The Jambar
A new semester at Youngstown State University ushers in another busy four months for The Jambar.
2024 was arguably the biggest year for the publication, in terms of online viewership and newsworthy content. Thejambar.com had over a combined 2,000 views on various stories written by current and former Jambar staff members.
Although it’s impossible to count the amount of paper views, The Jambar website has tracked its online viewership with the help of WordPress.com.
Through 12 editions of the publication and countless articles, The Jambar has compiled a top five list of its most viewed stories of 2024.
Starting the list at No. 5 is “The arts push back against cuts” written by former Copy Editor Elizabeth Coss.
In the first week of 2024, YSU announced its plan to sunset four music degrees in the Dana School of Music.
A petition was created and backed by both YSU alumni and current students to “Save Dana” on Jan. 5 in response to the cuts.
The petition gained over 7,000 signatures and several protests were held to combat the cuts on the programs, which many feared was the end of Dana.
Two articles tied at the No. 4 spot, each garnering 181 views. Another story by Coss makes the list with “Cutting down to business; YSU ends six degrees.”
The 2024 spring semester was met with uncertainty, as YSU began its agenda to sunset six programs. From a Bachelor of Arts in Geography to a Master of Music in Jazz Studies, those degrees were phased out because of low enrollment.
Two months later, former Sports Editor John Ostapowicz wrote “From bedroom pop to Boyscott.” The article depicted the musical journey of indie pop and indie rock band, Boyscott.
Multi-instrumentalist Scott Hermo Jr. formed the band in 2015. Since the band’s formation, tracks such as “Nova Scotia 500” and “Killer Whale” have a combined 50 million streams on Spotify.
The spring semester was also YSU President Bill Johnson’s first year at the university. His first few months were met with mixed reviews.
Former Editor-in-Chief Molly Burke and former News Editor Christopher Gillett wrote a collaborative article titled, “Students to walkout on Johnson’s first day.”
The story focused on YSU students organizing a walk out against Johnson’s presidency at 10 a.m. Jan. 10 outside of Tod Hall. The information within the published work grabbed the attention of over 200 viewers, which ranks at No. 3 on the list.
Recently rising to the No. 2 spot is “Goodbye to Google” by Burke. Google is one of the most used programs in the world and at YSU, it’s no longer supported on campus-owned devices.
The announcement was made in early February because of YSU’s increase in cybersecurity attacks over a 12-month span.
A surprise entry at No. 1 is an editorial written by former Managing Editor and Associate Producer Dylan Lux titled, “Who’s going to win the Super Bowl?”
Lux’s article has cemented itself as one of the most viewed on The Jambar website with 418 total interactions.
Looking back at the article, Lux got the winner of Super Bowl LVIII correct, as the Kansas City Chiefs’ organization hoisted its second-straight Vince Lombardi Trophy.
With Johnson’s one-year anniversary approaching Jan. 22 and Super Bowl LIX in February, it’s quite possible bigger news is on its way in 2025.
