C O M M ConnectionCommunication Studies Department | California State University, San Bernardino Volume 4 Number 1

2011

com·mu·ni·ca·tion[kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn]

1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being

communicated.

2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information

by speech, writing, or signs.

3. something imparted,interchanged, or transmitted.

The Communication Studies Department at California State University San Bernardino pre-pares students for the work-world of the 21st century—global in scope, technology-based, and highly interactive. With fi ve concentrations, Communication Studies majors

can develop strengths and skills in Intercultural Communication, Human Communication, Argumenta-tion and Rhetoric, Mass Communication (Television, Radio, and Journalism) and Public Relations.

In the pages of this newsletter you will get to know our faculty and their accomplishments, learn about our successful graduate students and alumni, and be introduced to those who have made a difference in our department and in the community.

In Communication Studies we learn about communication in all its facets, theoretical and applied, and we experience working with the tools of the trade. Students in Communication Studies write and produce the broadcast show “Local Matters,” which is seen on cable television throughout San Bernardino. Students write, layout, edit and manage the Coyote Chronicle, the university’s newspa-per. Students also participate in the nationally affi liated Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Coyote Radio, and the Debate Team. All of these activities provide students with great op-portunities to develop skills, make life-long friendships, and grow in confi dence ready for what comes after graduation.

The Newsletter staff, which is comprised of students, has come together with the faculty to bring you this newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Finally, we would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2011. We wish them the best of luck in their careers and remind them that with all the new social media outlets, there is no excuse for not staying in touch!

Dr. Astrid Sheil, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, Richard Bowie, Eric Brown, Diana Cansino, Caitlin Elgin, Michael Moore, Louis Penna

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COMM Connection

Presented by Communication Studies DepartmentCalifornia State University, San BernardinoJune 2011

Comm Connection Editorial

Comm Connection

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Message from the Chair

Greetings to our faculty, students and alumni! It has been a privilege serving as the Interim Chair in such a lively, diverse, and engaged department. As an English professor by trade, I have found Com-

munication Studies to be a whole new world, full of possibilities and achieve-ments by students and faculty alike.

Let’s start with students, since that is what this Department is all about. The Coyote Chron-icle, the independent student voice of CSUSB, is not only going from strength to strength, but it is now doing it online at CoyoteChronicle.net, its very own server. Coyote Radio (available at radio.csusb.edu) has continued its popular “Lunchtime Live!” program Thursdays, noon to two. Local Matters had its fi rst live web broad-casts on justin.tv. The CSUSB chapter of the Pub-lic Relations Student Society of America has been busy designing, planning, and manag-ing the Communication Studies Award Banquet. This year’s theme is “Masked Ball.” One of the chapter’s members, Eddie Hahn, won a $1,000 scholarship from the Public Relations Society of America, Inland Empire. Another member, Ku-dratdeep Dhaliwal, won a $10,000 grant from the LAGRANT Foundation. Another member, Sa-sha Rice, was a fi nalist for the prestigious 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) competition.

Other students have distinguished them-selves in various venues. The National Communi-cations Association (NCA) is the leading scholarly organization in our fi eld, and the selection of papers for its national convention is highly competitive. Four of our graduate students, Stephanie Gomez, Wei-Yen Lin, Chika

Minei, and Fouzia Shibley read at the 2010 NCA Convention last Fall in San Francisco, with Ms. Minei winning a prestigious “Top Paper” award. As of this writing, fi ve students, Natalia Lopez-Thismon, Elena Martinez, Jose Ri-vera, Consuelo Sanchez, and Onyx Taylor, will read at the 2011 NCA Convention, to be held in New Orleans this Fall. Ms. Taylor has also had a paper accepted for presentation at the 2011 Ubiquitous Learning Conference at U.C. Berke-ley. Both Stephanie Gomez and Kimberly Aguilar (M.A. 2010) won “Top Paper” awards for papers at the 2010 Western States Commu-nication Association Convention in February.

As Ms. Aguilar’s achievement shows, great students make great alumni. For example, 2010 B.A. Johnny Coffeen’s documentary on the artist John Frame was shown at The Hunting-ton Museum’s Boone Gallery during the Frame Exhibition this Spring. Beverly Navidad (M.A. 2006) successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Denver.

Thanks to Dr. Ruey-ling Chuang,

Phi Beta Delta, which was founded in 1987 as the fi rst honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievements in international educa-tion, will be headquartered at CSUSB starting in July. Dr. Chuang has been appointed as its Execu-tive Director and CEO. Dr. Chuang is also Project Director of an NEH Humanities Initiative Grant, in which Dr. Ece Algan, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, and Ms. Donna Gotch will participate. Dr. Heather Hundley is serving this year as the President of the Western States Communication Association. Five of our faculty have won travel grants; Dr. Algan to travel to Turkey, Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb to Syria and Jordan, Dr. Bradford Owen to England and Germany, Dr. Mihaela Popescu to Romania, and Dr. Astrid Sheil to China. This summer, truly, the sun will never set on the Department of Communication Studies.

This year started auspiciously with the el-evation of Dr. Jo Anna Grant to the rank of Professor. We also have a new Graduate Coordi-nator, Dr. Popescu, and a new Graduate Teaching Associate Coordinator, Dr. Owen. Less happily, Dr. Nathan Carter has left us (we hope temporar-ily) to work on a special grant for the U.S. Depart-ment of Education. We say good-bye to long-time lecturer and debate coach J. Scott Rodriguez, who has accepted a job to teach in China. We wish them both well.

And we wish all our alumni well. Please stay in touch, and if you are in the area, stop by and tell us what you have been up to.

Ted Ruml, Interim Chairtruml@csusb.edu

communication.csusb.edu

3Comm Connection

Faculty FoursquareNews from around the department

Dr. Ece Algan was awarded a Professors Across Borders Faculty Development Grant and a Mini-Grant this year. Her article entitled “Be-ing read by a DJ: Youth interaction via radio and cell phones in Southeast Turkey” got published in Nordicom’s Children, Youth and Media Yearbook. She presented papers at the Research Forum of the World Summit on Media for Children and Youth in Karlstad, Sweden, the European Net-work of Cinema and Media Studies Conference in Istanbul and the National Communication As-sociation Conference in San Francisco. She also served as a chair and respondent for two dif-ferent panels at the World Congress on Middle Eastern Studies in Barcelona.

Ece Algan, Ph.D.

For the second year, Dr. Astrid Sheil partici-pated as one of two offi cial bloggers at the an-nual Women’s Conference in Long Beach, which attracts 25,000 participants. Through a Profes-sors Across Borders grant, Dr. Sheil traveled to China with Dr. Tapie Rohm of the CSUSB Business School and Dr. David Kung of LaVerne Univer-sity to set up short courses in management and communication with the University of Shanghai, Science and Technology. Dr. Sheil co-authored 2 papers with students this year. Both papers were accepted for presentation at the International Public Relations Research Conference and the National Communication Association Convention, respectively. Dr. Sheil continues as the faculty advisor for the PRSSA.

Astrid Sheil, Ph.D.

Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb was awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Profes-sor. She received a $4,000 grant to complete her documentary on the Palestinian refugees, “1948: A History Erased.” She was also the re-cipient of two other internal grants--Professors Across Borders and the CSUSB Innovative Course Development Grant. Dr. Muhtaseb serves as the book review editor for the scholarly Journal of Arab Studies Quarterly. In addition to presenting two papers at the Western States Communication Association Convention in February 2011, Dr. Muhtaseb was the keynote speaker at the UC San Diego “Remembering Our Roots” Banquet and presented her study of Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon at the Palestinian Refugee Week at San Diego State University. As a renowned scholar on the Palestinian issue, Dr. Muhtaseb participated in a media breakfast about Islamophobia, which was attended by journalists from Southern California. Lastly, Dr. Muhtaseb’s paper on her experience as a female faculty of color was competitively accepted by the Feminist and Women Studies Division for presentation at the National Communication Association Convention in New Orleans in fall 2011.

Ahlam Muhtaseb, Ph.D.

Robin Larsen made a presentation in August 2010 at the University Film & Video Association conference in Brattleboro VT on fi lm director

Robin Larsen, Ph.D.

Nicholas Ray for a panel entitled “Hollywood Directors and the Cold War.” In December, her abstract for an essay entitled “Places, Spaces and Rituals in ‘Rebel without a Cause’” was accepted for a collection called “Going Home: Essays on Nicholas Ray in Cinema Culture,” which is being edited by Steven Rybin and Will Scheibel for the Horizons of Cinema series at SUNY Press At the Phi Beta Delta conference on Mar. 31 in Long Beach, she and Anthony Fellow, Chair and Professor of Communication, CSU Fullerton gave a paper on their communication-oriented study-abroad program for CSUSB and CSUF students.

4 communication.csusb.edu

Dr. Mihaela Popescu co-authored two manu-scripts accepted for publication in Poetics and New Perspective on Turkey. In addition, she received a Professors Across Borders grant to research cultural consumption in Romania this summer. Dr. Popescu now serves on the edito-rial board of the scholarly journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, and consults for a major interdisciplinary content analysis project at UC Santa Barbara. Here at CSUSB, Dr. Popescu has become a research associate for the Learning Research Institute and is collaborating on devel-oping the content analysis software CODER.

Mihaela Popescu, Ph.D.

Dr. Mary Fong’s book chapter, “The spiritual-ity of ‘being’ grace, tao, and awaken in intercul-tural communication” was published in a schol-arly book entitled, Intercultural Communication: A Reader, 13th edition, by Samovar, Porter, and

Mary Fong, Ph.D.

McDaniels (Eds.) Her article, “The Nexus of Lan-guage, Communication, and Culture” was also reprinted in the same volume for four editions. She is currently working on an autoethnography of her experiences with culture, spirituality and communication.

Dr. Rueyling Chuang was awarded $96,734 for an NEH Humanities Initiatives Grant for In-stitutions with High Hispanic Enrollment. As the project director for the grant, Chuang will involve 15 faculty members from various dis-ciplines and colleges to form a faculty learning community dedicated to promoting cultural com-petency by bridging cultural differences. This NEH grant enables Chuang to establish a CSUSB digital humanities network with YouTube, wikis and podcasts for campus and local communities. In addition to her NEH grant, Dr. Chuang received the Teaching Skills Study Award and the Scholar-ship of Teaching and Learning Award from the CSUSB Teaching Resource Center. In additions to her awards, Dr. Chuang became the new execu-tive director and chief executive offi cer for the International Honor Society, Phi Beta Delta. She also published two articles entitled “Reincarna-tion in Dharmic Religions” and “Sand Mandala” in the Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife.

Rueyling Chuang, Ph.D.

Dr. Bradford Owen was funded by the Dow Jones Multimedia Journalism Training Academy to attend their week-long workshop at the Uni-versity of Texas, El Paso in June 2010. Later in the summer, beginning his duties as departmen-tal TA Coordinator, he conducted the summer training program for new and returning Commu-nication Studies Graduate Teaching Associates. For Fall 2010, he was engaged by the College of Arts and Letters to teach Humanities 180: The Art of Film, and taught the completely revamped course to 243 undergraduates from across the campus (and then taught it again in Winter 2011). For 2011, he was awarded a Professors Across Borders grant to do research in Berlin on current German cinema and to present his experimental research paper “Viewing Pleasure: Transporta-tion, Affective Disposition, and Need for Cogni-tion as Factors in Enjoyment of Film Narratives” at the European Cinema and Media Studies Net-work (NECS) conference in London, UK.

Bradford Owen, Ph.D.

Dr. Rod Metts completed his educational video Your World, Your Watershed for the Water Resources Institute. (The Water Resources Insti-tute uses the video as part of their educational campaign to inform school children about the importance of preserving the area’s watershed).

Rod Metts, Ph.D.

Faculty FoursquareNews from around the department

5Comm Connection

Dr. Heisterkamp’s research interests involve the relationship between social action and social structures and the manner in which conversation can be examined to understand mediator be-havior, confl ict, and interpersonal relationships, particularly gay and lesbian relationships. He teaches courses at the undergraduate and grad-uate level in confl ict and mediation; relational communication; nonverbal communication; and research methods. Dr. Heisterkamp is a member of the University Instructionally Related Pro-grams Board, the Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee, the University Intellectual Life Com-mittee, and a member of the Women’s Studies affi liated faculty. He has been an active member of Western States Communication Association and the National Communication Association with particular involvement in the Language and Social Interaction groups of each association.

Brian Heisterkamp, Ph.D.

Dr. Jo Anna Grant’s research interests center around Interpersonal Communication, Aging, and Health. Currently she is studying portrayals of cancer in the media, and how cancer narratives can be used to bridge health literacy and cultural divides. Grant teaches classes in Persuasion, Re-lational Communication, Research Methods, and Health Communication. Dr. Grant was tenured to a full professor last summer!

Jo Anna Grant, Ph.D.

Professor J. Scott Rodriguez is leaving the department and CSUSB after 20 years of ser-vice. The long-standing director of the forensics debate team, Rodriguez has invested his time and talent instilling students with the ability to “argue.” Rodriguez has been invaluable to the Communication Studies Department and he will be deeply missed as both a lecturer and friend.

J. Scott Rodriguez, M.A.

Heather Hundley is the Director of Special Events, Palm Desert Campus (PDC). Heather Hundley teaches courses in mass media includ-ing media history, media and culture, and media law. Her graduate courses include introduction to graduate studies, interpretative approaches, seminar in mass media, and digital culture. Her research interests range from issues of gender, feminism, sport, pop culture, law, and health re-lated issues such as portrayals of alcohol con-sumption, cancer, and sexual promiscuity.. She has published in journals such as Communication Reports, Visual Communication Quarterly, and Journal of Intergroup Relations among others.

Heather Hundley, Ph.D.

Dr. Mo Bahk, who was on sabbatical this past year, published two papers: one, coauthored with Sheil, Rohm, and Lin and titled “Digital Media De-pendency, Relational Orientation, and Social Net-working among College Students” was published in the journal Communications of the IIMA. The second is titled “Environmental Education through Narrative Films: Impact of Medicine Man on Attitudes toward Forest Preservation” and was published in The Journal of Environmental Education.

Mo Bahk, Ph.D.

Faculty FoursquareNews from around the department

Coyote Chronicle

6 communication.csusb.edu

Graduate student newsKudra Dhaliwal, a fi rst year master’s student, was the recipient of the

prestigious LaGrant Foundation Scholarship, which encourages minorities to enter the fi eld of public relations and advertising.

She received $10,000 and was fl own to New York City to receive her award. Kudra is the second CSUSB graduate student to win the

award. Last year, Ashley Jones, also won the award.

Stephanie Gomez’s paper “Democracy Confronts Capitalism: Implications from Sheppard v. Maxwell” (with Heather Hundley) received the Top

Paper award from the Freedom of Expression and Legal Communication Interest Group, Western States Communication Association Convention,

2011. Stephanie was accepted, fully funded with a teaching fellowship, to doctoral programs at both the University of Utah

and the University of Iowa.

Nasim Zaher interned for the Honorable Barbara Boxer, United States Senator from California, during Fall 2010 and Winter 2011.

Elena Martinez’s paper “All in the Family? Heteronormative Ideol-ogy in The Kids Are All Right”

was competitively accepted for presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association Con-vention in New Orleans, GLBTQ

Communication Studies Division.

Sasha Rice was a fi nalist for the prestigious 4A’s Multicultural Ad-vertising Intern Program (MAIP)

competition.

Jose Rivera’s paper, “Rite of Passage: Mexican American Girls, their Parents and the

Negotiation of the Quinceanera” was competitively accepted for

presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association (NCA)

Convention in New Orleans. In addition, Jose Rivera co-authored a paper with Dr. Astrid Sheil and Natalia Lopez-Thismon entitled

“Going the Distance: Reaching the Hispanic immigrant community through public relations service learning—A Case Study,” which was also accepted for presenta-tion at the 2011 NCA convention.

Consuelo Sanchez’ paper “Legos are Harmless – Right?” was competitively accepted for

presentation at the 2011 National Communication Association Con-vention in New Orleans, Student

Section Division.Fouzia Shibley’s paper “Organiza-tional Cultural Diversity Training” was competitively presented at

the 2010 National Communication Association convention in San

Francisco.

Michelle van Wolferen presented at the Southern California Speech Educators Forum 2011, at Crafton

Hill College.

Steven Goss received an intern-ship to teach English to students in Japan, July and August 2011.

Onyx Taylor’s paper “Is Apple’s iPad Benefi cial to Students and Educators? A Content Analysis

of User’s Reviews” was competi-tively accepted for presentation

at the Ubiquitous Learning Conference 2011 at U.C. Berkeley. Onyx will also present the paper “A Review of African-American Seminal Research” at the NCA

convention in 2011.

Richard Welshiemer has been working as a paid PR intern for the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (ASRL) where he

coordinates the foundation’s na-tional essay contest. ASRL offers fi nancial support to single parent families who have a child with a

catastrophic illness.

I have had the privilege of being a part of the Research Infrastructure in Minority

Institutions (RIMI) as a Health Scholar for the past year. As a health scholar, I have analyzed health data collected in Riverside County in order to gain an understanding of the inequalities that exist among diverse populations and their ability to access healthcare services. My group and I have investi-

gated populations that use the emer-gency department and the attributes associated with frequent visits. With the assistance of our RIMI faculty, our emergency department fi ndings will be included in a paper we are submitting for publication over the summer.

My background as a communica-tion student along with over 20 years of experience as an employee of a government agency that provides ser-vices to diverse communities has al-lowed me to provide input related to communication behaviors associated

with multi-cultural populations and the physician-patient relationship. The passion I have to bring about healthy changes in minority communities, starting with mine, and the opportuni-ties I have been given with RIMI are preparing me for a career in the health fi eld. I would like to continue health research after graduation. As a fi rst generation college student, I plan on taking an active role in reducing health inequalities to ensure that health care is not a privilege, but a right.

Martha Rendon

A graduate’s biggest fear is not being able to fi nd a job when fi rst exiting college. For Melanie Hunter, a 2010 mass communication gradu-ate, the fear pushed her to succeed.

“Every year while I was at CSUSB I made sure that I did dif-ferent internships,” Hunter said. “I wanted to make sure that I was prepared for what I wanted to do for a career.”

Hunter, currently a junior publi-cist at It Girl Public Relations, found her position while doing online PR for an apparel company.

The agency manages a lot of high profi le clients, such as Latoya Jackson¸ “Days of our Lives,” Cha-

ka Khan, Mike Epps, “The Bad Girls Club,” Cedric the Entertainer, Nelly, VH1 Reality stars, and more.

“I personally deal with the cast of the NBC soap opera ‘Days of Our Lives,’” Hunter said.

Although she wasn’t a big fan of school, Hunter had a couple of pro-fessors that infl uenced her through-out her studies at CSUSB.

“Dr. Astrid Sheil was a big infl u-ence on me while I attended CSUSB,” Hunter said. “She is very passion-ate about what she does and that kept me motivated. Jim Smart was another infl uence of mine. While I worked under him as an editor for the Coyote Chronicle, he taught me a lot and I use the skills I learned under him to this day.”

7Comm Connection

Coyote Alumni CSUSB Alumna Melanie Hunter Shines Among the Stars

By JON ROSS ALEXANDER

Life after graduation from CSUSB (fall class 2010) has been wonder-ful. I graduated with a double bach-elors in Mass Communication and Public Argumentation and Rhetoric with a minor in Spanish.

The day after graduation, I was a bit confused on what footsteps to take next; whether to go to law school or apply to a masters pro-gram. The answer was such a great reward to all the hard work I had put in for four years - last October, I was given the opportunity to teach English at the Juan de Tavora Insti-tute in Puertollano, Spain.

I never thought of teaching as a career option for me but it has been

By JEANNETTE MONROY a blessing in disguise. This public school has a very strong bilingual program that has a talented fac-ulty and very ambitious students. I was allowed to be creative with

the different age groups and share American culture with them as well. Spain is a beautiful country that I have been able to explore and I am planning to stay in it for another

school year.I am proud to be a CSUSB Coyote

and want to thank all the profes-sors that I had for believing in me.

An American Coyote in Spain

College graduates take away something once they leave college and Hunter is no different.

“I learned to not use college as a crutch,” Hunter said. “A friend of mine works at ABC as an editor in the newsroom, and told me she fi red her assistant on their fi rst day. Her assistant had a Harvard degree along with recommendations from all of her professors, but could not book a fl ight for one of the execu-tives and didn’t know how to trans-fer a phone call.”

When asked for the most impor-tant bit of advice for the graduating class, Hunter left this bit of knowl-edge for the 2011 graduates:

“Have some experience under your belt. Find a way to do some-

thing other than just attend class and get good grades.”

A profession is like a marriage - you have to love it in order to maintain it. When choosing her profession as a teacher, Donna Gotch knew that it was going to be forever. Gotch, a lecturer at Cal State San Bernardino, has been offering her knowledge to students at this campus for 20 years now and doesn’t plan on stopping.

With two degrees in speech communication, Gotch teaches a variety of courses from lower division classes such as COMM 120 (Oral Commu-nication) to upper division classes like COMM 431 (Classroom Communica-tion).

Gotch admits that the fi eld of Communication Studies was not always her major.

As an undergraduate, Gotch declared Eng-lish as her major. It was not until her third year

that she discovered Communication Studies held more of her interest.

“I’ve always been interested in seeing the type of communication that goes on in classroom environments,” she said.

That is why she considers COMM 431 to be one of the most interesting courses she teaches. It is a class that analyzes the type of commu-

nication that occurs in an instructional setting.

Even before knowing communication would be her fi eld of study, she knew teaching was what she wanted to pursue.

“The day I became a graduate assistant, I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Gotch said.

With that motivation, nothing would get in the way, not even the long commute from Pasa-dena to CSUSB. Gotch, who has been living in Pasadena all her life, has never thought twice about her commute to this campus.

Even as gas prices rise close to $5 a gallon, no price could be put on the happiness she gets from teaching.

Aside from fi rmly believing that a person should always live where they want to live, Don-na Gotch knows one thing for sure, “If you love what you do, then you do it!”

This is what makes Gotch such an extraordi-nary teacher: the passion she holds for her ca-reer. Not everyone can say they wake up in the morning feeling happy to go to work, yet Gotch can.

“This is the only job I have ever wanted and I just love what I do.”

Gotch is a life member of WSCA (Western States Communication Association). She served as the Basic Course Director for the 2010 WSCA conference in Alaska. She served as Co-Chair of the Local Host Committee for the 2006 WSCA Convention in Palm Springs. She is a former Chair of the Communication and Instruction Interest Group of WSCA.

An alumna of California State University, Los Angeles, Gotch attained both her B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies before joing CSUSB.

8 communication.csusb.edu

Connection Spotlight: Donna Gotch

Twenty years & thrivingBy Stefany Zacarias

“This is the only job I have ever wanted and I just love what I do.”

Donna Gotch, Lecturer

9Comm Connection

Lambda Pi Eta inducts 25 new members in June 2011

The Communications Honor Society chapter Lambda Pi Eta will be

inducting 25 new members at the communication dinner and awards night on June 10, 2011.

Each year, the honor society invites students from all commu-nication concentrations to join this prestigious organization. There were 80 letters sent out to prospec-tive members this year inviting them to attend the awards banquet to honor their academic dedication.

“It is a great honor to meet the newest members,” Dr. Brian Heis-terkamp said. “Seeing the pride in their parents’ eyes is amazing.”

The honor society has main-tained six principles, or goals, since its inception on campus nine years ago. These goals include recogniz-ing, fostering, and rewarding out-standing scholastic achievement in communication studies, stimulate interest in the fi eld of communica-

tion and promote and encourage professional development among communication majors.

When asked how the chapter has met these goals this past year, Dr. Heisterkamp said, “The goals are more like characteristic ideas we strive to achieve. Our primary goal is to continue the tradition of Lambda Pi Eta.”

The tradition of selecting new members includes certain criteria that the students must meet to be invited to join. A review of those who fi t the mold is performed each year and letters are sent out to these students informing them of

their selection.In order to meet the qualifi ca-

tions to become a member, stu-dents must declare a major within the communication concentrations, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (3.25 within the major) and be in good standing with the university.

“The general reaction I’ve re-ceived from students who have been selected to join has been, ’How did I qualify for this?’” Dr. Heisterkamp said. “There are other reactions where the student is thrilled with being selected.”

Most of the students who are selected come from the graduating

class. By being a member of the honor society, those students earn the right to wear honor cords as part of their graduation ensemble.

“A fee of $44 is required to complete the membership process,” Heisterkamp said. “Often it is the prestige of belonging to this chap-ter that encourages invitees to be-come members.”

Students who are part of the honor society enjoy benefi ts of being part of a well-known and ca-reer-thrusting organization. These benefi ts include the exploration for graduate education in communica-tion and establishing and maintain-ing closer relationships between faculty and students.

Justine Plemons, former ASI president, has enjoyed these ben-efi ts, which have enhanced her edu-cational experience.

“Lambda Pi Eta has given me the chance to be part of some-thing larger than myself,” Plemons said.“It upholds my academic suc-cess to a higher caliber. I am thank-ful to be part of this growing orga-nization.”

Lambdi Pi Eta June 2011 Inductees:

By Joe McManus

Megan Ann Adams, Natalie A. Bedney, Nicholas E. Berry, Andrea Patricia Brandstetter, Jessica Brooks, Amanda Carlstrom, Kyla Cook, Chris Evans, Christopher Flaharty,

Angelina E. Garibay, Alexander Hedstrom, Justin Adam Ivey, Kimberly Marie Lao Jacinto, Carlos Charlie Meza, Paulina Partida, Linda Prettyman, Maria Riesta, Christopher William

Schneider, Jason Spear, Ryan Marshall Talbert, Matthew Tedder, Jennifer Thompson, Maria Fernanda Torres

10 communication.csusb.edu

CSUSB debate team reinvents, reenergizes and rediscovers its competitive edge in 2011.

Coach Shawnee Biggerstaff, new debate team coach, has a lot to be proud of this year. Her team, con-sisting mostly of new recruits, sur-passed her expectations.

“I’m very proud of all the ac-complishments the team has had this year. They have had a very successful season especially after the rocky start we had,” Biggerstaff said.

It was this rocky start that pro-pelled the team to new heights this season.

“Rebuilding the team and learn-ing the ropes of parliamentary debate to compete nationally was tough. I wanted to keep the focus on fun and for the team to ‘fi nd the funny’ throughout the season,” Big-gerstaff said.

The team competed in four tournaments and placed at each one. Superior Speaker awards were awarded to David Allison and Ron-nie Dawson in Parliamentary de-bate at the Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics Tournament in Portland,

Debate teamBy JOE MCMANUS

CSUSB Debate takes tournaments by storm

Oregon.At the Ozark National Rookie

Championship held at John Brown University in Arkansas, Kevin Gema and Gus Shalabi won fi rst place team award, while David Allison and Ronnie Dawson won second place team award in the category of Parliamentary Debate. Dawson, Gema, and Allison won fi rst, second and third place speaker awards respectively at the tournament as well.

“We competed against power-house elites like Harvard, Michigan, and Texas,” Biggerstaff said, “and came away with top awards. That was an awesome feeling!”

Coach Biggerstaff has been a parliamentary team debate coach for 20 years. Her primary focus has been high school parliamentary debate, but when the opportunity arose to coach at CSUSB, she ac-cepted the challenge.

“I only ask one thing of my stu-dents: ‘Give me your time’. If they were committed, showed initiative and a competitive edge, I would do whatever I could to help them suc-ceed,” Biggerstaff said.

While the debate team is open to all students, there are certain qualities coach Biggerstaff looks for when she recruits for the de-bate team.

“I look for aptitude, attitude, and intrinsic drive and the ‘IT’ fac-tor,” Biggerstaff said. “These quali-ties along with a competitive edge have brought the best out in the team this year.”

When asked what her plans for next year entail, Biggerstaff said, “I want to increase the number of competitors from 10 to 20. I have three COMM 180 [Critical Thinking through Argumentation] classes to pool my recruits from and there are some very talented students out there.”

Overall, Coach Biggerstaff was extremely pleased with her team’s performance this season. She had that gleam in her eye when she thought about next season and the potential her team has yet to show.

Schools throughout the country should give a double-take when they see the Parliamentary Debate Team from CSUSB across the aisle. The Coyotes will be on the prowl for more awards while ‘fi nding the funny’ next season.

Local matters is ex-panding.

For the fi rst time, the Cal State San Bernardino stu-dent-produced news program, Local Matters, is broadcasting live.

The show can now be accessed on the Internet via justin.tv. In addition, it can also be viewed on Channel 3, the Inland Empire Media Group’s channel.

Currently, Local Matters can also be accessed on CNN Headline News through Charter Communication.

The Local Matters team gets hands-on experience producing television content. Students learn how to edit footage, as well as how to operate a camera, report and even produce video feature pieces. Because Local Matters is broadcast on justin.tv and Channel 3, students can instantly see their efforts in a real world application.

“I’ve enjoyed my time at Local Matters because it gave me the ex-perience to go and pursue a career in TV,” said producer Katelyn Eaton.

By DIANA CANSINO

11Comm Connection

Local Matters Offers It All

Local Matters is a stepping-stone that helps students gain con-fi dence, experience, and insight into the television industry. Students come to the program knowing little about production and take away with them valuable practical expe-rience that opens doors for employ-ment after college.

“I came in knowing nothing and am leaving knowing everything I need to know to be successful in my career,” said producer Gabrielle Mays.

Both Mays and Eaton produce the news show. They are in charge of overseeing the content.

The students are in charge of everything for Local Matters. They write the scripts, shoot and edit the stories, and provide the on-air talent. In addition, students get to experience what it is like to pro-duce a show “on the set.” Located in University Hall, the Local Matters studio is equipped with profession-al-grade cameras, lights, and props - everything students need to pro-duce a high-quality news program.

Making what matters local through live broadcasting

12 communication.csusb.edu

The highly talented photographer and dedicated professor, Jim Smart has been the Coyote Chronicle’s advisor and self-titled “benevolent dictator” since 2005.

For seven years, Smart has taught many classes in the communication department where he uses his years of professional experience as a news reporter, probation offi cer, and news bureau manager of the Southern California Rapid Transit District to bring an

unmatched expertise to his instruction. Two years ago, Smart began making fi ne art images

as a professional photographer and opened his web-site, Jimsmartphotography.com. His photography has been in many shows throughout the Southern Califor-nia area.

On top of teaching classes and advising the Chron-icle, Smart offers private photography lessons in the Joshua Tree area where he resides with his wife, Meg.

Connection Spotlight: Jim Smart

Cal State San Bernardi-no’s Coyote Chroniclehas taken on a new

staff, new layout software and a new website since the Fall of 2010, but they continue to grow and keep up with the trends of journalism.

For over 40 years the Coyote Chronicle has provided CSUSB students with the opportunity to publish work as a part of the Jour-nalism and Photojournalism Practi-cum (COMM 243A). In that course, students write eight articles for the newspaper, as well as learn how to take photographs that can stand on their own and tell a story.

The Chronicle advisor Profes-sor Jim Smart has been assisting students in the fi eld of journalism for seven years - not only as the advisor, but also through teaching the Writing for Media class (COMM 240). There he brings his experi-ence from public relations, journal-ism and photography as material for students to learn.

Despite the fact that print media is changing, the Coyote Chroniclecontinues to expand both in print and online. Their new website www.CoyoteChronicle.net has a new easy to navigate style that has helped bring the paper up to speed with technology. The Chronicle has also adapted social media to promote and increase readership through Twitter and Facebook. Also online, the Coyote Chronicle has taken to reporting CSUSB sports by setting up an inovative sports blog through CoyoteChronicle.net for up-to-date sports commentary.

In March 2011, the Chronicle editorial staff attended the Associ-ated Collegiate Press Conference in Hollywood, CA. The ACP Conference offered college journalists several workshops that ranged from layout design to how to write a column. The editors’ two-day stay ended with a press conference with Robert Redford based on his new fi lm “The Conspirator.”

After the conference, the Chron-icle made new changes in content and layout.

“Since our new layout, this is one of our more successful quar-ters, with strong layout to strong headlines, from pages one to 16,” said Smart.

For the editors, this experience is something that is relevant to the real world. Creating and meeting deadlines, becoming comfortable with AP style, and time manage-ment have helped the students be-come stronger journalists.

“This has given me a lot of lead-ership experience. It’s also taught me to deal with a lot of different personalities,” said Richard Bowie, Executive Editor.

The Coyote Chronicle operates during the Winter, Spring and Fall quarters. The Chronicle distrib-utes 5,000 issues a week for eight weeks, and each issue is an accom-plishment for the Chronicle crew.

“A lot of hard work goes into each production. But it’s worth it to see the results each week,” said MaryRone Shell, News Editor.

The Chronicle staff makes every attempt to produce the best pos-sible paper each week.

The hard work and dedication that the staff puts into the paper makes the Coyote Chronicle “one howl of a good paper.”

By DIANA CANSINO

CoyoteCoyote ChronicleChronicleThe independent student voice of CSUSB for over 44 years

13Comm Connection

As one of only a handful of offi cial iTunes stations in Southern California, Coyote Radio enjoys its reputation as one of the top college radio programs in the country.

An annex of Academic Com-puting and Media located in the basement of the Pfau Library, Coy-ote Radio operates 24-hours a day online at coyoteradio.csusb.edu.

Students from Communication Studies and Marketing fl ock to the radio station to learn important skills in publicity, marketing, pro-gramming, production, and man-agement. Student intern Gary Nay-lor explains that working at Coyote Radio helps students master skills they need to know and gets them “ready to take it to the real world.” In fact, Coyote Radio has produced several local and regional radio

personalities over the past ten years.

One reason for the ongoing success of Coyote Radio is that the students enjoy state-of-the-art equipment. They have access to the same technology that one would fi nd at large media outlets, such as ESPN radio in Los Angeles and San Diego’s 91.1X. In addition, Coyote Radio’s partnerships with Time War-ner and Charter Communications mean that the community can listen to the station Tuesday through Fri-day morning from 9 a.m. to noon on San Bernardino’s channel 3.

Howling online as the voice of CSUSB, Coyote Radio dj’s produce and deliver programs on entertain-ment, news, sports, and campus activities, much to the delight and enjoyment of students, faculty, alumni, and the community.

By ERIC BROWN

Coyote RadioCoyote RadioONE OF AMERICA’S TOP 10 ONLINE COLLEGE STATIONS

14 communication.csusb.edu

Human communication majors learn skills that every employer wants. These skills include an understanding of interpersonal communica-tion, small group dynamics, teamwork, negotia-tions, listening skills, and writing and oral com-munication.

Jason Spear, a 22-year-old student from Vic-torville, is one of the few who has chosen this concentration

“I am getting a degree in human communication because of the variety of options that it offers to me,” Spear said.

The Human Concen-tration at Cal State San Bernardino studies the interaction that occurs between people within different contexts, including organizational and interpersonal communication, among others.

But what can a student do with a degree in the human concentration? There are several op-tions.

Opportunities in this fi eld range from human resources, to sales and marketing, all choices giving a person the ability to explore many ca-reer opportunities.

“I am still not exactly sure of what I want to do career wise, but this will allow for some fl ex-ibility,” Spear said.

Human CommunicationPrepares Students for a Variety of Careers

By Stefany Zacarias

Connection Spotlight: Bob Leo

Having worked in management positions, Spear knows that in order to succeed in any po-sition a person must have good communication skills.

“I know I have some interest in human re-sources along with job training and development so this concentration allows me to keep all these possibilities open,” he said.

In addition to the professional level, a human concentration degree can also help a person suc-ceed within their personal life. For Spear, taking

these classes has helped him develop better com-munication skills with his loved ones.

“I really like that communication helps me outside of my career too; I apply my classes to my life now, to help my fu-ture, and the future of my daughter Alexis,” Spear

said.With Spear graduating in the fall of 2012, he

knows that choosing the human communication concentration as his major will be of great use in his life after CSUSB.

The human concentration in the Communi-cation Studies Department is slowly becoming known and can help students go into a variety of different careers within any organization. It is a concentration that more students should take into consideration!

Dr. Bob Leo has been appointed to the Palm Desert Citizens Sustainability Committee by the City Council. He is

one of nine people who will help guide the city on its environmental sustainability programs. Dr. Leo also led a seminar at the Palm Desert campus on sustainability and urban development for 16 high school students from the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley districts. Dr. Leo continues to teach at both the Palm Desert and main CSUSB campuses.

“I really like that communication helps me outside of my career too; I apply my classes to my life now,

to help my future, and the future of my daughter Alexis.”

Jason Spear, Student

15Comm Connection

Intercultural Communication

Builds Understanding

Majoring in intercultural communication has its benefi ts both professionally and per-sonally.

Professionally, intercultural communication graduates have a world of opportunity before them. “There really are no lim-its as to what a person can do with a degree in intercultural communication, especially in global business,” states Dr. Rueyling Chuang. “A person can work internationally with high technology companies, suppli-ers, and manufacturers, or do-mestically with companies who need to implement diversity training.”

Dr. Chuang, one of the department’s intercultural communication professors, be-lieves that intercultural com-munication competency is a valuable skill for working with customers, clients, colleagues, and supervisors from different cultural backgrounds.

“Some of my former stu-dents aspire to work as con-

sultants helping companies achieve better internal com-munications, especially when those companies have global operations,” states Dr. Mary Fong, another intercultural communication faculty mem-ber.

Employers often look for people with strong oral and written communication skills. A degree in intercultural com-munication testifi es to the applicant’s mastery of these skills and provides a valuable advantage when looking for a job.

In addition to the diverse professional opportunities that a degree in intercultural communication offers, there are many personal benefi ts to the program. “Having inter-cultural competence broadens an individual’s worldview,” as-sures Chuang. People who are competent in intercultural com-munication are able to deal im-mediately and effectively with people who are different from themselves.”

For students who are ma-

joring in intercultural commu-nication, there are organiza-tions and resources on campus that can help them expand their knowledge and apprecia-tion for other cultures.

The Asian Studies Club, for example, hosts activities such as group bowling and potluck dinners to help students get to know one another. The club is open to everyone regardless of major, race, ethnicity, culture or gender.

Another resource available on campus is the International Center, where students can learn about study abroad pro-grams and intercultural intern-ships designed to further their education and expand their worldview.

Both Drs Chuang and Fong have traveled extensively and are scholars in the fi eld of intercultural communication. Students who have a chance to study with these professors will be exposed to the cultures of the world and to an invalu-able education in the age of globalization.

By Ismael Morales

Got a hold on your MyCoyote account? Call Linda Sand. Got a question about your senior

project? Call Linda Sand.For more than a decade, Linda Sand, Ad-

ministrative Support Coordinator, has been helping students, assisting faculty, interfacing with every university department on campus and making sure that the Communication Studies Department runs smoothly every day. “I call her the supreme air traffi c controller of Communication Studies,” says Astrid Sheil, assistant professor. “She is incredibly compe-tent and she keeps everyone in line and on track. I don’t know what we would do without her.”

Sand’s day requires her to multitask through many projects with deadlines and specifi c details—and to be able to do this in a noisy, chaotic offi ce where interruptions are the norm. Somehow, Sand makes it look easy. “One thing I admire about Linda,” notes Mi-chael Moore, a senior communication student, “is how accommodating she is to students. She gives her undivided attention to solving our problems even when she has a ton of her own work to do.”

This past April, Sand was inducted as an honorary member of the CSUSB chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society, a well-deserved acknowledgment of her dedication and service to the Communication Studies Department. The students and faculty are grateful to Linda Sand for all she does!

Connection Spotlight: Linda Sand

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) helps public relations students prepare for careers in public relations, corporate communications, public-ity, and public affairs by providing members with opportunities for internships, and workshops and seminars. PRSSA members are wel-come to attend the monthly PRSA-Inland Empire luncheon and hear professional speakers talk about everything from new social media strategies to crisis communication.

“Joining PRSSA drastically helped me throughout college,” says 2010/11 chapter president, Melissa Dickson. “PRSSA helped me defi ne my goals and focus my ambi-tions.”

This year’s executive board worked to provide interesting speakers and workshops for its members. For example, PRSSA held workshops on creating a strong re-sume and perfecting the “elevator pitch,” a 30-second presentation of one’s skills guaranteed to wow po-tential employers.

“PRSSA also opened doors for me to become good friends with other students who are striving for the same things as I am,” notes Dickson. “We’ve been able to cre-ate a great support group for each other in a learning environment.”

Some of the many advantages to joining PRSSA include the chance to network with public relations professionals and to have access to a database of national intern-ship opportunities through PRSSA.org. The online resource also pro-vides students with a wealth of knowledge about industry news, best practices, and opportunities to serve on the national board. In addition, every year the PRSSA’s national confer-ence provides members with a chance to participate in high level workshops and seminars, and to meet PRSSA members from chap-

ters throughout the United States, and to interface with PRSA profes-sionals.

Another benefi t to joining PRSSA is the Rising Star Scholarship, which is offered by the PRSA-Inland Em-pire chapter. Last year, Eddie Hahn won a $1,000 award. This year, the

scholarship will reward two stu-dents with $1,000 each. The Rising Star Scholarship is only open to PRSSA members.

The PRSSA chapter of CSUSB has grown over the past two

years and is open to all Cal State students no matter their major.

16 communication.csusb.edu

Advancing the profession and the future professionals

By JT Thompson

“Joining PRSSA drastically helped me throughout

college ... PRSSA helped me defi ne my goals and focus my

ambitions.”

Melissa DicksonPresident PRSSA

com·mu·ni·ca·tion[kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn]

4. a process by which information is exchanged

between individuals through a common system of symbols,

signs, or behavior

5. a verbal or written message

6. the fi eld of study concerned with the transmission of

information by various means

@MMoorePR@Kimbundance@Mitsukurina22

@Calderoh@lovinglilo5

@priscilla priscillaLTA@AngiePangie1228@jeaniejackfl ash

@dianiakimcansino@DianaCansino@followndreams

@ebrown06@jesusromero760

@JLBurnfi n@justin_ivey

@wollongonger@CSUSBChronicle

@CSUSB_CC_Sports@PRSSACSUSB

@CoyoteRadio1

Dr. Ahlam MuhtasebDr. Astrid Sheil

Jon Ross AlexanderRichard BowieEric BrownDiana CansinoCaitlin ElginJessica Gray

Joe McManusJeanette MonroyMichael MooreIsmael MoralesLouis PennaMartha Rendon

Jesus RomeroJacqueline ScholtenMaryRone ShellJim SmartJT ThompsonStefany Zacarias

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