Group Focuses in on Keeping Students Informed

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – A group met this Monday for a meeting entitled, “The Battle of Who Could Care Less: Activism, Apathy, and the Media at Plymouth State University.” The driving force behind the meeting was to devise the best way to keep the PSU community informed. Among the participants were Matt Wilhelm, Student Body President, Seth Perdue, Editor of The Clock and Michele Hutchins, Director of Public Relations for PSU. “There is so much stuff going on around campus that students don’t even know about,” said Wilhelm. “The Clock does its best considering it only has a few practicum students and some part time staff writers,” said Mike Longo, News Editor for The Clock, commenting on the difficulty of covering every newsworthy event around the campus and community.The Clock and WPCR seem to be the main source for students to get info about the current events and campus life, and the panel discussed if these outlets were really working. They also discussed the effectiveness of the other sources of information.”Do people even know what the Portal is?”asked Hutchins.Even though the Portal on my.plymouth reports on campus events and posters are hung in the Res. Halls and HUB boards, the student body doesn’t seem to be aware of what’s going on.Plymouth State University does not offer a Journalism major or option, and only has one class on journalism for students interested in media studies. Students who attended the meeting were contemplating ways to incorporate classes with The Clock and WPCR. “Professors are always talking about the importance of internships but the campus doesn’t have any classes besides Practicums,” said Wilhelm. Currently there is a three-credit class called Practicum in Publication, which requires a student to work for The Clock, Centripetal, or WPCR. This helps students get a slight look at the way print and broadcast media are organized and produced.”There are several benefits to having better school media and communication with the students. One is students will be more involved and knowledgeable about the campus. Also the town can read and hear about the positive things students do, such as community service,” said Hutchins. This could be a beneficial factor in the University and town of Plymouth’s on-going feud. Participants with the panel will be forming an online e-group to talk about further resolutions. The long-term goal seems to be creating a central point for keeping everyone informed. If interested please contact Rob Powers at rjpowers@mail.plymouth.edu to get on the email list.