Tiffany, good article. In journalism everything must be attributed so someone. Its essential to have more than one source.

The only person you quoted is Jones. Did you talk with anyone else. Terry Grimes, vice pres for academic affairs would be good source of info You also need to get some student reaction to this, especially from upper classmen whove had j t erm all of their careers here. Do they like the idea, why or why not.

J-term Ending The well- known, two to three week academic term in January will be coming to an end in two years. The last January term is to be held in 2012. But, spring break likely will be longer beginning in 2012. When former Barton President James Hemby created the January term in 1995 he meant for it to provide the students with an opportunity to learn in a new and exciting way. (this needs to be attributed to someone, according to who?) By studying a single subject intensively they are more likely to reveal the depth of the subject than if they were to take the course during the fall or spring semesters. (again, where does this information come from. ) Also, they are more likely to give their full concentration to one topic, which pushes them to be more independent and more creative. (attribution) (All information in a new article, unless you witnessed some event yourself, must be attributed. That means you must tell the reader where that information came from) However, the January term has its draw backs as well. Due to the fact that the term is so

short, it limits the usefulness in some approaches, in some disciplines. attribution But the time limit has helped when it comes to traveling, which is a big part of the term. This is due to the fact that it cost so much to travel. Attrition. The people, who have participated, have traveled to many diverse places over the course of the past 15 years that the term has existed. According to who? They have visited places like Israel, Greece, Crete, China, England, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Egypt, and Japan. They have also benefited from being immersed in the culture of these people. attribution In spite of this, the number of students participating in the January term has been low for the past few years and will decrees even more in 2011. attribution This is due to the fact that the School of Education has discontinued all courses that were held in January. Says who? The senior administrative staff believes (how do you know what it believes) this will benefit the students because the six weeks between the end of the fall semester and the beginning of the spring semester is too long. Says who It causes students, especially freshmen, to lose academic momentum. Says who They also believe by beginning the spring semester earlier, it will allow Barton to end its semester earlier; which will give Barton students a fair shot at getting summer jobs and internships. Says who That is why they (who is they? Cant be vague. Give detailed specifics) have devised a

plan to incorporate travel into the spring semester. (this needs to be part of the leadthe first paragraph) The academic quality of travel courses will be enhanced because students will take these courses as part of their spring semester schedule, said Joe Jones, director of iInternational sStudy. It is also a possibility to expand spring break long enough to allow for a 12 day travel event. However, the main purpose of the term is to allow faculty to experiment with pedagogical innovations and unusual topics. Says who? These topics will be made into General Education Capstone Seminars, GEN103, World Culture courses, and American/Western Culture courses. Got to explain what these are As director of International Study, I think this is an excellent move. The International Study Committee has already started working on guidelines for travel courses during the spring semester, said Jones.