A new podcast, “Bears Out of the Box” shares the stories of unique UCA students and is created by the first-ever podcasting class on campus.
Journalism professor Rich Shumate said the class is important in the changing landscape of media.
“Given that podcasting has become such an important part of journalism, this is really a format that students needed to know more about practicing and executing,” Shumate said.
Students are learning “how to put a podcast together, and come up with the ideas, and do the audio editing and the production.”
The class isn’t just for journalism students. The course is categorized as mass communication, and this year’s group of students is made up of journalism, public relations and communications majors.
“There was a lot of student interest. The class filled up very quickly,” Shumate said. “Students seem to be enjoying it and getting into it because, I think among young people, there’s just a lot of interest in podcasting.
“I think going forward, if you’re going to be a well-rounded person working in the media field, this is just one of those things that will be very useful to know how to do.”
“Bears Out of the Box” releases a new episode every Tuesday on Spotify and SoundCloud. Recent features include student photographer Jhude Dizon and communications student Gabby Stogsdill.
The class is broken into small groups, with each team interviewing a student of their choosing each week. Within the group, some members edit and handle postproduction, while others are the voices you hear on the airwaves.
Senior Thomas Staab recently interviewed Stogsdill in his group’s first show of the semester.
Staab said the new experience was “nerve-wracking” but worth it.
He said he was “nervous when you’re sitting down and you got the mic in front of you.”
“I think it’s the hardest at the start when you’re just waiting in anticipation for it to begin.
“But once the questions started rolling, it definitely became easier, and she was great,” Staab said. “She had some great answers.”
Afterward, he said he felt “more confident.”
“You see podcasts on YouTube or Spotify or wherever you watch them, and they’re interesting. I never really wondered, ‘I wonder what that’s like?’ but now doing it, it’s cool,” Staab said.
Senior Hannah Rohrer interviewed Stogsdill alongside Staab. She said the class is a great opportunity to expand her skills for resumes and job searches post-graduation.
“I’ve always thought it was really cool to have a podcast,” Rohrer said. “I’ve always wanted to have my own because I don’t necessarily like being in front of a camera.
“So I just thought it would be a really interesting class to take and I have something really cool for my portfolio and resume.”
In addition to the “Bears Out of the Box” class-wide podcast, secondary groups are creating interest-based podcasts.
Kylie Rutledge, a senior public relations major, is in a group creating a podcast about mental health on campus.
Rutledge said she was inspired by candid influencers who make talking about mental health more normal.
“Emma Chamberlain talks about a lot of mental health things and one of her videos that stood out to me was ‘Trust In Your Gut,’” Rutledge said.
“I know a lot of it might be seen as overdone, but I still think it’s important to hear because we’re constantly hard on ourselves and sometimes more reminders are good to hear.”
Rutledge said the podcast will have four episodes, diving into common mental illnesses on campus such as anxiety and depression. She said the group will invite local health experts to talk about how these illnesses can affect students.
Other student podcast topics include sports and the Conway music scene.
To listen to “Bears Out of the Box,” tune in on Spotify or SoundCloud. The episodes are posted by UCA Podcasters and are roughly 30 minutes in runtime.
