Sam Green elected to advise WUIV

WIUV has a new advisor and many of the club’s students are excited. Sam Green was unanimously voted to be the group’s new advisor during a WIUV executive board meeting earlier this month.  

“It seems like she’s going to be a really hands-on advisor, which I think is really something we need,” said Maggie Lewis, senior communication student and promotions board member.

Green, who has been the video broadcast technician of the communication department for the past five years, was asked to be the club’s advisor by members earlier this year.

“I was like, ‘well, I’m not going to be on the radio, ever.’ And they were like ‘ok,’” she said.

The group’s former advisor is adjunct communication professor Robert Wuagneux. Wuagneux, whose DJ moniker is the “Rock Doc,” will be taking a leave of absence this semester and consequently resigned his position at the station. Waugneux will continue to be involved as a DJ, and he is pleased with the student’s choice for his replacement.

“Sam is great. That will be great. I hope she takes it because she’s wonderful,” he said.

The club has seen some reduction in membership over the past year, but the students are hopeful that this semester will mark a turn-around for the group.

“We’ve been riding a high my sophomore and junior year and we’ve kind of come down a little bit, so I’m trying to bring it back up to what it was and maybe more,”  Lewis said.

Lewis has also been promoting the station and trying to spread the word about the station’s current need for more members. She wants to stress to students that they don’t have to be on the air in order to get involved and that there’s room for growth.

“If you’re a communication student, this is the best,” she said.

Green emphasized the career-building potential of involvement as well.

“Even if it’s not your favorite job, get as many experiences as possible, and it will help in your career later,” she said.

Working at the station helped junior communication student William Chmielewski secure a paid DJ position at WVNR in Poultney.

“It did help me out, I will say that…it got me on the air faster,” he said.

Professor Robert Gershon, chair of the communication department, served as the group’s advisor for 30 years before Wuagneux took over in recent years. He said that alumni who are former members of the group have become radio executives and station managers at other stations.

“The station has always been a really great opportunity for students to express themselves and get practice for careers,” he said.

Castleton alum and former WIUV member Terry Jaye is now the operations manager at Catamount Radio. Next semester he will also be the radio programming and production instructor at Castleton University.

“I would love to see WIUV the most listened to radio station on campus,” Jaye said, “If our newspaper is the number one newspaper on campus, why wouldn’t our station be the number one radio station?”

Wuagneux says the station is important because it keeps everyone connected to what’s happening on campus. In his time as advisor, he has seen involvement in the station boost students self-esteem.

“I’ve seen radio bring alive so many people in that room. They’re just different people after they’ve had a chance to be involved with the radio. That’s the key. It’s a learning experience. That’s why I would hope people would get excited about it,” he said.

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