Media School hosts student leadership retreat
Student media organization leaders learned how The Media School supports their organizations at a leadership retreat at the school Sept. 11.
Presenters showed organizational tools, shared leadership tips and organized exercises so the students could network with one another and Media School faculty.
“I learned a lot about getting the resources the group actually needs,” said Emmett Ross, treasurer of Extra Life.
Amy Cornell, director of student services, said one of the reasons to offer the retreat was to let student leaders get to know one another. With most classes and faculty under one roof at Franklin Hall, proximity will allow the students to get to know one another and their organizations.
“The heart and soul of what we do here is our student organizations,” she said. “We want them to be good leaders.”
Dean James Shanahan kicked off the retreat with a formal welcome to Franklin Hall and emphasized the importance of student media within the school.
“We will not have a vibrant Media School without vibrant student media,” he said.
Attendees included leaders of organizations sponsored by The Media School, such as clubs, affiliates of national professional organizations and student-run media groups.
Among the participants were the Association of Women in Sports Media, IU chapter; National Association of Black Journalists, IU chapter; Student Cinema Guild; Extra Life @ IU; American Student Radio; Society of Professional Journalists, IU chapter; Public Relations Student Society of America, Beth Wood chapter at IU; National Association of Hispanic Journalists, IU chapter; IUSTV; Bloomington Ad Club; LGBTQ Journalists Association at IU; Ed at Indiana; WIUX; News-Decoder at IU; and Hoosier Games.
Cornell followed Shanahan by explaining basic resources The Media School offers, including funding, new ways to budget organizations and how to reserve spaces for meetings. For example, if an organization’s members want to attend a professional conference, they may apply for school funds to help with costs.
Finding space for meetings and events often is as priority for groups, so the leaders learned about a new campus-wide system to help them reserve rooms and spaces.
Cornell also placed an importance on the symbiotic relationship student organizations will have with the school, each not excelling without the other, she said. Student members put their classroom learning to work in these organizations, and their work with organizations easily transfers to their classwork.
Representatives from Student Life and Learning Ben Stalvey, graduate advisor, and Valerie Nettleton, senior assistant director, then gave the students a chance to polish their leadership skills and share ideas.
Stalvey led leadership exercises to teach the students how to be “there you are” leaders instead of “here I am” leaders. The students formed small groups to try out this philosophy by paying attention to facts about each other and being better listeners.
Nettleton conducted a discussion about successes and challenges the leaders have found in their organizations. The experienced student leaders gave their “pro-tips” to each other as well as shared perks of being in a registered student organization within The Media School.
“Being able to work with people on projects outside of the classroom is a big perk,” said Jesse Pasternact, co-president of the Student Cinema Guild.
Conor Wiegemann, business manager of WIUX, IU’s student-run radio, agreed that the real-word experience he has gained from his organization has been invaluable. Wiegemann attended all four days of Lollapalooza in Chicago to interview artists for WIUX, and the school subsidized his experience.
Media School career advisor Lauren Little wrapped up the retreat by teaching the students how to market their leadership experience to potential employers. She showed the students how to add accomplishment statements into their resumes to emphasize skills they have gathered throughout their leadership. The students also had a discussion about the skills employers are looking for such as verbal communication, teamwork and problem-solving.
Cornell plans to organize similar retreats every year to help provide resources for the student media organizations.