RSCO Feature: Laker Student Media Club

Rebecca Dunphy, Staff writer

Lights, cameras, actions! Welcome to campus one of Mercyhurst’s newest clubs: Laker Student Media.
With the loss of the campus radio station, the Laker Student Media organization started in early September as an opportunity for students to engage in multiple media experiences.

“The mission of the club is to try and introduce students to a variety of media sources,” officer Nicholas Wendelboe said. “Our club offers students the chance to be involved with TV and video production, news reporting, social media, audio/podcasting and gaming.”

Currently, the club focuses on TV production news, highlighting events across campus that a few members will attend and cover like a news segment.

Events covered include Hurst Day, the Fashion Department’s Turkey Bowl, Mercyhurst’s Christmas Tree lighting and most recently the Fighting for Folgs hockey game.

“With multiple forms of media present in today’s world, there is an endless number of things that can be done or created,” Wendelboe said. “Any idea that a student has that involves some sort of media platform, we encourage them to reach out to join the club and we can help make their idea come to life.”

Students from every major with an interest in media are welcome to contact club officers, Wendelboe and Donald Bryant, or attend the meetings, which held every other Wednesday night.

The club’s adviser is Communication Department chair Brian Sheridan, who has a background in broadcasting and radio that allows him to lend his expertise to students in this club.

Overall, he describes student participation in the club as a learning experience.
“There really are lots of things you can get out of this. They’re working together, story telling, working with deadlines, using technology and hopefully they have fun,” Sheridan said.

In addition to news segments, the club also hosts a weekly student-based opinion talk show titled “Laker Tea-Vee.” Every Thursday night, three to four members of the club sit down and discuss topics relating to popular culture, which are streamed live.
Students can watch these and other segments on the organization’s YouTube page, Laker Student Media, as well as on the channel Hurst TV.

“We are trying to engage in events that are happening on campus to do student-driven news stories,” Sheridan said. “Being the first year, we are picking big events and working with students in other departments.”

As the club continues to grow, Wendelboe wants to continue to highlight the news section of Laker Student Media and expand on their new gaming section.

“We currently only have a handful of students that take part in news reporting, and would like to attract more. I believe that people should join Laker Student Media because of the creativity our club offers to students on campus,” Wendelboe said.