es relating to PR as a management of commu-nication between an or-ganization and its publics. Within the Integrated Communication track, students will take two courses merging PR with other communication practices. Students have the ability to take courses that are offered within the other PR specialization, which will count towards the upper level communi-cation elective course re-quirement. Senior year, the ideas and teachings of the entire PR curricu-lum will be tied together in the Communication Campaign Management Course. This provides an opportunity for students to integrate their accumu-lation of PR education over the past four years into one cohesive course before entering the indus-try.

Marist College has made it a priority to adjust their PR curriculum to mir-ror the progression of the public relations field, al-lowing students to go for-ward with confidence.

The field of public rela-tions is revolutionary. As technological means of communication continue to advance, public rela-tions must progress with them. Marist’s newly re-vamped PR curriculum exceeds the current standards of PR to better prepare students for a successful future in the emerging field.

Over the past several years, three Marist profes-sors, Jennie Donohue, Dr. Mark Van Dyke and Dr. Audra Diers, have dedicat-ed themselves to revising the PR curriculum to re-flect current, competitive i n d u s t r y p r a c t i c e s . Through the examination of feedback from Marist students, professors and alumni, these three indi-viduals developed a cut-ting-edge curriculum.

The curriculum in-cludes four required foun-dation courses offered to freshmen and sopho-mores seeking a bache-lors degree in communi-cation. In addition, the

refined curriculum offers three new courses as sophomores and juniors: Fundamentals of PR, PR Writing Tools and Applied Research Analytics. Fun-damentals of PR introduc-es the field of PR to stu-dents including the histo-ry and various areas of the track. PR Writing Tools provides students with writing experience, which will serve as the basis of one’s PR career. Applied Research Analytics is a unique, state-of-the-art PR course that combines re-search and public opinion with current analytical tools to create a well-crafted balance of theory and practice. This valua-ble course is intended to teach students how to integrate social media and data in their future careers.

The revised curriculum provides students with a two-track course of study: PR Management Speciali-zation and the Integrated Communication Speciali-zation. Within the PR Management track, stu-dents will take two cours-

New PR curriculum launches to follow current

industry trends and technology advancements

esPResso O C T O B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

Your Shot of Industry Insight

By Amanda Fiore

Inside This Issue:

Page 2

Meet our Chapter’s newly-elected treasurer

Page 4

Taking a look at pop culture news from a public rela-tions perspective

Page 5

Student reflects on summer internship in sports comm.

Page 6

Current trends in social media

Page 7

Apple mania is back with release of the iPhone 5

P A G E 2

Q: Where are you from?

A: Fishkill, NY

Q: Do you have any intern-ship experience?

A: I have not had an in-ternship in the past. How-ever, I recently took on the role of Public Relations

Student Assistant for the library's social media pro-ject.

Q: Why did you choose to study PR?

A: I chose to study Public Relations because when picturing my life, I could not see myself sitting in a cubi-cle doing the same thing everyday. I enjoy staying busy and enjoy change. I

have also always seen my-self working in the busy at-mosphere of NYC. I under-stand that PR is a necessity to most businesses; there-fore, the opportunities for potential employers are un-limited. As a junior, I have taken more classes that really explain what public relations is all about. The more I learn about the PR profession, the more I love it.

Q: Favorite TV show?

A: True Blood!

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Up is one of my favorites because it’s a fun animation that has a positive and up-lifting message.

Q: Favorite book?

A: The Hunger Games Trilogy [by Suzanne Col-lins] and One Day by Da-vid Nicholls

Q: What are your current hobbies?

A: I'm really into health and fitness. I love to work out and I run al-most every day of the week. I love trying differ-ent foods and restau-rants. I love going to concerts too. Over the summer I went to Bon-naroo which was an in-credible experience. I love outdoor activities like hiking and going to the beach, especially in Cape Cod.

Michael Bernardini Chapter President @mrBERNARDINI

Erica Conover

Vice President (President-Elect) @vivalaerica

Jackie Mucilli

VP of Chapter Development @YackieYacks

Meredith Lowe Director of PR @merekaylowe

Julie Moller

Firm Director @juliemoller1

Deanna Morosoff National Delegate

@Deanna_Morosoff

Jennie Donohue Faculty Adviser

Jennie.Donohue@Marist.edu

Chelsea Conroy Treasurer @ccon27

Abbey Scalia

Secretary @abbeyscalia

Elizabeth Odachowski

Historian @LizOda27

Get to Know our new Treasurer, Chelsea Conroy

P A G E 3

With October almost over, I can hardly be-

lieve that the warm Hud-son River breeze and bright leaves will be changing to a morning frost and bitter cold wind. However, things couldn’t be more opposite for our PRSSA Chapter. After a summer of hard work, reorganization and brain-storming sessions, we have successfully imple-mented many of our plans. Despite having an in-credibly successful year last year, our executive board needed to find ways to build on success and improve our Chapter. Therefore, our main focus was on member engage-ment. After all, what is the

sense of having nearly 100 members if they’re not doing anything? So far, we have introduced a new mentor program, a fundraising committee, a community service com-mittee and an event plan-ning committee. Addition-ally, our student-run firm, North Road Communica-tions, continues to be hard at work servicing several non-profit clients in the Hudson River Val-ley; and we are also pre-paring to take part in PRS-SA’s annual Bateman Competition. When I joined PRSSA during the fall semester of my freshman year, I never thought I’d have a leader-ship position within the organization, let alone see how successful the Chap-ter would become. I al-ways reiterate how amaz-

ing this group of students is and how it is with their help that we keep moving forward. With well-established upperclass-men advancing in the pro-fession and extremely enthusiastic underclass-men and new members, we are poised for suc-cess. I hope you enjoy this first issue of esPResso and reading about all of our exciting news and ac-tivities. Have an enjoyable transition to the holiday madness that’s right around the corner and be sure to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte in the mean-time. Cheers, Michael Bernardini Chapter President Class of 2013

A Letter from the Chapter President

By Elizabeth Odachowski

P R S S A is off to an incredible start this year with 97 total

members. Through our pro-grams and social media, our goal is to strengthen our Chapter by bringing all of our members together. We are taking a new approach this semester by not only having guest speaker presentations, but also hosting events that foster student interaction.

On October 3, our Chap-ter hosted an event during which upperclassmen PR students shared their study abroad experiences. They emphasized the do’s and don’ts and how their experi-ences enhanced their PR skills. On October 10, we held our first mentor meet-ing. This program was creat-ed to help underclassmen PR students with their de-gree audits, class scheduling and potential internship op-portunities.

Finally, our Pinterest was recently launched. In our case, PRSSA uses pinboards to show everything from in-tern style and Monday blues, to our Chapter events and inspirational quotes.

We are very excited to put our future plans in motion this year. With our dynamic group of members and up-coming events, this semes-ter is going to be both suc-cessful and fun.

Photo Courtesy of Brian Apfel

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

Earlier this month, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane was an-nounced as the host for the 2013 Academy Awards. McFarlane, who is best known for his raunchy and comedic stylings and impressive vocal talents, is hardly traditional Oscar material. So I have to ask, why?

This is obviously anoth-er attempt by the produc-ers to reign in a broader—and younger—audience. The Oscars are generally associated with stuffy acts, while featuring the most dramatic films of the

Family Guy to Oscar Guy—Producers strategize for new host year. This is hardly appeal-ing to a younger demo-graphic. I myself usually tune in to see who is wear-ing what designer and to make sure that “my girl” Meryl Streep takes home another golden statue.

But do we all remember the last time the Oscars made an attempt to be young and cool? Let me refresh your memory. In 2011, the hosts were the popular (and youthful) actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco. What a disaster. I am 90 percent sure that Franco was high throughout the entire per-formance and Hathaway

tried, yet failed, to use her charming personality to deflect from the fact that the show was tanking. There was no chemistry between the two hosts or the audience, and they were simply, not funny.

However, Seth McFar-lane, undeniably popular and talented, may prove to have better luck. There’s a possibility that Oscar rat-ings will soar and the show will widen its demograph-ic. He himself told the Wall Street Journal that the Oscars would be a test of his “range of talents.” McFarlane’s real chal-lenge, he said, would be

“honoring that tradition of classic Hollywood show-manship, but also updat-ing things in such a way that the show is entertain-ing.”

He certainly has an ability to find humor in even the most dismal things—but it is usually with a crude twist. I would be more understanding of him being chosen as the host for the Emmys—or even the Golden Globes. But the Oscars have main-tained a reputation of be-ing traditional. They very rarely even honor films outside of the drama gen-re.

Celebrity in itself is a fickle relationship where the public is willing to for-give and forget, but at a hefty cost. The starry eyed, bright face of beloved ‘90s child star, Lindsay Lohan, is quickly becoming tar-nished by such a public relations nightmare. After being thrown into the spotlight in 1998 in performing the dual-leading roles in The Parent Trap, and continuing her success in 2003 with Freaky Friday and in 2004 with Mean Girls, a long and prosperous career seemed imminent for the fiery redhead. With time, the promise of a future faded as her troubled per-sonal life took center stage. When a celebrity has a singular stay behind bars

or checks into a rehab facility once, generally most people are willing to look beyond it. However, when arrests reach six times and visits to rehab reach four, there is a solid chance that the public has exchanged “star” for “trouble.” With that kind of track record, people tend to overlook the reasons why they fell in love in the first place and the talent that built the career. If Lohan actually makes a committed effort to sal-vage her career, she needs to devote herself to rehab to rid her substance abuse issues, and avoid conflict with the law. But alas, this isn’t a perfect world. Lohan is going to have to employ extremely talented PR people to sal-vage her tarnished image. Lindsay Lohan will only be saved by PR agents who

focus on good publicity for the celebrity, perhaps pho-tographing her while she performs community ser-vice projects. In addition, these agents will need to downplay Lindsay’s previ-ous arrests with thoughtful press releases, emphasiz-ing the efforts being taken to remedy the situation. Also, they need to end the portrayal of Lindsay as a

victim , which aggravates the unsympathetic public. Lastly, Lindsay needs to take responsibility for her actions. Continuing to claim, “it wasn’t me!” or “it’s not my fault!” isn’t going to win the hearts of the public. Lindsay Lohan must admit she has been a mean girl to rebuild her respectable image in the public eye.

Lindsay Lohan continues to spiral; PR crises ensue By Tom Snyder

Troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan continues to make career mis-steps and could benefit from successful PR pros!

Source: David McNew, Reuters

By Julie Moller

A Summer of sports: Learning more about intern life at ESPN

This summer I interned at ESPN New York in Manhat-tan. My internship consisted of a 50/50 divide between the Programming and Mar-keting Departments. In the Production Depart-ment, I was asked to log the content of radio shows (known as rundowns) so as to research which topics received the highest ratings and the most feedback from callers. In addition, I screened callers who wished to contribute their opinions on the air and did research that supplied content to those on-air conversations. Hosts and producers empha-sized the importance of call screening because they con-tributed significantly to the operation of the shows. In my experience, about 25% of each show was spent cor-responding with callers.

I was also asked to work in the Marketing depart-ment. There, I analyzed ad-vertisements during broad-casts of sporting events to help the network’s advertis-ing in the future. I also com-municated with contest win-ners and event correspond-ents. As a marketing team, we prepared for and carried out events throughout the Tri-State area. I participated in events such as the Ken-tucky Derby and the annual Tee It Up Golf Classic. At these events, we promoted ESPN New York as an organ-ization, as well as their smartphone app and 98.7 FM, their new radio station. We would entertain guests with trivia, games and con-tests and even give away prizes. I was given the honor of meeting and working with well-known radio industry hosts such as Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Ruocco and

Michael Kay along the way. I got to know them on a per-sonal level, which, consider-ing they were individuals I had watched and listened to throughout my life, was thrill-ing. I also got to meet former athletes like Aaron Boone, Tom Jackson, Damion Woody and Tim Hasselbeck. Being a huge sports fan, that part of my experience at ESPN was amazing. I gained priceless profes-sional experience this sum-mer. I learned many signifi-cant lessons, such as inter-personal communication in an office setting, and gained promotional skills that will help me to succeed in my profession. The people at ESPN New York made my experience extremely enjoya-ble and educational, and I am appreciative for that. I had such a great experience that I plan to apply for a po-sition in marketing at ESPN New York in the future.

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

By Corey March

Blog: www.maristredfoxes prssa.blogspot.com

Pinterest:

MaristPRSSA

Email: prssa.marist@gmail.com

Twitter:

@MaristPRSSA

K E Y

I N T E R N S H I P

T A K E A W A Y S 1.) Volunteer in differ-ent company depart-ments to gain more worthwhile experience. 2.) Participate in any event possible to prove that you are a dedicat-ed member of the com-pany. 3.) Network with coworkers and people you meet. They have great advice for your future career.

P A G E 6

Since its start in 1943, New York Fashion Week has evolved dramatically. It has shifted from an exclusive event that only the industry’s elite attend, to an event that is broadcasted around the world via the Internet. Social media has had a huge im-pact on Fashion Week, and fashion bloggers have be-come the ones to watch.

Since bloggers have such vast influence over their followers, who are con-stantly following and repli-cating the trends, their “street style” is frequently being photographed. There-fore, with the recent rise in photo blogging through web-sites like Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, brands are gaining free publicity.

With the rise of social

media’s presence during fashion week, bloggers are now being asked by design-ers to wear their garments and to be photographed in them.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—“sounds like a pho-to shoot” but these pictures are not being shot in typical photo shoot settings. Mar-keters and public relations professionals are staging “street style” photographs during Fashion Week to make them look like typical photos a blogger would post of a self-styled look. There is just one problem—these looks are NOT created by the blogger. Rather, they are carefully crafted by the de-signer and worn by the blog-ger to promote the brand. Tom Julian, a fashion and branding specialist in New York City, told the New York

Times in the article “Who Am I Wearing? Funny You Should Ask,” that “bloggers are becoming walking bill-boards for brands” and it’s causing people to question if their favorite bloggers are coming up with their own looks or if their blogs are just being used as promotional tools for the newest trends.

The constant growth of technology has certainly played a large role in the evolution of Fashion Week; but what does this mean for students studying for a fu-ture career in public rela-tions? It means that we need to pay close attention to the current trends and changes occurring within the industry. Public relations professionals need to know when to take advantage of different media outlets. This will help spread the word

Social media’s tactful (or tactless) marketing

strategies influence New York Fashion Week

about how to avoid discredit-ing bloggers through false advertising.

By Katie Daugherty

Is this a “street-style” staged? Blog followers are skeptical.

Source: Refinery29.com

Just when you thought the Winklevoss twins rowed away with a $65 million dollar set-tlement from Facebook, think again. Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss may have gotten the bitter end of the stick when Facebook went public, but they show no signs of slowing down. Once they re-ceived their settlement from rival Mark Zuckerberg, they chose to invest $1 million into

an investment website called “Sum Zero” this past June.

Founded by Aalap Mahade-via and Divya Narendra, this website is designed specifical-ly for investment profession-als. Private equity and hedge fund backgrounds are warmly welcomed. “The appeal for members is the chance to read ideas from other inves-tors, but also to spread the word about investments they

already have.” A striking dif-ference from the loyal Face-book, Twitter and Instagram fans.

Although Sum Zero may only apply to private equity professionals, social media has spread into a very inten-sive work environment. Being that social media outlets pro-vide users with close interac-tion for companies, it was shocking to discover that the-se brothers wanted to create

a social media website in an industry that emphasizes indi-vidual results. Clearly stress-ing the importance of commu-nication throughout an organi-zation, social media for all business types are becoming essential. “We want to get involved and really roll up our sleeves," said Tyler Win-klevoss. This type of commu-nication is raising the stand-ard for basic business to con-sumer interaction.

Winklevoss twins set sights on new social media position By Ellen Penchuk

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 1

Minutes after the unveil-ing of the brand new iPh-one 5 on September 12, the Internet erupted with buzz about the highly antic-ipated smartphone. Around the world, people have been anticipating the arri-val of the newest Apple gadget. As soon as they were able to get their

hands on it, everyone be-gan voicing their opinions on the newest addition to the technological world all over the Internet.

Have you ever wondered why the release of a new Apple product is always such a worldwide sensa-tion? While Apple’s adver-

tising and marketing de-partments help to heighten the popularity of their prod-ucts, they thrive primarily off of social media. Wheth-er people simply state their opinions, or blogs devoted entirely to the topic, these social media channels help Apple products reach new levels of recognition, both negative and positive.

These opinions are based on various criteria. Some think the new iPhone 5 has great new features; others believe consumers should save their money. Some simply prefer other phones, like the Android, to the iPhone. Whatever the opinion, society utilizes social media to get their

thoughts across usually with the intention of en-couraging others to think the same way.

Social media websites such as Twitter and Face-book allow topics to trend and be viewed all over the world. They allow an indi-vidual to spread their opin-ions as well as allow others to express their own on a given topic. Thanks to so-cial media on the Internet, any individual judgment can persuade what you believe. For example, ac-cording to Mashable, 40 percent of tweets about the iPhone 5 on the day it was announced were positive, which was much more opti-mistic than when the iPh-one 4S was announced. Due to the initial positive feedback, it shows the high demand level for the new product, thus Apple takes that feedback to help them dictate how successful their product is.

The popularity of the iPhone is universal. Opin-ions of the iPhone 5 influ-ence other people’s opin-ions and also help Apple to analyze their successes. Regardless of what society thinks, just talking about a product via social media allows for global recogni-tion that cannot even be closely replicated to any other source of infor-mation.

By Emily Schleider

F U N F A C T S

A B O U T T H E

I P H O N E 5

40% of tweets about iPhone 5 were positive

75% of current iPhone users will buy the

iPhone 5 within six months

78% of iPhone 4S users plan to buy the iPhone 5

within 6 months

Females are 2.7 times more likely to settle for an older version of the

iPhone

The September 21 iPhone release was the most tweeted release date in iPhone history

Apple expects to sell 250 million iPhone 5’s

From Popular Science and Mashable.com

Positive iPhone 5 reviews are revealed via Twitter

The newest edition to the iPhone family has fans tweeting about it’s updated features.

Source: techfond.com

P A G E 8

PRSSA goes global with international panel

Studying abroad is an unbelievable experience that can provide long-

lasting memories that remain far past one’s college years. It helps build one’s resume, allows one to unleash their hidden inde-pendence and pro-vides an adventure one will never for-get.

Earlier this month, the Marist PRSSA Chapter hosted an Interna-

tional Experi-ence Panel, where mem-

bers contem-plating studying

abroad could learn from those who have recently returned from their study abroad programs. The

members explained why their countries

were best fits for them and how they can be for other members as well.

The panel spoke about abroad programs in China, Australia, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The students who visited these countries spoke of their struggles, their highlights and why studying abroad is so beneficial. Panel member Ellen Penchuk described her internship in London and how the con-nections built abroad have led to job prospect at home. Students also spoke about the conven-ience of traveling to other countries, gave tips on booking last minute flights and finding hostels or ho-tels and explained that taking risks is what makes life worthwhile.

Students also spoke about why they chose a certain study abroad pro-gram based on their major and what they were look-

ing to get out of the experi-ence. Senior panel mem-ber Jessica Hasapis summed it up by saying, “Don’t go with a big group. Go and make the best of it and discover hidden treas-ures within whatever place you choose to study abroad in.” She shared stories of traveling in Spain, living with a host family and sightseeing. She showed students how to take a scary experience and make it fun.

The other panel mem-bers all agreed that the most random nights were the most fun. Sometimes, being unprepared can be beneficial and can help you discover a hidden ec-lectic bookstore or small café that otherwise you would have missed out on. The benefits are endless and it is truly what you make out of your time spent abroad that will dic-tate the experience you end up having.

By Rebecca Scaparro

“ D o n ’ t g o w i t h a

b i g g r o u p . G o

a n d m a k e t h e

b e s t o f i t a n d

d i s c o v e r h i d d e n

t r e a s u r e s w i t h i n

w h a t e v e r p l a c e

y o u c h o o s e t o

s t u d y a b r o a d

i n . ”

- J e s s i c a H a s a p i s

An amazing view of Florence, Italy

where Cassaundra DeValle studied

The London Eye on a typical foggy

day where Ellen Penchuk studied.

The Sydney Opera House taken from

afar by Traci Baydala

Beijing, China taken by panel member, Nicole Chin-Lyn