Made in Illustrator for Information Graphics and Design class. Click here to go to the interactive graphic made in Google Fusion.

After Newsweek announced the end of its print publication in December on Oct.18, people, and journalists especially, had to ask a question that was first asked with the rise of the Internet: is this the end of physical editions of newspapers and magazines?

With such a prominent magazine as Newsweek going all-digital, other magazines are sure to watch and take its lead. The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism reports in its 2012 State of the News Media that total digital and mobile revenues are up for magazines. And with tablet ownership growing to 18 percent, going digital might not be a bad idea.

“I think it’s the right move for them,” said Jeff Stern, a junior at Elon University and online managing editor for the student newspaper, the Pendulum. “I think they’re forward-thinking. Initially, they might struggle but in the long-term it will benefit them as long as their content is top-notch. It’s all about content.”

Elon University’s own newspaper has worked on expanding its online presence. This semester, the Pendulum decreased the number of print publications produced per semester, while increasing its emphasis online. New content is posted to its website, www.elonpendulum.com, daily and release teasers of the content via social media. The Pendulum is now only printed twice a month.

Editor-in-Chief of the Pendulum, Caitlin O’Donnell thinks the decision for Newsweek to go all-digital was abrupt.

“While I won’t argue that the online realm of journalism is growing, I still believe there is a place for print reporting and it would have been in Newsweek’s best interest to decrease in their print publication, perhaps, rather than entirely eradicate it,” O’Donnell said.

And when it comes to the Pendulum, O’Donnell doesn’t see it being an online-only publication any time soon.

“While the majority of readers enjoy engaging with our content online, a facet of our readership still looks forward to picking up the print version every week,” O’Donnell said.

Newsweek will release a tablet version called Newsweek Global in January 2013. As for the Pendulum, there’s nothing in immediate plans for an app.

“It’s something we talked about,” Stern said. “But there has to be a purpose for the app. It has to include some special features that works with the GPS or camera of the device. Our website is mobile-friendly so there’s no need for one now.”

Elon University is committed to diversity.  Its commitment is stated in the university’s 10-year strategic plan as unprecedented. With this commitment, Elon needs to also commit to inclusion: making sure everyone feels safe and welcome on campus. Elon has many organizations, places on campus and initiatives that cater to diversity. Its newest organization is the Inclusive Community.

According to its website, the Inclusive Community includes representatives from across campus of staff, faculty and administrators in multiple offices and fields. These representatives comprise a council, an education team and process advocate team. One of the goals of the Inclusive Community is to create the best climate for all. Everyone doesn’t agree that Elon is inclusive.

“No, I don’t think Elon is inclusive,” said Kanree Wright, junior at Elon and president of Diversity Emerging Education Program (DEEP). “I feel like we’re working towards it. We need to start with the administration and work down. I’ve seen a lot of programs about diversity, but diversity education during orientation would be good to establish that foreground of Elon being an inclusive campus.”

 Diversity Education for All

Elizabeth Nelson, the coordinator for Inclusive Community’s education team, is working to on the second goal of the Inclusive Community: significant learning around difference as hallmark of Elon education.

Three kinds of prevention for inclusion.

“There are three kinds of prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary,” Nelson said. “When we’re responding to incidents and saying, ‘hey, let’s work it out among the people that were directly affected’, then we’re in the world of tertiary prevention. It’s more responsive, but it’s not necessarily stopping incidents from happening.”

Nelson explains secondary prevention as being the community being a little more proactive.

“We’re less responsive because fewer things are happening,” Nelson said. “We’re building a better climate.”

And in primary prevention, the community is focused on the climate and improving situations.

“The reality of prevention work is that you’re doing the same thing all the time,” said Nelson. “So we what we want to work towards is that before anyone steps on campus, they would know that the campus norm is inclusivity and you can’t get away with incidents against different identities.”

Some examples that Nelson provided for identity are gender, race, ethnicity, ability, disability, socio-economic status and religious affiliation including atheist or agnostic.

“Sometimes, when we talk about identity what we default to saying is we’re really only talking about people who have a non-majority status,” Nelson said. “But one of the things that inclusive community and identity is looking at is how are all of us contributing to an environment that does or doesn’t promote inclusion?”

One major program that involves the Inclusive Community is the winter term theme of diversity.

“The winter term diversity theme came about from work of a subcommittee of the Presidential Diversity Council chaired by Dr. Mary Jo Festle,” said Brook Barnett, chair of the Inclusive Community Council. “She and her committee fleshed out a proposal for the theme. The idea for the theme was also part of the Diversity Quality Enhancement Program proposal too.”

The education team is working on programs and considering partnering with organizations, such as DEEP, on campus to have conversations about inclusive community.

“DEEP’s biggest goal is to be advocates for diversity,” said Wright. “Not so much for race, but celebrating different identities; trying to bring all of those identities together into community.”

DEEP holds events such as DEEP Days where three days are spent on the topic of diversity, Difficult Dialogues, discussion on a particular topic related to diversity and Tunnel of Oppression, an event to shows how different identities have been mistreated or misrepresented.

Other organizations on campus that reflect inclusivity are the Muslim Student Association, Catholic Christian Ministry, Intervarsity, the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), Black Cultural Society (BSC), Spectrum, the queer-straight alliance and Elon Feminists for Equality and Change and Transformation (EFFECT).

This photo slideshow represents places on campus that support inclusion.

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 Inclusion: Meaning and Importance

Many students had varying meanings for the word inclusive, but there was a general theme of tolerance and acceptance.

“Inclusiveness means being able to celebrate everyone’s identity; not just being tolerant and accepting,” Wright said. “It’s allowing people to be who they are and come together.”

Junior Kyla Sokoll-Ward agrees that inclusiveness is more than tolerance and acceptance; it’s also about curiosity.

“Inclusiveness is having curiosity about studying other interests and faiths,” Ward said. “I think Elon is inclusive, but the student body could be a little more curious. Students are open to new interests and different faiths, but they aren’t necessarily knowledgeable.”

Some students said inclusiveness is important because problems can occur from an unwelcoming climate.

“Inclusiveness, without a doubt, is of great importance, especially on a college campus,” said junior Dana Mustafa. “Without inclusiveness, learning, creativity, innovation, and teamwork are hindered from flourishing.”

Wright agrees that inclusiveness can be hindering.

“In order for Elon to grow as a community, we can’t have people who are hateful to other people,” Wright said. “To see where other people are coming from can better the community.”

Bias and Discrimination Hotline

Ways to report bias and discrimination reporting: call or use the online services.

The Bias and Discrimination Hotline was created to allow students to report incidents of bias, discrimination or harassment.

“People can call the hotline for a number of reasons,” said Nelson. “They can call just to say this happened to me and I want someone to know it. But if they need support, someone will be called if they call that hotline. There’s an immediate responder that’s trained on these issues that will immediately call that person back once the responder has been notified.”

The responder can either talk through the issue with that person over the phone or they can meet him or her in person.

“In some instances, a police report may need to be filed,” Nelson said. “It can be really scary to file a police report by yourself. You can have someone accompany you to do that.”

While the website is soft-launched and still being finalized, Nelson wants students to know the bias and discrimination hotline is up and running as well as its online services.

“If you don’t want to call or do it in the moment, there are two kinds of online reporting,” Nelson said. “Sometimes, something happens and you just want someone to know. You may not need any personal follow-up.”

Nelson said that there have been reports made using the online system.

“I do think people are realizing there’s somewhere to tell about something that happened,” Nelson said.

Once the Inclusive Community website is finalized, students, faculty and staff will receive an email with more information. The Inclusive Community will be doing more events in January.

Charlie Cook, the “Picasso of election analysts” as stated by the Wall Street Journal, stopped by Elon University on Sept. 10 and painted a few possibilities of what is to come with the upcoming presidential election. Cook summed up his speech in one sentence before going into details: “if President Obama gets re-elected it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign and if Mitt Romney wins it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign.”

Cook explains that this has been a very close race and that it was closer prior to the Republican National Convention. Romney’s campaign focused too much on convincing people that the terrible economy is President Obama’s fault and not enough time convincing people that Romney is someone the people can trust as president.

“Well, frankly, I think most people can figure out that the economy is in terrible shape without relying on the Romney campaign to tell them that,” Cook said.

The Romney campaign put out biographical advertisements too late. The Obama campaign had already done some damage with their advertisements: attacking Romney and Romney not doing much to address them. There was a window of opportunity to show the “real Romney,” at the Republican National Convention but was closed quickly by the late hour his speech was shown and having Clint Eastwood introduce him.

“Clint Eastwood? Are you kidding me? That’s how you want to use your sixty precious minutes?” Cook said.

Cook questioned whether Romney had the gregarious, outgoing personality necessary to be the president.

While Cook said that the people in charge of Romney’s advertising campaign out to be sued for malpractice, President Obama’s campaign has been doing well. But the bad economy has the highest potential for ending the president’s run in the White House.

“Generally speaking, when the economy is this bad, presidents don’t get re-elected,” Cook said.

Cook acknowledges that President Obama inherited a bad economy and a poll showed that most Americans agree.

“But what happens when you take the Oval Office is that every month that goes by, you take a little bit more ownership of the economy and you’re more and more invested in it so by the time you run for re-election, you may not own the whole economy, but you own a big piece of it. In other words, people expect you to have been able to do something with it.”

The president faces a challenge with what he’s done or the lack of what he’s done for the economy. There is a recession and the economic downturn is worse than anyone expected. Voters will remember the stimulus package.

“If you take a poll, Americans would say the stimulus package didn’t do any good and a good chuck of them would say it was a waste of money.”