Cartoon by Ellen Weiss

The Bulletin relies on many different sources for gathering story ideas and news tips to keep students up-to-date on campus and area events. Local establishments, as well as Emporia State, provide calendars of events, which we utilize on a daily basis. Via ESU’s events calendar on BuzzIn, The Bulletin learned of the football team’s talent show last Friday night, which was held in Albert Taylor Hall. Under the impression that it was like any other campus event we have covered, we sent a reporter and photographer.

Following normal protocol, the reporter called at 3 p.m. on the day of the show to let the football staff know she would be in attendance and to schedule an interview with some participants.

Upon arrival at the event the reporter conducted an interview before the show began. Once the interview was completed, the reporter and photographer took seats at the back of the auditorium and waited for the show to begin. A member of the coaching staff then approached them and was uncertain whether or not they were allowed to stay and said he would speak with the head coach when he arrived. When Garin Higgins, head coach, arrived, he said that the event was private and only for football players and that the reporter and photographer were not allowed to be there.

He suggested that he wanted the football players to be able to make fools of themselves and the coaches without others’ knowledge. He then, in a voice that the reporter described as “rude,” said there was “no story.” They were asked to leave.

This is preposterous. First of all, our reporter called ahead of time to “okay” The Bulletin’s presence at the event, which was held in a public venue, and therefore, there was no reason for Higgin’s offensive reaction. The situation was, in its entirety, silly.

To clarify, the staff of The Bulletin is not angry over the situation – we simply feel miffed. This is ESU’s football team. It is our own. One would think that these two campus organizations, the football team and The Bulletin, would work together in order to have a unified campus. But The Bulletin was rejected.

Obviously, the football team was worried about being portrayed in a negative light, however The Bulletin is a professional collective. It is our goal to cover news objectively – anything that was done during this talent show would have been represented in a fair and informative manner.

If the coaching staff felt that the event needed to be private, they could have made it so by not allowing it to appear on a publicly accessible website as a public event.

People want to know what fun things there are to do on campus, and they want to stay in touch with people that represent them abroad (see: the football team). There are many sides to all students here at ESU, and seeing the football team off the field and on-stage may have given students an opportunity to expand their view of the players as people.

The Bulletin exists to serve as the paper of record for all enrolled students at ESU and as an opportunity for students to gain experience in the newspaper field – not to make students or faculty look like idiots.

Staff Editorial

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Ryan

When I first started working for The Bulletin, I didn’t think the job would lead to much. I was entering my second semester of freshman year and suddenly realized, like most college students, that I was low on funds. I applied as a page designer, thinking I could draw on the skills I learned in high school yearbook to make some quick cash. But I was told the position was filled.

Do you have experience writing?

Yes.

You’re hired.

So began my journey down the rabbit’s hole at The Bulletin. By February, I had covered Barack Obama’s campaign stop in El Dorado. By April, I was writing a series about a violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Open Records Act by the Faculty Senate. By May, I was hired as the managing editor for the next semester. Then by the next May, I was editor. That was two years ago.

Being a college journalist isn’t easy. You’re often told when you screw up and rarely told when you do well. There’s a constant pressure from deadlines and you’ll often find yourself writing an article instead of doing homework, or scheduling interviews instead of hanging out with friends. But it’s indescribable the feeling you get when you see your byline on page one, even if it’s just a college paper. That’s when you know you’ve got the journalism bug, that you’re willing to follow the rabbit down a hole.

But despite all of the stress, this job has been extremely rewarding. I’ve gotten to interview people on this campus that I wouldn’t normally talk to and share their stories. I’ve found a mentor in our adviser, Max McCoy, who is one of The Bulletin’s greatest assets. I’ve met countless friends who share a healthy dose of outrage with me. I’ve gotten to intern at the Student Press Law Center, a non-profit that advocates for student journalists’ rights, and at The Joplin Globe in Joplin, Mo. I’ve learned to become a better writer. And I’ve finally discovered what I’m supposed to do with my life.

I was lost when I came to ESU. I came here because I needed an affordable college education. I had family that had gone to school here. My long-term boyfriend was a student here. But when I joined the paper, I finally found a calling. I’m not going to say that journalism “saved” me, but rather it has pointed me in the right direction. And despite the job cuts, I’m going to give it my best shot to make it as a journalist.

Graduation looms. There’s that raw anticipation in my gut that comes from knowing I’ll soon be doing bigger and better things, but it’s juxtaposed by a sense of dread that nearly all graduates have right now in this economic climate – that maybe I won’t succeed. That maybe I’ve chosen the wrong path.

But that’s just the way it is – we just have to deal with the unknown, the possibility of failure, but also, the possibility of great success. We have to see the possibilities in ourselves as we peer through the looking-glass.

Kelsey Ryan/The Bulletin

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For the first time since 2003, The Bulletin was named the All-Kansas college newspaper for four year public institutions. Seven members and adviser Max McCoy attended the annual Kansas Associated of Collegiate Press on Sunday and Monday in Hutchinson, where the paper received the All-Kansas award, the top award given by the KACP, Gold Overall for its website and 21 other individual awards.

“I’m very proud of our staff this year,” said Kelsey Ryan, senior political science major and editor-in-chief of The Bulletin. “We’ve worked hard and I’m glad we’ve been recognized by KACP.”

Ryan joined The Bulletin staff during the spring semester of her freshman year and has been the editor-in-chief for the past two years. She said that despite ESU’s lack of a journalism major, the paper’s quality comes from a diverse staff and supportive adviser.

“Our staff comes from different backgrounds and majors, so each staff member brings a unique skill set that helps strengthen the paper,” Ryan said. “Having a strong advocate for adviser has also helped tremendously.”

Max McCoy, assistant professor of journalism, has been The Bulletin’s adviser for the past four years and said the paper has improved consistently each year.

“I’m very proud of all the staff, and The Bulletin leadership in particular,” McCoy said. “I’ve been lucky to have a number of talented people in key positions.”

McCoy said that over the years, each staff has had their own strengths which were reflected in the different sections of the paper.

“Looking at the judges’ comments in the overall competition, they stressed the variety of news, the solid coverage, the consistency between issue to issue and the willingness to tackle significant and in depth reporting, and I can only agree that those are the strengths of this year’s staff,” McCoy said.

McCoy said the All-Kansas is a validation of the staff’s efforts throughout the year and that a new benchmark has been set for future staffs. Whereas other areas of the competition focus on single aspects of the paper, this award is given for overall excellence of the publication.

“Journalism has taken a beating in the current economic climate,” McCoy said. “No one knows what’s going to happen to newspapers… but awards like this are particularly important for the future of journalism – it’s going to thrive in the universities.”

According to the KACP’s competition results, The Bulletin staff received awards for the following categories:

• Editorial Writing

Eric Hemphill, 3rd place, “Brownback Already Turning His Back on Education”

Eric Hemphill, HM, “Ban Bombs, Not Books”

• Single Ad Design

Juhye Bak, 2nd place, “www.esubulletin.com”

Ellen Weiss, 3rd place, “Reporters and Columnists Wanted”

• Special Section

Kelsey Ryan, Kellen Jenkins & Shane Wilson, 2nd place, “NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Champions”

• Headline Writing

Kelsey Ryan, HM, “Yoga Mama Gets Bendy: ‘You’re as young as your spine is supple’ ”

• Infographics

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Red Hot Chili Peppers”

• Sports Column

Brandon Schneeberger, HM, “The Beauty of the DII Athlete”

• Review Writing

Steven Stanek, 1st place, “Choo-Choo!”

• Series Writing

Kenzie Templeton, HM, “‘Pot’ Culture”

• Sports Photography

Kellen Jenkins, 1st place, “Hornets hang on for late win”

Kellen Jenkins, HM, “Women loose to Gorillas”

• Feature Photography

Kellen Jenkins, 3rd place, “A Look Through the Lens”

Megan Gartner, HM, “All in the Family”

• Illustration

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Student use online dating to find <3”

• Columns

Eric Hemphill, 2nd place, “Kansas Arts in Trouble”

Eric Hemphill, HM, “Literary Censorship: The Comeback Kid?”

Kelsey Ryan, 3rd, “No News Not Always Good News”

• Cartoons

Ellen Weiss, 1st place, “Brownback Already Turning His Back on Education”

Ellen Weiss, HM, “Ban Bombs, Not Books”

• Individual Online Newspaper

Kellen Jenkins, 2nd place

Kenzie Templeton

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A new year at Emporia State means a new start and an abundance of golden opportunities to meet new people and share and discuss ideas with others from all walks of life. The Bulletin is excited for a new school year, and a new year of the paper. 2011 marks the 110^th anniversary of the first publication of The Bulletin, and we want to make this year’s newspaper the best it’s ever been.

The Bulletin’s motto is “The students’ voice since 1901.” We truly believe in this motto, and hope that students understand that we at The Bulletin are dedicated to ensuring that this motto remains true. The only way that this can happen is for students at ESU to use The Bulletin as a medium for voicing questions, concerns and comments about ESU, Emporia and the surrounding area.

Emporia is a kind of melting pot of students from every political, religious and cultural viewpoint, and every person on campus should have the same opportunity to present his or her own opinion. The only sure way to learn about any subject, event or school of thought is to learn and understand every possible side of the issue.

We believe that The Bulletin can help educate everyone at ESU about this school, this city, and events on a global scale. But, this transference of knowledge is completely dependent on the students who contribute to the paper. We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in voicing their views in a more public forum to apply at The Bulletin, comment on articles on the paper’s website (esubulletin.com) and write letters to the editor, which are published in the opinion section of the paper. We are always interested in including numerous viewpoints in every edition of the paper in order to ensure that all sides of every issue are presented.

We strive to make The Bulletin a starting point for campus-related discussions. Our greatest mission for the articles included in every edition of The Bulletin is to stimulate constructive and civil debate among ESU students. We do not simply want to report the news; we want our readers to think about the news, to talk about the news, and to motivate other students to take part in the intellectual community at ESU.

The Bulletin has been producing news about Emporia State and the surrounding area since 1901. Throughout that time, the paper has been a student-led production. In order to properly represent the entire student body, students from all political, religious and cultural stances should be seen in print. Those interested in applying for a position at The Bulletin should come to The Bulletin office, on the third floor of the Memorial Union, to pick up an application.

Students at ESU deserve to be heard, and we at The Bulletin want nothing more than to give every student the power to have his or her voice heard by all.

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