By Emma Zaremba
Features Editor
Empty chairs and empty tables fill the halls of the Murphy Professional building these days. Once the School of Business moved into the Swan Business Center, several offices in Murphy were deserted, leaving plenty of available space behind.
The scheduled construction for freshmen dorm buildings Robinson and Falconio are forcing first floor Rob offices to move elsewhere, one of them being The Bona Venture.
As a campus media outlet and a journalism and mass communication (JMC) club, it only seems fitting for the newsroom to move into Murphy, which is now solely a JMC building.
However, the possibilities extend to other campus media and JMC clubs as well, such as the campus radio station, WSBU-FM 88.3 “The Buzz.” The wiring for “The Buzz” comes out of the Reilly Center, but with renovations in Murphy’s future, maybe that could be changed. Why not make Murphy a hub and powerhouse for all things JMC?
Pauline Hoffmann, dean of the school of journalism and mass communication, agreed this change would be beneficial for all involved.
“I love the idea of having a school of JMC ‘hub,’” Hoffmann said. “I think it could only benefit all involved. For example, we, as faculty, would be more easily accessible should you need feedback, guidance or support.”
Communication between JMC clubs would improve if all of them were housed under one roof. Several groups, like The Buzz, The Bona Venture, The Intrepid and SBU-TV are all working toward a similar goal. The medium through which this goal is sought differs between each club, but they all want to communicate information effectively.
If each of these organizations were in one place, students within each group would be able to not only communicate effective messages to the public, but would also be able to work together and create better content through collaboration.
Sharing a similar space would allow the passing of ideas from one group to the next. Perhaps at the last minute SBU TV can’t fit a news story in their newscast for the week… a quick walk down the hall and the story could be told over the radio, printed in the weekly issue of The BV or shared by The Intrepid.
Aside from the bonuses of working together under one roof, establishing Murphy as a hub for all things JMC would appeal to incoming and prospective students.
For prospective students looking at Bonaventure, a building that contains everything the JMC School can offer would be a major selling point. There are a vast amount of opportunities for students looking to get involved in campus media. It would be nice to have one place that showcases that opportunity.
The same can be said for incoming students. Whether a student is a JMC major or something else, a single space that acts as a powerhouse for communication would appeal to students from all backgrounds and majors.
Hoffmann shared her opinion on this matter as well.
“It would be nice to be able to encourage prospective students to visit the ‘JMC Hub/Communications Center’ and see not only classes taking place and faculty interacting with them and other students, but students media in action,” she said. “I think it’s a win-win all around.”
Strengthening this area would be a positive change for the success of these clubs, and the school as a whole.
Emma Zaremba is the features editor for The Bona Venture. Her email is zarembek11@bonaventure.edu.
