End of the Semester

I was so incredibly busy for the last part of the semester, so I didn't have time to update my blog. Instead of posting shots from everything I did, here's some frames from everything I shot since...the last time I updated. 

An Open Letter to Dr. Gary Ransdell and the WKU Board of Regents - Re: Talisman Budget Cuts

To support our cause - please visit savethetalisman.com. Thank you. 

Dear Dr. Ransdell and the Board of Regents,

Nothing could have prepared me for the year I had as a freshman on the staff of the Talisman. I was nervous to apply, arrived 25 minutes early to the first meeting and spent it awkwardly with editorial board members I didn’t know, and stumbled through my first assignments, making mistakes as I went.

A year later, the following hold true: I have two stories that I have shot being published in the 2013 Talisman. A photo I took on assignment for the Talisman won first place at the Kentucky News Photographers Association 2013 Best of Photojournalism Student Division, in the category of General News. And next year, I will be serving as Managing Editor of the 2014 Talisman – as a sophomore.

These opportunities are found nowhere else but the corner suite of the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Building. No other university can boast that their yearbook gives students such an opportunity to hone and develop their skills in a practical manner. No other university can boast of multiple Pacemakers and Gold Crowns – a tradition of excellence held by the Talisman. No other university holds such a tight-knit group of student journalists with such passion for telling the story of their campus.

These reasons are the reasons that the proposed 47% budget cut to the Talisman breaks my heart. Our yearbook cannot withstand such a dramatic cut to our budget. We produce a high-quality product that wins awards, yes, but that’s not what is important to us. Our goal at the Talisman is to provide a place for student journalists to write stories, take photographs, design pages, and practice advertising and marketing – all for a top-notch collegiate publication. We strive to build the skills of our staff to prepare them for the “real world.” We pride ourselves in creating a work environment that mirrors professional publications – and I daresay that our publication is just as professional as any.

As I write this letter, I am back home in my tiny town of Fulton, Kentucky. I have finished my finals, and all that is left is the customary posting of the grades. Tomorrow, I begin work on planning the 2014 Talisman. It will be just like every Talisman before it. We will tell the stories of our campus in a beautiful way. We will take photos and write stories and document the incredible place that is Western Kentucky University. A year ago, I never dreamed I would be in this position.

Help us to continue to surprise future student journalists with a place to call home. Help us to continue to provide an environment for young journalists like myself to gain experience. Help us to continue the tradition of the Talisman.

Please reconsider the massive budget cuts to the Talisman. Don’t do it for me: do it for the new students next year, and the next, and the years following. Our legacy is large – please help us to continue it.

Thank you,

Brandon Carter

Managing Editor, 2014 Talisman