Comm. majors mingle with profs.

Some went for the opportunity to get to know their professors informally. Others attended for information on internships and job opportunities. But for the more than 25 communications majors who attended the Student Faculty Tea last night at the Annenberg School for Communication, it was time well spent. The tea was sponsored by Annenberg's Undergraduate Communications Society, which was founded three years ago to give "undergraduates a bigger voice in what is essentially a graduate school," said College senior Andrew Monfried, president of the society. "We've been meeting with Provost Stanley Chodorow to try to get more courses added in order to make the major a little bit more rigorous," he added. "I see things changing and this is one way to help guarantee it." The group also works to help bring in speakers and advise undergraduates about the communications major, according to Vice President Jennifer Oberstein, a College senior. "We feel that as upperclassmen we have a bit of a grip on the different classes," she said. Seven members of the Communications Department faculty attended last night's event, according to Speaker Co-Chairperson Lela Jacobsohn. "The course register tells you the names of the professor and the course, but not much else," the College junior said. "Speaking to the professors in a setting like this really gives you an idea of who they are, and, by extension, what kind of course they'll teach." Oberstein explained that the tea was an opportunity for students to meet their professors in an informal setting. "Many students go to class, spend the hour or so, and leave without ever really getting to know their professors," she said. For some, like students in visiting Professor Rohan Samarajiva's "Communications and the Global Political Economy" class, the tea provided an opportunity to tell their professors their opinions about the class. For Samarajiva, such feedback was good to hear. "It's always great to see undergraduates interacting with their professors," he said. "Students should feel close to their departments. To others, like College junior Rachel Pomerance, the event provided a more practical benefit -- the chance to meet other students who will be participating in the same semester-abroad program as she will. For Internships and Alumni Relations Director Phyllis Kaniss, the event was important on more than just a practical level. "I always get a couple of questions about internships," she said. "But I enjoy this because the type of conversation here is so different from the way it is in my office." Observing a large cluster of students and faculty debating female images in mass media, Oberstein was struck by the level of interaction between the two groups. "These types of things often tend to resemble high school dances with faculty on one side, and students on the other," she said. "It's cool to see them dancing together."