Sorry for the delay. I blame the senioritis. As always, send me stories/designs/photos you think I should post.
Here’s a collection of stuff we can talk about today.
Stephanie Kuzydym wrote a story about the IU Anthem boys releasing a new song. I thought she did a good job grabbing the reader (and also capturing the spirit of the story) in here lede:
“IU Anthem” stars seniors Brice Fox and Daniel Weber want to be more than frat bros that can sing or white boys that can’t dance. And they definitely want to be more than a pair of mustaches and an anthem.
They’ve made a career out of what Indiana is all about. And Indiana is where it all started.
I think I’ll also bring up a column by CJ Lotz. She wrote about the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. Here are some of the tools we can learn from it.
- Scene isn’t just for 1,000+ word stories. CJ used a few small moments to bring her story to life.
A mother gives birth to a screaming child, then stands up, sweating, and drags her IV across the floor to a chair. There is one bed for birth. She made room for the next woman in line.
- Find a way to make it local. Why? It establishes a connection with the reader.
We grew tired of your brokenness. We grew tired of your crying because we only see what we gave you, not what you give us.
At IU, you give us The Creole Institute, the foremost research center on the Creole language in the world, led by Albert Valdman, a renowned linguistic scholar.
Haiti, you gave us Nick Andre, a former IU Creole professor and father of five who sang and performed at arts events around Bloomington before moving home to take care of his family.
You inspired our local organization, Bloomington for Haiti, to arrange a film festival at the end of this month to honor your people.
You sent us your children, adopted as babies into this community.
You gave us Solfils Telfort, a research assistant at the IU Creole Institute. He was born in Haiti and grew up there before attending IU in 2008.
What worked (or didn’t work) for you?
Finally, let’s talk about the Opinion front from Tuesday. It was a bold statement (literally), but did it work? Was it too much?
The Writer's Block 
I really enjoyed CJ’s column. She used her experience and the IU connection to remind readers how linked we are. Last year, we vowed to not forget, but must of us have moved on. She gently reminded us not only of the current conditions and long-lasting effects of the earthquake but also of how much of a connection we at IU have with Haiti.