Professor criticizes UF for hiring state Sen. Mike Haridopolos
In an article he contributed to the Orlando Sentinel on Friday, UF history professor Jack E. Davis questioned UF’s decision to hire Florida Sen. Mike Haridopolos for a three-semester teaching stint at a salary of $75,000 per year. Amidst College of Liberal Arts and Sciences debt, Davis laments the fact that the UF history department is too broke to replace the ink cartridges in its sole faculty printer. Budget cuts also have prevented the school from appointing a full-time director of the Sen. Bob Graham Center for Public Service, which has grand opening ceremonies this week. How then does the school justify the exorbitant salary for a temporary employee—one who does not even hold a Ph.D., as all of the other faculty are required to?
The story would quote professor Davis, along with someone who was involved in the hiring of Haridopolos from the CLAS to get opposing viewpoints.
The online component would involve going to the UF campus to video tape students’ reactions to the hiring decision and to the budget cuts affecting CLAS. The videos would be online with teasers to them in the paper as a sidebar to the story.
Spring break is coming up, so I thought this might be a good time to look at how our safety on the road is impacted. Not all universities in Florida have spring break at the same time, so a report on the whole state would be unrealistic, but how about on roads leading out of Gainesville? Do we suddenly see more traffic crashes at the beginning and end of spring break on the roads in and around Gainesville? Are more police units assigned to State Road 24 near the airport? What about roads intersecting with Interstate 75? Is this the worst time of year for traffic accidents in Gainesville?
The Gainesville Police Department will probably be the best source for this story. The department should be able to supply some statistics and answer some questions with depth. The Florida Highway Patrol may also be able to help.
The story could run anywhere from 10 to 20 inches, depending on what we get. We could start getting photos Thursday — I’m sure the traffic will start getting heavy then. Online, we could post any statistics we get in a graph, showing how many accidents are reported yearly around spring break. It might also help to find out about flight delays at nearby airports, like the Gainesville Regional Airport, the Jacksonville International Airport and the Orlando International Airport.
This week I propose a story on the possibility that graduation ceremonies could be eliminated for certain departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After speaking with the chair of the Faculty Finance Committee a few weeks ago, Dr. Elizabeth Dale, she indicated there was some talk that graduation ceremonies and celebrations of any kind could stand to be cut under the next round of budget cuts to be forthcoming in the wake of the Florida budget shortfall. While this seems unlikely, it is certainly worth investigating.
First, the reporter would need to read the 2008 Final Report posted on the Web site of the Faculty Finance Committee. This indicates the committee’s suggestions that such a rash decision could be made. Then, the reporter would likely need to speak with Dr. Elizabeth Dale, whose contact information found on the Department of History’s Web site. The reporter should next speak with Joe Glover, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ interim dean. Finally, the reporter should speak with Janie Fouke, UF’s provost to get a comment on whether this could ever be possible.
I imagine this story would run about 10-15 inches and feature a stock photo of a recent graduation ceremony for a discipline within the College of Journalism and Communications. As for online presentation, this story could become an investigative work in progress. I envision an evolving slide show that runs through a variety of newspaper clippings blown up, video from local tv stations and excerpts from articles to tell the story of the Florida housing market collapse, the budget shortfall and the perks UF will have to forego in the coming years. It would run from the front of the page, and have links underneath the slide show to a library of articles on the issues, photos taken during this time period and sound clips of interviews conducted by the outlet’s reporters.
Spring Break starts Friday for UF, and my story idea for this week is to see if the climbing gas prices are influencing where students go for vacation.
Federal officials expect national gas prices to peak around $3.40 this spring. I would provide the average price of a gallon of gas in Gainesville and in Florida for reference points.
I would also ask a number of students
1. where, if anywhere, they’re going for break
2. if their choice was affected by gas prices
3. if their method of transportation was affected by gas prices
A photo of a sign proclaiming the price of gas at a local station could accompany the story, along with a graphic of the state of Florida showing which town possesses the highest and lowest prices. If we had the time, an online component could provide an interactive map of Florida that would give the average price of gas for a region of the map when it’s clicked.
US Airways has joined together with Reading is Fundamental to launch a new early childhood literacy campaign, “Fly with US. Read with Kids,” which features a free children’s book for passengers traveling domestically during March, according to a Marketing Daily news article. Copies of “Come Fly with Maisy” will be given to passengers to take with them and share with their children. The challenge is to get 1 million minutes spent reading with children by May 31, 2008.
The story should answer the following questions:
– How did the challenge get started? What caused the initiation of the project? Who was behind it?
– What kinds of responses have there been?
– How do employees think the campaign will improve business?
– How do parents and teachers feel about the campaign?
For a local slant, a reporter could interview local parents and teachers in Gainesville and find out opinions from students majoring in elementary and pre-school education and their professors as well. Find out whether they are participating in the campaign, if they have heard about it, and what they do within their communities in order to get children to read.
Sources:
– Dr. Christie Cavanaugh, UF Assistant Professor of early childhood education
o 352-392-9191 ext. 285 clcavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu
o She could give names of students to interview during the process
– Alachua Elementary School
o 386-462-1841
– Glen Springs Elementary
o 352-955-6708
– for information about the challenge and contact information on the campaign:
o http://www.readwithkidschallenge.com/
– for information about RIF:
o http://www.rif.org/
o The Web site also offers a section where parents can log the amount of time they spend reading with their children.
o For an online version of the story, the reporter could include links to part of the interactive sections of the Web site, such as blogs and activity searches
– for information about the author of the book and the fictional character:
o http://www.maisyfunclub.com
o For online version, the story can include links from the Web site to show what the book is like for interested readers and potential travelers
I read on Al’s Morning Meeting about an article published in the Wall Street Journal outlining a new study that found that daylight savings time actually increases energy usage. The WSJ reported: “[Researchers] conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.” Another study conducted in 2007 by economists Hendrik Wolff and Ryan Kellogg said the same thing.
It’d be interesting to explore this idea, especially on campus where the Office of Sustainability is trying to become more prominent. I’d talk to Dedee DeLongpré, director, about this new information. How would they try to combat it? Is this the first time they’ve heard anything negative related to daylight savings? What can students do to help offset the increase of energy use? Do they plan on making this issue more prominent on campus?
I’d also like to talk to UF students about daylight savings. I know we all dread the “spring forward” aspect because we lose an hour of sleep, but what do students really think of it? Does the fact that it was originally designed to save money sort of clash with the fact that it really doesn’t?
Another good place to look for an interview would be GRU. I’d want to ask them about energy usage right after daylight savings time (March 9) in comparison to the days and months before it. Maybe they could give me an average usage for an average home in Gainesville. I’d see if they could try and calculate what an average bill would be if there were no daylight savings, or I would just do it on my own with the information given to me.
For the online aspect, I’d make a chart with the information gathered from GRU. I’d also interview students who live in apartments and houses to see if they would give me an average GRU bill for all 12 months to see how it pans out. I’d have a special section with audio, including interviews with Dedee and a GRU representative. I’d also have interactive graphics on the chart when your mouse rolled over certain spots that would show what you could be paying if there was no daylight savings. I’d also have a special section devoted to the history of daylight savings and why Benjamin Franklin’s idea started in the first place. I’d possibly have a timeline of important facts pertaining to the history.
One of my part-time jobs here in Gainesville is working at Starbucks, which is one of the most successful corporate companies to grow out of a small business venture in history. Since I began working there, we have had nothing but problems from one of our assistant managers, who consistently treats his workers like crap. This wouldn’t be such a terrible problem if Starbucks wasn’t a company reputable for its outstanding treatment of its workers, making claims about providing a work environment that promotes respect for both workers and customers. In the course of two years, I have seen this manager consistently abuse his power and treat everyone around him terribly. The sad part about this situation is that many people have complained to authority up the corporate chain, going as high up as human resources, yet never seeing any action on their part to rectify the situation. Recently, this manager was told he no longer worked at our location and would face a demotion and district change unless he resigned. He chose to stay on with the company, where he will be sent to a new location to continue his reign of terror.
My story idea involves writing a piece that examines how corporate businesses work, especially those businesses that have venues and offer jobs to students right here in Gainesville. It is the right of potential workers to know the environment they can expect to enter in the workforce, especially if the practices of the company seem to differ from its preachings. This story, as I envision it, will serve as a look into the workings of a corporation, and how different its workings are from small businesses. For example, working in a restaurant that has national affiliations may also be causing similar problems for workers like those at Starbucks. Why does this happen? What can workers do about it? Living in a court-case world, is there anything that lowly students can do to bring some sort of legal action against a company they feel has terrible business practices. Additionally, this could also be an article examining how corporations treat minorities, homosexuals, etc. Have we, as a country, risen beyond racism and certain other prejudices to allow equal opportunities to all people of different colors, ethnicities and beliefs? Do the business practices of such corporations back up this sentiment? Here in Gainesville, I think to feel out the story I would talk to students around campus who have part time jobs to assess their experiences with certain companies. I would go from there, interviewing certain managers of restaurants where a problem was perceived. Of course, this could be a cumbersome story with some students, I expect, who continue to work at these places because they need the money. Additionally, I would like to talk to professors on campus who are experts in the business practices of corporations in order to help break down some of the jargon. I think a neat sidebar to include in the story would be some sort of “worst places to work” graphic, detailing certain places that were named in my investigation, the claim, and the response of company officials.
My story idea for this week focuses on UF’s sustainability program. I have noticed a rise in the amount of biodegradable plates being used on campus as well as the replacement of white paper towels with brown ones in most restrooms.
This could be a good opportunity to do an update on the program.
Why are the brown paper towels being used now, after white was used for so long? Are there any drawbacks to using biodegradable plates/boxes? Any decrease in quality? How long does it actually take for these to decompose compared to regular Styrofoam boxes? Is the benefit worth any costs involved?
You could also focus on the policies of the Krishna lunch program. Does its emphasis on the environment have an impact on UF policies?
Sources could be Krishna lunch representatives, Gator Dining Services/Aramark, Reitz Union officials (from food court), officials from UF’s Office of Sustainability, Alachua County sustainability programs, etc.
Story could run 10 inches and include pictures from the food court or bathrooms with brown paper towels in dispensers.
Online presentation could include interactive timeline of how biodegradable plates decompose over time, as well as links to sites where readers can learn more and get more involved with sustainability. A chart could also be included showing the difference between old and new materials. There could also be an interactive map that would show which locations on campus adhere to the new policies.
A story could be written on the annual strawberry sale that is organized by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at Fifield Hall.
It is a story that is usually done every year, but this time the story could include information about UF’s budget cuts. Recently, there has been a bit of controversy about comments UF President Bernie Machen allegedly said to an obscure, Tampa-based online news outlet. The news outlet claims Machen said IFAS would incur cuts and that agriculture is a dying industry, especially since Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry is suffering.
To the Alligator and the Sun, Machen acknowledged that IFAS, along with every other UF department, would incur budget cuts. But he holds that he did not say the other comments.
The story could include the normal stuff about the strawberry sale – who organizes it, what it is, where the money goes, where is the sale located, when is the sale and can you only pay in cash. The reporter should ask about whether the college has received any budget cuts, how IFAS is responding to Machen’s remarks, whether there has been communication between Machen and IFAS and whether Machen buys anything from the strawberry sale. That would be a cute picture – Machen buying strawberries.
The reporter should ask how much money the strawberry sale is expected to bring in and if sales have gone up or down since last year and why they have gone up/down. Will the strawberry sale help the budget cuts at all? (Probably not, but the reporter should still ask.)
An online package could include a map of where Fifield Hall is on the UF campus. Many people don’t know that part of campus very well. The online package could also include links to strawberry recipes, which the IFAS Web site provides. Also, a strawberry sale is a “ripe” opportunity for cute pictures and slideshows for online.
Story Idea: What legal recourse is available when a roommate refuses to pay rent?
I live in a four bedroom house. Although four women live in the house, because of a rule in Gainesville that says only three women can live together in a house, only three of us signed the lease. One of my roommates graduated in December and moved out for the spring semester. She has since contacted our landlord and asked to be removed from the terms of the lease because she moved out, and he refused. Although none of us think this is going to happen, we asked our landlord what would happen if our old roommate refused to continue to pay rent. He said that if she doesn’t pay rent, it isn’t his problem and we have to pay the difference. Essentially, we, not our landlord, would have to take legal action against her to get the money.
This made me wonder what other students in similar roommate situations have done. Do they just deal with it and pay the roommate’s rent? Do they consult lawyers? Do their landlords ever get more involved than ours has?
For this story, I would talk to people who have had problems with roommates paying rent. Did they sign individual leases or sign a lease together? I would also talk to apartment complex leasing agents and ask if most students sign joint leases or if roommates in apartments can sign individual lease agreements. I would ask students if they would take legal action against their roommates, or if they had talked to lawyers about the issue. I would ask Gainesville lawyers what legal recourse students have in situations like this, and whether or not most students have to actually take action against their roommates or if the threat of doing so is enough.
This story would run at about 20 inches. There could be an online section for students, landlords, or lawyers to give their opinions about the subject or share experiences and advice.
Professor criticizes UF for hiring state Sen. Mike Haridopolos
In an article he contributed to the Orlando Sentinel on Friday, UF history professor Jack E. Davis questioned UF’s decision to hire Florida Sen. Mike Haridopolos for a three-semester teaching stint at a salary of $75,000 per year. Amidst College of Liberal Arts and Sciences debt, Davis laments the fact that the UF history department is too broke to replace the ink cartridges in its sole faculty printer. Budget cuts also have prevented the school from appointing a full-time director of the Sen. Bob Graham Center for Public Service, which has grand opening ceremonies this week. How then does the school justify the exorbitant salary for a temporary employee—one who does not even hold a Ph.D., as all of the other faculty are required to?
The story would quote professor Davis, along with someone who was involved in the hiring of Haridopolos from the CLAS to get opposing viewpoints.
The online component would involve going to the UF campus to video tape students’ reactions to the hiring decision and to the budget cuts affecting CLAS. The videos would be online with teasers to them in the paper as a sidebar to the story.
Spring break is coming up, so I thought this might be a good time to look at how our safety on the road is impacted. Not all universities in Florida have spring break at the same time, so a report on the whole state would be unrealistic, but how about on roads leading out of Gainesville? Do we suddenly see more traffic crashes at the beginning and end of spring break on the roads in and around Gainesville? Are more police units assigned to State Road 24 near the airport? What about roads intersecting with Interstate 75? Is this the worst time of year for traffic accidents in Gainesville?
The Gainesville Police Department will probably be the best source for this story. The department should be able to supply some statistics and answer some questions with depth. The Florida Highway Patrol may also be able to help.
The story could run anywhere from 10 to 20 inches, depending on what we get. We could start getting photos Thursday — I’m sure the traffic will start getting heavy then. Online, we could post any statistics we get in a graph, showing how many accidents are reported yearly around spring break. It might also help to find out about flight delays at nearby airports, like the Gainesville Regional Airport, the Jacksonville International Airport and the Orlando International Airport.
This week I propose a story on the possibility that graduation ceremonies could be eliminated for certain departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After speaking with the chair of the Faculty Finance Committee a few weeks ago, Dr. Elizabeth Dale, she indicated there was some talk that graduation ceremonies and celebrations of any kind could stand to be cut under the next round of budget cuts to be forthcoming in the wake of the Florida budget shortfall. While this seems unlikely, it is certainly worth investigating.
First, the reporter would need to read the 2008 Final Report posted on the Web site of the Faculty Finance Committee. This indicates the committee’s suggestions that such a rash decision could be made. Then, the reporter would likely need to speak with Dr. Elizabeth Dale, whose contact information found on the Department of History’s Web site. The reporter should next speak with Joe Glover, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ interim dean. Finally, the reporter should speak with Janie Fouke, UF’s provost to get a comment on whether this could ever be possible.
I imagine this story would run about 10-15 inches and feature a stock photo of a recent graduation ceremony for a discipline within the College of Journalism and Communications. As for online presentation, this story could become an investigative work in progress. I envision an evolving slide show that runs through a variety of newspaper clippings blown up, video from local tv stations and excerpts from articles to tell the story of the Florida housing market collapse, the budget shortfall and the perks UF will have to forego in the coming years. It would run from the front of the page, and have links underneath the slide show to a library of articles on the issues, photos taken during this time period and sound clips of interviews conducted by the outlet’s reporters.
Spring Break starts Friday for UF, and my story idea for this week is to see if the climbing gas prices are influencing where students go for vacation.
Federal officials expect national gas prices to peak around $3.40 this spring. I would provide the average price of a gallon of gas in Gainesville and in Florida for reference points.
I would also ask a number of students
1. where, if anywhere, they’re going for break
2. if their choice was affected by gas prices
3. if their method of transportation was affected by gas prices
A photo of a sign proclaiming the price of gas at a local station could accompany the story, along with a graphic of the state of Florida showing which town possesses the highest and lowest prices. If we had the time, an online component could provide an interactive map of Florida that would give the average price of gas for a region of the map when it’s clicked.
Story Idea
US Airways has joined together with Reading is Fundamental to launch a new early childhood literacy campaign, “Fly with US. Read with Kids,” which features a free children’s book for passengers traveling domestically during March, according to a Marketing Daily news article. Copies of “Come Fly with Maisy” will be given to passengers to take with them and share with their children. The challenge is to get 1 million minutes spent reading with children by May 31, 2008.
The story should answer the following questions:
– How did the challenge get started? What caused the initiation of the project? Who was behind it?
– What kinds of responses have there been?
– How do employees think the campaign will improve business?
– How do parents and teachers feel about the campaign?
For a local slant, a reporter could interview local parents and teachers in Gainesville and find out opinions from students majoring in elementary and pre-school education and their professors as well. Find out whether they are participating in the campaign, if they have heard about it, and what they do within their communities in order to get children to read.
Sources:
– Dr. Christie Cavanaugh, UF Assistant Professor of early childhood education
o 352-392-9191 ext. 285
clcavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu
o She could give names of students to interview during the process
– Alachua Elementary School
o 386-462-1841
– Glen Springs Elementary
o 352-955-6708
– for information about the challenge and contact information on the campaign:
o http://www.readwithkidschallenge.com/
– for information about RIF:
o http://www.rif.org/
o The Web site also offers a section where parents can log the amount of time they spend reading with their children.
o For an online version of the story, the reporter could include links to part of the interactive sections of the Web site, such as blogs and activity searches
– for information about the author of the book and the fictional character:
o http://www.maisyfunclub.com
o For online version, the story can include links from the Web site to show what the book is like for interested readers and potential travelers
I read on Al’s Morning Meeting about an article published in the Wall Street Journal outlining a new study that found that daylight savings time actually increases energy usage. The WSJ reported: “[Researchers] conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.” Another study conducted in 2007 by economists Hendrik Wolff and Ryan Kellogg said the same thing.
It’d be interesting to explore this idea, especially on campus where the Office of Sustainability is trying to become more prominent. I’d talk to Dedee DeLongpré, director, about this new information. How would they try to combat it? Is this the first time they’ve heard anything negative related to daylight savings? What can students do to help offset the increase of energy use? Do they plan on making this issue more prominent on campus?
I’d also like to talk to UF students about daylight savings. I know we all dread the “spring forward” aspect because we lose an hour of sleep, but what do students really think of it? Does the fact that it was originally designed to save money sort of clash with the fact that it really doesn’t?
Another good place to look for an interview would be GRU. I’d want to ask them about energy usage right after daylight savings time (March 9) in comparison to the days and months before it. Maybe they could give me an average usage for an average home in Gainesville. I’d see if they could try and calculate what an average bill would be if there were no daylight savings, or I would just do it on my own with the information given to me.
For the online aspect, I’d make a chart with the information gathered from GRU. I’d also interview students who live in apartments and houses to see if they would give me an average GRU bill for all 12 months to see how it pans out. I’d have a special section with audio, including interviews with Dedee and a GRU representative. I’d also have interactive graphics on the chart when your mouse rolled over certain spots that would show what you could be paying if there was no daylight savings. I’d also have a special section devoted to the history of daylight savings and why Benjamin Franklin’s idea started in the first place. I’d possibly have a timeline of important facts pertaining to the history.
Colleen Bennett
colbe6@ufl.edu
One of my part-time jobs here in Gainesville is working at Starbucks, which is one of the most successful corporate companies to grow out of a small business venture in history. Since I began working there, we have had nothing but problems from one of our assistant managers, who consistently treats his workers like crap. This wouldn’t be such a terrible problem if Starbucks wasn’t a company reputable for its outstanding treatment of its workers, making claims about providing a work environment that promotes respect for both workers and customers. In the course of two years, I have seen this manager consistently abuse his power and treat everyone around him terribly. The sad part about this situation is that many people have complained to authority up the corporate chain, going as high up as human resources, yet never seeing any action on their part to rectify the situation. Recently, this manager was told he no longer worked at our location and would face a demotion and district change unless he resigned. He chose to stay on with the company, where he will be sent to a new location to continue his reign of terror.
My story idea involves writing a piece that examines how corporate businesses work, especially those businesses that have venues and offer jobs to students right here in Gainesville. It is the right of potential workers to know the environment they can expect to enter in the workforce, especially if the practices of the company seem to differ from its preachings. This story, as I envision it, will serve as a look into the workings of a corporation, and how different its workings are from small businesses. For example, working in a restaurant that has national affiliations may also be causing similar problems for workers like those at Starbucks. Why does this happen? What can workers do about it? Living in a court-case world, is there anything that lowly students can do to bring some sort of legal action against a company they feel has terrible business practices. Additionally, this could also be an article examining how corporations treat minorities, homosexuals, etc. Have we, as a country, risen beyond racism and certain other prejudices to allow equal opportunities to all people of different colors, ethnicities and beliefs? Do the business practices of such corporations back up this sentiment? Here in Gainesville, I think to feel out the story I would talk to students around campus who have part time jobs to assess their experiences with certain companies. I would go from there, interviewing certain managers of restaurants where a problem was perceived. Of course, this could be a cumbersome story with some students, I expect, who continue to work at these places because they need the money. Additionally, I would like to talk to professors on campus who are experts in the business practices of corporations in order to help break down some of the jargon. I think a neat sidebar to include in the story would be some sort of “worst places to work” graphic, detailing certain places that were named in my investigation, the claim, and the response of company officials.
My story idea for this week focuses on UF’s sustainability program. I have noticed a rise in the amount of biodegradable plates being used on campus as well as the replacement of white paper towels with brown ones in most restrooms.
This could be a good opportunity to do an update on the program.
Why are the brown paper towels being used now, after white was used for so long? Are there any drawbacks to using biodegradable plates/boxes? Any decrease in quality? How long does it actually take for these to decompose compared to regular Styrofoam boxes? Is the benefit worth any costs involved?
You could also focus on the policies of the Krishna lunch program. Does its emphasis on the environment have an impact on UF policies?
Sources could be Krishna lunch representatives, Gator Dining Services/Aramark, Reitz Union officials (from food court), officials from UF’s Office of Sustainability, Alachua County sustainability programs, etc.
Story could run 10 inches and include pictures from the food court or bathrooms with brown paper towels in dispensers.
Online presentation could include interactive timeline of how biodegradable plates decompose over time, as well as links to sites where readers can learn more and get more involved with sustainability. A chart could also be included showing the difference between old and new materials. There could also be an interactive map that would show which locations on campus adhere to the new policies.
A story could be written on the annual strawberry sale that is organized by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at Fifield Hall.
It is a story that is usually done every year, but this time the story could include information about UF’s budget cuts. Recently, there has been a bit of controversy about comments UF President Bernie Machen allegedly said to an obscure, Tampa-based online news outlet. The news outlet claims Machen said IFAS would incur cuts and that agriculture is a dying industry, especially since Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry is suffering.
To the Alligator and the Sun, Machen acknowledged that IFAS, along with every other UF department, would incur budget cuts. But he holds that he did not say the other comments.
The story could include the normal stuff about the strawberry sale – who organizes it, what it is, where the money goes, where is the sale located, when is the sale and can you only pay in cash. The reporter should ask about whether the college has received any budget cuts, how IFAS is responding to Machen’s remarks, whether there has been communication between Machen and IFAS and whether Machen buys anything from the strawberry sale. That would be a cute picture – Machen buying strawberries.
The reporter should ask how much money the strawberry sale is expected to bring in and if sales have gone up or down since last year and why they have gone up/down. Will the strawberry sale help the budget cuts at all? (Probably not, but the reporter should still ask.)
An online package could include a map of where Fifield Hall is on the UF campus. Many people don’t know that part of campus very well. The online package could also include links to strawberry recipes, which the IFAS Web site provides. Also, a strawberry sale is a “ripe” opportunity for cute pictures and slideshows for online.
Story Idea: What legal recourse is available when a roommate refuses to pay rent?
I live in a four bedroom house. Although four women live in the house, because of a rule in Gainesville that says only three women can live together in a house, only three of us signed the lease. One of my roommates graduated in December and moved out for the spring semester. She has since contacted our landlord and asked to be removed from the terms of the lease because she moved out, and he refused. Although none of us think this is going to happen, we asked our landlord what would happen if our old roommate refused to continue to pay rent. He said that if she doesn’t pay rent, it isn’t his problem and we have to pay the difference. Essentially, we, not our landlord, would have to take legal action against her to get the money.
This made me wonder what other students in similar roommate situations have done. Do they just deal with it and pay the roommate’s rent? Do they consult lawyers? Do their landlords ever get more involved than ours has?
For this story, I would talk to people who have had problems with roommates paying rent. Did they sign individual leases or sign a lease together? I would also talk to apartment complex leasing agents and ask if most students sign joint leases or if roommates in apartments can sign individual lease agreements. I would ask students if they would take legal action against their roommates, or if they had talked to lawyers about the issue. I would ask Gainesville lawyers what legal recourse students have in situations like this, and whether or not most students have to actually take action against their roommates or if the threat of doing so is enough.
This story would run at about 20 inches. There could be an online section for students, landlords, or lawyers to give their opinions about the subject or share experiences and advice.