After a year and a half without an official adviser to turn to, student media leaders of UVMtv, the Vermont Cynic and WRUV were relieved when Andy Elrick accepted the role. 

Elrick received the job offer Dec. 14 and began working Jan. 10, he said. Leaders of the three student media groups led the search committee for their adviser — a welcomed change after student media leaders felt they were left out of the hiring process for the interim adviser. 

“Always, but especially early on, I want to just be present as much as possible, without being overbearing,” Elrick said. “There are a lot of parts to the job, but the fun part, I’m thinking, is going to be actually getting to sit with students while they make media.” 

Elrick has extensive media experience, including a background as a producer at ESPN Radio Network and at CBS Sports Network, according to his resume. He has a Bachelor of Arts in communications, two media-related master’s degrees and is on track to complete a PhD. 

Still, Elrick feels he has much to learn about the needs of each student media organization and about the structure of the University in general, he said. 

“You have these three really different organizations that do totally different kinds of media with totally different goals,” he said. “And while I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone who was super experienced in all three of those things, I come as close, I hope, as is possible.” 

Junior Sam Lacey, station manager at WRUV, looks forward to having an adviser with so much radio broadcasting experience and whose technological expertise will be especially helpful for operations at WRUV, she said. 

“From the moment that we interviewed him, my business director and I looked at each other, and we were like, ‘This is the guy that we want,’” Lacey said. 

Lacey hopes to utilize Elrick’s background in sports journalism to expand the kinds of content produced at her station, she said. 

“We’re an alternative radio station, we’re not just alternative music,” Lacey said. “So we want to serve as an alternative for everything.” 

Senior Daisy Powers, president of UVMtv, said she was pleased with the decision because of what Elrick has to offer to her organization. 

“[Elrick] has a lot of knowledge about all the things that are needed to be all of our advisers and honestly, he has a lot of TV experience specifically,” Powers said. “I think he’s just excited to see what we’re doing and excited to help us grow.” 

Senior Kate Vanni, Editor-In-Chief of the Vermont Cynic, said she is excited and relieved to see the position filled, especially given that student leadership played a primary role in the selection process.

“[Elrick] was really interested in how our club works and came prepared with lots of questions to ask us, which, to me, really shows how interested someone is,” Vanni said. “While he doesn’t have as much experience in the journalism world, he is extremely eager to fill that gap.” 

Dean of Students David Nestor, co-chair of the hiring committee, said Elrick’s interest in student life set him apart from the rest of the applicant pool. While most applicants asked about work benefits and the timeline for the decision, Elrick only seemed interested in students’ needs. 

“So much of his background is sports, in TV production and stuff like that, and I think we thought of him as, ‘Oh, he’s a sports and TV guy,’” Nestor said. “As time went on, he began to open up like an onion.” 

Elrick said he hopes to meet with each organization’s leadership teams weekly in addition to attending executive board meetings and other functions upon invitation.