COMS News | December 2023
Happy December COMS Mustangs!
This newsletter is designed to keep majors, minors, faculty, and staff up-to-date so you can learn about news, career advice, events, networking opportunities, well-wishes, and inspirational stories surrounding your peers and COMS community.
Announcements
Finals and Winter Break
Good luck to all of our students during the upcoming finals week! Your professors are cheering you on! We hope all goes well and you have a restful and restorative break.
COMS Club
Get involved in COMS Club! Meetings take place Tuesdays from 11:10 am - 12:00 pm in Building 10 Room 221. Connect with COMS Club on Instagram @calpolycomsclub. An upcoming calendar of events for COMS club will be forthcoming, so be on the lookout in the winter quarter!
LPH Recruitment
LPH is the National Communication Association’s official honor society. The organization recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of COMS majors and offers membership benefits including honors status at graduation and ceremonial graduation regalia. To see if you qualify to join, check out the membership requirements and fill out the Cal Poly LPH Interest Form by December 1. Be sure to follow LPH on Instagram @lphcalpoly to stay in the loop. And check out the following event sponsored by LPH next week:
- Headshots and Resume Building with LPH: Thursday, Dec. 7, 11:10 am - 12:00 pm, Science North 053-0202
Debate Team News
Big congrats to the Cal Poly Debate Team! Last month, Madeline Ashley (ENVM-SPAN, 2024) and Andrea Valle (COMS, 2026) won 1st place at the LEGADOS Virtual competing in Spanish against teams from Mexico representing Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS) and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC). Maddie and Andrea presented an exceptional case for addressing increasing water needs through expanding water recycling infrastructure. We're extremely proud of these exceptional students and their tremendous achievement.
Campus Health & Wellbeing
As we gear up for finals week, stress levels can run high and we can all use a little extra support. Remember that Cal Poly offers a treasure trove of resources to help you get through more challenging times and learn strategies for success. Wherever you are in your academic and personal journey, Counseling Services is here to help you take steps toward emotional health and well-being through clinical, educational, and consultative services. Find out more at the Counseling Services website.
Class Evaluations
Course evaluations will be available to complete on Portal. Your professors would love to get your feedback on what’s working well in your courses and what could be working better. Make sure to complete your course evaluations by Friday, December 8 at 11:59 PM.
Students & Alumni Spotlights
We're proud to share the amazing stories of our current students and alumni! This month, we're spotlighting the work and leadership of current student Alexis Barksdale.
- Alexis Shami Barksdale (she/her) is a 4th-year Palestinian student and transfer COMS major represented by the Swana Club! She is also a disabled student and is a part of the Disability Alliance. Alexis has been involved in many social justice and service activities such as volunteering at Food Not Bombs and sharing community meals at Mitchell Park. In addition, she is on the COMS debate team and has organized events both on and off campus for groups such as the Young Democratic Socialists of America.
Events & Opportunities
Camp Polyhacks
Are you a student with a passion for problem-solving and a desire to make a positive impact in SLO? Camp PolyHacks is a unique (and free!) opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to come together and tackle real-world challenges facing San Luis Obispo. The only prerequisites are curiosity, creativity, and a desire to create positive change. Whether you already have a specific project in mind or want to collaborate with our community partners to work on a known problem, we have you covered. Choose to participate in one of the four tracks this year: Civic engagement, artificial intelligence, continue a class project, or partner with Amazon AWS. Sign-up for this event and learn more on the Camp Polyhacks Eventbrite page!
National Conference on Undergraduate Research
Interested in receiving travel funding to present the results of a class project at an undergraduate research conference? Submit your project to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), which takes place this year in Long Beach, CA, April 8-10, 2024. Students who present their research will gain valuable professional experience and build their resumes. Travel support will also be provided by the Office of Student Research. For more information and resources, please reach out to COMS Professor Dr. Aubrie Adams and submit your project by December 8.
CSU Research/Creative Activity Competition
The CSU Student Research/Creative Activity Competition is held each year to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments across the 23 CSU campuses. The competition is open to all disciplines and to current undergraduate and graduate students and 2023 alums. Cash prizes are awarded. Submissions are due Friday, 1/19/24 at 11:59pm. For more information, visit the Office of Student Research website.
Guest Speaker Adia Harvey Talks on Issues of Racism
In a talk titled "Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It," Adia Harvey Wingfield will discuss her new book on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2:10 - 4 p.m. in the ATL (No. 7), Room 286. Wingfield’s work explores the ways that racial inequity persists in the workplace despite today’s multi-billion-dollar diversity industry and provides actionable solutions to creating a truly equitable multiracial future. Questions? Contact Kylie Parrotta, parrotta@calpoly.edu.
Intertidal Publication Submissions Open
Intertidal is a literary and art journal that aims to reflect Cal Poly writers and artists of all experience levels, backgrounds, and majors in their growth and connection through creativity. They welcome students, staff, and faculty of all backgrounds in the Cal Poly Community to submit works of creative writing and visual art (regardless of your experience level). Submissions may include but are not limited to the following genres: short fiction, poems, essays, screenplay excerpts, comic strips, photography, paintings, and illustrations. Submit by December 8th and visit the submission website.
Teaching Assistant Program in France
Applications for the 2024-2025 Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) cohort close on January 15, 2024 at tapif.org. Each year, TAPIF places around 1,300 Americans in French public schools to work as English language teaching assistants. After completing the TAPIF program, Teaching Assistants pursue global careers in education, international business, public health, international policy and development, arts and culture administration, and more. All TAPIF alumni gain access to generous scholarships with our partner universities in the US and France for MA and PhD studies in French, Lingustics, Business, and more!
Cal Fresh
Need money for food? Cal Poly’s CalFresh Outreach team is a student-driven initiative that guides students to food resources and through the CalFresh application process. It is basically financial aid for food! CalFresh is a nutrition assistance program that provides eligible students with up to $281 per month to spend on groceries. It gives students the flexibility to buy the foods they love at their favorite grocery stores or farmer's markets (Trader Joe’s, Costco, Vons, Food 4 Less, the downtown Farmer's Market, and more)! For information, visit the Cal Fresh website.
Faculty News
BEACoN Research Projects
Congratulations to our COMS professors who will be participating as mentors and scholars in the annual BEACoN research program. Check out the projects your COMS professors are advising this year:
Dr. Anuraj Dhillon and Dr. Megan Lambertz-Berndt were awarded funding for a collaborative study called Navigating Microaggressions: Unearthing Belonging and Muted Experiences Among Marginalized Campus Community. While working on this project, student scholars will gain proficiency in both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Dr. Marion Hart and Dr. Victoria Zamora were awarded funding for a collaborative study called Para levantar la voz: Community Advocacy in the Californias. While working on this project, student scholars will gain experience in the fields of argumentation, community-based research and hone their skills in public speaking, critical thinking, research proficiency, and effective communication in Spanish.
Professor Alexa Loken was awarded funding for a study called ResearchCorps: The Untold History of BEACoN Research Projects and Stories from the Program. While working on this project, student scholars will gain skills in creating and conducting primary research in the form of surveys, in-depth interviews, and questionnaires.
Sharing is Caring
Do you have an announcement to share with COMS majors, minors, faculty, and staff? Email Dr. Brie to find out how to share it! Follow COMS on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn