News in the Communication Department
Student-Produced TV Show Awarded the Best in the Nation by College Broadcasters Inc.
"The Conference Room," a comedy produced by Viking Fusion, was awarded Best Comedy by College Broadcasters Inc. on October 30th during the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas. The producers and stars of the show, Alex Middleton, Steven Walker, and Thomas Yungerberg, were unable to attend the presentation because they were involved in hosting the Berry Forensics tournament that same weekend. College Broadcasters Inc. represents students involved in radio, TV, webcasting and other related media ventures. It received more than 440 submissions in a variety of categories, including Best Newscast and Best TV Promotion from colleges of all sizes across the nation. "The Conference Room" is about three young producers who try to develop a TV show that never seems to get off the ground. There are four 15-minute episodes which can be viewed here.
Frank and Carson featured on Evans School Web Site
Dr. Bob Frank, chair of the department, and senior Visual Communication major, Stephanie Carson, are featured on the Evans School homepage for the month of October. Dr. Frank has taught for over thirty years at Berry and recently led the department in a complete overhaul of its curriculum to a cutting-edge converged curriculum. Carson presently serves as the Executive Director of Viking Fusion and is interested in documentary filmmaking.
Kyler Post featured in Berry Student Work Newsletter
Communication major Kyler Post was featured in the September edition of Work Words. According to the article, “September’s employee of the month is Kyler Post. Kyler is a junior from Hiram, Georgia majoring in communication. He is the managing editor of the Campus Carrier where his duties consist of designing and creating the layout of the pages, editing other people’s stories and their page layouts, and making sure the Campus Carrier looks perfect before it goes to print. Kyler is also a freshman mentor for Dr. Sand’s BCC class where he helps incoming freshmen in their transition from high school to college. Kyler’s career goal is to be employed by ESPN as a writer or anchor on Sportscenter.”
Communication Major to Represent Berry at the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
Lauren Wright, a Visual Communication major, is one of eight undergraduate and graduate journalism students who were selected to participate in a week-long, intensive journalism education program for the NLGJA. The student project is held in conjunction with the association's 2009 National Convention which will take place Sept. 10-13 in Montreal, Canada. The student participants will work with seasoned journalists to develop stories generated from the convention and also cover larger societal issues relevant to the city of Montreal and the greater LGBT community. They will also have the opportunity to network with professionals in the media industry. Lauren is returning to the project for the second year. Other students hail from Kent State University, Ball State University, Penn State, Columbia College, New York University, and the University of Texas at Arlington.
Mr. Peterson Gets Published!
Jason Peterson's article "A 'Race' for Equality: Print Media Coverage of the 1968 Olympic Protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos" was published in the Spring 2009 issue of American Journalism.
Peterson and Carroll Place in New Teaching Ideas Competition
Mr. Peterson and Dr. Carroll placed second in the AEJMC competition for new teaching ideas. The national competition was sponsored by AEJMC's Newspaper Division. Their entry, "The Virtual Newsroom: Using Blogs and Wikis for Cross-course Collaboration," describes a teaching plan that involves cooperation among students in COM 301 (Writing & Reporting) and COM 303 (Editing). The entry will be published on the Newspaper Division's Web site. The award will be presented at AEJMC's national convention in Boston this August.
Stallings Wins National Championship!
Senior Hope Stallings won first place in the Interstate Oratory Contest, the nation's oldest and most prestigious intercollegiate speech competition. The 137th contest was held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford in April. Each state is allowed to send only two speakers who present original orations. Amanda Dean also represented Berry at the competition. Stallings' name will be the first on the plaque that will be displayed in the restored Lamar House in downtown Oxford.
Viking Fusion Wins Big at Leadership and Service Awards
The Communication Department's new multimedia website, Viking Fusion, won
the award for Outstanding Organization at the Berry College Leadership and
Service Awards ceremony Monday, April 20. The organization, which is less
than 3 months old, was described as a site that keeps the campus informed
about all the news in the community. The presenters commented that even
a name change could not slow them down, referring from the transition from
Viking Vision to Viking Fusion.
Viking Fusion's advisor, Mark Hannah, received the Carol O. Willis Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award during Monday's ceremony. Hannah said he was genuinely shocked at being chosen. Hannah and Dean of Students Debbie Heida both received the award.
Novices Nail National Tournament in Texas
Four members of the Berry College Forensics Team competed at the Novice National Forensics Tournament at the University of Houston on March 6-8, 2009. This competition involves students in their first year of intercollegiate forensic competition. Two freshmen, Thomas Yungerberg and Steven Walker, earned final round berths, while sophomore Joshua Roye and senior John Hall brought home individual national championships. The team earned a fourth place finish overall.
Forensics Team Wins State Championship for 15th Time in a Row
Berry's Forensics Team brought home the state championship award from the Georgia Intercollegiate Forensics Assocation tournament on February 28, 2009 at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta. Berry speakers earned individual championships in 10 of the 12 events offered. Berry sophomore, Joshua Roye, was named the tournament's top speaker.
Communication Students Develop Multimedia Web Site in Italy
Information from August 20 Berry Press Release
A group of 15 Berry College students spent their summer in Florence, Italy, learning how to report in an international, intercultural context and share their stories with the world via a Web-based multimedia platform. The result of their hard work is the online publication FlorenceNOW.net, already Google's No. 1 finding for the search term "florencenow." The course was taught by COM faculty Dr. Brian Carroll, Mr. Kevin Kleine, and Mr. Curt Hersey at the Lorenzo de Medici School from June 27 to July 26, 2008.
COM Students, Faculty Recognized at Honors Convocation
Honors Convocation was held Wednesday, April 9 in the College Chapel. The following were awards given to individuals in the Communication department.
Scott Perkins, Charles E. Peterson Award for Outstanding Communication Major.
Lydia Fields, Martha Berry Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement.
Kevin Kleine, Eleana M. Garrett Award for Meritorious Advising and Caring.
Berry COM Grad Receives Award in Broadcasting
Tametria Conner, Berry College (07c) received the Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters Association "Best Investigative Report" Award for her investigative report on registered sex offenders in Lauderdale County,Mississippi. Conner, only being in the business three months at the time of this report, investigated this issue, presented it in a 3-part series entitled "The Unspoken Crime," and brought home a top award for WTOK-TV in Meridian, MS.
Tametria Conner is a full-time on-air reporter for WTOK-TV Reporter. She was a Berry College Communication major and reporter/producer for the Viking Vision News Campus Station.
April 14.
Berry Students Assist in Winning National News Award
INFORMATION FROM ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE, Thursday February 21, 2008
It was announced February 20, 2008 that RomeNews-Tribune.com is honored with New Frontier Awards by the Inland Press Association. The site placed second in General Excellence in the under 20,000 circulation category. According to a Rome News-Tribune article, the contest, which is nationwide, “honors the best in newspaper online initiatives.” The contest “recognizes newspapers’ achievement in producing and disseminating news content using online and new media platforms.”
Jim Alred, the new media director for the Web site, praised the staffers for this achievement. Although the entire newsroom contributes to the content of the site, the staff of the New Media Department, including Berry graduate Ross McDuffie, and current Berry students Patricia Dillard, Leslie Houck and Elizabeth Cady, are the ones that maintain the site and produce video and the other multimedia content.
Fourteen in a Row!
The Berry College Forensics Team won its 14th consecutive Georgia Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Tournament in Marietta on Saturday, February 16. The tournament was hosted by Southern Polytechnic State University and featured intercollegiate competition in eleven events. Berry speakers earned state championships in ten of the eleven.
Each year the state of Georgia sends two representatives to the Interstate Oratory Contest, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious speech tournament. This year two Berry students, Hope Stallings and Danielle Stice will be representing Georgia at the contest in Madison, Wisconsin.
The team won 30 awards at the state championship tournament bringing their season total to 130.
State Champions
After-Dinner Speaking: Amanda Dean
Dramatic Duo Interpretation: Keith Brooks and Anna Zimmerman
Dramatic Interpretation: Radhika Dhir
Extemporaneous Speaking: Caitlin Carroll
Impromptu Speaking: Keith Brooks
Informative Speaking: Hope Stallings
Persuasive Speaking: Hope Stallings
Poetry Interpretation: Keith Brooks
Prose Interpretation: Anna Zimmerman
Rhetorical Criticism: Hope Stallings
Berry Award Winners
After-Dinner Speaking:
1st Amanda Dean
2nd Caitlin Carroll
3rd Anna Zimmerman
Dramatic Duo Interpretation:
1st Keith Brooks/Anna Zimmerman
2nd Anna Zimmerman/Danielle Stice
Dramatic Interpretation:
1st Radhika Dhir
2nd Erin Froetschel
Extemporaneous Speaking:
1st Caitlin Carroll
2nd Rob Powell
Impromptu Speaking:
1st Keith Brooks
2nd Rob Powell
3rd Caitlin Carroll
Informative Speaking:
1st Hope Stallings
2nd Amanda Dean
4th Christi McEntyre
Persuasive Speaking:
1st Hope Stallings
2nd Danielle Stice
3rd Amanda Dean
Poetry Interpretation:
1st Keith Brooks
2nd Radhika Dhir
6th Christi McEntyre
Prose Interpretation:
1st Anna Zimmerman
2nd Keith Brooks
5th Christi McEntyre
Rhetorical Criticism:
1st Hope Stallings
2nd Christi McEntyre
3rd Rob Powell
Two-Year/Small College BEA Festival Competition
Katie Keegan, a Sophomore Communication major, won third place in the Two-Year/Small College BEA (Broadcast Education Association) Festival competition for her short film “Has No One than This”. The BEA is the most prestigious organization for student television, and television scholars choose the winners of the competition. Katie’s film was Berry’s only entry this year, and we are very excited to congratulate her on a job welldone!
February 14.
35th Annual Tower Invitational Forensics Tournament
The Berry Forensics Team battled bitter cold temperatures and some of the nation’s top forensics teams at the 35th Annual Tower Invitational Forensics Tournament hosted by Eastern Michigan University on February 8-9, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. And while the weather outside was frightful, the smiles inside were delightful as Berry finished 2nd out of 14 schools.
Berry speakers brought home 14 awards from Ypsilanti bringing their season total to exactly 100.
Hope Stallings: 1st Informative, 1st Persuasive, 1st Rhetorical Criticism, 5th After-Dinner
Caitlin Carroll: 1st After-Dinner, 1st Biographical Informative, 4th Extemporaneous
Amanda Dean: 3rd Persuasive Speaking
Danielle Stice: 6th After-Dinner, 6th Dramatic Duo (w/ Anna Zimmerman)
Anna Zimmerman: 6th Dramatic Duo (w/Danielle Stice)
Rob Powell: 6th Rhetorical Criticism
Hope Stallings: 1st Individual Sweepstakes
Tower Invitational Team Results
1. Bowling Green State University
2. Berry College
3. Ball State University
4. Western Kentucky University
5. Miami University (Ohio)
6. Central Michigan University
7. Marian College
8. Northwood University
9. Hillsdale College
10. University of Akron
11. University of Michigan
12. Ohio State University
13. Wayne State University
14. Jackson Community College
Campus Carrier Receives Awards
The student newspaper of Berry College was awarded the Second Place General Excellence Award through the Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest Saturday at the GCPA Press Institute in Macon.
The Campus Carrier earned the Second Place General Excellence Award, for overall excellence in the Senior B Division. The Senior B Division includes all Georgia colleges and universities with enrollments under 8,000. The Collonade of Georgia College and State University placed first while the Connector of Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta campus, placed third.
The Campus Carrier also received:
First Place - General Photography Excellence
Second Place - Best Community Service – Editorial Excellence
Second Place - Advertising Excellence
Third Place - Best Community Service – Sports
Third Place - Layout and Design Excellence
Third Place - Improvement Award
Kevin Kleine, student publications adviser, said, "These awards are yet another confirmation of a strong communication and student affairs programs at Berry. The awards are a reflection of the long hours staff members put in to serve their fellow students by presenting them with the relevant and timely information they need."
Individual awards to four-year schools, which include schools of all enrollments, won by Campus Carrier staff include a First Place Best Review by sophomore Philip Hogan, Woodstock, Ga., and a Third Place Best Sports Photograph by senior Stephen Lindley, Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Editor of the Campus Carrier, Ashton Staniszewski said, "We work hard to maintain a tradition of excellence within the collegiate journalism community. Although winning awards is great, our primary goal is to continue striving to improve our coverage of the Berry community and serve them to the best of our ability.
February 7.
JJ Marks Invitational Forensics Swing Tournament
Four members of the Berry Forensics team competed in the JJ Marks Invitational Forensics Swing Tournament, January 18-20. The abbreviated Berry squad finished second in the opening tournament hosted by the University of West Florida, and first in the latter tournament hosted by Florida State University.
The four students, Seniors Keith Brooks and Radhika Dhir, Junior Amanda Dean and Sophomore Hope Stallings all brought home awards from final round competition! Stallings earned the top speaker pentathlon championship honor at both tournaments!
Berry speakers bought home 29 awards from the two tournaments bringing their annual total to 86.
University of West Florida Tournament, Jan. 18-19
Team Sweeps- Top 5 (out of 9)
1. Florida State University
2. Berry College
3. University of Florida
4. Florida College
5. Clemson University
Hope Stallings: 1st Pentathlon, 1st Informative, 1st Persuasive, 1st Dramatic Duo (w/ Keith Brooks), 2nd Rhetorical Criticism
Keith Brooks: 1st Poetry, 1st Dramatic Duo (w/Hope Stallings), 4th Dramatic Interpretation
Amanda Dean: 2nd After-Dinner, 3rd Informative, 5th Persuasive
Radhika Dhir: 5th Poetry, 5th Dramatic Interpretation
Florida State University Tournament, Jan. 20
Team Sweeps- Top 5 (out of 7)
1. Berry College
2. University of West Florida
3. University of Florida
4. Clemson University
5. Central Florida C.C.
Hope Stallings: 1st Pentathlon, 1st Informative, 1st Persuasive, 1st Dramatic Duo (w/Brooks), 2nd Rhetorical Criticism, 5th Prose
Keith Brooks: 1st Dramatic Duo (w/Stallings), 2nd Poetry, 3rd Dramatic Interpretation
Amanda Dean: 2nd After-Dinner, 2nd Informative, 5th Persuasive
Radhika Dhir: 4th Prose, 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 6th Poetry
Who's Who Among Students
Eight senior Communication majors were inducted into Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges on Sunday, December 1. A total of 32 Berry seniors were selected for the 2007-2008 edition of Who's Who.
Audrey Bright
Rachel Brown
Jessica Cook
Mallorie Evans
Lydia Fields
Anne Fowler
Amanda Frisbee
Katherine Landry
Tennessee Porch Swing Forensics Tournament
The Berry College Forensics Team competed in the Tennessee Porch Swing forensics tournament at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, November 10-11. The team finished an extremely close second out of 17 colleges and universities. Berry students Caitlin Carroll, Amanda Dean, Hope Stallings and Danielle Stice all won individual championships! Berry won a total of 34 awards at the tournament, bringing their total for the year to 51.
Communication Preview Day
On November 2 the Communication Department hosted a preview day for prospective students. The students and their families were given the opportunity to experience life in Laughlin for a day.
Prospective students and their parents listen to Dr. Frank explain the day.
Professor Curt Hersey talks to a prospective student about video production in the COM department.
Prospective students look at a Berry College yearbook.
’Bama Swing Forensics Tournament
The Berry Forensics Team got the year off to a great start with a second-place finish in the University of Alabama’s “’Bama Swing Forensics Tournament,” October 13-14. A “swing” tournament features two tournaments in one weekend. Berry speakers placed third in the University of Alabama’s “Alumni Tournament” on October 13, and second in the “Crimson Classic” on October 14. Two Berry students, junior, Caitlin Carroll and sophomore, Hope Stallings won individual tournament championships. Caitlin placed first in Extemporaneous Speaking at the “Alumni Tournament,” and Hope was a three-time champion, bringing home first place in Communication Analysis at the “Alumni Tournament,” and first place in Informative Speaking at both tournaments! Overall, Berry speakers brought home 14 awards and qualified 8 events for NFA national competition. A complete list of Berry winners follows.
Alumni Tournament, October 13
Caitlin Carroll- 1st place Extemporaneous, 2nd place Impromptu
Adam Houck- Top Novice Extemporaneous
Hope Stallings- 1st place Communication Analysis, 1st place Informative
Berry College- 3rd place
Crimson Classic, October 14
Keith Brooks- 5th place Poetry Interpretation
Caitlin Carroll- 3rd place Extemporaneous
Amanda Dean- 2nd place After-Dinner
Christi McEntyre- 5th place Communication Analysis
Hope Stallings- 1st place Informative, 3rd place Communication Analysis
Swing Sweepstakes
1. Western Kentucky University 2. Berry College
3. Tennessee State University
4. McKendree University
5. University of Mississippi
6. Louisiana State University
7. University of Florida
8. Tallahassee Community College
9. Clemson University
10. Florida State University (tie)
Texas State University