T: 2013-2014 Annual Report Azenett Cornejo, Director

2013-2014 Annual Report
Azenett Cornejo, Director
Student Media – Student Union 1.16
T: (956) 882-5143 e-mail: [email protected]
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
Page 1
I.
Executive Summary
Although the Student Media Department at the University of Texas at Brownsville
maintained its commitment to inform students, faculty and staff of campus events and
issues during the 2013-14 academic year, the separation of UT-Brownsville and Texas
Southmost College adversely affected its operations.
First, the UTB and TSC separation resulted in the loss of a full-time employee for the
department, which resulted in less time and personnel available to guide each student
employee. In the fall, we experienced software and technical problems with UTB Radio
that forced the station offline for about three weeks and caused a drop in the number of
listeners. Despite these problems, we had the highest number of DJs ever--19--for the
radio station.
Second, the separation forced us to reduce the number of copies printed per issue from
4,000 to 3,400 because we had fewer locations to place Collegian newsstands on the nowdivided campus. However, we placed newsstands at UTB’s new satellite offices on Price
Road and Alton Gloor Boulevard. We continued to deliver at other off-campus sites such
as the Brownsville Literacy Center, the Cueto Building, Good Neighbor Settlement
House, Starbucks on FM 802 and Pizza Hut on International Boulevard.
Throughout the academic year, The Collegian staff kept tabs on the fast-moving
developments in the upcoming consolidation of UT Brownsville and UT Pan American
into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, such as the search for a new president,
the sometimes-contentious debate over naming the new university, the announcement of
the founding dean of UTRGV’s medical school, the first Permanent University Fund
monies UTB received, the tuition and fee increase proposal and the introduction of
UTRGV’s first president, Guy Bailey.
The staff also reported on the continuing ramifications of the separation of UTB and TSC,
with stories on the institutions’ land and buildings agreement, the relocation of UTB
offices and student employee layoffs at the REK Center. One of our most popular articles
emerged from the separation: “Locked Out?” which explained what happens if a UTB
student or employee gets locked out of their vehicle while parked on a Texas Southmost
College parking lot—neither institution will help. The story and accompanying video
received 1,107 online hits, the second-most hits behind an article about a UTB alum who
was a contestant in an online survival show (“SOS Island: Survival of the Smartest,”
which received 1,120 hits.
We continued to offer our reporters opportunities to report beyond campus. This was the
fourth year in which The Collegian covered Brownsville City Commission meetings,
giving our students invaluable experience in getting to know the city’s leaders and issues.
And, because the UT System board of regents was making decisions on UTRGV
throughout the year, we had reporters cover its meetings via webcast. They also
interviewed System officials in Austin via telephone.
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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The newspaper added a new feature, “What should I major in?” in which one of our
reporters interviewed several deans or department chairs for a look at the majors the
university offers. We published eight of these features and all of them received several
hundred online hits.
UTB Radio was hired to provide music and promote seven events on campus, including
Career Services job fairs and Student Engagement’s Orange Crush and Spring Break
Luau. The station conducted weekly contests in the spring for its listeners, giving away
scrubs donated by a local bookstore, concert tickets and restaurant gift cards.
In her talk show, “The Scoop,” which was broadcast during the fall semester, senior
communication major Valerie Cisneros interviewed representatives from Planned
Parenthood, Student Engagement, Student Judicial Affairs, Leadership Programs, Career
Services, Link2Success, the UT Brownsville Cheer Squad, American Medical Student
Association, El Valle Films, The Writers Live Series, concert promoter Tee Carroll for the
Baby Bash concert and “The College Leadership Tour.”
A spring semester daily show consisting of 1980s and ’90s music hosted by DJ Izmosis
(Israel Guajardo) proved popular between 8 and 10 a.m. weekday mornings.
Revenue generation remains a challenge for the department, with this being the third year
since 2008-09 in which revenue falls below $60,000. Campus departments continued to
reduce their advertising and fewer national ad agencies placed insertion orders. Ad
revenue totaled $43,579.83 this year ($40,277.28 for The Collegian and $3,302.55 for
UTB Radio). We are not alone in this challenge. According to OnCampus Advertising, a
national ad agency, “U.S. print advertising is down 8 percent since 2010 and 55 percent
since 2005.”
Decreased ad revenue, which we depend on for a portion of our budget for wages, led to
fewer student employees, from 22 in the fall to 16 in the spring. It also kept student
employees from attending the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Convention in
April, the first year since 1998 that UTB has not been able to attend and compete in live
contests. Despite this setback, The Collegian won 14 awards and UTB Radio earned one
in the association’s Previously Published/Broadcast contest.
In May, we changed our strategy for advertising sales by hiring a student employee to
contact local businesses and campus departments during the summer instead of waiting
until August. That strategy has paid off because we have sold $11,437.60 in ads, so far, for
the 2014-15 academic year. Last year, we had no sales until the second week of August.
On the academic side, the average cumulative grade-point average for all Student Media
student employees was 2.94. Five of our student employees graduated; all are
communication majors. Graduate Victoria Brito was hired by the Brownsville Herald.
Two of our student employees, Spanish Editor Magaly Rosales and Webcast Editor
Alberto Garcia are serving internships this summer at the Talkeetna Historical Society and
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
Page 3
at KTNA-FM (88.9), respectively, in Talkeetna, Alaska. Our editor, Cleiri Quezada, also
is in Talkeetna, where she has volunteered for KTNA-FM and will conduct a workshop on
Hispanic heritage at the Denali Arts Center later this summer. Former Collegian Editor
Joe Molina (2012-2013), a physics major, is in Washington, D.C., this summer for an
internship under the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Minority Economic Impact and
Diversity.
II.
Mission/Vision Statement
It is the mission of Student Media, a department of the Student Affairs Division, to
provide timely news and information to students and employees of the University of Texas
at Brownsville and to provide a learning environment for students interested in journalism.
Student Media provides an outlet for student expression and a forum for the exchange of
ideas through The Collegian Newspaper, The Collegian Online, “The Collegian News”
webcast and the Internet-based UTB Radio. These mediums strive to include fair,
complete, balanced and accurate coverage of events impacting the university campus, with
emphasis on matters that most directly affect students.
III.
Department/Unit Highlights
THE COLLEGIAN
a. The newspaper staff maintained the campus up to date on the separation of UTBrownsville from Texas Southmost College and the ramifications, in addition to
covering issues related to the transition to UT Rio Grande Valley. Our instincts were
correct because these articles proved to be among our most popular articles:
“Locked out? Help depends on where you’re parked” (1,107 online hits); “A
question of tenure” (773 hits); “Regents name new school UT-RGV” (749); “Exlawmaker: Keep ‘Pan Am’ in new school name” (682 hits); and “Ex-faculty sue UTB,
TSC administrators’ (637 hits).
b. We submitted 66 entries to the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Previously
Published/Broadcast Contest and earned 15 awards.
c. In the spring, we sponsored a highly popular contest called“Find the Mystery Word,”
which asked readers to find a hidden word in each newspaper issue to win a
hamburger combo from Delicious Desserts. A photo of each of the 14 winners was
published in the paper, on Facebook and Twitter.
d. Of the 29,369 visits The Collegian Online (www.utbcollegian.com) received through
June 26, 38.5 percent were returning visitors and 61.5 percent were new visitors. We
received the most hits in October (4,151). Source: Google Analytics.
UTB RADIO
a. On Oct. 7, 2013, DJ Juan Esteve interviewed members of the South Texas StingRays
basketball team.
b. On Oct. 16, 2013, News & Information Manager Valerie Cisneros interviewed
popular local artist “Alfabeto” during “The Scoop” talk show.
c. On Oct. 21, 2013, DJ Juan Esteve and Station Manager Moises Grimaldo
interviewed retired professional basketball player Johnny Moore during the UTB
Scores show.
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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d. In the spring, UTB Radio began the “Meet the DJ” contest. We had a total of 4
winners (1 $10 Whataburger gift card and 3 prizes from BookBee).
e. On Feb. 18, News and Information Manager Israel Guajardo began broadcasting
daily news briefs.
f. On March 26, UTB Radio began airing an ’80s and ’90s show.
g. In March, Delicious Desserts began streaming UTB Radio in the Student Union’s
Comedor from 8 a.m. to noon.
h. UTB Radio received 13 music submissions from local artists.
IV.
V.
Student Characteristics (cumulative completed as of end Spring 2014)
a. Student Media hired a total of 28 student employees (22 served in the fall, 16 in the
spring).
b. Student Level: 28 undergraduates and 1 graduate
c. Student Classification: 0% Freshman, 21% Sophomore, 25% Junior, 47% Senior
and 7% Post-Baccalaureate
d. Status: 76% full-time and 24% part-time
e. Student Gender: 57% female, 43% male
f. Student Ethnicity: 96% of the student employees are Hispanic
g. Student Age: 82% are between 18 and 25 years old; 14% are between 26 and 35
and 4% are over 35 years old
h. Financial Aid Recipients: 54% received the Pell grant
Department/Unit Services and Activities
THE COLLEGIAN
a. Unit Services
 Fulfilled 90 percent of 71 story, announcement and photo requests.
 Received 14 letters to the editor, a decrease of 8 over last year, and 1 guest
column.
b. Activities:
 Conducted a “Find the Mystery Word” contest in each issue of the spring
semester. Winners received a free hamburger combo from Delicious Desserts.
 On April 22, members of The Collegian staff participated in the Communication
Department’s “Communication Expo” by sponsoring an information booth about
Student Media.
 In May, we recruited at Porter, Lopez, Pace and Veterans Memorial high schools
 Collegian Editor Cleiri Quezada participated in the Mr. Amigo Reception by
singing a “ranchera.”
UTB RADIO
a. Unit Services
 Public Service Announcements/Publicity Requests: 6
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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
Four trade agreements: 1 pair of tickets for the South Padre Island Beer Fest on
Aug. 23; 2 passes to the SPI Isla Del Sol Fest on Aug. 31; 1 pair of tickets for the
Baby Bash concert on Oct. 4; 2 passes to the Wiz Khalifa concert on March 15 on
South Padre Island and four passes to the Wayne Static show on April 13.
b. Activities
 Visited 3 communication classes to recruit volunteer DJs
 Promoted UTB Radio during the Student Involvement Fair, Club Rush and
Orange Crush.
 Signed up 19 DJs during the Fall 2013 semester and 9 in the Spring 2014
semester
 DJ Zombe interviewed Paul Magee, CEO of Global Groove about the Isla del Sol
Fest.
 Promoted UTB Radio and DJs in the Student Union’s Comedor on Oct. 31, 2013.
Played music, entertained the public through a singing/dance contest. A student
dressed as Elvis Presley won.
 Station Manager Moises Grimaldo and News and Information Manager Valerie
Cisneros served as co-hosts for the “Noche de Estrellas” student talent show.
 Grimaldo and Cisneros served as masters of ceremony for the campus production
of “the Rocky Horror Show” in November.
 DJs Jaime Villanueva and Mario Torres awarded a $20 Walmart gift card on
Nov. 21 during the “Career Coaches” show.
 Co-sponsored the Valentine’s Day event with Student Engagement and Campus
Activities Board.
 DJ Izmosis gave out a volleyball during his show on March 7.
VI.
Academic Performance of Students (Fall 2013 & Spring 2014)
a. 100% (28/28) of our students were classified as in good academic standing
b. Average number of Attempted Credit Hours for Fall 2012 was 11and for Spring 2014
it was 12
c. The average number of Completed Credit Hours for Fall 2012 was 10 and for Spring
2013 it was 12.
d. 96% (27/28) of our students met the 70% Completion Rate
e. The average cumulative GPA for all Student Media students was 2.94
f. As of June 10, 62.5% (10 of 16) of students who worked for Student Media in Spring
2014 have registered for Fall 2014 classes. 18% (5 of 28) of students who worked for
Student Media this academic year graduated in either Fall 2013 or Spring 2014.
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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VII.
Department/Unit Assessment Outcomes
a. Education Support Outcomes (ESO) Objectives 2013-2014
ESO
ESO 1: Student Media will
raise $70,000 in revenue from
print, radio, webcast and
online advertising and from
sales of photos and videos.
Measure Used
Weekly sales reports.
Results of the Assessment
Action Plan for Improvement
Objective Not Met: Student Media
We will hire an ad manager to sell
generated only $43,579.83 in
ads during the summer.
revenue, of which $40,277.28 was
earned by The Collegian and
$3,302.55 by UTB Radio.
ESO 2: Newspaper, radio and
online formats will increase
their respective audience by
20 percent.
Weekly Google Analytics reports.
Objective Not Met: The Collegian
Student Media will create a
experienced a 16.11 percent
marketing plan for both websites by
decrease in online visits. UTB
Sept. 1, 2014.
Radio experienced an 88.26 percent
decrease in its online visits
compared with 2012-13.
ESO 3: 80 percent of story,
photo requests and public
service announcements will
be fulfilled.
Publication and broadcast proofs
Objective Met: The Collegian and
Student Media will continue to
UTB Radio fulfilled 90% of story,
respond to story, photo and
photo and public service
publicity requests.
announcement requests.
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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b. Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)Objectives 2012-2014
SLO
SLO 1: 85 percent of Student
Measure Used
Student Media will survey each
student on their personal and
educational goals.
Results of the Assessment
Action Plan for Improvement
Objective Met: 100 percent of student
In addition to notifying its student
employees are able to articulate their
employees of internship
to articulate their career goals
career goals. Five of the 28 student
opportunities via e-mail, Student
and identify academic and
employees, or 18 percent, are serving
Media will invite Career Services
internship opportunities that
an internship during Summer 2014.
personnel to present a seminar on
Media employees will be able
will help them meet their goals.
internships during training week in
August and during the first week of
the spring semester.
SLO 2: 85 percent of
Rubrics for each position in
newspaper and radio.
Objective Met: 86% of student
Student Media will implement
employees showed an improvement in
other training methods to help its
employees will improve their
their oral and written communication
student employees improve their
oral and written communication
skills.
communication skills.
Objective Not Met: 89% of student
Student Media will continue to
employees collaborated effectively
stress the importance and rewards
collaborate effectively with
with each other. Missed deadlines led
of teamwork.
each other to produce a weekly
to a delay in production of the
newspaper and or weekly radio
newspaper. However, the radio staff
programming.
collaborated better with each other.
newspaper and radio student
skills.
SLO 3: 90 percent of Student
Media employees will
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
Meeting publication and broadcast
deadlines.
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VIII.
List any presentations and/or publications your department made in 2013-2014, including
collaborations with faculty.
a. In August, Student Media conducted a week of training for its students in reporting, broadcasting,
newspaper design, photography, advertising sales and media law. The department collaborated with
the following faculty and staff to conduct the training: Mark Blakemore, associate dean of the School
of Business (media law); Hilda Silva, vice president for Student Affairs (interviewing techniques
exercise); and Isis Lopez, senior editor for Creative Services (time management workshop).
b. In the fall, Student Media collaborated with Communication Department Professor Sharaf Rehman
accept three students from his COMM 2311 (Writing for the Mass Media) for the field experience
portion of his course. All three students wrote articles, columns and photos that were published in The
Collegian.
c. In May, the Student Media director visited the journalism students at Porter, Lopez, Pace and
Veterans Memorial high schools in an effort to recruit applicants for the 2014-2015 academic year. As
a result, the department received 4 applications from Porter High School and 1 from Veterans
Memorial High School.
d. During the spring semester, UTB Radio began airing segments of “Stories from Texas,” produced by
Communication Professor William Strong.
IX.
List Staff Development activities you and your staff have participated in during the year.
a. Director volunteered at the Spring 2014 Luau by helping to prepare fish tacos.
b. Director participated as a member of the Student Media Working Group with colleagues at the
University of Texas Pan American as part of the consolidation of UTB and UTPA.
c. Director attended all but two University Council meetings.
d. Director underwent Fire Safety Training on Feb. 11, 2014.
e. On April 4, director attended the reception for the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors on South
Padre Island at the invitation of the AP’s Dallas Bureau.
f. Director presented at the May, June and July 2014 Orientation sessions.
g. Director recruited seniors at Porter, Veterans Memorial, Pace and Lopez high schools during May.
h. Director attended the Auxiliary Development for Student Affairs meeting on Feb. 5, 2014.
i. Secretary Ana Sanchez attended PeopleSoft training.
j. Secretary Ana Sanchez volunteered at the information tables during Fall 2013 Welcome Week.
k. Secretary served as the Student Affairs skeleton crew member for Spring Break.
l. Secretary underwent Fire Safety training on Feb. 11, 2014.
m. Secretary underwent FERPA training on Sept. 20, 2013
n. Secretary attended Budget Worksheets meeting on Oct. 4, 2013
o. Secretary underwent Travel Training on Oct. 10, 2013.
p. Secretary attended Student Affairs Auxiliary Development meeting on Feb. 5, 2014.
SA Unit Annual Report, 2013-14
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