UNC students in the department of communication could soon benefit from a new media building.

The new media space opened in the location of the former Walgreens on the corner of East Franklin Street and South Columbia Street. Named “Media Art Space @ 108 East Franklin,” the university said the space will benefit communication students in media production and performance studies classes beginning in the fall.

Olivia DeRienzo is a UNC senior studying media production within the UNC Department of Communication. She said the new communication building makes her proud to be a student in the department – especially since the previous media production building, Swain Hall, is “decrepit.”

“Carolina is kind of known for their sciences or like [media and journalism] or something like that,” DeRienzo said. “They’re not known for the [communication] department and it just shows that when you look into our building and see this is the main building for media production it kind of feels like they don’t really care about us. Just having all of this start happening, I’m like people see us, people recognize our worth.”

Both communication buildings – Bingham Hall and Swain Hall – are under repair for the safety of students and faculty. The university is renting the former Walgreens space for the next several years, but could end up buying the space as a permanent part of the communication department.

Joseph Megel is an artist-in-residence, instructor, and the director of the Process Series in the UNC Department of Communication. He said the building opens up interdisciplinary collaboration in the department through the equipment available for student use and numerous spaces – both for classwork and production.

“There’s two large classrooms, one screening room, multiple editing facilities, a classroom for new media, a performance classroom, there’s a green screen production room where people can shoot, there are VO booths, and there’s the equipment check out room,” Megel said.

Unlike the previous media production building, Swain Hall, the Media Art Space @ 108 East Franklin is ADA accessible. Students in media production classes will have 24/7 access to the building to use the facilities for class projects.

Megel said he believes the building breathes new light into the department.

“When you walk into this new facility there’s a sort of energy, there’s posters on the wall of productions we’ve done in performance and media,” Megel said. “It just feels like alive. The difference is pretty amazing and that kind of difference can change the spirit of the department completely.”

DeRienzo shared similar thoughts. Although she is graduating and will not be able to use the new facilities in the fall, DeRienzo said she is excited for communication students to be able to use the space.

“I’m just really happy for the future [communication] students that are actually going to be able to have a place that they feel safe going to, that they want to spend time in,” DeRienzo said. “I’m just really excited for the [communication] department actually getting some attention and the love that we deserve.”

 

Photo by Donn Young


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