TMU 5(31) -- December 2, 2008

PRSSA dinner notes latest award
New members join

Alumna Joan Lukas gave an inspiring talk and praised UNO’s PRSSA Chapter at the Nov. 23 dinner.

Lukas speaks to PRSSA members

Adviser Karen Weber recognized graduating seniors Kayla Laird, Amber McCaskill, Keegan Niederdeppe, Meagan Phenix, Kate Sypal and Lindsay Woracek.

Meanwhile, the two Bateman teams for the Safe Kids Buckle Up campaign from 2008 won an award of merit from the Nebraska PRSA Paper Anvil Awards. The awards will be presented at the annual PRSA Gala Dec. 11 at the Hilton Hotel. PRSA was extremely impressed with UNO’s submissions this year.

PRSSA new and graduating members

PRSSA inducted the following new members: Juan Carrillo, Christina Clark, Jonathan Fritz, Kristine Hartman, Michelle Horn, Taylor Irish, Molly Johnson, Jennifer Lane, Chris Massara, Andrew Riojas, Laura Rock, Caitrin Shirazi, Kate Sorensen, Sarah Waller and Eryn Wisdom.

Congratulations also to new officers: Heather Nasif, vice president of recruitment; Aimee Labenz, historian and Mike Gerhart, assistant newsletter editor. A new 20-page magazine-style newsletter is hot off the presses and full of interesting and helpful news from the National PRSSA Conference and a review of our chapter activities this fall.

Speech Center presentations
Faculty shine in San Diego

Marlina Davidson and Karen Dwyer presented two papers at the 94th Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association (NCA) in San Diego Nov. 18-22: “On-line Speech Center Assessment: Instrumentation, Usage and Findings,” and “How to Create a Speech Center that Supports the Basic Public Speaking Course.” The basic course paper won a “Most Accessible Scholar to Scholar Presentation” award.

Davidson and Dwyer at NCA presentation

Davidson and Dwyer also served on the Technology and New Trends in Public Speaking focus group sponsored by Bedford/ St. Martin’s.

In addition, Davidson participated in the Unconventional Approaches to Teaching the Basic Course panel with a presentation entitled, "Teaching the Basic Course with the Synergy Project."

Davidson was elected publicity specialist for the NCA Communication Centers Section.

Dwyer was installed as vice chair of the NCA Communication Apprehension and Competence Division and attended the Planners Meeting. She will be the division planner for the 2009 annual meeting in Chicago.

Dwyer and Davidson also found time to visit the highly acclaimed San Diego Zoo.


WOWT media tour
Management students complete industry survey

Electronic Media Management students met Nov. 20 with alumna Amy Adams, the WOWT news director, and Charlie Peterson, the station’s general manager and group regional vice president.

Peterson speaks to UNO students

Students learned more about WOWT’s backpack journalism model and toured the new broadcast news set.

Amy Adams took this photograph of the class on the new set

Earlier, students met with managers at Clear Channel Radio and the Omaha World-Herald, as well as spending a day with Warren Buffett in October.

A Gateway gathering
UNO journalism professors discuss applied journalism

Karen Weber, Sherrie Wilson and Jeremy Lipschultz met Nov. 24 with Gateway Editor Scott Stewart, Chris Burbach, the newspaper’s adviser from the Omaha World-Herald, Carol Buffington, Gateway business manager, and alumna Cindy Gonzalez, a World-Herald reporter and Gateway board member. The group is working on ways to stimulate new interest in the student newspaper.

Karen Weber encourages Gateway participation

Following the gathering, Wilson outline new rules for applied journalism credit:

APPLIED JOURNALISM/BROADCASTING

For Spring 2009, students enrolled in JOUR 3970, Applied Journalism/Broadcasting, who are writing for the Gateway, need to do the following:

* Submit a minimum of 10 articles to the Gateway editors for possible publication. Copies of all articles should be saved for submission to the class supervisor, Dr. Sherrie Wilson. The Gateway editors determine whether the articles are actually published in print and/or online.
* Attend critique sessions presented by the Gateway adviser, and/or meet with a Gateway editor to review your work, at least three times during the semester. Write a summary of at least one page (typed, double space) about each session and what you learned from it. The first summary should be submitted by Feb. 9, the second by March 9 and the third by April 6.
* Prepare a portfolio of the articles you write and meet with Dr. Wilson at the end of the semester to discuss your work.

Toys for tots
PR students seek 1,000 donations

The UNO chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has launched a drive to gather 1,000 new toys for the Marines Toys for Tots campaign.

Toys are especially needed this season for families hard hit by the current economic crisis. “We are not immune to the downturn in the economy and one of the first things to go is the luxuries, including charity. We must make an effort to give what we can,” said Richard Carter, senior economic adviser to Rep. Lee Terry R-Neb.

PRSSA students want to expand ten-fold its annual goal of 100 toys to reflect this need by inviting the campus, the public and local businesses to join the drive. Those who wish to donate can bring new, unwrapped toys to collection centers located on campus: 140 Arts and Sciences Hall (ASH); Weber Fine Arts Building third floor offices; and the Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC) in front of the information desk.

PRSSA will also collect toys and cash at a closing event on Friday, Dec. 19, in the MBSC. Envelopes for cash donations can be picked up in 140 ASH. The Toys for Tots program has given more than 370 million toys away to needy children since it began in 1948. UNO PRSSA has been a proud partner of the program since 2004.

“Our chapter has placed a priority on serving children through its projects for Toys for Tots and the Omaha Food Bank,” said Karen Weber, UNO PRSSA faculty adviser. “Children are the most vulnerable in these tough times.”

Of note
Excellence in action

Chris Allen received praise for his “stunning presentation” at the Third Annual Great Plains Radio History Symposium on WHO's recording presence at Yucca Flats. “I don't use the word ‘stunning’ all that often, but yours was the kind of revelation of pure gold that deserves it,” Professor Emeritus Dave MacFarland said. “I think you recognized how much the audience was taken by your story and the recording as well.” Allen also gave the keynote address Nov, 21 at the induction of Who's Who Among American University and College Students. “That was my privilege as winner of the Outstanding Organization Advisor award last spring,” Allen said.

Did you know?
People in the news

Freshman broadcasting major Adam Hilt recently worked for ABC's 20/20 on filming a show about the new Safe Haven law in Nebraska. The day started at the Omaha World-Herald interviewing a reporter who has worked on the Safe Haven law from the start. Then they proceeded to travel to Lincoln with the activists for a new system for at-risk teens. “I spent all day with a camera crew getting film of Lincoln and the Capitol Building,” Hilt said. The crew interviewed a family that had used the safe haven. “Overall, I worked with the ABC crew from 9 am to around 9 p.m.,” Hilt said. “I gained a lot of great experience working with a national news crew, and it was very interesting to see how the job was so precise and accurate when it came to how much footage they wanted of specific things.”

* * * *

Sally Buck, a graduate student in the UNO School of Communication, is currently seeking participants for an advertising study she is conducting as part of her master’s degree program. The data collected will be used to complete a graduate thesis. The study will investigate how the parent-child relationship is affected by children’s television advertising. She is looking for parents to participate in a 1-hour interview. The interview material will be centered on how children’s television advertising affects the parent-child relationship. Participating in this study could better yourself and your relationship with your child. To participate you must: 1. Have at least one child over the age of four; 2. Be at least 19 years of age; 3. Allow your child (or children) to watch commercial television; 4. Speak fluent English and should be able to articulate your experiences; 5. Live or work in the Omaha metropolitan area; and 6. Be willing to spend one hour participating in an interview. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sally Buck at 712-249-1633 or email her at shuis03@hotmail.com.

* * * *

Lynnette Leonard was interviewed by the Gateway in an article published Nov. 21. Leonard spoke about North Omaha negative media portrayals and her efforts with the North Omaha Media Alliance to change this. “Most residents of the city see the picture of North Omaha as a blighted, violent neighborhood where little of a positive nature occurs,” Leonard said. “The North Omaha community has been successful with several development projects and is working to combat a history of neglect by continuing to revitalize and create new economic opportunities.”

* * * *

Alumnus Daniel Flanigan is inviting people to join MyNebraskaFriends.com. MNF is a new social network created about 5 weeks ago and is an entertainment-based online community by Nebraskans for Nebraskans. The free service was featured Nov. 24 on WOWR. MNF averages more than 5,000 page views per day and last week had 54,421 page views. They currently have over 315 local registered members including several businesses.

Footnotes
Evidence of excellence

1. Karen Weber, Jeremy Lipschultz and student Elsa Cotto were quoted in a Nov. 7 Gateway story on the School of Communication election night news blog. Kathy Tewhill and Sherrie Wilson also worked on the project.

The week in photos
Images from around the school

Bruce Johansen, Hugh Cowdin and Robert Smith at the OPC debate on global warming

Shereen Bingham and Marlina Davidson at the Bob Hope statue in San Diego

Gateway work session with faculty

World-Herald Square sits where the newspaper building once stood

PRSSA bake sale raises money for conference attendance

Abbie Syrek gets a cake for her Step Up award

Dates & times
Mark calendars for interesting events

December

4 – Voices Against Violence, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., MBSC Nebraska Room
5 – Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy will officiate at the Certified Public Manager (CPM)
graduation on Dec. 5 at the new CPACS Collaborating Commons on campus at UNO, 4 -6 p.m.

CFAM college meeting, Thompson Alumni Center, 3 p.m.
CFAM college Holiday Party, Thompson Alumni Center, 4 p.m.

7 – Santa Paws, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bookworm in Countryside Village, 87th and Pacific streets
10 – School of Communication Holiday Party, Arts and Sciences Hall 140, 11:30 a.m.

18 – Construction management students unveil initial plans for a Communication Building, PKI, 10:30 a.m.


2009
January
15 - High School Journalism Dinner, 6-9 p.m. at the MBSC Chancellor’s Room.

February
12 - Thursday, Feb. 12 Valentine's Day Bake Sale first floor ASH 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

26 - Thursday, Feb. 26, MBSC Nebraska Room Bateman team campaign event for National Banking Association College Program 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

March
12 - Thursday, March 12, MBSC Nebraska Room One-Five-0 and in Control Alcohol Awareness event 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

31 - Thursday, March 31, MBSC Dodge Room Communication Career Development Workshop 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

April
23 - High School Journalism Workshop, 12 p.m. at the MBSC Ballroom.
28 - PRSSA Presentations, 4 p.m. at the MBSC Chancellor’s Room.
30 - 10 a.m. Scholarship Breakfast at the MBSC Chancellor’s Room; 5th Annual Alumni Panel at 1 p.m. at the MBSC Dodge Rooms); 54th Annual Awards Banquet, 6 p.m. at the Thompson Alumni Center.

May
8 - Friday, May 8, at the MBSC Ballroom School of Communication Graduation Breakfast 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.