There is something new on the Iowa State campus. It’s bigger than a pencil but smaller than a bread box. Its name is Chunk.

The brainchild of journalism and mass communication students, Stephanie Murphy and Aaron Barstow, Chunk is an an environmentally friendly publication that is probably like no other you’ve ever seen.

“Well, it’s sort of like a fluff-filled Twinkie,” Barstow said of the magazine. “It has a lot of silly things on the inside, but it’s also quite fulfilling.

“I wouldn’t recommend eating it; however, it’s quite good,” he added.

Along with about 20 friends and illustrator Greg Peterson, the two plan on making 200 copies and distributing them “randomly.”

Whether it’s handing them out or placing them atop sleeping students, creators Murphy and Barstow beg the question, “Have you had your Chunk today?”

Murphy originally had the idea to create a magazine and recruited Barstow to help.

She already had an idea of creating the publication out of cardboard and twine, but the rest came together slowly. The two began discussing ideas for Chunk in May and by August they set to work on story ideas and artwork.

Barstow said the main purpose is to make people laugh. Murphy added, “It’s happy. Chunk is a word you can say quickly and repetitively for hours on end.”

“Our whole thing was [to have] no hard news,” Barstow said. “Basically, it’s something for entertainment. If you’re not in the right mood, you’ll think it’s stupid.”

Two pages are devoted to tidbits of information and observations made by Murphy called “chunk-o-stuff.”

“That’s something I’ve done on my own,” she said of the fact finding she’s been doing since her teens. “It’s just stuff I notice or that strikes me as funny. This whole publication is unserious so it works OK.”

But not only is the conception of the magazine unique, the means by which it took shape is, too. Just like Cosmopolitan or Sports Illustrated, Chunk is funded by, what else, advertising.

“We knew we wanted it to be free,” Barstow said. “The best way for us to do that was to get advertisers. We wanted it independent of the university, too; we didn’t want their money. And we couldn’t rely on someone just giving us the money.”

Murphy said the advertisers went out on a limb for the project. “It’s really cool they gave us a shot. As students, we didn’t have a lot of credibility.”

Barstow said the two needed at least $210 to cover expenses and fees. They were able to raise enough money selling ads, but had little for anything else. Making money was never an issue with the group, though, Barstow said.

“Profit was not a goal,” he said. “And isn’t it a good thing? At least we didn’t spend any of our own money.”

Instead, time was their investment. Cutting up boxes, painting cardboard, cutting out fish, taping pennies: these were just a few of the tasks that went into bringing Chunk to life.

Murphy said in one weekend, she and Barstow spent more than 22 hours working on magazines. “We’re really dedicated, there’s no way I could do this myself.”

Which is the reason this may be the first and last issue of Chunk. Though plans and ideas for six issues have been made, at the end of the semester Barstow will be leaving Iowa State.

Murphy said that while she would like to see Chunk continue on a larger scale, unless she has help she can not make the magazine. She said time will tell if Chunk remains at ISU.

Chunk will be distributed throughout the week. If you find a copy, you are encouraged to pick it up and pass it along when you’re done.