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Printer-Friendly ModeComm club applies academics
Students hope to use skills to build community
October 1, 2007 —
Students interested in communication are now being challenged to take the skills they acquire at SVSU and apply them to practical situations in the community with the help of Communication Association.
The club has joined ranks as one of SVSU's newest student organizations and is a place for communicators from all walks of life to gain experience and make a difference in society.
The group meets Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, and despite being new on campus, CA already has big plans.
The Nokomis Challenge Center, a youth correctional facility located north of Houghton Lake, was the site of CA's first community event. There, they helped troubled youths develop interview and public speaking skills to prepare for their reintegration into society. Return trips are slated throughout October and November.
Other upcoming events topping CA's agenda include a trip to the annual National Communication Association conference held October 15 to 18 in Chicago. The conference is led by communication scholars and is designed to relay newly-developed theories and information to educators and students. There, SVSU students have the opportunity to attend any number of panels and workshops, all of which relate to different aspects of communication.
SVSU communication instructor and CA adviser Derek Bolen is enthusiastic about the trip.
"It's a place where people go to talk about all the new ideas, to direct new places the field will go, and it's where cutting edge research comes out. It's also a place where younger students are pulled into the field and learn the ropes," he said.
As far as costs are concerned, third year communication major and president and founder of CA Dawn Jevicks says a $50 fee will be charged to those who plan on attending the conference. The fee will cover transportation and hotel rooms for the three-night stay, a great deal cheap compared to the several hundred dollars the average person attending would pay.
Other general costs include a $5 dollar membership fee. However, students are only required to pay the fee if they plan on attending events funded by the group.
The club is in the process of fundraising and scheduling live music acts to perform at local restaurants. Dates and locations for the benefit concerts have not yet been released.
Jevicks encourages communication and non-communication majors alike to come and see what the organization is all about.
"Anyone is more than welcome to join. Communication affects everybody. Anyone who is interested is welcome to sit in at our meetings, " she said. "Our goal is to take what we've learned on campus and put it into our own personal lives and make a difference. We hope to leave our mark, not just on campus, but on the world as well."
CA members were present promoting their organization at Streetfest, and they can be spotted again as they advertise and participate around campus during homecoming week.