Her Campus, a national online magazine at Augustana, recently regained their national recognition from headquarters after losing it last year. Augustana’s Her Campus is now able to use the magazine’s name and website, as well as receive benefits from the company.
Her Campus’s goal is to motivate college women to find and share their voices. Founded by collegiate women with the intent to help and guide other women throughout college, Her Campus works with over 380 campuses all over the world.
Co-president of Her Campus at Augustana, junior Bryn Hansmeier, said that their national recognition was lost during her sophomore year due to miscommunication and leadership issues. But, with the help of other members, they worked for months to get it back.
According to Hansmeier, in order to get their national recognition back, the club had to undergo a series of exams and write an essay requesting recognition back.
“We love the group, and we saw how it could flourish. So, we worked really hard to get our national recognition back,” Hansmeier said. “We did get it back, and this year is like a fresh start for us.”
Augustana Her Campus is now able to receive promotional deals and sponsorships from the national Her Campus, recently receiving brands such as Prada and Sol de Janeiro. These gifts are given to club members for them to enjoy and promote on their website and via social media.
Each campus has their own section on Her Campus’s website where campus specific articles and information is published. Hansmeier and co-president, junior Cristal Moreno Aguilar, are responsible for ensuring that the website is all in order.
According to Hansmeier, Her Campus aims to make all individuals feel welcome. Although it is established as a place for women, all genders are welcome and encouraged to join.
Junior Janey Locander is the senior editor for the writing department. She has been involved in Her Campus since her first year at Augustana.
“I remember coming into the first meeting my first year and there were so many girls,” Locander said. “I feel like over the years, the message of empowerment has stayed the same.”
Locander said that during her first year, Her Campus played a huge role in her campus experience. She, along with many others, share the goal of creating the feeling of safety and comfort for incoming First-Year students.
As senior editor, she oversees the articles and helps the team grow as writers.
“I’m a townie, so whenever I hear about opportunities, I share them with people with the hopes of getting them published,” Locander said.
Sophomore Ava Jackson is another writer for Augustana’s Her Campus.
“I think that Her Campus does a good job at promoting individual interests,” Jackson said. “I’ve learned that everyone is so different in a good way. They all have such unique outlooks.”
Jackson considers the group as a safe space and creative outlet.
“Her Campus is to spread everyone’s individual passions, but also connect that to a broader society,” Jackson said.
Her Campus puts on many events throughout the school year. The most recent one was OctobHERfest. The annual event took place on the quad Friday, Oct. 20.
OctobHERfest was a carnival with many games, along with free gifts like perfume samples from Prada. There was also a Planned Parenthood table where they gave out free contraceptives, t-shirts and more.
Janey Locander formerly worked for the Observer.
