OBAMA!

Two weeks ago, Barack Obama visited Mizzou to speak before the election. It was indeed a historical and memorable event, for those of all ages, races, and backgrounds. I waited in line for nearly, plus the time it took to stand around and wait for him to speak...but it was worth it. I felt like i was witnessing history seeing the possible future president (who, as it would turn out only a few days later, would in fact be elected the next president of the United States) one last time before his long campaign came to an end. 

Barack Obama is such an inspirational speaker. He has the ability to silence an audience of thousands, quiet a crowd of cold, tired people, and inspire a range of emotions. I viewed this wide range of emotions at the rally. Hope, awe, disbelief....the people around me expressed these emotions as they eagerly watched him speak, straining their necks, desperately standing on their tiptoes, even balancing on each other's shoulders (much to the dismay of the grumpy woman who at one point yelled to the students giving each other piggy-back rides "GET DOWN!"). All of this just to get a better glance of one face. One man. 

Obama inspired some negative reactions as well. While passing Speaker's Circle on the way to the rally, i noticed a group of 10 or so "protestors" (if you would even call them that...they were quite lame compared to protestors in my hometown). These anti-Obama students held up signs saying things like "I'll take my guns and God - you can have Obama". My personal favorite was a sign that read: "Obama loves Kansas" with a picture of a jayhawk. A few of the protestors argued face-to-face with Obama supporters, trying to each get their points across but failing to do more than create a scene and inspire taunting and laughter. It was, nonetheless, entertaining to watch. 

Despite the minor theatrics from the protestors and the craziness that over-swept the awed supporters, i believe Obama's appearance had a significant effect in that it caused so many students to take a closer look at politics and realize that even though we are in the middle of Missouri, in the middle of the United States, we still have a voice and play an important part in the election process being a swing state. 

Happy Birthday to Me

This past Tuesday was my birthday. Actually, it didn't even feel like my birthday at all. It didn't feel the same since I'm not at home. Usually, I get to stay home from school on my birthday, but since I only have two classes on Tuesdays I decided to go anyways. My parents and aunt came up to eat lunch with me and we ate at Adison's which is amazing. That night Andrea and I went to eat at Noodles and Co for dinner. It was nice to eat something that wasn't from Rollins or Plaza. 

Wednesday night, me and one of my best friends here Kelli, had a combined birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill. I ate way too much food, but oh well it's the day after my birthday. And Sarah gladly paid for my meal, which I was fine with. Thanks Sarah!

I'm so glad I have such good friends to share my birthday with. Gillett may have it's downfalls (like the cockroach that was in my room) but I have definitely met some amazing people here and I hope to stay friends with them for a very long time. 

Two Months Down...Seven More To Go

Here we are, two months into our first semester of college, and strangely, it feels like we’ve been here much, much longer. Only two months? I don’t know about everyone else, but personally, it feels like I’ve been here for at least a year. So much has happened in these past two months, I could easily fill a novel. They’ve been filled with some of the most exciting, stressful, scary, amazing moments of my life so far. I’ve met a lot of different people from all walks of life, and made some great friends.

I’ve had a lot of fun going to football games, exploring downtown Columbia, walking around campus (especially with the trees now changing colors), watching late night movies with friends, and spending time with my sorority sisters. I’ve learned a lot in these two months, not just in the classroom, but also from my new experiences as a college student. I’ve had to learn to be independent and do things on my own. For example, I’ve learned that by the time your dirty clothes are piling up higher than your desk, it’s probably a good idea to do laundry. I’ve also learned from living in Missouri for two months that no matter what the weather is at the current moment, there’s no guarantee it will be like that in 5 minutes (I now carry an umbrella in my purse at all times).

I’ve also had to deal with the freedom that comes with being 2,000 miles away from home. I can sleep in and skip my biology lecture class easily, but I’ve quickly learned that there are consequences to doing it too frequently. I can stay up as late as I want, watch movies and hang out instead of studying, wear yoga pants and a baseball cap to class everyday, eat the exact same salad and grilled chicken sandwich for dinner e-v-e-r-y singly day, go for; well, let’s just say a “long time” without sleeping in my own bed, keep my desk eternally messy (much to the dismay of my roommate), and do whatever I want without anyone telling me otherwise. In fact, these past two months, the expression: “I can do whatever I want”, has crossed my lips more times than I can count.

I’m not saying that I haven’t made some mistakes or that I’ve had the perfect first two months of college. Just as it is in life, these first two months have had their share of both up’s and down’s. I’ve had some of my happiest, most fun moments here, as well as some of my most unhappy, upsetting moments too. Still, despite the slight missteps, I feel content knowing that I’ve succeeded in emerging from these two extremely stressful months, relatively unscathed. One of my biggest worries moving from Seattle, Washington to Columbia, Missouri was that I would become so homesick it would become unbearable. Surprisingly, I never got homesick like I had expected. The few times I wished I could go home, at least for a moment, were when I had the flu and then after a particularly painful argument.

At the moment, I can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving break. It will be nice to be back in Seattle. I can’t wait to feel that crisp, rainy fall weather I’ve known my whole life, to get a chai tea latte from the Starbucks right by my house, eat real Chinese food, and, of course, see my family and friends. I’m looking forward to going back for a little bit, but I’m sure once I’m there, I’ll be even more anxious to get back to Columbia. Columbia is my new home now, and even though I’ve only been here two months, I already feel like this is where I truly belong. J

Sick, Sick, Sick

I could honestly say that I've been sick almost the entire time here at Mizzou, and I know I'm not the only one. Gillett is filled with germs that seem to be unavoidable. I've tried everything, such as, washing my hands every 5 minutes, using Germ-X like crazy, taking my vitamins, and not sharing drinks with anyone. Even after all these precautions I feel like I have the black plague. Maybe I should invent a bubble to live in because I can't handle this illness anymore. If anyone has any great remedies, please let me know. And to respond to Verbatim's last blog, it was Kelli that started the circle of sickness, not the Kelsey's :)

Tourists For A Day!!

When someone uses the term, “scavenger hunt”; it’s inevitable that a few things come to mind. First, I’m reminded of those ridiculous backyard scavenger hunts they do at birthday parties when you’re like 8 years old. You know, the one’s where you’re supposed to run around and look in crazy spots like inside the doghouse, all for the sake of finding a pathetic Reese’s peanut butter cup. As we’ve gotten older, the perception of scavenger hunts has changed dramatically. When I joined a sorority this fall, I learned that, in addition to many other things, scavenger hunts are considered a form of hazing and therefore should be kept on the down low, at least in the Greek community.

            So, imagine my surprise (and annoyance) when I found out for our next FIG assignment we were to complete a “Mizzou scavenger hunt”. To be honest, Kelsey and I were kind of annoyed at the thought of having to walk all over campus, taking embarrassing pictures of ourselves in front of various locations. After Kelsey figured out the clues though, we grabbed out sunglasses and headed out on a sunny afternoon to complete our mission.

            The first place we visited was the Student Health Center. It was ironic, because it was only the day before that we had been at there. “Not here again,” Kelsey whined as we walked into the building. (Kelsey and I both share a fear of hospitals or anything with a hospital-like setting, by the way). We were brave though, and made our way up to the fourth floor. I posed with some pamphlets on STD’s and then we quickly headed off to our next destination. 

            The following places we visited were: Hitt Street Subway, the sand volleyball courts at Stank Field, the Math and Science Building, Strickland Hall, the Student Success Center (where you can get help with career decisions, find review sessions, and get mock interviews), Neff Hall, the bridge at Peace Park, Shakespeare’s Pizza, and Wich Wich (our new favorite sandwich place).  

            Despite our initial annoyance with the assignment, the scavenger hunt turned out to be a lot more fun than either of us had expected. On a usual afternoon we would probably be just sitting in the dorm, either studying, on Facebook, hanging out, or a mix of all three. The scavenger hunt gave us a change to get out of the dorm and explore campus on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

We got to hang out together, act goofy as we made funny poses in our pictures, and walk around parts of campus we don’t see as often, such as the Quad. Plus, for me at least, it was nice to do something that distracted me and took me away from things for a while. Just walking around for an hour, seeing the beauty of campus, people watching, and enjoying the sunny day really helped me de-stress and take my mind off things. It was like a mini escape from my usual everyday worries and stress.

As we walked back from downtown towards campus, making our way towards Gillett: the now well familiar and second home to us both, I actually felt glad to have done the scavenger hunt. It was kind of fun being goofy and walking around campus taking pictures like a tourist. I also enjoyed the carefree feeling it gave me, not having to worry about things like classes, midterms, and jerks - even if it was only for an hour. I especially felt grateful to have such a great friend who I know I can always count on to be there for me and get me through my hard times, no matter what. J

Icecream and Sandy Davidson

This Tuesday, at the Rollin's lounge, we were privileged enough to have a guest speaker who is a teacher in the Journalism School. Her name is Sandy Davidson, and her specialty is journalism in politics. I, myself am not as informed with the presidential election as I should be, but I was very interested in what Davidson was talking to us about. 

She explained her views about the importance of journalism in the political world and how it has changed very much since the times of  Martin Luther King Jr. It seems that as the years progress journalists are more interested in the personal lives of presidential candidates, and anyone running for a government position. Back in the day, journalists were more intrigued by the straight facts of the presidential candidates and not the juicy secrets that are being pulled out into the news more and more. 

Obviously, not everyone lives a perfect "Mrs. Cleaver" life, and sometimes it feels like the presidential candidates should. When that is not the case, their home lives are shown on every paper, new station, etc. If you don't see it there you are most likely going to see it on Saturday Night Live, or the Jon Stewart show. I, personally didn't really think about these things until I listened to Sandy Davidson. I think she has very good opinions about the political campaign and  I would be interested in taking a class of hers. 

Don Cheadle!!! OMG, at MIZZOU???

Today, Kelsey and I were disappointed because someone very famous was on campus here at Mizzou and no one told us about it until it was too late. L

Don Cheadle, an esteemed Golden Globe Award winning-actor and philanthropist, known for his work in films such as Hotel Rwanda, Crash, and the Ocean’s Eleven series, visited campus to promote the Obama campaign and speak about the importance of voting. 

While Mr. Cheadle was speaking at the fountain near the Arts and Science Building, I (Kelsey M) was sitting in my French class inside the Arts and Science Building, completely unaware of what was unfolding outside. Kelsey G was at the dorm, also unaware that a famous person was on campus.

Surprisingly, Kelsey and I weren’t the only ones who were a bit star-struck. In fact, the entire afternoon it felt like all people were talking about was Don Cheadle visiting campus.

“You know him,” a girl exclaimed into her cell phone while walking down Rollins. “That guy from like Ocean’s Eleven…yeah, THAT guy!” Halfway through my French class, a student walked in late, sat down, and casually announced to the teacher (and the entire class) that he was sorry he was late, but Don Cheadle had been speaking on campus and he’d gone to see him. Later, after class had finished, a group of students zeroed in on the lucky guy and began asking questions. “Don Cheadle,” some exclaimed, familiar with the name. Others stood there, blank-faced until he explained, “He’s that guy, you know, from Ocean’s Eleven and Hotel Rwanda. Oh, and he started out on Fresh Prince.” “OOOOOHHHH…..,” they replied, in unison; both impressed and 

Now, the point of this blog isn’t that Don Cheadle came to campus (well, to be honest, that’s kind of what this blog post started out as…) or that people freaked out that a famous person (other than Brad Pitt) came to a university in the middle of Missouri  - it’s that, sadly, if you asked a lot of people why Don Cheadle came to campus they would probably not be able to answer your question. The only reason I know Don Cheadle came to Mizzou to talk about the Obama campaign is that I read it on an online article. One student I overheard talking about Don Cheadle’s visit near Arts and Science mentioned that he thought he was there to talk about “politics or something.”

I commend Don Cheadle for visiting our campus and taking the time to speak about an issue that he believes is important. I also commend the students and groups that helped organize his visit and make it all possible. It’s great to see the enthusiasm students have for him – I just wish that more people would pay attention to the issues he was focusing on and the reason why he was visiting, instead of just freaking out that a celebrity is on campus and calling all their friends and everyone they know.

P.S. I still wish I could have seen him! J

Resident Interview - Kelsey McCleary

 

            Kaitlyn Marie Wheat is a friendly and easygoing freshman that lives on the fifth floor of Gillett. She’s a broadcast journalism major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri and chose Mizzou because her family went here, as well as for the fact that Mizzou has, as she proudly stated: “one of the top journalism schools.”

            She was very involved in high school, serving as the editor of her school’s yearbook and playing volleyball. When I asked her if she had always wanted a career in broadcast journalism she told me, no, that in fact she used to want to be a veterinarian when she was little. She was discouraged however, when she found out it required so much math and science.  

            In her free time, Kaitlyn loves shopping, listening to music, and going to church. She also enjoys watching goofy comedies. Her two favorite movies are Billy Madison and Elf, both fish-out-of-water movies starring Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell, respectively.  When it comes to music, Kaitlyn’s two favorite bands are Sublime and Paramore. She admitted that, although she didn’t know the names to any particular songs that were her favorites, she still loves singing along to them.

            Kaitlyn has traveled to Greece before and when I asked her where she would want to travel next she answered instantly, with no hesitation at all: “Italy.” In 10 years she envisions herself “having a husband, maybe kids, and a good job.” When I asked if she pictured herself still living in Kansas City she shook her head with a defiant “no”. “I want to be far from Kansas City,” she explained. “I want to live in a city, like Chicago; I’m more of a city person.” Her dream job would be working for a “big news station”; and, as she explained, she would be just as happy working for CNN as she would be working for E! 

Resident Interview-Kelsey Gilbert

For my interview assignment I interviewed Tara Gunderson who lives on the 7^th floor of Gillett. She is originally from Grain Valley, which is about an hour away from Mizzou. Tara has always wanted to go to Mizzou since she was a little girl, and thinks it’s the perfect distance from home.  She also enjoys all the school spirit here on campus, and likes the big-school feel.  Tara loves the whole Mizzou campus, but if she had to pick a favorite spot it would be the football field, where she spends a lot of her time since she plays the symbols in the Marching Mizzou drum line.

She is currently a biology major and would like to attend a School of Dentistry and eventually become an Orthodontist. I asked her what her dream job would be, and her answer was an Orthodontist, so you can tell that she’s very dedicated in becoming that. Biology is a hard subject for her, but she is willing to take that risk so she can achieve one of her life goals. She told me her ultimate goal in life is to be happy and successful.

If Tara could travel anywhere she would say Greece, because she’s known a few family members who have traveled there and they loved it.  Tara said that if she could be any animal it would be a tiger, because they are cute but yet intimidating.  Some of her favorite hobbies would include; listening to her ipod, adding new songs to her itunes, shopping on the internet, talking and texting on her phone, watching TV (mainly her favorite show Grays Anatomy), drum line, and driving aimlessly with her friends.  She has a love of all types of movies, but if she had to pick some they would be, The Notebook, Elf, Mean Girls, Stepmom, and Somethings Gotta Give. Tara also has a love of reading books. The Guardian, A Bend in the Road, and Walk Two Moons, are just a few she could read over and over again.

I enjoy the interview process and find it interesting to learn about other people and their lives. From this interview I noticed many similarities between Tara and I, and from this experience I have made a new friend here at Mizzou. 

Ksquared!

Journalism Centennial

Our trip to the Journalism Centennial was not quite as successful as we had initially hoped. Our assignment was to interview two people, one student and one adult. Finding a student to interview was no problem. However, it was a different story finding an adult who fit the criteria necessary for our interview: not pressed for time and willing to be interviewed by two amateur journalists, dressed in workout clothes and clutching notebooks as if there life depended on accomplishing their interview.

The three-day Centennial at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism was indeed an awe-inspiring event. Alumni and professional journalists from around the country visited campus and each day a variety of lectures and events were held in honor of the Centennial. The opportunity to attend the lectures and gain access to the various events, however, came with a price. Access to the festivities was granted only to those who had prepared in advance and paid for admission to the event– leaving those without cash in the dark. This, in my opinion, had a negative impact on what could have been a much more celebrated, publicized, and remembered event at the University of Missouri.  To be honest, the whole three days this Centennial was going on, it didn’t even feel like there was much of a celebration. Sure, for the alumni and journalists who visited, the true meaning and impact of the event was quite clear. But for regular students at the University, especially non-journalism school students, for whom there was very little, if any publication of the Centennial, it was sadly, just another week on campus.

My roommate and best friend here in Missouri, Kelsey Gilbert, and I prepared our interview soon after receiving our assignment from our FIG leader, Chris. On Friday, September 12^th, in the late afternoon after both our classes had finished, we started the long walk from Gillett towards the journalism school. Once we arrived at the location of the Centennial events, we were both slightly taken aback. What we had expected to be a large, welcoming event turned out to be a quiet, serious event taking place only inside the closed walls of the new journalism school facilities. People hurried past us, rushing into the new Walter Williams Journalism Institute, dressed in dark suits and clutching briefcases. I felt like a kindergartner on the first day of school, walking into the classroom and feeling so out of place, so lost and confused. Kelsey and I stood outside the building, trying desperately to catch the attention of an adult, any adult. Unfortunately, all of the adults we encountered were in a hurry; busy on their cell phones, in deep conversations with their peers, or had places to go and, as they explained to us, simply couldn’t talk. I tried to remain positive, despite the seemingly fixed failure that now loomed over our assignment.

We weren’t entirely doomed to failure though. We noticed a student slowly walking towards where we were standing, admiring the new journalism facilities as he walked. We stopped him and asked if he would mind doing an interview. Much to our relief, he agreed. Here is our interview with Kyle, a freshman political science major at the University of Missouri who, while not a journalism major, still appreciates its’ importance in society.

Ksquared: Why are you attending Mizzou’s J-School Centennial?

Kyle: I want to talk with prominent alumni about their experiences in journalism.

Ksquared: Where do you get most of your news from?

Kyle: Newspapers

Ksquared: Some people believe that newspapers are “dying out” because of the rise in popularity of the Internet, blogs, and other electronic news sources. Do you believe newspapers will eventually die out, and if so, would you be bothered by this or not? Do you believe the Internet is a valid source for news?

Kyle: It depends on what Internet source. The LA Times is more reliable than a blog. Certain sections of the paper are dying out though, like stocks.

Ksquared: How much of an impact do you believe journalism has on your life?

Kyle: It has an impact on everyone’s life because it brings information to people who cannot experience things themselves.

Ksquared: Do you have a favorite newspaper/magazine that you enjoy reading regularly?

Kyle: Washington Post or USA Today

            In conclusion of our first-ever blog post, I want to take a moment to comment on what little I saw of the Centennial that day. As a pre-journalism student with a passion for writing and a dream of someday writing for a fashion magazine, I can tell you that I would have loved to have actually attended some of the lectures and events that were held during the Centennial. But, I think it’s equally important that others, not just journalism students and alumni, had been able to gain access to the events as well.

It’s not everyday that we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of a school that was the nation’s first of it’s kind. Maybe if the University had truly opened up the Centennial to the public and allowed all members of the community to come visit and walk through the new, state-of-the-art journalism facilities, while also giving them the opportunity to talk with alumni and guests – the Centennial would have had more of an impact on the community. Journalism, itself, is about providing news to the public – all members of the public, no matter what class, race, creed, social standing, etc. It’s critical that we, as students of the nation’s best journalism school, allow everyone to see how amazing our school is and show the world how much of an impact journalism has and will continue to have on everyone’s lives.