The role of student media

"Just like journalists in the outside world, the student media should fill the vital role of watchdog, holding the administration to account, shining light on inequalities, informing the community, telling stories —both good and bad — with an objective voice, and documenting history."

Jane Kidwell Martinez, class of 1986

"The paper is a record. Not only does it help shape future journalists, but it also serves as a historical marker of what has transpired at Elon. It helps hold those in charge accountable, and is essential to any healthy college campus. I feel fortunate to have found a place that was so welcoming and eager to be shaped."

Andie Diemer, class of 2010

"Student media for the good only works when intelligent debate is allowed. The progressive voice is no more important than the conservative voice, and vice versa. The college environment is diverse, so should be the coverage. As my Elon professors taught me, 'Good journalism is a mix of what the readers want to know and what they need to know.' And that is for all, not just some."

John Hoyle, class of 1989

"The newspaper should serve as a watchdog for those in positions of power and as an advocate for those without power. It should be a candle in the darkness."

Byung Lee, adviser of The Pendulum, 1996-2000

"Just like being a member of a sports team, being a member of a student press organization is a powerful bonding experience. You go through everything — the highs, the lows and the in-betweens — with your teammates. You learn how to work together to achieve a shared goal — whether that's getting a story written, making sure the newscast is ready to go, updating the website with the latest news, or anything else. These are lessons you often don't learn until after you graduate — if at all. Sure, the professional experience is incredibly important. But the life experience is unparalleled."

K. Michele Lashley, class of 1987

"The Pendulum was integral to my growth as a young journalist, of course, but I sometimes felt that Elon administrators and community members underestimated the importance of student media as a whole. Not only are these organizations teaching students how to be thoughtful, resourceful, well-rounded journalists, but they allow for a perspective and lens that only student media organizations could: that of the students."

Rebecca Iannucci, class of 2014

"The Elon community needs The Pendulum more than ever. Given the decline in local news and the scattered and sometimes misleading info that filters through the community, the student-run paper has a great chance to enrich people and the institution by providing all types of news, from verifiable fact-based reports to stories that capture glimpses of the human experience. News is more than the latest facts. It's a means of holding people together, even of expanding personal definitions of community, and of course of keeping those with the most power in the public lens so they act in the public interest."

Glenn Scott, adviser of The Pendulum, 2005-2007

"In the Elon community, student media offers a venue through which the campus can engage in the sacred art of civic dialogue. Democracy and civil society depend on its citizens' abilities to do this well. In our time, it's more important than ever that student media thrive on Elon's campus."

Jessica Patchett, class of 2005

"The Pendulum helps create checks and balances between the students, the school administration and the greater Elon community. Also, it is a space where any student has the opportunity to get real working experience in a newsroom whether it is reporting, photography, editing, graphic design or all of the above."

Grace Terry, class of 2021

"The Pendulum offered me, an English major, as well as many other non-Comm School students, the opportunity to engage in a professional setting we would never have had access to otherwise. And because we were proud, we brought copies to new buildings and brought stories back from across campus to cover. The Pendulum became a bridge."

Hannah Silvers, class of 2017

"Student media is essential to the Elon community, especially as all the changes and cuts happen to local media across the nation. These students can hold leaders accountable, inform students of events around campus, as well as tell stories that would previously go unrecorded. The Pendulum is an important historical document that lives on in the archives. When researchers do research on the university, they will refer to The Pendulum to get an idea of what took place on campus and in the surrounding communities."

Pam (Richter) Calfo, class of 2011

"We want students to take risks, embrace challenges, fall, learn, try again, engage each other and their audiences in fruitful conversations, represent themselves and their peers, and feel fulfilled in their work. A vibrant campus can't exist without student media."

Colin Donohue, class of 2005 and adviser of The Pendulum, 2007-2016

"Student media helps students have a voice and be active in their school. From writing articles, hosting news shows, DJing a radio show — all of these train students to know what is going on around them and to have the ability to communicate their views and takes. Student media not only builds confidence, but it builds community."

Lisa Sanders, class of 2001

"Especially at a time when news deserts are on the rise, student journalism both on- and off-campus has become more crucial than perhaps ever before. The Burlington Times-News has, unfortunately, become beyond stretched thin, and the prospects of local TV stations aren't much better. The upside is that promising, hard-working student journalists have the opportunity, and the great privilege, of stepping in and filling that void with thorough and responsible coverage."

Michael Bodley, class of 2016

"I see student newspapers as the voice of students (and yes, faculty) to be heard. Sometimes wrongs (and rights) can and should be uncovered and made public. Minimize extremist views and be open to really listening to others, especially those voices with whom one may disagree."

Patsy Lynch, class of 1975

"The Pendulum, as well as the Elon News Network, provides interested students with experience, knowledge, and know-how in the field of communications. To its readership, it is a source of information about issues that are local and near-and-dear to the reader by individuals that are peers and look like me."

Bryant Colson, class of 1980

"I see student media helping inform the public, like any other news outlet, while providing students a chance to learn, fail and grow in the media space. Student media can let people realize skills they never knew they had are key, bring together people from across campus that otherwise wouldn't cross paths and also hold people accountable for their actions, both positively and negatively."

Alex Simon, class of 2017

"Student media plays a role in informing the Elon community about key people, initiatives and events that affect them. With a dearth of news outlets in the area, student media can fill a void and keep people informed during critical times."

Tommy Hamzik, class of 2017

"I loved having the opportunity to hone my skills in a real way, under the tutelage of trusted faculty advisers and alongside fellow students who became co-workers and friends. I credit my time at The Pendulum with helping me figure out what sort of journalist I wanted to be, more than even the internships I completed at local papers and television stations."

Mindy (Schneeberger) Bianca, class of 1990

"I think it should be a training opportunity that gives students the ability to run a business. Learn what it's like to ask hard questions and handle difficult interviews. Learn to handle deadlines."

Erick Gill, class of 1995

"The Pendulum — and ENN overall — are the only real news organizations in the Elon community. We rely upon these journalists to collect and produce the most important, accurate news. Over the past 50 years, hundreds of Elon students have earned the opportunity to see their bylines in print, showing off their conceptual thinking, their interviewing skills, their synthesis of information and writing in order to inform, entertain and inspire the public."

Janna Anderson, adviser of The Pendulum, 2000-2005