Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

Photo staff member at Jack Stack restaurant

Media convention sparks students interest in journalism

By Megan Zirkle

It has more fountains than any other city in the world except Rome.

Kansas City, Mo., a unique metropolitan area, hosted the 2005 College Media Advisors/Associated Collegiate Press National College Media Convention from Oct. 26 to 30.

Marlin Chronicle adviser Dr. Bill Ruehlmann, along with News Editor Laura Dudley, Co-Community Editor Andrew Craft, Arts and Entertainment Editor Christina Foster, and Photo Editor Colleen Peterson, experienced a gathering of over 2,500 student journalists from around the nation.

There were 400 lectures, speakers and workshops, giving the group plenty of academic enterprises to choose from.

“I got something out of every workshop that I attended,” said Dudley. “I learned more about design and layout, how to conduct successful interviews, tips on recruiting and keeping a writing staff, and how to be a better editor.”

The typical day started at 8 and ended around 5, with about 30 minutes for a quick lunch. Lecture topics ranged including team building, freelance writing, graduate school, writing better leads, journalism careers and typography.

“The convention gave me a different perspective into the world of journalism as a whole,” said Foster. “There are so many aspects of journalism that no one thinks of that were represented in Kansas City. There were classes for magazines, yearbooks, newspapers and photography, as well as leadership building sessions.”

For Foster, the team-building lecture was a highlight because “it taught me great ways to gain and maintain my staff and also gave me the skills to become the best editor I can be.”

Each editor received a different experience from all the diverse seminars offered, making the conference a success.

“My favorite conference involved music,” said Craft. “Since music is a big part of my life, I got the most out of it because I am in a band. I love talking to other bands and I love writing about music.”

The students received a professional critique of the paper, giving them tips on ways to visually improve the paper and how to handle college newspaper issues. They were also given the opportunity to submit resumes to various companies seeking college graduates.

“I felt the critique of the paper went well,” said Peterson. “I learned that photos enhance the stories and stories enhance the photos – they work one-on-one with each other.”

Additionally, each student had a chance to meet other student journalists and realize that even though Virginia Wesleyan is a small school, the college is not so different from everyone else.

“I feel that student journalism differs at every college, depending on the number of publications,” said Dudley. “But all student journalists have something in common with each other, because we recognize the importance of the freedom of the press and how necessary that is on a college campus.”

After three full days of lectures and workshops, the students had the chance to go explore Kansas City and learn more about the midwest of the United States. For $1 they took a bus to a part of town called “The Plaza,” a tourist attraction that boasts Old World architecture, and small shops and restaurants.

Surprisingly, even though it was a city, there was little traffic, no parking meters, and the atmosphere of a small town.

“Kansas City was unique because it was spread out and not all cramped up,” said Craft. “The old-style buildings really drew me in, and there didn’t seem to be any rush-hour traffic.”

Overall the conference was a learning experience. The students learned that journalism is a field in which people work to serve the community.

Cynthia Gorney, Associate Dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism summed up journalism this way: “This is a passion driven field.”