delaware state univesity - mass comm magazine (april 2013)
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IN THIS ISSUE Volume 5 April, 20113
FEATURED STORIES Winning Ways 3 Faculty and students in the Mass Comm Depart-
ment take top prizes and campus and state com-
petitions.
Visiting Lecture 5 Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
the State Department‟s Bureau of Public Affairs
visits Delaware State University to speak with
students about possible job opportunities in the
Department of State, Public Affairs Office.
Highlights from the 10th Annual Mass Comm Day 7 Mass Comm Day brings together alumni, pro-
fessionals and students to discuss the state of the
mass media, careers and more. Dorian McDon-
ald and Christian Perry bring you insight from
the annual event.
Dr. German travels to Hungary 8 Department Chair, Myna German travels to
Hungary to learn about religion/ethnicity in me-
dia and the arts at Central European University
(CEU).
In the Right Place at the Right Time 9 Mass Comm students attend a PR Boot Camp
and make connections with industry movers and
shakers.
ON THE COVER
Dr. Marcia Taylor has a passion for writing that is cer-
tain to take the Hornet Newspaper to new heights. She‟s
also passionate about helping Mass Comm students to
make their mark on the world. (page 4)
NEWS AND INFORMATION Mass Comm Student Athlete Receives Academic Honors ..……….. 8 Mass Comm Beauty Queen…………. 9 Lambda Pi Eta Inductions ….………. 11
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
3
WINNING WAYS
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
Eric Brown and 1st Place
Winner Matt Jones
The Delaware Press As-
sociation awarded the
Mass Communications
Message the 2013 award
for Advisor/Student Pub-
lication of the Year. “We
were truly impress with
the publication; it‟s con-
tent and the fact that stu-
dents do all of the writ-
ing and that you have a student editor,” said Katherine Ward,
Executive Director.
Student Editor, Tomi Canty said “I couldn‟t believe it. I was
walking down the hall [in the ETV] and saw the announce-
ment on Dr. Edwards‟ board. I‟m just glad that I have the
opportunity to do this.” Canty some day hopes to work for a
major magazine and is currently a writer for the Hornet New-
paper.
Contributors to the December 2012 issues include Tomi
Canty, Danielle Harvey, Felicia Houston, Shanice Justice,
Precious Latimore, Desiree Murray, Nafis Nelson, Isis Over-
ton, Danielle Williams, and Danasha Wise.
Staff Writer
Eric Brown Wins 3rd Place in Campus Speech Tournament
Accolades for the Mass Communications Message
Each year, the DSU College of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences,
Law Studies Program, and the Of-
fice of Student Affairs host a speech
tournament. This year‟s theme was
“African-American History or Civil
Rights. Students presented three-
minute speeches and were evaluated
on deliver and content. Mass Com-
munication majors Eric Brown and
Donnice Peterson competed in this
year‟s tournament. Eric presented a
speech entitled “H.B.C.U.” and talked about the history of
land grant institutions and their cultural significance. Eric
placed third in the competition. Both he and Donnice said it
was a great experience and they were inspired by their peers.
Evena Adams
DSU Bateman Case Study Competition Team Received Honorable Mention
PRSSA Headquarters received 68 entries for the PRSSA 2013 Bateman
Case Study Competition. Of these submissions, 16 entries received honor-
able mention and three were chosen as finalists to present their campaigns
via Skype to a panel of judges in May. The DSU Team was one of the 16
honorable mentions in this year‟s competition. “This was an amazing op-
portunity for the PR students; engaging in actual PR research, planning
and execution of a campaign. What better way to prepare yourself for the
real world.” said PRSSA advisor, Dr. Francine Edwards. “Although this is
a competition, the main purpose is to provide a learning opportunity,” says
Amy Ovsiew, Manager of Student Program for PRSSA. The team spent
months working on an anti bullying campaign entitled “The Bully Free
Bus Zone”. They created a public service announcement, conducted as-
semblies at schools and completed the research component of the competi-
tion. View their PSA at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWiXdxQmzVU
Staff Writer
The DSU Bateman Case Study Team Dr. Francine Edwards (faculty advisor), Michelle Rolsal
(alternate), Ayanna Williams, Christian Perry (Alternate), Donnice Peterson (Team Lead), David Skocik (Professional Advisor), NOT
PICTURED: Eric Brown and Nafis Nelson
4
DR. MARCIA TAYLOR’S RETURN TO DSU
Queen of the Hornet: Dr. Marcia Taylor
In life, we all posses characteristics that enable us to express ourselves; whether it be
through song, fashion, or any other means of creativity. The way Dr. Taylor, visiting
assistant professor and adviser of the Hornet Newspaper, expresses herself is through
writing.
Dr. Taylor initially became interested in writing when she was in the fourth grade. A
medical publishing company came to her elementary school and asked the students, if
they could do something to change the world, what would they do? Young Dr. Taylor
had an excerpt taken from her essay and had it published. “I was one of four who
were selected from my school and was the only fourth grader, the others were fifth
graders,” she said excitedly.
Dr. Taylor then went on to complete her undergraduate studies here at Delaware State
University where she received her BA in English. Hungry to gain more knowledge,
Dr. Taylor then completed her master‟s program at the University of South Carolina
and lastly her doctorate at Wilmington University where she studied leadership and
innovation.
When Dr. Taylor came back to her alma mater to be a professor, her colleagues discovered that she was the former editor of
the Hornet Newspaper when she was a student. She then decided to take on the role as the adviser for the paper. When put-
ting together her team of writers, she explains that the writers just emerge, but she does look for creativity and experience in
writing. “Every writer has been placed on a probationary period where they don‟t get paid, because I need to see that they
have proven themselves and are passionate about the paper,” said Dr. Taylor. Being the adviser, Dr. Taylor has many plans
for the Hornet, one being to move it online. “Print newspapers are now accessible online, [if we do this as well] our students
can be more competitive,” Dr. Taylor explains. She cur-
rently has students working on a model for the newspaper to
appear online.
When asked about her ultimate goal for her students, she
said, “I just want them to understand the importance of their
education and to take it very seriously.” In regard to her staff
writers, she wants to push the standard and quality of the pa-
per. “I see our writers winning national awards because this
group is just so talented,” Dr. Taylor expressed.
Throughout her many years of experience in writing, Dr.
Taylor‟s greatest accomplishment was the research she did
for her dissertation on the March on Washington as well as
her book offers. Though Dr. Taylor doesn‟t plan on retiring
for a while, she says that she wants to give African Ameri-
cans in PR their due because they haven‟t been talked about
in PR books, yet they have contributed so much.
Dr. Taylor encourages aspiring writers to attend the Hornet
Newspaper meetings held every Tuesday and Thursday
during common hour on the third floor of the MLK.
Tomi Canty
Dr. Taylor, always focused on students
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
5
CAREER SERVICES VISITING LECTURE
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, Lectures in the School of Business and the Department of Mass Communications
On March 26, 2012 Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department‟s Bureau of Public Affairs came to
Delaware State University to speak with students about possible job opportunities in the Department of State, Public Affairs
Office. Before joining the Department of State, Benton accrued more than twenty years of political and public affairs ex-
perience and expertise. Her job at The Bureau of Public Affairs carries out the Secretary's mandate to help Americans and
our foreign audiences understand the foreign policy priorities of President Barack Obama and the Secretary of State. She
leads the Departments‟ strategic planning effort, including utilizing various assets within the State Department to connect
with national and international media outlets.
Benton talked about different endeavors and resources such as careerstate.gov where you can use interactive tools to explore
your compatibility at it relates to various government jobs; learn about various career tracks within the Foreign Service; dis-
cover the roles played by the Foreign Service in world affairs; and see where you best fit in.
One career path that she spoke highly of was becoming a Foreign Service Officer. This career path allows potential employ-
ees the option of travelling and engaging in different cultures. In the role of Foreign Services Officer, employees do public
services oversee and learn a foreign language. She stated that if the students were passionate about public service and wants
to represent the U.S. around the world this was an ideal career path.
Senior, Michelle Rolsal stated that “with my graduation approaching in May I liked the fact that she gave us an abundance of
job opportunities that we could possibly explore once we graduate”.
Donnice Peterson
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
Cheryl Benton was invited to spend the day at DSU as a part of Career Services’ effort to connect students with seasoned professionals.
Benton lectured to the PR Management and Campaigns Class and the Organizational Communications Class
6
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
Images from Mass Comm Day 2013
7
The State of the Mass Media: Opportunities and Challenges Persist
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
Mass Comm Day Brings Together Alumni, Professionals and students
Alumni, Celebrities and Students Come Together to Discuss the State of the Mass Media
The 10th Annual Mass Communications Day Symposium
On Thursday April 12th 2013, The Department of Mass Communications hosted its 10th Annual
Mass Communications Day Symposium. This year‟s theme The State of the Mass Media: Oppor-
tunities and Challenges Persist garnered a great deal of dialogue between the expert panelists,
alumni, faculty and students. “We chose this theme as a result of many of the challenges that
popular journalists are facing in the field,” said Dr. Marcia Taylor coordinator of this year‟s sym-
posium, “Seasoned professionals are being demoted or not having their contracts renewed and it‟s
having a direct impact on minorities in the field.”
Dr. Taylor and the rest of the Mass Comm faculty worked together to bring professionals from
television, radio, print journalism, public relations and film together for a day of workshops, a
career fair and a student film festival. The day began with a guest lecture by feature film producer and
production expert Ashley Benton Johnson. Johnson talked about his experience in the military and what
lead him to Los Angeles where he started his film production career. “The main thing I got from Mr.
Johnson is that there‟s no way to get to the top without starting from the bottom and you have to know
the history about the job,” said TV/Radio/Film major Brian Juma. Johnson told students that you have to
know where you want to go and never sell yourself short in the process of trying to get there. Christo-
pher "Play" Martin was the celebrity guest for the afternoon session and talked about having passion for
your career and being humble on your journey to success. After his panel discussion, Martin spent one-
on-one time with students giving them helpful career advice. The afternoon session was complimented by
a luncheon to honor student leaders in the department and 15 student were inducted into the Lambda Pi
eta Honors Society.
For the second year in a row Mrs. Ava Perrine coordinated the career fair. Companies included
WDDE Radio, CSPAN, CNN, the News Journal and HBCU radio network. The afternoon was
filled with workshops on everything from breaking into the film industry to careers in public rela-
tions and advertising, creating a professional demo reel and digital portfolios. "I didn't even know
what a digital portfolio was until I went to the workshop with the alumni. Now I'm working on
converting my paper portfolio in a digital one." said PR major Evena Adams.
Each year Mass Comm Day grows and more students have the opportunity to connect with alumni
and seasoned professionals in the mass communications industry. "For me the best part of Mass
Comm Day is being able to interact with all of the alumni that come back. They really care about
us and always have great career advice." said Mass Comm student Ngozi Best. Overall students
walked away from Mass Comm Day better prepared for internships and job opportunities while
others anticipate an even greater opportunity to engage with industry professionals at next year‟s
event.
Dorian McDonald & Christian Perry
8
CAREER WATCH
Mass Comm Chair, Dr. Myna German Travels to Hungary
Dr. Myna German, recently returned from Hungary, where she
attended a symposium on topics related to her interest in Re-
ligion/Ethnicity in Media and the Arts at Central European
University (CEU). Dr. German has a passion for studying the
history of communication through art and literature. The sec-
ond part of the conference was on the history of migration
along the Danube, where Budapest is located, and the extent
that artifacts reflect that migration pattern. Dr. German pub-
lished a book last year with Dr. Nina Banerjee in Psychology
on migration and communication.
Dr. German also had the opportunity to learn more about life
in a former Communist country while visiting CEU, which
was a university that was started by American Financier
George Soros, after the downfall of Communism. Part of
CEU‟s mission is to study the transition of closed-societies
(such as those which exists in Eastern Europe) that have now
developed into more open, democratic nations. One of the
talks at the conference was on Propaganda and Poetry. Under
the Communist Regime, scholars always had to discern the
difference between the party line and what was considered
genuine art. As a result of freedom and more political equality,
there is a creative and artistic fervor in the nation and genuine
communication can thrive. Evena Adams
Dr. German at lecture in Budapest
Dr. Edwards: Tenured Professor, AEF Fellow and More
In 2007, Dr. Francine Edwards joined the DSU faculty as an Assis-
tant Professor in the Mass Communications Department at Delaware
State. After submitting an extensive portfolio of her teaching, ser-
vice, and research, she was granted tenure in March 2013. So what
does „tenure‟ mean? It means that as a professor you meet the re-
search, teaching and other requirements of your respective university
and are offered a permanent teaching position. “For me, the most
important part about this honor [and it is an honor] is that my contri-
bution to scholarly research in my field and my teaching ability has
been acknowledge as something beneficial to this university and the
students that I interact with,” said Dr. Edwards.
Dr. Edwards will spend two weeks in New York as a part of the Ad-
vertising Educational Foundation‟s (AEF) visiting professor pro-
gram. The purpose of the two-week fellowship is to expose profes-
sors to the day-to-day operations of an advertising agency, marketing
or media company; and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas
between academia and industry. The prestigious Deutsch Agency
will serve as her host agency while in New York. Dr. Edwards will
wrap up her summer by attending the first annual Untested Ideas
Research Conference where she is the editor of the Communications
research conference book, Empirical Communications Research:
Letting the Data Speak for Themselves.
Christian Perry
Morgan Woodruff named to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All Academic Team
Senior Mass Comm major Morgan Wood-
ruff was recently named to the Mid-
Eastern Athletic Conference All Academic
Team for the second year in a row. “I take
academics seriously and always find a
way to balance sports and school work,”
says Woodruff.
In additional to this honor, Morgan has the
privilege of being the first DSU female
athlete to graduate in three years. She is
looking forward to a promising graduate
career and has applied to the University of
Miami.
Staff Writer
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
9
IN THE NEWS...
In the Right Place at the Right Time PR Majors Travel to NYC to Participate in a Public Relations Boot Camp
“Being in the right place at the right time,” was something that
CEO and Founder of 135th Street Agency Shante Bacon said as
she acknowledge the DSU students attending the PR Boot Camp
hosted by the Black Public Relations Society, New York Chapter.
When we arrived at the entertainment PR Boot Camp event, we
noticed that many of those in attendance were freelance publicists
or individuals interested in making a career transition to the field
of public relations. It was a bit intimidating at first because these
people had years of experience but when we introduced ourselves
they were completely impressed with our savvy and hunger for
knowledge.
Everyone took immediate interest in us because we were the only
college students on hand and the offers for internships and men-
torship opportunities were overwhelming. We worked the room,
getting contacts, networking and hearing first hand how competi-
tive this business can be. This was such an amazing experience
because we were able to engage with the panelists about enter-
tainment public relations and marketing; something that each of
us is extremely interested in pursing after graduation.
During the panel discussion, Michelle Huff, Publicist and CEO of
Huff Events and PR said, “Going to the Grammy‟s and Oscars is
only ten percent of what a real publicist in entertainment does. As
a great publicist you have to be a visionary.” She was our favorite
speaker because she was real and let us know the ins and outs of entertainment public relations. Shante Bacon, Tanya Hayre, Media Rela-
tions Specialist, and Simone Smalls, Founder and CEO of Simone Smalls Public Relations INC, also gave us great insight during the panelist
discussion. The biggest take away from the event is that you have to stay current in order to make it in this business and that starting to hone
your craft in college is the best way to chart a path to success.
Christian Perry and Michelle Rolsal
Convergence Journalism Major Wears a Crown Jamila Mustafa isn‟t an ordinary student. She‟s a talented Mass Communications
major, who has made her mark in the world of pageantry. On February 9th 2013 she
was crowned as Miss Middletown after competing in one of the preliminary pag-
eants to the Miss Delaware State Pageant. “I competed in the Miss Dover pageant
and was 1st runner up. I was determined to walk away with a title and competed two
more times before I was crowned. Towin a title is very humbling and means a lot to
me.”
Jamila is excited about being a part of the Miss America program because it includes
a community service element. “My platform is Ready, Set, Go…Awareness About
Juvenile Diabetes. I hope to shed light on this growing health epidemic as well as
raise money for the Children‟s Miracle Network which is the charity that the Miss
America organization supports.” As Miss Middletown, Jamila was awarded an aca-
demic scholarship and hopes to represent Delaware in the nationally televised Miss
America Pageant.
Donnice Peterson Jamila Mustafa, Miss Middletown 2013 will compete for the title of Miss Delaware in June 2013
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
10
GLOBAL STUDENTS MAKING THEIR MARK
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
Ronee Thompson Travels to Europe I had the opportunity to spend part of the spring 2013 semester on a backpacking tour to Europe. I visited Switzerland, Austria,
Lichtenstein, and Germany. During my stay in Europe I learned much of the history of the places visited. Within 10 days I experi-
enced the Christmas town of Rothenburg known for its year round Christmas shops, as well as markplatz. The next stop on the
tour was the bustling city of Munich and a visit to the first Nazi concentration camp Dachau. We also visited castles and palaces
such as Nymphenburg palace, and Neuschwanstein castle which to my surprise had an abundance of beautiful hand painted art-
work consisting of medieval figures in history, Jesus Christ and the 12 decibels, and most impressive black men and woman drip-
ping with gold and other gems. I later found out that these figures included the moors and queens to some of the European kings.
There were many other historical sites, monuments, and exhibitions visited such as the BMW museum, the Black Forest, Inns-
bruck, Heidelberg, and Lucerne Switzerland. Overall my experience was life changing and inspiring. I acquired a magnitude of
knowledge and education pertaining to political, social, educational, and religious history.
Ronee Thompson
Images from Ronee’s 10 Day trip to Europe
11
LAMBDA PI ETA HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTIONS
Promoting High Academic and Leadership Standards in the Field of Communication
Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association‟s official honor society at four-year colleges and universi-
ties. As an accredited member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), Lambda Pi Eta has active chapters at
four-year colleges and universities worldwide. Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) has over 400 active chapters at four-year colleges and
universities worldwide. LPH was founded in 1985 at the University of Arkansas. It became a part of the National Communi-
cation Association in 1988 and the association‟s official honor society in July 1995. The DSU chapter has been actively in-
volved in rewarding scholastic achievement in communication since its charter in 2009. “I am looking forward to bringing a
lot more professionals to campus to talk to students,” says incoming president, Chelsea Reid. “It‟s a part of the LPH mission
to promote professional development and interaction between students and professionals and to create avenues for career or
graduate school advancement.” Fifteen students were honored at a luncheon as a part of the Mass Communications Day
Symposium and inducted into the society. Dr, Fran Edwards
Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113
2013 Inductees:
(Standing)
Kayla Morrison-Williams, Roland DeVries, Raymond Smith, Adrian Sutton, Chelsea Reid,
Sean Walker, Zachary Exume, Dorian McDonald, Krystal Francis, Chabria Hill,
(Seated)
Jazmyn Duncan, Alexis Anderson, Sajel Mehra, Andrea Griffith, Scheniqua Earle
12
DO YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAGAZINE?
Student interested in writing for our upcoming issues can submit stories (and story ideas) to Tomi Canty, student editor at
tccanty10@students.desu.edu or Dr. Fran Edwards, faculty advisor at fedwards@desu.edu.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Editor’s Message
Social networks seem to be the new wave for this generation, but they don‟t have
to be primarily used for personal satisfaction. Many professors in the Department
of Mass Communications encourages its students to use all of their resources to
boost their career while in college. Having a personal account for social networks
is fine, but also create an account to promote yourself in a professional manner.
By doing this, students can build a brand for themselves and promote their talents.
At the 10th Annual Mass Comm Day Symposium, many of the panelists talked
about creating a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a social network that is geared
towards people in professional occupations and allows them to network and find
potential job opportunities.
There are several career boosters, but one of the most popular ones is blogging.
An active blog can create a “cyber buzz” for the individual and depending on the
focus or purpose of the blog this can increase your marketability and also looks
great on résumés. Also, if students have not participated in internships, now is the
time to do so. Internships not only give you experience in your field, but they also
create connections in the work force.
Not sure where to begin? Start with the Mass Communications Message. We encourage all students to get involved
in the department, whether it be writing for the magazine or the Hornet Newspaper or working at the radio or TV
station. These opportunities in the department allow students to enhance oral and written communication skills as
well as develop creative ways to approach the delivery of news. Any student interested in writing for our upcoming
issues can submit stories (and story ideas) to Tomi Canty at tccanty10@students.desu.edu.
Sincerely,
Tomi Canty
Student Editor
Tomi Canty
Mass Communications Major
Convergence Journalism
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