by Michael Sicoli

About Me

Hello! My name is Michael Sicoli. I am a 3+1 Journalism major from Commack, New York. I am a member of the class of 2023, and I plan to master in Sports Journalism. Writing has always been one of my skills, and when I combined it with my love for sports my career path became clear. I played soccer my entire life, playing as far as Colorado in tournaments. I am also a huge NFL fan, which is the sport I hope to cover during my career.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Quinnipiac thus far. I joined the school newspaper, the Quinnipiac Chronicle, early on into the year. I have already written eight articles, seven of which were in the Opinion section and the other was an Arts and Life review of the “El Camino” trailer. After a single semester I decided to become more involved. I joined the eBoard as an associate opinion editor, and so far, I have loved every minute of it. I also joined and participated in intramural sports such as flag football and soccer. Both sports were highlights of my first semester. After being on the Dean’s List for my first semester, I plan to keep this momentum going and have a solid semester.

Altered Self

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I have little experience in Photoshop, so this was a challenge for me. Understanding how to set the parameters and the background took time but once I understood how to crop images outside of the main document it was not too challenging. Once I set the three photos properly, I began to fiddle with the filtering. Rendering in a random tree was fun, but then I started to use other options. I used the Mezzotint option to make the picture of the Rocky Mountains, my favorite vacation, more like a traditional portrait done pixel by pixel. I then used the Facet filter option to make the soccer photo more defined and lifelike, a sport I played my entire life. Finally, I used the Pointillize option on the photo of the NFL, my favorite sport to watch and cover, to make it appear fuzzy and different.

Original Composition

First, I found a background that was both scenic and represented the theme I wanted to convey. A skyline of New York was exactly what I wanted as a starting point. I started to cut out symbols and other images that represented New York in a separate document. The images I chose, like the “Big Apple” and the Statue of Liberty are good representations of New York. I considered where they were relative to the background, so that the cars and vehicles remained near the ground and larger images filled the skyline. 

Layer Masks

First, I established the background image and enabled the text as a wide, bold option. I made the text 3D and more impactful. I then used the Brush tool on several Lego images with space or imaginary backgrounds to fade them into both the title (Mars Baby) as well as the mountainside. The gradient also provides a terrific contrast. 

Social Awareness Poster

For our social awareness poster, we decided to focus on the concussions that have plagued the NFL for some time now. CTE, a degenerative brain disease, has become a huge issue for the football world as many older and deceased NFL players have been diagnosed with it. Recent stars like Luke Kuechly have retired due to the injuries they have suffered during games. We used Kuechly as the focal point and face of this social issue. The image of him famously being carted off the field with yet another concussion was paired with several “shocking” headlines of him retiring, the most glaring of them being a quote by the linebacker himself. Between the quote and the punctual “It’s your head. Protect it.” line and the bottom this poster ad fills every avenue we wanted to go down with this issue. 

Building a Pencil

In order to make the pencil, it was important to create the essential shapes. We used smaller rectangles with rounded points, as seen with the eraser, and longer rectangles for the base of the pencil. I also messed around with the colors for my three pencils to give it a more wooden or less wooden look, depending on which one you look at. I made the point of the pencil more jagged as that makes it more realistic. The assignment made me realize how basic shapes can make almost any image if stretched, cut and colored correctly. 

Boxes

I really enjoyed this assignment. Using Adobe Illustrator, I created a one inch by one inch square which was then duplicated into a 49 square box. I used several design mechanics to make each square unique and interesting. I used different pointed stars, lines, the paintbrush to draw faces, the text tool to write out messages and more. I then transformed the 49 square grid and reflected in vertically, and repeated that process horizontally. This created a grid that makes the entire image more pleasing to look at. I am pleased with the final result, especially with how the faces seem to be looking at each other. 

Tracing Silhouettes

This project was fairly straightforward. After doing some exercises using the pen tool in which I had to create curved lines, I began to make the pear that was previously submitted. Admittedly, this was a little hard for me, but I got better over time. I made most of my curves and lines with the standard pen tool but I frequently used the curvature line tool to buff out mistakes. For my own silhouette, I chose a cute dog. I created the outline using the pen tool and the curvature pen tool and, despite some difficultly, I think the outline is solid. 

Infographic

We kept it simple with our concussion message. For the Instagram formatted post, we simply included a factoid that has the right amount of simplicity and shocking awareness needed to be shared. On top of that, we included a hashtag that allows users and viewers to share the message far and wide. It was as simple as overlapping images. The logo was harder to construct, but thanks to some tireless efforts by Xavier, we managed to make it look as good as it does. The cracked helmet with the exposing brain is the perfect message to share in a social awareness push against concussions in the NFL. 

Simple Poster

This poster was fairly simple to create. We began by creating two equal boxes that covered the page. I then decided to make one box red and one box blue, two contrasting colors, to stand out. I downloaded the image files from blackboard for the banner, celtics symbol and bottom icon. After turning those white through adobe illustrator, I put them on my InDesign poster and lined them up appropriately. All I had to do then was type in the required message with the best possible fonts. I believe the poster came out very well. 

Turtles

I had a ton of trouble with this initially. I failed to get the Photoshop cut I wanted, but I compensated by adding a green variant on the bottom of the poster. I even cut off the head of a poor turtle by cropping it wrong. But after attending extra help, I was able to get the columns and word spacing, so it does look better now. I fixed the turtle, and moved it around to that the words still flowed freely on the page. After working on it in extra help, I am happy that the poster looks much better now. Thank you!

Transition to distance learning receives mixed reviews

by Michael Sicoli

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused students and teachers to move from vivacious classrooms to structured, online Zoom conferences. Given that on-campus classes are closed, this is a nation-wide adjustment as people come to terms with the new world created by the pandemic.

The transition has forced everyone involved to adapt and refocus. Many students have struggled with this adjustment. First-year sports management major Bryce Husted, 18, a student at University of Tampa, believes that he is no longer getting the most out of his college experience.

“Most of my classes changed their syllabus to make it easier on us so we aren’t really learning as much,” Husted said. “It’s less interactive.”

Class participation is widely acknowledged by teachers as an integral part of the learning process. If students are not engaging in activities, they lose interest and fail to learn at the highest level. Nik Aprahamian, 18, a first-year business major at the University at Buffalo, feels the same way.

“I do not feel like I’m getting the most out of my college experience as I am no longer at school or able to interact with my peers,” Aprahamian said. “I also am not getting the full experience of a college course as professors don’t seem to be putting much effort into the new class style.”

A big reason why Aprahamian feels this way is due to how the course is being taught. Similar to Husted, and many college students across America, he misses the interactivity between students and teachers. Talking to a classmate on the side, asking a question or raising your hand goes a long way toward completing the classroom feel. At a larger school (University at Buffalo has over 21,000 undergraduate students), teachers are not able to effectively hold massive Zoom conferences, which leads to an upload-and-move-on model.

“Online courses could be improved if more effort is put in by the professors to teach students the material instead of putting out PowerPoints and online lectures for the students to learn themselves,” Aprahamian said.

International students have endured more hardship than most. For many international students it was a challenge to merely get back home, as flights were limited. With this transition to off-campus classes, the time zone difference has resulted in a very challenging schedule for students.

“Being an international student has been painful for the last month of online classes,” Lachie Harvey, 19, a first-year media studies major at Quinnipiac University, said. “I’m waking up at 4 a.m. for classes, starting this week I’m waking up at 1 a.m. for a class. The time difference is killer.”

The New Zealand native did note that, outside of the time zone difference, he does not hate online classes. However, he does feel like he is no longer receiving the most out of his college experience.

“I believe the most important part of college is the connections and friendships, which have been cut off,” Harvey said.

International students are not the only select group having a hard time getting to class. According to The Indianapolis Star, there are plenty of students who lack the required internet connection to connect to a Zoom or Google Meets call. The article shares the stories of Indiana students like Rebecca Uesseler, a student in the Lanesville Community school district, who has to drive 15 miles to a local elementary school to receive adequate Wi-Fi. Another Indiana-based student, Amelia Ross, a junior at Connersville High School, cannot use the internet at home unless everyone else logs off. Clearly, students from smaller towns in rural areas are struggling more than many may realize.

The transition, of course, goes both ways. Teachers have had to adjust just as much, if not more than their students as the original syllabus may not transition well to an online format. Quinnipiac professor Peter Gallay teaches JRN-106 – Multimedia Production Technology – a class that is centered around hands-on learning using camera recorders, tripods and light stands. Given the online, off-campus nature of the class now, Gallay has had to adjust his plans for the class.

“With these unprecedented times, we had to change the syllabus in order to fit with the resources that students had at their disposal,” Gallay said. “And so, it was a little bit of a challenge to identify what resources students had on-hand.”

Gallay has introduced “vlogs” into his syllabus, allowing students to video with just their phone and whatever is around the house. Students have free access to Adobe Premier, so students still have the ability to create content, edit and produce work as if they were still on-campus.

“With the way that everything happened on such a quick turnaround and how we had to adapt very quickly, it’s not as ideal as I would have hoped if I had more time to plan it,” Gallay said. “I do believe that, at the end of the semester, … students will be able to take away at least the same, if not more value from the course than if it had been on-ground the whole time.”

For teachers with much younger students, the transition has been even tougher. Commack, New York, native Natalie Sicoli, 52, has been a special education teacher in the Bellmore Union Free school district for 22 years. The mother of three is currently working nonstop to reach her students in the most effective way.

“I’ve implemented Google Classrooms, which I have never used before, so I’m still differentiating all the material for two different grades for different group abilities,” Sicoli said. “I have to scan and print every document for them so I can modify it, and then upload it to the Classroom. I am doing Google Meets two times a week so the kids can see me, and we can do virtual teaching, and we are conducting parent meetings and conferences through Microsoft Teams.”

To sum it up, teachers are working hard to make things work.

The transition to online classes has been no easier for teachers, according to Sicoli.

“(It’s been) very difficult,” she said. “I have special education, self-contained first and second graders who need to learn with a hands-on approach and online teaching does not offer a true hands-on approach.”

It’s a shame that online classes seem to be failing students, despite the hard work of the professors. But everyone agrees that this is a unique situation, and that the decision to go online has, for the most part, been making the best out of a horrific situation.

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Source List:

• Bryce Husted, 18, sports management major, first-year, University of Tampa, 516-680-8825, Commack, New York, text interview.
• Nik Aprahamian, 18, business major, first-year, University at Buffalo, 917-796-2693, Commack, New York, text interview.
• Lachie Harvey, 19, 3+1 media studies major, first-year, Quinnipiac University, 475-414-4331, Auckland, New Zealand, text interview
• Peter Gallay, 36, Director of Film/Video, Quinnipiac Productions Part-Time Faculty, Quinnipiac University, 203-582-8584 
• Natalie Sicoli, 52, special education teacher, 22 years, Bellmore Union Free, 516-662-6931, Commack, New York, in-person interview

Bibliography:

Herron, A. (2020, March 26). Coronavirus pushed school online. But what happens when you don’t have internet at home? https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2020/03/26/e-learning-creates-challenges-rural-indiana-schools/2901236001/

by Michael Sicoli, partnered with Ashley Pelletier

We decided early on who our project would be about. We chose Stephen MacLaod, news editor for The Quinnipiac Chronicle. As the associate opinion editor I have gotten to know him pretty well and Ashley went to high school with him. The choice was easy, and led to a smooth interview.

At least content-wise, that is. When we started to set up our interview in a room I reserved in CCE, we realized that our tripod would not fully expand. We could not set up the camera so that it would not be angled rather than still and straight. We had to wait another 20 or 30 minutes as we borrowed Xavier’s tripod from all the way in Ledges.

As for the actual interview, it went very smoothly. I asked the questions while Ashley worked the camera. We got very detailed and solid responses as Stephen is well-versed when it comes to interviews. We were able to come to class with all the interview content we needed the Wednesday before break started with every intention of getting b-roll footage the Monday we got back of him delivering papers and lay-outing the paper.

Obviously, we never came back to do that footage.

Without b-roll we had to resort to describing what we would have shot if we were on campus on empty, black screens. It definitely does not look the best, but given the uniqueness of this situation it was all we could do.

Editing was a bit tricky as so much of what Stephen said was aligned with the other statements and we had so much content to choose from. Our interview was well over a half hour and most of the content would have been usable in any video if the subject was relevant.

A lot of credit goes to Ashley for formatting the video. She had access to Premier, and even though we used Zoom to share her screen and allow me to help, she did more than her share.

Once the segments we wanted to use were cut out, we decided to put a voice-over at the beginning and the end. I sent voice memos of the introduction and closing end, and once we added them into the video our work was pretty much complete.

It definitely was a struggle working on a group project without being on campus but I believe Ashley and I did the best with what we had. I am proud of the final product.

by Michael Sicoli, partnered with Adam Margolis

Week One-

After agreeing to conduct an interview with Noah Epstein, Adam and I were all set to go. We rented out a camera, a tripod, a XLR wire, a lavalier microphone and a set of three lighting stands. We walked back to Ledges Residence Hall with the confidence of Tom Brady walking into the Super Bowl.

Then we started to fall apart faster than the 2019 Cleveland Browns.

Adam and I wanted to use the main lounge to shoot the interview, but settled for a smaller lounge since the main one was being used for other interviews. We attempted to make the smaller lounge work, but we were cramped for space and the lighting was not great. We also struggled with the microphone and volume situation as most people who have little experience would.

But the biggest mistake was that we failed to move the camera to have more than one shot. We maintained a single medium shot of Noah which, of course, was not the requirement. It was a shame since the quality of the interview was very good. We had a great discussion about the Marvel Comic Universe that showed Noah’s enthusiasm since childhood for the topic. One good thing that did come out of our first shooting was that we experienced mistakes that would not be repeated in our second attempt.

Week 2-

We turned it around starting on Friday. After going to class with our unusable footage we knew that we had to start from scratch. We had to switch our interviewee to Xavier Cullen as Noah’s schedule no longer fit with our own. The larger lounge was also available, which made shooting a lot easier. While our original interview was terrific in terms of content, I am also incredibly happy with our interview with Xavier. Since we just set up a week prior, we were able to set up the equipment much quicker in a larger lounge.

Once we set up, I talked with Xavier about his road to Quinnipiac and his love for journalism. The content is terrific and I am pleased with the answers my questions yielded. Adam manned the camera, and did well to get the required shots.

Editing-

Editing was a wild ride. We entered the studio with over 12 minutes of content and had to narrow it down to under two minutes. Recognizing which parts of the interview answers could be cut was a challenge, but listening to the answers over and over again helped reveal the best answer in the shortest possible time. We cut the questions and moved segments of answers to make the interview flow well. Adam helped cut the video with me at times, and I helped determine where to make the cuts during answers and also how to organize the answers we had.

Conclusion-

I was very impressed with how our interview turned out especially when compared to how Week 1 went. With enough time and dedication, we were able to capture every shot necessary to make the project a success. I believe the interview perfectly encapsulates Xavier’s passion for journalism and includes several answers that make for a memorable interview.

Interview Questions:

1. What’s your name, and tell me a little bit about yourself.

2. Growing up, what made you interested in journalism?

3. Can you tell me about any awards you have won related to journalism?

4. What about Quinnipiac appealed to you as a journalist?

5. What is your favorite Communications class?

6. As someone who was heavily involved in high school, how have you been involved on campus at Quinnipiac?

7. You mentioned that you are interested in political journalism, have you written any articles about that?

8. Are you interested in QU in DC or QU in LA as a journalist given the media hubs that the two cities are?

9. Who would be your choice audience? What stories do you want to share with the world?

By Michael Sicoli / Aidan Elgrably

This project was the first “film” I have ever worked on or created. As a result, this was a bit of a challenge. The assignment was to create a story out of three scenes with a minimum of three shots per scene. We decided to make a few funny scenes about potentially trying out for the Quinnipiac Football team, only to find out that there is no Quinnipiac Football team. We thought it would be a fun few scenes to shoot. We involved Riley Millette in our third scene who was a huge help. Having a third character shut us down at the end of the story helped tie it all together. I also considered a documentary about trash cans, but we mutually decided that this would be a risky endeavor. Trash cans in shots are trash shots after all. 

There were several challenges we had to overcome given the lack of experience both Aidan and I had with cameras. We had to remember to white balance our shots, which mostly worked out. But the biggest challenge was reshooting. Finding time to work on it took a little bit of time but we were able to reshoot in a way that ultimately made our film better. We had to redo two wide shots that involved trash cans, and we also improved our first scene by adding a close-up of Aidan on his phone. We had to put our old clothes back on, but it was well worth the time. 

I enjoyed making the story that we chose but I am not sure if it specifically fits the criteria in hindsight as it is not very abstract. Of course, I am still very happy with the topic we chose. We added extra shots to fit the rubric, and we gave it all we got. 

As for post-production after the reshoots, Aidan was very good with the editing while I helped decide where to cut and where to move certain shots around to make scenes better. We worked well together to put the end product out there. 

Link to the project: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4gurTYz6qQ (Scene 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIzq9BVEIL8 (Scene 2) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94wlxCYunTk (Scene 3)

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Hello! My name is Michael Sicoli. I am a 3+1 Journalism major from Commack, New York. I am a member of the class of 2023, and I plan to master in Sports Journalism. Writing has always been one of my skills, and when I combined it with my love for sports my career path became clear. I played soccer my entire life, playing as far as Colorado in tournaments. I am also a huge NFL fan, which is the sport I hope to cover during my career.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Quinnipiac thus far. I joined the school newspaper, the Quinnipiac Chronicle, early on into the year. I have already written eight articles, seven of which were in the Opinion section and the other was an Arts and Life review of the “El Camino” trailer. After a single semester I decided to become more involved. I joined the eBoard as an associate opinion editor, and so far, I have loved every minute of it. I also joined and participated in intramural sports such as flag football and soccer. Both sports were highlights of my first semester. After being on the Dean’s List for my first semester, I plan to keep this momentum going and have a solid semester.

Hello! My name is Michael Sicoli. I am a 3+1 Journalism student from Commack, New York, out on Long Island. I currently have an undeclared minor, and I plan to pursue a master’s degree Sports Journalism.

Sports have always been a passion of mine. I played competitive soccer for most of my life. I have been as far as Colorado for tournaments as I was originally planning to play college soccer like my older brother. My priorities became clearer as I got older, and I decided to not to play.

I do love to write. I joined the Quinnipiac Chronicle when I first came to college, and I fell in love immediately. My first article was an Opinion piece about the sudden Andrew Luck retirement, and since then I have not looked back. I have written several pieces for Opinion as well as a movie review of “El Camino” for the Arts and Life section. My most recent piece in Opinion, “Welcome to the ’20s” is a good read about myself if you wanted to check it out. It goes through some personal revelations and challenges I went through as a senior in high school. I am now the associate opinion editor for the paper as I enter my second semester.

I also love doing intramural sports on campus. This past fall I played both flag football and soccer. Playing flag football with my closest friends on campus was definitely a highlight of the semester, despite us losing every game besides a forfeit and a shock playoff win.

I aspire to be a writer for a sports news organization like ESPN or Bleacher Report. I would also love to cover a team in a beat reporter-like role. I am a huge NFL fan, so ideally this would be my career path.

I am taking this course, partially because it is a requirement for the major, but also because I have no experience with cameras or video production. It is a skill I should have, although I fear I may struggle with it.

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