Each year, Student Media seeks applicants for editors of the primary mediums on campus, the daily newspaper, Technician, the weekly Nubian Message, the campus literary magazine, the Windhover and the Agromeck, the yearbook. They also sought applicants for the general manager of WKNC, the campus radio station and the student business manager. Applicants must go through a vigorous process of presenting their vision and goals before staff members and an interview before the Student Media board of directors, prior to being hired. These individuals have the power to change the direction and focus of campus as the representative of their respective media outlets. In their substantive position, how do they plan to ensure the minority population on campus is accurately represented in our student media? Here’s what the new student media leaders had to say:
Laura Frey, Student Media Business Manager-elect
Frey is actually half the business office counterpart, having been split into two sections for better organization. As a business manager, she is in charge of operating the promotion and marketing assets.
In the upcoming year, she intends to “come up with new marketing strategies to help increase the sales of all of the different medias.” Student Media has had a difficult time in sales in the economic crisis, as more and more businesses are cutting advertising costs. Yet, even in duress, the income in sales has remained about average compared to last year.
Frey wants to inform the students about the different types of media by “Using the design teams creativity, the help of the classified assistants, and different marketing techniques.” She plans to work with the impending editor-in-chiefs and general managers to formulate the best way to expand minority representation.
Bryant Robbins, Editor-elect of the Agromeck
As editor-in-chief, Robbins plans on spending time, not only producing another award-winning yearbook, but also increasing the awareness of the Agromeck on campus.”
There are many students on N.C. State’s campus who do not even know the Agromeck exists,” he said. Robbins also contends that not only is the Agromeck faced with declining interest, but nationwide, many colleges have already had to do away with their yearbooks. The future editor of the Agromeck also wanted to feature more student organizations on campus and events that would not normally be covered.
“We want student groups to contact us when they are holding special events that could possibly be featured, as well as getting as many group shots in the book as possible,” said Robbins.
Ty Johnson, Editor-elect of the Technician
Not only did Johnson mention he looked forward to working with the Nubian Message for next year, but healso expressed his plans to expand the Technician’s online coverage. Among the setbacks of the Technician within recent years, Johnson cited credibility as a major setback. “That’s what happens when you expect full-time students to also work full-time as writers, photographers, designers, and editors,” said Johnson, “But I don’t feel like that’s an excuse.” Johnson aims to revamp training for his staff in order to achieve well-written, objective, and factual pages. In reference to diversity, the Technician actively participates in a “Time Out for Diversity” survey, in which all staff members peruse back issues to compile statistics on the demographics of story sources. Johnson wants to make sure that students of all backgrounds, from race and sex, to class and college, are being represented in the paper.
“Continued recruitment of all students, including minorities, to our staff will help guarantee that different perspectives will be factored into planning, writing, and editing content,”Johnson said.
Mike Alston, General Manager-elect of WKNC
Alston, currently the local music director of WKNC, continues to improve on the successful stronghold of the radio station.
In addition, he plans to “Use the capital that WKNC has built up through great General Managers in the past–Steve McCreery and Kyle Robb, to name a few – to expand our presence and influence in the community and on campus.”
Instead of mentioning budgetary issues like other student media leaders, he noted an internal regress. “All too often, Student Media doesn’t function as a unit,” Alston said. “If we pool our resources and become a unified front, we can reach the campus better and produce a better product on every front.”
On a side note, Alston remarks about the Nubian’s influence on campus. “This paper is a big part of the minority population at NC State,”said Alston. “I want to make sure the Nubian Message is privy to the same things the Technician is.”
Helen Dear, Editor-elect of the Windhover
In the coming year, Dear plans on maintaining the Windhover’s legacy as a high-quality, award winning literary magazine.
“Next year, we will create a WordPress Blog that will display submissions (literary, visual, and audio) in a blog form,” Dear reveals, “This will allow us to receive submissions year round, and perhaps identify themes that emerge from the submissions early on in the year.” This way, Windhover can be seen by all students, not just by the 2,500 students that can receive printed books.
Dear promises to thrive, even with the smaller budget. “We are lucky to have such a good rapport with Theo Davis, our printers, and I know they will help us deliver the best product with what money we have,” she adds. In response to diversity, Dear wants to make the advisory board a true reflection of the University, a board comprised of “A wide range of people — both in terms of race, gender, and major diversity.”
The Student Media Board has decided to reopen the floor for new applications for next year’s Nubian Message editor. It will hire the Nubian Editor in April. Like a stimulus package, the upcoming leaders of Student Media are brimming with promise. Johnson, Robbins, Dear, Alston, and Frey all bring their own unique talents and aspirations to their respective mediums, but together as a cohesive whole, they all rise up and serve a greater purpose: the voice for the N.C. State populous.
