Rebecca Burns Teaches UGA Students to Create Digital Portfolios

            Rebecca Burns, an Atlanta-based author and journalist, visited with University of Georgia students Monday morning to teach them how to create a strong digital portfolio.

            This semester, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at

UGA introduced a new policy requiring digital portfolios of graduating journalism students.

            “It’s kind of its own animal,” Burns said, explaining that the portfolio is an online resume to showcase a student’s work professionally.

            She recommended using Wordpress as a platform, purchasing a custom domain for $18, and, for public relations students, including a social media section.

Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon Vreeland Describes “Humbling Experience” with UGA Swim Team

            Shannon Vreeland, a decorated swimmer with two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal under her belt, credits her experience on the University of Georgia swim team as a factor in her success.

Vreeland with head coach Jack Bauerle.

            “It’s always a humbling experience,” Vreeland told a group of UGA journalism students Monday morning, describing how practicing with the best swimmers in the world on a daily basis prepared her for the Olympic Games.

            Several of her teammates joined her at the games in London, including friends Allison Schmidt and Andrew Gemmell. “This team is just fantastic,” Vreeland said, emphasizing the support from the UGA swimmers – Olympians or not.

            Vreeland expressed her respect for head coach Jack Bauerle, whom she said treats every team member the same, regardless of their success.

Moldova and Romania Concerned About Future in Midst of Crisis in Ukraine

Citizens in Romania and Moldova are concerned about the crisis in Ukraine concerning the Crimean referendum and its impact on their future.

            Tudor Vlad, the associate director of the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, University of Georgia professor, and Romanian by birth, spoke with UGA students Monday morning about the situation in Eastern Europe.

            “It creates a precedent,” he said, speaking of Crimea’s referendum declaring independence from Ukraine and the Russian military presence there.

            Countries in Eastern Europe are not homogenous, Vlad said, and this declaration causes worry in Moldova and Romania because of their regions that adhere to a different language and culture, just as Crimean citizens speak and identify as Russian.

            In Moldova, the region of Transnistria is particularly concerning because of its potential to secede, he said.

UGA Student Forgoes Spring Break Plans to Save Money for Study Abroad

            University spring break is a time of year so infamous for partying by the beach that it has inspired multiple films, country music albums, and television specials.

            However, for University of Georgia sophomore Public Relations and Political Science student Hannah Bause, the week-long reprieve from classes is a chance for her to save money and visit friends.

 

            “I’m studying abroad in Cannes this summer, so I need to stay home and save money,” Bause said Monday morning in the UGA Zell B. Miller Learning Center.

            She was recently accepted to Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity study abroad program.

            Bause is entertaining the idea of visiting a friend at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., but is likely going to spend most of spring break with her family in Griffin, Ga.