CAMPUS CONNECTIONS
A4
Advance-Titan
Raquel Tuohy - Campus Connections Editor
November 3, 2016
PRSSA looks to revive organization after receiving awards by Raquel Tuohy tuohyr78@uwosh.edu After recently winning two awards at the national conference, the Dr. Julie Henderson chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America at UW Oshkosh is looking to take their club in a new direction this year. The club was at national conference from Oct. 21-26 in Indianapolis where they spent the long weekend networking with over 3,000 pre and established professionals in their field. PRSSA President Katie Biersach said she will take what she learned at conference and apply it to her chapter. “National conference is always a fun time,” Biersach said. “You get to meet other chapters from around the country and network with professionals. It’s a great experience for anyone interested in public relations to come and learn what the field is all about. PRSSA Vice President of Public Relations Monica Salmeri said what stood out to her at conference this year were the speakers. “I’m glad the people who spoke at conference weren’t just talking about what it means to have a good career,” Salmeri said. “They picked speakers who taught us how to be a good person, like David Grossman.” While at conference, PRSSA
won the Star Chapter award, a distinctive honor only given to chapters who meet certain requirements, one being high school outreach. PRSSA Vice President of Events Carissa Brz ez inski said the Star Chapter award means a lot to the organiz ation. “It’s an award that few universities get every year, and I am so proud that Oshkosh is one of them,” Brz ez inski said. In addition to the Star Chapter award, Dr. Sara Steffes-Hansen won the Dr. Frederick H. Teahan Chapter Award for Outstanding Faculty Adviser of the Year award. The award also comes with a $ 200 priz e that Steffes-Hansen plans to put back into the PRSSA fund for the end of the semester banquet. The extensive process to nominate Steffes-Hansen began last spring when the Chapter submitted a four-page summary detailing her positive effect on , five letters of recommendations from students and colleagues as well as a detailed explanation regarding her contribution to furthering public relations education. The award for Steffes-Hansen was presented on Oct. 24 at the PRSSA “Circle City Celebration” ceremony in Indianapolis. She is the only person in the nation to win the faculty adviser award this year. Steffes-Hansen said she didn’t think she would win the national award in the first year
of being faculty adviser for PRSSA. Salmeri said Steffes-Hansen is more than deserving of the award. “It shows how great and sacrificing she is, almeri said. “She is always there to help the organiz ation and we couldn’t ask for a better adviser.” UWO public relations professor Jean Giovanetti said the award Steffes-Hansen received highlights the work she’s done as a professor and adviser. “Dr. Hansen’s award is a wonderful acknowledgement of her dedication as well as the strong support she receives from the entire UWO journalism department,” Giovanetti said. Steffes-Hansen said the award helps recogniz e the achievements of the students, faculty and the journalism department. “It reinforces the idea that all the time and effort we put into making this program great is validated,” Steffes-Hansen said. “It makes us proud and ready to take on more. [We are] ready to be more bold and take on more opportunities and challenges.” After coming back from conference, Salmeri said the awards are a motivator for the organiz ation to do more in the community. “We recently started a mentorship program that is in its early stages,” Salmeri said. “Each member of the execu-
COURTESY OF PRSSA/FACEBOOK
Dr. Sara Steffes-Hansen receives her faculty adviser of the year award with PRSSA members. Steffes-Hansen was the only faculty adviser in the nation to receive this award. tive board has a younger student that they can meet with and talk to them about public relations as well as other things.” In addition to the mentorship program, Biersach said PRSSA is ready to implement new policies and procedures, including restructuring the executive board to add more positions after a stagnant year last year. “I felt we weren’t being as
Samhain ritual celebrates end of harvest by Mia Wilson wilsom45@uwosh.edu
In order to celebrate the end of harvest and honor spirits of those who have passed, the UW Oshkosh Pagan Student Alliance held a Samhain ritual on Monday in the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center. The Pagan Student Alliance is an all inclusive group providing a safe space for those who wish to join. It is a collective organiz ation of students following or interested in Earth-based faiths. They explore spirituality through the natural world and everyday life in equal parts with mysticism and magic. Senior Tyler Hahn said he has more of an idea of what Halloween is as a holiday, since joining the Pagan student alliance. “I still see Halloween as a mildly commercializ ed holiday, but I also see that it’s not just a day for partying and dressing up as something cool, but it’s something spiritual,” Hahn said. “This is one of the times of year that the veil, which separates our world from the supernatural, is the thinnest.” Senior Gwendolyn Dahlin, a long-time member of the club, said a typical meeting entails learning more about Paganism as a whole. “They tend to be based around looking at different aspects of Paganism and sometimes just do fun things like crafts,” Dahlin said. “Sometimes they bring in speakers to talk about the different branches of Paganism since it’s such a wide variety of people.” When asked to describe Paganism, senior Devin Matz nick, president of Pagan Student Alliance, said that it is hard to define. “Paganism is a very broad topic, the running o e is if you as five pagans, you will get 12 answers,” Matz nick said. “I believe in paganism because I believe in the sanctity of the earth, and in honoring nature. Everything we used in the ritual is symbolic.” The club Oshkosh Student Association representative, senior Tyler
efficient as we could be, iersach said. “We felt we could be taking on more responsibilities and doing more as an organiz ation and the restructuring let us do that.” Salmeri said in the future, she would like to see more students join PRSSA. “We have a good group now, but we are always looking to grow as a chapter,” Salmeri said. Steffes-Hansen said she
The A-T Timehop
Then: 1966
-Wisconsin-State University (UWO) enrollment rose to 8,267 -The Paine Art Center opened
JACOB LYNCH/ADVANCE-TITAN
Tyler Hahn offers student Devin Matznick bread in the Giving ceremony. The ceremony was held by the Pagan Student Alliance on Halloween. Hahn said for him, Paganism is spiritual and personal to each person. “To me being pagan is more about being in tune with nature and to find one s own spiritual identity, Hahn said. “Instead of being born into a specific faith, many pagans are lead into it. I think that shows a sense of individuality.” Dahlin said Halloween is not only a holiday, but it has a deeper meaning that lies in religion. “For me, it’s kind of a combination,” Dahlin said. “It’s a celebration of the end of the harvest season and that same idea of respecting the people that have passed and paying tribute to them.” he group gathered around a fire outside of the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center. A pamphlet with the written ritual was handed out to participants to recite. Each person was given three
leaves to make into a rose, a symbol of those before us, dead or living, and representative of the energy and focus placed onto that person to honor them. There was also bread and “wine,” or in this case apple juice, used to symboliz e nourishment and to wish participants in the ritual that they have plentiful food and drink. In addition to the ritual, the group has a few upcoming events, including “Meet a Druid” with Greg Shori on Nov. 7 in Sage 4210, and another “Meet a Druid” with Dale Frampton on Nov. 21 in the same location. Matz nick said any student looking to find out more about the organiz ation is more than welcome to ask questions or attend a meeting. “As a group, one of our missions is to educate and to dispel any stigma,” Matz nick said. “We’re always here to help to try to answer [questions.]”
would like to see the University’s public relations department expand along with PRSSA. “That means getting the word out about the great job opportunities in public relations, it s a growing field, Steffes-Hansen said. “I would love to see students learn about public relations earlier so they could join PRSSA earlier and we could help them seiz e those opportunities earlier. I don’t
Now: 2016
-UW Oshkosh enrollment rises to 13,513 -The Paine Art Center celebrates 50 years
-The WSU college of nursing opens its doors
Oshkosh announces nursing doctorate program
-The school newspaper was called the Oshkosh Advance
-The newspaper is now called the Advance-Titan
-UW
By: Raquel Tuohy