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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 2021 Newsletter

 

Publications

Huang, S. (2021). Alternatives to coming out discourses. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Oxford University Press. Digital access to the article: https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/
acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-1179

Petre, E. A., & Lee, D. H. (2021). The dual meanings of artifacts: Public culture, food, and government in the “What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?” exhibition. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(13). 1843-1859. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F00027642211003150

Miller, E.C. (2021). Forgive and forget the Alamo: Collective memory, creative agency, and rhetoric in John Sayles' Lone Star. Pennsylvania Communication Annual 77, 70-89.

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Top Paper Award

Dr. Shuzhen Huang’s article (coauthored with Dr. Terrie Wong from Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine), entitled “Complicating the “Asian” in Anti-Asian Racism: China/Chinese as Signifiers in COVID-Era Yellow Peril Rhetoric,” received the 2021 Top Paper Award in the Asian/Pacific American Communication Studies Division and Asian/Pacific American Caucus of the National Communication Association. Taking a critical rhetorical approach, their paper investigates the symbolic importance of China/Chinese as signifiers in anti-Asian racism in terms of the domestic, historical, and geopolitical contexts from which these signifiers draw their rhetorical power in contemporary anti-Asian zeitgeist within the United States.

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Conference Presentations 

Brummett, E. A. (2021, November). The metamorphosis of debate and its salience during COVID-19: The transformation and transformative nature of the Frederick Douglass Debate Society and forensics programs during a global pandemic. Panel accepted for presentation for the Argumentation and Forensics Division at the National Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA.

Brummett, E. A. (2021, November). Engaging students and the campus community: Promoting the COMM discipline through the Lambda Pi Eta chapter. Panel presentation for the Lambda Pi Eta Division at the National Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA.

Huang, S. (2021, November). Presenter. Commemorating Dan Brouwer. Presentation given at the National Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA.

Wong, T. & Huang S. (2021, November). Complicating the “Asian” in anti-Asian racism: China/Chinese as signifiers in COVID-era yellow peril rhetoric. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Seattle, Washington.

Miller, E. C. (November, 2021). One With the Blowing Clover: Ralph Waldo Emerson Before the Divinity School. Paper presentation at the National Communication Association Convention, Seattle, WA.

Miller, E. C. (November, 2021). The Means of Revival: Charles Grandison Finney's Rhetorical Theory. Paper presentation at the Religious Communication Association Pre-Conference, Seattle, WA.

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ACUE Programs

Six communication faculty completed the Certificate in Effective Online Teaching Practice from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and attended the recognition ceremony on Monday, December 6th:
Dr. Janet Bodenman
Dr. Skye Chernichky-Karcher
Dr. R. J. Green
Dr. Mary King
Dr. Angela La Valley
Dr. Anna Turnage
The certificate signifies completion of a 25-module course in effective online teaching practices requiring the implementation of evidence-based instructional approaches. The credential is co-issued by the American Council on Education and distinguishes faculty for their commitment to educational excellence and student success.

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DEI Workshop

Dr. Erin Brummett presented a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion virtual workshop training for the United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties, the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, and the Coalition for Social Equity on Thursday, December 2nd entitled "Navigating Difficult Dialogues: Understanding the Importance of Identity Differences and Conflict Management in Communication." The training is part of an ongoing resource of trainings that are available to members of the local community to assist them in becoming more aware and engaged with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Faculty and Student Service

Dr. Erin Brummett served on the planning Conference Committee for the 19th Annual High School Diversity Conference held on the BU campus on Wednesday, November 10th and sponsored by Bloomsburg University. The conference invites high school students from the local region to participate in a one-day conference to explore topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The theme of this year's conference was 'Expanding Your World: Becoming a DEI Influencer'. Nine students from Dr. Brummett's Communicating Identity and Difference class served as volunteers for the conference, including Mackenzie Bruder, Marissa Capriotti, Erica Harned, Courtney Jordan, Maddie Krumenacker, Nadeya McClam, Luzangelica Ramirez, Kalie Tobin, and Caroline Trinidad. Two additional Communication Studies majors assisted with the conference, including Luna Alexander (who served as a presenter for the “Swish Swish--Let's Dish: An LGBTQ+ Forum" sessions) and Brittany Stephenson (who served on the Conference Committee this year).

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