Coming into this semester, Sacred Heart University’s Her Campus chapter had to face the challenge of finding a new normal due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Spectrum Arts and Entertainment Editor and President of Her Campus, senior Jackie O’Rourke, had to make changes regarding how the publication would be run now that in-person meetings were no longer allowed.
“We’re still coming up with new ways to make it a fun and supportive group for everyone. And I think so far everyone’s enjoying it,” said O’Rourke.
Her Campus is a global online magazine publication targeted toward women in college. The publication covers topics geared toward culture, style, beauty and wellness, as well as offering help with getting a job or internship.
O’Rourke has been coming up with different ways to interact with the staff writers to make it as enjoyable of an experience as possible, even with all of the setbacks that COVID-19 has posed.
“Writing about topics such as mental health, family losses and personal experiences has let me not only express myself and get in touch with my feelings, but it has also allowed me to connect with a greater audience, and to me, there is nothing more empowering,” said junior Allie Miller, a writer for Her Campus.
This semester, most of the items that are being published are listicles, which is a form of an article that consists of a list about a certain topic. These topics are ranging from things to buy from Trader Joe’s to how to practice self-care during quarantine.
Her Campus offers students the opportunity to write about a wide variety of topics, providing them with experience to prepare for their future careers.
“If you want to go into journalism, do anything with writing or media, or have a public audience or public voice, it really gives you a good opportunity to practice those things,” said Pamela Buck, associate professor and advisor of Her Campus.
The goal of Her Campus is to empower women in media to write articles about their experiences in college. In 2018, women made up only 41.7% of newsroom employees, according to a study from the American Society of News Editors.
Sacred Heart’s Her Campus chapter was founded in 2012 and struggled to grow their membership at first. With barely any members at the start, it was not as successful as the founders had anticipated.
With the addition of many new members over the past few years, Her Campus has grown into a prominent publication at Sacred Heart. They now have almost 60 staff writers and, for the first time this year, a full executive board.
Her Campus goes beyond Sacred Heart. There are over 380 different chapters around the world, and they all have the same goal: to be a positive voice and outlet for women.
“I think having something on campus that’s specific for women having a space for them to write about things that they are interested in and care about is really important when used in an underrepresented group in history,” said Buck.
Students can get involved with Her Campus by sending an email to Professor Buck or Jackie O’Rourke.
Learn more about Her Campus at https://www.hercampus.com/school/sacred-heart.
