Long-standing and new organizations alike vied for new members Thursday afternoon in the Media School’s new home in Franklin Hall during a school-wide activities fair.
One of the most recently formed organizations is News Decoder, which provides an opportunity for any student interested in international topics to publish stories and commentary on a collaborative site.
The site aims to elevate young voices on current topics, and IU currently operates as one of 12 pilot institutions.
“(The founder) wants students to publish from where they are in the world about issues that affect the world in way millennials understand,” News Decoder President Rae McFadden said. “You don’t have to be a policy expert.”
Alex Van Halen manned a table during the fair for Hoosier Games.
The organization started a few years ago as a campus outlet for students interested in designing video games.
The group conceptualizes and produces actual games for PC, mobile and sometimes consoles every semester.
After membership in the group grew to around 60 people, administration took notice. Now, undergraduates can earn a degree in game design through the Media School.
“This is a student organization, so it was born out of their desires,” Van Halen said.
Gaby Benninghoff and Emilie Holtz visited the Hoosier Games booth Thursday.
Both are game design majors. While talking to Van Halen, Holtz kept Pokémon Go open on her phone.
“I’m super excited to join because making games would be a dream, so having a program where we can collaborate and make a game would be a dream,” Benninghoff said.
Another facet of the Media School represented at the fair was the new alternative breaks program.
This November, 12 students will go on a service-learning trip to Costa Rica to help locals establish a community radio station.
Though this is currently the only alternative break program through the Media School, Amy Cornell, director of student services, said there might be more service learning opportunities in the future.
“The truth is that pockets of the Media school have always been a part of service learning,” Cornell said. “We’re going to do events. We’re going to work with faculty, and we’re going to work with student groups.”
IU All Media has members who work on everything from video production to graphic design. Sometimes members create personal projects.
Other times, the group creates promotional materials for other organizations, which can serve to build up IU All Media members’ résumés.
Members also have access to production equipment for a fee of $30 per year or $25 per semester.
“Everything we do is for free,” Alex Webster, one member of the group, said. “It’s just another way to get involved and meet people interested in what you are interested in.”
