Marketing, MSG, and More!

Hello!

Example of a board on MU's Pinterest

So this past week at the 'Hurst flew by. Not much was going on events wise, but it sure did fly.

I've been busy at my internship. I intern in the Marketing and PR Department here at Mercyhurst. So far, I love it and I'm sad that I'm almost done. As the intern, I help with the university's social medias. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest are all applications that our marketing team utilizes to reach out. It's really cool that they let me have so much freedom to bring up new ideas and to run with them. And it's pretty cool that I get to tweet, sit on Facebook, and pin as a part of my internship! This all makes me so excited to enter the "real world" of marketing after graduation.

Other than classes and interning daily, MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) for you first time readers) has been busy preparing for our Fall Retreat. We had an awesome speaker come in to talk to us about resetting goals, and how to achieve them realistically. I think both Senate and the Executive Board, as well as the Student Activities Council are all pumped to run full force for the rest of the year.

Patrick Keane

Speaking of the Student Activities Council (SAC), they had the hilarious comedian Patrick Keane on Friday night followed by The Hunger Games Saturday night. My favorite events are comedians and movies because you just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show... And that I can go in yoga pants and not feel guilty!

Also this past Saturday was the University's first fall open house. I gave tours to some wonderful families. If you're interested in visiting the 'Hurst, call for an individual tour (814-824-2202)... you can even request me, Jenna D! Or go online here to register for our next open house on Saturday, November 10th.

This is an ad created by the Marketing and PR Department where I intern!

Wow... I guess a lot did happen this past week!

Upcoming MSG bingo event

In this upcoming week MSG has its first Forum coming up. This one is entitled "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly." We are basically opening up to the student body to answer any questions they may have about student government, upcoming events, or procedures. Hopefully we have a great turn out, and give out some much needed answers to students who need them. 

Next weekend, MSG will be hosting a Vera Bradley Bingo to help the Women's Lacrosse team fund raise and a late night breakfast event, catered by an Erie exclusive The Breakfast Place. It's absolutely delicious and if you are ever in the area, I recommend you check it out... no matter what time of day it is!

Thanks for reading :)

Fall Break

Hello,

My beautiful city

This week was a short one at Mercyhurst. After classes came to an end on Wednesday, we went on Fall Break. Normal classes will start back up again on Tuesday. This was a much needed break, and I enjoyed mine at home in Pittsburgh, Pa.

While in Pittsburgh I enjoyed some shopping in the city and at the outlets. And it just isn't a trip to the 'Burgh unless you make a stop at one of the many best restaurants. If you've never experienced a Primanti sandwich at the original "dahntahn" (downtown) location on The Strip, you don't know what you're missing. Also, if you're ever in the area for breakfast, Pamela's Diner has some of the best morning meals. Even President Obama has special ordered her crepe pancakes to the White House. 

Another favorite of mine from good ol' Pittsburgh, Pa. is Soergel's Farm. I love honey crisp apples and they grow the best! There's lots to do at the farm besides buying apples and this time of year, it's always crowded with Pittsburghers getting ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Well, as I finish up this week's post, I have to admit, I'm watching the Steelers game. The score is 13-7 Pittsburgh, we're playing the Eagles.

I make my trip back to Erie tomorrow afternoon, but for the rest of my time at home I'm going to enjoy the Steelers and my family.

Thanks for reading!

:)

Whatta Week!

Can you believe it's already October? Tomorrow is the 1st, and this term is zooming by!

This past week was pretty uneventful in comparison to homecoming last week. This coming week is the mark of midterms for Mercyhurst, then this Thursday we go on Fall Break – which I'm super excited for.

So besides preparing for midterms let me give you a run down of what happened this week:

I had MSG meetings on Monday night. Monday at 8:30 p.m. are weekly MSG meetings, this is a great opportunity for any Mercyhurst student to voice concerns, issues, suggestions, or praises to student government. We swore in our new freshmen senators, so now we are working on a full senate for the year.

On Wednesday, I had a Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) meeting. This is a club that I am involved in that combines fun and practical professional experience in the field of PR and marketing. This year our big event is going to be the Frozen Putt-A-Thon. If you'd like to read up more, please read Joe's blog, he's the president of PRSSA and has blogged about the details, and I'm sure more are coming. I'll keep you posted too!

Also on Wednesday, I attended the Senior Gift Committee meeting. We've been hard at work narrowing down potential gift ideas for the senior class to vote on. Some of the ideas include: a green house/bio-dome, a breakfast bar in one of our dining venues, fire pit, a pavilion area by our athletic fields, or a concession stand in our athletic center. A senior gift is something that the outgoing senior class leaves as their mark at the 'Hurst.

Wednesdays are also my duty night as an RA, so I ended the night with the Res Life staff and rounds. 

On Friday I gave a big presentation in my Advertising Branding and Strategy class. It went well, it was a partner project and we had to analyze commercials, and apply theories and methods we have learned. It was actually pretty fun for a class project!

To end the week, there was the blessing of the new Mary Garden outside of Old Main. If you ever come for a visit, you can't miss it as you go up the drive. It was a wonderful way to bring the Mercyhurst community together on a Friday afternoon.

Thanks for reading and wish me luck on my midterms this week! I'll talk to you next week and tell ya what happened at the 'Hurst.

:)

Hurst Homecoming

Hello and Happy Homecoming Weekend!

Homecoming Facebook cover from MU's page

Homecoming and Family weekend here at the 'Hurst is coming to an end tonight. It has been a great week of alumni and Mercyhurst Laker spirit. Homecoming Weekend at Mercyhurst is often called Hurst Fest. Some of the things that went on include: a golf outing, athletic alumni sporting events, Friday Night Lights, bingo, 5K race, tailgates, performances, Hurst Fest activities (inflatables, photo booth, food, and fun), and of course the homecoming football game and crowning of the 2012 Homecoming King and Queen.

Since I am the MSG Event Coordinator, like I've mentioned in other posts, a chunk of homecoming festivities were my responsibility. All homecoming nominations, family activities, and crowning of the king and queen fell on my to do list. This year we had record breaking nominations for king and queen, which is outstanding! It makes me happy that so many people wanted to participate in such a rich MU tradition. This year our homecoming King was Adam Ferrari and Queen Kaleigh Hubert.

2012 Mercyhurst University Homecoming Court, and returning 2011 King and Queen on left

Following the game MSG and SAC held all of the Hurst Fest activities. This year we had an obstacle course bounce house, caramel apples, cider, hot chocolate, cotton candy, popcorn, donuts, tshirts, raffles, photo booths, a huge petting zoo, and the big yellow Food Truck from our dining services.


Though the weather was pretty crappy for most of the day, it did clear up in small patches. Our football team also won against Slippery Rock which made for a great homecoming weekend.

I would also rewind to last Monday, I told you MTV's Andrew Jenks would be speaking at Mercyhurst as a part of MSG's Distinguished Speaker Series. I just wanted to make mention that he was great and we had about 200 kids come out. It's kind of cool that I can say I had a celebrity in my car! I had to bring him to and from his hotel to campus. Students seem to really like him and loved the meet and greet after his presentation. His next season premiers November 12th on MTV!

Another great pic off of MU's Facebook page

So that is all I have for this week! I have a paper to write and some homework to finish.

Have a wonderful week everyone :)

WOW.

Hello There!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've posted to my blog. I've been busy with my time away from the 'Hurst. This summer I had so many adventures. For starters, I traveled with my Faculty Lead Study Abroad (FSAT – when you become a Laker, you'll get familiar with that term!) to Italy, Greece, and Turkey. It was an experience of a life time! Since this is a catch up blog, I think I'd do Europe more justice is I dedicate one of my next blogs to the trip versus cramming it in here. But enjoy a few of the pictures below.

Shortly after returning from my two week excursion to Europe, I celebrating a big birthday. I turned 21 in Las Vegas! It was wonderful, though not my first time there. The food was amazing, the shows, and the sites, it was a dazzling way to turn the big two-one. I went with my parents, my boyfriend Matt, and my roommate Andrea. If anyone is familiar with the show Pawn Stars, you'll enjoy this pic! They were filming the day I visited the shop and I saw the gang. So I just had to buy something as a souvenir... This is a two-dollar bill signed by all the stars – Ricky, Richard Sr., Big Hoss, and of course my favorite, Chumlee. So if you're a fan, be sure to watch for me somewhere on the third season if they happen to air the items I was there for. 



So if we fast forward through summer hang-out sessions and long hours of grocery store work, I found myself right back at the 'Hurst in Erie, PA. I had to come back a few weeks early due to Residence Life training. It's weird, I'm a senior living in sophomore area, because that is where I am an RA. I enjoy it though, I get to meet a lot of new people I would never probably have associated with.

Also during my weeks back, I was preparing for a bunch of Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) events before classes started up. Like our Service Day BBQ, the Upperclassmen BBQ, dances, speakers, and Hurst Fest – our homecoming festivities. MSG and SAC (Student Activities Council) are hosting their annual Fall Ball this Friday at 7 p.m. It's always a great time and it is sort of like Mercyhurst's version of a homecoming dance. There is going to be some great food this year, I picked a menu with Buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke dip, chicken kabobs, dessert shooters, and chocolate covered strawberries. Hopefully, the weather is beauuutiful, and it doesn't rain.

The next major thing MSG has going on is our Distinguished Speakers Series. This Monday night we are hosting MTV's Andrew Jenks. He is a filmmaker with a show on MTV about not judging a book by its cover and living in different situations. We are super excited to have him on campus, and I'll definitely have to blog about the event next week!

My final piece of update is Hurst Fest. As I mentioned, it is Mercyhurst's Homecoming tradition. This year Hurst Fest is Sat., Sept. 22nd, our football team will be playing Slippery Rock University. There is always a lot of hype about homecoming, so I can't wait to fill you in on the details. Another exciting factor of Hurst Fest 2012, is that I am actually on the ballot for Homecoming Queen! How exciting? I am so flattered that my friends and peers would think to nominate me... Voting started today, so fingers crossed... Maybe I'll score enough votes to be Queen? I'd love to have a crown!

Oh well, that is all I have for now... SO sorry that I haven't been blogging, I promise that will change. Get ready for my senior year at MU!

:)

Spring Fest 2012

I'm about to blog about one of the greatest Mercyhurst experiences I've ever had. 

It was more than 6 months in the making, but Spring Fest 2012 has come and gone. MSG Events Coordinator, Shannon Kissel and I have been working very hard all year planning this classic weekend-long event, and I must say, it was a total success!

One happy Laker from her Walking Taco!

This year Spring Fest was a Cinco de Mayo theme, let me give you a run down of all that went on:

It all began at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning when Shannon, Adam (next year's SAC Chair) and I took a huge van to Sam's Club to buy tons of water, Gatorade, snacks, and dressing room hospitality. After 30 cases of drinks, and the other random things, our 15 passenger van was full!

The fun really began Thursday afternoon when two huge trucks pulled into Mercyhurst University. These two trucks contained all the "magic" for our annual Spring Fest concert. We had tons of volunteers, two MSG executive boards, and two SAC executive boards, plus the production company building the stage, setting the lights, and hooking up sound. It took about four for five hours to set, and everyone was tired and sweaty when we were finished.

Friday afternoon Shannon and I planned a Walking Taco station to give out 300 free "tacos in a bag" to students who walked by in Garvey Park. They were served from a huge yellow Culinary Cab that our dining services, Parkhurst, debuted for the first time that afternoon. If you don't know what a walking taco is, it's a bag of Doritos crushed up topped with taco meat, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. They were absolutely delicious and they students loved them!

Friday night was also the concert. Before the concert while students were loading in and between sets we had one of MU's own, DJ b-Lang, spin records for us. He was awesome and got the party going. Then we had a STOMP-like percussion group called Industrial Rhythm perform the opening slot to really pump students up for this year's headliner – Sean Kingston. When Sean Kingston took the stage, it was ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen a Spring Fest more packed. We gave out 1500 free tickets, and we got over 95% of them back in the doors, and after letting in a few stragglers, we were at maximum capacity. I can't believe we sold out and packed in a full house! During the concert I even got to go on stage and throw out glow-sticks, sombreros, and tshirts.

Sean Kingston performing in our Mercyhurst Athletic Center

When Sean Kingston took the stage, he sang all of the songs that everyone know. These included: Fire Buring, Eenie Meenie, Like a Melody, Beautiful Girls, and Letting Go, just to name a few. He even sang a new track off of the album he is releasing shortly. It's called Back 2 Life, it features TI and Nicki Minaj and it was a hot beat! Also, another special touch was when he got a few girls to come on stage when he sang Beautiful Girls. Not going to lie, I was a little jealous that Mr. Kingston didn't ask me on stage! But that's okay, I did snag a picture with him later – just Shannon, Sean Kingston and me!

Now immediately following the concert, we have to tear down the stage we just built, load it all in the trucks, and send them on their way. This was my third year helping with the stage for Spring Fest and every year, it breaks my heart to build a stage and then rip it down only a few hours later. When everything was said and done Friday night, and the trucks were pulling away, it was about 2:30 in the morning. And we were only half way done with the weekend at the point!

Saturday afternoon was the last portion of the Spring Fest activities. We emptied out a parking lot on campus and held a Cinco de Mayo of our own. It was complete with Erie's own, The Romantic Era, DJ b-Lang for a second day (because he's that great!!!), an inflatable obstacle course, a giant dual lane slip-n-slide, photo booths, air brush tattoos, a sandy candy bar, a caricaturist, Rita's Italian Ice and a full Mexican fiesta buffet. The day activities ran from 1 to 5 p.m. and it was a great flow of students. It was wonderful to see all of these students appreciating and enjoying something that Shannon and I have worked on so hard all year. Though this was my last event (and blog) as the SAC Chair, I am honored to do it all over again next year as MSG Events Coordinator (and blog about that too!). Both the MSG and SAC boards and volunteers surprised Shannon and I with flowers at the end of the weekend, it was too sweet and I really appreciate all of the hard work everyone put into this event for me. From building the stage with our bare hands on Thursday, during the concert and stage break down on Friday, and throughout the day on Saturday, I was truly blessed to have worked with such wonderful people.

Shannon on the left and me on the right after a loooong Spring Fest weekend!

I am so honored that the Mercyhurst community keeps giving me opportunities to do things like this. I get to meet awesome people and work with a fantastic group of students on a day to day basis. I know that so many students across campus, whether they vocalize it or not, enjoy what students like me do. I promise to continue to seize each opportunity that comes my way, to give students the best time on campus as possible. Because to me, this is what it means to be a MU Laker. Carpe Diem!

Caribbean Night and Jamnesty

Hi guys, so this past weekend SAC had two really great events – Caribbean Night and Jamnesty.
 
Unfortunately, I have not been feeling all that great this weekend. I woke up on Friday feeling a cold coming on and then some point on Saturday I lost my voice completely! I was able to make it to Caribbean Night, which was a HUGE hit. 250 students piled into our Student Union to enjoy Caribbean beats and treats! There was a buffet of diverse foods, my favorite being the "tres leche cake." I have had it before from a bakery back home in Pittsburgh, but this one was made with some authentic spices and was out of this world delicious!

I did not make it to Jamnesty, but it was another success. It was part of Amnesty International and the local Erie rock band, The Romantic Era played. If you read a few of my previous posts, you will see that they are a regular for SAC programming.

This weekend is the biggest event that SAC and MSG have to offer, Spring Fest. Co-planner Shannon Kissel and I have been working very hard since early December hammering out all of the details that it will entail. I can't wait to share all the details with you, but for now, I really need my rest to be ready for this week of Spring Fest to come.

Pray that I have my voice back by tomorrow and that I'm feeling better!