Mass Communications Bulletin Board

 

News and Events

Professor Byron Evers MASS 306 Sports reporting students have had a busy but enjoyable semester, as they made field trips to the press box areas, visited with the media relations directors and interviewed players and coaches after games with the Denver professional teams. There were ten students going to the Colorado Rockies Coors Stadium, nine who went to the Pepsi Center to see the Denver Nuggets, and two who went ot the Invesco Field at Mile High to see the Denver Broncos.

MSC Mass Communications majors Danielle Moretti and Natalie Gaffey (left to rigth) enjoyed the Denver Broncos game from the press box of Invesco Field at Mile High Statium on Nov. 15.

The Cox Foundation, headquartered at the Atlanta Constitution, has awarded the MSC Mass Communications program a $75,000 grant to be used to help purchase equipment for the program in the new Fine Arts Building under construction.

George Orbanek, publisher of The Daily Sentinel, which is a member of the Cox media organization, has presented the grant to Dr. Janine Rider, dean of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Mass Communications and Graphic Arts programs make up the third floor, which includes two new Macintosh computer labs, a TV studio, five video and audio editing bay rooms, lecture rooms, professor offices, and a Mass Comm library.

MSC's 14th Annual Media Day will be held on Monday, March 8th, 2004. Workshops and seminars will be held all day by professional media people in newspapers, PR, radio, TV, graphics, photography, etc.

 

MSC Mass Communications majors Jenn Russell, Amber Kirchmer, Brooke Choate, and Rachel Alexander (left to right) are all smiles as they enjoy their visit to the press box at the Colorado Rockies game Sept. 16.

Student Information Students majoring or minoring in Mass Communications must take an Entry/Exit Exam. It will be given at the beginning of each semester during the MASS 110 Mass Media in America courses' second class period. If you are a new student, make sure that you consult with your adviser on taking the exam for an entry score. Seniors graduating need to remember to make arrangements before final exams to complete their Mass Communications Exit Exam. Check with your Mass Communications advisor at least once each semester. Practicums, MASS 397 and MASS 497, can each be repeated once so that your can receive up to a total of 4 hours of credit for working on the student media. See the Mass Communications Director for details before enrolling.

Students who decide to take an internship longer than the 8 hours required minimum can count all of the extra hours as electives. For example, a student completing a 12 hour internship counts 4 of the 12 hours as electives. Remember, though, that no more than 12 hours in an internship can count for upper division credit. Do be aware that there is a 12-hour limit to the total number of independent study, internship and practicum hours that can count towards the 120 total hours necessary to graduate.

The MSC catalog shows deadlines at the end of each semester when seniors must petition to graduate if they will graduate the following semester. However, to make certain that there are no mistakes, students must do this process at least a month before the deadline. The Dean and Department Chairs always have their deadline a month in advance. You should allow at least one month in advance of the catalog deadline in case you are one of dozens of students who have to make adjustments to original plans in order to graduate on time.

Start the process early, so that you have time to get the signatures of everyone: your adviser, the Director of Mass Communications, Director of Language, Literature and Communications, and the Dean. That takes at least a couple of weeks, even if everything on the petition is correct. Every single course that will be counted towards your degree must be indicated properly on the petition.

Transcripts, waivers, and other important papers must be included. Visit your adviser before it is too late. For students who intend to graduate in December 2004, the deadline for their graduation packet is February 16 in the MSC Registar’s Office. Move up that deadline date by at least a week to allow time for your Mass Comm Major professors and Dr. Julie Barak to
have time for them to be processed

Scholarships

Anyone interested in applying for the $2,500 to $3,500 Colorado Press Association internships need to see Professor Byron Evers. The deadline for applying for summer CPA internships will be each November. MSC students have been awarded these prestigious CPA internships every year since they started nine years ago. Natalie Gaffie received the $2500 internship and worked at the Palisade Tribune during the summer of 2003. Three to five MSC students have received Cox Journalism Scholarships every year since the Daily Sentinel started awarding them in the 1990s. If you are interested, be sure to watch the Daily Sentinel each April when advertisements are placed, and consult with the MSC Director of Mass Communications. These are usually awarded to solid sophomore and junior mass communications majors who are active in the student media.

MSC Mass Communications Students in the MASS 306 Sports Reporting class enjoyed an overtime game from the press box at the Pepsi Center when the Denver Nuggets played the LA Clippers on Nov. 7. Left to right are (front row) Shizuka Masuno, Megan Pirovano, Brooke Smith, (second row) Brian Rygwalski, Don Munsell, Andrew Skwara, (back row) ryan Gruwell, Charlie Lohse, and Ben Fricke.

Several thousand dollars have been contributed to a new photojournalism scholarship what will be awarded in honor of Glen and Charlotte Plumleigh. Both were graduates of Mesa State, and killed Sept. 2, 1998, in a Swissair 111 plane crash near Novia Scotia. Their children, and Charlotte's sister, Suzan Swartz, are coordinating the scholarship that will be presented to MSC mass communications students each year who plan to seek career in photojournalism. Be sure to prepare a portfolio of your photos and apply for the scholarship early in the spring semester.

Several thousand dollars have been contributed to the Matt McCallister Memorial Scholarship in honor of the former Mass Communications senior who died in a fire in 1998. SPJ members, and Mass Comm majors at KMSA-FM and The Criterion have worked hard to maintain the scholarship that is awarded to a worthy person who stays active on the student media. To contribute, or get additional information, contact the MSC student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, or the MSC Foundation.

Dozens of Mass Communications majors have been awarded the MSC Howell Scholarship, over the years, usually due to their good GPAs and activity in the student media. The most recent Howll scholarship winner is Megan Fromm, who is the news editor of the Criterion. LeeAnn Hill, a Mass Comm major with a PR concentration, won the $7,000 scholarship for 2000 / 2001. Callista Pearson, a Mass Communications major working at KMSA, was the 1998 winner of the $6,900 scholarship, while the 1999-2000 winner was Adrain Kremheller, a former copy editor on the Criterion who is now a public relations representative for Mesa Disability. Mike Wiggins, Jeff Kirtland, and John Shaffer, recent editors-in-chief of the Criterion, are a few of the other former Mass Comm winners.

Our students also qualify for other MSC scholarships, so watch for the deadlines early in the spring semester, and consult with Professor Evers.

One or two Mass Communications scholarships are awarded each year to incoming freshmen majors during the annual MSC Media Day. See your high school teacher or visit with the Director of Mass Communications for more information during the month of February.

Competitions/Trips

The Colorado Press Association pays college students $50 each to participate in the CPA State Convention at the Brown Palace in Denver each February. We had seven students participate last year, and hope to have that many do so again. You can attend all of the seminars with professional journalists, and write an article or shoot pictures. See Professor Byron Evers if you are interested in more information or wanting to sign up. Mock and real interviews for journalism positions will be held, so get your resume' ready.

A group of Mass Communications broadcasting students will be making plans to once again attend the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention in Las Vegas during the spring semester. See Professor Regis Tucci for more information.

The MSC student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists successfully hosted the 4-state Regional Conference here in 1999. Although most of the students who belong to SPJ are Mass Comm majors, you can be studying in another discipline if you want to join. For more information on meetings, contests, conventions, etc, contact one of the co-advisers -- Regis Tucci and Tess Carmichael.

Miscellaneous

Don't sit back and wait, unless you will discover other students flying past you when it comes time to get a good internship or job in Mass Communications. Students who work in the student media at MSC receive the best offers because of the initiative and experience they gain outside the class room. Many of them hold paid positions, so get busy your freshman or sophomore year if you want to move into the higher paid positions your junior and senior years.