GVSU’s Communications Studies faculty were active participants at the most recent National Communications Association Conference this past November in Chicago. NCA is the largest communications studies conference in the United States, with more than 4,000 communication scholars in attendance, from full professors to graduate students. Corey Anton was the co-program planner for the Media Ecology Association, and the Past-Chair of the Semiotics and Communication Division. He also served on the Legislative Assembly, participated in three panels, twice as participant and once as respondent. Valerie Peterson served as a respondent to the American Studies panel "Segregation, Reconciliation, and the New White Power Movements." Danielle Wiese presented her papers “Faith in Cyberspace: Re-visioning American Democracy” and “Turning Our Attention Inward.” BobSwierenga attended a pre-conference seminar on teaching communication ethics.
Swierenga to Present Two Papers at International Conferences
Bob Swieringa, Professor of Communication Studies, will be presenting two papers this coming semester at international conferences. The first will be at the 17th Biennial Sociolinguistics Symposium in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in early April. The paper, entitled "Making Progress: Constituting Identity via Interaction," relates the use of common, routine interactions between graduate students and their professor to the goal of students presenting themselves as making "progress" toward their degrees. The second presentation will be at the conference "What is an Organization?: Materiality, Agency and Discourse," to be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in late May. The paper, entitled "Reporting the laboratory: Collective Discursive Practice as Organizing and Manifesting Community," examines how the interactions of students and professor during weekly meetings help create the community in which they work. Both papers are drawn! from a longitudinal study of community, membership and practice within a graduate student entomology laboratory. Dr. Swieringa's area of research focuses on situated social interaction, its creation, structures, and deployments by participants in communities.
FILM/VIDEO PRODUCTION
Schmit Screens Two Documentaries
Film and Video Production Professor John Schmit screened two of his documentary films in December. “Waiting for Soli” and “Linsday’s Roatation” were shown in the Loosemore Auditorium on GVSU’s downtown campus. Look for more information about these and future film screenings on the Film & Video Production Web site:
http://gvsu.edu/r/?q=FAA807
Animation Class Completes Project for Sister Cities
The Animation I (CFV 325) class during the Fall 2007 semester created a group Flash animation project as a tribute to our Grand Rapids Sister Cities. Professor Deanna Morse said the class made it for a participatory animation project that connects countries through their flags and symbols. The project is being screened internationally on large screens at film festivals. It is currently being presented in Brazil, Austrailia, Spain, and England. It is also on-line: http://www.thyes.com/flag-metamorphoses/flag-animation.html
Schmit Continues Nature Documentary Project
This spring Professor John Schmit and his students will begin principle shooting at Lake Huron and several locations around Michigan for a documentary titled "Lake Huron: A Saga of Invasive Species." Students will participate as documentary crew members and research assistants as part of a new course titled, CFV: 380 Nature Documentary Production. See more about the project online: http://tinyurl.com/yq22fn
GVSU Film and Video Production Students Complete First Feature-Length Film
Grand Valley's 13th annual Summer Film Project-- where students, faculty and film industry professionals normally collaborate on a short film-- produced their first-ever feature-length motion picture, "To Live and Die in Dixie." It's a true crime story, part courtroom drama, about a murder on a college campus in Louisiana in 1987. The public will be able to see it beginning April 25 at Celebration Cinemas, which is kindly donating all box office receipts to GVSU. For more info visit: www.gvsu.edu/dixiefilm
PHOTOGRAPHY
Thompson Exhibits Photos of Nuclear Waste Sites
Photography Professor Anthony Thompson exhibited his documentary photography project "Incendiary Iconography: The Legacy of the Cold War in America," at the Stubnitz Gallery at Adrian College, in Adrian, Michigan from Nov 5 - Dec 8. The exhibit includes photographs from the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant and related waste disposal sites.
THEATRE
School of Communications to Host State Forensics Finals in February
Finalists in the Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association will compete at Grand Valley’s Pew Campus on February 9. This will be the first time Grand Valley has played host to the more than 20 forensics teams from across the state. In December, the School of Communications brought together 53 secondary students from 10 West Michigan schools in the University’s Eberhard Center for the regional competition of the West Michigan Legislative Debate Association. Dr. Roger Ellis, the School of Communications coordinator of the event, points out that GVSU support for debate and forensics has grown out of the Theatre program’s recent success with outreach efforts. Every Fall, the Shakespeare Festival attracts nearly 1,500 middle and high school students to campus for a Shakespeare masterwork staged in the Performing Arts Center. Festival also serves an additional 1,200 students statewide with its touring show, “Bard-to-Go.” This year! , GVSU’s touring Shakespeare students will also present shows at selected schools in mainland China with the help of the Padnos International Center.
Bard to Go Group Will Visit Shanghai
GVSU’s traveling “Bard to Go” theatre group will visit Shanghai, China, this spring. Professor Karen Libman went to China in December 2007 to set up the tour.
Theatre Program for Winter Semester Includes Popular Shows
The Theatre schedule for the Winter 2008 semester includes a popular musical about turn-of-the century America and the staged production of a top selling journalist’s book about the modern working poor:
Ragtime
Book by Terrence McNally
Lyrics by Lynn Aherns and Music by Stephen Flaherty
Based on E.L. Doctorow's book Ragtime's beautiful melodies and vivid characters depict turn-of-the-20th century America in transition, constantly bending, blending, and adapting. The Tony Award winner weaves its story through the lives of three groups represented by a Harlem musician, the matriarch of a WASP family, and a Latvian Jewish immigrant.
February 1, 2 8, 9 at 7:30 p.m.
February 3, 10 at 2 p.m.
Nickel and Dimed 
By Joan Holden
Based on Nickel and Dimed: on (Not) Getting by in America By Barbara Ehrenreich
With stories of the working poor who just barely scrape by, cleaning houses, waiting tables, and re-stocking shelves across America, Nickel and Dimed transforms award-winning journalist Barbara Ehrenreich’s undercover journey to find out how (or whether) a person survives on $5.15 an hour. Come find your own answer by joining us for this provocative, terribly real and delightfully funny theatrical event.
April 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 7: 30 p.m.
April 6 at 2 p.m
More information about GVSU Theatre online: www.gvsu.edu/theatre
STUDENT NEWS
Advertising Student a Finalist in AAF Minority Student Program
Senior Advertising/Public Relations student Karina Moy has been selected by the American Advertising Federation as a finalist in the Most Promising Minority Student program. She is one of the account executives on this year’s National Student Advertising Competition team; which is taught by Professor Roy Winegar who nominated Moy for the award. Moy and Professor Winegar e will go in February, at AAF’s expense, to New York City for the honors luncheon and for a program of industry immersion for the students. The award puts GVSU’s Advertising/Public Relations program on a national stage with top universities from around the country. See the full list of finalists and learn more about the AAF’s Minority Student Program online: http://www.aaf.org/default.asp?id=213
PR Student to Coordinate Major Detroit Gala as Intern
Holly Estes, an Advertising/Public Relations major, will be the event coordinator for the 2008 Detroit Entrepreneur of the Year Gala as an intern with Ernst and Young. The event usually includes 500 people and is held at the Ritz Carlton in Dearborn. Estes started the internship in January.
ALUMNI NEWS
Bowe Co-Authors Book About Rock and Roll Magazine
Brian Bowe (’97 Journalism, ’04 MS) co-authored a book about Creem Magazine that was published by Harper Collins. :Learn more about the book online: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061374562/CREEM/index.aspx
Ghastin Manages Relationship Marketing for Web Business
Chad Ghastin (’98 APR) has joined the corporate headquarters of Weightwatchers.com in New York City as Manager of Customer Relationship Marketing. Ghastin earned a Master's of Science in Direct and Interactive Marketing from New York University in May of 2006 and most recently worked at Sirius Satellite Radio.
Arney is Managing Editor of Westwood One in Arizona
Michael Arney (‘94 Broadcasting) is the Managing Editor of Westwood One's Metro Source newswire in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving approximately 2,500 radio stations around the nation. Arney rose with the company from being a part-time/fill in traffic anchor in Grand Rapids in 2003 to helping to run the entire outfit in less than four years.
Alumni News Needed :
We'd like to hear from GVSU School of Communications alumni for future issues of dotCOM. If you have an update about a job change, accomplishment or other news, please let us know. You can email information—including the year you graduated and your major--to Professor Tim Penning (Advertising/Public Relations), editor of dotCOM, at penningt@gvsu.edu
