Senior communication major Emily Forcha gives her thesis on extrinsic versus intrinsic values Senior communication majors each got the chance to present their thesis on any number of given subjects that they had been working on for months. The seniors each had the chance to choose from any number of topics and were set up throughout the classrooms in D Vickers. The event allowed the students to get a feel for what academic conferences will be like and allow them to receive experience before their graduation takes place.
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The Colloquium is held by the communication department as a way for communication majors to get a feeling and some experience as to what to expect and how to handle standard academic conferences. 

The Fall 2016 Communication Colloquium was held Thursday, Dec. 1 in D Vickers and has been a biannual event since 2004. The main body of it consisted of six different talks, each with multiple seniors giving their own thesis on various topics. At the start of the pinning ceremony, the seniors were presented with a pin and two of the biggest awards were given out. The first was the Outstanding Thesis Award, which recognizes a student that was considered to have written an exemplary piece by teachers and faculty. Kaitlin Kohoutek received this award for her thesis “Seven Faced: The Role Origin of Birth, Relationship Status, and Level of Education Plays When Decoding Facial Expession.” 

Kohoutek was very pleased with both the award and the work she put into making it.

“It’s amazing,” said Kohoutek. “Tears and breakdowns definitely went into making this. Though I’m not really sure what got me it. I wish I could read everybody else’s.”

Kohoutek went on about why she chose that topic.

“It was something I was kind of passionate about,” said Kohoutek. “We watched a little snippet of a show called ‘Lie to me’ and ever since then, I’ve been fascinated with facial expressions. I watched a whole two seasons of it and I just wanted to know more about it.”

The next award went to Dr. Joseph Mirando, which was the Outstanding New(er) Advisor, which he was even recognized for at a national level. He received the award for his help in restarting a dormant organization, which had not been around for over five years. Overall, he felt that he was not the only one that should have been recognized.

“To tell you the truth that’s what I feel a little bit sheepish about,” said Mirando. “We had a chapter of this honors society years ago and it just kind of fell by the wayside. I feel as a faculty advisor, should just be advising and not getting directly involved so the students aren’t being told what to do.”

Mirando also explained the importance of one of the students in getting the society started again.

“Last year there was a student named Brooke Robichaux and she was very important,” said Mirando.

Mirando explained that Robichaux deserved as much credit for the accomplishment as he did.

“So I asked her if she would take this over,” said Mirando. “The main thing I did was simply ask Brooke to head this up. So you trust the student and they’ll get it together. Brooke is the one that got this all together, and I simply had the good fortune of supporting her all the way.”

Robichaux is a senior communication major graduating next semester, and Mirando felt that she really did do as much, if not more than, himself for the organization.

“She really was the key,” said Mirando. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”

Scarlett Blades, a senior communication major stands to receive her pin at the Fall 2016 Senior Colloquium
where she presented her senior  thesis 'It's a Man's World: An Analysis on Men and Interview Preparations.'
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The graduating communication majors gathered in the Vonnie Borden Theatre for the Fall 2016 Senior 
Colloquium to receive their pins and present their senior theses.
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Marcus Evans, a senior communication major received his pin at the Fall 2016 Senior Colloquium before
presenting his senior thesis 'Celebrity Overnight: Social Media Personaities and Self-Monitoring.'
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At the Senior Colloquium, Heather Rogers, a senior communication major stood to receive her pin. Later
she presented her senior thesis in D Vickers room 285 on 'The Cultivation of War: America's Perception of
Terrorism.'
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Ms. Keturah Green, a comunication instructor moderated the 'Decoding Messages: How We are Persuaded'
panel held in room 311 of D Vickers Hall for the Senior Colloquium presented by graduating seniors Alexis
Flores, Emily Forcha and Brandi Morris.
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Alexis Flores, a senior communication major presented her senior thesis 'An Examination of Birth Mothers'
Adoption Placement Choices' where she looked into how birth mothers choose the best adopting family
for their children. 
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Brandi Morris, a senior communication major compared poltical advertisement methods of President Richard
Nixon and President Barrack Obama in her senior thesis 'Vote for Me: A Comparison of the 1969 and 2008
Presidential Campaign Advertisements.'
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After presenting their senior theses, the audience was permitted to ask the speakers questions pertaiing to
the topics discussed in their presentations. Here Brandi Morris, a senior comunication major, left, answers
a question while Emily Forcha, a senior communication major, right, listens.
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