Congratulations to Communication Graduates
Congratulations to the 82 students graduating with a degree this Spring in Communication.
This is May’s installment in the monthly email to majors. Once a month 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 you’d like the department to distribute, please email Sheree Josephson at .
What’s Happening
May
- May 9: First day of Summer Semester
June
- June8-12: 2016 CEDA Topic Conference andexecutive meeting
Student News
72 students graduate this year with bachelor’s, associate’s in Communication
Congratulations to this year’s baccalaureate and associate’s graduates in Communication.
- Civic Advocacy:Jazmine Thompson, Delaney Woodfield
- Digital Media:Jordan Barbadillo, Trevor Ewing, Nick Garrett, Justin Holliday, Aleesha Owens, Danny Rubio, Robert Stewart, Shane Thompson
- Electronic Media:Mark Mandell, David Rodriguez, Thomas Troy
- Interpersonal & Family Communication:Courtney Beecher, Jalen Carpenter Gentry, Adrienne Child, Jonathan Coy, Kylee Hallows, Sylvana Kelley, Krystin Kubo, Demi Martinez, Cristina Mayorga, Emily Orozco, Lissa Quinlan, Lauren Schulte, Brooke Steadman, Casey Stratton
- Multimedia Journalism:James Cogan, Emily Ferguson, Linsey Hansen, Christina Huerta, Matthew Kunes, Ingrid Maldonado, Abigail Payne, Skyler Pyle
- Organizational Communication: Natalie Barcelo, Breann Johnson
- Public Relations & Advertising:Dakoda Anderson, Anna Auger, Jonathan Basler, Nathan Bennion, Nathaniel Cragun, Morgan Davenport, Grant Dellow, Anastasia Drandakis, Brianna Edwards, Amberleigh Farrell, Patrick Farrington, Kyle Froerer, Laura Garcia, Michelle Garrett, Tyler Hall, Kari Harbath, Jeffrey Herbert, Lauren Houskeeper, Caysem Johnson, Kelsey Kingdon, Cecily Kiss, Sarah Knowlton, Alexis Marquez, Richard Marsh, Christopher Murphy, Matthew Norman, Amy Olsen, Rod Peterson, Kris Sanford, Cynthia Villagomez, Jamie Winchester
- Associate in Communication:Ryan Brown, Celma Flores, Spencer Stevens, Trent Wojciechowski
Ten students graduate with Master of Professional Communication degree
Congratulations to members of the 2015 class of the Master of Professional Communication. They will be hooded in a special ceremony on April 28 at 6 p.m. in the Dumke Legacy Hall in the Hurst Center. Graduating students are AlyessaD'Ewart, Daniel Jackson, Jay Jex, Angela Johnson, Ryan King, Cash Knight, Jonathan Oglesby, Melisa Russell, Brennon Schweikart and Stacey Tyler. The top students in the graduating class are Jonathan Oglesby and Stacey Tyler.
Outstanding graduates in Communication announced
Congratulations to the following outstanding Communication graduates:
- Academic Achievement: Casey Stratton
- Civic Advocacy: Jazmine Thompson
- Digital Media: Danny Rubio
- Interpersonal & Family Communication: Brooke Steadman
- Multimedia Journalism: Abigail Payne and Skyler Pyle
- Organizational Communication: Nicole Walker
- Public Relations & Advertising: Alexis Marquez
- Outstanding student in College of Arts & Humanities: Casey Stratton
Nineteen Comm majors to be inducted into national Communication honor society
NineteenCommunication majors will be inducted later this month into Lambda Pi Eta, the national honor society for graduates in Communication. To be eligible for Lambda Pi Eta, students must (1) complete 60 semester credit hours, (2) have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all courses taken, (3) complete the equivalent of 12 semester credit hours in Communication, (4) have a minimum GPA of 3.25 for all Communication courses, (5) currently be enrolled as a student in good standing, as determined by the institution's policies, and (6) rank within the highest 35 percent of one’s class in general scholarship. This year’s inductees include Dakoda Anderson, Alexa Arnold, Courtney Beecher, Morgan Davenport, Barbara Rose Dille, Sheila Favero, Shaton Tyler Hatch, Jeffrey Herbert, Christina Huerta, Bailey Paige Lefthand, Ryan McCormick, Lissa Quinlan, Skyler Pyle, Lanea Rea, Thais Stewart, Spencer B. Stevens, Casey Michael Stratton, Jazmine Ellesse Thompson and Misty Tippets.
Four to graduate with Communication Department Honors
Four students will graduate with departmental Honors this Spring. To graduate with Honors, students must earn a 3.75 GPA in the Communication major and have a 3.5 GPA overall. They must also present original research at a conference. Graduating Honors students include:
- Abigail Payne: The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go
- Jazmine Thompson: From Dick Van Dyke to Parks & Rec: A Critical Analysis of Feminism in Popular TV
- Skyler Pyle: The First Tourism Boom in North America
- Casey Stratton: Organizational Culture and Its Effect on Employee Satisfaction
Students earn scholarships from Communication Department
Fourteen Communication students earn scholarships for 2016-2017 school year. They are Natalie Hales, Logan Malan, Emily Eldredge, Kinsee Gaither, Crystal Hall, Salma Medina, Misty Tippets, Zach Lyon, Cyndee Green, Harrison Epstein, Michael Grennell, Mathew Walker, Katy Packer and Paula Ninataype.
KWCR Wildcat Radio, Communication majors win Crystal Crest awards
KWCR Wildcat Radio earned the Crystal Crest Registered Organization of the Year Award for 2016. The other nominees were Studio 76, Society of Women Engineers, Future Educators Association and the Neurscience Club.Four Communication students also received awards. Tyler Hall, Public Relations & Advertising, won Talent of the Year; Haille Van Patten, Public Relations & Advertising, won the Volunteer Service award; MaCauley Flint, Public Reltions & Advertising, won Female Athlete of the Year; and Alisha Stucki, BIS with Communication, won for Inclusive Excellence.
Weber State student wins PR Student of the Year for fifth year in row
For the fifth year in a row, Weber State Public Relations and Advertising students have been named the PR Student of the Year. Kylee Waddoups was named winner in the 2016 PR Student of the Year competition. WSU student Brian Rogers was named runner-up. This is the sixth overall win for Weber State.
Speech Showcase finalists deliver speeches at Spring 2016 event
The six finalists of the Spring 2016 Speech Showcase for the Department of Communication delivered their speeches to a packed lecture hall on April 13. This event recognizes the best speeches from each COMM 1020 Principles of Public Speaking classes. The six finalists included:
Kierstin Pitcher: Failure of family courts
Michelle Miles: Victims of sexual assault
Colt Florence: Negative effects of social media
Marin Tarbox: Discrimination of children of LGBT couples
Mike Fifer: The importance of recycling
Tony Villalba: Utah paradox – happy and sad
The other students selected to compete in Selection Saturday were Nathan Bateman, Giovanna Bonella, Michael Conn, Emily Eldredge, Brock Embley, Natalie Fuchs, Rachel Halverson, Caitlin Hammon, Penny Hansen, Natalie Heiner, Tara Hoellin, Jenna Jay, Mitchell Keahey, Courtney Kirkendall, Megan Luke, JanetOviatt, Shawnee Tebbs and Ethan Willie. Four students were honored for participating with the Weber Speaks program. They are Justin Cypers, Collin Devino, Nicholas Giarman and Marissa Hinrichs.
Public Relations & Advertising student gets job at MarketStar thanks to internship
Public Relations & Advertising student Dakoda Anderson was offered a job at MarketStar as project manager after completing his internship this semester.
Two Communication accomplishments featured in WSU Alumni magazine
The accomplishments of The Signpost and WSU Debate were featured in the Spring 2016 edition of WILDCAT: WSU Alumni Magazine. The Signpost’s winning of 10 first-place awards and the General Excellence award at the 2015 Utah Press Association’s winter conference was mentioned. WSU Debate’s first Top 10 national ranking from the Cross Examination Debate Association was also highlighted.
Public Relations & Advertising teams present campaign plans to community partners
Six teams of Public Relations and Advertising students presented their final campaign plans prepared for WSU community partners this week. The main goal of these campaigns is to increase the overall awareness of these community partners to strategic audiences. The teams prepared and implemented campaign plans of Youth Impact, WSU Charter Academy and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. Each partner plans to implement aspects of each team's plan.
Announcements
Get involved with DJ Radio Production offered Summer Semester
The DJ Radio Production class (COMM 2730) will take place over the summer. Students will learn what is needed to be a part of a radio station, how to operate station equipment, and refine their skills in news, public relations, content generation and, of course, music selection and playlist assembly.
KWCR Wildcat Radio to sponsor Open Mic Night every first Friday during summer
KWCR Wildcat Radio will continue to host Open Mic Night every firstFridayduring the summer at8 p.m.at the Harrison location of Grounds for Coffee. It is a free event open to anyone in the community or University.
The Peak highlights what students can do with a major in Communication
The Peak, a newsletter produced by Public Relations & Advertising students, has been reoriented to target Communication andstudents undecided about a major. Content is focused on helping students learn what they can do with a degree in Communication. The link is:
Weber State Debate preparing to host two national events
Weber State Debate is preparing to host two high-profile national events. On June 9-12, the 2016 CEDA Topic Conference andexecutive meeting will convene in the Ogden Marriott. All college debate coaches from across the country will attend this convention, which determines the college debate resolution for the upcoming year. On April 8-10, 2017, the 12th annual National Debate Coaches Association tournament will come to Ogden.This event is expected to insert half a million dollars in the community.
Registration open for summer Weber State Debate Institution camp
Registration is now open for the Weber State Debate Institute camp for Summer 2016.This camp features inexpensive tuition, high-quality instruction and an opportunity for participants to earn three college credits. For more information,
Job postings available on Communication website
Weber State University Communication students and graduates can log into the Communication Department’s website at weber.edu/communication to look for job postings now or in the future. The listings are under the "Jobs" link. Employers contact the department looking for Communication students and graduates for full-time and part-time jobs.
Communication Department to participate in Ogden Marathon
The Department of Communication will have participation from many faculty, staff, students and alumni this year in the 5K, half marathon and the full marathon on May 21, 2016. If you'd like to join and participate in one of these distances click the below link and register for the distance you prefer: Once you've registered please reply nd indicate which event you will be participating in. We will be compiling alist and taking a photo with all those who are participating and who have a connection to the Weber State Department of Communication.
Faculty Achievements
Professor presents paper on gaming accessibility at conference
Robin Haislett presented "Includification: Why gaming accessibility matters" at the annual conference for the Broadcast Education Association in the Law and Policy Division.
MPC graduate, department chair to present research atVisCom 30
Stacey Tyler, 2016 graduate with a Master of Professional Communication, will present a paper with Dr. Sheree Josephson, Department of Communication chair, at VisCom 30 in June at Snowbird. The paper is titled “Interactive storybooks and reading comprehension: an eye-tracking study.” Dr. Josephson is also the program planner for this year’s conference attended by some of the foremost experts in the field of Visual Communication.
Alumni News
Public Relations & Advertising graduate gives haircuts for the homeless
Mandi Barnes who graduated in 2014 with a degree in Public Relations & Advertising was featured in the Spring 2016 edition of WILDCAT: WSU Alumni Magazine for providing haircuts to the homeless. The article said, “A YouTube video of a New York hairstylist giving free haircuts to the homeless inspired Mandie Barnes, an Ogden hairstylist, to do the same. She recruited some of the best stylists from Leghi, Utah, to Ogden, to offer their services at the Ogden Rescue Mission on Dec. 19, 2015. ‘I feel like a haircut can go a long way for someone,’ Barnes said. ‘A haircut gives people an extra boost of confidence maybe to find a job or just feel good about themselves for the holidays. Hopefully, they’ll just feel better walking out the door than they did walking in.’”
Get Involved
- The Signpost: Contact Dr. Jean Norman at .
- Studio 76/Wildcat ONE: Contact Drew Tyler at .
- KWCR 88.1 Weber FM: Contact Robin Haislettat .
- WSU Debate: Contact Omar Guevara at .
- Ogden Peak Communication, PRSSA: Contact Dr. Nicola Corbin at .
- Society of Professional Journalists: Contact Dr. Jean Norman at .
- Departmental Honors: Contact Dr. Susan Hafen at .
- Lambda Pi Eta: Contact Dr. Cynthia Bishop at .