Vanguard Newspaper Strives to Restore Visibility

If you are reading this, you may very well be thinking “We have a newspaper?” This is the question the Vanguard Voice news staff deals with on a regular basis. More often than not, the only students on campus who know that our team exists are those within the team, and occasionally a friend, family member or roommate. Yes, we do have a school newspaper, and no one seems to know about it. But why?

Our school newspaper was full and flourishing until it was cut from print a few years ago when stricter budgets affected funding for the paper. As of today, the VU Voice is completely online, which is a difficult place to reach students. If you are reading this right now, I offer you my personal congratulations.

Low circulation and no funding make it difficult to run a newspaper, but things are looking up for the Vanguard Voice. Under the new supervision of Faculty Advisor Hannah McNeely, the Voice is undergoing serious restructuring and revamping. A former editor-in-chief herself, McNeely became the advisor for the paper at short notice at the beginning of the year, but has already made an impact on the staff. One major change to look forward to? Next semester, the school newspaper should be a lot more visible to students.

Anyway, the VU Voice is currently a one unit course offered by the Communication Department. However, non-communication students with a passion for writing are welcome to register for the class. As the class is currently being restructured, there is great hope that in the future our paper will reach more Vanguard students, providing them with updates and coverage on events important to them.

The Vanguard Voice presents amazing opportunities to students. In some schools, it is difficult and highly competitive when it comes to writing stories and getting one’s work published. Vanguard’s modest numbers allow all writers to have a chance to work and grow within the team. It cultivates writing skills, photography, and teamwork. Writing for the paper can increase a lot of critical aspects of the college student, from working under someone to being independent. Even, better, it looks great on a resume.

Even if you are shocked to discover we actually have a newspaper, perhaps the idea of it intrigues you a little. If you are interested in joining the Vanguard Voice, it is not too late to join. Staff writers are currently being hired for next semester. If you have a passion for writing, experience in journalism, or are dedicated to learning more about the media, then this class may be right for you. All you have to do is register for COMM 119 through the normal registration process on MyVU. If you have any questions or need clarification, send an email to Hannah at hannah.mcneely@vanguard.edu.