The Story Of Brittany Bissell

By Emily Frazzini

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio: It’s a crisp, fall Friday night. Fans are in the stands covered in blankets, and you can hear the roar of school spirit among the crowd. The scoreboard buzzes with excitement as a football team takes the win. You rush home to turn on your television to 21 WFMJ to watch your football team’s highlights.

Upon the screen is a reporter who puts their heart and soul into each annunciation of a player’s name and an uncanny ability to describe a game to make it feel as if you were there watching it firsthand, unfold before your eyes.  

What you don’t see is the people behind the scenes capturing all of the moments, while  working under a tight deadline, to make sure everything is in order to the best of their abilities. These people try to give you, the viewer, the absolute best highlights.

Brittany Bissell grew up 50 minutes south of Youngstown in Wellsville, Ohio. Her small town graduating class had around 53 students walk across the stage with her to receive a diploma.

Bissell was always involved in extracurricular activities in grade school, and she participated in volleyball and cheerleading. In high school she took her talents to basketball and served as captain of the team. Not only did she play for her alma mater, but during her off season, she played AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball for the Columbiana Ballers. 

Bissell gives credit to her older brother for her love and passion for sports.

“I grew up with an older brother who played every sport under the sun pretty much,” Bissell said. “When you grow up with an older brother, it’s hard not to become a tomboy and follow all of his interests.” 

In her earlier years, Bissell had a different ambition she wanted to embark on for her career. She said when she was younger, her dream job was to keep playing basketball her entire life. When she got to high school, she realized she wasn’t good enough to do so. This was when she decided to take a job working in sports. 

“For me, seeing a woman like Erin Andrews on the sidelines gave me the hope that I could do a job like that too,” Bissell said. 

After high school, with a goal in place, she enrolled at Youngstown State University. Bissell found a home in telecommunications after bouncing around between a couple of different majors to start college. 

“I loved having the opportunity to work in the TV studio,” Bissell said, “and professors spent a lot of time outside of class, teaching me how to operate cameras and use the editing systems.”

During college, Bissell had the opportunity to intern in the sports department at 21 WFMJ-TV. 

“I would say that turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever done,” Bissell said.  

She interned in December of 2014 until June of 2015.  After the internship, a sports multimedia journalist position opened up that following August. Sports director, Dana Balash contacted Bissel about the job. She auditioned and got the job one month later.

“I think this goes to show that you should take your internships seriously and learn as much as you can because you never know what they could lead to,” Bissell said.  

Bissell not only has a dream multi journalist sports job, but it’s also a trailblazer. She is the first ever woman to be hired in sports at WFMJ.

“It means a lot to be the first woman ever hired in sports at WFMJ,” Bissell said. “It’s important to me to show the girls coming up after me that you can do anything you want.”

Bissell said we have come a long way with women in sports and she’s happy to be a part of that. For her, it’s a big accomplishment, but it has come with challenges. As many people know, there are still plenty of people who think women don’t belong in sports and have a lack of respect for women in sports.

Bissell said the job requires thick skin and for women to be over-prepared in a way they can minimize mistakes. She said people are always going to come down harder on a woman who makes a mistake. 

Throughout her journey in the broadcasting industry, Bissell always has someone she looks up to.  Her go-to person is Jeff Holenchick, a sports videographer at 21 WFMJ-TV, for many years. 

“He taught me so much about this business during my internship, and my first year employed at WFMJ,” Bissell said. “He taught me everything from how to shoot and edit a package, and just helping me relax and be myself on camera.”

Bissell also looks up to women on ESPN and FOX Sports and tries to observe how they execute a great story.  

When asked about what she would tell a younger person who wanted to go into sports or anything in journalism, Bissell said she would tell them to learn every aspect of the business from writing, shooting and editing.

“Don’t just learn how to be an on-air talent,” Bissell said. “Employers want you to be versatile and a ‘one-man band.”’

Bissell said this makes someone more valuable to them. She also said she would tell them to always be prepared.

“When you are prepared, you are confident, and when you are confident, it shows up in your work,” Bissell said. 

Along with working at 21 WFMJ-TV, Bissell also currently works at CBS Radio – 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. There, she covers the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Panthers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only does she cover and attend the games, she interviews players and covers practices.

Along with WFMJ and CBS radio, Bissell had an internship in 2016 many people could only dream about. Brittany worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers during their Championship season in 2016.  She was apart of the Cavs Crew, working on promotions and in game entertainment. She has a championship ring to go along with work experience with an NBA Champion team.

Here’s a quick recap of Bissell’s accomplishments: she is the first woman to work in the sports department at WFMJ-TV 21 in Youngstown, Ohio. She has covered everything from producing sports casts, anchoring, covering high school state championships, YSU sports, Indians games, Cavaliers and Pirates.

Not only is she a great worker, and has a plethora of experience in the field, but she is a trailblazer. Bissell is the perfect role model for any woman, and has started a path and opened a door for women for many years to come.

To see Bissell in action, watch the video below.

Multiculturalism and The Muslim Community at YSU

By I’yonna Taylor-Smith
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio: The Muslim community at Youngstown State University continues to rise every semester, along with the global negative effect of Islamophobia. Students at YSU, who practice Islam, are bridging the gap between Islam-practicing and non-Islamic practicing.

Every semester at YSU, there have been multiple forums for minority students and university community members to discuss the change they want to happen on campus. However, outside of professors and students who organized it, highly ranked faculty members usually do not attend.

At these forums, a multicultural center has been brought up many times by students regarding diversity and inclusion.

When asked about ever getting a multicultural center on campus, YSU President Jim Tressel said, “No one’s ever brought that to my attention.”

Tressel said if there were some examples of other colleges having successful multicultural centers, he would consider it.

However, before Tressel was the president of YSU, he was the Vice President for Strategic
Engagement at The University of Akron in 2013, which had a successful multicultural center.

In April of 2013, students attending The University of Akron had a plan to shut down their Office of Multicultural Development in the fall of 2013 and replace it with a Center for Student Success and Multicultural Center.

Around 75 to 100 students peacefully protested in hopes to stop considering the plan and keep the OMD. Tressel said they would seek more student input. However, they will continue to move forward in what [the Akron staff] believe is the right track.

Noor Khalayleh, a sophomore at YSU studying psychology, said she thinks the multicultural center would help the Muslim community.

“It’ll make us feel more welcomed and understood as a community that is negatively portrayed by the media,” Khalayleh said.

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) at YSU serves as a “community and interfaith service” and offers support to the university’s Muslims and non-Muslims through religious, community events.

According to the U.S. Census in 2016, 57 percent of Youngstown’s population identify as
religious and of those who identify as religious, 32 percent identify as Catholic.

Less than 5 percent of students at YSU are Muslim or practice Islam.

There are only two mosques in Youngstown and three rooms for students to pray on-campus: two in Jones Hall and one in Maag Library.

“Last year YSU made a parlayed room for people to use. My cousins, sisters, and I have used it plenty of times,” Khalayleh said.

Under Islamic beliefs, praying five times a day is a part of the five pillars; a set of guidelines considered mandatory for believers.

Some students have trouble scheduling classes while trying to meet their daily prayer quota, so they either schedule classes around their prayer time or they schedule their prayer time around their classes.

One of those students is Daniah Khalayleh, sister of Noor and a freshmen undergraduate student at YSU, studying Pre-Nursing.

She said she schedules her prayers around her classes and because she registered late, she had no choice but to take this option.

Because of the limited number of faculty members on campus who are Muslim, there is a limited number of adults who students can talk to. Of those, less that 1 percent faculty, one of them is Mustansir Mir.

Mir, the YSU Director of Islamic Studies, is a religious studies professor and a poet. He has written publications like Iqbal’s The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in
Islam and Commentary on Three Qur’anic Passages. Mir has taught at other colleges in Lahore, Pakistan and at U.S. higher education institutions such as University of Michigan.

Mir also provides a safe place students can talk if they feel discouraged about anything.

Daniah said finding other Muslim people on campus to fit in with was not an issue because she met other students during the summer, before the semester started, at the local mosque during Ramadan.

Tiffany Anderson, Director of Africana Studies, thinks making a multicultural center for everyone in the aspect of race, religion, sex and sexuality isn’t the right direction.

“It’s trying to fix a symptom and not the disease,” Anderson said. “From an administrative perspective, it’s not worth the cost when you think about the percentage of the university it would be servicing.”

Anderson said the women’s center will serve for about half or more than half of YSU’s
population, but the campus doesn’t help women in all the ways that are needed.

Anderson said specifically, for Muslims, beyond the administrative perspective of numbers, Islamophobia would be the largest obstacle these students might face. She said this will not be solved by a center and has nothing to do with Muslim students because xenophobic non-Muslim students create the problem.

According to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), islamophobia-related crimes increased in the United States by 65 percent between 2014 and 2016.

Daniah said she is not so concerned about safety on campus because everyone she has interacted with has been “so kind and friendly.”

She believes a multicultural center would help “create a better understanding of culture” because other cultures can relate and it would be better for campus to interact cordially. She also believes speeches about Islam on campus would help people understand Islam better and said these could also be Islamic programs and events.

William Blake, YSU Director of Student Diversity, agreed to fixing the root issue of YSU not being inclusive before moving on to other issues.

“I think we need to change the way we interact with out Muslim students,” Blake said. “I think we need to have more forums and more ways of exchanging our ideas on how we should act on interacting with individuals with other religions.”

Blake said people are so seeded with their own particular way on how the world operates they’re not welcoming to any other ideas. He said we really need to learn from the other students and become one.

DACA Disbanded: What It Means for Youngstown

By Jordan Unger

 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio: Nearly 50 people stood in silence on the evening of Sept. 14, carrying flickering, battery-powered candles. They allowed one another a turn to speak their minds. The group formed a circle around the rock outside of Kilcawley Center on Youngstown State University’s campus, which was painted with messages of hope and support.

The peace-driven vigil was held to mark the opening of Hispanic Heritage Month and brought community members and attendees from the university together to show their support for those impacted by the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Photo by Jordan Unger. Students, faculty and community members gathered for a vigil outside of Kilcawley Center.

DACA, which was implemented under the Obama Administration in June, 2012, allowed immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children by their parents or guardians the opportunity to receive renewable deferred action against deportation.

The Trump Administration announced the rescinding of DACA Sept. 5, declaring that the Department of Homeland Security would stop accepting new applications for the program. All renewals will be rejected as of Oct. 5, 2017.

According to the memorandum by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “The Attorney General sent a letter to the Department on September 4, 2017, articulating his legal determination that DACA ‘was effectuated by the previous administration through executive action, without proper statutory authority and with no established end-date, after Congress’ repeated rejection of proposed legislation that would have accomplished a similar result. Such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch.”’

The rescission gives U. S. Congress a six-month window to determine a replacement policy for DACA. As stated in an article by National Public Radio, nearly 800,000 DACA recipients (informally called Dreamers) are left uncertain of their future, whether it be protection from deportation or returning to the country where they were born.

Protesters against this policy change spoke out strongly at the YSU vigil. Ana Torres, co-advisor of the YSU Latino Student Organization and interim director of Maag Library, said she was moved by the community response.

“[We held the vigil] to bring awareness both to the campus and the community because,
unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes regarding immigration, especially to the DACA students [on campus],” Torres said.

There are currently very few DACA students on campus. Nate Myers, associate provost of the YSU International Programs Office, said when DACA students come to the university, their status is marked on file and they’re handled through the department, even though they are not technically international students.

This can create some issues with the identity of these individuals, Myers said.

“You have this [part] of your life that’s pretty big that you can’t talk about,” Myers said. “You find yourself probably in different conversations all over the span of your life and working for cash at jobs that you’re probably overqualified for.”

Alicia Prieto Langarica, math professor at YSU, said she’s known and advised several DACA students at the university.

“They’re not only going to college, which is already more than the average population, but they’re very driven,” Prieto Langarica said. “It’s a very big decision for them… to say, ‘Yes, I’m going to sign up for DACA,’ knowing there might be consequences… just because they want to work.”

Many of the Dreamers have no ties to the country where they were born, coming to the United States at a young age. Prieto Langarica said this will be a problem if they are sent back to these places.

“They are all super achieving, hard-working students and it’s heartbreaking to think [they could be deported],” Prieto Langarica said.

“Some of them don’t even speak Spanish, which is what people don’t understand,” Prieto
Langarica said. “Some of them came here when they were like three years old and have no idea what Mexico or other countries they might have come from is [like].”

Prieto Langarica came to the country as an immigrant herself when she was 22, and she finished her higher education in Texas before starting to work for YSU five years ago. She received permanent residency after living in the United States for 11 years.

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, permanent residency makes an individual eligible to live in the United States and legally able to work after filing for and receiving Employment Eligibility Verification. Permanent residents can also apply for a social security card and driver’s license.

“I know that I cannot vote, I’m not a citizen of this country, yet I’ve been paying taxes for many years,” Prieto Langarica said.

Some of the DACA students Prieto Langarica has worked with want to follow in similar
footsteps as her, particularly because not enough people in the country study mathematics, Prieto Langarica said.

“Many of my DACA students want to be professors,” she said.

Prieto Langarcia said these people pay taxes, are highly educated and are fulfilling a need the country has, so she doesn’t understand the need to kick them out.

A common complaint Torres hears from people is Dreamers are taking jobs and resources from citizens in the area. She does not believe this to be the case.

“They add to that competitiveness that is also healthy for any country, so my wish is for all of us to read a little bit more in-depth about it rather than just believing everything that comes across, for instance, our social media,” Torres said.

Myers said immigrants have generally had a positive impact on the Youngstown, which has been a great, welcoming area for immigrants in return. He said immigrants have brought different skill sets and talents to the country, making it stronger.

Prieto Langarica said it should be noted the parents of Dreamers are also fulfilling a need by working.

“I don’t want to make it seem that, ‘Oh they didn’t do anything. They should stay but then
everyone else should leave,’ because that’s not a solution,” Prieto Langarica said.

Mark Monroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party, said he was impressed with Trump’s decision because this was a policy to be remodeled.

“Even before President Obama enacted DACA, he made it clear that he did not have the
authority to do what he did,” Monroe said.

Monroe thinks there’s a widespread recognition that what Obama did was illegal and unconstitutional. He said Trump provided a six-month window for it to unwind and thinks the strategy was to put pressure on Congress to fix it properly.

Monroe said Trump made it clear he had sympathy for individuals caught up the situation.

“There’s some folks who think that because of Trump’s decision, folks are going to get arrested and thrown out of the country immediately, it’s going to be a terrible thing, but of course that’s not the case,” Monroe said.

Mayor of Youngstown, John McNally, addressed DACA Dreamers during the heritage month opening festivities at the Mahoning County Courthouse, stating the city is working to stand by them and protect them.

McNally said Youngstown isn’t proclaimed to be a sanctuary city, but it is very welcoming and wants people to want to live there.

“They’re in our colleges, they’re our employees, they’re serving in the armed forces, they’re in our high schools,” McNally said.

McNally said he understands a lot of concerns with border security and what we should do to prevent lapses in border security, but for those folks who have been here for any number of years, making positive contributions… there has to be a solution found for them.

Monroe said he is unsure what the new legislation will look like, but it needs to accommodate DACA Dreamers effectively.

“Hopefully it’ll be compassionate, it’ll be fair and it’ll be lawful,” Monroe said.

Whatever decision members of Congress make in deciding a new policy, Torres hopes these individuals will be protected.

“At the end of the day, this country was made by immigrants and I think that’s what makes it so unique,” Torres said.

Torres said she has hope and faith this is just a bump in the road and it will be okay for these individuals.

The New Lady In Youngstown

By Marah J. Morrison

Photo courtesy of Marah J. Morrison | Youngstown, Ohio

 

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio: People have asked me why I’ve decided to major in journalism. My answers tend to vary, yet the reasons why have led me from one location to another.

I was fearful of being new at Youngstown State University and to the city as well. Learning how to adjust and cope with a change in life, as well as a change in universities and cities, was something I wasn’t too excited about.

The story I am about to tell you comes from my own experiences as an aspiring journalist, and also from being a transfer student. It truly was for the better, and I would be lying if I said I regret the decision I’ve made.

Being a journalist was ideal for me. I would be able to continue my love and passion for writing, and continue to be the voice of people. Sharing their stories and experiences with others was something I strived to do.

The decision I still regret to this day is clear to me. I shouldn’t but I still do. I completely ruled out YSU as well as Kent State University during my senior year of high school due to the strong urge to get away and be in a new place with new faces. Living on my own in a dormitory sounded like a nice way to escape for a bit.

I barely knew what I was getting myself into and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what that was, but I didn’t. Flashing forward to the summer of 2014, when I graduated high school, was the best summer of my life, and I would also say the best year as well.

But, after summer had lived and breathed, it was time to think about moving into my dorm at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Because I had signed up for marching band, I had to move in a week earlier than most college students An empty dorm room is probably one of the most depressing experiences I have ever had to endure.

Don’t get me wrong, band camp was absolutely wonderful. But afterward, coming back to a room, with no one but myself inside its four walls, wasn’t pleasant. Stepping up to the plate of adulthood wasn’t exactly easy.

My freshman year of college got better once my roommate moved in and as I got to know my fellow classmates and professors. The marching band was like my second family so I suppose that sufficed. It was a wonderful year filled with experiences I will never forget. But something was definitely missing. Home.

I missed my family and my friends. Living on campus at a private college out of state isn’t cheap. I said goodbye to Edinboro for the last time in the spring of 2015 and I haven’t looked back.

By the time I came back home, I knew what was next. Transferring sounded like a scary decision to me but I knew it was the right thing to do, especially in the situation I was in. It wasn’t the easiest process but it was a process completed efficiently. Thus, I started to attend YSU in the spring of 2016.

USA Today’s Focus on Transferring Students

My decision to transfer is by no means different from any other student who’ve done the same thing. According to USA Today, more than 33 percent of undergraduate students transfer college at least once.

Studies conducted by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center also show students who are considering to transfer, do so immediately and the decision to transfer tends to be a no-brainer for them.

Other students, including myself, may have experienced this scenario. I knew it was the right decision to make and I knew it had to be done as soon as possible.
My New Arrival

On my first day of classes at YSU, I arrived on campus early so I could give myself enough time to find out where I was supposed to be. I remember walking around in a daze, still trying to grasp I was a new student as well as a transfer student at YSU.

Specifically, I was in search of Fedor Hall. I remember seeing Moser Hall, Cushwa Hall, Kilcawley Center and DeBartolo Hall but asking myself, where in the hell is Fedor?

As I completed a calm and cool process of elimination to the places I had checked, it was time to look at the directory like a lost freshman on her first day. As I proceeded on my journey to my first class at YSU, I realized Fedor was off the beaten path.

Fedor Hall was hidden behind Sweeney Hall. I was finally relieved when I had entered the dry, warm building as I proceeded down the steps toward the basement. My first impression was, what a creepy location this was to have a class.

At the time, this was where YSU’s student newspaper, The Jambar, was located. This is also where I met Mary Dota, the first person to come into my life at this university and who assured me I was in the right location.

As the semester went on, I got to know great students and professors. The memories we share are engraved in my mind and will be forever.

My time since then in Youngstown, Ohio, as a student at YSU has been wonderful. The city didn’t let me down like I had let it down back when I was a high school graduate deciding my next step.

I was closer to my friends and family. Living at home and commuting to campus, despite the 40-minute drive, was working out much better.

Other Students and Faculty in the Same Boat

I’ve spoken with two international students who attend YSU, Lei Chen from China and Mustafa Alyousef from Saudi Arabia. I’ve also spoken with faculty member, Taci Turel, from Turkey.

Chen thinks Youngstown is a good place to study because the people who live in the area and who attend and/or work at the university are extremely welcoming.

“So far, so good,” Chen said. “I think the city is quiet and the people here are welcoming.”

Chen has been in the area for about a year and thinks YSU is helpful to international students.

Alyousef came to the United States from Saudi Arabia and has lived in Norman, Oklahoma and Flint, Michigan, prior to coming to Youngstown.

Alyousef said Youngstown is definitely better than Flint but also thinks this particular city lacks things to do.

“If you’re talking about Youngstown specifically and not Boardman or Austintown, I haven’t seen any movie theaters,” Alyousef said. “Basically if you don’t have a car, there’s nothing to do.”

Alyousef said he doesn’t drink, so doing things downtown is limited for him. His advice for being new to this particular area is to try and have fun and interact with local people.

Turel, originally from Turkey, is an associate professor in human ecology at YSU. Turel said the international students who come to YSU are very mature and responsible.

“The students have so many jobs, they all work and they know the value of work,” Turel said. “This place is unique because everybody starts working when they’re 15 and 16 years old.”

Turel said she dislikes the weather in this area and it is different than the weather in Turkey. She said it only snows once or twice in Turkey during the winter season, compared to the frequent snowfall in Youngstown. This was a big change for her.
Back to the Beginning of My Story

Let me reference back to the beginning of my story. People have asked me why I’ve majored in journalism. Or, now they ask me why I’ve transferred. The answer to those questions show in my articles and photographs I write and take for the city and the people of Youngstown.

Students who have gone through similar situations like mine may or may not agree depending on their circumstance. My love for the craft of journalism has remained strong as ever, but just in a new setting.

Saying thank you to the city that let me in, when I let it down, will never be enough. I’m hoping the stories I decide to tell and write about will be.