Idea Number 1: Lunch Room Laxatives

Students investigate rumors that cafeteria food contain laxatives.

The rumors of food from the cafeteria containing laxatives is an OU legend that runs rampant in student conversations. People claim their biology teacher had tld them it was true. People claim that the laxatives are put into the food so that people cannot sue the food company if they receive food poisoning. People claim that they get sick after every meal because of it. What is the truth, though? Does our cafeteria really want their students to be that regular? 

I think this is a good story because every student has heard these myths. Many are very concerned. For example, a girl in my dorm only eats the salads- with no dressing- because she is so freaked out by the idea. I think this story would hold interest and appeal to our target audience.

Idea Number 2: 250 vs. 25

OU behind on nutritional information

While OU prides itself on being a healthy campus, we do fall short of many campuses on one subject. OU does not publish the nutritional facts for their food next to the serving line. This service, done in many campuses including The University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, and helps students make healthier choices. When faced with the choice of a decadent chocolate chip cookie, or a nice bunch of grapes, many college student fall into the deliciously chocolate trap. However if the 250 calories vs. the 25 calorie difference were displayed, students would be more apt to make a better health choice.

I think this a good story because it is a call to action that promotes health in our school.

Idea Number 3: The Price of Planned Parenthood Cuts

Students showcase the affects of Planned Parenthood cuts

This piece would examine how the loss of funding to planned parenthood would affect the university. We could gather stats about how many girls utilize the different services. For example, say 400 girls are utilizing testing for STDs at the Planned Parenthood a semester. Out of those 400, say 200 are found positive. How will those 200 unknown positives affect the sexual health of the campus? If PP is closed, where will students go to deal with pregnancy?

to be coupled with Jon’s piece 

My Attempt At Pitching

Idea: When Crusading goes too far

Tweet format thing: Well that escalated quickly. Campus crusaders go from a simple survey to showing up at students bedroom door.

Explanation: If you haven’t heard from them, you’ve heard of them. Members of the Christian group Campus Crusaders could be found campus wide at the beginning of fall semester asking students to fill out a short survey, offering a buy one get one free coupon for each survey completed. After obtaining students information, Crusaders began to e-mail, text message, call, and even go as far as knocking at the door of survey takers. While it is the groups goal to spread knowledge about Christianity and increase religious involvement, some students believe the crusaders go too far. Even after expressing they are not interested in the group, students claim they have continued to be contacted. This could be covered from the point of view of students that feel their privacy has been invaded as well as from members of the Crusaders justifying their methods of contacting students.

Idea: Profit of partying

Tweet format thing: A college students dream: making a profit out of partying.

Explanation: You can’t have a college house party without alcohol, and you can’t have alcohol without spending money. But what if there was a way you could make a profit from drinking? This piece will provide a detailed info graphic with statistics on how much alcohol is consumed at an average house party, how much glass and aluminum containers are worth and the profit that could be made by turning in the empty containers that come from a party.

Idea: Where all the good people went

Tweet format thing: Jack Johnson asked, “where’d all the good people go?” Well, we went searching and found out.

Explanation: Traditional news focuses on certain people when they are part the public eye or involved in a crime or tragedy. To give viewers a break from hard news the newscast would feature someone who has done something commendable each episode. The tone could range from comical to serious depending on who is covered. For example, one person could be a student on campus that donated their time to take children trick or treating throughout campus while another could be someone who donated a kidney or went on a mission trip. 

Cassie Kelly's Pitches

THEME: Asian students at OU and an inside look on their isolation from other OU students.

Pitch 1) Culture Shock: Why many Asian students seclude themselves from other students.

Focuses on the exchange program that many Asian students at OU are a part of. Some students have never visited America before and have trouble adapting to American ways. This explains why they tend to stay together.

Pitch 2) I have an Asian Roommate: Two roommates from entirely different backgrounds find commonalities between each other. 

Focuses on the daily life of a typical OU student, his Asian roommate and how they live together. Delves into the struggle for the two to find common ground when they don’t speak the same language, have similar beliefs or even watch the same television shows.

Pitch 3) Foreign Riches: Why Asians are stereotyped for their nice cars.

When you see a nice car on campus an average OU student might say “probably belongs to an Asian.” This stereotype has hindered Asian students from intermingling with other students on campus. Because many of the Asian students are products of single child families, their parents want the best for them. They use all of their savings to send their sons and daughters to America so they can get the best education. This often means providing them with what many OU students consider luxuries such as cars to better equip them in America. 

Kelly's story pitches

Theme: Greek Life (*Just to be clear, I'm not trying to be stereotypical or anything to Greek members, so please don't get me wrong! Also, I know that some of my filming ideas depends on camera quality and all that jazz. We'll work out the kinks as we go along!*) 

1.) Expenses: many people say Greek Life is expensive; but does it actually save money?

One of my roommates rushed into a sorority, and she says that after she calculated expenses, she will be saving money instead of losing it when she lives in the house next year. Don't get me wrong, of course sororities and fraternities hit your wallet hard. But, for example, since her house will have a cook (at least my roommates' house does. I'm not sure about all of them), she will not have to pay for a meal plan. In addition, I would look into living expenses in the house compared to the dorm, etc. When filming, I think there is a lot of wiggle room for the set if not the sorority/frat house itself, such as an open green on campus, dining halls (when talking about meal plans (assuming it won't be too loud)), dorms (when talking about living), etc. I'd talk to mainly upperclassmen Greek members (particularly ones that know their money situation), hopefully someone here who works with financial aid/payments (in which case, set in an office), etc.

2.) Academics: many Greek members get the "dumb" stereotype, but members say that going Greek can help you get better grades; which one is it?

I have heard a lot of people accusing Greek Life members as having a “ditzy” personality or just not quite being “smarter than the average bear.” But I have also heard statistics of Greek students getting better grades than non-Greek students and being more likely to graduate because they got involved (though students who get involved in anything in general tend to have higher grades/be more likely to graduate). I’d set this most likely somewhere in Alden, Baker, maybe even the Scripps library, etc. Also, I would speak with upperclassmen Greek members (to see how they feel they have turned out), non-Greek upperclassmen (to see how they feel they have turned out), one Greek and one non-Greek freshman (to get their expectations), I’m thinking of Jenny Hall-Jones or someone along those lines to get stats from OU in particular/how Greek Life typically affects students, if there would be a way to record a Skype session with a Greek alum and a non-Greek alum to see how things worked out in the long run, etc.

3.) Hazing: we've all heard of Greek students hazing newcomers, but how does it really affect OU students?

This story would be my last resort because I could see myself trying to interview people and getting nothing but "oh, we would never do a thing like that!" and other remarks that don't get me anywhere (a.k.a. I don't know if people would be entirely honest). But I find it disturbing when I hear hazing stories, especially ones in which the hazed student dies or must go to the hospital, or anything along those lines, because of it. Therefore, I think it would be interesting to do a story on what it's really like here. I know a few people that went out to bars and parties every night for a week after being accepted: what happened there? Was it really just bonding, or did people go overboard (and if people went overboard, who's to blame? The upperclassmen for pressuring or the new member for not being responsible?)? As far as settings go, I think it would be cool to have an interview or two set in one of the bars on Court St. (preferably before the bar opens if that's possible), at the sorority/frat house (again), or a green on campus, etc. I'd talk to (again) mainly upperclassmen Greek members, some freshman Greeks (a.k.a. the newbies),  (again) if there would be a way to record a Skype session or anything like that, I think it would be cool to talk to an alum (former Greek member) or a Greek from another college (see how things vary), etc.

Shan's pitches

1. Creepy Crusaders: Religion or a cult? 

This story would be a hot button topic among people at Ohio University. Most people have experienced the affluence Campus Crusaders, recently renamed "Cru," has on students. They will go to any ends to recruit a person and once that person is recruited, there are control issues within the relationship. It is known that members date within the group, get married at the same time, and have children at the same time. Most people within the group say it is hard to make friends outside of the Cru without being dropped. Is this a campus group centered around Christ or a cult? Is it fair to pray on unknowing college freshmen? 

An interesting perspective from a person who would be willing to participate:

They were receiving phone calls from Cru almost every day. Cru was leaving voice mails telling the female college freshmen to join their organization. The girl had previously signed up for CREW (rowing club) and had thought it was the coaches. She had called back and had talked for a good amount of time to a person who she thought was from the rowing team. She had set up a meeting to talk because that is what the CRU had asked. They never once revealed that they were not affiliated with the rowing team. This is an example of the extent they go to for recruitment.

Even some within JFresh would be willing to vouch for this.

This is not a credible source as it is a forum but to get a better idea as to what people are talking about on campus...http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?14,7233

2. Mommy on campus. Single moms or even married parents experience newlywed life on a college campus.

This story details a day in the life of a student mom. The dorm that just got torn down and is being remodeled used to be called "Ma's Den." Student mothers were known to populate it. Some mothers attend school and work while still enrolled at Ohio University. The Post just did a story on this but the visual makes all the difference. 

Visually: The mother attending classes, at work, her daily life/routine, the baby.

3. Freshmen hazing reaches a whole new level with signs literally advertising freshmen abuse. Playful or hurtful?

Sorority and frat houses anticipated move-in weekend, decorating their houses to haze incoming freshmen. Spray painted sheets were displayed proudly on front porches saying, "Don't worry mommy, we'll take care of your babies for you" or "lanyard fetish, come on in." Yells and chants could be heard on a walk down Court Street. Cars targeted freshmen, rolling down their windows and asking, "hey, which way is Court Street?" One fraternity house on Mill Street even went so far as to hook up a microphone to a speaker and publicly yell/haze passerby based on appearance. Not a very welcoming first weekend at OU. 

Visual displays: Any footage or pictures of move in weekend. Maybe even how the hazing continues today.

Interactive: Students tweeting their hazing experiences with a certain hashtag. Popular opinion says that upperclassmen are just "jealous" of freshmen because graduation day is upon them and they will soon have to leave Athens. So maybe there could be surveys for upperclassmen detailing/explaining this. Campaign to stop the hazing.

Olivia Hitchcock's Pitches

Fighting the Freshmen Fifteen: OU Students’ Workout Routines

Many students come to college and are terrified of gaining the infamous “freshmen fifteen.”  A common way for students to fight that weight gain is by working out.  By looking at statistics from Ping (i.e. the number of swiped in students per hour), we can get a sense of how many students take advantage of Ping’s incredible facilities.  Graphs could be used to show the peak hours for those at Ping, and surveys and/or interviews could be used to talk to students about why and how often they use Ping.  Also, interviews could be conducted to see what other ways students use to stay in shape.  This could show students another culture at OU, a culture of staying fit. 

Defying Stereotypes: How OU Students Are Giving Back to the Community

OU has a strong reputation for being a party school, and many in the Athens community view the university in an unflattering light as a result.  This story would look into the community service that is done by OU students.  Members and leaders of organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega, Service Living, and OU Community Service Council can be interviewed to see why and what they do for the greater community of Athens. Graphs could show the proportion of students who are involved with some sort of community service project. This story would serve to show that more is going on at Ohio University than just the partying it is known for.   

College Students and the Elections

With the presidential election this November, we have heard a lot (arguably too much) about the candidates, their slip-ups, and even a bit about their platforms.  This story looks at voting and the election from the eyes of the students.  The Post recently had an article about how younger voter turnout is expected to be lower than usual; will that be true?  Also, students typically become more liberal while in college; why is that?  Another angle could be looking at students’ knowledge of the local candidates.  This story is important to our college-aged audience because it looks specifically at their voting trends from their point of view.  By talking to those involved with political groups on campus (i.e. College Democrats and College Republicans) as well as the general student body, quotes, graphs, and statistics can aid the story.  

Evan's pitches

Evan Rhodes

1) University President’s make more than the President of the United States. A problem? (86)

This story is important to our audience, because it exposes the truth about a topic that isn’t often in the limelight of the media or common conversation.  It’s a fact that is truly intriguing and controversial.  Both are paid by tax dollars.  Undoubtedly, University Presidents have a challenging job, but is it really worth more than what the President of the United States has to deal with?  Some Universities are eliminating teachers ability to be tenured, eliminating faculty, increasing classes sizes class, dropping departments but are increasing University president salaries. The President of the United States makes $400,000 per year. The Chronicle, in 2012, released Public-College Presidents salaries from 2011.  It sites the president of Ohio University, Roderick McDavis, as making $429,000.  Not to mention the $1,992,221 that, Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State, makes yearly.  

Visual elements: video of student opinions around campus, show data of numbers from Chronicle http://chronicle.com/article/Public-Pay-Landing/131912/, take survey to get more student opinions and show graph of numbers,

2) Nicotine: the ultimate “legal buzz”.  Accepted stress relief, or personal stigma? To break the law or not?

This story would center around the topic of tobacco, but instead of focusing on the negatives that are usually highlighted (addiction, unhealthy, smells), it would discuss the fact that students use it to not break the law.  This parallels to students who are in programs like ROTC, and also for those students who may be recovering from a drug addiction.  This story would also tie in the opinions of students about people who chew and smoke, negative or positive.  

Visual elements: Video of student opinions of those who use, video of students who use and why, graphs of tobacco use (whether college increases usage)

3) The roommate from hell.  Taking care of the drunkard: A roommate’s responsibility?

This story would take a look into the subject of an out of control roommate, pertaining to alcohol/drug consumption and whether it’s the responsibility of the roommate.  Is it fair to put the stress on the roommate? Most college students have experience this personally, and if not they’ve heard of a situation from their friends.  This piece would take a look into the positives one may learn from a situation like this (the drunk), could help learn ways to drink responsibly, while very quickly addressing the negatives(OD, legal trouble) through graphs.  While also addressing how the roommate is left to control and handle the situation.  Could look into the reasons for why roommates may not want to tell RA’s/ police.  Is there a breaking point?
*Important that this piece isn’t a lecture, but informative of the viewpoint and position of the roommate.
Visual Elements: videos of student opinions from questions above, video of stories from roommates and the experience (funny stories, or serious), graphs or statistics of OD/police trouble rates among college students related to alcohol,