The popular online social content platform The Odyssey has started a chapter at Buena Vista University (BVU).

On Monday March 28, the chapter officially launched with 13 writers and three administrative staff; Deidree (Dee) Friesen, Madeleine McCormick, and Kylee Deering. The Odyssey collects stories written by young adults for young adults and gives them a voice through the website.

“It’s about giving up-and-coming generations a platform to speak their minds and connect,” said Elisabeth Niebuhr, a junior Corporate Communications major and contributing writer for The Odyssey chapter.

In order to establish the chapter administrative staff had to go through an application process via an editor for The Odyssey in New York. Once the administrative staff was hired they could begin hiring BVU writers.

“The writers go through a similar application process, where they apply on The Odyssey, but then once we see those go through they set up an interview with Dee basically just to make sure they’re really interested and would be a good contribution to the group” said Deering, a freshman Corporate Communications major and contributing editor for BVU’s The Odyssey chapter.

Digital Media professors Jamii Claiborne and Andrea Frantz have been big supporters of the BVU chapter.

“Jamii Claiborne and Andrea Frantz have both been really big supporters, helping in any way they can and encouraging all three of us to go for it,” said Deering. “They want to see us succeed.”

Deering said that the chapter is looking for more writers from various areas of study to add to their current staff.