Photo by Tori Jones
A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the official opening of the Kyle Seitsinger Newsroom on Wednesday. The convergence journalism lab in the Communication Department of the Gaylord Center has been in the process of change for over a year, and was completed just in time for the ceremony.
The lab was named in honor of former Oklahoma Christian student Kyle Seitsinger, who was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. Jan. 29, 2014 marked the 10-year anniversary of Kyle Seitsinger’s death, and Oklahoma Christian wanted to honor and memorialize him in some way.
“This story needed to be told,” Distinguished Professor of Mass Communications Philip Patterson said. “The best way to approach it was to go to the family and see if we could honor Kyle in a significant way. We wanted to memorialize their son while filling the need for a convergence journalism lab.”
Honorary guests at the ceremony included Kyle’s parents, Dan and Jo Seitsinger, and his sister Karla Schwarz with her husband, Rob, and son, Barrett.
“Of course, I would rather have Kyle present, but in his absence, at least he has a name on the wall,” Dan Seitsinger said. “I appreciate the effort for what everyone did to make this day possible. I feel very proud of Kyle and this university.”
A donation from Dan Seitsinger in memory of his son was provided to Oklahoma Christian to make the restoration.
“I think it was a very generous thing for them to do and I really appreciate it,” Macie Bentley, Eagle Angle reporter and anchor, said. “I think that it is a great way for not only them to honor Kyle, but also OC to honor him as well.”
Kyle was no ordinary student. Before coming to Oklahoma Christian, he served for more than six years in the Marine Corps, resulting in his fellow students nicknaming him “Sarge”.
Kyle enrolled at Oklahoma Christian in the fall of 2000 and started his double major of journalism and Spanish. While he was a student he wrote and edited for the Talon and contributed to the Oklahoman and the Edmond Sun.
While in college, Kyle was enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and was called to serve in November of 2003, 12 months before graduation. Kyle was serving as an Army Sergeant in Afghanistan when a weapon cache exploded, killing him and seven other men.
It was the U.S.’s single largest loss of life in Afghanistan at that point in time, and Kyle is also the only active student in Oklahoma Christian’s history to be killed in the line of duty.
“Kyle would be pleased that he was tied into innovation,” Patterson said. “He had a plan for his life. If this innovation does the same for the students now and gets them on the ground faster than otherwise, he would be thrilled.”
As journalism continues to spread across multiple platforms, an integration of print and broadcasting reporting is becoming the news standard. The Oklahoma Christian Communications Department began a project to prepare students entering this field by converging the Talon newspaper and Eagle Angle broadcasting together.
“Providing a common workspace will help integrate the different mediums,” Bentley said. “I know the broadcasting has had meetings in there. I have had a PRSSA officers’ meeting there. It’s just a great area. All the utilities that are provided for us is a great gathering place that we can use.”
The newsroom is now equipped with 19 desks for editors and producers and a conference table. New carpeting and three flat-screen TVs were also additions to the room.
The renovations inserted a hallway between the newsroom and the broadcasting studio, providing a quick access between the two.
“I wasn’t familiar with it before,” Dan Seitsinger said. “When they first announced they were renovating, Dr. Patterson showed me around, and he was very excited that they were able to do this. Seeing it now, they really did a great job on this project.”
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