What does Broadcast / Media Services do?
We direct live streams, make audio and video recordings, and provide sound reinforcement for just about every kind of event on campus: music ensemble concerts, daily chapel services, lectures, student organization events and performances, the Commencement ceremony (on the campus green!), and the annual Christmas Festival.
Our live streams are viewed around the world, with thousands of viewers each week. None of that would be possible without our talented and dedicated student workers!
Check out our behind-the-scenes Instagram @stobroadcast for a peek at some of what we do.
What do student engineers do?
Student audio/video engineers are essential to our department. You might see them around campus setting up microphones in Skoglund, behind the sound board in Boe Chapel, or heading to the camera control room in Skifter Hall.
Through the course of their work, they gain experience in operating a variety of audio and video production equipment. Our student workers learn how to use robotic PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras, serve as video directors for our live streams, operate Ross video switchers, set up microphones for ensembles, soloists, and presenters, and mix audio on our Yamaha mixing consoles.
Student engineers take on essential roles in our live broadcasts, including:
- Broadcast Audio Engineer
- House Audio Engineer
- Video Director
- Switcher Operator
- Camera Operator
Our most experienced engineers receive additional training as chapel engineers: working on two-person teams to provide live sound and audio/video recording for all of our daily and Sunday chapel services (6 per week!).
Is this student work?
Yes! Working as a student engineer will fulfill your work study award. At present, college policy does require that our student workers have a work award as part of their financial aid package to qualify for this position.
It is possible to meet your entire work award through this position. Depending on the amount of your award, you can combine this job with another position if you want to gain experience in another field or already have a job lined up.
How much time does it take?
The time commitment of this job varies depending on the number of events we're supporting each week. While some weeks can be short, other weeks can provide many hours of work. Because of the nature of the schedule, it is possible for the job to be flexible around your class & life schedule. We expect you to work a minimum of about 120 hours/year (~4 hours per week) between working events and attending training sessions and biweekly meetings. Most successful engineers are excited about the work they do and typically work well beyond this minimum.
Keep in mind that because events occur mostly in the evenings, a lot of our work takes place during evening and weekend hours. We also offer weekly office hours when there are special projects in the department to be completed outside of live event production.
Students trained as chapel engineers commit to two or three chapel shifts each week in addition to other events they are working.
But I don't know much about audio or video production...
That's okay! We don't require any previous experience to be considered for a job -- we will provide the necessary training in all areas. This involves a comprehensive semester-long training and mentoring program for newly hired students, with biweekly meetings and ongoing training for all student engineers.
After a successful application and interview process, selected candidates are awarded a probationary position for their first year. At the end of that year, we'll evaluate your progress in training, commitment, and results in order to award you a permanent position, which is yours until you graduate (yes, even if you want to travel abroad!).
Because the training is involved and represents a substantial commitment on our part and the part of the student engineer, we do ask that student engineers make a commitment to working on our crew until they graduate.
Sounds great! How do get involved?
We hire several new students each year. You can get started by filling out our online application below.
We conduct a series of interviews during New Student Orientation week with selected candidates. We'll be in touch in early September via email once your application has been reviewed.
If you have questions or want more information, contact Broadcast Media.