Saturday, January 31, 2009 4 comments

Towson athletic program lacks student involvement


Article by Daniel Gross
Photo taken from: TowsonTigers.com

Towson University's student athletic program has been voted one of the nation's best college athletic program's in the nation, offering 20 different sports for the intercollegiate program. This is now Towson's 30th year of NCAA Division 1 competition. The college growth and student enrollment has also consistently risen in the past years and continues to do so. The University now publicizes it's current enrollment status of over 20 thousand students. 

But where are the fans? Where are the crowds that wear there school colors with pride and stand and yell for their favorite player at a Towson Tiger sporting event? 

The recent men's basketball CAA conference game vs. Drexel was a perfect example of this lack of enthusiasm this university has come to have. Throughout the entire game, although the stands were filled seeing that it was a bi-semesterly "black out" game, there was no one to be seen standing up or at times even paying attention. There was only one small section, the "student section" where a group of students choose to remain standing for the entirety of the game. 

This group would even scream chants to the rest of their fellow Towson students, yet none of these so called fans would stand up or cheer for their team. 

There were many scenarios throughout the game in which naturally the play on the court would result in a standing ovation. At one point, there was 45 seconds left in the game, with the Towson Tigers down by only four points, an easy situation to pull out ahead.

Despite these suspenseful conditions, the fans remained in their seats. This was all while, the visiting teams fans, were all standing up together to support their team and make sure they would come home with a win. 

This goes to say a lot about the intention of the students at Towson and where the holes are within the strong athletic program. The athletic and sports programs directors have put a number of fan involvement/excitement program in place. These programs however, still do not seem to enhance the experience of the fan and attract a stronger commitment to spectator sports. Much of the issue lies within the actual fans. The issue of becoming more excited and showing sincere support is the first step and strengthening the fan base.

To look through the many sports programs offered go the the Towson Tigers homepage
Monday, January 26, 2009 1 comments

Spring semester begins, soaring to new heights


This is my second semester of my sophomore year and I am even more excited to dive into the world of multi-media journalism than I've been before. After learning a great deal in Journalism and New Media I and sharpening the skills that I've already grasped, I am now ready for JNM II. I believe there is still so much more for m to learn even though I feel as if I am already becoming a professional journalist.

Currently, I serve as the Associate News Editor at The Towerlight. Here I am able to write stories on deadline, edit other's stories, create headlines and cutlines, make executive decisions and assemble the layout of certain sections. I am fortunate to be in this position and know that it is bringing me forward in my path to mass communications. Here is the link to my staff profile: Daniel Gross - Assocaite News Editor

Apart from The Towerlight, I also co-own a media production company that formed in Southern Maryland, where I am from. Change of Scene Productions (www.changeofscene.net) has now been in business since 2007 and we are always looking for opportunities to create a project and increase our experience. We offer video documentaries, promotional videos, photography, Web design, graphic design, wedding videos, and much more.

There are many things that I have already experienced that has made an impact on my future career. Starting from publishing a weekly class newspaper in my fourth grade class, I've more recently interned at The Enterprise, a community newspaper in St. Mary's County and worked for TheBAYNET.com, Southern Maryland's #1 online news source. At this salaried job, I was a reporter, photographer, Web developer and sales associate. Check out the news in Southern Maryland by clicking here.

I am very interested in video, photography, broadcast, reporting, writing, Web design, graphic design and almost any aspect of journalism and new media. I find it is very important to publish information and stories in a non-biased voice and find a way to most effectively distribute information to the masses.

Here is a link to my personal Web site