Student government to film videos for TV and web

Members of student government are taking to web videos and television to talk about campus issues.

Student government is working with Carolina Week, Student Television and the new Carolina Broadcast Team to deliver videos.

Bi-weekly interviews with Student Body President Hogan Medlin, to be shown on YouTube through the UNCExecBranch channel, will include hard news, said Beth Lawrence, director of the Carolina Broadcast Team.

The team, in conjunction with Carolina Week, posted the first of the Campus Update videos Nov. 9.

“We chose to partner with Carolina Week because they have long-standing experience in high-quality video production,” said Student Body Secretary Ian Lee.

Medlin said the second video, shot on Monday, will cover topics including the admissions ambassadors abroad program and Top of Lenoir renovations.

He said he hopes students are watching the videos.

“Every year people ask what student government is doing,” he said. “This is an outreach to let you know what is going on and how you can be more involved. We don’t want to just focus on the issues, but the good things that are happening too.”

Lee said he created the broadcast team at the beginning of the semester as part of Medlin’s campaign pledge to make student government more transparent.

Lawrence said the broadcast team is also collaborating with UNC Student Television to produce monthly videos about student government that take on a more creative approach.

“We will probably do skits and other fun stuff,” she said. The Carolina Broadcast Team launched their own video series, the first video of which focused on the different cabinet members and committees at UNC.

“They will focus on subjects that normally don’t get covered, like best places to nap on campus and things to do before graduation.”

Lee said student government doesn’t have the funds to pay the broadcast team, so they negotiated an independent study plan to get class credit for the broadcasters.

“This way it’s a win-win situation for everybody,” he said.

Ian Wallace, director of production for the Carolina Broadcast Team, said he is satisfied with the program’s direction.

“Ian (Lee) has given us a good bit of creative control, and Beth has been wonderful with coordinating the different channels,” he said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.