By James Whittington, Patrick Broussoul, and Amanda Freeman
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| Communication Studies and Mass Communication's shared office |
The merger of Mass Communication and Communication Studies departments in 2014 seems to have brought as many issues as solutions. From budget cuts to lack of permanent staffing, there are definitely some concerning challenges. An issue that has come of late is the lack of space allocated to both departments. The offices currently occupied by both departments were originally designed and constructed for the Mass Communication department. The merger of both departments required the current offices to accommodate for more faculty. And this is where the issue of space allocation begins.
The recent topic of space problems comes from the loss of an office space being used by the Communication Leadership Lab, a capstone for the Communication Studies major. Office 348P in CCIT is being reassigned to an upcoming engineer for the Mass Communication major. The issue with this decision is that the Leadership Lab, which was occupying the office, is now left with nothing. With the help of Dr. Elesha Ruminski and Professor Christine Willingham, the Leadership Lab has been in operation for roughly two years.
The Leadership Lab has decided to file a proposal to the school’s administrators in an effort to acquire a new office. In charge of this proposal is Communication Studies student Trevor Jones. “My understanding of the situation is that the office space currently used by lab assistants will be given to an engineer that is being hired to assist with the Mass Communication production facilities. I don't have an actual date or time for when this action will take place, but it will occur within the upcoming semesters.”
The loss of the office for the Lab is inevitable and news like this can be somewhat problematic as Trevor states, “I feel as though taking away the office space for the Leadership Lab would be fairly inconvenient for students enrolled in the capstone and for faculty, particularly the site supervisor, when it relates to keeping track of time sheets and meeting with lab assistants.”
The Leadership Lab has decided to file a proposal to the school’s administrators in an effort to acquire a new office. In charge of this proposal is Communication Studies student Trevor Jones. “My understanding of the situation is that the office space currently used by lab assistants will be given to an engineer that is being hired to assist with the Mass Communication production facilities. I don't have an actual date or time for when this action will take place, but it will occur within the upcoming semesters.”
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| Trevor Jones |
“I have been working on a project/proposal, which involves achieving new office space for lab assistants to utilized in the future.”
Trevor has decided to acquire the support of the Student Government Association. Trevor believes the help of the SGA will provide stronger support in submitting the proposal.
“The proposal is going well. I have met with James Kirk, the current VP of SGA, who will be transitioning into the President next semester. After meeting with James, he's in support of our proposal for gaining new office space and agreed to work with me to ensure this request is granted.”
- Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones isn’t the only student sharing his concern, Shavonne Hamilton, a Leadership Lab student, also finds the situation concerning.
"This office is close to the offices of our Communication Studies professors, which makes the lab feel like a true internship. Knowing that we have an office that we can meet and work in with the other lab assistants boosts the morale. Also, being in the office gives a glimpse of what it is like to be working in a professional setting, which is beneficial to the lab assistants because we gain experience working in a professional setting.”
“As a current lab assistant, I feel disappointed that our designated office is going to be taken away."
-Shavonne Hamilton
"This office is close to the offices of our Communication Studies professors, which makes the lab feel like a true internship. Knowing that we have an office that we can meet and work in with the other lab assistants boosts the morale. Also, being in the office gives a glimpse of what it is like to be working in a professional setting, which is beneficial to the lab assistants because we gain experience working in a professional setting.”
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| Shavonne Hamilton |
“If denied, I believe that the Communication Studies students will be discouraged from doing on-site internships and the department will be even more overworked and understaffed. It is more than just an office that we will lose. We lose the opportunity to truly learn how to function in a working professional environment.”
The proposal for an office is set to go in motion sometime this semester. Professor Willingham advocated for the need of an office space and stated, “The Lab is important for tools, spaces, and software. Many projects involving the Communication Leadership Lab requires specific software on Mac computers. Taking away the office essentially means taking away the general requirements for the lab assistants to continue working.”
With the arrival of an engineer, more issues involving space and resources are at hand. The loss of office 348P could mean a period of adversity for the lab. The question remains, will the Leadership Lab gain a new office or be denied?
With the arrival of an engineer, more issues involving space and resources are at hand. The loss of office 348P could mean a period of adversity for the lab. The question remains, will the Leadership Lab gain a new office or be denied?
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