Associated Collegiate Press Conference

In addition to the normal slate of exciting senior year projects and events, next year I am looking forward to working as Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper: the Bethel Collegian. In preparation for this shift of responsibilities, I attended a national Associated Collegiate Press Conference in San Diego, CA this last weekend. I have since returned with a number of exciting style and content ideas for the Collegian.To begin this story, I’d like to say that I would have loved to blog from sunny California about it, but the hotel we stayed at, though of the preeminent Marriott branch, still operated in the stone ages. It had wireless internet but at the extravagant cost of $13 for 12 hours of use. Get with the program folks!Despite our technological woes, the trip to San Diego was, as someone stuck in the snowy cold weather here in Kansas might suspect, quite pleasant and enjoyable. Two unenjoyable moments however involved getting up at 4:00 in the morning or so to catch the flights from and to the Wichita airport. Yuck.The conference itself was very edifying. I was informed about several new story goldmines to plunder, and different ways to communicate them to our readers. I was struck and, more often than not, amused by the glib, smart-aleck speaking styles of the presenters, who no doubt picked up that wry humor and dry wit from working in the media business and with college students.Allison and I also found some time to explore San Diego. We explored Balboa Park, a central spot that houses the famous San Diego Zoo, many museums, some beautiful gardens and really engaging architecture. Unfortunately, like many things in California, some of these options were out of our price range.The public transit system helped us get to several fun neighborhoods around the city: the Gaslamp district, Downtown, Seaport Village, Hillcrest and Old Town, each of which had their own style and…more importantly, terrific options for food.We ate at India Palace, which was touted in one of our guide books as the best Indian Restaurant in the nation. It was plenty delicious, but honestly, I still prefer Passage to India in Wichita. I remembered how good croissants and goat cheese could be at the Zanzibar Cafe. More than anything though, California treats avocados with the respect and proliferation they deserve. I think avocados can make just about anything better.So, we’ve returned to Kansas’s cold weather, but hopefully the refreshment of California sun and ideas for the Collegian are still simmering.