He has started St. Louis' first homeless newspaper even though his only publishing experience came in high school while working on the yearbook. The newspaper's office is located in a back room of his apartment.

Photo by Mary Butkus

Student Jemal "Jay" Swoboda's monthly magazine, Whats Up St. Louis, is sold by 20-30 homeless people who keep 75 percent of the profits. "I'm not looking to make a lot of money here," the senior said. "It's really more about helping these people get back on their feet and to raise awareness about homelessness here in St. Louis."

And Swoboda has sunk all the money he was saving for graduate school into the project.

Life has been a bit hectic lately. But Swoboda doesn't mind. He's on a mission.

Swoboda, an economics major, has started Whats Up St. Louis, a 32-page black-and-white publication with a monthly distribution of 10,000 copies that made its debut on Feb. 1. An issue costs $1, and the 20-30 homeless people who sell the magazine pocket 75 percent of the profits.

"Our mission statement is to empower men and women who are homeless or at risk of being so, as they work toward self-sufficiency and gainful employment," Swoboda said. "We do that by building bridges and giving them opportunities with us to help us produce and sell the magazine."

Swoboda got the idea for Whats Up from a similar publication in Boston that he came across while working for AmeriCorps after his sophomore year. When he came back to school, he decided to get serious about Whats Up.

"I didn't have everything in place yet at that time," he said. "But I knew, with my economics background, that I wanted to design something viable that would create economic programs for disenfranchised individuals here in St. Louis."

He started networking with local civic organizations and government leaders, trying to drum up support for his idea. Last May, he was awarded the Stern Summer Service Scholarship through the Office of Student Affairs.

"It was a $2,500 grant that enabled me the time to spend during the day to get the word out, go to meetings and get my foot in the door," Swoboda said. "I started to get to know local activist groups and journalists."

His diligence has paid off. Whats Up officially launched in downtown St. Louis Feb. 1.

The 20-30 vendors initially receive 20 copies for free. After they sell their first allotment, they can purchase additional copies for 25 cents each. "Hopefully, they will put some money in their pocket and use the rest to buy more magazines and try to get themselves back on their feet," Swoboda said.

Before being able to sell the paper, vendors will be required to attend a training session. Then they are issued an identification card, a shirt and a charitable solicitation permit.

The newspaper's content is geared to a young, urban population, Swoboda said. There will be articles on the plight of the homeless, but the focus will also include affordable housing, health care, welfare reform and job training.

Swoboda plans to run articles and essays written by the homeless themselves. News stories and arts and entertainment features will be written by local free-lance writers.

"Our motto is 'disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed,'" Swoboda said. "We are going to try to get people to think in new ways about common issues. We want to provide a forum for different ideas and concepts, as well as quality journalism."

Swoboda's efforts already are creating quite a buzz. His magazine has garnered support from local leaders as well as those at the University.

"Jay is a fascinating and talented individual," said Stephanie Kurtzman, coordinator of community service and women's programs, who has worked closely with Swoboda throughout the planning process. "He demonstrates tremendous initiative and professionalism that have led to the development of a mature, credible community organization.

"Whats Up has the power to fundamentally change the way we think about homelessness and the ability for the homeless individuals he works with to improve their situation."

Since coming up with the idea for Whats Up, Swoboda has expended a lot of time, energy and money into making it a reality.

"I grew up on a farm in Missouri," he said. "I've been saving money since I was 8 years old, selling animals. I had saved up for graduate school, but now I've pretty much decided against doing that."

In addition to his own money, Swoboda recently received a $6,000 small-business loan from Justine Petersen, a local reinvestment corporation.

Though Swoboda is set to graduate in May, he has committed to stay to work on the magazine until at least June 2003.