Month: January 2020

 The annual tradition of Dixie State University’s Mr. Dixie pageant is almost upon us.

  The Mr. Dixie pageant gives students the opportunity to become contestants and display their talents while competing for the title of Mr. Dixie and the prize that comes along with it.

  “The prize changes every year,” said Brett Coleman, a senior communication studies major from Midway, “The year that I won it was $300. This year they’re giving away a hot tub.”

  Coleman is the current Mr. Dixie and will be passing down his crown to the next eligible contestant. Coleman said his journey to becoming Mr. Dixie started through his love and school spirit for DSU.

  “It’s one of those fun things that has been on our campus,” Coleman said. “I love Dixie State and am pretty huge on Dixie spirit so it felt like the right thing to do.”

  As the current Mr. Dixie, Coleman said he doesn’t have that many responsibilities aside from being the host for a few events and helping the contestants by getting ready.

  Coleman said being on Raging Red, a singing and dancing group at DSU, helped him to prepare for his talent piece in the competition. The talent piece that Coleman performed was a parody of a song from “The Little Mermaid.”

  Coleman said, “I used something that I knew I could be good at to win with the talent piece.”

  Aside from being Mr. Dixie, Coleman is also just another student. He balances being an active voice on the DSU campus as well as a prominent member in school activities. Coleman said it wasn’t that hard to balance being a contestant, a member of Raging Red and a student

  “I just work [Mr. Dixie and Raging Red] around my schedule,” Coleman said.

  Coleman said his dedication for both activities is different.

  Coleman said, “I don’t think it’s the same necessity; I don’t need to give as much time to being Mr. Dixie as I do for Raging Red.”

  The dedication for Mr. Dixie isn’t as rigorous as that of the time commitments for Miss Dixie Coleman said.

  Geoff Reynolds, the director of Raging Red, said, “Brett is incredibly dedicated to both Raging Red and Dixie State, he also oversees our outreach than as our PR and marketing manager.”

  Coleman said being a part of Raging Red and Mr. Dixie has given him more confidence.

  “They help me to be more confident,” said Coleman. “At the end of the day they boost each other.”

  Bailey Zimmerman, the events and promotions coordinator, said Coleman takes his role as a leader seriously.

  Zimmerman said, “Brett is a service-oriented leader who gives his all to the organizations he is involved in, as well as those he is leading.”

  As Coleman comes to the end of his time as Mr. Dixie, Coleman said his advice for others is to just go out, have fun and be confident.

  Coleman said, “Just go out and be yourself.”

  Zimmerman describes Coleman as giving his all, leading with enthusiasm and imbuing school spirit into everything he does. She said he has set an example for this year’s Mr. Dixie contestants.

  Dixie State University students are transported to the age of heroes, knights in shining armor and fierce dragons through the new short film “DSU Game of Thrones Parody.” 

  Released on Jan. 24, DSU’s film and theatre department initially created the parody to represent and highlight the university’s core themes: learning, engagement and opportunity, said Ben Braten, the short film’s director and director of video production.

  The parody begins with a wide shot establishing the dreary setting outside of a window of Campus View Suites. Inside sits a disgruntled Patrick Weeks, a junior theatre major from Las Vegas, watching an episode of “Game of Thrones.”

  Weeks is surrounded by bags of local fast food joints and a variety of pizza boxes. His narrative begins, allowing the audience to learn that he is a lazy, failing DSU student. 

  With pizza sauce smothered on his face, Weeks drifts into a deep sleep suddenly waking up in the world of Jon Snow, a main character from “Game of Thrones.”

  He navigates through the issues of being a lousy student by seeking guidance from other “Game of Thrones” characters on DSU’s campus, eventually leading him to success. 

  “Learning, engagement, opportunity,” said Weeks and multiple other characters repeatedly throughout the parody.

  It was important that the script was structured around DSU’s core themes, so the audience could learn how important each value is to the current students, future students, faculty and community, said Brian Grob, the short film’s screenwriter and associate academic adviser for College of the Arts.

“There was a lot of prep work, but once we got going I had fun with it.” 

Tisa Zito, producer and Actress

  “I spent evenings watching ‘Game of Thrones,’ and as I was watching it I was writing the script,” Grob said. “I had never watched the show before.” 

  Grob said the script went through a process of three revisions as it bounced back and forth from himself and Braten. Braten was able to include humor and dialogue from “Game of Thrones” as Grob combined those features with DSU’s core themes and structured the script. 

  “The project took about four to five shoots over a series of a few months,” said Tisa Zito, the short film’s producer and actress that played the red witch in the film. “There was a lot of prep work, but once we got going I had fun with it.” 

  DSU students from the film and theatre departments were able to completely take part in creating and developing the project as well. 

  The parody was filmed by students in the film program using professional equipment such as the Fuji X-T3 and the Fujinon MKX lenses, Braten said. Students from the theatre department helped in creating medieval costumes and providing actors. 

  “When [Braten] was writing the script for the parody, he remembered working with me and thought I would be perfect for the lead role,” Weeks said. “He sought me out, and the rest is history.” 

  Grob said not only was the parody a way to share DSU’s learning objectives and core themes, it allowed for the creative arts of theatre and film to be recognized for their hard work.

  “I hope that the students here take away DSU’s Core Themes from this,” said Zito. “I hope they also see what an amazing program we have in our Digital Film Department, how much talent there is at this school and how much fun you can have while learning,” said Zito.

  Taking your first step into the working field can be intimidating, but finding employment as a college student can be easier than you think.

  Career services held a career and internship fair on Jan. 30 filled with employers looking to hire new employees.

  According to employers at the career fair, they have suggestions of the do’s and don’ts for potential employees.

Do your Research: 

  Shane Blocker, assistant director of career services, said the first thing to do is research. Make sure to do research on the company you are looking to apply for. Know their mission and what their company stands for.

Present Yourself Professionally: 

  Presenting yourself in a professional manner can show employers you are determined.

  “The hardest part of any career and internship fair is ‘how do you approach people’ and ‘how do you feel comfortable with an environment that sometimes is an intimidating thing’,” Blocker said.

  Walking through the fair once and getting an idea of who’s there is a great way to make a strategic plan of what company you want to approach and talk with, Blocker said.

Make a Personal Connection: 

  Some recruiters will want to speak with you right away, while others will want to contact you later on, Blocker said. It is important that you make that personal connection, even if they don’t have a position available that is in your interests. After you have made that connection, it is easy to contact them and ask about when other positions in the company will be available, Blocker said.

Search Online for Job or Internship Opportunities: 

  While some students aren’t always able to attend career fairs, there is always the process of reaching out to specific company’s and apply straight through them.

  Wanda Cook, human resource director from Navajo Technical University, said they offer entry level jobs that give students an opportunity to expand their knowledge and learn throughout the experience. 

  While not all jobs start at entry level, students can start building their experience through internships while they attend school.

  Students can even get experience and employed through DSU.

  Bailey Zimmerman, events and promotions coordinator, said students can apply to intern at the University Marketing and Communication, which include opportunities available from public relations to digital internships.

  “The UMAC offers students who want to learn new experiences,” Zimmerman said. “It helps them not just build on their hard skills, but also improve their soft skills.”

Find Jobs that Cater to your School Schedule:

  “About 50% of our employees are students,” Megan Holt, team lead director from Caption Call said, “Ours hours are longer than most business’, which allows students to work when they have time. They just need to make sure they are responsible and work during their appointed shift.”

Know what Employers are Looking For: 

  When it comes to what they are looking for in employees, it comes down to if they are willing to work and be responsible. Their company is perfect for students who need flexibility in their schedules, said Holt.

  Finding employment can be stressful for students, but there are plenty of companies that are willing to work with students looking to build on their experience.