Quest TV, Quinnipiac’s student-run television station, has tried to overcome countless obstacles this academic year, and things don’t look to be getting better any time soon.
Let us flashback.
The crew lost its daily access to Studio B when it was transformed into a Mac lab with Final Cut Pro, an editing program. Quest originally had access to Studio A, but the crew had to work around scheduled classes.
Not long after, the Quest crew was denied access to Studio A due to “safety concerns”. Mike Schleif, President of Quest, and Scott Terralavoro, Production Manager, worked diligently with the communications department to develop a way for the crew to produce shows out of Studio A.
Professors from the communications department taught five workshops on the “proper” use of studio equipment. Tests were administered at the conclusion of last semester.
“We have finished the training and the testing,” Professor Rebecca Abbott, faculty advisor to Quest said before spring break. “Most students passed. The few who failed didn’t attend the workshops.”
Upon passage of the test, members of Quest’s crew were allowed access to Studio A to resume their student-run productions. The crew will be able to produce out of Studio A, “as long as a faculty member is there to supervise and trouble shoot,” Abbott said.
While there were scheduling conflicts because of classes being taught in Studio A, production for Quest TV has continued slowly.
At the end of last semester, the communications department worked in conjunction with Schleif and Terrralavoro to gain the rights to some spare space located in the basement of the Faculty Office Building. Quest received permission from the administration to go ahead with the move.
Rob Gilmore, an active member of Quest, was excited about getting the Faculty Office Building space. “It would make us more of a club if we were separated from the Mass Communications Center,” he said.
That move was supposed to have happened over winter break. It is now the week after spring break and Quest still does not have access to its new home.
“My understanding is that the space is ours. We have a roadblock in the sense that facilities has stuff in it,” Abbott said.
While Schleif and Terralavoro await their new space, they continue to produce shows to the best of their ability. ” It (the lack of space) has hindered Quest. We would have been able to do a lot more,” Gilmore said.
Quest will host a pre-show segment before WQAQ’s Open-Mic Night, which is held on March 31. “It went over well last year, so we’re doing it again this year,” Terralavoro said.
The highlight of Quest’s upcoming schedule is its staple show, “Two Comfy Chairs,” from the cafeteria in April.
Amidst all the problems Quest has encountered this year, Terralavoro remained optimistic.
“We had such high hopes and we could not come through. But we still hope to continue entertaining the campus this year,” Terralavoro said. “Right now, we (he and Schleif are graduation seniors) just want to give the person who takes over, something to work toward.”
Abbott admired Quest’s spirit and tenacity. “It seems as though there are a lot of students who are still involved. More than ever before,” she said.
Terralavoro was pleased with his crew as well. “We’ve weeded out those who are not serious. I have eager crew members who come and participate and come with story ideas,” he said.
Quest is also accepting independent projects. If they are tasteful and students want to show them on Quest TV, please contact Scott Terralavoro or Mike Schleif as soon as possible for a meeting and viewing.