By: Tia Humphries
Amid midterm season, as seniors, we were under more pressure than most as every grade we earn plays a role in our journey to graduation. The most crucial class for journalism students being our Capstone: NewsVision Lab, which is a three-hour six-credit course that is known to produce the best journalists Howard University has to offer. The "Fab Five," as Professor Thomas calls us, entered room C229 nervous about taking our exam, but little did we know that our midterm would be interrupted with breaking news. We received information that Howard University's Provost Dr. Wutoh would be arranging a time to speak with student media outlets about the university's response to COVID-19 and what the Howard community could expect next from the administration.
As journalists, we know our pre-scheduled events can quickly be interrupted and call for a change in course. Professor Thomas suspended the midterm for two of us to meet with the Provost at WHUT, the only black-owned PBS station located on Howard's campus. We dashed to the tech center to pick up equipment and made our way to the station. Once we got there, we realized our XLR cable was too short, and the set up for the interview looked awkward. We worked diligently and swiftly with the WHUT staff to get a wireless microphone and to switch to a different studio that would look more appealing on camera. The arranged time for the interview was 3 p.m., but the Provost didn't arrive until 30 minutes later. Thus, leaving us with less time to finish our midterms and quickly turn around the package. However, we remained level headed and conducted the interview, ensuring we asked the questions that were on every students' mind regarding classes, housing, and graduation.
Once the interview concluded, we ran back to the classroom, where we found our other classmates, helping us find additional elements and drafting our scripts to help us meet the deadline. We placed down our equipment, finished our midterm exams, then quickly began editing the package. As a team and with the support of our Professor Jennifer Thomas, we were able to grab man on the street interviews, write a script, track the script, find supporting elements, and make editorial choices to create an informational package for the Howard community. By the time we finished, none of us had realized we had stayed an additional two hours outside of our three hour class time.
At that moment, we saw all the years of hard work, studying, and practice pay off in the NewsVision newsroom. We walked out tired but feeling accomplished. Unfortunately, that would be the last time we worked together in person. We recessed to spring break the following day when we received notice from the administration that the spring semester would suspend indefinitely to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, we won't let this new challenge stop the "Fab Five," as we will continue to cover stories from our respective hometowns. In the words of our Professor, "we believe in excellence without excuse."