YouTube challenges students’ spirit

IU is asking students from all eight campuses to come together and show their school spirit.

The second annual student video contest asks IU students to express to the world why they love IU. Students must upload their 60-seconds-or-less video to YouTube no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 17. 

A panel of faculty and students from all IU campuses will pick the winning video. The cash prizes this year are $300 for first place, $200 for runner-up and $100 for third place.

“The main thing we’re looking for is creativity and IU spirit,” said Keith Roach, IU Office of Creative Services writer-editor. As the project manager of the contest, Roach said he hopes to see students having fun in their videos.

He said the contest is being promoted by spreading the word through administration at each campus along with faculty and student groups like the Student Alumni Association.

“There are a lot of IU fans that won’t be able to make it to the events, and by putting it online more people are able to participate,” Roach said. 

The contest is in conjunction with IU’s “Celebrate IU” month, which is a celebration with events such as Homecoming festivities, IU President Michael McRobbie’s first State of the University address, art exhibits and philanthropy events.

IU Student Trustee AD King said even though there aren’t many unifying aspects for the eight campuses, this will help create a unifying product.

King said he hopes to see the IU Student Association get on board as well. He said he believes it’s important for taxpayers to see where their money goes, and this feel-good promotional activity shows what goes on in college from a positive view. 

Last year’s first-place winner, Zack Conyne-Rapin, a senior majoring in legal studies, came across the contest from an announcement on the “Celebrate IU” Web site.

“I think people ought to consider what their IU experience means to them,” Conyne-Rapin said. “They should also stay true to the ‘Celebrate IU’ mentality.”

Conyne-Rapin’s winning video featured the words “Tradition, Community, Discovery” while fading in and out of various pictures from the Bloomington campus. It concluded with a quote from Herman B Wells’ in 1962: “I love IU.”

Last year’s runners-up, Heather Hontz and Megan Cotton, had another creative idea. They went out on campus and interviewed real-life students at different locations on the Bloomington campus.  

“It took a couple days with shooting footage and editing,” Hontz said. “People were pretty good about wanting to talk, but some people were in a rush to get to class.”

The entire contest is focused on creativity, and Hontz advises other students to pick up a camera and go with whatever comes to mind.

Roach said students should keep it clean. The panel will take down any inappropriate videos because they want people of all ages to enjoy them, Roach said.