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When Jayne Miller ’10 composed her admissions essay for Lafayette, she wrote that she wanted to go to a college where she would have the opportunity to do something big.
The English major is getting that chance Nov. 7, as she will be a co-anchor for the first ever, undergraduate-run election night television broadcast.
“I wanted to try new things and work with a variety of people,” says Miller (Bethel, Pa.). “The chance to be a part of this broadcast is exactly the sort of thing that I was writing about. I cannot describe how excited I am. My fingers are crossed that it becomes a yearly event.”
Updates to this article:
Nov. 8: Election Night Coverage Comes Off Without a Hitch
Nov. 1: Students Are Ready to ENvision Election Night
The broadcast, which students can watch in person from 9-11 p.m. in the Wilson Room at Pfenning Alumni Center or over the internal campus network, is sponsored by the College’s new Policy Studies program.
According to organizer Mark Crain, Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of Policy Studies, the broadcast will be presented in a fashion similar to coverage on major television stations. There will be up-to-the-minute tracking of results, predictions, and reporters, but one thing that will set this coverage apart will be a series of pre-recorded segments focusing on various election topics through interviews, discussions with experts, and original research.
Miller stressed that one of the broadcast’s main purposes is getting students involved with politics.
“I really don’t think you have the right to complain about something if you don’t make the effort to change it, and that is why voting is essential for young people today,” says Miller. “I am 18 right now, so this will be my first election I can vote in — it’s really exciting.”
Joining Miller as co-anchor will be Marquis Scholar Megan Zaroda ’07 (Easton, Pa.), who has an individualized major in political communication. Meghan Baker ’07 (Medford, N.J.), an English and government & law double major, is taking on the role of election results anchor and Karen Ruggles ’08 (Easton, Pa.), an English and art double major, is coordinating the event as associate producer.
Miller and Zaroda’s primary responsibilities will be working the main desk during the broadcast and reading material crafted by students in the six classes which are focusing a portion of their energies this semester toward producing the broadcast.
Although Miller is a first-year student, she brings a high level of news and broadcasting experience to the anchor position. She spent her senior year of high school hosting a television show on public access television and interned at her local newspaper. She hopes to pursue a career in journalism as her dream job would be reporting for ESPN’s Sportscenter.
“I have studied journalism all through high school,” Miller says. “So broadcast journalism just seems like a really good fit for me. I love the whole process. More than anything I am just building a lot of confidence. I knew I had quality on-air experience, but never imagined I’d get to be a co-anchor as a first year student.”
Baker also has solid credentials. She was the morning announcer for her high school’s television network and is currently working as an intern in the News Media Department at NBC UNiversal in New York City.
In the election results anchor role, Baker will be updating returns from local and national races every 10-15 minutes. She will also provide breaking news on critical races.
“I’m interested in entering the field of communications after college,” she says. “The experience of being an anchor is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I am thankful for this opportunity because this gives me a chance to see if this is what I want to pursue.”
As well as being a high quality production, the broadcast is meant to be a learning experience and the anchors are doing just that.
They are performing research on which races in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislatures are likely to be close. These races will then be the key focus of the broadcast, as they are likely to determine which party will control Congress for the next two years. The anchors are also meeting with consultants from MBC Teleproductions of Allentown to receive coaching for their on-camera performances.
Ruggles serves as the main point person for the broadcast and has numerous responsibilities from filming interviews to coordinating the overarching theme for the final broadcast to making sure everyone involved is constantly updated with information. She has taken on the role of associate producer as an independent study with Crain as her advisor.
“With the election night broadcast, the whole purpose is to reach out to the college campus and bring them questions about government and politics and a new way of viewing the world that has been built around them,” says Ruggles. “It is exciting, because of its proactive nature.”
Ruggles says that the preparation process has been an eye-opener for her and has given her a new perspective on what she watches on television.
“What we see as the general public is the final product, but what we’re doing with the election night broadcast is pervading behind the scenes and creating a final product from the political issues we grapple with as students,” she says. “It doesn’t get more educational or real than that.”