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Undergraduate Student Organizations

All undergraduate students who have an interest in Communication Studies can join the Undergraduate Student Association, Lambda Pi Eta, and COMMbassadors. Dr. Scott A. Myers is the current advisor of all three organizations.

Students also have the opportunity to serve as Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in our undergraduate courses or as Undergraduate Research Assistants for faculty members who are working on research projects.

Undergraduate Communication Association

The Undergraduate Communication Association (UCA) is an organization comprised of students who have chosen Communication Studies as either their major or minor. The UCA has three primary goals—community engagement, career development, and network development—and provides members with the opportunity to engage in activities and events where they can grow as professionals and community members while connecting with other Communication Studies students. The UCA meets monthly during the Fall and Spring semesters.

In addition to their monthly meetings, UCA participates in a variety of service and social activities that benefit the department, the university, and the community. At the department level, UCA has assisted the faculty at recruiting events such as the First Year Academy and Major Match. At the university level, UCA participates in Trunk or Treat at the WVU Coliseum and student organization recruitment fairs. UCA is active in the community through volunteering for the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s annual Walk for Wishes, conducting canned food drives for Monongalia County food pantries, and assisting the United Way in their annual Community Clean-Up Day. On the social side, UCA hosts an annual holiday party for its members and the faculty.

Students can join the UCA at any point during the Fall and Spring semesters. Officer elections for the following year are held at the last meeting in the Spring semester.

The 2024-2025 officers are:

  • President Alyssa Batchelor is a senior Forensic Examiner major from Lancaster, Ohio, with a minor in Communication Studies. Outside of UCA, she is the Vice President for the Filipino Student Association and the Treasurer for Genesis KDC. She is also a member of Delta Delta Epsilon,  a honor society for Forensic Science.
  • Vice President Ainsley Skrinjorich is a senior Communication Studies major with an Area of Emphasis in Organizational Communication. She has a double minor in General Business and Marketing. Ainsley is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a Fall 2024 COMMbassador.
  • Secretary Heidi Kunz is a sophomore double major in both Communication Studies and Political Science. She has a minor in Spanish. Heidi is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • Treasurer Audra Cook is a senior Communication Studies major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with an emphasis in Organizational Communication. She is pursuing a minor in Law and Legal Studies. Audra is a Fall 2024 COMMbassador and is serving as Undergraduate Research Assistant with Dr. Goodboy during the Fall 2024 semester
  • Social Media Manager Avery Powell is a first year Communication Studies major. Avery is originally from Herndon in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Lambda Pi Eta (Xi Nu Chapter)

Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) is the National Communication Association’s undergraduate student honor society. The membership is Lambda Pi Eta is composed of undergraduate students who have declared an interest in the field of Communication and have achieved a high level of academic excellence.

To be eligible for membership and at the time of application, students must be a declared Communication Studies major, have completed 60 credit hours with a cumulative 3.0 or higher GPA, and have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours in COMM courses (excluding COMM 490 and COMM 491), with a cumulative 3.25 or higher GPA in those courses. Students who meet the criteria for membership in Lambda Pi Eta are invited to join each Fall and Spring semester.

In Fall 2024, 10 students were inducted into the Xi Nu Chapter.

The 2024-2025 President is Maria Amores. Maria is a senior Communication Studies major with an Area of Emphasis in Organizational Communication. She has two minors in Public Relations and Leadership Studies. Maria is from Martinsburg, West Virginia.

COMMbassadors

The COMMbassadors is a competitively-selected group of Communication Studies majors who represent the Department of Communication Studies at various recruitment, retention, and promotion events during the school year. They serve as a point of contact for prospective and current students, parents, department faculty and graduate students, and the WVU community at large. COMMbassadors represent the undergraduate experience at several events, including Welcome Week’s Academic Day, COMM 191 Orientation Course, Discover and Decide Open Houses, Major Match and Tour WVU Days, and COMM Course Registration Drives.

Students who are selected as COMMbassadors undergo training prior to the Fall semester and attend events throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. They receive three credit hours of COMM 491: Professional Field Experience for their service.

For the 2024 Fall semester, four students are representing the Department as COMMbassadors. These students are:

  • Audra Cook is a Communication Studies major from Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania with an emphasis in Organizational Communication. She is pursuing a minor in Law and Legal Studies. Audra is a member of the Undergraduate Communication Association and is serving as Undergraduate Research Assistant with Dr. Goodboy during the Fall 2024 semester.
  • Katie Kuykendall is a senior Communication Studies major from Petersburg, West Virginia, with an emphasis in Organizational Communication. Katie also is pursuing a bachelor’s degrees in Promotional Marketing. She is a member of the ASPIRE Academy and the Sigma Phi Omega Honors Society. 
  • Ainsley Skrinjorich is a senior Communication Studies major with an Area of Emphasis in Organizational Communication. She has a double minor in General Business and Marketing. Ainsley is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 
  • John Sotardi is a senior Communication Studies major with an emphasis in Social Media and Communication Technology. He is from Parsippany, New Jersey. John is a Military Science minor and is in the United States Army serving in the West Virginia National Guard.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

COMM majors have the opportunity to serve as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) in one of the Department's large lecture courses (i.e., COMM 104, 105, 112, 305, 306, 308). To serve as a UTA in one of these courses, student must have completed the course with a grade of B or higher. Students must enroll in COMM 490: Teaching Practicum for three credit hours during the semester in which they serve as a UTA.

In the Fall 2024 semester, 23 students representing 20 majors served as UTAs for the Department’s large lecture courses that enrolled over 1100 students.

To inquire about serving as an UTA, students should contact the instructor of the COMM course prior to the next semester's registration period.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

COMM majors who are interested in the communication research process may consider serving as an Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) for a faculty member. To serve as a URA, students must secure the permission of a faculty member, who then will supervise them working on a particular research project. URAs may be assigned various tasks, such as locating, reading, and summarizing journal articles; writing portions of a research manuscript; soliciting research participants; or collecting research data. Students must enroll in COMM 491: Professional Field Experience for three credit hours during the semester in which they serve as a URA.

To inquire about serving as a URA, students should contact the faculty member with whom they would like to work.