SEE PLAN

Plan: Guests not required to Media professionals share career insight

be vaccinated Cal State Fullerton’s annual COMM Week was held virtually once again.

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For both the classes of 2020 and 2021, there are about 24,000 students who are eligible to participate at the in-person commencement ceremonies, Keung said, with each participant now allowed to bring two guests.

Keung said the ceremonies will take place on the intramural field at 33% capacity, or about 5,016 people.

The university has released several updates to graduating students with information regarding the event. There is still information that is being released as time gets closer to the May 14 registration deadline for the in-person ceremony.

The California State University chancellor’s office has had the plans reported to them, said Keung, with all campuses receiving guidance from state and local health agencies.

According to the State of California Health and Human Services Agency in the California Department of Public Health, there are requirements for all in-person commencement ceremonies across all COVID-19 tiers, as well as guidance for screening, individual control, entering and exiting the event and event procedures.

These guidelines indicate that if multiple commencement ceremonies take place within the same day that they must take place two hours apart.

According to the guidelines, individuals should be six feet apart at all times, with the requirement of no handshakes, as well as limiting the exchanging of materials such as throwing graduation caps.

The guidelines suggest graduates turn their tassel in lieu of receiving their diploma. The universities could choose to distribute diplomas if done in a safe manner, with table placement of diplomas or sanitation between distribution.

Keung said that typically graduates receive a certificate of participation at commencement ceremonies, but in order to comply with guidelines, the university will not be handing out any certification during the 2021 stage walks.

More information for the event has been added to the commencement website, including an update on commencement being a standing-only event, with suggestions for guests to wear comfortable footwear for the estimated two to three-hour ceremony.

“There are many factors that went into the decision to create a standing-only event,” Keung said. “Length of time that each graduate and guest is in the event space, the cost of staffing to require to sanitize chairs between each usage, and infrastructure required to keep event attendees distanced.”

Guests with disabilities will be accommodated through the Disability Support Services and will have a formal request process for guests and graduates who need accommodations, Keung said.

Due to estimated weather conditions during June, Keung said that there will be tents at the check-in area with temporary seating to wait until it’s time for guests to line-up on the field.

The line-up on the field will also be shaded with bottled water available to guests, he said.

Keung said there will be a waiting area with “pods” of three seats spaced six feet apart and a line-up with painted spaces on the field so guests and graduates are distanced on all sides. “As we typically do for commencement, we will have a tented area close to Student Health and Counseling Center that will have temporary seating, cooling packs and water for anyone who feels overcome by the heat. We also will have medic teams and an ambulance on standby to handle any medical emergencies,” Keung said.

There are currently no plans to require testing nor COVID-19 vaccine records for commencement participation, Keung said, but guests and graduates will still be required to wear a mask at all times.

However, graduates will be allowed to remove their masks during their walk across the stage and during photos, he said.

Faculty has also been invited to volunteer for the event and assist during the arrivals and line-up, Keung said, but there will be no on-stage platform for faculty as all speeches will be conducted during the virtual ceremony.

The in-person commencement ceremonies will take place from June 12 to 15. Graduates and guests will check-in for the event at the Titan Track, but the check-in process is still in development because of the addition of guests, Keung said.

“The current plan is to wait until registration closes on May 14 and then determine the final participation numbers for each ceremony. Once that is determined the graduates will be given staggered arrival times to minimize the wait times and ensure proper distancing at the check-in area,” Keung said.

NICHOLAS COTHREL Sta Writer

Cal State Fullerton’s annual Comm Week materialized in the form of a Zoom panel that featured 40 guest speakers on April 26-30.

The event featured various professionals who provided insight on a range of communications-related occupations such as journalism, marketing and social media.

The weeklong event allowed students to ask experts in different fields, make connections and network for future job opportunities. From hearing the day-to-day operations of being a multimedia journalist to the art of networking and everything in between, Comm Week had it covered.

Joe Little, a multimedia journalist and director of storytelling at NBC 7 San Diego, offered his expertise to students looking to improve their stand-up reels.

“Don’t make a news director wait a single second to see your face and hear your voice,” Little said. “Get to your best work. Your best will be on display in what is called the stand-up montage.”

Little said the industry can be very competitive for new graduates entering the profession. He also provided students with some pointers on how to stand out in their video features when sending them to hiring managers.

“You want to be able to show a news director how well-rounded you are,” Little said. “Give it different looks. Also, you’re looking for different emotions. Here’s a happy story, here’s a sad story, here’s a breaking news story. It’s the stand-up montage that goes for about a minute to two minutes at the beginning of your resume that shows the news director ‘look at them.’”

On another featured panel, CSUF’s internship coordinator Amber Wilson pointed students in the direction of the CSUF Career Center as an avenue for them to ensure they have their resume outlined accordingly.

Wilson said the career center’s services are free to students and recent graduates for up to one year after graduation.

The center offers resume reviews, cover letter reviews, mock interviews and a variety of workshops.

In terms of the interviewing process, Wilson said to “curate your space” when doing interviews on Zoom.

“When they have correspondents who dial in to deliver a little piece on the news, you’ll usually see them in their office with a bookshelf behind them,” Wilson said. “You’re able to do the same thing. You don’t have to buy elaborate office furniture. All you need to do is set yourself up in an area that has adequate lighting that has a very small square of space behind you.”

Wilson said staying away from having your back to a window will help avoid shadows, and having the camera at eye level and implementing an upbeat image of emotion are all good ways to deliver a quality impression.

CSUF women’s volleyball coach Ashley Preston joined Comm Week to share her expertise on the art of communication skills within a sports career. One aspect she emphasized is using LinkedIn to get your work seen by others and meet people in the field.

Preston said she makes the players on her volleyball team post regularly on their LinkedIn accounts.

“Get your LinkedIn game up. LinkedIn is literally the Facebook for the professionals and the athletic directors,” Preston said. “As much as you scroll on social media platforms, you need to scroll on your LinkedIn. And that’s where you get to showcase and share your stories.”

Among those in attendance on the panel were a few students who did not have the same familiarity with LinkedIn as they did with other social media applications.

Frank Russell, a CSUF communications professor who also served as one of the moderators for the event, said LinkedIn can be very similar to other social media features such as Facebook and Instagram.

“You can share your professional life on LinkedIn,” Russell said. “You can create posts on LinkedIn just like any other social media site. The only difference is you want to make sure that what you’re doing reflects who you are as a professional.”

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