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Communication Newsletter

April 2021

 

Registration for summer, fall about to open with drop-in academic advising available on Zoom
 

Registration for Summer Semester and Fall Semester opens in April. If you need help with registration, drop-in academic advising with the chair of the Department of Communication, Dr. Sheree Josephson, will be held April 12-13 from 9 a.m. to noon on Zoom. On Monday, the Zoom link is https://weber.zoom.us/j/99861414945. On Tuesday, the Zoom link is https://weber.zoom.us/j/98350793551. You will be placed in a waiting room if Dr. Josephson is helping another student. Please wait patiently. You may also seek assistance from your academic advisor, who is listed at https://www.weber.edu/Communication/advising.html If you need help with a registration override or need technical assistance, please contact Sare Gardner at sgardner1@weber.edu.

And remember, the Department of Communication office is open virtually through Zoom Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at https://weber.zoom.us/j/95611908967. You can also call us at 801-626-6426 or email communication@weber.edu Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Of course, you can also leave a message any time. We will get back to you.

This is the April edition of the monthly email to majors. At least once a month during the regular school year, we will email you to let you know about meetings of student organizations, guest speakers, important deadlines, opportunities, student and faculty achievements—and more. If you have information that you’d like us to distribute, please email department chair Sheree Josephson at sjosephson@weber.edu.

What's Happening

April

  • April 5: Summer Semester opens
  • April 12: Fall Semester opens; drop-in academic advising with the chair from 9 a.m.-noon (see above)
  • April 13: Drop-in academic advising with the chair from 9 a.m.-noon (see above)
  • April 22: Awards and Scholarship ceremony (by invitation)
  • April 30: Graduation for College of Arts & Humanities, 4 p.m. (see below)

May

  • May 10: Summer Semester begins

Student News

WSU Speech Team wins big in its first PKD National competition

Nine students from the Weber State Speech Team competed in the four-day Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, the largest tournament of the season, with over 1,340 entries from 80 schools across the country. The team achieved a sweepstakes award, ranking in the top 15% schools of the nation in both speech and debate events despite having mostly novice competitors who only participated in one style of debate format compared to teams with 20 or more students competing in various types. A number of students also earned excellence awards and/or made it into the final rounds of competition. Individual awards included:

  • Sophie Beck: Excellence Award in Informative Speaking
  • Kyle Housley: Quarterfinalist in Informative Speaking, Quarterfinalist in Prose Interpretation, Octofinalist in Novice IPDA Debate
  • Rebecca Brown: Dramatic Interpretation Quarterfinalist, Excellence Award in Interviewing
  • Jazmyne Olson: Quarterfinalist in JV IPDA Debate
  • Nessie Aviles: Excellence Award in Interviewing
  • Akir Rowe: Excellence Award in Interviewing, Excellence Award in JV IPDA Debate

WSU will have its final tournament of the year on April 9-11, an Individual Debate event. The team will then spend spring and summer preparing new speeches and performances for the 2021-22 season. Director Mark Galaviz and Volunteer Coach Kayla Griffin expect to ramp up participation and hopefully compete in person in the fall. Dr.

Becky Johns, a WSU Communication Department faculty member, helped judge the most recent tournament. Public Relations and Advertising student Jazmyne Olson compiled the information and helped write this news item.

Two Communication majors present at WSU undergraduate research symposium

Two Communication majors were selected to participate in the Weber State University Office of Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 29. Callie Oyama presented her research mentored by Dr. Sheree Josephson. It was titled “The Art of Plagiarism: Sampling in the 21st Century.” Abigail Robinson, who was mentored by Dr. Sarah Steimel, prepared a poster to illustrate her research project titled “College Student Stress and Communication.”

WSU policy debate team selected to compete in National Debate Tournament

The policy debate team of Zoe Thomae and Bailey Brunyer, both juniors majoring in political Science, are one of the 74 teams selected to compete in the National Debate Tournament. The NDT is an invitation-only event held once a year with teams from across the United States competing for the championship. The NDT is the intercollegiate policy debate equivalent of qualifying to compete in the NCAA Basketball Championship during March Madness. Thomae and Brunyer extend the decade-long consecutive streak of Weber State Debate’s selection to the NDT and exemplify the commitment to competitive excellence with the intercollegiate policy debate team.

Public Relations & Advertising student organizes virtual community film festival

Shawn Bennion, a Public Relations & Advertising major whose family runs the North Ogden location of Walker Cinemas, is organizing a second virtual community film festival, open to the public to submit homemade movies 10 minutes or shorter. Bennion said he didn’t want the community to forget about movies and the owners and employees experiencing a hard time as theaters were shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater received 12 submissions and locals voted to determine a winner last June, and Bennion is currently working with a team of his peers from Ogden Peak Communications to expand the pool of participants for the second film festival. The submission deadline for this year’s film festival is April 18, and the community will be able to view the films at the Perry location of the theater from April 26-28. This year, first-, second- and third-place winners will earn a cash prize because local businesses signed on to sponsor the festival. Full instructions for entering the competition can be found on the Walker Cinema Facebook Page. To read a story about Bennion in the Standard Examiner, see https://www.standard.net/news/local/walker-cinemas-plans-second-year-of-community-film-festival-spurred-by- the-pandemic/article_4599295f-f074-5eec-b609-667ca5658feb.html.

Public Relations & Advertising student helps plan Expect the Great conference

Sydney Fairclough, a Public Relations & Advertising major, helped plan the 10th annual Expect the Great conference, scheduled for Friday and Saturday. It is meant to help build community and prepare Black high school and college students to succeed in higher education and their careers. Fairclough is one of thousands of Black students who grew up in Utah’s overwhelmingly white schools, an experience she said makes many Black students feel isolated. Expect the Great serves multiple purposes for Utah’s often marginalized Black students, according to Fairclough. She said it connects Black students to other Black students, shows them how they can find success through multiple activities and information sessions and introduces them to successful Black community members, who can sometimes be hard to see. 

Weber State Debate busy with end-of-year debates, events

Several Weber State debaters are participating in end-of-year debates, and the team is sponsoring a webinar about the harms of human trafficking. WSU Debate will be represented by Loane Mwiza and Hannah Phelps at the Cross-Examination Debate Association National Championship Tournament on April 9-12. This will be their first tournament debating together, and it will be Mwiza’s first policy debate tournament in the United States as she is joining from Rwanda. Due to that connection, WSU Debate will host an international public debate with iDebate Rwanda on April 15 from 1-3 p.m. Bailey Brunyer and Mwiza will debate a two-person team from Rwanda on a mutually selected topic. Finally, WSU Debate will host a public consciousness raising webinar event on the significant harms of human trafficking on April 10 from 11 a.m. to noon. Students have designed a series of materials, games and invited speakers to discuss the global problem of human trafficking and local intersections of the matter of concern in Utah. Details are forthcoming.

Announcements

It's not too late to apply for Spring Semester graduation

You can still submit your graduation application until the end of the semester. If you have questions, email college adviser Debbi Murphy at ddmurphy@weber.edu. Graduation for the College of Arts & Humanities will be on April 30 at 4 p.m. at the Stewart Stadium. In case of inclement weather, events will move to the Dee Events Center. All ceremonies will be streamed live at https://www.weber.edu/Graduation/commencement.html. Each graduate will be allowed one graduate ticket and two guest tickets. Graduates can register for tickets beginning April 12 by accessing the commencement link at weberstatetickets.com. Only those with tickets will be allowed in the stadium. (Depending on the number who register and current mass-gathering guidelines, additional tickets may be available the week of graduation.) The ceremonies will follow health department recommendations for social distancing. In compliance with the state's guidelines, everyone in attendance must wear a face mask.

Students must apply for FAFSA to be considered for tuition waivers, scholarships

Students who have not applied for federal financial aid (FAFSA.gov), should do so now. It is the first step to receiving Weber State-based, tuition waivers and departmental scholarships. Those who participate in any of the co-curricular activities (speech and debate, public policy debate, The Signpost, Studio 76, KWCR Wildcat Radio and Ogden Peak Communication) must have the WSU Specialized Scholarship application completed to receive the tuition waivers that support these activities. All tuition waivers will be awarded by May 1 and must be accepted by June 1. Find the application at www.weber.edu/financialaid. For questions about scholarships and tuition waivers, email Jean Norman, chair of the department scholarship committee, or talk to any of the members of the committee: Nathan Rodriguez, Robin Haislett, Michael Ault, Mark Galaviz, Andrea Baltazar, Leslie Howerton and Aaron Atkins.

The Signpost is recruiting staff for 2021-2022 academic year

The Signpost, Weber State's student news organization, is recruiting staff for the next school year. Positions are available for reporters, editors, photographers, videographers and graphic artists. Reporters and editors can cover news, culture or sports. Staff members are eligible for scholarships or tuition waivers. For an application, email Dr. Jean Norman, jeannorman@weber.edu, or go to www.signpost.mywebermedia.com and click on Join Our Staff near the top.

Applications now open for Studio 76, WSU's student media production organization

Studio 76 applications are now open for the 2021-2022 school year. Studio 76 is the student-operated media production organization. It creates and curates content for clients and for online distribution channels in many different types of media such as short films, promotional or industrial videos, live event streaming, and podcasting. Studio 76 also produces a variety of shows to educate, entertain, engage, and inspire Wildcats. Studio 76 also provides production services for campus organizations and others. If you're interested in joining the 2021-2022 crew, please fill out an application at https://forms.gle/eYBtB8xkZgvh41Rt8. Positions are not limited to Digital Media Communication majors. Knowledge in basic camera usage and video editing techniques are required for some positions. If you have any questions, email the faculty adviser, Andrea Baltazar, at andreabaltazar@weber.edu or wsustudio76@gmail.com. Positions will be filled beginning on March 31, but applications will be open until all positions are filled.

The Signpost trying to win College Media Madness fundraising competition

You can help The Signpost win the championship in the inaugural College Media Madness. The Signpost is joining more than 20 student-run newsrooms for a nationwide fundraising competition. Gifts made until April 5 will help The Signpost finish No. 1 in the standings at collegemediamadness.com. Winner of the Utah Press Association’s General Excellence award for five of the past six years, the newspaper covers the Weber State community and events in Ogden. The newsroom provides a preprofessional experience for about 40 students every semester in journalism, writing, editing, interviewing, sales, photography, graphic arts, and leadership. Weber alumni who worked at The Signpost recall that experience as one of the most influential of their college careers. But the financial climate has changed drastically amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Signpost can’t continue this important work without support. Every donation to The Signpost supports the development of the next generation of journalists and media professionals by funding editorial projects and general operating costs. All donations are tax- deductible and come with the donor’s choice of swag. This is a first-of-its kind effort to unite college newsrooms and raise awareness—and money—for the important work WSU student journalists do. For more information, email Dr. Jean Norman, faculty adviser, at jeannorman@weber.edu.

April 16 is College of Arts & Humanities Student Appreciation Day

Communication students can pick up awesome swag and a treat on April 16, between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of Student Appreciation Day for the College of Arts and Humanities. To sign up for a time slot, visit https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/selfsched?sstoken=UUQ0bUl2WEN5d3RFfGRlZmF1bHR8ZTRhNzY0ZDYx Y2NkNjJiMjdjYzEwOWU0ZWRmMWRiOTA.

Faculty Accomplishments

Communication professors present at WSU’s Faculty Symposium

A number of Communication faculty presented at the Teaching and Learning Forum's 2021 Faculty Symposium: A Teaching and Learning Celebration. Dr. Anne Bialowas and Dr. Sarah Steimel presented the interactive roundtable titled "Looking Back and Looking Forward: Reflections on Teaching During a Pandemic." Dr. Hailey Gillen Hoke, Dr. Michael Ault and Dr. Sarah Steimel were on the interactive roundtable titled "Teaching Research Methods Virtually." Dr. Jean Norman and Dr. Susan Hafen were on the discussion panel titled "Using Avatars to Enhance Learning Outcomes." Dr. Colleen Packer, the director of the Teaching and Learning Forum, was instrumental in organizing the symposium.

MPC director presents research at Central States Communication Association convention

Dr. Sarah Steimel, director of the Master of Professional Communication program, presented a research paper and participated on a discussion panel at the Central States Communication Association’s annual conference held virtually in March. Her paper was titled "Negotiating Maternity Leave in the Context of Pregnancy Loss." The discussion panel she participated was titled "Pedagogical Pivots for Online Teaching: Best Practices."

Alumni Achievements

Five former Signposters enjoying professional success, making a difference

Five former Signpost editors and staff members are enjoying professional success and making a difference in their communities. Former Editor-in-Chief Harrison Epstein is working at the Standard Examiner and recently was spotted shooting the Weber State football game. Former Signpost staffer Cameron Gifford landed his dream job with a contractor at Hill Air Force Base after two years of working a combination of part-time jobs, one of them for the city of Ogden. Former Editor-in-Chief Skyler Pyle now works for the Weber-Morgan Health Department and publicized the vaccine clinic being conducted at the Dee Events Center. Former Signpost staffer Japheth Pleasant is in graduate school at Westcliff University in Irvine, California, and had been freelancing in Southern California.

Former Signpost staffer Danya Gil is doing video distribution and social media at Insider Inc. in Salt Lake City after serving as an Instagram fellow with the Salt Lake Tribune over the summer and completing a social media internship at KSL.com.

Get Involved – Join a Communication Club!

The Signpost

Contact:
Dr. Jean Norman
jeannorman@weber.edu

Studio 76

Contact:
Dr. Aaron Atkins
datkins@weber.edu

KWCR Wildcat Radio

Contact:
Dr. Jean Norman
jeannorman@weber.edu

WSU Debate

Contact:
Coach Lauren Johnson
laurenjohnson10@weber.edu

WSU Speech

Contact:
Coach Mark Galaviz
markgalaviz@weber.edu

Ogden Peak Communications

Contact:
Dr. Leslie Howerton
lesliehowerton@weber.edu

PRSSA

Contact:
Dr. Leslie Howerton
lesliehowerton@weber.edu

Society of Professional Journalists

Contact:
Dr. Jean Norman
jeannorman@weber.edu

Departmental Honors

Contact:
Dr. Hailey Gillen Hoke
haileygillenhoke@weber.edu

Lambda Pi Eta

Contact:
Dr. Robin Haislett
robinhaislett@weber.edu