When I started going to DePaul a little over three years ago I said that I would definitely make it a priority to be part of "The DePaulia" (DePaul's student newspaper). Due to schedule conflicts with classes and work it was difficult for me to attend the paper's weekly Monday night meetings.
Last spring I heard that DePaul would be offering a Writing for DePaulia class. I quickly put it in my course cart and enrolled. Marla Krause, the paper's faculty advisor, is the instructor. We meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:10-4:40. On Monday's we discuss story ideas and do preliminary research. On Wednesdays we write the rough drafts of our stories. Our final drafts are due to the editors by 5pm on Thursdays.
This class is very convenient for students like me who have very busy schedules and cannot commit to attending weekly DePaulia meetings. I'm really glad I was able to take it my senior year. I would have been very disappointed if I went through all four of my years at DePaul being a journalism major without contributing to the paper.
So far I've had 3 stories published in the DePaulia. The first story was really fun to do because I just talked with different businesses around the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses about the discounts they offered to DePaul students. The most recent 2 stories about the typhoons in the Philippines were very important to me because it is a situation that concerns my parents' homeland and I was flattered that the DePaulia editors chose me to cover them.
Call for help from the Philippines
Philippines hit hard by typhoon
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Lane Tech High School students go wild at Pep Rally
I am a proud alumna of Lane Tech High School (located in Chicago's Northwest side) and my younger brother is currently a senior there. I'm always asking my brother for updates on the school and he usually has some pretty interesting stories. But the most recent piece of news I heard from him really upset me.
Last Friday Oct. 2, Lane Tech held its annual Pep Rally in the recently renovated Lane Stadium. According to my brother, the Pep Rally was just like any other from previous years; lots of cheering, people with their faces painted the school's colors of myrtle and gold, and students' screaming out their class years. But once the Rally was over and students began to file out of the stadium, chaos ensued.
Some students from the senior class (underclassmen later joined in) decided to be reckless and "storm" Addison St. and Western Ave. (the major intersections Lane is located near). For those who are not familiar with Lane Tech, the campus is 33 acres and has a student population of about 4,000. Here is a video of the craziness uploaded by a Lane Tech student:
First question that popped into my head when my brother showed me this video was, "Why are these kids so stupid?" They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there were cars driving down Addison and Western. Nor did they seem to realize that if just one driver was not paying close enough attention and was a split second late hitting the breaks someone or multiple people could have been seriously injured.
The situation was so out of control that the cops had to be called to try and bring some order and direct traffic and the traffic lights were turned off.
In my four years at Lane Tech, nothing like what happened on Oct. 2, 2009 ever occurred. Students of my class would never think to do something so dangerous and stupid. We understood that any type of disobedience, big or small, would result in punishment.
I know that since I graduated the principal and many of the other faculty and staff have changed. I do not mean to offend anyone, but it seems they are not doing enough to let the current students of Lane Tech know that certain kind of behavior is unacceptable.
On Monday Oct. 5, Lane Tech's principal called a "special assembly" for students of the senior class. I do not understand why it was not school-wide. It's foolish of her to think that no underclassmen took part in the incident. My brother said that none of their privileges or special events were taken away. The principal merely said, "We are all ashamed of you."
Are you freaking kidding me? That's all you got? What kind of lesson are these students learning? Adults who refuse to show zero tolerance for disobedience and simply just turn a blind eye to the situation are the reason why many students think they can do whatever they please whenever they want.
I personally feel that Lane's principal should have taken away Oktoberfest, Winter Formal, and Junior and Senior Prom from the students. Yes, not every student was a part of the incident, but the students need to realize that they are all a part of Lane Tech. The actions of one or more individuals directly affects others. If students don't understand this by the time they leave high school, well, then I wish them luck in the future. They're going to need it.
Last Friday Oct. 2, Lane Tech held its annual Pep Rally in the recently renovated Lane Stadium. According to my brother, the Pep Rally was just like any other from previous years; lots of cheering, people with their faces painted the school's colors of myrtle and gold, and students' screaming out their class years. But once the Rally was over and students began to file out of the stadium, chaos ensued.
Some students from the senior class (underclassmen later joined in) decided to be reckless and "storm" Addison St. and Western Ave. (the major intersections Lane is located near). For those who are not familiar with Lane Tech, the campus is 33 acres and has a student population of about 4,000. Here is a video of the craziness uploaded by a Lane Tech student:
First question that popped into my head when my brother showed me this video was, "Why are these kids so stupid?" They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there were cars driving down Addison and Western. Nor did they seem to realize that if just one driver was not paying close enough attention and was a split second late hitting the breaks someone or multiple people could have been seriously injured.
The situation was so out of control that the cops had to be called to try and bring some order and direct traffic and the traffic lights were turned off.
In my four years at Lane Tech, nothing like what happened on Oct. 2, 2009 ever occurred. Students of my class would never think to do something so dangerous and stupid. We understood that any type of disobedience, big or small, would result in punishment.
I know that since I graduated the principal and many of the other faculty and staff have changed. I do not mean to offend anyone, but it seems they are not doing enough to let the current students of Lane Tech know that certain kind of behavior is unacceptable.
On Monday Oct. 5, Lane Tech's principal called a "special assembly" for students of the senior class. I do not understand why it was not school-wide. It's foolish of her to think that no underclassmen took part in the incident. My brother said that none of their privileges or special events were taken away. The principal merely said, "We are all ashamed of you."
Are you freaking kidding me? That's all you got? What kind of lesson are these students learning? Adults who refuse to show zero tolerance for disobedience and simply just turn a blind eye to the situation are the reason why many students think they can do whatever they please whenever they want.
I personally feel that Lane's principal should have taken away Oktoberfest, Winter Formal, and Junior and Senior Prom from the students. Yes, not every student was a part of the incident, but the students need to realize that they are all a part of Lane Tech. The actions of one or more individuals directly affects others. If students don't understand this by the time they leave high school, well, then I wish them luck in the future. They're going to need it.
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