Reflections on Student Advocacy at CCP

Paulina Reyes

September 22, 2024

I am a student journalist at the Community College of Philadelphia. I began reporting when I was 11-years-old on immigration policy, environmental justice, and healthcare. Being a part of a student newspaper was not only an exciting project, but also an opportunity to publish my writing and gain hands-on experience. It meant I could work with a team of passionate writers and editors to create a newspaper made by students, for students. In the four weeks since this semester began, Vanguard has not yet reached a functional state. Despite our enthusiasm and efforts to revitalize the student newspaper, it remains in limbo. Vanguard deserves better. Student journalists deserve better.

Since 1965, Vanguard has provided CCP with news, creativity, and community discourse. However, the Covid-19 Pandemic seriously impacted the newspaper, with the former Faculty Advisor leaving in 2022. Vanguard fell apart. My fellow editor and founder of The Independent Max Hassel was the first to revive it. We did our best picking it off the ground. We were made aware that funds existed specifically for Vanguard news and its student journalists, which could provide camera equipment, a podcast room, and even our own newsroom.

For two semesters, I worked alongside a team of editors: Travis Taylor, Max Hassel, and Allison Miller, with Faculty Advisor Shannon Rooney behind us. We were promised more support than we were ever given. Students submitted their writing; we edited and posted it on The Vanguard’s website. We had goals to make print, to get more writers on board, and have a functioning newsroom.

Shannon Rooney suddenly dropped her position as our Advisor and that is when everything hit the fan. I had argued with a teammate on the Vanguard, Max Hassel, and decided to step down as an editor.

Discouraged and upset about what became of the Vanguard, I tried not to let it hinder my passion for journalism and the news. When this semester came around, I was determined to make something of the Vanguard and write some media for the students and Philadelphia community. When I got into contact with Jenevia about joining Vanguard, she provided me with no information, told me everything was being handled and spoke and treated me as if I were a child. When I showed excitement to join and be a part of something I worked on for the last two semesters, Jenevia provided nothing. She kept telling me to smile because it is hard to keep smiling all the time when life is hard. Not once did she mention what would be of the Vanguard or if students could publish as they did previously. After asking around, I found out Jenavia had offered an editor position to a student leader that works for her in Student Life. The problem with this is that the Vanguard should provide opportunities to student-journalists, and to run the operation as a student newspaper.

I am a Communications student and an active journalist. For a student to run their own news speaks volumes of student advocacy and storytelling. For Jenevia to keep me in the dark meanwhile offering a position of Vanguard to a nursing student is not only a slap in my face but it makes it harder for a student like me to have that opportunity to run the news with what I know about journalism and to learn more.

Vanguard will not be the same without its dedicated student writers. Running the news is not easy, especially student news. Students are already underrepresented on this campus even if we make up this school. Students are underrepresented because when students try to take leadership positions and attempt to make a difference, students are met with, the classic, “You’ll be here for two years.” Implying that it does not matter what you do at CCP, it will not last long. Vanguard was the only way to connect our students together, really connect to them and keep them informed. Without the care or fight for maintaining a student-led newspaper, Jenavia is not really acting in her student life position. Most of all, she does not support the freedom of student advocacy and the need for information to be written for our students. The Independent exists because in Vanguard our freedom to write on student advocacy, and our right to leadership has been taken away from the students who love to write, know the news and love to read it. The Independent was made to be what Vanguard cannot be, a student-led newspaper. Within it, you find word puzzles and writings from students like me. There could be an instance where Vanguard gives access to leadership to students to write again, one where we have an English professor as an advisor. I am not saying a nursing student cannot do a newspaper, but at least keeping journalism students in the loop of what would be of Vanguard would have been nice.

The Independent is a fun experiment of what student writers can do when we are limited. So far, it is coming along, and we will continue to publish students works on here.

This school has made great strides with the Catto scholarship opportunities, dual enrollment program, and the wonderful people like those at Single Stop and the Keys programs. The faculty has done its best, and so have we.

Student writers should have freedom to control and write their news, we deserve to speak up about what’s not serving us on this campus. It is only natural for students to advocate for the betterment of our education and college. If this school prevents students from doing that, and if that means for us to make our own newspaper then that is exactly what we will do.