The O'Colleague, Vol. 3

THE

Vol. 2016, Issue 3 Summer 2016

THE O'COLLEAGUE O'COLLEA

Cody Stavenhagen (above, second from left at table) and Kaelynn Knoernschild, bottom left at table, attend a press conference with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf as part of the Hearst awards competition.

THE WINNER'S CIRCLE Two O'Colly students compete for national writing title in San Francisco's Hearst Awards Guest columnist • Internships Alum weekend • Renovations

didn’t feel more like home than anywhere I’ve ever been.

At his computer, Jordan had a photo out of place and a jump at the top of his page. As I looked over his shoulder in trademark Kyle Hinchey fashion, I couldn’t resist pointing out those small mistakes and helping make the correction. Like a good golf shot or a bad exCody Stavenhagen, '16 Editor in Chief, Spring 2015 girlfriend, the O’Colly keeps you coming back in that odd sort of way.

Per the website, the O’Colly is Oklahoma State University’s award-winning independent student newspaper that has served the community since 1895. It prints on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the school year and provides 24/7 content online.

A A All that is great, but only those of us who have experienced the O’Colly can explain why The O'Colly is home, always some college newspaper is so much more.

The O’Colly is when I walked into the newsroom as a wide-eyed freshman who had ot long ago, I walked into the O’Colly never experienced anything outside of newsroom after six months off writing middle-class life in Amarillo, Texas. It is a place stories and chasing dreams in faraway cities. Jordan Bishop, the paper’s summer editor where people like Kyle Fredrickson, Anthony Slater and Samantha Vicent were and the most joyful person I have ever known, larger-than-life figures. was finishing up an issue as my friends and I The O’Colly is that nervous feeling when walked around and distracted him with you turned in your first story and watched as loud jokes and obnoxious laughs. your editor skimmed over it. It’s the pride you The old newsroom had already changed its felt the next morning when you picked up the look drastically since I saw it six months ago. paper and saw your name next to that event The people I worked with and came to know preview or women’s soccer notebook or and love are mostly gone, off to law school or random feature story. It’s those nights you the Tulsa World or the Greeley (Colorado) stayed awake and wondered if this was really Tribune. for you or whether you would ever make it. It’s So many things at the O’Colly are finite, like that sensation a few weeks later when you our old quote board, which quickly became wrote your first “good” story, when you felt the a shrine to Catherine Sweeney’s ridiculously words spewing out of your mind like a hot absurd and equally hilarious mouth. Each spring. generation establishes its own traditions.

It’s when you did that once or twice or For a moment, I found myself wondering what in the world I was doing back in the dusty three times, then you finally got on the editorial board and felt as if you were on top old room where I spent way too many of my of the world. Then when you became an college nights. But I would be lying if I said it

Guest Column

NEWSROOM NOST LGI N

Kieran Steckley (left) with Cody after the two finished the Remember the Ten run.

Kieran now works at the Stillwater NewsPress, while Cody recently took a job at the Tulsa World.

The O'Colleague | Issue 3 | Vol. 2016

editor and found out the frustration that comes when it’s 11:56 p.m. and no one can think of a decent headline.

It’s that text from Barbara with breaking news that made you cuss and throw your phone, then leap into action with a kind of high you’ve never felt before.

It becomes a road trip to a journalism conference with people who will become your best friends. A few too many Hurricanes and Hand Grenades on Bourbon Street. A boatload of free food at the Cotton Bowl. A truly weird night in Austin. The official NBA Finals after-party in San Francisco.

It’s the strange bond that comes with spending most of your time staring at computer screens in a small room with the same people night after night. It’s a Wednesday on a patio talking about life and staring at the stars with Catherine and Murphy. The evening on The Strip with Kieran and Tim, stopping to look at the Oklahoma sky and the stupid neon palm trees as you take in the moment. Then that damn sad feeling after shutting off the lights and leaving the newsroom for the last time each semester.

It’s also the people you didn’t get along with or the ones who didn’t care as much as you did or even the ones who broke your heart. It’s them and what you learned and how they helped you grow.

The O’Colly is about looking back and wondering just how exactly you went from that scared freshman writing terrible ledes to a college graduate who supposedly has some idea of how to be a good journalist.

Finally, it’s when you have to say goodbye and move on to other things — when you go to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, cover the Chicago Cubs for MLB.com, get a real job at the Tulsa World and it’s great, but you know, sometimes you wish it were just you and your friends at midnight in the O’Colly newsroom.

I think at this point in the column I’m supposed to ask you to give money. Seeing as I am yet to receive my first adult paycheck and have not given a dime, I won’t do that quite so directly. But I do hope you can relate to my experiences, feel some of that nostalgia and remember how important this place was, is, and should always be.

LESS THAN 1/4 US$ 20 MILLION Cody Stavenhagen --

,

Hearst finalist , former EiC Spent more than Estimated fare for a full Interested in suborbital Tulsa World sports desk US$10,000 annually commercial tri. space travel. @CodyStavenhagen Tim Ahrens (left), Murphy Mitchell, Cody on vacations . and Kyle Hinchey in New Orleans.

A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF THE O'COLLY

THE O ' COLLE A GUE ALUM WEEKEND >

TIME TO PARTY, O'COLLY STYLE t was so much fun the first time, we've got to do it again.

The second annual O'Colly Alum Weekend is set for Oct. 7-8, 2016.

Events will include workshops, a happy hour and open house of our new facilities (see right), dinner on the town, a Saturday tailgate, and of course, an Oklahoma State football game.

There are two packages this year.

For $50 per person, participants are welcome to attend all of the workshops, open house, dinner and tailgate. $100 gets you a ticket to the game on top of all the other events. All registrants get this year's T-shirt.

The Friday dinner will feature an open bar, and the Friday workshops will be open to the public. Our guests of honor this year are Ziva Branstetter and Cary Aspinwall, both former O'Colly editor in chiefs and Pulitzer Prize finalists.

To register, visit orangeconnection.org/ocollyRW For more information, check out this year's reunion website at ocolly.com/reunion.

See you there!

I

ALUM WEEKEND OCT. 7-8, 2016 Stillwater, OK

The O'Colleague | Issue 3 | Vol. 2016

RENOVATIONS >

COME SEE OUR CHANGES lumnus of the O'Colly are encouraged to join us in A October for the alumni weekend not only to met up with old friends, but also to see what changes have been made to our physical space. Rooms have been reassigned, trophy cases added, big photos adorn our halls. At the beginning of the school year, we are making a concentrated effort to beautify our space Equipment arrives for our new and make sure students know how valuable (and fun!) working commercial videography studio. at the O'Colly can be. We hope you'll be there to see it in person!

The area that was the newsroom for years got carpet and new tenants.

HEARST >

TWO STUDENTS PLACE IN NATIONALS t the end of May, four brave souls A from Oklahoma State University boarded a plane to San Francisco to make sure the world knew that OSU was a player in national journalistic education circles.

Mission accomplished.

The Hearst Journalism Awards pits the nation's top journalism schools and students against one another in a scholarship-fueled contest that crowns the best of the best in the nation.

O'Colly writers Cody Stavenhagen (guest columnist and former editor in chief) and Kaelynn Knoernschild (former news editor and current investigative team editor) had three days to wow a panel of national

judges with their journalistic prowess. With surprise topics revealed upon their arrival, the students worked tirelessly to take home prizes and earn bragging rights.

In the end, Cody won $5,000 and Best Reporting Technique. He finished second place nationally, his second year to capture the honor. Kaelynn was named a finalist and took home $1,000 in scholarships.

School of Media and Strategic Communications Director Dr. Craig Freeman and Director of Student Media Barbara Allen joined the students and worked the crowd of journalism administrators and educators.

"People were abuzz about OSU," Allen said, "just like we hoped they would be."

HOW TO HELP .

Print and fill out this pledge card or go to ,

https://secure.osugiving.com/givetoOSUSMSC. Select "O'Colly Excellence Fund" and enter any amount to get started.

Name: _______________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ Address: _____________________________________ City/ State/ZIP _________________________________ Donor name /in honor of: ________________________ I pledge a total of: $ ________________ ✓My donation is enclosed (Make checks payable to OSU Foundation. Write "O'Colly" in the memo line.) ✓ Charge it: oVisa oMastercard oDiscover oAmEx Card No. : ______________________________________ Exp. Date: ____________ 3-digit security code: _______ Signature: ______________________________________ Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to us! barbara.allen@okstate.edu; 405-385-1345

If you'd rather make a series of monthly contributions, simply go to https://secure.osugiving.com/givetoOSUSMSC. Select "Daily O'Collegian Excellence Fund" and enter any amount to get started.

Donations are earmarked for the following initiatives. Please indicate where, if any place, you wish your funds to be targeted.

Donations are stewarded carefully. General funds go toward the biggest current needs being faced by the students. ✓ Student travel (conferences, workshops, sports coverage) ✓Equipment (cameras, computers, software and accessories) ✓Outreach (alumni relations, fundraisers, continuing education) ✓ General needs (Varies)

Send your completed pledge card to: Barbara Allen The O'Colly 106 Paul Miller Stillwater, OK 74078

SPRING 2016 IS IN THE BOOKS!

O'Colly students turned out to hear legendary Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein when he spoke at the annual SPJ awards.

Students signed cards and had cake and punch with graduating seniors in May. Six seniors graduated, including Kassie McClung (center, in red) and Zack Cox (right, in black and white).

O'Colly news editor Stetson Payne spent a day at the White House as part of College Journalism Day.