Emerson goes for the gold

9/26/07Chinatown has always been just a short walk away from the Emerson College campus. Now, some students will get the opportunity to travel quite a bit further to experience a real China town--Beijing.

An information session held last Monday night confirmed Emerson's participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The school has been chosen as part of a select group of colleges and universities who will send students to work for the Olympic News Service. The ONS is an official Olympic media service that will ask students to bridge the gap between reporters of various media outlets and the athletes and events themselves.

David Griffin, director of International Study and External Programs, said the biggest challenge is presented not to the faculty, but rather, to the students traveling out to Beijing.

Along with attending press conferences and speaking with the athletes directly, pre-competition preparation and analysis of the competition itself will all be part of the regular routine for the chosen students. "It's going to be considered like a job," Griffin said.

To prepare for the trip, a four-credit course will be taught by two Emerson professors in the spring semester. The class, titled "International Sports Reporting," will be taught by Journalism Assistant Professor Paul Niwa and Visual Media Arts Associate Professor Shujen Wang.

The class will cover many angles to help prepare students for both the culture of China and the rigors of the job itself, Niwa said. He will handle what he described as journalism "survival skills." The skills he'll teach will include how to interviewing athletes, basic writing principles, how to talk with coaches, and how to properly research various Olympic sports.

Wang's goal is to help prepare the students for the trip itself. For her part in the course, she'll be teaching some contemporary Chinese history and culture. She'll also introduce students to the general media structure in China, and will even attempt to teach students a bit of conversational Mandarin. According to Griffin, the class is a necessary part of the trip in order to "make sure the students have the skills that are going to be required to do this job."

"[Students] need to be better prepared and informed on the context of the culture," Wang said. Niwa will be traveling with the group when it leaves July 7.

Linda Moore, Emerson vice president of academic affairs, said the success of the students this time around may lead to opportunities in the future. Exchange programs with schools in Beijing as well as potential work with the Olympic Committee both remain large possibilities in the following years after the initial program is complete. "We have a lot riding on this and we think it's a great opportunity," Moore said.

Other academic participants include schools from both the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as four other colleges and universities from the United States. They include The University of Missouri, The University of North Carolina, The University of Iowa, and Ithaca College. "We're in a pool with some very prestigious company," Griffin said.

Emerson was recommended for the program by the Communications University of China. Upon hearing the recommendation, the Beijing Olympic Committee contacted Emerson last July, and since then, members of the Emerson community have scattered to take advantage of the opportunity. Wang happily volunteered her time after years of trying to develop a foreign exchange program in Beijing. Niwa overloaded his course schedule for the following semester in order to be able to co-teach the spring class.

Lodging, transportation, and food at the venues will be provided for accepted students. The plane ticket and other living expenses, however, must be paid for by the student. Emerson President Jackie Liebergott is currently looking into scholarship offers to help students who may not be able to afford the cost.

Griffin estimated the plane cost to be somewhere between $1,700 and $2,000. Wang, who has frequented Beijing in the past, approximated that living expenses wouldn't cost more than $500 for the time spent in China over the course of the trip.

Spots are limited. Ultimately, 35 students will be chosen to take the class taught by Niwa and Wang, and those students must ultimately pass a test on the various venues and sports that will occur during the 2008 Summer Olympics. The test will be administered by the Olympic Committee before the students leave.

Applications are due Oct. 1st, and students are expected to receive notice of their selection by the end of October.