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| Monday, Feb. 20, 2012
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High-heeled walk to raise SAPA funds, awareness By Jessica Fecteau Senior Reporter
PHoto by Bethany Walter/staff photographer
Central Michigan University journalism professor Elina Erzikova speaks to her JRN 551: Case Studies in Public Relations class Thursday night in Moore 108.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Journalism professor brings international approach to CMU; wins scholar award By Justin Hicks | Staff Reporter
Journalism is a tool used universally to educate the masses and keep an eye on those who hold power. Despite being a common structure across the world, the field’s specifics vary from country to country. Elina Erzikova knows firsthand about the practice of journalism in both her native country of Russia and the U.S. which she calls home today. Growing up in Uzbekistan, she experienced the evolution of journalism as the country gained and lost its freedom of the press. Mikhail Gorbachev allowed the press to gain freedom when he came to power in 1988, but since then, Vladimir Putin has moved Russian journalism backward. “Like a flashback, censorship has begun again,” Erzikova said. “Today, the Russian government has been successful in framing people who question and challenge their regime as unpatriotic.” Aside from the extended freedom, American journalism serves its audience differently as well. “The western audience wants to get news, but not
opinion,” Erzikova said. “They say give me facts and I can figure out for myself what to do with the information.’ “Russians, on the other hand, look at journalists as conversation partners,” she said. “They want you to communicate your opinion, though of course it should be based on facts.” Erzikova said she doesn’t see one form as better or worse than the other, but rather each nation acts to fulfill the desires of its audience. During time of war, Russian journalists’ responsibilities expand past simply writing.
“Journalists were physically present in the warzone, so imagine how much respect these journalists had that rebels negotiated with them,” Erzikova said. “The rebels would not negotiate with the Russian government, but would with journalists. The Russia native suffered a culture shock when she came to the U.S. nine years ago. While working for a Russian newspaper, she did public relations work for an orphanage and an HIV and AIDS nonprofit organization. “In Russia, journalism is public relations,” she said. “You don’t have advertisers. You have government resources and you become a PR agency for the government with a contract to cover their activities.” Making her mark at CMU Erzikova moved to the U.S. in 2003 after earning her bachelor’s degree from Tashkent State University. She continued her education by attending the University of Alabama, where she earned her master’s degree and Ph.D in mass communications with an
emphasis on international journalism and public relations. In 2008, Erzikova attended a job fair in Chicago where she met Maria Marron, chairwoman of the journalism department at Central Michigan University. Of the potential employers she talked to, Erzikova said Marron impressed her the most because she was personal, rather than bringing salary up to initiate conversation. “She said ‘We are in Michigan’ and pointed to her hand,” Erzikova said. “I liked how she started conversation with that — it was very personal. Tell me something personal, something interesting.” Erzikova applied and began working for CMU in 2009 as a journalism and public relations professor. “She brings enormous enthusiasm for teaching and research to the department,” Marron said. “She encourages her students to think and work creatively, and, to quote her, she lives for research.” A journalism | 2a
Several men will trade in their sneakers for a pair of red high heels Wednesday night. Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates is hosting its fifth Walk a Mile in Her Shoes educational event from 5 to 10 p.m. in Finch Fieldhouse. In an effort to raise awareness of sexual assault, by walking in “her” shoes, men can have a very small taste of what it is like to be a woman and show support for women who have been victimized, said Anne Milne. “Anyone who attends can expect to watch all the entertainment of watching men walk in heels,” the Greenville graduate student said. “They can also expect to see at least our SAPA men trying to do the Cupid Shuffle and maybe even the hustle in their red pumps.” Lansing graduate student Andrew Slater said in addition to SAPA, other registered student organizations and community agencies will present information. The CMU Police Department, Listening Ear,
By Justin Ominski Staff Reporter
A new bill could make it easier to impose sanctions on drivers with unpaid parking tickets. If a Michigan driver has six or more unpaid parking tickets, they could have trouble getting their license renewed, or have to pay more for it. Approved by the House of Representatives in
January, the bill, now in the Senate, would lower that number to three unpaid tickets. Assistant City Manager Nancy Ridley said Mount Pleasant does deal with parking tickets, but the number left unpaid isn’t overwhelming. “As of the end of December, 2011 our records show that we have approximately 4,800 tickets unpaid,” she said. “This is from a total of 93,800 tickets that have been issued since Jan. 1, 2000.” That translates into a little more than 5 percent of the total remaining unpaid.
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The tickets that do get paid provide a substantial portion of revenue. “The amount of revenue the city collects from parking fines each year is approximately $110,000 city-wide,” she said. Luckily for many Central Michigan University students, Parking Services Specialist Dori Foster said parking tickets from CMU Parking Enforcement do not count toward a person’s driving record. A TICKET | 2a
By Lonnie Allen Staff Reporter
Former Central Michigan University faculty colleagues teamed up with design students and volunteers to make over a nonprofit Midland shelter for abused women and children. Nikita Murray, program coordinator for children and teenagers at Shelterhouse in Midland, said she was working on several projects involved in enhancing youngclient areas of the shelter when the project came together. Needing some help with design, she immediately thought of Brenda Skeel and her students. Skeel, a fixed-term faculty member in human environmental studies, used to share an office in Wightman Hall with Murray, a former fixed-term faculty member in academic advising and assistance. “Brenda and I briefly
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shared an office on campus,” Murray said. “I always appreciated her approach to teaching and our discussions about the types of experiences she wanted for her students.” Murray said she reached out to Skeel with the plan to create youthful spaces, while recognizing her limited funds to work with. “We wanted to revitalize three areas in our facility used by children and their families,” Murray said. “As you might imagine, the transition is difficult for a young person who unexpectedly finds themself within the protective confines of a domestic violence shelter. Our goal was to create areas that would be fun, warm and appealing, yet conducive to counseling and group work. Each room required three distinct personalities.” A SHELTER | 2a
[INSIDE] w Entrepreneurship student working fulltime at new start-up, 5A w Softball lost 4-2 Sunday, fifth straight loss during the weekend, 2B File Photo BY/CHarlotte Bodak
Parking Appeals Officer Mike Anderson places a parking ticket under the windshield wiper of a car in Lot 27 next to the Music Building Jan. 10. Parking tickets given out on CMU’s campus do not go on driving records.
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Interior design students help remake Midland shelter
New parking ticket bill proposed License restrictions with three unpaid parking tickets
the Chippewa Domestic Violence Shelter, CMU Counseling Center, Spectrum and the Organization of Women Leaders will have tables set up to educate students. The issues SAPA deals with are serious and sometimes difficult for people to deal with, said Oakley graduate student Miller Dugalech. “Being able to learn about these issues while men are walking around in red high heels makes it a positive experience,” he said. “As well, we get to experience for a short mile in heels what women go through for an entire lifetime.” The walk also features a raffle at the end of the night, giving people the chance to win multiple prizes from gift certificates to free services, Slater said. This year’s grand prize is a 32-inch LCD TV provided by the CMU Bookstore. “We’re hoping for the biggest turnout ever this year,” he said. “So far, we have planned for 350 people plus 52 SAPAs to be at the event, but we would love it if more than 400 people come.”
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