The Urban Vibe is getting a makeover this summer that will help Urban Campus students reconnect to each other and media techniques. Urban Vibe students work to report on college activities on the Urban Vibe, update social media accounts, and try to highlight some of the best things about this campus.
Right now, that work is done out of a shared classroom that has jumped from location to location, often in different buildings on campus. Interviews need to be scheduled with a space far away in mind. A camera is shared between students. There are no fun greenscreens.
But after this summer, students will be able to enjoy a space of their own. Decked out with specialized areas for print production, audio production, and video production, this space will be ready for any Urban Vibe student to rise to their greatest digital reporting potential.
But it also opens up doors to other projects. Having the right equipment and space means that Urban Campus may eventually get its own printed paper.
Executive Campus Dean Abby Zegers is excited about the new possibilities with the space. She said, “Anything we do that includes people, and has a touchdown space for people to get together to physically work together, is so necessary right now.”
“I think we’ve gotten away from print media. Everything is digital and on social media,” Zegers said, “but I think the possibility that some type of ‘print’ something, whether it’s once a semester or once a quarter, is what got me really excited. I think that includes a of people who wouldn’t normally go to the website.”
Executive Academic Dean of the Design, Media & the Arts Pathway and the Iowa Culinary Institute Jim Stick also shares some thoughts.
“I’m always surprised and shocked when I’ll see something pop up on one of our campuses, like ‘Why didn’t we all know about this?’ That kind of thing. We try to get speakers like for International Year, presentation presenters, we have Earth Day, we have Constitution Day. We have a lot of activities that are celebrated on various campuses in various ways, but those could be covered,” Stick said.
He thinks having a dedicated space will help solve this problem. “We are creating a place where you can hang out. It can be a place that’s respectful, it’s up to date, is current and they can share ideas and work together on their projects and do what you typically do in a newsroom,” Stick said.
The Urban Vibe not only reports on campus activities and events, but produces podcasts, photo essays, and opinion pieces. As a student-run news organization, all of this is written and created by students for students and staff to engage with. But a printed piece of media would be much easier for students to just grab on the way to class. To learn about what’s going on around campus, reconnect with the community, to support the students involved, or just kill some time between class when your phone dies, it may become an option.
The Urban Vibe meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:10 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. Plans are in the works for an open house to showcase the new production space in the fall.
Urban Vibe Faculty Advisor, Aimee Langager has been lobbying for a permanent space for the class/club to meet. She said, “Having a welcoming space for students to collaborate will increase the quality of our content and impact of what we do.”
Langager said, “Getting involved with the Urban Vibe is a great opportunity for students who like to have their finger on the pulse of campus life. Students can sign up for JOU 124: Digital Media Production, a three-credit course. In the class, students are in charge of creating and editing content for the Urban Vibe website and social media accounts. If students can’t fit the class into their schedules, they can volunteer as part of the club. They can contribute as their schedules allow.”
To get involved with the Urban Vibe please contact Aimee Langager at anlangager@dmacc.edu.
Be the first to comment