BY JORDYN FORTE
When seniors Jenna Rohlman and Michael Foote first started working at Stonehill’s podcast studio during their sophomore year, they had little to no prior knowledge about the field but were willing to learn.
Now, just two years later, under the leadership of Chief Academic Digital Officer and Assistant Provost Scott Cohen, Rohlman and Foote currently work as lab fellows, helping to run the podcast studio on the first floor of the MacPhaidin Library.
“We both came in with that prior interest in podcasting – that’s the reason I walked into Scott’s FYS – but not really knowing anything, and we were like, ‘Let’s figure it out,’” Foote, who became interested in working at the podcast studio after taking a class with Cohen during his first semester at Stonehill, said. “It’s funny to jump to here, just a couple of years later, and [now] we’re teaching everyone else how to do it.”
As lab fellows, Rohlman and Foote are responsible for completing the podcast engineering work, helping with podcast production and scheduling, teaching students how the podcast studio functions, and ultimately ensuring that the studio runs efficiently.
In addition to managing the overall function(s) of the podcast studio, established in 2018, Rohlman and Foote have also each helped to spearhead their own unique projects as lab fellows. This year, Rohlman led the effort to get a new board – a Rodecaster Pro – for the studio, while Foote has worked on Stonehill Domains – web-hosted pages that are utilized for classes or other academic projects.
“One of the great parts about that is that we have a lot of say in what’s going on,” Foote said.
This semester, Rohlman is also using the podcast studio for her own capstone project.
“It has been great to have that connection of the studio and my capstone,” Rohlman said. “To bring that together was very encapsulating because the studio has been a big part for me here at Stonehill.”
Like Rohlman, other students on campus are also able to utilize the podcast studio for their own academic purposes, as well as for other personal projects that they may be pursuing.
“We want to highlight that the podcast studio isn’t just for class projects; people can come do their own podcasts and passion projects if they want to,” Rohlman said. “Podcasting is becoming so much more popular, [so] we’re hopeful that more people will take advantage of that.”
Prior to using the podcast studio, students must be trained on how to use the equipment. These training sessions are provided by Rohlman and Foote during their lab fellow hours.
Rohlman and Foote are available for a total of 12 lab fellow hours per week this semester, with Rohlman in the studio from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on both Tuesdays and Thursdays and with Foote in the studio from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
During initial training sessions, which are typically between 10 to 15 minutes long, Foote said he and Rohlman focus on providing the basic tools and understanding needed to produce a podcast while also providing small, helpful tips.
“[Training] is pretty much, ‘Here’s how to make sure everything is plugged in, [how to] turn it on, [make sure] you’re recording, and then [how] you get sent off for exporting’ – it’s pretty straightforward," Foote said.
“Most people are able to use the board after the first training session,” Rohlman added.
Once trained, students, faculty, and staff looking to use the podcast studio are able to do so while the MacPhaidin Library is open by clicking on the following link https://calendly.com/diglab/ and selecting a time and date for their visit; this semester, the library’s normal hours of operation are from noon to midnight on Sunday, from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
In holding lab fellow hours, helping students, and working in the podcast studio, both Rohlman and Foote said they believe that they developed good leadership experience as well as increased confidence. The two also credit their roles as lab fellows with fostering numerous on and off-campus connections.
“One of the big things I’ve really loved about [the position] is just the connectivity of it,” Foote said. “I’ve been able to meet and interact with students and professors from all sorts of departments that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s a very cool opportunity.”
“For me, my favorite thing is definitely just working with students,” Rohlman said. “I had no previous podcasting experience before I started in 2019; I ended up going and doing Stonehill in the City program, and I ended up being a sound engineer intern at a podcast studio in Manhattan. I definitely don’t think I would have taken that internship if it wasn’t for my experience here.”
With Rohlman and Foote graduating this spring, the podcast studio is currently looking to fill lab fellow positions for next year. Those who are eager to learn more about podcasting and are interested in applying for a Lab Fellow position can direct any questions to: digitallab@stonehill.edu, jrohlman@students.stonehill.edu, and/or mfoote1@students.stonehill.edu.
“We’re interested in finding people who are interested in either podcasting or domain building and things like that,” Rohlman said.
“You don’t need to know anything coming in,” Foote elaborated. “It’s all about the willingness to jump in, learn, and figure it out – it’s a learning process for everyone. If there’s even a remote interest in it, it’s absolutely worth going for.”
Some example projects that the podcast studio has helped to create: https://olivebranch.fireside.fm/ about and http://everyday-evolution.org
Photo courtesy of Scott Cohen.