Communication Studies Department | California State University, San Bernardino
Volume 4 Number 1
C O M M Connection
2011
com路mu路ni路ca路tion [kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] 1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated. 2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. 3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
COMM Connection Presented by Communication Studies Department California State University, San Bernardino June 2011
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Comm Connection Editorial
he Communication Studies Department at California State University San Bernardino prepares students for the work-world of the 21st century—global in scope, technologybased, and highly interactive. With five concentrations, Communication Studies majors can develop strengths and skills in Intercultural Communication, Human Communication, Argumentation and Rhetoric, Mass Communication (Television, Radio, and Journalism) and Public Relations. In the pages of this newsletter you will get to know our faculty and their accomplishments, learn about our successful graduate students and alumni, and be introduced to those who have made a difference in our department and in the community. In Communication Studies we learn about communication in all its facets, theoretical and applied, and we experience working with the tools of the trade. Students in Communication Studies write and produce the broadcast show “Local Matters,” which is seen on cable television throughout San Bernardino. Students write, layout, edit and manage the Coyote Chronicle, the university’s newspaper. Students also participate in the nationally affiliated Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Coyote Radio, and the Debate Team. All of these activities provide students with great opportunities to develop skills, make life-long friendships, and grow in confidence ready for what comes after graduation. The Newsletter staff, which is comprised of students, has come together with the faculty to bring you this newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it. Finally, we would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2011. We wish them the best of luck in their careers and remind them that with all the new social media outlets, there is no excuse for not staying in touch!
Dr. Astrid Sheil, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, Richard Bowie, Eric Brown, Diana Cansino, Caitlin Elgin, Michael Moore, Louis Penna
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Message from the Chair
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reetings to our faculty, students and alumni! It has been a privilege serving as the Interim Chair in such a lively, diverse, and engaged department. As an English professor by trade, I have found Communication Studies to be a whole new world, full of possibilities and achievements by students and faculty alike.
Let’s start with students, since that is what this Department is all about. The Coyote Chronicle, the independent student voice of CSUSB, is not only going from strength to strength, but it is now doing it online at CoyoteChronicle.net, its very own server. Coyote Radio (available at radio.csusb.edu) has continued its popular “Lunchtime Live!” program Thursdays, noon to two. Local Matters had its first live web broadcasts on justin.tv. The CSUSB chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America has been busy designing, planning, and managing the Communication Studies Award Banquet. This year’s theme is “Masked Ball.” One of the chapter’s members, Eddie Hahn, won a $1,000 scholarship from the Public Relations Society of America, Inland Empire. Another member, Kudratdeep Dhaliwal, won a $10,000 grant from the LAGRANT Foundation. Another member, Sasha Rice, was a finalist for the prestigious 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) competition. Other students have distinguished themselves in various venues. The National Communications Association (NCA) is the leading scholarly organization in our field, and the selection of papers for its national convention is highly competitive. Four of our graduate students, Stephanie Gomez, Wei-Yen Lin, Chika
Minei, and Fouzia Shibley read at the 2010 NCA Convention last Fall in San Francisco, with Ms. Minei winning a prestigious “Top Paper” award. As of this writing, five students, Natalia Lopez-Thismon, Elena Martinez, Jose Rivera, Consuelo Sanchez, and Onyx Taylor, will read at the 2011 NCA Convention, to be held in New Orleans this Fall. Ms. Taylor has also had a paper accepted for presentation at the 2011 Ubiquitous Learning Conference at U.C. Berkeley. Both Stephanie Gomez and Kimberly Aguilar (M.A. 2010) won “Top Paper” awards for papers at the 2010 Western States Communication Association Convention in February. As Ms. Aguilar’s achievement shows, great students make great alumni. For example, 2010 B.A. Johnny Coffeen’s documentary on the artist John Frame was shown at The Huntington Museum’s Boone Gallery during the Frame Exhibition this Spring. Beverly Navidad (M.A. 2006) successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Denver. Thanks to Dr. Rueyling Chuang,
Phi Beta Delta, which was founded in 1987 as the first honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievements in international education, will be headquartered at CSUSB starting in July. Dr. Chuang has been appointed as its Executive Director and CEO. Dr. Chuang is also Project Director of an NEH Humanities Initiative Grant, in which Dr. Ece Algan, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, and Ms. Donna Gotch will participate. Dr. Heather Hundley is serving this year as the President of the Western States Communication Association. Five of our faculty have won travel grants; Dr. Algan to travel to Turkey, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb to Syria and Jordan, Dr. Bradford Owen to England and Germany, Dr. Mihaela Popescu to Romania, and Dr. Astrid Sheil to China. This summer, truly, the sun will never set on the Department of Communication Studies. This year started auspiciously with the elevation of Dr. Jo Anna Grant to the rank of Professor. We also have a new Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Popescu, and a new Graduate Teaching Associate Coordinator, Dr. Owen. Less happily, Dr. Nathan Carter has left us (we hope temporarily) to work on a special grant for the U.S. Department of Education. We say good-bye to long-time lecturer and debate coach J. Scott Rodriguez, who has accepted a job to teach in China. We wish them both well. And we wish all our alumni well. Please stay in touch, and if you are in the area, stop by and tell us what you have been up to.
Ted Ruml, Interim Chair truml@csusb.edu
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Faculty Foursquare News from around the department
Ece Algan, Ph.D. Dr. Ece Algan was awarded a Professors Across Borders Faculty Development Grant and a Mini-Grant this year. Her article entitled “Being read by a DJ: Youth interaction via radio and cell phones in Southeast Turkey” got published in Nordicom’s Children, Youth and Media Yearbook. She presented papers at the Research Forum of the World Summit on Media for Children and Youth in Karlstad, Sweden, the European Network of Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Istanbul and the National Communication Association Conference in San Francisco. She also served as a chair and respondent for two different panels at the World Congress on Middle Eastern Studies in Barcelona.
Robin Larsen, Ph.D. Robin Larsen made a presentation in August 2010 at the University Film & Video Association conference in Brattleboro VT on film director
Nicholas Ray for a panel entitled “Hollywood Directors and the Cold War.” In December, her abstract for an essay entitled “Places, Spaces and Rituals in ‘Rebel without a Cause’” was accepted for a collection called “Going Home: Essays on Nicholas Ray in Cinema Culture,” which is being edited by Steven Rybin and Will Scheibel for the Horizons of Cinema series at SUNY Press At the Phi Beta Delta conference on Mar. 31 in Long Beach, she and Anthony Fellow, Chair and Professor of Communication, CSU Fullerton gave a paper on their communicationoriented study-abroad program for CSUSB and CSUF students.
Astrid Sheil, Ph.D. For the second year, Dr. Astrid Sheil participated as one of two official bloggers at the annual Women’s Conference in Long Beach, which attracts 25,000 participants. Through a Professors Across Borders grant, Dr. Sheil traveled to China with Dr. Tapie Rohm of the CSUSB Business School and Dr. David Kung of LaVerne University to set up short courses in management and communication with the University of Shanghai, Science and Technology. Dr. Sheil co-authored 2 papers with students this year. Both papers were accepted for presentation at the International Public Relations Research Conference and the National Communication Association Convention, respectively. Dr. Sheil continues as the faculty advisor for the PRSSA.
Ahlam Muhtaseb, Ph.D. Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb was awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor. She received a $4,000 grant to complete her documentary on the Palestinian refugees, “1948: A History Erased.” She was also the recipient of two other internal grants--Professors Across Borders and the CSUSB Innovative Course Development Grant. Dr. Muhtaseb serves as the book review editor for the scholarly Journal of Arab Studies Quarterly. In addition to presenting two papers at the Western States Communication Association Convention in February 2011, Dr. Muhtaseb was the keynote speaker at the UC San Diego “Remembering Our Roots” Banquet and presented her study of Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon at the Palestinian Refugee Week at San Diego State University. As a renowned scholar on the Palestinian issue, Dr. Muhtaseb participated in a media breakfast about Islamophobia, which was attended by journalists from Southern California. Lastly, Dr. Muhtaseb’s paper on her experience as a female faculty of color was competitively accepted by the Feminist and Women Studies Division for presentation at the National Communication Association Convention in New Orleans in fall 2011.
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Faculty Foursquare News from around the department McDaniels (Eds.) Her article, “The Nexus of Language, Communication, and Culture” was also reprinted in the same volume for four editions. She is currently working on an autoethnography of her experiences with culture, spirituality and communication.
Mihaela Popescu, Ph.D.
Bradford Owen, Ph.D.
Dr. Mihaela Popescu co-authored two manuscripts accepted for publication in Poetics and New Perspective on Turkey. In addition, she received a Professors Across Borders grant to research cultural consumption in Romania this summer. Dr. Popescu now serves on the editorial board of the scholarly journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, and consults for a major interdisciplinary content analysis project at UC Santa Barbara. Here at CSUSB, Dr. Popescu has become a research associate for the Learning Research Institute and is collaborating on developing the content analysis software CODER.
Dr. Bradford Owen was funded by the Dow Jones Multimedia Journalism Training Academy to attend their week-long workshop at the University of Texas, El Paso in June 2010. Later in the summer, beginning his duties as departmental TA Coordinator, he conducted the summer training program for new and returning Communication Studies Graduate Teaching Associates. For Fall 2010, he was engaged by the College of Arts and Letters to teach Humanities 180: The Art of Film, and taught the completely revamped course to 243 undergraduates from across the campus (and then taught it again in Winter 2011). For 2011, he was awarded a Professors Across Borders grant to do research in Berlin on current German cinema and to present his experimental research paper “Viewing Pleasure: Transportation, Affective Disposition, and Need for Cognition as Factors in Enjoyment of Film Narratives” at the European Cinema and Media Studies Network (NECS) conference in London, UK.
Mary Fong, Ph.D. Dr. Mary Fong’s book chapter, “The spirituality of ‘being’ grace, tao, and awaken in intercultural communication” was published in a scholarly book entitled, Intercultural Communication: A Reader, 13th edition, by Samovar, Porter, and
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Rueyling Chuang, Ph.D.
Dr. Rueyling Chuang was awarded $96,734 for an NEH Humanities Initiatives Grant for Institutions with High Hispanic Enrollment. As the project director for the grant, Chuang will involve 15 faculty members from various disciplines and colleges to form a faculty learning community dedicated to promoting cultural competency by bridging cultural differences. This NEH grant enables Chuang to establish a CSUSB digital humanities network with YouTube, wikis and podcasts for campus and local communities. In addition to her NEH grant, Dr. Chuang received the Teaching Skills Study Award and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award from the CSUSB Teaching Resource Center. In additions to her awards, Dr. Chuang became the new executive director and chief executive officer for the Rod Metts, Ph.D. International Honor Society, Phi Beta Delta. She also published two articles entitled “ReincarnaDr. Rod Metts completed his educational tion in Dharmic Religions” and “Sand Mandala” video Your World, Your Watershed for the Water in the Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore Resources Institute. (The Water Resources Instiand Folklife. tute uses the video as part of their educational campaign to inform school children about the importance of preserving the area’s watershed).
Faculty Foursquare News from around the department Mo Bahk, Ph.D.
Brian Heisterkamp, Ph.D. Dr. Heisterkamp’s research interests involve the relationship between social action and social structures and the manner in which conversation can be examined to understand mediator behavior, conflict, and interpersonal relationships, particularly gay and lesbian relationships. He teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in conflict and mediation; relational communication; nonverbal communication; and research methods. Dr. Heisterkamp is a member of the University Instructionally Related Programs Board, the Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee, the University Intellectual Life Committee, and a member of the Women’s Studies affiliated faculty. He has been an active member of Western States Communication Association and the National Communication Association with particular involvement in the Language and Social Interaction groups of each association.
Dr. Mo Bahk, who was on sabbatical this past year, published two papers: one, coauthored with Sheil, Rohm, and Lin and titled “Digital Media Dependency, Relational Orientation, and Social Networking among College Students” was published in the journal Communications of the IIMA. The second is titled “Environmental Education through Narrative Films: Impact of Medicine Man on Attitudes toward Forest Preservation” and was published in The Journal of Environmental Education.
J. Scott Rodriguez, M.A. Professor J. Scott Rodriguez is leaving the department and CSUSB after 20 years of service. The long-standing director of the forensics debate team, Rodriguez has invested his time and talent instilling students with the ability to “argue.” Rodriguez has been invaluable to the Communication Studies Department and he will be deeply missed as both a lecturer and friend.
Heather Hundley, Ph.D. Heather Hundley is the Director of Special Events, Palm Desert Campus (PDC). Heather Hundley teaches courses in mass media including media history, media and culture, and media law. Her graduate courses include introduction to graduate studies, interpretative approaches, seminar in mass media, and digital culture. Her research interests range from issues of gender, feminism, sport, pop culture, law, and health related issues such as portrayals of alcohol consumption, cancer, and sexual promiscuity.. She has published in journals such as Communication Reports, Visual Communication Quarterly, and Journal of Intergroup Relations among others.
Jo Anna Grant, Ph.D. Dr. Jo Anna Grant’s research interests center around Interpersonal Communication, Aging, and Health. Currently she is studying portrayals of cancer in the media, and how cancer narratives can be used to bridge health literacy and cultural divides. Grant teaches classes in Persuasion, Relational Communication, Research Methods, and Health Communication. Dr. Grant was tenured to a full professor last summer! Comm Connection
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Graduate student news Kudra Dhaliwal, a first year master’s student, was the recipient of the prestigious LaGrant Foundation Scholarship, which encourages minorities to enter the field of public relations and advertising. She received $10,000 and was flown to New York City to receive her award. Kudra is the second CSUSB graduate student to win the award. Last year, Ashley Jones, also won the award. Steven Goss received an internship to teach English to students in Japan, July and August 2011. Jose Rivera’s paper, “Rite of Passage: Mexican American Girls, their Parents and the Negotiation of the Quinceanera” was competitively accepted for presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association (NCA) Convention in New Orleans. In addition, Jose Rivera co-authored a paper with Dr. Astrid Sheil and Natalia Lopez-Thismon entitled “Going the Distance: Reaching the Hispanic immigrant community through public relations service learning—A Case Study,” which was also accepted for presentation at the 2011 NCA convention.
Consuelo Sanchez’ paper “Legos are Harmless – Right?” was competitively accepted for presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association Convention in New Orleans, Student Section Division. Elena Martinez’s paper “All in the Family? Heteronormative Ideology in The Kids Are All Right” was competitively accepted for presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association Convention in New Orleans, GLBTQ Communication Studies Division. Sasha Rice was a finalist for the prestigious 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) competition.
Martha Rendon
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have had the privilege of being a part of the Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) as a Health Scholar for the past year. As a health scholar, I have analyzed health data collected in Riverside County in order to gain an understanding of the inequalities that exist among diverse populations and their ability to access healthcare services. My group and I have investi-
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Stephanie Gomez’s paper “Democracy Confronts Capitalism: Implications from Sheppard v. Maxwell” (with Heather Hundley) received the Top Paper award from the Freedom of Expression and Legal Communication Interest Group, Western States Communication Association Convention, 2011. Stephanie was accepted, fully funded with a teaching fellowship, to doctoral programs at both the University of Utah and the University of Iowa. Nasim Zaher interned for the Honorable Barbara Boxer, United States Senator from California, during Fall 2010 and Winter 2011.
Michelle van Wolferen presented at the Southern California Speech Educators Forum 2011, at Crafton Hill College. Onyx Taylor’s paper “Is Apple’s iPad Beneficial to Students and Educators? A Content Analysis of User’s Reviews” was competitively accepted for presentation at the Ubiquitous Learning Conference 2011 at U.C. Berkeley. Onyx will also present the paper “A Review of African-American Seminal Research” at the NCA convention in 2011.
gated populations that use the emergency department and the attributes associated with frequent visits. With the assistance of our RIMI faculty, our emergency department findings will be included in a paper we are submitting for publication over the summer. My background as a communication student along with over 20 years of experience as an employee of a government agency that provides services to diverse communities has allowed me to provide input related to communication behaviors associated
Fouzia Shibley’s paper “Organizational Cultural Diversity Training” was competitively presented at the 2010 National Communication Association convention in San Francisco. Richard Welshiemer has been working as a paid PR intern for the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL) where he coordinates the foundation’s national essay contest. ASRL offers financial support to single parent families who have a child with a catastrophic illness. with multi-cultural populations and the physician-patient relationship. The passion I have to bring about healthy changes in minority communities, starting with mine, and the opportunities I have been given with RIMI are preparing me for a career in the health field. I would like to continue health research after graduation. As a first generation college student, I plan on taking an active role in reducing health inequalities to ensure that health care is not a privilege, but a right.
Coyote Alumni CSUSB Alumna Melanie Hunter Shines Among the Stars ka Khan, Mike Epps, “The Bad Girls Club,” Cedric the Entertainer, Nelly, A graduate’s biggest fear is not VH1 Reality stars, and more. “I personally deal with the cast being able to find a job when first exiting college. For Melanie Hunter, of the NBC soap opera ‘Days of Our a 2010 mass communication gradu- Lives,’” Hunter said. Although she wasn’t a big fan of ate, the fear pushed her to succeed. “Every year while I was at school, Hunter had a couple of proCSUSB I made sure that I did dif- fessors that influenced her throughferent internships,” Hunter said. out her studies at CSUSB. “Dr. Astrid Sheil was a big influ“I wanted to make sure that I was prepared for what I wanted to do ence on me while I attended CSUSB,” Hunter said. “She is very passionfor a career.” Hunter, currently a junior publi- ate about what she does and that cist at It Girl Public Relations, found kept me motivated. Jim Smart was her position while doing online PR another influence of mine. While I worked under him as an editor for for an apparel company. The agency manages a lot of the Coyote Chronicle, he taught me high profile clients, such as Latoya a lot and I use the skills I learned Jackson¸ “Days of our Lives,” Cha- under him to this day.”
By JON ROSS ALEXANDER
College graduates take away something once they leave college and Hunter is no different. “I learned to not use college as a crutch,” Hunter said. “A friend of mine works at ABC as an editor in the newsroom, and told me she fired her assistant on their first day. Her assistant had a Harvard degree along with recommendations from all of her professors, but could not book a flight for one of the executives and didn’t know how to transfer a phone call.” When asked for the most important bit of advice for the graduating class, Hunter left this bit of knowledge for the 2011 graduates: “Have some experience under thing other than just attend class your belt. Find a way to do some- and get good grades.”
An American Coyote in Spain By JEANNETTE MONROY Life after graduation from CSUSB (fall class 2010) has been wonderful. I graduated with a double bachelors in Mass Communication and Public Argumentation and Rhetoric with a minor in Spanish. The day after graduation, I was a bit confused on what footsteps to take next; whether to go to law school or apply to a masters program. The answer was such a great reward to all the hard work I had put in for four years - last October, I was given the opportunity to teach English at the Juan de Tavora Institute in Puertollano, Spain. I never thought of teaching as a career option for me but it has been
a blessing in disguise. This public school has a very strong bilingual program that has a talented faculty and very ambitious students. I was allowed to be creative with
the different age groups and share American culture with them as well. Spain is a beautiful country that I have been able to explore and I am planning to stay in it for another
school year. I am proud to be a CSUSB Coyote and want to thank all the professors that I had for believing in me.
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Connection Spotlight: Donna Gotch Twenty years & thriving that she discovered Communication Studies held more of her interest. By Stefany Zacarias “I’ve always been interested in seeing the A profession is like a marriage - you have type of communication that goes on in classroom to love it in order to maintain it. When choosing environments,” she said. her profession as a teacher, Donna Gotch knew That is why she considers COMM 431 to be that it was going to be forever. Gotch, a lecturer one of the most interesting courses she teaches. at Cal State San Bernardino, has been offering It is a class that analyzes the type of commuher knowledge to students at this campus for nication that occurs in an 20 years now and doesn’t instructional setting. plan on stopping. Even before knowing With two degrees in his is the only job I have ever communication would be speech communication, her field of study, she Gotch teaches a variety wanted and I just love what I do.” knew teaching was what of courses from lower she wanted to pursue. division classes such as “The day I became Donna Gotch, Lecturer COMM 120 (Oral Commua graduate assistant, I nication) to upper division knew I wanted to be a classes like COMM 431 teacher,” Gotch said. (Classroom CommunicaWith that motivation, nothing would get in tion). the way, not even the long commute from PasaGotch admits that the field of Communication dena to CSUSB. Gotch, who has been living in Studies was not always her major. Pasadena all her life, has never thought twice As an undergraduate, Gotch declared Engabout her commute to this campus. lish as her major. It was not until her third year
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Even as gas prices rise close to $5 a gallon, no price could be put on the happiness she gets from teaching. Aside from firmly believing that a person should always live where they want to live, Donna Gotch knows one thing for sure, “If you love what you do, then you do it!” This is what makes Gotch such an extraordinary teacher: the passion she holds for her career. Not everyone can say they wake up in the morning feeling happy to go to work, yet Gotch can. “This is the only job I have ever wanted and I just love what I do.” Gotch is a life member of WSCA (Western States Communication Association). She served as the Basic Course Director for the 2010 WSCA conference in Alaska. She served as Co-Chair of the Local Host Committee for the 2006 WSCA Convention in Palm Springs. She is a former Chair of the Communication and Instruction Interest Group of WSCA. An alumna of California State University, Los Angeles, Gotch attained both her B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies before joing CSUSB.
Lambda Pi Eta inducts 25 new members in June 2011 By Joe McManus
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he Communications Honor Society chapter Lambda Pi Eta will be inducting 25 new members at the communication dinner and awards night on June 10, 2011. Each year, the honor society invites students from all communication concentrations to join this prestigious organization. There were 80 letters sent out to prospective members this year inviting them to attend the awards banquet to honor their academic dedication. “It is a great honor to meet the newest members,” Dr. Brian Heisterkamp said. “Seeing the pride in their parents’ eyes is amazing.” The honor society has maintained six principles, or goals, since its inception on campus nine years ago. These goals include recognizing, fostering, and rewarding outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies, stimulate interest in the field of communica-
tion and promote and encourage professional development among communication majors. When asked how the chapter has met these goals this past year, Dr. Heisterkamp said, “The goals are more like characteristic ideas we strive to achieve. Our primary goal is to continue the tradition of Lambda Pi Eta.” The tradition of selecting new members includes certain criteria that the students must meet to be invited to join. A review of those who fit the mold is performed each year and letters are sent out to these students informing them of
their selection. In order to meet the qualifications to become a member, students must declare a major within the communication concentrations, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (3.25 within the major) and be in good standing with the university. “The general reaction I’ve received from students who have been selected to join has been, ’How did I qualify for this?’” Dr. Heisterkamp said. “There are other reactions where the student is thrilled with being selected.” Most of the students who are selected come from the graduating
class. By being a member of the honor society, those students earn the right to wear honor cords as part of their graduation ensemble. “A fee of $44 is required to complete the membership process,” Heisterkamp said. “Often it is the prestige of belonging to this chapter that encourages invitees to become members.” Students who are part of the honor society enjoy benefits of being part of a well-known and career-thrusting organization. These benefits include the exploration for graduate education in communication and establishing and maintaining closer relationships between faculty and students. Justine Plemons, former ASI president, has enjoyed these benefits, which have enhanced her educational experience. “Lambda Pi Eta has given me the chance to be part of something larger than myself,” Plemons said.“It upholds my academic success to a higher caliber. I am thankful to be part of this growing organization.”
Lambdi Pi Eta June 2011 Inductees: Megan Ann Adams, Natalie A. Bedney, Nicholas E. Berry, Andrea Patricia Brandstetter, Jessica Brooks, Amanda Carlstrom, Kyla Cook, Chris Evans, Christopher Flaharty, Angelina E. Garibay, Alexander Hedstrom, Justin Adam Ivey, Kimberly Marie Lao Jacinto, Carlos Charlie Meza, Paulina Partida, Linda Prettyman, Maria Riesta, Christopher William Schneider, Jason Spear, Ryan Marshall Talbert, Matthew Tedder, Jennifer Thompson, Maria Fernanda Torres Comm Connection
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Debate team
CSUSB Debate takes tournaments by storm
By JOE MCMANUS CSUSB debate team reinvents, reenergizes and rediscovers its competitive edge in 2011. Coach Shawnee Biggerstaff, new debate team coach, has a lot to be proud of this year. Her team, consisting mostly of new recruits, surpassed her expectations. “I’m very proud of all the accomplishments the team has had this year. They have had a very successful season especially after the rocky start we had,” Biggerstaff said. It was this rocky start that propelled the team to new heights this season. “Rebuilding the team and learning the ropes of parliamentary debate to compete nationally was tough. I wanted to keep the focus on fun and for the team to ‘find the funny’ throughout the season,” Biggerstaff said. The team competed in four tournaments and placed at each one. Superior Speaker awards were awarded to David Allison and Ronnie Dawson in Parliamentary debate at the Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics Tournament in Portland,
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Oregon. At the Ozark National Rookie Championship held at John Brown University in Arkansas, Kevin Gema and Gus Shalabi won first place team award, while David Allison and Ronnie Dawson won second place team award in the category of Parliamentary Debate. Dawson, Gema, and Allison won first, second and third place speaker awards respectively at the tournament as well. “We competed against powerhouse elites like Harvard, Michigan, and Texas,” Biggerstaff said, “and came away with top awards. That was an awesome feeling!”
Coach Biggerstaff has been a parliamentary team debate coach for 20 years. Her primary focus has been high school parliamentary debate, but when the opportunity arose to coach at CSUSB, she accepted the challenge. “I only ask one thing of my students: ‘Give me your time’. If they were committed, showed initiative and a competitive edge, I would do whatever I could to help them succeed,” Biggerstaff said. While the debate team is open to all students, there are certain qualities coach Biggerstaff looks for when she recruits for the debate team.
“I look for aptitude, attitude, and intrinsic drive and the ‘IT’ factor,” Biggerstaff said. “These qualities along with a competitive edge have brought the best out in the team this year.” When asked what her plans for next year entail, Biggerstaff said, “I want to increase the number of competitors from 10 to 20. I have three COMM 180 [Critical Thinking through Argumentation] classes to pool my recruits from and there are some very talented students out there.” Overall, Coach Biggerstaff was extremely pleased with her team’s performance this season. She had that gleam in her eye when she thought about next season and the potential her team has yet to show. Schools throughout the country should give a double-take when they see the Parliamentary Debate Team from CSUSB across the aisle. The Coyotes will be on the prowl for more awards while ‘finding the funny’ next season.
Local Matters Offers It All Making what matters local through live broadcasting Local Matters is a steppingstone that helps students gain conBy DIANA CANSINO fidence, experience, and insight into ocal matters is exthe television industry. Students panding. come to the program knowing little For the first time, about production and take away the Cal State San Bernardino stuwith them valuable practical expedent-produced news program, Local rience that opens doors for employMatters, is broadcasting live. ment after college. The show can now be accessed “I came in knowing nothing and on the Internet via justin.tv. In am leaving knowing everything I addition, it can also be viewed on need to know to be successful in Channel 3, the Inland Empire Media my career,” said producer Gabrielle Group’s channel. Mays. Currently, Local Matters can also Both Mays and Eaton produce be accessed on CNN Headline News the news show. They are in charge through Charter Communication. of overseeing the content. The Local Matters team gets The students are in charge of hands-on experience producing everything for Local Matters. They television content. Students learn write the scripts, shoot and edit how to edit footage, as well as how the stories, and provide the on-air to operate a camera, report and talent. In addition, students get to even produce video feature pieces. experience what it is like to proBecause Local Matters is broadcast duce a show “on the set.” Located on justin.tv and Channel 3, students in University Hall, the Local Matters can instantly see their efforts in a studio is equipped with professionreal world application. al-grade cameras, lights, and props “I’ve enjoyed my time at Local - everything students need to proMatters because it gave me the exduce a high-quality news program. perience to go and pursue a career in TV,” said producer Katelyn Eaton.
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Coyote Chronicle The independent student voice of CSUSB for over 44 years By DIANA CANSINO
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al State San Bernardino’s Coyote Chronicle has taken on a new staff, new layout software and a new website since the Fall of 2010, but they continue to grow and keep up with the trends of journalism. For over 40 years the Coyote Chronicle has provided CSUSB students with the opportunity to publish work as a part of the Journalism and Photojournalism Practicum (COMM 243A). In that course, students write eight articles for the newspaper, as well as learn how to take photographs that can stand on their own and tell a story. The Chronicle advisor Professor Jim Smart has been assisting students in the field of journalism for seven years - not only as the advisor, but also through teaching the Writing for Media class (COMM 240). There he brings his experience from public relations, journalism and photography as material for students to learn.
Despite the fact that print media is changing, the Coyote Chronicle continues to expand both in print and online. Their new website www. CoyoteChronicle.net has a new easy to navigate style that has helped bring the paper up to speed with technology. The Chronicle has also adapted social media to promote and increase readership through Twitter and Facebook. Also online, the Coyote Chronicle has taken to reporting CSUSB sports by setting up an inovative sports blog through CoyoteChronicle.net for up-to-date sports commentary. In March 2011, the Chronicle editorial staff attended the Associated Collegiate Press Conference in Hollywood, CA. The ACP Conference offered college journalists several workshops that ranged from layout design to how to write a column. The editors’ two-day stay ended with a press conference with Robert Redford based on his new film “The Conspirator.” After the conference, the Chronicle made new changes in content and layout.
“Since our new layout, this is one of our more successful quarters, with strong layout to strong headlines, from pages one to 16,” said Smart. For the editors, this experience is something that is relevant to the real world. Creating and meeting deadlines, becoming comfortable with AP style, and time management have helped the students become stronger journalists. “This has given me a lot of leadership experience. It’s also taught me to deal with a lot of different personalities,” said Richard Bowie, Executive Editor.
The Coyote Chronicle operates during the Winter, Spring and Fall quarters. The Chronicle distributes 5,000 issues a week for eight weeks, and each issue is an accomplishment for the Chronicle crew. “A lot of hard work goes into each production. But it’s worth it to see the results each week,” said MaryRone Shell, News Editor. The Chronicle staff makes every attempt to produce the best possible paper each week. The hard work and dedication that the staff puts into the paper makes the Coyote Chronicle “one howl of a good paper.”
Connection Spotlight: Jim Smart The highly talented photographer and dedicated professor, Jim Smart has been the Coyote Chronicle’s advisor and self-titled “benevolent dictator” since 2005. For seven years, Smart has taught many classes in the communication department where he uses his years of professional experience as a news reporter, probation officer, and news bureau manager of the Southern California Rapid Transit District to bring an
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unmatched expertise to his instruction. Two years ago, Smart began making fine art images as a professional photographer and opened his website, Jimsmartphotography.com. His photography has been in many shows throughout the Southern California area. On top of teaching classes and advising the Chronicle, Smart offers private photography lessons in the Joshua Tree area where he resides with his wife, Meg.
Coyote Radio ONE OF AMERICA’S TOP 10 ONLINE COLLEGE STATIONS By ERIC BROWN As one of only a handful of official iTunes stations in Southern California, Coyote Radio enjoys its reputation as one of the top college radio programs in the country. An annex of Academic Computing and Media located in the basement of the Pfau Library, Coyote Radio operates 24-hours a day online at coyoteradio.csusb.edu. Students from Communication Studies and Marketing flock to the radio station to learn important skills in publicity, marketing, programming, production, and management. Student intern Gary Naylor explains that working at Coyote Radio helps students master skills they need to know and gets them “ready to take it to the real world.” In fact, Coyote Radio has produced several local and regional radio
personalities over the past ten years. One reason for the ongoing success of Coyote Radio is that the students enjoy state-of-the-art equipment. They have access to the same technology that one would find at large media outlets, such as ESPN radio in Los Angeles and San Diego’s 91.1X. In addition, Coyote Radio’s partnerships with Time Warner and Charter Communications mean that the community can listen to the station Tuesday through Friday morning from 9 a.m. to noon on San Bernardino’s channel 3. Howling online as the voice of CSUSB, Coyote Radio dj’s produce and deliver programs on entertainment, news, sports, and campus activities, much to the delight and enjoyment of students, faculty, alumni, and the community.
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Human Communication Prepares Students for a Variety of Careers Having worked in management positions, Spear knows that in order to succeed in any poBy Stefany Zacarias sition a person must have good communication Human communication majors learn skills skills. that every employer wants. These skills include “I know I have some interest in human rean understanding of interpersonal communicasources along with job training and development tion, small group dynamics, teamwork, negotiaso this concentration allows me to keep all these tions, listening skills, and writing and oral compossibilities open,” he said. munication. In addition to the professional level, a human Jason Spear, a 22-year-old student from Vicconcentration degree can also help a person suctorville, is one of the few who has chosen this ceed within their personal life. For Spear, taking concentration these classes has helped “I am getting a degree really like that communication him develop better comin human communication munication skills with his because of the variety of helps me outside of my career too; loved ones. options that it offers to I apply my classes to my life now, “I really like that me,” Spear said. to help my future, and the future of communication helps me The Human Concenoutside of my career too; my daughter Alexis.” tration at Cal State San I apply my classes to my Bernardino studies the life now, to help my fuinteraction that occurs Jason Spear, Student ture, and the future of my between people within daughter Alexis,” Spear different contexts, including organizational and said. interpersonal communication, among others. With Spear graduating in the fall of 2012, he But what can a student do with a degree in knows that choosing the human communication the human concentration? There are several opconcentration as his major will be of great use in tions. his life after CSUSB. Opportunities in this field range from human The human concentration in the Communiresources, to sales and marketing, all choices cation Studies Department is slowly becoming giving a person the ability to explore many caknown and can help students go into a variety reer opportunities. of different careers within any organization. It is “I am still not exactly sure of what I want to a concentration that more students should take do career wise, but this will allow for some flexinto consideration! ibility,” Spear said.
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Connection Spotlight: Bob Leo
Dr. Bob Leo
has been appointed to the Palm Desert Citizens Sustainability Committee by the City Council. He is one of nine people who will help guide the city on its environmental sustainability programs. Dr. Leo also led a seminar at the Palm Desert campus on sustainability and urban development for 16 high school students from the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley districts. Dr. Leo continues to teach at both the Palm Desert and main CSUSB campuses.
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Intercultural Communication Builds Understanding sultants helping companies achieve better internal comBy Ismael Morales munications, especially when Majoring in intercultural those companies have global communication has its benefits operations,” states Dr. Mary both professionally and perFong, another intercultural sonally. communication faculty memProfessionally, intercultural ber. communication graduates have Employers often look for a world of opportunity before people with strong oral and them. “There really are no limwritten communication skills. its as to what a person can do A degree in intercultural comwith a degree in intercultural munication testifies to the communication, especially in applicant’s mastery of these global business,” states Dr. skills and provides a valuable Rueyling Chuang. “A person can advantage when looking for a work internationally with high job. technology companies, suppliIn addition to the diverse ers, and manufacturers, or doprofessional opportunities mestically with companies who that a degree in intercultural need to implement diversity communication offers, there training.” are many personal benefits to Dr. Chuang, one of the the program. “Having interdepartment’s intercultural cultural competence broadens communication professors, bean individual’s worldview,” aslieves that intercultural comsures Chuang. People who are munication competency is a competent in intercultural comvaluable skill for working with munication are able to deal imcustomers, clients, colleagues, mediately and effectively with and supervisors from different people who are different from cultural backgrounds. themselves.” “Some of my former stuFor students who are madents aspire to work as con-
joring in intercultural communication, there are organizations and resources on campus that can help them expand their knowledge and appreciation for other cultures. The Asian Studies Club, for example, hosts activities such as group bowling and potluck dinners to help students get to know one another. The club is open to everyone regardless of major, race, ethnicity, culture or gender. Another resource available on campus is the International Center, where students can learn about study abroad programs and intercultural internships designed to further their education and expand their worldview. Both Drs Chuang and Fong have traveled extensively and are scholars in the field of intercultural communication. Students who have a chance to study with these professors will be exposed to the cultures of the world and to an invaluable education in the age of globalization.
Connection Spotlight: Linda Sand
G
ot a hold on your MyCoyote account? Call Linda Sand. Got a question about your senior project? Call Linda Sand. For more than a decade, Linda Sand, Administrative Support Coordinator, has been helping students, assisting faculty, interfacing with every university department on campus and making sure that the Communication Studies Department runs smoothly every day. “I call her the supreme air traffic controller of Communication Studies,” says Astrid Sheil, assistant professor. “She is incredibly competent and she keeps everyone in line and on track. I don’t know what we would do without her.” Sand’s day requires her to multitask through many projects with deadlines and specific details—and to be able to do this in a noisy, chaotic office where interruptions are the norm. Somehow, Sand makes it look easy. “One thing I admire about Linda,” notes Michael Moore, a senior communication student, “is how accommodating she is to students. She gives her undivided attention to solving our problems even when she has a ton of her own work to do.” This past April, Sand was inducted as an honorary member of the CSUSB chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society, a well-deserved acknowledgment of her dedication and service to the Communication Studies Department. The students and faculty are grateful to Linda Sand for all she does!
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Advancing the profession and the future professionals
By JT Thompson The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) helps public relations students prepare for careers in public relations, corporate communications, publicity, and public affairs by providing members with opportunities for internships, and workshops and seminars. PRSSA members are welcome to attend the monthly PRSAInland Empire luncheon and hear professional speakers talk about everything from new social media strategies to crisis communication. “Joining PRSSA drastically helped me throughout college,” says 2010/11 chapter president, Melissa Dickson. “PRSSA helped me define my goals and focus my ambitions.” This year’s executive board worked to provide interesting speakers and workshops for its members. For example, PRSSA held workshops on creating a strong resume and perfecting the “elevator pitch,” a 30-second presentation of one’s skills guaranteed to wow potential employers. “PRSSA also opened doors for me to become good friends with other students who are striving for the same things as I am,” notes Dickson. “We’ve been able to create a great support group for each other in a learning environment.”
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Some of the many advantages ters throughout the United States, to joining PRSSA include the chance and to interface with PRSA profesto network with public relations sionals. professionals and to have access Another benefit to joining PRSSA to a database of national intern- is the Rising Star Scholarship, which ship opportunities through PRSSA. is offered by the PRSA-Inland Emorg. The online resource also pro- pire chapter. Last year, Eddie Hahn vides students with a wealth of won a $1,000 award. This year, the knowledge about scholarship will oining PRSSA drastically industry news, reward two stuhelped me throughout best practices, dents with $1,000 and opportunities college ... PRSSA helped me each. The Rising to serve on the define my goals and focus my Star Scholarship national board. is only open to ambitions.” In addition, every PRSSA members. year the PRSSA’s The PRSSA Melissa Dickson national conferchapter of CSUSB President PRSSA ence provides has grown over members with a the past two chance to participate in high level years and is open to all Cal State workshops and seminars, and to students no matter their major. meet PRSSA members from chap-
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com路mu路ni路ca路tion [kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] 4. a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior 5. a verbal or written message 6. the field of study concerned with the transmission of information by various means
Connect with us @MMoorePR @Kimbundance @Mitsukurina22 @Calderoh @lovinglilo5 @priscilla priscillaLTA @AngiePangie1228 @jeaniejackflash @dianiakimcansino @DianaCansino @followndreams @ebrown06 @jesusromero760 @JLBurnfin @justin_ivey @wollongonger @CSUSBChronicle @CSUSB_CC_Sports @PRSSACSUSB @CoyoteRadio1 Faculty Advisors:
Contributors:
Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb Dr. Astrid Sheil
Jon Ross Alexander Richard Bowie Eric Brown Diana Cansino Caitlin Elgin Jessica Gray
Joe McManus Jeanette Monroy Michael Moore Ismael Morales Louis Penna Martha Rendon
Jesus Romero Jacqueline Scholten MaryRone Shell Jim Smart JT Thompson Stefany Zacarias