Trading in My Purse for a Camera Bag: Lessons in Photography

By Carole Burns

The recent Platypus Workshop sponsored by the Diederich College of Communication taught me many things about video editing.  The piece that stuck with me, however, was something I had to learn on my own—I needed more experience with my equipment. My good friends Dan Johnson and Jennifer Janviere make beautiful pictures. They see stories in faces of individuals walking down the street or sitting in a doorway. I see similar stories in landscapes and nature. The big difference between Dan, Jen and me is the fact that their pictures could fill multiple art gallery walls. Mine are more suited for the external hard drive I’ve purchased.

Experience and knowledge can go hand in hand with photography. Of course, I know that just using my camera more will not improve the composition, it will assist me in knowing what aperture and shutter speed settings I should be using.

Reflections on the 2011 Marquette Debate Institute

By Jason Baron

MUDI in Johnston Hall. Photo by Ben Smidt.

Although this year at Marquette University Debate Institute (MUDI) has gone great, I have to start by commenting on what MUDI did for me last year. People always say moving from novice to varsity is like being pushed off a cliff and being forced to learn how to fly on the way down. But because of MUDI 2010, I proved that notion wrong. For my first 3 varsity tournaments I went 9-0. It wasn’t until round 3 of the next tournament that I eventually suffered my first varsity loss. I am proof that the Marquette University Debate Institute will prepare someone to become a winner at varsity level debate competitions.

It is with this sentiment in mind that I anticipate even better things for this year’s program. For starters, we are focusing a lot more and getting a lot done. Plus, the comradery between all the participants here this year is so intense. Between the seven debaters and the three coaches, we all just love to joke around and have fun, but at the same time getting work done during lectures —oops, “seminars” as we’re taught to refer to them —or library time. Well, maybe we have a few comic relief points mixed in with the work!

If you ask me, having gone through MUDI almost twice I can say this: If you love debate, there is no better place to be in the summer than at MUDI.

View photos from the 2011 Marquette University Debate Institute on Flickr

Jason Baron is a participant in the 2011 Marquette University Debate Institute, held each summer in the Diederich College of Communication.  Jason, who will be a junior at Mukwonago High School during the 2011-2012 academic year, attended MUDI last year and returned this year.

The Human Brain Continues to Adapt to Our Digital Ways

By Lauren Haberkorn

When walking around Marquette’s campus, through the library, Cudahy, or Johnston Hall it would be hard to spot someone that isn’t texting, listening to their iPod, or doing work on a computer. We seem to constantly be multitasking.

According to a 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, young people spend at least seven-and-a-half hours a day with media (computers, cell phones, TV or music), and by frequently multi-tasking, they are packing in the equivalent of nearly 11 hours of content – which is an increase from nearly six-and-a-half hours a day, or eight-and-a-half hours of media multitasking from just six years ago!