More than just the rules

As my time as a journalism and mass communications major comes to an end, it is fun to look back, and see what all I have done. One thing I have learned over the years is the true identity of the comma. I learned that there is much more to grammatical structure than simply putting a comma wherever the reader should pause. I also understand that a complete sentence must come after a semicolon; a colon, however, is different. It seems that grammar is always tricky, and maybe I will forever be stumped by certain nitpicky rules. And although I might not be able to call myself a master of grammar yet, I have learned so much more than rules that can be found in a handbook.

Probably most importantly, I have learned that journalism goes beyond writing a story for a publication. The world is actually depending on the work of such a journalist. When I begin my career, someone will be coming to me for answers. That is a powerful role, but I have been taught how to handle it. Not only have I been taught that I can be successful in this field, but I now know that it is something I love.

The only thing that seems to be missing is an answer to my profession question: What do I want to do when I grow up? Yes, I like journalism, but what do I actually want to do in the field? I guess this answer is not something I will find in the classroom. It is up to me to discover where I fit into this whole picture. I guess that will come with time. I am in no hurry.

Thank you to the teachers who have made this experience so magnificent; I couldn’t have asked for better. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Missing in Greeley

A few weeks ago, Greeley made the national news. Unfortunately, it was not a positive event that put this town on the map. Instead, news broke of a 12-year-old girl who went missing from Greeley.

Kayleah Wilson was headed to a friend’s birthday party on Sunday, March 28, but she never made it there. Her mother told authorities that Kayleah left home around 3:30 p.m. to walk to the birthday party. She was walking around the area of the Greeley Mall. Her mom was the last to see her.

Although UNC PD is not directly involved in this case, to say that it does not affect the department would be a stretch. Greeley police is handling this case along with help from the FBI. However, with the case being so close to campus, UNC PD, and the community, is still on the lookout.

Since Kayleah’s disappearance, I have seen notices containing her information posted around campus. UNC PD might not have its number on the flyer, but I’m sure the UNC police officers would be more than willing to help. Greeley police and UNC police help each other out on a regular basis; this would be no exception.

Additionally, the authorities and the family of Kayleah are asking everyone to help with this case. With today’s technology, anyone and everyone can be involved in anything. There is a Facebook page created for Kayleah’s disappearance. There are multiple articles and updates posted each day on the Greeley Tribune Web site. We constantly have information right at our fingertips—we can access it all so easily. Just as it may not be UNC PD’s case, it may not be your immediate concern. But that does not mean any of us should turn a blind eye. Please, for Kayleah’s sake, keep an eye out for her. We can all contribute.

Stay Safe

In the past month, one major policing event has occurred on the UNC campus. The police department notified students of an incident that happened on campus on Feb. 25, 2010. The officers said that a person was struck with an unidentified object by a suspect in a tunnel on campus. This tunnel connects the two campuses of UNC and gives students an alternative to crossing the street. The victim was not seriously hurt, but an incident like this definitely stirs fear among the campus community.

I was very impressed with the way the police department handled the incident. Mikel Longman, the chief of police at UNC, sent out an e-mail to all students informing them of the occurrence. In addition to providing facts, he also gave tips about staying safe on campus. For most of us, we have heard these tips over and over. It’s the cliché – the “don’t walk alone,” the “be aware of your surroundings” and the “be cautious of others.” Although we grow up hearing these tips and are reminded of them after many incidents, it is still nice to hear them yet again. Staying safe on campus is very important, and we often forget that these simple tips really can increase our safety.

It is hard for us to acknowledge the fact that we are vulnerable, and unfortunately, it takes events like this to remind us. At least we can follow simple tips that strive to keep us safe.

Work can also be play

I thought that spending an extended length of time with one person and writing down every detail would become exhausting and a little boring after about the first 30 minutes. But after writing my day-in-the-life story, I was pleasantly surprised. This was probably my favorite story up to this point.

The best part was the actual reporting. I went on a police ride-along with a University of Northern Colorado police officer for several hours during a night shift. The night was full of action, and the time passed very quickly. Because I am also majoring in criminal justice, I loved getting an inside look at police work.

After I finished the reporting, I wrote a story that included creative writing rather than just hard facts. The words seemed to just flow; I had so much information. It was sometimes difficult to capture the exact feeling I wanted to portray in each individual scene, but writing descriptively was a great change of pace. The details really make these types of stories. Hours and hours of reporting is a lot of work, but it is very beneficial in the end.

I learned a lot during the process of writing this story, but one thing sticks out above the rest. Just because it’s work doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

The art of blogging

So it’s day one of my second blogging experience, and I am very excited to get started. This blog is a place for me to inform readers of the news of my beat as well as the other experiences in my advanced news and feature writing class at UNC. One of the goals of the blog is to evaluate my writing in order to become a better journalist.

As I near the end of my journalism education, I am eager to cover a beat. I have yet to investigate one topic over the course of many weeks like I will with this beat. I will be reporting on the UNC Police Department. I hope to cover the officers in the uniforms as well as the issues they enforce. From this experience, I hope to get a better look into the lives of police officers and the challenges they face each day on a college campus.

In addition to journalism, my other passion is criminal justice. I already have some background on policing, but I know there is so much more to learn. There are many differences between city police departments and the ones working on college campuses. I have already noticed the increased focus on crimes relating to alcohol, drugs and driving violations. Other departments must focus on a much wider range of crimes. It is all relative to the population the department is serving.

From covering this beat and writing other stories in the class, I hope to improve my ability to think of creative story ideas. One of my weaknesses in the journalism field is coming up with good ideas to write about that will make for interesting stories. Once I have the idea, I am able to do the writing. It’s the idea that always stumps me. This is probably because of my lack of journalism experience outside of the classroom. I have a lot to juggle both in and out of school, so free time to further my journalism practice is hard to come by.

I do have some experience with blogging. Last semester I wrote a blog for another journalism class on my experiences covering Greeley's City Council. I really enjoyed keeping a blog. It was a great way to keep track of my experiences and write in a creative way. I find it hard to update the blog with posts that are short and concise, but that also are interesting to read. Sometimes the line between professional and personal gets blurry. But after last semester, I am confident in the blogging process. I think it is a great way to communicate, and I know that with more practice, I will learn the art of keeping a successful blog.