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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:
November 2013

 

Publication

‪Turnage, A. (2013). Technological resistance: A metaphor analysis of Enron e-mail messages. Communication Quarterly, 61, 519 - 538. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2013.803995

 

Conference Presentations

Cramer, E., Tenzek, K. E., & Allen, (2013, November) Recognizing success in the chaplain profession: connecting perceptions to practice. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. *Top four paper panel in Spiritual Communication*

Heineman, D. S. (2013, November). Ludology of the dead: The rise of zombies in video games. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Hobson, K. (2013, November). Performing alternative femme identity through online vernacular discourse: pornography, pin-up, and the abjection of bodily difference. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Miller, E. C. (2013, November). Fighting for freedom: Liberal argumentation in culture war rhetoric. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Rumbough, T. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Saindon, C. E. (2013, November). Generating connections through critical communication pedagogy. Panel presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. 

Saindon, C. E. (2013, November). Feminist pedagogy goals: Consideration, implementation, and reflection about our classroom practices. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Shultz, K. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Song, H., Kim, J., Jung, Y., & Kwon, R. J. (2013, November). Fear appeal through enactive role playing: A serious game for smoking cessation. Competitively selected paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E. (2013, November) Reaching out: Teachers making connections when teaching, designing, and creating new undergraduate and graduate courses. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E., Cramer, E., & Allen, M. (2013, November). Spirituality and coordinated management of meaning: Examining the chaplain’s role in social constructions of a “Good Death.” Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. *Top four paper panel in communication as social construction*

Turnage, A. (2013, November). Personal narratives and self-critique: Experiential learning in rhetorical criticism. Competitive paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

‪Turnage, A. (2013, November). Electronic discourse, agency and organizational change at Enron Corporation. Competitive paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

 

Service for the Discipline at Conference

Dr. Heineman chaired a session titled, “Teaching the undergraduate rhetorical criticism course,” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Professor Saindon co-chaired a panel titled, “Generating connections through critical communication pedagogy,” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Tenzek served as a respondent at a session titled, “Connecting through spirituality: Creating sacred communitiesin a global environment” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.
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Awards

Dr. Nagy was award the Sandra Petronio Dissertation Excellence award at the annual convention of the National Communication Association in Washington, DC. Dr. Nagy's dissertation explored the communicative and physiological markers of conflict in empty-nesters.

(L-R: Mary Nagy (Recipient), Jennifer Theiss (Dissertation Advisor)

‪The National Communication Association Student Club Bloomsburg ‪Chapter was awarded the Chapter of the Year Award at the annual convention of the National Communication Association in Washington, DC. This competitive award is presented to the chapter that excels in activities, recruitment, and philanthropy in the preceeding academic year.

(L-R: Samantha Moccio (Vice President), Dr. Mary Nagy (Advisor), Susanne Garvin (President))

 

Speaker’s Forum

The BU chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honors Society (advised by Dr. Heineman) held their annual Speaker’s Forum on Tuesday, November 12th.  Three students, Brendan Kelly, Kelsey Regan, and Valerie DeStefano, presented at the forum.  All three students are from Professor Rippke’s public speaking classes and Professor Rippke worked with these students in preparation for the forum.  The forum attracted over 200 attendees to hear presentations that offered a variety of perspectives on peer pressure.