This is the story of how the strange accounts recorded in other episodes came to be. Written by Eric Hilker and Peter Miller. Voiced by Peter Miller, Eric Hilker, and M. Dalanda Diallo. Editing by Sara Bastianelli, and support from Sound on Grounds at the University of Virginia.

On a walk back from the Corner on a Saturday night, four students uncover that strange things are happening on grounds due to the influence of a mysterious group who work behind the scenes and are manipulating students in ways that they are completely unaware of.

Written and voiced by Scott Clark, Cooper Southworth, Angelina Ky, Samuel Lloyd, and Jace Oliver. Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

Ecumenopolis follows the story of a galaxy brought to its knees by an industrial empire. We follow six unlikely heroes as they work to form a plan to topple the regime from within. Brought together from different backgrounds, they each hold a certain disdain for the government, yet some need convincing more than others. Will this rebellion finally collapse an oppressive reign, or will this be another meaningless blip on the radar?

Written and voiced by Sam Padilla, Shaniya Gray-Jackson, Bethel Mekonnen, Addison Pennings, Aarush Penmesta, and Charles Hapgood. Recorded and edited by Blake Cabral and the Sound on Grounds team.

Set in the year 2050, six people are locked in a bunker after the threat of nuclear fallout: a scientist, a failing medical student, a child, a pregnant woman, an old man, and a Michael Jackson impersonator. Running low on food, they must decide on who to send out; an ethical dilemma that will result in one of them dying.

Written and voiced by Madyson Dixon, Amie Do, Aaron Hopper, Will Murphy, Grayson Sipe, and Ava Tran Recorded and edited by Blake Cabral and the Sound on Grounds team.

The Cure is a science fiction audio drama about scientists who create a chip meant to cure diseases but discover its power to control people. The story explores the consequences of blind ambition and the moral limits of science.

Written and voiced by Alice Zhang, Cheyoung Kim, Elliott Wright, Fatima Haddi, and Jacqueline Knecht. Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

This episode describes a city that has a hidden truth. We follow Cow and Rabbit on their journey in the underground Renard Orphanage as they navigate their seemingly "normal" lives. They interact with Cat and Fox, who each have a crucial role in their lives.

Written and voiced by Iris Carvalho: Narrator Kayla Butville: Cow Tristan Howdyshell: Fox Geoffrey Lin: Cat Ethan Timar: Rabbit

Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

This is the best episode!

Written and voiced by Romy Byrne, Blake Clayton, Muneeb Malik, Daniel Lee, Bodie Lohr, and Matthew Walls. Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

An alien race in a galaxy far, far away, on a planet named Chukula, has discovered Earth and has found a “primitive” civilization on the planet. After Earth’s discovery, there have been heated debates about whether to enter diplomatic relations with the people or to conquer their planet and eradicate them, or even enslave them. On a publicized TV program, a moderator hosts a debate between someone who believes homosapiens aren’t subject to the same human rights as their race, the superioralis orgalis, and one who believes they are. During the debate, clips from Vorpus Dingleshneeb's journalism are shown to the audience and debaters to provide context and evidence for the debaters' claims.

Written and voiced by Lane Caldwell, Dylan Mayton, Oliver Regal, Ethan Edwards, and Thomas Ayoub-Winder. Recorded and edited by Blake Cabral and the Sound on Grounds team.

Sounds used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oO3GDAyHCc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNf4Q7G-p2g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQAK1HciLcY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEJ0ccLDII https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXbEO5Kbgc

The audio drama depicts an old man telling a story to a young boy about how life used to be (humans and genetically engineered humans).

Written and voiced by Aleena Seyam (Ash), Dorian Colina (Flint), Ewan Becher (Elias), Aarnav Bandam (The Overseer) and Nishanth Kolakalapudi (the Narrator). Recorded and edited by Dalanda Diallo and the Sound on Grounds team.

The planet of Bolb has a decomposing core, and a select team of specialized Blobs (the inhabitants of Bolb) are tasked with finding a solution. The team discovers Earth, which is slowly being destroyed by its inhabitants and only has a couple years before it reaches an end. Earth has a suitable core that could save the planet Bolb, but in order to take Earth's core, the team would need to blow up Earth. This moral dilema creates a problem that the crew could not have forseen. Will Earth survive, or will its core be used to save the people of Bolb?

Written and voiced by Vicki, Arsen, Hanlin, Zach, and Ryan. Recorded and edited by Blake Cabral and the Sound on Grounds team.

Written and voiced by Rachel Martin, Allegra Cowan, Amelia Fort, Helena, Garrison Cade, and Isaiah Garrett. Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

Written and voiced by Jude Sounder, John Aziz, Mae Bledsoe, Nicole Chen, and Xavier Torres-Seda.

Recorded and edited by Dalanda Diallo and the Sound on Grounds team.

In this dystopian news-style episode, listeners are taken live to the Senate floor as lawmakers debate the controversial Purification Bill—a measure that would mandate the immediate euthanization of all “plasticized” people in the United States. With plasticized births rising to nearly forty percent, fear and political momentum fuel the Purified Movement’s push for eradication, while the Plastic People’s Movement fights back, arguing for human rights, responsibility, and accountability for the pollution that caused plasticization in the first place.

Through tense testimonies, moral clashes, and a final decisive vote, the episode explores themes of scapegoating, environmental responsibility, ableism, and the dangers of extremism disguised as practicality. The bill ultimately passes, triggering nationwide unrest and the declaration of martial law. “Purification” leaves listeners questioning who society chooses to protect—and who it decides is disposable.

Written and voiced by Sophia Dortch, Sam Rowanhill, Emma Holt, Rishabh Malkani, and Connor Anderson.

Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

This is the story of a society running out of time, and drastic measures are taken to preserve what little air is left. Lungs can be swapped out but minds cannot, raising the stakes even higher for all who must take the test.

Written and voiced by Charlotte Gabriel, Michael Tardivo, Mariam Gabriel, Emily Acuto, Kai Stone, and Evan Yan.

Recorded and edited by Dalanda Diallo and the Sound on Grounds team.

This episode reimagines the 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast through an alternate perspective. As Martians invade Earth, this podcast follows a group of civilians aboard a flight into the heart of New York City. In the face of peril, the characters navigate conflict, interpersonal relationships, and ethical dilemmas.

Written and voiced by Parker Walls, Richard Gao, Adelaide Caron, Taylor Purcell, and William Martin.

Recorded and edited by Sara Bastianelli and the Sound on Grounds team.

As the final project for Professor Hilker's EGMT 1540: Sci-Fi Ethics class, we created a fictional podcast. Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron," this podcast is set in the year 2031 and explores themes of government power, collective punishment, and systemic control. Special thanks go to the Robertson Media Center and Michael Moxham for the editing of this podcast.

Gaston: Jared Olster
Hans: Ethan Derman
President: Aarna Bhamidipati
Chief of Staff: Sandra Zhang
Senator: Anish Mummadi
Head of FBI: Nandinbilig Tamir

Art Citation: Image generated using ChatGPT (GPT-4o / DALL-E) by OpenAI, from the prompt "Create me a cover picture for our podcast called The Mediocrity Campaign. Include handicaps and two men, one smarter and one stronger", 10/07/2026, (https://chatgpt.com/)

Audio Citations:
- Intro Music Audio excerpt from 'grendy2.flac' courtesy of jmguru (https://freesound.org/people/jmguru/sounds/117723/)
- Paper Effect from 'Rustling Paper SOUND Effect' courtesy of SOUND Effects Public Domain (No Copyrights) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-N_weqD8i8)
- Fighting Effect from 'Fighting sound effects' courtesy of ChaosCore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZcC1oK291I)
- Sirens Effect from 'Alarm Siren, Fast Oscillations' courtesy of Kinoton (https://freesound.org/people/Kinoton/sounds/420661/)
- Running Effect from 'Soldiers Running Sound Effect' courtesy of Sound Effect Database (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHy3KE9jGbw)
- Gunshot Effect from 'Homemade Gunshots 01' courtesy of MalikArsYasakani (https://freesound.org/people/MalikArsYasakani/sounds/833318/)
- Alarm Effect from 'USA EAS Alarm Sound Effect' courtesy of Free Sound Effects (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWM2v_8Q1o)
- Walking Effect from 'footsteps on wood #1 floor sound effect (royalty free)' courtesy of NE sounds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOkNZmy6uF8)
- Door Effect from 'Door Open and Close - Sound Effect' courtesy of FeeSou (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ur01bT1778)
- Chair Effect from 'Moving Chair Sound - Sound Effects' courtesy of SR BEST SOUND EFFECTS. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jftd7vwcE9Q)
- Table Effect from 'punch a table - sound effect' courtesy of touch of sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmAu4Nm7uiE)
- TV Effect from 'TV On and Off Effect (After Effects)' courtesy of N-Forced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-nbvAnq65I)
- News Station Effect from 'FREE NEWS INTRO - BROADCAST NEWS TEMPLATE' courtesy of Free Motion Graphics Background Animation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD_7AyYXrSY\&list=PLfmqLhN9GsBcv7VXxGyUAA927AnAOfbNc\&index=2)
- Facility Door Effect from 'Heavy Metal Door Opening and Closing' courtesy of Royalty Free Sound FX (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c90uCjVbW_g)
- Jail Cell Effect from 'Big heavy door open and close sound effect' courtesy of sound effects Library (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W0hFSTmViM)
- Wearing Headphones Effect from 'Wear Headphone Sound Effects' courtesy of SOUND and IMAGE FX (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za1oHvunees)
- Droning Effect from 'Drone Whine 01-MP3' courtesy of jdthorud (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZtOfq3ul-D8zKKl84Jw8nPCO6U4Af4Il)
- Outro Music Audio excerpt from 'Cracked mirrors' courtesy of Victor_Natas (https://freesound.org/s/609393/)

A prequel to War of the Worlds, 'The War Before,' explores the political tensions of Mars as dwindling resources force its leaders to confront the difficult decisions about the future and survival of the Martian race.

Two interplanetary travel-agency environmentalists reach New Years Island and begin exploring its remnants. They encounter some native islanders and talk about the state the Great Joy Corporation left the ecosystem in. The natives also tell them about the “spirit of the island,” which was once a peaceful force that embodied all living ecosystems across the island. Now the islanders are left to suffer because of the Great Joy Corporation's wrongful actions.
To develop this podcast we worked alongside Sound on Grounds to record our audio. The voice actors in this podcast include, Lily Harrell, Ella Saidi, Carston Turvey, Drew Nottingham, and Matthew Nguyen.

Bibliography:
Echovoid sounds. (2026). Footsteps Sound Effect 👣 | Realistic Walking SFX (No Music) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thDIojPp4zw
Free Sound Effects. (2024). Surprised Horror - Free Sound Effects For Youtube Videos [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DatGnnYOHZ0
Mars cloud. (2021). Sweet Bird Sound - Morning Sound Effect Garden Bird [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhz6AI45IQw
Mike Downes. (2019). Rustling Leaves and Snapping Sticks [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfCzUgEw3Aw
Ryan Lloyd. (2012). Wind Sound FX [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqJ37MVf16Y
Sound Effects. (2022). Sea Waves - Sound Effect [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3ZbsOhNTas
Star Raccoon. (2017). Spaceship landing with SFX [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUDmOSVj0QE
Xilith. (2018). Spaceship Takeoff Sound Effect - Royalty Free! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXYrHB86Kg0

The Final Choice is a short story featuring five strangers from Planet 56 escaping a meteor stricken space station and finding themselves selecting one to sacrifice.

The strangers are aboard the Stardust with an EDS pilot leading them to the next safest planet inhabited by Colony 57. Doom strikes when the EDS pilot informs them that the ship does not have adequate fuel to safely carry everyone to Colony 57. One must be ejected. Twenty quick minutes tick by as they target, defend, and debate each other about who should be sacrificed for the lives of the others.

This episode brings about the topic of placing value on each individual. Is one life more valuable than another because of their past mistakes? Does one's current responsibilities make them more or less valuable? Is there another way?

Created by: Suri Thakore, Matthew Negron, Bevin Doyle, Amrith Annamreddy, Caroline Wolfe, and Ray Cai