The journalism department at the University of Oregon was an intimate one with a cluster of faculty offices, each about the size of your grandmother's pantry, located at the center of the old, but still respectable, news building, housing classrooms with windows looking out to the quad, and the ever important News Lab.
The News Lab: a wonderful chance for select undergrads to get their feet wet in the real world of journalism. An opportunity for small teams of students to work on documentaries, local news stories, and the campus paper.
The News Lab: an anteroom to some of the most ambitious, competitive, and talented minds on campus, surrounded by an organized framework of Macs, desks, and filing cabinets.
The News Lab: a family of smiles that lit up when they heard Lexi walk in the door at her ever-punctual time of 10 am.
Lexi was the heart of the paper here. Her writing had a spark and energy that is rare to feel in the icy world of journalism, and the rest of her team knew it. Lexi had a rare knack, a zeal if you will, for getting out in the world the truth of what was REALLY important.
Lexi set her bag down at her favorite computer and bounced her way to the coffee machine in her lime green Keds, returning the chorus of "good mornings" that were sent her way. She reached the pot and began to pour coffee into her usual Peanuts mug (with a cartoon of Snoopy dancing with a top hat and cane and a row of those little yellow birds that no one remembers the name of behind him). The coffee was dark and strong this morning, Jack must've made it. He believed in "real man's" coffee, the kind that will put hair on your chest.
"Better watch out or that stuff'll make you go blind." Lexi jumped as the voice from close behind her shoulder reached her unsuspecting ear. She turned to see a wiry young woman in the signature bare feet that always allowed her to walk around the lab noiselessly as a cat. (She often said that she hated the click of heels.)
"Jesus, Kay! Don't DO that!" Breathed Lexi as she reached into the mini fridge for some milk to thin out her coffee. "You know how jumpy I get! One of these days I'm going to accidentally taser you."
"Haha!" Laughed Kay. "I can see the headlines now: 'Oregon University Star Journalist Tasers Best Friend; Little Pink Hand Tasers in Purses Pose Threat to Pranksters.' If you wanted to lay low, you should've picked a different career, hon."
"You know my convictions, Kay. There are too many stories untold." Lexi replied with a smile. "Anywho, what's new this morning?"
"Actually there's been some real stuff go down! We'll have to have a cage match to see who gets the story. A graduate of the university was found dead in his flat this morning, a gun in his hand. Seeing as how he's an UO alum, they invided us to the news conference. Not much has been released yet."
Lexi frowned. "Who was it?" Kay looked down at her notebook.
"Ummmm... some guy named Ben Sophel. A financial adviser. I've never heard of him before."
"Yeah, me either." sighed Lexi. "It's still sad though. And a little too close to home (or school I guess, if you catch my drift). Anyway, anything else?"
"Yeah, I think you tracked in fox shit on your Keds. You can smell it across the room!" Kay answered teasingly. "Another early morning hike? What are you looking for anyway?"
"I don't know." said Lexi thoughtfully. "But I'll know when I find it. Maybe something profound like 'inner peace'. But that just sounds silly."
"Sounds noble." Kay said, elbowing Lexi in the side.
"Ha! I'm pretty sure there's nothing noble about the fox scat I tracked through the lab! Anyway, we should probably at least TRY to get some work done. Let's pull together for a meeting and figure out who gets this story." Lexi clapped her hands loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Ok guys! Let's bring it in!"
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