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:

October 2021 Newsletter

The Pandemic Nature Project
David Heineman’s critical autoethnographic film, The Pandemic Nature Project, was screened in competition at the Delaware County Film Festival in Wallingford, PA on October 8th and at the Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, PA on October 16th. More information about the film, visit  

 http://www.pandemicnature.com

Student Achievement

Communication Studies student Brittany Stephenson created a QR Code that takes people directly to Bloomsburg University’s Racial/Ethnic Intimidation Incident Report to report intimidation and discrimination based on race, religion, sexual preference, sexual identity or gender.

This project was created as a gender intervention, a course assignment for COMMSTUD 309 Gender Issues in Communication (taught by Dr. Shuzhen Huang). The assignment encourages students to take gender related actions in order to make positive changes in our community.

Brittany explains the intention of her gender intervention is to create awareness and support students who weren’t noticing or utilizing university resources effectively before. The QR codes are in Bakeless and the Kehr Union Building next to the bathrooms. You may also find them on or near faculty doors to show support for students and provide them with an immediate resource.

“I recalled times when friends shared their experiences of being members of the LGBTQA+ community and how they faced prejudices, stereotyping, discrimination by just existing on campus. I found that not many individuals felt safe trying to make reports in person about their experiences… Now, with this spread of QR codes, students will feel more inclined to step up and share these incidences directly with individuals who have the power to address the situation at hand.” Brittany said. “I found that this project not only helps LQBTQ brothers and sisters but other students of diverse backgrounds, faculty, and staff.”
Brittany’s project was so well received by BU students that she was invited by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office to implement the QR code for students in Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield.