By Sarah Hart, Morgan Andrews, Alison Giblin & Lauren Knisbeck
COMM Week is just around the corner, from April 3rd-6th at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. As a student-run event that lasts multiple days, COMM Week offers plenty of opportunities both for those participating in competitions and those helping to put it on. COMM Week features events throughout the week leading up to competitions and a banquet on the final day.
The flier and QR codes to sign up for the COMM Week events. Graphics provided by the COMM Week co-directors.
The COMM Week team has two co-directors: Sarah Hart and Daniel Bestul. There is also a team of ten members working on the events. Daniel Bestul, co-director of COMM Week,, says, “COMM Week is important because it gives Communication majors and minors a way to network and grow in the field of Communications. The Communication department is trying to push why Communication plays such a crucial role in any workforce.”
Sarah Hart and Daniel Bestul, the two co-directors for COMM Week leading the COMM Week meeting on Wednesday, March 1st. Photo taken by Alison Giblin.
The banquet, held at 5:30 PM on April 6th, will feature keynote speaker Michael J. Nyenhuis, the President and CEO of UNICEF. There will also be an award ceremony to present the winners of the competitions with their scholarships and trophies. Sarah Hart, COMM Week co-director who has been organizing the details of the banquet, says, “It’s definitely going to be a fun event. Between our keynote speaker, all of the networking opportunities, and the competitions, I really think that the banquet will be the spotlight of COMM Week!”
Michael J. Nyenhuis, President and CEO of UNICEF, who will be the keynote speaker at the COMM Week Banquet on April 6th. Photo provided by the office of Michael Nyenhuis.
Leading up to the banquet, there will be events put on by the COMM Week team in the Union and Mary Ann Cofrin hall. The first event, COMM Get Coffee, will be on Monday, April 3rd, at the Cloud Rail Booth. This event is a social opportunity for students to mingle and get to meet one another. Later in the day, there will be COMM Together in the MAC Winter Garden. Here, students will be able to network with other groups from around campus and talk about how Communication helps them.
On Tuesday, April 4th, the COMMplete Your Portfolio event will take place in the Union. Students will receive guidance in creating a professional resume and portfolio building. WelCOMM to the Jungle is taking place on Wednesday, April 5th, in the Union and will be an opportunity for students to hang out, play games, enjoy music from the campus radio station, Radio GBX, and grab some snacks.
The events will come to a close on Thursday, April 6th, with the COMMing In Hot Banquet at the Weidner Center, which includes the 3x3x3 Showcase, Film Festival, and Meet the CEO. The winners of these three contests will receive scholarships of $500. Daniel Bestul, a co-director of COMM Week, says, “I am very excited about the banquet. We should have good food, and we have a great guest speaker, Michael Nyenhuis, the President and CEO of UNICEF, who is a GB alumnus. It should be an exciting time.”
The members of the COMM Week team brainstorming potential ideas for COMM Week on Wednesday, March 1st. Photo taken by Alison Giblin.
The COMM Week team has many committees that all work together to make COMM Week happen. Emily Krause, a senior with a Communication major, is a part of the Competitions & Banquet planning committee, as well as a planner for the COMM Get Coffee event. This is her first time being a part of the COMM Week team, and she says, “I am most looking forward to the banquet! I love listening to the guest speaker and seeing my classmates showcase their work.” For the preparation of COMM Week, Krause says, “I have already reserved my ticket for the banquet using the Eventbrite ticket link! I have also completed the mug design for the COMM Get Coffee event.”
The COMM Week team meeting on Wednesday, March 1st, in preparation for the events. Photo taken by Alison Giblin.
Will Soquet is a Communication major with a Public Relations emphasis and a minor in Business Administration at UWGB. Soquet says he is looking forward to the 3x3x3 event the most, and he plans on participating in COMM Get Coffee, COMMplete Your Portfolio, WelCOMM to the Jungle, and the 3x3x3 event. In the past, Soquet says his experience with COMM Week has been extremely positive. His first time going to COMM Week was in 2022, during his first semester at UWGB. Soquet says, “I am thankful for the opportunities it provided me to meet others in the COMM department. I made friends as a result!”
COMM Week is also a great place for all majors to come together and learn about what their peers are doing. Soquet says, “COMM Week has wide applicability to students of all majors. Events such as networking and portfolio building have universal appeal, and the skills competitions are open to any students to show off their best work, not just Communication students.”
William Soquet, Junior at the UWGB and a participant of Comm Week. Photo provided by William Soquet.
Students can participate in the many events COMM Week offers. All UWGB students, faculty, and the community can support the Communication department by attending the events as well as the COMMing in Hot Banquet.
To purchase a banquet ticket, click the link: Tickets for Banquet