Starbucks Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The new Starbucks located just right off of Spaniolo Dr. has brought many UT Arlington students and city community members together over a cup of the coffee. The idea of this new location on campus was aimed at the goal of attracting more students to the bookstore, for other than just textbooks and school supplies but to have them come and spend more time checking out what else the bookstore has to offer.

During this semester around the month of September, right after school began a ceremony was done fro the Grand opening of this new location on campus. The community of Arlington, students, as well as the faculty all came together to cut the ribbon on this special day. 

President Kabari was present, opening the ceremony with a great speech, and welcoming everyone that attended. Other important people were there, like members from the city of commerce and executives from the partner company Follet. They traveled from Colorado to come and join the Arlington community on the grand opening. 

                                   

Many students also attended the event and had a chance to enjoy some free samples of the great Starbucks coffee.

The ceremony lasted about an hour, in where different speakers spoke about the impact that this new Starbucks would bring to the UT Arlington community. 

Speakers included in this event were President Kabari, Student Congress President Emma Moe, Chamber of Commerce Executives, and Follet Company Executives, as well as other UT Arlington board members. 

The event ended with everyone inside the new Starbucks enjoying a cup of coffee, while getting to know each other.

I myself have spent hours studying at this wonderful new Starbucks location, where  the environment feels much more peaceful than at the other Starbucks on campus.
If you have not had a chance to enjoy a cup of coffee, while shopping for some new maverick apparel take a few minutes out of your day and stop by. 

If you missed the event and would like to see photos check out the Starbucks face book page at https://www.facebook.com/UTA.Bookstore/. 

Now if you did have a chance to attend, what was your favorite moment of the whole event? 

Chili Cook Off

As a reporter for UTA NEWS, I cover stories all over campus on a weekly basis. The accounting departments annual chili cook off is just another story I recently covered for our most recent newscasts. I enjoy covering stories that take place here at UTA; the involvement of students on campus is always fun to talk about.
Every week there is process I go through. Finding an event or issue to cover is always the easiest part, because there is always someone out there waiting to tell you a story, or an event that is taking place.
I came across the chili cook off event through the UT Arlington Mav Orgs page, where they always have a list of student organization events that are taking place at UTA.
Paul Anderson, president of the Accounting Society was very generous in allowing my involvement in this event. He introduced me to many different people, who were really involved with the event, giving me some great interviewees for my news story.
The greatest feeling is not only when you know that you have recorded great video and interview footage, but when you enjoy yourself, while doing it. I love the feeling I get when I enjoy the event I am covering. The people at the chili cook off were all so nice and cooperative with my story. The package turned out great and it aired Monday, November 2 through UTA NEWS. Feel free to check it out on our website at http://utanews.com/uta-news-newscast/.
In my Digital Story Telling class I had to create an audio feature story that relates to my blog, and I chose to do the chili cook off. Why? Because this was an event I covered as a reporter for UTA NEWS and I thought the idea of making it an only sound story might be interesting. Although to my surprise, re-creating a news story into an audio feature is a tough challenge. For UTA NEWS, I have video footage of the event that shows action, and helps me tell the story in a way that the audience can see exactly what I am talking about. While in audio feature, the only thing you have to work with is ambient and Nat sounds that can help you set the scene in a way that those listening can imagine the visual part of my feature.

The challenge was hard but the background noise from the event really helped me put together an audio feature that not only told the reader what the event was about, but it helped he or she imagine the scene and the people at the event.

As a reporter have you ever had to re-create a news story into an audio feature? If so, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The four judges are judging all the different chili's that were made at the event. 

People conversing and enjoying the chili cook off event. 

The student organizations battle between each other. 

The Blue Beats Band. 

The Chili Contest winning firm. 

Wonder what the Life of a Broadcast Reporter is like?

The life of a reporter  in the Broadcast industry does not always consist of just standing in front of a camera giving news. Sonia Garcia, UTA NEWS reporter is part of a news production class that airs weekly newscasts for the community of UT Arlington. As a reporter she has to find and pitch a different story every week. Although many might think that a news reporter does not have to do much, but find the story and present it to an audience through a camera, they do not realize that as reporters we shoot, edit and write our own material. This includes stand ups as well. As reporters we are always behind the camera recording all the important feelings being shown or action in order to really touch the heart of the audience with our stories.
We begin by searching for a story idea that we know will have a great impact on the target audience we are aiming at. Carrying a tripod and camera bag around, is just part of the workout that we get every time we shoot a story. Sonia who covered the Job fair for UTA NEWS has to set up her tripod before she can begin recording. Leveling the tripod to the perfect height is just part of the wonderful experience, especially when it decides to break and you find yourself having to hold one leg of the tripod up, while recording.
Placing the camera on the tripod is probably one of the easiest tasks, until we get to the part where Sonia is fixing to record at Autism Speaks, another event in Fort Worth, where she has to set the camera to the correct settings, including focusing and white balancing before she can start recording. Light issues are always the worst to me, having to adjust the iris and shutter speed is never the easiest task.
Conducting interviews are an important part to any news story. Before Sonia can interview anyone she has to plug the Microphone in the appropriate channel and check the sound levels. There have been many situations where sound levels are not checked appropriately and then it turns out the interview has no sound to it.
Adobe Premiere is the main software used to edit and construct stories, where video, sound and graphics all come into one. Later in the production room, right before the news casts starts the producer goes over the stories and decides in which order they will be aired, or if a story will be dropped. While in the TV Studio anchors, camera people, floor manager and others prepare for the beginning of the show. As a reporter who wishes for her work to be seen by others and maybe even TV Station producers, Sonia uploads her story to YouTube.

A reporter's life is tough but fun.
Did you ever think a reporters life entitled all of this?

UTA PRIDE

Criminal Justice to Journalism to Broadcast Major

My first semester at UTA had just began, of course I was so carefree about the world and all that mattered at the moment was the fact of attending a University for the first time. I was a declared Criminal Justice major, with the idea that I would one day become a lawyer. After the first two weeks, attending class became a normal routine, with not so much excitement anymore, because of all the workload given.

I sat in my Political science class listening to Dr. Jose Gutierrez, who not only teaches but is also a lawyer. I must not give him all the credit to my life changing idea, but he did have a lot of impact in what lead me to discover my passion for journalism and broadcasting. Two career paths in which I found a love for presenting news in front of a camera. “Major in something you love, in something that will make your four years here at UTA fly by, law school accepts a variety of Bachelor degree’s, not just criminal justice,” Mr. Gutierrez’s exact words. Words that had me sitting in an advisors office the next semester, trying to figure out what major I really belonged in.

The advisors at the University College of UTA are there tohelp incoming freshman and sophomores with their schedules and to help thosestudents, who like me; become confused about what career path they would liketo take. Anna, my advisor whose last name I do not remember; is a young, sweet lady who I had already had a chance to meet, as a teacher in a freshman seminar class I had to take my first semester. Her comforting and friendly personality made it easy for me to make an evaluation of myself and realize that I love to write. Journalism seemed to be the perfect fit. Journalism it was then, a sense of relief and comfort made everything seem so clear and not so confusing anymore.

The last semester of sophomore year began and I was already beginning to take my first journalism classes. Through writing feature news stories, dealing with AP style, and writing leads I noticed an even greater way of presenting news to an audience. I attended an event at UTA where I had the opportunity to explore different broadcast fields. A tour of Telemundo and NBC was also included in the event. In that moment I saw myself, in the future as a reporter or anchor. As I sat in the anchor chair in NBC’s studio I knew print media was not my only interest.

Anchor Chair in NBC Studios

My senior year and I am now working with a group of UTA students to create weekly newscasts for UTANEWS. Where we explore and experience the skills it takes to work in the broadcast news media.

How many majors did you have to go through to find the perfect fit?

What is your story?