How did you become involved with WUD Publications Committee?
At SOAR, I was introduced to Illumination: the undergraduate journal of humanities which is one of the journals WUD Publications produces. I went to MU Bash at Memorial Union and there I found the WUD Publications table with Illumination on it and joined my freshman year. I had intended on working on the journal (which I did), but the committee itself sounded really neat, so went to the regular WUD Publications meetings in addition to Illumination staff meetings.
What sort of responsibilities do you have as director of the committee?
There are quite a few, and sometimes it sounds complicated, but I’ll try to make it brief but comprehensive. I run weekly meetings for the general WUD Publications (PubCom) members. The group is usually around 20 people, but if you add up all the publication staffs and writing group members, the total number of members is just under 200. I assist the journal editors-in-chief (EICs) to help them program events, manage their printing budget, manage their staff if need be (but this is a rare instance), and answer any and all questions they may have. There are other committee leaders and subcommittee coordinators that I help in a similar fashion. All of the EICs and coordinators meet with me weekly and we discuss general PubCom things, update each other on what’s going on and help each other out when needed. Behind the scenes, I manage a $22,000 committee budget throughout the year, attend other meetings at the Union when necessary, meet weekly with the other WUD directors and officers, and answer inquiries about committee involvement and new publication proposals. I hold at least 10 office hours a week, but the job takes up much more time than that. I often find myself answering emails on average 2-5 hours a day (during the week. I don’t answer as many over the weekend).
How can students get involved with the committee’s publications?
Students can just drop into our committee meetings on Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m., TITU (Today In The Union). If that seems a bit intimidating, students can email the director email at publications@union.wisc.edu to learn about more specifics of the committee and what it has to offer. Some journal staffs are chosen at the beginning of each semester, some allow new staff members to join throughout the year. It just depends on the style of the publication. There are a couple writing groups that are always looking for new members. And if students don’t actually want to work on anything or plan events, half of our publications are submission-based, so you can submit work and try to get it published.
It’s super easy to become a member, and we’re always looking for new faces. Our webpage is: www.union.wisc.edu/wud/publications.aspx
Favorite magazine and book?
I absolutely love National Geographic. It might seem like a cliche go-to answer, but I grew up reading it, and it is what inspired me to pursue a major in journalism.
My favourite book…I think I have two: The Thief by Meghan Whalen-Turner and The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer. If I had to choose, I think I’d go with The Thief.
What’s your dream job?
Again, I have two, just because they’re somewhat unrelated, but both would have me absolutely ecstatic. I want to be published novelist and own a small bookstore or I want to work on the design/creative team for either a magazine or museum.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.