Week 12

There was no class during week 12, because Tuesday was the day for our final presentations.

The event was scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ended up going until about 8:15 p.m. We presented in a specific order listed on a program. Each attendee received a book of all senior project stories.

The presentations consisted of each of us answering questions designated the previous week by Alyssa and then we were given feedback on our stories from the panel of professionals and professors. 

I was scheduled to go last and essentially received all positive feedback.

Halfway through the event we took a brief break for the catered dinner provided by campus catering. 

The rest of the week we had the chance to work on any additional edits suggested at the presentations.

Week 13

No class this week. We were given the week to work on our finals edits and instructed to pick up the comments from attendees at the presentation at The News Outlet.

Week 11

Class 1 - 

I met with Mark to do final edits on my mainbar. The rest of the class met with Alyssa to go over what the following Tuesday's presentations would be like.

Class 2 -

We all convened at Smith Hall to discuss the order and format of the following Tuesday's presentations.  Alyssa gave advice about what to include in our presentations and how to handle difficult questions during the Q&A segment.

By this point, we all knew that we would make it out of senior project with a passing grade. Some students had a little more work to do on their projects and others were publication ready.

The final package, including mainbar, sidebar and multimedia was due by noon.

Week 10

Class 1 – 

We met at the Vindy and discussed the progress of our multimedia elements. Then we were free to discuss with our mentors whatever issues we were having and what our next steps should be. 

We were also given a list of the students who would be publication ready by the April 9 presentation and those who would probably need to continue working on their projects after the presentation.

Class 2 – 

We met early, starting at 1:30, and shared our rough multimedia sidebars. We discussed what each person could do to improve the product and what they had done well. 

I put together a radio story about what lawyers look for when selecting a jury. I was given notes about what to improve about the script and delivery. We were given one week to make edits based on the each others' feedback.

Week 9

Class 1 – 

We all met at the Vindicator and discussed multimedia options for our second sidebar. After solidifying the focus of each students' multimedia story, everyone was advised to seek further assistance from Christine Davidson and Andrew Bush to produce the multimedia stories.

The print sidebar was due the day before. We discussed and decided on a due date for the rough multimedia sidebar: the following Thursday. 

Then we were free to discuss our full projects with our mentor.

Class 2 – 

We had no formal meeting. We were free to meet with our mentor sometime during the week. 

I met with Mark the following Monday and we did a line-by-line edit of my mainbar.



***The previous week we were on Spring Break, but Alyssa gave a due date for the next draft of our mainbars. It was the Tuesday of Spring Break. Be aware that due dates will not always be on convenient days. I had mine done the week prior to Spring Break and it alleviates a lot of stress to do edits early. Also, communication is key. By this point in the semester, anyone who was going to drop out already had. But, we received a rather frightening e-mail from Alyssa, warning that anyone who missed the Spring Break deadline for mainbar edits might not be invited to final presentations. Fortunately, it worked out that everybody was invited, but there will be moments during senior project where it seems like the world is ending. Remain calm. Everything will be ok. Your professor wants you to pass with flying colors, so discuss issues and work with your professor and mentor.***

Week 8

Class 1 – 

Only people who were struggling with side bar ideas had to meet for class on Tuesday.

Class 2 – 

We had no formal class.


***Often in senior project, at least when Alyssa was teaching, we had a great deal of freedom to schedule interviews during class time or she would not call students to class unless they needed to work on something specific. Most weeks we only met once, on Tuesdays.***

Week 7

Class 1 – 

Alyssa brought in Dave Davis from The Tribune Chronicle to talk about computer-assisted reporting. We discussed sidebars and multimedia options. 

We also had an opportunity to discuss any issues we were having. We were then encouraged to make sure we had a start on side bars and multimedia very soon.

            

I had my sidebar printed in the Vindicator that day. On Monday, the day before, I had stumbled upon a piece of breaking news for the Lucarell vs. Nationwide case that the Vindicator’s court reporter had missed and I wrote the story rapidly that afternoon.

Because it pertained to the focus of my mainbar and was printed, Alyssa and Mark agreed that it counted as my sidebar. Most other students were either just starting on theirs or were about to begin working on them. My case was very unusual and incredibly lucky. Normally, students won't have parts of their package published that early.

Class 2 – 

We had no formal class on Thursday.

The next draft of the main bar was due by midnight.

After talking with Mark and Alyssa on Tuesday and Wednesday, I had a better idea of what I wanted the focus of my story to be. So I went home Wednesday night and completely reworked my entire story.

On Thursday, I met with Alyssa to discuss my multimedia element. I had a story idea, but scrapped it after talking with her and decided to pursue a different story.

Week 6

No Class during week 6. 

We were given that week to rework our stories independently and meet with our advisor for editing and advice.

Week 5

Class 1 – 

We met together to discuss the first round of presentations that were to be held that night.

After turning in our first rough draft, we were scheduled to present before a panel of YSU journalism faculty and local journalists. It went from 4 to 7:30 p.m. 

The process was excruciatingly long, but most of us got a lot of valuable feedback for our stories. Presentation isn't exactly the correct noun to describe the process. Each student stood at a podium, explained their story and then received feedback from the panel about what they could improve, what was done well, what questions needed to be answered and where the story should go from there. 

Some people needed more time than others. I was second to last and my "presentation" only lasted about 10 minutes.

Class 2 – 

We had no class, but instead worked on making the improvements suggested by the panel.

Week 4

Class 1 – 

We talked about ledes and nut graphs, which are the most important element of a story. A bad lede nullifies the quality of the rest of the story. Nobody will ever read it. 

After that, we talked with our mentors. I brought a list of questions I hoped to ask Christine Lucarell, and Mark gave me advice about which ones were best and how to go about trying to get into contact with her.

Class 2 – 

We had no formal meeting, but Alyssa was at Smith Hall in case anyone wanted to discuss their project. The first draft of the mainbar was due by midnight. Some drafts had more to them than others, but everybody managed to get something turned in.

Week 3

Class 1 – 

Mark, Todd and Alyssa talked about interviewing techniques. 

After that we met with our mentors and discussed the progress of our stories. We only had one more week before the first due date and I, along with most of my classmates, had a lot of work left on the first draft of the mainbar. 

When Mark and I talked, he helped me set a few goals and gave me advice on how to contact the people I was struggling to find information for. 

That night I found information for the jurors on the Christine Lucarell vs. Nationwide case and started contacting them. I kept hitting dead ends over the next couple of days. But finally got the interview I needed to make my story into a workable draft. 

Unfortunately at the end of our conversation, he told me he didn’t want me to use his name. I told him I needed to discuss it with my editor and professor. He agreed to give me a day to discuss it with them, and I immediately emailed Alyssa and Mark. Following their advice, I called him back the next day and 45 minutes later had convinced him to let me use his name. He also agreed to answer any questions I might have for him as I continued to write the story. 

I also got one other juror to chat with me. From there, writing my story was just a matter of meshing the information from the hundreds of pages of court documents with their interviews.

Class 2 – 

We had no formal class on Thursday.

Week 2

Class 1 – 

Every Tuesday from the second week on we met at the Vindicator and worked with Alyssa, Mark Sweetwood and Todd Franko. 

Mark advised me. He gave me advice and editing help. 

Each of us pitched our ideas to Mark and Todd and they helped us hash them out. Todd and Mark gave a lot of feedback and helped us figure out what questions to ask, who to talk to and where start.

Class 2 – 

The second class that week was short. Often after the second week, we didn't have a formal meeting at all, but set up individual times to work with our advisor or Alyssa.

Anyone who still needed training on equipment worked with Andrew Bush and Christine Davidson. Everybody was free to go.

Week 1

Class 1 – 

During the first day of class for senior project I was very apprehensive. Only two or three people had any idea what their projects would focus on. I was not one of those people.

            

Alyssa Lenhoff was head of the class. She had us introduce ourselves one by one, and if we had an idea or a topic, that was the time to pitch it.

           

For those of you who don’t know what senior project entails, it’s one big investigative journalism package.

            

It’s no easy task coming up with an idea for the project. Some people just kind of stumble upon theirs, which is how I got mine, but otherwise you have to be creative and read around a lot.

            

When I went into class, my idea was rough and vague, but Alyssa saw potential in it.

            

We also went over the syllabus. It was terrifying. That was quite possibly the most stressful night of my life. Senior project was completely changed this semester. Our first due date was February 7. That gave us about 3 weeks to get a first draft of the main bar.

Class 2 – 

After the first day, not everybody had a solid idea of their story. So, Thursday we did not have a formal meeting. Alyssa had individual meetings with students who needed to hash out ideas. Everybody else gathered together at Smith Hall to learn how to use a Marantz (audio recorder), video recorders and cameras.

Introduction

Hello rising journalism stars!

I'd like to introduce you to my senior project blog. Its purpose is to give underclassman a heads up about what to expect when you reach the last and biggest step on the road to graduating with a journalism degree.

Before I walked into my first class for senior project I had already heard countless horror stories, complaints and caveats that this would be the most difficult process of my college career.

And some of it turned out to be accurate. It has been the most difficult thing I've had to do at YSU.

But it also was not as bad as I was expecting. With great organization, preparation, forethought, and plenty of hard work, senior project can be incredibly rewarding.

So, take a quick walk with me through my 15 weeks of senior project and hopefully you'll feel more up to the challenge than I did when you walk into class on day one.

Best wishes,

Rachel Lundberg