WAA Elections for 2023 have opened up! Please visit the Elections page to view the candidates for each position along with their personal statements. Members will receive an email in their inbox soon to begin voting. Voting will close at 11:59PM on 12/18.
New Website Design!
Hey everyone! The WAA had our first meeting in a while and decided (among other things) that it was time to refresh the website design. Our old one had a definite “2011 Generic WordPress Blog” look to it. Hope you like it!
-Matt
WCPR 60th Anniversary celebration is a go!
The WCPR 60 Anniversary celebration is upon us! Come join us at the Ruesterholz Admission Center from 5 to 6:30 on Saturday, June 1. (That’s the building next to Howe.) There will be appetizers and a free bar. The event will be held as part of Stevens Alumni Weekend.
If you plan on attending, please make sure to register for the event at https://connect.stevens.edu/alumniweekend. There will also undoubtedly be a large WCPR turnout at the Beer Tasting, so sign up and join us there if beer, trivia, and plastic cup tower construction are your thing.
2018 WCPR Alumni BBQ
Thank you to the General Manager Emma Murphy and the current student body of WCPR – Castle Point Radio for hosting the annual alumni BBQ today.
We had an excellent time reconnecting and swapping tales in what may just be the last big get-together in the current WCPR space, but it was still great to see the enthusiasm and energy still running high in our beloved station!
Also, major thanks to Scott Orshan for taking awesome panoramic/3D photos and videos – check them out when you get a chance.
Thank you to everyone who showed up today for demonstrating your continued passion in supporting WCPR!
The Plaque!
For those of you who were unable to attend the plaque ceremony last year, here’s an image of the plaque commemorating the donors to the WAA Outstanding Performance Award (WOPA). A big thanks to Scott Orshan ’77 for designing and getting this plaque made – it looks beautiful!
WCPR turns 57! Plus, what’s the deal with updates?
Hello all! WAA President Mike Bocchinfuso checking in here.
First off, a very happy 57th birthday to our favorite college radio station! A big thanks to everyone who’s been a meaningful part of the history of WCPR, as well as those friends, family, and supporters who showed their solidarity with the station in some way. To all the audio wizards, cabinet builders, last-minute mobile unit DJs, record library sorters, impromptu interviewers, cable untanglers, and more who have all left their mark on the history of the station…we salute you!
As you know, this year the WCPR Outstanding Performance Award scholarship became self-aware…I mean…was able to be awarded this year, and is actually currently in the closing stages of being awarded for a second time. The students in the running are all very qualified and dedicated to the station, so it will definitely be a tough choice. As I always say, we could not have done this without the amazing show of support from our excellent alumni. We’ve got the best alumni, don’t we, folks?
Next off, since it’s seemed a bit quiet on the website front – we’ve been trying to streamline and integrate our various media presences so the website updates get pushed through to our social media presence uniformly. It was no small feat but a major round of applause goes to Matt Keyser for fixing that!
Now, what’s in store for 2017? Besides the lights going out on Broadway per the prophecy of Billy Joel, of course.
We’re going to be ramping up efforts to document WCPR’s history under the leadership of our Historian, Derek Ives. Current station Publicity Manager Emma Murphy actually reached out to us with the great idea of putting together a timeline of members and Derek will be working with some other WCPR alumni to help them see this project through.
Our Events Coordinator Stan Switalski has got some events in the works for 2017 as well – make sure you save the date of Saturday January 21, since we’ll be doing our first movie night of the year then – plus a few ideas for other events are in the works that we think you’ll enjoy.
Oh, yeah – in case you’re not on the WCPR Alumni Association mailing list, you can sign up at this link.
As always, thank you for your support of the WCPR Alumni Association. And in honor of the station’s birthday, here’s a little throwback:
“Onward and upward, with maximum music – WCPR Hoboken!”
2016 WAA Election results
Time for election results! Not the US presidential ones, but our own WAA officers. I was late in posting these results, and it’s entirely coincidental that I’m posting them today, so we’ll be ignoring any claims of tampering by Russia, or that the whole system is rigged, OK?
WAA would like to (belatedly) announce the latest WAA officers for the 2016 elections:
President – Mike Bocchinfuso
Vice President – Sue D’Addio
Secretary – Nicholas Barresi
Technical Resource Officer– Imran Merali
Event Coordinator – Stan Switalski
Historian- Derek Ives
Congratulations to everyone who won, and many thanks to everyone who ran and voted!
Elections Are Upon us!
The 2016 WAA elections are here! Click here for information about the candidates!
WAA Awards first WOPA scholarship
This past Saturday, April 2, the WCPR Alumni Association was proud to award its very first WCPR Outstanding Performance Award (WOPA) to Andy Waldron ’17. The reception was held on the 4th floor of the Babbio Center, and was attended by WAA members, the WCPR e-board, and Andy’s parents.
The event began at 3 PM, when snacks and drinks were served. Keith B. Cassidy ’09, Scholarship chair of WAA, served as the Master of Ceremonies. The first speech was given by Melissa Fuest, Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving and Executive Director, Alumni Association for Stevens. Melissa praised the efforts of the WAA in building a bond between the current students and those who had gone before. As is par for the course at Stevens, the festivities were interrupted by a fire alarm on the 3rd floor of Babbio, forcing the attendees to evacuate until the smoke could clear. Thankfully, someone outside had brought donuts.
Once back inside, next up was Mike Bocchinfuso ’08, President of the WAA, who gave a thoroughly entertaining, in-joke-laden speech that was equal parts soul and LOL. Not to be outdone, Andy gave an equally entertaining and clever acceptance speech that included a detailed update on the state of WCPR and its plans for the future.
Attendees socialized, old friends caught up, and lots of Beef Wellington was consumed. All in all, it was a successful event.
Photos by Scott Orshan ’77.
Broadcasting Through Adversity panel brings crisis experts to Stevens
“When disaster strikes, how do we keep the public informed?” was the question asked by the WCPR Alumni Association. On Wednesday, October 14, in the Bissinger Room, we heard the answers during our “Broadcasting Through Adversity” panel discussion.
Coordinated by WAA’s Technical Resource Officer Robert May, Class of 2013, and cohosted with the Stevens Alumni Association and Stevens Career Center, several key representatives from the fields of broadcasting and journalism came together to provide unique insight into how broadcasting infrastructure is maintained and secured during times of crisis. The discussion topics ranged from the cell phone disruptions on September 11, to the reliability of ham radio during Hurricane Sandy, to the necessity of contingency drills. The panelists discussed the (leadership qualities that shine in times of emergency and even how disaster can spur new developments in telecommunications and broadcasting.
Photos by Nick Gonzalez, class of 2014.
Moderator:
Lisa Pedrogo, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Implementation, CNN
Panelists:
Scott Griffin, Principal and VP of Engineering and Technology, The Systems Group
Chris Tobin, former Chief Engineer, 1010 WINS
Bob Desiato, Director of Disaster Recovery, AT&T
Jeff Kinney, Director of Field Operations/Chief Photographer, CNN