The O'Colleague (3)

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Vol. 1 Issue 2015 Winter 2015

O'COLLEAGUE A publication for friends of the O'Colly

ALUMS UNITE

A look at the first-ever O'Colly Reunion Weekend From the director's chair • Students keep Austin weird Next year's reunion plans • Photo gallery

The Director's Chair Barbara Allen 97 ,'

Editor in chief Fall 1996

MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH IS. How will you give back?

here’s so much to be excited about at the O’Colly. Like Cody Stavenhagen.

Cody started at the O’Colly as a freshman sports writer, and quickly worked his way up to being sports editor and eventually editor in chief. He secured internships that ranged from the Amarillo Globe News to the Oklahoman to covering the Texas Rangers for MLB.com. A December 2015 graduate, Cody has accepted a postgraduate internship at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and then will rejoin MLB.com.

This spring, Cody was named a national finalist in the Hearst Awards, the most competitive collegiate journalism contest in the nation.

The Hearst Foundation flew Cody and a dozen other student writers to San Francisco for a three-day, on-site competition. By the end of the contest, Cody had won several thousand dollars in scholarships and a second-place award (although he’s not particularly fond of being told, "Your'e the

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second-best collegiate journalist in the country!”).

“I learned exponentially more at the O'Colly than I ever have in any classroom,” he texted me recently. “Every ounce of the success I've been fortunate enough to have is because of lessons forged at the O'Colly.”

He’s not alone. Many of you remember how experiences at the O’Colly put you ahead. Despite the rapidly changing nature of journalism, the hallmark of the O’Colly remains: driven, ethical students. Next semester’s managing editor, Nathan Ruiz, will spend his summer interning for the Dallas Morning News. Outgoing editor-inchief Kassie McClung is working with the Frontier, a ground-breaking online investigative endeavor in Tulsa. Almost every student associated with the O’Colly ends up with a summer internship, and the feedback is always the same: They are detail-oriented, hard-working, smart and fast. I couldn’t be more proud of our students.

I wanted to let you know about some of the steps I’ve taken to attempt to secure the future success of the O’Colly. As per the collegiate and national trend, our ad revenue has dropped over the last decade and shows no signs of stopping. Because we are dedicated first and foremost to the news product, it has become necessary for us to find some alternative funding vehicles to ensure the longevity of that product.

My philosophy was simple: The newsroom model works. So why not replicate it across communications majors?

The result was the formation of a studentled public relations and marketing agency,

Orange House. We added a full-service visual studio, specializing in commercial videos. Some examples: The OSU Foundation paid us to make a video celebrating diversity. The members of the SMSC Ambassadors paid to get their headshots taken in our studio. And the homecoming yearbook, at just $20 a copy, promises to become a mainstay of the OSU experience.

While our excitement for these new ventures is limitless, our funding is not. Our startup costs have impacted our bottom line, and we are turning to our alums to complete the last piece of the revenue stream puzzle.

Your monthly donation of just $84 over five years establishes a $5,000 gift. If just 20 of you committed that much, we would be well on our way to establishing a fantastic endowment to ensure the O’Colly’s future.

One of those commitments is me. Starting in January, I’ll be donating a portion of my salary to this initiative. With my own money in the mix, you can bet I’ll be a careful steward of these donations.

Jason Collington, a two-time editor in chief and 1999 graduate, has pledged to do the same.

I asked him why, and this is what he wrote: “It’s not what we say or do or get. It’s what we give and share that makes the ultimate difference. To the O’Colly I give my time and my money. Because we know what needs to be done to make those students and that media company successful. It will take us all.

"I don’t give because I feel indebted. I give because I feel invested. How can you not?”

I humbly ask you the same.

LESS THAN 1/4 US$ 20 MILLION

Cody Stavenhagen competing on site in San Francisco at the Hearst awards.

The O'Colleague | Issue 1 | Vol. 2015

Spent more than Estimated fare for a full Interested in suborbital US$celebrates 10,000 annually tri. Furman uses space travel. 's head to test Marcia Guevara the arrival commercial of Zack a dummy her new videooncamera . lights in the new O'Colly portrait studio. vacationslens .

A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF THE O'COLLY

THE O ' COLLE A GUE TRAVEL >

CALENDAR >

STUDENTS KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD, WINuringAWARDS a momentary lapse of

2016 ALUM REUNION WEEKEND SET T

D reason OColly director of ,

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student media Barbara Allen agreed to take a dozen students to Austin in the fall for the College Media Association/ Associated Collegiate Press national collegiate journalism conference.

They were among 2,000 other student journalists, advisers and media professionals who converged on the host city for this annual convention. There, the students attended workshops from experts and other students from around the country, and even led their own session on covering the Oct. 24 homecoming parade crash that killed four.

In addition to the sessions, they assisted with a silent auction benefitting the nonprofit Student Press Law Center.

Eyewitness reports also put them on Sixth Street, one of the nation's most famous strips of watering holes and restaurants, favored by college students around the globe.

The culminating awards show resulted in a big win for the O'Colly. Its Oct. 28 issue, covering the continued aftermath of the Homecoming parade accident, was awarded second place in the the CMA's national Best in Show awards.

Next year's convention will be split into two host cities: Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.

The O'Colleague | Issue 1 | Vol. 2015

he 2016 O'Colly Reunion Weekend has been set for the weekend of Oct. 1, 2016, and will again include a football game, this time against the University of Texas Longhorns. Keep an eye on your email or stay tuned to orangehouseagency.wix.com/ocollyalumni for more information on the event. Registration will open in March.

Blythe Kubina leads a workshop for strategic communications students in the Student Union.

It's probably not surprising that the reunion involved a small degree of alcohol.

REUNION >

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD he first-ever O'Colly reunion weekend took place this November, and it proved to be quite a success. Nearly 40 alums registered, and about twice that many alums, friends and family members made it to one or more events.

The weekend kicked off with a Thursday night reception at a colorful local Mexican restaurant.

Friday featured a full day of workshops featuring successful O'Colly alums from across the nation, including Reuters investigative reporter Ryan McNeill from New York City; Kansas Health Foundation vice president of communications

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Blythe Kubina from Wichita, Kansas; and several alums now working in Oklahoma City. The Friday sessions were designed to show current OSU students from across majors the value of working and writing for the O'Colly. After a happy hour at the Hideaway, we headed to MoJo's for dinner, drinks and bowling.

The next day featured a tailgate that ended up being hosted in the newsroom due to weather.

Finally, 50 of us attended the football game against Baylor. For photos, see the next page, or join our Facebook group.

HOW TO HELP .

Print and fill out this pledge card or go to ,

https://secure.osugiving.com/givetoOSUSMSC. Select "Daily O'Collegian Excellence Fund" and enter any amount to get started.

Name: _______________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ Address: _____________________________________ City/ State/ZIP _________________________________ Donor name /in honor of: ________________________ I pledge a total of: $ ________________ ✓My donation is enclosed (Make checks payable to OSU Foundation. Write "O'Colly" in the memo line.) ✓ Charge it: oVisa oMastercard oDiscover oAmEx Card No. : ______________________________________ Exp. Date: ____________ 3-digit security code: _______ Signature: ______________________________________ Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to us! barbara.allen@okstate.edu; 405-385-1345

If you'd rather make a series of monthly contributions, simply go to https://secure.osugiving.com/givetoOSUSMSC. Select "Daily O'Collegian Excellence Fund" and enter any amount to get started.

Donations are earmarked for the following initiatives. Please indicate where, if any place, you wish your funds to be targeted.

Donations are stewarded carefully. General funds go toward the biggest current needs being faced by the students. ✓ Student travel (conferences, workshops, sports coverage) ✓Equipment (cameras, computers, software and accessories) ✓Outreach (alumni relations, fundraisers, continuing education) ✓ General needs (Varies)

Send your completed pledge card to: Barbara Allen The O'Colly 106 Paul Miller Stillwater, OK 74078

2015 O'COLLY REUNION PICS Chase Carter helps raise 'em right with alumnae Kenna Carmon's daughter, Vivian.

Ryan McNeill and Jason Collington at MoJo's.

Don and Cheryl Lehman reminisce in the newsroom.

The view from the cheap seats!