Mass Comm Week begins today

For Dara Quackenbush, Mass Comm Week is going so according to plan that she’s actually a tad nervous.

“It’s almost scary,” said Quackenbush, chair of Mass Comm Week. “I’m waiting for the shoe to drop.”

Mass Comm Week begins today with CNN International anchor Ralista Vassileva as its headline speaker on Wednesday. Vassileva has covered the Bosnian War, Middle East conflicts and a slew of international stories.

“She was on the air during CNN’s coverage of the conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s transition to democracy, Northern Ireland’s peace agreement, the fall of Indonesia's President Suharto and East Timor’s struggle for independence,” according to the CNN Web site.

Vassileva was invited to Texas State after one of the professors saw her on TV, went on the CNN Web site and e-mailed her, Quackenbush said.

Quackenbush said she’s looking forward to hearing Vassileva.

“I hope there will be a seat for me,” she said. “I want to sit in on as many (events) as possible.”

The event will also feature more than 50 experts in the mass communication field and distinguished Texas State alumni. The topics include online journalism, putting “bling” in your resume, covering war, interactive advertising and event planning. The speakers attend the event voluntarily, Quackenbush said, but some have travel expenses.

Quackenbush said San Marcos’ location makes it an ideal place to have an event like Mass Comm Week, since the group can invite people from Austin and San Antonio.

“I wish students would take more advantage of Austin and San Antonio,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity in both places.”

She compared San Marcos to other college towns, like Lubbock and College Station, which don’t have as much nearby opportunity for a diverse amount of speakers.

Quackenbush said she hopes Mass Comm Week opens doors for more students.

“I just want them to spark their interest and think of possibilities they want to do in their careers,” Quackenbush said.

This is Quackenbush’s first year as chair of the Mass Comm Week committee, which was comprisesd of about six other professors and instructors. The group began full-fledged planning in September, she said, with some of the planning beginning in the spring semester. Other faculty and staff helped as well, she said, and even her public relations students got in on some of the projects.