Make way Gustavus! The newest source for news and entertainment has just arrived! Last month, a group of students officially launched Her Campus’ newest chapter at Gustavus.
The Gustavus chapter was initiated by Junior Natalie Schlager, a Communication Studies major. She was joined in founding the new chapter by Juniors Katie Allen, an English and Environmental Studies double major, and Shailagh Lannon, a Communication Studies major.
“Her Campus is an online publication that began in 2008 by some women from Harvard who… came up with the idea of creating a survival guide for college women,” Lannon explained.
“The goals of the magazine are to give women a voice in a predominately male area,” Lannon explained.
According to the official Her Campus website, the online publication has active chapters at over 290 different campuses that span across eight different countries.
In addition to joining a nationally recognized organization, Her Campus is an excellent opportunity for students interested in journalism.
“It’s a really good experience to learn what it takes to run a magazine and manage a team. And I love working with all the girls on our team,” Allen said.
“I love getting able to combine writing with my passion for editing is a perfect little culmination of all my passions,” Allen added.
The topics of the published articles range from Gustavus events to more general subjects, like money saving tips.
“There are different sections… It’s all mostly supposed to be specific to Gustavus,” Allen said.
Some of their articles spin Gustavus in a fun and creative way. One of their recent articles was titled, “12 Snapchats Every Gustie Has Sent,” which was written by Sophomore Kjersten Piper.
According to Piper, joining Her Campus has provided a great place to be heard as an aspiring writer.
“There are a lot of online things you see that are written by professionals, but Her Campus a really relatable platform for people to get what they’re thinking out there and connect with people around the world,” Piper said.
“It’s a really good experience to learn what it takes to run a magazine and manage a team. And I love working with all the girls on our team” – Katie Allen
The one thing Her Campus wants everyone to know about is that though their target audience is college women, men are encouraged to participate.
“Men can write for Her Campus as well. It’s not just for women, we really like having the male perspective,” Lannon said.
“The goals… to give women a voice in a predominately male area” – Katie Allen
Piper had similar sentiments.
“Even though it’s titled Her Campus, boys are definitely welcome to get involved. The name shouldn’t discourage men from participating,” Piiper said.
As a new organization, Her Campus continues seeking new members to join their weekly Sunday meetings, especially writers.
Currently their staff is made up of about twenty students, but the group wants to continue its growth. Anyone interested in joining can simply contact Allen, Lannon, or any other member.
In order to spread their awareness on campus, Her Campus is hosting the last Gusties after Dark of the year. The event will be summer themed, in order to spread the summer vibes right before finals.
“We’re going to have yard games, a DJ, and people can dance. We’re also going to be giving out free leis to the first 100 guests, along with some door prizes,” Allen said.
There will be giveaways as well, including a Vera Bradley beach towel, CamelBak Water Bottles, and more. This event will take place on May 13th starting at 11:00pm and everyone is welcome to attend.