Happy May COMS Mustangs!

This newsletter is designed to help keep majors, minors, faculty, and staff up-to-date so you can learn about news, career advice, events, networking opportunities, well-wishes, and inspirational stories surrounding your peers and community.

Announcements

• Saturday, May 13: Pismo Beach Clean-up (8:30am-10:00am)
• Tuesday, May 23: Leadership Opportunities (11:10am-12:00pm)

• Thursday, May 18, 2023, 6:30PM - 8:30PM, (attire: casual, informal), Bang the Drum Brewery (1150 Laurel Ln Suite 130, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401)
• Click here for RSVP Link (RSVP by May 15 @11:59pm)

• Chloe Abinanti, Evelyn Walker, Julia Voss, and Tyler Rivas presented their co-authored project titled: The Effect of Dry Texting on Perceived Likability of Message Sender and Messaging Style *Recipient of the McCall Award for Best Undergraduate Paper ($500 award) 

• Congrats to Mackenzie Demay who was the recipient of two CLA awards this spring! She won the Award in Service to the Community and the Award in Outstanding Senior in COMS. Mackenzie is a senior COMS major who has served as COMS Club Co-President/DEI Chair, Camp PolyHacks Director, Lead Project Assistant for the Commencement Office, and Media & Communication Student Researcher (on research in the process of getting published).
• Congrats to Savannah DeBaets who was also the recipient of a CLA award this spring! She won the Award in Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the University. Savannah is a senior COMS major who has served on Poly Reps as an Official University Ambassador (campus tours and connecting with prospective students). She has also had executive roles in this position including President, Vice President, and New Member Recruitment Chair. Lastly, she has worked in the Gross Anatomy Learn By Doing Lab (Student Director, mentor), and is in the Cal Poly Honors Program.

Events & Opportunities

COMS Student Assistant Job
Did you know the COMS department is looking for a student assistant for next academic year (starting Fall 2023)? Want to level up your professional admin and social media skills in a vibrant collegiate environment? Join the Communication Studies Department team! We're hiring a reliable and creative student assistant to handle front desk duties and help curate our social media presence. If you're a social media master, have strong communication skills, and want to work on exciting projects, apply now! Applications are due Friday May 12 (5pm). For application information, visit this link.

Event: Say What?!
Bad at communication? Hate bad communicators? We have the perfect comedy show for you. On May 11th at 6:30pm (Room 101, Building 180, Baker Science) eight improvisers will be combining comedy with concepts from everyday interactions. You will be guaranteed an hour of laughter, and you may even learn a few things about your own and others’ communication styles. Each improv game will showcase good, moderate, bad, and VERY bad communicators (we’ve all met them). This event is welcome to everyone! 
 

Event: Cal Poly Alumni Womxn in Industry
The Cal Poly Alumni – Orange County Community invites you to participate in the Womxn in Industry two-part event, happening on Friday, May 19! Don’t miss this chance to get to know fellow Cal Poly alumni in your area and hear from a panel of womxn who will share about their professional journey since graduating from Cal Poly. Fellow COMS alumni helped plan this upcoming event that you don't want to miss! There are options to participate virtually and/or in-person. Find out more at the event webpage and RSVP by May 12. 

Polyhacks Planning Committee
Join the 2023-2024 Camp Polyhacks Hackathon Planning Committee! Camp Polyhacks is an ASI Student Club that organizes a yearly interdisciplinary hackathon focusing on local challenges. This event brings students from across campus together for a weekend to learn from community partners and tackle pressing problems in the community. This is a great learn-by-doing experience that may count for class credit (e.g., internship) and/or senior project. Plus, you'll work closely with an inspirational team. In turn, you will: Gain hands-on experience and hone practical skills, join a close-knit team of passionate students, and build relationships and network with industry professionals. For more information visit the signup link.

Internship: Mustang Media Group
The Mustang Media Group is recruiting student interns to join their marketing team for the 2023-2024 academic year. Students on this team will assist in coming up with marketing plans and ideas, brainstorm boothing events on and off campus, and assist in the needs of the marketing team such as sending out the digital newsletter and helping staff events. This position is also perfect for those interested in marketing but haven’t had the opportunity to explore the field. Students can earn COMS 450 Internship credit for participation (reach out to Dr. Nelson for more internship info). To find out more about the opportunity and apply, visit the internship post.

Internship: Clean Cities University Workforce
This summer, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities University Workforce
Development Program (CCUWDP) invites undergraduate and graduate students to start their professional journey in clean transportation. All majors accepted. Emphasis on: Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, Business, Engineering, and Environmental Sciences. Positions are 30 or 40 hours per week (determined by the Coalition) for 10 weeks. Internship dates: approximately June 5, 2023, through August 18, 2023. Stipends range from $4,500 – $7,200 depending on academic level and the number of hours assigned by the coalition. Please apply here, by 11:59pm CT on Sunday, May 7. If you have any questions, please email cleancitiesintern@anl.gov.

CSU Media Arts Festival
The CSU Media Arts Festival welcomes students from all California State University campuses to submit media projects to the 2023 competition. Submissions accepted in Animation, Documentary/Creative Non-Fiction, Narrative, and Short Screenplay. CSU students may submit one project as one of the following roles: Creator, Director, Producer, Writer (Screenplay, only). The submission deadline is Tuesday, May 16, 2023. For more information, visit the Media Arts Festival page. 

Americorps 
Cal Poly is recruiting college seniors and recent Cal Poly grads for an AmeriCorps service year on-campus. Gain a headstart for your career by helping college students navigate and overcome systemic barriers to achieve their goal of a college degree. Earn sought-after skills in team leadership, facilitation, equity and inclusion, data management, intercultural communication, and transferable industry expertise. To be eligible, must be a recent Cal Poly grad or expect to graduate by August 2023. Compensation & benefits include a living allowance of $23,000, an education award of $6,895, Medical, dental, and vision coverage, and student loan forbearance and interest accrual. For more information, visit the CollegePossible page and attend an online information session May 11 or May 25, 2023. 
 

Faculty News 

Dr. Lori Jackson
Dr. Jackson recently worked on a research project with Dr. Julia Alber (Kinesiology) on the topic of health concerns related to vaping to examine outbreaks, perceptions, and policies. Their research was featured in the inaugural issue of the College of Science and Mathematics in a publication highlighting this student-faculty project. For more information and to read all about it, visit the summary article online.
 

Professor Lisa Kawamura
Professor Kawamura was elected to the Statewide CFA Board of Directors at CFA’s 96th Assembly as a Chapter Presidents Representative. This is on top of the amazing work and service Professor Kawamura does as President of our SLO CFA chapter in which she works to improve faculty working conditions and student learning conditions. 
 

Professor Jeremy Teitelbaum
During our spring break, Professor Teitelbaum volunteered with Angloville in Poland tutoring English to business professionals from the region. This helped many people to advance their careers with stronger English skills. He also had the opportunity to visit several of the historical sites in the country. If COMS majors are interested in traveling and teaching during breaks or after graduation and want to hear about the experience, feel free to reach out to him for more information.

ICA Annual Conference (ICA)

COMS Scholars head to the 73 Annual International Communication Association (ICA) conference in Toronto, Canada May 25-29, 2022. Those in attendance will be presenting original research, sharing best practices in teaching, participating in academic service, and networking. Scheduled speakers are included below!

• COMS alum Katie Holmes (graduated spring, 2022) and Dr. Leslie Nelson are scheduled to present their joint project on “Something Would Have Been Better Than Nothing": An Analysis of Young U.S. Adults' Stories of Being Ghosted. 
• Dr. David Askay and Dr. Anuraj Dhillon (with co-author Lynn Metcalf) are scheduled to present their joint project on Accepting Group Decisions Aided by Artificial Intelligence: The Mediating Role of Procedural Fairness
  Between Decision Fit and Decision Acceptance.

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