School of Mass Communication Newsletter Fall 2009

School of Mass Communication Newsletter FALL 2009

Public relations students, professor shine with “Bling”

By Michael Caruso, mass communication junior

Loyola’s Bateman public relations team won first place in the spring with their campaign “The Bling Starts Here,” marking the second straight year the School of Mass Communication has walked away from the national competition with top honors.

The annual competition, organized by the Public Relations Student Society of America, asks teams from universities to The winning 2009 Bateman Team was comprised of tackle a full-scale public Heather Miranne, Janine Sheedy, adviser Cathy Rogers, relations campaign for Sarah Mackota, Ashley Sutton and Vicki Voelker. nonprofit organizations. This year, students worked with the Consumer Bankers Association to raise college awareness among public school students. Janine Sheedy, Heather Miranne, Sarah Mackota, Ashley Sutton and Vicki Voelker comprised the 2009 team. Their campaign focused on showing high school students the correlation between attending college and maximizing earning potential.

The Loyola team used “The Bling Starts Here” to convey a message that dedication to school will pay off in tangible rewards. The group launched the campaign at inner-city schools in the New Orleans area, including Warren Easton, Cohen and St. Bernard Middle schools, talking with students, teachers, and parents about preparing for college.

“We were really able to make them see how important a college education is, and we were able to show them how they can attain it,” team member and communication senior Heather Miranne said.

“We helped students understand that their personal stories can make great scholarship essays and they shouldn’t be afraid to tell their story,” Miranne said.

The Loyola University Bateman Team has a history of high honors in this competition, having placed first nationally in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2008, and second in 2001, 2004 and 2006.

Public Relations Professor J. Cathy Rogers, Ph.D., supervises the public relations sequence and advises the Bateman competitors.

“This competition charge was extremely timely for New Orleans as it experiences changes and improvements in the public school system. For the team to be a national finalist is great recognition for the work they did to inspire hope in a group of eighth and ninth graders,” Rogers said. “The fact that these students are national finalists pales in comparison to the children’s lives that they touched—some of whom actually said they had never given life after high school a thought until meeting this team.”

For her work leading her students in this and other arenas, Rogers was lauded by the Public Relations Society of America’s New Orleans chapter at their annual fall banquet. She was awarded the Preeminent Plate Spinner award.

“Our awards ceremony is an annual celebration of talent, research, strategic thinking, and creativity,” John Deveney, president of PRSA New Orleans, said. “We give awards to the very best public relations practitioners in our market for their exemplary work.” But the Plate Spinner Award is reserved for “an exemplary leader — a practitioner and leader who goes beyond their work and makes a difference,” he said.

Deveney, who graduated from Loyola in 1988, especially praised Rogers for her continued success with Loyola’s Bateman Team. Team members were also honored by PRSA. They were given the Silver Anvil for their campaign, this time competing against seasoned professionals in the New Orleans area.

Rogers’ record advising Bateman students is one to be coveted,” Deveney said. “It’s simply

See BLING, page 7

A photo of a blues guitar player by Loyola student Shane Hennessey was one of dozens of photographs and stories produced and published by the Travel and Culture Journalism class during a nine-day journey through the Mississippi Delta.

Students from the Travel and Culture Journalism class take notes and photos while visiting the gravesite of blues legend Robert Johnson outside of Baptist Town, Mississippi. Photo by Professor Michael Perlstein.

Writing students become blues travelers

By Janece Bell and Renee Dottolo, mass communication sophomores Loyola University’s Travel and Culture Journalism class criss-crossed the Mississippi Delta last spring to capture —in stories and pictures — the rich culture that gave birth to the blues.

The 12 students, led by Professor Michael Perlstein, spent nine days visiting cities from Memphis to Vicksburg and delving into rich history, thick accents, unique cuisine, and distinctive Delta blues sound that eventually sparked rock ‘n’ roll.

By day, the group visited museums, historic sites, famous churches, and other cultural touchstones of the Delta. By night, they sought out the juke joints and blues clubs, experiencing firsthand how Delta blues became world-renowned.

In Crystal Springs, Miss., students visited Steven Johnson, the grandson of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, and learned about his efforts to preserve his grandfather’s legacy through a new museum and nonprofit foundation.

Students joined locals and listened to DJ Doctor Tissue’s old school funk and R&B tracks at the Po’ Monkey Lounge in Merigold, Miss., a rickety club known as the last of the original Delta juke joints. This hole-inthe-wall was “made of scrap wood, sheet metal, and even plastic all nailed together,” student Garrett Cleland said.

In Cleveland, Miss., Dr. Luther Brown, director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, talked about the Delta’s cultural history and efforts to preserve its stark beauty and global significance.

A visit to the Delta Blues Arts and Education program at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Miss.,

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introduced the class to the past and future generations of blues music. The after-school program is a place for young and old musicians to play music, learn new skills, and share stories.

Cleland said, “My favorite day trip was to the Sun studios in Memphis, Tenn., where great performers like Elvis and Johnny Cash made their first recordings. I remember thinking history was made right where I am standing. It was magical.”

The most impressive part of this whole adventure was the journalism that came out of it. The students published articles and photographs of their findings on www.neworleans.com and www.newsplink.com.

Cleland even did some freelance writing for a local music magazine.

Another highlight was the newly opened B.B. King Blues Museum in Indianola, Miss., a state-of-the-art interactive history museum. “The museum was different than any other museum we visited. The interactive nature made it the most exciting and gave me hope for the future of blues music,” Cleland said.

“Since the trip, I’ve been listening to Buddy Guy, Nina Simone, Etta James, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles.

It’s music with substance. I love it,” student Katie Urbaszewski said.

“I’ve never been on such an educational trip that was so much fun. The trip was such a good mix of live music, hearing musicians tell their stories, museums, history, food.

I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance to learn about music that way again,” Urbaszewski said.

Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communication

85 years of The Maroon going online

By Craig Malveaux, mass communication sophomore Loyola’s library staff is launching a project to digitize nearly 85 years of Loyola’s student newspaper, The Maroon, online.

The Maroon’s online archives now date back to about 2003, so this project will also make each weekly issue of the newspaper between 1923 and 2003 available to students, faculty, staff and readers online.

“There is no other single resource that you can go to that’s going to show you a snapshot of the first draft of history for every single week in the life of Loyola than our archives,” Michael Giusti ’00, The Maroon adviser, said.

“So having that online and searchable is going to be an absolutely crucial asset to anyone who wants to do any kind of research or any journalist who wants to go back and look at the work they did or their parents or grandparents did in the 85 years of The Maroon,” he said. “It’s almost purely a historical reference, a historical asset, it’s not meant for driving traffic or anything,” Giusti said.

The project will cost at least $50,000 to complete; the library is seeking funds through taxdeductible donations.

“The problem they have run into is that up until the 1970s, we were printing The Maroon on broad sheets of paper and broadsheet scanners are hard to come by. There is only one at the university so they are having to outsource it to another company,” Giusti said.

“Plus if you’re looking at the scope of the project, it’s 16 page-issues on average, 24 issues in a typical year and 85 years; do the multiplication. That’s a lot of pages to scan,” Giusti said.

For more information or to make a donation to the project, contact: Liz Cashman, outreach and development coordinator, J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library, Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, La. 70118, (504) 864-7045

Maroon writers rack up awards Several Loyola students were honored by the Press Club of New Orleans over the summer for their work with the Loyola newspaper, The Maroon.

The annual awards recognize outstanding journalism

by New Orleans area newspaper, magazine and broadcast outlets.

Ramon Antonio Vargas ’08 won a first-place best column award for his “Rack ‘em, Pack ‘em” column in The Maroon, as well as first place for best sports feature for an article on teen boxer Roy Middleton, III, that appeared in The Times-Picayune, where he began working part-time while finishing his studies at Loyola. Vargas was competing with seasoned professionals from around the region.

Loyola students Jessica Williams, Tom Macom, Rachel Strassel and Andrea Castillo also won second-place, third-place, and honorable mention awards for their work with The Maroon.

www.css.loyno.edu/masscomm/

By Melanie Ziems, mass communication junior

Loyola sophomore and Maroon photo editor Kevin Zansler was one of three journalism students in the greater New Orleans area who was awarded a Press Club scholarship.

In a separate journalism competition held by the Society of Professional Journalists, four Maroon staffers received awards at the regional level of the organization’s national competition.

Jessica Williams won first place in general news reporting; Katie Urbaszewski won first place in online news reporting; Rachel Strassel won first and second place in feature photography; Kevin Zansler won second place in general news photography.

Press Club of New orleaNs

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CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF NEW ORLEANS

Author Jason Berry told stories gathered from years researching the culture of New Orleans jazz for his book, Up from the Cradle of Jazz, at the inaugural event of the Center for the Study of New Orleans. Dr. Michael White, a Xavier University professor and clarinetist, led John Boutté and the band in songs representing the styles of music Berry described.

Playwright and Loyola English professor John Biguenet, left, moderated the Center for the Study of New Orleans’ second event, “What is New Orleans?” The event included presentations from Larry Powell, a Tulane University history professor; New York Times reporter and New Orleans native Susan Saulny; and Richard Campanella, author of Bienville’s Dilemma.

New area of study draws applause

By Laura Beatty, marketing coordinator, School of Mass Communication The Center for the Study of New Orleans is a new center dedicated to promoting scholarly research and reflection on the history, politics, culture and environment of New Orleans. It is headed by School of Mass Communication professor Leslie Parr, Ph.D. The center, housed in the College of Social Sciences, holds public events that explore New Orleans’ unique culture by drawing on the expertise of nationally known New Orleans scholars.

A Loyola minor in the study of New Orleans will also be offered. Students will complete courses across the Loyola curriculum that support the center’s mission.

The first event featured acclaimed author Jason Berry and musicians Dr. Michael White and John Boutté and was attended by more than 500 people in September.

During “An Evening of Jazz and History,” Berry told poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, anecdotes gathered from years researching the culture of New Orleans jazz for his book, Up from the Cradle of Jazz.

In between stories, White, a Xavier University professor and clarinetist, led Boutté and the band in songs representing the styles of music Berry described.

“This center will not only serve the needs of our students, it will be of great value to the community. It’s important to us to highlight the importance of New

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Orleans as the city continues its recovery,” Parr said.

The idea for the center was born as Loyola professors talked informally about the rich array of possibilities New Orleans offers for scholarly investigation, she said.

“I don’t know if we got the idea for the minor or for the programming first, but it all just jelled,” Parr said.

“This center came together with the help of so many people. We have an impressive steering committee that represents disciplines throughout the university. They have put in many hours of planning for these events.”

Events to come include “New Orleans in the ’60s: A Time of Change.” A panel of distinguished scholars will discuss segregation, integration, and emerging identity groups during that turbulent decade. It is set for Jan. 20 in Nunemaker Auditorium on campus.

“Taken Against Their Will: Kidnappers, Detectives and Slaves,” another panel discussion, will be held on March 24 at 7 p.m., also in Nunemaker. Historians will discuss two infamous 19th-century Louisiana kidnapping cases.

“We think the concept of this center with its focus on a single city is unique. New Orleans is one of the few cities in the world that can sustain such intense study.”

The plan, too, is for Loyola to be able to do something meaningful for New Orleans, Parr said.

Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communication

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Graduate lived SMC’s beginning

By Hedda Asmussen, mass communication sophomore Paul Steen ’50, a Loyola alumnus living in Montana, received a copy of this newsletter from spring and decided to contact the university and share his story of becoming a successful journalist before Loyola even offered journalism as a full major.

During Steen’s student time at Loyola, there were not enough journalism courses offered, so he split his major between journalism and history. He was the executive director of both The Maroon and The Wolf.

The Maroon “helps you be a writer,” he said. Every journalism major should be working for The Maroon, he said. After graduation, Steen became the university’s public relations director and head of the journalism department.

Steen describes the difference between The Maroon facilities now and then as “The difference between one of Christopher Columbus’ voyages and a pleasure cruise to Caribbean ports.”

The Maroon office was located in what seemed like two dorm rooms put together, he said. Steen has recently visited Loyola for a class reunion and admired the current offices.

Steen witnessed the development of the journalism program and recalls a time no more than five or six journalism majors graduated in a year. “It was still a good field to practice writing, better than an English degree,” he said.

After his time at Loyola, Steen started Group Seven, an advertising company. In 1978, he was awarded the silver medal from the American Advertising Federation in recognition of career contributions to the profession of advertising.

Steen said his philosophy is “a writer is only as good as he or she is read. In other words, read, read, read.”

Paul Steen in his ad agency days.

Paul Steen today.

New Orleans Magazine extols mass communication graduates

By Catherine Koppel, associate director of Public Affairs Two mass communication graduates were featured by New Orleans Magazine as Top Ten Female Achievers in the July 2009 issue.

Amy Boyle Collins ’96 was lauded for her role as executive director of the Young Leadership Council.

Chimene Grant Connor ’90 was praised for her work as director of advertising and tourism marketing for the Audubon Nature Institute.

Connor coordinates advertising for Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy IMAX Theatre, and Audubon Insectarium; she also serves as a board member and as the liaison to the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation.

www.css.loyno.edu/masscomm/

“I also work to keep Audubon involved in the tourism arena, by participating in programs of the NOTMC, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network, [and] the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, among others,” she told the magazine.

Collins was recognized for her work in leading and growing the YLC, which promotes volunteerism and civic involvement among young professionals.

Collins is responsible for fundraising, building community relationships, and is credited with increasing YLC membership to 1,300 after a post-Katrina low of 700.

“I do not take sole credit for any of these accomplishments,” she said in the article. “The thing I love about the YLC is that everything is a team effort.”

Amy Boyle Collins

Chimene Grant Connor

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STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Students from the school’s event planning class welcome guests to Networking Night. Students had a chance to meet professional members of the community, get advice and even job hunt. Left to right are: Kelsey Jones, Rebecca Molyneaux, Amanda Wood and Dominic Moncada.

Students, professionals meet and mingle at networking event

By Leigh Pechon, mass communication junior Thanks to our Networking Night sponsors: Roly Poly Coca-Cola Le Madeline Fresco's Cheesecake Bistro Quizno's Krispy Kreme Pita Pit Kupcake Factory Hubig's Pies Rouse's Christy's Flowers Hike for KaTREEna Whole Foods

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Loyola University’s School of Mass Communication hosted its second Networking Night with more than 90 students attending to collect names and business cards, distribute resumes, and mingle with professionals in their areas of interest.

Event organizers opened Loyola’s doors to more than a dozen local communications-related companies—including Deveney Communications, Horizon Entertainment, Gulf Restoration Network and many others—to provide students from Loyola and eight other local universities to come together in hopes of finding future internships and jobs.

“I wanted to find out what opportunities there were for students, and to get my name out to public relations professionals,” said Ashley Stevens, a music major who recently decided to become a double major in communication.

“I wanted to make sure I was taking the initiative.”

It worked.

“I overheard a conversation where an internship was available, so I walked up and used my new public relations skills and… got an internship on campus.” Stevens is working in the Office of Public Affairs at Loyola.

The event itself was also an opportunity for Loyola students to show off their skills. Organized and staged by Professor Valerie Andrews’ event planning class, students lined up 14 sponsors, including Coca-Cola, which donated beverages, and La Madeleine Restaurant, which donated 12 dessert trays, according to sophomore public relations major Courtney Mattison. She and several other communication students worked throughout the event handing out food and beverages.

Andrews said her 17 students split into three teams: promotions/publicity, sponsorship and venue. Each played a critical role in making the event run smoothly. Andrews said she incorporated public relations theory and principles into the planning of Networking Night so students would gain a better understanding of the issue.

Loyola University New Orleans School of Mass Communication

BLING, from page 1

Prof. Valerie Andrews and Dr. Cathy Rogers facilitated meetings over the summer that resulted in a more formal procedure for nonprofits to engage Loyola mass communication students to work on projects. Above, Kristian Buchanan, left, chats with Andrews, center, and Rogers.

Service to others, now just a click away

By Erica Colbenson, mass communication sophomore The School of Mass Communication has a history of community service, incorporating real public relations projects for nonprofits in class curriculum for decades. Now, getting considered for that service is even easier.

Over the summer, faculty members Dr. Cathy Rogers and Professor Valerie Andrews hosted four seminars for nonprofit community organizations that ultimately produced a new program that streamlines how the organizations can engage the School of Mass Communication in campaigns and projects. Through an in-house grant, Rogers and Andrews gathered input from nonprofit organizations and set their plan into action through the school’s website.

Nonprofit groups seeking Loyola’s help can now click on a link called “Request for Proposal” on the school’s home page (css.loyno.edu/ masscomm/). The link is the first step in engaging mass communication students in nonprofit projects. The projects can range from branding with advertising slogans and logos to brochures, press kits, event planning, fundraising, and other communications challenges. The clients are chosen based upon a host of criteria, including the group’s track record of community service and whether the www.css.loyno.edu/masscomm/

proposed project is a good match for students.

One of the program’s largest clients, the American Heart Association, is collaborating with students after applying through the new process.

“The American Heart Association was the first client we selected through this process. It shows the process really is working,” Andrews said. The public relations campaign class is providing the American Heart Association with a campaign titled “Power to End Stroke” that will take effect next fiscal year.

Wendee Bloom, senior director of marketing and communications for the American Heart Association said, “As a nonprofit organization, we have limited resources and Rogers did a great job making the program easy and effective.”

Although the main focus in developing the Request for Proposal process is reaching out to clients, the computerized process also helps students, the School of Mass Communication, and the university.

“Our goals included enhancing the students’ education, making Loyola University an active member in the community and adhering to the Jesuit mission of service to others,” Andrews said.

unprecedented and will continue to be unprecedented. No one will ever match this record.”

Christine Albert ’99, is associate vice president of marketing at Touro Infirmary. “Bateman is just one way our students can shine,” she said. “But the success is really related to the curriculum, to the competency instilled in the students. The public relations sequence that Dr. Rogers has in place really positions Loyola students for success,” she said. Albert herself is testimony to that success. At the awards banquet, she won a “Great Ball of Fire” award for her professional attitude, and Touro’s various campaigns won six awards.

Bookstore touts faculty authors

By Masako Hirsch, mass communication sophomore The reopening of the Loyola bookstore in September marked the inauguration of a tradition, the faculty author spotlight. The first faculty author spotlighted was mass communication professor S.L. Alexander, Ph.D. Alexander has written two books on the role of the media in the courtroom, Covering the Courts: A Handbook for Journalists (2nd ed., 2003) and Media and American Courts (2004).

Both books are used as textbooks at Loyola for classes that are electives for students studying communication and for those who are taking the new legal studies minor. Her books are also used at several other universities, including the University of Indiana and University of Massachusetts. “(Covering the Courts) is used by about a dozen schools in the country,” Alexander said.

According to Ivon Fascio, manager of the bookstore, the faculty spotlight will be an ongoing feature. “We want to spotlight one of the faculty every month in our store,” Fascio said. Next up is Dr. Glenn Hymel of the psychology department.

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School of Mass Communication Newsletter Staff Laura Beatty, Editor labeatty@loyno.edu

Where are you now?

If you are an alumnus/na or a friend of the School of Mass Communication, we are interested in knowing where you are and what you are doing. Please take a few minutes to complete the form below and return it to the School of Mass Communication, Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Ave., Box 201, New Orleans, LA 70118.

Or, visit our website at www.loyno.edu/masscomm, click “School Newsletter� to fill out the form online.

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