Dan Reimold's Campus Beat columns are exclusive to USA TODAY College. Reimold is a Ph.D. and a college journalism scholar who has written and presented about the student press throughout the U.S. and in Southeast Asia. He is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Tampa, where he also advises The Minaret student newspaper. He maintains the student journalism industry blog College Media Matters.
Scandal surrounding Yale football star prompts fierce media debate
Incident is ethically dizzying and deserves further inspection and debate.
Professor explores the role of homesickness in American history
We may not always want to acknowledge it, but it’s very American to be homesick.
Penn State student editor resigns after report about Joe Paterno’s death
Early, incorrect reports of coach’s death created PSU firestorm.
Feather extensions: Still a thing on your campus?
Animal cruelty — and animal fashion — are both issues arising around the trend.
East Carolina fires student media director in wake of campus newspaper streaker photos
More students sending texts while they sleep
Sleep texting has become a phenomenon worthy of attention in student and professional press circles.
Student plays video games for 24 hours straight…and lives to write about it
Student newspaper at Brigham Young University sparks skinny jeans debate
Some students sporting skinny jeans prevented from taking required exams.
Longboarding a ‘booming fad’
The longboard is an increasingly popular transportation choice for students on campuses nationwide.
Student editor tells story of Duke University’s most ‘unorthodox critic’
Dead Week a killer for students studying for finals
Short period between the end of classes and the start of finals lives up to the name.
Student nerdfighters unite! Geeky movement aims to fight ‘world suck’
Triple-X control: Colleges rapidly purchase porn domains
Colleges hurry to protect themselves from potentially embarrassing situations.
Temple University student goes ‘meatless’ for a month, lives to write about it
Lover of “sports, bacon, and foods that include bacon” goes, um, cold turkey.
Penn State Scandal: 10 spin-off stories journalists at every school should explore
A variety of issues that deserve closer inspection on many campuses.
Students no longer have to fear the Freshman 15, new study argues
1st year students only gain about three pounds during their first two semesters.
Harvard Crimson: Facebook use during class a ‘routine part of Harvard life’
A “widely-accepted phenomenon” at Harvard – social media in class.
Early classes equal higher college grades, study confirms
The numbers push for a reversal of the “dreaded 8 a.m. class” stereotype.
Alabama student’s ‘social media blackout’: Goodbye Facebook, Twitter, Skype
Student reported having to stop himself from going online 16 times a day.
Students use late night ride service to shop, party and get home safe
Northern Illinois U. Service aims to help students avoid trouble after dark.
To get across campus, more students, professors hop on bikes
Students, professors and staff are riding bicycles in record numbers.
Occupy Wall Street: College media join the coverage stampede
Students with disabilities face academic, social, travel challenges on campus
Current college students with all types of disabilities face daily hardships.
A list of the best college lists: Top mascots, Twitter feeds, fashion trends
College life is full of lists. Our Dan Reimold counts the ways.
Is the hottest sport in college… Quidditch?
Many students are competing this fall within the wide world of Quidditch.
Recent grad reflects on ‘The Question’ every senior gets
North Carolina student ousted from a capella group for views on homosexuality
Tanorexia: When keeping the summer glow turns into addiction
Students ‘grossly underutilize’ campus library resources
Student apathy, poor publicity turning campus libraries into ghost towns
The Overbooked: Many students still stuck in hotels, crowded lounges
Schools have more incoming freshmen and transfers than they can handle
Student slackliners leading a ‘Balance Sport Revolution’
A rope, two trees, your balance. Student “slacklining” has seemingly reached its tipping point.
Student becomes sensation in a creative attempt for Harvard acceptance
University of Alabama student reflects on covering Tuscaloosa tornado
UA journalists work through deadly tornado to keep community connected.
Campus Beat: The rise in student hipster culture
Student disgust over debt ceiling debacle triggers angry columns . . . and a song
Summer music roundup: Trends and songs likely to be hot this fall
Music correspondent Max Hasan peers into his musical crystal ball.
Students like LikeALittle a lot. An increasing number of campus newspapers have turned to that tongue-twister to describe the rising popularity of a unique web service. Simply put, LikeALittle lets students flirt with each other… anonymously. The site offers campus-specific platforms for students to reveal their feelings for someone they know or strangers who just walked
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At page 699, Proma Kholsa almost threw up. While reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the University of Michigan student and HP superfan simply could not stomach the drama playing out on the pages before her. As she recalled in a recent Michigan Daily column, “My face was already soaked with tears, my body
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As summer progresses, please beware: It is possible to not only eat too healthy, but also to exercise too much. The former is a disorder known as orthorexia nervosa. As Mary Watson Capron wrote last semester in The Signpost , the student newspaper at Weber State University, “Orthorexia is the fixation on righteous eating and
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Wiktoria Parysek, a fresh graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, recently arrived at a Department of Motor Vehicles office weighed down by a veritable mountain of paperwork. As she recounted last week, “I trekked to the DMV armed with (take a deep breath): my old license, my passport, my Social Security card, my visa, my
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On a historic night nearly three years ago, Chris Schaadt’s father called him, crying. He told him to hurry home — something had happened to his mother. As Kelly Stroda reported for The Daily Kansan, “It was Election Day 2008 — monumental because the first African-American president was elected — but [Schaadt] remembers it for
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Studying for finals. Paying attention in class. Simply wanting to feel wired. The explosion of illegal Adderall use by students on college campuses across the country has many root causes– and a number of strange side effects. The pill’s medical purpose is to help individuals with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and narcolepsy. Yet, it’s
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College students are currently “dazed by the dub.” According to student newspapers nationwide, dubstep has officially implanted its beat into campus music and dance scenes. As Dariya Bunchuk wrote for The Pipe Dream at SUNY Binghamton, “It’s the fastest-growing music genre of the 21st century. So can you dub it?” NextGen Journal‘s Mick Hammock writes
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It’s a fascinating– and horrifying– thought to some students: Your professors used to be young. In their current roles, of course, they teach. They publish. They advise. They hold office hours at weird times. They fail to grasp the concept of a Twitter hashtag. And some wear bowties. But before they were professors, they were
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“Your roommate never leaves the room. . . . So much homework that you don’t know where to start. . . . The only thing lower than your GPA is your bank account balance. . . . Laptop dies [so] forced to pay attention during class. . . . Study abroad where you’re legal to
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Late last semester, New York University student Taylor Myers lived in the school’s main library for five days. If he is not granted more financial aid, he plans to stay there permanently come fall. He calls it a “sacrifice that must be made” for the sake of his education. Myers, a rising sophomore, says he
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“Born This Way” is not the greatest album of the decade, as its creator Lady Gaga promised prior to its recent debut. In fact, it is only so-so, according to a national sampling of college newspaper reviews. Summing up the general tenor of most student reviews, Erik van Rheenen at Syracuse University’s The Daily Orange
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A debate is currently brewing at Northwestern University over the value of human sexuality. School officials recently announced plans to drop the popular psychology course from the curriculum for the next academic year. The move is partially in response to the mega-controversy caused by an optional sex-themed demonstration held after a class session this past
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In anticipation of the fall college football season, Stanford University student Cyrus Pinto is looking to the sidelines. The Stanford Daily sports writer believes one key to the success of his school’s football squad will be the passion of its supporters. As he put it simply in a column earlier this week, “We need fans
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Over the past year, students at a pair of schools earned kudos and attention simply for doling out compliments — in person and online. It is apparently part of a quietly growing trend. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a trio of first-year students have been spending each Monday afternoon on the school’s
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Students at Princeton University may soon be barred from rushing a fraternity or sorority until sophomore year, The Daily Princetonian reported recently. A university committee on social life has recommended restricting freshmen from going Greek. The proposal is aimed at encouraging students to sample a wider array of activities and social circles before settling into a single
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This commencement season– among the caps, gowns, diplomas, and distinguished invited speakers such as Snooki — a question looms: How many fresh graduates were on the three-year college plan? According to a new report in American University’s Eagle, there are an “increasing number of students that graduate early from universities across the nation.” While the
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Along with standbys such as fliers, free pens, and offers of food, a new campaign tactic debuted during the most recent student government election at Louisiana State University. As The Daily Reveille reported, the newly-elected SG president and vice president possibly rode to victory atop the buzz of two freestyle rap videos they helped create that
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