Nick Lovett
Staff Writer
Springfield College held its second annual Journalism in Action Day on Sunday, Oct. 21. The day is put on by the Communications/Sports Journalism major, and its goal is to inform prospective students not only about the journalism field, but also what the major is all about.
“I thought that [the] journalism day was a great experience,” said sophomore Taylor Hassa, who was one of the current students who participated in the event. “I liked seeing how graduates went out into the real world and used their degrees to do what they love. It makes me more comfortable seeing that we can make a living out of this and have fun while doing so.”
The day started with Professor Marty Dobrow introducing himself and what was going to happen throughout the day. Prospective students then moved on to the first panel which was comprised of alumni from various graduating classes that all had careers in the field of print journalism.
They included: Anna Grearson, a sports editor of the Barre-Montpelier Argus, Ben Meyers who writes for the Auburn Citizen, Sean Sweeney, a senior editor at Dime Magazine, and Matt Tuthill, a senior editor at Muscle & Fitness magazine.
The panel fielded questions from the crowd that included present students, prospective students and their parents. The questions ranged from what the alumni did in high school to prepare for college, to how they got started at the current job they held.
The second of three panels focused on multimedia journalism and included 2012 graduate, Ryan Matlack, as well as recent graduate, Nick Carboni, who currently works in Springfield, MO and has a career highlight of covering the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 World Series for his television station.
The third of the three panels was the most unique of the day. The prospective students were teamed up with current students and told to cover the panel as if it was a real-life news conference. The students were given a Flip Camera and were instructed to shoot B-roll of the event and get interviews with the panelists afterwards. The groups made their way to the Mac Lab in Weiser Hall to edit their videos and upload them to YouTube.
“I was very encouraged by the participation and the energy,” says third-year Professor Kyle Belanger. “Everyone benefited more than we could have possibly imagined.”
Overall, the day was viewed as a success, and the major looks to better the program for years to come to get more prospective students, current students and alumni involved. If Journalism Day served its purpose, then Springfield College will have more Communications/Sports Journalism majors in the fall.