Casey Schmitt, assistant professor of communication, has been hosting communication symposia for Lakeland community members who want to participate in conversation about present-day topics in communication studies.

On Friday, Feb. 24 at 10:15 a.m., Schmitt will be hosting a symposium on the Academy Awards. Areas of interest will concern the film industry, diversity among nominees and the themes of Oscar-nominated films.

Schmitt stated that he aims to “create a community of people who share an interest in communication and social issues, and a place where that community can gather and talk freely without the weight of a grade or requirement field tied to it.”

The symposia are part of an experiment that was started last spring in a COMM425 class. Schmitt stated that he has received great reviews from students and that students often stay after the allotted time to continue discussions.

Schmitt hopes to improve the symposia by finding a larger area to meet. He said, “Right now, we meet in a classroom in Old Main, but it would be even nicer to meet in a very relaxed, open environment, like, perhaps, the 1862 Lounge.”

Schmitt has very high hopes for the symposia and hopes to one day make them student-led discussions on topics students believe to be important in the world today. He emphasized, “The more people who get involved and share their original work and ideas, the bigger and better the symposia will become.”