August 29, 2012

CMN faculty members help organize bullying conference

Bullying Project 

Two members of Eastern Illinois University's Communication Studies faculty are part of the "Bridging Voices in our Community" (BVC) team that is organizing an upcoming conference on campus to address bullying.

Dr. Melanie Mills (BVC Assistant Chair) and Dr. Mildred Pearson (BVC Chair) received a 2012 EIU Faculty Development Partnership Grant to help support a conference that addresses bullying in schools. Other sponsors are also joining the BVC group to bring the conference to Illinois educators. Communication Studies faculty member Dr. Angela Jacobs is also a member of the interdisciplinary planning team. The BVC group has worked hard to bring this conference to educators free of charge. Both teachers and education students can receive professional development credit for attending.

The Bridging Voices in our Community's "Beyond Awareness: Strategies to Eliminate Bullying" conference is aimed at K-12 teachers. It will be held on Eastern's campus on Friday, October 5th, and has nationally recognized experts as part of the program along with several local speakers. Jennifer Roscoe, WCIA TV "Beyond Bullying" spokesperson, will be kicking off the conference and introducing the keynote speaker, Dr. Dorothy Espelage. Organizers expect that 350 teachers, community members, and interested students will attend the conference, and that more teachers will participate via Skype.

Both Communication Studies faculty members will present programs at the conference. Dr. Mills is presenting "The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication", while Dr. Jacobs is presenting "Equipping Teachers: Strategies for Parent/Teacher Interactions", as well as chairing a panel of EIU students who will present narratives on bullying experiences.

The conference is designed to serve as a catalyst to help educate and equip learning communities in the area of bullying prevention. More information about the conference speakers and links to registration can be found at http://bvcbullyingproject.org/.