By Gracyn Van Bemmel //
Hood College Broadcasting teamed up with the political science department on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to livestream the election results from the HCB Studio.
Students from Carin Robinson’s Campaigns and Elections class got the chance to sit behind the anchor desk and call election results from local, state and national races, while visual media production students worked the control room.
This was the first event of this kind, as the communication arts department has been brainstorming different uses for the Broadcast Studio. “I kind of had the idea that we should have a live-streaming event,” Tim Jacobsen said. “I thought it would be cool to do something related to the election and to get political science students involved.” He hopes to partner up with more departments and organizations as a way to use the studio to its fullest capacity.
About 25 people attended, including political science majors, communications majors, and other people who were interested in the event. The livestream saw about 300 viewers in the span of three hours.
Many students have their own personal stories of why they chose to be a political science major and what made them interested in the subject.
Political science major Elisha James said he developed an interest in the field because his father is engaged in politics. “My dad works as a council member at Capitol Heights, and he’d give me and my siblings insights about changes he makes in the community,” he said.
Casey Rohwein, one of the students who sat behind the anchor desk, said this was her first time doing something like that and that it was pretty nerve-wracking. “It’s really important that people are educated and engaged politically,” she said afterward. “It’s a privilege to vote, and it’s kind of a waste if people don’t since the government affects everyone.”
There were also a few other students who were just interested in attending the event even though they are not studying political science at Hood.
“I feel like [this event] is a pretty important one to pay attention to,” psychology major Nar Sunborn said, adding that this was the first election in which she could vote.
Education major Tatiana Martinez expressed similar sentiments. “Now I actually care about who is going to be elected because the results are going to affect my future and life,” she said.
All in all, the event was a success in bringing the two departments together and encouraging students to be politically active and engaged. According to Jacobsen, there is a plan for improved preparation and the possibility of adding commercials produced by the VMP III class for the next election livestream.
“I’m really happy with this event,” said professor of political science Carin Robinson. “This event gave my students the opportunity to practice what they’ve been studying all semester –analyzing politics beneath different lenses and practicing public speaking. They get to experience the 2024 election in a way that they’d otherwise never experienced it. Tonight is historic and it’s exciting to experience history.”
A recording of the event is available on the Hood College Broadcast page on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/user73721803.
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