PSU Magazine Winter 1995

Hard work pays off for PSU Weekend event An intere ting variety of speaker , an important and timely discussion by keynote speaker Carl Bernstein, and an education-hungry community combined to make this year's PSU Weekend more p pular than ever. "The resp nse wa so enthusiastic to this weekend that we literally had people asking fo r more," commented PSU Weekend Chair Merrie Zi ady '80, MST '82. The Alumni Association 's fifth annual PSU Weekend , held Oct. 14-16, featured a fa cinati ng array of activiti es, including 27 lecture by PSU professors and community leader , a luncheon lecture by journa li t and author Bernstein, a homecoming party and sports events, three tour opportunities, and several parti es for school and department alumni gr up . It also gave PSU Weekend supporter an opportunity to meet Carl Bernstein and PSU President Judith Ramaley at a new patron event. Bernstein, who won a Pulitz r Prize for his coverage of the Watergate scandal, talked about our country's "idiot" culture and its relationshi p with the media. He drew a reco rd crowd of over 550 tudents, alumni, fri end , and the media to his Saturday noon lecture. In hi talk, Bernstein said that "today' media promotes a whole culture of untruth and cynicism and di tortion. In this new culture of journalistic titill a– tion, we teach our readers and our viewers that the trivial is significant, that the lurid and the loopy are more important than rea l news." Attendance also was strong for Saturday' eminar Day program. Zi ady credit the mix f exceptional speaker and topic fo r generating rave rev iew from participant . "On the post-event evaluations, we a keel people to let u know who their favo rite lecturer was. The peaker were all so outstanding that nearly every ne of them received at least one vote a mo t fa vorite speaker." PSU Weekend i pon ored by the PSU Alumni As oc iation and o rganized by a vo lunteer committee wo rking in conjunction with the O ffi ce of Alumni Relation . Work on the project begins 10 month before the event. This year the A lumni As ociation ga ined additional sponsors fo r the Weekend, includ ing the Red Lion Hotel/Portland Downtown fo r the patron party; The Business Journal for media; Karakas, Van Sickle, O uellette, Advertising and Public Relations fo r th e Bernstein lecture; and N rthwe t Micro Inc. ,~ r the Internet elem n tration . For information and vo lunteer opportunities for nex t year' P U Weekend, call 725-4949. PSU Weekend Committee members are (top photo, left to right) Linda Macpherson MPA '80, Joan Johnson '78, Merrie Ziady '80 MST '82, Bill Walker '73 MPA '80, and Sue Purpura '77. Professor Franz Rad (left photo) discusses seismic vulnera· bility of Portland buildings, and keynote speaker Carl Bernstein (right photo) talks with students after his luncheon presentation. \VINTER 1995 21