Midweek Radio Spring Semester 2020
Last broadcast of the spring semester: April 15, 2020 radio show (precorded non-studio segments)
Host: Brandon Wells
News: Isaac Miller
Mental Health Tips: Joe Caron
National Sports: Zachary Rogers
Squawk Talk: Justin Rogers and Holden Andrews
Original score by T.J. Covington
Transcript follows
See also
- April 8, 2020 show and transcript
- April 1, 2020 show and transcript
- March 25, 2020 show and transcript
- March 11, 2020 show and transcript
- Recordings uploaded to YouTube
Transcript April 15, 2020 (low volume)
BRANDON WELLS [1:05]
Good evening to Bridgewater College, friends, family, and community, and welcome to the final BCVoice Midweek Radio Show of the 2020 spring semester. My name is Brandon Wells, the senior co-station manager here at BCVoice, and I thank you all for tuning in tonight. It’s with heavy heart I report this will be my final appearance on the Midweek because I am graduating. I want to thank BCVoice for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great organization the past three years. Let’s make tonight a good night. As we say goodbye to the class of 2020, we welcome a new generation next year. The Midweek will continue to thrive under them for years to come. For tonight’s show, we have some of the best broadcasters in BCVoice history coming on one last time to provide your weekly fixin’ for everything sports, news, and entertainment-related. As well as one final Squawk Talk with our own Justin Rogers and Holden Andrews, fellow leadership members. Up first we have national news with next year station manager Isaac Miller here to remind you that there is more to the world than just COVID-19.
ISAAC MILLER [2:17]
Good evening, Bridgewater, and welcome to the final installment of the Midweek Radio Show’s national news segment for this 2019-2020 academic year. I’m Isaac and I’m going to be taking you through all the headlines that matter this week. Of course, a lot of it is about Coronavirus, but hey, what hasn’t been about Coronavirus for this last month?
We’re actually going to start off this evening with something a little different. This was a new study published this month in Nature Magazine, saying that climate change could result in a very abrupt collapse of many animal species—much more abrupt than was previously expected. Now the study predicts that large portions of entire ecosystems could collapse in waves that would create sudden die-offs of a myriad of species. Now the study analyzed 30,000 different species of land and marine animals, and tracking the highest temperature each species has been known to withstand, it projected when that temperature will be reached, or surpassed, under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Now, their analysis projected a sudden collapse in nearly all different types of species, anything from fish to birds to amphibians to mammals, and in nearly every region of the world. If our emissions remain at current levels, the study projects the collapse of many tropical ocean ecosystems in the 2030s and the collapse of ecosystems and tropical rain forests beginning in the 2040s. Now the study did find that if the average global temperature increase stays below 2 degrees Celsius compared to what the pre-industrial average was, the number of species affected by this will drop by about 60%. Now it’s worth noting the study did not account for the potential for animals to adapt to higher temperatures; however, it also did not account for the potential loss of food sources for different species if their food did not adapt to those higher temperatures like they did.
Now, turning now to some coronavirus news, President Trump has ordered his administration to halt funding for the World Health Organization on Tuesday, claiming that the organization had made multiple severe mistakes when responding to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, he said his administration is also going to conduct a review of whether the WHO was responsible for severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus. Now the President’s main gripe with the organization is his belief that it was too quick to trust the information about the buyers coming from China, saying they—quote—willingly took China’s assurances at face value—end quote, and also said pushed China’s information. Now despite these complaints, President Trump himself actually praised China on January 24 for their response to the virus, saying on Twitter—quote—China has worked been working very hard to contain the coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency—end quote. Now the President’s decision has been derided by important figures both at home and abroad. In a statement on Tuesday night, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, said that the WHO—quote—must be supported as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win in the war against COVID-19—end quote. He also later went on to say that it is also not time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization, or any other humanitarian organization, in the fight against the virus. Now at home CDC Director Robert Redfield also voiced his support for the organization on Wednesday morning on CBS This Morning, saying the WHO is—quote—a long standing partner for the CDC. And he cited both the group’s work to fight Ebola in Africa as well as its current efforts combating the Coronavirus around the world.
[6:18]
Looking now, closer to Virginia, there’s actually an outbreak of the coronavirus in the Richmond nursing home is one of the deadliest in the nation. Now the Canterbury Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Richmond, Virginia, has seen 45 of its residents pass away due to the coronavirus, which is the deadliest outbreak in a nursing home in the nation according to a New York Times analysis. The deaths there account for more than a quarter of the facility’s total residents and at least 80% of the residents in the home have become infected. Staff members at the Center say that they are uniquely vulnerable to the outbreak given the relatively cramped conditions in the home and lack of have resources to properly handle the infected safely. Now in addition to the residents who have fallen ill there are at least 20 staff members also contracted the virus. Now thankfully the virus appears to be letting up in the facility with residents beginning to recover and the rate of both infections and deaths in the facility dropping.
Now as we’ve been doing these last few weeks here, I want to give us another update on the Coronavirus in the United States. As of Wednesday morning, at least 607,000 people in the United States have contracted the virus and at least 26,000 have died. At this time last week, there were at least 397,000 confirmed cases and 3900 deaths. New York State continues to lead the nation in total cases with at least 202,000 confirmed in the state; New York City alone now has more than 110,000 confirmed cases in the city. Now while the growth of the virus is beginning to slow in some areas of the country, including New York City where it’s starting to level off, this is not the time to stop practicing social distancing. Things, while they are beginning to look better, we are not we are not out of the woods yet. So everybody makes sure you’re still washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, try to go out as little as possible except for necessities. And if we hang on with this for long enough, the virus will slow down to a point we can get back to some semblance of normal life here in the U.S. again. So everybody, stay safe out there and take care of yourselves.
BRANDON WELLS [8:45]
Good luck next year. Isaac. I hope the rest of your education here at Bridgewater is fulfilling. On that note we move on to our first senior broadcaster of the night, Joe Caron. Are you having trouble staying somewhat sane during this pandemic? No worries. Joe is here to save the day with some important mental health tips during quarantine. Again, before we move on, this is a reminder that you are listening to the BCVoice Midweek Radio Show here on bcvoice-dot-org.
JOE CARON [9:13]
Good evening, BCVoice listeners. I’m Joe Caron, and today, my segment for you is going to cover something that I think is really important, certainly in a time like this, with quarantine going on, but I think is overlooked most of the time, and that’s taking care of your mental health during quarantine. So today I’m just gonna talk about some quarantine mental health tips, just some things, some tips and tricks that I’ve used, and you know, people some stuff that other people have suggested to me. So starting off this one, it depending on where you live, it might be harder or easier, depending what the weather’s like, but you want to try to get outside, even if it’s just for a couple minutes every day.
And I’m going off personal experience here, but I know for a fact, like, going outside for just 10 to 15 minutes every day can vastly change your mood. And just it helps to just get some fresh air and get some help get some, you know, some fresh air going through the lungs. And I mean, obviously, if you live in somewhere that’s cold, this might be easier or harder. But I think, yeah, the in getting the vitamin D is also important for you from the sunlight. So I think that’s a big one that can it’s a really simple thing that can make a big difference for your mood and keep you nice and happy.
And the second one, this is a little more nuanced, a little more complicated, but it’s I’m sure everyone is paying a lot attention to the news lately. And that’s good. You want to you want to keep up with the news. But like, especially with such a overarching event going on right now you want to know what’s going on. You want to know how safe or dangerous, dangerous it is to go outside. Obviously, you want to listen to the government that’s encouraging us to stay inside and social distance. But here’s one thing: you want to vary your news sources. You don’t want to always listen to the same news source because I think it’s important to get a good balance of information. And you know, sometimes one news source is politically biased to one way one side or the other. So, I think it’s important to balance new sources on, on both sides of the spectrum and get, you know, a very varied range of facts when you’re looking at the news. And I think the key to staying aware about what’s going on in is to be aware, but not afraid, if possible, and I know I know, it’s easy to get afraid to be scared in a time like this because I mean, a lot of people are and I mean, you know, I think we’ve all felt some anxiety about the virus and also the economy, for a lot of people, and unemployment. But the best thing you can do is be aware of the facts, but not let them not let the news or what you think is going on not try not to let it completely dictate your actions, or make you really afraid to do anything because at the end of the day, this is going to end eventually and we, you got to keep on carrying on with your life.
And yeah, and third, mental health tip is, and again, this is kind of obvious, but you want to spend some time with loved ones. I think it’s especially, maybe cousins or aunts and uncles, grandparents that you don’t talk to in a while, you know, for anyone, just some support. And you know, support is welcome especially right now and just for someone know that you’re thinking about them that’s always welcome in an important and it’s important to spend, not just, you know, like working with your loved ones or you know, eating breakfast but doing stuff that’s, you know, playing game, you know, doing stuff that where you can just relax and enjoy each other’s company like playing games or going on walks is a good one. Watching movies, stuff like that. I think this is a great time now that we have more free time probably this is a great opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones.
And lastly, I think This one is something that a lot of people do already but I think a lot of people more people could benefit from and that’s get creative. You know, artistically, maybe it could be for you might just be listening to new types of music. Drawing, you know, trying to play a new instrument if you can access one. I think with how simple like our lives are have been reduced to right now, getting creative is kind of a way to break patterns and you know, keep yourself from getting into a rut. Whether it’s just drawing listening to new types of music or something like that. So yeah, I hope you guys have benefited from hearing these tips and stay safe. And thank you. This is Joe from BCVoice.
BRANDON WELLS [14:56]
That brings me to a very important message, stay home and stay sane. Everything will get better. Next up, we check in with freshmen Zach Rogers on what the sporting world looks like right now. Believe it or not, there’s more than you may think between the NFL draft the XFL filing for bankruptcy and some NASCAR controversy. One last reminder you are listening to BCVoice Midweek Radio Show here on bcvoice-dot-org. Take it away, Zack.
ZACHARY ROGERS [15:30]
Why, hello there, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to the Midweek Radio Show. I’m Zachary Rogers, and I’ll be doing national sports this week. Let’s just get straight into it. There isn’t a lot. But I’ll go over the more notable stuff that has happened over the week, week or so. So first, we’ll go off with NFL news. Today actually the Browns unveiled the new uniforms that they’ll be rolling out this year for the 2020 season. And they’re pretty nice. They’re really nice. They are very minimalistic, they’re simple, but they’re very reminiscent of past uniforms, old uniforms like 80s- 90s-Browns era, and it’s, it’s really nice. I know, very simplistic, not very, not very campy, not very like high school football uniforms but it’s still professional. But it’s got, it’s, it’s very clean look to it. But they didn’t, they didn’t change the logo because they don’t need to change the logo like other teams [clears throat] RAMs.
Also today Packers Hall of Famer Willie Davis dies at 85. Which is sad because I’ve seen all over the news, this past week, a number of Sports Hall of Famers just dying and I don’t think it’s because of the coronavirus. I just think, especially since Willie Davis was 85, just because of old age and just complications of it. It is sad to see greats pass away that even though it’s their time, it still hurts, but they do leave their legacy for us to watch and to learn from. Especially what happened to Kobe Bryant, that was awful, and that was unexpected, but we can learn from that.
Next up, we’re taking maybe a little bit of a look at the 2020 draft that’s happening next week. Interesting thing—will there be any trades? Trading, trading up, to get certain players. I have no doubt that Joe Burrow is going to go first overall but will the Dolphins trade-up to go Joe Burrow instead of Tua? Will the Redskins, like, not choose Chase Young and choose to get another quarterback? I mean, we have no idea. I’m remember watching, like yesterday, watching a repeat of the 2014 draft, and that was crazy because no one expected any of those picks to happen. Those were all out of nowhere. This is gonna be a very different draft from before. It’s not in person. The war rooms are going to be very scattered and different; because they’re not going to be all together it’s going to be very hard to coordinate, so we’ll see how these picks go. Especially the first 10 picks is going to be very crucial. But that’s not always, not always the key part. And like those players in the top 10, or the even the first round, are not the key to their team sometimes. Because I remember the Raiders 2007—I don’t know if that’s right—but I think it’s seven when they got Jamarcus Russell, first of all, and that was a huge bust. So we’ll see what happens. But I know a lot of networks and film that work with ESPN, doing a lot of mock drafts up until then. So we’ll see. We’ll see how it actually ends up. It’ll be interesting to watch because it’s not in person. Roger Goodell will be in his basement. There’s been rumors, which is kind of funny, that people are just going to go up to his house and boo him because that’s a tradition. They just booed Roger Goodell, because he’s the commissioner. People don’t really like him. But I kind of do, but don’t, but yeah, that’s a whole other thing. But yeah, that’s kind of funny.
But moving on other news. The PGA Tour all—like the PGA Championship, US Open the Masters—those have been changed from the original dates and moved to later deadlines. So the PGA Championship, the original date was supposed to be May 14th to the 17th, and now it’s gonna be August 6th to the 9th. The US Open was supposed to be from June 16th to the 19th, and now that is from September 17th to 20th. And the Masters’ original date was April 9th through the 12th, and now that’s going to be played November 12th to the 15th. So jeez, that’s like seven months past its original date for the Masters. I don’t know it’s tougher these golfers to play, especially the veteran’s that are coming back, who are used to like PGA Championship, the PGA Tour, US Open, the Masters. They’re just used to this specific date and the specific weather too because weather is a key factor into teeing off and specific hits. And so especially going from April to November – April’s very spring, it’s nice warm weather. It’s about 70-80 degrees. November’s like 50-60s, could be a lot more wind. That could be the factor. But I mean, I understand why these are being pushed back because of the coronavirus, that is pushing it back a lot of sports events and even canceling seasons, but at least they have a definitive date. If they need to change them they will but they have a definitive date from when they doing it later so.
So I have some miscellaneous news – or maybe not news but just some information – so like if you ever wanted to watch like old games, or just very like important championship games like NFL Super Bowls and stuff like that, where you can always go to Game Pass because that’s free until the end of May-May 31st. You can watch all the old games from 2009 to the present. Also on NFL Network and ESPN, MLB Network, NBC Sports, they’re holding a lot of old classic games. And I don’t know if you are missing sports a lot, I would recommend go watching those to fill that kind of void because I know I have to do that fill that void in me because I miss sports so much and they cancel all of them and like my huge NFL fan, but when everything is canceled? I like I look forward to the NHL playoffs, I look forward to the Stanley Cup playoffs. I look forward to the start of the MLB. But all of that is cancelled. So we can’t really do anything about it, but you can still watch old games and get your feel for that. They’re, if you want to read up on any you want to read up on any, like, legacy people. I know right now ESPN is doing a lot of articles on like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Jackie Robinson. Just going through their history what made them legends what made, what, how they made their mark. And if you, if you want to like read up on them, then go to ESPN, go to like the sports websites that are making articles daily on these. I just want to mention, that I didn’t mention the beginning, that all these come from ESPN, espn-dot-com.
But if you want to check out any other sources, I’m sure, just like go to CBS Sports, NBC Sports. I’m, and on Twitter, there are a lot of references to other articles. But that is it for me, and I was really short but, you know, there’s not a lot of sports news going around. But I will be back next week. I hope you all have a great evening and goodbye.
BRANDON WELLS [24:41]
The XFL will surely be missed. Also, please be sure to tune in to a brand-new episode of my podcast, Beyond the Blitz, this upcoming Friday, for full first round NFL mock draft featuring Justin and I. Now we move on to our last segment of the night and the semester, the last ever Squawk Talk featuring Justin Rogers and Holden Andrews. Sit down for one last unique conversation.
JUSTIN ROGERS [25:07]
What’s up, everybody Squawk Talk back at it. Again, I’m Justin Rogers.
HOLDEN ANDREWS
I’m Holden Andrews.
ROGERS: And we are two wacky guys talking about some wacky stuff. But today we’re going over a little bit of the memories of both Holden and I of the past couple of years—past four years—for us. Some of the memories that we’ve had from our freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year. So, Holden, let’s start off with you. What’s one of the memories that you’ve had your favorite memory from freshman year?
ANDREWS: Wow, it’s just it’s so nice to take this walk down memory lane with you. I do want to point out, I was only at Bridgewater for three years. I completed my undergrad in three years due to bringing in a bunch of dual enrollment credits. So, well, uhh, I guess we’ll do for me freshmen-slash-sophomore year since that’s technically what it was. And I think one of my just favorite moments was joining BCVoice. You know, back then it was, it was Veritas – it was just, it was a separate paper and broadcast. And, you know, I did I dabbled a little bit in both. And that’s where I met, I met a lot of a lot of really good people: I met you, I met Brandon, I met you know, most of our leadership team. And it’s really where I got my start. And, you know, I had the opportunity, and the blessing, to write high-profile assignments and just really dabbled in a lot of things that I hadn’t before. And it really helped me figure out that this career path was for me, and I think, you know, being able to do stuff like this, and to be able to, you know, have a leadership role and things like that, that all really started, you know, way back then. So I think, I think that was probably my favorite moment, but I believe that was your sophomore year.
ROGERS: Yeah.
ANDREWS: if I if I’m right. So let’s get into your, your freshman year – What was, what was college like before you met me?
ROGERS: College so, if I may be completely honest with you, and completely transparent with you, my first year here at Bridgewater so I was in a temporary triple for…
ANDREWS: Wow
ROGERS: Maybe 75% of my freshman year, and then by God’s grace, and by just a great blessing, one of the roommates left, and Ayinde ended up being my roommate for that year and sophomore year. So that
ANDREWS: I didn’t know that I didn’t know you roomed together?
ROGERS: We roomed together for two years, and then he is my, or he was, my apartment mate this year as well. So, three out of four years, we roomed together. It’s not every day that like your first roommate is your roommate for almost every year of college. So, um, so that’s awesome. But you know, I think just like my first semester, like just being real, I struggled with loneliness a lot because just being around my family a lot. And you know, just like me being an introvert, I just hung out in my room a lot. But it wasn’t really until I got connected, like you said with BCVoice, for me it was CRU, and getting involved in that ministry and with a good group of people and just having a group to hang out with and kind of just be transparent with and real with all the time. I would say like my first time of really getting connected with people, we had a fall retreat, which was basically like a camping trip for a weekend. And so we had a night where we kind of just like shared everything that’s going on in our lives. And we had the opportunity to do that. And that’s kind of when I started like, opening up and starting, like hanging out with them, and everything. So that was awesome. So that kind of got me on the path of like being open with everybody and just talking to whoever I could, because that’s where I was at freshman year where I really didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t think anybody wanted to talk to me. So that’s kind of where I was at. But I think my favorite, maybe not my favorite memory, but my most memorable thing, so when I took Comm 240 my freshman year with Strano.
ANDREWS: With Strano yup,
ROGERS: Those exams stressed me out so much. And it made it even worse in the first exam. So you know, like that page of notes that she read us in class.
ANDREWS: Yeah.
ROGERS: The very first exam, I forgot my notes.
ANDREWS: Oh, wow.
ROGERS: I forgot my notes. And luckily, it’s because I lived in Wakeman, which is literally all the way across campus from Memorial. So luckily, for some reason, I longboarded to class that day. And so I longboarded back—longboarded to my dorm—longboarded back, and like within five minutes. And then I ended up finishing, you know, before everybody else did—I mean, I’m a long test-taker, but I was still able to finish relatively soon. So, so that was pretty cool on just to like have that. Also just like taking a class with Strano your freshman year, it’s just stressful. But I think even we may be talking about this later, but I think it made research methods that much easier though, to take. [laughter]
[30:19]
ANDREWS: I agree. I agree. And going back to what you said about being an introvert, you know, when I first got to Bridgewater, I was, you know, just a really big introvert honestly. And then we always joke that my family that, you know, my dad will, everywhere he goes everywhere he goes, he knows someone or you know, just the fact that he talks to literally anyone who he can.
ROGERS: That’s totally my dad, too.
ANDREWS: Yeah I think it’s all dads honestly. But I’ve kind of I’ve kind of started to turn into that too. You know I, I can’t go, you know, 20 feet down the sidewalk at Bridgewater not see someone I know or not see someone who, you know, I say hi to. And I remember in PDP, I took it with Burz, and you know, everybody loves him, he’s a great guy. And I remember he told us that we should always try to, you know, no matter who we see, you know, even if someone looks like they’re having a bad day, or it looks like someone just needs a smile, you know, just say hello to them. And I really took that and I ran with it. You know, I don’t think I ever told you this. But the first time I met Dewey was when I kind of chased her out of Memorial, asking her for a quote about the college’s rebranding project. So, the first time I’d ever spoken to her was for an interview. And I just think that’s so fitting for, you know, the impact she’s had on both of us, you know.
ROGERS: Yeah.
ANDREWS: But um, you know, we talked about freshman year, you know, I think Strano’s class. I took it the spring semester of my freshman/sophomore year, your sophomore year. And I remember the whole class was worried so much about that, about all of her exams and she was just like, guys, like, I’ve given you the tools that you need, just, you know, just get it done. And you know, cause Strano, she’ll talk to us like that, she’ll just, you know, kind of give us a reality check, I think and that really helped. Yeah, but um, I get into get into your sophomore year. Tell me, tell me more about it. What was your What was your favorite moment from that?
[32:12]
ROGERS: Oh, favorite moment from sophomore year. So, I don’t think it’s my favorite moment I’ll talk about a little bit later, but kind of just going into my sophomore year and like, what happened? So I was able to get a leadership role within CRU, my sophomore year. So that was cool just to be part of a leadership team. Because like, especially my sophomore year, for me, just like expectations wise, I didn’t really expect to like have a leadership role in anything until maybe like junior senior year.
ANDREWS: Right.
ROGERS: So, it was kind of cool for people to like, see those qualities in me and just like choose me and say, Hey, I think you could be a great leader within this club. So that was awesome. Just to have that experience, and doing that. And I think sophomore year was like, I was just starting to get used to my classes, but also my classes just got a lot harder than freshman year, I think in my sophomore year. But going back to classes, I think my most memorable thing from sophomore year was I had a paper for my history of Christianity class, and it was due at like 8 a.m. or something. And I procrastinated on that paper so much. [laughter] I think I’ve told you the story before, but I wrote it until about 6 a.m. And then I had a, an exam in Brophy’s news writing class the following day, at 8 a.m. So literally, I got about an hour-and-a-half of sleep between these exams. [laughter] Now, after that, I had a like an 11 o’clock exam, I think, and so, or like 10:30 or something. But I also had like a presentation in that class that I didn’t start on. So I had to do like a story map or whatever. I didn’t start on that, so right after my 8 a.m. I went, did my presentation with a group of people then left, took like an hour nap at my friend’s cottage, went did the presentation then went back, took a nap and then drove home.
ANDREWS: Wow. That is one stressful day right there.
ROGERS: That’s what I’m saying but thankfully I’ve never done something that crazy. The only time I’ve ever since then stayed up really late was for fun stuff and not for school, by God’s grace. But that’s the other thing that’s the most memorable thing from my sophomore year but what about you from your second year at Bridgewater?
[34:40]
ANDREWS: My second year, I think my second year, which was I guess like our junior year because I had cemented my places like a graduate of 2020 then, so my, I think, I have a few. So the summer before that, I got to do an internship with a professional soccer team, the Richmond Kickers. And I just I learned so much from it. And I learned just a lot about, you know, social media and all sorts of, you know, the Adobe Creative Suite. And I just, I learned how to work with people and how to interview quickly and things like that. So, it was just, it was something that on the surface, you don’t think it would help with a journalism career. But at the end of the day, like I just I learned so much about myself and about how I operate and stuff like that, but it was just so valuable. And you know, I think I’ve said this before that, you know, there’s no point in going to college if you’re not doing everything you can to further your career, and I think both of us have done just an amazing job with that. And I think, you know, having that opportunity to really just have a chance in a work environment was just, just massive for me and then. So, going into that year, I took two 18 credits semesters, just chock full of classes that a lot of y’all were taking it, you’re within your third year. And it was it was it was very hard for me, you know, I’m, I’m no, I’m not scared of hard work or anything like that, but I just think the, the amount of pressure that I put on myself was just it was honestly too much. And, you know, my grades, I was happy with them, and I did a lot of really good work. But, um, and honestly, if I had to do it all over again, I would because I think I’ve put myself in a very good place where I’m at right now, but I think, you know, there was a lot of a lot of undue stress. Yeah, you know, we had we had Methods together. And we also took media report writing with Brophy together, right?
[36:41]
ROGERS: Yes, yeah, we did.
ANDREWS: We did. Do you remember the day we umm, was it you me Tori and Marissa and,
ROGERS: Oh, we went out to interview!
ANDREWS: Yeah, we did. We interviewed people just out on the campus mall and stuff like that. That was such a fun day. That’s a good memory. But um, I think I think you should talk about Methods a little bit.
ROGERS: Yeah. Okay, so I knew a lot of Comm majors my freshman and sophomore year. And the one thing they without fail always said was that research method’s is the hardest class in the Comm major. And I would disagree with them.
ANDREWS: I would too.
ROGERS: I think 240 was honestly the hardest class because it was one of the first Comm classes I took, and I wasn’t used to Strano. That’s the reason why I would say that’s probably the hardest Comm class, but mostly because like it was just a lot of research and a lot of like things that you had to do. Honestly, the qualitative project that we have, where we had to interview people and talk to people and get data that way—that was my favorite part of that class. I love interviews. The interviews are just so chill and relaxed.
ANDREWS: They were.
ROGERS: They weren’t like very rigid, especially like the group interviews that we had my interview, my group interview was like 40 or 50 minutes long because I picked it because we got to pick our group of people.
ANDREWS: Right, right.
ROGERS: I picked like five people who I knew would talk for like 40 or 50 minutes. So it’s really like just us hanging out and talking about what the topic was. So I was pretty cool. But that quantitative project kicked my butt man, I did not like sending out the surveys and stuff and trying to get people to like, take my survey and everything and then just like doing stuff with Excel, and like I don’t mind Excel, but I’d never really touched it for like three or four years.
ANDREWS: Yeah.
ROGERS: It’s been it’s been a while and so like, dealing with that was awful. But it was great to have Strano there just to help us whenever we need it. And then her exams weren’t that bad either. So overall, I thought is a pretty, pretty good class but.
[38:43]
ANDREWS: Yeah, so for those of you who aren’t Comm majors, or want a little refresher, research methods is where the student does a quantitative research project and a qualitative research project. And other than other than those two grades, there aren’t very many others—I think it’s like, I think there were five in total. (I’m about to sneeze.) So they’re about five grades in total. And it’s, I think that in itself adds to the stress level of the class. I agree with you that I don’t think it’s the hardest class in our major. I personally thought Comm law with Pearson was pretty challenging just because the way he teaches which I happen to really like. It’s just it’s a lot of fast-paced lecture and then and then a test and that’s it. You know, there are a couple other written assignments but really other than that, it’s not, it’s just the speed at which he teaches there’s such a big learning curve when it comes to that. You know, because when you have, when you come from classes with Brophy or Strano or Laliker, or where, you know, they really stop and make sure you understand and Pearson, he’ll do that, but it’s not until right before the test. So I think I think the learning curve with that class was just really, really challenging for a lot of students. And I don’t know, I think the classes themselves aren’t challenging; it’s the amount of work that you want to put in, that makes them that, you know, you know what I’m saying?
ROGERS: Yes. If I could sum up the Comm major for those who aren’t Comm majors, the material, the actual things you learn, are pretty like self-explanatory and simple. Like obviously some things you don’t quite understand as much as the others,
ANDREWS: Right.
ROGERS: like any major. But the amount of work that you have to do to implement like the things you learn, I would say like, I mean like we learn a lot of theories and a lot of things that have to do with communicating with others and like talking about like we have specific audiences there’s no such thing as a broad audience,
ANDREWS: Right.
ROGERS: Like we talk about those things a lot. But what the one thing that the Comm major does really well is that it implements those things. It doesn’t just talk about them, but they do things that help you ingrain those things in your brain. So I would say that the amount of work that we have to do to implement those things is a lot. Compared to just like a science major where all you have to do is memorize a bunch of stuff. Like we don’t do that, we implement stuff. So I think that’s how I would describe the Comm major but I think that overall is really helped me though.
ANDREWS: I agree, and I think that you know, both of us have really surrounded ourselves with people both in and out of our major who really want to make the most of the college experience. And you know I don’t, I personally don’t hang out with any slackers, and I don’t think you do either. So I think that’s another really good part because what I found is that if I surround myself with people who, who are hungry, you know, who want to do well, who want to succeed, you know, that’s really helpful. And for when I want to push myself. And you know, especially in a major that’s, that leans really into the creative-side of things you know. If I see somebody who’s doing this, you know, I want to match that, I want to do better than that. And I think that’s been really good for me over the past few years is just surround myself with good people, with people who want to do quality work.
ROGERS: Yeah.
[41:59]
ANDREWS: But let’s get into, let’s get into senior year. You know we kind of, we’ve taken some classes together this year, we’ve been through a lot together you know. I mean we talk every week, you know, so what’s been your favorite moment thus far?
ROGERS: Wow, my favorite moment thus far? There’s, there are a lot honestly. I mean just thinking back, I mean taking over a leadership role for BCVoice and having almost no idea what I’m doing. It was kinda [laughter]
ANDREWS: I wouldn’t say that – you’ve done a very, very, very good job.
ROGERS: Aww thank you, I appreciate that. But it, it’s just from that point of view just going into something that’s very unexpected and something that’s very brand new for me was hard. And also doing that on top of other leadership capacities that I had with like, within CRU and everything, so just trying to balance everything was my big thing. But also, just trying to have fun, and hang out with people as much as possible. All of the late-night Cookout runs. [laughter] Like the night before an exam. Or the late-night study sessions with people for an exam or just like by myself or like waiting ‘til midnight to study for an exam—that has not changed from freshman year to now. [laughter] Um, but I think overall senior year for me was just about connecting with people. That’s what every year was really about for me. But especially this year because I mean it was my last year, so just making the most of every class that I have and every opportunity that I have to connect with people, you know, it’s like, especially in the community of Harrisonburg and Bridgewater. And just with the church I go to and everything because like you know, I’m not guaranteed to come back to Bridgewater or Harrisonburg after I, you know, after we graduate, so just like letting those memories last. And you know, we could talk about COVID-19 all day and how that affected us, and how it affects, you know, our senior year. And you have this idea of well, I’m going to do this, this, and this, you know my senior year and everything, and, you know, just trying to get all that together and then like COVID-19 happens and then there goes your last, you know, two months of school, you know, just with everything going on. But, you know, I would say that, you know, the memories of changing the broadcast and having all of our BCVoice meetings, and just being able to kind of hang out with you guys and know you guys. I’ve gotten, it’s funny that I’ve never really knew Dewey until before this semester.
ANDREWS: Right?
ROGERS: Or before last semester, you know before doing BCVoice. And I, I you know, she’s quickly become, you know, up there—I mean all, in my opinion all the Comm professors are great. I don’t have anything bad to say about really any of them. And there’s not like, in my opinion, not one bad Comm professor in the department. And, you know, I didn’t really know Dewey beforehand, so it was cool just to get to know her throughout this school year, which has been a new experience for me. But I think overall, yeah, it was a pretty good senior year—not the way I wanted it to turn out, but overall pretty good.
ANDREWS: That’s so, I’m so happy for you, man, I’m glad to hear that.
ROGERS: Yeah, dude. Well alright, what about you? What you got for your final year at Bridgewater?
ANDREWS: I think, I think my final year at Bridgewater, if I were to sum it up in one word that would be growth. I think I’m, I think I’m a much better person. I think I’m a much better writer. And I think that I’ve really prepared myself well for not only, you know, my profession and, you know, everything I want to do after school, but really with just my faith, the people I spend time with. I’m, I think that everything that I brought with me when I started here, you know—the wanting to talk to as many people as I can, and stuff like that, you know—I think I’m, I magnified all the good qualities that I already possess. And I think that, you know, the classes I’ve been taking have really shaped my world view and shaped my faith. And I think that I’ve become just really—I’m proud of the person I’ve become and I can’t wait to see, you know, what I do after this. I think I’ve used my three years, and heading into my fourth year here as a master’s student, I think that I’ve really done well. I think that, you know I, I’m just really happy with the person I’ve become. And, you know, I think there’s always room for improvement, but I think I’ve done, I’ve done a lot of good while I’ve been here, and I think you know a lot of my favorite moments—wow, there’s so many. I mean I lived with three of my best friends in Tower C-5, you know; I, I have a great relationship with my girlfriend; and I’m really, really happy with all the work you and I have done with BCVoice. And I think, you know, the culture change we implemented, you know, the move from paper publication to online format, you know, the hours we spent into that daily, and weekly, you know. I’m just so proud of everything I’ve done and everything we’ve done. And you’re right, you know, I really didn’t know Dewey before this year at all, and I had some reservations about, you know, her coming in and after having a really good relationship with Brophy. But like I said, you know, that is one of the, she’s one of the best things that ever happened to my work ethic, to my knowledge and just, she’s done so much for me, and I really, I’m really appreciative of her and of all of you guys within the leadership team and within BCVoice. You know, all of you have helped me in some way, and I think that you know I’m much better off for it. But um, yeah. So, one final thing before we go what has been your favorite Squawk Talk moment of the year? You know, we’ve done, we’ve done quite a few broadcasts together, and I think, I think our friendship is much stronger for it. So what’s been, what’s been your favorite moment?
[48:04]
ROGERS: Alright, so I think my favorite Squawk Talk moment, so I, for me just trying to take over Squawk Talk for Raymond was like a big, big responsibility.
ANDREWS: It was!
ROGERS: Because he led that. And I did a couple segments with him and with Jacob, and like I enjoyed it, I loved doing those kinds of segments with him. But like taking over, and especially like doing it with you, like I don’t know, it was like a great responsibility but also pretty awesome – some of the lists that we’ve done and just like our favorite T.V. shows. And also just like a great opportunity really to get to know you, and get to like know who you are, that’s pretty cool. But honestly—I would hope you would think the same moment—when we were talking about Thanksgiving. And I don’t think it was really us during Squawk Talk that was a great moment, but afterwards when we talked about like our favorite moments of Thanksgiving, and one of the things we both love is Hawaiian rolls, and Dewey does not like Hawaiian roles. [laughter] And it’s so funny—I poll so many people—I don’t know why we didn’t do this poll for BCVoice on who likes Hawaiian rolls—but I have asked so many people, I have not heard one person say that they do not like Hawaiian rolls. I haven’t heard it!
ANDREWS: I honestly haven’t either, and I got to say that you hit it right on the head: that’s my favorite moment too. But just like I think the, the fact that we know have an inside joke with like her, and with like everyone else on the team, is just, it’s so nice. Honestly, I don’t understand why she doesn’t like them. There’s just absolutely nothing wrong with Hawaiian rolls.
ROGERS: Right?
ANDREWS: And, you know, I meant to tell you this earlier—I had, have you had one of the – it’s like, it’s in the same package, but the label is yellow, and it’s like, it’s like a buttery Hawaiian roll or something like that.
ROGERS: I don’t think I’ve had that one before.
ANDREWS: You have got to try them. They are so, so good.
ROGERS: Oh my gosh, yeah, I’m going to have to try them.
ANDREWS: Alright, well, is that it?
ROGERS: Yeah, I think that
ANDREWS: Is that the final squawk talk we will ever do?
ROGERS: The final squawk talk ever, Holden.
ANDREWS: Wow, well, I gotta say, it’s been a pleasure, and I’ll see you at graduation, I guess. [laughter]
ROGERS: Yeah, whenever the graduation ceremony will be. At least we’re having one though – that’s the thing, that’s what I’m grateful for.
ANDREWS: Yeah, and I do want to say a quick thank you to Raymond, to Jacob Neff, to Brophy, to Dewey—to everyone who’s helped us along the way and just, and to our listeners—shout out to you guys, you know.
ROGERS: Yeah, yeah! Thank you, guys, for listening, and we just, yeah, we want to thank everybody from BCVoice that has helped out with the broadcast over this past year. Just being on the leadership team for the broadcast with Brandon, I’m sure Brandon would say the same thing: We just thank everyone that has been helping out with the broadcast and been doing podcasts, as well, for BCVoice – they’ve been adding a lot of really good content and have been doing great. I think next year is going to be awesome – I mean Jacob and Isaac are taking over for Brandon and I next year, so I know that they’re going to do a fantastic job and can’t wait to see how they do. But yeah, here for our last Squawk Talk, I’m Justin Rogers.
ANDREWS: And I’m Holden Andrews.
ROGERS: And we will see you guys later.
BRANDON WELLS [51:26]
And with that our show has concluded. We here at BCVoice would like to thank each and everyone of our listeners during these hard times. I remind you that to stay up-to-date with everything Bridgewater-related, please frequently visit our website at BCVoice-dot-org for some great articles written by our fellow staff members. We also want to thank all of our senior broadcasters for the Midweek, even those who could not record for you tonight. Please be sure to tune in at the start of the 2020 fall semester for a brand-new installment of the BCVoice Midweek Radio Show to launch a brand-new school year. Signing off for one last time, my name is Brandon Wells, and thank you for being my friend.
[52:12 Music outro]
