Preparing for the Unexpected

By: Karolina Weglarz There’s no desks, no hiding behind a podium and no heated room with perfect acoustics. Instead, there’s a group of Public Relations-Corporate Communication students shivering outside of Allan Gardens Conservatory in downtown Toronto in temperatures that feel like -13, waiting to present their speeches. “The negative temperatures froze the fear of public speaking out of me,” said Vanessa Visheau, semester two Public Relations-Corporate Communications student. “Although my fingers went numb, it ended up being a really exciting and interesting learning experience.” School of Media professor, David Turnbull, believes that public speaking is meant to be done in public, not in a traditional classroom environment. Because of this, his students never know what to expect when they walk into his classroom every Thursday morning. Press conferences can happen in open, outdoor spaces, so practicing for them outside amidst the sounds of construction, dogs barking, and city traffic is a perfect way for students to gain real-world experiences. “It may feel to some students like a “sink or swim” situation, but it’s actually an incredibly effective way of building self-confidence in students,” said Michelle Grimes, Chair, School of Media, on Turnbull’s approach to teaching. “The stakes are a bit higher going outside of the classroom, but that also means the rewards are greater.” This week, the assignment included drafting a two and a half minute speech on topics that students selected in class. The catch was that they had to present them on a noisy city backdrop, in front of strangers, and in the snow. Speeches ranged from topics such as the art of speech writing, what is an ideal career, the meaning of life, to what is the pituitary gland. Turnbull makes sure the topic selections are as ridiculous or boring as possible. “Experiences like these teach us to be spontaneous, which I’m usually not,” said Keisha Chapman, second semester Public Relations- Corporate Communications student. Seneca College offers real world educational experiences to prepare students for challenges they may face when they graduate in a few short months. Today, students learned about the importance of the process of speech writing, how to present information as simply as possible, and how to use descriptive language to write for the ear. “Seneca’s always been focused on staying current with the needs of industry and employers, through the involvement of our advisory boards, and other connections to professionals,” said Grimes. “Those connections influence our curriculum, which benefits both students, and the employers who hire them.” Opportunities like these exist not only to prepare Seneca PR students for the working world and press conferences, but also for the VOICES 2016 speech competition. For the past few years, Seneca has hosted this inter-collegiate public speaking competition which showcases the skills of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) college students enrolled in Communications/Public Relations programs. “Think about every public speaking opportunity as a personal challenge,” said Mimi Tsui, professor, School of Media. “The students I have met in the program have outgoing personalities, they are not shy individuals. I think any and all of them have what it takes to compete in VOICES and win.” VOICES 2016 will take place at the end of March this year. The Advanced Presentation Skills class is an essential class PR students must complete before graduating from the year-long certificate program. The class teaches students presentation skills, how to make the best of the environment they are forced to present in, and how to prepare for the unexpected. “At Seneca, we make the experience more realistic and relevant by taking it out of the classroom,” said Grimes. “We want our graduates to be able to walk into any employer and say to themselves, ‘I’ve done this before, I got this.’” ---------------------------------------------------- Karolina Weglarz is enrolled in the Public Relations-Corporate Communications post-graduate certificate program in the School of Media at Seneca. When she’s not working on assignments, you can find her singing off-key at a concert, stuffing her face with burritos, or petting stranger’s dogs.

TVO's Short Doc Contest 2016

Seneca Faculty of Communication, Art and Design Professors named featured filmmakers by TVO Professors Sun-Kyung (Sunny) Yi and John Hassett Cuff are this year’s featured filmmakers for TVO’s Short Doc Contest. The pair, founders of the Documentary Filmmaking Institute, have produced and directed more than a dozen documentaries that have garnered national and international awards and worldwide broadcasts. They will be judging this year’s contest entries, providing two days of mentoring to the winner. TVO’s Short Doc contest is aimed at aspiring documentary filmmakers in Ontario, providing an opportunity to jumpstart their filmmaking career. More information. --- Read more on the Documentary Filmmaking Institute here: http://www.senecacollege.ca/dfi/ Read more on TVO's Short Doc Contest here: http://tvo.org/article/current-affairs/shared-values/tvos-short-doc-contest-2016-

Seneca Faculty of Communication, Art and Design Students’ designs being showcased at World MasterCard Fashion Week Two SenecaFashion students will be showcasing their outerwear designs at this year’s World MasterCard Fashion Week in March. Wanjing Zuo and Roxanne Reid are among 15 finalists in a competition sponsored by Sears Canada and Adorable Outerwear and supported by the Toronto Area Safety Coalition. In September, they competed against students from across Ontario to create outerwear garments that incorporated enhanced visibility and safety features, while remaining innovative and stylish. They will unveil their creations at World MasterCard Fashion Week taking place from March 14 to 18 in Toronto, for a chance to win the top prize of $5,000.

From Class to Carnival: SSF hosts 15th Frosh Day

From Class to Carnival: Seneca Student Federation’s (SSF) hosts 15th Frosh Day Winter calls for indoor carnival, MC and free food. By Sameera Raja and Fariya Khan Janvier Efondo, a first-year Acting for Camera and Voice (ACV) student, steps up to the ring-toss station at the Winter 2016 Frosh Day in Seneca College at the York Campus location. As he scans the gaming section, he leans in close, and tightens his fist around the plastic ring. Securing his grip, he flicks the ring, which manages to land on the bottle. “With my commute and running late to class, my day had started off pretty bad, but the orientation definitely turned that around,” says Efondo, while he’s given a hanging monkey as a prize. The Seneca Student Federation (SSF) hosted this year’s carnival-themed Frosh Day on Jan. 20, for students to interact, build a sense of community and garner student participation. “It’s for both new and continuing students to meet and so we [SSF] can inform them about the different services offered at Seneca that are available,” says SSF campus manager Samir Abdi, and former Business Management - Purchasing and Supply Management student. Around 700 students, from all years, attended the event, which was a cross-collaboration with the Campus Recreation Centre. To add to the carnival-theme, a party and event production service called X Infused was brought in. “We had several different stations for games, a photo-booth and other activities,” Abdi says. “At the SSF information table, we were giving a lot of information and promotional items as well like t-shirts, agendas and water bottles.” During his break, an SSF member had approached Efondo about the orientation. “He told me about the event and how there would be games and food, and I thought it would be good opportunity to socialize,” says Efondo. For Efondo, moving from Edmonton to the fast-paced Toronto environment for school was a difficult transition. Fortunately, he says his professors and Seneca have been accommodating, making the change easier. “Seneca’s been really flexible and understanding when it comes to my schedule.” Efondo says Seneca’s hands-on teaching method and specialized programs sparked his interest to join. “I really like acting, and Seneca’s AVC program is very different. It combines on-camera acting as well as voice, rather than only theatre acting. It’s taught by a lot of people who are currently in the field, and you feel like you’re a part of the actual work field.” Among the students at the event, first-year Liberal Arts student, Hoda Mohamed, tries on different hats at the photo booth station. “It’s such a nice and fun way for us [new students] to connect,” she says. “You feel more welcomed, not many colleges have these sort of orientations.” When Mohamed was considering colleges, she found the joint program with York University and interdisciplinary-style compelling aspects, motivating her to apply to Seneca. “I wanted to get into humanities, and my program involves a lot of different things like literature, math and critical thinking. So when I go to York, it’ll be easier to transfer and get into the Bachelor of Education program.” Because certain programs begin in the winter semester, SSF tries to cater to all students by hosting events year-round. “We started planning for this particular event last December, at the end of the semester. It’s been an ongoing process,” says SSF coordinator and second-year Social Service Worker (SSW) student, Jasmine Richardson. “We’ve had some challenges over the years, but it’s definitely gotten better. It’s a good initiative for students to get involved with SSF too and meet new people, we’re always looking for volunteers.” Kathleen Gillis, a first-year Independent Digital Photography student, also joined Frosh Day. While looking through photography programs, Gillis says that Seneca’s program was comparatively specialized to others. “Instead of just giving a tabletop education, they start you off with teaching you everything, and in the last semester you’re able to create your own individualized portfolio that reflects what you want to do and what you’re good at. So you’re hired for the jobs you want.” The SSF has been hosting Frosh Day since 2001 and offers students resources such as health and dental discounts, clubs and associations and also advocates on behalf of the student body. The next SSF event is International Day, and is scheduled for March. ---------------------------------------------------- Sameera Raja is currently a Public Relations-Corporate Communications (PRCC) student at Seneca College, and graduate of the Ryerson School of Journalism program. She’s also fond of Buzzfeed listicles and burritos. Fariya Khan has graduated from UOIT in BA Communication. She’s also worked with Community Innovation Lab as the Communications Specialist, and has recently started her post- graduate certification in Public Relations-Corporate Communication at Seneca College.

Zines launching at Seneca@York Library

Fashion Resource Centre at Seneca

The Power of a Wish Lasts a Lifetime | Make-A-Wish® Toronto & Central Ontario

Last month, Seneca Faculty of Communication, Art and Design student Sarah Cooper wrote and submitted an article to the Make a Wish Foundation. The article was accepted for publication! Click below to access the article.

Zoran Dobric

Be sure to check out SenecaFashion Professor Zoran Dobric's work featured in ELLE Canada's February 2016 issue, page 81! ----------------------------------- Zoran D dress in February 2016 issue of Elle Canada, Fashion direction by Juliana Schiavinatto, photography by Owen Bruce and art direction by Brittany Eccles

2015 Top 100 International Animation Schools | Animation Career Review

Seneca Faculty of Communication, Art and Design has cracked the top 10, ranking 9th overall in the 2015 Animation Career Review's Top 100 International Animation School Rankings. You can find the rankings here: http://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/2015-top-100-international-animation-schools

Zines launching at Seneca@York library The School of Creative Arts and Animation, the Independent Illustration program and Seneca Libraries are launching a collection of zines — self-published texts motivated by the desire for self-expression. The launch will be held on Friday, Jan. 22 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Seneca@York Library where you can find out more about the publications and browse the new collection. A workshop will also be held where you can create your own zine.

The First Year Experience

Photograph captured by 4th semester Independent Digital Photography (IDP) student Kin Lon (Canon) Ma.

Timeline Photos

Madison McCloskey, FCAD Corporate Communications student, had her feature story assignment entitled "Bayview hair salon shows refugees can succeed" published in the Town Crier! Read it here: http://mytowncrier.ca/news/bayview-hair-salon-shows-refugees-can-succeed/