Student Media is one of many departments preparing for Giving Day, which will occur on Thursday, Feb. 20 and will serve as an opportunity for members of the community to donate to various student organizations.
Student Media is composed of the college newspaper, The Sandspur; the radio station, WPRK; the magazine, The Independent; and the art and literary journal, Brushing, all of which make up the acronym SWIB.
For Giving Day, each branch of SWIB will participate in various events to promote their organization. The leaders of each branch will also join in a “SWIB Hour” at 2 p.m., during which each leader will discuss the role they play in their branch and why it is important to support Student Media.
“It’s always interesting trying to figure out how each organization can contribute to having big ideas on Giving Day,” said David Palacios, Student Media Operations Assistant. As each branch is unique and has a different production schedule, student organization leaders must be creative when crafting Giving Day plans.
The distinction between each branch is why collaboration is also an important element of Giving Day within Student Media. “Students really want to explore their creativity and express it in different ways, and doing it together is only making it better,” Palacios said. He discussed his hopes for more collaboration between the individual branches through events, and Giving Day is one such event that brings all four branches together.
Palacios also discussed the dedication of Student Media employees, as they are all in the same situation of having to balance academics and work, though many students he’s talked to wish they could focus solely on their positions within Student Media. “It just goes to show that this really matters to the students who are involved,” Palacios said.
One such student is Jade Newman (’27), who currently serves as the Station Manager at WPRK. “I like working for Student Media because it allows me to practice my aspirations in journalism,” said Newman. “I have the creative freedom to read about, write about, and share the things that inspire me.” When discussing the impacts of Giving Day on WPRK, she said, “Our supporters should consider donating on Giving Day because it funds students’ interests and the creative endeavors of WPRK, a radio station that supports its community right back.”
Another student leader, Mary Rust (’25), serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Independent. Interested in creative and argumentative writing, Rust first joined Student Media as a copyeditor for both The Independent and Brushing before becoming The Independent’s Editor-in-Chief.
Her favorite aspect of working for The Independent is the opportunity to get to know people, in particular through reading their submissions to the magazine. “It’s so cool, especially knowing that you’re going to publish it and uplift what they have and knowing that they made that all on their own,” Rust said.
Rust discussed the importance of Giving Day to The Independent. “Giving Day for us would be pushing more funds so we could make the magazine longer and also hire more staff,” she said. “[Giving Day] helps more people get involved with Student Media, and there’s so many interesting things going on in each of the branches, so Giving Day really does help a lot for Student Media.”
For Giving Day, The Independent will be hosting a radio show on Tuesday, Feb. 18 starting at 2 p.m. During this segment, in addition to discussing the importance of Giving Day and Student Media, staff members will interview Rust about her experience being a senior and Editor-in-Chief.
Other Giving Day events will include:
- A radio segment hosted by Brushing on February 18 from 5-7 p.m.
- Throughout the day on February 20, a series of live bands and interviews hosted by WPRK, including an interview with President Cornwell at 11:30 a.m.
- A live performance on Bush Lawn hosted by WPRK at 12 p.m.
Those interested in supporting Student Media can donate through GiveCampus.
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