Snagged by jury duty, several classes are off the hook

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - The recorded message at the Sacramento County Courthouse was quite clear: If you are in juror group 210, report to the jury commissioner's office at 8 a.m. Monday Sept. 14. Do not pass Go, Do no collect $200.

Ok, I added the Do not pass Go part, but the rest is true.

So, three of my four Monday classes, Two sections of basic newswriting and my Column Writing class, are off the hook for class attendance.

The column writers, however, do have an assignment due Tuesday at 8 a.m. They are going to be posting a column about their particular areas of specialty.

Unless I am actually empaneled on a jury, I should be able to read them in the courthouse via my ITouch and make comments from there.

Justice will be served.


Pauly Shore in Jury Duty

Magazine writing class to ponder 'How-To' stories

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - The magazine writing class at CSU, Sacramento will be discussing its first writing assignment Monday night - writing a 'how-to' story.

How to stories can encompass anything: How to write a 'how-to' story, How to walk a dog, How to bake a cake, How to get an A in a writing class, How to lose 20 pounds in 20 minutes, How to find a 1964 GTO, and so on... The how-to ideas are only limited by the imaginations of the writers.

The markets for such stories are vast and one of several types of magazine stories in great demand.

My idea for a how-to story for myself is: How to teach a magazine writing class while being required to take 8 furlough days.

An alternative is: How to convince a judge you are unfit for jury duty.

I might have to report Monday morning at the Sacramento County Courthouse.

Arrrrrrgggghhhhh.


Jury box

First columns published by Column Writing Class

SACRAMENTO, California, USA - The first set of columns from the 2009 CSU, Sacramento column writing class have been published and as expected some are excellent, some need, well, a little work.

Slightly more than half the class made the first deadline, a combination of the deadline being on a holiday weekend, problems figuring out how to post to the web, and a probably a lot of writer's bloc. They will get over that quickly.



The columns are posted to the lower right hand side of this page and all are open for comments.

Good turnout for CSU, Sacramento rally - despite the heat

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - A crowd of about 200 faculty, students at staff took part in a noontime rally at CSU, Sacramento today, the first of many such activities as the three groups get together to fight the fee increases visited on students and the furloughs (pay cuts) forced on employees.

Some of the student speakers were choked up as they tried to explain how much the fee increases (32 percent total for this year alone) were hurting their ability to even go to college. Several faculty gave fairly rousing speeches, despite a sound system that was below inadequate - a bullhorn with a microphone attached.


Student speaker at today's rally

The sound system - such as it was - was still considered illegal by campus police. The police had banned the use of any amplification and told the leaders of the CFA to simply raise their voices when they spoke. The bullhorns were used anyway, a protest themselves of the campus administration's attempt at keeping the rally from growing very large.

Had the flames been fanned sufficiently (and loud enough for people to hear), it's possible the group might have marched on the offices of CSU, Sacramento President Alexander Gonzalez.

That would have made for some good theatre, and perhaps grabbed more media attention.

Regardless, the 25 students enrolled in my Column Writing class attended and this week will be writing columns - their first attempts.


A 'loud' speaker


Sign in the crowd

Column writing students to cover noon rally at CSU

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - Students from the column writing class at CSU Sacramento are going to get to work with live ammunition right away.

Today, they will attend a rally on the CSU, Sacramento campus to protest the student fee hikes and the faculty furloughs (which are resulting in about a 10 percent pay cut for faculty).

They will also have a little extra to write about: The university, very quietly, is telling all faculty to fill up the rooms in which they teach, even if the classes have an agreed-upon limit. So students will be packed in tighter than sardines (and perhaps without chairs to sit upon) and their professors (getting paid less) will have more people to teach, papers to grade, and tests to review.

Oh boy!

Once the students write their columns, the columns will be linked to this page.