Graduate Students Receive Grants to Attend NCA

     Two of our graduate students have received grants from both the College of Arts and Sciences and the National Communication Association (NCA) to present their first academic papers at the annual meeting of the NCA Conference.  While both students have attended in previous years, this conference marks the first time they will present their scholarship.  Andrea will present her paper, “Undressing the Video Vixen: A Feminist Reexamination of Superhead,” on a panel entitled,  Listening to the Beats that Bind and the Messages that Result in Change: Exploring and Questioning the Beats, Culture, and Politics of Hip Hop, which is being co-sponsored by the African American Communication and Culture Division and the Critical Cultural Studies Division.  Camille will present a paper that she co-authored with Dr. Brian Richardson.   Their paper, entitled “ESPN . . . Kept Me Alive: Adding External Stakeholder Influence to Whistle-Blowing Models,” will appear on the panel Can You Make Me Happy?  Bullying, Leadership, and Satisfaction, which is sponsored by the Organizational Communication Division.   The NCA conference will take place November 12-15, in Chicago, Illinois.

UNT Debate Success Continues!

The University of North Texas Debate Team walked out of Missouri State on September 28 with a trophy in hand as the champions of the Junior Varsity Division.  Sophomore Cody DeBaun and First Year Student Daniel Name won the overall tournament after posting wins over Kansas State, the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Kansas, the University of Central Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma.  This is a strong showing for the team as competition begins for the 2009-2010 debate season.  The whole squad supported Debaun and Name as they made their bid through four different elimination debates in Springfield.  They were named the eventual winner after defeating the University of Oklahoma in the final round.  The team heads to Emporia State University to defend UNT’s reputation during homecoming weekend October 16-18.