By: Brie White, Senior Writer
Campus Union recently passed a proposal to fund the newly chartered organization the Wofford Wrap, which has been spear-headed by three seniors Cat Martin, Virginia McCully and Scottie Kay Auton. The women fill the organization’s leadership positions; Auton is in charge of news, Martin is in charge of sports and McCully will oversee lifestyle. McCully describes the team as “three girls who have deep interests in journalism and want to create more opportunities for journalistic endeavors on Wofford’s campus.”
Auton says, “I feel like we’ve been working on it forever. I know the organization is something we talked about for a long time.” All three women have journalistic backgrounds, and saw a disparity at Wofford. There is no journalism program or major.
Auton has been interested in journalism since her “awkward middle school news staff days in seventh grade.” Now she works at the local news station. She and Martin met through TerrierVision, the media outlet for Wofford Athletics.
The women want the organization to keep Wofford students, faculty, staff, alumni, incoming students and Wofford fans updated on what’s happening on campus and in Spartanburg, as well as relevant issues on the state and national levels. The vision statement reads:
“The Wofford Wrap aims to expand and contribute to the existing Wofford media ecology while giving the students of Wofford a unique learning experience with multimedia journalism. We plan to boldly and fairly report for the Wofford community on important local and national news and events. In doing so, this organization promises to hold itself to a high level of integrity and provide equal opportunities for each individual involved. Through the Wofford Wrap, we hope to inspire and challenge students to strive for success during and beyond their college experience.”
McCully sees the organization as a benefit for Wofford because of the new opportunities it will bring. “We will offer students an experience in broadcast journalism, video editing, public speaking, camera work, audio and sound work and organizational management,” she says. “In addition to helping students develop valuable skills, the Wofford Wrap is going to spread news about stories, organizations and groups on campus that may not have been heard otherwise. We want to share stories about Wofford that are important and meaningful through digital and video platforms.”
Underclassmen are currently being trained by the senior leadership to understand the inner workings of the organization and the partnerships that the Wofford Wrap plans to continue with the Office of Communications, the Old Gold and Black, the Publications Board and Campus Union. Auton credits staff advisor Dr. Kimberly Hall as a big part of the group’s success. “[Hall] is a big reason we were even able to form this organization in the first place,” she says.
So far 19 students are involved with the organization. There are also opportunities for positions behind the camera. Upcoming segments include coverage of big events like Greek Week, Spring Concert, The Main Event, Spring Weekend, Greek Philanthropy Events, Clubs and Organizations, The Space, special interest stories, Interim and study abroad.
The Wofford wrap plans to have a weekly broadcast that airs every Wednesday, which will be a nine to 12 minute segment giving a run down on news, sports and lifestyle at Wofford every week. There will also be shorter clips uploaded to their website dispersed throughout the week.
