Networking

Being kind, working hard, and lending a hand to people when they need it will help you in the future. Networking is “the act of meeting new people in a business or social context.”  Interacting with new people almost daily, college is the perfect time to create relationships with classmates and/or professors. After graduation it is helpful to make sure to have all of the contact information for as many people as possible. It is important to not only have a way to get into contact, but stay in touch, even if it is via e-mail every couple months. There is always a chance that they can come through in the future to help you out. “Networking offers another avenue to reach vendors, customers, future business partners… It allows you to present yourself and your networking objective in a much more personal way than an advertisement, promotion, or an online resume can,” explains Albert Schuster, president of Network in Philadelphia.

It can be intimidating to approach professionals, but think of them on a personal level. Get to know them on a human level, what are their hobbies, and eventually he or she might be able to suggest jobs that would be good for you, while possibly introducing you to a person within that company. It is important to let it be known that you care for them and are not just using them to as a contact to get ahead.

If you have a job in mind that you are interested in obtaining, you should start trying to create contacts in your junior or senior year of college. While students might lack professional experience, the ability to “pitch” oneself to a hiring manager during the application process can be better than submitting a resume loaded with experience, says Schuster. Networking may seem easy, but it is a job in itself. You have to be proactive, reaching out to as many people as possible instead of waiting for them to meet you. It takes courage and an outgoing personality to meet and keep in contact with you newly found friends. Today’s networking tools give everyone the opportunity to reach out and take advantage of the edge that a “foot in the door” gives.

1. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SNYR_enUS310US311&q=define%3a+networking
2. http://www.witi.com/careers/2005/networking.php
3. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-know-about-college-networking.htm
4. http://www.quintcareers.com/networking_timetable.html
5. http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/professional-networking/create-a-personal-networking-plan/article.aspx

Poster Analysis

For the poster design project, I used Adobe In-Design. The photo was one that I had taken the previous year at a football game. When I stretched the photo to fit, I was worried that the pixels would be enlarged and noticeable, but it happened to turn out better than expected. I was worried that the picture would not have a good place to add text with all the dark and bright colors. In the end however, there was enough room in the sky to insert my slogan which is “U of O: More than an Academic Experience”. I used a size 24 and 36 font with an italic accent to make it stand out and make a bold statement. In the photograph, there were fans wearing the school colors, along with the marching band playing on the field. This was perfect for representing the University of Oregon, having not only school colors, but the band being upbeat and fans cheering which all showed the fantastic school spirit. The point was to show the University as a lively place to get  involved with great people. People from this picture came from a variety of backgrounds, but with the one thing in common being the “University” where they were> able to come together as one. The audience targeted would be past, present and future students that have been involved with the University or are looking to be part of this great college atmosphere.

Internships

For a long time, college has been seen as the key to getting a good job. As the world changes rapidly and technology improves, competition in the workplace creates a higher demand for internships and extra experience. The skills learned in an internship give students a head start in the working world. Statistics show that college graduates have a wider range of opportunities in the job market and they will earn a substantially greater sum of money in their lifetimes. According to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2007, a college graduate with a Bachelor’s degree can expect to earn at least $1 million more than a high school graduate in his/her lifetime. With the standards changing in the business world, the work force today has put a lot of pressure on people to not only get a college degree, but to have experience when entering the work force. While many students may work jobs during college, the experiences employers are looking for is specific to the business or industry they represent. Many students get exposure in their field of study through entering into internships.

Attending college is a crucial step, but you can greatly improve your classroom knowledge through internships. An internship is a work-related learning experience for students wishing to obtain hands on work experience in a certain occupational field. Most internships are temporary and only last approximately three months. Being involved in an internship has many advantages. It helps build individual responsibility and gives one an opportunity to gain industry-specific experience. In the job market today, most employers prefer that you have some experience before being hired. In fact, jobs are more likely to hire a person after their internship is completed. It will also make your resume stand out among the many applications which they receive.

Students can participate in a variety of internships during the school year, or the summer terms. Many internships are paid work experience although some may not involve pay. University of Oregon has a career center which helps students locate a company that will allow them to gain some experience in the field of their study. The career center also has faculty that helps provide students with resources, assist them in determining goals, facilitates research for the process of selecting possible job situations to accommodate an internship, and challenge them to reach their full potential.

Internships can be very beneficial to the students by giving them on the job experience which may help them in their decisions regarding career choices. If the internship in their field of study is fulfilling they may pursue a similar position following graduation.

http://www.collegeview.com/college_internships.html

http://career.uoregon.edu/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2002-07-18-degree-dollars.htm

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/starting-points/156.html

http://www.intstudy.com/articles/nusinter.htm

Banner Analysis

We had a couple of great images to choose from for our blog header. We narrowed it down to one that Kelsey had taken this last fall at a University of Oregon football game. This picture, before we edited it down, had rows and rows of student fans cheering. Some spots however showed empty seats and seated alumni fans. After importing the photo into Photoshop, we were able to target a group of student fans who were cheering and making the “O” symbol. We also cropped out the empty seats and less actively participating alumni fans.

The final photo that we achieved is great because it displays the school spirit. Also students are wearing Oregon apparel, demonstrating what school they represent. The expression on all their faces tells a story of happiness. With all of them yelling or holding up the “O” symbol, it is a representation of people from different backgrounds coming together and supporting the University of Oregon. The colors of the banner, turned out excellent. Fans are all dressed in green, yellow and black, with the “O” on several hats.  The shape of the banner, using the 8 inch x 1.5 inches turned out well. We were able to get a close-up of facial expressions, while packing the rest of the frame with other fans in the background. Spacing for the header is good, it fits well in the page and it provides enough visual to keep you interested while not overwhelming the writing.  Overall it turned out to be an effective banner and represents the spirit of the University of Oregon.

Analyzing: Addicted to Quack

Addicted to Quack is a blog site formed from Sports Blog Nation that is used for the University of Oregon athletics. Sports Blog Nation was founded by Tyler Bleszinski, when he launched Sports Nation in late 2003. It is managed by a 2002 graduate from the University of Oregon, whose name was not mentioned. The layout of the site is fairly simple to navigate through; it has photos and videos which not only make it visually interesting, but also easy to use for people who aren’t computer savvy. With this blog site, you can link it with your Facebook page, to make it easier to check out current information that you want to follow.  Addicted to Quack will give you current information with what’s going on with sports at the University. Providing you with the scores, schedules, and blogs about what is in the news for various sports. Another thing to notice is that fans are able to write blogs, and post pictures. Making it a more interactive site, where fans feel like their voices can be heard and shared amongst other fans. It brings all sports fans who like the Oregon Ducks to a neutral place where they can stay current on information; in a way create an online community for alike fans.

Source/Link Write-Up

1. This article appeared in the New York Times online newspaper which examines the fight of President Obama to influence Congress to reach a compromise agreement to salvage the health care reform bill and bring it to his desk for signing as soon as possible.  This is private, for profit, journalistic source that presents the basic issues surrounding the fight for health care reform.  This article written by Robert Pear and David M. Herszenhorn was published February 5^th.   
2. This site shows many attempts throughout history to improve the availability of health care in the United States.  The first attempt was as early as 1912 with Teddy Roosevelt trying to include a health care platform.  A major change came when Lyndon B. Johnson managed to push through Medicare and Medicaid program in 1965.  In  the early 90’s, President Clinton put forward a health care reform plan, but it failed to pass Congress.  Efforts along these lines continue with the current Obama administration.  The majority of Democrats are behind the President in his efforts to pass the current health care reform bill.  This source is pretty balanced showing the health care history for both parties.  It shows that there have been multiple attempts to change health care system from the early years to the present time.
3. In an interview with health care reform liaison, Lorna Hayden, she stated, “The health care debate about how to best make affordable, quality insurance available to the 45 million uninsured and underinsured has dominated U.S. law makers for the entire first year of the Obama Presidency.  The progressive, far left members of Congress originally asked for a ‘single-payer option’ which exists in many modern industrialized nations.  This is often referred to as ‘socialized medicine’.  The idea of a public option was put forth as a compromise between the far left and right wing ideas about health care reform.”  She also pointed out that judging by their voting, the right wing Republicans see no need to change the private health care plans. 
4. The Democrats, White house and rank-and-file members of Congress have been working around the clock to find things in common in order to keep the health care bill moving forward.  This is a journalistic source that is helping the health care bill stay afloat and get it passed.  It was written by Brianna Keilar a CNN congressional correspondent on January 11^th.   In this article it shows the determination of the Democrats to modify the bill to get it passed because it will help benefit Americans and cut down the number of uninsured people. 
5. The difference between the House health care bill and the Senate is about five percent which includes the public option with Obama assuring anyone without insurance will be covered at a reasonable cost. This article was written by Sam Youngman on December 21, 2009 and is a journalistic source.  This source was helpful because it pointed out the obstacles to passage of a comprehensive health care plan which included a public option.      
6. This site tells about President Obama’s health care summit at the Blair House on February 25^th, which included both parties to talk about the health care overhaul.  In the argument of whether or not to include the public option, this institutional site helps show the positive reasons on why it should be included and the benefits of it.  This source was valuable to refer back to throughout this paper, because it carefully assessed the information for accuracy. 
7. This site talks about the Republican Party’s opposition to the health care bill put forward by the Democrats and why the public option is a part of what they’re rejecting.  This institutional source shows the side of the Republican Party, which opposes the bill but does not provide a solution to help reduce the cost of insurance or to cover the large amount of uninsured Americans.  It was helpful in writing this paper because it gave the other side of the basic question. 
8. A 10 year health plan that President Barack Obama has proposed would cost $1 trillion, but it would also help control the insurance company’s outrageous costs that upset people.  This is a journalistic source that was written by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar on February 22^nd.  It shows the effort of the President to get the health care bill passed because he believes it will benefit many more Americans while it controls costs. 
9. This is a liberal grass roots group that is attempting to organize a popular movement to demand that the House and Senate truly represent the people and include a public option in the final version of the health care bill sometime in the next couple months.  This institutional source shows the widespread support behind the public option which should be included in the health care bill. 

10.  The white house web site gives an overview of the health care bill and current news of what is being done with it.  President Obama, as head of the Democratic Party, gives details about what the administration wants in the bill and the effects of those provisions if it passes.  In this institutional site it explains in detail the results of the new health care bill and its effect on you, whether you already have insurance through a job or are uninsured.  This source gave a wealth of information, but it definitely is biased towards the Obama administration.  For that reason other sources were necessary to balance this presentation.

Major Health Care Reform Issues

Should a public option be included in the health care bill?

            The majority of the Democrats believe that the people they represent want a public option to help drive down the cost of health insurance.  A public option is some form of non-profit, government subsidized insurance.  This option would control the cost of health care by offering a plan which would be affordable to currently uninsured people.  It would also allow tax breaks for those Americans who still would be unable to pay this more reasonable cost of insurance.  They also believe that without a public option there can be no real health care reform.  Lobbyists from the insurance industry have been pouring their money into Washington to stop the public option and protect their monopolies.  The public option would help out millions of uninsured Americans that do not currently have any form of health care insurance.

            Their have been many attempts throughout history to improve the availability of health care in the United States.  The first attempt was as early as 1912 with Teddy Roosevelt trying to include a health care platform.  A major change came when Lyndon B. Johnson managed to push through Medicare and Medicaid program in 1965.  In  the early 90’s, President Clinton put forward a health care reform plan, but it failed to pass Congress.  Efforts along these lines continue with the current Obama administration.  The majority of Democrats are behind the President in his efforts to pass the current health care reform bill. 

            In an interview with health care reform liaison, Lorna Hayden, she stated, “The health care debate about how to best make affordable, quality insurance available to the 45 million uninsured and underinsured has dominated U.S. law makers for the entire first year of the Obama Presidency.  The progressive, far left members of Congress originally asked for a ‘single-payer option’ which exists in many modern industrialized nations.  This is often referred to as ‘socialized medicine’.  The idea of a public option was put forth as a compromise between the far left and right wing ideas about health care reform.”  She also pointed out that judging by their voting, the right wing Republicans see no need to change the private health care plans. 

             The senate passed its version of the health care bill in early February 2010.  The Democrats, White house and rank-and-file members of Congress have been working around the clock to find things in common in order to keep the health care bill moving forward.  Senior Democratic sources said they would override the traditional legislative process during the final health care deliberations.  As of March 11, 2010 the Democrats have done exactly that.  They have suspended the possibility of a filibuster by using the reconciliation process.  The final House version may be passed as early as next week.  Although Obama agreed with the move to override the traditional legislative process, the Democrats still have different ideas on what the final bill should look like.  The difference between the House health care bill and the Senate is about five percent of the content.  The public option is among the five percent that makes up the difference.  Obama is assuring that if there is not a public option included in the final bill, anyone without insurance will have the option to be covered at reasonable cost.  Staying up one night in late December, the President watched the Senate take a key vote on the healthcare bill, and said that there is so much good in the bill, that he is confident it will be passed.  The main question is whether the congressional leadership can convince most Democrats and a few Republicans or Independents to support the plan. 

            A public option should be included in the health care reform bill.  This is because it seems to be the plan most likely to control rapidly rising insurance rates and reduce the huge number of uninsured people.  This will help individual people but will also reduce the pressures towards inflation caused by these uncontrolled costs.   

Opposition to any plan, especially one including any public option has been soundly rejected by the Republican minority leadership.  Also, the Republicans have held their members in a solid voting bloc with everyone opposing the current plan.  Basically, they see the need for very little change in our current health care system.  At the very least, they want to throw out the “Obama Plan” and start over again from scratch. 

In the near future, the health care bill will be passed and sent on to the President for signing into law.  However, the final version will be watered down considerably compared to the original bills passed in each chamber.  The final plan will most likely contain some elements of the public option, but may not closely resemble the original plans for a public option.  More than likely it will forbid denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions and the dropping of coverage by the insurance company when a client becomes ill.  Credo action is a liberal grass roots group that is attempting to organize a popular movement to demand that the House and Senate truly represent the people and include a public option in the final version of the health care bill.  They are asking people to write or telephone their representatives and tell them to support the public option. 

If you’re interested in following the outcome of the health care debate you can go to the White House website.  This will give an overview of the health care bill and current news of what is being done with it.

All or Nothing for Health Care Bill

After a number of ups and downs with the health care bill, President Obama is taking his final stand to pass the bill.  This push to pass it should last several weeks, with Obama saying he will do everything in his power for reform.  A senior White official describes it as a “one shot deal, if it doesn’t work it, it doesn’t work.”

Seeing Eye to Eye on Health Care Bill is Unlikely

President Obama will make an announcement on how to go forward with the health care bill sometime next week.  Democrats are making a backup plan if there is no compromise between them and GOP, Nancy Pelosi said Friday.  This is a controversial parliamentary backup plan that would send Obama’s health care bill with or without GOP votes, it is also know as a simple majority.

Preliminary Sources

Should the U.S include a public option to lower costs of health care?

The majority of the Democrats believe that the people they represent want a public option to help drive down the cost of health insurance.  They also believe that without a public option there can be no real health care reform.  Lobbyists from the insurance industry have been pouring there money into Washington to stop the public option and protect their monopolies. 

1. This article is talking about the fight to salvage the health care bill.  On Thursday February 4^th President Obama vowed to win over the legislation to pass the bill during a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, after telling a heartfelt story about a former campaign worker who did not have health insurance and died from breast cancer.  The President would like to set up a debate between the two parties to lay out the issues and vote on them. 
2.  The senate passed its version of the health care bill nearly three weeks ago.  The Democrats, White house and rank-and-file members of Congress have been working around the clock to find things in common in order to keep the health care bill moving forward.  Senior Democratic sources said they would override the traditional legislative process during the final health care deliberations.  Although Obama agreed with the move to override the traditional legislative process, the Democrats still have different ideas on what the final bill should look like. 
3.  The difference between the House health care bill and the Senate is about five percent of the content.  The public option is among the five percent that makes up the difference.  Obama is assuring that if there is not a public option included in the final bill, anyone without insurance will have the option to be covered at reasonable cost.  Staying up one night in late December, the President watched the Senate take a key vote on the healthcare bill, and said that there is so much good in the bill, and is confident it will be passed.  
4.  Thursday was President Obama’s health care summit, which the Republicans initially refused to attend, but with a change of heart Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he as well as his members would attend to participate.  McConnell said he will go against the Democrats if they try to use parliamentary tactics which is called “reconciliation” to pass their health care agenda by a simple majority. 
5.  The public option has been dropped from the bill several times, but it has been brought back to life each time especially after the Massachusetts Senate race.  Democrats continue to push to include a public option as the Senate is voting on a series of final amendments to the reform bill.  They are using the reconciliation process which needs only 51 votes to pass.  Many different groups, such as the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, have been doing everything they can to get Senators to vote for the public option.  Very little progress was seen until Charles Schumer gave his support. 
6.  After months of negotiations between the Obama administration and the Republicans, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd revealed his plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulations in the upcoming week.  Kristin Brost who is the spokeswoman for Dodd said there will be a committee meeting amongst Dodd and Republican Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee, during the first week of March to see the effects of changes to the plan.
7.  House Minority Leader John Boehner made a decision to include governors in the health care summit. He demanded this in a letter to White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, earlier this month. Boehner believes that the governor’s voices should be heard in this open and honest discussion since it will affect their states.  Also Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled today that he would support including a public option in a reconciliation bill. This is another huge step forward from several months ago when the public option was almost left for dead. 
8.  President Obama is introducing a nearly one trillion dollar, ten year health care plan that would help stop or lower the insurance premium increases that upset consumers.  Posted on the White House web site Monday morning, the plan would cover around 31 million uninsured Americans, without adding to the federal deficit.  This still has to pass, which may be hard with most Republicans and a few Democrats opposed.
9.  The White House web site gives an overview of the health care bill and current news of what is being done with it.  President Obama as head of the Democratic Party gives details about what the administration wants in the bill and the effects of those provisions if it passes.
10.  Credo action is a liberal grass roots group that is attempting to organize a popular movement to demand that the House and Senate truly represent the people and include a public option in the final version of the health care bill.  They are asking people to write or telephone their representatives and tell them to support the public option.