WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., June 6, 2017 — Two West Liberty University media design majors recently earned top awards in an important contest that seeks to prevent hazing. Megan Sayre of Parkersburg, W.Va., received first place for her poster entitled: Drops of Hazing.
Her poster depicts a silhouetted figure in the rain using an umbrella to stop the painful effects of hazing, represented by large drops of rain. (Shown at left.)
Isabella Pozell of Glen Dale, received second place and was selected as an alternate in the contest. Coming in at third place was Nicole Walley of the Art Institute of Chicago. (Shown below.)
“I’m so proud of my students. In my Digital Imaging class last semester, I did this poster competition as a class project and can’t believe that two of our students won the competition. Both works were great examples of posters, but it isn’t often that two winners would be selected from the same school,” said Moonjung Kang, WLU assistant professor of art.
The winners of the 2017 Poster Design Contest were announced during National Hazing Prevention Week last May and entries were judged on representation of the theme “Hazing Hurts – Stop the Cycle.”
“I was surprised and honored since it was a national competition to have won. It’s an important topic that needs more discussion, especially at universities,” Sayre, who will graduate in May 2018 is a digital design major. She hopes to work in media production in her professional future. She also has a photography business called MSayre photography and a business Facebook page.
The contest attracted entries from creative and talented college and university students from across the country. Entries included how students spread awareness about hazing prevention throughout colleges and universities.
The winning entry will be featured during National Hazing Prevention Week, held this year Sept. 18-22, 2017, and will be available for free download at hazingprevention.org and will be part of its National Hazing Prevention Week materials available to the public online.
“I really appreciate my work being recognized, especially on such an important topic that is so relevant today,” said Pozell, who will be a junior graphic design major in the fall.
“We are very proud of how our faculty encourage students to push the limits and reach out into the professional world. We are doubly proud when our students win!” said Dr. Matthew Harder, dean of the College of Arts and Communication.
Hazing is any action taken or any situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment or ridicule and risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a group or team, whether new or not, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate, according to hazingprevention.org.
A national organization dedicated to empowering people to prevent hazing by providing education and resources and building partnerships with others, initiatives of the organization include National Hazing Prevention Week™, the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention™, and educational courses that touch the lives of thousands of individuals, organizations, campuses and communities.
HazingPrevention.Org started in 2007 when founder Tracy Maxwell decided to do something that would turn the conversation about hazing from how to punish those who haze to how to prevent it from happening in the first place.