Expansion of 'The Tide' Light Rail in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach residents are choosing alternate methods of travel...

Could the light rail be one of these choices?

Image Courtesy of 'City of Virginia Beach' website

“Ride the Tide”. Hampton Roads commuters may know this slogan well, but if you don’t it may be due to the fact that “The Tide” light rail is not a mode of transportation that is readily available to you. 

The light rail in Hampton Roads currently runs from Newton Road to downtown Norfolk. Those who need to travel beyond those limits must utilize the bus system, taxi, or their own vehicle. The light rail is a convenient way to travel because, like a train, it travels on a set track. The light weight train runs using electric lines that are positioned above the tracks and the train itself. Stops are made at specific times at specific stations, making it easy for passengers to plan their travels. Travelers in Virginia Beach have expressed interest in a light rail because it would allow for easier and more expedient travel to and from the oceanfront, as well as offer a new route that reaches destinations instead of using Interstate 64. 

Click 'play' below to hear feedback from Virginia Beach Commuter, Tina Hairston

According to the City of Virginia Beach’s website, 62.7 percent of voters voted “yes” on the referendum that asked “Should the City Council adopt an ordinance approving the use of all reasonable efforts to support the financing and development of The Tide light rail into Virginia Beach?” This essentially allows city officials to exhaust all possibilities of bringing the light rail further into Hampton Roads. The planning process is extensive as budgets need to be made, materials must be bought, and jobs created. Research from the city's website shows that it would cost over 800 million dollars to build 12 miles of rail. Brian Smith, who is the Assistant to the President for Organizational Advancement of Hampton Roads Transit, stresses the importance of being environmentally conscious throughout the building and maintenance of the light rail. Smith states, “As a region, as we continue to invest in high quality, dependable transportation options like light rail and enhanced bus services, more commuters will consider leaving their cars behind and taking transit.” The light rail could present the perfect opportunity for Virginia Beach residents to use an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. 

The study and planning process is deemed to finish in 2014, and if all goes well, construction of the rail and the eight proposed stations will be underway as noted by the city's website.  The Virginia Beach website also lists that the popular station locations will be at Town Center, Lynnhaven Road, and the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Virginia Beach would be connected not only with riders from their city, but also with riders in Norfolk. More opportunities will open for people to take jobs and attend school across city limits. 

During the mayoral forum on September 18, 2012, mayoral candidate, Rick Kowalewitch, noted, “Some of our elected officials would have us believe that spending over a billion dollars on a choo-choo train that might service five to ten thousand people a day, when we have over 1.2 billion dollars in unfunded road projects that would serve over 430,000 people per day, is okay.” Mayor Will Sessoms disagrees and thinks that the light rail would benefit the city of Virginia Beach. The entirety of the forum can be accessed here. 

We must ask ourselves exactly why expanding light rail into Virginia Beach would be beneficial for the community. Brian Smith notes, “61% of customers connecting to the Tide at Newtown Road Station live in Virginia Beach. Folks are using light rail to travel to work, school, medical appointments and to take advantage of retail and recreational activities.” The light rail attracts students attending Tidewater Community College and Norfolk State, so expanding it would appeal to universities like Regent, whose students do not have access to light rail transportation. 

Regent student, Kathryn Lopez, who recently moved to the Virginia Beach area, is excited for the possibility of using the light rail. Lopez says, “It would provide transportation to college students like myself who do not have a car. It provides quicker transportation than a bus and would be cheaper than a taxi. I could get to places easier, especially since I don’t know the area that well.” 

Student Stephen Brown echoes this idea: “The light rail would be useful. It is expensive to build but would be worthwhile in the long run.” 

Students weigh in on the light rail topic.  Click 'play' above to listen in!

Expanding The Tide light rail would take millions of dollars and several more years to complete. It was a hot topic during the city election and city officials will continue to debate as the fate of the light rail hangs in the balance. Yet, even in the preliminary stages, its impact on the Hampton Roads community is already apparent.  As evidenced in the conflicting ideas of the mayoral candidates and the excitement felt by commuters and students, the issue of the light rail is one that welcomes and encourages feedback from the community. 

It's YOUR turn!  Vote in the poll by clicking here .  Look below to see what others are saying on this important issue.

Regent University's Annual Christmas Ball

          The Regent University community marks the beginning of the Christmas season by hosting the Christmas Ball event each year.  Students begin buzzing about the Ball as early as October.  As the weather gets chillier and holiday decorations pop up, excitement for Christmas grows.  Girls search for the perfect dress, guys get up the nerve to ask their date, and the Christmas Ball committee, comprised of Regent student council members, starts planning. 

Prepping for the Ball

Each attendee prepares for the Ball in his or her own way.  Regent student Karissa Krause says that she has been practicing her dance skills at a studio called The Bank.  Regent holds their own dance lessons in preparation for the Christmas Ball.  In the months before the Ball, students practice ballroom dances including the waltz, West Coast Swing, cha-cha, and salsa.  Dance student Raluca Petrut notes, “[The classes] taught me that dancing translates something to the audience, and the different type of dance reflects that message. We learned to rumba, samba, waltz, and it made dancing so much more enjoyable.”  Stephen “Xada” Swain is excited for a possible performance that he and his dance company may perform at the Ball this year.

Another area of prep for the Christmas Ball is finding an outfit.  Regent senior Jordan Smith represents the majority of male attendees as he is not preparing at all.  He is just excited about the festivities.  Yet, for the ladies, finding an outfit can be the most stressful part of the preparations.  While some of the girls will wear dresses they already own, the dilemma of finding appropriate shoes, accessories, and hair ideas still looms. 

This year, Regent participated in an event called the Princess Closet.  Student Services allowed students to donate slightly-used formal dresses.  The dresses were then put on display for girls to try on and keep free of charge.  Hannah Fox, who will be attending the Christmas Ball for the first time, stopped by the Princess Closet and found her dress for the Ball.  Regarding her experience at the Princess Closet event, Hannah says, “It was so fun!  It was just a bunch of girls in the bathroom trying on dresses!”  Michelle Sommers, who enjoys finding great bargains, also found a Christmas Ball dress at Princess Closet.

Highlights from Christmas Ball 2011 and Prep for Christmas Ball 2012

Planning the Event

Rebecca Brittingham is the Event Chair for the Christmas Ball this year.  She and her team of seven others have been planning for the event since September, so quite a bit of time has gone into even the smallest details.   Rebecca shared that, while overwhelming, planning has been a privilege.  There are only 2 weeks left until Christmas Ball, but recent theme and location changes have caused difficulties for the coordinators.  Rebecca said that they inherited an attic full of old decorations that they sifted through.  Just this week, the team met with the caterers to finalize the hors d'oeuvres that will be served.  They also met with the DJ and the Swing band that will provide music for the attendees.  Even as the last details are made, the committee will do their best to ensure a flawless and fun event.

Many students wonder what the experience of Christmas Ball will be like.  For some, the Ball will be their first time at a formal, prom-like event.  Lydia Costello, who attended last year’s Ball, is thrilled at the idea of going again.  She says, “There is lots of dancing and music.  I was home schooled, so it was fun to experience the dance.”  Some students attend for the dancing, others for chance to get dressed up.  Yet, all of the attendees look forward to the company.  Whether they are attending with a date or a group of friends, Christmas Ball is a time to celebrate this wonderful holiday season.

Kathryn Lopez talks about the Christmas Ball

YMCA: A Personal Look at Helping Communities

Getting to Know the YMCA

The YMCA is one of the largest and well known non-profit organizations in the United States.  Their presence is seen throughout local communities and national campaigns.  The YMCA organization has teamed with Walmart to fight child hunger and voiced support for Michelle Obama’s Partnership for Healthier America initiative.  While most people are aware of the YMCA, few understand it from an “inside” view.  One of these few is Stephanie Crockett, a 21-year-old YMCA employee.  Stephanie has worked for YMCA for the past four years as a lifeguard, swim coach, and mentor.  The organization’s mission is “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all” (YMCA, 2012).  Stephanie has seen that this mission is pursued and maintained and her personal experiences support the YMCA’s mission to help local communities.

Getting to Know Stephanie Crockett

Sporting her YMCA gear

Stephanie beams when she talks about her various experiences at the YMCA.  Her story there began when she started babysitting for children whose father worked as a director of the local chapter of YMCA.  As Stephanie grew close with the family, she realized that she loved taking care of children and being with them as they developed and learned.  This prompted her to apply for the lifeguard position at the YMCA in her home state of Michigan.  Stephanie explained that YMCA practices four to five core values, including respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, and faith.  However, depending on the area, some branches do not actively follow the “faith” value.  Stephanie notes, “Some choose to treat YMCA as a ‘gym and swim’, yet having ‘faith’ cut does not impact how the organization as much as one would think.”  It comes down to the actions of each employee, whether they are pursuing the Christian lifestyle or not.  Children’s lives are being impacted and this is not an area to take lightly.  For Stephanie, it is the moment when she can see the look on a child’s face when they realize that they can swim because it gives them confidence and a feeling of self-worth.  Through this, Stephanie’s own goals have aligned with the goals of the YMCA organization.  While Stephanie understands that some parts of the YMCA are losing the Christian principles they were based upon, she continues to speak frankly about her faith.  Regarding faith in her workplace, Stephanie says, “Hopefully, others see that YMCA means more than just a job to me.  I feel comfortable at YMCA to talk about my faith if the situation arises since YMCA was founded on Christian beliefs.”  Stephanie wishes to work as “Executive Director of Camping Services” which is a management-level position within YMCA.  She now has skills, like risk-management and leadership skills, that she can apply to her career.

Overall, it seems that though faith is being forgotten on a larger sense, employees like Stephanie can effectively mentor children through loving actions and not just branding them with Christian ideas that they might not yet understand.  Stephanie sees the importance of Christian principles and does want them to play a part in her career at YMCA.  Stephanie passionately describes her plans, “YMCA does help families and build character.  I am disappointed that YMCA doesn’t always follow Christian values; however if I were in a management position, I would refocus standards to reflect Christianity and reinforce Christian values.”  From my interactions with Stephanie, I have seen that she is already reinforcing Christian values by her kind actions and words towards those she works with.  This, in itself, upholds the YMCA’s original stance to practice Christian principles to build a healthy community.

Conversing with friends about YMCA

Plundering Through Blogs

Understanding What Journalism Blogs Have to Offer

Photo Credit:  http://www.unmsp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/journalist.png 

Sifting through blogs can be taxing.  Which ones are relevant to the subject at hand?  Which ones provide the clearest and most factual information?  Obviously, all blogs are not the same.  Each will provide a different level of importance to any research we are conducting. 

A credible blog regarding journalism is Paul Bradshaw’s Online Journalism Blog.  From the very first page, his blog is crisp and simple.  As a reader scrolls down the page, they would see graphs and pictures that support Bradshaw’s writing.  This effectively adds multimedia to his blog without compromising its simplicity.  Bradshaw uses many hyperlinks so that readers can research additional information without having to go far from his blog.  The comments on the blog posts are numerous and add to the substance of Bradshaw’s website.  Bradshaw’s writing is also simple and clear-cut.  It is not difficult to understand his message.  This journalism blog, however, could use more vibrancy.  Due to the black and white color scheme, it feels almost like reading a print newspaper.  Online publications require more multimedia to keep the reader interested.  Bradshaw could utilize a more interactive medium, like video blogging, to add visuals to his blog.  However, he does use Twitter and Facebook to his advantage, which brings him more viewers.

BuzzMachine is a great blog for journalists and citizens who are interested in politics.  The blog is mediated by Jeff Jarvis, a writer and professor who is interested in writing in the digital age.  Jarvis’s blog is very visually pleasing.  There are quite a few pictures in addition to the written content and there is a cartoon-y header of a printing press that adds a bit of novelty to the blog.  One aspect of the blog that may turn off some readers is the length of the blog posts.  Jarvis does use an incredibly large amount of hyperlinks.  This does two things for his blog:  it lets the readers know that Jarvis is researching the topic and it provides backup information.  Jarvis also reaches out to users of Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.  This will allow Jarvis to connect with his viewers.

I discovered a journalism blog by Assistant Professor at The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Mass Communication and Journalism, Gina Masullo Chen.  The blog is called Save the Media.  Right away, Chen’s blog drew me in with its visuals.  The blog header is of newspapers, which is both cool and relevant.  The blog posts range from short blurbs to long, detailed posts.  Topics range from social media ethics to Apple products to using Twitter hashtags properly.  This blog, as compared to the others discussed earlier, is more to guide and assist journalists rather than provide information for the masses.  Chen uses witty and snarky remarks regarding her subjects.  The multimedia on her blog mostly consists of pictures and screen shots in order to further explain any subject she is writing on.  Another multimedia aspect that Chen uses is a list of other journalism blogs that readers can visit.  She even lists Jarvis’ Buzz Machine!  This is another form of support for the blog since Chen creates a community of other credible bloggers.  A recommendation for this blog would be the number of posts made.  Chen does not post frequently, which might drive away frequent visits to the blog.             

Each of these blogs adds a personal note to the very public field of journalism.  It is interesting to see the perspective of each writer and how they incorporate their style of writing to the subject of journalism.  

Photo Credit: http://www.empowernetwork.com/embellishedminds/blog/jobs-for-journalism-majors/

SCA 542, Lopez, Assignment 1: Blog Post

Photo Credit:  http://www.tjsl.edu/the-jeffersonian/news/2011/04/know-media 

Within the past few years, my media consumption habits have changed drastically.  Five years ago, I did not use Facebook or any type of social media.  I just had received my first cell phone, which was a small flip phone that only made calls, so I did not text.  I did have a small iPod with minimal amount of space.  My only constant interaction with media was watching a few hours a television a day with my sister and using my computer to research and complete homework assignments.  When I become an online college student, my parents bought me a laptop, which made it very convenient to access various types of media.   I joined Facebook, learned how to view shows on Hulu, and read the online news websites.  The websites made it convenient to keep up with friends, watch movies and television shows, as well as a myriad of other tasks that I had become “too busy” to do on a regular basis.  In examining my current media consumption habits, I have found it is the convenience I desire which drives my media consumption habits.  Since my very first flip phone, which had almost no features, I have upgraded to an Android smart phone.  It offers convenience in virtually every way possible.  I can contact others, check my bank statements, take pictures and upload them to the Internet, share YouTube videos with friends, and even write a discussion post for school.  Cell phones allow media consumption to become mobile.  Philip Napoli notes, “The decision to consume a particular piece of media content often beings with the audience member becoming aware of that content’s availability in advance” (2010, p. 89).  The Nielsen ratings company conducted research on smart phone usage and found that application use is steadily increasing from year to year.  Specifically, smart phone users increased by more than 50% within the last year (Nielson Wire, 2012).  The average number of apps that are downloaded to each device went from 32 to 41 in between 2011 and 2012 (Nielson Wire, 2012).  The smart phone “apps” (applications) make up our media consumption habits.  Slowly, they replace actual tasks, like banking, reading print books, and turning on a radio.  Our phones allow us to complete these tasks simultaneously and with supreme convenience.      

References

Neilsen Wire. (2012). State of the Appnation – A Year of Change and Growth in U.S. Smartphones. Retrieved August 29, 2012 from
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/state-of-the-appnation-%E2%80%93-a-year-of-change-and-growth-in-u-s-smartphones/

Napoli, P.M. (2011). Audience Evolution - New Technologies and the Transformation of Media Audiences. NY, New York: Columbia University Press