Chase Association: The Proposal

[Shane Adams]

In the future, I'd appreciate it if OU could handle their requests for content within their own backyard; I don't need to be bothered with emails and posts requesting interviews from chasers, only to find what they're really wanting are students.

I said that was an assumption, feel free to write her, and in the spirit of this topic, this is a possible way to spread positive publicity? Has anyone checked to make sure? Why wouldn't a journalist(or aspiring one) want information from the best available sources. I am not affiliated with the Daily, and a matter of fact the Daily is more or less a competitor of ours, so I was not advertising, merely providing the opportunity for students of OU that use this board(and there a quite a few), or maybe even non-students if you check, to spread a positive message about chasers.
Isn't that the point of the Assc.????

Steve, I apologize. I was never aiming my repsonse at you personally, but I never made that clear. Mistake on my part. I guess I just get tired of everything always having a "requirement" beyond knowledge and experience. I'm not out for glory or money, but I do LOVE to talk about chasing, and paper is one of my (if not my very) favorite mediums. It gets old when everytime I see something about needing chasers for interviews, there's always a catch.

I guess I'm just waiting for the day when all that's required is you chase and you love it.

 

[Steve Udick]

No problem, and in the spirit of all of this, I will contact her to see if there is a reqr. to being interviewed, and also if there can be exceptions to that as well. I will post the results of that question, and her contact info again if it is a positive answer

-S

 

[Jeff Snyder]

In the future, I'd appreciate it if OU could handle their requests for content within their own backyard; I don't need to be bothered with emails and posts requesting interviews from chasers, only to find what they're really wanting are students.

I said that was an assumption, feel free to write her, and in the spirit of this topic, this is a possible way to spread positive publicity? Has anyone checked to make sure? Why wouldn't a journalist(or aspiring one) want information from the best available sources. I am not affiliated with the Daily, and a matter of fact the Daily is more or less a competitor of ours, so I was not advertising, merely providing the opportunity for students of OU that use this board(and there a quite a few), or maybe even non-students if you check, to spread a positive message about chasers.
Isn't that the point of the Assc.????

I emailed her and am talking to her sometime next week... Don't worry, I'll be sure to mention how selfish we are and how we only go out for 100% entertainment... :wink:

 

[Shane Adams]

No problem, and in the spirit of all of this, I will contact her to see if there is a reqr. to being interviewed, and also if there can be exceptions to that as well. I will post the results of that question, and her contact info again if it is a positive answer

-S

I don't think it will be, since I emailed her with the same inquiry yesterday evening (telling her if being a student was a requirement to then disregard my email) and have yet to hear a reply.

EDIT: And now having read Jeff's post, that all but confirms my above statement.

 

[Steve Udick]

Good to see there will possibly be some quality journalism going on. Again, If she emails me back with any info, I will let everyone know.

 

[Steve Udick]

Thank you for your interest in my post! I would love to broaden the subject of my article to cover more than OU students, but my editor likes most of our stories to be about students. I would love to interview someone who is maybe an OU grad though.

Thanks for your help
Brianna

That's what I got back today. Jeff, hope you have some luck. Everyone else.. that sucks... too bad they aren't interested in more knowledgable voices besides just one from Jeff... they could have a great article by including more people like Jeff(minus the OU degree)
-S

 

[Jim Bishop]

You've got guys most people have never heard of before (or in years) telling the paper how many "posers" there are chasing. Gimme a break.

I have to agree with the "posers" comment from the article. Here's why. I see more and more chasers out every year that have vehicles with all kinds of skywarn stickers, instruments, and tons of antennas. I see the same people parked on the side of the road staring at the RFD gust front...or scud clouds....

Take May 4 last year. I was on the Gerard/Franklin Kansas storm. Granted we got caught behind it for a while due to a tracktor and the city of Independence. But as we finally caught up from the west, we passed buy numerous "chasers" with all that crap on their car parked on the side of the road STARRING in awe at an arcus cloud/RFD gustfront! We continued driving east because there was a wedge on the ground about 2 miles up the road, but those chasers clearly had no idea what was going on.

Later as we continued chasing the tornado, we got stuck behind chasers again who apparently didn't even see the tornado, because they were not driving anywhere near the speed limit and the tornado's distance from us was increasing. Finally they stopped and turned around. I don't know what they saw, but if they saw the tornado they wouldn't have turned around. It's tacky, but calling these guys "posers" is pretty accurate since they dress their cars up to make them feel like a storm chaser, but have no idea what they are doing. These guys are road hazards.

 

[Melissa Moon]

She contacted me a few days ago about this interview before I saw anything about it on this board; I guess she stumbled across it linked up to http://weather.ou.edu.

I, too, am planning on talking to her next week. A common misconception among the general OU population (not so much talking about met. students here) is that storm chasing is something that the department supports as part of our education. Some people even think that the met. students here even do it as a field trip. I've even had a few students in other fields of study ask me if I get credit hours for storm chasing.

However, the reality at OU is that the School of Meteorology frowns upon students' storm chasing, unless it is done for research purposes with an OU professor (such as Dr. Bluestein's UMass group). But since we, as students, are adults in a free country, we are free to do whatever we want, so the department will not prohibit students from chasing. Here's a quote from Dr. Fred Carr, the director of the SoM:

"...the School does not encourage or sponsor stormchasing, but that students, as private citizens, are free to do so outside of their school activities."

I don't think a lot of people at OU realize what the school truly thinks about chasing, and that when people like Jeff and myself go out, it is on our own time and not affiliated with OU. We just happen to be students here.

So, when I talk to her next week, she is going to be enlightened to all of this, and hopefully it will not be screwed up when the article is written.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

However, the reality at OU is that the School of Meteorology frowns upon students' storm chasing, unless it is done for research purposes with an OU professor (such as Dr. Bluestein's UMass group). But since we, as students, are adults in a free country, we are free to do whatever we want, so the department will not prohibit students from chasing. Here's a quote from Dr. Fred Carr, the director of the SoM:

Melissa,
Does OU SoM really frown on storm chasing or are they just saying they do not endorse it? I understood the "official" stance as not supporting storm chasing, though not saying that they don't condone storm chasing... LOL if that makes sense... So they aren't supporting it but they aren't discouraging it ... I'd imagine that the only real reason why they don't support it is for legality / liability purposes... College of Dupage does do chasing trips and a class for college credit, and I've seen the Texas AM or Texas Tech "teams" out there. I wonder how those schools deal with liability issues?

 

[Melissa Moon]

Also, though I see how it is bothersome to some of you that she only seems to want to interview students, and I totally understand, but I can also see why someone from the OU Daily wants to talk to primarily students about chasing (or really, anything for that matter).

It's because the OU Daily is a student newspaper primarily concered with the affairs of students at OU, so therefore the Daily is more concerned with what students have to say about a given topic rather than non-students. They're just trying to stay within to their target audience (fellow students). I know a few people who have written for the OUDaily, and based on hearing what they have to say, I think that the Daily believes that by featuring students in the student newspaper rather than members of the community-at-large, they feel that it will engage the typical reader more, because the story involves a peer who breathes and walks on the same campus.

Now, if this was the Daily Oklahoman doing this article, I would be concerned and upset if the author only wanted to talk to OU students, because that paper's target-reader is different and more diverse; the community as a whole rather than just the OU population. It would therefore be extremely one-sided for the typical reader of a paper such as the Daily Oklahoman to jsut read about OU students. But not for the OUDaily, because it is a completely different paper from a completely different place targeting a completely different audience.

 

[Melissa Moon]

Melissa,
Does OU SoM really frown on storm chasing or are they just saying they do not endorse it? I understood the "official" stance as not supporting storm chasing, though not saying that they don't condone storm chasing... LOL if that makes sense... So they aren't supporting it but they aren't discouraging it ... I'd imagine that the only real reason why they don't support it is for legality / liability purposes... College of Dupage does do chasing trips and a class for college credit, and I've seen the Texas AM or Texas Tech "teams" out there. I wonder how those schools deal with liability issues?

Jeff,

After being contacted about the interview late last week, I forwarded the E-mail that Brianna sent me to Dr. Carr and added a little bit of my own commentary. Here is what I said to Dr. Carr:

Dr. Carr,

Looks like the OU Daily is doing yet another story on storm chasing. I got contacted, and it looks like they want to talk to me about it. I told them that I would, and I'd rather provide them with facts regarding OU & storm chasing rather than let someone else do it who only cares about publicity associated with the newspaper.

So, this is why I am contacting you. I don't want to accidentally say anything that goes against the SoM, so aside from telling them that "the school of meteorology does not condone storm chasing" and that "when we go out, unless we're with a SoM professor doing research, we're not affiliated with OU", is there anything else I need to say/make clear?

Thanks!! Hope you have a great weekend.

Melissa

And here is how Dr. Carr responded:

Hi Melissa -
Thanks for contacting me, although I don't know if I am
replying in time. Certainly the second "..." sentence you wrote
below is true and well-stated. Rather than use the word "condone" in
the first quote below, you could say that the School does not
encourage or sponsor stormchasing, but that students, as private
citizens, are free to do so outside of their school activities.

Have fun with the interview; hope they don't mangle it too much!
Fred Carr

I guess I see it as "frown upon" since they don't encourage it...but they don't try to stop us because, well, they can't. I guess one could interpret it differently than "frown upon", so just to be safe, I'm going to tell her exactly what Dr. Carr suggested.

 

[KMcCallister]

The school clearly has some interest in limiting liability, therefore that "official position" is quite reasonable and sensible. But, let's be honest, I think that message is always delivered to us with that "wink wink nod nod" attitude of understanding. Met professors are weather weenies too, and they certainly understand the passion involved in our weather hobbies.

 

[Blake Naftel]

Jeff Snyder writes:

<< College of Dupage does do chasing trips and a class for college credit, and I've seen the Texas AM or Texas Tech "teams" out there. I wonder how those schools deal with liability issues? >>

While I cannot speak for Paul Sirvatka and the COD crew personally; these issues were discussed over dinner (Paul, myself, and several other friends) this past March. I was curious as to how COD handled student liability issues during class field trips and the now "public" chase tour COD offers. Paul stated that all students sign a liability wavier form; very similar to what some (legally adhering) storm chase tour companies do; where the professors/department and college will not be held liable if an individual(s) are injured and or if death is caused by atmospheric forces/traffic accidents. All students/participating staff are required to sign a legal waiver and release prior to enrollment in the course; alas, participants are voluntarily taking the course, understand the risks involved; and really its up to participants/and staff members to insure safety; yet are not held accountable should tragedy strike.

I am required by law to sign a similar waiver and release annually while working on board Tempest Tours as a driver/guide. A typical release would contain the following:

"I am aware that storm chasing is a hazardous activity and has certain inherent risks. These include, but are not limited to, death or bodily injury due to traffic accidents; severe weather conditions such as hail, lightning, rain, flooding, flying debris, and tornadoes. I am voluntarily participating in these activities with the knowledge of the danger involved and hereby agree to accept any and all risks of injury or death."

Sounds scary; but if one is driving for students, tour guests, etc... this is the typical format of waiver one would be required to have/and sign.

..Blake..

 

[Roger Graham]

Re: news article

Ok, I was on the 2002 article featuring tornado chasers. At the time...if you folks remember, 2002 was a SLOW YEAR...I know a lot more about "chasing" now and the "chaser caravans" were not a problem to me at the time, or I would have said something positive about chaser more than the article allowed. In my article I stated that professors did recommend chasing...and I think they do in a "*wink wink nod nod*" way (not mentioned in the paper, but a prof did say he would like us to chase...not going to post his name on here). I don't consider myself a poser (not that anyone was...) and anyone that knows me well enough knows I have a rep for doing the right thing when I'm chasing and knowing what to physically chase i.e. not chasing gustnados, rfd poopoo ect...Feedback on an article that only took snipits of the conversation and to put it into print and being over-analized 2 years later is a little unfair to me I think. I welcome any feedback on this subject and I'll answer any question you have about the article.

 

[Melissa Moon]

FYI...they're not doing the article anymore. Basically, the editor found out that storm chasing was an overdone topic this year, so the gal writing it contacted me and told me that she was changing the story to something else.