The Daily Collegian's semi-annual week of popularity is coming to a close -- and I am going to miss it.
For one week each semester, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors with an interest in print journalism come to our basement headquarters to vie for a spot on one of our five very different staffs.
It's the one week a year that we can expect a slight ego boost, even if some of the compliments are a little off-base -- thanks, but I haven't lost weight and no, the Collegian did not get your tuition lowered.
Although I wanted to ask the hopefuls to jump through rings of fire, eat some kind of animal testicle and take a naked photo with Bob Woodard's Pulitzer, we asked for a demonstration of writing skills and knowledge of current events. Something, we think is fair, personable and definitely not as scarring as animal testicles or hoops of fire.
The Collegian news adviser, John Harvey, concocts a set of facts and asks the students to construct a news story. We can judge a lot from the product, like whether someone reads newspapers and can follow directions.
Some of the answers to the current events portion leave us puzzled. "The Cuban prison of death" is not generally accepted as a substitute for "Guantanamo Bay" and George Bush did not resign from the presidency to replace Penn State President Graham Spanier. But the caliber and enthusiasm of the students usually makes our job of narrowing down the large applicant pool very difficult.
To all the aspiring reporters out there who overslept, went to class or just didn't want to venture down to Burrowes Street:
You've got another shot in January. This is your chance to see your name in print (and not for making the high school honor roll or getting named in the police blotter). Your chance to hear different opinions and voice your own. Your chance to document Penn State history from the front lines while watching the homecoming parade with President Spanier or interviewing Four Diamonds families on the Thon dance floor or talking game strategy with JoePa.
To all the aspiring reporters who actually came on time to take a test that didn't count for graduation and still didn't make the cut:
Don't write us off. Prove that we were morons not to take your talented self. Come back in January and try again. If it's any consolation, a lot of our staff consists of people who refused to give up.
To those of you that read, care and just aren't the commitment type:
Sound off on our articles and editorials by submitting your own opinion letter to collegianletters@psu.edu.
Personally, I'm a little sad that wannabe reporters won't be telling me how cute my shoes are or how witty my blog is, but I'll survive -- it's only a couple months until January.