Members of the campus and broader community now have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with two students who have opened discussion through their new program, “Talk of the Hill”.
The talk show is hosted by Junior Religion and Philosophy Major Logan Boese and Junior Political Science Major Paget Pengelly, both of whom are employed by the Office of Marketing and Communication. Vice President of Marketing and Communication Tim Kennedy was instrumental in the creation and development of the program.
“Paget and I work in the Marketing office. We have an interesting relationship in that we don’t get along all the time, and so when we work together we bicker a lot, we banter, constantly, about everything,” Boese said.
“In whatever we talk about we want to stay true to these things that we care about.”—Logan Boese
Kennedy noted that the conversations between Boese and Pengelly were noticed by other members of the office.
“We’d laugh, and they would do it very respectfully, but they’d get after it, and some of the office members said, you know, we’ve been talking about getting some new social media that would give people a feel for what’s really going on on this campus. What if we put Paget and Logan on camera and let them debate the things they debate in our office all the time,” Kennedy said.
While Kennedy has provided support and guidance, he expressed that Boese and Pengelly both have gained experience with filming, writing, and editing through the process.
“They really are pulling the whole package together, which doesn’t surprise me because they’re two passionate, bright, young people and we’re really fortunate to have them here at Gustavus, and I think this is a good venue for them,” Kennedy said.
Pengelly and Boese select the topics each week.
“It’s kind of what’s going on in the community. We were told that we’re allowed to have a very large range, but the focus is what we as college students think about. So we talk about things both on campus and off campus, international, local, domestic, all that kind of stuff, and we get to pick whatever, but it’s the perspective that matters,” Boese said.
Boese explained that one of the primary goals of the program is to reflect Gustavus in a positive light as an institution of higher learning, and that he and Pengelly are committed to portraying their perspectives as students of the College.
“In whatever we talk about, we want to stay true to these things that we care about. We’re not just throwing these topics out there because we needed something to talk about this week, but these are things that we think are important,” Boese said.
Kennedy noted that the student hosts are responsible for deciding the direction of the show and selecting a targeted audience. Pengelly and Boese spoke about reaching out to prospective students and parents as well as current Gusties.
“What we’re hoping for is to foster a larger discussion, both amongst our peers and people off campus. We really value peoples’ opinions including, what they would like to hear us talking about. Obviously we’re not the only students on campus, there’s a whole bunch of things going on that people care about and think are important,” Boese said.
As the show just started this year, it is still being developed.
“I think we are changing things every week. It’s definitely a work in progress. I don’t think we are at our final product of what we want the show to look like for the rest of the year, but it’s great that we’ve gotten into the office and recorded shows every week,” Pengelly said.
Addressing the general climate of engagement in the Gustavus community, Kennedy praised students for their involvement.
“I love that the young people of this campus are very articulate, and can be very articulate and passionate about the issues of this day, and that makes me really proud to be a Gustie,” Kennedy said.
Students are encouraged to submit topic ideas and to provide feedback. “Talk of the Hill” currently uploads videos to a Facebook page and YouTube channel, and may also be reached through a Twitter account and email at talkofthehill@gustavus.edu.
-Libby Larson
