A new podcast program from The UVU Review features students discussing current events with UVU faculty and staff

Yesterday I had the pleasure of helping out on the pilot recording of The Review's new podcast Office Hours. And who better to be our first podcasting guinea pig/guest than Dean Alexis Palmer. Rosio Acosta, a freshman studying communication at UVU, asked Palmer about the recent changes to UVU's freedom of speech policy. 

An endeavor like Office Hours represents some of the best aspects of the college newsroom experience. An issues-focused podcast is the perfect platform for students to voice concerns, engage faculty and staff in deep and meaningful dialogue, and practice highly-marketable skills in an evolving industry. An engaged learning experience like putting together a weekly podcast gives students an opportunity to take the lead on a project.

Watching Rosio conduct her first interview brought back a lot of memories for me. Fifteen years ago I was starting my career as a college newspaper journalist. I will never forget my first interview, as it was really humiliating. I interviewed then academic affairs VP Brad Cook (who is now the provost at SUU in Cedar City). It was around the second anniversary of the 9-11 attacks and I was asking Cook, a renowned Islamic studies scholar, about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He graciously spent over an hour walking me through the intricate world of Middle East geopolitics. I walked out of the interview with a page or two notes and what I thought was a full tape recorder (this was 2002 after all). When I got back to the office and tried to listen to my tape I realized I had left it paused throughout 90 percent of our conversation. I was devastated. Using my notes, my scraps of taped dialogue, and my frazzled memory I tried to slap together an article as best I could. Eventually I had to break down and call Brad back and "check a few facts"...which basically was an excuse to re-interview him for another 20 minutes. I learned more about my craft that afternoon than any class I ever took.

Fourth region (Section 1)

I hope Rosio got a little taste of that yesterday...and I hope programs like Office Hours provides a lot of students the opportunity to try new things. 

Fourth region (Section 2)