October 2012 – Harrison Connect

October 25, 2012woocw 1 Comment

[OP-ED] The Importance of Internships: An Opinion Editorial of SCOM Professors and Students’ views on Internships

Students in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University should do an internship in order to become successful. SCOM advisors and professors encourage students to do an internship in preparation for the workforce.

“Participating in an internship allows students to put their knowledge into practice and to make sense of what they are learning,” explains Dr. Pete Bsumek, internship coordinator for Advocacy Studies in SCOM. “It is important for students to experience and learn in an organizational setting.”

SCOM offers internship programs for students looking to pursue a career in the field of communication studies. According to Dr. Toni Whitfield, Organizational and Health Communication internship coordinator in SCOM, “Students should do several internships if they can. Even if that means after graduation, you never know when an internship can turn into a job offer.” According to a Forbes article titled, Odds are your Internship will get you a Job, “If you are a college graduate and you are working at a paid internship, a new study shows 60% of the time, that internship will turn into a job offer.”

Students should participate in an internship program before they enter the workforce. According to University of California Berkeley, the top five reasons to intern is because students gain real world experience which helps them make more educated career choices, become more attracted to employers, connect their classroom experience to the the real world in order to enhance performance, develop professional contacts and get their foot in the door. Both Bsumek and Whitfield say that “along with developing experience, an internship program should also help students figure out if the selected field of interest is something they want to continue.”

In order to be eligible for an internship through SCOM, students are required to have at least a 2.5 overall grade point average, completed the SCOM core classes with a “C” or better, have at least 75 hours of course credit as well as a successful completion of the courses relevant to the planned internship. Bsumek added, “It is important for students to begin an internship with as much academic experience and relevant knowledge as possible.”

Besides Bsumek and Whitfield, SCOM offers two other internship coordinators. Dr. Rozanne Leppington is the supervisor for students interested in mediation and conflict and Dr. Michael Smilowitz advises all other communication students looking to participate in an SCOM internship. Another successful way to find internship opportunities in communication studies is through SCOM professors.

Internship coordinators and professors help students find internships locally. They also encourage and help them find internships back in their hometown or other cities where students wish to work. Dr. Frank Kalupa, a Public Relations professor in SCOM, works with members of the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at JMU on creating networks and connections with alumni in big cities on the east coast. Several SCOM students have found year-long and summer internships through agency visits and alumni events that PRSSA has attended. Kalupa says that “many students participate in virtual internships through companies they are interested in. It is a great way for students to gain the same experience as if they were participating in a face-to-face internship; the only difference is that students are creating networks and connections through an organization that can possibly be their future job after graduating JMU.”

Students should always accept an internship offer even if it is not a paid one. A Daily Beast article titled, Why Students Shouldn’t Take Unpaid Internships, say that the rising cost of academic tuition is not worth unpaid labor and that “unpaid internships don’t do as much for you in the job market as paid ones do.” What people do not understand is that students can do part-time internships while being able to work a paid job at the same time. Part-time internships are just as beneficial as full-time internships. It also does not matter if a student is doing a paid internship, unpaid internship or doing it for academic credit; Kalupa says that “an internship is about experience and working hands-on in an organizational setting.”

Along with learning hands-on, “As an intern, you learn how to understand people and why they do what they do,” describes senior SCOM major Cassie Lenski, who speaks of her internship experience through JMU Public Affairs. She says that “Students who can find an internship with an organization that treats them as an actual intern will be prepared to step into any entry-level position at top-notch firms when they graduate.”

It does not matter what kind of internship a student participates in, it is how the selected internship benefits them and what they get out of it. If a student is looking to get a job outside of college they should do an internship.

October 23, 2012woocw 1 Comment

[Op-Ed] Study Abroad for SCOM

“The best decision I ever made.” That’s how SCOM senior Sydney Felker describes her Study Abroad experience. Felker studied in London last spring, taking SCOM courses and completing an internship while enjoying the culture and beauty of England. Study abroad is an incredible opportunity that should be taken advantage of, especially by SCOM students. Study abroad promotes educational, professional and personal growth for students that participate.

The London Semester Abroad program was created with students from the College of Arts and Letters in mind. According to Rusty Greene, former faculty advisor for the London Study Abroad program, “London is the media capital of the world,” so it only makes sense to offer an abundance of SCOM courses. Five of the nine regularly offered courses are listed or cross-listed as SCOM courses. These courses allow SCOM students to continue with their major studies while giving them a new perspective – the perspective of living and learning in London. Students who study abroad in London also have the opportunity to complete a British Media and Communication minor. In order to complete the minor, students take five courses in London (or four courses and an internship) and one Intercultural Communications course at JMU either before or after the trip. Greene says that the minor “gives students an extra depth in an area and a definable knowledge [in that area] that can be recognized.”

Senior Katie Ratcliffe also studied SCOM in London during the Spring 2012 semester. She took advantage of an internship program that allowed her to exercise public relations skills that she was developing in the classroom back at JMU. She says, “I interned abroad with a restaurant group called D&D London [as] an intern for event planning and marketing. I did a lot of research for marketing techniques for one restaurant in particular, the Royal Exchange. I also helped with planning actual events that happened in the Royal Exchange such as weddings, business dinners and function and other such events.” Internships such as this give students hands-on experience in their field and, when completed abroad, allow students to have an even greater cultural experience.

The London Study Abroad program is open to all majors, but there are programs just for SCOM majors as well. Every year, Frank Kalupa leads a trip called the International Communication Tour. Last year, five students travelled to eight cities in five countries and met with over 40 communication professionals. They visited London, England; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; New Delhi, Agra and Mumbai, India; Istanbul, Turkey; and Paris, France last year. Kalupa says that the trip usually includes a stop in Egypt as well, but that they decided not to due to safety concerns.

Kalupa says that “the big goal is for the students to develop a broader perspective on the world that they’re going to live and work in [and to learn] best practices in a variety of settings.” They meet with public relations professionals, government officials and news media experts in an intimate setting so that the students can learn from people already in the field.

SCOM offers other study abroad programs on occasion. Last summer, SCOM students were invited to participate in a seminar called “Conflict Resolution in Ireland” and a SMAD program called “Web Documentary Production” held in Urbino, Italy. Each of these programs allowed SCOM students to further their studies in a unique way and with an international perspective.

Study abroad is an important part of a student’s academic career because it gives them perspective. Kalupa explains that “the world has become more global, and you need a global perspective even if you stay in Harrisonburg after graduating.” Greene expressed a similar sentiment, saying “study abroad allows students an opportunity to expand their sense of identity and their place within the world.”

According to the Office of International Affairs, which facilitates all JMU Study Abroad programs, 43 SCOM students have studied abroad in the past calendar year, out of a total of 1,019 students which take part in these programs. This is a fairly small number, given the array of opportunities that SCOM students have to choose from. It would be more beneficial to SCOM students if they took advantage of these programs.

Ratcliffe says, “Study abroad has shaped the rest of my academic career because now I have better a work ethic and spend most of my free time being so much more adventurous than I was before. I do so many different things that I never thought to before I studied abroad.”

“Studying abroad has not only shaped the rest of my academic career, but my future as well. I am newly inspired to push myself during my final two years at JMU, and I cannot wait to pursue a career after graduation that will allow me to live or work abroad,” Felker says, “It was truly a life changing experience.”

October 21, 2012woocw No Comments

News Release: Presidential Debate Watch to be hosted by the Madison Debate Society

The Madison Debate Society will hold a Presidential Debate Watch this Monday, October 22, at 9:00 pm in Harrison 1261. This is the fourth debate watch of the cycle. The Madison Debate Society held debate watches for the last two presidential debates and the vice presidential debate over the past month, with attendance averaging 100-115 students, according to faculty advisor Aaron Noland.

The Debate Watch consists of a group viewing of the Presidential Debate and a post-debate discussion. “We think that civil debate and deliberation is crucial to our society, ” said Noland, “If we can get students engaged in the issues that are impacting the country and the world, we feel like we are achieving the central mission of this university to help foster engaged citizens. It is also an opportunity for students to see and apply many of the concepts they learn about throughout their JMU coursework. Watching the debates and the subsequent discussion is a crucial learning experience for students at JMU.”

The School of Communication Studies is part of the College of Arts and Letters at James Madison University. Their mission is the teaching of communication theory and criticism, the development of communication and advocacy skills, the research of communication processes and practices, and the application of generated knowledge about human communication toward the betterment of self and community. Visit http://www.jmu.edu/commstudies for more information.