Justin Jayne on the sidelines of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Goodbyes are usually hard but this one is difficult.
How do you fit four years into fewer than a thousand words? How can I translate to an audience I have made hundreds of videos for what range of emotions and experiences I’ve had at The OU Daily? How do I tell you how much The Daily, its past and present staff and Seth Prince have changed my life?
This is the third attempt of mine to write this goodbye. The previous two attempts started to become play-by-plays of my time at The Daily and a summary of what those key moments meant to me. Every attempt felt hollow and all too brief.
But one of the many invaluable lessons I’ve learned from The Daily is that just because you don’t know how to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, in fact you almost certainly should.
The Daily, this independent student media outlet that previously sat in an old, dingy newsroom in Copeland Hall and is now fully remodeled into a cool, bright, modern newsroom, has made me a better person. The Daily has the ability to go past its physical location on campus to be a body of people and ideas that are unified and dedicated to its cause and its community.
My early years at The Daily were like a blast of cold water to the face. Coming from a small private school with a graduating class of 35, I had no idea what stories and events could affect a campus of thousands, but it wouldn’t take long for me to find out.
By my second semester, I was exposed to the racist mentality of some students and faculty on campus and what power their hateful words and actions had on the community. My later years at The Daily showed me the ravaging effects of a global pandemic, shrunk to a local perspective. And yet, in the face of these horrible things, I’ve seen a campus and a community that has decided to come together to face these problems head on.
The Daily gave me a lens — literal and metaphorical — through which to view the strength of my peers and community leaders. I got chills every time I recorded former BERT co-director Miles Francisco speaking to the public or to OU’s administration; I sat in awe as former council member Alex Scott gave her emotion-filled testimonial on policing issues to a packed and angry Norman City Council; I feel blessed to this day to have been in the same room as someone like Dr. George Henderson, who has been a leader across generations and communities.
And then there are my colleagues and friends in the newsroom. People who have been by my side through tumultuous news cycles and fun projects. The group of people I am proud to get dinner and drinks with at The Library most weekends. These people who would have been complete strangers to me have made me a better journalist, friend and human being and it was all because of The OU Daily.
From left to right: OU Daily fall video editor Justin Jayne, assistant sports editor Chandler Engelbrecht, sports editor Mason Young, assistant sports editor Austin Curtright and videographer Georgia Bomar.
From left to right: OU Daily fall sports editor Mason Young, video editor Justin Jayne, visual editor Trey Young, videographer Collin McDaniel, assistant visual editor Edward Reali and assistant sports editor Chandler Engelbrecht.
I had wonderful, unique college experiences because of The Daily. “I have a cool job,” was a common phrase of mine when discussing The Daily with friends. I got to interview the football team as confetti rained down on them for the school’s fifth straight Big 12 championship; I created a live music series — a la NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts” — for local artists to come to our space to share their art with the community; I got literally a million views on a video after Parking Services invited us to a demonstration of their new, doomed parking enforcement device. So much of my time at The Daily was made up of these lighting-in-a-bottle moments that have shaped who I am and how I think about my experiences as someone making media and as a member of the community.
I have never loved a job as much as I’ve loved The Daily.
In many ways, The Daily was my college experience. I attended occasional History and Student Film Production Club meetings, but I rushed no fraternity and never set foot in a CAC office. The Daily served as a job, a club and an experience all wrapped into one. I did homework in the newsroom, went there on many occasions just to see my friends and sought it out as a safe space to cry and be emotionally open a few times too. Saying goodbye to The Daily means saying goodbye to a safe space, to the thing that made my college experience what it was — for better or for worse, though usually for better.
Justin Jayne filming above the South Oval.
As the days pass by and May 14 gets closer, I find myself reflecting on all the moments I’ve shared and the ones that I haven’t (or can’t). I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t asked Drew Hutchinson — a student journalist I followed on Twitter — if she could show me around campus in the first week of school. That question led me through the doors of Copeland Hall for the first time and pretty soon I’ll take my last steps as a student and employee through those very same doors.
I guess the point I’m attempting to make is it will never be easy to say goodbye to something and some people who have been so present in your life for four years. No amount of words can put those feelings into the heart of someone who hasn’t lived that exact experience.
Just know that the newsroom tucked away in Copeland Hall is a true force for good. The staff may be ever-changing; the adviser may be an “old man” who bikes a lot, likes the things you don’t like (IPAs) and dislikes the things you do (dogs); the pay may be bad; but the people are great and the work is so important. It isn’t perfect, but it can be pretty damn close sometimes.
Goodbye, OU Daily. Goodbye, Seth Prince. Goodbye, editors-in-chief past and present.
Thanks for everything. I had a really cool job. Now it’s time for the next one.
Justin Jayne served as a video intern starting in fall 2018, co-video coordinator in spring 2019, senior videographer fall 2019, assistant video editor spring 2020 and fall 2020, and video editor summer 2020, and spring 2021 to spring 2022. He is a creative media production graduate with a minor in communications.
