I always make it a point to stay consistent with any running gags I have. Last year during our show on Unofficial Weekend, I remember wearing a green tie covered in Shamrocks, so I literally scoured my closet and even went back home one weekend to find it. Because it’s all about consistency!

But that’s besides the point. Last year’s show I was still a relative newcomer anchoring alongside one of our anchors who graduated last year, Addi Ippensen. There’s a segment I did where I was interacting with some of the rescued wildlife on campus (a turtle and a hawk if I remember it correctly), but in that segment, which was for the most part unscripted, I really felt frozen, entirely cautious to how I’d present myself to our audience.

Needless to say, one year, and birthday later, I felt like we put together the best show we’ve ever had on GMI. I fully expect to continue this trend of getting better and better as a whole each show, and over the last full episodes I’ve seen more than enough evidence of that.

This was the first episode of our season where we’ll be seeing a host of new and old faces getting their first shine in the anchor’s seat. I remember how nerve-racking it was for my first time. Luckily for my co-anchor last week, Blake Landa, it wasn’t his first rodeo being on air, even though myself and UI7 News Correspondent Jose Zepeda jumped at any gaffe for a quick “rookie mistake!” joke.

The best part about GMI is our ability to have fun during the show, and I think last episode is another big example of just that. Now that our ‘new’ crew has finally gotten accustomed to each other, our expectations and have developed some real chemistry, it felt like we just didn’t miss a beat.

Also, last but not least, I can’t help but say I was really impressed with how the show turned out because one of our producers, Liam Dwyer, actually produced the entire 30-minute UI7 News Broadcast the night prior. As somebody who’s not had to produce back-to-back shows with such a quick turnover, and considering how seamless the show actually looked, major props!

 Good Morning Illini is a show where I’m sitting in the anchor seat most of the time. It’s something I love doing of course, being in front of that camera with all smiles for a 30 minutes.

            But last week, instead of 30 minutes, I just had about three, give or take. Whether it was Orri Benatar, Erica Finke or Jose Zepeda, every time in our A-Block, it comes the time for me to throw it over to our UI7 News Correspondent. However last week, instead of throwing it over to one of them, my fellow anchors threw it to me for my first UI7 Newsdesk.

            Newsdesk is different from GMI, and after doing it I really have an appreciation for the type of hours I recall seeing each of them spending producing their own segment. While it was a new experience for me on GMI, I was at least familiar with the elements that go into it, thanks to previously providing content for UI7 Newsbreaks and news updates.

            What was probably the hardest thing to do was actually producing this content for me.  It’s not the best kept secret that my editing/behind the scenes skills aren’t the sharpest (I’m striving to be like you Maddie Rice!) but I feel like I was able to work through the stress it was causing me the night before the show. But, getting fully immersed back into everything that was going on around the Champaign area was a refreshing experience!

            In the segment I talk about a growing issue in the Illini Student Government over the passing of a resolution demanding that the University divests its business with three companies involved with the defense spending of Israel. The Students for Justice in Palestine, who’ve been pushing for such a resolution for years, were disappointed when the Student Body President Connor Josellis vetoed the resolution. However, the whole resolution may be nullified this Wednesday by the Student Judiciary Branch because of reported voting issues during the resolution that student senators had with their iClickers.

            It was a politically charged Newsdesk, and my next story dealt with the announcement that the University’s chapter of Turning Point USA will be hosting Ann Coulter to speak at Greg Hall’s auditorium, the home to all media students and anyone who takes Journalism 200. Along with the speech Coulter will have a meet and greet with the attending students.

            I wrapped up my story with a bill introduced to the Illinois State Government, banning the use of Native Americans or their likeness as a mascot until they meet specific, layered, school-wide mandatory education and training on indigenous culture and traditions, as well as written consent from a Native Tribe and the State Government to renew the right to use said mascot every calendar year.

            Doing Newsdesk was a nice change of pace. Since on GMI my major focus is letting my personality come to the forefront, but for news desk I got to go back to talking about hard news, which is something I don’t really get to do as in depth when I’m doing a normal GMI segment.

Welch in 2012.

A former alumnus of the University of Illinois has passed away.

Jack Welch, the former chief executive of General Electric has passed away at the age of 84 in his Manhattan, New York home. The cause of death was renal failure, according to his wife, Suzy Welch.

Welch first earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He declined several offers to work at several different companies in order to attend the University of Illinois as a graduate student. He graduated in 1960 with a masters and Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

Welch immediately began to work at General Electric after graduating, starting as a chemical engineer in 1960. In 1972, he became vice president of the company, and by 1979, he had become chairman.

Welch rose to global fame when he became the CEO of GE during the Reagan Administration. At the time, corporate giants were trying their hardest to earn back some of the cash had been lost in the ‘70s, and the Reagan administration was implementing tax cuts to help start-up business again.

Welch took advantage of this and he went on to make GE one of the most successful companies of the 20^th century, raising the value of GE from $12 billion to $410 billion. Revenue also went from $1.5 billion to $15 billion.

His methodology of conducting business was somewhat controversial. He famously earned the nickname Neutron Jack from slashing the GE workforce. About 112,000 people lost their jobs between 1980 and 1985. Welch had stated they were fired due to productive reasons and saw it as a necessary pain in order to make the company more productive again.

Moreover, Welch was seen as an “inside outsider”, as he saw the rise of Japanese corporations taking over the American appliance market. Even though he had already been with the company for 20 years prior to becoming CEO, Welch’s first measure was to reform the entire company.

Welch retired from being CEO in 2000. In 2006, Welch gave his name to Sacred Heart University’s College of Business, which became known as the John F. Welch College of Business. He also began to teach a class at the MIT School of Management. He also created the Jack Welch Management Institute which has become one of the top online MBA programs in the country.

Welch is survived by his wife, Suzy Welch, as well as children, four stepchildren and 10 grandchildren.