Opinion: The Raymond Simon Institute Reception

Kaitlyn Tambasco, Managing Editor

The Raymond Simon Institute reception was hosted in the midst of a plethora of homecoming activities last weekend. The reception brought in public relations and journalism faculty, current students and fellow alumni. The reception was held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 in the Willard Conference Room in Deperno Hall.

H’orderves, wine and beer were served and the event was free of charge. The event featured a slideshow containing pictures of public relations and journalism students and faculty through the years. It was put together by Marissa Verdon and Jessica Bates, who are current Raymond Simon Institute interns. The slideshow did a good job with showcasing photos of WPNR, the Tangerine, PRSSA and many other clubs throughout the years.

The event did not have a main speaker but mainly consisted of small group conversations. 

The turnout was low, but this allowed conversations to be more personal and gave everyone a better chance to get to know each other. I, personally, was able to reconnect with a couple of students I hadn’t seen in a while, as well as one of my former public relations professors.   

If I could change anything about the event, I would want it to be more structured. I didn’t know much about the event before attending except for the short description from the Homecoming brochure I picked up in the Pioneer Cafe. I expected a speaker, and I definitely thought that more graduates, students and faculty members would show up. The casual tone of the reception and small number of attendees was a little disappointing, as I had dressed up, as well as brought several copies of my resume. The room that hosted the reception was a decent size for the turnout, but I wish it was a little bit restructured.

Both myself and a friend of mine who also attended the event arrived at least a half hour before it began. I was impressed that everything was already set up, which included the food and the drinks. The display that was used was also very neat. 

The food was also really good. I really enjoyed the spinach dip, and it was probably neck-and-neck with the spinach dip you can get as an appetizer at Applebees. I am not a beer person, but I did try a red wine that was available, which was decent. 

There were at least eight of us that stayed way past the time the reception was supposed to be over, which was at 7:30 p.m. Staying later actually worked out. Two conversations merged into one, and it was really great getting to know some of the other people I had not gotten to speak with that night.

Overall, the event was a good way to meet new people. However, I thought it was going to be more of a networking event. The conversations for the most part were much more casual than I thought they would be. However, I was able to learn more about resumes from a gentleman that attended the event, as well as possible career options since I’m a double major in communications and in criminal justice. 

I am already looking forward to next year’s RSI reception as an official alum.