The latest article of the Vista. Source: Taylor Harpster
On Greenville University’s campus, there are many ways to get involved in extracurricular activities. From sports to clubs, the possibilities are vast. Among the many organizations and activities to get involved in is the school’s award-winning magazine, The Vista. The student-led magazine, founded in 1904, has been an outlet for creativity and a way for designers and writers to gain credit for their work. But the Vista was not always a magazine.
In the early history of the Vista, the magazine was used as a yearbook with pictures of all of the students and detailed reports of important events and activities that took place on campus. It fulfilled the role of a yearbook for much of its early history. The design work contained on the pages was minimal because the focus was on the content that was to be on the pages and not the medium in which it was presented. In semi-recent years, the then-yearbook transitioned into something more. The change was made and the Vista became a magazine. While it was still a magazine, it continued to serve the same purposes that a yearbook had. The magazine was still filled with things a yearbook contained, just under a different guise and a heavier focus on design. Then, in this last semester, Content Editor Mandy Pennington and Visual Editor Jack Dawdy wanted to make a change. A big change. The yearbook that had served under the guise of the school magazine was no longer. Here’s what Jack had to say about the Vista’s previous role in the Greenville community and what he wanted to accomplish with the new change:
Jack Dawdy Source: vista.greenville.edu
The Vista used to be a yearbook. Then, it made a transition to being a magazine that still fulfilled the role of a yearbook–it detailed important events on campus, and interviewed athletes about their sports. There was just one problem; no one was reading it. So when I became Visual Editor, and Mandy Pennington became Content Editor, we wanted to change that. So we decided to transition to a more traditional magazine. Something full of opinions, and interesting ideas, and think-pieces. Just a generally more interesting magazine than what it was before.
Ever since the change, the Vista has made strides towards greatness. This past month, The Vista went to the 2018 Addy Awards in Peoria, IL and won big. Out of all of the student categories, the Vista magazine and individuals on the staff received great recognition for work in the Vista as well as some personal works.
The Vista is always looking for more designers, writers, and photographers to help make each issue a success. At 115 issues, the Vista has come a long way. Beyond the physical paper product, there is a way to view content from the Vista online. On the website, vista.greenville.edu, you can find articles from current issues as well as past issues of the Vista. To get involved with the Vista, email the vista@greenville.edu. You can also contact the faculty advisor, Lisa Sharpe, for more information on the Vista, as well as how you can become involved. Her email is lisa.sharpe@greenville.edu. Keep an eye out for our spring issue, arriving soon!
