Alumni Group Forms!
The WMUC Alumni have decided to form an alumni group! At an initial meeting held at the National Association of Broadcasters, the attendees created a Mission Statement, decided on three immediate goals for the alumni group, and created three committees.
The three immediate goals of the alumni group are:
1. To create an updated alumni database of names, addresses, and phone numbers; and to produce and distribute an almuni directory and newsletter.
2. To create an alumni advisory board that will work to encourage the university to take a more active role in WMUC.
3. To develop and maintain a relationship with the current WMUC staff.
To accomplish these goals, three committees were formed. The Communications Committee will be coordinated by Andrew Coile, and consists of Gary Allentuck, Vince Bruce, and BJ Cohen. The University Staff Liason Committee will be coordinated by Doug McGuire, and consists of Pat Anastasi, Mike Nicholson, and John Pleisse. The WMUC Staff Liason Committee will be coordinated by Doug Bertel, and consists of Janet Bass, David Goldman, and David Lilling.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the NAB, 1771 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC.
Initial Goals Chosen by Group
At the initial meeting on April 26th, the following short-term and long-term goals were suggested:
Communications Committee:
University Liason Committee:
WMUC Staff Liason Committee:
* Long-term goal
The University Liason Committee has been meeting with Dr. Drury Bagwell, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UMCP.
At an initial meeting held on May 23rd, Dr. Bagwell expressed delight with the fact that the alumni were getting organized, and concern with the station's current condition. Dr. Bagwell's perspective is that the station has lost the "core" of dedicated individuals that had maintained an atmosphere of professionalism and learning.
The University is very interested in getting ideas from the alumni on how WMUC could be reorganized and/or restructured to reflect a changed University environment. We have been told that we have a "blank sheet of paper" as a starting point, that anything we come up with can at least be considered.
Various interested alumni met at the NAB on June 8th to brainstorm some initial proposals. As the recommendations get to the draft stage, they will be made available to anyone interested. Anyone with questions or suggestions to be included in the recommendations can either FAX them to BJ Cohen, c/o NAB at (202) 775-3523 (outside of working hours as much as possible, as a courtesy to the NAB), or to call BJ directly with your feedback at (202) 775-3510.
There is a WMUC mailing list available over the Internet, thanks to Mike Doughney and Digital Express. The mailing list will rebroadcast any message sent to it to everyone on the mailing list. Lively electronic discussions are thus possible, and the electronic version of this newsletter will be distributed this way. To get on the mailing list, send e-mail to wmuc-request@access.digex.net.
The newsletter and other working documents will also be available via anonymous FTP (file transfer protocol) from ftp.digex.net, in the directory /pub/access/wmuc.
The WMUC Staff Liason Committee met with the current management of WMUC, and the two groups decided that setting up a mentoring program (where alumni help teach the students either individually or in small groups) is a top priority. Since the demise of the Radio-Television-Film program several years ago, an acute need for such instruction has arisen.
The station has also requested the help of the alumni in recruiting new student volunteers and in repairing the physical plant (much of which the alumni probably installed) and in updating the equipment. Associating prominent names and talent in the broadcast industry and presenting the station as state-of- the-art are seen as key elements to restoring WMUC's prestige.
The Committee will also be working on providing realistic opportunities for alumni involvement on helping the students improve the News department, and to provide assistance for programming and promotions.
To get involved, contact Doug Bertel at (301) 330-8725.
October 29, 1994 is homecoming weekend.
We will plan a WMUC Alumni event, so mark your calendars, and keep watching the newsletter for more information as it becomes available.
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