COMS News | April 2025
April Newsletter
COMS Announcements
COMS Club
Want to get involved in the COMS major, show your engagement in the discipline, and connect with other COMS students? You're invited to attend COMS Club all quarter long! When and where are the meetings? Visit the COMS Club website or follow their Instagram account for the most up-to-date information. Spring 2025 events are tentatively scheduled below (primarily 11:10 am - 12 pm in 10-223 unless otherwise noted).
- Week 2 (April 10): Resume workshop with Journalism
- Week 3 (April 17): COMS x JOUR Career Fair (5 pm - 7 pm, ATL Building 007)
- Week 4 (April 24): Board interest panel/Q&A COMS classes
- Week 5 (May 1): Alumni panel/professor panel
- Week 7 (May 15): Internships/interview advice
- Week 9 (May 29): Bracelet-making social/picnic (outside at Dexter)
- COMS Spring Social: Date TBD
- Fundraiser (Panda Express or Chipotle): Date TBD
COMS & JOUR Career Fair
Are you looking for a job or summer internship? The COMS and Journalism departments are hosting a career fair! The event takes place Thursday, April 17th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Advanced Technology Lab (Building 007). Students will have the chance to network with over 10 companies that are hiring in relevant fields. Snacks and refreshments will be provided!
COMS Summer Classes
Interested in taking COMS courses over summer? Check out the list of tentative classes for summer 2025 to see which COMS classes are scheduled to be taught and during which session they will most likely be offered. Although the schedule of summer classes is subject to changes, this may help students get ahead in planning.
Poly Gives
Save the date for Poly Gives on Thursday, April 10, 2025! Join the Cal Poly community for a 72-hour celebration of giving to make an impact on the programs, students, and experiences that make Cal Poly special. Want to give directly to the COMS program? Find the QR code on our official Cal Poly Gives flyer, and be sure to share with your supporters! Together, we can create an even brighter future for our COMS students and community members.
COMS Debate News
The COMS Department is enormously proud of our debate team students who have had several fantastic successes at major events in the past month! Among the events, students participated in The Pan Pacific Championship at Hawaii University and the 2025 YODL Championship hosted by Cal Poly! Today, we're highlighting the following student achievements that reflect their dedication, intellectual rigor, and ability to represent Cal Poly with distinction on a national stage. Please join us in congratulating their outstanding work and efforts!
- Sophie Angiulo (POLS): Ranked in the top ten speakers at the Pan Pacific Championship; Distinguished herself as a finalists at YODL; finished as novice division.
- Mason Boerger (COMS): Ranked in the top ten speakers at the Pan Pacific Championship; Advanced to the quarter finals in the open division at YODL; Earned 2nd Place in the Nation in the individual speaker category at YODL.
- Franky Chardos (COMS): Ranked in the top ten speakers at the Pan Pacific Championship; Advanced to the quarter finals in the open division at YODL; earned 4th Place in the Nation in the individual speaker category at YODL
- Lauren Rosenberg (COMS): Distinguished herself as a finalist at YODL; finished as novice division.
Events & Opportunities
Special Event: A Dialogue on Peace in the Middle East
The COMS Department is proud to sponsor an event in collaboration with SLO Hillel and Student Affairs that brings in two special guest speakers: Ambassador Dennis Ross and Ghaith Al-Omari. Ambassador Ross worked for three US Presidents in Middle East peace negotiations and Ghaith Al-Omari is a former advisor to the Palestinian Authority and its president. Together, hear from two world-class leaders guiding us through a conversation about the most burning topics on Israel and Palestine - and asking, is peace possible? The event takes place Wednesday April 9, 2025 at 6:00pm in the PAC Pavillion (Refreshments provided). An RSVP is required to attend - register to attend via the registration link.
Guest Speaker: Amy Kurzweil, Writer and Cartoonist
We're excited to share that special guest speaker, Amy Kurzweil, a writer and cartoonist for the New Yorker, will be coming to campus! Amy will read from her book Artificial: A Love Story, which recounts her experience helping her father (renowned inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil) as he attempts to build an AI chatbot from the archives of his deceased father, Fred (an accomplished conductor and pianist from Vienna who fled the Nazis in 1938). This talk is generously sponsored by the Departments of English and Art & Design, and by the Center for Expressive Technologies. The reading will take place on April 8, 4:10-6:00 pm (Phillips Hall, Building 06, Room 124), and an art workshop is scheduled for April 9, 4:10-6:00 (Eng West, Building 21, Room 206). Space for the workshop is limited and can be reserved here.
Apply for SURP
Looking for a paid summer research experience? Apply for the CLA Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)! Selected CLA SURP students will receive a financial award of $3,500 to support their research engagement, will have multiple opportunities to work closely with faculty mentors, and can participate in professional development throughout an 8-week summer program (approximately 20 hours a week). Research may be conducted in-person, virtually, or hybrid (depending on the project). Student applications are due Thursday, April 17, 2025. For more information, visit the SURP website.
Apply for SURP Project in COMS
COMS Professors Dr. Victoria Zamora and Dr. Marion Hart are soliciting applications for student mentees to participate in a COMS SURP Project! Their project is titled "Latina Testimonios & Community Mapping: Documenting Stories, Transforming Research." This is an interdisciplinary project that explores the lived experiences of Latina women across California’s Central Coast. In this project, student researchers will receive hands-on training in qualitative data collection, thematic coding, and ethical research practices. This project equips students with valuable research skills while fostering community engagement. All student SURP applications are due Thursday, April 17, 2025. For more information, visit the SURP website.
CLA Ambassador Applications
Get involved in a CLA leadership opportunity! CLA Ambassadors are the official student representatives of the College of Liberal Arts. They conduct one-hour campus tours and lead information sessions for prospective students and supporters. In addition, they mentor first-year students in the CLA Learning Community through quarterly outreach events. The last day to submit your application is Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 at 11:59 PM. If you have any immediate questions about the application process, please direct them to Kendall Taylor (ktaylo59@calpoly.edu). For more information on the program, visit this CLA Ambassadors website and apply online here.
Diversity Focus Groups
The College of Liberal Arts is inviting students to a focus group conversation about diversity, student success, and inclusion. These conversations will inform our CLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Planning. All information will be anonymized when collated and summarized. The next focus group session takes place on Friday, April 18 from 12-2 pm over Zoom. To register, visit this link.
CSUE Alliance Workshop: Breaking in
The CSU Entertainment Alliance is hosting a workshop called "Breaking In: How Office & Personal Assistants Get the Advantage" on April 11, 2025, at 12:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link and register for the event, visit the Event website.
CSUE Alliance Worshop: Careers in Gaming
The CSU Entertainment Alliance is hosting an additional workshop called "Careers in Gaming" on May 2, 2025, at 12:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Zoom. Visit the Event website for more information and register to receive the Zoom link.
Careers in Entertainment Expo
The Entertainment Equity Alliance is hosting the "2025 Careers in Entertainment Expo" on April 25, 10:30am - 2:30pm (PST) at Los Angeles Exposition Park (1423 W Vernon Ave Los Angeles, CA 90062). This is a one-day, free interactive event to engage and network with Arts, Media, and Entertainment industry professionals and employers, Hollywood Unions, and workforce development programs. The CSUEA will have a booth at this event, so be sure to stop by! Find out more and register online.
Public Interest Research Group Jobs
Are you looking for a career that allows you to learn skills in advocacy and organizing? The Student Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is hiring for immediate start positions (as well as positions starting in fall 2025) to make a difference in important problems facing our communities. They are looking for seniors who are passionate about issues like protecting our remaining wildlife and wild places, tackling the plastic waste crisis, helping students register and make plans to vote, and more. To find out more information, visit the PIRG website and apply here.
National Survey of Student Engagement
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is recruiting participants for a survey on student participation in programs and activities provided by Cal Poly and the role these activities play in learning and personal development. NSSE results will be shared with faculty to identify impactful instruction practices and areas for
improvement in student learning experiences. The NSSE survey is open from February 25, 2025 to May 12, 2025. Students will receive a link to the NSSE survey in their Cal Poly email. Students who complete the NSSE survey will be entered into a raffle for one of 19 campus bookstore gift cards ranging from $25 – $100
Faculty & Staff News
Faculty Research & Service
Our COMS Department faculty are always participating in high-quality teaching, research, and service projects within our academic community! This month we're highlighting the following news showcasing the work of your professors:
Dr. Darrian Carroll's scholarship was recently published by the Quarterly Journal of Speech in an article titled "Outlasting rhetoric: Baltimore transportation and resuscitating the red line." This piece extends contemporary rhetorical scholars’ attempts to imagine a more just temporality by revealing a rhetorical form that foregrounds Black people’s ability to precede and exceed white time—outlasting rhetoric.
Dr. Anu Dhillon's scholarship was recently published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships in an article titled "Decoding stressful conversations: Investigating the links between testosterone, relational outcomes, and perceived (non) accommodation in mixed-sex college couples." This piece (written with co-author Amanda Denes) explored whether the hormone testosterone (T) is associated with post-conversation relational outcomes through perceptions of partners’ (non)accommodative behaviors during a stressful conversation.
Dr. Anu Dhillon's scholarship was also recently published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior in an article titled "Charting salivary oxytocin across an episode of naturally occurring partnered sex." This article is currently in press (written in collaboration with co-authors Denes, Bennett, Crowley, Cornelius, Stebbins, & Granger).
Dr. Maria Subert's scholarship was recently published in Peace & Change: A Journal of Peace Research in an article titled "Portrayals of Roma Emancipation and Resistance: A Harmonious and Non-Violent Representation." This article examines how artists with Roma roots critique their othering and segregation, and how they view emancipation from and resistance to it.
Dr. Maria Subert's scholarship was also recently published in the Handbook of Conflict and Peace Communication in a book chapter called "A Roma heritage pilgrimage: Peace-building and redefining identity." This book offers an in-depth view of how intricate and intractable conflicts can be and how the communicative aspects of conflict are equally challenging.
Sharing is Caring
Do you have an announcement to share with COMS majors, minors, faculty, and staff? Email Dr. Brie to find out how to share it! Follow COMS on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn