March/April 2025
what’s in THIS ISSUE
March Madness
Movie Review
Volume 63 Issue 2
The Revival of The Alvernia Campus Show Braden Livingston Contributing Writer Alvernia University’s Campus Show has returned for the first time in nearly a decade. On February 22, the first episode of The Alvernia Campus Show was released on YouTube and on BCTV. The Campus Show is for the whole Alvernia community and is a fun and helpful way to learn about upcoming school and sport events happening at Alvernia. The show also provides local and national news in a more comedic and relaxed style compared to your average news station. How to Join the Show The Alvernia Campus Show is produced by the students of COM 333, “The Campus Show: Television Production.” The class and show are run and directed by Chris Shipley. The main purpose of this class is to produce programming for the university to help students learn more around the Alvernia community. Producing the show helps students learn all the
different steps and jobs required to make and manage a show. The course also helps students learn how to work as a team, generate creative ideas, and cooperate on a complex project. Chris Shipley, assistant professor of communication, said the class is very helpful for students who want to get production experience. “Other than taking a class that isn’t just sitting in a classroom,” he said, “You get experience in working on a television show. You aren’t just showing up to a class, you are showing up to a job.” Every episode follows a 4-segment structure. The show opens with the two main anchors giving a rundown on recent local and national news. Once that segment finishes, they switch over to the sports segment, starting with the Golden Wolf Rundown. Once the Alvernia sports update is complete, the next segment is Off the Bench which is a threeperson roundtable discussing the latest news and drama with one of the major sports in America.
Photo by Braden Livingston. Showcasing Trevor Spollen (Left), and Kyle Rudart (Right) preparing to anchor for the second episode of The Alvernia Campus Show. Photo by Braden Livingston. Showcasing Trevor Spollen (Left), and Kyle Rudart (Right) preparing to anchor for the second episode of The Alvernia Campus Show.
Once the sports section is over, the third segment is A Moment With… where they interview either a student, staff, club, or sport’s team to introduce them to the Alvernia community and talk about their current activities. The final segment wraps up the show, with the two main anchors returning to give a run-down of upcoming events for the following week.
The Alvernia Campus Show is uploaded to the Alvernia Campus Show YouTube Channel. The episodes are uploaded every Friday around 12 p.m. You can also check out the Alvernia Campus Show Instagram, which is where you can see sneak peeks and behind the scenes photos of the show.
five-year high for viewership with over 19 million viewers. Dr. Kris Lowrey, assistant professor of communication, teaches a Film Appreciation class at Alvernia. Dr. Lowrey is familiar with the patterns of students regarding the Oscars. “I think [the students] might be tuned in more to the results than they are to actually sitting down and watching the event,” Lowrey said. The fall in student viewership could be due to the rise of social media over the past few years, making it so students can learn the winners and see recordings of speeches without watching the event live. In contrast, Hector Malave, a junior double majoring in communication and theatre, believes that people still watch the Oscars. “There’s going to be plenty of people watching it,” Malave said. While the Oscars may be getting fewer viewers, they are still a measure of what
the film industry thinks is important to recognize. “Overall, I think it can be a nice opportunity to just kind of reflect on the state of the industry,” Dr. Lowrey said. While the Oscars themselves may have declining live viewership, many find that the awards show is still meaningful. “I think the Oscars are still relevant,” Malave said, who went on to passionately discuss the nominated films. Still, the best days of award shows may be behind us. “I think [Oscar viewers] are generally aging [and not being replaced by younger viewers],” Dr. Lowrey said, but noted that people remain interested in the results. Do you watch the Oscars? Let us know on our instagram! @thealvernian
The Oscars 2025: Are They Still Relevant?
Amelia Fortunato Contributing Writer
Community Engagement
Travel
The 97th Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, took place on March 2, 2025. The Oscars are a night to celebrate achievements in film, with a wide array of celebrities attending. This year, some of the winners included Mikey Madison for best actress for “Anora,” Adrien Brody for best actor for “The Brutalist,” and Sean Baker for best director for “Anora.” Ultimately, “Anora” seemed to be the big winner of the night. “Anora” tells the story of a young sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch until the parents of said oligarch find out and work to annul the marriage. Some have wondered if the Oscars are still relevant. According to Statista, the last time the awards ceremony had a U.S. audience of more than 40 million was back in 2014. However, according to MSN, the 2025 Oscars had a
Hector Malave, a jounior double majoring in communications and theater, sits on a stool in the Francis Hall Theatre as he discusses the Oscars animatedly. Photo Courtesy of Amelia Fortunato