Buffsity, a group made up of WTAMU media organizations, is creating an app that will redefine media integration at the University.

“Buffsity is an innovative and collaborative group of students that have come together representing different WT media outlets,” Dr. Leigh Browning, director of broadcast media, said.

After the Amarillo Addy Awards ceremony in Feb., Dr. Browning suggested a facelift for the station.  She wanted to do something new: something that had never been done before. The more she thought about it, the more she began to think that it was a project she wanted to see happen with more than just the radio station. She envisioned something bigger that would ultimately include a student-driven group with students from all WT media.

“What we need is to come together as student media and get a media app,” Browning said. “So we just decided to test and approach a collaboration and innovation across multiple platforms.”

Students met for the first time in Sept. to discuss plans for a mobile application. Dr. Browning, Dr. Cain, the Prairie adviser and Kim Bruce, the Eternal Flame adviser will be assisting the students as they make decisions regarding the app.

“At the first few meetings students were confused, they were frustrated, they were overwhelmed but they knew they were excited,” Browning said.  “Now they trust that we are not going to tell them what to do and they trust that we are going to catch them if they fall, and they trust they we are not going to let them do something that will not deliver results.”

Buffsity has been busy all semester and has divided multiple times into different teams or task forces to work on different projects.

“I love the idea because it seems more real lifelike, working with different people in different organizations,” Eric Brown, junior broadcasting major said. “It also helps my education in learning different aspects of media.”

Students selected to be on Buffsity were hand selected by Browning, Bruce and Cain.

“We have a group of students who are solid that are committed and that kind of see a relatively muddy vision,” Browning said. “These are the best students in the program.”

Buffsity will travel to New York City in the spring to compete at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference.

“We have $4,000 given to us from dean and $10,000 given to us to travel to New York to see what other universities are doing given to us by Dr. Albrecht,” Browning said. “It is that money that we will spend very wisely to determine where we go on from here.”

Kylie Berry, sophomore advertising and public relations major, said that the further the project develops, the more the Prairie, the Eternal Flame and KWTS will merge.

“We are WT Media, and that is what we are trying to accomplish to have the university see us as one entity working together,” she said.