SUU News has undergone some exciting developments. Formerly, their office was located on the opposite side of the Sharwan Smith Student Center, near the Student Involvement and Leadership office. Over the summer, SUU News relocated to a recently-developed newsroom in the America First Event Center.
The new office comes with some exciting features. Huge flat-screen monitors line the walls, allowing SUU News employees to view the biases of different news outlets in real-time. According to SUU News Operations Manager Michele Fogg, the updated workspace is beneficial for the program in numerous ways.
“Your work environment definitely contributes to your success,” said Fogg. “Newer technology is helpful to students having a good experience. The design has changed the mood and upgraded the whole experience.”
The newsroom also comes with a conference space, which is a new feature for the program.
“The conference room makes it a lot easier to hold trainings,” said Kale Nelson, the editor-in-chief of SUU News. Since the beginning of the semester, SUU News has already held several trainings related to news writing.
SUU News is situated between the SUTV offices and the Social Brand Lab. Being in the midst of other communication programs provides opportunities for a more cohesive form of student-run journalism.
“Being located in the event center means we are closer to all of our communication resources,” said Nelson. “We also have all the communication offices nearby, so it’s super nice for the whole department to be here in this one area. Now that we’re here, it’s almost like a rebranding. I think people are paying a lot more attention to us, and they’re curious about who we are.”
According to Jacob Horne, a reporter for SUU News, the new office feels like a more effective work environment.
“It feels more open, like a bigger workspace, and it’s brighter because we have more natural light,” said Horne. “We also have more exposure to people. We’re not hidden away anymore.”
While the office doors are kept locked to protect the expensive equipment, students are welcome to come by and learn more about SUU News.
“Knock on the window and have whoever is here let you in,” said Fogg. “We’d love to have [students] come visit anytime.”
SUU News is already making great use of the new space. One of their upcoming projects is this semester’s first edition of the University Journal, which is set to be published on Oct. 25.
Author: Nick Stein
Photographers: Bria Hansen and Chloe Copeland
Editor: Kale Nelson
news@suunews.net
