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Around Campus

Spring Semester 2023

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Making History: MaristVOTES is a student-led, nonpartisan effort supported by Marist’s Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership. On March 30, the group invited Marist students, administrative staff, and faculty advisors, as well as local community partners, to attend the first-ever convening of the Hudson Valley Student Voting Coalition.
Collaborating for a Cause: The purpose of the event was to bring the local college community together to raise awareness about, and engagement in, voting issues. Bard College, Vassar College, and local community groups Democracy Matters and Partners for Campus-Community Engagement, all joined MaristVOTES for the inaugural event.
We Want YOU! The Marist Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership encourages students to actively participate in voting, stay informed on issues, and get involved in the community regardless of their political standpoints.
To get more involved visit the Marist’s Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership
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Learning from alumni: The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hosted its first Black Alumni Panel. The panel featured five alumni from a range of industries including sports communication, finance, social work, life sciences, and marketing. The panel was moderated by Dr. Edward Antonio, Vice President of DEI at Marist and allowed students to engage with the alumni through a Q&A-style discussion to learn about their professional experiences.
Looking into the future: The Office of DEI organized the event to help students of color see themselves represented within a variety of career fields. It gives students the chance to hear the stories and see the accomplishments of people of color throughout their career journeys.
Learn more: check out upcoming events sponsored by the Office of DEI here.
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The sky is the limit: Not many undergraduate students get the opportunity to have their research recognized in published academic journals, but Andrew Hard's ’23 first byline can now be found in the International Journal of Sport Communication (IJSC).
Here’s the scoop: Hard officially became a published author for the academic journal after being invited by Sports Communications Professor Dr. Zachary Arth to collaborate on a research paper alongside other contributors.
Going for gold: After conducting their research at Marist, Arth and Hard had their paper accepted into The National Communication Association 108th Annual Convention in New Orleans this past fall. From there, the paper moved on to be accepted and published in the IJSC.
Olympic camera time stats: The paper, The Continued Olympic Agenda Shift: A Case Study of the Time on Camera for Men and Women During the 2022 Beijing Olympics, discusses the camera time of men and women athletes in the Olympics with an analysis of prime-time versus non-prime-time coverage.
Go deeper: you can read the research paper here.
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The NY Jets touch down at Marist: Senior Manager for Social Media at the New York Jets, Perry Mattern, visited Marist to discuss with students a career in sports communications. He gave students insight into what it’s like to run social media accounts for such a high-profile sports franchise.
A playbook for students: Dr. Amanda Damiano, Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Social Media, organized the event. "The Center for Social Media’s Lecture Series provides a forum for professionals and students to come together to discuss industry trends, cutting-edge practices, and social media professions," she said.
A speaker series filled with MVPs: Mattern is the latest in a series of guest speakers invited by the Center for Social Media. Previous speakers have included professionals from LEGO, ESPN, IBM, Beauty Blender, and Marvel Entertainment. This speaker series helps students create connections with industry professionals.

Serving our country and community: Marist English Professor Tommy Zurhellen debuted a new community service project called Marist Shelter Meal. Zurhellen worked with Hudson River Housing (HRH) to provide food at the Dutchess County homeless shelter. A team of over 40 Marist faculty and staff members prepared their favorite homemade meals for those in need.
Continuous growth: Over 150 people were served at the March 30 Marist Shelter Meal Event, and Zurhellen and the Marist community plan to hold another event on April 30. Zurhellen hopes to provide one Marist Shelter Meal each month with a new theme. March’s theme was Italian food while April will focus on Mexican cuisine.
One step at a time: In 2019, Zurhellen walked 2,866 miles across the U.S. to raise awareness for homelessness and suicide among veterans. After being the commander of the local VFW Post in Poughkeepsie and starting a nonprofit organization called VetZero, Zurhellen continues advocating for issues like homelessness and supporting our veterans.
Calling all faculty & staff: If you want to participate in future Marist Shelter Meals contact Tommy Zurhellen.

Getting down to business: This year marked the 11th annual Mid-Hudson Regional Business Plan Competition (MHRBPC) hosted by Marist’s School of Computer Science and Mathematics. The competition allowed over 140 students from Marist, Bard, Vassar, Iona, West Point, SUNY Ulster, and SUNY New Paltz, to pitch their business plans to industry experts from the community, gain valuable feedback, and compete for cash prizes and the chance to advance to the New York Business Plan Competition finals.
Winner! Winner! The top winning teams were awarded $500 with the support of Marist College and community sponsors. Historically, many past winners have gone on to create businesses from the ideas they pitched, such as Dana Jones ‘20 who is now the CEO of Accessadoor LLC.
Why it matters: The MHRBPC encourages students to think like entrepreneurs, transform their ideas into new business ventures, and network with community mentor judges. Lead organizer of MHRBPC Cynthia Worrad, Assistant Dean of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics stated, “The connections and relationships from the MHRBPC have proven very beneficial to students planning to continue their entrepreneurial journey and launch their business ventures.”

Peer-to-peer learning: The Center for Career Services hosted the College’s first Internship Showcase where students could learn and network with their experienced peers who have completed internships or are currently interning.
Leading by example: The showcase presented students from all majors and schools of study, discussing their internship experiences and how they impacted them personally and professionally. With representation from 14 different companies like Louis Vuitton, NBCUniversal, Amazon, and Microsoft, students were able to learn about how to land an internship and what it is like to work for such well-known companies.
Making connections: Students were able to network with their peers, get the inside scoop about interning in specific industries, and hear about what qualities companies are looking for from a student's perspective. Students also had the option to spruce up their LinkedIn profile by having a professional headshot taken.

Speaking OUT: The LGBTQ+ subcommittee of the Diversity Council at Marist invited the Marist community to a panel featuring queer and transgender students, faculty, and staff to speak out about their experiences at Marist. The panel was moderated by Marist College Fashion Program Director John Bartlett, who asked the panel speakers about what it was like to come out to the Marist world and beyond.
An open discussion: The goal of this event was to discuss how Marist is supporting the LGBTQ+ community. The panel talked about topics like initial concerns about being accepted and increasing supportive improvements from the College, such as gender-inclusive housing.
Raising awareness: The panel also discussed the importance of allyship and necessary support outside of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it’s making an effort to discuss and recognize pronouns, taking the time to listen, or getting involved in inclusion efforts, allies play a significant role in making Marist a more accepting and safe space for everyone.