See All Posts

Week in Review: One in a Melon

Ali Lincoln

These days, my garden is looking a little unkempt. It’s been way too hot to weed, my tomatoes have engulfed the peppers and cucumbers, and my melon and squash bed has gone completely wild. But, we have melons, people! That’s right—melons plural. We harvested our first cantaloupe and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to tell if our watermelon is ripe before I pick it. Although it’s been really exciting to watch these bad boys swell up, I’m not sure if the crazy tangle of vines that has taken over our patio is worth the five melons we’ll get this year.

One thing that is worth it? Checking out the latest in higher ed news. Scroll down for more.

What’s new this week:

Congratulations to APM Reports and Educate Podcast on releasing the first of four new documentaries. This week, be sure to listen to “Faces of the Shadow Class: Dreamers in Trump’s America,” which was highlighted in newsletters from Lumina Foundation, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Academic Impressions, Community College Daily, as well as the Daily Briefing from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Stay tuned for another new release next week.

The Mastery Transcript Consortium made this Huffington Post list of the five biggest college admissions trends to watch.

Wheelock College’s Worcester program is moving from Anna Maria College to the College of the Holy Cross. Read more details about the change in this Worcester Business Journal article.

This week on Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action blog, don’t miss posts on attracting Gen Z students with similar strategies for adult learners and translating materials for international recruitment.

What we’ve been talking about:

Sometimes @teresavalerioparrot is so fancy she gets chauffeured by amazing people like Tony Proudfoot while visiting cool places like @uarizona #BearDown

A post shared by TVP Communications (@tvpcomms) on

 

What’s next on our calendars:

Teresa will present a preconference media training at the CASE Annual Conference for Media Relations Professionals on Monday, September 18 in Philadelphia, PA.

Teresa will be co-leading the “Developing Presidential Voice: Toolkit for Marketing and Communications” webinar for Academic Impressions on September 22.

Erin will present a session on social media to participants in the NACUBO Fellows Program in Washington, DC, on October 12.

Teresa will be leading a crisis communications session and case study review for the Dean’s Section of the American Association of Law Schools in San Diego, CA on January 6, 2018.

What we’re recommending:

Ali Lincoln
This special Reuters investigative report on Tasers was fascinating. I often wonder why, especially in today’s climate, police don’t use Tasers more, since I assumed they weren’t lethal. To my surprise, Tasers are much more lethal than I thought, especially when used on those with mental illness. These stories of deaths following emergency calls for medical help are so sad, and I’m curious to see how the rest of the series turns out.

And, in lighter news, I’m crushing hard on this jungle apartment in Brooklyn. #PlantGoals. This woman has more than 700 plants in her home, and it looks so lush. Now I generally consider myself to be an intermediate gardener and have a pretty green thumb, but this is an entirely different level of plant ownership. By comparison, I have 22 plants in my home, newly down from 26 due to an unfortunate terrarium mishap and three spider plants succumbing to rot after a pre-vacation overwatering incident (fear not, one of my larger spider plants has several babies sprouting). If you don’t count my vegetable garden, herb garden, bird garden, pollinator meadow, and traditional landscape beds, I’m woefully behind. Clearly I need to up my indoor plant game—right now I’m just a lowkey plant lady (and a lowkey cat lady, for that matter).

Cristal Steuer
As students across the country move into their dorm rooms, off-campus apartments, and other tight living quarters, this New York Times article about being a good roommate is a must read. Written by intern Melina Delkic, she says communication is key. She also pokes fun at the economy size bags of chicken she used to buy from Costco when all of her roommates were vegetarians. In college, I lived with my best friend from home. While we didn’t fight (because I’m so non-confrontational) we had our quirks. For instance, I was messy, so she would ask me to borrow something to wear, but she would really be cleaning my closet. She was always hot and opened the window, and I was always cold and shut the window. If you don’t talk about the small things, they build up and eventually turn into big things. Be open, talk, even set some guidelines. My roommate was already my best friend, and still is today. While you might not plan on it, many of your roommates will be your future best friends (or at least really good friends), so treat them how you would treat your friends.

Follow us on Twitter!

Here’s a look at what we were tweeting this week:

For all of the latest news and media successes from TVP Communications, follow us on Twitter.