MSCM Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009: The Headliners

Volume One, Issue Two Fall 2009

The Headliners Colonnade hosts Rock,

Paper,

Tournament

GCTV improves students travel to MSCM

format, receives

new

name

NewYork,

Austin

Scissors

PRSSAwins national

competition

WGUR

premieres new morning show

Faculty Greetings, alumni and friends! We hope you enjoy the Fall 2009 newsletter!

Our first full semester as a department has been eventful!

We’ve done everything from traveling, to winning awards, to nearly breaking a world record.

We’ve made tremendous strides towards several of our departmental goals. One of our main goals for this year is to increase our presence as a department throughout the region and nation. Students helped us make progress towards that goal. The Bobcat PRSSA teams won first and second place at the National CW/PRSSA Competition.

Faculty attended a number of national conferences including Professor Price’s trip to Chicago, where he presented on the future of media literacy at the National Communication Association, and Professor McMichael’s trip to the University of Texas to conduct research on Ernest Hemingway. Faculty members Angela Criscoe and Macon McGinley accompanied The Colonnade and WGUR students to a student media conference in Austin. Dr. Carter Miller spent two days in Washington, D.C at a seminar on social media,

and I took advertising students to New York where we had the opportunity to tour MediaEdge, the number one media buying agency in the United States Another goal we set is to examine and make necessary changes to improve our curriculum. We’re proposing to offer our research course on a junior level, reorganize Senior Seminar into a portfolio/career course, and improve our internship requirement by making it a three hour course.

And Telecommunications is making curriculum changes to give students more writing opportunities throughout the sequence.

A number of alumni have come on campus to speak to classes or other student groups. A special thank you to Kelli Massey, Christa Murphy, Jena Simonds, Ali MacLaren, Rebecca Cline, and Wade Johnson for sharing their expertise with our students.

Hope to see more of you next semester.

Dr. Mary Jean Land DEPARTMENT CHAIR, PROFESSOR OF MASS COMMUNICATION !

478-445-8260 ! MARYJEAN.LAND@GCSU.EDU Dr. Land attended the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, a professional national conference for educators, this August in Boston. She sat on a panel about managing a small mass communication program. She also took a group of students to the Advertising Women of New York Conference; the students were able to meet professionals of the advertising world in the New York area and attend workshops on portfolio and resume building presented by New York advertising professionals.

On a more personal note, Dr. Land is officially a grandmother of a healthy new grandson named Jackson.

Dr. Ginger Carter Miller PROFESSOR OF MASS COMMUNICATION ! 478-445-8257 !

GINGER.CARTER@GCSU.EDU Dr. Miller is excited about the national first and second place wins by students in her PR Campaigns class in the national CW/PRSSA Campaign contest! She advises Bobcat PRSSA, and has been learning about social media in Public Relations. Last summer, she attended the Edelman Digital Summit in Washington, D.C., and went to AEJMC, where she was elected vice-chair of the Small Programs Interest Group and is serving as co-PFR chair of the Public Relations Division. Her PR Writing students planned the Mass Comm Mixer and the PR Administration students coordinated Baldwin County’s Relay for Life campaign.

Faculty Student New Macon McGinley ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ! 478-445-8259 ! MACON.MCGINLEY@GCSU.EDU Macon McGinley, Adviser to The Colonnade, has been working on two events: A “sign away your First Amendment rights” lunch and the “Rock, Colonnade, Scissors” Tournament. At the lunch, students were offered free lunch to sign away their First Amendment rights to demonstrate a society without free speech. The “Rock, Colonnade, Scissors” Tournament was held in order to break the Guinness World Record for the largest Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. The publishers of Georgia Music Magazine worked recently with her Newspaper Design class regarding ad design.

Stephen Price ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ! 478-445-8258 !

STEPHEN.PRICE@GCSU.EDU

Stephen Price continues to serve as Faculty Adviser for GCTV and its changes in format to involve more feature stories. He recently attended the National Communication Association Conference and presented two papers. One was on Alternative Classroom Assessment, and the other was about Media Literacy as a foundation for Media Production. Price taught a special topics class over the summer on Documentary History, and will teach Theory and Performance for the Broadcast Media for the upcoming summer session.

Angela Criscoe INSTRUCTOR ! 478-445-8255 !

ANGELA.CRISCOE@GCSU.EDU

Angela Criscoe continued the semester conference she developed for WGUR in January this year with its follow-up in August. The next will take place in January. Recently, she accompanied five students from WGUR to Austin, Texas to attend the College Media Advisers Conference. She is currently collaborating with Stephen Price to update the class sequence and curriculum for the Telecommunications concentration. Criscoe continues her work as the hands-on adviser to student radio station WGUR.

W. Pate McMichael INSTRUCTOR ! 478-445-8256 !

PATE.MCMICHAEL@GCSU.EDU

Pate McMichael taught a magazine writing class this summer. He also travelled to Mexico. In addition to publishing an article on the Union Point Railroad, he spoke at two Hispanic Month Symposiums on his magazine articles about immigration in Georgia. He recently won a Silver Gamma from Magazine Association of the Southeast for his five-part series on immigrants. He was also named a finalist for the 2008 Livingston Award, a prestigious award for young journalists. Next spring, McMichael will begin teaching Mass Media Law for the first time.

Department News The guiding light for Pre-Mass Comm students By:ShannonTwomey Out of about 320 students in the MSCM program, one person is in charge of getting them into the program and guiding them into the concentrations of their choice: Hope Buchanan.

“She’s one of the best additions we’ve had to the department,” said Dr. Mary Jean Land. “She does a wonderful job managing and advising the pre-mass comm. majors.”

Hope Buchanan is the pre-mass communication adviser at GCSU and has been now for the past 2 years. She gives guidance to 250 pre-mass communication students as they make the decision to join the major. Buchanan helps these students register, stay on track with core requirements, and makes sure all prerequisite classes are satisfied in order to get into the concentration of their choice. She also leads freshman seminar at GCSU and plays a big part in guiding students through the application process by making sure students are conscious of the competition.

“Academics are extremely important,” Buchanan said, “and I make sure the students are aware that the mean GPA is between a 3.2 to a 3.3.”

Along with the student’s GPA being a large deciding factor, the concentration that a student is interested in also plays a role in the competitiveness of the application process.

“I enjoy working with the students. I enjoy the faculty. It is important to have someone knowledgeable of the degree and its requirements to talk to as a premass comm. student,” she said.

•

Angela Criscoe teaches her first Principles of Advertising class.

Students design ads for the Mid-Atlantic N.A.M.E. scholarship contest.

• Courtney Kelly’s ad (pictured left) was submitted to the contest.

Get any page as a poster

I T

$5

L A S T

for only

www.issuu.com/colonnade

Take Notes!

New Endeavors •

M A K E

Hope Buchanan, right, meets with one of her many pre-mass communication advisees.

Kelli Ma

ssey

Y CH R ISTA MU R PH G + MAR K ETIN

DESIGN

K K ED W W W.STA

OM

D ES IG NS .C

Two GCSU alumnae visit advertising class Fall 09 to offer real-world advice to students seeking careers in the field .

Student News New Department

GCTV mixes it up with new show format By: Brittni Collins GCTV News, formerly MBC – 4, has moved away from a hard news only format to include a more appealing and laid back feature style that can be compared to popular news formats such as The Today Show.

Producers Dustin Wilson, Kristen Hall, and Michael Wiggs were inspired by the students at GCSU to generate a show that would be better recognized on campus and in the Milledgeville community. The live in-studio format still incorporates hard news anchored by Rochelle Smalls, a junior mass communication student at GCSU. Smalls said she “truly enjoys the great learning opportunity” GCTV adds to her college experience and “the level of professionalism which inspires the station to push v for greatness in the future.”

Students film a feature holiday segment.

w In addition to hard news, the producers added a feature section, a weather segment, and an “In Your Backyard” segment that highlights Milledgeville interests, campus interests, fashions, and sports.In these additions student involvement is encouraged and the packages are shot out of studio in order to directly relate to the college and community.

Stephen Price, executive producer of GCTV and assistant professor of mass communication, said “I hope to make this show beyond just news. Our ultimate goal is to connect with the students and bring news that matters to you.”

Fall ‘09 Hosting Schedule

When to Listen Wake up with Thunder is on Monday through Friday. DJ’s are live from 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM, and plays again from 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM. Listen online at gcsuradio.com

Mon. - Christyn Farrell & Tyler Maltos Tue. - Christi Wright, Zane Wind & Desiree Marney Wed. - Ben Elliott & Sarah Lutrell Thu. - Lauren Dalton, Ryan Barr, & Danielle Allison Fri. - Bryan Smith & Rochelle Smalls

Awards PRSSA wins first, second place in National Competition

T

wo teams from GCSU’s Bobcat PRSSA won first and second place in the CW Network/PRSSA national contest to promote awareness of the shows “90210” and “Melrose Place.”

The teams, which are in the PR campaigns class, participated against schools from across the country.

The competition was open to any current members of PRSSA, and the winners were announced at the PRSSA National Awards Banquet in San Diego.

Each team had to plan an all-day event around the CW shows, promote the event, execute the event and put together a campaign book to highlight the results.

First place went to “Ladies Lawn Night,” an elegant event on the lawn of GCSU designed especially for the young women on the campus of GCSU. The group implemented the event by using a fashion show with clothes from a local boutique, a live jazz band, Breast Cancer awareness activities, a trunk sale, a professional make-up artist, tons of prizes and ending the evening with both shows displayed on a big screen.

“It was great to see so many girls with their blankets out on the lawn. Our goal was for girls to go away from the evening not only remembering the outstanding time they had at ‘Ladies Lawn Night,’ but the two shows that made the entire event come together,” said team captain Heather Raines. Her team members were Lauren Chandley, Ann Cole and Katie Farmer.

Second place went to “What’s Your Scandal,” a murder mystery evening created by team leader Bailey Abercrombie, Tyler Bryant, Yasmiene Davis and Claire Dykes.

“I am extremely proud of the teams,” Dr. Ginger Carter Miller, the campaign teams’ public relations professor and faculty adviser for Bobcat PRSSA, said, “This is Bobcat PRSSA’s first time completing an entry into a national competition in PRSSA, and the entire chapter is thrilled with the success!”

Students in Writing for Public Relations and the Newspaper Design classes work together to write, edit, and design this newsletter.

Members of winning team from left to right: Yasmiene Davis, Tyler Bryant, Bailey Abercrombie, Claire Dykes, Heather Raines, Katie Farmer, Lauren Chandley.

Students enjoy a fashion show and local vendors at Ladies Lawn Night.

Travel

From left to right; Alana Llewellyn, Tyler Flowers, Marianna Miller, Josh Fulmer, Chelsea Moss, and Katie Farmer.

Ad students visit NYC

By Angela Lockard

Chelsea Moss, Katie Farmer, and Marianna Miller traveled to New York City Nov. 12 - Nov. 15 to attend a conference sponsored by Advertising Women of New York with Dr. Mary Jean Land in a trip funded in part by MSCM T-shirt sales.

This conference provided college students from all over the United States a chance to attend workshops with some of the country’s top public relation and advertising professionals.

To raise money for the trip students designed and sold MSCM T-shirts and wrote articles for Central Insurance Group for a $500 donation.

One of the exciting parts of the trip was getting the opportunity to catch up with three former GCSU students who currently live in New York. Josh Fulmer of Men’s Journal, Tyler Flowers of the Today show, and Alana Llewellyn interning with Town & Country went to dinner with the students and shared valuable firsthand experience of making it in the city.

During the first panel, students participated in a frank discussion on how the job market is evolving. The students also attended a workshop where they had individual time with a business professional who evaluated their resumes.

I LOVE MSCM T-shirts are for sale Monday through Thursday in Terrell Hall 211 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. or via email tommie.benton@gcsu. edu. Proceeds benefit the program. Just $12 each.

Claire Kersey and Katelin Hebert navigate thier way around Austin.

The Colonnade, WGUR take Austin

By Lauren Gilbert Student media staff members enjoyed Austin, Texas, host of the 88th Annual National College Media Convention from Oct. 29th - Oct. 31st.

Members of The Colonnade and WGUR 88.9 FM represented the school and attended the various sessions and forums held by top professionals from media and colleges around the country. The students and faculty got valuable, hands-on experience in their specific media outlets, as well as insight into the job market.

“While in Austin, I felt that I had many different experiences. The most enjoyable part was the opportunity to network with radio experts and other stations to bounce ideas about the overall image and direction of the station,” said Ben Elliot of WGUR. Members of The Colonnade attended many sessions that dealt with internship opportunities. They also enjoyed having the paper critiqued by other advisers at the conference. This opportunity allowed The Colonnade’s editor-in-chief Claire Dykes and the other staff members to receive additional insight valuable in continuing to improve the award-winning paper.

Students who attended the conference say they also gained helpful information about creating a resume and finding a great internship.

“There were a lot of good sessions at this conference and I learned a lot; not only about writing, but the new ways to improve our advertising and expand to a broader audience of clients,” said Elise Colcord, advertising manager for The Colonnade.

The conference was a great place for students to learn more about the media, as well as learn about Austin and the culture of Texas, and to ultimitely learn more about themselves.

Campus Involvement

‘Rock, Colonnade, Scissors’ Tournament The Colonnade brought 751 students, faculty, and staff together in the Guinness World Record™ try for the “Largest Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament” on Nov. 11.

Just 43 people shy of setting a new record, the attempt filled the college’s Front Campus with cheering competitors and spectators.

The current record of 793 participants was set at Brigham Young University on April 11, 2008.

Senior public relations major Lyric Burnett worked tirelessly to organize the event for her practicum with the student newspaper.

“My roommate and I were trying to think of an event I could do to promote The Colonnade,” Burnett said. “We thought a rock-paper-scissors tournament would be perfect.”

As the tournament began, each player was given a raffle ticket. Players who won two out of three collected the loser’s ticket.

Then, players would move on to find another partner. The last man standing, who had the most raffle ticket, was declared the winner.

Burnett was heard on the microphone over the crowd as the last few rounds became exciting. Crowds of people watched from outside the tape as the last eight teams dwindled down to just two people. People were screaming for the competitors as the last round was played.

Sophomore Taylor Howard won the competition. She said her practice at camp tournaments and waiting in line has paid off.

She said her strategy was throwing “rock” first because most people throw “scissors.”

“I was shocked,” Howard said.

“Everyone just kept screaming every time I won, I just kept laughing. I didn’t want to lose and I knew I would be so disappointed if I lost.”

As the champion, Howard received a $100 gift card to the PawPrints Bookstore, a T-shirt for attempting to break the world

Above: MSCM major and event coordinator Lyric Burnett cheers on the competitors as the tournament winds down into the final pairs.

Left: Junior Heather Luyk and senior Bren Thomas compete for the title of tournament champion along with 749 other students, faculty and staff.

record and a “Campus Life is Good” T-shirt.

Junior and runner-up Tim Bosch said the tournament was really exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. After hearing about the tournament, Bosch decided he wanted to be involved.

“This is a great way to inform students, faculty, and staff of their news source on campus,” said mass communication major Claire Dykes, editor-in-chief of The

Colonnade, “and to encourage them to pick up a Colonnade at the event.”

Seven local newspapers, radio stations and television stations documented the tournament. Although the record was not beaten, the event was deemed a success because more than 700 people show up on an otherwise gloomy, cold November afternoon.

Be Here: Upcoming MSCM Events -Friday, Feb. 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: GCPA “Better Newspaper Contest” Awards Luncheon in Athens -Saturday, Feb. 20: Alumni Weekend: MSCM Reception in Terrell 114 -Friday, April 16: MSCM Senior Luncheon

Student New Campus Involvement

First Amendment Free Food Festival

Left: “The People’s Republic Kingdom of GCSU” dictators.

Right: Dictator Lyric Burnett exercises power over a student without rights.

O

n Oct. 21, The Colonnade gave students the opportunity to understand the importance of their First Amendment rights through their First Amendment Free Food Festival. From 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., students could give away their rights in order to get free food. The project, initially created by the Society of Professional Journalists, has also been presented at six other college campuses across the country.

“This is the first time that our newspaper has done anything like this and we hope to make a big impact in the way people view the First Amendment,” said Claire Dykes, editor-in-chief of The Colonnade.

According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, one out of four U.S. college students do not know their First Amendment freedoms. The goal of the event was to help students appreciate these rights.

At the event, over 100 students gave away their First Amendment rights and were taken to the fictional nation of “The People’s Republic Kingdom of GCSU” which was ruled by dictators and their “goons”. Participants were given an armband and a card and could only talk about the subject written on their card.

No one was able to petition, assemble, or express their own religion. Any citizen

who did not follow these rules was removed from the festival indefinitely.

“It was really an insightful experience, because I didn’t realize how many rights we had that could have been taken away just by that First Amendment,” said James Latty, a junior biology major at GCSU. As for the food, provided by the event sponsors Sodexo and World of Wings, citizens were given pizza, wings, or refried beans. Other organizations involved with the free speech event were Sigma Alpha Omega, The Debate Society, WGUR, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

visit campus to give insight Public Relations Day: Professionals to current PR students and PR hopefuls On Nov. 4, GCSU students learned tips to success in their first job and hints for the interviewing process at PR Day. The event, hosted by PRSSA, was held in the university’s Museum Education room.

“PR Day was a tremendous opportunity for PR professionals to connect with students,” said Jena Simonds, a GCSU alumna. “As speakers, we hope to have provided new insights and helpful hints to make the transition into the working world easier.”

Four public relations professionals: Cristy Williams, Jena Simonds, Katherine Mason, and keynote speaker Bert DuMars,

lead one hour sessions about their experience and gave insight into the world of public relations.

All students were welcomed to attend, network, and learn new developments in the industry as well as skills for attaining an internship.

“I really enjoyed PR day,” Keri Allgood, senior PR concentration, said. “I learned a lot about the importance of constructing a good portfolio, professional attire and also staying true to myself. After today, I feel extremely motivated to press on into the PR world!”

Students learned many tips and skills such

as what being a professional entails, how to dress the part, related computer programs, resume building, and the importance of branding themselves.

“We held PR Day to give students the opportunity to network with PR professionals and learn about possible internship opportunities and to learn about what to expect from future jobs and internships,” Beth Benton, GCSU’s PRSSA President, said. “With the economy the way it is, the job market is very competitive. This offered students an excellent opportunity to learn valuable career skills without even leaving the GCSU campus.”

Student Updates

MSCM students intern all over the country summer and fall 2009 to fulfill their one-hour internship requirement.

Name Company Abercrombie, Bailey Argo, April Bachman, Blaire Barron, Katherine Boyd, Lauren Bryant, Tyler Cepero, Amanda Chandley, Lauren Collins, Kyle Couch, Ross Davis, Yasmiene Dickstein, Corey Edwards, Lauren Farmer, Katherine Ferrell, Hayley Funk, Kelsie Gish, Erin Hobby, Deanna Huston, Katie Kelly, Andy Khosravi, Pendar Llewellyn, Alana Massey, Kelli Miles, Amanda Moss, Chelsea Murphy, Ashley Murphy, Christa Murray, Lauren Noble, Randi Odom, James Pickworth, John Pugh, Ashley Raines, Heather Roebuck, Tamalyn Sandow, Lee Troutman, Daniel vanRossum, Cooper Versulys, Lynn Wilson, Chelsea Wilson, Dustin Zehner, Mary

Plaza Arts Center Points North Magazine Veranda Magazine Star 94 WSTR/Atlanta Hobo International Museum of Aviation Maverick Publicity WSB-TV Ascension Design Group GMC-Public Relations Office Max The Savannah Morning News Athens Area CofC Salesnet Henry County Eatonton/Putnam CofC Georgia Backroads Magaine WGXA-TV/Fox 24 Mainstreet Newspapers FOX 5 Atlanta Fox Sports Net Town & Country Magazine Gwinnett Medical Center New City Church Downtown LocumTenens.com Baldwin County CVB Stakkeddesigns, LLC Van Horne Manor Roswell City Television Adventure Radio Z-97 The Walt Disney Company Corporate Events and Meetings Houston County BOE The Covington News FOX 24 News/WGXA-TV Georgia Music Magazine Lavender Castle Philadelphia Force WRCB-TV Operation Christmas Child

Hammond, a 2008 graduate of GCSU, is one of the faces of FOX 24 News in Macon.

Former GCSU anchor steps into real world role Adam Hammond, anchor of the 10 p.m. newscast for FOX 24 News in Macon, graduated from GCSU in 2008. A mass communication minor, Hammond was the anchor for the campus news program MBC-4, now GCTV. He recommends anyone interested in the broadcast field to participate in the campus news program which is now GCTV. “Anchoring for MBC 4 gave me real life experience with great equipment and taught me fundamental principles that I use everyday,” he said.

“One of my favorite parts of this job is that it gives me an opportunity to teach viewers about the world they live in and how they can make a difference in it.”

Even out of studio, Hammond works hard to improve his community. His job also gives him the opportunity to travel to schools in Middle Georgia and tell students about the importance of a good education. From anchoring campus news to making a difference in Macon, Adam Hammond says he was happy to get his start at Georgia College.

Milledgeville News

Alumni & Deep Roots Festival Boost Downtown Milledgeville Economy Alumni of GCSU continue to liven up downtown by taking up the challenge of starting their own business. This year Asian Bistro and Grill and Aubri Lanes joined the scene offering tasty cuisines along with ExtrordiNailry Salon & Spa which provides a relaxing atmosphere to all guests.

Campus construction The Student Government Association approved a graduated student fee for a 10,000 square foot wellness center at West Campus. Construction is scheduled to begin April 2010 and forecasted for completion late November 2011.

Herty Hall is currently undergoing construction for a new 16,000 square foot annex. The addition will take the place of the gravel parking lot next to

Herty and will provide the science department with laboratories, classrooms, and offices.

The Parks-Memorial building, also known as Health Sciences reopened this fall after major renovations. The interior is now fitted with the Movement Lab, the Exercise Science Lab, the Athletic Training Lab and the Nursing Skills Lab which all feature new high-tech equipment.

Increased fees due to budget Students face higher fees and faculty undergo furlough days as the University System of Georgia-wide budget cut increases from 6 percent to 8 percent. The state Board of Regents unanimously voted to double the orginal $100 man-

datory student fee starting in January. GCSU students along with other Georgia research universities, will be charged the $200 each semester until June 2012 when the fee will be voted on again.

In addition, The Sixth Annual Sweetwater Festival is officially renamed The Deep Roots Festival because of the lawsuit SweetWater Brewing Co. filed for rights to the name.

Milledgeville Mainstreet committee decided not to defend the name in court because of the mounting legal fees.

People to Know

Wendell Staton

Fall 09, Wendell Staton became GCSU’s sixth athletic director in its 40-year athletic history.

He arrived just after the Bobcats captured their first-ever Peach Belt Commissioner’s Cup.

Philip Joiner, an alumnus of GCSU, was elected new representative for City Council District 4 in Fall 09. He won 71.8 percent of the vote with 298 votes in a three-way race. He will take office in January 2010.

Philip Joiner

Stay in touch We want to know what’s new with you! Send your updates, photos and business cards to: Georgia College & State University Campus Box 32 Milledgeville, GA 31061 OR http://www.gcsu.edu/mscmalumni/contact.htm Name____________________________________ Preferred Name__________________________________ Last name while at GCSU_____________________________ GCSU Degree(s)/Yr(s)___________________ Univ. ID # or last four digits of SS #_____________________________ Phone_________________________ Home address________________________________________________ City_________________________ State_____________Zip________________________________ Business title_____________________________ Company/Institution ________________________________ Company address_ ____________________________________________ Phone________________________ City______________________State_____________Zip________________________________ E-mail_______________________________________ Home page URL______________________________ Mailing address preference: o Home o Business Spouse name__________________________________ Last name while at GCSU________________________ GCSU Degree(s)/Yr(s)_ ______________________________________________________________________ Your news: ________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Georgia College & State University Department of Mass Communication CBX 032 Milledgeville, Ga. 31061