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.

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.

Department News:

February 2020 Newsletter

Awards:
Dr. Shuzhen Huang (and co-authored with Dr. Daniel Brouwer from Arizona State University) received the 2019 Feminist Scholar award from the Organization for Research on Women and Communication (ORWAC). The award was given for their article “Negotiating Performances of 'Real' Marriage in Chinese Queer Xinghun." Their article explores how marriage is negotiated by Chinese queers who face tension between the heteronormative expectations of their families and their desire to maintain a same-sex relationship.
ORWAC is a Western States Communication Association (WSCA) affiliate that promotes dialogue, discussion, research, and scholarship concerned with women, feminism, gender, oppression, and social change. Each year, the Feminist Scholarship Award is given to the top essay published in Women’s Studies in Communication, which is widely regarded as the flagship journal in the field of gender and communication studies.

The Xi Omega chapter of Lambda Pi Eta (the National Communication Honor Society) is the recipient of Bloomsburg University's 2020 Student Organization of the Year Award. Seven current members of Xi Omega and the faculty advisor, Dr. Erin Brummett, attended the Legacy of Leadership Banquet on February 29th where they received the award. Chapter President and Communication Studies major, Emel Rasim, provided a few remarks on behalf of the members.

Presentations:
Dr. Hopeck gave a presentation titled “Public Speaking & Engaging Others” at the Husky Leadership Summit on Saturday, February 29th. 

Dr. Erin Brummett served as a presenter at the Frederick Douglass Institute for Academic Excellence Symposium on February 13th in the Kehr Union at BU. Her presentation was entitled, “Communicating Support for Interracial Romantic Partners: When Does It Matter?" and focused on a grounded theory research study exploring support communication between interracial romantic partners and their family members.

Dr. Erin Brummett served as a panelist for a community panel discussion entitled, “On the Move: A Community Workshop Honoring the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” sponsored by the Bloomsburg Coalition for Social Equity on February 9th. Students from Dr. Brummett's COMMSTUD 314 (Communicating Identity and Difference) and COMMSTUD 493 (Special Topics: Interracial Communication) courses attended the event and participated in dialogue with the panelists and community members about race relations in Bloomsburg, PA.

Dr. Erin Brummett was invited to be a presenter for a Fireside Chat Seminar as part of the Presidential Leadership Program at Bloomsburg University. Her presentation was entitled, “Conflict Management and Resolution Skills” and took place on February 6th. Students learned about the pros and cons of various conflict styles and assessed their own conflict styles in a variety of relationship contexts.