The spring semester is in full force, and in the Department of Communication at West Texas A&M University it is time to celebrate with a week of events.  The Mass Communication and Communication programs, respectively, team up once a year for the annual Communication Week, or “Comm Week.”  This weeklong, event-filled endeavor is put together by students with the help of faculty members to showcase not only what it is the departments are doing, but to show students from all over campus as well what goes on in the Fine Arts Complex.

Comm Week always centers on a theme.  The theme last year was “Find Your Voice” and had many music-centric events such as “The Voice Game Show,” “Sing For Your Lunch” and the ever popular “Project Runway” with the faculty dressing up as popular musical artists.  This year’s theme is “Game Changers: What is Your Digital Destiny.”

The events begin Monday, Feb. 16. Communication students will compete against faculty members in the game show stylings of “Hollywood Game Night.”  This event will be held in the Recital Hall of the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex at 12 p.m., and student volunteers from the audience will be selected and formed into teams to battle some of their favorite professors.

Later that evening, there will be an “Alumni Table Talk,” where current and former students can meet with one another, and students can get a feel for what the field of professional media has to offer.  This event will take place in the FAC Grand Lobby at 6 p.m.

The following day will be “Family Feud” at noon in Legacy Hall of the Jack B. Kelley Student Center, followed by the Distinguished Lecture Series with special guest speaker Aaron Dignon at 7 p.m. in Legacy Hall.  Comm Week concludes Wednesday, Feb. 18, with this year’s version of “Project Runway,” which will feature faculty members dressed up as popular game characters in the FAC foyer.

Kase Wilbanks, senior Mass Communication—Broadcasting/Electronic Media major, is one of the students involved in Comm Week planning committee. He is excited to be a part of the festivities.

“We want this to be a campus-wide week,” Wilbanks said. “We want others to see what we do around here. We also want to show them why we chose this theme…and it’s important to see what your digital destiny is with our changing world of digital media.”

Maddisun Fowler, graduate student in Communication and planning committee member, thinks the week lends itself to a unique collaboration between students and faculty.

“Faculty involvement is key in Communication Week,” Fowler said.  “It’s a great way for faculty to interact with their students outside of the classroom, and students get to see their professors in a more informal situation, which is always great.”

Dr. Trudy Hanson, Communication Department Head, is overseeing the festivities and is enthusiastic for each and every one of the events.  She had a hard time choosing the event she likes the most.

“Actually, I don’t have a favorite.  I love everyone of them,” Dr. Hanson said.

WT Communication Week is Feb. 16-19, and more information can be found on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wtcommunicationweek.