Read Me!

It’s been a while since I’ve been on here to post, so here is a compilation of some of the  articles I’ve shared or seen on Facebook in the past month or so. Check them out if you haven’t already!

100 Things to do at Mizzou: Well, I’m halfway through undergrad, and I’ve only completed 37 of these 100 things. Looks like I’ve got a lot to do the next two years! 

Why Society Still Needs Feminism: Amen. 

Why Missouri is the Most Underrated 2013 Team in the SEC: Take a look for yourself. Who knows if the football team will be good this fall, but according to this guy’s stats and information, we at least have the potential to be. One thing I do know, though, is I can’t wait for football season to start! 

How do you decide who to marry? (Written by kids): All right, this has to be my favorite article on this list. If you haven’t read it yet, please don’t wait any longer. It’s hilarious. Kids really do say the craziest things!

Not just a girl…: For her daughter’s 5-year-old pictures, this mom decided to forgo the Barbie Doll and Disney Princess outfits and instead dress Emma as five different REAL women whom, throughout history, have changed the lives of women. Emma is photographed as Susan B. Anthony, Coco Chanel, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Jane Goodall, and lastly, as herself. And let me tell you, it is awesome. 

22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other: Honestly, I never realized how many variations there are for pronouncing one word. Just take a look. These maps are pretty astonishing. 

Mizzou Spirit desktop wallpapers: This one is pretty self-explanatory. Just click the link to download beautiful photos of Jesse Hall and The Columns, the Quad, Faurot Field, Memorial Union and more to use as your computer background. 

Zach Sobiech: Okay, this is my real favorite. If you haven’t seen this video about Zach, who passed away in May from a rare kind of terminal cancer, and his beautiful life and his beautiful music, stop what you’re doing right now and watch it. But, beware, tears will fall. Zach teaches us how important it is to never take life for granted and to truly live life to the fullest. He’s truly an inspiration to all. “You don’t have to find out you’re dying to start living.” 

Lessons Learned From Anderson Cooper & Charles Ramsey

 

By now, I’m sure we’ve all seen some type of interview with Charles Ramsey, the man who helped free Amanda Berry, a woman who has been missing for more than 10 years (read more about it here). Perhaps you’ve seen this video, or maybe even this “Dead Giveaway” remix.

Regardless of what you have or haven’t seen, I suggest watching the interview above with Anderson Cooper, because it is definitely the best. Cooper interviews Ramsey in a quiet, empty area with few distractions, which gives the overall video a much better quality. In the other interview, the reporter interviews Ramsey in a crowd of people, and because of this, Ramsey keeps looking around instead of focusing on the interview. However, I do understand that it may not have been possible to take Ramsey to another location at the time, so that’s not a huge issue, given the circumstances.

More importantly, though, Cooper treats Ramsey like a real person; Cooper takes Ramsey seriously and is actually interested in the story. Cooper is not worried about getting the story first, and because of that, he gets the full story; he gets a longer, more detailed interview, and he gets quite a bit of information no other reporter got. We get to know Ramsey on a deeper level, and that contributes so much to the story. Cooper’s interview also evokes more emotion. Both Cooper and Ramsey have a more serious tone, and it makes viewers take it seriously as well, instead of laughing at the way Ramsey speaks or some of the things he says. When I watched the interview with Cooper, I realized how scary this entire situation must have been, whereas I didn’t think about that before.

Watching these videos from a journalistic standpoint made me realize how important it is to treat others with respect and dignity and to not be judgmental. I’ll admit, I laughed out loud when I watched the “Dead Giveaway” remix. But is that right? Is that okay? I feel guilty for being entertained by the video. I have no right to make fun of anybody, and I especially shouldn’t be making fun of somebody who did such a heroic deed.

It seems like people are focusing more on Ramsey and on the entertainment aspect rather than the actual news. The fact that these women finally escaped from captivity is amazing, and we should be celebrating that. Ramsey is a huge part of the news aspect, but mocking him is not.

Bridging the Gap

I’m proud to say that Hannah, Courtney and I have officially completed our final project for J2150. The past two weeks have been full of interviewing, photo taking, video capturing, writing, and lots and lots of editing. But, I’m so happy with the final product, and I’m so happy with the group I was assigned.

As I’ve written in previous blog posts, we did our final project on The Bridge and the Columbia Academy of Music. The two are separate yet cohesive, as they are housed in the same building and owned by the same owner. Private music lessons are taught at the academy, and students then go on to perform recitals and shows at the venue. The Bridge also hosts open mic nights, jazz nights and blues nights, in addition to local, regional and national acts. 

Our website, which you should definitely check out because it’s awesome, includes a written story with a lot more information on The Bridge and the Columbia Academy of Music. The website also has a photo gallery, two videos and an audio piece. 

What I loved most about this project was how Hannah, Courtney and I all worked together and each did a little bit of everything. For example, Hannah wrote the story, but I edited it. I shot the video and edited the TV news style video, but Courtney put together the video about why three musicians love music and incorporate it into their daily lives. Both Hannah and I took pictures, and all three of us worked on the website. The only thing I didn’t work on was the audio, and that was okay with me.

J2150 has been my favorite journalism class at Mizzou so far. Everything I learned in this class was so new to me. I learned how to shoot and edit video, how to take good photos, how to blog, how to build better, smarter social media profiles, how to capture audio, how to find, write and publish a story in an hour, and more. All the skills I learned in J2150 will be skills I will continue to use throughout my career, and I’m very thankful for that. Plus, multimedia is fun, and I can show off this website for years to come. 

I’m sad this class is ending, and I’ll miss all my #J2150Z girls, but, like I said, I’m so thankful for all the skills I’ve learned this past semester, and I can’t wait to see where they take me!

The Bridge, located in downtown Columbia, Mo., hosts weekly theme nights, including the Blue Monday Blues Jam every Monday night. Every Tuesday night, there is either a jazz jam or an open mic night, and starting May 16, The Bridge will host HOTWAX regularly, as well.

A Few Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to College

Yesterday, I came acros this blog post from Girls Dreaming Big, which is a fairly new company started by a math teacher at my high school. Girls Dreaming Big is devoted to helping young women learn, grow and dream. The blog post is a compilation of women (some graduates and some current college students) describing the one thing they wished they knew before going to college. It was really helpful to read, especially since I know some of the women featured, and it inspired me to make a list of a few of the things I wish I knew before I came to Mizzou a little less than two years ago. 

1. It is so important to get to know the people in your residence hall. I didn’t really do this my freshman year, and because of that, I was lost, unhappy and friendless for a while. I spent way too much time with my boyfriend, and our relationship actually suffered because of it. Looking back, I really wish I would have tried harder to make friends my first semester. Living in the residence halls is an experience you can only get from college, and I feel like I missed out.

2. Get involved early on, but don’t overcommit yourself. College is all about networking and meeting new people. Start attending events and going to club meetings; you never know what could come of it. And when you do go to things, introduce yourself to people! I’m really shy, so this was hard for me for a while, but I’m slowly getting better. However, I’ve learned not to get involved in too many things too quickly or at one time, because I did that and I ended up causing myself a lot of stress. So now, I make sure I’ll have time for it, along with everything else, before I dive in.

3. Exercise regularly. I got into an awesome exercise routine freshman year, I was eating healthy, and I actually lost a few pounds instead of gaining the infamous “Freshman 15” or “Mizzou 22.” Exercise is obviously important for people of all ages, but in college it’s so easy to eat way too much at the dining halls, which at Mizzou are usually the all-you-can-eat type, or snack on cookies, candy, etc. in your room. I have the biggest sweet tooth (ice cream is my biggest weakness), so limiting myself is probably one of the hardest things ever, but exercising regularly and getting adequate nutrients makes me look and feel so much better. 

4. Don’t be afraid to live a little and have fun! I’ve always cared a lot about school and getting good grades, and I still do, but I’ve realized that my GPA doesn’t define me. I still work really hard and do the best I can, but college is about so much more than just the classes. It’s about meeting people, trying new things, being a little adventurous and crazy (but in a smart and tasteful way), getting to know yourself, and just living life. Enjoy it! 

5. It goes by so quickly. High school was over in the blink of an eye, but college goes by even faster. I honestly still don’t believe that I’m almost done with my sophomore year and that I’m going to be an upperclassman next year. I’m learning to take each day as it comes and really appreciate Mizzou while I’m here as a student, because I know I’ll be graduating before I know it. 

STRIPES Membership Drive

MU STRIPES is holding its membership drive this week and is actively recruiting new volunteers for next semester.

Every day this week, STRIPES will have cars on display on Lowry Mall, where current members will be handing out flyers. There will also be a table set up at the student center.

“We’re just trying to get our name out there and trying to get people excited about joining STRIPES,” said Nightly Operations Coordinator Patrick Wells.

STRIPES Nightly Operations Coordinator Patrick Wells hands a flyer to a prospective future volunteer on Lowry Mall for the STRIPES Membership Drive April 17.

STRIPES, which stands for Supportive Tigers Riding In Pursuit of Ensuring Safety, is MU’s safe-ride program.

“We operate Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights,” Wells said. “We take calls from Mizzou students those three nights, and we can go and pick them up anywhere in Columbia and take them home.”

STRIPES begins taking calls at 10 p.m. and stops taking calls at 3 a.m. However, if a student calls before 3 a.m., she will still be on the list to be picked up, so STRIPES runs until as late as 5 a.m. some nights, Wells said.

For those interested in applying to be a STRIPES volunteer, applications can be found online and will be open until April 28th. Interviews will then be conducted and new members will be chosen to begin volunteering next semester.

For more information, check out STRIPES on Twitter and Facebook or stop by Lowry Mall this week.

STRIPES cars, equipped with the custom STRIPES car hats, are set up on Lowry Mall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day this week, April 15 through April 19, for the STRIPES membership drive. Current STRIPES members are recruiting new volunteers for next semester by handing out flyers.

Spring Break Service

For spring break, 19 Alpha Chi Omegas made the 12-hour drive from St. Louis, Mo. to Foley, Ala. to spend a week serving others through Habitat for Humanity.

The trip began Saturday by cramming 16 girls into two hotel rooms for one night in Gulf Shores, Ala. We spent Sunday at the beach and had orientation for our work week that evening. However, the sun on Sunday was stronger than many girls thought, and we found ourselves sunburnt and hurting later that night.

Alpha Chi Omega sisters enjoy the sun and sand of Gulf Shores, Ala. Friday, March 29 after four days of serving with Habitat for Humanity.

 We arrived on the worksite bright and early Monday morning, ready to work. We met Jaime, our site leader, and she put us to work sorting through piles of scraps of metal and pulling nails out of wood. We took a coffee break halfway through the morning, but other than that and our lunch break, we were hard at work all afternoon. It was chillier outside than we expected, so we made a stop at Goodwill on the way home to buy some sweatpants and sweatshirts to keep us warm for the rest of the week.

The work week continued in the same manner. Many girls continued to pull nails out of wood with Roseanne, a veteran Habitat volunteer, and others learned how to use drills and saws with Jaime and other veteran volunteers. By the end of the week, we had framed several walls for the new building! All week, we were working toward building more storage and office space for the Habitat for Humanity of Baldwin County ReStore, which is a store where customers can purchase used furniture, decorations, building supplies, etc. With the completion of this new building, Habitat will be able to build five additional homes each year, which means our small group of girls will be helping numerous families receive affordable homes for years to come.

After cutting, placing and nailing 2×4 pieces of wood into place, girls help veteran Habitat volunteers lift the wall structure and line it up with the existing frame.

 Aside from working, we also got to enjoy the beaches of Gulf Shores. In addition, we ate dinner at local hotspots such as The Hangout, Lulu’s, and Bahama Bob’s. By the time Friday evening rolled around, most of us were not ready to leave the beautiful Alabama sun, but after a week back at school, we are back in the swing of things. For now, we will hold our memories of sun, sand and sisters close to our hearts and look forward to serving others again in the future!

Final Project

We have officially been assigned our J2150 final project topic! After pitching three story ideas in class Wednesday, we were assigned to do our project on The Bridge and the Columbia Academy of Music. The Bridge is “a live music venue that features local, regional and national acts,” according to its website. The Columbia Academy of Music is “a music academy… that provides an outlet for musical education and performance to people of all ages,” according to its website.

The Academy offers private music lessons in piano, guitar, bass, percussion, voice, strings, horns and other specialty instruments. Students can also receive lessons on audio production and music notation.

The Academy is located in downtown Columbia on East Walnut, and The Bridge is located within the Academy. In addition to concerts almost every night, The Bridge hosts open mic nights every Tuesday, which sometimes feature special guests. 

I don’t know much about the Academy or the Bridge, except what I can learn from their websites, but I’m eager to learn more. My group is in the process of setting up interviews and nailing down the events/concerts we are going to cover, so hopefully soon we will have a better idea of where we are going with this project and what aspects of the Academy and The Bridge we want to include.

I will be working on the TV news style video with Courtney, and I will be writing with Hannah. I will also probably take a few pictures, and we will all work on putting the website together. It will be a lot of work, no doubt, but I really like our topic, so I’m ready to get started!

Reflecting on the First Half of the Semester

It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the semester, and it’s almost spring break. I’m pretty sure everybody is going stir crazy this week. I know I can’t wait to get to sunny Alabama! 

I’ve learned a lot of new skills this semester in J2150, and I’ve done a lot of new things. I’ve produced a short video and a TV news style video, and I’ve taken a lot of pictures (some good, lots bad). I collected audio last night, and I’m currently working on my audio assignment as well as my audio slideshow. As I talked about in one of my previous blog posts, my assignment is on Mizzou Competitive Dance, so every single small project I’ve done so far has been about the team in some way. 

I did all of these assignments individually, but yesterday we were assigned our groups for the final project. For the final project, we basically do the same thing we’ve been doing all semester. We pitch three story ideas to the class when we return from spring break, and once we are assigned our topic, as a team, we will create all the small projects we have previously created, plus a full-length written story. Then, we compile it all into a website.

I’m with Courtney and Hannah, and we met during class to discuss some ideas, and we already have a few really good ones. Although we don’t have as much time for this project as we had for all the other ones, I don’t think it will be too hard because I’ll be working with two other people. And, I think working with Hannah and Courtney will make it more fun as well. 

I’m excited to see which story topic we end up covering, and I’m excited to get started. But, for now, check out some of the pictures I’ve taken of Mizzou Competitive Dance, and happy spring break, ya’ll!

Showing her passion and focus for dance, Mizzou Competitive Dance Vice President Macie Baucum dances in the front of the formation to a remix of Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.”

Mizzou Competitive Dancer Miranda Vaughn stretches her core during an ab workout at the Mizzou Rec Center March 13.

Mizzou Competitive Dancers hold their teammate up in the air during a dance routine at practice at the Mizzou Rec March 13.

STRIPES

This semester, I began volunteering for STRIPES, which stands for Supportive Tigers Riding in Pursuit of Safety. It is Mizzou’s safe ride program, and it is one of the best in the country. It is entirely student run, and operations run every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night that school is in session from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

In order to become a volunteer, I had to go through a competitive application and interview process. Then, we had new member orientation, and we have training each night we volunteer.

So far, I have only volunteered two nights, but in order to stay in good standing as a STRIPES member, I must volunteer at least five nights per semester. All the cars we use are rental cars, and there is always one boy volunteer and one girl volunteer in the car at all times, no exceptions. The driver does the driving (obviously), and the passenger (me since I don’t have driver status yet) calls and texts patrons, helps the driver with directions, fills out any necessary paperwork, etc.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed my time as a volunteer. It’s entertaining to talk to our patrons and get to know them, as well as my fellow STRIPES volunteer. Luckily, I haven’t had any problems with rude or sick patrons yet, but I’m sure as time goes on I’ll have a few bad experiences.

I volunteer for STRIPES because I want to give back to the community, and I want to keep people safe. I have known people who have been involved in drinking and driving accidents and passed away because of it, and I don’t want that to happen again. By volunteering a few nights each semester, I know I’m helping save lives, and that makes the occasional 5 a.m. bedtime so worth it.

Also, it’s nice to be recognized for our work like in this Facebook post. To whoever wrote this, thank you!

Mizzou Competitive Dance

Thanks to my J2150 class, I can now say I know how to shoot and edit a video package.

We first had to create a short video, with only one interview and some b-roll. Then, we had to create a TV news style video (which is posted above), with at least two videos, more b-roll and a voiceover.

My story is on Mizzou Competitive Dance, a new competitive dance team at Mizzou. It is a club sport, which means it is completely separate from Mizzou Athletics. There are currently 14 girls on the team, two of whom act as captains/coaches because the team does not have enough funding to pay for a coach. The team has relied a lot on volunteers to help them clean and perfect their dances, but for the most part, they do everything themselves–from choreographing the dances to organizing practices to signing up for competitions.

This process has definitely been a learning experience. I struggled the most with actually shooting the footage. I filmed the team practicing, and since the girls were constantly moving, it was difficult to get tight shots. Just when I had the camera set up properly, the girls would move out of the frame, and I would be filming nothing. As a result, most of my b-roll consisted of wide shots, but, luckily, I was able to use some medium/tight shots in my package.

Despite these struggles, I’m really proud of my work, especially since this was the first time I’ve ever shot and edited video all by myself. I also learned that I really enjoy editing, so maybe I’ll do something with that one day!

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed working on this project, and I’m glad I chose MCD. I’ve always wanted to dance, but I’m not very coordinated, so I enjoy watching others dance. It’s really inspiring to see how hard all of these girls work and how dedicated they are to achieving their dream of competing at the UDA nationals in Orlando, Fla. next year. They are very talented, both individually and as a team, and I sincerely hope they succeed!