RENOvation: FAQs
- What will we do?
- What will advisers do?
- Does my adviser have to attend?
- What should I bring?
- What are the arrangements for room and board?
- I’m a parent. What should I know?
- I’m an adviser. What should I know?
- What time do we need to arrive/depart?
Here’s a typical day at RENOvation
7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Morning all-camp meeting and warm-up
8:30 Writing/Reporting class (e.g. Intensive Feature Writing, Scriptwriting for Video Projects, The Online Breaking News Story, etc.)
10:00 Break
10:15 Writing/Reporting Class, cont. (may be a new class or a workshop extending the earlier class)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Guest speaker TED-style talk with Q&A
1:30 Production class (Either print design or online/multimedia production. e.g. Principles of Design; Designing Smarter, Not Harder; The Narrative Arc in Digital Storytelling; Make Better Video Stories for your Site) in state-of-the-art labs
3:00 Break
3:15 Hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs (may include InDesign, Photoshop, iMovie, Premiere, web-based applications)
5:00 Evening break and dinner
6:30 Reporting and production time (Students will work on their individual or team projects.)
8:30 Evening activities in dorm
10:00 In rooms, room checks
At least two breakout sessions per day will be targeted at advisers. Everything from managing the 24/7 newsroom to web publishing and the law to basic new adviser training will be scheduled based on the specific needs of advisers attending. Outside of the breakout sessions, advisers will be able to attend the regular classes in their area of greatest need.
Advisers attending without students will work on their own projects as a way to cement the skills they are learning at the workshop.
Advisers attending with their students will have the added benefit of learning alongside their students and coaching them in the same way they would coach them in the classroom. Faculty instructors will be available to critique your staff’s print or online publications and offer advice catered to your staff’s specific needs.
By the end of the workshop, advisers should walk away confidently with new lessons and skills to help in the upcoming year.
Does my adviser have to attend?
No. Students can attend without their advisers.
PDFs of at least the latest edition of your publication. (You can bring this on a CD or on your flash drive. If your media is accessible online (on a Web site or on Issuu.com) that’s fine, too.
A variety of clothing. Dress is casual and it is summer, but remember Reno has snow in every month of the year! It can be hot and humid after a thunderstorm, but you will also need a jacket and raingear, such as a poncho. If you live in flip-flops all summer, bring a pair of sneakers with socks, too — just in case.
Allergy medication if you take it.
A blanket and pillow (Army blanket, sheets, pillowcase, one pillow and towels are provided.)
An alarm clock, toiletries and whatever else will make you comfortable in your room (although you’ll be so busy, you won’t see it much).
Rooms will be virtually empty – no soap, hangers, washcloths, etc.
Attendees are encouraged to bring
Digital cameras and recorders and the necessary cables, charges and adapters. (Your cell phone may very well be your best digital tool.)
Laptops or netbooks, with chargers and cables. (There are plenty of computer stations for you to use, but you may bring your own equipment.)
Students will be housed in campus dorms, two per room. (Students who do not come with a roommate will be assigned one of the same gender.) All rooms have a private bath. Each bed has two sheets, a pillow and case, a thermal blanket and a set of towels. These are adequate for most attendees.
The cafeteria is all-you-can-eat (there — nothing leaves the dining room) and has several service areas featuring Mongolian BBQ, salad bar & fresh soups, “meat and potatoes,” desserts, panini, waffles, etc. Some venues may rotate and be closed each day.
There is no gaming (gambling) on the UNR campus. With the exception of the school stadium, UNR is a dry campus serving no alcohol. Law enforcement agencies regularly conduct sting operations for illegal activity.
Campus police are quite vigilant about providing a safe campus and actively patrol the facilities. All illegal behavior is followed-up by the local Reno Police Department.
UNR runs a campus escort service for anyone who requests it through 2 a.m. — an hour at which we expect our students to have been asleep for several hours.
The nearest hospital with emergency services is about five blocks away from the campus.
Advisers will be housed in campus dorms in private rooms near their students.
Advisers are not required to attend with their staffs and individual staffers may attend singly, if that is their only option. RENOvation will offer sessions specifically for advisers in addition to the standard sessions for all participants. We will also provide times for staffs to work together and plan for the coming year. Staffs will benefit most by attending with their advisers and core staff members.
RENOvation will provide time for advisers to collaborate formally and informally with each other and with the adviser-instructors. Feel free to bring your staff manuals or other instructional materials for consultation or revision. Our goal is to send you back home with new ideas and skills — and a staff that’s ready to jumpstart your program in the fall.
Registration will open at 11 a.m. and run through 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 16. The program begins at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday. Participants should note that lunch is not provided on the first day; however, there are several places to eat within walking distance of the dormitory.
The workshop will conclude with a closing showcase and luncheon. Families are invited to arrive early to attend the luncheon and view student work. The closing showcase will begin at 11:45 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. All participants should be picked up by 2 p.m.