Communication Studies Students Serve in the Local Community

Students in the organizational and crisis communication classes put what they learned into action through participation in service-learning projects. Service-learning projects have always been an integral part of communication studies classes taught by Dr. Bill Mullen, Chair of the Department of Communication Studies and professor of communication studies.

Mullen assigns this project for several reasons. “The number one reason for this assignment is to encourage students to be servants and follow the example of Jesus by serving others,” said Mullen. The second reason is that it helps promote goodwill towards Shorter University in the community. Participating in these projects teaches students how to work in groups, which helps them to learn time management and communication skills. The last reason to do the project is that it provides students with chances for leadership opportunities. A leader always emerges in a small group, and Mullen says that someone usually takes the lead in contacting the organization for volunteer opportunities.

Students volunteer at several places in the Rome community, including churches and other non-profit organizations. Then, they write a selfevaluation and also an evaluation of their group. In addition, student groups share their experiences with the class in the form of a presentation.

This project is always a favorite among students. They not only learn how to better serve, lead, and communicate but also have fun while doing it. Tarah Taylor, a junior communication studies major, took part in this assignment in the organizational communication course. Taylor’s group went to the Rome-Floyd County Community Kitchen and served food to people in need. In addition to serving food, Taylor assisted with other tasks needed by the Community Kitchen such as food preparation. She enjoyed helping the organization and meeting people’s needs. Taylor said, “The people that I worked with were very nice, and the people coming in to get food were nice. It was an enjoyable experience.” The thing that stuck out most to Taylor was how personal this was for her. She enjoyed getting to know those she served and hearing their stories. One of the most important things Taylor learned was that not everybody who goes to these kitchens is homeless. Some of them have jobs but do not have enough money or time to get food. The Community Kitchen also provides a place for children to get a second daily meal because many of them only get a good meal at school. Serving at the Community Kitchen taught Taylor the importance of serving and helping others.

Joshua Greene, a senior communication studies major, took both of Mullen’s courses and served at two locations, both churches. Greene volunteered at Fellowship Church of Rome where he and his group cleaned and organized storage closets. He and his group also served at West Rome Baptist Church where they cleaned out and reorganized a storage room. Volunteering at these churches had a big impact on Greene in terms of being a servant. “I think a lot of times churches have a constant need for more help, and most churches are understaffed. Things like being able to clean out a closet helps the church and really taught me how to be a servant,” said Greene. He only wished he could have had more time to serve. Some notable lessons learned by his group were how to better work together and to connect with new communication studies majors and students in other majors as well.

Hayley Arthur, a junior English major, volunteered at the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia where her group set up a station for workers to organize written communication for the organization. When they first arrived, students toured the organization’s building and learned about its purpose. Arthur said her experience helping the Sexual Assault

Center of Northwest Georgia taught her more about servant leadership. She also said that volunteering to serve was a great way to show the love of Christ and to be a positive representation of Shorter in the local community.

Through these handson learning experiences, students learned more about the communication process, how to work with others, how to better lead, and most importantly how to serve others. While learning concepts in a classroom is important, taking what is learned and living out those principles can have the biggest impact of all on students. Students in Mullen’s classes will take those principles and use them for years to come.

By: Brayden Williams

Domestic and International Students

Eurosummer is a term that has been widely incorporated into society through travelers on apps like Instagram and TikTok. Many people, especially Americans, have romanticized and idealized traveling abroad to Europe, especially over the summer. In the United States (U.S.), European summers are typically viewed as an idyllic alternate reality that often include time in some of the world’s most historic locations such as Rome, London, Barcelona and Paris. Each of these cities is a colorful expression of Europe’s vast history and culture that dates back millennia.

In recent years, tourism has slowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, as restrictions have lessened and a will to explore the world has increased, some regions have begun to see an influx of travelers higher than pre-pandemic numbers. We can see this through flight statistics kept by the United States Travel Association that state “air travel demand was up 12% in July [2023] compared to the same month last year [2022].” Not only has air travel demand risen, but also according to an article in Forbes, a total of 11.7 million Americans traveled abroad to Europe from January through July this year.

At Shorter, we have students from many different countries. A few hail from nations such as England, Spain, Italy, and France, which are hotspots for American tourists. Baptiste Touchard is a sophomore general business major from SaintAgathon, France. Touchard said that his favorite part about being home for the summer is the food and his family. Additionally, spending time with friends, going to restaurants and hanging out on the coast are a few of his favorite pastimes. This includes playing soccer and American football on the beach. For him, it is also not a complete summer without spending time surfing and playing golf. Many of these experiences do not stray incredibly far from much of our own “American” summer activities.

When determining the overall impact and correlation between American and European summers, one must understand what one views as distinctly European. It is no surprise to many who have visited the continent that it is incredibly common to walk instead of drive in most places. This leads to one of Touchard’s experiences at home that he feels was particularly representative of European culture.

Touchard named a trip where he once vacationed with his family to an island where riding bicycles was the only means of transportation. Recalling the experience, he said, “We stayed there for a week, rode bikes, and went to the beach.”

Touchard noted some of the key differences between being home and being in the U.S., including the quality of the food served at restaurants and bakeries. He touched on the importance of traditional establishments and how they always outlast those centered on gourmet. He noted that this is a vital part of France and emphasizes the importance the nation places on its traditions and culture. If a bakery or some other establishment is not centered on tradition, it only lasts for a short time.

LaRue Campbell, a senior general business major from Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., spent seven weeks in Catalonia, Spain, with her friend Jordina Rovira, a junior psychology major from Catalonia. Arriving first in Madrid, she spent a few days in the city. She visited a few other cities, too. According to Campbell, she “just lived there,” meaning she had her own key to the apartment, her own friends, and her own schedule. With her freedom and friends, Campbell frequented coffee shops and participated in Bible studies.

Living in a foreign city came with many differences from Campbell’s hometown summer experience. At home, she lives on a farm and usually has no daily schedule. She could be working on the farm, studying a new language, taking an extra class, or working a job. Given this is what a traditional summer could look like for Campbell, she stated that they are typically very busy and also sort of bland. Campbell pointed out that if you want to do something with friends in the U.S., you have to plan a lot “but in Spain, life is so full and bustling.” People in Spain tend to live in the moment.

One of Campbell’s favorite memories was spending time with her own family and Rovira’s family while walking the streets of Barcelona. During this time, they came across a band sitting off to the side, not playing. Rovira decided to encourage them to play. As the band played, Campbell, Rovira, and her brother began to dance in the middle of the streets of Barcelona. During this time, the streets were so