Annual Multimedia Contest Recognizes Excellence in Media Production

On May 2, the Department of Communication Studies awarded the winners of its annual multimedia contest.

The competition rewards excellence in the production of a variety of video productions (including documentary, news package, creative, and spot), audio production as well as web design.

Communication studies students submitted productions from coursework, membership in registered student organizations, internships (such as at EIU 360), and independent productions created especially for the event.

The competitive contest had 57 submissions this year and six full-time communication studies faculty judged the categories. The top three in each category were screened for the appreciative audience in the Coleman Auditorium.

The complete list of winners for each category with the top video for each embedded.

Video – Creative:
1. Dakota Pruemer: “James’ Dreams”

2. Dion McNeil – “Spaceship Elevator”
3. Kyle Ruckert – “Gettysburg”
4. Kris Wilcox – “Shooting on Set”

Video – PSA / Commercial:
1. Matt Condon – “Free Education PSA”

2. Melissa Meiselman – “Healthy Lifestyles PSA”
3. Blake Warman – “What Gets You Thinking”

Website:
1. Tylen Elliot (www.tylenelliot.com)
2. Dion McNeil (www.damcneil.com)

TV News:
1. Lacey Clifton – “Firefighter Training”

2. Tori Stoll – “News Watch Promo”
3. Jesse Guinn – “ISP Training”

Video – Documentary:
1. Dakota Pruemer – “Grilled Cheese Please”

2. Tyler Yunk – “Cross Country Documentary”
3. (tied) Greg Hayes – “A Conscious Art”  &  Kayla Myers – “Beyond the Blog”

Radio – PSA / Commercial
1. Jesse Guinn – “Inyart Tire and Auto”

2. Justin Skare – “Z’s Music”
3. James Bateman – “Hit-Mix Promo”

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Alt TV Screens Episode 8 to Capacity Crowd in Downtown Charleston

The Alternative Television and Film Club at EIU screened its eighth episode of original television in front of a capacity crowd at Top of the Roc in downtown Charleston on April 27.

While the upstairs portion of Roc’s Blackfront Restaurant has not been open to the public for the previous six months, they made an exception for Alt TV. The club has now aired all eight of their episodes there, and the crowd of EIU students, community members, and fans of the series has grown with each screening.

The cast and crew of Alt TV Episode 8 pose at Top of the Roc in downtown Charleston, Ill.

The video content of the club is truly independent and alternative as the members of the club create videos for the screening each semester outside of coursework and without external funding. The club works as a collective where members all contribute to the productions of each member.

The content of this screening was incredibly diverse. In addition to their trademark absurd comedy shorts, this episode included political drama, horror, and even an animated short.

In addition to the screening, the leadership of the club transitioned from Kris Wilcox to Ty Yunk, who

will join Dakota Pruemer as co-president of Alt TV. Wilcox, Alt TV’s only four year member, graduated the following week and accepted a position at WCIA in Champaign, IL.

Alt TV will return with Episode 9 during the last month of the Fall 2016 semester. For more information on the club go to https://www.facebook.com/ALTTV

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Communication Studies Student Excellence Honored at Annual Ceremony

On April 10, the Department of Communication held its annual Scholarships and Awards ceremony honoring undergraduate and graduate student excellence.

While previous years have focused on the dozen annual awards presented by the Department of Communication Studies, the 2016 event moved to Lumpkin Auditorium and included recognizing Lambda Pi Eta, the EIU Speech Panthers and the Bock Research Competition winners.

The annual event began with Drs. Angie Jacobs and Rich Jones cording eight graduating members of the communication studies honor society, Lambda Pi Eta. Two current members of the organization then inducted seven new members into the society.

Next, Drs. Beth Gill and Rich Jones presented the annual scholarships and awards, many of which have been awarded for several decades and were established by former communication studies and speech communication faculty.

Dr. Jones, who was also a member on the Scholarship and Awards Committee, stated, “In April, the month of events and celebrations, this particular event allows us all to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments of our wonderful students.”

Dr. Angie Jacobs then presented awards to the top three papers in the Doug Bock Undergraduate Research Competition. Dr. Bock is a former professor in the department as well as a former chair. The papers are selected and submitted by faculty and then reviewed by members of Lambda Pi Eta.

To conclude the evening, EIU Speech Team coach Sara Gronstal honored the Speech Panther’ achievements for the year and then Marques Brown and Austin Mejdrich each performed an award-winning speech program.

A complete list of the 2015-2016 scholarship and award winners can be found below:

Department of Communication Studies Scholarships and Awards

• Marques Brown (Outstanding Senior)
• Natalie Standley (Outstanding Junior)
• Kyle Ruckert (Outstanding Lab Assistant)
• Krystal Moore (Inspired Achievement)
• Clinton Brown (Outstanding Graduate Student)
• Chloe Gottschalk (Kenneth E. Hadwiger PhD Undergraduate Scholarship)
• Derek Wunder (Jack L. Payan Scholarship)
• Mallory Winkeler (Betty Lou Balasi Scholarship)
• Jessica Brown (J. Glenn Ross Scholarship)
• Kallie Koester (Carol Manhart Scholarship & Illinois Broadcasters Association Scholarship)
• Ryan Howard (Kenneth E. Hadwiger PhD Graduate Scholarship)
• Kelli Halfman (John J. Hopkins Memorial Speech Education Scholarship)
• Austin Mejdrich (Ralph Y. McGinnis Scholarship)

Doug Bock Undergraduate Research Competition

• 1^st – Anne Petit, “Writing Papers at a College Level: Communication Between Students and Professors”
• 2^nd – Tori Daniels, “Communication and Language Changes within the LGBTQIA+ Culture”
• 3^rd – Alex Seidler, “The Pressure Is On: A Study of Communication Between Tas and Stuents”

Lambda Pi Eta

• Graduating Seniors: Jenny Awah-Manga, Mackenzie Buob, Angela Engebretson, Kristin Fox, Amy Gebka, Jordan Landeck, Emily Mitchell, Nicole Weatherford
• New Members: Mackenzie Buob, Colleen Danaher, Rachelle, Krausen, Jordan Landeck, Amanda Lewis, Robyn McKeown, Derek Wunder

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Students and Faculty “Comm Together” at Annual Comm Day

On April 6, communication studies students and faculty connected through communication at the annual Comm Day event in Coleman Hall.

The event featured 17 interactive panels throughout the day hosted by communication studies faculty as well as professionals in the field. The panels ranged in topic from assembling an effective demo reel to understanding how conspiracy theories are communicated to learning about programs available in the department.

The chair of the Department of Communication Studies Dr. Stephen King stated, “Communication Day showcases the wonderful breadth and diversity of the communication discipline. The theme of ‘Connecting and Communicating for a Better Tomorrow’ perfectly captures how our communication practices can be used to connect and identify with others as well as solve a variety of social, cultural and political problems.”

Comm Day began in the 1960s as a week filled with Rhetoric and Public Speaking activities. It was called “Speech Week,” as the department was then called Speech Communication and the events lasted for an entire week.

Over the previous 50 years, both faculty and students have shaped the direction of this event into having its current balance between each concentration as well as between research and the applied.

Each planner of Comm Day provides a different incarnation of the event. The 2016 planner, Associate Professor Dr. Angie Jacobs, promoted connection between all participants in every area of the event from the opening ceremonies that provided history on the event to a communal lunch with students and faculty to the inclusion of every area of the department into the event.

At the end of the event, Dr. Jacobs hosted the closing ceremonies with a final round of prizes that were donated by local business. The department then honored office administrator Kim Turner for her years of service to the department.

Comm Day is scheduled for April 2017 and more information can be found at https://www.eiu.edu/commstudies/commday.php

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Annual Broadcast Job Fair to Connect Students and Professionals

Each year, the Department of Communication Studies hosts the Broadcast Job Fair to connect students and industry professionals.

In 2015, more than 80 students attended the Broadcast Job Fair to advance their professional goals. In 2016, the event provides the same opportunities of professional development.

The event occurs on Wednesday, March 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Ballroom at the EIU Union.

There will be representatives from area radio and television stations to meet with students and discuss job openings and internships as well as how to prepare for a career in the electronic media industry.

The following 14 companies have committed to attend:

• Big Shoulders Digital Video Production (Chicago)
• Comcast Sports Net (Chicago)
• Cromwell Radio Group (Mattoon & Effingham)
• Miller Media Group (Taylorville)
• Saga Communications – Radio (Champaign)
• WAND-TV (Decatur)
• WCIA-TV (Champaign)
• WEIU-TV & FM (Charleston)
• WICS-TV (Springfield) & WICD-TV (Champaign)
• WMBD-TV (Peoria) & WYZZ-TV (Bloomington)
• WTHI-TV (Terre Haute)
• WTWO / WAWV-TV (Terre Haute)

The Broadcast Fair is open to all interested EIU students, as well as people from the community. There is no charge to attend.

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Six EIU Students Win IBA Student Silver Dome Awards

Current and recently graduated EIU students won six first place awards Friday in the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Student Silver Dome Awards Contest, a statewide contest for college broadcasters.

First place awards went to 2014 graduate Kyle Fisher (Best TV Longform Program), 2014 graduate Keith Sutterfield (Best TV Commercial), Senior Brad Kupiec (Best Radio Sports Play-by-Play), and to the WEIU-TV News Watch staff for Best TV Newscast.

First place awards also went to Junior Jason Tague (Best Radio Promotion) and Junior Kelsey Zancha (Best Sales Presentation).  Jason and Kelsey received their awards for work done while they were students at Lake Land College last year.

Keith Sutterfield also took 2nd place in the TV Longform Program category, and senior Anna Richardson received 3rd place for Best On-Air Radio Personality.

The students received their awards in October at the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s annual IBA-U Conference in Chicago.

Jessica McDonald honored for outstanding Master’s thesis

Former Communication Studies graduate student Jessica McDonald is the winner of the 2013 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award from the College of Arts and Humanities at Eastern Illinois University.  It’s the second highest achievement in graduate research at Eastern.  Jessica’s thesis is entitled “Coordination and Symbolic Convergence at the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center” and was completed in the Spring of 2013.   Jessica’s thesis is one of two entries from Eastern that have been submitted to the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools for its Distinguished Masters Thesis Award competition,  Jessica received her Master of Arts degree in May of 2013 and is now teaching classes in Easterns’ Department of Communication Studies and at Lake Land College in Mattoon.

Speech team schedule for 2013-2014

The Eastern  Illinois University Speech Team schedule for the 2013-2014 academic year has been announced:

• October 5 – 6:  ’74 Swing Tournament in Bloomington-Normal
• October 19 – 21:  Age of Aquarius Swing Tournament in Muncie, IN
• November 2 – 3:  L.E. Norton Invitational in Peoria
• January 18 – 19:  Butler Bulldog Rumble in Indianapolis
• January 25 – 26:  Northern Illinois Swing Tournament in DeKalb
• February 22 – 23:  Bradley/ISU Swing Tournament in Peoria & Normal
• February 28 – March 1:  IIFA State Tournament in DeKalb
• March 8 – 9:  District V Qualifier / Last Chance Tournament in Normal

More information about the Speech Team is available from Coach Sara Gronstal at segronstal@eiu.edu or 217.581.8326.