Student Media Office Receives Face-lift

By Kyle Manthe

The Student Media office has seen its fair share of appearance updates either though re-arranging the office or putting together furniture from surplus with what was already in the office.

With a goal of creating a more modern work space for students, the office received its most significant renovations in more than a decade. New desks, matching chairs, new TVs mounted on the wall and a fresh paint job give student journalists an efficient working space.

Regina Cassell, director of Student Media, gives full credit for the creativity and effort of the renovations to Kraig Dafoe, who was the executive editor for Student Media last year. He now works as a senior administrative assistant for Allied Health at Washburn.

“It could not have happened without Kraig,” said Cassell, who helped Dafoe with funding approval and support for the project.

“I wanted to make it like a real newsroom, and give it that professional feel,” Dafoe said.

A nice surprise was the gift of a large conference table from the College of Arts and Sciences.

“When we had big meetings, it was hard to have everybody in there without people just sitting on the floor,” said Karli Davis, mass media alumna and former Kaw Yearbook editor-in-chief. Davis is currently the director of alumni relations at the Washburn School of Law.

“I know it’s silly in some ways to get excited

Photo by Kyle Manthe The Student Media office’s renovations create a professional working environment for the student journalists.

about chairs for the office,” Cassell said. “But there were never matching chairs for the office since I started. We had a random hodge podge of chairs, and they broke all the time. Having matching new chairs made a noticeable difference.”

Cassell also works with the Board of Student Media and leaders to put relevant and up-to-date technology into the hands of current employees.

“I want to make sure we are getting the equipment in the hands of the students, and that they are using it to go out and tell the stories of Washburn,” Cassell said.

The opportunity for students to use higher-end equipment also helps with recruiting efforts.

“Student Media protects the voice of students across campus and gives students opportunities to gain valuable and transferable skills for their future careers,” Cassell said.

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