Want to know what’s happening on campus? Marvita Oliver recommends that you check out JCCC’s Internet radio station, ECAV. Oliver is the  2010-2011 station manager.

Oliver came to JCCC in summer 2009. She had thought first about attending an online school. Her son was applying to JCCC, though, and so she decided to apply as well. Her first summer class, Acting I, led to two more courses in the fall and then to four courses in spring 2010, including journalism classes funded by a Rose Family Scholarship for journalism students. She worked for The Campus Ledger, the student newspaper, in the fall and spring.

“I kept seeing the radio staff between shows in the Ledger office and became interested in what they were doing on the air,” Oliver said. Though not known as much of a talker, Oliver finally got up the nerve and joined ECAV, the college’s Internet radio station, in the spring. “It was a chance to do something different, and it became a lot of fun.”

This year, Oliver will be in charge of the radio station. “I want ECAV to get out there and be known on campus,” Oliver said. “We want people to look to ECAV for information and find it as an online resource that answers students’ needs for music, news, sports, school events and interesting programs.”

During this, ECAV’s second, year, Oliver plans to add to the fun by improving the station’s visibility with students and the community, both on campus and outside the college, as well as establishing a regular programming schedule. Programs will include such topics as health, inspiration, politics, sports, pop and local music and comedy. She encourages students who are interested in joining ECAV’s diverse and dynamic programming staff as DJs, reporters or marketing representatives to apply for jobs online or to volunteer.  

“If students have ideas for shows, they should feel free to pitch them with me, and if you’re committed to showing up, ECAV radio will help make it happen,” Oliver said.

Internet radio wasn’t part of Oliver’s resume in the past. She graduated from Shawnee Mission South High School and went to Tougaloo College in Mississippi, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics. After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University, she went to work in telecommunications. She traveled to Ghana to do ministry work and later did some consulting. After living in Ghana for 12 years, she returned to the United States in 2009 and wanted to update her skills.

“I want to learn more about media business and technology,” she said. “Things change so fast in media as a whole. JCCC offers great opportunities for students to stay competitive with the changes in the media business and its technology. JCCC also provides opportunities to meet key players in the Kansas City market and to have hands-on journalism experience.”