Students trickled into the student lounge in Allen Hall on Thursday night to fill out paperwork and exchange nervous glances as they waited to be called in for their chance to star in the fifth season of “Duck U,” the University’s weekly, student-run television show. Although each student in the group of more than 30 hopefuls differed in major, desired position and level of experience, all of them shared the common goal of becoming part of a program meant to help University students gain skills to help them in their future careers.
Kevin Kaufman, a junior majoring in electronic media, heard about “Duck U” in one of his journalism classes. Although he has no experience, he said he hopes that the show can help him “learn something new” about the technical aspect of putting together a television program.
“This is a first step for me,” Kaufman said. “I’ve never seen the show before, but I am looking forward to it.”
Many of the auditioning students were first-timers, but some had worked for “Duck U” before and were re-auditioning in the hopes of getting a new position. Sophomore Dennis Pak, a theater arts major and returning cast member, said that although he receives college credit for his work on the show, he simply enjoys the opportunity to perform and interact with his peers.
“I don’t take account of how many credits I get,” Pak said. “I like the work that ‘Duck U’ produces. It’s a fun experience seeing it on the community channels.”
“Duck U” started five years ago as the brain-child of two journalism students who felt that they didn’t get enough exposure to electronic media in the classroom. Since 2002, “Duck U” has been offering University students the opportunity to work in fields such as broadcasting, video editing, videography and acting.
Matt Rose, a junior and one of the show’s executive producers, stressed that some of the most important aspects of the show are its student-run status and local emphasis. The news and sports segments of the show only cover Eugene-based news, making the topics particularly relevant to University students and faculty.
Because the aim of “Duck U” is to give students “real-life experience,” Rose said that each student, no matter what their job, is expected to create quality material – sometimes under tight deadlines. The skills acquired at “Duck U” will help all of its participants in their future pursuits, whether they be work related or not, Rose said.
The 30-minute show runs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Comcast cable channel 23 and on closed-circuit television in the residence halls on Thursdays at 9 p.m. on channel 14.
With one more night of auditions still ahead of him, Rose said that he’s looking for someone who has a “willingness to learn, an open mind and patience.”
“We need a person to have an engaging and dynamic personality. Other things can be taught. We can take whatever potential you have and make you a star,” Rose said.
The final chance to audition will be tonight at 6 p.m. in the downstairs lounge of Allen Hall.
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