MCJ 203 Roommates

I posted last time about how my roommate of three or four years moved to the coast which left me to find a new place to live which included new people.  I just moved into a house with two guys I have always known of but never considered living with them.  I ended my last post mentioning how awkward it is beginning new relationships with people -- this is one of those times.  Unfortunately, I live with them so it's kind of perpetually awkward at this point.

So far, however, they seem like cool people that I could have a lot in common with.  It's very similar to putting yourself out there after a breakup.  Once you've lived with the same person for four years your social skills get dull.  So, that's my personal relationship status right now -- just brushing up basic relationship building skills.

MCJ 203 Relationship Post 3

Right now I am interning at United Way and the Hattiesburg Convention Commission.  On top of that I am going to school and working at a local bar called Keg and Barrel.  With so much going on I have started to develop a lot of new relationships with many different people.  Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet the brewmaster of Southern Prohibition Beer who inquired into my education and background.  After about a 20 minute conversation he told me to call him once I graduated for a job.  That would be amazing.

I've also been single now for about two or three months.  I'm finally starting to get back out there and meet other people.  I always forget how weird it is coming out of a relationship and having to put yourself out there once again after being comfortable for an extended period of time.  I think that feeling sums up establishing new relationships in general; there's always that awkward initial phase where both people are unsure of each other.  I don't like that.

MCJ 203 - Mayor vs. City Council

I wanted to use this post to talk about the strained relationship that exists between Hattiesburg mayor Johnny Dupree and the city council.  Hattiesburg politics have been a hot-button issue ever since Johnny Dupree's controversial victory over Dave Ware.  Now we are in the midst of more drama that stems from Dupree submitting his nominations for certain vacant positions within Hattiesburg.  This has left the city council with no choice but to file a lawsuit that will ultimately force Mayor Dupree to fill the vacancies.

This is a classic example of a professional relationship gone wrong.  Any professionalism that existed between the two parties is long gone.  Both are airing one another's dirty laundry publicly which is a blatant indicator that productivity has come to a stand-still.  For the sake of Hattiesburg, let's hope the future holds more accountable professionals who know how to work through adversity.

MCJ 203 Relationships Introduction

My name is Reagan McKinley and I am to blog about "relationships" for the remainder of the semester. Relationships are important for a number of reasons whether they are personal or professional.  Personal relationships provide people with love and comfort which every human being needs to survive and carry out a happy existence.  Professional relationships primarily depend on one's ability to work with another whether love and comfort exists at all in order to be successful.

My perspective on relationships has also begun to change within the last year or so. As shallow as this sounds, I'm just now realizing how much effort it takes to make a relationship successful. A recent breakup left me with that realization the hard way.  I also started interning this semester at United way and the Hattiesburg Convention Commission for my public relations degree.  Needless to say my professional relationships are of the utmost importance to me right now.

Final Post

I have learned more in MCJ 102 as a graduate student than I did in any other graduate class.  Perhaps it is because I did not have any public relations writing experience prior to this semester.  Regardless, I was able to learn writing styles and perform assignments that I could put in a portfolio which enhanced my knowledge in interviews.  This was hands down my favorite class because I actually learned an applicable skill rather than abstract theories that I have already forgotten.  This class has made me look forward to taking other writing courses that build off the skills I picked up this semester.

I have learned a lot about myself this semester in terms of the field I have chosen to study for graduate school.  I really enjoy public relations and I am confident that I will be valuable asset wherever I land a job.  From an academic perspective, however, I have a difficult time studying topics such as theory and research just because they do not interest me as much.  I know research is a valuable aspect of the field which I am going to try to get better at.  Overall, though, I am proud of my progress this semester and I look forward to finishing the semester.

Michael Brown's Stepfather

Michael Brown's stepfather has been very vocal since Brown's death at the hands of a Ferguson police officer.  After the jury decided more evidence was needed to find Darren Wilson guilty of his death, Brown's stepfather encouraged protesters to burn Ferguson to the ground.  Brown's stepfather represents one of two sides of protesting that America has seen in recent months amid the controversy.  Protesting is an integral part of society that must remain a civilized act.  Some people, such as Brown's stepfather, would rather resort to violence.  Others are willing to maintain a peaceful protest that encourages meaningful dialogue.

I think this a major issue right now because whether a society chooses to engage in violence has an impact on the outcome of the issue.  If society gives their government a reason to use force to subdue them then society is defeating itself.  One of the major aspects of protest that people should focus on right now is doing it in a way that forces the organization you are protesting to take action, and to do it in a way that does not defeat yourself.

E3 Health Initiative

In July 2014 the City of Hattiesburg was awarded a $250,000 grant from the National League of Cities to address a health coverage crisis in Hattiesburg. The E3 Health Initiative is aims at reducing the number of uninsured children and families in Hattiesburg by providing technical assistance to those seeking to obtain health coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). In the Lillie Burney Elementary, Rowan Elementary, and Hawkins Elementary school zones alone there are roughly 19,000 people. Of those, 6,000 are eligible for Medicaid/CHIP but are unenrolled. The E3 Health Initiative is temporary grant funded program that will last 18 months. By December 2015, the program hopes to reduce the number of uninsured in those school zones by 50%, enrolling 3,000 people in health insurance.

With changes to the state Medicaid policies as well as national changes to health care law, there are new barriers facing those eligible to apply for Mediciad/CHIP. One of those barriers is that applications are now predominately submitted online. Based on the demographics of the eligible population, many of these individuals do not have access to the equipment needed to successfully complete the application process. The hope of this program is to address some of these barriers and make it easier for people to get the health coverage they deserve.