Shannon McEnerney | Sept. 16, 2009
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| Photo by Alex Farris |
| SPJ president Mary Jane Slaby welcomed prospective members during Tuesday night’s callout meeting. The IU chapter meets monthly to offer special programs. |
Allbrittin was one of more than 20 students who crowded into the School of Journalism’s Ernie Pyle lounge Tuesday night to hear more about the organization.
The IU chapter, named for the late Dave Adams, who served as IU’s director of student media, focuses on fostering a society of interested students dedicated to journalism and protecting the First Amendment, organizers said. Membership is open to all students, not just journalism majors.
President MaryJane Slaby, a sophomore, said the organization is helpful for anyone who is looking to further their journalistic skills.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet professionals,” she said. “We can all be journalism geeks together, have fun and help each other out.”
Members benefit from networking for career opportunities as well as have the chance to meet working professionals, learn more about how to better journalism and fight to protect basic journalistic rights.
Slaby was excited by the turnout and hopes many of the attendees will join. SPJ’s goal is to have 30 active members this year. Dues are $36 a year for students, and freshman and sophomores can pay $100, which covers membership for all four years while in college.
But benefits of membership extend long after college, current members said at Tuesday’s meeting. After a student graduates from college, he or she can still continue to be a member.
“It’s something you can be involved in for the rest of your journalism career,” said junior Elvia Malagon, the chapter’s vice-president.
Like Slaby, Malagon said she was surprised at the turn-out and hopes everyone come back for a second meeting to help continue SPJ’s growth. The group will host a meet-and-greet for new and existing members Thursday night at La Casa. Anyone who couldn’t attend the callout can attend this event, or any of the monthly meetings.
“You can be as involved as you want,” Slaby said.
At the meetings, members discuss plans for different events SPJ can sponsor. Slaby said SPJ can host a variety of events or workshops related to enhancing and promoting journalism, but all of it depends on what members want.
Right now, Slaby said SPJ is considering having a First Amendment free food festival in the spring. Members also participate at the state and national levels, such as attending conferences and participating in contests. SPJ is headquartered in Indianapolis and just celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Malagon, Slaby and other SPJ members said the conferences are the most beneficial because members attend workshops with career professionals, people who often have career advice or leads to jobs and internships.
Malagon said that SPJ helped her land her first internship at a northwestern Indiana newspaper because of the opportunities she had to attend conferences.
But if anything, SPJ helps students meet others who are passionate about journalism.
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| Photo by Alex Farris |
| SPJ vice president Elvia Malagon said attending SPJ conferences helped her network with professionals, which led to her landing an internship. |
Junior Rachel Saltsgaver said she is looking forward to being a part of an organization that relates to her major.
“It’s a strong organization for journalists to become a part of,” she said.
Slaby said she hopes that those students who attended the callout meeting walk away interested to come back to build more connections with fellow students who share the same interest.
“It’s hard to put into words all that SPJ can do for you,” she said. “But it’s definitely something you should check out. We’re not going to be boring, we want to have fun.”
For those interested in joining SPJ but who were not able to attend Tuesday’s meeting, contact Slaby at mslaby@indiana.edu for more information.
