WSOU will attempt to lighten the financial burden of college for its staff members with a yearly scholarship awarded to upperclassmen who have demonstrated their dedication to the campus radio station.
The creation of the scholarship was announced at the station's 65th anniversary dinner on April 13 following months of informal talks among WSOU's advisory board. Frank Scafidi, the station's chief engineer and a member of the advisory board, said the eligibility requirements for the scholarship will be set at the board's June meeting, but he already has an idea of what the criteria will be.
"It'll be for one or two people a year," he said. "(It will be) most likely for someone who has been at the station for a year or two."
The advisory board hopes to use the scholarship to reward students who show exceptional dedication to the station, which is one of the reasons they are thinking of limiting it to juniors and seniors. Scafidi also pointed out that the ever-increasing cost of college tuition presents a growing burden for students. Seton Hall's tuition for the 2013-2014 school year will be almost $34,000, which is $2,000 more than what this year's graduating seniors pay.
The board may exclude members of the radio station's staff who serve on the management board because they already receive a semester stipend of $1,000, Sam Nakhoul, who will be a senior next year, is one of these potentially excluded members. Still, she is excited that the station is creating the scholarship.
"It will encourage people," she said, "some people don't do much up here and this will be incentive."
Nakhoul will be taking over the promotions department from fellow rising senior, Kayla Barry, who agrees with the idea of limiting the scholarship to juniors and seniors. She thinks that although the freshmen put in a lot of work, they are still learning.
"If someone needs help up here then not just the management board does," she said, "someone else who goes above and beyond does and they're usually upperclassmen."
Among staff members who are freshmen, Clayton Collier sees the scholarship as something to work towards in his remaining three years at Seton Hall. He is striving to show exceptional commitment by being the type of person people can turn to at the station if they need help.
"There's a lot of dedicated people here but they (upperclassmen) have been doing it longer," he said.
Scafidi said the advisory board is still waiting for alumni to donate to the scholarship fund, which now totals more than $4,000. The yearly scholarship may be limited to $1,000 according to Scafidi. He said the station is trying to make the scholarship fund last for several years until it gains enough momentum to be sustained long term.
Brendan Borthwick can be reached at brendan.borthwick@student.shu.edu.
