February Reed Writes In
February 26, 2026–Dear Will’s Place,
Happy February! I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s Day (excuse the pun)! What did you do to celebrate? Here at Marquette, the month got off to a less-than-fun start: Johnston Hall, one of our academic buildings, had to be closed for a week due to flooding. This meant my classes that take place in Johnston Hall had to meet somewhere else, or not meet at all that week. I confess that not having to leave my dorm to go to classes was something I enjoyed, but on the other hand, professors who worked in Johnston Hall were negatively affected (my professors for Script and Story as well as Professional Public Speaking were not able to occupy their typical offices). Not something I want to happen again, but at least no one was hurt–and, of course, things are back to normal now. As usual, the workload for my classes has been difficult this month, though it has felt more intense at some times than at others. I have had a lot of reading to do, as well as writing works of film criticism; doing research for, writing and practicing an informative speech I gave for my public speaking class; completing the first draft of my screenplay for Script and Story, and beginning the second; and studying for different assessments. I even need to work on weekends, which means I can’t use them to relax as much as I want. Still, it’s not all work and no play. I like to visit the Milwaukee Public Library on weekends, and I’ve been able to watch both Doctor Who (my favorite TV show, which is on Hoopla) and a number of horror movies (including John Carpenter’s original 1978 Halloween, the progenitor of more recent movies like Halloween Ends) in my free time. Also, while I’m working, I sometimes enjoy listening to music (usually instrumental music, like the scores from movies). Although I don’t enjoy the workload for my classes, there are other elements about them that I do like. For example, my informative speech was about Doctor Who, so I enjoyed doing research as part of that assignment. The content we discuss is intriguing. For example, in Media in Society, we’ve learned about the importance of Black journalism, and the role of Third Reich radio propaganda as a motivator to create the (long-since-reversed) Fairness Doctrine in radio. In Script and Story, our professor recounted a story about director Spike Lee’s effort to obtain funding for his biopic, Malcolm X: he got money from Michael Jordon by asking a rival basketball player, “Magic” Johnson, for money first, inspiring the very competitive Jordon to offer even more money. Perhaps most interestingly of all, I’ve been able to learn about my professors’ own lives. My Professional Public Speaking professor built a mini-patio for her two cats called a “cat-io” (I think she came up with that name, but I’m not sure; either way, it’s adorable). My Writing About Film professor, meanwhile, actually had a brush with greatness: he met the horror author Richard Matheson (whose work includes the novel I am Legend, later the basis for a Will Smith movie). And my Foundations in Theology professor revealed in one lecture that he has survived cancer, which inspired to put his life to good use by writing a large number of books (he is an expert on demonology and mysticism in Judaism and Christianity).
In addition to conventional academic work, this month I had to spend some time preparing for a mandatory professional networking event put on by the On Your Marq program. For the event, members of the program were able to talk to representatives of a number of different employers in the Milwaukee area (from for-profit companies like Moulson Coors to the City and County of Milwaukee, respectively). Beforehand, I had to go to a seminar about how to approach business networking, and do research on companies that were going to show up. The additional onus of research and preparation was inconvenient, but the networking event was kind of fun! I got to meet DZ and Ally, a couple of friendly folks from the broadcasting company Audacy. The two of them actually host a radio show together–I need to remember to tune in to that! By the time the February newsletter comes out, Marquette’s Spring Break will not be far off. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at home, and hopefully picking up some shifts at Will’s Place while I’m around! Maybe I can even attend the Community Night on Friday that week. I know The Empty Pockets’ own Nate Bellon hosted one Community Night–I really wish I could have been there! But before that, I have to run the gauntlet of midterm week. I’m looking forward to seeing the next edition of the Will’s Place newsletter, and to catching up with people in person back in Skokie! All my best to the Will’s Place family in March and beyond!
Until next time,
Reed Larson-Erf