GETTING TO THE POINT: Michael Burns (HIST ‘26) and Joshua Cronin (COMM ‘26) Talk about Student Politics and The Point

Joining host Tori Kiolbasa ('25) on GTTP is Student Government Association (SGA) President Mike Burns (HIST ‘26) and Senator Josh Cronin (COMM '26).  In addition to their service to student government, Mike is a columnist for The Point -- Fitchburg State University’s student-run newspaper -- and Josh hosts North Central News, a collaboration between The Point and Fitchburg Access Television (FATV).   

In their conversation, they talk with Tori about working across campus on different SGA initiatives, while balancing their community-oriented one with their journalistic responsibilities.

If you're interested in working on the podcast, register for College Newspaper Production (ENGL 3830) or contact The Point. 

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This is the third season of Getting to the Point (GTTP), an affiliate podcast of The Point, the Fitchburg State student newspaper.  Recorded in October 2024, it was produced by Tori Kiolbasa for the College Newspaper Production course taught by Prof. Wafa Unus.

Episode transcript can be found here.

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Mitchell Walsh (GAME+COMM '26) edited and mixed the episode for Perseverantia.

Click here to learn more about Perseverantia. Join us for programming updates on Instagram. Or reach out with ideas or suggestions at podcasts@fitchburgstate.edu.

Transcript

[ Getting to the Point theme fades in ]

Mitch Walsh (voiceover):
Welcome to Getting to the Point, a podcast supplement to Fitchburg State University student run newspaper, The Point. 

Tori Kiolbasa (host):
Today we will discuss the role the point has in both school, local and national politics. I'm Tori, the podcast producer for The Point, and I'm joined by.

Joshua Cronin:
Joshua Cronin.

Tori Kiolbasa (host):
And.

Michael Burns:
Michael Burns.

[ Getting to the Point theme fades out ]

Tori Kiolbasa (host):
Hello. Please, introduce yourself.  What's your major. What’s your year?  How'd you join the newspaper?

Joshua Cronin:
So, Yeah, my name is Senator Joshua Cronin. I'm a junior here at Fitchburg State. I'm a double major in Communications Media, and I focus in Film and Video, and Political Science- and as well as a member of The Point, I'm a member of the Student Government.

Michael Burns:
Hi, I'm Michael, I'm also a junior here at Fitchburg State. I am also involved in Student Government. I am currently acting Student Government President. I am a History major with an Economics minor. And I got involved in the point by- I just wanted to tell stories. My good friend Josh over here definitely suggested the course to me as well.

Joshua Cronin:
I couldn't get enough of it. After my first season with North Central News, working alongside while filming this, I knew it was the perfect place for my friend Mike here. To voice his- voice his concerns even more than Student Government, because obviously there are a bit more protections with, you know, joining The Point. 

There's like the student paper union, like the Writers Union, I believe it's called? I forgot off the top of my head but, like, there are plenty of, like, First Amendment backing abilities

Joshua Cronin:
By The Point that we don't necessarily have with, Student Government just because obviously, as a Student Government, we want to represent everybody and we try not to take stances on different, you know, conflicts that come up.

Michael Burns:
I think the freedom was also definitely something that I was intrigued by and brought me in to The Point as well. Being able to tell stories that I saw as important to my fellow students just seemed like a very enticing job, and the ability to get credits with it was also something I thought was pretty dope. I really enjoyed the ability to sink my teeth into something that I thought was prevalent to the students, and getting to use my research skills to really dig into it and see what's going on and share that with the campus.

Tori Kiolbasa:
Very nice. Both of you are part of the Student Government Association. What position do you hold there?

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah. So I can go first. Just because we want to save the big hitter for a second, right? But so currently I am a senator. I'm the co or vice chair for the AUC committee. I am the chairperson of the Advocacy Committee, and I am the police liaison.

Michael Burns:
He hypes me up too much but I am currently the President of the Student Government Association. I formerly serve as the liaison for Athletics and Rec as well as the co-chair for the AUC, Student Affairs and Student Policies committees.

Tori Kiolbasa:
Impressive. Both of you have a long list of responsibilities. So both the the point and the Student Government kind of have a role of speaking for the students. How does that, differ from one another? How are they similar?

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah. So it's honestly, it's a great question. First off, it is such a cool difference. Let me say for starters, for me working in journalism for what is almost six years now through high school and college- you get a different type of journalism than, like, the real world, obviously; you're still in school, there's still grading criteria on different stuff. But once you get to college, I mean, it's so different.

Joshua Cronin:
But Student Government is it's almost you're a voice of the student body. You are there to represent all of your classmates- whether you like them or not, whether you agree with them or not, you know. I have plenty of friends that are on the Student Government and I also have plenty of friends that are on The Point.

And the one similarity I will say is everybody on both sides wants to make a change. And I think that's why you get into this. Obviously, it's it's a class and a club. You're not getting paid for it. Most of us one day hope to get paid for something similar. I know myself, I want to go into politics one day, so it's just it's setting that solid concrete for a steady, career and path that I'd love to take one day. So by building all these different portfolios, the different work I do with different liaisons and committees- I mean in 2022, in high school, I was a Student Government Day winner, and I was one of 100 students in the state. Unfortunately during Covid so we didn't get to go to the State House, but it was an incredible opportunity. I've since then been connected with, my local rep Jake Auchincloss, which- nicest guy ever. But, yeah, I mean, like I said, you don't get into this for the money you get into it for passion. So while there are some differences in the process for that it's the same goal at the end of the day.

Michael Burns:
I couldn't agree more. I think that nobody's really looking for this, for the personal accolades. No one's looking at this to make some money. But we're doing it to be kind of connected to the student body in a type of way that we wouldn't otherwise be able to be. I mean, when I- when I think about when I'm working at The Point, I feel like I'm in the old time days where I'm standing on a box and in front of the crowd and- and telling my stories to everyone who will listen to it and- and kind of, you know, sharing what I believe about this campus and sharing the information that I believe best- best helps the students kind of navigate through what we're having right now. 

You know, we're in a very, very unique time at our university. We have had a new administration come in, we've had a lot of things shape up, and we're looking at a bright future. And, I mean, the more the students get involved in that, the better that is for for us, the better that is for the students, and that better that is for the administration as well. I wholeheartedly think that they believe that, and I believe that as well. And as Student Government goes, I think that I really feel like I'm one of the crowd and I'm fighting for my student body. And while most of the time it isn't a direct fight- I'm not really yelling at people.

We're not- we're not getting into anything crazy. The administration usually helps us out when they can. We have some excellent staff here, we have some excellent administrators that have been behind my back and Senator Cronin's back, and have the student bodies back. But we're really advocating for the students and pushing back against what we don't think is right and standing up for what we do believe is right,

Michael Burns:
And I think that that is the same thing for The Point. You know, this isn't a this isn't a newspaper from the university, this is a student run newspaper for the students of Fitchburg State University. And I think that that is such a unique opportunity as well as the ability to work with this new administration. You know, we're in such a- such a time where we can really have our voices amplified in a way that might not have been possible before.

And so I really just want to take as most advantage of that as I can and really just echo the student voice and echo our concerns, because I think that we're at a time where this is the most receptive that it'll be to that. I don’t know if that made any sense, but…

Tori Kiolbasa:
How does working for both The Point- the student newspaper- and SGA work. Is that in tandem? Do they work together, or do you kind of have to separate the two in your own, like, mind?

Michael Burns:
It has. I've had some difficulties, especially, in the start, kind of establishing a relationship with people that I've already had a connection with. I can quickly mention Doctor Bayless who is amazing. She's the best, as well as Doctor Donna Hodge. Quickly, I had to establish that, you know, I am working for the student publication so please be aware. That you have to internally decide, you know, I'm going to do this correctly. I'm going to do this professionally, you know; establishing this meeting is for Student Government, whereas this one is for The Point. Kind of just being professional with it because, you know, these are the relationships that are really going to help us both within the newspaper and Student Government.

And so you don't want to sour those, but at the same time, everyone here has been so receptive to that idea. My professors, my administrators, even my my students have been definitely grateful for the fact that, you know, someone is in both of those roles. And it has been difficult for my end, but I think it also kind of open doors for me. I made a lot of connections through Student Government that I wouldn't have otherwise met, that I wouldn't have felt as comfortable. 

You know, talking to Matt Bruun, our Public Information Officer and, you know, just understanding how the communication works throughout the university. You know, they treat us as a media outlet.

So if- if the Telegram Gazette or the Sentinel and Enterprise were to want to interview the President, they'd have to go through the same processes that The Point has to go through. And I think that's another thing of The Point that is that it's just awesome, because we get treated as a real news source- because that's what we are.

Michael Burns:
And when we get treated like a real news source, then it really just helps us understand what that's like in the real world as well as just kind of establishing the connections in the correct way.

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah. For myself, obviously, being part of that like pilot program with North Central News and FATV, I have received so much good push from administration. And ever since President Donna Hodge has joined us, I mean, I have not heard enough great things from her about it. You know, she was I saw her at the FATV this morning, we were chatting for a little bit. And it's those small things that make such a difference. She's a- she's a busy lady. She made time for speaking with, you know, me. I'm just a regular student, just like anybody else. And she sat there, she talked with me for about 15 minutes, and then she went on her merry way.

And something like that is truly, truly what makes a difference with an administration and a student body. And I definitely have a different perspective than most with The Point. I- I with my content, it's a bit less with the school and more the city itself. So they are pushing that extremely, partially- I think it's a bit because they know I'm not going to put them under the spotlight, but I know it's just because at the end of the day, they know this is what, you know-

This is what I want to do one day. This is just building that work portfolio, getting that criteria on a resume that looks just so good to them. So, you know, being able to have both of the different approaches from The Point and Student Government, it helps so much. I mean, just last year, I was able to build such a great relationship with Chief Cloutier of the University Police Department.

And he outright told me if there's anything Student Government needs, we will be there. Another great example of how a good administration can just get that much farther with kids on campus. And then, on the hindsight, when The Point does stories with, you know, the police department- or on them, not necessarily with them- they are there to answer the questions, hard or not. Whether it's helping them, or almost punishing them, because those are the things that should be brought to the spotlight and they know that. So they are actively working to do their best constantly, so that there isn't bad things to be said. Because when you're actively working to be better, you don't have those things that come up that are bad. 

So it's been a great opportunity working with both different sides of, school administration from both the point and, Student Government and honestly, I just can't say enough good things about this new administration.

I know- I know, you agree, Mike. Yeah. They've made a world, world of a change since they've been here for not even two full months.

Michael Burns:
Yeah, I couldn't agree more on both of those points. The administration has been doing great things that I've seen kind of happen in the day to day. Many new things that you wouldn't think changed, but I also agree with the role that Student Government and The Point plays. We really are here to kind of make sure that people are accountable and departments especially are accountable.

We're the ones pointing the spotlight that- that is looking down on- on these departments, and we can't let them skirt by; can't let them sweep it under the rug. And so some of the times, The Point is there- Student Government is there to really make sure that the students are advocated for. And that's just such an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful to be a part of.

Tori Kiolbasa:
Very nice. Yeah, it's very nice to have that connection and to really be a part of it, and have a meaningful voice to express it with. You're part of a lot of, school and local politics in this way. How does The Point go about kind of discussing that? Is it, how do you pick what topics to really go for?

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah. So, working with North Central News- not that politics isn't our forte. Obviously, as a Political Science major I can't get enough of the election, good or bad, Might I say. But at the end of the day, the stories me and Zoe are trying to captivate are not about the conflict or the battle that has become US politics today.

Our job is to highlight those extremely heartwarming good stories. Occasionally put some people under scrutiny- put the, you know, put the hard hitting questions where they need to be put. But we- we try and stay… not away from politics. We've been more than happy to work with, you know, local officials. We worked with intown last year to go over how they do the farmers markets at the Fitchburg Arts Museum.

Those are people that we want to highlight. Politicians have a lot of different places to have their voice heard, and I think people are kind of sick of it. So to be able to be an outlet where they're not heard people turn to. So it makes the difference.

Michael Burns:
I have a little bit of a different side of that. As a columnist. I have a little bit of more freedom towards that, and I've been I've been loving doing that. I've been loving kind of getting my own topics to really find meaning to, and as a columnist- columnists? Columnist. Yeah. I don't know. As someone who writes for The Point, I get to kind of choose what I'd like to write about most of the time, and I kind of get the freedom and while I do have that freedom, I tend to do the same thing of not necessarily focusing on the national politics, because, again, that has a lot of the spotlight. But what a lot of that freedom allows me to do is seek out how policies really affect 

Fitchburg State students and what that means locally. So- I'll give you an example of some of my first stories were about income inequality and housing zoning policies and how that might affect Fitchburg State students, and just students in higher ed in Massachusetts in general. So it may not be directly linked to politicians I'm, you know, I may not be pointing fingers- which I don't think might even be my role. I don't think it's either of our jobs to really point fingers at people. But we do have the ability to kind of show how it may prevail to students at Fitchburg State and show what- what, impacts might be happening for students of Fitchburg State, which I think is still very important.

Tori Kiolbasa:
It's clear you have a very clear understanding of what you want to bring forward, that you want to bring what matters to individuals around here, what matters to Fitchburg and Fitchburg State students. You want to focus on that and you want to focus on- and you want to focus on things that bring people together, like the farmers market, yeah. Is there any kind of connection to that and the SGA?

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah, I definitely think so. Like highlighting those good notes. It's definitely part of what we do with Student Government. It's our job to be the voice of the students, but it's also our job to make sure the community is a nice, welcoming place. And part of that is to be those people that are nice and welcoming.

I know when we have done different things like recruiting, we have a recruiting committee. We'll go to the different tours that Fitchburg will hold throughout the year for incoming freshmen. We have tables, we answer questions. I've done them myself. I've talked to parents of incoming freshmen that have said, you know, what is the school really like?

And to be able to be that person that answers with how, you know, the the blatant selling points of, you know, I get paid to do- I'm not getting paid to do that. That's all volunteer work, so I get to express my opinion. And it's good. Don't get me wrong, I love Fitchburg. I think it's one of the most beautiful campuses I've been to.

I love the people. The connections I made are absolutely incredible and will carry me through my career. But to be able to say that is something that makes the difference. I have, you know- part of advocacy committee, I held the town hall last year. We- we were able to get over 200 students to answer cards of different discrepancies they had with school.

And those are physical numbers. Statistics I bring to the school administration. Somebody like Jeff McVoy who's our head of dining on campus. He saw the fact that, for example, out of the 200 let's say, 50%- he saw that one fourth of the students who responded said they had issues with dining hall. Those are the things that get stuff done.

Joshua Cronin:
I think especially on campuses around the country, we've lost the etiquette of protest and getting the message out there and it's almost become a fire fight with authority and just officials in general. So by being that platform that's the middle guy- I'm a student, but at the same time I also want the higher education. I want that university to shine.

So a part of me really does want Fitchburg to be good and to be able to get, you know, back and forth on both of those different legs has been just a great experience. And it's just it makes- it makes it a world of a difference for my experience here.

Michael Burns:
That town hall event was fantastic, I can definitely attest to that and I am very much looking forward to the one that will be happening this year. We’re gonna get 400 students. Mark my words. We’re gonna have to move to Weston-

Joshua Cronin:
Tater Tot Bar.

Michael Burns:
Oh, yeah, tater tot bar. Great food. This is just promo for Town Hall now, but, you know, I- I very much agree. I find that The Point and Student Government both kind of hold that role of asking questions. You know, poking and prodding within whoever, whatever powers may be of why? Why is this the way that it is?

Why can't it be like this? Why did this happen? And why didn't this happen? You know, really making sure- as cliche as it is- making sure the students voices are heard and making sure that we're the most vocal for the student voices. Our job at both is to really amplify that. And our job is to make sure that someone can't walk from their car to wherever their office hours may be.

And back without hearing that the students have an opinion on X, Y, and Z, and, you know, making sure that they're really engaged in the people that are paying for their salaries, to be honest with you. Which is- may sound a little harsh, but to be honest with you, that's how I feel of, you know, we're- we're supporting this campus.

And I feel like this campus should really be supporting us in the best way it can. And not to say that it hasn't done that so far. I've had great experience on this campus, but always can be better, and I'm always going to be striving for it to be better.

Joshua Cronin:
I know this is a podcast so it's a bit different than my usual realm, but I've been shaking my head the whole time. I’m in agreeance. Agreement.

Tori Kiolbasa:
I'd love to end this with a very simple but complex question of what is The Point to you?

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah, so like I had said on the last time you guys had me on, I just think it's really a platform for you to be able to express your voice. To be able to say what you want and not receive punishment is an opportunity you just don't get at private universities, frankly. If you were to go and you were to found a Point and you were to talk bad about administrations, maybe a Dean, maybe a President of a University, you could get kicked out. You could face a lawsuit, you could be in serious legal trouble. Here, we have never faced that. We have gotten plenty of pushback as The Point, believe me. But at the end of the day, as a student press, you're protected to be able to have that voice. So at the end of the day, The Point really just means that it's a platform. And truly, everybody should take advantage of it.

Whether you are an English major, a Math major, Political Science, Comm Media- you should definitely take The Point.

Michael Burns:
First of all, in my opinion, The Point is awesome. I think that the point is really- really serves as a guide stone for our community a s Fitchburg State students. I think that we're really leading the way in what we see every day and how the, kinda you know, the campus is seen throughout the throughout the day, throughout the week, throughout the month.

We're really guiding what what is what is being brought to light on campus and that's such an invaluable opportunity and that's such an invaluable role that I really want to make the most of. And I think that the community aspect of this campus really is what brings the passion to the writers, to the editors, to everyone on the film, to everyone on the podcast, my EQ friends- everyone seeing people around this campus and getting a smile, getting a wave, getting a little nod from everybody.

You know, this is such a tight knit community and I want to serve that community. This is such a family at Fitchburg State we have here, and we've cultivated such a space where I haven't felt that on a lot of campuses, and I want to continue to preserve that. I want to continue to Perseverantia that.

What is it? Preserve? Perseverantia that? Yeah, pursed ants. I want to preserve that. Jokes aside, I want to- I want to really work for this community, I want to work on behalf of this community, I want to really enshrine my students voices. You know, I'm here to represent my constituents. And that's what I want to do.

And in the- in the Student Government and that's what I want to do in The Point, and The Point is just a vessel to get there. And I will take as much advantage of it, and I will get everything I can for my student body.

Tori Kiolbasa:
Thank you so much for that. Thank you for listening to Getting to the Point. Thank you to my guests.

[ Getting to the Point theme fades in ]

Joshua Cronin:
Yeah. Of course. Thanks for having me back. Please have me back, I love this.

Michael Burns:
Yeah. Please invite me some more. It was great.

Joshua Cronin:
Another outlet.

Michael Burns:
Another? Yeah. Another outlet.

Joshua Cronin:
That doesn't want to hear more Josh Cronin.

Tori Kiolbasa:
It's been very nice listening to you, hearing from you. 

Michael Burns:
Do you want to hear more ideas? Invite us back.

Joshua and Michael:
Or come to Student Government meeting Tuesdays at 6:30

Michael Burns:
Hammond G 21.

Joshua Cronin:
G 21.

Tori Kiolbasa:
Thank you for listening to Getting to the Point. See you next time.

[ Getting to the Point theme continues ]

Zoe Chrisostomides:
Getting to The Point is an affiliate of The Point, Fitchburg State students’ newspaper. We want to hear from you, our listeners. Your feedback, questions, and story ideas are crucial to shaping the content we produce. Reach out to us through our website or social media platforms. If you are interested in working on the podcast, register for our College Newspaper Production. ENGL 3830.

[ Getting to the Point theme fades out]

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Geybrell Liriano:
This is Geybrell Liriano, a sophomore at Fitchburg State University.  And you’re listening to Perseverantia, the Fitchburg State University Podcast Network.

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