Ed on Campus Start-Up Guide

ED ON CAMPUS PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
You are Ed’s representative at your school. So your “job” is to spread the gospel according to Ed, also known as educating other students about the wonders of the magazine industry. The commitment for being president is about the same as any other on-campus club. And like we said before, every chapter is different—so that could mean hosting multiple events a month or having twice-a-semester events. We’d love it if you at least had a couple each semester! Also, it’s your duty to stay in touch with the Ed on Campus staff by filling out a progress report each semester (and of course asking questions anytime!).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Ed on Campus?
Ed on Campus is the collegiate off-shoot of Ed2010, a community of young magazine editors and magazine-editor wannabes who want to learn more about the industry so we can fulfill dreams of landing top editing and writing positions in the magazine industry. Ed on Campus is intended to demystify the industry to college students and help them score internships—especially during the summer—at great magazines in New York City and across the country. Basically, we’re an enthusiast group for those who want to work in the magazine industry some day. We rely on whippersnapping students to launch the chapters at campuses.

What, exactly, do the different members of the Ed on Campus staff do? How can they help me get things started?
Basically, we all try to help you start and run your chapter as well as you can, and make sure that Ed is being represented correctly in campuses across the country. For a more specific look at our roles, view the points below.

• Karen Snyder Duke, Ed on Campus Director, [email protected]. Reach out to Karen for advice regarding mag tours in NYC and speaker information.

• Elizabeth Lily, Resume Critiques Manager, [email protected]. Reach out to Elizabeth for resume critique inquiries.

• Ashley Oerman, Ed on Campus Associate (Admissions), [email protected]. Reach out to Ashley with questions regarding transitioning officers and on-campus events.

• Rachel Swalin, Ed on Campus Associate (Admissions), [email protected]. Reach out to Rachel with questions regarding getting started and Ed2010 email addresses.

•  Diana Vilibert, Ed on Campus Associate (Trust Fund), [email protected]. Reach out to Diana for Trust Fund inquiries.

We should respond to you within 48 hours. But please, bear with us—we have full-time jobs at magazines. But of course, basically, we’re here to help you and answer any questions that you have!

Do I have to get everything I do approved by the Ed on Campus team?
Of course not! This is your organization—and frankly, we don’t have time to approve of every little thing you do. Although, we would love to hear about it. We’re just here to guide you along. To keep us updated, make sure to fill out your progress reports when Ashley sends them out once a semester. In addition, please provide us with your social media handles (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, you name it), so that we can check up on your chapter!

I want to kick things off. How the heck do I get started?
Now you’re talking! To get started, you need to fill out an application and submit it for Rachel’s review. Once you’re approved, you’ll be “official” with Ed2010 national in New York City. Then, it’s really like starting any other campus organization. Start rounding up interested people, plan events, and get yourself out there! You’ll need to set up your own Ed2010 email (Gmail or any other free e-mail service is fine) that we ask you to use for Ed correspondence. Start by gathering a list of potential Edsters and Ed-lovers at your school. E-mail other students you’ve previously interned with or know are magazine lovers, friends of friends, people you’ve met in journalism or communications classes, and see if you can come up with a solid e-mail list of people who want to support the Ed cause. Now comes the fun, event-planning part, which is the core of any Ed on Campus chapter.

How do students become a member of Ed on Campus?
Ed on Campus and Ed2010 don’t have to have members. But feel out what you think will work best on your campus. Some presidents find that having students pay $20-30 in dues a semester helps secure attendance at future events and pay for speakers, pizza, whatever. But do what’s best for you.

Does my Ed on Campus chapter need to be formally recognized by my school? How do I do that?
It depends on what the procedure at your particular campus. Ed prefers that your chapter of Ed on Campus be officially recognized by some sort of student activities board at your school, but he also realizes that isn’t always totally possible. Sometimes it’s easier to fly under the radar and not deal with the bureaucracy, but usually, it’ll be better for your chapter—and easier to promote it—if people on your campus know you exist. The exact way that you become formally recognized will vary by campus, so check in with your student activities board there. If you need our help with papers from “national,” a constitution, or anything else like that, we’ll be happy to help.

Do I have to have a faculty sponsor?
If possible, yes. A faculty sponsor will be able to help you brainstorm, give you ideas, be your advocate, etc. as you launch this new organization at your school. More importantly, having faculty support will help your chapter live on after you have graduated. Any professor or official staff member will do, as long as they care about the cause of educating students about the magazine industry. There may be exceptions to this rule, though, especially if you’re at a school that has no specific journalism school. There it may be hard to find a faculty member willing, but it never hurts to ask around (especially in other similar departments, like English or communications). Please explain your sponsor situation on the application.

What about funding? Should I charge dues? Can I do this without financial support from my campus?
Funding is different per campus/school, too. Some chapters have been very successful without campus funding, and others have secured it and benefited from it greatly. You have to figure out what makes the most sense and will work for your school. We can’t specifically tell you whether students at your school would be willing to pay $20 to join an organization like Ed on Campus. At some schools—like Syracuse University, where we have a very successful chapter—that’s no problem because the students are all very magazine/publishing-centric and willing to pay a little to bask in the magazine glow with other enthusiasts. However, some schools have tried to charge dues, and no one shows up for their events. So you have to figure out what works best on your campus. Take the temperature of students—are they willing to pay a little something for the kind of events you’re going to put on? Will they be worth it? As far as getting funding from your school, definitely try! That’s why it’s best to be officially recognized. Clubs that are officially part of the structure at universities tend to be eligible for funding in some way—whether that be through some sort of apportionment of student fees or special grants. Another thing to look into is whether the journalism or communications school at your campus will pitch in some money, especially to fly in New York magazine editors for speaking events. (You’d be surprised. Most schools have budgets for guest speakers but don’t use them. Hit them up!) If you do tend to have money flowing around as you’re planning events, it may be best to start a chapter bank account (or see if your school’s activities services can handle that for you). Also, you should check and see what free services (poster making, publicity, mailing) you might be able to get out of your student center—usually they provide something to recognized campus organizations.

Do we need to have officers?
Again, this is up to you. But a word of advice: Having officers will only make things easier on you. Trying to launch a campus organization—or keeping one afloat—without the help of others is nearly impossible by yourself! You can have whatever officers you like and make the most sense for you chapter, as long as they fit in with whatever hierarchy your school/activities board may have already set up.

Should we have elections at the end of the Spring semester or the end of the Fall semester?
It depends what works for you. Some chapters find that it’s best to hold them at the end of the Fall semester, since many presidents are seniors and are getting prepared to graduate, find a job, etc. If you hold elections in November or December, this gives the new president time to learn the ropes from the former president, which allows for a smoother transition. That being said, if you find that you’d rather hold elections in the Spring, that is totally fine. It’s really what works best for your chapter!

How do I get the word out when launching my school’s Ed on Campus chapter?
Spreading the word about Ed on Campus is important to building a membership that’s interested in the magazine industry. A great way to start is by word of mouth. Find some people you know who are interested in breaking into magazines after graduation and take their temperature: Would they come to magazine-related events, speakers, etc.? Then, like everything else these days, start a Facebook group! That’s a great way to get people quickly involved and make them available for easy contact. Plus, when you are approved as a chapter by the Ed on Campus team, your chapter will be listed on Ed2010.com, which will link back to your Facebook page!

How else can I build my organization on campus?
Here are some other ideas: Set up a booth at your campus’ beginning-of-school-year activities fair; visit journalism, communication, and English classes and pass around a sign-up sheet for interested parties; hold a kick-off event where anyone who’s interested can come learn about Ed on Campus and, in turn, the magazine industry. Please contact Ashley if you would like any assistance with your on-campus event ideas.

How do you communicate with your chapter “members”?
After you’ve gathered names of interested students, start an email listserv where you can easily contact them and let them know about the events and activities you plan. Send them email blasts or notes about upcoming events and polls to find out what kind of event they’d be most interested in. Also, use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram—whatever you like. Additionally, you could start a website and blog for you chapter, if you wanted. Syracuse University, for example, has a great website promoting all they do. Just let Karen know before you start your own site or blog. Please update Rachel when your social media handles, websites, and blogs are created so that she can update your chapter information.

How many events a year should I have? What do I need to tell you guys?
Some campuses find that monthly events work for them—others prefer to hold something every two or three months. It just depends on how often Edsters at your school would prefer to show up (and how much time you have to devote to planning events). Of course, as you’re planning them, let us know if you have questions/thoughts/concerns—we’re here to help you make your events the best possible!

What kind of events should I hold? What are some examples of good Ed on Campus events?
So glad you asked, because events are the bread-and-butter of Ed on Campus and Ed in general. Events will vary by chapter because each is different. But the following are the basic events that you should consider holding. Of course, come up with original ideas that work for your school, too!

Lectures/Speakers: Have a local magazine editor talk about his or her job and how they got it; the magazine they edit and their recent redesign; how they hire interns; what their policy is for taking on freelance writers; how to best pitch; etc. Or set up a panel of local magazine editors/writers. Also, tap into your alumni pool—and ask any editors you know in New York City—to see who’d be willing (and what you’d have to do to get them to come out) to come to campus and speak to your organization. You’d be surprised how willing people are to do such things, especially if the school or an organization will foot some—or all—of the bill.

Panels: Everyone loves a panel—you get to hear lots of different points of view on one topic. You can go about setting up a panel on whatever you want. Make it practical by having students who just came back from summer internships sit on a “What I Did Last Summer” panel. They can talk about how they scored their internships and then what they did on a daily basis. Plus, they can dole out tons of tips! Or make a panel full of whatever local magazine editors are nearby. Seriously, people love to hear themselves talk, so they’ll be flattered to come sit on a panel for 90 minutes some evening. Or make a panel that’s more issue-oriented, say about the state of diversity in magazines and media. Have some local talking heads, students, and professors, etc. sit on the panel and talk up the subject. Basically, you can do whatever you’d like—have fun with it!

Happy Hours: Ed in New York City is famous for his nearly monthly happy hours, where mag industry types get together to chat. This is a format that can easily be modified for Ed on Campus. Basically, it’s just a social event. It may not be appropriate to have something called a “happy hour” at your school, but just veil it as something else. Hold a get-together at a local diner or coffee shop. Tell people to bring their favorite magazine. The chapter at The College of New Jersey met at Applebee’s every month to just chat about magazines, their internships and just their ideas in general (a very laid-back social get-together!). Or hold a straight-up happy hour if that seems to work on your campus. These things should be casual, get-to-know-you events where people can “network” (but not in that gross, networking type way, you know?). Invite local professionals—or coordinate and plan with them—in the magazine industry if it makes sense.

Magazine Swaps: For something fun to do, have a social event that’s set up as a magazine swap. Just tell students to bring issues of magazines they’ve read and are ready to part with. Then, it’s literally as easy as a swap! Bring an issue of Esquire; take a copy of Real Simple. Plus, this kind of thing lends itself to lots of great conversation.

Virtual Resume Workshops: This is one of Ed’s signature activities. Chapters submit their resumes to Elizabeth, and we have a variety of magazine editors critique them. It’s one of the most rewarding ways to get feedback on your resumes—and from exactly the type of person who’d be hiring you for an internship or job down the road! So the advice is rock-solid. There are two cycles for resume submissions: one in the fall and one in the spring. Check the Ed on Campus site for deadlines and procedures.

Book Clubs: This type of activity tends to work better when you’re not in college and don’t have required reading, but if your members are looking for some pleasure reading, why not start a book club for mag-related titles? Could be fun to do a book a semester. There are tons of magazine-related books out there.

Trip to New York City: Bringing your Ed on Campus chapter to New York City is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Planning such a trip, however, is quite difficult! But that isn’t to say it can’t be done. Many schools come through the city every year and stop by all the big publishers, meet with magazine editors, etc. Karen is happy to try to help plan this as much as possible (or at least put you in touch with the right people).

What about other events and activities? What else can I do? What else should I be doing?
Seriously, the sky is the limit! The events listed above are just a few of the things that have worked for Ed on Campus chapters before. But like we’ve said before, every campus is different. What works best on yours? Only you can know that! So be creative and come up with magazine-related events that your members will love.

How do I get a speaker or well-respected magazine editor to come to campus?
Ask! You won’t know unless you try, so get that pitch ready. Luckily, a lot of high-up magazine people remember what it was like starting out. Let ’em know that Ed on Campus is a community of collegiate magazine editor wannabes who want to learn more about the industry. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Who’d say no to that? Also, talk to professors who’ve been teaching on campus for a while or your school’s alumni office to see what alums might be working in the industry now. Those are the best people to hit up for speaking engagements because they have an instant allegiance to your school. Also, we at Ed in NYC might be able to help you, too, so check in with us if bringing a speaker to campus is something you’d like to try. We can see who we know that’d be willing to make a trip out to your school. Again, we said we’ll try—sometimes it’s hard to get someone to go to Morgantown, West Virginia, but it has happened!

Can I confab with other Ed on Campus presidents at other universities?
Yep, and we encourage it. You can find contact information for other chapters on the Ed on Campus homepage. You’ll find links to each chapter’s social media platforms or email addresses. If you have any questions regarding this contact information, shoot Rachel an email and she can help you out.

Is Ed really just magazines? What about books? What about other forms of journalism?
Yep, only magazines—and magazine editorial, at that. It’s not that we don’t want to include others, it just works best for us to focus on helping people who want to break into and further their career in magazine editorial (that’s where our expertise lies, after all). Please keep events mag edit-oriented only.

What do I get out of this?
Well, first off, you’ll be helping people at your school network, gain confidence by meeting new people, make new friends, and possibly find an internship. Ed on Campus is really all about giving back—and spreading the gospel of magazines. You’ll demystify the industry for yourself and others. Magazines are just plain fun to talk about, too. Plus, you’ll likely make tons of contacts, so you may score an internship or a job—who knows! Also, don’t forget that you can add your involvement with Ed to your resume. The editor you’re interviewing with for that amazing internship may just be a friend of Ed and hire you on the spot because he or she sees that you, too, are involved with Ed.

What do I do when people ask questions about the magazine industry, internships, etc. that I don’t know about?
If your Edsters ask you questions like, “How do I get an internship?” or some such that you don’t feel up to answering—or don’t know how to answer exactly—direct them to our site. There’s even a channel specifically for advice that is chock full of Ed answers to questions like: “Can college grads apply for assistant editor gigs?” and “Can I decline an internship I’ve already accepted?” There’s also lots of advice from big-name editors-in-chief up there. Cool!

I’m hoping to move to New York City and work in magazines one day, but I’m at college out here stuck in Nowheresville. How do I—and my campus members—stay in the loop with the goings-on of Ed in NYC?
You can keep up to date with Ed happenings via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. See you there!