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Staff:
Editor: Dave Shafer
Art director: Kathryn Common
Photo editor: Allison Waltz
Managing editor: Shane Hoover
CyBurr editor: Lawrence Cabanero
CyBurr webmaster: Paul Bucalo
Chief copy editor: Brooke Butz
Assistant managing editor: Mark Cina
Assistant copy editors: Anthony
Lombardo Shelly Prisco
Monica Arjev Balli Mullen
Business Manager: Johnna Logan
Sales manager: Kim Gareau
Advertising manager: Lori Cantor
Ad designer: Student Media Design Department
Production manager: Libby Dellinger
Adviser: Ann Schierhorn
Editor’s comments:
"The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." That’s a fine premise for a television show, but not such a good idea in journalism. In general, anonymous sources are looked on with suspicion, as though they simply have an ax to grind or don’t want to be responsible for their actions. Whatever the reason, anonymous sources are justly viewed with suspicion, not only by readers but also by journalists. But in this issue, we have three stories that revolve around anonymous people: Tim Bugansky’s story on abortion, Mandy Jenkins’ story on human papilloma virus and Phil Novak’s story about a pot dealer. With anonymous sources viewed as they are, one story based on such a person in a publication this size may be OK. To publish three such stories is risky. But I think it’s a risk worth taking. What we want to do with this edition is to address issues students deal with. As is clear in the stories, pot dealing (and particularly smoking), HPV and abortions are common issues on campus. We felt in these instances, anonymous sources were fine because these aren’t stories about individuals. They’re stories about issues and occurrences, and discussing those issues is more important than discussing any individual person dealing with those issues. The point of these stories is to invite you to think about what you would do if you unexpectedly became pregnant (both women in Bugansky’s piece “urge” all women to consider what they’d do if they were to get pregnant), help you realize you’re not alone if you get HPV … or, for that matter, if you spend too much time smoking marijuana. If you don’t fall into the latter category, I think you’ll find the story an enjoyable look at a very different sort of college
experience.
It was important to us that the abortion and pot dealer stories not be the same old thing. I think you’ll find they
aren’t.
But those aren’t the only issues we tackle in this edition. Megan Battista examines a skinhead group based in Kent. Mark Cina looks at two Kent residents who were raised by lesbian parents, and Allison Waltz presents us with a visual look at Falun Gong and its practitioners, a group persecuted in its homeland of China. For those stories we have identified sources, and we’d like to thank those sources for their candidness. Not all the stories in this magazine are deep, probing pieces. Ryan Dezember visits an inner-city charter school started by Edward Crosby, founder of Kent State’s Pan-African Studies department. Sarah Jenkins visits a local psychic/belly dancer/tarot-card reader. Jennifer Kovacs profiles a student with a morbid ambition: to become a funeral director and embalmer. And Adam Gibbs searches for love in all the virtual
places.
The CyBurr, our online companion that won second place in the 2001 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication student magazine contest, will feature three CyBurr documentaries and two exclusive stories. So surf on by and check it out
>>.
I’d like to thank everyone whose name is listed at the bottom of this page. Their talents and dedication have made this issue what it
is.
I hope you find the stories relevant, but more importantly, that you find the stories entertaining.
Enjoy.
Dave Schafer
The Burr
101 Taylor Hall
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio 44242
Phone: 330.672.2947
Fax: 330.672.4880
CyBurr: www.burr.kent.edu
The Burr, formerly The Chestnut Burr, is produced by students at Kent State University twice per academic year. No part of The Burr may be reprinted without permission. Readers are encouraged to send letters and feature articles to The Burr at the address above. Copyright (c)2001 The Burr.
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