No images? Click here April 2022 A Message from the Dean of the School of CommunicationDear SoC Community, The Chronicle of Higher Education (www.chronicle.com, most articles are behind a paywall) has the following main headline story ‘It feels like I’m pouring energy into a void’: Faculty members share their thoughts on trying to reach disconnected students. How’s that for a cheery headline? The next article title is A Stunning Level of Student Disengagement. I don't wish to diminish anything, but I do wonder about this sort of reporting. The lead article’s first sentence is this: “Recently we asked faculty members to tell us about their experiences with student disengagement in their classes.” The rest of the article simply repeats some of the responses --- also telling us that they had far too many responses to include, so we only see a small sample. Q: From whom did they gather their anecdotes of student disengagement? A: Readers of the Chronicle who had anecdotes to tell. Q: Are the responses that made it into print typical of all the responses they received. A: There is no way to know. Q: Does the article inform us about a big problem, or does it exaggerate to entice the reader to keep reading? A: Hmm. The following article (about the “Stunning” level of disengagement) does mention some actual survey data (only in paragraph 14). But apart from a single link to a survey, the entire article consists of more in-depth interviews, apparently drawn from the pool of respondents for the first article, though that is not clear. What I find stunning is that the article fails to show that there is a stunning level of disengagement. Don’t get me wrong. When you can find data, it shows that there are general trends that one can interpret as disengagement. The trends are small and unclear. The data about students who are struggling with a lot of stressors is much better. The interpretation that this shows disengagement is not clear. So, there are problems that need our careful attention. But an article about us teachers “pouring (our) energy into a void” and a follow-up about students showing “stunning levels of disengagement” do nothing to help. This exaggerates a gulf between us that, in my own (anecdotal) experience, is not present. Teachers are not heroes; students are not disengaged blanks. Every day in the School of Communication, I see faculty and students working together. The hallway is full of students waiting to talk with Drs. Bartosh, Bejerano, and Weber. We had a huge turn-out for School of Comm Experience Day last week (planned and executed by students). I hear that a number of our Communication Studies students will be participating in the Student Scholar Symposium on May 5th-6th. I enjoyed seeing our student panel representing the school for prospective students and their families at Chapman Preview Day last week. None of that resembles the Chronicle articles to me. The Puzzle of the Month Last month’s puzzle has (at least) three possible solutions. You will find the solutions at the end of the newsletter. This month’s puzzle is about arithmetic. 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. Finals are coming up. A free coffee is on the line here. 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 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. Mr. Travis Bartosh | Doti Hall 210 Dr. Arleen Bejerano | Doti Hall 211 Dr. Andrea Weber | Doti Hall 203 SoC Trailblazer Program's First-Generation Alumni Career Panel Happening Tomorrow!Join the School of Communication Trailblazer program for a First-Generation Alumni Career panel TOMORROW, April 14th from 6-7PM at Hashinger Science Center Room 319. There will be FREE Canes, snacks, and drinks! We hope to see you there! Lambda Pi Eta is looking for new officers!Did you get an Invite to the SoC Award Ceremony?Lambda Pi Eta is looking for new officers! The open positions include president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, and social media and marketing chair. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume and cover letter to Dr. Bejerano. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 22nd, 2022. If you received an invite for the SoC Award Ceremony, please remember to RSVP by tomorrow! We will be honoring students being inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, honors students, and faculty nominated seniors. SoC Suggestion BoxSoC Canvas DenIntroducing the SoC Suggestion Box! We want to hear from you. We are always looking for more ways to improve our school. Submit your feedback about what we are doing well, and where there are opportunities for improvement. Wondering about the new addition to your Canvas page? The SoC Information portal is now live! The portal is intended to streamline all of the School of Communication's information and resources in one place, making it easier for you to access! Featured ResearchCapra, J., & LaBelle, S. (in press). A Qualitative Analysis of Playing Through Pain and Injury: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand the Communicated Sport Ethic among Former Youth Athletes. Their manuscript has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sport Communication. Congratulations! Chapman Radio UpdatesChapman Radio is Top in the Country! The Chapman Radio show “You’re Not Like Other Girls” won best Talk Radio Show in the country for college radio stations. You’re Not Like Other Girls, hosted by Bella Gerencser and Emillie Haskell, is about music, movies, anecdotes, and advice for all the girls out there who don’t know how to spot a jerk that’s not your stereotypical frat bro. This award was won at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s annual conference, and highlights the position of Chapman Radio as one of the best college radio stations in the country. The radio station was also nominated in four other categories. Our Finalized Schedule Check out the schedule and the shows page on our website! We're still adding everyone's show page, but they'll all be up by the end of this week. If you think of anything else you'd like to add to your page (Spotify, social media, updates, etc.) please let me know. Office Hours - Staff members will be at the station to help new DJs during the following hours: Sun 6pm-8pm, Mon 4pm-6pm, Tues 11am-2pm, Weds 11am-1pm, and Thurs 10am-12pm. - If you would like help with your show outside of these hours, email academics@chapmanradio.live. SoC Spring Beach Clean-upJoin the School of Communication for our Spring Beach Clean-up on Saturday, April 23rd from 9:30-11:30 AM at Bolsa Chica State Beach. There are carpools available for students who may need a ride. You can indicate that you need a ride when you RSVP. SoC Senior Send-Off EventSeniors! Join your fellow SoC graduates and celebrate your accomplishments with drinks, food, and festivities at Senior Send-Off! The event with be on Monday, May 2nd at 4 PM at Chapman Crafted. You must be 21+ to drink alcohol. IDs will be checked at the door. Dr. Hopson's Master ClassDr. Mark Hopson will be presenting his first master class for the School of Communication on Communicating Interculturally: Theories, Themes, and Practice for Societal Wellbeing on Tuesday, May 3rd at 4 PM on Zoom. Zoom ID: 946 1099 2167 Message from your Senator, Kyle TanimuraHello Everyone! My name is Kyle Tanimura and I am your Senator in the Student Government Association! I hope that this semester has been treating everyone well! I wanted to let you guys know about some of the things that I have been working on as well as the resources the Student Government Association has for the students of Chapman University! A great resource for those entering into graduate programs is the Student Government Association’s Career and Graduate Testing Fund! Undergraduate students are eligible to apply for up to $250 of funding for one graduate education or career-related exam! Use the link here to learn more about this and have the Student Government Association help with your testing! One thing I noticed coming into Chapman University my freshmen year was the lack of a School of Communication t-shirt at our gift shop. I wanted to be able to proudly wear my SoC t-shirt around campus and share my love for the school. Fortunately, I have worked with the gift shop and there will be SoC t-shirts in the Fall 2022 semester! Get excited as we continue to grow the exposure of the School of Communication! Lastly, as a senator I work with other representatives around campus to help push for change. If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns please do not be afraid to reach out to me via email socsenator@chapman.edu or on our Slack channel (@socsenator-kyle tanimura). You can also come to my Office Hours every Tuesday from 11:00AM-12:00PM in the Argyros Forum Student Union or via ZOOM by request! If you see me around campus, please do not be afraid to come up and say hi and ask your questions! SoC Student Advisory Board Member SpotlightShreya Chhagan '22 is a senior Communication Studies major with a themed inquiry in Leadership Studies. Shreya is excited to be on the student advisory board and hopes to take part in helping our students make meaningful connections and reach their highest potential. Welcome to the board, Shreya! Graduate Student SpotlightAmy Hellem Ph.D. '23 To say I’m a non-traditional Ph.D. student would be an understatement. As a wife, mom and business owner, transitioning back to academia was a difficult choice, but it’s allowed me to utilize my skills in extremely novel and powerful ways. My journey began more than 20 years ago, but it has always been focused on communication and education. Early on, I worked as a writer and editor for health publishing and media companies. As I grew in these organizations, my responsibilities expanded, and I segued into designing medical education programs. My work in this area continues to this day in my role as director of clinical strategy for the largest provider of continuing medical education in the world (Medscape/WebMD). I am also a consultant and communication strategist for several global pharmaceutical and medical device corporations. The most exciting part of all this is that I now also have the opportunity to share my career experience in the classroom as a Graduate Student Instructor. If I could offer one piece of advice to the countless other students who feel anxious about being different, it is this: Don’t hide the things that set you apart. Use them to drive your growth and success. Your future self will thank you. Looking for Internships or Jobs?Have you joined the School of Communication LinkedIn group yet? Keep up to date with all of our latest internship and job opportunities here. Internship OpportunitiesCommunity Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC) have a social media marketing intern position available with flexible start/end dates based on the applicant. It is also a remote and unpaid internship that offers academic credit. This position is an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in developing skills related to marketing, communications, social media, journalism, event planning, and fundraising. https://appliedmedical.com/Careers/Internships Applied Medical - Corporate appliedmedical.com Internship Program | Applied Medical Applied Medical is hiring interns! SoC Alum Meghan McNamara would love to bring on some SoC students to this program! It is paid and runs from 5/31-8/26! Previous Dean's Message Puzzle SolutionLast Month’s Puzzle In the following, erase nine letters so that the remaining letters spell a single word. N A I S N I E N L G E L T E T W E O R R S D If you erase the letters in “nine letters” you get A S I N G L E W O R D This is a (silly) example of a distinction philosophers of language refer to as de dicto versus de re. De dicto means that a word or phrase is intended to be read “as it is written” as opposed to de re, in which the same word or phrase is intended to be read as what it means. For example, the sentence “Snow is black” is true if we read “snow” de dicto, but not de re. You would not have trouble agreeing with the sentences “Snow is red”, or “Snow is green” are both true. So why not “Snow is black”? Two different (de re) solutions interpret “nine letters” to mean we erase all occurrences of nine different letters. So if we erase N, that means we erase N completely (all three occurrences). Now suppose we erase the nine letters NISELTWRD. The remaining letters are AGO --- a single word. In another solution we erase NAISELTWR to leave GOD. |