Lt. Gilroy Talks About Campus Safety with Journalism Students

Lt. Mel Gilroy spoke to students in Holly Gilbert's journalism class on Monday.

Gilroy started school at Oakland University in 1968 and started working as an operation lieutenant in 1972. He specializes in patrol and investigation.

“Our mission is to provide the safest environment as possible,” said Gilroy.

He talked about how Oakland was the safest campus in the state.

“We’re probably safer than your home,” he said.

The most common crime that occurs on campus is theft.

“Laptops will go in a second,” said Gilroy.

He recommended that students put things in their car and be vigilant.

 Students Disagree on Whether or not GPA’s Illustrate Merits

Two students participated in a survey on Wednesday about the merits of college GPAs.

One student thought the system is working well while the other student did not.

"I believe students can't help but learn the material on the way to boosting their GPA.  If they are not doing the work along the way, it reveals itself in the end," said Lisa Bowman, a communications major and a senior at Oakland University.

However, another student had a different outlook on GPAs.

"GPAs are cumulative.  Therefore, you can't tell if I know the material in what I'm majoring in or if it's a general education course," said Alexandria Irwin, a junior at OU who is majoring in elementary education.

Rick French Discusses how to be an Excellent Journalist

Rick French spoke at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Elliot Hall at Oakland University.

French graduated from Oakland University in 1984.  He's on the Board of Directors in the Rock n' Roll in Cleveland, Ohio and is a chairman and CEO of a public relations company.

"If you want to be successful, you have to digest the news around you,” said French.  He also said, “I read the New York Times, Cable News Network's website, and the Huffington Post every day."

French also talked about how being a good writer, communicating well with others, thinking about what the reader wants, having a blog or Twitter account, and doing internships are the keys to success to becoming a successful journalist.