Her Campus UO’s Jess Crossley goes behind the scenes of Talk, an archival project dedicated to the exploration of UO culture, with Nicole Perkins, one of the directors.
Perkins is a 21-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. She will graduate this June with a degree in both Journalism/Public Relations and Art History, in addition to a minor in Arts Administration.
Jess Crossley: What is Talk UO?
Nicole Perkins: Talk is a student-run archival project based in the UO’s School of Journalism and Communication. It first started in spring of 2008 with the help of Professor Deb Morrison, when the UO was looking for a unique way to highlight and promote diversity on campus. The UO isn’t
diverse, so instead of trying to quantify our campus community by race and ethnicity, we thought, “What if we changed the meaning of the ‘D’ word? What if we turned ‘diversity’ into a conversation where we share our beliefs, our different backgrounds, and shared experiences?” Basically, Talk pushes people to get more familiar with their campus community and learn about the people they are surrounded by every day.
JC: What is Talk UO’s goal?
NP: Well, that’s kind of hard to answer. I see Talk as really doing three big things: archiving UO stories, sharing them within the UO community to enhance understanding, and then sharing them with the outside world to show others what the UO is really made of. It’s an insight into the UO through the voices and faces of the people who are a part of this community. What I love about this project is that we interview students, staff, and faculty. It shows people that the UO isn’t just kids—it’s ALL the people who contribute their time, love, and energy to the campus to make it move.
JC: How can collegiettes™ access Talk UO?
NP: As far as viewing videos, you can visit our website (note: only “http://” will allow you to access the site), or go directly to our YouTube channel. Otherwise, we conduct interviews in the SOJC Carolyn S. Chambers Electronic Media Center. It’s basically a video studio in the basement of Allen Hall. We don’t have official interview times for spring term yet, but if you follow our Facebook or Twitter, then you will learn when and where as it happens! This year, we started doing a Question of the Week mobile interview, where we pick one question and ask 10 to 15 people on campus for their response. We change times and locations for that every week too, so keep an eye out!
JC: What is your favorite question to ask students?
NP: That’s a really tough one. We have seven different question themes—habits, discomfort, beliefs, holidays, words, names, and travel—so you start to find favorites in each one. And honestly, it all depends on the kind of person responding. I’ve heard some really great responses to “Describe your worst date,” but I’ve also heard some really amazing, thought-provoking answers to “How do you describe faith?” Some participants keep their responses really light and funny, while others allow themselves to become really vulnerable and revealing. Both types of responses are amazing, and that’s why I love the project.
JC: How do you decide who to interview?
NP: We interview anyone who is willing to participate. Right now, our process is usually by word of mouth (calling on friends and classmates), or through incentives. This term, we’ve been bringing Voodoo donuts to our Question of the Week and regular interviews. People will do a lot for a donut, but finding participants has definitely been a challenge. People love the idea of the project once they learn about it, but it’s hard to convince someone in one quick line why they should come to a dark studio and be interviewed on camera.
JC: What kinds of challenges have you faced in the development of Talk UO?
NP: Getting interviews can be a challenge sometimes. There are some weeks that we find lots of willing, open, chatty participants and other weeks that no one is interested. No one wants to contribute to an unknown project, but it’s hard to spread the word without people participating. It has also been difficult in the past to convince the admin/faculty side of the UO that Talk is worthy of time, attention, and funding. That is still a challenge we run into. But with a lot of hard work and some really great work over the past two years, I think we’ve gained a whole lot of support. I really do appreciate the SOJC for how supportive it has been – the Dean, the faculty, everyone. A third challenge is just in the very nature of Talk’s structure. It’s a student-run project, which means everyone involved is spread thin with many, many other responsibilities. Talk isn’t always the first priority, understandably. And even with an incredibly dedicated team, none of us are around long enough to really see it go through big transformations. It’s hard to be patient and realize that some aspirations will just take time.
JC: How would you describe a typical day at Talk UO?
NP: Talk doesn’t exactly have a home base or office, so let me describe a typical interview day: We set them up once a week and rent the studio ahead of time. We usually block off two to three hours. A few of us will get there ahead of time, set up the lights and camera equipment, and start hanging signs around the SOJC to let people know we’ll be there. Interviews can be either scheduled in advance, or on a drop-in basis, so our interview sessions are hard to predict until we’re in the middle of them.
We usually have at least two people in the lounge to greet participants, explain the project, and get people comfortable and chatty before the interview. In the actual studio space, we have two interviewers—one to ask questions, and one to take notes. When a participant arrives, he or she signs a release form, chooses a topic, and goes into the room. After getting the mic set up, the interview really only lasts five or so minutes, depending on how chatty the participant is. The interviewer asks three to five questions from the theme of choice, and then concludes by asking the participant, “What is something you love, something you’ve lost, and something you’re afraid of?” Those are the “big three” questions that the project really revolves around. After an interview session, we hand our videos off to the editors. Turnaround time can be a week or more, depending on our schedules.
JC: What do you like most about directing Talk UO?
NP: Oh, so much. First off, I love everything about this project and what it represents. I love the idea of a more open, engaged campus where individuals feel comfortable sharing stories with those around them. I love having the incredible privilege to meet so many fascinating, wonderful people who are willing to share so much of themselves with Talk. I love seeing this project grow each term, gaining more recognition and getting an even more solid groundwork. I love seeing members of our team take ownership over projects and really get excited about Talk and what it could do if given the chance.
JC: How can students get involved?
NP: It depends on the level of interest! We welcome anyone who wants to do an interview, and by following our social media, you can find out exactly when and where that will happen. Interviews only take five to ten minutes tops, and you can bring a friend (or more!) to hang out in our lounge area and eat donuts. If students want to get more involved, we have all kinds of opportunities. You could conduct interviews and hone journalism skills, edit videos for multimedia experience, and more. Anyone is welcome to email us at talkuoregon@gmail.com to find out more!
—
Talk UO will be hosting a photo exhibit in the Erb Memorial Union’s Aperture Gallery until April 25th. It will feature information about the project and photo snapshots of participant interviews, as well as a “quote wall” with excerpts from previous interviews. If you can, stop by, and show your support!