political views. Stop fighting with each other over petty disagreements.

Stop killing each other.

Love one another. Watch out for one another. Your life matters. We all matter.

Stand up for what you believe in respectfully, defend yourself professionally and state your beliefs honestly. You have those rights.

Peace will win and fear will lose. Love will unite and hate will divide.

I don't have the answers. Who does? Maybe there aren't any answers. Maybe the only answer is to embrace one another, support one another and love one another.

We're all members of the human race. Remember that. We need each other now more than ever.

We need love now more than ever.

Because why not?
Josh

Journalism, risks, and thankfulness

I woke up today ... A letter from the editor

I like to wake up early on the weekends. After a long week, sometimes I’ll reward myself by sleeping in until 9 or 10 a.m. Sleep is refreshing, but excessive amounts are just wasted time.

Sure, my friends poke fun at me sometimes for it, but I love the mornings. Even during the week I’ll wake up earlier than I have to just so I can start the day off right.

Two weekends ago, I decided to take a break from my normal routine and walk to a coffee shop on Smithfield Street for breakfast. The line was long, and the customers in front of me were impatient with the small staff that morning.

One of those staff members in particular gave me a reason to smile that morning. While dealing with groggy and impatient businessmen, the woman hustled back and forth taking care of customers while smiling from ear to ear and greeting everyone as they walked through the doors.

She greeted the customer ahead of me and took his order. Once he paid with his debit card, she asked how he was doing, as she did with each customer before him. He replied with the standard, “Good, how are you?”

As she hustled to pour his coffee and grab his donut, she continued to smile as she answered his courtesy question.

“Well I woke up today, so I have a lot to be thankful for,” she responded.

She has a point.

Her simple reply stuck with me. I’ve borrowed her response a few times since on days that don’t seem like they’re going my way.

We don’t have the promise of tomorrow. All of our simple and petty struggles don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Just waking up in the morning is a reason to be thankful.

Every time I set foot on the seventh floor of Lawrence Hall and make my way to the Globe offices, I remind myself how lucky I am. This small college newspaper that prints 1,000 copies once every week for 14 weeks during a semester means so much to me.

I honestly considered transferring during the spring semester of my freshman year. I was involved on campus, but not to the extent where I was satisfied. It’s a long story.

I went back to my Thayer Hall dorm one Thursday night last year after a frustrating day and filled out a transfer application to Kent State.

I researched its broadcasting program, the cost and the whole nine yards. I almost gave up on Point Park. 

I decided to sleep on it and didn’t hit send. I was encouraged not long after that to join the Globe’s editorial staff as the sports editor in the fall. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I was the sports editor and then the editor-elect a few weeks later.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I can say how thankful I am for this entire experience. Say what you want about Point Park, but I absolutely love the people here and the city it’s at the heart of.

We’re just getting started here at the Globe. I’m halfway through my term as editor-in-chief and will return in the fall for another semester. When you come back to Point Park in the fall, you’ll notice some subtle changes to the Globe that I’m really excited to premiere.

The fall semester includes some major events, including the opening of the Center for Media Innovation and the 2016 presidential election. Who knows what other stories will pop up during the fall semester?

I do know that I will remind myself every morning when I wake up earlier than I should how lucky I am.

I have a lot to be thankful for. We all do.

The Globe staff is dedicated, supportive and entertaining. I don’t tell them how much they actually mean to me as much as I should. 

I struggle to even find the words to describe my appreciation for everyone and anyone that has contributed to the Globe in some capacity this semester.

We tried to do real journalism this semester. That was the biggest promise that was made to me before I came to this school, and it sold me on Point Park more than anything else besides the ability to get involved right away.

Did we miss things? Sure. Did we cover everything I wanted? No. Did we make mistakes? Every week.

As a perfectionist at heart, there’s no worse feeling than opening my email and seeing a complaint or correction request. With every mistake comes a new lesson. Isn’t that the point of college? 

Am I satisfied with everything we did this semester? No, of course not. Am I thankful for everyone that was a part of this small college newspaper and proud of what we were able to accomplish over the last 14 weeks? Absolutely. 

We tried to write stories that mattered to our readers and that mattered to us. I hope to continue that next semester as we continue to serve the Point Park community.

I don’t know what the future holds. I do know that I will never forget that early morning walk down Smithfield Street.

I do know that I woke up today and have a lot to be thankful for.

Because, why not?

Josh Croup
Editor-in-Chief

----------------------------------

This was my letter from the editor in The Globe to end the semester. I was going to paste a link here to it, but figured I'd just copy and paste the whole thing in its entirety here. It sums up the past few months pretty well.

It was a rocky one, but I made it out alive. I ended the semester with a 4.0 in my 7 classes and have a career 3.97 GPA with only three semesters left at Point Park. I'm proud of that. With as much as I'm doing outside the classroom, I was relieved, thrilled, and shocked to learn of my 4.0 this semester.

I remember calling my mom from the laundry room on my floor last semester when I told her I was considering taking over as Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, on top of taking seven classes and working in the athletic department. I later added a separate 10-hour/week work study job to the semester.

I remember thinking of all the ways I was going to make the semester work. I didn't stress over it too much, because I knew it would get done. 

My secret: Lists, sticky notes, and one day at a time...then one week, then one month.

I was more organized this semester than any of the previous ones. I had to be. My friends teased me for it sometimes, but I always had to-do lists and daily schedules mapped out by the hour. It kept me sane and showed myself that I could accomplish everything I set out to do that day. I have daily, weekly, and monthly lists. It helps.

I learned what I could handle last semester. Next semester will probably be similar as far as my time commitments go, but I don't think it will be nearly as crazy as last semester. I'm taking six classes for 18 credits instead of seven for 17 credits, and one of those classes is online, allowing more flexibility in my schedule this semester. I'll still have my 10-hour/week work study job at the TV station, apprenticeship in the athletic department, Pirates internship, classes, honors program stuff, Globe stuff, etc. it's FINE, it's all fine, I'll be fine.

I'm going to add onto what I wrote in my letter from the editor now.

I'm so proud of what we did this past semester at The Globe, and I'm proud of what I was able to do too - something I don't usually say.

Warning: rant

Journalism is not "top 7 things I wish my ex-boyfriend said to me" or "15 reasons you know you're from Pennsylvania."

THAT IS NOT JOURNALISM. THOSE THINGS AREN'T GOING TO GET YOU JOBS.

I mean, hey, if students want to write that stuff and do that kind of work and nothing else while in college, then there's less competition out there when we all graduate. There are some genuinely good writers at Point Park and at other schools around the country that are either afraid to get out of their comfort zone, or honestly too lazy to do real journalism.

Here's what I mean by real journalism: Stories that matter to readers and actually make an impact. The purpose of journalism is to strengthen our democracy by informing the electorate. Journalism keeps those in power and our leaders in check. It's the cornerstone to our democracy.

Stories like "7 secrets all best friends have" are going to get people to your website. They're called 'clickbait' stories. Those are all fine and dandy until you get to your senior year and realize that's all you have in your portfolio.

The problem with journalism in 2016 isn't the lack of good journalists or the lack of in-depth reporting. The problem with journalism is you need an audience. [A great piece from Gawker in January]

That's exactly it. When people say, "real journalism is dead," I vehemently disagree with them. There are amazing journalist out there that still believe in the first amendment and what it stands for.

Our photographer's shots of the
presidential candidates in Pittsburgh

My newspaper staff did some real journalism this semester. I did some real journalism. We did stories that mattered and stories that our readers and the student body needed to know about. I was proud of that.

We had reporters and photographers at each political rally in Pittsburgh. Four candidates visited the city in the weeks leading up to the primary election. Bernie Sanders was first to hold a rally, followed by Hillary Clinton and then Donald Trump. John Kasich made a quick visit to Market Square, where another one of my photographers was there to capture the moment. She was the one who actually told me Kasich was in town after the event happened. I didn't know he was coming until she sent me pictures of his visit. She just happened to be in the area with a camera and worked her way through the crowd to get the shot. That made me proud as an editor.

I was fortunate enough to cover Donald Trump's rally at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. I do not support him for president whatsoever, but that conversation is for another day. I think we had eight total reporters/photographers at the Trump rally, both inside and outside the event.

I'll start inside the Convention Center. You can watch his speeches online. This part of the rally got my blood pumping, and not because I was angry or scared, but because I was concerned.

He went on a rant about the media and the liars that we all are. At that time, all 4,500 people in the room turned to our small stage in the back and proceeded to boo and yell at us with hate in their eyes. Trump doesn't feel like the media treats him fairly. He's entitled to his opinion. Yes, some media organizations have their own agendas. 

No, we are not monsters. No, we are not villains. No, we are not liars. No, we are not dishonest. No, we are not the worst people on earth.

We do our job. Journalists keep those in power in check. I'm going to stop typing about this now before I start something.

Anyways, the real drama of the night came outside the Convention Center where protesters clashed with Trump supporters outside. There were fights, there were arrests, there were police in riot gear, and anything else you can imagine. People argued afterwards that the protestors were the ones causing problems and others argued it was the Trump supporters. It was both sides. The police did a commendable job at keeping the peace. Click here for my raw footage from the evening.

I was still a journalist outside. A few of my reporters and photographers left as soon as the rally ended. Myself along with a few others stayed back and captured the madness that ensued. Journalists outside the Convention Center were no different then from the protestors in the eyes of the police. We don't have any special protections or get special privileges. It was a tense atmosphere and not for the faint of heart.

At the end of the day, Point Park student media had the best coverage of the protests outside that rally than any of the other media organizations there. Two of my photographers were pepper sprayed by people in the crowed. One was sprayed five separate times. Another photog was hit by a police baton. Another showed me the bruises she had the next day just by trying to get out of the situation. 

That's a little more real than "35 tweets about millennials that will make you LOL," don't you think? Is the reporter that put herself in danger to get impactful images and interviews to put together a fair, balanced, and accurate story going to get the job over the senior sitting in her room writing list stories? You bet.

I don't completely discount those types of stories. You can do those and still do real journalism. My point is doing only stories like that and only writing about your opinions isn't going to land you a job, let alone an interview. 

I was incredibly proud of the work my staff did at those political rallies. We did real journalism inside Point Park too.

One of my writers did a story on our student government essentially running out of money due to miscommunication. Another wrote an in-depth piece about the city's stance on marijuana and the university's policies, and interviewed a member of City Council for the story, along with members of Point Park's administration. We had a story about a robbery by inside a freshman dormitory where the suspects weren't Point Park students, shedding light on the possible security failures by our front desk staff. They have since changed some of their security and door policies. Click here to view our news section from the first semester which ranges from pages one through five.

Those things made me extremely proud to be an editor of this paper. 

Along with those stories, I reported on four different hard news stories that challenged me and pushed me to the limit. 

1) Point Park is in the process of switching food service providers. This was on my radar before I took over as editor-in-chief, and is something I wrote two separate stories on. I was able to break the news over social media (we had already printed our last issue when I could confirm) that Aramark, Point Park's previous food service provider, would not be returning in the fall and would be replaced by CulinArt, who currently serves Carnegie Mellon University. 

2) I reported on Point Park's tuition increase for the 2016-17 school year. The university did not announce the tuition hike this year as they did in previous years. I was able to get the numbers and compile the data from the last 16 years of Point Park's tuition and then confirm those numbers with the university. We informed students that their tuition was going up - not the university.

3) A student government senator resigned after complaints were received by other student government members about his conduct at a party. The freshman allegedly used racial slurs and was taken to a hospital after consuming too much alcohol at a party and was facing impeachment, but chose to resign. I interviewed the senator and other members of the student government and people who were at the party to tell a fair and balanced story. Our social media was attacked when news got out that we were reporting on the story. Some didn't believe that one person's bad night should be reported, but others believed it was a story that needed told because this student represented members of the student body. I was personally harassed for multiple weeks as we received a lot of pressure to not run the story and pull it from our website. We stood up for what we believed was a fair story and held our own. The backlash was only met by praise from both students who were happy about the story and members of the student government who felt that we did a tasteful job with the story. 

4) Adjunct professor resigns amid university’s response to dispute. This was by far the most challenging story I've ever worked on. It was one that took nearly a month of research, interviewing and fact checking. It was something I lost sleep over, missed class time for, and put myself in a tough position for. This story detailed the university's possible mishandling of a dispute between two professors - one adjunct and one full-time tenured professor - that led to the resignation of the beloved adjunct professor. I won't go into detail about the story here, so just click the link and read it for yourself. It's lengthy, but it is detailed and in-depth. It is fair and balanced. I told every side of the story possible. Some of the people involved with the story also directly handle my grades, scholarships, and on-campus housing. It's one thing to be harassed by other students for a story, but to be told that I was walking a fine line and that stories like this could be grounds to cut my paper's funding and possibly reprimand me, that was intimidating. It was a story that students deserved to know. The story received a lot of praise for the way that it was done, and is something I am incredibly proud of. Read the story. I thankfully did not receive any threats or backlash from administration, as I told a fair and accurate story and did so respectfully. I was told before I committed to Point Park that I could do real journalism at the school. They're doing a pretty good job training good journalists, which can be a blessing and a curse for the university. On one hand, they can say, "look at our great students!" On the other hand, they know that they are under a microscope - which they should be.

When the school year was all said and done, I received multiple awards and scholarships for my work during the year. 

- Myron Cope Memorial Scholarship

- Margy Snyder Memorial Scholarship

- Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 (Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania) Mark of Excellence Award for column writing.

- Point Park Athletic Communications Staff Member of the Year

- WPPJ Unsung Hero Award

- Dean's List for the 4th straight semester

I'm proud of my work at Point Park this past semester. I really am. 

On top of that, my travels last semester took me to Bradenton, Fla. and New York City to do incredible work and meet even better people.

I also had the incredible chance to freelance an ESPN3 broadcast of a Pittsburgh Riverhounds game. I ran cable in the hours leading up to the broadcast and ran the low midfield camera during the broadcast. I had a lot of cool experiences and opportunities and can only imagine what's next. 

My view every day from the press box at PNC Park

For the summer, I can focus on my internship with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the two summer classes I am taking. I'll write about my Pirates experiences in a separate blog post, but I can say it is a dream come true. I absolutely love it.

I love what I'm doing right now. I'm doing everything. What do I want to do when I graduate? I have no idea. Absolutely no clue. Everything will work itself out, and I'll figure it out eventually. I do know that I'm not limiting myself to just one or two options. I have a lot of different paths I can choose at this point in my life. That's both exhilarating and nerve racking. Everything will work itself out.

I'm in a good place as I enter my 20's. I'm thankful for all the opportunities I've had in my life, and can't wait to see what happens next.

I have some big plans and some big aspirations for the next 7 or 8 months. We're just getting started here, folks.

I have a lot to be thankful for, and I remind myself of that every day. 

Because, why not?
Josh

Incredibly nervous, excited

So, yeah. There's a lot on my mind.

There has been for a while. If anyone ever wants to take a peak inside, you're probably not going to have a fun time.

First, a story about the importance of knowing your schedule and how easy it is to confuse Wednesday with Tuesday or Thursday.

Every week, I host a sports talk show on our campus radio station, 670 AM WPPJ. From 3:00-4:00 p.m., I have the chance to talk sports with one of my friends. It's fun and relaxing and something I really look forward to every week.

Something our radio station looks forward to every year is "Rock-A-Thon." This is the 35th annual Rock-A-Thon and the first year that I am involved with it.

For 67 straight hours (our station is 670 AM, hence 67 hours), we broadcast live outside of our normal radio studio in the middle of one of the busiest hallways on campus. Our broadcasts can be heard from the first floor in the building and across the sky bridge into the second building across Wood St.

It raises money for good causes ever year and is a great event for the station.

Each DJ is required to host at least one hour of programming during Rock-A-Thon. When I originally signed up for my one-hour time slot, I accidentally signed up during my Wednesday Spanish class. During that same time period on Tuesday and Thursday, I have a break. I was going to go straight from class, do my show, and go to my next class. Easy.

But, I realized that I had accidentally signed up for the wrong time slot when I double checked the list. When I went to change my time, it was too late. The only other available time slots were the early a.m. times from 1:00-8:00.

I was forced to sign up for the 1 a.m. time slot on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. I was already going to the Penguin game that night and would get back to school pretty late, and I had to study for my test. I was going to be up anyways. It looked like it would work out.

The show ran smoothly for the first 50 minutes. I had great discussions with my co-host, played some good music and was having fun.

Then, as I went to play a soundbite from the computer, nothing happened. The computer was fine. The chord running from the computer to the sound mixer was not. The tip of the chord broke and fell off. When, how or why is still unknown. It just happened.

I was getting ready to send my show off into the next one that was scheduled to run from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. when the morning show began. He was prepared for an overnight shift, I was not.

Our tech guy was looking at the problem trying to find an answer. I told the next guy up, Vic, that I would stall with him until we could get music up and running for him. After all, his show is a music show, not a talk show.

I soon realized that I was in for a long night.

After a couple hours of messing with the equipment and looking for new chords, our tech guy just grabbed our old record player and hooked it up to the system. RadioShack opened at 9 a.m. the next day and he said they would just go there and get the part they needed. In the meantime, the record player would play Vic's music.

We didn't get that working until 5 a.m.

From 1 a.m. until 5 a.m., I was on the air without music or a commercial break. Nonstop. We gave random facts, talked about high school, interviewed random students passing by, I played the ukulele at one point, we played would you rather, and I even studied for my Spanish exam the next morning live on the air.

It was the latest I have stayed up in a long time.

The real kicker is that I woke up at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to go to The Globe and edit pages. I was up from 6:30 a.m. Tuesday until 5 a.m. Wednesday with a brief half-hour nap in the middle. Talk about a long day.

I had an in-class writing assignment in English at 9:40 a.m. and a Spanish exam at 11:20. I somehow got out of bed at 9 a.m. and was productive for the next three or so hours.

So, lesson learned: don't confuse days on your schedule or you may end up staying awake unintentionally for almost 23 hours.
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I'm only a couple weeks away from taking over Point Park's student-run newspaper, The Globe. In operation since 1967, I will become The Globe's youngest editor-in-chief ever. My predecessor became Chief during her second semester of her sophomore year as well, making her the youngest Chief ever. I am a couple months younger than her, giving me the nod as youngest Chief.

It's terrifying, actually.

I have to manage and run this whole joint for 12 months. January to January. In that time, our new Pittsburgh Playhouse will begin construction, Point Park's new digital media center will open, and we'll have a new president in our country. So there will be a lot of big stories to cover.

I'm steering this ship for the next twelve months which is both exciting and nerve-racking.

I have no idea what problems will arise and what touch decisions I will be forced to make.

The first major task at hand is getting a staff together. I created an online application for prospective staffers that eliminates the hassle of filling one out on paper. It's turning out to be a great decision, as 29 people have already applied for spots and the application still isn't due for another 10 days. As it stands now, I don't think I'll have any problems getting as staff together.

The next big task is finding an editor-elect to work under me for the next year to eventually take over after my term ends. The application for that position was due today and the applicants must now interview with a board of faculty and administration. I can only play the waiting game now on that front.

I have a lot of ideas for The Globe to take it to the next level. I'm excited to start in January and get the ball rolling. Then, I have to see that 28 issues get on newsstands over the next two semesters.
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I'm heading back to the Baseball Winter Meetings this year in Nashville, Tenn. with the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing.

We've been preparing for the last several weeks for this year's job fair and it should be another great experience. I can only imagine what opportunities it will give me this year.

I don't know what I'm doing this summer. I might work in baseball, I might stay in Pittsburgh, I might move somewhere totally different or a number of different things. I have no idea.

Whatever happens, happens. It'll work itself out.

I'm also traveling to Bradenton, Fl. in February to work the annual Riverwalk Regatta.

Finally, I am going to Cambridge, Mass. at the end of March for the 2016 Northeast Regional Honors Conference where I will present papers on the escalation of sports broadcast rights and stadium naming rights. I am traveling fly out to Cambridge with members of the Point Park Honors Program.

So, a lot of traveling and a lot of great opportunities aren't far away. I'm taking seven classes next semester along with everything else I'm doing. Hopefully I can make it out alive. The best way to do that is take things one week, one day and one hour at a time.

Because, why not?
Josh 

I'm living

I may not wake up tomorrow.

Nobody has the promise of tomorrow, we aren't even guaranteed to make it to the end of the day. I made it to the end of October 13th, though I am still searching for an answer as to how.

I'm taking full advantage of the time I have today. In high school, I never wanted to look back and say, "I wish I did more." I have taken the same approach in college. It is taking its toll, I would be lying if I said it wasn't, but I am making it.

Every day is a new day. With every new day brings new challenges and a new schedule. My current schedule has a structure, but a very flexible one at that. This Tuesday is far different from last Tuesday's and will be even more different from next Tuesday's. I can't think too far ahead or I will go insane.

I love sticky notes and my wall calendar. They are keeping me straight and sane.

People ask me every day how I am balancing everything I'm doing (I'll get to that later). Yesterday, while at The Globe, one of our editors approached me genuinely concerned and curious about how I am doing. The senior told me that it was very strange and unusual for a sophomore to be doing as much as three seniors combined would be doing. She told me it is important to set aside 15 minutes every day week to eat ice cream and cry. Some days you can go without one or the other, but 15 minutes every day to yourself is important.

Ice cream is a great comfort food. My cries are few and far between, though the last time I cried was after the Pirates fell to the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Game. Before that, I can't remember the last time I cried. It's fine. But, I didn't have ice cream.

I am eating fine, despite not having time to sit down and enjoy a meal. I am usually eating on the go or while I'm working on something. Food is an important priority. I love it too much to set it aside or forget about it! There are some days where I have to skip lunch or hold off on dinner, but I make up for it later and am doing fine.

We are in the middle of October now and halfway through the first semester. Mondays and Tuesdays are almost impossible to manage, but I somehow do. Here's my weekly "schedule" kind of:

Monday:
9:40 - Writing Intensive English (Though it is more reading intensive)
11:20 - Spanish (Great classes to have back to back. El taco.)
1:00 - Meeting with Athletics boss
2:40 - The Globe pitch meeting
   After the meeting, we begin layout and anything is possible.
6:00-9:00 - Sports Media and Marketing class (My favorite class with the most outside of class work)
9:00-? - Finishing layout. I can be there until 11, 12 or 1.

Tuesday:
7:00 - Give a final read and put last edits to the paper before sending to print
8:00 - Science (My professor is extremely condescending and not helpful)
9:40 - Psychology (Very interesting class with the sweetest old lady professor)
Sometime during those previous four hours - Create Player of the Week graphics
11:40 - Office hour in the Center for Sports Media & Marketing
1:00 - Live Production and Directing class (No outside work. Can't miss class, very fun and enjoyable)
Evening - Pioneer Sideline on U-View
or Point Park sports game-day coverage

Wednesday: (My lightest day)
9:40 - English
11:20 - Spanish
3:00 - One-hour radio show
THAT'S IT (In theory)

Thursday:
8:00 - Science
9:40 - Psychology
1:00 - Live Production and Directing class
Evening - Daybreak on U-View
or Point Park sports game-day coverage

Friday - Sunday:
Point Park sports game-day coverage, Rugby coverage, or anything else this place has me doing. There's always something different.

As you can see, Mondays and Tuesdays are hectic and long. It's exhausting. This past Tuesday, I went from my production class to a meeting with the Dean of Students about The Globe, ran Emily a drink from Starbucks up to her at Duquesne and attend the Penguins Red Carpet event outside CONSOL before their home opener (which they lost 3-2 to drop to 0-3 on the year). Immediately after that, I stopped at Hello Bistro, bought a $5 burger, and went straight to the gym to cover volleyball as I ate my burger. My boss was not at the game due to a family situation and we were light staffed. I did my best to do three people's jobs in under an hour and ensured a smooth and successful night. Watch my video recap of the game here which I had to do afterwards for an hour and a half.  After that, I still managed to complete my Spanish and English homework while also studying for my Science final Thursday.

I have an A or A- in each of my six classes right now. I have gotten at least a 94% on each midterm so far, pending the result from my science final. I somehow am not completely failing my six classes that I have not given as much time and energy to that I typically would. Why? I decided this semester to put a stronger emphasis on my work outside the classroom; work that will improve my skills, portfolio and resume, and that will actually help me towards my future. Maybe I'll have to understand Einstein's Theory of Relativity in this field someday, I don't know. Right now, I am prioritizing everything and that is helping me succeed in mostly everything. Here is everything I'm doing:

- Editor-Elect of The Globe (I will take over in January '16 and remain Chief through my first semester of Junior year.)
- Preparing for a brief trip to Atlanta later this month (more on that in a later post)
- Preparing for another Baseball Winter Meetings, this time in Nashville, Tenn.
- My weekly radio show (that's a lot of fun with a good friend of mine. More relaxing than stressful, but time consuming)
- Planning an event for the Honors Program mentors and mentees
- Reporting for Daybreak and Pioneer Sideline on U-View
- Working in the Athletic Department - takes up a lot of time. Game days take up 5-10 hours of time. But I'm producing solid content.
- Actively involved with the Center for Sports Media & Marketing - I'm helping our new Grad Assistant a lot this year with little things acting as her "right-hand man." The Center co-directors have been great to me and I want to do everything I can to help them and The Center. (We are all going to a free Penguin game Thursday)
- Thinking about and working on four different in-depth research papers
   - The effects of psychological momentum on athletes and teams
   - Stadium naming rights and their role in 21st century sports
   - Broadcast rights fees - includes interviewing high-level executives at Turner Sports, Sports Business Journal, ESPN and the Blue Sky Agency
   - Something about Butler for English, I'm not really sure about that one yet - why it's at the bottom of my list.
- Currently in discussion with the PBP voice of the Philadelphia 76ers
- Trying to stay sane

I'm managing. Somehow, I'm managing. And I still have time (a lot more than I thought I would, believe it or not) for friends.

I'm living.

I'm not sitting in my dorm room eating chips and playing Xbox all day. In fact, I'm rarely in the room other than when I'm sleeping, so I don't even see my roommates often.

I'm not guaranteed tomorrow, so why waste today?

15 minutes to myself every day is important. 15 minutes to write, nap, watch TV, think, or as my one editor suggested: eat ice cream and cry.

Because, why not?
Josh

Editor Elect

My parents never met Herb Thompson.

My high school journalism professor of one year left more of a mark on me than I realized and I owe him a lot today. 

I didn't take my first journalism class until my senior year of high school to fill a spot on my schedule. The newspaper class was always during band period and I couldn't skip band to go to a class where I wouldn't know what I was doing.

I didn't know what I was doing when I went to my first Skyliner class with Herb Thompson. I didn't know what I would do in the class or how I would do it. I hated writing. Hated it. 

Then I was introduced to journalism. 

Not english composition papers or five paragraph essays. Journalism. I got to interview people and I got to write things that I enjoyed. I fell in love with it. I loved the style of journalistic writing and adapted to it quickly. Thompson taught me how to be a reporter and he taught me how to write and write well. 

I guess he brought out the writer in me more than he taught me how to write. He knew that I had something. When someone can write, you just know it. He knew that I had a talent and gave me the tools to bring out that talent.

I didn't know I liked journalism and news until I took Thompson's class. He was also one of the people that was in charge of selecting those who spoke at graduation. I

I was fortunate enough to experience Herb Thompson in his last year of teaching and my last year of high school. Every day, we would go over the stories on the front page of the "Post Gadget" (The Post Gazette) and later in the year we looked at the Trib. He always had a cup of coffee, black coffee at that. 

He was unable to attend open house night for the first time in years when I had him. Unfortunately, my parents didn't get to meet him. He was the only teacher I had that I really wanted my parents to meet. They didn't get to and never did meet him.

Since retirement, nobody has really heard from Herb. He is virtually off the grid. I, like many others that took Thompson's classes, wish we could visit and chat with him.

If it wasn't for Herb Thompson, I never would have joined the newspaper at Point Park. 

I started writing for The Globe my first week on campus. I hesitantly took the rugby beat and covered the team all semester. The next semester, I was promoted to sports columnist. I reluctantly accepted the position and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This semester, I accepted the position of sports editor. I'm still writing the column and I'm still covering rugby, but I now have the responsibility of overseeing the entire sports section. It involves staying in contact with writers, working with the photo editors and laying out the section Monday nights. 

That was supposed to be the plan for the semester.

Last week, I was approached about the possibility of taking over for our current editor-elect who was considering stepping down. I said I was interested and would think about it. The next thing I knew, I was preparing to take over as the Editor-Elect of The Globe. 

The editor elect is second in command. They take over for the editor-in-chief the following semester. The editor elect basically shadows the chief and helps out with anything they need.

This means that I am no longer the sports editor, but the Editor-Elect. I am taking over The Globe as Editor-in-Chief the spring semester.

I still don't know how to feel about it all. Every position that I've accepted at The Globe so far, I've done so reluctantly and have thrived and enjoyed every one. I imagine that I will love the challenge of running the paper and can't wait to get started. 

I will be Kristin Snapp's Editor-Elect. She played a big role in getting me to write for the paper and convincing me to apply for the sports editor position. She is currently in her second semester as chief. When she took over last year during the spring, she became the youngest editor the paper has ever had. She was in her second semester of her sophomore year, like I will be this coming spring. For now, I will be printed as the "assistant to the editor" until all the official paperwork goes through and I am interviewed by the powers that be.

Snapp is a Butler grad. Her predecessor was Jon Andreassi, another Butler grad. I will be the third straight Butler alum to run this paper. The third straight Herb Thompson product to run this paper. I think that alone speaks to the impact that man had on students. I think we could all agree that we miss Herb and wish to thank him for getting us here. 

I hope we're making Herb proud. Herb Thompson is somebody that I, and many others, strive to make proud, even if he is off the grid and may not know what we're doing. 

So Herb, thank you. Tomorrow's cup of coffee is for you.

Because, why not?

Josh

Hey! What's up? Hello!

Hello!

It's been a while since we've talked. Like, a long while. Let's catch up.

I was festive on "Pirate Night"

Summer is over. My internship is over. It ended perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. My final week with the Power was incredible and my last game was even more incredible.

My final series with the Power was against the Boston Red Sox affiliate, the Greenville Drive. The Sox were my first love and are my other favorite team besides the Pirates. Their team is loaded with prospects that are almost locks to be in the majors some day, including one of the top ten prospects in the game, Yoan Moncada.

Suchy signs autographs minutes after
winning the gamewith a solo-HR

During the last game I had one of the most epic dizzy bat fails of all time. The kids that signed up were barely tall enough to put their heads on the bats and they didn't drop the bats when they were finished spinning. Watch it here. Also, we blew a six run lead. Moncada doubled with two outs in the ninth to give the Drive a one-run lead heading into the bottom half of the ninth. We somehow tied it up and sent it to extras. In the twelfth inning, Michael Suchy, whose signed bat I just acquired, hit a walk-off home run to win the game. Here is the Power Minute from that game, my last highlight recap.  I even threw in a, "because, why not?" because, why not?

The box score from my
final game.

I was standing in the dugout checking on my camera guy and talking with the grounds crew when Suchy hit the home run to left field. We jumped in the air and I gave a hug to the 6'7" grounds crew intern who became somewhat of an older brother to me during the summer. I stayed on the field and said my goodbyes to a few guys including Connor Joe, who I have come to know pretty well. When I left, Cole Tucker got placed on the disabled list and the 2015 first-round pick was promoted to take his place. It was just announced that Tucker will have shoulder surgery and will miss 10-12 months, which is really quite unfortunate.

I stayed at the ballpark pretty late that night socializing and saying my goodbyes to the staff and other remaining interns. My boss had me sign a baseball for him too, which was cool. The next day, I went in during the early morning to complete my final top ten and say goodbye to the rest of the staff.

Here are links to other works of mine from the summer:
In House Commercial compilation 
Power Highlights for WOWK-TV, CBS affiliate in Charleston
Erie Insurance "Seriously Good" Highlight of the Game compilation
Different After Effects projects, including samples of 3D logos I made for each SAL team

The baseball my boss had me sign

Also, my final project video that I mentioned in the previous post was a huge hit. A major success. Please take time to watch it here. 

My dad arrived shortly after I was done to move me out and take me home. That night, we went and watched my church softball team win the division championship in a bittersweet game.

I was home for a couple days, one of which was spent at Kennywood with Emily, and then went on a much-needed mini vacation with Emily and her family to Niagara Falls in Canada. What an awesome couple of days.

Then, just like that, it was time to move in to school to begin sophomore year.

World Cup trophy

Part of my new room

I moved in early to help with the Honors Program Welcome Week. I am an honors mentor this year, which means I was given four students to mentor throughout the school year. At the end of our welcome week, we had them all fill out ballots to select their mentors. All of my mentees have been great so far!

After my family moved me in, we went up to Mount Washington to do some sight seeing. The next day, I went to Heniz Field to check out the crowd for the U.S. Women's Soccer Team who was starting a victory tour after winning the 2015 World Cup. My dorm this year is smaller than last year, but my suite as a whole is amazingly better. My view is top of the line as well.

Look closely: Between my brother and mother, you can see
my suite on the top building of the brown brick
building with the fire escape. 

Welcome week was crazy. It was almost non-stop. I walked a marathon and a half over three days throughout the city doing community service and touring the city with freshmen. We also helped out with a new non-profit who throw birthday parties for kids who can't afford them. We all sang happy birthday to them! Watch it here.

I ended the week by heading to the Friday night Pirate's Giants game and caught up with a few friends. The rest of my roommates moved in Saturday. Then, the real work began Monday with the first day of classes. Monday's are my busiest, most non-stop days of the week. They end with a 6-9 class followed by editing and putting together the sports section of The Globe newspaper.

Some of the freshmen in my groups for
honors welcome week.

I learned this in the first three days of classes: the only time I will be in my suite this year, 701 Conestoga, will be to sleep, work and eat. Not much else. I'm taking on a lot this semester, but I know I can handle it. Here is just my outside the classroom involvement, much of which I consider more important than classes:

- Sports editor and columnist of The Globe. I am also writing a heavy amount of stories for the paper along with being the section editor and columnist.
- Assistant sports director of WPPJ Radio. Trying to bring back live PPU sports coverage to the student radio station. I also will host my show from last year, "Croup's Corner," with my friend, Jimmy Kail.
- Host, reporter for U-View, continuing from last year.
- Athletic Communications Student Apprentice - I now get paid to cover PPU Sports. I work for the Athletic Department with our assistant athletic director/sports information director. That job is going to be all over the place and will be very demanding/rewarding.
- Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing Student Advisory Board - The people that paid for me to go to San Diego that led to me awesome summer.
- Honors Program Mentor
I think that's it. For now.

I'm also taking 18 credits this semester. Six classes, four of which are general classes. Science, English Writing, Spanish and Psychology. I'm also taking Sports Media and Marketing, my night class that goes down as an elective, and Broadcast Production, which goes down as a requirement for my minor.

Oh yeah, I declared a minor.

I'm a broadcast reporting major with a minor in media production and management. All it means is four extra classes, which I would have taken as electives anyways. Killing two birds with one stone, essentially.

I'll give feedback on my classes and professors once I've completed a full week with all of them. It will be interesting for sure.

If this summer taught me anything, it's that I can work myself into the ground with 16 hour days and 65 hour weeks and be totally fine. I'm young and have a lot of energy and a strong work ethic. I'm confident in what I do and know how to balance my time, energy and friends. The final one of the three is going to be the most difficult this year. If I worry about it, it won't be fine. If I don't worry about it, it will work out. It always does. Everything will be fine in the end.

I wasn't sure how I was going to eat or survive this summer. I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

I survived and I thrived. I did everything and anything and was fine. I survived a summer in Minor League Baseball. I was once told by someone who used to work in the game and who now works with a Pittsburgh news station that if you can survive a summer in the MiLB, you can do absolutely anything. That's the mindset that I'm going into this school year with.

The view from my suite. What a beautiful world we live in.
What a beautiful city I live in.

This quote will get me through a lot of days this year. It should also get anyone through any day ever.

"So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great."

No matter what happens in this life, you have to stay positive. You have know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that things do get easier. There were days this summer that I didn't think I could make it out of. There were days where I questioned why I was there. There were plenty of those days last year. There will be plenty more this year. Everything will be okay in the end, it always is. No matter how terrible things seem right now, they will get better. The work will get done, the stress and drama will eventually go away and everything will be okay. That will get me through this year.

We've made it this far.

On a sadder note, today's tragedy in Roanoke, Virginia, is devastating. The broadcasting and the journalism community is in shock.

WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward were both shot and killed during a live shot on their morning show by a former WDBJ employee.  I actually have a friend, a PPU grad, who is a reporter at Parker's former station, WCTI.

It was not a dangerous story. It was not a protest or a riot. They were interviewing a woman about increasing tourism in the area. The shooter filmed himself performing the senseless act and posted it online. The crew was live on the air when the incident happened.

I watched both videos. They brought me to tears. How can somebody performing such an evil act? Why target these young people? What was there to gain from this? They didn't deserve any of this. It is not fair, not one bit. I was angry, upset, heart broken and in disbelief, all within five minutes. I still cannot wrap my mind around the whole situation.

Anything can happen to anyone at anytime at any place. There is nothing we can do to hide from evil. All we can do is promote love and peace, spreading God's love to everyone. This world needs him right now. This world needs love. There is so much hate and so much sadness. It's not fair, no. We can't focus on the hate. We can't focus on the evil. We all need to sell. Sell good vibes. Sell good news. Sell good thoughts. We can't eliminate hate, there's no chance. But we can sell love.


Love is stronger than hate.

That's it.

Life is a mirror. If you smile at it, it will smile back.

I'm not going to be able to get passed this for a while. It is not fair, it is not right and it is not okay. We all need a little love. Smile at people instead of ignoring them, look up instead of down at your phone and love instead of hate.

Because, why not?
Josh

Week Thirteen

Talk about a wild final last week. It was my last full week with the West Virginia Power, and a crazy one at that. I gave myself a long to-do list for my final week trying to leave this place in the best condition possible.

Sitting in the rain waiting for the show

After a productive Monday, I decided to make the trip to University of Charleston Stadium to drop $21 on a DCI ticket. I haven't been to a DCI show since I was in elementary school and even though the corps weren't the top of the line corps, it was a chance to see a show. I didn't know when I could go see a show again in the future, so I took full advantage of this chance. I've been missing music a lot lately and was looking forward to this tremendously. 

Phantom Regiment, the host corp, began their show
with the Eiffel Tower

I was too cheap to pay for reserved seating, so I saved a few bucks and just went with GA seats that were first come, first serve. I was going to try and get there when the gates opened to get the best seat possible. Of course, heavy rain moved in right at 5:30, a half hour before gates opened. The rain stopped at around 6:15 and was a light drizzle for the next hour. I arrived at 6:10 with a couple towels and umbrellas. The start of the show was delayed until 8:30 so the field could have time to dry. I sat by myself in the first seat to the left of the reserved seating section right on the 40 yard line. The seat was great. 

The Blue Knights of Denver took home the top score at the
Drums Across the Tri State DCI competition Monday

There were so many walls of sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and gave me chills on multiple occasion. It was a feeling that I missed and one that had me on the edge of my seat for most of the night. That was the best investment that I made all summer, even if I did choose to go by myself and sit in the rain around a bunch of high school students. It was fantastic. 

I spent the last few nights that I had free at and around the Capitol Building. Its peacefulness combined with its beauty makes it my favorite place in Charleston. 

My final homestand kicked off Thursday night with "Back to the Future" night. I spent hours watching clips from the trilogy and cutting up pieces of the three films to show during the game. I even created a special graphic for pregame. Well, our video board went down right before gates opened. After a couple hours of fighting with cables and troubleshooting, we solved our problem and had the board up and running for first pitch. 

The night included a post-game concert and a jersey auction. After the concert, I stuck around to help take down the stage. While we waited for the band to move their stuff off, we had a nice moment with the remaining staff members. I finally left the park at 1:00, only to return at 10 the next morning for game two of seven. 

My last Fireworks Friday. I made sure to include the inflatable chuck in the background of my Power Minute for the game.  I developed a love-hate relationship for that thing. I finally figured out how to get him to stay up. It only took the entire summer. He survived a few wind gusts and children playing on him two nights in a row, so I think it's safe to say he's invincible now. Knock on wood. 

Right around the same time as Thursday night, our video board went down again. This time, we could not find an easy fix. After my boss's phone died while talking to tech support, he used mine for the next two hours. It took a couple hours longer than the previous night and a journey up inside the board, but we fixed the issue during the fourth inning and had it running like normal steadily by the sixth. Coincidentally, we had a no-hitter going up until the seventh inning. 

The first thing I did when I got into the press box Saturday was turn on the board. It worked. We kept it on for the entire day after getting it turned on. IT STAYED ON ALL NIGHT. I started the night on wireless camera, moved to high-home and then took over in the directors chair for the first time. I spent about two innings there and went back out on the wireless camera. 

Saturday was also the day the team posted my final project video to their YouTube account and shared it across social media. For the few that have seen it so far, I have heard good things. Watch it by clicking here. 

It's a good way to go out. On a high note. My goal entering the week was to not be a lame duck as I finish my time here. I laid out a detailed report on the space on the computers in order to save and preserve space on our hard drives. I'm laying out a bunch of templates for future projects. I've done a lot this past week to help people in the future here and I'm satisfied with my work thus far. I still have a few days left and I intend on making the most of every minute. 

Because, why not?
Josh

Hours July 26 - August 1

7-26 Sunday: Off
7-27 Monday: 10-3 (5)
7-28 Tuesday: 10-6 (8)
7-29 Wednesday: 9:30-5:30 (8)
7-30 Thursday: 10-1 (15)
7-31 Friday: 10-12 (14)
8-1 Saturday: 2-10:30 (8.5)

Total: 58.5