VMT communications students enjoy TSU-hosted view of campus life

By Francisco Cabriales

Students of the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts recently enjoyed participating in Communications Week activities on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos .

Greeted by the much-respected journalist Kym Fox, a writing and editing instructor at TSU, the 36 VMT students and instructor Mark Webber toured the TSU communications facilities and availed themselves of sessions with working journalists.

Mike Rein, chief of NASA's Public Communication Division at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida , talked about how news of the Columbia disaster was handled and the changes NASA made in the space program after the tragedy.

VMT students took a tour of the university radio station, KTSW, and the campus newspaper, University Star.

In another discussion, Paul Danitz, market manager for Amigo Broadcasting in Austin , explained how the increasing number of Hispanics in the United States has influenced the growth in the number of Hispanic radio stations across the country.

Macarena Hernandez, a writer for the San Antonio Express-News, told of the experience of having her work plagiarized by former New York Times reporter Jason Blair. She also discussed a book project she has undertaken about the rapid disappearance of small South Texas ranching communities.

The VMT mentor hosts took the students to the main library for a tour of the campus broadcasting facilities and a still photography exhibit in a gallery on the top floor.

"The Treviño students were an impressive bunch," said Fox. "They were so knowledgeable about the media, especially about the radio station. The university students who hung out with the group for the day talked about what a promising group of students Laredo had to offer, and they were really excited at the prospect of some of the Treviño students possibly attending Texas State in the future," she said.

"We thought the best way to expose high school students to college life was to bring them to campus. College is more than books and classes. It is also a thought-provoking environment in which learning and living are inseparable," continued Fox.

"Next time, we will set up a general information session so we can offer more information about the university and answer questions about scholarships, financial aid and campus life. We will probably just have one or two speakers and spend the rest of the time touring campus media and in the general information sessions," said Fox.

VMT journalism instructor Webber said the visit to the TSU Communications Department had "exposed students to university level media studies, and to what the university can offer them in terms of preparing for a career." He added, "I think a lot of the VMT students discovered they are already performing at the level needed for success in a university program. We are very appreciative of this invitation."

Jim Moore, an alum of the University and a Laredo National Bank executive, and his wife treated students to dinner at a Pearsall restaurant on the return trip to Laredo .

"It was interesting because I have not been on a university campus before, and it taught me what to expect at a university," said VMT journalism student Claudia Ambriz.

"It was cool in the sense that they have a good program in radio broadcasting," said VMT radio student Martin Espinoza. "That helps you since you receive hands-on instruction in multi-tasking, preparing for the next task while a song or commercial is already underway. The instructors seemed very accessible."