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The Communicator | Vol. 18 | No. 1 | Spring 2016

THE COMMUNICATOR

Public service, research and a virtual internship keep senior Mackenzie Bledsoe busyBy Colleen Schauer

The past couple years have been some-what of a whirlwind for Kenzie Bled-

soe, ‘16. She has had two major public service internships, volunteers frequently, has held many student leadership positions and recently presented her collaborative research at a conference in Montreal, Can-ada.

The virtual internship with the State De-partment is the most recent of Bledsoe’s endeavors, and arguably the most presti-gious. Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton created the virtual internship so that 300 different organizations associated with the government could apply for an in-tern. Each organization accepts one intern and Bledsoe was one of the 2,000 appli-cants to get accepted.

The specific organization that Bledsoe works with is called All Children Reading, which “was launched in 2011 as a way to leverage all of the technology we have.”

The program was created by the US Agen-cy for International Development, World Vision, and the Australian Government.

The internship also encompasses the unique experience of living in the digital age. The internship is virtual, thus all of Bledsoe’s work is assigned to her via a weekly email.

In fact, she’s never seen her boss face to face. “We use WebEx, which is similar to

Skype. We’ve only ever communicated by email or by voice. There is a camera fea-ture, but I’ve never turned mine on and my boss hasn’t either,” Bledsoe said.When asked about the culture of the intern-ship and how the digital aspect affected that, Bledsoe explained the difficult tran-sition between in person and virtual work.

“I’m all about the personal connection, so it’s difficult to not have that. I like to be able to check in with the people I work with and ask them about their day and that sort of thing, so this is much different.”

Despite the transition between virtual ver-sus personal, Bledsoe is very fond of her internship.

“All Children Reading struck a chord with me,” Bledsoe said of the internship. She went on to explain the trifecta that made the internship a perfect fit, citing the non-profit aspect, mission towards educational ad-vancement, and emphasis on technology as reasons why this internship appealed to her.

Though the virtual versus personal aspect of the internship was an adjustment for Bledsoe, she certainly has no fear of tech-nology. In fact, her collaborative research paper, with Professor Ishida, was titled: Twitter Usage in Public Communication Campaigns: Agenda Setting and Issue Framing of the California Drought Crisis. Bledsoe presented a continuation of her

research at the Central States Communi-cation Association Undergraduate Honors Conference in Grand Rapids, MI, where she was awarded a “Top Paper” award.

The experiences that Bledsoe has gained are so diverse from one another, and have given her a toolbox of new skills.

Her internship with Mark Dayton’s office has prepared her for the public service. Most of what she did in this job was related to public relations and archiving articles. When asked what advice she would give to younger students in terms of finding intern-ships, Bledsoe said, “Mentorship is key. I could not have gotten these things all by myself.”

Hamline University Communication Studies Newsletter | Vol. 18 | No. 1 | Spring 2016

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Bledsoe


Through his various on and off-campus experiences junior and digital media

arts major, communication studies minor, Cole Mayer is finding his niche in sports media and communication. Cole has gained experience in media and sports by working at the University of Minnesota, interning with Sporting Kansas City, a professional soccer team, and helping operate The Ora-cle as managing editor.

Cole has been drawn to media and journal-ism since junior year of high school. He was a photographer for his school’s paper, and it was around this time that the school’s football stadium received a video board. The P.A. announcer and Cole’s newspaper advisor asked if he would be interested in running a camera along the sideline. Cole agreed and soon after began working at the Sioux Falls Arena.

When asked about what drew him to sports, Cole quickly responded “It’s the en-vironment, the atmosphere, and that you’re a part of this production. It’s awesome.” Thinking back to high school, Cole remi-nisced about his first Sioux Falls Stampede game that went into overtime. He had the corner camera, down near the ice, or as Cole puts it “the best seat in the house.” As

the action intensified, Cole followed along, keeping his camera on the puck. Suddenly the crowd went wild- the Sioux Falls Stam-pede had scored and Cole had captured it. As they replayed the shot, Cole realized that everyone was watching his work. “It was me, a high school kid that got that shot, and I’m working with 40-year-olds,” said Cole.

Already achieving so much at a young age, Cole was motivated to pursue both of his interests, photography and video board production, during his undergraduate years. In his freshman year of college, Cole applied to Hamline on-campus newspaper, The Oracle, and the University of Minne-sota’s Gopher Digital Productions.

During his time at The Oracle, Cole moved from sports photographer to managing edi-tor. After taking initiative as a newbie, Cole, with the approval of then Editor-in-Chief Preston Dhols-Graf, upgraded their camera equipment his freshman year.

Not one to limit himself, Cole is also the sports photographer for Hamline Athletics, making the front-page for the website, and his photos often feature in The Oracle. In regards to his role at The Oracle now, Cole states that he does what others “Won’t do, can’t do, or don’t want to do.” He goes on to add that “I manage the emails, and I just pick up slack where it needs to be picked up.” He also sells ads and still takes pho-tos when necessary. Recently, he has been looking to hire a group of motivated pho-tographers who are “willing to work.”

Familiar with the concept of hard work, Cole’s position at the Gopher Digital Pro-ductions is unsurprisingly more than “stu-dent-work”. Initially, Cole’s eager and per-sistent phone calls landed him an interview. In the end, he states that it was his ambition and willingness to put himself out there that got him the job, even though he is not a U of M student. In regards to what his job consists of, Cole says that “It’s just like

Put yourself out there:Communication studies minor blends passion for sports with digital mediaBy Suada Karic

“It’s the environment, the

atmosphere, and that you’re

a part of this production. It’s

awesome.”

~Cole Mayer ‘17

Photo by Suada Karic

The Communicator | Vol. 18 | No.1 | Spring 2016

watching T.V. at your home if you watch live sports.” Cole works with different camera angles, graphics going in and out, play-by-plays, and on-air analysis. There are also specific positions, such as produc-tion, replay, director, graphics, technical director, camera operator, show-control op-erator, and video operator. He adds that he and the rest of his team are able to do it all.

Impressively, Cole has been directing the women’s hockey shows at the Ridder Arena for two years. The arena is unique because (unlike the other arenas) it is not attached to the TCF Bank stadium, which according to Cole, places more difficulty when direct-ing, staffing, and manning because “”You have to do everything separately and be at the arena to put the show together.” This didn’t stop Cole from accepting the posi-tion when it was offered his sophomore year of college. When he took over in Jan-uary 2015, there were three months left of the season. This included the NCAA Fro-zen Four and the Division III Ice Hockey Championship.

Working in a remarkable and memorable setting comes with a set of skills. For Cole, it is learning to work with a large group of people. From fifty plus staff that can vary from event to event, to freelance profes-sionals, it is the ultimate learning experi-ence.

Of course, Cole doesn’t stop there. In the summer of 2015, he interned with the Sporting Kansas City, a major league

soccer team based in Kansas. Once again Cole’s persistence got him what he want-ed. After applying and not receiving a re-sponse, Cole emailed his (now) manager and soon after received a phone interview which led to his internship. The experience lasted from the first week of June through August 20.

The internship consisted of shooting and editing various videos, including promo-tional videos that appeared on the Sporting KC’s official YouTube page and local chan-nels. Cole also had the chance to create a

scrimmage and training highlight video for Sport-ing KC’s major sponsors. Cole would also travel with the team to events and plan out the week’s broadcast to pre-pare for game day. On game days, Cole worked on the broadcast crew and operat-ed a camera. He did this for three months while

commuting back and forth between Law-rence, Kansas and Kansas City, Kansas.

Continuing his experience with soccer and video board operating, Cole plans to work for the Minnesota United this summer. The Minnesota United is a (soon to be) major league soccer team based in Blaine. Natu-rally, there’s more than meets the eye, as Cole adds “My plan is just to intern with them this summer, get a feel for the organi-zation and hopefully when they make that jump to MLS- they’ll need a couple more people on staff, full time, and I’ll be one of them.”

After hearing about all of his happenings and accomplishments, one has to ask, “How do you balance all of this?” Cole simply states that it comes down to prioriti-zation. He admits that he has missed classes to work at the U of M, but that for him it is difficult to say “no” to a Big Ten Network. He goes on to add that overall his experi-ences at both The Oracle and the Universi-ty of Minnesota have helped him to better balance his school work. So what does the accomplished DMA-Comm Studies junior say in regards to advice? “I would just say be ambitious. Put yourself out there. You don’t know unless you ask.”

Cole and Andy Hernick run video media for a Minnesota Gopher Hockey game Photo by Suada Karic

Photo by Suada KaricImage of Cole’s view from the film of the Gopher Hockey game

The Communicator | Vol. 18 | No.1 | Spring 2016

“What you learn from a

communication major is how to

communicate effectively

and strategically”

“You have to be able to adapt” were the words that stuck with me after my talk

with Ina Baum, a 2007 Hamline commu-nication studies alumna, who returned to campus in December 2015. During her time on campus she spoke to students about her experience working for UNESCO, the In-tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and her most recent job as the project coor-dinator at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Baum’s experience is extensive, but she actually left college not knowing what she wanted to do. All she knew was that she wanted to work for a nonprofit.

After a year of teaching in China at the United International College, Ina began her career in Germany working for the German Commission for the United Nations Educa-tional, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As a project manager for an international volunteer program through UNESCO, she faced many crisis commu-nication situations.

She found herself working to help people during the landslide in Colombia, the war in Syria, and the earthquake in Peru. Ev-eryday was different and called for her to react quickly and flawlessly to each unique situation.

Baum has to be highly structured and orga-nized to manage people in this role. Com-municating with such a diverse group of people forced her to understand the best method of communication to accomplish her task.

She continues to use these communication skills in her most recent positions focusing on climate change. While in these positions at IPCC and the Postdam Institute for Cli-mate Impact Research, Baum has learned quite a bit about the policies and impacts of climate change.

Looking back on her time at Hamline, Baum credits a lot of what she learned to her communication studies and conflict studies professors, Verna Corgan, Suda Ishida and Colleen Bell.

She also credits her peers, who pushed her to think outside of traditional views. Ham-line created a space where she could chal-

lenge ideas and learn more about the world around her.

“What you learn from a communication major is how to communicate effectively and strategically and how communication flows and happens,” Baum said. Through her work, she uses these skills every day to make quick and strategic decisions about how to communicate across a diverse group of people.

As she looks to the future, Baum has learned what her strongest skills are, her weaknesses, and what type of work she likes doing. “I envision myself probably continuing to be in a world that has certain structural requirements because I am quite quick in learning,” said Baum.

Baum’s last piece of advice for current communication studies students is “don’t be afraid of learning and exploring—give yourself the opportunity to learn again. Take advantage of the diversity: you’ll know yourself better when you learn about others. Know your weaknesses, don’t be afraid of them, and don’t assume you can’t succeed. Instead, seek out resources if you need help doing your best in a given area. There are resources here at Hamline to sup-port you!”

Alumna shares global knowledgeBy MacKenzie Bledsoe

Photo Courtesy of Suda IshidaIn photo from left: Pat Palmerton, Colleen Bell, Ina Baum, Suda Ishida, Verna Corgan, Mackenzie Bledsoe and Jane Telleen


Hey Communication Studies Alumni!

If you’re interested in sharing your experiences with past professors and current

students contact Patricia Palmerton at

[email protected] to join the Communcation

Studies Alumni contact list!

Senior Spotlight: Jordan LaffinThis spring Hamline senior Jordan Laffin will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and a minor in English.

After graduation, Laffin will be attending Bowling Green State University’s College to study in their Student Personnel pro-gram. Laffin will also be a graduate intern in the office of the Division of Student Affairs.

“I decided to pursue Student Affairs be-cause I’ve had so many positive interac-tions with Student Affairs professionals on Hamline’s campus,” Laffin shared.

Laffin attributes her future goals to the transformative experiences she had working in the First Year Orientation with Becky Kaarbo and meeting regularly with Hamline Dean of Students Alan Sickbert.

“I would like to be the same resource for future college students as these people have been for me,” Laffin explained.

Throughout her time at Hamline, Laffin

learned about various aspects of communica-tion, such as working with diverse groups of people, understanding the way media af-fects large audiences, and how to perform research.

“I see my experiences in Communication Studies as incredibly diverse, which has prepared me for the caliber of work I will be doing in graduate school,” Laffin said.

As a last piece of ad-vice to students, Laffin would like to encour-age students pursuing communication studies to branch out and join organizations on campus. These organizations can help you find what you are passionate about. As Laffin shared, “you could end up mak-

ing connections across disciplines and find a future career path you had never thought of before.”

Photo by Ashe Jaafuru


New Security Director: “Communication is Critical”An interview with new Safety & Security Director, Andrea VircksBy Emily Butts

What is your career and educational background?

I have my Bachelor of Science in Com-munication Studies from St. Catherine University and Master’s in Organizational Leadership. I did three concentrations: Ethics in Leadership, Strategic Manage-ment, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which was through the Hamline School of Law.

I spent the last seven and a half years at St. Kate’s as the Assistant Director of Public Safety. I’m really passionate about violence against women or any gender, working with students who are victims of anything. Just victim-centered, stu-dent-centered, customer service-centered.

Did you have other plans, or was Com-munication Studies your strategic step to get to where you are today?

When I first started college, I was an International Business major and felt a disconnect with the education I was receiving and who I am as a person. It’s still about building relationships, but the ethics piece was missing for me. I knew that communication is such a critical part of your professional and personal life and it’s applicable to any job.

How easily did your Communication Studies degree translate into actual work?

I think it was easy. There’s a lot of interac-tion with the community so being able to speak to people of diverse cultures, back-grounds, gender, or religion is important.

For public safety, it’s often about dis-playing that confidence and having to command presence. Walking into a room and taking control. And when you meet parents or students, they need to feel con-fident and trust you very quickly, so how

you present yourself, that first impression is really important. I think that the communication education played a significant role in helping me grow those skills.

Are there other instances in your day-to-day work that you see your commu-nication training pop up? Are there particular skills that are used more often than others?

Public speaking happens a lot. Presentations are given to a wide variety of audiences so, as painful as speech class can be; you learn a lot and grow in that opportuni-ty. How to write a persuasive speech or education speech, I learned a lot in these classroom settings. That all contributed and helped me work my way up in the department.

How important is written communica-tion in your job?

It’s pretty significant. A lot of our work today is done on email, whether it be a concern for a student or something we’re working on as a university. It’s trying to do what others are asking while also tak-ing care of our community. Because once it’s out there, it’s out there.

An example is that crime alert that went out the other day. I crafted that and pushed it around and got some feedback. That was articulating in a brief statement what we need the community to know and com-plying with the federal law, while being mindful of the racial descriptors in there. There’s crime happenings affecting our community, so we must be thoughtful and clear and conscious of what we’re saying

and how we’re saying it.

Because Communication Studies is such a widely applicable degree, do you think it’s best complemented by other sorts of training and education?

Yes, but I think that’s also true for almost any degree. There’s always a nice comple-ment.

The ADR that I did was invaluable, so the Communication Studies degree with that is really important. Mediation, arbitration, negotiation, those are all things we do, especially in an enforcement manner, on a daily basis. So how do you talk to people? How do you read people? It’s the giving part of it but also the receiving part of it, so how am I receiving this information? I found the ADR program was awesome. Loved it.

Photo Courtesy of Hamline Insider

Vircks Continued Page 7


Professor, researcher and now equestrian Communication studies department chair Patricia Palmerton wears more hats than you may see in classBy Cloe Gray

Between staff meetings, advising stu-dents, and teaching courses, Professor

Pat Palmerton keeps busy as the Depart-ment Chair of the Communication Studies Department.

Palmerton began her career at Hamline 30 years ago as the Director of Oral Commu-nication. She has an extensive background in communication studies, which started with receiving her MA and PhD in Speech Communication at the University of Min-nesota, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Macalester College.

Since discovering her passion for commu-nication studies, Palmerton has conducted extensive research on different aspects of communication. Her favorite research proj-ect was when she had the opportunity to travel to Scotland and conduct a qualitative study on the benefits of equestrian vaulting for children and young adults with special needs.

Her research methods included interviewing riders and riders’ parents, coaches, horse handlers, and trainers. She also ob-served riders working with the horses.

Palmerton found that equestrian vaulting can be beneficial for riders with special needs by helping riders relax, build confi-dence, and learn new skills while having the opportunity to work with horses.

Before her trip to Scotland, Palmerton knew very little about horses, but now has great appreciation for them. After Palmerton’s time in Scotland, she became in-spired to take horse-riding lessons.

Today, Palmerton continues to conduct research regard-ing other aspects of com-munication. In addition, she encourages her student to realize their capabilities as researchers too. “I want stu-dents to learn to fall in love with the questions them-selves,” said Palmerton.

Kasey Marquardt, a ju-nior at Hamline, was one of many students inspired to become a communications major after taking Intro-duction to Communication Studies with Palmerton.

“Pat is a dedicated professor who truly cares about her students. She is great one on one and is always willing to do extra work to help her students,” said Marquardt. “She constantly sends us internship oppor-

tunities to give students in this department the tools they need to succeed!”

Palmerton has made her mark at Hamline and brings years of experience to each course she teaches. She is a great resource and her door is always open for students. Stop by for career advice, help with re-search, to talk about horses or just to say hello!

Do you have any advice for current Communication Studies majors?

Enjoy it, push, commit yourself and do the best you can do in those moments. The value in that moment of giving a speech is so critical and important. I still think about those moments in class and I can still rely on those people. So be there and be present. Learning to communicate through these courses efficiently is an important part of anyone’s work.

Vircks Continued from page 6

Photo Courtesy of Hamline Directory

Prof. Palmerton working with students Photo by Rachel Marzahn

Communication Studies1536 Hewitt Avenue

MS-B1801St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone: 651-523-2296


Contributing Writers:Mackenzie BledsoeEmily Butts Cloe GraySuada KaricColleen Schauer

Faculty Supervisor:Professor Suda Ishida

Editor & Layout Editor:Sarah Campbell

Communication Studies Faculty:Verna CorganGeorge GaetanoSuda Ishida Patricia Palmerton

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