I wrote an article for the National Presbytery News Service about the NNPCW leadership conference I attended. The network is a feminist group with a mission statement that includes a commitment to challenge systems of oppression, domination, exploitation and suffering and to work for justice in both church and society.
You can read the article and bio here.
A performance by Wilco concluded Columbia’s outdoor concert series Summerfest last night. More than 2,000 people gathered Ninth Street outside the Blue Note to listen to some music and to enjoy the atmosphere. Dr. Dog from West Philadelphia opened with their three-part harmonies off of their new album We All Belong.
Wilco gave a great show and really appealed to the audience. They performed at Summerfest two years ago and seemed to be a crowd favorite. When “You Are My Face” was played, the crowd immediately gathered closer toward the stage. Creator Jeff Tweedy told us that that we were the best audience on the tour. After leaving the stage once, the crowd cheered them on for three encores, and Wilco did not disappoint. Since the band was formed in 1994, it is true that Wilco have been around for awhile. However, they still know how to please a crowd and provide an entertaining, enjoyable show for all ages.
I absolutely love my classes and I am very excited for this semester.
In my first week, I learned how to build a website out of Dreamweaver without my brother’s help (a computer science major). My convergence website has my story ideas for the semester. It is very basic, but it will get a lot better. I can’t wait to learn more.
Also, I started my job at Sycamore which is wonderful. I work Thursday, Friday on Saturday night. Food service not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Duties include bringing water, refilling water, clearing tables and resetting tables. I love always having something to do. As a multi-tasker, it is great to be constantly moving.
And I bike everywhere, which saves an immense amount of time. I do get scared that I will run into people or fall off, but so far so good.
Moving out is a big process. As I finished up my last final, the thought then hit me on how to move out all of the stuff from my room. I have been packing for a couple of days and it looks like nothing has changed. The walls look a little barer, but other than that, I have so much stuff. I can’t believe that I’ve accumulated so much—and that it fits in my small dorm room. But I figure that I’m living here more than I live at home, so it is totally worth it to bring more stuff to make Mizzou home.
My parents will come tomorrow to pick up my stuff. So far I have rented a storage shelter (Storage Mart to share with my friends to keep the things I need for next year. It is kind of pricy, but I don’t need a lot of this stuff at home anyway. The dorm checkout process is pretty simple, except the fact that we need to bunk our beds and clean everything really well. If we don’t clean, then they charge an hourly fee for a cleaner.
The rush to get an elevator is a bit challenging, and there is usually a battle for the laundry carts, but a little endurance will go a long way. Moving out will feel really good when done. The hardest part is saying goodbye to all of your friends. At least knowing that you will be back in three months to see them helps.
One of the advantages of living in the dorms is the free food. And you can never deny college students free food. Tonight in the lounge, we have Panera bagels. Tomorrow we have Jimmy John’s subs, and Thursday we have Gumby’s Pizza. The food comes from the activity fees from the beginning of the year (since I am in the Journalism and Communication Community).
Then, we have a school-wide midnight breakfast at Brady Commons tonight AND one in the dining hall Wednesday night. And these are open to all students living on or off campus. It is great to have these kinds of opportunities for students to be able to take a break from studying for finals. This week we don’t have classes, just lots and lots of tests. I have two tomorrow and one on Thursday. So I plan on taking a lot of food breaks.
I think I may have fallen in love with Columbia today. Today I walked to the Earth Day festivities at Peace Park on the outskirts of campus. There was a complete celebration as vendors took over Elm street selling tie-dye, handmade jewelry, pottery and other treasures. If I had any money, I would be completely adorned in beads. However, I did pick up some information on sustainable energy, recycling and volunteering from groups such as Sustain Mizzou and Office of Volunteer Services”. I was highly impressed with the belly dancing lessons and performance.
It seemed as if the entire town came out to celebrate Earth Day. The smell of funnel cake filled the air as families and people of all ages hung out and listened to music in the park. The environment was so friendly; I could have sat down for hours just enjoying the atmosphere. There was also a fashion show from recycled clothes on the stage. I love local festivities, and this was the first time that I have been able to witness this in Columbia. The beautiful weather only added to the fun of the event. Just what I needed before my frantic studying for finals.
This weekend I went to the SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) conference in St. Louis. I serve as programming chair for our chapter and our executive board got to stay at the Crowne Plaza where the conference was being held. Very fancy and very informative.
The first presentation that I attended was Navigating the New Media given by Mike Anderson, creator of STLmedia.net. An interesting tidbit is that there are 71 million blogs out there. How to make your blog unique is the key. He spoke about how to create a blog including tips like “Cover what you know, link to the rest.”
I learned about freelancing and the importance of writing what you know: life, work/education and passions. Networking is particularly important in this job to search out markets and build relationships with editors. We did several writing exercises to get the ideas flowing.
During the afternoon, I learned about New Reporting for a New Age to avoid having holes in our stories. The first element when composing a story, according to Mizzou journalism professor Martha Steffens, is to come up with a News Hypothesis based on what the story means. Then the next pieces are data (facts, observable details), context (background), and perspective (journalist’s lens). The important thing is to do the research first, then get the interviews (or else the interviews lead the story).
The SPJ Conference “The Changing Face of Journalism” allowed me to meet both professionals and students and learn about the new direction that journalism is going. And it’s definitely changing.
What an exciting Saturday! I went to see the Neo-Nazi March. In reality, there were only about 24 protestors and packed streets full of people who wanted to see them. About 1000 people showed up to see a couple dozen members of the National Socialist Movement. And they only marched for about 45 minutes. However, it was a spectacular display as 110 police officers kept order decked out with shields and pepper spray with a helicopter overhead.
I am sure every photo-journalism and journalism student gathered around to watch. One of the people on my floor who went got some great close up photos. However getting that close yields consequences: he was spat on and was thrown to the ground.
The participation at Douglass Park was impressive. There were many signs that said “No Hate in Our Town,” and people wearing t-shirts that said the same. It was great to see the town come together to overcome this display of hate. Fight hate, go diversity!
For those who have been following Columbia news, the Nazis are coming on Saturday. The National Socialist Movement will be marching in protest to the Missouri school of Journalism. The Missouri chapter of the neo-Nazi group will march down Elm Street, Hitt Street, University Ave, and Ninth street sometime from noon to 5 p.m. The best thing is to ignore the group.
In response, the city will host Tolerance Day with several events to have people away from where the Nazi group will be.
Not every town has the neo-Nazis marching through it. However, is is best to get some free stuff and particpate in Columbia’s “Tolerance Day.” The best thing to do on Saturday afternoon? Take a nap or go to the park. The best thing is to not get violent and give this group what they want.
The weather is actually nice. Dress and skirt weather. Weather where you can laugh and not feel your lungs freeze together. All in all, good weather.
Have fun in the weather. Go out and do something spectacular. My friends played outside and threw Frisbees around. Other fun activities include walking downtown and window-shopping. Ride a bike. There are many 45 miles of hiking trails around Columbia including the MKT trail, an urban walkway, which connects to the Katy State Park. The Katy Trails were converted from a railway and I read that it is a 227 mile east-west path that goes across most of the state. I’ve heard great things about it. And the Santa Fe Trail starts in Boonville, about 10 miles away.
Also, there are 3000 acres of state parklands 10 miles within the city. I have yet to locate the other parks, but within walking distance is Peace Park. Many community groups use the park. I was walking downtown (after I had just read Don Quixote), and I found a Medieval Reenactment group practicing at Peace Park. I felt a little like Don Quixote and a bit crazy. They let us know that if we were interested in learning more, we were always welcome.
Like to rock climb or spelunk? There are options at Rock Bridge to explore Connor’s Cave. At Mizzou, there is an Outdoor Adventure Club. Also, there is the Venture Out program that has several trips that are intended to introduce people to rock climbing. There is even an Alpline Tower (big climbing course) for another fun challenge.
There is no reason not to go outside. I even saw a rollerblader today. It reminded me of those lazy fourth grade days. There is no reason not to go outside when it is so nice outside. I can’t wait to explore some of those trails.