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Classes are resuming at NMSU, and returning students are finding some changes at the University. One of those changes involves the weekly student newspaper The Round Up, will be replaced with the monthly publication Oncore Magazine.
After recycling more than half of the produced publication every week, Executive Director of the Round Up Jonathan Johnsen said they needed a way to create a fresh new environment for the student run paper.
“We wanted to really create a new environment for NMSU,” Johnsen said. “There’s a lot of changes happening at the University in a lot of different colleges. And this is a really great way to get a lot more students involved, to create new topics for them to read, and to bring a little bit new life to NMSU.”
He says the reporters were concerned when they first heard the news, but are looking forward to creating longer, more in-depth pieces of journalism.
“As they’ve kind of learned what’s going on here,” Johnsen said. “And been given the opportunity to expand journalistically as far as the quality because there is more time, they’ve actually become very excited about it. It’s a great way for them to develop their own writing style as a journalism major to be able to create products and work that’s awesome.”
The Journalism department at NMSU doesn’t oversee the Round Up, but Journalism and Mass Communication Department Head Hwiman Chung says many have come to him expressing their concerns.
“Round up has been more than 100 years old,” Chung said. “And it’s been in this community for a long time. Everyone loves Round Up, and they have a very special meaning. And a lot of alumni actually called me or emailed me and asking me about the round up’s changing.”
Chung says he is concerned journalism students won’t get the watchdog journalism or breaking news experience.
“The Round Up started to be a watchdog,” Chung said. “Watch over the administrators, and watch over New Mexico State University. If we change the Round Up from weekly to monthly then we’re completely giving up that particular role that we used to have.”
Johnsen says while the publication will be printed less, they are going to be updating their website more frequently for more of the breaking news coverage.
“Our online website is actually going to be update twice a week this year,” Johnsen said. “Which is super convenient for students because if they want that hard hitting journalistic, a lot of that is going to be more online. The split between that and the magazine is that the magazine gives more of a trendy outlook on the same information.”
He says advertisers are excited about the change.
“The quality of the paper this year is a full gloss, full cover,” Johnsen said. “So, it gives them something to really look forward to. We’re also allowing advertisers to be able to pick up a couple of copies and put them in their stores to, so that way if customers come in they can say oh I was actually a part of this, I support NMSU. It gives their clients an opportunity to see that positive relationship with the advertiser and NMSU.”
Johnsen said he wants people to know that the Round Up is changing but it isn’t gone.
“We’re still the Round Up,” Johnsen said. “The Round Up is not dead. It’s just that we switched to a magazine and the name of the magazine is Oncore magazine. But the Round Up is still here; we’ve still been producing for over 100 years. So, we’re still going to keep that going, we’re just reviving it a little bit more to make it more current for the times.”
The first issue of Oncore Magazine will be published on August 25th.
