The West Texas A&M Department of Communication will be hosting “COMM Factor”, a week-long collection of events for the 2019 Communication Week from Feb. 18-22. 

“I think celebrating COMM Week is very important. It is a whole week of festivities and networking opportunities. Personally, by February I am tired already of the semester, so this is just a way for us to all relax and enjoy the moment,” COMM Week committee member Kylee Douglass said. 

Known as COMM Week, the collection of events brings together students, professors, staff, and alumni from the communication department. The annual spring event is a dedicated time to showcase the Department of Communication as well as its past and present students. For senior corporate communication major Morgan Monroe, she is looking forward to connecting with other communication students during the week. 

 “I believe COMM Week brings the department together,” Monroe said. “We get to really celebrate our department and everything the faculty does for us.”

Events for the week include a game show, WTAMU Alumni Table Talk, the Prairie’s 100 year reception, Comic Book Character Dress-up Day/book drive and a “COMM Factor” competition. COMM week is planned and executed by a committee of students and advising faculty members. 

“It has been a huge group effort. I suggested a couple of themes for this year, as did others, and one of the last ones I pitched was a ‘Fear Factor’ theme but relating it with COMM. Henceforth, ‘COMM Factor’. I have also been in charge of getting door prizes for each event…,” Douglass said. 

For Douglass, she was excited when asked last semester to be a part of the COMM week committee. She has enjoyed participating in it in past years. She is eager for everything the committee has been working on to come together.

“I think a very important one [event] is on Tuesday, Annette Simmons will be our keynote speaker and I look forward for what she has to say. The one that I think everyone looks forward to the most is the faculty competition and that is happening during lunch on Thursday,” Douglass said. 

Professors will be competing in challenges inspired by the “Fear Factor” show. At the end of the competition, students will have the ability to vote on who they believe won. This year’s theme is inspired by a special rendition of the “Fear Factor” competition featuring select professors throughout the department including  Assistant Professor of Media Communication and  COMM Week Committee Advisor  Dr. Mary Liz Brooks. 

“A couple of things I am really excited about, of course, is the “COMM Factor” faculty competition…What I am excited about it to see what these challenges are that students have come up for the professors to overcome,” Brooks said. “It is modeled after “Fear Factor” so we are going to have some sort of challenge and we have to get a committee of students to help cheer us on and keep us going during this event.”

The week will end with breakfast for dinner with a “Fear Factor” twist inside the KWTS Live Lounge Thursday at 5:30. All students are welcome to all events happening during COMM Week and to spread the word using #COMMWeek2019. Prizes will also be given out during the week to students using the hashtag and coming to the events.  

“I am very honored that we have such faculty members that will put themselves out there for us. It is also amazing to see what the department is doing for us as well, they don’t have to do these things for us but it’s awesome to see that they are going the extra mile to let us have fun. It’s awesome being a comm. student knowing everyone always has your back,” Douglass said.