Communication Commons^™

Ua12/2/75 Sigma Phi Epsilon, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Ua12/2/80 Pi Kappa Alpha, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Pi Kappa Alpha and its forerunner fraternity Lambda Sigma Epsilon.

Ua19/16/2 Softball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU softball team in 2023.

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2023 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Provost's Message
• First Gen Initiative Success
• Congratulations to Our University Distinguished Professor & University Faculty Award Recipients
• Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Education Transition
• October 13th Guest Speaker James Lang

Ua19/16/2 Soccer Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU soccer team in 2023.

Social Media Use And Awareness Of Privacy Concerns, Lola Baldwin, Jared Gores, Jp Kilbride

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

The usage of social media in our society is prevalent in our daily lives. Although social media usage is at an all time high, the tools and technologies that provide security and protection can be compromised. Users of social media platforms should be made aware of the risks and pitfalls of these applications. Our study identified that users of social media platforms are generally aware of insecurities within the platforms. The researchers determined that the frequency of posting does not cause risks for privacy concerns. Although the users had general awareness and concern, they were heightened after additional information was …

Mental Health In Sports Media, Samuel Ridgley

Communication & Media Studies | Senior Theses

This paper looks at the increasingly popular conversation surrounding mental health in sports. It provides a glimpse into how common the struggle of mental health can be for many high-level athletes while also examining the narrative and expectations that society and the media have created. The paper also provides examples of prominent athletes from a variety of different sports and delves into their personal mental health experiences in the eyes of the media. The goal of this paper is to show the progression and change of how the media portrays mental health amongst athletes in today’s ever-changing world.

Documenting Privacy Dark Patterns: How Social Networking Sites Influence Users’ Privacy Choices, Dominique Kelly, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

Dark patterns are user interface (UI) design strategies intended to influence users to make choices or perform actions that benefit online services. This study examines the dark patterns employed by social networking sites (SNSs) to influence users to make privacy-invasive choices. We documented the privacy dark patterns encountered in attempts to register an account, configure account settings, and log in and out for five SNSs popular among American teenagers (Discord, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat). Based on our observations, we present a typology consisting of three major types of privacy dark patterns (Obstruction, Obfuscation, and Pressure) and 10 subtypes. These …

Between Here And There: Surveying The Global Work Of Diaspora, Migration, And Mobility-Engaged Museums, Simge Erdogan-O'Connor, Giada Ferrucci, Renée Macdiarmid, Julia Piccolo, Sascha Priewe, Sarah E.K. Smith

FIMS Publications

Diaspora, migration, and mobility-engaged museums are a growing sector amongst global cultural institutions. These museums play a significant role in shaping understandings of migration and representing diaspora identities, cultures, and experiences. Through their work, they also serve an increasingly diplomatic function in fostering mutual understanding amongst various groups and communities. At a time when migration is increasingly contested and politicized, the work of these institutions has never been more pressing. This report presents a global survey of the work of diaspora, migration, and mobility-engaged museums. Our study focused on understanding the sector, including the range and scope of institutions and …

A Failure To Communicate: Assessing The Low Rate Of Materials Challenge And Censorship Reporting Among Canadian Public Libraries, Mike Nyby, Heather Hill, Richard Ellis

FIMS Publications

Record levels of materials challenges have affected libraries in both Canada and the United States in recent years, (American Library Association, 2023c; Canadian Federation of Library Associations, 2015-2022), but despite the apparent swell in censorship efforts, the ALA estimates that 82-92% of challenges go unreported (Doyle 2017). This study aims to identify factors contributing to the low rate of challenge reporting through a participation survey distributed to over 500 Canadian public libraries. Results indicate low awareness reporting mechanisms is likely the largest obstacle to greater participation, but obstacles related to library policy, including delegation and challenge policy structure, also exist.

Ua19/16/2 Athletics Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases regarding general activities of the WKU Athletics Department for 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Volleyball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU volleyball team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2023.

Northeast Delhi Riots Of 2020: Contesting And (Re)Claiming The Western Media Narrative, Sumanth Inukonda

Publications and Research

The New Delhi Riots of 2020 dominated the news cycle for days, even as U.S. President Trump visited India. This article is based on news coverage of these riots during and immediately following their occurrence between February 23 and March 10, 2020. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this article investigates the discourse on India and its minorities that frames the understanding of these riots to argue that Western media coverage betrays biases and contradictions. This article analyzes the varied alternative narratives of these riots in the Indian media, including secular and Hindu nationalist media, to critique the Western media narrative. This …

Flood-Inundation Maps For An 8-Mile Reach Of Papillion Creek Near Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 2022, Kellan R. Strauch, Christopher M. Hobza

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

Digital flood-inundation maps for an 8-mile reach of Papillion Creek near Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, Offutt Air Force Base. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Program website at https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/flood-inundation-mapping-fim-program, depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgages Papillion Creek at Fort Crook, Nebr. (station 06610795), and Papillion Creek at Harlan Lewis Road near La Platte, Nebr. (station 06610798). Near-real-time stages at these streamgages may …

Rebuilding Old Empire: Bbc And Indigenous Language Broadcasting In Nigeria, Ololade Afolabi

Communication, Media & The Arts Faculty Publications

Using the framework of postcolonial and critical cultural studies of communication, this essay examines the rise of BBC indigenous language broadcasting in Nigeria. Taking an interdisciplinary approach from the fields of language studies, media studies, and cultural studies, the essay argues that media and communication contact that occurs between colonists and their previous colonies cannot be taken as coincidental or casual; therefore, the need to combine the local and global in theorizing new frameworks for understanding this complex relationship and the power dynamics that occurs alongside it.

What Do People Affected By Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Want From Health Communications? Evidence From The Als Talk Project, Shelagh K. Genuis, Westerly Luth, Tania M. Bubela, Wendy S. Johnston

Office of the Provost

Introduction/aims: Health communication is central to effective, supportive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical care. Guidance for ALS communication is limited, focuses on diagnosis disclosure, and frequently relies on expert consensus and/or reviews. Patient-based evidence is needed to guide ALS health communication. We investigated how the experiences of ALS patients and family caregivers can inform effective communication practices from diagnosis to end-of-life.
Methods: Data were drawn from the ALS Talk Project, an asynchronous, online focus group study. Seven focus groups and five interviews (105 participants) were conducted. Data were qualitatively analyzed using directed content analysis and the constant-comparative approach.
Results: We …

Temporal Impacts Of Problematic Social Media Content On Perceived Employee Hirability, Caleb T. Carr, Mary C. Katreeb, Ertemisa P. Godinez

Faculty Publications - Communications

Job applicants’ social media postings and presence can impact employers’ perceptions during the hiring process. The current study expands this line of inquiry, exploring the effects of both message characteristics (i.e. post temporality) and individual characteristics (i.e. hiring manager’s view about individuals’ ability to change over time). Results of a 2 (problematic content: present v. absent) × 3 (post temporality: recent v. 2 years ago v. 5 years ago) experiment (N = 220) revealed the negative main effect of the presence of problematic social media content was moderated by the temporality of the post: More recent posts more substantively impacted …

Contact-Tracing Apps As Boundary Objects Of Pandemic Governance: The State-By-State Approach To Contain The Spread Of Covid-19 In The United States, Eugene Jang, Jeeyun (Sophia) Baik, Katrin Fischer

Communication: Faculty Scholarship

Digital contact tracing has been claimed as imperative to controlling the spread of COVID19. However, the state-by-state approach in the United States led to divergences in contact tracing. This study analyzed contact-tracing apps as “boundary objects” through which each state worked toward the governance of the pandemic without having a formal consensus. Through media coverage and walkthrough analyses of three digital contacttracing apps in Alabama, California, and New York, we closely investigated both convergences and divergences of the apps. In the process, we located the implications of Google/Apple’s Bluetooth-based exposure notification system for digital contact tracing within and beyond state …

Catching Babies: Helping Students Understand Reproductive Justice Through Black Maternal Health, Jillian A. Tullis

Communication: Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Delegitimizing Rural Public Health Departments: How Decaying Local News Ecologies, Misinformation, And Radicalization Undermine Community Storytelling Networks, Nik Usher

Communication: Faculty Scholarship

This article considers the public communication challenges that health officials in rural America faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. I analyze the role that public health officials played in communicating news and information about the pandemic in 29 rural counties in Illinois. These officials were challenged by a diminished reporting capacity among local media outlets, and by a political radicalization of local Republicans, who no longer regarded local media as trusted nodes in local storytelling networks. I find that while public health officials can help fill a community’s critical information needs about risk and emergency, the public’s take-up of this information …

A Pilot Study Of An Immersive Folktale User Experience, Iulia Popescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Immersive media provides new avenues for preserving and sharing traditional folktales. To keep up with modern generations and continue to cultivate an interest in the arts as well as different cultures, this researcher argues that storytellers need to keep on adapting by conveying stories in new ways. Virtual Reality (VR) offers an interesting medium to present and preserve folktales. The goal of this study is to evaluate the user and learner experience of an immersive digital media application design using a think aloud protocol, surveys, and tests to document what worked and what did not in the design, including if …

Navigating With Sharks: How The Marketing Practices Help To Create Successful Phishing Emails, Erica Castilho

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

A phishing email is a crime where a scammer sends an email to get sensitive data. Everyday phishing email attacks impact billions of people worldwide. Preparing users to better identify phishing and avoid risky engagement with it is essential to combat this threat. We consider that as phishing emails and email marketing aim to target email clicks, scammers can use marketing practices in phishing emails to achieve their goals. However, the security research community doesn't explore deeply the similarities between phishing and email marketing. This study presents a distinctive framework known as the Phishing Engagement Marketing Optimization (PEMO). The primary …

Student Perceptions Of Campus Crime And Victim Services, Tracy Gulliford

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Few would argue that college campus crime is a serious problem across the United States. Debate arises, however, regarding why the problem is so pervasive and how best to address it. This dissertation addresses that gap by exploring the nature and magnitude of the college campus crime problem followed by a rationale for studying student perceptions regarding knowledge about and use of victim services resources offered on the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus. Doing so is particularly important in light of the fact that five years have now passed since UCF launched the "Let's Be Clear" campaign designed to …

Partisan Selective Exposure On Social Media During The 2020 Presidential Election, Grayce Lemon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examines selective exposure and selective avoidance on social media during the 2020 presidential election. 147 voters participated in the survey conducted using Qualtrics. The purpose of this study was to understand whether selective exposure and avoidance behaviors differed based on voting outcome (Trump or Biden), and to test whether political ideological polarization was reflected in news consumption through social media. Taken together, the results indicate that although both voting bases engaged in selective exposure and avoidance, the propensity was the same between Trump and Biden voters. Additionally, results confirm existing hypotheses that the strength of political ideology positively …

Guide To The Paul Teruel Journal Of Ordinary Thought Collection, College Archives & Special Collections

Collection Guides / Finding Aids

This guide describes the organization of the Paul Teruel Journal of Ordinary Thought Collection, housed within the College Archives & Special Collections at Columbia College Chicago. Paul Teruel served as director of community partnerships at the Center for Arts Policy, a former unit of the college. The Journal of Ordinary Thought published “reflections people make on their personal histories and everyday experiences, founded on the propositions that every person is a philosopher, expressing one's thoughts foster creativity and change, and taking control of life requires people to think about the world and communicate their thoughts to others”. The collection holds …

Continuing To Do The Work: An Examination Of The Experiences Of Students Of Color In Collegiate Speech, Tennisha Sonsalla

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis examines how the experiences of students of color in the collegiate speech community are inextricably linked to their race. Students of color, unlike white students, face unique challenges in the predominately white speech community. Using qualitative interviews to uncover the experiences of students of color who have participated in collegiate speech, this project details 6 major themes: Internal Pressures, External Pressures, Navigating Voice, Issues of Representation, Team Dynamics, and Survival Strategies. As well as implications, limitations,and suggestions for future research.

Deep Community Partnerships: The Future Of Community-Based Senior Care In A Value-Driven Era, Diana Wilcox

DSW Capstone Projects

This capstone reviews three scholarly products that examine how chronically ill older adults interact with healthcare systems and senior service delivery systems in the United States. The systematic literature review examines how community-based senior programs that are funded by the Older Americans Act (OAA) positively impact health outcomes and promote health and wellness among the older adult population. The conceptual paper examines how Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) interact with the patient and with one another using the lens of Systems Theory. The practice application paper examines best practices regarding care coordination …

A Puerto Rican Diasporic Study In Central Florida, Chelsea Vélez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study seeks to explicate the intercultural experiences of Puerto Ricans within the diaspora of Central Florida. Specifically, the navigation of communication behaviors among intergroup and outgroup behaviors as Puerto Rican individuals acculturate into the area. This study utilizes communication accommodation theory as its basis to understand integration into a host culture and the impacts on socio-cultural communication behaviors. Findings show the importance of studying diasporic communities as they develop such as that of the Puerto Rican community in Central Florida because it situates the reality of an individual and groups sense of identity in a new cultural context. This …

Exploring First-Generation College Student Experiences Within The Greek Life System, Clare Fiore

Dissertations and Theses

Being a first-generation college student (FGCS) can be intimidating. Being involved in an organization that involves the student in a community of similar minds with different backgrounds can help acclimate the student to college life while giving opportunities for different social and academic growth. Greek life could be that organization. This study aims to learn from FGCS, who are a part of Greek life, what their experiences are like being in both groups. The interviews conducted found that FGCS who are a part of Greek life experience an ease in transition to college life, adjusted expectations, impacted first-year experiences, are …