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What's New:

The Bloomsburg University Xi Omega chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Honor Society, has been named the 2019 Chapter of the Year by the National Communication Association.

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Featured Student

Sydney Rimmer

My name is Sydney Rimmer, and I am currently a senior at Bloomsburg, double majoring in Communication Studies with a Leadership and Public Advocacy focus and Political Science with a Legal Studies focus, as well as a minor in Public Relations. This summer, I am beyond grateful to have participated in an internship at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in the Senate Republicans Communications Office, as it was an incredibly fulfilling experience.
The office had a group of employees designated to each area of communications. There were teams of employees for areas such as speech writing, webmasters, photography, film, social media, and others. I got to shadow and help complete assignments in each of these areas, and gain an appreciation for the importance of each specialty. This offered a unique opportunity to understand “a day in the life” of the employees in this office and their responsibilities, and it also gave me an opportunity to meet people outside of the office, and experience things many other people will never experience. Seeing the behind the scenes of these events was so interesting.
The brunt of my work was done in June, as that is when the Senate is in session and the budget is being passed. Once the budget passed, July slowed down and there were significantly less events occurring, therefore less events for me to shadow, as the Senators stay in their district offices as opposed to coming to the Capitol. This gave me an accurate representation of the job, both the hustle and bustle of June, and the relaxed nature of July.
This internship has also proven to be a vital step in my networking. I received a follow up luncheon with the lobbying firm who encouraged me to intern in the Capitol, as well as encouragement from my office to look for a career in the Senate when I graduate. I got a chance to work with several Senators, thereby networking with them, which was a personal goal of mine for the summer. Another strength of my internship was the bond I formed with my coworkers. I was the only intern in my office, however I fit in perfectly with the full time employees despite us being in all different walks of life. I had anticipated forming relationships with my coworkers, but I had not foreseen how close I would grow with them. I am so blessed to now call many of my coworkers my friends. We have spent time together in both the office, as well as our free time, and I am elated they have taken me under their wings, and I still stay in touch with many of them despite being many months post internship.
My internship was a wonderful experience, and truly turned out to be a highlight of my summer. I am able to walk away from this office confident that I completed assignments efficiently and to the best of my ability. I have grown from this experience, and I am excited to see how the things I have learned and the connections I have made will apply to my future endeavors.

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Department News:

April 2017 Newsletter

Publications

Kuang, K., & Wilson, S. (2017). A meta-analysis of uncertainty and information management in illness contexts. Journal of Communication. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12299

La Valley, A. G., & Kline, B. (2017). Observational measurement: Face features. In M. Allen (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

La Valley, A. G., & Kline, B. (2017). Observational measurement: Vocal qualities. In M. Allen (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Invited Lectures

Dr. Erin Brummett gave the final lecture of the Department’s 2016-2017 Scholarship Symposium series. Her talk, titled, “‘Race Doesn’t Matter’: A Dialogic Analysis of Interracial Romantic Partners’ Stories about Racial Differences,” was delivered on April 25.

Dr. Eric C. Miller contributed to a faculty panel titled, “Fake News: A Panel Discussion” on April 3. Sponsored by the Andruss Library, this event was moderated by Michael Coffta, and also featured Drs. Michael Hickey (History), Jennifer Johnson (Psychology), John-Eric Koslosky (Mass Communications), Claire Lawrence (English), Wendy Lee (Philosophy), and Neil Strine (Political Science).

Scholarly Activity

Dr. Eric C. Miller’s interview with journalist and author Emily Esfahani Smith appeared at Religion and Politics on April 4.

Student Achievement

The College of Liberal Arts held its annual Research and Creative Projects Day on April 28, featuring many contributions from Communication Studies students. Presenters included:

Uriah Alleman
“Your Communication at Work is Key”

Sarah Bartra
“Jealousy in Romantic Relationships Associated with the Use of Social Media”

Daijah Dunmyer
“Perceptions of Friends with Benefits Relationships”

Alexandra Echavarria and Brittney Alam
“Friends with Benefits”

Molly Hill, Christopher Pugliese, and Ahkeem Shaw
“Friends with Benefits Relationships: Purposes and Functions”

Jennifer Mastrangelo, Grace Woehrle, and Alyson McLaughlin
“Communicative Responses to Infidelity Among Romantic Couples”

Molly McMillen
“Satisfaction and Commitment Across the Marital Lifespan”

Julia Peters
“Casual Sex at First Sight: An Ethnographic Study on Gendered Nonverbal Communication within the Hookup Culture”

Jessica Quesenberry and Kaci Mclimoyle
“Athlete Attachment Style and Communication in the Coach-Athlete Relationship”

Kaitlyn Rhine, Jenna Mapes, Kasey Sullivan, Amy Loftus, and Nicole Kelly
“Individual Romantic Experiences of Unplanned Pregnancy”

Katherine Schmidt
“Relational Maintenance in Long-Distance Versus Geographically Close Romantic Relationships”

Victoria Snyder
“Does Computer-Mediated Communication Make the Heart Grow Fonder? The Study of CMC and Satisfaction in Long-Distance Relationships”

Alyshia-Marie Wright, Anne Mahoney, and Austin Mowery
“Trading Space: A Look at Conflict Between Long-Distance Relationships”

The Department also held its annual Top Student Research Colloquium as part of the festivities. The event was sponsored by the Lambda Pi Eta club. Presenters included:

Rebecca Demuth, "The Effectiveness of Animated Propaganda in the Cold War: An Analysis of Harding College's Make Mine Freedom"
Sofia Slovik, "Dakota Access Pipeline"
Kayla Tiley, "A Brave New Princess"

Dr. David S. Heineman served as respondent. Congrats to all our researchers!