Freshman finds niche at campus TV station

Many freshmen find it difficult sifting through all the opportunities available to them once they step foot on campus, but one student took little time finding her niche with television at IU. \nA freshman, Kaylyn Easton recently was named executive director for IU's television station. She currently works as an office assistant, reporter for the news team and weekly anchor for IU Student Television. She will begin work as the executive director next fall. Easton said on paper her current office assistant position requires between 10 and 12 hours each week. With that and her other responsibilities at the station, she said she spends between 20 and 30 hours per week at the station.\n"I get to spend hours each day doing what I love," she said. "It's a big passion of mine." \nShe said she knew she wanted to get involved with media on campus when she first arrived. She noticed the flyers on campus during Welcome Week inviting students to get involved with various organizations and was interested in joining IUSTV. \n"I attended the very first callout meeting of the fall semester," she said. "I was involved from day one, I guess you could say." \nShe said within weeks, everyone at the station knew her name. To apply for the executive director position, Easton was required to begin speaking with the individual she sought to replace and answer essay questions about her future plans for IUSTV. The executive board interviewed Easton and recently notified her that she would be the new executive director beginning next fall. She said she was confident when she applied because of what she learned about the station through her contributions. \n"Being the office assistant, I had seen so much of the inner workings. I got to see how the station was run," she said. "I had been around IUSTV for most of the year and had become familiar and sociable with everybody."\nEaston's previous experience in media include reading the daily announcements in middle school and taking a broadcasting class at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind. Easton tried out for the class as an eighth grader and cannot remember a freshman ever being allowed into the class in the years preceding. She learned how to write her own stories and became a leader well before her senior year.\n"My background in high school helped me, but you don't have to be involved to come to (IUSTV) and get familiar with the equipment and the people," she said. "A lot of people who join don't have that." \nAnthony Leong is IUSTV's current executive director and will be replaced by Easton. He wrote in an e-mail that although she is fairly young and new to the station, she has shown a lot of dedication and passion for IUSTV.\nThe IUSTV Web site describes the television station as "completely student-created and student-run." Viewable on campus channel two, IUSTV shows are created, edited, produced and maintained by students.\nNews director Jenny Messmer said Easton is a great asset to the station, but her most admirable trait is her dedication to IUSTV.\n"She is more than willing to help out doing anything that needs to be done whether it be picking up an extra story or running the teleprompter," Messmer said. "When she originally joined IUSTV, she auditioned to be an anchor, but when she didn't get those positions she continued working hard as a reporter doing a story every week. She proved her work ethic and eventually was given the opportunity to anchor for the Dailies. She knew that being an anchor was her goal and she worked hard to reach it." \nEaston said she thinks the most challenging aspect of leading the station will be creating and maintaining working relationships with her coworkers. She also wants to take advantage of IUSTV's recent move to cable, since the station's audience will likely grow.\n"It's going to be about coming together and working as a team and creating leadership and continuing with the vision of the founders of IU and expanding the station," she said. \nEaston is double majoring in journalism and history, is involved with Teter's student government, and leads bible study through Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. She would like to have a career in broadcast as a network anchor.