Northeastern State University
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Communication
Tahlequah, Okla.
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Dana Eversole, Associate Professor of Mass Communication
Leoser Center Office Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. MWF, 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. daily by appt. Office phone is 456-5511, ext. 2891 or call the newsroom at ext. 2891 Home phone is 456-4491, Fax: 918-458-2359 email: eversole@nsuok.edu
COURSE TITLE AND NUMBER CLASS TIME AND DAY
Newspaper Production, MC 2113 Every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
PREREQUISITES: MC 2103 Basic Writing and MC 3233 Publication/Editing
MAJOR GOALS:
This course will articulate classroom discussion and activities. After completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Report and write a story in AP Style - Interview professionally - Accurately report information - Hone note-taking skills
- Build advertisement - Develop and maintain good relationship with advertiser
- Collect money from advertisers in a timely manner
STUDENT PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES: (ATTENDANCE/PUNCTUALITY)
Consistent and punctual class attendance are both expected and required; absences will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Death or grave illness in the family, childbirth, impassable roads are of course, beyond our control. Decisions to celebrate anniversaries, for example, or attend concerts, go on hunting safaris, float the river or participate in a variety of extra-curricular affairs are not. Students will be expected to make up any work missed as a result of an absence, whether or not the absence is justified. Excessive absences will reduce the final grade for the course.
***The following outline is the basic premise of what each student enrolled in newspaper should follow. The guidelines are self-explanatory and should be followed in order to receive the optimum grade in the class. These policies stand solid unless overturned by the faculty adviser, editor and/or advertising manager.
Newspaper Writers
All students are required to turn in (2) stories a week as writers. The photographer is required to turn in a photo or graphic per story, plus two or three “junk arts.” That is the basic amount required for each.
For writers, each story must contain four different sources, including a mixture of students and faculty. No mass comm majors should be quoted in stories unless the story involves them directly. Breakout boxes must accompany each story as well and can be either taken from a related Internet web site or from statistical material from within the story. Pulled quotes and repeated lines from the story DO NOT count as breakout boxes.
Do not use friends and/or relatives as sources in your stories.
All stories are due at 3 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Tuesday publication. This time is set in stone and is rarely ever changed. Students can also pick up their assignments for the following week on Wednesdays. Students may talk with the editor to ask for a Thursday extension, but the circumstances must be crucial to the story’s completion. Students who assume they may turn in the story on Friday without permission will be counted late.
Delivery is part of the student’s grade as well. Students may be assigned two to three places to deliver on campus, and must deliver the newspapers by 3 p.m. Tuesday. If delivery deadline is not met, the student’s grade will be lowered.
Students who do not turn in their stories for the week CANNOT turn in those same stories for the next week. If a story assignment is not met, it is considered dead and goes back into the story pool to be reassigned to a different writer. If the writer does turn in the story, it will not count toward his total of stories. Only under special permission may a writer carry over a story assignment from the previous week.
Any student having trouble obtaining a source or contacting a source for a story should contact the editor IMMEDIATELY for either a new story assignment or an adjusting of story sources. Students SHOULD NOT give up on the story and move on to another one without first consulting the editor. If a student tells the editor on Thursday that his sources did not work out, it will be considered incomplete and will not be excused. The editor is available most of the day and can be reached at the office phone, as well as through e-mail.
If any student is having problems with his story, or personal problems that may affect his writing performance in this class, please advise the editor/faculty adviser of this so arrangements can be made.
Photographer
The photographer is responsible for taking every photo assigned for the week. The photographer is also asked to take “junk art,” which is defined as generic shots of students at NSU or any special event happening on campus.
If the photographer does not take the assigned shots for the week, action will be taken to either lower the grade or ask for termination of the position. The photographer should also be available at all times to take pictures of campus events. The photos are due on Thursday at noon, just like the writers. Photos must be of good quality or they will be asked to be re-shot. The photographer may be asked to meet with the writers in order to obtain the necessary photo.
Advertising Representatives
Advertising is an important part of “The Northeastern,” and the newspaper thrives on its advertisers to keep us secure financially. It is very important for the ad reps to possess business-like qualities and salesman-like personalities in order to sell ads.
Ad reps are asked to sell (12) ads a week to maintain their grade. Ads should not be any smaller than a 2 col. by 4 in. size, although exceptions can be made, but only after consulting the ad manager/faculty adviser first. Ad reps MUST contact their advertisers EACH WEEK in person to update them and see if they would like to change their ad for the next week. Newspapers must be taken to the advertisers to show proof of the ad running. If the advertiser is NOT contacted, then the grade for the student will be lowered. The ad manager will check to see if all advertisers have been contacted on a weekly basis. The ads must be changed each week, unless the advertiser chooses to stay with their current design. Advertisers who buy an ad for the whole semester within the first two issues will receive a ½ price discount for the whole semester. A contract must be signed by both the advertiser and sales rep AT THE TIME of the purchase of the ad, regardless of how many times the ad is purchased (i.e. whole semester or one-time only).
Ad reps are also responsible for building their ads and getting them on the run sheet WEDNESDAY BY NOON. The ad manager reserves the right to extend the deadline, but permission must be received first and must encompass circumstances beyond the rep’s control.
Ad reps will also be assigned places to deliver newspapers on campus. Delivery must be done by 3 p.m Tuesday or the grade will be lowered. A small stack may also be taken to the advertiser to place in his business. Ad reps are responsible for talking face-to-face with their businesses each week. Grades will be lowered for mistakes, businesses refusing to pay for various reasons and not having ads on time.
Billing will be handled by the business manager, but ad reps are responsible for seeing that the money is collected. If an advertiser does not pay for an ad by the end of the semester, the ad rep’s grade will be affected. If a situation is out of control and funds cannot be collected, special consideration will be taken by the ad manager/faculty adviser to determine what grade should be given.
***The above regulations are non-negotiable and are set. If a student feels they need special assistance or help, please contact the adviser. If any of the policy is not followed, action will be taken to either lower the grade of the student or consider termination of his/her position.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
If any member of the class feels that he/she has a disability and needs special accommodations, please advise the instructor of such disability at the first class attended.