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Twitter illuminates the darkness of the government shutdown By Monica Couvillion
Inside this issue: Page 2 News from North Road Communications and Mentor Program
Page 4 New Professor and PRSSA Alum Interviews
Page 6 A roundup of PR news from the stars of Hollywood
Page 8 A look at summer internships and the Emmy’s
Page 10 Updates on the new Marist core and PR curriculum
On October 1st at midnight, the United States federal government went into its 17th lockdown, the first since 1996. The shutdown was enacted after Congress was unable to reach a consensus on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The shutdown was anticipated almost a week before it went into full effect and did not come as a surprise to many Americans. Many government-funded organizations including the Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NASA, the Capital and the National Parks Systems were completely cut off from funding and closed to the public following the shutdown. Some of these organizations issued public statements via Twitter to inform consumers that their services were suspended until the federal government opened once again. During the time that the government was not actively operating, there were no staff members present to monitor their social media accounts. Many employees were without pay during the government shutdown and were unable to assist and service as they previously had been able to. This caused some companies to issue public statement apologizing for their inability to serve due to lack of funding. Government officials remained relatively quiet about the situation, giving the public little to no insight into what was truly happening in Washington D.C. Despite this secrecy, the public was able to ob-
Source: www.remezcla.com
tain much of their information through Twitter. Tweets with phrases like “until further notice” drastically affected the public’s opinion and caused them to plan for the worst. At midnight on October 1st, almost immediately following the official announcement of the government shutdown, #shutdown was the toptrending topic on Twitter. While many companies used Twitter to announce their status, countless politicians also turned to the popular social media site to save face. Because government officials remained on the government payroll while other employees were working without pay, many politicians offered positive alternatives to the scandalous situation. Senator Sherrod Brown tweeted at 12:07 a.m. on the 1st; “WWII vets shouldn’t face closed DC memorials. During #shutdown, I’ll donate pay to OH-based Honor Flight Network”. He also provided a link to the charities’ website. Other politicians followed suit by donating their pay to the
charities that were suspended by the shutdown. After all of these strained affairs, it is no wonder that the public has become rather skeptical of the government. According to an ABC News/ Washington Post poll, approximately 63% of Americans disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the Affordable Care Act. Many believe that the shutdown could have been avoided if the Republicans were more inclined to compromise. The previous government shutdown of 1996 lasted for 20 days. Although this shutdown lasted only 16 days, its financial impact was monumental. According to an estimate by Standard & Poor’s, the shutdown cost the U.S $24 billion and reduced the projected fourth quarter GDP from 3 percent to 2.4 percent. It will be interesting to see how the government decides to repair their reputation and reassure Americans that they are back and stronger than ever.
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North Road Communications Kicks Off By Mary Kate Malhauser North Road Communications is off to an extremely busy start this semester! We started off by publicizing this year’s Ethics Week speakers for the School of Communication and the Arts as well as the School of Management, which was run by our Publicity Team. In addition to Ethics Week, we are still working with our clients, Family Services and Sprout Creek Farm. We currently have 15 enthusiastic staff members, each with a diverse range of experiences and talents. We are also planning on taking on two new clients within the coming weeks and we can’t wait to reveal who they are! In addition, the firm conducted a workshop with a few of the public relations faculty to brush up on how to write and use social media and press releases professionally. A brainstorming session for our own personal blog is in the works as well. As we are almost entering the second half of the semester, everyone at North Road Communications is extremely excited for what success is ahead!
Mentor Program prepares with résumés By Amanda Orzo
As the colorful leaves a r e crunching beneath our boots, the fall semester brings several new workshops for our Mentor Program members. This unique program which was created last year, allows experienced upperclassmen to pass on advice regarding classes, internships and
the different areas of public relations to underclassmen new to PRSSA. Our mentor and mentee pairings are officially finalized and we are ready to begin some exciting work. Mentees will be getting to know their mentors while also developing their résumés. Their updated résumés will be used for the upcoming LinkedIn workshop, where mentees will either cre-
ate or further enhance their LinkedIn profiles to be seen by industry professionals. As we delve deeper into the semester, expect to hear about a Study Abroad and Internship Information Session as well. If any members would like to join our program, do not hesitate to contact prssa.marist@gmail.com. Both mentors and mentees are always welcome.
Email: prssa.marist@gmail.com Twitter: @MaristPRSSA Facebook: www.facebook.com/maristcollegeprssa Blog: www.maristfoxesprssa.blogspot.com Pinterest: Marist PRSSA
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A Letter from the Chapter President By Ashley Hellberg As the Director of Chapter Programming, I am v e r y pleased to say that this year has been off to a great start. Our first event and general meeting received a huge turnout of new members. All were eager to meet our new executive board and get involved in all that PRSSA has to offer. Ethics Week quickly followed with our first guest speaker of the semester, Emmanuel Tchividijan. Tchividjian is the Senior VP and Executive Director of the Ethics Consulting Practice at Ruder Finn. During his presentation, Tchividjian seamlessly weaved ethics and storytelling together, creating an intriguing and informative session. We are so thankful that Emmanuel Tchividjian took time out of his busy schedule to come speak to us. Additionally, a few of our members traveled to Philadelphia to attend the PRSSA National Conference. There, they participated in workshops, attended programs, and listened to guest speakers discuss the many different sectors of PR. They are eager to share their experiences with the rest of the chapter. It looks to be a very promising semester for our chapter. Make sure to keep an eye out for all of the events, workshops, and guest speakers we have planned and we hope to see you all there!
It is so hard to believe we are already halfway through our first semester! To our returning members, welcome back! With membership being the highest it has ever been and the addition of several committees, last year was the most successful year our chapter has seen since its establishment in 2006. Our executive board was hard at work all summer to ensure that this year we will see even more success. To our new members, welcome! I was so excited to see so many new faces at our New Member Information Session. When I first joined PRSSA, my
knowledge of public relations was very limited and my professional skills were underdeveloped. PRSSA has helped me grow not only as a student, but as a professional as well. I hope that in joining the chapter, you will find the same benefits I did. Our chapter has some new and exciting events going on this semester. On October 9th, we had the privilege of hosting a guest speaker, Emmanuel Tchividjian, Ethics officer at Ruder Finn. This is the first time PRSSA and the Marist School of Communication and the Arts participated in “Ethics Week” and is something we hope to see continue for years to come. This will also be the second year our chapter will participate in the Bateman Case Study Competition. The one thing I was most excited about was attending PRSSA’s National Conference with other members from our chapter. The Conference
took place in Philadelphia, PA. This was the first time in three years that our chapter had representation. I am looking forward to sharing our experiences at the upcoming meeting. To close, I just wanted to thank all of you for remaining involved in our chapter. I think my executive board and I can all agree that we would not be half as successful if it were not for your dedication and continued involvement. I am excited to see what else we all can accomplish as a chapter. For now, enjoy the rest of the fall foliage and I hope to see you at our upcoming events. All my best, Erica Conover Class of 2014
Photo Courtesy of Brian Apfel, Marist Pinterest
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Meet Professor Nadine Hoffman By Micaela Sanger Q: Where are you from originally?
Q: What are your impressions of Marist so far?
A: Bonn, Germany
A: I love it here. The environment is cool and has a good feel to it. It’s very comfortable and the people here are very friendly and make me feel welcome. The faculty is great and Marist is a fun place to be. The Hudson River gives me a real sense of home, as I lived near the Rhine River in Germany my whole life. I also admire how student-focused the institution is.
Q: Where did you go to school? A: I attended Bonn University for my undergraduate degree, went to Kansas for my Master’s and earned my PhD in Georgia. Q: What made you decide to enter into Public Relations? A: Throughout high school, I was set on pursuing journalism because I had had experience in that field. A friend of my mom’s informed me that I could incorporate journalism into public relations. I never thought about doing PR before. For the next two summers, I worked at Bayer, Germany’s largest pharmaceutical company. I got a true sense of public relations while working there and loved the strategic aspects of the field. Ever since then, I knew that’s what I wanted to do and teach. I’ve always loved the idea of educating people, so I pursued becoming a professor. I became the Public Relations Manager for a company in Germany, and eventually decided to get my teaching degree in order to make my teaching dream a reality.
Q: What do you like to do for fun? A: I am absolutely obsessed with traveling. One day I was on a plane and I discovered a magazine which advertised the “Travelers’ Century Club”, an exclusive club you can only be a part of if you’ve been to 100 countries. Since then, I have made it my mission and goal in life to become a part of the group for my own satisfaction, approval and happiness. My aim is to reach 100 countries by the time I am 45 years old. My husband and I are doing this together and have visited around 40 countries so far, totaling seven countries in the first year alone. I also love photography, singing (I am currently looking for a choir to be in, so any recommendations would be appreciated), cooking, and watching reality TV.
PRSSA reaches out to recent alum, Maria Baez By Amanda Fiore Q: What year did you graduate Marist and what is your Q: What are the hardest and most rewarding aspects of your current job? career? A: I graduated in 2010 and my current position is Public Rela- A: When I first started my career, the hardest thing that I faced was the fact that there wasn’t a set plan of what to tions Account Executive at Ebben Zall Group. expect. As students, we’re lucky to have a syllabus that outQ: What PR skills do you use regularly? lines the weeks ahead. In the “real world” you have statuses, A: It’s funny because PR positions incorporate many ele- calendars, and project timelines which prepare you for the ments and each one plays a significant part under this PR expected; however the unexpected is what truly tests your umbrella. Besides public and media relations, other duties skills and abilities! I also find that the unexpected projects include social media management, reputation management, and crises are the most rewarding because you’re forced to integrated marketing, campaign development and execution, think on your toes, act quickly, and deliver quality material. and crisis management. These various roles make PR profes- The high intensity and fast paced atmosphere is so electric that in the end you feel like you can conquer anything. sionals a jack of all trades. Some PR skills that are used daily:
Communication skills: If you’re a “people person” this usually comes naturally. Your communication and conversational skills are so important in the PR industry. Speaking eloquently and knowledgably - on the phone or in person - about your client or the company that you work for is vital.
Q: What was the most important thing you learned at Marist and how does it translate to success in your career?
A: The most important thing that I learned at Marist is the ability to multitask! As a four-year D1 student-athlete, I faced the daily challenge of managing school work, practices, study hall, club activities, and creating and maintaining lasting relationships with friends, professors and academic advisers. Everyone can multitask, but the key is to multitask effectiveTime management: All client work is important, but when ly. In the professional world, you are required to work on projects start to pile up on your desk, the ability to distin- many projects at the same time. Making sure that you comguish high and low priority tasks is crucial to saving your plete these projects on or before deadline is standard for a to-do list from becoming pages long. typical day in the PR industry.
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Emmanuel Tchividjian talks story-telling By Elizabeth Peper In order to celebrate Ethics Week, Marist College hosted guest speaker, Emmanuel Tchividjian on October 8th and 9th. As the ethics officer and ethics blog publisher at the communications agency Rider Finn, Tchivijian had plenty of relevant advice to give to PRSSA members and other students during a presentation that would not soon be forgotten. On the 8th, the chapter’s executive board had the privilege of spending dinner in the company of Tchividjian. After a guided tour around the campus, Tchividjian was able to provide the executive board with insight into the art of story -telling, the growth in the field of ethics and the success of
Erica Conover Chapter President @vivalaerica McKensie Saldo Vice President @McKensZs Emmanuel presents on the emotion involved in story-telling.
Tchividjian replied that the principles and values are the same, but the pressure to relay messages without error is greater. The dinner with Tchividjian allowed all attendees the chance to reflect
sized. He pointed out that story -telling has acted as a way to pass along literature, theater and other arts throughout time and should continue to be used as an effective method to show human emotions and create connections. His examples of this included fables and the Bible. In terms of “value-based stories” that will really hit home for listeners, Tchividjian noted that each must contain fairness, sympathy, honesty, and forgiveness. With these qualities, a story will be able to effectively display a message and reveal a solution to problems being faced regarding ethics. Tchividjian revealed that he draws a lot of inspiration from stories that he hears or experiences in order to pick topics for his popular ethics blog.
The PRSSA Executive Board enjoys dinner with Emmanuel.
his ethics blog through Ruder Finn. He shared his noteworthy discovery that stories are a useful way to teach ethics because readers and listeners will react and remember. In Tchividjian’s own words, “facts tell, stories sell.” When asked how the growing field of social media is changing the field of ethics,
on the purpose that ethics can serve in not only large corporations, but in our own personal lives. The next day, Tchividjian provided students at Marist with a memorable presentation. His message of storytelling as a meaningful way to convey ethics to different people was once again empha-
When all is said and done, Emmanuel Tchividjian eloquently provided Marist students with eye-opening information about the power of emotional story-telling as a way to connect with the evergrowing field of ethics and public relations. As Tchividjian would say, the most rewarding part of telling stories is when you hear “I never thought about it that way.”
Ashley Hellberg Director of Chapter Programming Marguerite Pinheiro Director of Public Relations @marguerite_p Mary Kate Mulhauser Firm Director (Fall) @MaryK8te Maria Gironas Firm Director (Spring) @MariaGironas Kate Hardcastle Director of Finance @KHardcastle1 Jaclyn Hockenbury Director of Chapter Advancement @JCHBury Amanda Orzo Director of Member Services @orzopastaaa Jennie Donohue Faculty Adviser @JennieDonohue
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POP CULTURE CRISIS ZAC EFRON
ANTHONY WEINER By Jimmy Barry
The first round of “Weinergate” forced Anthony Weiner to resign from Congress in 2011. As a married political figure, the revelation that Weiner had been sending sexually explicit messages to women created a frenzy in the media. During his campaign for New York Mayor in July, more inappropriate messages surfaced. Weiner admitted that he sexted three different women during the months following his resignation. From one perspective, Weiner’s sexting situation is a PR nightmare. After his scandals, people viewed his actions as perverted, dishonest, and condemned him for his infidelity. Some PR counselors might give Anthony Weiner one piece of advice: Give up. Source: wallchips.com
By Amber Urena High School Musical hot shot, Zac Efron, recently returned from a long break of silence in rehab. The 25 year old actor checked himself into rehab after a relapse of a one year cocaine addiction. Efron was allegedly abusing substances such as MDMA, cocaine, and alcohol. Thankfully, the former Disney star was able to recognize his addiction and is now on the path to a better life.
In Early September, Efron posted a photo on Instagram from Machu Picchu in Peru. He caotioned the photo, “Hey guys! Just returned from an incredible trip to Peru with my dad and wanted to thank you all for your support these past few weeks...means the world to me. Love you guys! Z.” Efron needs support from the public more than ever before. One can only hope he gets the help he needs.
On the other hand, there may be a way to portray Weiner’s story in a more positive light . With all of the attention, “Anthony Weiner” has become a household name. This can be used to his advantage if he follows the steps to reverse his sexual habits and repair his relationship with his family. After all, a flawed man trying to help his family is much easier for people to relate to than a sleazy politician. Whatever PR strategy Weiner chooses, only time will tell if he can turn his reputation around and once again be viewed as a reputable government figure.
A-ROD By Allie Zoll Alex Rodriguez, third-baseman for the New York Yankees, has been accused of using steroids throughout his baseball career. There have been three separate accusations of Performance Enhancing Drug (PEDs) usage from the time he was the third baseman for the Texas Rangers in 2003 until present day. Rodriquez, or “A–Rod” as he is commonly known, has refused to comment and denied all results that have been determined by the league. A-Rod is one of the 12 players in the Biogenesis Case and is facing a lot of scrutiny from fans, reporters, and teammates. According to CNN, when asked at a recent press conference why he was appealing the 211 game suspensions, he said, “I’m fighting for my life, I have to defend myself. If I don’t defend myself, no one else will.” After this comment, his fans labeled him as a cheater due to the fact that he did not deny his steroid abuse. He was also the only player who fought the length of his suspension. During his first press conference, it became clear that A-Rod’s management coached him to be ambiguous because he did not incriminate himself when reporters asked him direct questions. Instead, he focused on his past six-month nightmare due to his hip surgery and rehab, and refrained from discussing steroids. According to NBC Sports Hardball Talk, when asked if he used PEDs he answered, “We’ll have a forum to discuss that and talk about that then.” Baseball fans can only wait and see the result of his case.
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LAMAR ODOM By Kristen Roubal
By Rebecca Ferrick What happened to Amanda Bynes? Between her bizarre posts and pictures on Twitter, her multiple arrests, the messy wigs in public, throwing a bong out of her 36th floor Manhattan apartment, numerous plastic surgery attempts and her increasingly bizarre behavior, Bynes truly seemed to be crying out for help. The world watched with a mix of horror, entertainment, and concern as the former teen star is spiraling downward. Many assume that the 27 year-old is falling into the same drug and alcohol fueled pattern as many child stars before her, while others feel that she is simply acting out for attention. Whatever the case, Bynes seems to be struggling with a serious mental illness that has been developing out of the public eye for quite some time. The latest incident took place on July 22nd, when police apprehended Bynes in an elderly woman’s driveway. Bynes had allegedly started a small fire and was caught carrying a dog that was covered in gasoline. She was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold; known as a 5150. Her parents were given a conservatorship of their daughter’s personal and financial affairs. The starlet has since entered a private rehabilitation facility and will hopefully emerge healthy, happy, and ready to throw out that wig collection. Source: nydailynews.com
Although they were depicted as a perfect couple on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Lamar Odom and Khloé Kardashian only seemed to be putting up a façade to mask what was truly going on in their personal lives. Within the past month Odom has become a target for paparazzi with his recent DUI and the exposure of his alleged cocaine addiction. In addition, his actions are Source: causing repercussions for the breathecast.christianpost.com entire Kardashian clan. The family, which took on Odom as one of their own after being estranged from his own family, has been strangely silent on the subject of “Khlomar.” Odom himself has not spoken out to the public about his addiction either. From a PR standpoint, the Kardashians could certainly work this to their advantage by speaking out against drug addiction. It’s rather clear that media portrays the Kardashians as being shallow and self-serving, and by using this opportunity they can demonstrate that they are looking out for one of their own, as well as all those affected by drug abuse. Whether or not their decision to be silent about these allegations turns out to be a good or bad PR move in the long run has yet to be seen, but for now it leaves fans with many unanswered questions.
MILEY CYRUS By Chandler Chruma It’s safe to say that the pop sensation, Hannah Montana is long gone. The once innocent Disney Channel star has been on a wild-child streak since her 2008 topless, bed-sheet photoshoot done by Annie Leibovitz. For the past five years, Miley Cyrus’s face has consistently appeared on various tabloids. After the 2013 VMA’s, Miley’s provocative performance left many speechless. Billy Ray Cyrus, the 52-year-old singer and father of Cyrus, says that despite his daughter’s behavior, she is “still the same Miley.” In a recent CBS News article, Billy Ray Cyrus states, “Miley's smart enough to know that to come out of the shadows of Hannah Montana, it really takes something exSource: billboard.com tremely drastic, which when you go to that level, it creates passion, and passion is either love or hate. But there's no middle of the road for passion.” Many hope Cyrus will come out of this funk with in the next few months, but until then she is just a wrecking ball.
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P R S S A TA K E S O N S U M M E R INTERNSHIPS COLLEGE F A S H I O N I S TA By Jessica Kovac This summer, I applied for an internship at CollegeFashionista, a website created by Melissa and Amy Levin. The two sisters founded the website where college students find men and women on campus that are fashion forward and write articles on them. When I received notice that I had the internship, I was thrilled and nervous. It has, however, been an extremely rewarding experience. Through CollegeFashionista, we also participate in something called Fashion talks where people from the fashion industry talk to us via twitter, Google chat, and sometimes in person. Last week, I received an e-mail from my boss saying a fashion talk would be held live at FIT with a wellknown designer himself. There would be a Q&A my boss would conduct, and after there would be a live book signing where we could ask questions. The designer who participated was already reputable for being involved in social media and social action. This was the theme of the night. The biggest lesson I took from the experience was to get involved with social media. People look to the media for inspiration, especially in the fashion world. Having unique profiles on these websites gives us an opportunity to stand out and make a name for ourselves. It is also the way we communicate, making it even more important to not only have accounts on social media but make them userfriendly and individualistic. Going to FIT that night gave me extremely important career advice for the future.
LORRAINE TYNE By Edith Morris After countless hours of PR internship searching, one of the companies I applied to reached out to me with an interview offer. I was ecstatic beyond words. The company was a small, yet very trendy, accessory boutique in Beacon, New York, called Lorraine Tyne and I was offered the position on the spot. As an internship newbie, I was both nervous and excited to start my first day as an intern for Lorraine Tyne. My responsibilities included updating various social media outlets and contributing to their databases of clients, whom they collaborate with regularly. My knowledge of PR was very limited, but my managers were impressed by my eagerness to learn and began to give me extra assignments. These assignments included product development, web design, and event planning. It was an amazing experience and I now consider my first public relations class to have been an internship.
D I S C O V E RY C O M M U N I C AT I O N S By Jennifer Laski This past summer, I interned at Discovery Communications in the publicity department for the TLC network. Discovery has an amazing internship program that allowed me to not only work closely with my mentors, but to also work in a team with several other interns on a semester long project. Every intern from each of the offices in different cities was placed onto a team. Each team was then given a problem to solve regarding one of Discovery’s newer channels: Investigation Discovery. It was great to collaborate with other interns in different departments and to present our project idea to all of our supervisors.
Jennifer poses with Mama June.
For the rest of my time at Discovery I worked under Joanna Brahim, the Senior Director of Publicity at TLC, and Joey Skladany, a Publicist for TLC. My main task was researching local media outlets and reaching out to them for potential interviews with people featured in each week’s episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras,” “Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids,” and “Randy to the Rescue.” I arranged several interviews between people on the shows and won the attention of online and print publications, including OUT magazine. In addition, I was able to assist Joey on the “Honey Boo Boo” local and New York press tour for the Season two premiere. Along with acquiring TV stations to attend the local press conference, I was also able to go backstage at “Live with Jimmy Fallon,” where Mama June was a guest. Interning at TLC was one of the best experiences of my life and I would highly recommend Discovery Communications for anyone interested in the entertainment industry.
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Apple puts its best technology forward in September By Katherine Burek Since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, it has looked relatively the same. In the month of September, however, Apple introduced two major improvements to their technology line-up. It all started on September 18th, when Apple launched iOS7, an innovative software that chief design officer Jony Ive says "is completely new, yet instantly familiar.” The icons are new, translucent, and the keyboard appears cleaner, giving the user a feeling of a brand new phone. Many users are happy with the new features and accessibility to the control center. By swiping up from the bottom of the screen there is easy access to spe-
cific settings such as Wi-Fi, volume, brightness, and Bluetooth. In this image driven world, many users favor the new camera’s filters that allow you to add a unique effect. These small changes led many users to embrace the upgrade during just the first few days the upgrade became available. The two new phones were then introduced by Apple on September 20th with each displaying very different color schemes. The iPhone 5S which came in the standard white and black, is now available with a gold finish. The 5S is the first Apple phone to use “touch id,” allowing consumers to use their fingerprint as a pass-
word. The iPhone 5C is now available in five eye-catching colors: white, red, yellow, blue, and green. A 16GB phone is priced at $99 by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint and this price is considerably lower than those of previous phones. The rollout of new Apple products always promises a huge bump in sales, and this release was no different. Fans camped out for days in advance hoping to be one of the first to get their hands on the latest and greatest versions. Some technology experts even claim that this has been the most significant change for Apple since the phones’ initial release.
Source: softmirage.com
The 65th Emmys captures all emotions By Jennifer St. Jeanos
Source: emmys.com
This year marked the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, a show filled with laughs, surprises, and sadness. The show got off to an awkward start when host,
Neil Patrick Harris, was interrupted by Jimmy Kimmel mocking him from the audience. Before long, Kimmel, as well as other hosts from previous years, joined the stage to point out Harris’ hosting flaws. Harris received his last mockery from Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who began commanding him to start “twerking” before taking the stage to present the first award of the night. Arguably, the two most anticipated award categories usually are best comedy series and best drama series. Modern Family won best comedy for the fourth consecutive year which didn’t come as a surprise to
most. Best drama series, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise to many with the hit AMC series, Breaking Bad, taking home the Emmy. Creator Vince Gilligan was in co mp le te sho ck and thanked the audience for their support, as well as Netflix for live streaming their program. Additionally of interest are the best actor/actress in a comedy and drama series categories. Jim Parsons, star of The Big Bang Theory, won best actor in a comedy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, star of HBO’s Veep, won best actress in a comedy. As for lead actor in a drama, Jeff Daniels from The Newsroom unexpectedly grabbed the
prize. Lastly, lead actress in a drama went to Claire Danes from Homeland. Although many thought Kerry Washington of Scandal would win, Danes had a fantastic Emmy submission that highlighted her outstanding acting moments. The awards show also included heart-warming tributes to Glee’s Cory Monteith and Sopranos’ actor James Gandolfini. The annual Emmy Awards is one of the biggest nights for the Hollywood industry and this year was an event to remember. While some of the winners came as a shock, and others as an expectation, the 2013 Emmy Awards were ultimately a success.
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Adjustments to the Marist Core allow students to test different academic waters By Ariana Held As of the Fall 2013 semester, students attending Marist are being introduced to a different set of course requirements to fulfill the Marist core. This newly revised core only applies to freshmen and transfer students. Prior to Fall 2013, the Marist core required students to take a certain number of foundation and distribution courses. Depending on existing credits, foundation courses include College Writing I, College Writing II and Introduction to Philosophy. It also includes Ethics, a course typically taken as an upperclassman. Distribution requirements include two history, social science, natural science, mathematics, and literature courses, as well as one course in fine arts and one additional course in philosophy or religious studies. Each of these requirements will remain the same for all students still following this curriculum. There are variations depending on the
number of credits that students earned prior to attending Marist. The revised Marist core gives students the opportunity to focus on one area of study over another. The new requirements include academic foundation courses as well as distribution courses. The academic foundation courses include First Year Seminar and Writing for College. Both courses engage in themes such as cultural diversity, nature and the environment, civic engagement, and quantitative reasoning. The new distribution course requirements, allow students to focus on a particular area of study. They are now required to take one course in each of the following areas: philosophy, ethics & justice, fine arts, history, literature, mathematics, natural science, and social science. Students are also required to choose a “pathway”, which contains four different courses covering at least three different disciplines. Every student must
Source: library.marist.edu
also complete a total of 36 distribution credits. The purpose of the revised core is to give students the ability to determine which courses they find most interesting without making a huge commitment to one area of study. Students are also able to double-dip, meaning courses can simultaneously fulfill the eight breadth areas as well as the four pathway requirements. The new Marist core is beneficial to students overall because students are more likely
to be able to pinpoint an area of study they enjoy. This is especially helpful for incoming students who are undeclared as this newly revised core allows them to fulfill breadth requirements while they start to figure out what area they would most likely be interested in majoring in. The new core makes sure students are not overwhelmed by the large number of different core classes and can focus their energy purely on exploring their possible interests.
The Public Relations curriculum change also went into full effect this semester, transitioning from a combination of old and new classes. Students now have the ability to choose one of two specializations, “Public Relations Management” or “Integrated Communication.” This is a great addition for students because the world of PR is revolutionizing and this will only better prepare students for their future in the professional world. "Our new public relations curriculum helps prepare students to meet the demands of today's fast-paced and everevolving public relations industry. It provides students with a solid foundation in both theory and practice as well as offers them the choice of two specializations." -Jennie Donohue, Communications Professor and Marist PRSSA Faculty Adviser
Publication compiled and published by Elizabeth Peper & Marguerite Pinheiro