By Khalil Dixon

Several faculty and graduate students in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University participated in the National Communication Association's (NCA) 98th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida from November 15-18, 2012. A paper by Dr. Jeffrey T. Child and David Westermann was recognized as a top paper and a video presentation by Ph.D. candidate Norma Jones attracted international media interest.

"Let's Be Facebook Friends: Exploring Parental Facebook Friend Requests from a Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Perspective" by Dr. Jeffrey T. Child and David A.Westermann was recognized as a Top Four Paper for the Family Communication division. The study explored a range of factors that illuminate young adult decision-making about the type of access allowed for each parent in terms of participating as a part of their Facebook space. Child is an associate professor and the undergraduate coordinator in the School of Communication Studies. Westermann is a master's degree graduate from the school.

Child also played a significant service role for the NCA by organizing seven Scholar-to-Scholar (S2S) sessions on a wide range of topics across all units and interest groups of the NCA. The sessions included "Communication in a Global Society," "Communication and the Maintenance of Diverse Relationships," "Communication, Politics, and Popular Culture," "Communication, Technology, and Media Use and Effects," "COMMunity through Social Media and Computer-mediated Interactions," "Rhetorical and Critical Perspectives" and "How Individuals Process, Construct, and Respond to Messages."These S2S sessions featured more than 200 papers and presentations reflecting critical issues faced by communication scholars throughout the discipline. 

A video submitted by Norma Jones for a panel of the NCA Forum and Research Board was picked up by Firstpost, an online newsroom in India. The panel, titled, "What Just Happened - Call and Response on the 2012 Election," included  the video "Beyond the Daisy ad - Election2012: Political Advertisements and the Persuadable Middle." Jones is a doctoral student in the College of Communication and Information. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HItyo9oGD2A

The following also represented Kent State as presenters during the conference:

Decoding "Tiger Mom" Controversy: Situated Voices from Diverse Communities—Dr. Bei Cai

The Role of Message Sources on Employee-reported Awareness and Interest in Health Promotion Programs at Work— Dr. Jeffrey T. Child

Resistance Privacy Rule Control: Who's in the Driver's Seat?—Dr. Jeffrey T. Child

Explaining the Use of Text-based Communication Media: An Examination of Three Theories of Media Use— Dr. Jae Eun Chung

Friend or Not to Friend: Coworker Facebook Friend Requests as an Application of Communication Privacy Management Theory—Bethany R. Dennis, Dr. Jeffrey T. Child

Experiential Learning in Communication Division Business Meeting—Dr. Rozell R. Duncan

Helping the Helpers: Stroke Caregivers' Reflections at the Conclusion of an Online Intervention Involving Peer and Professional Social Support—Dr. Nichole L. Egbert, Sarah Christian, Mary Dellman-Jenkins, Kevin Nanna, Gregory T. Smith, Carrie Tomko, Jenny Rosenberg, Vanessa Heeman and Danielle Nicole Bernat

Are You Scared of HPV? The Effects of Knowledge and Health Literacy on College Students' Understanding of Health News—Dr. Nichole L. Egbert, Krishnamurti Murniadi and Roxanne Basel

NCA Legislative Assembly, Health Communication Division Business Meeting—Dr. Nichole L. Egbert

Mass Communication Division Business Meeting— Norma Jones

"Effects of Situation Similarity, Frequency of Activation, and Elaboration on the Likelihood of Being Reminded to a Message Failure"—Dr. Janet Meyer, AishaTengku

National Print and Electronic News Coverage of Self-management Behaviors and Efficacy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—Jason Sabo, Dr. Rebecca J. Cline, Dr. Catherine E.Goodall, Dr. Jeffrey T. Child

Talking Your Way In (Or Kicking Down the Door)? Conducting Ethnographic Research with Top Sporting Organizations and Athletes—Dr.Danielle Sarver Coombs, Norma Jones

Double Outsiders: American Women and English Football Fans—Dr. Danielle Sarver Coombs of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the College of Communication and Information at Kent State

On Your Mark, Get Set, Serve: The Critical "How To's" of Service Learning/Experiential Learning—Lisa Waite

Whiteness at Work: Framing and Organizing Race and Ethnicity—Carolina Rosas Webber