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:

March 2020 Newsletter

Publications:
Asante, G., Baig, N. & Huang, S. (2019). (De)politicized pleasures and the construction of (white) queer utopia in Netflix’s Sense8. Queer Studies in Media and Popular Culture, 4, 319-334.

Huang, S. & Wong, T. (2019). “More coming out, bigger market”: Queer visibility and queer subjectivity in the Chinese pink market. Queer Studies in Media and Popular Culture, 4, 287-302.

King, M. E. (2019). Applying theory and understanding implications: Analyzing students’ text conversations through the lens of interpersonal and gender communication. Kentucky Journal of Communication, 38, 32-39. 

Kuang, K. (2020). Interaction effects between health message content and message modality: The use of interactive technologies in health promotion. In J. Kim & H. Song (eds.), Technology and health: Promoting attitude and behavior change (pp. 3-25). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

Kuang, K. (2020). The role of interactivity in new media-based health communication. In J. Kim & H. Song (eds.), Technology and health: Promoting attitude and behavior change (pp. 377-397). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

Events:
Dr. Erin Brummett, Dr. Robert J. Green, and Dr. Tim Rumbough were recognized at the 2019-2020 Scholar-Athlete Luncheon on Wednesday, March 4th. Each of them received an Influential Professor Award from a student athlete for having positively influenced them during their time at BU. The student athletes were also recognized for having achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher.

COMM Day:
Sponsored by the National Communication Association Student Club (NCASC) and the Department of Communication Studies. Comm Day was successfully held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The following presentations were given:

9:30 -10 am
Dr. James Brown, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, “Liberal Arts and Essential Skills”

Dr. Doreen Jowi, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Population Health: Plants-Locusts Consumption and Sustainable Food Security in the Eastern African Region”

10:15 -10:45 am
Dr. Janet Reynolds Bodenman, Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Nailing Your First Impression: Interviewing Skills for Success”

Dr. Shuzhen Huang, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Queer Identities: Exploring Gender and Sexuality Inclusive Language”

11 am -12 pm
Dr. Mary King, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Love Lab: Pointers and Tips for Creating and Maintaining Satisfying Romantic Relationships”

Dr. Theodore Roggenbuck, Associate Professor, Department of English, Director of the Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES), “Reading and Writing with Sources”

12:30 - 1 pm
Dr. Elizabeth Petre, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Elevator Pitches”

1:15 - 1:45 pm
Dr. Robert J. Green, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Anti-Establishment Micropolitics in the 2016 Presidential Campaign Debates”

Emel Rasim, Communication Studies Student, President of Lambda Pi Eta, Communication Studies Honors Society, “Mental Health Awareness”

2 - 3 pm
Dr. James Petre, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, “Basics of Savings and Investing”

Prof. Elizabeth Wislar, Costume Director, Department of Theatre and Dance, “Calculating Your Worth”

3:30 - 4 pm
Frederick Douglass Debate Society, “Join the Great Debate on Reparations with the Frederick Douglass Debate Society”