Careless typos. Fast-approaching deadlines. Sharing a dorm bathroom with Jonathan Levinson.
Such are the challenges facing your faithful correspondent while on a weeklong assignment to the High School Journalism Institute at Oregon State University.
But there was one vexing obstacle I never expected to encounter on a university campus — finding a cup of joe.
Coffee, you will be unsurprised to learn, is the lifeblood of any newsroom. And the long, unbroken tradition of the journalism trade requires that this newsroom coffee — while not necessarily fresh, well-flavored or fit for human consumption — must be free.
As part of the all-inclusive Journalism Institute experience, our meal cards have been preloaded for three meals a day at the West Dining Center, which serves pizza, quesadillas and burgers at an interesting variety of temperatures. Breakfast services begins promptly at 8 a.m. and ends at 8:59 a.m., which makes sense, as journalists and college students are notorious early-risers.
Now, if, hypothetically, one decided to oversleep and arrived at the West Center around 9:05 a.m., would the bean-seeking visitor find the door barred? The answer is yes.
But with another meal service set to begin at noon, surely that decaffeinated person would be greeted with a freshly brewed carafe at lunchtime? The answer, shockingly, is no.
It gives me no pleasure to report that the West Dining Center does not serve coffee after 9 a.m. Ever. Including lunch.
(The current endowment of Oregon State University tops $750 million).
Other than that, I’m having a great time!
— Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
