By Yueying Zhu/ reporter
SE Campus students and professors work together to accomplish Compass magazine.
Photo courtesy Arlandis Jones
Student Dennis Martin is one of the editors.
“Meeting a deadline is stressful,” he said. “It is always the biggest part of getting the magazine done. But they are right on time, and everything is going well.”
Martin said the publication faces some problems with a few unmotivated students.
“It seems difficult for them to understand the importance of what they are doing,” he said. “The selection process was also difficult because some of the submissions needed improvement, and we have to have discussions to help understanding before we vote on the submissions.”
Compass, which began in 2010, was the idea of English assistant professor Pennie Boyett, who wanted to create a magazine for SE students’ works.
She served as adviser and editor from 2010 to 2014.
“SE Campus had a magazine in 1999, but we didn’t have another one until the first issue of the Compass came out in 2010,” Boyett said.
From the beginning, the editors wanted an arts magazine. It was not just feature writing but also included photography, drawing, painting, sculpture and jewelry.
“Those of us who were working on it got lots of support and help because the college wanted us to do this,” she said.
The first issue also included the winning entries for the Festival of New Plays, an annual event for SE Campus student-written plays.
“In the 2014 Compass, we had some pictures and all from that festival, so we are supporting drama as well as music, art and writinga,” she said.
English instructor Arlandis Jones is the current Compass adviser. He assists with layout, design and graphics.
One recent afternoon, he was in his office working on the magazine’s cover design while student Sarina Proctor was working on her story about two girls who work together as exotic dancers.
“It’s a funny and really honest story,” she said.
