September 2022

A Message from the Dean of the School of Communication

Welcome back. I trust you had a good summer. Mine was productive, but kind of uneventful --- unless you count starting the summer with COVID as eventful. I look forward to this academic year. The School of Communication accomplished a lot last year. We expect to continue to innovate in our curriculum, to produce interesting and useful research in a broad range of communication areas, and to find real joy and satisfaction in our student’s successes. Stay tuned for news about some new exciting initiatives that are in the works now.

We are starting the academic year with a couple of interesting visitors.

• First, Mara Liasson, Political Correspondent for NPR will be here on Sept 29 at 7:00PM as the Ronald and Ronna Shipman Distinguished Speaker in Presidential Studies. See the flyer attached to this newsletter for more details. Ms. Liasson will be talking about the upcoming elections.
• Second, the next afternoon, School of Communication will host Dr. Ben Epstein, as our Colloquium speaker. Dr. Epstein will speak on Political Communication Strategies of Social Movements Over Time.

Take advantage of the opportunity to hear from a well-known political journalist and an excellent scholar about politics and communication.

These two events are emblematic of something important about which I have been recently reminded. The study of communication has many applications. Even if you think your immediate interest is in, say, health communication, the theory and practice you are learning have far broader uses. Political communication is one, but that is just a slice of what you can do with expertise in communication. I hope you take advantage of these two speakers to see some of the range of careers available to you.

Please also welcome new colleagues to our school:

• Jackie Coyne has joined us from the Center for Undergraduate Excellence as our new Academic Program Coordinator. Jackie is a wonderful colleague who brings years of experience at Chapman to the job.
• Dr. Vikki Katz, Professor, comes to us from Rutgers University. She is a highly regarded scholar who conducts research with immigrant children and families, examining digital inequality and how immigrant families integrate into their adopted communities. For more information, see https://vikkikatz.com/
• Dr. Tess Buckley, Instructor, comes to us from…us!  A newly minted Ph.D. from Chapman University, Tess is one of our best instructors and a persuasion researcher with a focus on persuasive messages in health contexts. Welcome, Dr. Buckley, and congratulations.

On top of enjoying that good news, please also welcome our latest Ph.D. on the faculty:

• Dr. Travis Bartosh, Instructor, recently defended his doctoral dissertation Don’t Count on Kiwis at a Kiwi Farmers’ Market. I had the pleasure of reading the dissertation and participating in Travis’ defense. I encourage you all to talk to Dr. Bartosh about the research. It is quite interesting. I’ll let him explain the title.

The Puzzle(s) of the Month

Last April’s puzzle did not get a solution. I admit it was a tough one. So, I’ll repeat it here, and raise the prize. The first student to send me a solution via slack gets a free lunch on me.

Here is a long division problem:

             XX8XX

        ----------

    XXX | XXXXXXXX

           XXX

          ------

            XXXX

             XXX

            ------

              XXXX

              XXXX

 What digits can you use to replace the X’s. Each X can be any digit, except that a numeral (say XXX) is guaranteed not to have leading 0s. So, for example, the divisor XXX cannot be 057. Hint: Pay attention to the fact that two digits are “dropped” down in the partial quotients. That indicates that there are zeros in the final quotient.

Here’s another puzzle that is a bit easier. Suppose you have three pennies and two dimes arranged in a straight line alternating: PDPDP.

The goal is to move the coins to that they end in a straight line with all pennies together: PPPDD.

If you are allowed to move one coin at a time, this is very easy. But of course, that’s not how you are going to play it. A “move” in this puzzle requires you to move two adjacent coins at a time.  One must be a penny and one a dime. Also, at the end of each move, all five coins have to be arranged along the same straight line, though they may have gaps.

For example, starting from PDPDP, you could slide the first two coins to the left. This would result in  PD__PDP. Or you could move the second and third coins up and over, so they wind up at the end of the configuration: P__DPPD.

The puzzle is to change PDPDP into PPPDD using the fewest moves possible.

The first student to slack a solution to me gets a free coffee. Use a DM so that other people can enjoy working on the puzzle, even if you get it.

Sincerely,

M. Andrew Moshier, Ph.D.

Dean, School of Communication

Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science

Director of the Center for Excellence in Computation, Algebra and Topology

Fall 2022 Program Advising Hours

Program advising is available in person and through Microsoft Teams. You can schedule an appointment with any advisor on Bookings or reach out to them via email if you need to schedule an appointment outside of regular advising hours.

Dr. Travis Bartosh | Doti Hall 210
Tuesday 2 - 5 p.m. (walk-ins) and Thursday 2 - 5 p.m. (Microsoft Teams)

Dr. Arleen Bejerano | Doti Hall 211
Monday 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. (Microsoft Teams) and Wednesday, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. (walk-ins)

Dr. Andrea Weber | Doti Hall 203
Thursday 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. (walk-ins) and Friday 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. (Microsoft Teams)

Apply to be on the School of Communication Student Advisory Board! The application deadline is October 16th.

The SoC Student Advisory Board advocates for the needs of students in the School of Communication by:

• serving as the student voice to the administration,
• representing the school to various constituencies,
• offering peer mentorship
• generating and implementing programs and initiatives designed to enhance the student experience.

All SoC students are welcome to apply for a position on our Student Advisory Board. Preference is given to students who will be able to commit to weekly events and meetings and serve for multiple years.
For more information or questions contact Andrea Weber, Assistant Dean of Advising and Student Life at aweber@chapman.edu or  Brittney Kuhn SoC SAB President at   brkuhn@chapman.edu.

Homecoming Master Class - Intercultural Communication in Health, Education, and Organizational Contexts

Dr. Hopson's master class will introduce skills needed for effective communication and will include research findings, observations, and lessons in practical competence for intercultural communicators. Dr. Hopson's research interests include critical intercultural communication; African American rhetorical traditions; organizational diversity; and violence prevention communication This masterclass will be taking place on Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 1, 2022 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in BK 107. Refreshments will be provided. 

Make sure to regularly check the SoC Information Portal on Canvas for details of all upcoming events in the School of Communication!

Chapman Radio Updates 

For those of you that don't know, Chapman Radio is an independent, online radio station run entirely by students at Chapman University since 1967. Broadcasting 24 hours a day, Chapman Radio is the student’s voice. We are so excited to announce that the Princeton Review has ranked Chapman Radio16^th best college radio station in the country: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=best-college-radio-station

To listen in visit https://chapmanradio.live/.

Research Spotlight

Ambiguous loss, stress, communal coping, and resilience: A mixed-methods study of K-12 teachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

K-12 teachers throughout the United States have experienced unprecedented changes to their roles due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating ambiguity and stress. In their study, Dr. Jennifer Bevan and Dr. Erin Craw took a mixed-methods approach to investigate K-12 teachers’ experiences coping with stress during the pandemic. The investigation involved two phases of data collection, beginning with formative focus groups that informed the development of an online survey in the second phase. Twelve teachers participated in the first phase (grades K-5), and 163 teachers (grades K-12) completed the online survey to determine how ambiguous loss impacts resilience in the context of teaching during the pandemic in the second phase. Results support the prediction that pandemic-related ambiguous loss may lead to enhanced resilience indirectly through increased stress and communal coping.

SoC Student Advisory Board Member Spotlight 

Brittney Kuhn '22 is a graduate student in the 4+1 MS program for Health and Strategic Communication. Brittney transferred to Chapman her junior year and has been highly involved on campus ever since. She is also a graduate student instructor and teaches two sections of COM 102 - Public Speaking in a Diverse Society. 

Looking for Internships or Jobs? 

Fall Career Fair Happening TOMORROW!

More than 100 employers will be on campus next Thur. Sep. 22 from 11 - 3 for the Fall Career Fair, aka the ~CareerChella~ of the semester.

haley, as a Communication Panther, we recommend checking out the following employers that are looking for candidates like you:

• Disney
• LA Olympics 2028
• Omics LIVE
• Sherwin-Williams
• Target
• Uline
• YMCA
• ... plus countless marketing, communications, sales and writing opportunities across organizations

Now is the time to RSVP, explore and research employers, and prepare for the big day!

Faculty Research and Creative Scholars Expo: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 22, 4-6 pm at Argyros Forum 209

At this event, students can network and identify potential faculty mentors that inspire or fit their academic and intellectual research/creative interests. Faculty members from across campus will be available to discuss the exciting scholarly research and creative projects they are working on with undergraduate students. 

At this event, students should consider meeting with faculty outside their discipline. Working across disciplines can expand your academic interests and gain skills that can broaden your research experience. For more information, contact cue@chapman.edu or visit https://events.chapman.edu/87956