Multimedia Assignment Letter

As an editor for 101magazine.net, not only did I edit stories for the platform's writers, but I also pitched assignment and story ideas. Below is an assignment letter I wrote to a 101 Mag Reporter, in which I asked them to develop a story on the extent to which COVID-19 has transformed college culture and experiences. Below that is the video/digital version of the assignment letter. The latter component showcases how I was able to utilize digital media elements in my role as an editor.

Multimedia Assignment Letter: Text

Dear 101 Magazine Reporter,

Colleges students all over the nation were forced off campus in March 2020 due to the impending pandemic. Graduating students had to finish off their last semesters of school virtually, and first-year students were never able to fully experience the spring semesters at their college campuses.

And now, with the Fall 2021 semester beginning, tens of millions of students across the U.S. are back on campus, many for the first time, and many universities are hoping this semester will kick-start the first normal and mostly in-person academic year since the onset of the pandemic. While many journalists have reported on the rise of the Delta variant and COVID-19 cases threatening the smooth return to campus, very few, if any, have reported on the shift in “culture” on college campuses caused by the pandemic.

With this being said, I’d like to assign you to investigate and report on the extent to which the pandemic has transformed college culture and experiences. At many universities, there are two classes on campus for the very first time. At these same universities, there is only one class of students who have been on campus for a full academic semester before. Some universities also have implemented a hybrid form of learning— in other words, not everyone enrolled is on campus. Due to these circumstances, will college culture and life ever go back to normal?

Some questions to think about that can be answered in you story are:

What traditions and campus activities have colleges had to do away with because of COVID-19?
Do first-time on-campus students understand the culture of the campus?
How do students who were on campus prior to the pandemic feel about the shift in campus culture? Is there even a shift in campus culture?

It would be beneficial to your story if you spent time talking to students from all backgrounds including: transfer students, first-time on campus students, graduating students who have been on campus before and students involved in campus-life organizations. Varied perspectives and student voices will make your story stronger.

You should feel free to focus on one aspect of college culture that you find to be a reoccurring theme in your preliminary reporting. If not, a general dissection of the shift of campus culture and life for students is suitable for this story. The story should be about 600 to 800 words and any multimedia elements, such as videos, are welcome.

Thanks for your time. Feel free to pitch other ideas, or offer critiques to the current one if this story doesn't interest you. If you have any questions, please call, text or email.

Sincerely,

Nyah Marshall

(856) 777-3584

Nyah.marshall@bison.howard.edu