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Susan Smith, Ball State University

Suzy Smith-­‐BEA District 4 Campaign Statement

BEA does so many things very well. Our national conference is a tremendous opportunity for all members to interact, learn and participate. However once the national conference ends, too many of us pack our BEA hats away until next year. I believe District 4 needs to change that. As a district we need to improve our communication with one another in-­‐between the national conference dates. Now that our district has increased in size, at the very least geographically, that can become much more difficult, but it doesn’t have to. I would like to see the institution of a regular District Conference as opposed to the occasional gatherings that we have seen in the past. It can be done, and other districts are doing it. The conference should rotate locations to provide the chance for all members in the district to have the opportunity to participate. This conference will help the district in several ways. First, it can improve the connection between BEA and our state broadcasting associations by making them active participants in the regional conference. Second, it can provide another opportunity for scholarly work for promotion and tenure track individuals, with panels and paper presentations scheduled as part of the conference. Third, it provides a chance for District 4 members to meet face-­‐to-­‐face and share ideas. Lastly it would provide an opportunity to get students more involved in BEA. I know that when I first came to Ball State after spending 25 years with CNN, CNN.com and the Weather Channel, I found conferences like these to be an invaluable tool helping me learn from my peers about the world of academia, and I continue to learn each and every time I attend one of these conferences.

Student membership is a second focus of mine. BEA does a great job of providing opportunities for students, not only through free membership but also through scholarship and competition opportunities. However, the cost of traveling to Las Vegas, at least for a big portion of our district members, can be prohibitive. A regional conference would be less expensive, and easier to get to. I would like to increase the number of student members, but beyond that I would like to increase the participation of those student members within all aspects of BEA. Our district is filled with people doing incredible work. That work and expertise needs to be shared. I would like to work at providing not only a district conference as an opportunity to share, but I am also interested in setting up regular video conferences as a way to connect members in the district. These informal gatherings would not only be an opportunity to learn about projects and research going on in our district, but also an opportunity to connect our students with one another and with learning opportunities.

As always, continuing to work and showcase our district within the national membership of BEA is of incredible importance and should continue to be of primary importance in my role as district representative. As your representative the most important thing I can do is act as your voice with the Broadcast Education Association. I am focused on being a voice that is heard.

Skills

Posted on

October 9, 2015

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