The freshman class has something new to look forward to in the coming weeks. The freshman class cabinet is coming out with its own newsletter called the Freshman Flash, which will print its first issue during the last week of January.
The newsletter is the brainchild of class president George Burns and his vice president Tony Brown, who felt the need to come up with a fresh way to communicate with The Hill’s newest class of students.
“Me and my vice president Tony thought a newsletter would be a great idea for the class because not everybody has an opportunity to pick up and read every issue of The Famuan,” Burns said. “We thought a newsletter would be a great way to let everyone know what’s going on, and we figured freshmen would be more enticed to read a newsletter if they knew what they were reading dealt with them.”
Burns, 18, a first-year pharmacy candidate from Tallahassee, also said the newsletter wouldn’t just be a mouthpiece for the cabinet, but it would allow the rest of the class to add their input and voice any concerns or suggestions.
Deputy director of communications for the freshman class cabinet, Monique Mitchell, 19, a broadcast journalism student from Miami, said the first issue of the Freshman Flash will include articles about students on campus experiencing all kinds of firsts, such as homecoming, living on one’s own away from family and dealing with the pressures of being a new face at FAMU.
“A lot of the articles will just deal with freshman issues and what it feels like to be a Rattler,” Mitchell said. “It will also be an opportunity for the freshman cabinet to let the rest of the class know what’s going on with us and what we’re doing for the students here.”
Students can also expect to see articles that highlight different freshmen on campus and special sections like poetry that will give students an opportunity to showcase some of their talents.
Shatelia York, 18, a freshman general studies student from Cleveland, said she believes the idea of a freshman newsletter is wonderful and thinks it will be a big hit with the rest of her peers.
“I think the whole class would be interested in knowing what’s going on,” York said. “I know me and my friends would read it.”
York even has a few ideas for future issues.
“I know I would like to see some articles that may be gave tips for picking a major, because there are a lot of freshmen here that are still undecided,” York said. She also would like to see tips on how students can better manage time and stay focused with class work.
Freshmen are not the only ones on “The Hill” who seem to be interested in this newsletter. Even a few upperclassmen, like Zipporah Bruce, 20, a junior theatre performance student from Atlanta, have something to say about it.
“It’s a good idea, and I think it will help bring the freshmen closer together as a class and keep them up to date,” Bruce said. “I wish my class would have had something like this when I was a freshman because I didn’t know what was going on unless somebody told me.”
Burns said students should be on the lookout for the first edition of the Freshman Flash sometime in the next week or two. The newsletter will be published monthly.