Graduation Part II

So this is it...the big transition from a lifetime as a student to joining the troubled workforce of Journalism. While journalism has long been touted as dead, I see no reason that it will cease to exist, now or in the future.

The simple reason that journalism will never die is that people will continue to want to know about their neighbors, their communities, and the world at large. Journalism, being a generally more accurate and accepted source than your average blogger, has long fulfilled this role. However, the increase in Internet usage and the ever-shorter attention spans of the population make it tempting to just throw information to the masses, whether or not it is accurate, or even important. As journalists, we must remember the critical void that we fill in the bloggosphere, 24-hour news, and Twitter and continue to provide consistent, accurate and unbiased news that is accessible to all.

I am excited, and proud, to join the journalism workforce if this continues to be its mission.

Graduation Part I

The question of the week seems to be, are you excited for graduation? My answer, to the world: no, I am not. At the moment, I am up to my ears in trying to finish final projects, senior projects, websites, portfolios and packing. That leaves very little time to sleep, let alone be excited about graduation. The sad thing is, this is the time of year that I usually most enjoy (well, when it is sunny and warm outside). And, since I am not going to grad school in the forseeable future, this would be my last chance to savor the fruits of academia: the libraries, the labs, the photo gear. But just like college, this quarter flew by and now I am scrambling to finish, savoring will have to wait.

This seems to be a condition that most seniors are facing. Our advice? Don't graduate. Enjoy school instead.

ToraCon

There are few words that can be used to describe the yearly anime convention at RIT that is Tora Con. Weird. Fun. Interesting. Educational. Geeky. Slutty. Any of these could apply to the children, students and adults that converge on campus to celebrate all things anime with lectures, performances, social gatherings and shopping. For one who is uninformed about anime, simply walking around campus was an adventure of colors, sights and crazy hair styles.

In doing so, it quickly became apparent that the primary reason for attending Tora Con was about spending time with your friends in costume, mugging for the cameras and commenting on other characters. The weather cooperated perfectly, spilling people outdoors into the courtyards and walkways to mingle.



For those not anime inclined, the event could be overwhelming with masses of costumed teenagers clogging the walkways and shouting strange, game-related phrases. The anime lovers were frequently given wide berth by students visiting or working on campus.

What has been on my mind? Migrant labor. As I found out about 6 months ago, I have been blissfully ignorant to one of the largest stories in the county. Monroe county, and the neighboring Wayne county, both support large numbers of migrant workers who come to pick the fruit and vegetables that are grown here. I have been working on immigration reform and documentary work in the area for the past 6 months, which has been frustrating, hard, intense, interesting and fun.

Not only do these people come long, long distances to work, they do not plan on staying. They do not cause trouble. They do not take jobs away: in fact, every farmer I have spoken with has said that they have begged, pleaded, and dragged American workers to the fields, only to have them quit after a few days. Despite these facts, there remains a good amount of negative press about migrant workers, and their role in society.

I am concerned that the upcoming "immigration reform" will do nothing to help, and that the debate around immigration will become bogged down in lies and assumptions. Perhaps I am naive in thinking that my own documentary and academic work will somehow effect how people think about migrant workers, and will help some see how the situation is. For those who are reading this, please check back for updates. If you are looking for more information on this subject please see:

Food, Inc. (film)
With These Hands (book)
NYCLU Immigration Reform (website)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14509724 (radio piece)