Journalism 133: Prof. Craig: Story Ideas Exercise, Part II

Story Ideas Exercise, Part II

● Story 1
○ Summary: How do students feel about non-campus vendors? Are they appreciated by students or seen as a safety issue?
○ Audience: Students, faculty and staff
○ Interviews: Multiple street vendors (Elote seller near housing, Mango seller in front of Clark, Sanrio stuffed toys seller in front of MLK Library), student/staff/faculty customers, individuals opposed to their presence on campus
○ Need to know:
■ As a public campus, what are the rules for selling food and other items on school grounds?
■ What are the potential safety risks?
■ Potential sales averages for these small businesses
○ Secondary story ideas:
■ Feature on individual store vendors, why they sell and why they chose SJSU
■ Review of vendors food

● Story 2
○ Summary: How effective is tabling for student organizations?
○ Audience: Students, club faculty advisors
○ Interviews: Individuals tabling on 7th street currently, students walking through 7th street, student organization leaders
○ Need to know:
■ The process of getting a table on 7th street through the Student Union Why do clubs not think their experiences with tabling have been
successful/unsuccessful?  Why do clubs table in the first place?

○ Secondary story ideas:
■ Feature on other ways clubs/organizations promote themselves

● Story 3
○ Summary: AS elections for the next school year are starting up again, how relevant is AS to the ordinary student?
○ Audience: Students
○ Interviews: Current AS student body officers, student in the student union/walking around campus
○ Need to know:
■ How does the voting process work?
■ What has AS done recently to improve the experience of SJSU students?
■ Poll of students feelings on AS
○ Secondary story ideas:
■ Feature on AS student body officer
■ Feature on current AS president