Ending of Media Production course ushers in new era for The Signal

After decades of being offered to students at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), the Media Production course attached to the student newspaper, The Signal, will no longer be available after the current spring 2020 semester.

The course will be retiring along with Director of Student Publications Taleen Washington, marking the end of an era for UHCL.

History of the student newspaper at UHCL

In 1978, a class for newspaper publication, later known as Media Production, was established as part of the curriculum for the College of Human Sciences and Humanities’ Communication Program (COMM). In this course, students’ communication skills are put to use while learning to produce editions of the school newspaper. 

Originally known as simply the UHCLC Student Publication, the newspaper was founded in May 1975 with no publishing schedule. In October 1975, the student paper became The UHCLidian as the result of a naming contest. 

Gene Goodhart, then-future studies major, pitched the name as a homonym for UHCL and the Greek mathematician Euclid. The addition of Newspaper Publication in 1978, and the connection between the course and the production of the paper, made publishing consecutively possible.

When Washington became the newspaper’s faculty adviser in 2002, she petitioned to change the name of the class from Newspaper Publication to Media Production to reflect the multimedia platform that newspapers were heading toward in the digital age. 

“I am its fifth faculty adviser, building on the efforts of Nan Bruckner, Gloria Morris and Ashley Packard,” Washington said. “There was an interim adviser in place for a year, after Gloria retired, while the university looked for her replacement, which was Ashley.” 

After 18 years as the newspaper’s adviser, Washington reflects on the various transitions there have been to the production process.

“The newspaper has gone from print to digital, bi-weekly to weekly, long-semesters to year-round,” Washington said.“Now we’re in the final stages of transitioning from a classroom environment to a paid-staff model, which is in accordance with best practices for four-year universities.”

This latest transition is the result of a six-phase strategic plan that was developed in 2014, with the support of then-Associate Vice President of Student Services Darelene Biggers, as UHCL was becoming a four-year institution. 

“Before, the staff consisted of students enrolled in one program (Communication) in one college (HSH),” Washington said. “The new model will include a much more diverse staff, better representative of the student body.”

What the loss of Media Production means to communication majors

Washington said that while she believes that the change is in the best interest of the student newspaper and the UHCL community, she does have concerns about what it means for students enrolled in the Communication Program to lose the capstone course.

“Media Production allows students to use and integrate all of the skills learned from other COMM classes to produce the student paper,” Washington said. “They have the responsibility and accountability for its content. The original plan was for COMM to replace Media Production with one or more other courses that meet the capstone requirement. However, budget cuts have left the COMM faculty shorthanded in recent years, so a replacement course isn’t included in the new catalog. I’m hopeful that will change.”

With Media Production no longer being required as a course, other members of the COMM faculty have begun to reflect on what the loss of this course means for students.

“This is undoubtedly the end of an era,” said Anna Klyueva, assistant professor of communication. “The Communication Program will be very different without the Media Production class and Professor Washington, who will be dearly missed by her colleagues and students alike. The Media Production class provided a unique capstone experience where students got to test the diverse media and communication skills they have been mastering as communication majors. My public relations students from now on will lack the ‘mandatory’ and often life-changing journalistic experience.”

Former Media Production students reflect on the course

As members of the UHCL community face the loss of a beloved and beneficial course, current and past students reminisce about Media Production and their time spent working on the paper.

“As someone who has always been interested in journalism, I was excited to work on the newspaper for course credit,” said Brandon Ruiz-Peña, current editor-in-chief of The Signal. “The capstone course expanded my knowledge of journalism and helped me to grow more confident in my writing ability. It was also pretty cool to win a first-place national award for the very first assignment I was given back in 2015. Even in the midst of writing the editorial, I remember Taleen telling me to talk with her at the end of the semester, as there might be a spot for me on the editorial team. Little did I know it would bring me to where I am now.”

Emily Wolfe, current executive editor of The Signal, also took a moment to reflect on her experience.

“For most of my undergraduate life, I floated through college,” Wolfe said. “I went to school, I had friends, and sometimes I went to events. I thought college was something I just had to get through, but being a part of The Signal changed that. Our newsroom is a very dynamic environment and being a part of the staff opens doors that I never could have known existed. When I walked into that room for the very first time, I had no idea it would lead me to national awards and a trip to New York City.”

Academic Advisor at San Jacinto College-South Nessha Hosein, who is one of the editors who fought to change the name of the newspaper from the UHCLidian to The Signal, recalls how she developed her writing skills during her time as a communication major and member of the paper.

“One word describes my experience, ‘amazing’” Hosein said. “That program and all its moving parts made me the professional writer and editor I am today. The professors were hands-on and their methods intense. I learned how to be a master of the written word simply based on the fear of their bleeding red pens that forced me to learn and improve my skills. The newsroom and assignments from all classes were like on-the-job experiences and prepared me for future career-making roles.”

Favorite memories

Washington shares her favorite experiences with the course and the time spent working on the publication of the student paper, currently known as The Signal.

“It’s difficult to highlight just one, but definitely one of the most memorable moments is when we worked to change the name of the student paper from the UHCLidian to The Signal,” Washington said. “I can still remember sitting in SGA and then the Faculty Senate with my editors explaining to a full house why the name UHCLidian may have worked well in days past when its publication proximity was limited to the campus. In an online world, reactions to the name ranged from it sounding like a female body part to it sounding like a venereal disease with potential sources wanting to know exactly what kind of newspaper we were. That’s when The UHCLidian became The Signal.”

Lindsay Humphrey, manager of student publications, also rates the name change as one of her favorite memories.

“There are innumerable moments large and small that stand out for me throughout my years of working in the Student Publications office, and we’ve experienced a lot of change, as is the nature of the communication field,” Humphrey said. “I would have to say that the changing of the paper’s name from The UHCLidian to The Signal, the transition from a bi-weekly print paper to a weekly digital publication, and then to a year-round paper with paid staff members stand out the most. These momentous changes – and all that they entailed – have been accompanied by tremendous growth for the paper, and while I’m saddened by the loss of the Media Production class and Taleen’s retirement, I’m also extremely excited for what the future holds.”

Looking to the future

With the departure of the Media Production class, The Signal will continue to be published weekly and year-round, relying on the efforts of the paid staff as well as volunteers and interns. The staff of The Signal has prepared for the transition with a paid student staff advised by Humphrey, who will become the newspaper’s sixth advisor.

“Thankfully, the past three summers have provided us the opportunity to really figure out how the paper will operate without the Media Production class, making for a smooth transition into this new phase of The Signal,” Humphrey said. “While the smaller staff will mean less weekly content, our rigorous standards for the quality of work produced will not change. One of the challenges facing the staff will be less material from which to choose submissions for the various journalism competitions we enter every year, which could mean fewer awards for the paper. Though we may receive fewer awards, we will still be the award-winning, nationally recognized trusted news source for the UHCL community.”

Starting May 20, Wolfe will become The Signal’s new editor-in-chief, as Ruiz-Peña graduates with his master’s in digital media studies. 

“Stepping into the editor-in-chief role is equally thrilling and terrifying,” Wolfe said. “There are so many things that I want to do and things I want to play around with and change. Brandon is honestly the best editor-in-chief I could ever hope for and following in his footsteps is nerve-wracking. I mean, he led us to our first CSPA Gold Crown. Our summer and fall editorial team is similar to our current lineup, so that is extremely comforting because I know they will support me or call me out when things I want do not make sense for our community.”

Wolfe continues to plan for her future as editor-in-chief, stating some goals she has for the coming semesters.

“My number one goal is to make our paper more recognizable to the students on campus, which I hope will lead to more people wanting to join the staff in some capacity,” Wolfe said. “I also want to do more in-depth reporting and editorials. I also want to focus on challenging staffers to become better at reporting or design or whatever the reason is that they chose to be on staff.”

Washington said she has no concerns for the future of the newspaper because she knows she’s leaving it in good shape and in good hands. 

“I am so excited for the future of student publications at UHCL,” Washington said. “I’m very proud to say that all of my visions and strategic plans for The Signal have come to pass. Winning the Gold Crown from Columbia University naming us top collegiate digital paper is a good way to end a career. Lindsay has been instrumental in helping all of these goals come to fruition. I can’t wait to see where she takes it from here!”