By Kerri Parker
The Department of Communication’s COM Week consisted of a series of events focusing on health and relationships. These events were offered to NC State students, faculty, and community partners during the week of March 28-31.
On Monday, March 28, Dr. Erin Donovan, associate professor at the University of Texas, Austin, kicked off COM Week with her keynote address, “When is Communication the Cure? Advancing Connections Between Communication and Health.”
Events that followed included a panel discussion on the topic of inclusive language in the classroom followed by a smart salary negotiation workshop. Guest panelists included Renee Wells, director of NC State GLBT Center; Dawn Morgan, African American Cultural Center; Joe Johnson, student diversity coordinator; Sabina Vermeulen, associate director of NC State’s Disability Services Office; and Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo, associate professor in the Department of Communication.
WolfPack Speaks participants, from left, Hannah Carlson, Margaret Leak, Annabelle Hale, Miriam Roochvarg, and Fatima Zohra Hedadji — Photo Courtesy of Ed Funkhouser
A faculty and graduate student Social Science Slam at East Village Bar & Grill concluded the events on Monday. The Slam is a science communication format in which young scientists explain their research projects in short talks.
Another series of panel discussions took place on Tuesday, March 29. Dr. Emily Winderman hosted the Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) Research Forum panel. During the session, communication students from LPH shared their research.
Dr. Joann Keyton and LPH hosted the Preparation for Graduate School panel. Undergraduate students were able to discuss and ask questions about graduate education.
In addition to the panel discussions, the Humanities and Social Sciences Career Fair, co-sponsored with the English Department, was held in the Caldwell Hall Lounge. Local businesses conducted information interviews so students can get advice about applying for jobs and learn about various career opportunities.
The day ended with the COM 466 Nonprofit PR Panel hosted by instructor Mindy Sopher who opened her classroom to guests and students.There were five panelists including: Randi Rubenstien, founder of Education for Successful Parenting; Courtney Hodges, Executive Director of Marketing & Communication for Hospice of NC; Chandler Oliver, Assistant Director of Marketing for NC State Athletics; Joey Powell, Executive Director of Me Fine Foundation; and Brian Mathis, Associate Director of CSLEPS at NC State.
Collectively, the panelists reflected on rewarding moments that have taken place over the course of their careers, and they shared advice with students who are considering the nonprofit sector as a career field.
On Wednesday, March 30, professors from the Department of Communication conducted a panel discussion to offer advice and information to students interested in health communication research. Panelists included Assistant Professors Dr. Emily Winderman, Dr. Lynsey Romo, and Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo.
Dr. Kiwanuka-Tondo’s research campaign, “Born in Africa,” focuses on health communication with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS. He focused primarily on relaying facts about HIV/AIDS, but also discussed his research on the HIV/AIDS positive, Ugandan pop star, Philly Bongoley Lutaaya. He informed the audience of Lutaaya’s public address campaign and the effectiveness of visual production.
Dr. Romo discussed her research regarding weight issues. She talked about her research process, sabotage, and the strategies found to minimize threats in weight problems.
Following Dr. Romo, Dr. Winderman shared her research on the “Shout Your Abortion” movement on Twitter. She discussed the themes found with the “Shout Your Abortion” hashtag, gave examples of tweets found during the research process, and talked about the different views on this issue.
The “Ask the Relationship Expert” panel discussion, facilitated by Dr. Elizabeth Nelson, was held after the “Health Communication” panel discussion. The relationship experts consisted of Associate Professors Dr. Elizabeth Craig, Dr. Daniel Dejoy, and Dr. Kami Kosenko, and Daniel Goldstein of the NC State Counseling Center. This session was Q&A-based with the topics of discussion including interpersonal and intrapersonal relationship communication, friends with benefits advice, sexting and technology, and long distance relationship advice.
The final event of the day was an alumni panel with faculty, students and alumni.
Annabelle Hale — Photo Courtesy of Ed Funkhouser
On Thursday evening, the annual “WolfPack Speaks!” event concluded COM Week. “WolfPack Speaks!” is a public speaking competition, sponsored by David Young of Edward Jones Investments of St. Louis and Flip Learning at NC State, in which students presented persuasive speeches about health and relationships.
The competitors included, Margaret Leak, Hannah Carlson, Annabelle Hale, Fatima Zohra Hedadji, and Miriam Roochvarg. Hannah Carlson took second place. Her speech was titled, “Cultivating Professor-Student Relationships.” Hannah is a junior studying Interpersonal, Rhetorical, and Organization Communication and minoring in Business Administration. Annabelle Hale took first place with her speech, “Mental Illness: A Roadblock but Never a Dead End.” Annabelle is a freshman majoring in Communication Media, with the intent of becoming a broadcast journalist.
COM Week was a big success with faculty and students learning about life-changing information in effective, concise, and powerful ways.