By James Keller
Students now have the chance to be on TV. It’s like MuchMusic’s Speaker’s Corner, but instead of being in the CHUM building or travelling in a mall, NUTV’s Speak Tank is in the bottom of MacEwan Student Centre. And instead of being a corner, it’s a big metal tank.
NUTV took an old instant photo booth and put in a camera. Anyone can record a message for a loonie to be broadcast on Full Frontal NUTV, on their website and on the campus closed circuit television network. The idea began after NUTV filmed students two years ago during tuition protests and created a segment with the results. Now, the project has finally taken off.
“This can be a tool for advocacy, with students speaking their mind, and a tool for lobbying,” said Program Director Tom Andriuk. “It could also be reality TV. Think about what would happen on a busy Den night.”
According to U of C and SAIT graduate Marrie Diaz who helped build the booth, the unit was designed and constructed by SAIT students as a class project. Even though they weren’t U of C students Andriuk was glad it was made by students.
“I’m glad it was built by students for students,” he says. “It was actually engineered by students for students.”