The bats of the Fenway boys may be a little quiet these days but the Department of Communications' "Globalization on a Shoestring" class hit one out of the park on Thursday, May 3, 2012.
The class, which meets weekly via the Internet with African University College of Communications (AUCC) in Accra, Ghana, hosted a broadcast that put three countries together, live, on Simmons College Radio.
Andrew Kromah, founder of the Independent Radio Network (IRN) in Sierra Leone joined the broadcast from Freetown. The hour-long program featured spirited talk about African, American, and World politics, the importance of responsible social media and a sampling of music from each of the three countries.
Kromah started the first independent station during Sierra Leone's bloody, 10-year, civil war. Risking his own life, he pioneered this new network to give the people of that nation a real voice.
The Globalization class won national honors earlier this year for its Spring 2011 broadcasts with Ghana.
-Len Mailloux
As thousands prepared for the Steely Dan concert at the Wang Center in Boston, Sept. 28, the band's guitarist, Jon Herington was performing live on Simmons College Radio. Still a member of Steely Dan, Jon has started his own band and wanted to do a college radio concert. This was also broadast on Emmanuel College Radio as part of our new "Stations of the Fenway" collaboration that brings together Simmons Radio, Emmanuel Radio and Wentworth Radio for special events and broadcasts. This special one-hour broadcast was hosted by Simmons College Radio Student Management team members, Katie Vasconcelos, Cristina Aiello and Heather Campos.
Simmons radio features periodic live broadcasts with musicians visiting the Boston area and artists who make guest appearances throughout the year.
Click here for link to photos.
Pictured in the Photo from left to right: Dennis Espantman (bass, vocals), Frank Pagano (drums, vocals), Katie Vasconcelos, Cristina Aiello, Jon Herington (composer, guitar, lead vocals) and Heather Campos.
The Department of Communications at Simmons College has won a major award from the National Communications Association (NCA) for its innovative efforts to prepare students to meet the needs of the new, multi-platform media environment.
The 2011 Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award will be presented to the department at the NCA's national convention in New Orleans on Nov. 15-18. The award recognizes communication departments with a strong curriculum and broad student engagement and enrichment opportunities such as internships, service learning and community engagement experiences, and student/faculty research.
"I am both honored and delighted to accept this prestigious award on behalf of everyone in the department," said James Corcoran, chair of the department. "I am honored because this award comes from our peers and colleagues across the country, who recognize the quality program we have built. It is a superb affirmation of our work together."
Corcoran said he is "delighted" for two reasons: "First, the honor directly benefits both our graduates and current students because they now have a major that is recognized nationally for its strong reputation. Second, this affirms a decision we, as a department, made six or seven years ago to emphasize media convergence, the intersection and interaction of multiple media disciplines.
"Our students and graduates refer to this as a think tank approach, where they are put all together and get a unique mix of concept, skills, exposure, and output. I see it as a tapestry where all the individual pieces - graphic design, journalism, public relations, radio, and video production - are woven together into an intellectual unity that, when done correctly, results in something that is strikingly beautiful."
The Rex Mix review committee said in its announcement that it was impressed by how the department's application affirms its interactive, student-centered, and creative approach to communication education.
"Taken collectively, the department's courses honor the discipline's past, but also address students' future needs to have adaptable skills and analytical abilities in today's globalized information society," the committee wrote. "The courses repeatedly emphasize the necessity to apply communication theory and skills to real-world problems.
As it blends academic knowledge with professional practice, the program integrates media convergence in its courses, projects, study abroad opportunities, and internships. Although the Communications program has a strong media focus, students graduate with a broad liberal arts education."
A link to the selected work submitted for the award can be found at: http://web.simmons.edu/~commlab/mix/
The Department of Communications at Simmons has 11 tenured, tenure-line, and full-time contract faculty, one part-time faculty member, and three staff members. It offers its students majors in Journalism, Graphic Design, Public Relations/Marketing Communications, and Integrated Media. The department also has shared degree programs with the Art Department (Art Administration), Computer Science (Web Design), and English (Cinema and Media Studies).
The NCA is the largest national organization dedicated to the field of communication, with more than 8,000 members in all 50 states and 20 countries. The Rex Mix Award is given annually in honor of the award's namesake, a former communications professor and NCA leader from Lynchburg College in Virginia.
Mix believed departments should be recognized when they provide quality, innovative, and practical applications, and they have definite goals and a burning desire to achieve them. That national exposure would, in turn, motivate other small colleges and universities not only to compete, but also to examine their own programs for improvements that might eventually bring them the same honor.
The Department of Communications at Simmons College will be added to the Rex Mix Honor Roll that includes departments at Wake Forest, Wittenberg, and John Carroll universities, Concordia, Whitmore, and Hope colleges, Rochester Institute of Technology and Nebraska Wesleyan, and the Universities of Puget Sound, St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), Montana-Billings, and Missouri-Rolla.
"In my more than 25 years in the department, I have been told we are the best kept secret along the Fenway," said Corcoran. "Well, we're no longer a secret. And that is a damn good thing."
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The most recent edition of CommTracks, which is produced in Studio5, has received honors and high praise from both the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Associated Collegiate Press following critiques of the magazine by both organizations.
The CSPA, which is affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, awarded CommTracks a Gold Medal, along with All-Columbian Honors for special merit in content. All-Columbian Honors are only awarded when a publication has achieved the 95th percentile or higher in one or more of the three categories of judging: Organization, Content (which includes both writing and visuals), and Design.
This marked the second year in a row that the magazine has earned a gold medal and All-Columbian Honors.
According to the judge, the "writing is to the point, but still contains the culture of the school and the communications department. Well done." The judge added, "Students must appreciate your effort to staying focussed on the student body, or recent alumnae. Again, well done."
The design also received high praise: "Love the consistent use of a visual theme, yet not too repetitive. Soft colors work well, even though more tempting to use bold colors. Great display of your working knowledge of how to use color in a publication."
The ACP awarded CommTracks a First Class rating, along with Marks of Distinction in the categories of concept, layout and design, and art, graphics, typography, and photography.
"Before looking at your publication, I didn't know anything about Simmons College," wrote the judge. "Now, I can see how strong your communications department is and how well prepared its students are."
She said CommTracks "is a fun magazine, and very student centered. I love the cover and all the mixed media and then the ability of the staff to use elements of design throughout the magazine.
"It is very professional looking."
As you might gather from the marks of distinction we received, the judges were quite taken by the design talents of our students (Judith and
Judy you have every right to puff up). In the assessment the judges wrote that the "student portfolio is very strong. It is a visual magazine [that] shows the talents of your students and the diversity they have. Your students have well developed graphic design skills. I can see why they find jobs in this market."
But the writers weren't slighted.
"Your students do have strong communications skills. The writing shows elements of good journalism. The pieces were easy to read and informative." (The judge particularly liked the "Tweet like a Pro" piece. "The views from your alumnae are effective, and it is interesting to see where these students are now working."
The judge did say she would like to see a few longer articles, especially in the case of the Bon Jovi piece. Yet she appreciated that the writing "is focused on students" and that the shorter pieces are more likely to be read by students. (Just a quick note: It was the lack of more longer articles that cost us, by an eyelash (five points actually), All-American honors, but it will give us something to shoot for next year.)
Studio5 is a student-run professional communications agency in the Department of Communications at Simmons College. The 2011 edition is the sixth volume produced by Studio5, and the second to be entered in the CSPA's critique and contest competitions.
This was the first entry into the ACP's contest.
The editorial team for the 2011 edition included Lydia Harding, Maureen Azor, Hilary Trott, Moira Quinn and Rayah Alazzouni. Bryn Adler and Amanda Gross were Copy Editors. The team was supported and mentored by Professors Judy Richland, Andrew Porter, and James Corcoran, along with Professors Judith Aronson and Ellen Grabiner, and Lab Manager Alissa Miller and MJ Craig, assistant lab manager.
By Anam Kaleem
"Hayya 'ala-Salah, Hayya 'ala-l Fala. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. La illah illallah." (Come to prayer, come to success. God is the greatest. There is no God except the One God.)
The call to prayer filled the city from the towering minarets of Cape Town's majestic Jumu'ah Masjid in the Bo-Kaap, the home neighborhood for a South African Muslim minority known as the Cape Malay, many of whose ancestors were brought here from Indonesia as slaves.
Crowds of Muslims, predominantly men dressed in suits, quickly shuffled into the mosque for their obligatory Friday sermon and prayer. Since it starts at 1 p.m., many people came straight from their jobs, said Shereen Habib, an activist born and raised in Cape Town.
We entered the intricately designed metal gates and climbed the few steps leading to the mosque. At the top were six fat, evenly-spaced white columns, giving it a modern look tied to classical Muslim architecture.
The two doors and the line of windows were shaped in an arched wooden design. The right door was the women's entrance, and the left was the men's.
In the marble floored foyer, the thunderous, amplified voice of the khateeb--the orator of the sermon--could be heard as attendees took off their shoes and put them on wooden shelves before entering the carpeted prayer area.
At the top of a short set of stairs stood the khateeb, a pale man with acorn-colored hair who was dressed in a floor-length white robe and a short, stiff, brimless white cap called a kufi. The men sat near the speaker while the women sat behind them, separated by a wooden divider that they could see over and listen to the speaker.
The khateeb, speaking primarily in English, told the people they should not feel as though they were better than someone else because they had the opportunity for more knowledge. He also said we should not focus on the minor details of Islam but should concentrate on the fundamentals of the religion.
"Some men worry if the hems of their pants are folded the right distance away from the ankles while praying but are not thinking about the real importance and intention of the prayer," said the khateeb, as light reflected off a metal chandelier shone on his face.
"Aqeemus Salah," said the khateeb, indicating it was time for prayer. Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot in straight lines across the mosque. The khateeb, standing by himself at the front, recited a prayer at the end of which the people responded with "Ameen" (Amen).
Afterward, some men rushed off to work while others stayed for the opportunity to mingle with their brethren. "My son loves coming here on Friday because this is the time he gets to meet his friends and hang out with them," said Habib.
By Maddie Eagan
Bundled in a shiny black belted-down coat and purple turtleneck, Nozwelo Ncube welcomed us to Simelela Centre Site B Day Hospital as we left the reception area where a woman was sitting and waiting--her right eye bruised and swollen.
Simelela is a "one-stop shop" for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in Khayelitsha, a Cape Town township with over 700,000 mostly black inhabitants, said Ncube. It provides counseling sessions, forensic tests, sexually transmitted infection prevention medications, and emergency contraception.
In addition, the client has an option of opening a court case, she said. Simelela will contact the on-call South African Police Service (SAPS), which will come to collect a statement. The clients also receive referrals for local organizations that provide psychological support. But, according to Ncube, only six of 23 cases took advantage of these referrals last month--a large concern for Simelela.
Because of significant underreporting, only 60 cases were brought forward last month, said Ncube. They included 21 under the age of 12 years old, 24 from 12 to 18, and 24 over 18 years old. Some victims may not seek help because of lack of knowledge, the cyclical structure of the abuse, or prior discouraging experiences with the system.
"They go straight back into the same environment, and nothing changes," said Ncube, a Zimbabwean immigrant who has worked at Simelela for one year.
District Manager Caroline Tsetsana said she sees changes in the women that come forward and undergo a two-day assertiveness program that Simelela offers. The first day, most have little self-esteem, and it is hard for them to open up. By the second day, they arrive early, are ready to share, and show signs of improved strength and confidence. Other Simelela programs include Kitchen Aid, Family Strengthening, and a counseling for perpetrators.
The diversity of sexual abuse victims is vast, said Tsetsana, describing a well-to-do white woman who came in with dark sunglasses to hide her swollen black eyes, her Mercedes keys in hand.
Many men also come in to the center simply for advice, unaware that their stories are considered abuse, she said. Sexual and domestic abuse occurs among all sectors of the population, but it is it is especially prevalent in Khayeltisha due to the overcrowding, the poverty and the high level of unemployment.
A tour of the facility includes a blood-testing room for perpetrators with bars on the windows, stark white walls, and a separate entrance; examination rooms for the victims with comforting photographs and posters; and a bathroom where clients can wash the mud and dirt off of them after being abused.
Another woman, probably abused, sat by herself in the reception area. She was waiting to start the process.
By Rubby Wuabu
Valhalla Park (Outside Cape Town)--"Hello, I am Gerti. I am unemployed and work full-time in the community," said Gertrude Square, 61, the chair of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign.
Square got involved in community activism after being evicted three times for falling behind on her rent, she told a group of Simmons journalists. The first time she was evicted she borrowed money from friends and family and was able to move back in.
The second time she came home to find her belongings outside. She still had her key so she moved back into the house. She said she woke up very early before the landlord and moved back out onto the street to keep from getting arrested. Then she ran around and borrowed the money to pay her debt.
But by the third time, she said "enough is enough. I am going to stand on my feet, raise my voice and speak up for myself. I matched over and showed the housing office my pay slips. I asked them how am I supposed to pay all my bills with the money I make? Fortunately, I was able to negotiate with them and was able to stay," said Square.
"Word spread quickly about what I did and soon people began asking me what I did and how they could do the same. That's how I became an activist," said Square.
"Today, the only difference between apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa for us is we have strong organizations with women taking part because they suffer the most but we are still struggling in the township," said Square, voicing her frustration with the slow pace of government subsidized housing development.
The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is an umbrella organization that focuses on evictions, accessibility to water and electricity in the community. They have worked to bring cases against the city regarding housing and the use of public land, said Square.
One case was over using a huge piece of land to build a multipurpose center. "We told them that's not what we need. We need homes. We won that case, and as a result the city is building 775 houses on that land today. It will not be enough, but this is the first housing project that has happened in this area, so we are optimistic," said Square.
"We are not sleeping now that a housing project is happening. We are encouraging other communities to push for housing projects. We have a lot of open land. We are also in negotiations with the city about paying or not paying rent for the people who will get these houses," said Square
The campaign also works closely with evicted families to get them back into their homes. "The way we look at it the police have been paid to do a job, and so we don't interfere with it. But as soon as the police carry the last spoon out, we start carrying stuff back into the house. Now the city has to pay someone again to go and evict but usually they don't," said Square.
"Because of this we have been shot with rubber bullets and beaten but we have never run away leaving the family out in the cold," she said.
By Allison Whittier
On Feb. 11, 1966, District Six--a multicultural hub in Cape Town--was declared a white area. Over the next decade, all the black, Indian and coloured families were pushed off their land and their homes demolished, destroying a heterogeneous community known for its harmony and vibrancy.
New Age's Alex La Guma, featured in one of the museum's displays, described District Six as "the main artery of the local world of haves and have-nots, the prosperous and the poor, the struggling, and the idle, the weak and the strong."
Today, the two-story District Six Museum, run by former residents in what was once a Methodist Church that served as a gathering spot for the displaced families, keeps the memories of that community alive.
The building is adorned with artifacts from the apartheid era struggle, including original street signs, letters, and pictures. A replica room resembles a family dwelling from the neighborhood. Music and video clips from that era are streaming throughout the museum.
In 1968 the first demolitions began, and over 60,000 people were removed in a multifaceted process--the "main artery" was no more. But due to local and international protests, the rubble-covered land was left unoccupied despite its prime location and access to the heart of the city.
After the end of apartheid and the first multiracial elections in 1994, the land was officially released from the regime. Two years later it was reclaimed by the original inhabitants and the District Six Museum was established.
Curator and ex-resident Noor Ibrahim describes the inhabitants of the area as "one big happy family" before its dismemberment. This sense of family can be seen in the various community efforts found throughout the church. The seven-meter Namecloth inscribed with names and messages from ex-residents and District Six floor map to reclaim land are just two of the efforts they have undertaken.
Ibrahim says the ex-residents of District Six were very involved in creating the memorial--a true testament to their fallen community. They wanted to capture the life that once existed on the streets and in the homes of their community, he says.
By Ava Salitsky
Along the shore of the Indian Ocean south of Durban, there are miles of undeveloped sandy beach and steep, scrub-covered ridges, topped by brightly painted vacation houses. In the valley below, however, thousands of people are at risk of environmental poisoning.
Less than a mile from the beach are two huge oil refineries, the largest paper mill in South Africa and acres of oil and chemical storage tanks. These industries fill the air with acrid smoke that endangers all who live there.
A group of Simmons students took a "toxic tour" of Durban led by Bongani Mthembu, an air pollution inspector from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), and discovered the health concerns for the mostly poor Indian and "colored" residents of South Durban and the environment in which they live. The SDCEA works to educated them about the dangers and to advocate for change.
Most of the housing problems are from the apartheid era, during which where people lived was determined entirely by race. Apartheid had laws to separate them so there would be no mixing of races. This forced people of color--divided into three categories: Indian, colored {mixed race) and back--to live in the poorest rural areas and the worst urban neighborhoods, while whites got the best, cleanest places.
Today, about 52 percent of the community suffers from asthma, cancer, and leukemia because of these huge industries. Without a local treatment center for these conditions, many people remain untreated, dying from improper conditions and lack of medication.
On the tour we visited the Settlers School, a small elementary school that a small airplane had crashed into and that has been suffering the direct effects of extreme air pollution. The children are extremely sick when in school but once at home they feel better, says Nthembu.
Children often die in this area because the only hospital for leukemia is in Cape Town and many families cannot afford to move out of the area to get away from the pollution or to be nearer to health facilities.
Not only are the people here being hurt because of where they live; many who work in the large oil refineries are killed by harmful chemicals, while families are unaware of the reason, says Nthembu.
"People of the world need to come together, across every race, class, and gender to stop environmental pollution," he concludes.
By Ava Salitsky
One the edge of Pietermaritzburg, just off the Johannesburg-Durban highway, lies a small, three-room building that houses groundWork, an environmental justice organization that works throughout South Africa.
The director, Bobby Peek, says that GroundWork tries to assist vulnerable and underprivileged people who are most affected by environmental injustices.
He sits in an eccentric orange room describing how his agency functions. With each new subject his excitement grows and his tone of voice becomes louder and more animated.
Groundwork has been working with the waste pickers over the last two years. They make a livelihood by taking recyclables off waste dumps and selling them to recyclers.
"People are making a living from recycling," says Peek. On average, waste pickers earn R1,500 to R2,500 per week ($220 to $373).
Waste pickers have fought for acknowledgment by the government, but Peek says it has aggressively ignored their input on how recycling could be integrated successfully into waste management.
According to the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, cities are in charge of waste management. But they fail to involve waste pickers, who toil in most of the community waste landfill sites in South Africa.
GroundWork wants to help form a waste pickers association to help protect their livelihoods from the industrial world, says Peek.