Audrey Tchaa –
[DISCLAIMER: Following the production of this article, the author Audrey Tchaa began doing social media for the Blue Devil Podcast.]
There are many platforms for students to express their voice on campus. Some of which include campus publications such as Pepper Magazine, Forward Magazine, Prometheus and Stoutonia. Here on campus, there’s a new platform where a group of five students decided to create the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s first ever podcast: Blue Devil Podcast.
Arthur Roques is a professional communication and emerging media (PCEM) major who’s involved in the Black Student Union, the UW-Stout Track and Field team, Intervarsity, and is now the host of Blue Devil Podcast. Roques decided on starting this project when he went to a PCEM networking event where he talked to Rachel Hallgrimson, who is also the advisor for the podcast that contributed to creating and starting this podcast.
“My goal behind having a podcast is to have everyone on campus enjoy listening to this. To actually want to listen to it and not see it as a chore, but to see it as a new form of information. We have the campus magazine and the campus life news in the announcements, but this is just a new way of us relaying information to students on campus,” says Roques.
Zipporah Turnbull, also known as “Z” on campus, is an applied social science major who is also involved in the Black Student Union and is also a co-host in the podcast. Turnbull has her own segment in the podcast named, “Ask Z” where students can ask Turnbull questions and she’ll answer them in the podcast.
“Arthur came to me with this great idea and opportunity and I was very interested in this. I feel that this is a great opportunity where you can have a platform and talk about things and state your opinions with other great people. It really encouraged me to join,” says Turnbull.
The topics that this group of students talk about is on a broad spectrum. “At first, we were only going to stick with limited topics, but I realized we should open the discussion about topics outside of campus as well. It all depends on what we want to talk about, as long as it’s informative for the students,” says Roques.
“Right now, we’re at the beginning so we’re just all feeling it out, feeling each other out. We want everyone else to get a sense of who we are and how we are personality wise. We talk about topics that are big problems in the world, but also problems with students, some big, some small. It all depends,” says Turnbull.
Not only are Roques and Turnbull a part of this podcast, but Logan Myrhe, Evan Thue, and Eric Krause are also a part of this podcast. Myrhe and Thue are two other co-hosts on the show and Krause is the producer of the show.
Roques says that he always knew who he wanted to be on his team for this podcast and each of them have specific skills that contribute to making this podcast successful.
This platform isn’t just for current students here on campus, but for staff and faculty members here on campus as well. “I initially thought that this podcast was just for students here at Stout, but it wasn’t until I started getting compliments from faculty and staff about the podcast that I realized it’s for everyone. Students, faculty, staff, incoming students, everyone,” says Turnbull.
Roques hopes that after he graduates that someone will be able to take on the role continuing this podcast. Knowing that his team of four are all upperclassmen, he hopes that he can find someone to help patch up the holes and for someone to take over his spot when it’s his time to leave and become an alumnus.
The Blue Devil Podcast has their new episodes out every Monday at 6 a.m. and are available through platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Anchor, Stitcher, and literally anywhere you listen to music.
A final note that Roques would like to leave us with:
“Don’t listen to the podcast because you feel like you have to listen to it. Listen to the podcast because you want to listen to the podcast. We do have topics that are for everyone, but again, don’t feel obligated to listen to it, just do it because you want to,” says Roques.