Comm 2320
Basic Reporting for the School of Communication at ECU

The Communications 2320 course at East Carolina University focuses on basic reporting. This includes the fundamentals of journalism, whether through print or the multimedia. The course is taught by Bernard Timberg and his evolution of the course has seen community benefit through service-learning and the development of students’ self-awareness and community awareness through personal and professional reporting.

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Chris Sean Patterson is a Pittsburgh native who is 21 years old and is currently a senior at ECU. He plans on graduating in May of 2009. He was an only child growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina but has made many friends along the way. These friends have made lasting impressions on Chris [...]

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“Beautiful Bethany”
By: Analicia Robinson

Bethany Bryn Degraff is a beautiful blonde with many goals and aspirations. As I sat next to Bethany, she started to unravel her life story and I could tell that she is very positive and optimistic. This young woman is a pleasure to be around and has a smile that could light [...]

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“Athlete About the Rest”
By: Zach Karamegios
Taurian Houston is a junior collegiate athlete at East Carolina who is taking a closer look at the big picture of his life. Taurian is a member of the track and field team specializing in the discus and hammer throw, but it wasn’t just sports that took Taurian here [...]

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“Fitting In”
By: Taurian Houston

When first talking to Zach, you get the feeling that he is a normal guy, somebody you could see yourself playing basketball with or heading downtown to unwind. You feel as if you have known him since you were kids, probably because he reminds you of someone you used to hang with. [...]

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True Life: Drew Hemphill

Drew Hemphill, born on March 27, 1985, is a senior here at East Carolina University and is graduating in May 2009. He will receive a degree in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Sports Studies.
Drew is from Clayton, North Carolina, and an only child. He attended Camden [...]

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Fabulous Life of Alexis
By: Drew Hemphill

Funny, sincere, dependable, and confident, these are the words that friends use to describe Alexis Hoots. Alexis is a junior at East Carolina where she is majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Sports Studies.
Born on July 23, 1988, Alexis was raised in [...]

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Akela Yarn, a junior at ECU, is a loyal sister, daughter and leader. She is hardworking, dependable and headstrong – a quality that has guided her through life. From Durham, to Winston-Salem, to Greenville and East Carolina University, Akela’s journey may seem scattered, but her friends and family all echo the same sentiment: She knows [...]

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“McInerney, sounds like MAC, then Bert -n- Ernie,” This is a phrase that is all to familiar with Megan. She used this phrase many times to professors and those she meets for the first time. “I have heard so many people try to pronounce it differently, I think this is the best way to show [...]

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Commercials pay the bills, but for those watching the E. Carolina/Virginia Tech game two weekends ago; waiting through TV breaks were a bit frustrating. At least, ESPN’s breaks were to catch viewers up on other scores and events scheduled for later in the evening. When the game got interesting, it took five-six commercial breaks to [...]

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A person’s family and friends seem to know a person better than they know themselves. Tranell family and friends are no different. Tranell “Charleston” Chavis failed to mention his good qualities. Instead he said he is extremely lazy, a procrastinator, and blunt. He is a family man, funny, resourceful and one who has faced and [...]

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When you first meet Jamie, “Samantha” Baker, the words friendly and outgoing come to mind. Once you get to know Samantha, however, the words fun, hardworking and kind quickly come to mind and make a lasting impression. I first met Samantha at the beginning of our Basic Reporting class. It’s always nice to meet [...]

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On Saturday August 30th, the Pirates and the Hokies met on neutral ground however, their orange effect seemed to dominate our purple haze. I tailgated with Pirates, with the exception of a couple of my VT friends from back home. Knowing that they came out on top last year and were picked to come out [...]

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Bethany Bryn Degraff is a beautiful blonde with many goals and aspirations. As I sat next to Bethany (in comm. 3230 Basic Reporting) she started to unravel her life story, I can tell that she is very positive and optimistic. So from the very beginning I knew this young woman was a pleasure to be [...]

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Patrick Jones demonstrates an appreciation for life in spite of his involvement in two life-altering situations.
Patrick was 16-years old when he was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The accident occurred only two miles from his home in Lexington, N.C. and it was not his fault. The man driving the other vehicle crossed [...]

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SPORTS GUY
by Lizz Perle

“Seth is obsessed with sports,” says girlfriend Megan Honeycutt.
To his father a graduate and former football player from Wake Forest and his mother a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, it is to no surprise that Seth loves sports. Watching East Carolina Pirates, the Carolina Panthers and the Boston Red Sox couldn’t make [...]

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Sports May Be the Way of Life
by Seth Firquin

On October 1, 1987 Gary and Donna Perle gave birth to their daughter Elizabeth (Lizz) Perle in Toms River, NJ.
According to her parents Lizz has always had a passion for sports. Eevven at a young age Lizz. She would always pick up balls and throw [...]

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Megan McInerney is a fun-loving young woman who positively affects everyone she meets. She is a spontaneous, yet driven, young woman who is adored by her friends and family.
Holly Girtman met Megan when they began attending East Carolina University and has known her for almost four years. She described the friendship [...]

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“She finds joy in making others happy.” Ask anyone close to Amanda Lee Miller and this is what they will tell you. Born in Waynesburg, Virginia, but raised an only child near Lynchburg by her Mother Kim and Father Danny Miller. When it came time for college this small town girl was ready to get [...]

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Jamie Crouthamel is not your ordinary 22-year-old adult with her own company, a job, school, a boyfriend, and a blooming photography career.
Jamie is currently majoring in Communication with a double minor in graphic design and religious studies. She plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism. With so much on her plate [...]

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At 5:24 A.M on January 9th, 1986 in Fort Worth, Texas, Karen Denise Bennett gave birth to a little baby girl named Katrissa Mikhail Bennett. This little ray of sunshine quickly grew into a fun-loving child who had a passion for life, playing dress up, eating colored crayons, and dancing.
Even at the young age of [...]

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I grew up in a neighborhood where the kids just played basketball all the time and I wanted to learn how to play, so that year, 1994 I believe, my mother put me on the team at the YMCA.”
Early on Jasmine Young discovered a passion for basketball which would carve the path for [...]

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Jared Jackson is a sophomore here at East Carolina this year. He is from Roxboro, North Carolina and graduated from Person High School in 2006. He has three stepbrother and one step-sister, and is the middle child. Jackson has found ECU a big transition from his small hometown but has some big dreams [...]

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Some call her artistic, some call her turtle, but most know her as Keely Gray.
Born in LaGrange, North Carolina on July 25, 1983 was Keely Irene Gray. The youngest of three children, Keely grew up in LaGrange with her older brother Ashley (30) and her sister Lindsey (26).
At a young age Keely found her love [...]

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I recently had the opportunity to meet a very polite, intelligent, and easy going Senior. His name is Will Elsen. Will grew up in a town just outside of Raleigh called Fuquay Varina, The Andy Griffith Show came to mind as he joked about walking to school everyday and fishing in the afternoons. But [...]

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I recently had the opportunity to meet Brad Christian, a sophomore here at East Carolina University and I also interviewed three of his friends to find out what sort of person he is. One thing that stands out in Brad is his involvement in many activities, student and career related.
He not only [...]

Filed under: 2008 Spring, Classmate Profiles | 1 Comment »

Jared Thompson, 21, is a junior Communication major at East Carolina University with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Art Design. When I asked Jared what made him choose his major and minor, he replied smiling, “It had the least amount of math and I enjoy doing art.”
Jared lives in Greensboro, N.C., [...]

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Some call her artistic, some call her turtle, but most know her as Keely Gray.
Born in LaGrange, North Carolina on July 25, 1983 was Keely Irene Gray. The youngest of three children, Keely grew up in LaGrange with her older brother Ashley (30) and her sister Lindsey (26).
At a young age Keely found her love [...]

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They all hung out at The Pavilion. It’s not there anymore. Steven’s dad owned it – just a little bar at the beach with a few guys and a few beers. They’d kick back after a day of building houses, knock back a few Bud’s and shoot a couple games of pool.
That [...]

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Although Alycia Wendt has lived in many places, it seems like she has made North Carolina her true home. Alycia grew up in Pennsylvania and then moved to New Jersey. Although her extended family still lives in Pennsylvania, Alycia tells me they do not make it up North very often anymore. Her family [...]

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Writing all day, writing all night, that’s how Tamarah Ware spends most of her time. With enthusiasm like that, it’s no wonder this 19-year-old is already a junior at East Carolina University and making her way to the top.
Originally from Fayetteville NC, Ware grew up an only child with writing on the brain. Her [...]

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It was my turn, and Dr. Bernard Timberg looked directly at me. “Why don’t you two work together,” he suggested, moving his two fingers back and forth as if he personally were manually connecting us together. “Ok,” was our simultaneous response. We turned and looked at one another and I thought, “Her name is Megan [...]

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At the recent Humorfest panel “Political Satire in Cartoons” many different topics arose like the topics of what happens when cartoonists portray a presidential administration wrong, how comedians portray different presidents, and who’s included in the cartoons.
Chris Lamb and Mark Long talked about “Drawing Fire: The Bush Administration vs. Editorial Cartoonists”. They talked about how [...]

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Kyle turned his chair slowly towards me, looked dead at me and said “I do not want to do this assignment.”
I immediately got the feeling that Kyle was unmotivated however, very funny without even trying. Although Kyle may think differently, describing himself as crazy and claiming that he “does a lot of stupid [...]

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East Carolina University’s student union Mendenhall will undergo a $38 million renovation starting in May 2008.
Mendenhall, which was first built in 1974, will be completely remodeled to provide students with a more up to date student union. The university is trying to expand to help students learn and grow in an advanced environment.
Builders hope to [...]

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As a community news project Andrew Callahan, Kyle Barbehenn, and Issac Thomas prepared a presentation about the North Campus Recreation Facility that East Carolina University
North Campus Recreation Center - PowerPoint File

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When Kinky Friedman isn’t busy performing with his band “The Texas Jew Boys”, working on his Utopia Rescue Ranch (a shelter for dogs), or campaigning for Governor of Texas for the 2010 election, he goes around the country spreading his word, a word that some might call offensive, but others humorous, but no matter what [...]

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Last week, Mendenhall Student center hosted the first annual ECU Humor Fest. From November 1-3, over 40 panelists from 5 countries spoke about the various guises found in all forms of humor. One panel in particular was The Old Mirth State: Humor in North Carolina Literature.
The event was sponsored by the NC Literary [...]

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When the word “patriot” is mentioned, clear thoughts of heroic, courageous men often come to mind. What about visions of sly, dishonest people? Anyone with a negative description such as that would never be called a “patriot”.
Much like the Patriots of America’s past, the New England Patriots represent a team of devoted men who [...]

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This year the talk round the East Carolina campus has been the major crack down on under age drinking which is evident by the number citations that have been given down town.
The thing to do on the weekends at East Carolina University, for most students is to go downtown to the clubs and to parties [...]

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Will East Carolina University always be known as “Easy U?” Many alumni might think so but do the students of ECU think their reputation of being a party school still stands.
The thought of ECU being a party school started in the 1980’s when a major magazine published the school as one of ten in a [...]

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Taylor Williams was born in Chapel Hill 19 years ago. Both of her parents attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, so naturally you can imagine; she is a Tarheel fan. Williams however, decided to be different from her parents and become a Pirate at East Carolina University.
As a sophomore here majoring in [...]

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Unconventional, curious, and anything but “regular”; these are terms that come to mind when the name Isaac Thomas is brought into the conversation.
From the first conversation you have with Thomas you’ll know that you’ve never met anyone quite like him. His original and unique personality shines through his dark, gothic clothes.
His unconventional character [...]

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Lauren Tsiolkas, a sophomore at East Carolina University, gave up modeling in New York City to become a full time college student.
Tsiolkas was given the opportunity to model in New York City but turned it down to fulfill her dream to become the next Barbara Walters.
“Lauren possibly passed on an excellent opportunity but I believe [...]

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Nineteen-year-old Stacy Dail is already in her junior year at East Carolina University. She is currently enrolled in twenty-one credit hours, which most students would find completely daunting but Stacy is taking in stride. She simply looks at it as the most efficient way to figure out what she wants to major in. [...]

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A film producer, director, and destined magazine owner: big dreams fill Tiffany McNeil’s heart.
McNeil is a native of Virginia Beach. She was born October 4, 1987. She graduated from Terry Stanford high School in Fayetteville N.C.
McNeil is a 19-year-old junior at East Carolina University, majoring in communications. McNeil has a minor in media [...]

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“I want to work for a large network in New York City like, CNN,” says Hannah Shephard.
Not an easy goal, but at East Carolina University, where it is easy to get lost in the crowd of 23,000 students, Hannah Shephard stands out.
A junior here at ECU, Shephard admits this goal has not always been [...]

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Ashley Abernathy is not just your regular college student. She is a sophomore at East Carolina University as well as a Resident Advisor on campus.
Along with attending classes and working towards her goal of becoming a freelance writer, Abernathy serves as a mentor for incoming freshmen.
East Carolina University offers a [...]

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Elisha Kirkman, a 19-year-old sophomore from Raleigh, came to East Carolina University to fulfill a high school dream . . . she wanted to travel the world and write.
“(In high school) I was in the Key Club and S.A.V.E., which stands for Students Against Violence Everywhere. I did chorus and newspaper. The newspaper helped me [...]

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Marjorie Anne Shafer, who answers to the name of Meg, was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 21, 1986. She was raised in Chicago by her mother, Gwen, and her father, George, and lived there for eighteen years. She also lived with her older brother, Tom. Family is very important to Shafer, [...]

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Judging from his wide variety of interests, one can easily describe Andrew as an extremely ambitious individual.
From high school to college Andrew has shown motivation and enthusiasm in every task he’s set forth to conquer.
Born and raised in rural Newbern, near the Croatan National Forest, Andrew grew up learning to appreciate [...]

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“Glutton for Punishment”- Joel Banjo-Johnson
One word to describe Joel Banjo-Johnson it would be an overachiever. Joel may disagree with the remark, but it is apparently clear that she is a natural leader that’s filled with compassion and a drive to become successful.
“ I believe an over-achiever is more accurate, she attacks so [...]

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