Kent Communication Society Welcomes New Members

By Britney Beaman

The Kent Communication Society offers students the opportunity to develop new friends, better their leadership skills and make a difference. KCS is searching for new members to join.

“We are hoping to have students join who are interested in really making a difference and getting more involved with the School of Communication Studies … we are looking for leaders and people who are looking for more in our organization than just a resume builder,” Brittany Payne, vice president of KCS, said.

This semester, KCS’s main focus will be the Relay for Life. The society came in 3^rd place last year in overall fundraising and online fundraising, and the goal is to place even better this time around. Kyle Buttermore, president of KCS, said the goal is to raise $4,000 this year. That’s $300 dollars more than the organization members raised last year.

Members also attend socials throughout the semester where they take a break from the work and enjoy time together.

Members meet each Wednesday at 5 p.m. to go over the agenda, talk about committees, discuss ideas for the future, and talk about upcoming events. Free pizza and pop are provided at the meetings, so “make sure you come hungry,” Payne said.

“We are always welcoming new members, and you can join anytime,” she added. “I think that being a part of KCS shows employers skills such as communication, leadership, creativity, and willingness to be involved. Being a part of an organization shows strong leadership qualities.”

Interested in joining? Attend a meeting or email Buttermore at kbutter1@kent.edu! Members don’t have to be communications majors and there are no requirements to being a part of KCS.  There is a $5.00 membership fee each semester.

News & Announcements for the School of Communication Studies

By Emily Carle

It has been a busy semester for the School of Communication Studies and there is no stopping in sight. Most recently, here are the headlines from Spring 2011 in COMM:

The School of Communication Studies welcomes two new faculty members

With the expansion of the programs offered, the School of Communication Studies has announced Sally Planalp, Ph.D & George Cheney, Ph.D will be joining the faculty at Kent State University in Fall 2011. Both Dr. Planalp and Dr. Cheney will instruct at the undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D level in the College of Communication and Information. Specifically, Dr. Planalp will be involved with interpersonal and health communication concentrations and Dr. Cheney with global, organizational and applied communication concentrations.

More information on Dr. Planalp & Dr. Cheney can be found here.

School of Communication Studies Relay for Life Team raises over $3,700 towards the fight against cancer

This year, the School of Communication Studies participated in Relay for Life at Kent State University April 16-17 at the Liquid Crystal Track. Through online and on-site fundraising, COMM raised over $3,700 and placed 3^rd overall and online out of 78 teams as well as winning Best Decorations. Led by team captain and Kent Communication Society president, Arianne Gasser, the team easily surpassed their fundraising efforts from 2010 all with the support from students, Kent Communication Society & faculty members.

Members of Kent Communication Society

School of Communication Studies Open House

On Thursday, April 21 from 3:00-5:00 PM, all recently declared COMM majors are welcome to stop by Taylor Hall 125 to meet with current students, faculty and staff and learn about the School of Communication Studies. New students are encouraged to stop by as their schedule permits and connect with the program. Any student not able to attend can drop by Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Jeffrey Child’s office and say hello!

Lambda Pi Eta Induction Ceremony

This Thursday, April 21, the newest class of Lambda Pi Eta members will be inducted into the Upsilon Chapter of Kent State University at 5:30 PM in Taylor Hall 125. This year, there were 34 members selected for the honor. Lambda Pi Eta is a national honor society affiliated with the National Communication Association (NCA) and members are selected based on GPA and class standing.

Communication Studies Graduate Student Award Ceremony

Communication graduate students were recognized at their annual reception through the School of Communication Studies & Communication Graduate Student Association (CGSA) on April 14 at the Masonic Center in Kent, Ohio. Awards include:

Research Award: Jason Sabo and Jenny Rosenberg

Teaching Award: JD Ponder

Collegiality Award: Nicole Reamer

CGSA Mentoring Award: JD Ponder

CGSA Service Award: Jenny Rosenberg

Dr. Larry Hugenberg CGSA Faculty Mentoring Award: Dr. Jennifer Chakroff

CGSA Officers: President, JD Ponder; Vice President, Nicole Reamer; Treasurer, Kathryn Golsan; Mentoring & Social Chair, Jared Hargis; Research & Information Chair, Phillip Reed; Graduate Student Senate Representative, Jared Hargis; Graduate Studies Committee Representative, Jenny Rosenberg; Representative to Communication Undergraduates, Java Murniadi; College Doctoral Policy Committe, Margaret Garmon

Special Thanks: Alice Kopunovitz, Dr. Mei-Chen Lin, Kelly Schobinger, Jared Hargis, CGSA Awards Committee

Emily is a senior applied communication studies major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication & Information

Guest Blog: Relay for Life 2011!

Hello there! My name is Arianne Gasser and I am a senior Communication Studies major with a focus in Organizational Communication. I am the President of Kent Communication Society, Vice President of Lambda Pi Eta, and the Team Captain for the School of Communication Studies’ Relay for Life team! As the Team Captain, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write a guest-blog entry for CCI to tell you all about our Relay for Life efforts!

Relay for Life is a fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Society that seeks to raise money for cancer research, patient care, advocacy, and awareness about the disease. It is a 24-hour event that Kent State University participates in every year at the Liquid Crystal Track in April. The idea is that each team has at least one team member on the track at all times throughout the entire event. In addition to walking, the teams all have booths and tents set up for fundraisers, games, food, and other activities that people can participate in. In addition to being extremely fun, Relay for Life is also incredibly powerful. Everyone is there for one goal—to find a cure—and everyone there knows at least one person who has been affected by this awful disease.

I won’t go into much more detail about the event because I hope you get the chance to experience it for yourself! This year’s Relay for Life will be April 16 at 10:00am to April 17 at 10:00am at the Liquid Crystal Track behind the Ice Arena.

Luminaria at Relay for Life 2010

Last year, Kent Communication Society (the School of Communication Studies’ undergraduate student association) participated in Relay for Life and raised over $2,500 toward the fight against cancer. The group had an amazing time at Relay for Life and we decided that the following year we wanted to share this experience with more people and expand our team to the entire Communication Studies department.

Comm Studies graduate & undergraduate students at Relay for Life 2010

KCS Team from Relay for Life 2010

 This year, we teamed up with the Communication Graduate Student Association to lead the School of Communication Studies Relay for Life team with a goal of $7,500. Our Relay for Life team is open to all students, faculty, and staff within the School of Communication Studies (but we would of course welcome support from other CCI students!). So far, we have about 30 team members signed up online and together we have raised over $1,600. With less than a month left until Relay, we have a long way to go, but we are going to do everything we can to get there!

And by “everything we can,” I of course mean several fundraisers! So far, the money we have raised has just been our team members asking friends and family members for donations. We still have four fundraisers planned—two before Relay for Life, and two on-site.

Our big fundraising event will be a Zumbathon night on April 12 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at the United Methodist Church of Kent. We will have a suggested donation of $5 to $10 to participate in an hour of Zumba aerobic dance and exercise! Please come out and join us that night and bring your friends.

A mother of one of our team members, Kristina Lee, has offered to donate a beautiful blue and white quilt for our team to raffle off. Raffle tickets will be 1 for $1 and 6 for $5. Please see any member of KCS or CGSA or email me (agasser@kent.edu) if you would like to purchase raffle tickets for the quilt.

I would love to share with you our on-site fundraisers (because they’re going to be AWESOME), but I am going to keep that a secret for now! I guess you will just have to come see us at Relay to find out what we’ll be up to!

If you would like to JOIN OUR TEAM or DONATE to our fundraising goal, please visit www.tinyurl.com/commrelay today! Also, if you have any questions, you may direct them to me at agasser@kent.edu.

Thank you for your time and thanks to CCI for allowing me to share this exciting event with its readers!

Arianne Gasser is a senior organizational communication studies major and a guest blogger for the College of Communication & Information.

What can I do with a degree in communication studies?

By Emily Carle

Kent Communication Society and Lambda Pi Eta showcase opportunities for Communication Studies students

The School of Communication Studies’ two student organizations, Kent Communication Society (KCS) and Lambda Pi Eta (LPE) teamed up for the event Communication Convention: Making the Most of your Communication Degree geared towards all COMM students. The event, which took place on Dec. 7, 2010, 8:30-10:00 PM in room 317 in the Kent Student Center featured students, faculty and alumni who spoke to answer the question: You majored in what?!

Speakers included senior students Rosalind Bowden, Arianne Gasser, Casey Zimmerman, Devin White, Myrna Daher and Emily Carle all of whom spoke about their experiences at Kent State, involvement on campus, and future plans with their communication degree. In the hopes of helping students new to the major, the senior students also offered advice and suggestions to the group, including the classes to take and what to expect in college and after graduation.

After the student speakers, faculty members Lorie Hopp and Dr. David Trebing each spoke about their paths to working at Kent State. Both are KSU alums and also discussed their experiences at Kent State and advice for current students. Also, both offered great advice applicable to all college students looking to make the most of their time in college and beyond.

From there, the alumni panelists came up to the podium to tell their own stories. Karen Koch, 1984, and Joe Di Lullo, 2004, both graduated from what is now Kent State’s College of Communication and Information. Each has taken a different career path and was able to give insight into life after college.

One fact that every speaker touched on was the importance of communication in every avenue of work and interaction. Current students to faculty all use communication every day and alumni stress that it’s a top skill that employers are looking for. The core message that was spread throughout the night was the importance of communication and the prevalence of communication in many jobs and careers.

KCS and LPE are planning to continue this event next semester with even more speakers to try and focus on students graduating in May that may need encouragement or networking opportunities. Also, KCS will be planning many more events for current students next semester to try and increase involvement within the school.

Communication Convention: Making the Most of your Communication Degree

Kent Communication Society and Lambda Pi Eta will host a Communication Convention geared towards students in the School of Communication Studies interested in learning more about their program. The Communication Convention: Making the Most of your Communication Degree will be held Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 from 8:30-10:00 PM in Kent Student Center room 317.

 
The event will feature current students, alumni, faculty and advisors in Communication Studies covering topics such as what students can do now at Kent State, life after graduation and everything in between. There will also be a networking opportunity with members of the panel as well as fellow COMM students. All COMM majors and minors are welcome and encouraged to come, as well as anyone who is interested in the program.

 
Email Arianne Gasser (agasser@kent.edu) or Emily Carle (ecarle@kent.edu) with any questions.

 
Join the Kent Communication Society (KCS) group on Facebook or follow @KentCommSociety on Twitter for updates, reminders and more information.

Why should I get involved on campus?

By Emily Carle

Every week, I average at least 5 meetings and seminars for various clubs and organizations around campus. I always feel like I’m running from place to place, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There are so many organizations on campus that I’m passionate about, I want to support them in any way possible. Probably one of the best decisions I have made over the past 3 years is to start attending Kent Communication Society meetings. KCS is geared towards Communication Studies majors and minors as well as all CCI majors who want to get involved in the school, the campus and the community. I just happened upon a meeting my freshman year, and honestly I was pretty nervous. By the following year, I was more comfortable with everything and I actually spoke up in meetings. By my junior year, I was the President and was working closely with the Vice President and fellow Communication enthusiast, Arianne Gasser, to really help KCS blossom. Going into my senior year, Arianne and I have swapped places as President and Vice President but our goals stay the same, we want to make KCS into a powerhouse organization. We’re planning social events for the fall, including a Sunday cookout, as well as service projects like Adopt-a-Family. In the spring we will be focusing most of our efforts on Relay for Life to build on our success this past spring.

Not all organizations are perfect for everyone; I would feel very out of place at a College Republicans meeting or a College of Business meeting. That’s the joy of organizations though; there are over 200 on campus to fit all personalities, interests and goals. It may seem cheesy, but there really is something for everyone! I have been in a few organizations where I just did not feel like I belonged, so I left. Easy as that. I found something that fit me so much better. When I am involved with different organizations on campus, I really feel like I’m part of Kent State. I feel like I’m more than just a student going to class. Also, it may seem like a minor thing, but when I walk across campus now, I actually recognize people and can wave to multiple people as I run to class or my next meeting.

Without getting involved on campus, I wouldn’t have met my boyfriend as well as about 95% of the people I talk to now. I wouldn’t have figured out what I want to do after college, and I definitely would not have been as proud to be a Kent State student. Every organization brings something different to the table, but there is no harm in testing the waters to see what works. While I started with a major/academic organization, there are so many other avenues. And for all of the Communication Studies majors/minors or just anyone who is interested in Communications, check out Kent Communication Society! KCS meets every Wednesday at 5 pm in Taylor Hall, 144.

Emily Carle is a Senior, Applied Communication major and marketing assistant in the CCI Dean’s Office.