Every fall, Elon University freshmen and transfers sit through an hour long ceremony, bask in the sun, make their commitment to the Elon Honor Pledge, recite the Call to Honor and receive the symbolic honor coin for their efforts. During the hour-long ceremony the four pillars of the code are discussed: honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.
Although students have these coins as a reminder of the pledge they sign, they don’t always actively think about it or the ceremony they attended. To many students, these ideas of honors have been following them for years.
“[The Call to Honor ceremony] doesn’t really stand out to me,” said junior Maddie Lynch. “It was just really long. It’s really the same thing you had in high school. Now, you get a coin for it.”
Lynch doesn’t actively think about the Elon Honor Code, even though signs are hung in almost every classroom serving as a reminder, reiterating the four values they signed their first year at Elon. But, Lynch also said she is an honest person in general, which is why she doesn’t need the constant reminder not to plagiarize or be truthful.
“To me the honor code means to always do your best,” Lynch. “You don’t cheat to do better or break the integrity of your work.”
Senior Elizabeth Benjamin has been reminded of the Honor Code for the past three years through the various syllabuses where it is listed again and again. To her, the Honor Code means giving credit where credit is due and being an honest person.
Benjamin has also experienced a similar code during her middle and high school years, but she said Elon’s Honor Code is less strict. The may be because of the freedom students are given and predisposed expectations they are held to as the enter their adult years.
Even though students aren’t actively thinking about the aspects of the honor code, they are still actively learning how to uphold honor in their classes.
Junior Patrick Keneally forgot about the honor code until this morning, when he found out the Call to Honor ceremony was happening. Thinking back on it, to him, the code is about being honest with his professors, his friends and those around him.
“I don’t necessarily think about it,” Keneally said. “But, now that I’m taking upper level business courses with chapters about ethics, I think more about doing the right thing.”
The goal of the pledge is to remind students to continue the “honorable legacy” of the university. According to the Call to Honor, to keep the growth of students and faculty and grow in knowledge, all members must commit themselves to being truthful in their work, trustworthy, accountable for their actions and civil.
“It’s always in the back of my mind,” Benjamin said. “As long as you know it’s there, it might stop you from doing something dishonest.”
As Elon University strives for diversity and welcomeness, they have made efforts for inclusion in the LGBTQIA community on campus.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
Recently, the LGBTQIA Task Force Implementation and Assessment Team shared its update for Elon’s Institutional Strategic Plan for LGBTQIA inclusion. The plan lays out the recommendations in support of the four overarching goals the team has — support, welcome, educate and communicate.
Since the plan’s implementation, the university has added a number of resources for LGBTQIA students, including housing, specific health professionals and increased accessed to the Gender and LGBTQIA Center. There has also been training programs given to Greek Life and Athletic Teams among other groups to increase acceptance and understanding.
One of the major changes includes a new optional demographic category for LGBTQIA identity on Elon’s Application for Enrollment and to publicize the system for using a preferred name. The Task Force is hoping to expand its education and programing in the years to come.
Despite the progress being made in terms of programming and policy changes, there still has yet to be a complete change in climate at the university. According to Kristen Wrinkleberg, professor of art history, believes the LGBTQIA climate is not as good as it used to be even though there has been policy changes.
“Some of the things they are doing will make a difference,” she said. “Now admissions is capturing data with a box you can check. But, a lot of students won’t check that box even if they know they are. It’s different what we want to achieve that what is actually being achieved.”
But, with information being released the university, the next step is to look at the assessment. Kimberly Fath, assessment specialist and member of the LGBTQIA Task Force Implementation and Assessment Team, wants students to feel the same level of support and belonging. She is curious whether or not LGBTQIA students do not join certain organizations because they feel unwelcome.
President Barak Obama’s letter of support for the LGBTQIA community hanging in the Gender and LGBTQIA Center.
“We want the same experience for all of our students,” Fath said. “Not that they do the same things, but the experience is the same for being welcomed and having full participation for anything they want to do.”
It is Fath’s job to assess the information and educational programs in place, which students have responded well to.
Junior Alexandria Jakaitis and member of Sigma Sigma Sigma said her sorority received a LGBTQIA training session from Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of Gender and LGBTQIA Center.
“Everyone really enjoyed it,” Jakaitis said. “It answered a lot of questions we didn’t really think about before. Everyone felt more comfortable about the topic after.”
She said it was most beneficial when Bosch explained the proper terms to use in different situations, which will lead to less awkward and more politically correct conversations and environments in the future.
Despite these programs reaching specific organizations, students outside of them have not experienced the changes.
“I haven’t really heard or seen anything,” said sophomore Rachel Waller.
Junior Jack Vincenty, a performing arts major, said his program is usually more accepting to the LGBTQIA community, which is why he hasn’t seen many efforts.
“I’m in a community where it is very accepted and we are more inclusive,” he said. “So, I haven’t noticed anything.”
With recent racial bias incidents and safety concerns on Elon University’s campus, the Department of Campus Safety and Police are currently upgrading the surveillance camera system across campus.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
By partnering up with Instructional and Campus Technologies, the campus is installing an addition 50 cameras, 14 license plate-reading camera and new storage servers to the 440 cameras already deployed. They will be installed in strategic locations where security of people and property will be enhanced.
“Upon completion of this project we will have 500 camera to assist our efforts in achieving our mission of striving to maintain a safe campus environment to work, live and learn,” said Dennis Franks, director of Campus Safety and Police, in a email.
On April 22, a female African American student reported a racial slur was directed at her from a passing car on N. O’Kelly Avenue. According to an email from Smith Jackson, vice president for Student Life, with the new cameras installed, security was able to identify the vehicle involved in the incident within 48 hours and determined the occupants of the car were Elon students.
One student took responsibility and is being held accountable for their actions.
With knowledge of the accountability of action found from the camera, students are hoping it will cause fewer incidents like this in the future.
Cameras can be found on various buildings around campus.
“I think camera will make people more conscious of what they are saying,” said sophomore Camaya Miller. “Not only that but people will want to be more aware with what their friends are doing. You are not going to want to get caught with your friends doing something stupid.”
Despite the greater emphasis of the use of camera in racial bias incidents, Marilyn Slade, program assistant for the center for race, ethnicity and diversity education (CREDE), believes the camera usually help, but not in every situation, especially when alcohol is involved.
“The students will feel safe with more cameras,” she said. “I feel safe now. But, if they are in a different state of mind they are not always going to think about it.”
Although the university already has about 440 security cameras already, students aren’t always aware of them. They are, however, aware of their importance to the safety of campus.
“If you university think it’s going to help I’m for it,” said sophomore Cody Holt. “I don’t notice the camera now, so I won’t notice them later. If everyone already has camera in their pockets, why should we care about 50 more?”
Some students think safety efforts should be made elsewhere. Senior Emma Hall is more concerned on how dark it is when she walks late at night.
“I think it would be more beneficial to have more lights on campus for night,” she said. “There are times when I walk from the library to the oaks and its very dark.”
She does, however, see how they are beneficial for racial bias incidents.
“It will make people more conscious about what they say,” Hall said.
In the recent wake of tragedies involving mass shooting with the greatest being Virginia Tech University in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, more schools are looking at legislation tied to guns on college campus.
For some schools the solution is to loosen existing firearm regulation and allowed concealed weapons on campus. In 2013, 19 states introduced legislation to allow it and two bills passed — one in Kansas that allows concealed carry generally and one in Arkansas that allows faculty to carry.
More recently, in late April 2015 in North Carolina, House Bill 526, which is backed by the National Rifle Association, was written to require private universities to allow gun owners with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns onto school property. However, that language was removed from the bill before it was sent for the full House vote.
Elon University’s current policy states to “strictly prohibit the possession of any weapon on university property or at university-related events. This includes any firearm, even with the possession of a valid concealed carry permit.”
Campus security resides in the Oaks, but officers are throughout campus constantly.
Although there has been legislation to change this policy, campus security and police still backs the no gun policy, especially with the shenanigans and pressures occurring on a college campus.
“Alcohol and guns are a recipe for disaster,” said Dennis Franks, director of campus security and police.
The police also have a safety plan in place if there was an active shooting on campus that would not only involve the university police, but the town of Elon, Burlington and Gibsonville police as well.
“It doesn’t take long for an active shooting to occur,” Franks said. “Every officer is trained for this and we have forced multiplication working in the same area.”
Franks and Cliff Parker, town of Elon chief police, both recommend students get the LiveSafe app on their cell phones. The application has an emergency button that would show campus security exactly where the student is in a time of need. There is also a training video students can watch, which explains what to do if an active shooter is on campus.
“We want people to be as safe as possible,” Parker said. “If it comes down to it you might have to take some kind of action.”
A majority of students on campus agree concealed carry should not be allowed because of the multiple tragedies that have occurred with guns involved.
“I don’t think there should be any guns on campus because it hasn’t led to anything productive,” said sophomore Katrine Ryan.
Students are also worried that involving guns with stress and alcohol would lead to potential dangers.
“You are interacting with so many different people,” said senior Anna Mokas. “That really freaks me out. This is the time of your life when you are so up and down with emotions.”
Sophomore Viktoria Chiappa believes if concealed carry was allowed more people would need guns to feel safe.
“If someone was to have one then everyone would need to have one,” she said. “It would turn everyone against each other.”
Measurements are very important to include to add viable details to stories so the audiences understand. Reporters should always double check sources by doing time, rate and distance problems to assure they are accurate.
The basic formula for these are the same, but requires some switching up. The units of measurement must always be the same as well.
distance = rate x time
rate = distance / time
time = distance / rate
While reporting on cars or crashes speed and velocity are often included. Speed is how fast something is going, while velocity is also indicating direction. Average speed can be more useful to stories than the instantaneous speed and acceleration can show the increase.
average speed = distance / time
acceleration = (ending velocity – starting velocity) / time
ending velocity = (acceleration x time) + starting velocity
ending speed = square root of 2(acceleration x distance)
Practice problem: A BMW can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 45 seconds. What is the rate of acceleration?
Momentum is the force necessary to stop an object from moving. It is also important to note the differences of weight and mass. Weight is a measure of the force of gravity pulling on an object and mass is the measure of amount.
momentum = mass x velocity
Area Measurements
To describe measurements analogies can often be used to as a visual but only work if readers understand the comparison. This is why it is important to still know calculations for areas and perimeters while writing about construction.
perimeter of a rectangle = (2 x length) + (2 x width)
area of a rectangle = length x width
area of a triangle = .5base x height
Practice problem: A square garden has a length of 6ft and width of 7ft. What is its perimeter?
There are various measurement told in squares to represent large or small spaces.
114 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
Radius of a circle is the distance from any edge to the middle. Circumference is the distance around it. To calculate these pi is used which is rounded off as 3.14.
circumference = 2pi x radius
area of a circle = pi x radius^2
Volume Measurements
Volume measurements are also used to describe how much of something is needed or to describe businesses and their goods. Liquid measurements are used for recipes, bodies of water and other fluids.
volume of rectangular solid = length x width x height
Here are few common conversions:
2 tablespoons = 1 fluid once
1/2 pint = 8 ounces, or one cup
1 pint = 16 ounces, or two cups
2 pints (32 ounces) = 1 quart
2 quarts (64 ounces) = 1/2 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
Practice problem: How many servings are there in a pint of orange juice if the serving size is 8 ounces?
To calculate the amount of electricity that is used you need to maximum wattage on equipment and the time that is was used.
wattage x time = energy consumed, in watt hours
When firewood is sold it is in a measurement called cord, which is 128 cubic feet when the wood is stacked in a line or row. A standard core is a stack of wood that is 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and four feet high.
There are multiple forms of tons. A short ton is 2,000 pounds. A long ton or British ton is 2,240 pounds. A metric ton is 1,000 kilograms or 2,204.62 pounds. Here are conversions:
short to long ton: multiply by .89
short to metric ton: multiply by .9
long to short ton: multiply 1.12
long to metric ton: multiply by 1.02
metric to short ton: multiply by 1.1
metric to long ton: multiply .98
The Metric System
In America it is common to see imperial units, but the rest of the world is on the metric system. To report on a global level its important to know the metric system, which is based on multiples of 10.
The meter is the basic unit of length. One gram is the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at 0 degrees. Newton is the metric unit of force, which applied to a one-kilogram object will give the object an acceleration of one meter per second per second. Volume traces its origins to the cubic decimeter.
The metric system based on the decimal system and prefixes are added to the unit names to create larger or smaller factors. To change within the units powers of 10 are multiplied or divided.
micro (1 millionth) 0.000001
milli (1 thousandth) 0.001
centi (1 hundredth) 0.01
deci (1 tenth) 0.1
no prefix 1
deka 10
hecto 100
kilo 1,000
mega 1,000,000
Practice problem: How many kilometers are in 48,000 meters?
To convert American length to to metric you can multiply inches by 25.4 to find millimeters, feet by 30 to find centimeters, yards by 90 to find centimeters and miles by 1.6 to find kilometers.
To convert American area measurements to metric multiply square inches by 6.5 to find square centimeters, square feet by 0.09 to find square meters, square yards by 0.8 to find square meters, square miles by 2.6 to find square kilometers and acres by 0.4 to find hectares.
To convert American mass measurements to metric multiply ounces by 28 to find grams, pounds by 0.45 to find kilograms, pounds by .07 to get stones and short tons by 0.9 to find metric tons.
To convert American volume measurements multiply teaspoons by 5 to find milliliters, tablespoons by 15 to find milliliters, fluid ounces by 30 to find milliliters, cups by 0.24 to find liters, pints by 0.47 to find liters, quarts by 0.95 to find liters, gallons by 3.8 to find liters, cubic feet by 0.03 to find cubic meters and cubic yards by 0.76 to find cubic meters.
The American temperature is Fahrenheit, but the rest of the world uses Celsius. To convert there are simple formulas.
Celsius = .56 x (Fahrenheit – 32)
Fahrenheit = (1.8 x Celsius) + 32
There are also a few style rules to keep in mind. All units start with lower case except when talking about temperature, unites are only plural when there is more than 1, symbols are never pluralized, a space should be used between the number and the symbol, never put a period after a symbol unless it is the end of the sentence and if a number is less than 1, a zero should be written before the decimal point.
Sophomore Danielle Dulchinos jogged down Truitt Drive, training for the half marathon she will run at the beginning of spring break. At mile four, her wrist began to buzz — she just reached her step goal.
Fitness trackers have arrived on campus. Students and faculty wear brands such as Fitbit, Jawbone and Nike FuelBand on their wrists to track the steps they take, the hours of sleep they get, the calories they burn and the number of minutes they are active each day. These trackers use accelerometer technology to accurately represent the wearer’s daily activity.
Fitbit Flex is the only fitness tracker with interchangeable bands for students to match with their outfit. Photo by Jane Seidel
Already active, Dulchinos got her Fitbit Flex for Christmas two years ago thinking it would make her more aware of her daily movement. She didn’t expect it to make her more aware of her running.
“I usually reach 12,000 to 15,000 steps,” Dulchinos said. “On my 12.5 mile day, I got close to 30,000. It was awesome. It’s good to have concrete data to know where you’re at. Also, it’s great bragging rights.”
People who are not in training but just need a little motivation to get moving also use fitness trackers.
Sean Burrus, adjunct instructor in religious studies, made his New Year’s resolution to be active 20 minutes a day, take 10,000 steps a day and exercise at least three times a week. His Fitbit Flex has helped him achieve these goals. He said that because it’s on his wrist, it’s a constant reminder he has goals to finish.
“It motivates me,” Burrus said. “Even on the weeks when I don’t really get my goals in, I do better than I would without it. I feel guilty if I don’t meet my goals. I’m more likely to go after my goals with it.”
Stepping away from sedentary
Lynda Butler-Storsved, senior lecturer in health and human performance, uses a Nike FuelBand. She can fall into “active couch potato syndrome,” meaning she exercises every day, but she will spend the rest of the time sitting and working.
By having a fitness tracker, she can better monitor her activity and remind herself to go for a short walk when she is being inactive.
People overestimate how active they are. People are shocked to see how long they are sitting. – Lynda Butler-Storsved, lecturer in health and human performance
“I think a lot of people do want to be more conscious of their activity level, but the convenience level isn’t always easy,” Butler-Storsved said. “This is easy. People can overestimate how active they are. People are shocked to see how long they are sitting.”
Standing burns twice as many calories as sitting. According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sitting for more than eight hours a day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and early death.
Fitness apps track how many steps, miles and stairs are taken as well as calories burned and active minutes. Photo by Courtney Campbell
“Do allow yourself to put some focus on your unstructured activity,” Butler-Storsved said. “Take note of what you’re doing throughout your other time during the day, and set a specific goal around those. Decrease the amount of time that you’re sitting.”
Burrus found that, because of his Fitbit, he now goes out of his way to take more steps. Before, he would drive to the grocery store and downtown area, which are only a few blocks away. Now, he almost always walks there.
“I have volunteered to get things at the grocery store even though it wasn’t completely necessary,” he said.
Freshman Olivia Vaz got her Fitbit Flex because both her mom and stepfather have one and gave good reviews. Although there are other apps that track similar things, she likes that she has all of the data in once place.
The Fitbit automatically sets the step goal at 10,000, but Vaz upped it to 12,000 to encourage her to move more, especially as she trains for a half marathon this summer.
“I changed it because I wanted to do more of a challenge,” Vaz said. “I love how much it motivates me each day to reach my steps. If I’m 500 steps short at the end of the day I’ll walk up and down my hall.”
Getting social
The Fitbit app allows users the opportunity to connect with other users as “friends.” A leadership board displays how many steps each friend takes and ranks them. Friends can challenge each other to see who takes the most steps in one day, one week or one weekend. The app also encourages users to send pokes and messages to one another.
Vaz has 12 friends linked to her account.
Fitbit owners can compete in challenges to see who takes the most steps. Photo by Courtney Campbell
“With the leadership boards, you don’t want to be last of all your friends,” she said. “At first, I didn’t think it would be that popular among college students, but I’ve seen it get increasingly popular.”
Burrus and his wife don’t use the app’s challenge feature. Instead, they use the data from their trackers to compare and motivate each other on their own.
“It’s good with family in particular,” Burrus said. “We just keep count of the steps and we see who won on Sunday. We are very competitive. We taunt and cheer each other and send a few messages here and there.”
But, some disagree that this social aspect helps. The competition could demotivate people if they aren’t at the top or the list or lose a challenge.
“I thought about doing it, and that doesn’t seem worth it,” Dulchinos said. “Some days I feel like it would be good to compare others, but other days it could be negatively competitive. I like that I have the data that I can choose to share or not.”
Making use of the data
The Fitbit and Jawbone both have apps that sync with the trackers and display steps, sleep and calories burned throughout the day.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
“I like the data,” Burrus said. “I like getting all that data and sorting through it. I am somewhat of a dork for that kind of thing.”
Michael Vaughn, an instructional technologist who teaches Nerdy Fitness Tools to classes, finds that these fitness bands do not pass the “so what” test: they give the user the information but don’t tell them what to do with it.
For example, the heart rate for the fat-burning zone is around 90 bpm, but this low rate could also be caused by stress, when the body is storing fat rather than burning it. The app doesn’t distinguish between the two or tell users what to do if they plateaued in weight loss. It is up to the user to go out of their way to research and apply the data.
“Until they take the information, its more of a measuring stick to see what can be done,” Vaughn said. “It’s more about trying to take the data that’s given to you and make it meaningful in your life.”
Vaughn said the best fitness band, in terms of affordability and features is the Fitbit Charge HR, which tracks heart rate using LED technology. He also said fitness trackers are great motivational tools at first, but it won’t be long before a user ignores the app and stops charging the band.
“You just need to make the commitment alongside to these fitness apps to benefit your health,” Vaughn said. “There has to be more to it.”
A solution is to teach more health and wellness professionals about the bands. They could use them with their customers. If a personal trainer were friends with their client on Fitbit, they could be aware of their activity and challenge them to improve.
Even if users don’t implement the data to make improvements to their lives, these fitness bands can be a constant reminder to move. After a year, Dulchinos is still motivated by looking at the band on her wrist.
“My whole thing with the Fitbit is it’s constantly there and tracking things, and I don’t have to think about it but I can think about it if I want to,” she said.
Numbers can be a big deal in business as well as politics, which is why if a reporter wants to report on them they need to know how to examine them — correctly. There are multiple calculations a that can be done on surveys and financial statements. Although an analyst usually does the work, it can never hurt to doublecheck and fully understand the meaning of the numbers.
Polls and surveys
Polls and surveys are the basis for understanding public opinion. For a reporter it is necessary to check the validity of them. Polls estimate a public opinions with a single question while a survey has multiple questions in a social science setting. Random selection ensures that everyone in the population has an equal chance of being surveyed.
To gather a sample that is at least 400 participates, which is a valid sample, there are multiple formulas. Census, a universal sampling involves sampling everyone, cluster sampling, a sample from one area, and quota sampling, a sample based on demographic characteristics, are a few examples of sampling.
Practice problem: What would the best sampling method be for a poll on women with school-age children who work outside the home?
With these polls and surveys, there is always a margin of error, or the degree of accuracy of research based on standard norms and lowers with a larger sample. Represented as percentage, it goes hand in hand with the confidence level, which is the percentage that researches are confident in their results. This level falls at 90 percent, 95 percent or 98 percent and should always be included in reports.
The U.S. Census uses adjusted figures to compensate for missing data. This gives smaller states slightly more representation, by needing fewer residents to get an additional seat in congress. Both adjusted and unadjusted figures of the Census for each level and analyzing blocks of this can give information on a community.
Knowing z scores and t scores can help a reporter better understand research. A z score, shows how much a particular figure differs from the mean to compare figures, and t score is used in small sample sizes and requires an intense calculation.
z score = (raw score – mean) / standard deviation
Business
There are many sources of business in the news, including press releases, earning reports and annual reports, and it is necessary to understand them to report them.
Financial statements are formal documents that include quantitative statements about a company’s business transactions. An example of this is a profit and loss statement (P&L), which shows whether a company is making money or not. It is calculated by subtracting expenses from income.
There are many expenses in a business. The “overhead” are the expenses not directly related to the product being made. The gross margin is the difference between the “costs of goods sold” and the selling price. When these subtractions are made, the owner is left with a net profit. When you don’t want to lose cash while loaning to a business it good to calculate the “earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization” (EBITDA).
gross margin = selling price – cost of goods sold
gross profit = gross margin x number of items sold
net profit = gross margin – overhead
Practice problem: If a cup of tea is sold for $3 and it costs $1 to make each cup, what is the gross margin?
A balance sheet is a written financial statement of a companies assets, liabilities and equity and shows the financial stability of a company. Assets are resources owned by a company that have some economic value, liabilities are what the company owes and equity is what the company is really worth. The assets of the balance sheets always equals the liabilities and equity side.
assets = liabilities + equity
Ratios are calculations that analysts and business owners use to evaluate a companies cash situation, profitability, operating efficiency and market value. They are indicators of a companies strength and weaknesses. A current ratio measures the ability of a company to meet its liabilities, quick ratios measures the ability of a company to meet liabilities with cash on hand, debt-to-asset includes all liabilities and assets, debt-to equity is what the company is leveraged by, returns show how much a company makes, and price-earning is the return of investment.
current ratio = current assets / current liabilities
quick ratio = cash / current liabilities
debt-to-asset ratio = total debt / total assets
debt-to-equity ratio = total debt / equity
return on assets = net income / total assets
return on equity = net income / equity
price-earning ratio = market price/share / earnings/share
Stocks and bonds
Stocks are sold by corporations to raise cash and people buy them as investments. The value of a stock varies over time depending on demand. Mutual funds are when companies sell shares of funds and use that money to buy stock in other companies. There are many components in a stock:
52-week High/low – the highest and lowest stock prices over the past year
Stock – the symbol of the stock, shortened version of the company name
Div – the most recent annual dividend the company paid to shareholders
PE – the stock price divided by the per-share earnings in 12 months
Last – the price of one share at the end of the previous day
Change – how much the stock price went up or down that day
Bonds are used by governments to raise money and is a lone from an investor to the organization selling the bond. The face value of the bond is the amount the owner will receive when it reaches maturity with the set interest rate, but this is not always a case. The bond’s current yield is the return on the investment, which can fluctuate as well. The bond cost determines the actual cost issued by a municipality.
current yield = (interest rate x face value) / price
bond cost (interest) = amount x rate x years
Practice problem: If the yield of investment is 6% and a bond is bought at $600. The bond is now worth $1,000. What is the current yield?
Market averages measure action on exchanges. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is the total value of one share each of 30 stocks divided by the divisor. This divisor takes into account stock dividends, splits, spinoffs and other corporate actions. The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) is an automated quotation system that reports on trading of domestic stocks and bonds not regularly listed.
Property Taxes
Property taxes are the largest source of income for local government and organization. It is determined by the total amount of money needed and dividing it amount property owners. They are measured by units called mills, which is 1/10 of a cent and are expressed in terms mills lived for each dollar of assessed valuation of property.
mill levy = taxes to be collected by the government body / assessed valuation of all property in the taxing district
Appraisal value is based on the property’s use and characteristics, current market conditions and a visual inspection. The mill levy is applied to assessed value, which is determined on local policies. These all play into how much tax is owed.
assessed value = appraisal value x rate
tax owed = tax rate x (assessed value of the property / $100)
Practice problem: A house is appraised at $400,000. Century One assess the house at 20% of the appraised value. What is the assessed value?
The sun and heat are beaming down as 11-year-old Max Van Fleet kicks a soccer ball to his mentor outside of Koury Gym at Elon University. He’s beaming, too. Later Max will run through an exercise circuit complete with lunges, ladders and sit-ups and he and his coach will discuss the importance of physical activity while munching on celery and hummus.
CHAMPS kids and their mentors do sit ups outside Koury Gym. Photo by Courtney Campbell
CHAMPS (Coaching Health and Mentoring Positive Students) is a mentoring program created by Elizabeth Bailey, a professor of human health and performance at Elon, and Elon alumnus T.J. Douglas ’10 in 2010. It encourages children to enjoy physical activity with a college role model and teaches a healthy lifestyle along the way.
This is Max’s third year participating in CHAMPS. Although he says he loves playing sports, he’s still working on adopting a healthy lifestyle.
“He doesn’t always eat his vegetables,” said his mother, Beth Van Fleet. “But he’s been educated and knows when he’s making poor choices and know how important activity can be. It’s one little bit at a time.”
Although the program does not specifically combat obesity, it does help with self-esteem and body image, which can lead to better health.
“It is a potent model because how else will kids, boys especially, learn about exercise and how to exercise?” Bailey said. “They don’t get enough health education, and they are more open to it in a setting like this. There are other kids around them and they have a cool college mentor.”
Bailey said she can’t track significant changes because CHAMPS is only a four-week program, but she does see good feedback and some happy participants return each year.
“I’ve gotten several anecdotal reports from parents who say their kids are more aware of what they are eating and more interested in being physically active,” she said. “People want to come back. I have lots of repeat kids. The program fills up quickly each year.”
Bailey said parents and children sometimes have misconceptions regarding healthy eating and physical activity and some parents don’t know what to do to motivate healthy habits.
Obesity is a growing problem for children nationwide
Childhood obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile of children of the same age and sex.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
According to Svetlana Nepocatych, an assistant professor of exercise science at Elon, North Carolina is ranked 23rd among states with the highest childhood obesity rates with 31.4 percent of children who are overweight or obese. Nearly 30 percent of North Carolina adults are obese. Overall, 17 percent of people in the United States are considered to be obese.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity contributes to a variety of health risks, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, joint problems, heartburn and social and psychological problems that can continue into adulthood.
Obese children are also more likely to become obese adults, especially if their parents are obese as well.
There are many causes behind the growing obesity problem including aggressive marketing campaigns promoting less-healthy foods, the lack of requirements for physical activity in schools, fewer safe places to play or be active, limited access to healthy and affordable foods and increased sitting due to digital entertainment options.
Children park themselves in front of screens many hours of the day, playing video games, watching television and using the Internet. They eat fewer home-cooked meals, dine on unhealthy fast-food options, snack more, consume larger portion sizes and take in far more calories, fats, oils, sugars and sweeteners than folks did 40 years ago.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
“The big thing is the physical activity that has changed since the past,” Nepocatych said. “Schools’ recess and physical education classes have been cut to devote more time to doing English and math.” In addition, few children are found at play outdoors after school and on weekends. That time is now screen time.
Nepocatych also notices that America is a society that socializes around food. When people spend time together it is usually over a meal and most celebrations tend to be centered around consumption of unhealthy food and drink.
Michael Calhoun, a professor of health and human performance at Elon, said obesity tends to be tied strongly to a person’s socioeconomic status. Those with a low income find far fewer healthy food choices to fit their lifestyles.
“They make due with the foods they can afford,” he said.
In most families both parents work. When these “latchkey kids” arrive home from school their parents want them to immediately lock the doors. Required to be inside on their own they often choose to watch television or play video games, leaving healthy activity behind.
“Some parents cannot afford to enroll them in after school sports,” Calhoun said. “They cost money and take time. For this group of kids the only outlet is whatever exercise they get in school. It’s huge.”
Taking the right steps to combat a dangerous epidemic
Calhoun said the first step to combating the childhood obesity epidemic is to strategize ways in which to best utilize the time children spend in schools, offering health education, physical activity and healthy foods.
“We need to reinstitute physical education with daily, organized physical activity,” Calhoun said. “It can have a profound impact. If they get their exercise they will also want to play in the future.”
He said there should be more emphasis on funding and operating afterschool sports and activities for all students, not just those who are the best athletes. He suggests a club sports model would work as long as it is affordable for everyone.
The recommended dietary guidelines
Some local schools have begun initiatives to promote healthy eating and physical activity. According to Christina McCormick, food service supervisor for the Alamance-Burlington School System, schools in the region can apply for grants that will allow them to serve healthier foods to low-income children.
“What determines obesity is that there are more calories taken in than calories burned out,” McCormick said. “The bottom line is that they are not consuming healthy foods and not doing physical activity.”
The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables project delivers healthy snacks to kids in the Alamance-Burlington schools three times a week along with a discussion and education about the benefits of health eating. It gives students whose families don’t buy fruit and vegetables an introduction to their tastiness and benefits. McCormick said more individual schools should develop health councils to see to it that positive changes take place.
Getting the education at school is just one part of encouraging behaviors that will become permanent.
“It’s really hard taking on a lifestyle change,” McCormick said. “It takes time to start feeling better and start feeling successful. It’s not an overnight situation. It takes one step at a time.”
However, Nepocatych said informing children alone is not enough to make a change. They need the support of a positive environment. It’s best when parents also receive education about health and wellness as most children model themselves after their home environment.
“Educating kids is one thing but it has to be a parent- and community-based,” Nepocatych said. “They spend a lot of time in schools but if they come home and sit on the couch it’s not going to do anything.”
Calhoun said communities play a vital role.
“It’s about getting people into a situation where they have time and access,” he said. “It has to be in their community. Take programs to them at the church or community center. It’s just not extensive enough right now.”
He said people need to find healthy influences in an environment that is accessible and natural to them – in their personal comfort zone and in close distance.
Calhoun sees this in the programs offered Catholic churches and among the Hispanic communities in Burlington, North Carolina. They are providing health-education classes and offering ideas for improving the health of their families easily and economically.
“They offer classes for Hispanic mothers on how to cook in a healthy way,” he said. “The church found an avenue to educate people that they will accept.”
The First Lady is working toward a national model
First Lady Michelle Obama has been addressing the issues behind childhood obesity for several years. Her campaign, Let’s Move! works with a variety of programs to bring education, foster healthy environments, provide healthier foods in schools, give access to good food and encourage children to be more physically active.
Let’s Move operates on the idea that all aspects of society, from families to communities to health care and educational institutions to government officials, have a role to play in reducing childhood obesity.
One of the programs is Action for Healthy Kids, an intuitive that does not directly interact with schools and families, but gives them the information and plans to make a change. It works to give schools Breakfast Grants to allow access to healthy foods and Healthy Grants to provide physical activity.
“Our full purpose is to target the schools,” said Jacqueline Perlman, marketing specialist for Action for Healthy Kids. “Outside of their homes, children spend the most time in their schools. Schools must create healthy environments that foster physical activity and nutrition.”
Their primary program is called Game On. It provides an assessment of individual schools’ programs and teaches them how to create a wellness team that analyzes the school’s wellness and recommends how to implement changes.
So far Game On has had a positive impact at more than 29,000 schools, reaching 12.9 million students.
“We have a crazy-wide reach,” Perlman said. “Studies show it has created an average increase of 60 minutes of physical activity added to each day and a 50 percent increase in the number of students getting breakfast.”
Solving the problem locally
Although national initiatives set up plans to follow, they don’t always work for each community. This is where local, specialized plans are more useful.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
Kohl’s Bull City Fit, located in Durham, North Carolina, provides a space and planned activities for children, and it allows their parents to have access to exercise and healthy foods. The catch is that those that attend must make an appointment at Duke’s Healthy Lifestyle Clinic and have their health assessed before participating. This is difficult for some because of the cost.
The program seems to work well for those who can afford it. The first step involves an entire family comes in to be educated together about necessary lifestyle changes for good health. Kiah Gaskin, Bull City director, said the program was developed to meet families halfway and give them opportunities to stick to their weight-loss goals.
“The community approach is very important, to meet them halfway and get them the access that they need,” Gaskin said. “It’s not telling people what to do but educating them on what they need to do in terms of their lifestyles.”
She said the model Bull City established makes people aware of what they can do to improve their health and gives them additional access.
“It’s meeting the families where they are,” Gaskin said. “If we don’t recognize the barriers that they are facing were not going to be done in terms of health.”
Still too few options available and too little participation
Not every community has the Bull City opportunity and too few schools are implementing strategic approaches to encouraging healthy lifestyles among their students.
Graphic by Courtney Campbell
“Current initiatives can work, the problem is that there’s not enough,” Calhoun said. “The outreach is too small. There must be more programs that are accessible to everyone. Right now it’s not practical.”
No matter what initiatives are put into place, it is ultimately up to the individual to make the right choices for a healthy life. McCormick of Alamance-Burlington schools points out that, really, everyone has the opportunity to go outside and exercise or buy fruits and vegetables that are often only a little more expensive than fast foods.
“If you choose healthy foods and only have small amounts of unhealthy ones, it’s a good balance,” she said. “Your day-by-day choices affect what later diseases you have. The number-one thing you have control over yourself is your physical activity and intake.”
Calhoun believes health promoters who follow good health practices and are motivators are necessary to make a difference in these kids’ lives.
“Liz Bailey is a classic example of a health promoter,” he said. “She’s helping children to be healthy and motivating them to change their habits to be physically active. She’s not just educating and motivating, but she’s also a good role model and she is healthy herself.”
Bringing the information home, with hopes for a healthy life
CHAMPS kids get assigned their mentors. Photo by Courtney Campbell
Max sits in a circle with his fellow CHAMPS mentees and mentor, holding a packet of information about the nutritional value of various snacks.
He can work to earn a shirt that matches his mentor’s by choosing an apple over chips, being active or even standing up to a bully. The points can be earned inside or outside of CHAMPS. It’s a piece of encouragement meant to incorporate a healthy mentality in all aspects of his life.
“The opportunity to be with a college guys is amazing for Max,” his mom Beth said. “Having that one-on-one attention really makes a difference for him.”
To be a journalist, you have to be able to write. But, it is also important to understand numbers.
Many journalists may have weak math skills, but these skills help drive certain facts across in a story, which is necessary for the reader to fully understand a story. “Math Tools for Journalists” aims to bridge the gap of math illiteracy, and without this knowledge it would create readers just as confused as the writer. It also gives journalists a leg up in the competition.
The language of numbers
To get the numbers right a journalist must double check the math of speakers, official reports and budget. It shouldn’t be assumed that these people have good math skills and incorporating numerical illiteracy is unprofessional.
While styling numbers there are two basic numerals used: Roman and Arabic. The most common is Arabic and are the numbers shown as 0-9. Roman numerals are used for formal titles or historical events and are represented by letters with the value beginning with the left and adding the succeeding symbols to the right.
Numbers also need to follow AP Style guidelines meaning single digits need to be spelt out, numerals are used for multiple digit numbers, if a number begins a sentence it should be spelt out and numerals are always used for addresses, dates, speeds, money, ect.
It is also important to use certain accompany words over others to get the language right. For example, for example under is used to refer to a physical relationship whereas less than refers to a smaller quantity or amount. Words like more, higher, lower, different from and different are good number descriptors.
Figuring out percentages
Often times, percentages are a clearer way to represent figures. However, it is necessary that a journalist knows how properly calculate it.
To calculate percentage increase and decrease use the formula (new figure – old figure) / old figure, and convert by moving the decimal two places to the right. This is also important for calculating salaries of contracts for stories. Here are the formulas:
Original salary x percent increase = dollar amount of salary increase for first year
Original salary + salary increase = salary for the first year of the contract
First year of salary x percent increase =dollar amount amount of salary increase for second year
First year salary + salary increase = salary for the second year
Practice problem: The salary of an accountant is raised 2%. His original salary is $60,000. What is his new salary?
When large numbers are used things can seen excessive like in a city’s annual payroll, but by calculating the percentage as a whole it puts it into perspective. This can be done by dividing the subgroup by the whole group and moving the decimal point two points to the right.
A percentage point is different than a percentage. For example, one percent is one-hundreth of something, but one percentage point can be one one-hundredth of something, so losing a percentage point is a greater percent than what it seems. It can be used to indicate different market shares.
Calculating interest is important to describe loans and has a few components. Money paid for the use of money is called interest, the amount of money borrowed is called the principal, the rate is the percent charged and the amount of the interest charged depends on the length of time. This is the formula used: principal x rate (as a decimal) x time (in years).
Compounding interest is the interest added to the original principal. Loans are compounded more frequently than annually, and many consumers make monthly payments on their loans. It can be found with the formula below:
A = monthly payment
P = original loan amount
R = interest rate, expressed as a decimal and divided by 12
N = total number of months
A = [P x (1 + R)^N x R] / [(1 + R)^N -1]
Solving statistics
After percentages, statistics are the most common numbers reporters will encounter. While using them, journalists must evaluate surveys and studies for accuracy, but be warned, they can also be manipulated to serve someones goal.
It is important to understand the basics of statics. The mean, or average, is the sum of all figures in a group divided by the total number of figures. Median is the midpoint in the grouping of numbers, and is determined by writing out numbers from lowest to highest and find the middle number. The mode is the number appearing most frequently in a distribution of numbers.
To represent the percentage of scores that fall at or below the designated score, a percentile is used. A percentile score is based on its relationship to other scores. The formulate for this is (number of people at or below and individual score) / (number of test takers). This can also be turned around if the percentile rank is known: number of people scored at or below that level = (percentile) x (number of test takers).
Practice question: If someone scores an 85 on a test, which is equal or higher to 600 people that took the test.1,000 people took the test. What is the percentile rank?
Standard deviation indicates how much a group of figures varies from the norm. It is used in scientific reports and investment documents. When there is a high standard deviation, there could be error in the data. Here’s the steps to find it:
1. Subtract the mean from each score in the distribution
2. Square the resulting number for each score
3. Compute the mean for these numbers (This is the variance)
4. Find the square root of the variance
Probability is used for the lottery numbers, traffic accidents and fatal illnesses that are seen in the news. To calculate probability, a simple ratio is used. For example to find deaths per 100,000 people, you divide the total deaths by the total population and multiply that number by 100,000.
While looking at lottery probability, it is pure chance so we use odds to calculate it. The formula for odds of a series of events are odds of the first event multiplied but the odds of the second event multiplied by the odds of the third event and so on or:
O = Odds
N = Number of events
O^N = odds when a series of risk is the same
Understanding Federal Statistics
The federal government gives information to the general public and it is important for reporters to know where these numbers came from.
Unemployment reports is released each month by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The term labor force is everyone who has a job over the age of 16 or looking for a job, exempt those unemployed because they are not seeking work and those who are institutionalized. Using the Current Population Survey, which interviews 60,000 household, unemployment figures are created and is adjusted by the BLS. The formula for the unemployment rate is: (unemployed / labor force) x 100.
Inflation constantly affects the economy. It is measured by the Consumer Price Index and shows the amount of inflation in any given month for with major product groups. It is collected by BLS employees that call 23,000 retail and service businesses each month. The CPI can be reported as an index number, which is some number over the base of 100. Inflation also needs to be adjusted when dealing with historical figures so they match current numbers. Here are the formulas:
Practice question: This months inflations is 3.4%. Last months was 3.6%. What is the monthly inflation rate?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the value of goods and services produced by a nation’s economy and gauges the countries economic activity. GDP can be converted to “real” GDP, which hold the price constant to the prices they were in 1996, showing the changes in quantities without the price change affecting it. GDP per capita represents the goods and services produced per person. Here is the formula:
C = consumer spending on goods and services
I = investment spending
G = government spending
NX = net exports (exports minus imports)
GDP = C + I + G + NX
Trade balance is the difference between the goods and services a country exports to foreign countries and those it imports. If it is negative a country imports more than it exports. This is collected for the U.S. Customs Service. The formula is trade balance = exports – imports.
On Sunday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton comfirned that she will be running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
She said she was running in a video on her new campaign website. Clinton appears after 90 seconds of footage of men, women and children saying their plans and hopes for 2015, and says “I’m running for president.”
‘Getting Started’ Hillary Clinton’s campaign video
In 2008 she became the first woman to win presidential primary races with about 18 million votes, but suspended her campaign in June 2008 and backed now-President Barack Obama. Now, she’s ready to try again.
“I’m not surprised,” said Margie Watkins, part-time program assistant for Greek Life at Elon University. “I’d like to see a female president. Just how she would handle things differently, hopefully better.”
It was expected of Clinton to make this announcement and Jason Husser, assistant professor of political science and policy studies, believes that it will be just as likely that she will win the Democratic primary races. However, because this would be an “easy win,” she might not be as prepared for the upcoming debates.
The Republican who wins their primary on the other hand, he said, will be sharper because they would have a harder pool of candidates to compete against. Currently, Jeb Bush is the more well-known potential candidate, but as others like Ran Paul and Scott Walker emerge there will be more competition.
According to Husser, Clinton is one of the most well-known candidates because she has been in the public eye since 1992. Clinton represented the New York senate from 2001 and 2009 and served as first lady of the Untied States and Arkansas while her husband, Bill, was in office.
“She’s been around for the past 23 years,” he said. “You have to go as far back as Dwight Eisenhower to find a candidate that was just as well known. She is probably the best known presidential candidate ever.”
Although she is well-known around, public opinion of her might makes her chances of winning less likely. Sophomore Caroline Blancharu believes that she has a decent shot, for now at least.
“Her history might be a problem,” she said. “She’s been involved in a lot of stuff and people already have opinions of her that are going to be tough to get beyond.”
However, Blancharu believed that her campaign video was well done, well thought out and that she covered all of her bases.
Female empowerment is a key part of Clinton’s campaign and the public opinion of her. Sophomore Camaya Miller, hopes that they’ll be other candidates so she could compare their beliefs and platforms, but thinks it’s good Clinton is running because she is a woman.
“I think it’s good that she’s running because she’d be the first female president,” Miller said. “It would be interesting to see how other countries would react to a female president, especially in America.”
Courtney Campbell 