On Monday, June 5, you may see your fellow student reporters, photographers and editors, otherwise known as “Broadsiders,” carrying bundles of the first, full color, print edition of the school newspaper that Central Oregon Community College has seen in recent history.
The school paper has its fingers on the pulse of what is occurring on campus with your local student government, current events and other local news that is affecting students, faculty and alumni alike. The photographs and articles are all produced by students and the paper itself is designed by COCC art students. 1000 copies will be distributed around campus at the Barber Library, Coats Community Center and the COCC bookstore.
The print edition of The Broadside was an undertaking supported by the work of newsroom advisor Lily Raff McCaulou and Editor-in-Chief Miina McCown as well as the staff of writers, photographers and the COCC art department. McCown is an Arts, Media and Technology major dual enrolled at COCC and Oregon State University-Cascades. She began writing for The Broadside in December of 2020 and contributed many articles to the paper before taking on a larger role as the lead editor this year.
When McCown was asked what her favorite part of the print edition is, she said, “To have a paper copy as evidence that I did something while I was here. The internet stories are forever, but there is just something about paper that leaves a history of actually doing something real that you can touch.”
This statement may resonate with people in the digital age we live in, with homework assignments submitted online, text messages and emails replacing written letters. If the internet somehow was deleted tomorrow, how much physical evidence would there be that we existed at all?
Despite McCown’s many other obligations, she still finds time to edit and comment on articles students send her way. When asked which of her own articles she is most proud of, McCown said, “Review: ‘Turning Red,’ A polarizing new Pixar film created by an all-woman team,” and “Opinion: The ‘corporate’ art style and why it doesn’t feel like real art.” She continued, “I normally wouldn’t write about a children’s movie, but the movie was relatable to Asian-Americans and I am really proud of that fact and my own heritage.”
McCown’s article about corporate art also brought many new readers to The Broadside. Exposure is valuable, and McCown hopes that the print edition will bring new eyes to The Broadside online. She recommends that anyone that is looking for a creative outlet or a way to meet people and network at COCC join The Broadside staff as a writer, photographer or designer. Most of the students that currently contribute are paid staff members.
Benjamin Enyart
Reporter
