Photojournalism

Plunging with a Purpose

As part of a fundraiser for Special Olympics, (insert name) participates in the costume contest and polar plunge hosted by the Indian Lake Moose Lodge. The event, held March 10, raised more than $X for Special Olympics with more than 250 people in attendance. Since the Polar Plunge was created 10 years ago, more than X number of people have taken the plunge with a grand total of $X raised for Special Olypmics.

Tim Tebow, Trendy Topic

Tim Tebow’s popularity is sweeping the nation. Everything from fans “Tebowing,” striking an iconic kneeling pose that resembles “The Thinker,” to “Tebowie,” Jimmy Fallon’s musical tribute to and combination of Tim Tebow and David Bowie. The 24-year-old quarterback for the Denver Broncos has become a pop culture icon virtually overnight.  But what makes Tim Tebow so popular?

“I think Tim is popular right now because of his character, his determination on the field, and all his representatives pushing the religion factor in the media,” said Ben Groff, sports editor for The Torch and Tiger Sports Network representative. According to Groff, Tebow’s popularity is a result of savvy marketing techniques and representatives that know how to market Christianity to a football-loving audience. But Tebow, admittedly, is also an incredible quarterback….

Tim Tebow with scripture written on his face paint

[Quotes about his skill as a quarterback]

It’s no surprise that Tebow has attracted an unprecedented amount of praise for his skills as a quarterback, often leading the Broncos to wins coming from behind in the fourth quarter. He has received a significant amount of criticism and attention for his frequent demonstrations of religious devotion, for which he is sometimes mocked.

“He has expressed is faith in public ways and in memorable ways, such as the scripture-on-the-eye paint or choosing to pray before celebrating on the field,” said Rachel Tune, Pastor to Wittenberg University.  “For many people, it is very inspiring, it’s also controversial, though, probably even among Christians but certainly with our culture at large, and I think that controversy has actually made him more popular. “

Popularity which can be found online at at www.tebowing.com, a blog created for users to post pictures of themselves “Tebowing,” which means, “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different,” according to the site. Users can join the TebowingNation or even buy official Tebowing gear (which supports local Denver charities).

Include quote “Everyone at some time or the other is faced with points when they have to decide if they will show their faith, or their true selves, and I think he helps inspire people to do that in difficult spots.” PR

The Entre-Manure You Have to Meet

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life; I’ve dabbled as a physician’s assistant, a scuba diver, an x-ray technician, a photographer, a lot of things. The cool thing about alpacas is that they meet all my needs,” says Laurel Shouvlin with a laugh. She calls herself the “alpaca entre-manure,” and insists that taking care of a herd of alpacas keeps her healthy and vibrant.

Laurel and her husband, Tim, own Bluebird Hills Farm, an alpaca sanctuary of sorts just north of Springfield on Derr Rd. The farm, nestled atop a small hill, is home to over 70 furry, long-necked critters, all of which have unique personalities (according to Laurel). Alpacas are a cousin of the llama, and are raised primarily for their wool, which is sold to make a variety of commodities such as hats, scarves, and rugs.

Laurel Shouvlin looks at her alpacas

Gordy in front of her alpaca friends

But contrary to the name of the farm, there are no bluebirds.

“That’s a terrible marketing decision, isn’t it?” Laurel laughs.

Laurel is a warm and inviting woman with a stocky build and years of experience with raising and breeding alpacas. But why alpacas?

“I wanted to raise livestock I didn’t have to kill to make a profit,” says Laurel as one of the numerous reasons she raises and breeds the animal.

So the Shouvlins shear and sell alpaca fiber once a year, which goes for about $3 an ounce. Expensive material, but Laurel explains that alpaca wool is eco-friendly because it doesn’t contain greasy residue like sheep wool. Furthermore, alpacas are environmentally friendly animals because they are easy on pastures and simply graze or eat hay. 

It’s hard not to fall in love with the gangly and awkward alpaca, with their long necks, bulging eyes, and toupee-like hairdos.  And it is clear while visiting Bluebird Hills that the Shouvlins love their work, too. Laurel’s friendly personality is an infectious part of this farm where “there is never a dull moment,” she says, as her Great Pyrenees, Gordy, puts her soggy paws up on the fence, begging for a head scratch.

When they aren’t tending to their alpacas, the Shouvlins give tours of their facility to local nurseries, preschools, and even high school classes. Last year, the Shouvlins grew organic vegetables on their farm, but had to retire due to lack of business. The Shouvlins only manage to break even in this economic climate. And Laurel is just fine with that.

Laurel’s love for her herd is a mutual one, although, she admits that you still have to be on your guard when you’re around an alpaca.

“You’ve got to be careful when they’re spitting off,” she says, “The first one is usually a blank, but then they regurgitate and they’re loaded.”

My Summer Internship

I don't know if I've had the opportunity to share with you guys what I plan on doing this summer!

I have an internship with the Ohio State Fair and a PR/Marketing intern. This basically means I'll be writing press releases about the fair and arranging for news and radio stations to come and do some coverage of the fair's events. Maybe I'll get a free concert ticket or two (fingers crossed!).

I think this will be a really neat opportunity to get my foot in the door of the communication/journalism world. I really lucked out with this internship because I didn't get it at first, then I was called back a week later and informed that one of the interns couldn't come through so I was the backup. YAY!

Finding an internship was actually a lot harder than I anticipated that it would be. I feel like I just got really lucky with this opportunity, it sort of fell into my lap. Regardless, I'm very excited and very much looking forward to the opportunity to spend my time at the fair all summer.

The major downside will be the 45 minute drive to work each morning with these gas prices. At least the internship is only for 2 months!

The Blog Requirement

Overall, I have really enjoyed doing blogs for class. However I still feel like confused about what makes a good blog. What topics do professional bloggers write about? What does the layout look like?

Furthermore, the blogs were just never mentioned in class. I think that is part of the reason why we got so far behind. I think more class discussion and opportunity for feedback is needed.

I like the assigned topics, but I also like having the freedom to select which topics I want to write about. After all, in the real world we don't get topics given to us all time, we have to generate some stories and pull our weight.

My suggestions for next year's bloggers:
1. Pull up examples of famous blogs in class. Let's discuss layout, how many followers, topic ideas, etc.
2. Have students weigh in on their favorite blogs from the class more than just once.
3. Select your favorite blog each week and bring it up in class and discuss why it's your favorite (similar to what we did with Taylor's blog about marijuana use on campus).
4. Try to get more discussion going. I feel like no one reads my blog, but I really like the feedback. This would be something the students really need to do.

I can only cook Deviled Eggs.

No really. That's all that I can make from scratch. I made some this morning for Easter.

I'm looking forward to my house next year and the ability to cook meals to save money. However, I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'm going to make and I'm realizing there isn't much I know how to cook! I can make deviled eggs and french toast casserole. That's about it. (Sad, I know)

I learned the deviled eggs recipe from my mom, who learned it from her mom, and so on and so forth. It's a family recipe and I have it memorized. I'm pretty proud of my quirky talent!

But who wants deviled eggs for dinner every night?? Besides, they're kind of a pain in the ass to make. I need to learn how to cook! And quick!

This summer my mom is planning on making a small cookbook for me with all kinds of quick and easy recipes that she finds. This is just another instance in which I am grateful for my mom. She rocks.

For those of you with kitchens, do you have any advice? Better yet, do you have any recipes you can throw my way??

Things NEVER go as you plan!

I was planning on blogging about my wonderful weekend! I had plans to go horseback riding with my family down at Rio Grande, my brother's university. But of course, Murphy's Law had to be right again. What can go wrong WILL go wrong!

I drove home Friday night and got up at 7 a.m. on Saturday to leave by 8 a.m. to meet my brother at Rio for a late breakfast. So I was sleepy and cranky to start the day. Then we got there to ride horses and not only was it super muddy and cold, but they ran out of rental horses! We were out of luck after we had driven so far and I was bummed.

I know the point of the day was to see my brother but I had my heart set on riding that horse! I've never rode a horse before so I was looking forward to the experience. I guess it wasn't meant to be. The day ended up being alright because we went and got ice cream and just hung out, which doesn't happen enough anymore since my brother and I are both in school.

In hindsight the whole ordeal is so trivial, but when you're caught up in the moment it seems like the world just sucks. That was how I felt at 10:30 a.m. with muddy boots, no horse, and no sleep. I guess the only thing you can do is take a step back and look at the situation for what it's really worth.

The point was to spend time together as a family no matter what.  (And the cost of 4 ice cream cones was a lot less than 4 horse rentals so the same task was accomplished for a lot less! Can't complain :))

Anyone else hate it when things seem to fall apart? This whole situation reminds me of how the printer breaks right before class every time we have something due. Murphy's Law at its finest!

Spring Fever! But...

It's springtime in Springfield! We all know summer is right around the corner, but it's not time to mentally check out just yet.

I was talking to my friend Brynne this morning about our Public Speaking class and she just went on about how she is mentally checked out of all her classes and she knows she shouldn't be. I think we're all at that point but it's dangerous to go there. I can't even imagine how seniors must be feeling!

But that doesn't give anyone an excuse to stop working or to blow things off.

I'm not trying to sound like a goodie-two-shoes or sound condescending toward anyone, but there are some things I'm noticing about our journalism class lately.

Half of the class didn't show up to journalism on Wednesday and half of the people that showed up left early. My heart went out to Mac who is just trying to keep the class together at this point and it's not fair to him to have to do that. Mac is a great professor and I think it's nice of him to let us get away with turning in assignments late but I think we all take advantage of him to a degree. This isn't fair!

From getting to know all of you in the class, I know we all respect Mac greatly for all the experience he has given us and just for being an all-around nice guy and knowledgable prof. So why does the class collectively seem to blow Mac off on a more regular basis?

Once again, not trying to sound mean, but I'm noticing the patterns and trying to figure things out.

I know spring is in bloom, but classes aren't out yet. We can finish up the semester strong, guys! Only a few weeks left :)

Stereotypes CAN be true...

Ever had that moment when you're like "wow, I thought you were different but you're really just like all the rest"?? I just had one of those moments tonight and it was about something that I've tried to think differently about since I came to college...

Greek life.

I'm sorry for offending anyone but hear me out.

There are so many stereotypes surrounding greek life; that all they ever do is party, that they're really cliquey, etc. Furthermore each greek organization on campus has their own individual stereotypes: Beta's are the theater guys, ADPi's are preppy, FIJI's all play soccer, you know how it goes.

But I've been willing to look past those stereotypes time and time again to get to know people. There are a lot of really great people who are greek, a lot of my friends are! So I find it incredibly frustrating when those stereotypes actually end up being true.

I guess all stereotypes were created for a reason.  And I think we as humans like to categorize things. Rather than taking the time to get to know every single Lambda, we just assume they all like to play video games (sorry Kent and Nishant, had to poke fun at you at least once!). So I get why stereotypes exist despite how unfair they are.

Regardless of how I think I understand it all, my friend still lived up to her chapter's stereotype and I was disappointed by it. I've gotten to know her and I thought she was different, not the cookie-cutter that the stereotype placed her in, but I guess I was wrong and I was disappointed.

Anyone wanna try to convince me that there really is more to greek life than the stereotypes and molds? I want to hear your feedback to this situation.

What do I hate about Witt?

Scheduling.

I am going to be a junior in the fall and I'm only 5 credit hours shy of being a junior at this moment. Yet I'm  STILL continuously shut out of the classes I need to take. It's the most frustrating feeling in the world.

When I vent to friends about this they say, "just ask the professor to add you in! They're generally nice about that." I have to disagree. I asked 3 communication professors this past semester to allow me into one of their comm classes and got denied each time.

I COULD graduate early. Instead I'm struggling to find a class simply to have a full schedule.

I also have to wonder what's going on when the ONLY journalism class offered this fall is Beginning Journalism. I know the journalism department is growing rapidly, but come on! I want to take more classes and they're not even available! (Sorry Mac, but it's frustrating!)

I know I'm not the only student in this boat. It happens to a lot of others, but why isn't more done about this? Who else is struggling to fill a schedule?

How Happy Are You?

I recently heard about a study by Live Science that ranked the 50 states by how happy its citizens are.

I was just in Florida this week for Spring Break and I wasn't at all surprised to find that Florida was ranked the 3rd happiest state in the U.S. Everyone was so friendly, outgoing, and helpful. (Maybe it's because they knew we were tourists and they were making money off us, but either way they were nice)

However I was shocked to hear that Ohio was ranked 44th.

I'm surprised, but I'm not. I would consider myself an overall happy person; but at the same time I'd say I'm unhappy living in Ohio. I was much happier being in Florida this past week, which begs the question: does weather REALLY influence our moods and overall happiness in such drastic ways??

I blogged about a month ago about how the dreary and hazy January days were just bleeding together and making me depressed, so I'm a believer in the fact that cold weather can really bring down one's spirit.

For those of you who are curious, New York was ranked 51st in the list (they counted D.C. as a state in this study) and Louisiana was ranked 1st.

Are you happy in Ohio? Would you rather live anywhere else?? Do you think weather has anything to do with it?

Smiley face image taken from http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/imgs/450/ss35_450.jpeg

Honestly....

Tolerance at Witt sucks.

And I don't just mean  racial tolerance, as evidenced by the events in the past month. I mean tolerance in general. Students are overly-critical, very preppy, and generally unwilling to accept anyone who is different in the slightest. We're all obsessed with labels and fitting a certain mold. It makes me sick sometimes.

I think the administration has noticed this stereotype and therefore put the community service requirement in place. I don't know how long the community service requirement has been around, but the "Witt Bubble" is still alive and strong. I think we are all reminded of that daily.


If I could change one thing about Witt, I would want the entire Witt community to be more accepting and encouraging of one another. If we can't even accept what's inside the Witt Bubble how are we every going to accept anything that's outside of it??

What do you guys think? Do you think Witt students are tolerant at all? Have you had different experiences than me?

These are a few of my favorite things...

What is my favorite thing about Wittenberg??? Well I have a few things.

This is going to sound weird but I love the drive from my house to Wittenberg (I know it's not really Witt per say, but bear with me here.) The drive from Marysville, OH to Springfield, OH is a piece of cake. Route 4 literally takes you directly to and from Springfield so it's super easy and convenient to give my friends directions! And when I do have to drive home, it's bearable because it's easy.  Believe it or not, the drive to and from home DID play a (small) role in my college decision.

I love that Wittenberg has such a small campus. I didn't think about it when I first arrived because the weather was really nice. But after experiencing a couple of winters where you have to walk to class regardless of the downpours or ice-coated walkways, I'm extremely grateful that this campus is so small.

I really like the Communication Department as well. I know I'm biased because it's my major, but all the professors are really friendly. It just makes life easier to take classes with friendly people! I can't imagine taking classes from professors I don't get along with, it just seems terrible to endure that for semesters on end. Furthermore, my fellow Comm majors are really friendly as well. I realize it's cheesy but it's nice to come to class and get along with the people you're learning with.

There are other quirky things that I like about Wittenberg, but they're mostly just memories. I think I will have a much longer list of things I like about Witt after I graduate, but as a student this is how I'm feeling about my college of choice.

I guess the thing I like most about Witt is the IDEA of Witt. I can't lie, Wittenberg isn't what I was told or expected it would be.

Anyone else like the idea of Witt?

Muffin Madness

Guys, I just ate one of those sinfully delicious Otis Spunkmeyer muffins from Post. Have you ever read the nutritional information on those things??? This seemingly innocent breakfast staple is gonna cost you 500 calories. And now I feel really guilty.

I'm in a constant process of justifying eating pizza and muffins all the time by saying I'm so stressed out or that I should enjoy it while I'm still young and have metabolism, etc. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think it has something to do with our culture telling us how to look all the time.

I just had this discussion with my roommate last night when we were both munching on chocolate at about 11 p.m. We knew we shouldn't but we couldn't help ourselves! Then we went on for about 5 minutes complaining about whatever parts of our bodies we didn't like until I realized what we were discussing was really stupid.

Bottom line is that nobody is perfect. I don't want this to turn into some cliche blog about body image and coming to terms with who you really are, but I really think body image is something that women in college deal with on a daily basis.

As for me, I'm going to enjoy eating my muffins until my metabolism slows down too much that I can't stand it anymore, and you know what? I'm ok with it :)

(Maybe this would be an interesting story idea, especially since women and men alike are trying to get fit for swimsuit season and summer in general. Any thoughts??)

My Semester Story

My BIG story for the semester is going to be about faculty evaluations on campus. I would really like to cover all angles of this story because I think it all relates.

I'd like to explore whether or not they're really effective (in the opinion of students and professors). How much do they cost and why aren't they completely paperless already? Is the cost worth it? Do professors who are not tenured teach differently than the professors who already have tenure? How much do evaluations weigh in the decision to give a professor tenure? And I'd really like to talk to the professors who spend a whole class period discussing evaluations.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to make this story better? I wonder if I should narrow the focus of this story because it seems like a lot to tackle, but I think it should be good for a 1000-word story.

Let me know what you guys think and if you have any ideas on who I should interview? Anyone know who is in charge of faculty evaluations each semester??

My Parents vs. My Spring Break Plans

This year I am going on my first Spring Break trip EVER to Tampa, Florida (pictured above). Needless to say, I'm incredibly excited.

But when the idea was first proposed to me I wasn't at all excited. I thought "How on earth am I going to convince my parents to let me go?" Because unlike a lot of my friends, it seems like my parents are not so easy to convince and are often extremely vocal and disapproving of things ( things that I think are fun and harmless, like going to Florida).

Over the past year and a half of my college experience I've had to hide a lot from my parents. They aren't very understanding and are afraid that college is going to corrupt me. It's hard to explain this relationship to my friends because deep down I know my parents only want the best for me, but they come across as very strict.

Maybe it's because I'm the only daughter and I'm the youngest of only 2 children, but I wish my parents would just let me enjoy my college experience sometimes without feeling the need to give their opinion about everything. I already know that they're going to disapprove! They told me they disapprove of this Florida trip but I'm going against their wishes and going anyway. I feel bad about it, but I'm technically an adult and there's nothing they can do!

Is anyone else in the same boat as me or are my parents an anomaly?

WUSO-Witt's most underutilized media outlet.

Do you or your friends listen to WUSO?? The chances are that none of you do.

But why not????

WUSO is Wittenberg's campus radio station and there are currently over 50 hours of live music on WUSO per week. There are a lot of students volunteering their time and efforts into having live programming on WUSO for you, our fellow student listeners.

Because although WUSO broadcasts to the world (really anyone with an internet connection) our purpose is to bring music and news to Wittenberg students. 

From talking to people who have known WUSO since its inception, I've found out it used to be a really big deal on this campus. WUSO used to sponsor concerts and do live broadcasts from all over campus at various events. I don't know what exactly happened but I think it has something to do with radio becoming a dying medium.

But I really don't think radio is dying at all, just adapting to the times. We can all think of our favorite hometown radio station that we listen to in the car. That's proof that radio still has a large effect on everyone, specifically our generation.

Radio is still a HUGE outlet for news and the latest music. The Billboard Hot 100 wouldn't exist without radio stations playing the latest music. And virtually the only way for anyone in the music industry to get famous is from radio stations playing their songs. Our generation identifies with music and it's something that brings us together. Guess where you can get the latest music while hearing your friends DJing? WUSO 89.1 fm The Berg. yup.

I hear a lot of complaints from campus that WUSO doesn't do enough to reach people, or that all we ever play is pre-recorded material. The truth is that we can't make anyone turn on their radio but I guarantee that once they tune into 89.1 they'll be pleasantly surprised by how music live music we really do have.

WUSO, like the Torch, takes a lot of heat from the campus without anyone willing to step in to make things better. But WUSO and the Torch have both taken huge strides in the past few years to improve their image, campus relevance, and outreach. I'm proud to tell people to listen to The Berg. It's come a long way in a few years and has started to transform into a cool extracurricular for students to be a part of.

So I guess I'm curious, why don't you listen to WUSO? Or if you do, who do you listen to and when?

Time to Find a Roommate!!

It's time to think about housing for next semester already! I'm wondering, is it possible to find someone to live with without any kind of drama?

Finding living arrangements is a drama magnet. Everyone is afraid to step on friend's toes or offend somebody in the process which leads me to my next point: people suck at confrontation.

I'm not pointing fingers because I am certainly bad at confrontation as well! But the bottom line is that some things just need to be said and it's best to say them and get it over with, like ripping off the band-aid. And I guess when it comes to it, I'm not afraid to talk straight with people. 

Fortunately, I just got my own living arrangements sorted out last night, but only after my future roommates stayed up until 7 a.m. confronting a friend whom they did not want to live with. Needless to say, the friend didn't handle the news well because she was strung out until the day the house renewal was due. I don't think the friendship is going to last much longer. 

I just wish there was a way people could be honest and open with their friends about situations like these. After all, your true friends will understand and be there for you (even if you decide to live with someone else.) 

Winter Blues Got Ya Down?

It's so cliche to talk about the weather, but I really do think weather affects our moods (or at least I've noticed a change in mine!).

I've just felt increasingly 'meh', for lack of a better description. I feel as though I'm constantly going through the motions and not paying much attention to the things going on around me. My memories from the past month are completely strung together and hazy (much like each and every January day in Ohio).

And I blame the weather! I haven't been getting my recommended 10 minutes of sun exposure per day and that lack of vitamin D makes a difference to me. Constantly being exposed to cold and wind has wreaked havoc on my skin as well (and let's face it, dry skin doesn't make anyone happy).

I've turned to a few things to keep me optimistic and happy in this unpleasant weather. I definitely listen to music to brighten my mood. I've been listening to the Avett Bros. a lot lately, they always put a smile on my face. I've also been trying to see the bigger picture in stressful situations. And when you do that, the small things seem to matter less and less. I'm also looking forward to my spring break trip to Florida this year! It's my first spring break excursion so I'm very excited.

But perhaps the best mood-brightener is knowing that the days are slowly but surely getting longer! The sun being out a little longer each day motivates me to do my best to shake off my winter blues.  :)

A Brief Update on My Stories for Class

Thus far I've only been able to complete one story for Advanced Journalism, and it's been on the effects that dopamine has on the brain when one listens to his or her favorite song.
A study was recently conducted that found that as much dopamine is released in your brain when you listen to your favorite song as when you have sex.
So I interviewed students across campus and the overall consensus was that nobody was at all surprised by the findings of this study.
I found this interesting, because I was kinda surprised by the study. But apparently I was the only one!
I spoke to a professor of behavioral neuroscience, who explained why the brain has this reaction.
I also spoke to a friend of mine who is a psychology major and music minor, the perfect combination for this story and she was very helpful.
Then I spoke with the Head Music Director of WUSO who explained his feelings on music and how he feels when he listens to a song he really likes.
Lastly I interviewed a music major who also wasn't at all surprised by the findings because he has enjoyed music his whole life.

The story was a lot of fun to write and I didn't have any difficulties getting interviews or reactions with this piece. I think a lot of students will read it when The Torch hits news stands this Friday.