THE essential Oscar’s preview
INSIDE
Religion means business When is SMU’s Fashion Week Track runs to championship
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FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 24, 2012 FRIDAY High 61, Low 37 SATURDAY High 63, Low 39
VOLUME 96 ISSUE 64 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
donation
Health Center receives large gift from SMU alumnus RAHFIN FARUK News Editor rfaruk@smu.edu
TAYLOR HENRY/ The Daily
Editor in chief of The Christian Science Monitor John Yemma discusses the future of journalism and media in the digital age in Crum Auditorium Thursday.
Journalist speaks on digital age KATELYN HALL Associate A&E Editor khall@smu.edu
In the William O’Neil Lecture in Business Journalism Thursday evening, John Yemma, editor in chief of The Christian Science Monitor, discussed the changing future of journalism as media shifts from print to online in a digital age. As editor in chief, Yemma was integral in transforming The Christian Science Monitor, one of the oldest and most prestigious daily newspapers in the country, into an online publication and weekly newsletter. The Monitor, like thousands of other print publications faced the detrimental problem of dwindling readership. The Monitor has the reputation for “thoughtful, humane, internationally minded journalism,” but only reached a narrow audience. “Smart people loved The Monitor, but few people saw it,” Yemma said in the lecture. “Circulation was anemic and profits were puny.” The Monitor came to rely financially on the Christian Science Church, which, in Yemma’s words, “was not only unhealthy, but unsustainable.”
But the Monitor’s situation is one shared by other publications worldwide. “While journalists pride themselves in spotting trends, I have to admit we missed a big one,” Yemma said. “That one was the one that directly affected us.” Yemma refers to that change as the “unbundling of news.” Traditionally, print media bundles packages of sports, arts and news content to cater to the public. But with the transition to a digital era, this “bundling” format is costly and no longer appealing to readers. Instead, readers prefer browsing the Internet and selecting an assortment of news content for themselves. Even print journalists engaged in this shift. “At work we bundled news, at home, like millions of others, we learned from the mid-90s on to pick and choose what we wanted to read online,” Yemma said. “News bundling is not dead, it’s just been lifted out of the hands of journalists,” Yemma explained. “Even as newspapers were prospering in the 20th century, they were coming apart,” Yemma said.
So when readership decreased and profits plummeted at the Monitor, the century old news organization turned to former employee Yemma. Yemma had been working with The Boston Globe’s website, Boston.com, one of the best models for online journalism. There, he learned about all things digital. Boston.com grasped one thing that other news organizations missed: “It understood that print readers and web readers are different animals from the outset,” Yemma said. When the Monitor approached Yemma with the job offer of editor in chief, he was hesitant, but accepted the position on one condition. “I took the position with the understanding that the Monitor had to become radically different — we had to go web first,” Yemma said. “We had to become radically different, not in content, not in values, but in presentation.” Yemma devised a plan to take advantage of the public’s shift in news consumption that would be more profitable and lasting than print media. His plan is one that could help millions of other print publications
worldwide transition into the digital era. “The Christian Science Monitor may not strike you as the model for 21st century news organizations that are desperate to devise a sustainable, let alone profitable, business model. It is,” Yemma said. The biggest problem that newspapers face, in Yemma’s opinion, is the “cost monster.” Costs for all newspapers escalated substantially during the boom years of the 1990s. Newspapers were hiring more reporters, editors, correspondents and still being profitable. But now, as profits are going down, costs also need to be cut down. The Monitor has done that. The Monitor also recognized the opportunity of manpower. Journalists, Yemma said, are the keys to the newspaper’s survival and “tremendous assets” in the transition to the digital age. “They can be cunning, they can be capable, they can be cantankerous and they are often really dedicated,” Yemma said. When news organizations use tools like these, Yemma said they will be prepared to transition into the 21st century of journalism.
immigration
Panel discusses barbed wire, border myths CHARLES SCOTT Contributing Writer clscott@smu.edu With all the hype about the U.S.-Mexican border from TV shows like “Border Wars,” South American immigrants are stereotyped as alien, ill intentioned and violent. Discussions about the border tend to evoke mixed feelings. Some worry that terrorists can cross into the U.S. from Mexico. Others wonder about government’s role and if it has ties to drug trafficking and allowing easy access to assault weapons. These issues and others were explored on Wednesday in McCord Auditorium by a panel of U.S.-Mexico border scholars during “Barbed-Wire Art, Border Myths and Immigration Violence,” the third of SMU’s seven-part “Migration Matters” series. To an audience of mostly students, the panelists discussed violence immigrants face, myths about the border and the importance of aesthetic activism.
TAYLOR MARTIN/ The Daily Campus
Maria Herrera-Sobek, Josiah Heyman and Roberta Villalon discuss the issue of immigration in the United States Wednesday evening in McCord Auditorium.
Panelist Maria Herrera-Sobek, a professor of Chicana/o studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said a number of artists see the hardships migrants face at the border and are thus compelled to create art that demonstrates how they
conceptualize immigration. “I saw that barbed wire was very commonly used,” she said while explaining a painting with bold, brown barbed wire against a red background. “Artists have used barbed wire to underscore their protest of
immigration laws.” Josiah Heyman, another panelist and an anthropology professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, spoke on myths about border immigration and why they’re so persistent. Abigail Watts, an SMU student, heard Heyman speak earlier in the day during her Immigrant Experience class. She said that his views on border patrol and what fuels illegal immigration made her want to hear more. In his talk, Heyman was quick to squelch the myths that the border is a wide-open hole that can easily be passed through and that the recent build up of border security — which spawns things like “Border Wars” — was in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “No evidence exists in the U.S. that terrorism against civilians has ever had anything to do with the U.S.-Mexico border,” he said. “In spite of that, the way people
See MIGRATION page 8
SMU’s Memorial Health Center, a 52-year-old outpatient facility, serves more than 11,000 students. With new university rules that will make future students live on campus for two years, the center will have to accommodate more oncampus students. In a timely fashion, The Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation has given $5 million to renovate the center. Dr. Bob Smith, an SMU alumnus, has long been a benefactor for the university. “Bob and Jean Smith have a long history of generous support for SMU priorities and have always kept the welfare of students uppermost in their minds,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner said. “This new gift will dramatically improve campus
health care resources and provide support services that enable students to do their best academic work and fully enjoy the campus experience. We are deeply grateful for this gift, which will transform an important but outmoded facility into an up-to-date campus resource.” In 2001, the foundation donated $1 million to establish a pre-medical studies center on campus. Later that same year, the foundation gave $1 million for the creation of an auditorium in the new Meadow’s Museum. The Smith Foundation’s gift will be counted towards SMU’s Second Century Campaign — an agenda that hopes to improve the academic and environmental life at SMU.
A full story discussing the impacts of an improved health center will run in the paper on Monday.
finance
Per onal Finan e
The secret to tipping PARTH SHETH Staff Writer pmsheth@smu.edu Everyone has a stingy friend who barely tips 10 percent at a restaurant and another friend who tips over 20 percent regardless of the service. So how much should you really tip for various services? Although there are no clearcut rules on tipping etiquette, there are some unwritten guidelines that people follow. When at a restaurant, there are several opportunities at which you should tip the people who serve you. First, if you valet your car, it is suggested it is suggested to tip $2 or $3 when you receive your car after the event. When you get inside, sometimes there is a coat check or somewhere you can put your coat (usually in more upscale restaurants). When using this service, tip $1 per coat when you receive your coat after the event. The most common tip to give at a restaurant is the waiter. Most people know that giving 15 percent of the bill is customary, but if the service is exceptional, it is common to give as much as 20 percent. Even if the service is unsatisfactory, do not walk out of the restaurant without
tipping. Instead, speak to a manager there to resolve any issues and then leave around 10 percent. Similar to restaurants, when you go to a bar, it is customary to tip the bartender. People usually leave $1 or $2 for the bartender. But, a good rule of thumb to use is either 15 percent of the tab or at least fifty cents per drink. Usually, drinks are anywhere between $3 and $6, so leaving $1 in these cases is common. At many places, such as Starbucks, you will see a tip jar. It is not necessary to tip at these places because the service they provide is minimal. However, it is suggested to tip if you have a complicated order or receive change that you would rather not carry around. Another place where tipping is standard is at hotels. When you arrive at your hotel, there will usually be a bellhop ready to help you with your bags. Typically, give $1 per bag and an additional tip for any trouble he has with your bags. Also, before you leave for the day, you should put anywhere between $2 and $5 on a table in your room for the hotel maids to collect once they finish cleaning. Although you do not see this service being performed, a good tip will ensure the best service
See TIP page 8