Students should get involved with The Outlook, Monmouth University’s student-run newspaper, even if they aren’t a communication student.
The Outlook gives students the opportunity to write articles and be published both in print and online. There are several different sections including Features,Lifestyles, News, Opinion, Entertainment, Club & Greek, Politics, Viewpoints, and Sports.
Whether a student is a communication major, someone who has a passionate view on a topic they want to share, or a student that wants to have something physical to show potential employers on interviews, The Outlook is a great way to do just that.
Professor John Morano and advisor for The Outlook said, “For anyone who feels that writing, especially journalistic writing or public relations writing, might be in their future, getting published in The Outlook is a great idea. It enables one to actually put into practice what they’ve been studying, to build a portfolio of published work, to separate yourself from all the other students who study but do not practice their craft, to get another line or two on your resume, and to be part of a university newspaper that has been consistently ranked nationally as a top 10 university weekly newspaper (landing in the #1 spot three times).”
Tianna Fougeray, a senior marketing and management student said, “Writing for The Outlook is a great idea no matter what major you are. If you like writing, or even it isn’t your favorite thing to do, it’s a great way to get your work out there and be creative with it. I’m a marketing and management major but I am so glad I got to have an article published of my own. “
“Since I’m the Novelties Chair for the Student Activities Board, I was able to write an article about one of the events I planned on campus and it was awesome to be able to talk about something I’m passionate about. I also was happy to share it and see others reading it. I can show this published work to jobs as well and show them I was involved on campus outside of my major,” she continued.
The Outlook gives students the opportunity to gain experience that they may not get through an internship. Nicole Ingraffia, a senior journalism and public relations student said, “I used to intern in New York City but I recently quit because I honestly found writing for The Outlook more valuable than doing coffee runs.”
“I’ve found that editors aren’t excited when a job candidate enthusiastically proclaims, ‘I could do that.’ What they want to hear, especially if you want their money, is, ‘I’ve done that. Let me show you some examples.’ Anyone can talk the talk. It’s the students that walk the walk that wind up with more opportunity,” said Professor Morano.
Students who are worried about overloading themselves by getting involved should not stress. “At first I was nervous about being editor of the entertainment section because I have a lot of leadership roles on campus. I’m currently recruitment chair for Alpha Omicron Pi and work 30 plus hours at Bagel Guys Deli a week,” Ingraffia said.
“I emailed Professor Morano about my worries and told him I didn’t know if I could handle everything I signed up for. He told me he completely understood where I was coming from and if I felt like I needed to call him that I could,” she explained.”
“I’m a huge worrier so I called him the next day and he talked me off the ledge of quitting and I’ve never had a professor as dedicated to his students as he was for me that day and I’m so thankful because I love writing for The Outlook. It’s something I didn’t picture myself doing at first but now I can’t picture myself anywhere else! It’s such a comfort zone for me and a stress reliever because writing for me is therapeutic,” the senior continued.
Morano added, “I personally find, after some 30 years advising The Outlook, that the students who contribute to the paper, regardless of what major they come from, and we have many different majors in our newsroom, are a special breed. They’re brave, well intentioned, and have a genuine desire to make the most of their educational opportunity.”
“They’re not afraid to publish their work, even though they’re often in the early stages of learning the craft. Not many people are willing to do that, to put it out there for everyone to see. Those students at The Outlook, and by extension The Verge, WMCX, Hawk TV, CommWorks and the MOCC are special people,” Morano continued.
The Outlook publishes an issue weekly and is always looking for people who want to get involved. Students who are interested can stop by The Outlook Office in Plangere to get more information and meet some of the staff.
PHOTO TAKEN by Nicolette Pezza
