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These student-written stories demonstrate watchdog journalism happening on college campuses across the United States. One hundred and fifty students from 30 different colleges participated in Campus Coverage Project over the last two years, and these articles represent some of their work. Follow the links and read the stories to find out what’s happening and to glean ideas for research and writing on your own campus.
by Jessie Hellmann
University of Southern Indiana
Last fall, the University of Southern Indiana's Student Government Association voted to include sorority and fraternity at-large memberships to SGA ranks, adding to the already strong Greek influence in the government. Of the SGA members, 12 are members of Greek life, making 35 percent of SGA members Greek. But only about 486 students — 4.5 percent of the student body — are Greek life members....
by Hilary Niles
Campus Coverage Project
Our first in an occasional series of interviews with professional investigative journalists features Jill Riepenhoff.
JILL RIEPENHOFF, an investigative projects reporter, joined The Columbus Dispatch in 1985. She and her colleagues have won dozens of state and national awards for their work on Ohio’s foreclosure woes, the state’s flawed teacher-discipline system, state laws aimed at...
by Christopher Whitten
University of Memphis
Students at The University of Memphis' Lambuth campus may be getting less bang for their buck.
While students on the main campus pay a $40 student activity fee plus $17 for health services and $25 for recreation, Lambuth students pay the same $82, but under the umbrella of a single student activity fee. The Lambuth campus, however, does not yet have a health center or recreational facility, according to Jeannie Smith,...
by Christopher Whitten
University of Memphis
Last year's University of Memphis general election for the Student Government Association saw infractions concerning misplaced campaign material, misappropriation of funds and misconduct by student candidates. This year, SGA President Tyler DeWitt plans to eliminate that behavior by implementing a new system, which will reduce the percentage of overall votes received by the party in violation.
"Under this system...
by Christopher Whitten
University of Memphis
Halfway into Student Government Association President Tyler DeWitt's term, the 21-year-old graduate student accounting major said he considers his time in office to have been a success "so far."
While DeWitt said some of his campaign promises were fulfilled, including updating the SGA website in a timely manner and extending students' ability to use the HOPE scholarship during the summer term, he's...
by Beth Cooper
edited by Chelsea Boozer
University of Memphis
When Beth Cooper, Daily Helmsman news reporter, heard rumors of sexual harrassment and employee mistreatment by a supervisor in The University of Memphis' Physical Plant department, she couldn't get any complainants or those against whom charges were alleged to talk to her -- so she turned to documents.
After reviews of several employee files, complaint records and employee...
by Molly Willms
St. Cloud State University
The administration calls it frustrating.
Depending on to whom you talk, the Saffari issue is varying degrees of confidential.
In a half-hour meeting last week, President Potter released few details – he is limited by his position as a state employee, he says, and can’t discuss personnel matters with anyone.
“Let me ask a question first: What is not clear about our statement that I can...
by Michael Auslen
Indiana University
Last spring, in an action that has drawn criticism from current and former student leaders, the IU Board of Trustees closed the office of University Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, a senior administrator whose primary role was working with student leaders.
Members of the board said the decision was made because Gros Louis’ initial five-year appointment as chancellor, a position he occupied without pay, was set to expire.
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