Whispers: Dividends from SUSI 2013 Program

By: Kelly Fisher
IIJ Assistant, Ambassador



Nearly eight months after departing for their home countries, the scholars of the 2013 Study of the U.S. Institute program on journalism and media have shared some of the most important things they learned from SUSI, and how they have incorporated them into their work.

•Sharon Wilson, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia

Dr. Jacqueline has incorporated the material from the SUSI lectures and consultations in her lectures, such as upgrading to new technology and utilizing social media — Skype, YouTube, blogs, and others — to use in the classroom, as recommended by Scripps School of Journalism Associate Professor Mary Rogus and the college dean, Dr. Scott Titsworth.

“I used to be a very conservative teacher before,” she said. “Now I am more laid back and practice lots of flexibility, and this is well received by my students.”

Aside from teaching, Dr. Wilson has been working on several projects; she has spoken with her SUSI colleagues about a research manuscript, which 2013 SUSI scholar, Sleiman El Bsswmai said Professor Bill Reader is actively helping them to produce.  Dr. prepared to serve as a panelist or a forum in Mynmar next month on Journalists’ challenges and problems as well as working on visual framing and e-learning for UTAR.

•Egidio Vaz Raposo, CEC, Mozambique

Thanks to the SUSI program, SUSI 2013 alumnus Egidio Vaz Raposo said he learned to effectively incorporate multiple tools into the classroom, such as video, photo and audio, in addition to what he had used before.

Vaz Raposo focuses on multimedia, web and editorial journalism, and uses materials from Scripps professors Bill Reader, Jatin Sirvastrava and Mary Rogus. He is also conducting research on media and conflict in Mozambique, for which he uses materials provided by Dr. Yusuf Kalyango, IIJ Director.



•Sibongile Mpofu, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe

SUSI scholar Mpofu has filled her time researching the representation of women in politics in light of the Zimbabwean election in 2013. Although she is still in the process of gathering data amidst her busy schedule at the university, she checks in with Dr. Sirvastrava for assistance in writing the paper.

“The sessions we had at Ohio on advertising and PR and visits to Google and AT&T Park were good for me because I have an advertising class this semester, and I am using a lot of examples from the U.S.,” she said of her experience with SUSI.

She added that the AEMJC conference in Washington D.C. inspired her to pursue research on social media and public sphere in Zimbabwe.

•Anand Pradhan, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, India

Dr. Pradhan is working on two books, which he hopes to have completed by the middle of this year. He also attended a session in an international conference organized by Ohio University’s Instiotute for International Journalism and Padmawati Womens University in Tirupati, India.

He, Prof. Rogus and a few other scholars submitted a panel proposal for the next Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference, which was accepted for presentation in Montreal, Canada in August 2014.

Pradhan expressed his gratitude for those involved in the SUSI program, and indicated that he plans to work with the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, again in the future.

“The SUSI experience was a life changing experience — I really mean it,” he said.

•Consuelo Aguirre, Universidad de los Hemisferios, Ecuador

SUSI scholar Aguirre said that the Director of the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Dr. Bob Stewart, was key to providing help in research on digital content consumption, which Aguirre has been working on in Ecuador.

He also stressed the importance of staying in touch with the other SUSI scholars:

“The SUSI program is a great opportunity to create networks of scholars around the world,” he said. “Dr. Kalyango, Mary Rogus and the whole team [at] Ohio University [is doing] a great job and I am very thankful.”

An Honorable Girl is Mother of the Nation

by: Kanibaeva Gulzhanat

KazNU Student, Almaty Kazakhstan

“[A] woman is the owner of a cradle. It means if we  don’t straighten them up,  we won’t  be able to straighten up our cradles, we won’t be able to straighten up our nation”. President  of Kazakhstan  N. Nazarbaev

Kazakh people have a proverb which says: “To prohibit a girl from forty things is like to prohibit a black slave from everything.” They believe that in education of a girl is not her mother’s responsible but the whole tribe. To respect a woman, you don’t use taboo words and have to be gentle. That’s the culture, which has been passed from generation to generation.

Kazakh people treat girls in their childhood in a way that will make them “mothers of the nation” one day. Women who treated honorably are respected by everyone.

The future of Kazakhstan is definitely in the hands of honorable women. That is why it is very important to find a sort of relationship between tradition and today’s world in order to be able to connect the dots. To educate girls in a very authentic and faithful way, there are 30 of the 40 things in Kazakh’s tradition that a girl needs to follow:

1.     Greet elders. Don’t cut their way. Never walk on your own.

2.     Not to talk loudly in front of elders.

3.     Not to sit down disgracefully.

4.     Always keep in mind not to embarrass your people in front of others.

5.     Not to lie down disgracefully.

6.     Not to deal with something that is not your business.

7.     Don’t lie, don’t gossip. And listen to people who do it.

8.     Dress properly. Hide your private parts of body.

9.     Do not be physically abusive and yell

10.                        Not sprawl and yawn while looking at someone else

11.                        Sit properly at the dining table. Behave decently during meals  

12.                        Do not steal from people

13.                    Don’t walk away from a place where there is a funeral. 

14.                        Do not flirt with boys

15.                        Do not sleep until the afternoon

16.                        Laziness and untidiness are prohibited

17.                        Don’t change in front of others

18.                        Whether you’re hungry or full, don’t forget God.

19.                        Don’t speak without morals.

20.                        Enter with your right foot to sacred places

21.                        Don’t drink alcohol and don’t smoke

22.                        Do not provoke and insult each other

23.                        Respect and agree with your elders

24.                        Do not to be masculine in your wear

25.                        Don’t envy someone’s position or money

26.                        Don’t go to take water alone at night

27.                        Respect your husband  

28.                       When someone’s reading Quran or praying, don’t talk and walk.

29.                        Behave yourself. Don’t laugh loudly.

30.                        Being selfish and arrogant is prohibited.  

It is very important for parents to educate their daughters. In order to nourish their beautiful flowers they have to consider the forty rules. When a girl gets married and goes to another house, one has to take all her good qualities and moral’s with her as well. All these morals are important for the sake of the entire nation. That is why for Kazakh people, girls play a very important role. Girls are honorable, girls are intelligent, and girls educate our nation.

Please don’t think that Kazakh girls are not open minded. Nowadays, we have Kazakh girls who dress like westerners and use IT technologies. Yet on the other hand, it is girls who are maintaining our culture and tradition.

Sad? Don't Be!

by: Altynay Aitbayeva
KazNU Student, Almaty Kazakhstan

Every day we see a lot of people who are sad. Have you ever thought why that is so?

Photo by Altynay Aitbayeva

Of course, it is difficult to be optimistic and relate only positive way in daily routine.
When your mind finds that something is going wrong it sends you warning in the form of emotions so that you take actions, however, if you ignore your problem, the warning level will increase and the intensity of bad feelings will become higher.

The bad feelings we experience at any moment are the result of a combination of different emotions altogether. It’s the combination of different bad emotions that makes us feel horrible.

Let’s discuss this issue in a simple way. I suggest you:

·        Call your best friends, mother or father. Somebody who can understand the condition of your soul

·        Read books. It really helps to change your outlook

·        Listen to only festal music. Please, do not upset yourself with the saddest songs any time

·        Go for a walk, do anything that gets you up and sweating

·        Watch the favorite movies

·        Paint a picture. If you are not a good painter, do not worry: you paint for yourself. There is no need to show somebody your «masterpiece»;

·        Take a shower

·        Think about good things and memories

·        Write down on paper your feelings, then burn it

·        Cook the favorite meal and eat with pleasure

Do not worry and smile! Have a nice day:) 

School Leaver's Choice in Kazakhstan

by: Ospanova Zhansaya

KazNU student in Almaty, Kazakhstan

In Republic of Kazakhstan, when pupils leave secondary schools, they have chance to win a higher education grant. They have to pass the test named UBT. When they get good results that earn them government grants, then thousands of students have opportunities to a great future.

Choice

When secondary school pupils leave schools and join college such as KazNU, they have to choose a profession. About 60% of the students aply to join higher education programs that specialize in economics and finance.

Problem with Career Choices

Every year, thousands of students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance with exelent marks. Many of the graduates are creative, smart and hard-working. They choose economics but then they remain unemployed in the profession. Then one wonders: «Why do they choose economics again and again?»

Choosing Economics

·         Students pursue an education in finance with an intention to get better job and live a good life. People don't foresee problems with finding jobs once they graduate.

·         Second cause of this problem, people have steoreotypes about getting into other professions such as factory worker. They do not want to work with heavy duty and physical assignments.

We are journalists! And people need information! We have to give them what they need!

How the Situation in Ukraine May Impact Kazakhstan

by: Aqnyet Tolendi

KazNU student, in Almaty Kazakhstan

At present the whole world discusses Ukraine. Each message about "Maidan" extends worldwide. The European Union and the CIS countries think of the future of this country. Because a challenges or progress of one country impacts other countries. Especially neighbors.

Ukriana and Kazakhstan have similar history. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the two states became independent. They began to influence international policy. Ukraine is increasingly becoming part of Europe and Kazakhstan is strategically and geographically Central Asia. Yet, the relation between these two states were very close … the history will suffice, now we will pass to the main subject. As events of Ukraine can affect Kazakhstan as a whole.

Economic relation

First, Ukraine is one important economic partners of Kazakhstan. According to recent data in 2012, trade relations between the countries improved and increased to 4.18 billion dollars. Ukraine and Kazakhstan cooperate on oil - the gas sphere. On April 2, 2013, at the XI meeting of the  commission in Kiev, the countries considered the contract "Road map-4" for 2013-2014. After "Maidan" this contract and remained incomplete.

Political relation

Secondly, political relation. Some years these two countries exchange students. Most often there is an exchange on spheres of political science and international the relations. In 2012, presidents of the countries agreed to started exchanges of undergraduates and doctoral candidates on the sphere of public administration between academies at presidents of both countries. In 2013, this contract was implemented, but not entirely.

Cultural heritage

Third, Ukraine and Kazakhstan generally connect historical data. The Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko who was expelled to Kazakhstan, after got to expedition on studying of the Aral Sea. The lost Kazakhstan soldiers during World War II in the Ukrainian earth. Therefore, every year, there are cultural days observed in both countries. And from 2007-2008, there were cultural years of both countries. This year, cultural days of Kazakhstan in Ukraine were cancelled.

Military-technological Relation

Fourthly, military and technical cooperation. In November 18, 2008, the military and technical contract about cooperation of this sphere was signed. That is modernizations and remontirovaniye of tanks, planes, radiolokatsiyennykh technician. The agreement signed in 2007, says that Kazakhstan and Ukraine are employees on the military sphere.

After Russia began the military action directed to Ukraine, all the Kazakhstan society fell unawares. The events in Ukraine could repeat and affect Kazakhstan. Though, people openly refuse to participate in Kazakhstan to get involved in wars. All society waits a final decision next week on a trip by the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Moscow.