Note: This version has been changed to reflect that Ballpoints.com will not necessarily be the domain name of the umbrella website for Ball State's student media organizations. The name of the domain is still being established.
Readers and viewers of the student media organizations at Ball State will see some changes in the next couple of years, potentially starting this fall with a new website.
Students and faculty are working on a website that will become the umbrella site for NewsLink, WCRD, Ball Bearings and The Ball State Daily News. While student media organizations will still work on individual assignments, the site will hold content from all four media outlets.
Jim Willis, chairman of the department of journalism, said the site is expected to be launched in the Fall Semester, possibly in November.
"The site will be powered by the different media we have now," he said. "You'll be able to get to this one spot and get it all, and it seems to be where people's interest lies now in terms of having to shop around whereas you can have one spot that has it all."
The change comes after some years of planning and development between the College of Communication, Information, and Media, the Department of Journalism and the Department of Telecommunications.
Roger Lavery, dean of CCIM, said the site and the combined work of the student media organizations will not only benefit the readers, but students that are preparing for their future with real-life journalistic career.
"It's a tremendous investment in the future of our students and our program, and it would catapult us into a leadership position in journalism education," he said. "We are hoping this site will be the best student news site in the country."
Aside from the changes made to the presentation, the departments are planning a renovation on the second floor of the Art and Journalism Building that will become a large multimedia newsroom, Willis said.
"We are in the planning process for that now, and construction is not going to begin until the funding is in place. So it's probably going to be another year," he said.
The departments are meeting with architects to draw plans and will be presenting them to the Ball State administration. The plan includes building a studio for NewsLink and WCRD news. The newsroom's space would be large enough to contain 80 students at a time.
Renovations may start as early as next year. However, Lavery said the process will depend on their budget and funds that are collected from supporters.
"It's going to require donor money, and we're going to find someone or some people that get excited about this and say they want to support it."
The concept of unified media is part of an integrated news curriculum between the journalism and telecommunications departments that was launched two years ago. The new curriculum allows students to learn to work on different media platforms such as video, audio and print.
"I believe our program is one to two years ahead of most programs in the country," Lavery said. "We have shared our curriculum around the country in conferences and so forth and people are impressed with it."
Support among the faculty and students has been an important factor that has allowed both departments to move forward, Lavery said.
"It's very difficult to change cultures," he said, "and in our case we saw, and I only describe them as terrific, faculty who said, ‘It's time to set our petty differences aside and our turf issues and do what's best for our students.'"
Lavery said students have equally shown support and eagerness to help bring student media together.
"In the last few years, because students have been paying attention, they realize they need these skill sets. So I've only seen support, and excitement and enthusiasm from the TCOM and journalism students about the new curriculum and about the skill sets, and even this lab that we are hoping to build in these few years," he said.
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