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News and information for EIU students in the Department of Journalism November 2014 Vol. 2, No. 1
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Agency sponsors family of two
Group seeks donations for holiday gifts By Lexi Stickel Holiday Helpers is allowing The Agency give back this year during the holiday season. The Agency is trying to get more involved in the community and help the less fortunate during the season of giving. Holiday Helpers is a program that provides Christmas packages to the less fortunate. The Agency staff believes it is time to give back to the community and plan on doing so by adopting a less fortunate family. The family that they are helping is an 18-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter. The Agency is trying to raise $100 to purchase gifts for this family and is seeking donations. Some of the items that The Agency might be purchasing are a winter coat, a blender, diapers, snow shoes and children’s books. The Agency is setting up donation boxes in the journalism office, the student publications newsroom and WEIU newsroom. Many people donate their time and money to help the less fortunate during the holiday season. Katelyn Ifft, director of The Agency, said the holiday season is a time for giving, and some people forget that and tend to think it is a time for receiving. “Giving back reminds us of what’s really importSee DONATIONS, pg. 4
Department mourns loss of Samantha Middendorf By Sally Renaud We always talk about how we are so close to our students in the journalism department. That closeness was never seen more clearly than this weekend, when two of our students were involved in an automobile accident that claimed the life of one and injured the other. When we said, “Samantha and Jarad …,” everyone knew about whom we were talking. We know these two young people from our classes, from The Daily Eastern News, from our front office, from trips with them. Their bylines were prominent in the paper. And so were their energy and enthusiasm in the newsroom and in the department. Samantha Middendorf died Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, from injuries suffered in the accident. Her loss is felt, and the numbness we feel has not worn off. We are going about our work, but we are seeing Samantha’s image everywhere. It’s heartbreaking. The staff of The Daily Eastern News had the difficult task of covering the accident, remembering Samantha and supporting Jarad. With the helps of their advisers and editors, they worked and grieved, and then worked and grieved some more. The process, of course, is not over. The staff of News Watch also faces these challenges. Jarad’s roommate, Braden Harp, a senior geography major studying meteorology
More about Samantha:
NewsWatch Video DEN news article DEN column
who is a weather forecaster, and other members of News Watch, have been touched by this tragedy. They, too, covered the accident and prepared a tribute piece for Samantha. They continue to mourn, while they help their friend through his recovery at home. The kindness of our alumni and of the campus community has helped our students and the department as well. Flowers sent to the DEN newsroom. Posts on Facebook. Notes of sympathy and support. Virtual hugs. We appreciated them all.
“The kindness of our alumni and of the campus community has helped...” Sally Renaud
Samantha Middendorf
Photo: Jason Howell
Services Visitation: Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, and from 8 to 10:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, at Moll Funeral Home in Mascoutah, Illinois. Funeral: The funeral will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, at St. Pancratius Catholic Church in Fayetteville, Illinois.
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the Chili Bash
Photo: Liz Viall Interm chair Sally Renaud reading a mystery novel by Miami Herald reporter Carl Hiaasen. Photo: Liz Viall Journalism majors Liz Grubart and Katelyn Ifft met alum Katrina Zaret, right, at the Chili Bash during Homecoming Oct. 25. Grubart is social media editor for The Agency, Ifft is The Agency director. Zaret served as The Agency director and vice president of PRSSA while at Eastern. Marco Santana, a 2008 journalism graduate and now a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, was honored as Alumnus of the Year by the journalism department at a luncheon Friday and at the Chili Bash.
JWR JWR is a publication of the EIU Department of Journalism. 2521 Buzzard Hall, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920 217-581-6003 www.eiu.edu/~journal
The Agency meets: Every Thursday in 2434 Buzzard Hall 5 p.m.
Journalist Wavel eng t h
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The Agency produces JWR and writes news for the department’s blog
Blog: www.eiujournalism.wordpress.com Twitter: @EIU_Journalism Facebook Page:
search for Eastern Illinois University Journalism
Website: www.eiu.edu/~agency
JWR:
is organized, edited and designed by The Agency, the student-run public relations firm at EIU.
The The
Staff: Editor:
Lexi Stickel
The Agency Director: Katelyn Ifft
The Agency Associate Director: Jazmin Smiley
Writers:
Ashley Jordan Lexi Stickel
Jazmin Smiley
Liz Grubart Katelyn Ifft Rachel Pender
Contributors: Brian Poulter Sally Renaud Jason Howell
The Agency Adviser: Liz Viall, ekviall@eiu.edu
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Hobbies include motorcycles, mysteries By Jazmin Smiley For many of the journalism instructors at Eastern Illinois University, finding time to indulge in a hobby is a very rare opportunity. However when the occasion arises they like to indulge in fun and character building activities. Sally Renaud, professor and interim chair of journalism, is quite busy these days and finds it hard to find free time. When she does find time, she enjoys reading mysteries. “Nothing is better to me than being in an arm chair in my pajamas on the weekend reading a good book,” she said. Renaud likes to read authors who write series. “The books progress and you get to know the time periods very well, you eventually feel like you know these characters,” Renaud said. Her favorite authors include Walter Mosley and Robert B. Parker. Another part that she finds interesting about reading mysteries is that the main characters are usually on the right side of the law and that the main character in each book has a different code of ethics, she said. Renaud said she’s excited when a new book of a series comes out and she gets to discuss it with her colleagues. When communication law instructor John Ryan has spare time he enjoys
playing golf. Ryan said that he is really into sports and use to play basketball and jog. When he became a candidate for knee replacement he had to find another hobby. Ryan said he got into golf because with golf he can still play a sport that was competitive and can be played at any age. “It’s challenging as heck, it takes a lot of practicing and playing to be adequate,” Ryan said. Photojournalism instructor Brian Poulter enjoys the road less travelled when he has spare time to indulge in his hobby. Poulter is an avid long distance motorcyclist, also called adventure riding. He packs a bag of clothes, a few gallons of gas, some granola and hops into his motorcycle and side car and ventures out on scenic routes throughout the U.S. In 2010 he travelled 13,000 miles to Alaska and the Yukon Territory, “A lot of adventure riders travel down to Alaska in the summer because it’s so pretty then,” Poulter said. In the summer of 2012 he traveled on Old National Road, the first major improved highway in the U.S with a rich history. “I always liked exploring. I don’t want to go to an amusement park, I want to explore and meet people,” Poulter said. Poulter’s next goal is to travel from Alaska to Argentina in 2017.
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The Warbler won the first place Pinnacle award for its Holi spread. It was also awarded Best in Show at the CMA convention for yearbooks under 300 pages.
J-students attend ACP/CMA convention By Rachel Pender Ten journalism students and five faculty attended the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Adviser’s fall convention Oct. 29Nov. 1 in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Marriot Downtown. Students were able to attend seminars presenting them with education, research and resources lead by professionals. Olivia Diggs, manager and photo editor of the Warbler, said she attended seminars on food writing, how to get careers outside of journalism, how to get a job at the New York Times and sessions on yearbook. “The one that was most useful to me as a person is the food writing session because there are so many food writers out there and I learned that I should make a blog and have it focus on one thing,” Diggs said. “They told us about one
woman who had a blog all about jarred food, and now she published a book on it!” She said she plans on using the things she learned for the Warbler. “They talked to us about using social media to help make the yearbook something people talk about year round rather than just when they have it in their hands,” Diggs said. Cayla Maurer, the social media manager for the Warbler, said the staff now plans on using social media to help recruit incoming students for yearbook staff. “We want to start interacting with local middle school and high school’s yearbook and newspaper staff,” Maurer said. “We want to let them know we are interested in seeing their work and invite them to work for us.” Maurer also attended the seminars “Get the Job,” and “Chase the
Vision: Taking a Chance on Journalism Startup,” where she learned about promoting her best self to employers. Megan Ivey, the design editor for the Warbler and an entertainment writer for The Verge, attended the session “Life after Esquire “ lead by Darhil Crooks, creative director for The Atlantic and Michael Wilson who is the design director for Philadelphia Magazine. Both Crooks and Wilson previously worked for Esquire. “It was my favorite session,” Ivey said. “They talked about how their career paths after college to Esquire and also how they built their careers.” Ivey said she learned just how many ways she could build her career. Ivey also attended a session called “Chicken Salad.” “It actually had nothing to do about chicken
salad,” she said “They gave us examples of design techniques that I scribbled down to use for The Warbler and The Verge.” The Warbler was awarded Best in Show and the first place Pinnacle Award for its entertainment spread on Holi. The Daily Eastern News received nineth place Best in Show in the four-year daily category. In addition to Diggs, Maurer, Ivey, and Volk, journalism students Roberto Hodge, Jarad Jarmon, Stephanie Markham, Samantha Middendorf, Bob Reynolds, Katie Smith and Amanda Wilkson attended the event. Journalism faculty John Ryan, Brian Poulter, Sally Renaud, Lola Burnham and Joe Gisondi accompanied the students.
SCJ at Eastern
Society history entwined with EIU journalism, students participate in West Virginia conference By Jessi Welland The Society of Collegiate Journalists has a rich history at Eastern Illinois University. To understand that history it is important not only to look at what SCJ is today, but also the events that shaped the society. The society was originally two separate Greek-letter journalism societies, Pi Delta Epsilon and Alpha Phi Gamma. The efforts to combine these two societies into a strong central group started in the 1960s, however, there was not a strong push to merge until Daniel E. Thornburgh of Eastern Illinois University in 1973. Thornburgh was the vice president of Pi Delta Epsilon and although the merge was voted down in
1973 he held onto his belief that these two societies should merge. His next move was to invite the national presidents of Alpha Phi Gamma to the Pi Delta Epsilon National Convention to participate in their merger discussions in 1975. The adviser and coordinator who would be handling these merger questions and discussions was John David Reed of Eastern Illinois University. Through his efforts a merger agreement was brought to Alpha Phi Gamma and was approved through a mail ballot. Part of the merger agreement stated that a former Phi Delta Epsilon member would become president.Thornburgh, who was president during 1975,
became the immediate past president. Thornburgh and Reed helped create what is now known as the Society for Collegiate Journalists and made EIU an important part of its history. The conference of these two merged societies is held every two years and was last held Oct. 2-4 at Bethany College in West Virginia. During the conference journalism students from across the country discuss and amend bylaws and contests that SCJ holds with the help of past members and professors. They also attend sessions that focus on different parts of journalism, such as ethics and photography. Sally Renaud, the inter-
im chair of the journalism department at EIU, attended the event with two EIU sophomore journalism majors, Megan Ivey and Lauren McQueen. Having the students participate is a great opportunity, Renaud said. The students are taking ownership and making decisions for the society. Renaud said they did a great job and it was an empowering opportunity. “It made me so proud to see Lauren leading the discussions during the conference,” Renaud said. The students were chosen not only because of their hard work in the journalism department at EIU but also in hopes that they will continue their involve-
ment in SCJ throughout their time at EIU. Last summer, Eastern Illinois University was also chosen to be the national headquarters for SCJ. “It is an honor to have it back here,” Renaud said. “With EIU having an important role in shaping the current SCJ, we are very proud to be the new headquarters.” Katelyn Ifft and Beth Kastl are coordinating the office. Being the headquarters of SCJ includes responsibilities such as keeping chapter paperwork and distributing SCJ pins, certificates and honor cords to university chapters. SCJ members are very proud of their work and they take it very seriously, Renaud said.
The Agency is looking for you! The student-run public relations firm at EIU will be hiring editors for paid positions in spring 2015. If you’re interesting in writing, design, public relations and campaigns, join us spring semester. Contact Katelyn Ifft, director, at krifft@eiu.edu
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Fall 2014 speakers
Photo: Brian Poulter Journalism alum John Ferak spoke about investigative journalism and about his book “Bloody Lies: A CSI Scandal in the Heartland.”
Talent show slated for spring By Ashley Jordan The Agency will have its third annual Salvation Army Talent Show in the spring semester of 2015. By hosting this talent show, the Agency brings people together for a good cause, the Salvation Army. “The Agency hosts an annual talent show to raise funds, canned goods and awareness for the Salvation Army,” said Jazmin Smiley, associate director of The Agency. In order to enter the show, students must bring a canned good or donate $1 to the Salvation Army. The talent show showcases what the performers have to offer and allows performers to share their talent. “Putting on this event is imperative because giving
back is so essential to our community,” Smiley said. “This event is a great forum to spread awareness, raise funds and food while also providing a fun interactive evening for EIU students, faculty and the community.” Daniel Trevor, a communications studies major, is a beat-boxer and has won the talent show two years in a row. “I felt like I was actually doing something productive and helpful to the community, which definitely helped me feel good about myself,” he said. Trevor definitely understands the essence of the talent show and appreciates being part of something bigger than just performing. “If I had to give advice to future talent show partici-
pants, it would be to not treat this as a competition,” Trevor said. “If you begin to lose focus on the real cause, you know helping out people with the Salvation Army, then it really won’t be much fun.” The Agency members gain valuable public relations experience from putting on such an organized production. The members work diligently for the success of the show, the support for the Salvation Army, and to show off some of EIU’s talent. This is the Agency’s biggest production of the year. In the past, the show has featured Irish dancers, singers, and comedians. The Agency welcomes new acts and there will be a first, second and third prize.
DEN to celebrate 100 years Photo: Brian Poulter Journalism alum Evan Hill is employed at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He returned to EIU to discuss designing pages for the paper during the Ferguson demonstrations.
By Liz Grubart Starting at the beginning of next semester, faculty in the journalism department will begin the process of reaching out to alumni who had previously worked for the Daily Eastern News to prepare for its 100th anniversary celebration Nov. 7, 2015. Professor John Ryan is planning the celebration. He said he would like to
have any previous editors for the DEN to participate in sharing thoughts about each experience for a booklet he wants to put together in order to gather memories from past years. “I think it would be great to have a collection of the staff’s individual experiences from throughout the years,” Ryan said. “Some schools have a ways to go before getting to their hun-
dredth year, which means Eastern has something meaningful here.” At the start of spring semester, Ryan and other faculty members as well as some students will begin to contact alumni and get information for the celebration. Past DEN members will be invited. For more information, go to The Daily Eastern News 100th Birthday page on FaceBook.
DONATIONS, continued from pg. 1
Photo: Sally Renaud Journalism alum Kevin McDermott spoke with students about his work at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covering the Ferguson demonstrations.
ant. Some people are less fortunate than others, and we need to remember them during the holidays,” Ifft said. The Agency wants to give back to the community during the holiday season and make the lives of other much easier. Giving back to the community makes oth-
er realize how great life is. “If more people gave back and starting putting other before themselves, society would be better for it,” Ifft said. Agency member Ashley Jordan said giving back during the holiday season gives her a much better feeling than receiving during
this time of year. “I am extremely glad The Agency is helping this family during this season. It makes me feel like I am part of a great and giving organization,” Jordan said. Ifft said “Giving back is a humbling experience and reminds us of what’s really important in life.”
Photo: Liz Viall EIU students, from left, Katelyn Ifft, Gina Volk, Aaliyah Stephen, Brad Kupiec and Bobby Galuski talked about student publications during Media Fest 2014 on Oct. 1. The students answered questions about The Agency, The Warbler, The DEN, PRSSA, WEIU-TV and radio. Brian Poulter was the panel moderator. The Agency sponsored Media Fest this year as a new way to get students involved in student publications and groups such as SCJ.