By: Lauren Filey
Physical copies of The Hampton Script returned to campus during Homecoming, marking a new chapter for the student-run publication following a brief operational hiatus.
Housed inside the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, The Script is operating under student leadership led by Editor-in-Chief Ceri Mundrati. The editorial team is executing a hybrid model that pairs milestone print editions with daily digital reporting.
While everyday news operations remain digital, physical print editions will be reserved for major university events, including Homecoming and spring Graduation.
"Alumni want to see the physical print," Mundrati said. "No matter how much we are able to keep up with the digital side of journalism, we're still keeping the roots of having a physical copy in hand. It's something they can take home."
The physical release drew strong student engagement across campus. Tyler Gunter, a first-year International Studies major, said print media holds a distinct cultural footprint at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
"I honestly think it made a lot of students excited to see that comeback because it's something that's very unique to HBCUs," Gunter said. "PWIs have it to an extent, but it's not nearly as reformed as the way that we have it."
Behind the scenes, the staff is preparing to launch a year-round digital platform in January.
In the interim, reporters are leveraging social media to publish real-time stories, conduct election coverage, and build brand awareness on campus.
Mundrati said her primary objective is establishing an authentic, student-first newsroom culture that encourages staff to investigate underreported campus topics.
"If it's something that they're like, 'I really wish the school talked more about this,' then I'm like, 'Please write about it,'" Mundrati said. "As long as it's correct, as long as you're getting the right interviews, and it's well-rounded, it's factual, I want you to write that story."
For Marquis McKinley, a first-year journalism major, watching his peers organize the relaunch provided immediate motivation during his first semester.
"I'm so proud of them," McKinley said. "You really have to look back and be inspired by the amount of youthful people in our class doing what they need to do to achieve. It's honestly inspiring, and I hope that more young Scripps people like me get to do what they're doing."
McKinley added that independent student outlets are essential for fostering accountability and transparent communication across the student body.
"With a campus like Hampton, you want to make sure the people experiencing it and being inside of it are able to communicate and get their voices out to the point where things can ultimately be changed," McKinley said.
Gunter echoed those sentiments, placing the revival of student journalism within a broader societal context.
"Especially when there's so many people that are trying to silence us as a culture and as a people, I think it's really important for us to have these student-run newspapers in order to be a form of not only expression, but of the times of what's happening on this campus," Gunter said. "If there's anything that we have at all, we have this."
