Sam Wofford, WRCM Secretary, playing his show in the old WRCM studio in the Research and Learning Center.
SAM WOFFORD / COURTESY
By Mary Haley, Asst. Features Editor / Marketing Chair
Along with many changes at Manhattan University over the summer, the university’s radio club, We Are College Music (WRCM), was moved to Thomas Hall 509, which was previously occupied by the residence life offices. After the university officially started renting the Research and Learning Center (RLC) building out to Atmosphere Academy, a Bronx public charter school, WRCM had to move urgently over the summer from their studio next to the RLC entrance on Corlear Avenue to their new location on the main campus.
This isn’t the first time WRCM has dealt with changes. The club has been around since the 1970s, and has experienced disruptions with other radio stations in the city and other situations that held the club back. Being a club with so much history comes with many memories and artifacts from over the years.
Senior and general manager of WRCM Annie Brennan spoke with The Quadrangle about her experience this summer moving the studio to Thomas.
“I got an email in the middle of July saying that RLC was rented out and we had to move immediately within the week,” Brennan said. “I commute, so it was totally fine… but we moved everything up to Thomas in one day, and now [the studio] is there, but I have been back a few times to make it look nicer.”
According to their website, wrcm.rocks, “WRCM is fully invested in providing a platform and community for Manhattan College students to express their creativity through live music and events as well as the continued curation of semesterly shows to be broadcast live on internet radio.”
Sadie Fox, webmaster for WRCM, shared some of her memories from the old booth in RLC and the community aspect it brought to Manhattan University.
“I just loved that booth because I am friends with a lot of the STEM majors, so I would always see them walking by when I would have my show,” Fox said. “It was always fun to see professors stop by, it was just very fun to see everyone. That was actually how me and my roommate started our show, because she always would come in and see [the studio].”
Even though saying goodbye to the old studio is bittersweet, WRCM is excited to have a new location on the main campus to start the year off with. Aaron Schoepf, WRCM’s technical director, is optimistic about the new location, as it is closer to other clubs in performance and the arts.
“It’s nice that it’s on campus, and I like that it’s within the performing arts department,” Shoepf said. “It’s up [in Thomas] by where Singers and Players are, because before we were kind of separated from that aspect of performing arts, so it’s nice that we’re all together and hanging out.”
As the new school year starts and the club fair approaches, students old and new can expect the same aesthetic and environment of WRCM even in its new location. Since shows have not yet started for the fall semester, the new studio setup has not yet been revealed. However, Brennan explained to The Quadrangle that they were able to reuse the same posters and frames, along with the same equipment.
“It’s going to be a surprise for everyone,” Brennan said. “Right now it’s still a small space, but we have our cassettes, our records, and all of our posters are everywhere. We also still have our yellow stools. So it’s kind of the same, but in a little different box.”
Despite this sudden and intense change, the E-board of the club is still committed to their mission of providing a creative platform for Jaspers.
“Our [new] location makes us more noticeable, and you can’t forget about us because now we’re right there,” Brennan said. “I hope that we do more programs, and I think this board is going to be really fun and have good ideas.”