Pat Trosky
[email protected]
Many thanks go out to Mylique Sutton, Amanda Gipson, Casey Petty, Daphnie Vega, Tiara Zhan'e Hernandez, Steve Santiago, L.J. Santa Maria, Becky Long, Liana Van and Belle Culver. In the be ginning there was also help from Chase Petty, Kristin Baker, Leslie Capozzoli and Shainaliz Ortiz. The newspaper got an international feel thanks to the contributions of Dr. Beatriz Glick and her Spanish students.
On the IT side of things and under the guidance of Jon Trosky, IT instructor, Casey set up the Web site and Jeff Click from the IST program refined it. Aaron Hollenback, also from the IT program, developed an app for the newspaper.
Without the contributions of these individuals, The PSU Collegian would not have worked.
And, as you can see, it takes more than students from one second year writing class to make a newspaper work. Just like in the real world, it takes the collaboration, talent and knowledge from different majors to produce a newspaper, news show or online media product. The PSU Collegian was trying to give its club members this experience through out the past academic year.
But the future of the college newspaper is uncertain. The PSU Collegian's existence is on shaky ground. The 260W class, which offers students writing for the media and much more, did not roster for the Fall semester. Discussion has been held on opening the course up again in the Spring of 2014 but that is not the time to start the school newspaper. It should be in the fall.
Since I won't be teaching a class on campus in the fall, someone else will need to step up with the understanding, guidance and ability to continue teaching as well as guiding the students on the newspaper or it will just go away.
If this is the one and only year of existence for The PSU Collegian, then so be it. We put out 32 issues and learned an awful lot.
The students learned being an English major DOES NOT make you a journalist nor does taking one Mass Communications class teach you everything about the media industry. The students, many of them interested in marketing and public relations, discovered they DID need to know how to write like a journalist. They also learned they DID need to know AP style.
Those involved with The PSU Collegian found out what the word DEADLINE means. A few learned the art of page design and adjusting photos for print. Many found out it wasn't easy to talk to people or make phone calls that were not returned. Some had doors closed in their faces while others were given excuses as to why they couldn't get information they wanted. A few students realized how difficult it was to define "news."
There is news all around us. Stories can be found everywhere. Above all, the students learned this and much more.
Journalism is a profession. It has a code of ethics and those who are taught correctly continue the legacy of great journalists of the past.
It has been my pleasure to be part of such a dedicated group of students who wanted to see what it was like to work in the media. Beyond what was learned in the short 15-week media course in the fall semester, the hands-on experience The PSU Collegian presented the students was an education they will get nowhere in a classroom.
Journalism is not just for someone "who likes to write." It is a career with specific duties, defined rules and a never-ending drive to deliver the stories that affect us all in some way. It is a responsibility to truth, balance and fairness.
I wish all of The PSU Collegian members an enjoyable summer filled with opportunities.