From Silence to Success: Alex Mowrey

     From what I have noticed, people tend to stay in either the same state or roughly the same general area of the country when attending a University. This was not the case for Alex Mowrey, a senior here at Slippery Rock studying emerging technology and multimedia. Alex has really made a name for himself with this institution, whether it's  his photography with the rocket, being a community assistant for two years, a pride guide on campus, and even working in the presidents home. Looking back on his life, Alex would have never predicted he would be the person he is today.
      Alex was born on October 7th, 1993 in Orange County, California. His family is huge, seeing as his parents divorced when he was 2 and both remarried. His siblings are Allen, Aaron, Samantha, Maxwell, and Harper. Alex stated that most of high school sucked for him. He was picked on his fair share, being very shy up until his senior year, when he joined ASB (the student government for his school). Even if he spoke up, his voice was very suppressed and nobody seemed to listen to what he was saying. It was tough. On top of the student government, he was in a video production class, as well as dating someone who helped him break out of his comfort zone.


   Alex adopted a quote from the famous Dr. Seuss that was really the tipping point to help him turn into the person he is today. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Alex also told me, "Sometimes I look at that quote and see it as kind of arrogant, but I also see it as a great way to live your life. I interpret it as not being afraid to be yourself and do what is best for you. You are the author in your own novel, don’t let other people dictate what you can and cannot write. The people close to you that really care about you will stick by you regardless what you say or do, the ones who judge you for what you say or who you are, well I guess they aren't worth being your friends then." This outlook on life allowed Alex to make a huge decision, by leaving California and move to Pennsylvania where his mother was living. He wanted to experience college far away from home and immerse himself in a setting that was very different from what he was used to.

  

Alex Mowrey on Dipity.

     The move was very strange for him. Growing up in San Diego his whole life, he thought the world was a perfect place and he knew exactly what he was going to do. Alex's mother and step-father moved out to Pittsburgh his freshman year of high school and would visit on holidays. He looked at many schools in the state (SRU was actually the last on his list). Junior year, Alex came for orientation and immediately fell in love with the atmosphere in every sense of the word. It was a lot more peaceful than "hectic" California. With Alex's acceptance to Slippery Rock, he had to pick a major. Initially, it was physical education. He thought it would be easy to find a job right out of school, but soon realized, he hates running and physical activity. Emerging technology and multimedia was his next option, since he loved his video production class so much. It was the best decision he made and he has more fun than he could have hoped to have. This has allowed Alex to open up many more doors with the University, broadening his horizons.

   Alex hopes to pursue a career in photography and acquired his inspiration from his parents. It was an outlet for him to express himself in a way that he didn't really have to use his voice. He just used his art form.

Mowrey's Photography

Alex has helped others with their photography skills, as well as break out of their comfort zone. Becca Dietrich, his assistant for the rocket, is one of these people.

   As of right now, Alex is not too sure where life is going to take him. He is possibly considering going to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, to pursue a masters degree at his dream school. He, hopefully, will get a job working for the university, seeing as he loves the area so much. With his hard work and dedication, Alex will be a successful member of whatever organization he chooses to become a part of.

Biography Proposal

For my biography project, I would like Alex Mowrey to be the subject. I want to do a "success" story on him because he has been just that, successful. Alex contributes a lot to this university and is well known. I think it would be beneficial to other students to see what he does and how he got there for others to follow in his footsteps and contribute as much as possible to their universities.

Bringing Awareness of ISIS to Slippery Rock

ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is a Sunni Extremist rebel group controlling territory in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. This group is currently posing a huge threat to not only our country, but any group who does not comply with their own belief system. The United States is attempting to handle the situation currently, but to what extent? This video is to shine some light on the situation, seeing as most people I have talked to really do not understand ISIS other than that they're a "bad" group of people.

Meograph Proposal - ISIS

For the Meograph project, I would like my topic to cover ISIS. Problems in the Middle East have been occurring for decades now and ISIS is currently a topic of not only interest, but concern for the United States as of lately. They have personally sent videos beheading citizens of our country, as well as threatening to attack if we do not back off. This group wants to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria. ISIS is known for killing dozens of people at a time, sometimes children, and carrying out public executions, crucifixions and other acts against members of all other religious affiliations. This group is a splinter group of the al Qaeda, who we were currently at war with for the events of 9/11. They have grown in strength recently and are posing a serious threat to their surrounding countries, as well as our own. I plan to use history websites to get background information on the al Qaeda, as well as the splinter group of ISIS. I then want to use news websites to collect information from stories and journalists who have covered the topic, such as CNN. I then would like to interview a few members of my fraternity who are either currently enlisted in our armed forces, or are veterans. I want to look at this issue from their point of view, as well as see what they think needs to be done about it. There is a lot of controversy about the steps and precautions Obama is taking and many would say he is not handling the issue well. I want to know people’s opinions on this subject as well. 

Marketing Manager of Pittsburgh Pirates Talks about SRU's Chapter of American Marketing Association

    Kiley Cauvel, the current marking manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates, came to discuss the Slippery Rock University chapter of the American Marketing Association .Kiley graduated in 1998 from Grove city college with a Bachelor of Arts in English, as well as a communication minor.  Before she held her current position, she was also the Director of Marketing at Mellon Arena between 1998 and 2005. There she learned and excelled at media buying, promotions, and public relations for events such as WWE, sesame street live, circuses, and countless numbers of concerts. 

     Here we have students getting seated, prior to the presentation, anxiously awaiting Kiley Cauvel to speak.

Students here are attentively listening as Kiley discusses some of the marketing strategies the pirates use and who the target audiences are. She talked about how the pirates have switched from an ad agency to an in-house team, allowing them to gain the players trust. 

Gaining the players trust allows them to produce the types of quality commercials that they air to different target audiences, the biggest being men ages 18-54 and mothers. Not only that, but she talks about how concerts really bring all types of fans to the game, young and old. Everyone can appreciate good music! Free shirt Friday has also been a huge success among the younger crowd. I personally own probably half a dozen on the shirts myself!

Kiley is discussing their marketing strategies and how they can reach out to each types of audiences. Each commercial is geared towards an age group. She showed us a video of the pirate parrot in an original Mario video game setting, geared towards attracting children to come out not only to games, but to all their other events they hold for children to be actively involved in the Pirate atmosphere (such as running the bases).

Here she is again, at a closer view, going into more detail about commercials and who they affect.

Kiley Cauvel discusses how she became the Marketing Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and how internships and contacts are two of the most important resume and job acquiring aspects there are.

Ebola: Why People at SRU Shouldn't Panic!

Bob's Sub & Sandwich Shop

Bob's Sub & Sandwich Shop on Dipity.

KettleCorn Proposal

My proposal for this project is to film and talk about The Ebola Hysteria that has been happening over the last few weeks within our nation. I plan to film students, as well as healthcare professionals in Slippery Rock about their opinions on the topic, as well as preventative cautions we can take to prevent not just the spread of Ebola, but the spread of widespread hysteria regarding the topic.

New Member Orientation - Greek Life

Homecoming 2k14

Coach Mihalik pumps up the crowd at pep rally!
SRU Colorguard and Band During Parade
SRU Cheerleaders Chant During Football Game
Results of the 2014 Homecoming King and Queen
Interview with Alex Mowrey, Homecoming Court

Bid Day Fall 2014!

Should we ban drug testing in the workplace?

In 1986, the Reagan administration recommended a drug testing program for employers as part of the War on Drugs. Since then, questions have risen as to if drug testing should be allowed in the workplace. Many companies will stand by it, while others view it as a violation of human rights. Why won't certain companies drug test (click here)? Which side is right!?

When it comes to drug testing, there are many common questions that may spring into ones head, such as "Why do companies drug test?" The main reason is that drug abuse creates health and safety hazards that can result in decreased productivity and poor working habits from the employee. Using drugs can also lead to added costs for the company in the form of health care claims. It is stated that short-term disability claims are the most common. Transportation and safety-sensitive companies are obligated to drug test by certain federal agencies, such as the Federal Highway Administration. However, many view "forced" drug testing as a violation of human rights.

Invasion of privacy is the biggest issue concerned with drug testing. Urinalysis, the most common form of testing, requires the employee to pee into a cup that is sent to a lab for further testing. In many cases, there is usually another person observing the employee, making sure there is no tampering of the urine sample. What most people don't realize is that urinalysis reveals much more than drug use. The Washington D.C. Police Department has admitted in the past that they have used drug test samples to screen female employees for pregnancy, without their consent.

In recent years, our country has seen the legalization of marijuana in a few states, Colorado being the prime example. Being that marijuana is the number one drug that an employee is usually tested for, what does this mean for drug testing in the workplace? To many peoples surprise, employers can still fire marijuana smokers for legal use. Don't believe me? Read it here. Drug testing may be inevitable for certain employees, whether it is legal or illegal.

For more information on drug testing and drug-free workplaces, visit this website.

Hey! Look over here!

Hey there! My name is Ryan Dietrich and I am currently a senior at Slippery Rock University. I'm currently studying Sociology Culture and New Media, a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, as well as a minor in History. Doing this allows me to study three subjects I'm interested in, as well as pursue any one of them at a graduate level, among other majors. I am a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, one of the many social fraternities we have on campus. I have a love for photography and baseball. Both impacted my life greatly throughout high school. Unfortunately, I did not pursue either one when coming to college due to a few choices I had made. Recently, I started getting back into both and I have been much more content with my life because of it! Career wise, I am looking into either doing social media for a video game company or a baseball team, preferably the Pittsburgh Pirates. I also have an interest in ancient history, possibly pursuing a career in digital archiving and historical photography. 

Ever since college, I have been quite active on all forms of social media. Back in freshman year, I had no idea they would expand and grow the way that they have. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you will see me either ranting or posting something ridiculous on one of them. Instagram is my favorite, being that I am into photography and "Social" photography is becoming quite the activity these days. Twitter is genuinely how I get most of my news, as well as Facebook. 

I enrolled in New-Media Journalism for a couple of reasons. The first being that part of my major is new media. I'm not always the biggest fan of media. Watching the news is not something I enjoy. It's too depressing. I think that's why people are taking to social media to get the news out. It allows us to be selective listeners and pay attention to what we want to hear. In my case, ignoring the depressing news. Secondly, I took this class because I knew it would give me valuable skills that I will be able to use in my future career. The media is an ever-changing object in our lives that will never go away, only evolve into something bigger for us to use. Why would I not want to take a course in that?! To add to this all, Dr. Zeltner is an awesome professor to have! I highly suggest you take one of his courses if you get the chance!

A non-traditional news source I frequently use is the radio, specifically 96.1 Kiss FM. This is a Pittsburgh based radio station I have become very fond of over the last years, a lot of it is because of Mikey and Big Bob. If you don't know who they are, I highly advise listening to one of their Morning Freak Shows. They're hysterical! Other than their show, if music isn't playing, I won't listen to other people talk or ads. I'll just flip through the stations until I find something I like.

I'm very fond of a couple of new media outlets. The first I mentioned above is Instagram. Initially, it started out as people posting amazing pictures of nature, scenery, etc. It has developed into pretty much people posting their twitter and Facebook pictures to their Instagrams, which is a little disappointing. I really think people need to reconsider what they use Instagram for. I miss all the incredible pictures that used to be uploaded! Another big outlet for me is Netflix. The amount of time I have wasted on it is immeasurable. With that being said, I wouldn't take any of the time back, ever. It's convenient being able to watch shows at your own pace. Our world today is very busy and not many people want to sit down at an exact time to watch a show. It is much more convenient to do it whenever time is available.

Well, I think that is plenty for my first blog! Start following my blog to keep updated with everything I will be doing this semester!  See yinz soon!!!