Over spring break, Cabrini’s communications department received brand new equipment for its video studio and control room.
Initial conversations for the upgrades began during the 2020-21 school year, but the money needed to purchase the equipment was not available. “We began having a conversation about us applying for a grant to try and get this equipment,” said John Doyle, assistant professor of communications. Doyle is also the advisor for Cabrini’s student-run video production agency, House 67.
Doyle, along with communications department chair Dr. Dawn Francis and Dr. Laura Chisholm, executive director of Development and Alumni Relations, ultimately found a grant through an organization called the Alden Trust roughly a year ago. The Alden Trust financially supports small undergraduate programs in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. The equipment was then purchased from a company called Applied Video Technology. Altogether, the total cost was roughly $150,000.
Issues and delays
However, there were several setbacks with the installation. “Our initial intention was to have it scheduled for August. I set a new deadline for October ninth,” Doyle said. “AVT was unable to meet that date. They came back and asked to begin the installation on the first day of spring semester 2024. [Cabrini’s] facilities and network people were uncomfortable with that turnaround time, so they asked if it could be done during spring break.”
In addition to the delayed installation, one of the new 55-inch monitors was found to be broken. “It was a monitor from 2021, so we had to prove to Panasonic that it needed to be replaced,” Doyle said. “There’s a break in the internal structure of the screen, so it’s going to be replaced at some point.”
Some of the equipment installed included a Tricaster TC-1 video switcher, three new remote cameras, a 3Play instant replay device, audio board and graphics console. “The gem of the whole thing is the remote box. It’s a rolling box that allows us to send signals to the control room from any location on campus, and it can be switched live,” Doyle said. “We can also give instructions remotely from the control room to students, anywhere there’s a camera. We can have remote commentators who can communicate with the control room.”
Isaiah Dickson, a senior digital communications and social media major and member of House 67, said, “With the new equipment we can increase the quality of our live productions whether it be with improved graphics or having instant replay. The instant replay feature is something I’m really looking forward to using. We’re hoping to do live productions of lacrosse games soon, and having this new equipment allows us to do bigger and better productions.”
What happens to it all?
While the new equipment is a major upgrade, it will become Villanova’s property once Cabrini closes in May, leaving only the remainder of the semester for Cabrini students to use it. Additionally, it’s currently unclear what will happen to the equipment once that occurs.
“In the definitive agreement, Villanova owns all materials on the campus. Villanova could make the decision to do a variety of things,” Doyle said. “The equipment I helped install is for Cabrini students to use for 60 days and for Villanova to have.”
The news of Cabrini’s closure created a question of whether or not to proceed with the equipment’s installation. “We got the grant before the closure announcement took place. We actually had some conversations of whether or not to continue with the installation,” Doyle said. “When we thought we could get it in the summer, we of course said yes. A full year with it would be great. Then the October date came and went, and now at this point we have to install it because we have to meet some kind of usage of it.”
