The Universe is offering the BYU community a chance to be a reporter for a day with a 24-hour press pass.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 9 until midnight, all BYU students, faculty and staff are invited to share their lives with the BYU community by sending in pictures of their daily doings, which will appear on The Universe website for the online project “A Day in the Life of BYU.”
Participants can share any photos of themselves and what they are doing that day. This could range from taking a photograph with roommates, sitting in classes, shopping at the mall or ordering a meal at Wendy’s. The pictures must be taken within the 24-hour timeline on Nov. 9, but there is no timeline in sending the pictures in.
Steve Fidel, director of The Universe, got the idea from a previous professional project and hopes to create an interactive relationship with the BYU audience.
“There are places our staff can’t get to,” Fidel said. “I’m fully expecting we’ll learn from this and get ideas of stories to pursue later.”
This project gives everyone the opportunity to participate and is made possible because of technology advancements. With the increased availability of smartphones, most people are able to snap a picture and send in an email within a few minutes. If this proves to be successful, then the project will become an occasional event.
Natalie Zollinger, a sophomore from Vancouver, Wash., majoring in athletic training, works as a receptionist at The Universe and is excited for the “Day in the Life of BYU” project.
“Because of the social networking aspect of BYU, having something else to share with the student body would get people excited,” Zollinger said. “It’s like another Instagram for the campus.”
Zollinger plans on participating in the event by sending in pictures from her day. With the opportunity for BYU students to send in any picture within the same 24-hour time period, the project gives everyone a chance to tell their own unique story through pictures.
“It shows more than just the stories; (it) kind of shows behind the scenes,” Zollinger said.
Journalism student Sara Phelps, a senior from Rochester, Mich., is also a campus editor for The Universe. Phelps thinks the project is a good idea that will hopefully create awareness of the online Universe and involvement from students.
“It’s something that will connect BYU students through an online medium and create a sense of unity,” Phelps said.
The “A Day in the Life of BYU” project is open to the BYU community from student, faculty and staff in Provo and includes study abroad programs, such as at the Jerusalem Center. Anything that happens within the 24 hours on Nov. 9 can be sent to for the chance to appear on The Universe website.
