It is impossible for me to start a new school year without humming along to "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes.
Fall is here, hear the yell. Back to school, ring the bell. Brand new shoes, walking blues. Climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. I can tell that we are gonna be friends.
As a higher education reporter, it's understandable why fall is my favorite season. New school supplies tucked into your backpack. Reconnecting with friends after a summer away. Those first-day-of-school butterflies. It's a clean slate.
Summertime is a much-needed reprieve for education reporters after school lets out. But our work doesn't stop just because most classes are out of session. It's a chance to gather story
ideas, collect data and meet folks that will help with our reporting once the semester begins again.
It's also an opportunity to pitch in on other reporting needs in the newsroom. I joined the team of Dispatch reporters covering the saga that unfolded in Vinton County, when authorities discovered 16 children from the Siders family living in horrific conditions in late June. I covered Ohio's Appalachian counties for about three years before switching over to the higher ed beat.
The story of the Siders family is one that raises a lot of questions, namely how a growing family could largely avoid scrutiny from public systems like schools and social services, and how multiple systems failed to notice the children's situation for years.
After we published our first big piece on the family, a Vinton County grand jury filed more charges against the parents and grandparents of 16 children, as well as other charges alleging sexual abuse of a child who is not a member of their immediate family. Two other family members were charged with multiple counts alleging sexual misconduct involving two children.
I'm still helping with that coverage and plan to see it through, whatever the story's conclusion will be. But my main focus is covering Ohio's colleges and universities, the students who study there, the people who teach and lead there, and how communities interact with those institutions.
My to-do list is already overflowing with stories.
I'm currently working on a story about college consolidations and if that's a plan that Ohio could pursue. I'm interested in looking into how universities are faring financially as fewer traditional-age students are enrolling in college, as well as what other pathways students are interested in pursuing. And I'll be following a few new transfer students along to see what it's like to transition from community college to a public university.
Got a story idea or tip for me? Feel free to email me at shendrix@dispatch.com or on Signal at @sheridan.120. If you like following on on social media, you can find me on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: For higher ed reporter Sheridan Hendrix, back to school means a busy fall
