This year marks the fifth anniversary of My UM, which has grown from an obscure publication to one widely read by UM members. What reforms have been made along the way to make this happen? What do UM members think of My UM?
My UM Brings UM Members Closer
Steven Xie, a sophomore from the Faculty of Business Administration and a loyal reader of My UM, says he often sees students distributing the monthly newspaper in the corridor of the Central Teaching Building. He thinks My UM helps broaden his horizons and makes him feel closer to his professors, fellow students, and the university. ‘Sometimes I would come across an interesting story in My UM about someone I know, and I would share the story with my friends. It was fun,’ he says.
Ordinary People’s Extraordinary Stories
My UM’s target readers are UM members, and its aim is clear—to foster a sense of belonging to the university among UM members. Communications Office (CO) Director Katrina Cheong, a veteran media practitioner and the newspaper’s chief editor, knows that interesting, little-known stories are the key to attracting readers’ interest. ‘Not only are these stories attention-grabbing, but they allow you to really know more about the people you work or study with. We once published a story about a cleaner Auntie Sao, who worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to support her daughter’s studies abroad. Many people told us they were deeply touched by the story and learned a lot from Auntie Sao,’ she says. ‘We also had a story about a professor from the Department of Communication named Chen Huailin, who loves going on safaris in Africa and taking pictures of wildlife to spread the message about protecting animals and the nature.’
My UM’s Two Major Reforms
When My UM was first launched in 2011, CO colleagues were responsible for all the interview and editing work. In 2012, UM Reporters, recruited under the UM Reporter Programme, began to help with interview-related work. CO colleague Ella Cheong took over as the newspaper’s executive editor last year. ‘Before the relocation, we had a “New Campus Updates” column, which updated UM members on the progress of new campus construction,’ says Ella Cheong. ‘I was responsible for this column, and the most time-consuming aspect of this column was data collection and checking, and it was not unusual to revise an article a dozen times.’
My UM has undergone two major reforms, first in June 2012, when the original colourful design was replaced with a subtle-tone design more suited to a newspaper, and then in January 2015, when the pages were increased from four to eight. Last August, an electronic version was created, with daily updates. ‘The revamped My UM is more comprehensive and more in-depth. I’m really grateful for the support of all UM members, without which we wouldn’t have been able to celebrate the fifth birthday of My UM,’ says Ella Cheong.
Looking to the Future
In addition to internal circulation, My UM is also distributed in local secondary schools and libraries. Katrina Cheong hopes the newspaper will attract more readers and become more popular in the future. ‘I hope future UM students will proudly say, “I’ve read My UM in middle school.” ’ she says.
