With multiple student run newspapers on campus, where do students receive their daily campus updates?
Cleveland State University has several student publications that, when combined with official channels, offer many ways of keeping up to date with the university.
If students had to choose which would be the most reliable way for them to stay informed about campus updates, how would they respond? Answers from three different students show a glimpse of what could be the norm.
Journalism major Tony Pesta was the first to give feedback. He also commented on his own preferences and ways in which he receives CSU news.
“I pretty much only get my campus news from social media or from friends who go to CSU,” said Pesta. When asked about potential CSU related social media accounts that he follows, Pesta continued, “The Cleveland Stater, The Cauldron, CSU’s main profile and a few of the sports accounts.”
Pesta mentioned his reliance on student run newspapers on a scale of 1-10. “Before this year, probably one or two (newspapers). Now that I follow the student newspapers on social media, it’s closer to a seven,” Pesta said.
Lauren Difranco, an early childhood education major, gave a rating of nine for her own reliance on student run newspapers on the same scale. The Viking Newsletter, however, remains her primary source of CSU campus news.
“I think CSU should send more emails, as well as utilize all forms of social media since that is what students look at the most,” Difranco added.
Difranco follows CSU’s main social media accounts, CSU Student Life and the Campus Activities Board on each platform that she uses.
Michael Paden, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, explained that he uses Instagram the most to follow CSU news.
“I follow most of the CSU related Instagram accounts and a few twitter accounts,” Paden said.
When asked about how students could gain information about peer run news organizations, “hosting events with food are always great ways of attracting everyone,” Paden insisted, is one method that CSU could use to advertise news outlets.
In short, there is a population of students at CSU who are reliant on social media for most of their campus community updates. Although, there are still students who are fully aware of and do read student run newspapers.
How could CSU bring notoriety to a more consensus bases news forum?
“I think maximizing CSU’s reach on social media would be the best option. That’s how most people get their news anyway… especially college students,” Pesta said.
Follow The Cauldron on Instagram and Twitter, @csucauldron.