When I tell people I work for the Belmont Vision, most of them reply with confused reactions and remarks like “Is that the room with all the TVs?” or “So…is that like…a club?”
I get where they’re coming from. The big glass doors and windows encasing the Vision office can be mystifying, but I’m here to set the record straight.
The Belmont Vision is the award-winning, student-run online news publication for Belmont University, and we post written and video content on all the important news and information from campus and the greater Belmont community.
There you go. Myth busted.
However, the Vision is so much more than just an online news site.
For me, the Vision serves as the voice for the university’s 8,000-plus students. The Vision is an accessible platform for the faculty and administration to understand the needs of students. The Vision reflects the university from all angles, showcasing the musical talent, academic prowess and spiritual integrity of its Bruins. This past year, I witnessed firsthand the Vision’s ability to make a change in the Belmont community, from addressing issues with the school’s counseling services to opening up the discussion regarding building security and covering controversy in the Board of Trust.
What’s most inspiring though, is how faculty and administration reacted to the voices of students. Since our article on counseling services was published, Director of Counseling Services Dr. Katherine Cornelius reported that the waitlist for individual therapy went from 66 students in November to zero as of April. It’s changes like these that show if students choose to speak, the administration listens.
I hope that in this coming year the Vision will continue to play a part in that exchange.
The Vision wouldn’t be able to serve the school as well as it does without the help of its incredible staff. Our staff, which brought home 11 awards and ranked first for the onsite competition at 2019’s Southeast Journalism Conference, is a lovable ragtag team of students from all majors who work day in and day out to keep the Vision running.
Steven Boero will return as our sports editor and will be stepping into the role of managing editor.
Katie Knipper will return as our arts and entertainment editor.
Abigail Bowen will be our executive producer for the Vision News Network, our monthly video broadcast.
Colby Crosby will be our senior producer for the Vision News Network as well as our staff photographer.
Bronte Lebo, Marissa Avnaim, Lydia Fletcher and Laura Privott will be our senior writers.
Caitlin Alexander will return as our senior video reporter.
Gabby Smedley will step into the role of social media editor.
Justin Wagner and Sarah Lawson will be our senior copy editors.
Professor Dorren Robinson will continue as our faculty adviser.
My first exposure to the Vision was through one of our weekly meetings, and it wasn’t long until I was spending most of my day in the office working on content. I’m sure almost every staff member can share a similar story. The Vision flourishes with the help of committed and hard-working students, and we’ll never be short of that.
Please join us at our weekly meetings every Monday at 10 a.m. in Johnson 108. Our first meeting will be on Monday, Aug. 26.
If you’re lost, just look for the room with the big glass doors and the TVs on the first floor of the Johnson. Go ahead and knock. I’ll probably be in there, and I hope you stop by.