These are the documents--evidence--from last year illustrating my attempt to submit work and not long after, apply for a position at the Crow's Nest.

Clearly, I am no longer interested in revisiting the horror, and have no desire for affiliation or involvement with said "student" paper....

Subject: submission from j.koch

From: jkoch3@mail.usf.edu

Date: Mon, November 12, 2007 9:23 am

To: usfcrowsnest@yahoo.com

Priority: Normal

Read receipt: requested

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Dear Casey,

I would like to submit my comic strip, Kochka (pronounced like Kafka—but

with a cha) to the Crow’s Nest and hope you will find it suitable (and

mildly entertaining) for publishing. I am a professional technical writing

major with a minor in mass communications at USF. If you are interested,

and/or have a need for any other type of image--now or in the future--I

would be happy to oblige. Additionally, if you think the strip is a good

fit, I could submit weekly. Please let me know what you think at your

convenience.

Sincerely,

Jessica Koch

From: jkoch3@mail.usf.edu

Date: Wed, December 5, 2007 9:07 pm

To: usfcrowsnest@yahoo.com

Priority: Normal

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December 5, 2007

Dear Staff of The Crow’s Nest:

My name is Jessica Koch and I am very interested in the position as

Assistant Editor at The Crow’s Nest. I am currently a senior at USF

St.Petersburg, majoring in professional/ technical writing with a minor in

mass communications. I am an avid reader and have been writing and

rewriting intensively over the last few years. I am intuitive, responsible

and have a cumulative 3.69 GPA. My qualifications below are especially

relevant to the Assistant Editor Position:

• Knowledge of AP style and conventional journalism standards

• Strong technical grasp of English and grammar

• Ability to edit, condense and reduce verbiage effectively

• Approachable, friendly and professional in manner

• Successfully completed numerous journalism and writing courses

including: Writing for the Mass Media, News Editing, Beginning Reporting,

Communicating Science to the Public, Professional writing, Technical

writing and Expository writing

In any event, I am also creative and like new challenges. I am familiar

with In Design and Photoshop applications and have a great eye for

aesthetic balance and harmony. I have taken quite a few art courses

(including intro to visual communication and design), and consider myself

pretty adaptable. Therefore, I would be equally thrilled to work on any

design aspects of the Crow’s Nests and am very flexible. I have also

included two cartoon strips—and if you have a need for a staff cartoonist,

I would be happy to oblige.

I will be graduating in May 2008, and would greatly appreciate an

opportunity to contribute and work with The Crow’s Nest. Please call me at

(727)blah blah paranoia-- or Email jkoch3@mail.usf.edu . Thank you for your time and

consideration. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Jessica Koch

~I have attached two articles from previous journalism courses and two

recent cartoon strips, as well.

Jessica Koch

JOU 2100 603

Campus expansion beat

St.Petersburg- Crowds of people turned out to celebrate the new Barnes and Noble USF grand opening on Tuesday morning, but one local business is not celebrating.

About three blocks away, tucked behind a parking lot, the atmosphere at Bayboro Books was subdued, perhaps a little somber. Bayboro Books is literally between a rock and a hard place; smack in the middle of Barnes and Noble’s new location and it’s smaller on-campus predecessor.

Susan M. Comas owns and operates the independent bookstore that has been serving students, professors and the community for the last 25 years.

Comas can handle competition. She has been competing with Barnes and Noble’s on- campus location over textbook sales for several years, but now her greatest concern revolves around gaining access to the professors’ textbook requests each semester.

Comas said that up until recently, the university had provided her with the textbook request information, but now things have changed. “They have control over giving us the information for textbooks,” and are “in control of their competitors,” Comas said. “We have lawyers involved.”

Without this information it will be difficult to provide students with options, such as used text books or lower prices. “We’ll have to find a niche,” Comas said.

USF St.Petersburg forged its partnership with Barnes and Noble in 2003. The relationship has been the driving force behind expansion projects like the multi-level parking garage and the new bookstore.

Barnes and Noble, the self proclaimed “world's largest bookseller” has about 799 bookstores nationwide, and the lucrative partnerships with universities are a growing trend.

Jessica Koch

Communicating Science to the Public

The Art of Smiling

The holidays are nearly upon us; a time for get-togethers, family functions, dreaded office parties and last minute shopping frenzies. At some point, you may find yourself cornered by a drunken relative, an annoying guest, or a pushy salesperson- listening politely- with a fake smile glued to your face. Or perhaps, you might be at the receiving end of a not-so genuine expression.

Smiling is a widely recognized, universal gesture. We’ve all done it at some point in our lives—and usually we mean it. But sometimes a smile is a misrepresentation; a physical mask, an insincere form of politeness, or a gesture of outright hostility Can we determine whether a smile is genuine or fake? Actually, scientists have devised a system to differentiate smiles ranging from “enjoyment smiles” to “false” and “miserable smiles,” but generally they are classified as either Duchenne or non-Duchenne.

The Duchenne smile is the namesake of the pioneering French neurophysiologist, C. B. Duchenne du Boulogne. He mapped the human facial muscles with electronic stimuli and identified the muscle groups that can’t be manipulated without a genuine, emotional impulse. The Duchenne smile is considered an authentic smile; a true, spontaneous expression of enjoyment featuring the beautiful union of the zygomatic and orbicularis oculi muscles. You know-- the one where your eyes crinkle in the corners, cheeks rise, and your mouth opens a little?

There are many instances when it’s downright difficult to tell if that smile is sincere. Generally, if there is a physical lack of muscle contraction around the eyes, checks and mouth--chances are, it’s a non-Duchenne. On the other hand, some people are just really good at faking it and can pass virtually undetected. In this case, just smile back.

Smiling really does make you look and feel better, whether it’s a Duchenne smile or not… So this year, as you prepare for the upcoming seasonal obligations, unpleasant interactions, and the staged joy of gift giving procedures, remember to crinkle those eyes, open your mouth just a little, and smile like you mean it; only Duchenne himself would be able to tell the difference.

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