After a year filled with uncertainty in 2000-2001, Quinnipiac University’s Exceptional Student Television (QUEST) is already on its way to having a productive and much improved year.

Rob Gilmore, the senior president of the student run television station, which can be found on Channel 30, saw the problems firsthand last year and has already begun working towards erasing them.

“The biggest problems we had last year were funding, lack of programming, and having a properly working station,” said Gilmore. “Already the technical problems have been addressed.”

As for funding issues, Gilmore has initiated a program for QUEST to sell commercial time to local businesses in order to bring in some finances.

The death of programming on QUEST has also been quickly addressed. According to Gilmore, already in production for airing on QUEST are: three sports programs, two music programs, two possible sketch comedy shows, and two other shows that are still developing in the concept phase. These shows will go along with the already established news program, which, as Gilmore said, “Its gaining a lot of support from the mass communications faculty.”

Junior Alli Keller, a former co-anchor of the QUEST news program, has noticed alot of enthusiasm from students attending the weekly QUEST meetings, which are generally held at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays in the Echlin Health Science Center Lecture Hall.

“Alot more students have been coming to the meetings this year and have been inquiring as to when shows will be getting on the air,” said Keller, who attributes alot of the improvement in student morale regarding QUEST, to Gilmore.

“Rob has shown an incredible interest in QUEST and has a great attitude to go along with it,” said Keller, beaming when speaking of the new president. “He is willing to help us out in any way that he can, as well as build a program that will not only be great this year, but will train and prepare us for next year also.

Traning and preparation are two of the hallmarks that QUEST is based upon.

Junior Deirdre Boylan, thinks that QUEST’s laid back atmosphere is beneficial to the students who get involved.

“It is helpful,” said Boylan, “because it allows a student to learn at his or her own pace. It also gives the students a chance to figure out what they may want to do for the rest of their lives.”

To ensure that students working behind the cameras and in the editing rooms are competent both now and later.

Those who want to do technical work for QUEST must have passed either MC 290 or workshops that show the students how to use equipment in Studio A.

Junior QUEST member, Joseph Tasca, thinks that the workshops are an excellent idea.

“From what I heard about last year, finding people who knew what they were doing behind the scenes was tough,” said Tasca. “By requiring people to have a knowledge of what they will be doing before they do it stops the problem at its roots. I think the class/workshop requirement is a smart move all the way.”

After a spotty and uncertain past, the members of QUEST are seeking to change the way their station is seen by the Quinnipiac community. Nobody looks forward to doing so more than Gilmore, who believes that QUEST does not get the appropriate amount of respect as a media organization that it deserves.

“We are not even listed as a club on the website,” said Gilmore. “I plan on changing the way our organization is viewed very quickly.
Quinnipiac is considered to be one of the top Mass Communications schools in the country. I believe that the image of QUEST will improve by the time I graduate in a year, and the rest of the members of the station are working hard to ensure that it happens.”