In the world of college-level student publications, some are beginning to cross beyond the traditional boundaries of print into the increasingly-prevalent digital arenas. GenevaVoice—launched in January 2013—combines two prominent campus publications into a single website that provides students new opportunities to be heard.
GenevaVoice pairs the news writing found in The Geneva Cabinet, the college's student newspaper, with the creative content of the campus literary magazine Chimes. Each publication has a dedicated section that specifically includes campus news, opinions, literature, photos, videos and a submission page, as well as shared space on the homepage. But rather than replacing either of these publications, the new venture acts as a supplement, providing additional content and depth.
In addition, content for GenevaVoice is updated more frequently, allowing students the opportunity to react promptly to events and making their writing more relevant to the timing of particular happenings in the Geneva community. And because it is so frequently updated, the site requires a constant stream of submissions in categories ranging from news writing, opinion pieces, creative writing, photography and videography.
GenevaVoice grants all Geneva students the ability to have their work considered for being published. Before, the primary contributions for the Cabinet came solely from students enrolled in the class, and the Chimes could only recognize a limited number of submissions due to its budget restraints. With the online format, both of these publications' capacities are increased tremendously.
“It will be a good experience and resume-builder for our writers, editors and photographers,” explains Professor of Political Science Dr. Copeland, who also serves as the Cabinet’s faculty advisor.
Planning for this resource began during the 2012 Fall Semester by Dr. Copeland and junior writing major and Cabinet Editor-in-Chief Joel Shannon, who decided to supplement the newspaper’s material. Shannon described what he calls the “brain trust,” an email thread through which past Cabinet staff and others shared ideas that helped form GenevaVoice into an integrated media website.
Mobile accessibility for tablet and smartphone users was carefully considered during development. Morgan Steffy, a freshman computer science major, worked on the site's design with iPad and smartphone users specifically in mind. “I provided a lot of customization to small detail coding to fit the needs of the website,” says Steffy. “The challenge was to make the site unique from other websites and was really to combine the publications together into a unified source without losing their individuality.”
The developers hope GenevaVoice will enable the publications to impact a greater number of people than could conveniently be targeted before. “Going online will hopefully help us reach a wider audience of students, and make it easier for alumni, friends, and family at a distance to keep up on what's happening here,” says Dr. Copeland.
Shannon agrees that the site will help students communicate with Geneva graduates: “I think GenevaVoice is something really great for alumni to use to stay connected with campus.”
Find GenevaVoice at http://www.genevavoice.com
Geneva's Communication Disorders students have attended graduate programs all over the U.S., at schools such as the University of Iowa, California State University - Fullerton, Gallaudet University and University of Pittsburgh.
|
Upcoming Events
|  |
