By Lexy Backer —
The Take 2 News Team is a weekly student-led news team that keeps the University of Wisconsin–Stout campus updated on news and events on campus. Currently, the program is in its fourth semester run, with over 50 episodes having aired on Fridays at noon.
According to Ryan Peterson, social media manager at Stout and founder of Take 2, the team was fortunate enough to receive a grant this year, which allows the friendly-faced news reporters to receive compensation for their hard work and time. Before the grant, those who reported for the team donated their time, acting on a volunteer basis. However, the grant allowed the team to hire seven reporters for paid positions, expanding from its previous three semesters.
“It was the biggest stipend allotment for one campus organization so far,” Peterson said.
Due to the fact that working for the team is now providing compensation, team members must meet certain requirements.
Peterson explained that at the end of the semester each reporter will receive a stipend, but in order to receive the stipend, a set number of hours must be completed. The need for hours allowed for the expansion of the team.
This expansion allowed the team to work with more than newscasts, they were also able to create a blog. If interested check out what the three Take 2 bloggers have to say at Bluedevildays.Wordpress.com.
This grant was made possible due to the Chancellor’s grant, which allocated money from the Special Projects Fund. When asked the purpose of the grant, Peterson explained that research has shown that student employment early on promotes a greater retention rate, gives people an excuse to come back and helps students engage in class. Another benefit of this grant is that each student’s position is not regulated to just one semester. They are allowed to stay on the team for as long as they choose.
As far as the future goes, Peterson hinted toward an MTV-esque Cribs video series, exclusive to the Stout dorms for second semester. Keep your eyes open for a chance to take part in the project–the students with the best-decorated dorm win bragging rights.
Let Take 2 tell you what events are coming next week by tuning into their videos every Friday on the Stout homepage or the Stout YouTube channel.