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(04/26/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I remember it like it was yesterday: the first day of freshman year, I was eager to get to Bloomington as fast as I could. My two sisters were quickly becoming annoyed by my impatience and excitement. My mom couldn’t stop crying, and my dad was just as excited as I was. After moving into my 12’ X 19’ dorm room and getting acquainted with my new roommate, it was time to say goodbye to my family. Bittersweet is the only word to describe that day. Today, almost a week away from graduation, that poignant feeling has made a comeback. In an attempt to leave a legacy on this campus, I am offering some advice as a senior who is feeling a sense of excitement, and yes, even jealousy, for the incoming freshmen.You have no idea what you are in for. Freshman year is probably going to be the best year of your life. It’s the first time you have the freedom of an adult, with the carelessness of a kid. This is the only time in your life when you’re not expected to know anything. Much of what you worry about as a freshman isn’t going to matter by the time you’re a senior.Don’t worry about getting into the bar. Enjoy frat parties.Spend time in the McNutt C-store, go to as many basketball games as possible and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to anyone you come into contact with.When you are a sophomore, pull an all-nighter cramming for a test, take a boat ride on Lake Monroe and take a road trip with your friends to visit other schools.As a junior: GO ABROAD! As much as I love my school, going to Barcelona was the best decision I made in college. You get to see the world, learn new things and meet new people.Once you are a senior, your social life does a complete 180. Go to Kilroy’s on Thursdays to get free shirts, spend the day tasting wine at Oliver Winery, participate in a bar crawl and dance the night away in the Sport’s jungle.A note to every student at IU, regardless of your grade: Live with your best friends. Although you might want to kill each other, it will be a learning experience that in many cases will strengthen your friendship.Take advantage of the shows that come to the Auditorium. This will probably be the only time that you get to see a Broadway show for $25.Skip a party during Little 500 and attend the bike race. After all, that is the reason why we dedicate a week to partying, right?Hang out with your friends as much as possible. Good luck finding time to catch up with them in the real world.Last, but certainly not least, appreciate every moment because it goes fast. Before you know it, you will be in my shoes, passing on the torch to a new wave of freshmen.Although these bittersweet feelings are getting the best of me, I am excited to embark on a new chapter of my life.Farewell, Indiana University. Thanks for giving me the best ride of my life. You’ll be missed. — azaslow@indiana.edu
(04/12/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senioritis is a common disease primarily diagnosed in second semester seniors. This epidemic swept through the city of Bloomington early on in January and seems to have infected the majority of the senior class.Symptoms might include a lack of desire to attend class, decreased motivation to work your hardest, inability to concentrate on anything school-related and forgetting where the library is located. People with senioritis commonly spend their days stumbling from their bed to the couch at least six times a day. If the sun is out, you can find them hanging out at a picnic table on the patio at Kilroy’s on Kirkwood drinking a cold beer. If you’re one of the lucky ones who has already landed a job post-college, it’s probably hitting you the hardest. While the unemployed seniors may be feeling stressed with schoolwork and the job hunt, but still can’t find the energy to start writing those term papers, you guys deserve to skip class and enjoy that nice cold beer. After four years of college, this phenomenon is pretty common. Unfortunately, the only cure is graduation.I, too, am suffering from symptoms of this illness. But at the same time, I’m also growing nostalgic. I realize I can expect a lot of bittersweet “lasts” from now until May 4. My last time sprinting up the Ballantine Hall stairs and arriving to class in a cold sweat is fast approaching. So is my last time waiting in the 20-minute Starbucks line at the Indiana Memorial Union in between classes, because “God forbid I sit through class without my coffee.”I’ll miss the familiar faces greeting me as I arrive on the third floor of the Herman B Wells Library. The next few weeks will be the last of having no worries aside from attending group meetings and turning in papers on time.Last, but definitely not least, this is our last chance to sit in a class as a professor imparts wisdom. This is our last time to hang out with my friends, play sink the biz at Nick’s, lay out on the roof while “This Is Indiana” blasts from the speakers and our last time to stay at Kilroy’s Sports Bar until close.If you are reading this and feeling similar symptoms, congratulations. You have a bad case of senioritis. Don’t fret. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.Actually, you are in the same boat as the majority of your fellow classmates. This epidemic allows seniors to feel entitled to do whatever they want because they have a legitimate excuse, and it’s called senioritis. Tom Petty said, “You have four years to be irresponsible here. Stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink ‘til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does.” Seniors, we’ve come a long way. Let’s make the most of these next three weeks. It may be the last time we’ll be able to use senioritis as an excuse and get away with it. — azaslow@indiana.edu
(03/29/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We gather here today to mourn the loss of our dear friend, old-school journalism.You have gotten me through some dark and gloomy moments, as well as some of the happiest of times. I have many reasons to thank you. You were always the best form of medicine.I still think back on the times when you came to my rescue. There was never anything too hard that a good old-fashioned article on the war in Iraq or a more lighthearted feature on Jennifer Aniston’s engagement couldn’t fix. You were always so reliable. Remember the simple times when you consisted of ink and paper and landed on my doorstep each and every morning? The thought of waking up to a freshly printed paper while drinking coffee feels antiqued to me. Now, with just one click, you’re able to open the door to a world with unlimited information at your finger tips. I miss the old you, though. I still cherish the touch and smell of a real printed newspaper or magazine.I have seen you progressively shift into online print and then make your way toward social media. I stood on the sidelines as you laid off hundreds of workers at the biggest magazine publishing companies such as Conde Nast and Time, Inc. and even shut down the second-largest news weekly magazine, Newsweek. I watched the Detroit Free Press, which was once a daily presence in my house, cut back delivery to only three days a week. Four years ago, when I declared my major in journalism, I was pretty naïve about the direction you were taking. Looking back on it, I don’t regret my decision. In fact, I feel as though I could be a vital part of the industry.Most of you are probably reading this online, thinking I am the world’s biggest hypocrite. Well, you aren’t entirely wrong. If I decided to take a stand against online journalism, I wouldn’t be continuing to live out journalism’s legacy.Although I miss you, the old you that is, I’m also not blind. I see how changes had to be made to keep up with the fast-paced transformations occurring in society.IU is significantly changing the way it teaches journalism, merging a once-dedicated school with the telecommunications and communications and culture departments. Speaking of merging, once Twitter took off, I knew it was over. They knew what they were doing when they merged journalism and technology.I am not totally opposed to Twitter. It is, of course, the most practical way of receiving news. As I prepare for post-college life and continue my job hunt, I have a lot of decisions to make. Don’t worry, I promise not to let you down. Transformations have been made, but my love for you still lingers. I will never forget the memories of holding you in my hands and flipping through your glossy pages. You will forever hold a special place in my heart.Rest in peace, old-school journalism. I can assure you that those of us who didn’t mind flipping, folding, creasing and accidently crinkling the newspaper pages when the article jumped to p4 will miss you.— azaslow@indiana.edu
(03/08/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Growing up, I didn’t get it. I had little to no exposure when it came to sports, and I didn’t understand why people cared so much. My dad used to run half-marathons, and I would stand at the edge of my driveway waiting for him to run past the house so I could cheer him on or splash water on his face.This is what I called watching sports as a young child.As I grew older, my dad would sometimes take my sisters and me to Detroit Pistons games. I never actually cared about the outcome, I was just there to hang out with my family and maybe eat some greasy food. In high school, I joined the dance team, which involved attending every home basketball and football game. After performing at halftime, I would immediately pack up my belongings and head home — not knowing or caring if we had won. Then I came to IU. As a freshman and sophomore, I would attend basketball games as an excuse to flirt with boys in the stands, take cute pictures and pretend I had school spirit. Now, after four years here, I get it. Basketball is more than just a game that consists of passing around an orange ball and aiming it toward the basket. It is about passion and determination. Attending a university with such a phenomenal basketball team has given me a sense of camaraderie with my fellow students. It doesn’t matter which sorority you are in, what ethnicity you are or whether you’re a freshman or a senior. We all want the same thing. We want the Hoosiers to persevere with strength and receive that sixth banner. I never used to understand why people would get so heated while watching games. I didn’t think that whether a team won or lost would have any great effect on my life. Now, I have become one of those sports fanatics I used to laugh at. When I am at the game, I find myself in a sea of dedicated fans, taking part in the yelling and sweating. There have even been times when a stranger was sitting next to me, and we would discuss our mutual urge to run down onto the court and yell at the referee. I feel the same way when I am watching the game at home with my friends. I suppose one could classify me as a bandwagon fan. I’m not ashamed. Of course I want to cheer on a winning team — nobody wants to be a loser. But these experiences have taught me there is power in numbers, and we have become a family. This season proves that when we all come together to cheer on our team, we help get things done. While watching the game on Tuesday night and witnessing how proud we are of the Hoosiers, I realized sports aren’t just a simple pastime. It brings people together. When people have the same goal in mind, it fills the room, or in this case Assembly Hall, with positive energy. Thank you, Hoosiers, for not only allowing me the opportunity to become a part of history, but also giving me yet another reason to have pride in my school. I’ll remember the excitement of this winning season long after I graduate in May. You have truly shaped my outlook on sports forever.— azaslow@indiana.edu
(02/22/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I remember the first time I was exposed to online dating. I was about seven years old when “You’ve Got Mail” first came out. The idea seemed so idiotic to me. Spoiler alert. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks formed a cyber relationship that resulted in them falling in love. The movie is more significant than it might seem. It was released in 1998, during a transitional period, when computers were first starting to become popular, and googling was just becoming a verb. If this couple could find love via technology in 1998, then you would think there is hope for the rest of us in 2013. We don’t need to resort to AOL to communicate with prospective lovers when we have love sitting the palm of our hands — literally. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with the new and improved version of online dating: Tinder. Tinder is a mobile application that has recently blown up in popularity. It has the ability to find out your location and then allows users to find “matches” based on where you live. In another Ryan and Hanks classic, “Sleepless in Seattle,” they find each other, even from different cities. What if your true love isn’t within walking distance?Tinder calls the app “A fun way to break the ice.” After downloading it to see what all of the fuss is about, I felt the company should come up with a new tagline.“A superficial way to contract lice (or any number of communicable diseases)” would be a lot more fitting. Tinder is solely based on two things: your location and your level of attractiveness. If someone doesn’t like the way you look, they can make you disappear with the touch of a button. The application is supposed to make finding love easy. Your smartphone already goes with you everywhere, which means you could be dating throughout the day. As if that wasn’t easy enough, men don’t even need to work up the courage to ask a women out, they can just sit back and let the machine do it for them. Our generation relies heavily on their smartphones. They trust it will give them proper directions, weather and news updates Now they are relying on their smartphones to play Cupid. Tinder isn’t the only mobile dating application. Locals and Singles Around Me and Crazy Blind Date have recently surfaced. According to Nielsen, in November 2012, there were 13.7 million singles looking for love on their smartphones compared to 5.8 million in November 2011. While mobile applications geared toward dating are booming, online dating is seeing a decline. ComScore says 22.9 million singles created online dating profiles in January 2012, compared to 29.3 million in 2011. Online dating websites, such as eHarmony and JDate, go beyond looks. They allow singles to look at each other’s profiles and find similar interests. When I was using the application, I found the only common interest I shared with my matches was that we both attend IU. Social media has forever changed the way we interact with the opposite sex. Now, all signs of romance are basically thrown out the window. All it takes is a cell phone and a hot Facebook profile picture and you’ve got yourself a match. — azaslow@indiana.edu
(02/08/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last February, my dad died in a tragic car accident.I’ve learned more in the last year than in every year of my life combined. I am grateful for the 20 years I was able to spend with him. During that time, he and my mother worked hard to instill valuable lessons in my sisters and me. The most important lesson: Be a good person. Growing up, my family celebrated Shabbat on Friday nights and recited a beautiful prayer. My mother asked us to pay close attention to her favorite line. “May we always be grateful that we have one another and that we are able to express our love through acts of kindness.” At times, the ability to find the good in people can be difficult. This was something that came naturally for my dad. He wasn’t just a dad. He was this extraordinary man with a gift for life. He appreciated everything, and I appreciated him for that. We encounter people everyday we don’t stop to acknowledge. My dad did. He was leaving dinner with a good friend when they passed a homeless man. She walked right by, but my dad stopped and gave the man $5. He then looked at Goldie and said, “you can’t just walk past a human being.” We all have the ability to brighten people’s days, so why not take the extra step to do so? My father was a writer. With hundreds of readers in line during book signings, he still took the time to listen to people’s stories and then personalized each book. I loved seeing how big of an impact he had on thousands of people’s lives. It’s been a difficult year for my family and me, but I have found a strength I never knew I had. We all have it. Sometimes, we don’t know we have it until we are called upon to use it.The act of kindness I have received from my friends, family, members of the IU community and even strangers has been truly remarkable. I know that my father would be happy to see this. Through their guidance, I found out it was possible to go on and live a life that my dad would have wanted me to live. One of the most heartwarming experiences happened recently at the IU Hillel. I had to attend services to observe the yahrzeit, or one-year anniversary, of my father’s death. By Jewish law, 10 people needed to be present for the service. I was surrounded by students who didn’t know me, but came to take part in an act of kindness. I have received comfort from my dad’s readers — most of whom, I have never met in person. Unfamiliar faces approach me, and I continue to receive emails from people who used to read my father’s books and columns, sharing stories about how he touched their lives through his writing. I hope to one day make that kind of impact on readers. These experiences confirm my father’s legacy will live on, even though he cannot. I have learned we all have the ability to empower people and change somebody’s day through small gestures.So smile at passersby and be generous when giving hugs. You never know when your simple act of kindness might have a profound effect on someone’s life and raise their spirits.— azaslow@indiana.edu
(01/25/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Just before December break, my friends and I decided to get together for a “last supper” — one last chance to see each other before we all left for home. Early on in the meal, I suggested we should all put our cell phones in the middle of the table and if anyone looked at their phone before we got the check, dinner was on them. As tempting as it was any time we saw our respective iPhone screens light up, I don’t think anyone was willing to venture answering a silly text message at the cost of dinner for 10. I have been friends with these girls for three years, but during this dinner I learned about their likes and dislikes, their celebrity crushes and who they’d want to be with if they were stranded on a desert island. This dinner actually played a vital role in my life. It was a lesson in paying more attention to what is in front of your face, and I’m not talking about your cell phone’s screen. Unless someone is dying, our texts are not time-sensitive. AT&T’s campaign against texting while driving, “It Can Wait,” is applicable in all areas of life — not just behind the wheel. AT&T’s homepage asks their readers to “take out your cell phone and look at the last text you sent. Would that be worth dying for?”When I took the company’s advice, I realized the majority of my texts could wait hours, even days to answer. Of course texting while engaged in another conversation isn’t a matter of life or death, but it is rude. You could potentially miss out on making memories and experiencing life.I have noticed many students on their computers in class are on Facebook or Twitter. If we put our devices down, we might learn something. We are not going to have a professor imparting wisdom on us for much longer. These four years are expensive and fleeting. We should be making the most of the moment. I can’t lie. I am guilty of doing this myself. I made a New Year’s resolution to pay more attention to the things going on around me. I want to sit in a restaurant and people watch, take in the beautiful campus and learn things I otherwise wouldn’t be learning with my eyes glued to my smartphone. More importantly, I want to learn how to feel awkward and uncomfortable and to be okay with it. The millennial generation is lacking social skills that past generations were forced to develop. When we encounter an awkward situation, our first instinct is to whip out our phones and pretend we are doing something super interesting on it.In past generations, they had no phones. Therefore, they couldn’t dodge the uncomfortable situation. Exercising that muscle for facing awkward moments would benefit us and help prepare us for situations later in life when we truly can’t resort to our devices. Our smartphones are not making us smarter. They are actually making us pretty dumb. Let’s sit through dinners, engage in conversations, learn from our professors and embrace awkward situations without looking at our phones. I don’t think those experiences can wait. — azaslow@indiana.edu
(01/15/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The best solution for adapting to the changing media environment is to make changes to the journalism school and other existing programs, rather than to merge them into one school.I’ve been proud to call the School of Journalism my home for the past three and a half years, and I like that I take classes with others who have similar aspirations to me.Merging with the departments of Telecommunications and Communication and Culture is not the only option. I’m not the only one who feels this way.“I like being able to take courses that appeal to my interests within the broad field of journalism,” senior Alyx Steinberg said. “To merge with the other two schools will create overly broad course requirements that will not necessarily be applicable or interesting to everyone.”The School of Journalism offers different courses in which students are able to pick a specific concentration that interests them. They can follow that track throughout the course of their college career.Students who graduated in December 2012 and beyond have the opportunity to specialize in certain areas within the School of Journalism. This allows students to have specific specializations noted on their transcripts and résumés.In my experience, there are various courses offered in the journalism school that are similar to those you would find in the telecommunications and communication and culture departments, but with a greater focus on journalism.Journalism students learn more than these skills that cross disciplines. We focus on ethics, our responsibilities as reporters, photographers and designers. We learn about interviewing and how to adapt traditional news values to a changing media landscape.Perhaps the school could create more classes that keep up with the times. Of course, it already offers broadcast journalism as well as digital and interactive media courses, but we could always add more. As changes in the media continue to occur and jobs in the journalism industry are getting harder and harder to find, people feel pressure to keep up. Instead of combining my prestigious home away from home with two other academic units, why don’t we work on making the journalism school live up to its reputation? — azaslow@indiana.edu