Journalism is something we all encounter everyday whether we read a newspaper, watch the news or listen to a radio broadcast. Although some would say the future of journalism is bleak, I would say journalism has no end because America thrives and survives on curiosity and keeping current on the events going on around them. We all turn to journalism for our news, but the method for which we receive such information is drastically different. In the past, our only source for news was in a newspaper, but now we can turn to on the television or the radio, read a magazine and even more commonly, look to the Internet.

Prior to enrolling in this course, I never would have given journalism a thought as a possible career. However, as the end of my career at UW-River Falls draws near, I can’t imagine my life without journalism. Despite all of the hectic weekly interviews, the most relaxing part of my week is when I finally sit down to write my weekly article for the Student Voice. I look forward to taking a break from all of my other course work to share a newsworthy story via campus media. This week, I began looking for job postings in the field of journalism because I have discovered it is an even greater passion for me than I was once aware of.

This semester has been full of newsworthy events for our campus media to cover, ranging from the governor’s budget proposal to various Student Senate issues and the crisis in both Egypt and Japan. I am honored to say I am one of the reporters for campus media that has had the opportunity to cover such events.

Near the beginning of the semester, I had the chance to speak with several students and the faculty coordinator about their study abroad trip to Egypt over winter break. Each individual shared a different perspective on their trip, as well as a numb emotion to everything occurring around them. Students all said they never felt unsafe during the course of their trip, despite the fact that they arrived safely back in the U.S. only days before the revolt in Egypt began. According to the students, the Egyptian people want Egypt back for the people.

As a journalist, preparing for interviews can be a scary task. Being sure to constantly ask the right questions and keeping track of the important quotes are all difficult tasks. At times, journalists face the difficulty of convincing students and professors to make time for them; however, this article did not possess such a problem. Students, professors and affected individuals came from all directions to share their hopes and well wishes for the country of Egypt. I am honored to have had the chance to share a story about the Egyptian people with the help of UWRF Egyptian trip participants.

At the beginning of the semester, I was assigned the Student Senate beat. This was a scary beat for a new addition to the world of reporting. In order for me to better understand what Student Senate is all about, I met with various senators in my first week to discuss their role and why Student Senate is important. Overtime, I learned and understood the Student Senate lingo enough to begin to understand why Student Senate is truly important to the UWRF campus. At a meeting in February, student senators very passionately discussed a motion for the Allocable Fee Appropriations Board (AFAB) to review its policy on non-dues charging organizations.

This passionate discussion lead to my article a few weeks ago about what the review of its policies could mean for students across campus. This would force AFAB to take a closer look at its policy on allocating part of their budget to dues charging organizations. Although I understood that Student Senate had control over student fees, I wasn’t aware that registered student organizations across campus did not all have equal access to their fees. I have since learned that AFAB only allocates its budget to non-dues charging organizations, while dues-charging organizations are left to fend for themselves throughout the year. The various sides of senate became very clear in this debate, as supporters of the review sided with fraternities and sororities, while the opposing side supports inclusivity on the UWRF campus.