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.