On Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Center for Student Media hosted its first ever Media Day outside the Student Union Building (SUB). The six different clubs from the media department — The Oracle, The Teller, The Fahari Libertad, WFNP, Music Collective and Hawk Studios — tabled on the SUB concourse. Food and drinks were available to anyone who attended the event.
Each group had their own activities going on at the tables as well as information about their organization and links to their social media accounts. A few of the fun things to do were to get a headshot taken by Hawk Studios, create blackout poetry with The Fahari Libertad, vote on The Teller’s next theme and listen to a live DJ courtesy of WFNP.
The Oracle had a table with two different games: match the lead to the headline and make your own clothing item. Dozens of students stopped by to play each game and to talk with our staff at the event. Highlights of the fashion show were a top hat, a skirt and a dress all made out of newspapers.
The event was a massive success as it did exactly what event organizers Valerie Turco, Director of the Center for Student Media, and Emily O’Neil, fourth-year public relations student and intern for the Center for Student Media, hoped it would: educate, generate interest and gain traction on social media.
“Something I’ve learned in my public relation classes is that event throwing is a very important aspect of PR,” O’Neil said. “It builds respect and the reputation of your organization with the public.”
But the event didn’t happen overnight. O’Neil had approached Turco with the idea back in August. Once they had a date, the duo worked for months to get the event approved, gather the supplies they needed and get all the clubs on the same page.
“I remembered really enjoying a fall fest that campus did when I was a freshman. I wanted it to be something like that; all six organizations at their tables, with fun activities near Halloween time, to spread awareness of the Center for Student Media and boost engagement.”
After months of preparation, Media Day was here! O’Neil recalled being nervous for how the event would play out — but it was a success.
Students mingled from station to station on the beautiful fall day, enjoying their warm apple cider and donuts to learn about the different groups and participate in the games each group had set up. By the end of the event, every organization had more Instagram followers, people interested in their work and free food!
“Many people came up to our tables in between classes, not even knowing that the campus had a radio station,” O’Neil said. “They got to enjoy our stations and learn something about our organizations, which was a huge part of why we did this. Some people took pictures of the donuts and encouraged their friends to come. Even if just one person learned something new about our organization I would have considered that a success but it was more than that.”
“I really appreciate my advisor Val for encouraging and supporting me on this event. I learned a lot about public relations along the way. I feel more prepared to do something like this when I graduate from New Paltz for the future company I work for!”
The next Media Day has not yet been announced — but keep your eyes and ears open for it!
