Three Grizedale students have launched a new magazine in an effort to heighten student participation within the college.
Grizedale second years Natalie Todd, Sian Vickers and Danielle Warren are hoping that their newsletter, entitled ‘Gz on It’, will have a positive reaction among students. The magazine, which will be brought out once a term, will include information on college sports, a social calendar and contributions from students. The girls are also planning on publishing detailed articles and features and are hoping they will find willing contributors in the college.
Unlike most of Lancaster’s other colleges, Grizedale does not have a magazine run by the JCR. Natalie, Sian and Danielle first discussed the idea for an independent magazine last summer, but no formal plans were ever made. Over the summer holidays, however, they created a welcome guide for Grizedale freshers, which included information about the college, the university and Lancaster in general. The guide was very well received by this year’s freshers and college administrator Barbara Glass gave the plans for a regular magazine her approval.
Despite having support from the college administration, ‘Gz on It’ has met with a number of financial difficulties. Because it is independent of the JCR there is no money available from the college for printing or publicity. The girls have however managed to create around twenty copies for each issue and are hoping that money will be available from the college in the near future. At the moment copies are available in the bar and various other places in the college buildings.
The first issues of ‘Gz on It’ were monthly, and contained information on college sports, a puzzle page and a guide to the new bar. Now, however, the girls have decided to develop a more substantial magazine. This is why it will now be published one a term, so that students can submit more detailed articles for approval.
The girls’ main aim in developing the magazine is to heighten student spirit in Grizedale. Because of the college’s lack of a bar last year, it was felt that students were more apathetic than they had been in previous years towards college activities. The creators of ‘Gz on It’ are hoping that contributing to the magazine will encourage Grizedale students to become active within the college once more.
The magazine is also available online, through the college website. When the magazine’s page was first created it received over two hundred and eighty hits instantly. Natalie, Sian and Danielle are now hoping that this enthusiasm will translate into the submissions they receive for the magazine.
Further information can be found on the magazine’s Facebook group, also entitled ‘gz on it’.
