#BringBackKaldis

Today, I ate my last mocha muffin and drank my last cup of coffee at the Kaldi's cart on Missouri State's campus. At the end of this semester, Sodexo is going out and a new food company is coming in. And they have a contract with Starbucks. 

Don't get me wrong, I am stoked that Missouri State is getting new food options such as Chick-fil-A, but it saddens me to see something so unique such as Kaldi's leave MSU campus.

I try make my morning cup at home, but some days I am running late or some nights I am stuck in the library working on homework, and it is nice to have a little extra pick me up on campus. However, Starbucks is not my favorite. Not trying to knock anyone who likes it, but to me, the coffee is always either too bitter or too sweet. Beyond the taste, Starbucks is a global corporation, whereas Kaldi's is a coffee company housed right here in Missouri. It is special, and if you recall previous posts. The South Regional Barista Champion this year was Joe Marrocco, from Kaldi's, so it is legit. 

I learned something very important at PRSSA National Assembly this year from the lovely Rachel Sprung. If you don't like something, hashtag it on Twitter. She started the hashtag #bringbackken when tweeting about anything negative about arranging flights for PRSSA because a guy named ken used to take care of it for them.

I am stealing her idea. I encourage you to use the hashtag #BringBackKaldis on Twitter if you are disappointed in seeing them leave MSU campus.

Who knows maybe President Cofer will hear our cries of wanting good, local coffee and #bringbackkaldis?

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MSU iPALs

This year I have been working on a large project with the Distinction in Public Affairs pilot program.

I was put in a group balanced with different strengths with the goal to learn more about the Public Affairs Mission at Missouri State.
(Which involves three parts: Cultural Competence, Community Engagement, and Ethical Leadership)

This Spring, we had to put together a project focusing on Awareness or Action.
My group decided to do research on how to better integrate International Students onto MSU's campus, and how that would benefit the Springfield community as a whole.

We called ourselves iPALs, or International Public Affairs Leaders, and we presented out findings at the Public Affairs Conference a couple of weeks ago. That was a nerve-wracking experience all on its own.

Now, that all the stress has passed, I want to share it with you all. :)

Here is our presentation:

Distinction In Public Affairs: IPALs on Prezi

Our conclusion from many interviews and focus groups with students, faculty, staff, and community members was essentially MSU is doing their best, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Most of this work relies on the local students reaching out to the international student community. We came up with a mentor program that we think would be really great.

One of our team members, Scott Turk, was just elected student body president, so who knows, maybe our dream will become a reality next year!

Remember we can all make a difference! Reaching out to one person different than you may impact their life in ways you will never know. 

Diversity starts with an attitude of curiosity and acceptance. :)

As Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Here are some interviews from our project:

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PRSSA Day 2011: Social Media

PRSSA Day was on Friday.

It was a HUGE success!

It essentially is a student planned PR conference at MSU.

We had key note speakers like Ryan Knapp & Tressa Robbins, social media panel, & networking.

This year's theme was Social Media.

Yeah!

Not to mention GREAT FOOD!

And only for $12! 

(Well, $15 for me because I registered late.)

Here is a picture of our awesome executive board who made it all happen this year.

Sara McClendon, Sara Gwin, Lindsay Van Quaethem, and Daniel Ortega

I will share what I learned in more detail soon!

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