Deirdra Harris Glover

Spring 2016 JSU Mass Communication Practicum Portfolio

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Spring Practicum Final Video

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Week Ten Practicum Update

This week I was ill, but I had a great opportunity to make up my hours by working with the JSUTV team throughout the #SJMSConference2016. Station manager Keith Collins was pleased with my work, and I’ll be working with the team again in a few weeks as they cover Commencement events.

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Week Nine

This was a short week, so everything is hectic! My supervisor was in training early in the week, so I’ve spent some time talking with Keith Collins and other JSUTV staff about potential projects for the rest of the year!

I’m so pleased to look back on my work and know I’ve built a relationship for success.

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Week Eight

I’m getting faster at social media and more familiar with the programming for the TV station. 

Big news from last week: The Blue and White Flash did extremely well at the Mississippi Press Association Student Awards last week. I took second place in editorial writing, and William Kelly III swept nearly every category he entered. I am proud of the staff and our work.

The other news: I’ve decided to finish the semester exclusively working for JSU-TV. The flexibility I have in working with the station and the broad range of tasks I could complete speaks to my explorer’s soul. I spoke with Keith Collins about continuing to do social media, and we even discussed the possibility of me producing some less ephemeral media over the summer and in fall.

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Elisha Frazier can turn a handshake into a job offer.

This is a story I’ve been working on off and on for a few weeks, and it got turned into a feature for the university web page. I love writing features because I get to meet people and find new reasons to love JSU. Elisha’s starting a robotics team, you guys! I’m so excited.

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I've worked very hard this week and I'm super pleased with this article and the contacts it earned me within the STEM organizations on campus. I also wrote a press release for the upcoming Stiletto Brass Quintent concert: I love writing about sassy and talented women. I’ve generated enough content that filling in the social media calendar is getting easier at JSUTV. Finally, I am working on a story about a robot, and that's pretty much made my practicum. 

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The recital is part of JSU’s 2016 Visual and Performing Arts Series.

This is a release I wrote on Monday.

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On Feb.11, Greenwood, Miss. native and Jackson State University alumna Dr. Tommie Stewart received the Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Acting....

So pleased with this highlight of #JSUCelebrates #blackhistorymonth. My site supervisor says this is an unprecedented share and reach numbers for the Facebook page. It was a great time to share her photo, and it paid off well.

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Week Six

I’ve been working on some interview transcriptions and collecting information from grant winners at University Communications, and we’re planning the month at JSUTV.  I am frustrated because I feel like I don’t have the hours to do both jobs effectively: I feel like I am always starting from scratch because things have moved on at Univ. Communications, and like JSUTV’s social media needs constant, careful attention. 

Spring break is coming up for my sib and me, and I’m taking advantage of the extended schedule to come into the station and learn more about production.

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I’ve made it through week five. I’ve been building #JSUTVCelebrates #BlackHistoryMonth posts, crafting more evergreen content for their social media (with an emphasis on Facebook, as that’s where we’re getting the most engagement). I’ve interviewed a few exceptionally gifted fellow students for University Communications and attended Planet Deep South events for class. I recorded a ROSR on site there since it was one of the first times I’d left the house for anything other than class or the doctor’s office, so I count it a win. Friday, I’ll be working with Germaine on March social media goals for JSUTV, and every day at The Tower is something new. Since March is Mississippi Disability Awareness Month, I’m looking to pitch a story about disability awareness and accommodations on campus.

Next week, it’s still an uphill battle.  My household goes to court to fight for permanent guardianship of my sibling, something that has been in the works for nearly two years. I suppose I am “lucky” I’ll have a newsworthy, emotionally charged event for a live onsite class assignment.

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Week Four: Sick House

Last week was awful. My whole family was so ill! I went to the doctor early in the week, who told me I should be able to go back on Thursday. I managed 3 hours at JSUTV on Thursday, but ended up going home with a fever over 100-degrees. Over the weekend, I scheduled a few posts for JSNN, and I am making up time as much as possible in between classes.

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Week Three

I’ve been building some great Black History Month posts for Facebook and starting to identify the most popular shows on JSUTV so I can write evergreen posts. I have the same problem so many white-identified Americans have, where many of these influential people with incredible lives are new discoveries to me. 

At University Communications, I’ve been making edits to an upcoming periodical, but I had a family matter on Wednesday, and my practicum supervisor was unexpectedly out of the office on Friday. Worse, my sibling and I seem to have contracted a virus, which has been a cyclical problem this season. I am ready to be well! I have to take them to the doctor tomorrow, and will have to miss my Tower Hours.

In other School of Journalism news, I wrote my second news rundown (and my first I’ll be involved in producing) for my Media Production class. City Councilman Tyrone Hendrix has agreed to be a guest on our show, and that thrills me. I’m writing four pieces for the Flash in the upcoming weeks, and I am beginning to put together writing samples for internships and job applications. I even recorded two ROSRs over the weekend: one serious one through my church about a worldwide religious and social justice action against Boko Haram by self-identified witches and magic workers, and one about the stalemate between my sibling and myself in a clothier’s dressing room. No shots fired, just a lot of body dysmorphia, funhouse mirroring and self-shaming going around in dressing rooms--those tiny courtrooms of one.

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Weeks One and Two

Each day I am at Jackson State University, I learn new things about the institution, the culture, and the opportunities afforded to me as a student.This spring, I am embarking on a mass communication campus practicum experience. I chose practicum because I had previously spoken with JSU TV’s Keith Collins about building the station’s brand and online presence.

However, I interviewed with three other campus offices today, and I see ways my stranger job skills could be put to use for the university as a whole. 

I spoke with L.A. Warren in University Communications about writing for his department. Warren and I have similar backgrounds, and I am also in class with JSU social media manager Spencer McClenty: it could turn out to be a great fit. We talked about JSU Global and my interest in political and cultural analysis, and how I’d like to write about scientific research on campus.

Ultimately, I have decided to work with University Communications and JSU TV for my practicum: I think these two opportunities will help me grow my professional skills and help me make connections valuable for my future career.I will still continue my work at the student newspaper, the Blue and White Flash, and would like to explore community service options with Auxiliary Services on their disaster communications project.

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Even though I’ve been sick as a dog this week, I started working at JSUTV and University Communications. 

JSUTV has a lot of work for me, and I’m excited to lay some foundations. I spent a lot of time securing passwords and credentials to their social media accounts, and hunting resources (graphics, social media accounts, websites) for the TV shows they air. I also discovered the station’s content management system needs some software and database management.

I’ve only worked with University Communications briefly, but I did some editing and fact-checking/student information work. I’m excited about the kinds of work I’ll be doing with them, and getting to interact on campus. As a commuter, it’s often difficult to feel a part of campus life.