Guest speaker Vladim Lavrusik, spoke about the new changes made to the security of Facebook. Other journalism advisors from around the nation were present to teach journalism skills to the students who attended the convention.
By Nathan Britt
On November 17-20, a group of journalism students traveled to Minneapolis, MN to share ideas with other students from across the nation at the JEA/NSPA national fall conference. They convened at the Minneapolis Convention Center to take seminars, attend a dance, and an expo.The students attended seminars on sports journalism, plagiarism, and interviewing. These classes were taught by advisers and journalists from all over the United States. There was even a presentation given by the head of journalism at Facebook, Vladim Lavrusik. He discussed the use of Facebook as a journalism tool and the upcoming changes to the site.Lavrusik explained the new Facebook timeline and its perks from the scope of journalism. He also discussed the differences between Facebook and twitter and the new security system in place. This system prevents the subscribe feature from being applied to minors.
His main focus was how the new changes in Facebook will impact the world of news reporting and its accessibility. Hundreds of students were there to hear his pitch.
The Royal News staff had the opportunity to be critiqued by college professors from Ball State University at the expo. The expo was attended by numerous prominent colleges such as Louisiana State University, The University of South Carolina, and Kansas University. These institutions were there to show off their journalism departments to prospective students and advise the programs that attended.
Yearbook companies such as Jostens were there to display their new products to the photo journalism students. They gave out tons of free material to the attendees. They even had some interactive games set up to educate the students.
On the second day of the conference, after the seminars, the Convention Center hosted a dance for the students in one of the ballrooms.
“It was fun because I got to stay with my friends and laugh at all the weird things people were doing,” senior yearbook editor Carrie Young said.
The students also had the chance to do some sightseeing in the Twin Cities. They were able to check out the downtown area, visit the Mall of America, and attend a Minnesota Vikings football game. They even had the privilege to see the first snow of the year for Minneapolis, which is part of the coldest region in the nation.
Despite the tiresome travel, cumbersome baggage, and chilly weather, the staff really enjoyed the trip.
“It was a great overall learning experience; it was definitely a lot of fun” senior TRN writer Conner Stevenson said.
The staff now looks forward to the upcoming CSPA Conference in New York on March 14-16 at Columbia University.