NACA Community

6 Tips for Getting the Most Out of NACA Events for Your Delegation

chrisn — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Plan for your delegation and get the most out of NACA events! Consider implementing some of these quick tips.

1. Use the conference as a training opportunity for future leaders rather than a reward for long-time leaders. Utilize the College Student Leader Competency Guide to determine potential learning outcomes for each student attending.

2. Invite students who will be at your institution for at least one more full academic year.

3. Disperse members of the delegation to cover as many sessions as possible. Don't have two or more members of your delegation in the same session.

4. Balance the interests of the institution, student organization and the individual when determining which sessions each delegate should attend.

5. Have a group debriefing after attending a block of sessions or the conference as a whole so everyone receives the benefit of as many sessions as possible. This group could also include student and staff members at your institution who could not attend.

6. Follow up with each attendee to determine if they achieved their learning outcomes

If you have more ideas on how to better your delegation's experience at NACA events, share them in the comments!

Professors Create Fake Students to Spark Online Discussions

chrisn — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:19:00 GMT

The Chronicle of Higher Education posted a story today about three professors who created fake student accounts for their online classes and used those "students" in online discussions. Two of the professors said the students had no idea that they had created fake online students, while the third professor told his students at the beginning of the class that he'd be posting in the discussions as a fake student.

The professors said that getting group discussions going is extremely difficult for online classes, and that many students tend to drop out of online classes mid-way through. But is this what higher education really wants? Do we want professors who pose as students mingling online with students? Some of the profs even admitted that they were close to the edge of faculty ethics and students in the story were not happy with the professors' actions.

What do you think? Is this just a clever way to get an online class discussion going or did these professors step over the line on this one?

Government Will Start Lending Directly to Students

chrisn — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:53:00 GMT

Yesterday, an opinion piece was published in the Colorado Daily outlining some of the ways the government was going to start directly lending money to students in order to encourage young Americans to earn their degree and to help with the costs of tuition.

Some of the facts from the article:

1/2 of the fastest growing jobs in America require a bachelor's degree or advanced degree
Cost of the average tuition is increasing 10 times faster than a typical family's income
Eligible families could now receive a $2,500 tax credit to help with tuition costs
Certain student loans would be lent straight from the government to the student/family, instead of through banks

The direct lending from government to student is supposed to save the government billions of dollars over the next few decades, and helps promote President Obama's plan for America to have the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020.

Swine Flu on College Campuses

chrisn — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:41:00 GMT

Several colleges and universities are testing students for possible cases of swine flu on their campuses. This morning, InsideHigherEd.com posted a story on their site about several schools testing for this type of flu and what the schools are doing in response to events, travel to Mexico, and study abroad programs.

Let us know what's happening at your school by leaving a comment below.

Difficulties in Job Searching

chrisn — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:59:00 GMT

In last month's issue of Campus Activities Programming magazine, Megan Stumph from www.Cbcampus.com wrote a great article about college graduates persevering through difficult situations while looking for jobs (read the pdf here). She highlighted several specific experiences of college grads and offered up some advice for those trekking through the job market.

Here are a few recommendations from the article:

1) Focus your resume and cover letter on the positives. If some of your college courses relate directly to the job you're applying for, mention them in the cover letter. If you balanced school and job to pay your way through, mention your drive and determination.

2) Be persistent in making contact with places you'd like to work for. Show them you know how to work hard for something.

3) Continue self-improvement. If you're working right now, consider how additional education could increase your pay or advance your career further down the road.

Read "When Your GPA Is Less than Stellar and Other Obstacles" and leave a comment below.

College students are big winners in the compromise stimulus package

markh — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:59:00 GMT

College students are big winners in the compromise stimulus package

The dust is beginning to settle on the final stimulus bill (officially the American Recovery and Investment Act, or ARIA) that President Obama signed today and higher education is one of the big winners. It appears the bill will help soften the blow of state budget cuts but there is a lot of discretion on how the money will eventually be spent. Nevertheless, students and institutions should get some direct relief in the form of loan programs, infrastructure, and overall budget support. Here is a brief summary of the primary higher-ed related items in the final $787 billion bill:

Increased Pell Grants: The popular grant program gets a boost of $15 billion. A combination of ARIA funding and previous congressional action will increase the maximum Pell Grant amount by $1,000 to $5,350. The pool of eligible students will grow by an estimated 800,000.

Stafford Loans: ARIA increases the annual limit for the unsubsidized Stafford Loan for undergraduate students by $2,000 and the aggregate by $8,000.

Tax Credit: The Hope Scholarship tax credit for the 2009 and 2010 tax years grows to $2,500, a $700 increase.

Federal Work Study: ARIA increases funding for FWS by $490 million. This yields $613 million in additional funding for FWS and, when the institutional matching funds are included, enough funding for an additional 200,000 recipients.

Aid for States: $39.5 billion for “backfilling” of state budget cuts including facilities modernization. In addition states will receive $8.8 billion for governors to award for “high priority” needs, including education.

Research: Portions of the ARIA funding provided to the National Institutes of Health ($1.5 billion), National Science Foundation ($100 million) and others are designated for university research programs.

Over all it looks like a big win for colleges and college students.

Finally, some pics!

chrisn — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Here's a link to our Flickr page with a slideshow of the Convnention pictures...

Is This Really the End?

chrisn — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:46:00 GMT

Last year was my first time working at the National Convention and I remember how fast the days flew by. I thought that this year may go a little slower because I already knew what I was doing and could (sort of) anticipate what types of scenarios and situtations might come up. But I was wrong. This week has flown by and I can't believe that we're already on the last day of the Convention. For all of you who have performed, attended sessions, been at CAMP and put in some late nights, I'm sure the time has flown by for you as well. I was talking with an associate member yesterday who said he's been to several other conferences like this (not ours), but that he enjoyed the amount of activities and the full schedule that NACA has to offer at the Convention. I'd have to aggree. We do keep everyone busy, but I think there's a lot for everyone to experience.

Speaking of a full schedule, there is still one more day left (today), so I don't want to sound like all the fun is over! We still have educational offerings today, the career prepartion center is still open, mainstage showcases, a lunch with former TN. Representative Harlold Ford Jr., NBC Universal Stand-Up for Diversity, and of course CAMP. When I write it all out it sounds like there are four days left!

I know I said it last year, but it is kind of cool to know that after this Convention, schools will take what they've seen here and bring lecturers, artists and vendors to their campuses over the next year to entertain, inspire and just have fun. It's easy to see that they all care very much about doing what's best for their schools and booking associates that they feel will gel with their campus. On the other side, it's also good to see the business aspect of booking talent that the associates go through while at the Convention. All of our associate members work hard in their professions and strive to provide their best of what they do. That may be lectures, it may be caricatures, or music, dance, illusions or balloon animals. Whatever it is though, they bring everything they have to the Convention and show it off to crowds of students, and they do a good job of doing it.

Most people who show up to a campus event will never know how those groups got there or the time it took the campus activities board to set it all up. But everyone who attends our Conventions knows all the hard work that everyone has put into it, as well as all the fun we had making it happen.

Day 3

chrisn — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:26:00 GMT

Just in case some of you didn't know that Larry the Lboster was posting this week from the Convention, don't forget to check out his blog, Lobster Bisque.

Things are starting to slow down at the registration area; but once that happens, our registration table transforms into the information booth. It keeps us on our toes, trying to answer questions and pointing people in the right direction.

Yesterday, I saw a lot of students traveling up and down the steps of Opryland going to educational sessions. I'm glad to see people taking advantage of all the things that NACA has to offer at the Convention. One girl even told us that one of the sessions was so full they couldn't fit any more people in the room! Speaking of all the things NACA has to offer, I videotaped everyone getting on the buses last night to head downtown to Night On Nashville, and it looked liked a really good turnout. I was out there for about 1/2 hour and during that time I saw three or four full buses pull away and a whole lot more waiting in queue to take people.

Well, it's time for me to head back to the registration table, or information booth, or what is it!? I just need to get back to work.

A Few Pics

LarrytheLobster — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:17:00 GMT

I know you all want them, so here they are. Some pics from the Convention... I was having a few issues with the internet and uploading the photos so there's more to come I promise!

Also, I spent some time in a meeting today planning for the next Convention in my hometown of Boston. Let me tell you, it is going to be awesome. We'll be adding some more information to our website over the course of the next year, but you can already check out our 50th anniversary page here. I had to leave my central command post temporarily to attend the meeting, but I think it was well worth it. I mean, how can you plan for NACA's 50th anniversary, in Boston, and not have me present at that meeting? You can't. Good things are being planned let me tell you.

I'll add some more pics later, for now, check out Chris' reaction to how many years Member Relations Manager Gordon Schell has been working at NACA Conventions...

Behind the Scenes

LarrytheLobster — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:41:00 GMT

So apparently there are a number of people (including NACA staff) who keep asking where I've been since the Convention started, and all I can say is I'm a behind the scenes kind of lobster. I'm not going to say that the Convention would fall apart if I weren't here working, but things would be ugly. Some people think that becuase they can't see me I'm not working, but that's the furthest thing from the truth. The truth is, I have been in my room a lot but that's because my room is a sort of "central command" for the entire Convention. Let me explain: A lot of NACA staff members have walky talkies with them this week... guess who's on the other end of those talkies. Me.

You see, everyone has a job to do here at the Convention and my job is to make sure everyone else is doing theirs. It's a big repsonsibility, but I don't mind doing it because I know it's what is best for NACA. Late nights, early mornings, missing meals and little sleep, but hey, I'm taking one for the team. NACA needs me.

So if you don't see me walking around, don't worry, this Convention is in good ~~hands~~ claws. So far things have been running pretty smoothly. And I plan to keep it that way.

More Convention Still to Come

chrisn — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:29:00 GMT

So last nights CAMP was really good. I met some cool associates near the NACA booth and we got some people to bid on the Foundation auction items. A quick word to all those schools and associates who donated this year... THANKS! We have some great sweatshirts, tshirts, DVDs, CDs, posters, etc. There are a lot of autographed items this year as well, which is really cool. And if you didn't get a chance to donate something this year, just contact someone from the NACA office and we'll make sure to get something from you next year! Speaking of which, I got the chance to meet Leon from the movie Cool Runnings last night... ah yeah! So I'm thinking that I might have to bid on that item and get it for a friend of mine who loves that movie.

Today will be another full day at the registration area, although things should be a lot quieter than yesturday. After my shif was done at the registration tbale yesterday, I seriosuly couldn't tell how long I'd been there or what time it was, it was pretty disorienting.

Tonight I'll be stopping by the Night On Nashville gigs to see what's going on. I'm looking forward to heading downtown and getting a glimpse of Nashville.

Check out my latest Convention updates on Twitter... www.twitter.com/thenaca

The First Day

chrisn — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:57:00 GMT

I'm always amazed how fast the time goes by when the Convention starts. I know it's only the first day, but it flew by. I was at the registration table most of the day checking in the Associate members and the next thing I knew I was already at the NACA booth in CAMP! It's great to see the variety of talented artists and speakers that NACA attracts, as well as all the entertainment companies at the Convention. By the way, don't forget to check out the next CAMP that starts tonight at 10:30.

I just set up a Twitter account so you can follow what's going on at the Convention from there as well. You can check us out at www.twitter.com/thenaca. Come follow us!

I was able to take a few minutes this evening and walk over to see the Convention kick-off. I'm glad I got over there; there were some awesome performances. Hopefully I'll be able to see some of the showcases in the coming days as well. The Convention always brings so much energy from the students and associates and I hope everyone's having a great and productive time!

Well, it's almost time for the next CAMP, I'll post more updates later!

Back by popular demand...

LarrytheLobster — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:38:00 GMT

So it's been a while since I've written all my fans, but I figured the National Convention would be a good time to share some of my deep wisdom about NACA and the Convention experience. And for my first golden nugget that I want to share with you all is this:

DON'T ride in the truck to Nashville with Adam and Chris from the NACA office. Those guys are crazy.

There I said it. I didn't want to, but it had to be done. Why you ask? Well, I'll tell you why... first of all let me say those guys a couple of good guys, I like 'em. Geniuses they're not, but OK guys just the same. The trip started out fine, we were taking turns driving, I drove first (pics coming soon) but then Adam and Chris starting wondering what all the lights on the dashboard meant. I didn't think anything of it at first, but all of the sudden Chris is asking Adam what the "light" icon means... the "light" icon!?!? C'mon man, maybe it means that the lights are on! Well, Adam wasn't satisfied with that answer so, with his love of looking up all kinds of boring information in books, he proceeds to take out the truck manual and look up what the light icon indicates. And wouldn't ya know, the light icon meant... wait for it.... daytime running lights. Big surprise.

As is if that wasn't enough, these two jokers starting getting curious as to why the truck didn't have cruise control! I sat there quietly driving while they talked amongst themselves. And wouldn't ya know it, before they were twenty seconds into the conversation the book was back out and they were looking for it! Meanwhile, I glanced down at the dashboard and see three buttons clearly indicating cruise control settings. Unbelievable.

It wasn't all that bad though, we had some good times driving through the Smokey Mountains, Chris kept pretending he was a real trucker (which is the furthest thing from the truth) and Adam kept us entertained with his jokes. All in all, let's just say that I'm glad I have a week to relax from that trip. I can never get those 7 1/2 hours of my life back, ever. Oh, I almost forgot, we stopped at Arby's for lunch and they forgot to bring me something to eat. I'm just saying.

I can't complain though; I'm here in Nashville and I'm ready to get my Convention on! It's going to be a great time this year and I can't wait for it to start!

It's Here!

drewr — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:11:00 GMT

Well it's finally here. The 2009 National NACA Convention!!

Our delegation began our NACA journy last night.

Our flight left Omaha at 5:45 this morning SO our delegation drove down to Omaha last night and stayed and then got up at the bright and early time of 4am to board our flight. Where we arrived here in Nashville at about 9am.

Today is our delegations free day. We're about ready to head back out and tour the area, take a walk around the Oprey Mills Mall etc. before NACA life consumes us and we are constantly running from tomorrow morning until the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

But anyway. Now that the convention is here, the biggest thing I can suggest is let everything back home go! I was running around like mad yesterday rying to finish homework and etc. before we left and while it's not all done there's nothing I can do now. So let it all go and enjoy your time at NACA!

A few last minute tips for the conference:

-Be open! Like I said before, there is a TON to see and do here during the covention and the best way to soak it all in is to be open to talking to all sorts of vendors, artists and the like. You never know what booth that didn't seem interesting might actually have something worth visiting.

-Make Friends! Everyone is here for the same reason! To make friends and book some good entertainment! Don't be afraid to say HI to the group of students behind you at the showcase. Talk to people when you're walking around the hotel. One of my now really good friends I met at NACA last year!

-Have fun! If you follow these previous two suggestions this one is a guarentee. But really. While business and booking events is the big focus, having fun is always really important. I mean come on, that's why why book entertianment on our campuses anyway. IS for fun!

BUT we're about ready to go so I should cut this short.

BUT if you happen to check in between 10 and noon tomorrow, SAY HELLO! I'll be one of the people greeting you all as you enter NACA world!

Finally in Nashville

chrisn — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:39:00 GMT

So we've all finally arrived in Nashville today. I think all of the NACA staff are here after what was an interesting journey for some of us. Our IT manager, Adam, and I decided that the best way to get geared up for the Convention would be to drive from Columbia, SC to Nashville in a 16' box truck through the Smokey Mountains. With the truck full of programs, computers and other Convention equipment, we tackled the steep hills in the mountains and some unfortunate storms in Tennessee. There was a point on the trip where we had to slow down to 15 mph while the rain poured down on the highway and the wind tore around us. Come to find out later, there were some dangerous tornadoes that kept some of our co-workers from landing in Nashville, some circled the airport several times and one of the flights had to land in Knoxville.

We're setting up and getting ready for the rush of members on Saturday morning. I'd say it's the calm before the storm, but we've already hit the ground running even though the Convention hasn't officially started yet. Side note: This is my first time at the Opryland Hotel and this place is C-R-A-Z-Y. It feels like a bio dome and it smells like Disney World. Yes, I typed that correctly. If you're coming to the Convention, and I hope you are, then you'll see what I mean. This place really is amazing though. I've been walking around trying to learn where everything is, only to find myself glancing over at the maps strewn throughout the walking areas for suckers like me who have no idea where they are. It's a beautiful place though and for those staying here I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

To all those who are traveling, be safe and we'll see you soon!

It’s never as bad (or as good) as we think it is

markh — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:01:00 GMT

Don’t believe everything you hear about the economy, good or bad. When was the last time you heard an economist predict the future and be right about it…consistently? They all have their moments and they make sure you know when they got it right. But where are they when they got it wrong? There usually is an excuse along the lines of, “Well, no one could have foreseen the scale of the mortgage problem…” Which is exactly the point! No one can reasonably foresee all of the changes that will take place in an extraordinarily complex global economy over the next 6 months. Some really smart people try to do it every day. A few succeed…most don’t.

Is the current recession the end of the road for the dominant U.S. economy? Highly doubtful. Daniel Gross has an excellent article in the February 16th issue of Newsweek entitled “Decline? I’ll Decline. Our best days aren’t necessarily behind us.” As an example of past doomsday scenarios he cites the respected historian Paul Kennedy who argued in 1987 that “America's best days were behind it, thanks to imperial overreach, excessive debt and an epic financial bust.” His book ‘The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers’ was a bestseller when it was published “and went into paperback just as the U.S. was beginning to emerge from the Cold War as the world's only superpower and the hub of a global integrated trading system.”

“Economic prognostication is hamstrung by a tendency to extrapolate from recent trends endlessly into the future. It happens at the top of a cycle—the Dow is going to 36,000! Housing prices never fall!!—which helps explain how we find ourselves in this particular pickle. And it happens when we fall into a ditch.” The upside is seldom as good as the optimists predict. Likewise for the doomsayers when we hit a downturn. Remember, the pundits are getting paid to have an opinion…that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right.

Read Gross’ complete Newsweek article here.

What to Look for when @ NACA

drewr — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:34:00 GMT

Whether it's your first time at NACA, your 3rd time at NACA or even your 25th time; the amount of information that gets thrown at you can overwhelm even the most seasoned NACA veteren.

In my opinion the best way to approach everything at NACA is with just a rough outline of a gameplan for what you want to accomplish. Go in with no game plan what so ever and you will definitally find yourself drowning in artist names,information,agents and the works. Going in with the mindset that; I need x amount of musicians, x amount of lecturers, etc. means you'll probably miss out on alot of awesome things you didn't open your mind to think about. SO going in with a rough outline of what'd you like makes sure you can stay on top of the game at naca. It helps you know what you should keep your eyes open for, without shutting them to too much.

The big thing we do as a delegation at Simpson to help us know what to look for is a survey. We send out a survey a couple weeks before NACA asking the campus all sorts of questions. We ask them if they went to our 'Hump Day Ha" series (which is our comedians,we have about twice a month on a Wednesday) and if they went how'd they like them. We do the same for musicians, lectures, late night meals etc. We ask what they'd like to see more of, whether its musicans, comedians, novelty acts etc. and the list continues. We keep the survey open till about a day before we leave for the convention and this is the biggest tool we use. We look through the results and see what our students are saying. Last year for example, students wanted less "no name" bands and more "headline" bands. SO we cut back on the amount of bands we booked and then booked a more well known name in place. The survey really helps because then we know what our students want.

Another big thing we go off is the entertainers we've had in the past. Ones that we want to keep bringing back because students enjoy them. Nick Motl for example, has come to Simpson since my freshman year. He's a great musician and a great guy and people love him .So we bring him back. It's the same with comedians as well.

Ed sessions are another important component to think about. These are great tools to attend to learn how to improve your programming board. I HIGHLY suggest that you split up your delegation for these too! Don't have all 6 of you going to the same ed session. Instead, go to 6 different ones and then you'll really pick up some great information.

Then with marketplace. Stop at every booth. Talk to the agents, they have SO MANY talented artists that didn't showcase at NACA. See who's out there that you might not know about. Plus it's fun to play around on all the toys!

So, when going to NACA don't go too prepared. Because lets get real. In my life at least, when I have the perfect plan everything goes wrong. But when I have a barely plan it turns out alright.

SO go to NACA with a rough idea of what you want to see. Know what you should probably really look at getting but don't be too closed minded and definitally don't go having no clue. Then you'll spend too much time trying to regain focus and nothing will get done.

Back To the Future

chrisn — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:14:00 GMT

I'm a pretty big Back to Future fan, I have to admit. I mean, I don't have any memorabilia or anything, but I dig those movies. So when I started hearing all the talk about the upcoming Super B--- commercials being shown in 3D and NBC's Chuck displaying it's next new episode in 3D, I couldn't help but think of Marty McFly standing on the edge of of the curb cowering in terror as JAWS 3D pops out of the multiplex and attacks him in Back to the Future II.

Seriously though, what's up with 3D trying to make a comeback? I thought it was reserved for Disney World-goers who needed a break from all the animatronics. I read recently on CNET.com that DreamWorks plans to release all of it's movies for the 2009 year in 3D... all of them. The kick-off to this year of in-your-face-action will be the the first ever movie trailer in 3D for Monsters vs Aliens. DreamWorks and Intel have teamed up to do the commercial for the big game and are also working together on the upcoming movies, using Intel's 3D technology. The companies will use a new and better type of 3D imaging called "InTru3D" that cleans up the blurriness in old 3D images and enhances the colors. You can read more about it and watch an interview on Intel's website here.

As for me, I'm a little interested to see how this new 3D compares to the old stuff. I was never a big fan of it before, simply because of the blurriness that inhibits belief that an image is really in your face when it isn't. But I'm hoping that this new technology will make things better. I can't help to think though, that this is just another attempt to get people to leave their homes and watch movies in the theater. I guess we'll see.

TV Streamlined

glennf@naca.org — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:54:00 GMT

By Glenn Farr

    I will never forget November of 2000—that was the month I first hooked up to satellite TV. And I did so primarily because I was PO’d with my cable company after another rate hike.
   Little did I know the improvement in picture quality I was about to enjoy as an indirect result of my fit of pique. Back in those days, I really wasn’t aware of the differences between analogue and digital signals—that is, until I got a digital signal and saw the difference firsthand.
   Consequently, I fell so deeply in love with my satellite dish that I praised its maker throughout the land, encouraging all I knew to hook up. Some took my lead and agreed. My love for the little gray saucer was so strong, in fact, that when I moved a few years later, I chose my new house partly based on the exposure it would give me of the southern sky—that portion just above the horizon that served as a conduit for the magical signal that bathed my dish in crystal clear programming.
   When satellite went HD, my love deepened and it looked as if we’d never part.
   Hmmmm … until a little interloper named Roku caught my eye.
   Yes, a fetching little thing is this palm-sized box that also brings HD signals into my house and for a fraction of the cost of satellite. Of course, it’s not live 24/7—it’s on demand, but that can be a good thing in its own right.
Right?
Right.
   I must admit I was a latecomer to the altar of Netflix, which in a few short years has worked its own magic spell with those bright red envelopes whizzing back and forth between distribution centers and homes. Although those envelopes ferried their own variety of crystal clear digital entertainment, I couldn’t be bothered. Even though you could keep DVDs as long as you wanted, I didn’t budge. Not even the promise of no late fees aroused my interest.
   Then, a co-worker, and then a second, hammered the virtues of the service into my consciousness. So, I poked around on the Netflix Web site and discovered thousands of titles—everything from movies to TV series—that were not currently available through my beloved satellite service.
   So, I got my figurative toe wet by accepting a trial membership.
   I was soon up to the three-discs-at-a-time membership level and had added more than 400 titles to my queue.
   Whew!
   For a while I barely toggled my TV input away from the DVD player to the satellite receiver.
   Why had I not done this before? My rationale was that I was paying so much each month for that precious satellite signal, I had better darned well watch it.
   Soon, with all those rare and unusual DVDs flying into my mailbox every few days, that logic disappeared somewhere within the digital stream from the TV to my brain.
   Speaking of stream: streaming video was something I also had not found to be too interesting when the topic first whizzed past my ears. Yes, I had heard that the Internet would revolutionize TV and how we watch it with on-demand offerings available online. I knew that several services were already offering such product and network TV was fearful of losing its precious advertising revenue to broadband-ferried content.
   But I paid it no attention. That was not for me, I thought. I hate watching TV on a computer.
   Then, the little Roku waved at me one day from a secondary page on the Netflix site.
   “Yoo-hoo!” it seemed to say. “Wanna give me a try?”
   Well, why not? I reasoned. The little box’s purchase price wasn’t that much and I already had the broadband connection it would need to be able to stream everything to me.
   It took about a week for the Roku streamer to arrive, but it took only about five minutes to connect it to my TV and let it introduce itself to my wireless router. In less than a lunch hour’s time, I was watching a rare British TV comedy I had never seen offered on BBC America—and without having to wait even a day for a little red envelope to fly into my mailbox.
   For the next several weeks, I practically bowed before the Roku, adding as many titles to my “watch it now” queue as the Netflix masters would allow. Two seconds later, I’d call up my onscreen guide and each new title magically appeared, just waiting for me to click on it and watch.
   In December, the little box became HD capable and, well, most of my friends haven’t seen me since.
   Roku and Netflix are not the only providers of streaming video, nor are they the only content/technology partners each has. And soon, many other providers will be joining the rush to deliver video to our homes through a broadband connection. So, I am not offering these remarks as a specific endorsement of Netflix or Roku or any other service. I am, rather, intending to describe how a process—streaming video—caught me by surprise and within a remarkably short period of time changed how I use my television. I am flabbergasted by the speed with which I adapted to this particular technology.
   It may also change how much I’m willing to pay for what I watch. For example, my Netflix subscription, which allows me to watch as much streaming video as I can stomach without lapsing into a coma, costs about one fifth what I pay each month to DISH Network.
   Only time will tell if that ratio remains constant.

NACA PREP-Student Style

drewr — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:14:00 GMT

Greetings NACA Friends!

In approximately 23 days we once again converge onto the giant bubble world that is the Gaylord Opreyland Resort, where students, advisors and entertainers will all come together in the hopes of bringing back some great things for our respective campuses. I thought I would take the opportunity to shed some light and hopefully offer advice on what I do as a student in preparing for the 5 day entertainment extravaganza!

I've been on the Campus Activities Board at Simpson College since my freshman year and in my now 2.5 years, have done almost all of it. I've set up for bands and comedians. Called BINGO, introduced our acts. Worked on marketing our events. I've worked with agents in securing dates and I was a Co-Op buyer at NACA-Nationals and NACA-Northern Plains last year. Currently, I serve as the president of CAB at Simpson. So, that's a brief background of my relationship with CAB.

I was lucky enough to attend NACA in Nashville as a freshman and can assure you that it will be quite the expereince!

But anyway, today I will be providing you with some helpful tips on Preparing for NACA-Student Style

DO HOMEWORK NOW! The NACA schedule has VERY LITTLE free time and making sure that you read "The Prince" or whatever homework you're missing out on, will soon become the last thing on your mind. You'll be running from ed session to showcase to dinnner and starting the process again. Bringing homework will only weigh down your already limited baggage (a whole other issue I'm not excited about) and will only make you stress. So, do your homework before hand. SO, when you get back from NACA you're A-OK and ready to go.
Stock up on sleep and or Red Bull! With the NACA schedule being jam packed, it is also long. Most days start at 9 and don't end until 1am and you don't want to miss a minute. An average of 3 or 4 hours of sleep is what I've gotten at past NACA's and to be honest I don't really notice till after the fact. You get so caught up in going to showcases,attending ed sessions, networking with other schools, talking to agents and artists, playing in CAMP, and trying to figure out the hotel. You won't notice until Tuesday that you've only had 10 hours of sleep since Saturday. So, if you're a person who needs their sleep or caffine, put on some wings. You'll need them!
Meet with your delegation! Meeting with your delegation helps for a couple reasons. 1) We have 8 students going to NACA this year, 2 of ours are returners and the rest are first timers. Our group has already met once and it's given us returners an opportunity to share some info with the newbies on what to expect, how NACA's ran etc. 2) If you're group isn't a group that hangs out outside of CAB. It's a great opportunity to get to know the people you're going to be spending 21 hours of your day with. So it's not too awkward that first day or so. Meetings are also a good time to talk about what you want to bring back from NACA as far as entertainers are concerned and who is going to attend what ed session when you go through the NACA preview book.
Bring cold fighters! Whether thats Ziacam,Cold-eez, vitamin C etc. The hotel is a giant bubble with recycled air and when you never leave the hotel for 3 days you're body starts to feel it. So, I suggest bringing some vitamins and water to help keep your body up to par, so it doesn't crash and you get sick. Which is what happened to half our delgation after NACA- Nashville.
Bring business cards! This is one thing I've forgetten to bring to every convention I've been to. These cards are a good way to network with other schools, so you can swap and steal programming ideas from each other after NACA. But it's a way easier way to exchange information with agents.
Get excited! I don't want to talk about too much or I'll have nothing to talk about in other blogs. So I'm ending my tips with GET EXCITED! NACA is an amazing time and you should be stoaked!

SO, that's it for now. But stay tuned for more!

View Pics and Video from the Inauguration!

chrisn — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:29:00 GMT

View a slideshow and videos from the inauguration!

Watching History

erinw@naca.org — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Sorry I didn’t provide much in the way of blogging on Tuesday! It really was too cold to type. I think the wind chill was 9. I was bundled up but this South Carolina girl was frozen!

This really was an incredible trip. DC on Monday night was eerily quiet since the roads were mostly closed to traffic. People were milling around the Capitol taking pictures and perfect strangers were telling the story of their journey to DC and sharing their excitement.

Then off to the Ball with my cousin David. A little Ball tidbit – “sanctioned” balls are held Tuesday night and are crowded and, to quote CNN, provide cheese cubes and deli platters. Of course, the President makes an appearance at sanctioned Balls so it’s really about seeing him.

The unsanctioned South Carolina Ball is a completely different event. The Ball was held at the National Air & Space Museum and I’ve never seen anything quite like this. The museum lit up at night is very different from the museum during the day. Every plane and glider seemed to have new life. About 2,500 people attended. The spread was amazing – shrimp and grits, lobster mac and cheese, roasted tomato and goat cheese tart and the list goes on. All good Southern food!

Any good Southern dessert spread must include a dish with the words “Jack Daniels” in the title – Chocolate Jack Daniels Cake. But the crème brulee and the key lime pie were even better. (if you know me, you know I would focus on the food!)

Just walking through the museum at night was worth the whole event.

Then there’s Inauguration Day. I made it to the Metro by 5 am, along with thousands of other people. I sat in line until impatience kicked in and drove about a half mile away to a grocery store where the locals were parking. Much better idea! After all that traffic, I walked right in and hopped on the Metro with no problem. But as we got closer to DC, the trains became packed. At L’Enfant Plaza, the craziness ensued. As we exited the trains, there was nowhere to go. We literally stood on the escalators moving one step at a time because of the crowds.

It was still dark in DC and the sunrise over the Capitol was beautiful. There were people everywhere coming from every direction. Just masses of people. There was a sense of hope and new beginnings and it was such a great feeling to be part of that. Everyone was so friendly – we had all come to this place to experience a very special day in history.

I ended up at the corner of 3^rd and Independence. That was as close to the Mall as I could get. I hung out with a fun group of people – all of us freezing. 3^rd Street was packed solid with ticket holders who did the wave and yelled Obama cheers most of the morning.

By 9 am (more than three hours after I arrived) I realized I wasn’t getting any closer – or any warmer. And I really wanted to hear the swearing in and hear Obama’s speech. That wasn’t going to happen from 3^rd and Independence. Yes, I left! Forgive me!

Of course the Metros were exit only – I couldn’t leave! I will spare the details but I finally made it out at about 10:30. Got to my car at 11 just in time to hear everything I wanted to hear. The message of hope, a new beginning, encouragement, but also a message of strength and resolve. I thought it was a great speech and I think it will be quoted for many years.

This was amazing. What a honor to see history being made.

A few messages:

To Tiffany, Brittany and their mom: I hope you found a great spot along the parade route and had a wonderful time. Tiffany – I think you truly grasped the enormity of the day and that’s impressive for an 11^th grader.

To the woman from California who spent the night at a church in DC: You didn’t think you’d see this day. It was an honor to share part of it with you. Safe travels home.

To the woman on the Metro Monday night: How was the office slumber party? So cool that your boss provided cots, dinner and breakfast. How amazing to have a view of the inauguration and the parade from your office.

To the sisters from California: Thanks for helping me find one of many Metro stations on Tuesday! I really hope you made it to your seats in time for the inauguration. Y’all were hilarious.

To the woman on the Metro carrying a comforter and sheet set: God help ya! I hope you found your husband but I have a bad feeling you’re still walking the streets of DC looking for “the circle” where your husband told you to meet him. Great plan – send your wife a photo of where you are in DC and tell her to meet you there. Don’t bother with street names.

And to Alice and Edna Mary: the journey exceeded the expectations. Thank you for the inspiration.

Inauguration Update

chrisn — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:08:00 GMT

This has truly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The spirit here in DC is incredible. I've met lots of great people and I have lots of stories. But it is insanely crowded and too cold to type much!

More to come...

A float waiting for the parade

Daybreak at the Capitol

What is the plan!

rich.ramos@simpson.edu — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:03:00 GMT

After 20 plus years of going to the convention, in my own mind I have my plan in place of what I expect to happen and how I want it to happen. Now the hard part is communicating that plan to the students who we are taking as delegates to the convention. Along with going to the convention so many times, much of it becomes second nature as to what I expect from the students. I often times forget once we are in the throws of the convention, that for many of them, this will be the first experience at an event such as this. The key is remembering this and also not forgetting about your first experiences at the convention. The size, the people, the energy, the information overload.....oh how I could go on and on with the great firsts that many of us have had. Keeping that in mind, what is your plan? What is the plan for the students?

A key component of the convention is the showcases and marketplace. When meeting with your students, talk about these two significant parts of the convention and what the expectations are. Let's start with the showcases. Whether you realize it or not, the artists performing on that stage for 15 minutes have spent a sizable amount of money getting to that point. They know that this opportunity is putting them in front of a lot of people who are the decision makers on their respective campuses. Sometimes for some artists, this is a make or break sort of thing and whether or not you or your students like them, they still deserve the respect afforded any act that appears on that stage. As a programmer, I am guessing that you are bothered when people at events that you program on your campus are disrespectful, this should be no different. So here are some very basic things to remember when thinking about the showcases for you and your students to remember. These are the expectations that I lay out for my students and for the most part, they follow them pretty closely.

1. Show up on time for the showcases. Yeah I know, sometimes things happen and you can't make it or get delayed. That will happen from time to time. Just don't make it a habit.
2. Don't skip showcases or spend the day site seeing in Nashville. Along with the artists, I am assuming that you all have spent a lot of money getting to the convention. This isn't a vacation. For advisors, while there is the obvious bit of downtime and socializing with friends, it is still work. You are always the advisor to your students while they are there.
3. Keep texting to a minimum during the showcases.
4. Don't take or make a call during the showcase. Seriously, how annoying is that.....if you have to make or take a call, leave the room so that those who are there are not disrupted. Also, put your phones to vibrate. Yeah you may have the coolest ringtone ever, you still don't need to share it with everyone at the showcase.
5. The energy is super high at the convention. Remind your students of that when choosing who to bring to campus from the showcases. Not sure how many of you bring in concert lights, sound and video for your coffee house series. I am betting not many. Help them be realistic and to try and visualize how this program might happen at your campus. It is not all about their individual tastes as much as it is about the tastes of your campus as a whole.
6. Let down a little. I know, you are saying huh.....Here is what I mean....Have a little fun. Let your students have a little fun. If they want to dance to a band they think is great, let em dance. For that matter, if you want to dance......dance. Work can be fun don't you know.
7. After the showcase, meet with your delegation and talk about every act on the bill. This will make your time in the marketplace more productive and even leave time for a little fun.

Now to the marketplace. As with the showcases, the people who have booths in the marketplace have invested a sizable amount to be there. Remember that. Make sure your students know that. The marketplace is large and at some point may look like a crazy crowded place. I am not gonna lie, sometimes it is. Be ok with that. If that is not what you are into, that's ok. Just make sure you at least get in there and know what is in there. As with the showcases, here are my tips and expectations for the marketplace. I also talk about these with my students so they know we are all on the same page prior to going through.

1. Visit EVERY booth in the market place. Just because an act doesn't showcase doesn't mean they are not very good. It just means they didn't showcase. There are some amazing artists who never make it to the NACA stage and you and your students should check them out.
2. Yeah, a lot of people will be giving out free stuff. This should not be interpreted as I expect to get free stuff. Don't just go into the maketplace with the intention of grabbing as much free stuff as possible. Some associates may only give packets of info and freebees to the head delegate. Don't be put off by this.
3. Let your students take pictures and play on the games and look at all of the stuff that is in there. Like I said earlier, have a little fun and let your students have a little fun. I will say this over and over again, help your students understand that you can have fun while working.
4. Go to the marketplace everytime it is open. There is a lot in there that you may have missed the first, second or third time through.
5. Don't go through as fast as you possibly can just so that you can say I was in there, now I am done.
6. Be patient. You may have to stand in line a little while just to get info on an artist.
7. Do business. I know, some of you can't make decisions while at the convention. That's ok, at least you can make the contacts you may need to do business once you get back home.

I know, there is a lot to digest here. Take your time to absorb it and as always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. The next time I write, I will be talking about blocking booking and all of that good stuff.

Here is my contact info so you don't have to look for it.

rich.ramos@simpson.edu

515-961-1536