World College Radio Day: community and creativity
Aggie Radio 92.3 FM, the Utah State University student-run radio station, celebrated World College Radio Day on Oct. 3 with a full day of programming, live music and a special collaboration with USUSA as part of Community Week.
College Radio Day is an international event that recognizes student-run radio stations. Aggie Radio marked the day by hosting hourly live interviews with student organizations and curated DJ sets.
“I think radio is a really good way to discover new music and to support students and artists,” said Katelin Budge, a student participant. “It’s a fun way to listen — less intentional than clicking on a song but more intentional than just shuffling a playlist.”
This event gave students a chance to experience college radio in person and connect with clubs across campus.
“Since it fell on Community Week, they reached out to me and wanted to do a collaboration by inviting some of our clubs under USUSA to do live interviews,” said Mia Bean, USUSA clubs and organizations executive director. “We wanted to get clubs who were ready to tell their stories and share a little bit more about what they do and why they do it.”
Student organizations from across campus participated in live interviews, including cultural, service and academic clubs. Each group had an opportunity to discuss its purpose, upcoming events and how students can get involved.
At the event, organizers held a raffle for students who attended the week’s activities, giving out prizes as part of the event. But beyond the prizes and performances, students said the event showed off the creativity of other students.
“All the people I know at Aggie Radio are great and have phenomenal music taste,” Budge said. “One of the benefits of Aggie Radio is that they’re able to speak out about things that maybe aren’t as permitted in other spaces.”
For Bean, that sense of community is exactly what the week was meant to highlight. She said the partnership between Aggie Radio and USUSA worked well because both groups share a similar message.
“Their message really aligned with what we were trying to do this week,” Bean said. “I just really want to emphasize for Community Week the value of community as well as individuality and becoming part of the Aggie family.”
Jillian Peterson, a host of the Aggie Radio show “Two Blonde Chicks,” attended the event.
“I love having a radio show because it makes me feel like I have a voice on campus,” Peterson said.
“Throughout the week, I plan out which songs to share on the show, as well as the things I want to talk about. “It’s honestly a creative outlet for me.”
For organizers, that creativity and self-expression is exactly what they aimed to highlight. The event not only showcased Aggie Radio’s student voices but also reflected the broader sense of community and individuality USUSA hoped to promote during Community Week, according to Bean.
“I feel like there have been a lot of changes not just at Utah State but within higher education in general,” Bean said. “So, I wanted to showcase their uniqueness and show that this is a place where everyone can belong — encouraging students to speak up, be themselves, be unique and share their stories.