The Associates Program
CUPID is overseen by coordinator Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark and members of the CUPID Associates program. Associates are a few chosen students from the PWR concentration who exhibit strong interests and skill sets related to the complex and collaborative writing projects completed through CUPID. The selected students are usually in their third year of study and are rotated semi-annually.
The Associates program is designed not only to provide the Associates opportunities to work on more involved, focused projects through CUPID but also to provide other PWR students with a support system for concept and technology help. The CUPID Associates create and host workshops for student skill development, write for the CUPID blog, and maintain the CUPID website. These students also run the CUPID Open Hours program in the evenings, in which the associates are available to assist other PWR students in the lab.
Meet the Associates
Spring 2014
Dannie Cooper, Junior PWR and Creative Writing major
CUPID Hours: Tuesday 5:00 – 7:00 pm
PWR Classes:
Eng 212: Multimedia Rhetorics
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: PWR Topics: Travel Writing
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
Eng 497: PWR Senior Seminar
PWR Experience:
As a PWR student, I’ve worked to develop my writing and design skills through collaborative writing assignments and client projects. I have been involved in several PWR projects including the Highway 64 Project and the North Carolina Wild Cat Project. As a CUPID Associate, I’m excited to use my experiences to help other students!
Rachel C. Lewis, Junior PWR and Creative Writing major
CUPID Hours: Sundays 8:00-10:00pm
PWR Classes:
Eng 211: Style and Editing
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 217: Writing Technologies
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: PWR Special Topics: Grant Writing for Nonprofits
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
Eng 497: PWR Senior Seminar
PWR Experience:
During my time as a PWR student, I have worked to develop the ability to write for any audience, whether it be collaboratively or independently. As a collaborative writer, I have written grant applications, created a book using Blurb, and edited a book for The Conservators’ Center. Independently, I have worked with an online literary magazine and its journal component, written for Her Campus, The Key Reporter, and The Edge, and written creative pieces published in literary magazines. I am also working to build a background in design, and look forward to helping you make your projects more visually appealing!
Alexa Dysch, Junior PWR and Literature major
CUPID Hours: Mondays 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
PWR Classes:
ENG 211: Style and Editing
ENG 215: Introduction to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
ENG 217: Writing Technologies
ENG 282: CUPID Studio
ENG 304: Understanding Rhetoric
ENG 312: Visual Rhetorics
ENG 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience:
Throughout my PWR career at Elon, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with classmates of mine, work with clients within and outside of the university, as well as expand my own professional and personal online identity. Some of the client projects I have completed include helping LIFESPAN, the Elon Challenge Course and the Association for Business Communication. Additionally, I was able to apply the skills I’ve learned at an internship with Alamance Magazine. I hope that what I’ve learned with the help of my professors, fellow students and clients can be imparted onto others!
Fall 2013
Taylor Hill, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours: Sunday 6:00 – 8:00 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 211: Style and Editing
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 313: Travel Writing
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: My experience as a professional writing and rhetoric student has allowed me to strengthen my abilities as a collaborator, researcher and conscious writer. Projects that I have done in these classes have required me to hone in on effective rhetorical strategies and have taught me how to implement them into my work. I have conducted research on professional and academic organizations and worked with classmates to create a document communicating the importance of said research. I have also created visual and written documents informing audiences on the importance of informing, motivating and persuading. I am also no stranger to working on client based assignments where collaborating with sources outside of Elon University was necessary. I am excited to see how these past experiences will enable me to help others during my time as a CUPID Associate!
Hillary Dooley, Senior PWR Major
Cupid Hours: Monday 5:15 – 7:15pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 211: Style and Editing
ENG 212: Multimedia Rhetorics
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 313: Travel Writing
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience:
Throughout my time as a PWR major, I have learned valuable knowledge and gained practical skills that I hope to use in a career in PR/Marketing. In my PWR classes, I created marketing materials for the Association of Business Communication, helped brand the American Studies Minor with a group of four other students, and developed an overall plan for Elon’s Honors Program website. This semester I look forward to exploring Highway 64 in Travel Writing, researching exotic cats in North Carolina, and completing my senior portfolio!
Spring 2013
Emily Bishop, Junior PWR Major
CUPID Hours: Wednesday 4:00 – 6:00 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 217: Writing Technologies
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: Writing, Rhetoric, and Civic Action
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: I have focused on the development of my professional career through group, individual, and client projects. In Publishing, I co-designed and wrote articles for the Family Abuse Services of Alamance County newsletter. With my experience in CUPID Studio, I was able to work on promoting, creating, and distributing posters and a rack card for the American Students minor. As a CUPID Associate for a second semester, I look forward to implementing the workshops and other ideas the other Associates and I came up with last semester!
Rachel Fishman, Sophomore PWR major
CUPID Hours: Monday 5:30 – 7:30 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 217: Writing Technologies
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 313: Grant Writing for Non-Profits
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: Someday I hope to work for a non-profit centered around a social justice issue about which I am passionate. I am excited that I am a part of the PWR community here at Elon and that I am gaining practical skills which I will be able to translate into my career later in life. The Grant Writing course that I took last semester was definitely the best class that I have had thus far at Elon, and I really learned the power that writing can have in enacting social change.
Paige Ransbury, Junior PWR Major
CUPID Hours: Tuesday 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 217: Writing Technologies
Eng 212: Multimedia Rhetorics
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 313: Grant Writing
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: PWR is more than a discipline of study, and my classes have given me multiple opportunities to both develop my theoretical understanding of PWR and apply my knowledge to a variety of projects. I’ve created marketing materials for the Public Health Studies program, collaborated with peers to write a grant for a non-profit, developed an online identity plan, and traveled up and down Highway 64 practicing inquiry. I’m excited to see where my PWR classes take me next!
Past Associates
Fall 2012
Maggie Achey, Junior PWR major
CUPID Hours: Tuesday 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: Grant Writing for Non-Profits
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: Through my work in PWR I have worked on a variety of client based projects. In the Publishing course I contributed to the design of a newsletter for Family Abuse Services of Alamance Country and was the co-author of a book that benefited the organization. I also worked with New Student Orientation to edit and publish the Elon Files, the planner and syllabus for all New Student Programing.
Emily Bishop, Junior PWR and Creative Writing Major
CUPID Hours: Sunday 7:00pm– 9:00 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 217: Writing Technologies
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: Writing, Rhetoric, and Civic Action
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: I have focused on the development of my professional career through group, individual, and client projects. In Publishing, I co-designed and wrote articles for the Family Abuse Services of Alamance County newsletter. With my experience in CUPID Studio, I was able to work on promoting, creating, and distributing posters and a rack card for the American Students minor.
Christine Meyer, Junior PWR Major
CUPID Hours: Monday 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 211: Style and Editing
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 313: Writing, Rhetoric, and Civic Action
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: Professional Writing and Rhetoric has been part of my college career since freshman year when I decided to take Style and Editing with Dr. Tim Peeples. Since then, I have developed my writing and communication skills in a number of PWR classes. I have also gained hands on PWR experience through client and group projects including a partnership with Elon University’s Writing Center and Dr. Paula Rosinski.
Chelsea Vollrath, Junior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Monday 6p.m.-8 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 205: Grammar
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
PWR Experience: Through my coursework in Intro to PWR and a client-based project in CUPID Studio, I’ve acquired practical knowledge and experience with PWR that I was able to apply at my summer internship. I worked closely with the Sales Operations team at Standard & Poor’s, assisting with writing and editing proposals, due diligence questionnaires, and curriculum materials. I also wrote for The Pendulum as an international correspondent while studying abroad in Beijing, China this past fall.
Mia Brady, Junior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Wednesday 4 p.m.- 6 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
PWR Experience: Taking Intro to PWR as well as CUPID Studio has provided me with contextual knowledge and hands-on experience in the field of Professional Writing. I used and adapted this knowledge while interning for Skyhorse Publishing, an independent book publishing company, this past summer. Much of my work there included evaluating submissions, drafting catalog copies and writing readers’ reports. I also write for Elon’s branch of HerCampus and have experience freelance writing for an online newspaper and blog.
Victoria Doose, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Monday 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: Writing, Rhetoric, and Civic Action
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: I’m currently serving as the editorial assistant ofPerspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring, I was a copy editor at The Pendulum for two years, and I worked on the CELEBRATE! Week 2010 and 2011 programs.
Mary Kate Hinshaw, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Sunday 8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 219: Writing Studies Survey
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
Eng 499: Independent Research
PWR Experience: I work 6 hours a week with students from classes in various disciplines in the Elon University Writing Center. I am also currently conducting a research study for my Honors thesis, “Text Messaging: The ‘Digital Writing Underlife’ of Elon University Students,” to examine the role that text-messaging plays as a form of writing in students’ academic, personal, and professional lives.
James Shaver, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Monday 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: I have done a lot of work as a freelance writer. I’ve served as Editor-in-Chief for BA|BS, a student undergraduate publication at Elon. I’ve also had the opportunity to co-author two books while at Elon, one in my College Writing class and the other in my Eng 311 Publishing class.
Kevin Thompson, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Tuesday 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 212: Multimedia Rhetorics
Eng 215: Intro to PWR
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 313: Writing, Rhetoric, and Civic Action
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
Eng 499: Independent Research
PWR Experience: I’ve worked on a number of consulting projects with D.C. Entrepreneurship Week, assisted with designing a marketing plan for the Professional Writing Studies minor, and designed a newsletter for Family Abuse Services of Alamance County.
Kasey Thornton, Senior PWR Major
CUPID Hours:
Tuesday 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
PWR Classes Taken:
Eng 215: Intro to Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Eng 282: CUPID Studio
Eng 304: Understanding Rhetoric
Eng 311: Publishing
Eng 319: Writing Center Workshop
Eng 381: Writing Internship
Eng 397: Writing as Inquiry
Eng 415: Advanced CUPID Studio
PWR Experience: I have published freelance articles, worked for a magazine, helped design a coffee-table book for a non-profit organization, and co-authored an academic article about Scrum methodology with Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark and two other PWR majors. It was published in The Journal of Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education.