The communication department has organized Communication Day for Friday Feb. 6, with events beginning at 12:30 p.m. and a networking reception to end the day at 4:30 p.m. This is the second Communication Day to take place, and the department hopes to continue holding the event in the future. The events are open to all students but are primarily aimed at those within the communication department, and as such, all communication courses are cancelled after 12:30 p.m.
“We try to schedule the event so it is convenient for students and faculty,” said Communication Day organizer Robert Huesca, professor and director of international programs. “We decided to have it in the spring to really address timing for job seekers.”
To some students, while excited for the event, have time conflicts with other events, notably Bid Day.
“I really enjoy that they are keeping Comm. Day going, but it would be ncie to consider that a volume of potential attendees will be forced into absentia due to Bid Day,” said Zachary Galvin, junior business management major and communication minor.
Until this event was originally first last year, panels and events aimed at life beyond graduation for communication students.
The day begins with a luncheon at 12:30 p.m., and then continues with a series of panels and workshops throughout the day before the networking reception at 4:30 p.m. The panels are mostly presented by Trinity alumni who now work in communications. All those selected to present for the panels were suggested by faculty and staff members, and many graduated from the university within the last ten years.
This interaction between the department and alumni is another goal of Communication Day in order to maintain a close relationship between the university and its graduate. The panels were organized in the interest of providing students with context for employment and life beyond graduation.
“There are a lot of alumni doing interesting work,” Huesca said. “We invited them back to share with students and benefit young people.”
The recommendations for presenters from members of the department were based, in part, on the desire to provide students with a comprehensive view of the field. Some alumni were suggested because they can speak to experiences closer to those of the students who will attend these events, while others who graduated and entered the field earlier will speak more to what is sought by employers in the industry.
“Everyone is going to have a college transcript,” said Sammye Johnson, professor and Carlos Augustus de Lozano chair in journalism. “What’s far more relevant in today’s high-tech society is the ability to see what you can actually do.”
Along with these panels, there will be several workshops starting at 2:30 p.m, presented by members of the communication and career services departments. These workshops will focus on preparing resumes and portfolios, managing one’s social media presence, and applying to graduate and law school. Each workshop will take place in Richardson Communication Center, and aims to aid students in preparing for life beyond graduation.
“A resume is a sales tool for getting a job or internship, so it needs to be the best reflection of who you are and what you’ve accomplished so far,” Johnson said. “The best resumes get interviews; the best interviewees get the job.”
Finally, a networking reception will be held at 4:30 p.m, where students will have the opportunity to communicate with those they learned from during the day and make connections.
“A student told me [the first Communication Day] was the first experience she had that really made her understand how the field was organized and where she fit in it,” Huesca said.
When asked about continuing Communication Day in the future and what the goals of the department are going forward, Huesca expressed an interest in further student involvement. The department of communication also felt that last year was a great success, and that similar events should be organized by other departments.
“Students should work toward this””students working to select [presenters] and organize the event,” Huesca said. “It [was] such a good experience last year, and we want other departments to do it. [Communication Day] raised the level of awareness.”
