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By Mandi Enger

Building upon a tradition that was started in 2012, Nevada State College (NSC) has scheduled its second annual Spirit Week for Monday, Sept. 23 through Friday, Sept. 27. Events will be held both on- and off-campus and will welcome students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as members of the local community.
The inaugural Spirit Week was such a success in helping to develop NSC’s campus culture that we’re pleased to be expanding the activities this year, said Brandi Robinson, events coordinator. Spirit Week promotes school spirit and develops positive relationships between members of our campus and the community.
The 2013 schedule of events is planned to include a day of community service, a health and wellness activity, and a cultural heritage celebration. Top activities from 2012, including the Faculty Speaker Series, Bowling with Bart, the State of the Campus Address, and the Field Day competition, will also be on the roster.
Encouraging friendly competition and team building, Field Day will be held on Friday, Sept. 27 as the grand finale of the celebratory week. In 2012, departments went head-to-head on activities such as tug-of-war, a sac hop, and hula hoop contest to compete for the Scorpion Trophy. The victors were from the Administration Team. This year, Field Day will also include a fall carnival.
I encourage all students, faculty, and staff to participate in any or all Spirit Week activities in order to show their NSC pride, connect with members of the campus and community, and have some fun as the fall semester settles in, said NSSA Business Manager, Jerica Turek. Remember, this is a perfect week to wear your black and gold!
Scotty, the NSC scorpion mascot, will be in attendance at various events throughout the week. Debuting in early 2012, the mascot’s name was revealed at the end of the inaugural Field Day after a campus-wide nomination and voting process.
The full Spirit Week event schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

By Mandi Enger

Joining the ranks with filmmakers from across the country and throughout the world, a group of Nevada State College visual media students were proud to showcase their work during the 2013 Las Vegas Film Festival (LVFF). The four-day event was held at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino with the NSC Showcase shown in the Main Theater on Thursday, July 18.
Eight students, all members of the NSC Visual Media Club, presented a total of 16 projects, including documentaries, creative shorts, and commercials. Each project reflected the students work as screenwriters, directors, actors, as well as editors. This is the first year that NSC has participated in the Student Film Showcase.
This event is significant because it presents NSC work for public screening, gives students an opportunity to see their work on the big screen, and also gives them festival experience, shared Adam Davis, assistant professor of visual and digital media at NSC. Even in the age of internet video, festivals are important places to get work screened and to make connections.
Davis joined the NSC School of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2012. He received his Masters of Fine Arts in screenwriting and researched the intersections between cinema and digital media during his doctoral program at Southern Illinois University. Davis is the NSC Visual Media Club faculty advisor.
Tony Dare, NSC Visual Media Club Vice President, directed two short films for the festival including The Blind Man and the Key, and Battle. He additionally contributed to two commercials developed by club members.
During the LVFF, I networked with several Nevada filmmakers and even some from out of state who invited me to watch some of their films, he commented. I learned that what I really need to focus on is working hard. Most of the films at the festival took months to years to complete. I need patience to be able to finish any project I start on and to not give up. I intend on putting NSC’s visual media program on the map.
As a presenter and festival volunteer, Dare received full admission to all screenings and festival events. Dare is working to complete his Bachelors of Arts in Visual Media in 2015.
Brianna Santiago was the director on a commercial, Boulder City Museum and Hotel, and a short, Welcome to Upendi, presented during the student showcase. Santiago has additionally attended the LVFF for the last two years, helping her to develop her interest in direction.
The most important thing that I have learned is that when directing, the time that you take in preparing for your film is the most crucial as it will reflect in the final product, Santiago shared. I guess that could apply to just about everything else in life as well.
Santiago is the Secretary of the NSC Visual Media Club. She plans to complete her Bachelors of Arts in Visual Media and minor in Communication in 2014.
The hands-on technical experience in our production classes at NSC has been incredibly helpful and has given me a small taste of what it is like to make a film and how demanding the job can be, she added. To be able to participate in the Las Vegas Film Festival was super exciting! Seeing my growth as a writer, director, and editor is the most valuable part of my experience and helps me go on to the next stage of development.
Moving forward, Professor Davis is working with students in an independent study class to submit works to the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nev.
As we make connections with local festivals and begin to generate a steady stream of work, I’d like to have these festivals, in terms of both submissions and attendance, integrated directly into visual media production courses, said Davis.
For more information on the Visual Media Program, please email Adam Davis at adam.davis@nsc.edu. To join the Visual Media Club or learn more about the student organization, please contact Audrey Balzart at audrey101@aol.com.