Communication Studies News
March 23, 2005

Guest lecturer speaks in CST classes 

The Department of Communication Studies hosted a guest lecturer who spoke to students in our classes about experimental design and media violence. Ryan Hurley, a second year Ph.D student from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign visited UW-L on Wed., March 23. Ryan spoke in several classes about groundbreaking research that he and several colleagues are doing. The research involves the use of cartoons to determine television’s influence on violent behavior among children in grades K-4. Hurley was a guest of Drs. Scott and Linda Dickmeyer. 

Communication Club gives workspace an “Extreme Makeover”

It’s been thirty years since the Communication Studies Resource Room in the Center for the Arts has seen a new coat of paint. Until recently, Communication Studies majors worked in a space adorned with red carpet, bare walls and sage green bookshelves untouched since the construction of the building in 1975.

“Trading spaces” for something more contemporary and user-friendly, student members of the Communication Club volunteered their time and energy to raise funds for the renovation as well as the physical labor necessary to carry it out. The resource room now has updated furniture, colored walls, interior decorations and a new laser printer. 

“We are trying to make it more inviting, so students will want to use the resources in the lab more frequently,” said Ronda Knox, Associate Professor in Communication Studies. “Not only do the resources help students with their coursework, but the room is also a great place for students to meet and connect with one another.”

Communication Club President Anna Roth agrees, "I have already begun to see the positive results of this project. Now, when I walk by the resource room, there are always people in there studying, meeting in groups, or working on the computers. The room has a different feeling to it now and it has already been a great change for students." 

This is just one of the projects Communication Club is involved with, as members are preparing to volunteer for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in April. Communication Club is a social service organization available to all majors and minors. If you would like to know more about membership, please feel free to contact Anna Roth, Communication Club President at roth.anna@students.uwlax.edu.

Public Relations Student Society of America meetings scheduled

WHAT: How to Get a Job or Internship in the PR Field

WHEN: Tuesday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: The Cleary Alumni Center (Same place as last time!)

Along with providing useful information for those of us who are seeking jobs after graduation and internships to better our degrees, applications for next year's officers will be available at the meeting. Please invite your fellow PR/Marketing/Prof. Writing Students to the meeting! The more the merrier!

Mark your calendar:

Tentatively, we plan one more regular meeting this semester, on April 12. On April 26, we plan to have our first annual PRSSA End of the Year Banquet/Dinner...things are still in the making!

For those of you interested in an officer position next year:

·         Applications will be available at the March 29 meeting.

·         Applications are to be turned in to Doug Swanson by April 19, at which time applicants will sign up for an interview time.

·         Interviews will take place on April 21 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Feel free to speak to Sarah Nohr, Kelly Simonsen, or Noel Lee for more details. 

PRSSA announces internship opportunity

The Public Relations Student Society of America has announced a new internship opportunity for PRSSA members. Since our department now has a PRSSA chapter, if you are involved in that chapter, CST students who meet the application requirements could apply for the opportunity. Here are some of the details, and a link to visit for further information.

The Arthur W. Page Society, a membership organization for senior public relations and corporate communications executives who are committed to the highest standards of the profession, is pleased to announce a new opportunity for minority students seeking entrance into public relations and corporate communications: a paid summer internship program in a leading U.S.-based organization or consulting firm. Minority student members of The Public Relations Student Society of America are especially encouraged to apply.

This new internship program is the latest offering of the Page Society in its “Pathways to Diversity Initiative.” In 2003, the Society created a “Pathways to Diversity” Scholarship Program, and through partnerships with INROADS and THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION, has awarded more than $20,000 in scholarship monies to outstanding minority students seeking careers in public relations. (For more information on these scholarships, visit the Page website at: www.awpagesociety.com; or, contact Thomas Powell at INROADS Northeast, 203-316-2777, www.INROADS.org; or, Melissa Lopez at THE LAGRANT FOUNDATION, 323-469-8680, www.largrantfoundation.org)