COMMUNICATION STUDIES STUDENTS EARN POSITIONS IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

After much campaigning, junior communication studies students Natalie Moses and Amish Patel have officially earned their positions in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). Both students attribute their successful campaigns to their experiences in communication studies and their involvement on campus.

Moses is the new senator of the College of Communication and Information (CCI). She is majoring in applied communication with a double minor in media literacy and public relations. As senator of CCI, Moses’ job is to represent the voice of all CCI students. One of her many responsibilities is to keep scholarships objective and make sure all undergraduate students have equal opportunities through the student government. Moses felt that she is a good fit for this position because she is an effective communicator and can relate to any CCI student. “I have a good understanding of the overall interests of CCI,” said Moses.

Patel is now the executive director of USG. His position involves being the spokesperson for the students, acting as liaison between the university administration, Board of Trustees and the USG, creating programs and initiatives to enrich the lives of Kent State University students, and much more. Within in the past two years, he has held positions such as director of student involvement and director of communications.  Patel’s passion for Kent State is what drives his involvement with student government. “I want to give back to a school that has given me so much,” said Patel, “When I saw the opportunity to make things come full circle and further improve the university, I knew it was my time.”

Both Moses and Patel agree that their experiences within CCI have contributed to their campaign success. Moses felt that skills she learned in advertising, visual design and public relations helped her while putting together her campaign. “The High Impact Professional Speaking class really helped me to be a confident speaker,” she added. Moses also noted her experience studying abroad in London as significant to her campaigning. “Working closely with Michelle Ewing and Dr. Danielle Coombs gave me advertising and public relations insight that taught me how to campaign,” Moses said. Moses is also very involved in student media, which she said keeps her up to date on what is happening on campus.

Patel said that holding multiple positions for Phi Delta Theta fraternity is what started his involvement on Kent’s campus. “My involvement in my fraternity has given me countless real-world experience and it has provided an amazing platform to network with,” said Patel. He was further introduced to the Greek Community and various aspects of the university as a result. Patel has been involved with different organizations such as Focus on the Future, Black United Students, Distinguished Undergraduates and more. Patel said that the remarkable insight he gained about student life is what ultimately made him want to share his experience with the rest of Kent State.  “As a communication studies student, I knew I wanted to change how USG reached students and presented information,” said Patel.

Both Moses and Patel want Kent State students to be more aware of what is happening on their campus and encourage them to get more involved with student government. “As much as this can be a boring thing for students to hear about, current legislation really affects students and their ability to be successful students and future professionals,” said Patel. Moses suggested that students attend the public USG meetings every other Wednesday, at 5 p.m., in the Governance Chambers, to see what is currently happening and pitch their ideas. Moses wants students to know that USG “is not an unapproachable thing.”

Moses and Patel both stressed the significance of USG’s Student Allocations Funding opportunities as something for students to take advantage of. Students and organizations are able to request funds to go on conferences that pertain to their major. “This is an amazing way for students to get real world experience and network with professionals across the country,” said Patel.

Patel encourages students to “follow a passion and get involved on campus! Plain and simple.” Applications and more information can be found in the USG office and online at usg.kent.edu.

Course Builds Skills While Creating Lasting Memories for Students Who Participate

By Taylor Titus

Sixteen students and three faculty members traveled south of the equator for two weeks in March to tell the story of the people, places and things in Curitiba, Brazil. The students were members of the College of Communication and Information’s International Storytelling course.

“I’ve never stepped foot outside of the United States until this class, and I’m thrilled,” said Molly Devaney, senior broadcast journalism major. “We had an unbelievable journalistic experience. We partnered with an intelligent bunch of Brazilian students who wanted to learn just as much about us as we wanted to learn about them.”

Kent State University partnered with the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. PUCPR lent the Kent State group facilities to use as a newsroom, equipment and most importantly their students. The Kent State student teams partnered with the PUCPR students to help with their reporting and contacting sources.

“Sure we could go to Brazil anytime, but to work with students just like us is an experience like any other,” said Jason Kostura, junior broadcast journalism major. “Sometimes it takes an experience like that so you can step back and just say wow.”

The students spent all day covering unique aspects of Curitiba and Brazil in general. Students covered stories, such as the booming Catholic population in Brazil, hazing, the public transportation system of Curitiba, Curitiba favelas and more. Two Kent students went to Iguaçu Falls to report on the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant.

When the students weren’t reporting, they spent most of their time bonding with their Brazilian partners or exploring the city of Curitiba. Some of the highlights included an outdoor Curitibian market, a bus tour of the city, Oscar Niemeyer Museum and botanical gardens.

Most of the trip was devoted to reporting, but there was free time for the students. The last portion of the trip was spent in Rio de Janeiro, where the students had nothing to do but explore. While in Rio, the students saw the Christ the Redeemer, took the cable car to Sugar Loaf mountain and caught some rays on Copacabana beach while soaking in the Brazilian culture.

“The class was everything I had imagined,” said Glenn Bolich, senior broadcast journalism major. “The students we met in Brazil were helpful and fun to be around. It was such a fun time, and I would recommend it to anyone.”

The International Storytelling course meets all semester. Before the trip, students create a story with a connection to the country they are going to, as well as plan out the stories they want to do while there. One of the most fun parts of the class is “meeting” the partners via Skype. The week before and week of spring break are spent in the foreign country. Once the students return to Kent, they work on producing all pieces of their stories and launch the Dateline website.

“The resources and opportunities made available to us through the Brazilian university and student partners were amazing,” said Alyssa DeGeorge, senior magazine journalism and visual communication design major. “It’s crazy to think how significant a two-week time period can be. We developed our journalism skills, expanded our horizons and formed close friendships. You don’t come back from a trip like this the same person.”

Shel Holtz to Keynote Sixth Annual YouToo Social Media Conference Focusing on Social Visualization,

www.youtoosm.com 

Want a FREE seat? Tweet or retweet anything about the conference using #YouToo2013 until Friday, April 12, and you could win. Read contest details.

Communication expert Shel Holtz will discuss social visualization strategies and tactics as the keynote speaker at the Akron Area Public Relations Society of America’s YouToo Social Media Conference on Friday, April 19, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kent State University’s Franklin Hall.

“The rise of social visual communication, with platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, require communicators to think about how images can convey messages, tell stories and engage audiences when they stand alone,” Holtz said. “Gamification also presents communicators with new ways to engage audiences, adding game elements to more mundane activities. The question for both is, how do communicators apply them so they won’t just be another shiny object in the communications toolkit but rather help move the needle?”

Five-time winner of IABC’s Gold Quill award, Holtz has nearly 35 years of experience in organizational communications in corporate and consulting environments. His experience includes corporate public relations, crisis communications, media relations and more. Holtz also has expertise in strategic communications planning, communications research and the integration of technology into communications strategies. He speaks frequently on different topics, such as strategic organizational communication and the application of online technology. Holtz just celebrated his eighth year of podcasting with For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report.

Kevin Dugan will serve as the opening speaker at the social media conference. Dugan is the director of marketing at Empower Media Marketing and founder of the Bad Pitch Blog. He has won six national awards for his work in public relations. Dugan is an expert in social media, marketing communication, public relations and media relations.

The conference, co-hosted by Akron Area PRSA and the Kent State Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), also will have breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon as well as panel discussions by experts discussing social visualization more in-depth. Other speakers include:

• Luke Armour, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and coordinator of Flash Communications, Kent State University
• Carolyn Fertig, digital producer, Marcus Thomas, LLC
• King Hill, senior vice president, Marcus Thomas, LLC
• Allison Peltz, Social marketing strategist, Rosetta
• David LaBelle, director of photojournalism in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kent State University
• Scott Linabarger, senior director, multichannel content marketing, Cleveland Clinic
• Katelyn Luysterborg, social marketing specialist, Rosetta
• Amy Martin, vice president of marketing and communications, The Centers for Families and Children
• Heidi Modarelli-Frank, vice president/public relations, Marcus Thomas, LLC
• Phong Nguyen, art director, Marcus Thomas, LLC
• Kelly Piero, corporate communications, Diebold Incorporated
• Jenn Yokley , manager of corporate communications, Quicken Loans Arena

Students can attend the conference for just $40.

“As a student who has attended past conferences, I can say from experience the YouToo Social Media Conference is a great way to network with professionals and learn more about the industry,” said Taylor Titus, a senior public relations student who is the student co-chair of the event. “I also gained a lot of tangible knowledge I can use now in my school work and future career. The conference is a great experience for upcoming young public relations professionals, and I highly encourage you to attend.”

 

Students will benefit additionally from this year’s student-only development track at the conference. A student-only morning breakout session provides a unique Q&A with Holtz as he talks about how he got into the industry and relates his experience to the students. An afternoon wrap-up session hosted by the Akron Area PRSA Young Pro’s group for students will help put the day in perspective by helping students apply what they have learned during the conference to their school work and internships.  View the entire schedule here.

 

Benefits for attending the conference include:

• Learning about the latest trends in social visualization.
• Networking with professionals from around the Northeast Ohio area.
• Gaining hands-on experience for students from the student-only development sessions.

To register for the YouToo Social Media Conference, visit www.youtoosm.com. Registration closes at noon on Thursday, April 18. Also, find YouToo on Facebook and Twitter.

The Akron Area Chapter of Public Relations Society of America is part of the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals helping to advance the profession and the professional. Its nearly 115 local members represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. www.akronprsa.org

The Public Relations Student Society of America is a national public relations organization that provides professional development opportunities for students. PRSSA aims to develop highly qualified future public relations professionals. The organization has more than 10,000 members at hundreds of universities across the country. PRSSA Kent is an active student organization on the Kent State Campus. http://prssakentstate.wordpress.com

Design for Good: Empowering a Better Future from Africa to Cleveland

 

 

AIGA Cleveland and the School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University are jointly hosting an evening event to discuss socially responsible design concepts in our neighborhood and abroad on Thursday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

Keynote speaker and Creative Director of Rule 29 Justin Ahrens will share his goal in “making creative matter”(r) through design for good projects. Ahrens will discuss his Africa-based work with Life in Abundance that has challenged his team’s perspective on a designer’s possible impact. Kent State VCD graduate students, who supported recent work for Life in Abundance aimed at access to healthcare, will share their research, their role in the project and the resulting prototypes.

Bringing these concepts home to Cleveland, a second group of VCD graduate students will share similar concepts from their experience collaborating with Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP), a community health center that serves residents of the west side of Cleveland.

Alumni, friends and area professionals are welcomed for a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres from 6:30 to 7:30, followed by brief presentations from Ahrens and the VCD graduate students. Registration will open in March and can be found on AIGA Cleveland’s website. The evening will cost $10 for AIGA members and $15 for non-members. Student AIGA members are free and student non-members are $5.

About the Graduate Studio Projects 
Information and quotes from Nicole Gennarelli’s report.

Visual Communication Design Associate Professor Ken Visocky O’Grady and students from his Graduate Studio course researched and developed prototypes to address malaria prevention and sanitation awareness in Kibera, Kenya, and Rumbek, South Sudan during the 2011-2012 academic year. Graduate students in Associate Professor Sanda Katila’s studio course worked with the NFP during the fall 2012 semester and will continue developing the project this spring.

O’Grady organized the project for his class through Ahrens and Rule 29.

“There are many cases of malaria in East Africa, and we wanted to do something to help the people,” said Adina Feigenbaum, one of O’Grady’s graduate students and contributor to the project. “We wanted to create something that would explain to the people in these countries what to look for, how malaria is spread, etc. In Kibera, a slum, there are so many sanitation issues due to lack of drainage, sewers, toilets, trash facilities, etc. The sanitation problem was mostly touched upon by our long-term solutions.”

The class created symbol prototypes and icons that would speak to the intended audience. The prototypes were sent to Kenya with Life in Abundance for testing in the summer of 2012.

“The prototypes sent over included: coloring and activity books for children that explained where malaria comes from and teaches them about symptoms and going to a clinic to get help when they don’t feel well,” Feigenbaum said. “A school game to teach children facts about malaria and sanitation, a pamphlet of information about the causes of malaria, prevention of malaria, and symptoms to watch for and symptom cards to aid as a communication tool within the clinic were also sent over. Icons of different symptoms were created to help patients and physicians better communicate about how they’re feeling and help bypass a language barrier.”

The students had to do research and familiarize themselves with the culture, population and issues the people are facing in those countries, O’Grady said.

Similarly, students working on the Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP) project researched the makeup of their target audience and how to effectively communicate with them. NFP serves a largely Hispanic and generally low-income audience, providing them with unique communication challenges. The project’s objective is to enhance NFP’s relationship with current and future patients and their community to provide an engaging and beneficial healthcare experiences.

After conducting secondary and observational research, as well as primary interviews, the group decided on six areas for target messaging: the waiting room; televisions and tablets on site; a board game and activity book; a referrals and rewards program; social media; and mobile outreach. The project will continue this spring with the design and implementation of the key messages. For more information and story updates, visit VCDGrad.com.

Class Teaches Social Media Skills for Business and Professional Use

By Nicole Gennarelli

Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Pinterest and Instagram are apps people access everyday on their smart phones or tablets without thinking about how it can benefit them and their careers. Social media has grown and will continue to grow, changing the way that people communicate day-to-day.

Social Media Strategies, an online course that allows students to engage in many hands-on and useful learning activities, was introduced to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in spring 2012.

This course, which will be offered again this summer, from May 13 to June 29, is intended to help students and faculty understand the impact social media can have on businesses, society and culture. The course curriculum shows students how social media can benefit their lives by incorporating research, literature and technology into assignments.

“JMC Public Relations Associate Professor Bill Sledzik started the process for this class, and we worked together to outline the course content. From there, I created the content and online lectures,” said Stefanie Moore, JMC assistant professor and instructor of Social Media Strategies. COMM Associate Professor Jeff Child, Ph.D., also assisted in the early planning stages of the course.

At the end of the course, students will develop a strategic social media plan for personal and professional use. This course is open to all majors across campus wanting to learn more skills or perfect their existing knowledge in social media.

“Students have sent me notes saying how much they enjoyed and valued the course,” Moore says. “One of my smaller successes is when students participate in an online discussion that isn’t even required because they enjoy talking about the topic. Social media and technology impact all of us, not just PR majors.”

The class occupancy started with less than 30 students the first semester it was offered and is now full at 50 students, with several students waiting for a seat. The course will be offered again this summer beginning May 13.

Elizabeth Holton, senior advertising major, says she is a social media addict in her personal and professional life. “I say that in the most positive way possible. My passion for media, marketing, and advertising made this course especially intriguing. After completion of Social Media Strategies, I was able to take my prior knowledge of viral marketing and improve it by generating creative, personable, and original online marketing approaches.”

Holton currently works for Undergraduate Student Government as the director of programming where she does a lot of online strategic marketing for upcoming concerts.

“One of the most beneficial things I learned to do was how to advertise via promotions on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter,” she says. “These tools help me to promote my organization, concert and myself.”

Social Media Strategies takes everything you will learn in a communication, advertising, PR, and writing course and implements it into one online course that is practical for those students who want to work in the world of mass communications, says Holton.

“Personal branding is something that has been incorporated into a lot of my social media work,” Holton says. “I continue to use the skills I’ve gained in this course in my personal life, school work and job.”

Moore says in addition to the two major projects in the class, she looks for critical thinking and clear and effective writing in the online discussions.

“All students are looking for a job when they leave college,” Moore says. “It’s helpful for them to know how to network and market themselves to potential employers both online and offline.”

Summer registration is available online via Flashline. For more information about the course, email Moore at smoore1@kent.edu.

Washington, D.C., Internship for Native Students Selects Kent State Student

Photo credit: Michelle Harbin Photography

By Catherine Berry

Victoria Humphreys, a Kent State University senior with a double major in applied and organizational communication, will experience the internship of a lifetime this summer through the Washington, D.C., Internship for Native Students (WINS).

About Humphreys
Born in Phoenix, Ariz., Humphreys is registered with the Gila River Indian Community, from her mother’s side of the family. Humphreys’ immediate family didn’t stay in Phoenix long after her birth, as they moved 28 times before she was in high school. Her family settled in Akron when she was in the seventh grade.

Humphreys’ mother graduated from Kent State in 2006, so the university was familiar to the family. Eager to follow in her mother’s footsteps, Humphreys applied to the university. She didn’t know she was accepted to Kent State until she received a phone call in late August from her mom telling her “to get to campus.”

“It was Welcome Weekend, and I just realized I was a Golden Flash,” she says. Fast-forward three years to her senior year. Humphreys is the vice president of Kent Communication Society, president of the Native American Student Association, thinking about joining student government and very involved in her classes.

Learning About the Internship
For a class assignment, she had to write a cover letter for the job or internship of her choice. Humphreys started researching Native American internships when she found WINS and fell in love. The class assignment soon became an exercise in job seeking.

Because of a lecture given by Stephanie Smith, adjunct instructor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, on governmental public relations, Humphreys asked for her assistance in honing her résumé, cover letter and essays to fit this particular internship.

According to the WINS website, the program “offers students of sovereign American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian nations the opportunity to build leadership skills while living, studying and interning in Washington, D.C.”

The Process
Humphreys says the application process was not too difficult for her. She had to show proof of tribal enrollment, have letters of recommendation from professors and the Tribal Student Services’ advisor from her reservation, complete a 500-word essay and apply. As soon as she submitted her application, she heard that she had been accepted.

Now, she is waiting for when she will hear which departments want her to join them this summer, based on her essays. She will make her decision in April. She is crossing her fingers for the Department of Defense.
Humphreys has always wanted to work for the Department of Defense and felt this internship would really help her get her foot in the door. She also aspires to do something that will eventually help Indian youth.

Humphreys has big plans for while she is in Washington, D.C. She will be seeing her family, going on a tour of the White House where she hopes to run into President Barack Obama and his wife, and doing lots of shopping.

Humphreys says that she is excited to make more connections in the Native community while gaining real-world experience this summer. She also knows how awesome this internship will be on her résumé.

“All of my professors and advisors have been amazing during my college career,” she says. “Some have gone above and beyond to support me and will continue to help and support me until I graduate.”

School of Library and Information Science to Double its Space with Expansion

By Nicole Gennarelli

The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) is currently undergoing a 14,000-square-foot renovation to expand and double its space for teaching, research and student services.

In 1970, the school moved into its current offices on the third floor of the then-new library, with six faculty members, two staff members and 100 students. More than 40 years later, the school has grown to 22 faculty members, 11 staff members and more than 650 students at locations on the Kent Campus, at the SLIS site in the State Library of Ohio in Columbus and online.

The space being remodeled is on the third floor of the library and was previously used by Audio Visual Services. The remodeling is being completed in two phases. Phase 1 involves the full renovation of the former Audio Visual Services space (14,000 square feet), and Phase 2 involves the renovation of the existing SLIS space (approximately 12,000 square feet). The construction began in December 2012 and will be completed by June 2013.

“By 2010 SLIS had totally run out of space,” said SLIS Associate Professor Greg Byerly, Ph.D. “There were not enough offices for faculty or staff. Some faculty members were assigned to Ph.D. carrels on the library’s fifth floor, while some staff members were located at counters or in rooms that had previously been closets.”

In May 2010, a proposal was made to the Provost to expand SLIS into the Audio Visual Services space. SLIS then participated in the library remodeling planning process that was completed by the Office of the University Architect from May to September 2010.

“The end result of all this construction and remodeling will be a new SLIS,” Byerly said. “The immediate need for offices for faculty and staff will be met. All faculty members will have individual offices. Graduate assistants will have assigned work areas with desks, file cabinets, tables, etc., and there will be offices available for adjunct faculty, grant coordinators and visiting scholars. In addition, SLIS will have offices and rooms for further expansion of its faculty and staff.”

Students will benefit from the renovated space as well. The main office will be more centrally located to better support students, and they will have access to research labs where they can work alongside faculty in designated areas.

“SLIS is not just a ‘library school,’” Byerly said. “In addition to educating librarians, SLIS offers specializations, and in some cases separate degrees, in museum studies, knowledge management, information architecture, particularly user experience design, and health informatics. This construction will permit these areas to continue to expand and will provide the needed infrastructure to support them.”

The expansion of the school will also allow for expansion of the area for the Marantz Picturebook Collection in the Reinberger Children’s Library Center. The Reinberger Center, which opened in 2003, combines a classroom inside of a children’s library. The Marantz Picturebook Collection contains more than 25,000 picturebooks donated to SLIS by Ken and Sylvia Marantz in 2007.

“The current construction project includes a second physical expansion of the Reinberger Center to include a rare books room to preserve and secure some of the valuable picture books in the Marantz Collection,” Byerly said.

While the construction is going on, it will have little effect on students and classes this semester. The biggest phase of the renovation is remodeling the new space, which can be done first. Also, because SLIS offers many specializations online, there is no need to add classrooms at the moment.

“The project outcome will clearly be for the better,” said SLIS Director Tomas Lipinski, Ph.D. “We’re looking forward to an expanded state-of-the-art working and learning space. It’s my hope that it will be a showpiece for the campus and for Library and Information Science schools.”