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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

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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

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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

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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

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Mass Communications Message Volume 5 April, 20113

Images from Mass Comm Day 2013

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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