Work Work Work Before Memorial Day Weekend

David R.

May 27, 2010 - 10:55 AM

Whenever I begin to look forward to something fun and exciting that I am about to do, I feel like all of a sudden there are a million things I have to do before I can do it. All week I have been looking forward to departing for Lake Shasta, but I have had to get through three presentations, a final project and a midterm before dedicating all of my time to what will be an epic vacation. I guess that is what you have to expect during week nine. As the term begins to wind down students have to give one last push to finish the term strong.

 

On Monday I gave a group presentation in my J453 class about a corporate sponsorship that my team was in charge of. On Tuesday I had to give a personal speech in my other journalism class about the use of public relations in sports. I have never been a big fan of public speaking so I was especially nervous before hand. It didn't help that I was the only guy in the room either. As you may or may not know, public relations is a field of study that is predominantly females and my classes are representative of this fact. I gave my third and final group presentation in my management class yesterday. For this presentation my group was responsible for focusing on multiple different aspects of a company that is currently in operation today. My group chose to focus on Verizon and my personal focus was how the company implements diversity into its operational practices.

 

A project like the one I did for my management class is very beneficial because it allowed me to become more knowledgeable about a company that I interact with on a daily basis. I have had a Verizon phone for years but never have I really learned anything about the company. Through this project I learned that Verizon is actually ranked in the top 10 in the nation for diversity. I learned about some of the things that the company does to make an effort to support diversity. In honor of black history month Verizon decided to form a partnership with the United Negro College Fund. Basically these two organizations partnered to offer a $5,000 scholarship to the winner of an essay writing contest. This was interesting information to learn about a company that I have been invested in for so long.

 

The final project that I am turning in today is a portfolio that I created for my J452 class. As long as it took me to make this project, it will be highly beneficial because when looking for jobs, many employers like to see some sort of portfolio displaying work that applicants have created. I am glad I was forced to complete this assignment because before taking this class I didn't have any type of portfolio. Now I have one that I can continue to build upon.

 

I have my last sociology midterm of the term at noon. The second I finish I am going to book it to Target to start my Shasta shopping.

 

 

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O So Much Ahead

David R.

May 20, 2010 - 10:02 AM

At the beginning of the winter term one of my friends asked me if I would like to go to Lake Shasta in California during memorial day weekend. I have never been before so of course I obliged. At the time I was excited but even the thought of spring term seemed like it would take forever to come. As this spring term is flying by we are now in week eight and memorial day is only two weekends away.

 

The Shasta planning has been kicked in to high gear as I have a laundry list of things to get done before we leave. All of the payments have been submitted - now it is just a matter of getting all of the preparatory work done. On my car dashboard is a strange "check engine" light that recently come on. I plan to go have that checked out before we embark on our journey. One of my roommates has been to Lake Shasta before and he told me that a sturdy pair of sandals is a must. All I have is a flimsy pair of thongs so I will likely need to buy another pair. I need to buy some sort of lawn chair as well. I was informed that a large portion of the day is taken up by lounging around in the sun. I don't want to have to lay down on the hard floor of the boat so I need something to relax in.

 

The only thing that is out of our control is the weather. I would assume that the weather is usually nice during this time of the year but I have heard from a friend that went two years ago that it can also get kind of rainy. However, I'd like to think I am the kind of guy who can have a good time in rain or sunshine. I have only heard great things about the Shasta experience and I can't wait to have my own.

 

While Shasta is coming up, my fraternity's philanthropy is this Saturday. The event planning has been moving along just fine and it should be a successful event. I am not on a volleyball team but I will be there all day helping out and enjoying the delicious barbeque. All of the event's proceeds will be given to LIVESTRONG, the organization founded by Lance Armstrong to fight cancer. I was initially bummed that our event was being moved from Autzen to the indoor Moshofsky Center, but looking at the weather right now it is probably for the best.

 

Yesterday our Allen Hall PR team held our "How To..." event for Habitat for Humanity. I don't think we could have picked a worse day to hold an outdoor event. It was raining for the entire duration of our event. Regardless of the weather, students were still interested in our free give-a-ways and multiple people stopped by to observe the demonstrations. While the school year comes to an end, this was a good event to create more awareness for our client, Habitat for Humanity, before students leave for the summer. In doing this we were also able to promote our sponsors who provided us with the free goods to hand out. All around the event was a success, I just wish the sun had decided to show up.

 

 

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Class and More Class

David R.

May 20, 2010 - 9:24 AM

While fall term seems like a year away, students have to plan their fall class schedules early as fall term registration comes in the eighth week of the spring term. I was under the impression that if I took a class this summer I would be able able to take twelve credits from here on out. This would grant me more time to focus on my internship with the athletic department. Unfortunately, I was mistaken and I actually have to take 16 credits next fall. It's kind of annoying but I guess I'll get over it.

 

While fall registration is upon us it is also time to register for summer classes for those who plan to continue their academic work into the summer months. I am trying to knock out some credits during the summer vacation so I am currently enrolled in geography 451. The class is taught online which is nice because it allows me to take the class while I am at home. I have taken two geography classes while at the U of O and I have found that it is a topic that I am rather interested in. My plan for the summer right now is to do my internship part time so that I have time to work and take this class. My internship is unpaid so I need to make money somehow. I have been talking to my boss with the Colorado Rockies and it looks like I will be able to get some hours this summer.

 

I really love being a journalism student at the University of Oregon, but I find myself frustrated from time to time with what I feel is maybe an unnecessary work load that comes in the form of excessive requirements. All journalism students are required to take four English classes in order to graduate. This is understandable because English has a lot of relevance to journalism. On the other hand, journalism students are also required to take two history classes and two economics classes. This is the part that I don't understand. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see how history or economics have any relevance to journalism. College is hard enough as it is. It is frustrating to students to be forced to take classes that don't seem to be that relevant to their major.

 

Regardless I enjoy the classes that I am taking right now. In my J453 class that involves constructing public relations plans, we just got done completing a project about IndyCar racing. According to the scenario, each team was in charge of creating a pre-race hospitality event for a company who is sponsoring a race team. It was fun to work on a case involving corporate sponsorships because it is very relevant to what I will be doing for my summer internship. The internship is geared highly towards corporate sponsorships and it was good for me to gain some exposure to this aspect of professional sports in a class.

 

Today is Thursday, which means only one more week until Shasta

 

 

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Weekend Work

David R.

May 15, 2010 - 5:07 PM

Yesterday was my roommate's birthday, so I spent last night celebrating the birth of a brand new "21er." We kicked off the night at our house in The Calvin and then proceeded to the bars around campus. It was beautiful out on Friday so many continued the fun and relaxation into the late hours of the night. One of our friends is a DJ at Taylor's so it is always nice to receive a few free beverages through the course of the night.

 

I am currently sitting in my house waiting to embark on a journey to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in west Eugene. There are many items that we need to pick up in order to prepare for the special event we will be holding on Wednesday in the EMU Amphitheater. We need to create some publicity for the event so this afternoon we will be posting informational flyers around popular locations on campus. Considering the popularity of today's elements of social media we have created a facebook event page and have been "tweeting" details about the event. The sponsoring companies have provided us with sponsorship items like logos and posters that can also be used to create awareness of the event.

 

While at the ReStore we are also going to be looking for items with which to build a center piece that represents Habitat for Humanity as an organization. Next weekend we are holding an end-of-year banquet for Allen Hall Public Relations. Each client group is responsible for creating a center piece that is some depiction of the client that it represents. Habitat for Humanity exists to provide houses for those who can't afford them, so we have decided to build a center piece that looks like a house. We are going use small items like tiles for the main foundation of the house. My architecture skills are rather non-existent so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

This upcoming weekend will be quite busy for me personally. During the day I will be attending my fraternity's philanthropy event in the Moshofsky Center. At six o clock I will be attending the banquet for Allen Hall Public Relations. This invent is an opportunity for our agency to highlight the work we have done this year, as well as provide us with a chance to network with AHPR alumni who will be in attendance. As this event wraps up I will be rushing to make it to a spring formal event for one of the University's sororities. Everyone is dressed up in formal attire and dances the night away in the conference center of one of the nearby hotels.

 

Hopefully I get done with my work early enough to be able to swing by the baseball game today. The Ducks have been looking good after last weekend's disaster against the Beavers from Oregon State. Now that I am of age I am finally allowed to relax in the beer garden that is present over at PK Park. I'm off to the ReStore, but meet me at PK!

 

 

 

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Week Seven Already

David R.

May 14, 2010 - 8:45 AM

Last weekend the Oregon baseball team traveled to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers in a three-game series. To say the Ducks experienced some bad luck is a slight understatement. Oregon, ranked at number 15 in the nation, dropped three games in a row to the Beavers. Not only did the team lose three games but it lost on three walk-off hits - two in extra innings and one in the bottom of the ninth. The Ducks will undoubtedly drop in the standings as the Beavers will move up. The regular season is slowly but surely coming to an end. The Ducks need to kick it into high gear to keep themselves eligible for a birth to the regional tournament.

 

I am still working out the final details for the "How To..." event that my Allen Hall Public Relations team is coordinating. The event will take place next Wednesday and I feel like there is still a tone of work to be done. To sum it up, the purpose of the event is for students to learn how to fix basic household appliances that they might now know how to fix otherwise. This includes a leaky faucet, loose door handles, wobbly chairs etc. Representatives from the ReStore will be present and they will be leading the demonstrations. As a college student myself, I know firsthand that many college students can be enticed with free stuff. We will be giving out free cookies and small personalized tool kits to all of the attendees. We were able to find a local Eugene bakery named Cafe Zenon to be a sponsor of the event. The cafe will be providing us with 150 cookies that we can use to lure in students.

 

In my J452 class we are currently working on creating a physical and electronic portfolio. In these portfolios we are supposed to include professional work that we have done that demonstrates our skills. This is supposed to include work from internships or jobs that we are proud to show off. I am very thankful that I became a member of Allen Hall Public Relations because this organization has given me the opportunity to create many different public relations documents that can be included in my portfolio. I have created a few different press releases, as well as created a donation letter and a thank you letter for a donation that will be received. All of the finalized versions of these documents include official letterhead to give it that professional look. The assignment is somewhat long and tedious but it will pay dividend in the long run. Many employers like to see some sort of a portfolio in an interview so it will be beneficial to have one.

 

"LeGone" James made a quick exit from the 2010 NBA playoffs last night. Many wonder where he will end up next season and are recalling all of the Cleveland sports mishaps over the years. I don't mean to brag but this list includes the epic "drive" by John Elway and the Denver Broncos to beat the Browns in the AFC championship game back in the 1990s. The NHL post season moves on and I have become a sudden supporter of the eight-seed Montreal Canadiens. We'll see if their luck will continue to jolt them through the playoffs.

 

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