May Newsletter

COMS Announcements 

COMS Awards Ceremony 
Join us in honoring the accomplishments of our amazing students during the afternoon COMS Awards & Recognitions Ceremony. This event will be held to announce student achievements in areas such as academic excellence, research, service, and DEI efforts. Snacks will be served - we look forward to seeing you at this annual event!  

• Thursday, May 28, 2026, 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM, Building 33 Room 286 (Clyde P. Fisher Science Hall) 
•  Click here for RSVP Link (RSVP by May 22 @11:59pm)

COMS Spring Social 
Join the Communications Studies Department (COMS) for our Spring Social on Wednesday, May 28, from 5:30–7:30 PM at Central Coast Brewing at The Hub in San Luis Obispo. Enjoy tacos, connect with fellow students and faculty, and take time to celebrate and reflect on a successful academic year together. We hope to see you there for an evening of community, conversation, and appreciation! 

• Thursday, May 28, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM, 1701 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 
• Click here for RSVP Link (RSVP by May 22 @ 11:59pm) 

COMS Students: Semester Conversion Study Hall (Free Lunch!)
Thinking about how the transition to semesters will impact your COMS courses and graduation plan? CLA Advising is hosting Semester Conversion Study Hall this Spring—drop-in sessions where you can learn more about the transition, get your questions answered by an academic advisor, and explore helpful resources, all while enjoying free lunch.

The COMS-focused session will be held on Thursday, May 7 from 11:10 AM – 12:30 PM. Be sure to RSVP here so they can plan for food, and check CLA Advising’s Instagram for reminders and location details.

COMS Club & LPH Collab (5/14) 
Join Lambda Pi Eta and the Communications Studies Club for an Underclassmen–Upperclassmen Speed Networking event on May 14th in 10-225 from 11:10 AM to 12:00 PM! This is a chance for underclassmen to ask questions, get honest advice, and hear from upperclassmen about their college experiences.  

CSU Social Science Student Symposium (S4)
Students presented the results of their class research projects at the annual CSU-Wide Social Science Student Symposium (S4) at CSU Fresno, May 1, 2026. Congrats to the following students who represented the Media & Comm Research Initiative & COMS department with their fabulous research!

 

• Grace Carr (with paper collaborators Camille Tucker, Cayden Tan, and Kavika Fitisemanu) presented Color Cues and Consumer Elaboration: How Packaging Color Impacts Health Perceptions and Purchase Intention of Soda Products.

• Charis Gray presented Exploring Speech-Language Pathology in the age AI. Recipient of the Best Qualitative Paper Award "Honorary Mention" (2nd place, $200 award)

• Ryan Nakada, Kiran Atwal, and Savanna Batto (with paper collaborator Solomon Joel) presented “I’m Sorry.” vs. “I’m Sorry!”: The Effect of Punctuation on Sincerity and Accountability Perceptions.

• Marshall Piros (with paper collaborator Kaylie Marrs) presented Beyond the CSU AI Initiative Rollout: Exploring the Continued Uses, Gratifications, and Literacy of Generative Artificial Intelligence Integration at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Recipient of the Best Qualitative Paper Award (1st place, $1,000 award)

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Events & Opportunities

Upcoming Guest Lecture: The Rhetoric of Racial Justice 
The Department of Communication Studies will soon host Dr. Corinne Sugino (The Ohio State University) for a guest lecture titled “The Rhetoric of Racial Justice.” In this talk, Dr. Sugino will explore Asian American rhetoric, racial allegory, and how these frameworks shape our understanding of what it means to be human.

Event Details:
Wednesday, May 6 | 4:10 PM 
Bonderson 104 (Bldg 197) 

This event offers a valuable opportunity for students interested in rhetoric, media, and critical approaches to communication to engage with current scholarship in the field. 

PULSE Recruitment 
PULSE is looking for new Peer Health Educators for the 2026–2027 academic year, with applications open May 1–15. This is the only application cycle for the year.   

About the Role:

• Receive formal health education training  
• Collaborate with campus partners to support students' wellbeing 
• Develop and lead education and outreach programming  

You are encouraged to appply if you are interested in gaining hands-on experience and improving student life.

 

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Faculty & Staff News

Faculty Projects

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 and achievements of your professors: 

Dr. Bethany Conway has had an exciting and impactful stretch, marked by both new research and a significant leadership role on campus. Dr. Conway recently published a book chapter titled “Partisan Identity Moderators of Partisan-Based Motivated Reasoning in Perceiving Incivility” in the edited volume Identity Development and Maintenance in Context. While the title is a bit of a mouthful, the takeaway is clear: people are much more likely to call out political incivility from the opposing party, while often justifying it when it comes from their own. The project also involved one of the most complex statistical analyses of her career. 

In addition, Dr. Conway was elected Chair of Cal Poly’s General Education Governance Board (GEGB). In this role, she will lead a committee that helps shape general education curriculum decisions across the university. She looks forward to the opportunity to contribute in such a meaningful way and is eager to take on this new challenge. 

Dr. Leslie Nelson recently published an invited article, “Communication in Black Families,” in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. This piece highlights how research on communication in Black families is both a necessary and transformative endeavor, expanding theoretical and empirical understandings of family life. It also underscores the importance of centering diverse family experiences in communication scholarship and contributes to ongoing conversations about culture, identity, and relational dynamics. 

Sharing is Caring

Do you have an announcement to share with COMS majors, minors, faculty, and staff? Email COMS Dept to find out how to share it! Follow COMS on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn