The continued talks with student media leaders, administration and those with the Center for Civic and Community Engagement have been fruitful and encouraging.

Much of the recent discussions have turned toward what student media needs to succeed, if the current structure of leadership is working and how to handle the idea of city news.

But most important in this discussion is something that has needed to happen for decades: how to break down the igloos of student media.

Now, our readers and those not involved with any student media organization (U-View and WPPJ) may not be aware of this, but we do not share content beyond photos if asked. This means each outlet is producing original content, each with their own websites, their own social media pages and their own teams of people to try to bring awareness to each outlet.

This is a good way of doing things, but The Globe’s current editorial board has always believed there is no reason we cannot collaborate with the other two outlets on campus to make the best content possible. We continue to hold that position and with continued discussions, see that U-View and WPPJ both agree.

What could this look like? Consider a story being written by a reporter at The Globe for print, with photos usable at U-View and relevant video taken for the same story, either by the photographer present or the reporter themselves. Then, someone at WPPJ could write a radio-friendly version of the story, such as a 25-second reader or even a 45-second to one minute “wrap” to be played during a daily newshour.

Additionally, we have been discussing the future of student media and the opportunity given to us all because of Pittsburgh City Paper’s closure and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG)’s assumed closure. While these talks are still in the brainstorming process and are in no means final, the ideas have shifted more from creating something entirely new to leveraging what our current media offerings are.

Not only could this look like collaborative content, but it can also look like sending a story to another outlet on campus. For instance, a great downtown Pittsburgh-centered article could be sent to the Point Park News Service for publishing in an online presence while also being printed in The Globe.

But can all these ideas be started on our own without help? No. This is why all three parts of student media support the idea of someone acting as an adviser to all student media, not just the individual factions.

We were clear in our last editorial on the subject that The Globe does not want someone to be a barrier to publishing content. The university agrees with this notion. Rather, a new adviser would be responsible for behind-the-scenes work, such as securing advertising, finding potential story ideas and potentially coordinating content.

These are grand ideas. Whether this means a potential student media rebrand is on the horizon remains to be seen, but we are curious and excited for what is next and are now encouraged by these talks.

But for these grand ideas to work, we require more people to staff student media and regularly contribute. As of now, The Globe is able to keep printing thanks to the dedication of our editorial team and a gaggle of highly appreciated writers. And to expand our coverage area requires more than the dedication of just a select talented few.

These problems aren’t unique to us, unfortunately. U-View and WPPJ are both having the same issues of participation because, the fact is, just getting experience is not a good enough selling point for student media anymore. What we are seeing at Point Park is mirroring a national trend — students realize their time is valuable and, in order to commit, will likely require payment for their work.

The Globe agrees. It would be fantastic for everyone involved with student media to get paid something for their work beyond just recognition. But beyond that, we worry that newer students aren’t completely convinced of student media’s benefits.

We’ve been saying this for years and will keep on saying it: Being part of student media will help students rise above their peers by already knowing how to do the work they want to do. There’s a reason journalists from The Tribune-Review to The New York Times say student media is fundamental to where they are now.

And to keep this cycle going requires students to know why it will be beneficial to them. That is why we ask our faculty, especially our communication faculty, to encourage participation in student media. Reward students with credit for publication in The Globe or the creation of a news package, or even require it, for instance.

Point Park cannot lose its student voice. We need help to keep this thing going and to build up all our student media to be the best in Pittsburgh.