Networking,
Continued from page 1
El Peruano
In November 2016, I had the opportunity to
visit the Universidad de San Martín de Porres
PRSSA Chapter in Lima, Peru. I’ll never forget
the feeling my first night in Peru as we drove
the streets of Lima and I found myself in an
exciting and unfamiliar world.
I’ll also never forget walking into the
home of Ceasar Zapata Morales, Chapter
president. He was the impetus behind
our invitation to visit Peru and under his
leadership, along with his successor,
Paola Lovera, the Peruvian Chapter rose
in prominence within our Society. Zapata
Moralis’ home was an urban dwelling and
would be considered humble by most
American standards.
However, in the kitchen, next to the
bathroom door, he would post up at his
old Macintosh desktop computer. I took a
few moments to watch him whirling away
on his keyboard, reaching out to contacts,
monitoring the Chapter social media pages,
and leading his Chapter — armed only with
the internet, an old desktop computer and
his cellphone.
In that snapshot frame, I had a glimpse
at globalization of public relations. Many
Americans are not aware of the world
beyond our borders, other than what we
see glamorized in films or reported through
the news. But there are so many talented
and passionate youth, much like ourselves,
preparing for communications careers
and ready to take the world by storm. How
wonderful it is that PRSSA can be a vehicle
for building a global communications
community.
The Nontraditional Student
Another trip took me to the Plank Center
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I flew into
Birmingham, Alabama and had the
privilege of driving with one of our Regional
Ambassadors, Briana Bryant, down to the
University of Alabama to speak at a Chapter
lunch and learn, while also participating in
the Plank Center’s meetings.
Over the course of the weekend, I had the
chance to get to know Briana Bryant better
and was inspired by her determination and
drive. She had already launched her career,
beginning in the travel and tourism industry
— working with a cruise line before later
moving to a marketing company.
With plenty of professional experience,
Bryant made the decision to return to school
and obtain her degree so that she could
reach the same levels of leadership that she
saw many of her mentors achieving. She
saw herself as leader and has crafted her
PRSSA experience to give her the skills and
experience to continue building her career.
Each of these three individuals has seen
great benefits from their PRSSA experience
and I was fascinated as I heard their stories
and saw the ways that PRSSA was able to
fill the gaps in their professional lives. But
most of all, within these three individuals, I
saw passion, determination and committed
sacrifice that was yielding high returns.
To me, this is why a broad PRSSA network is
the greatest return on your investment as
a member of this Society. I invite each of
you to not pass up the opportunity to make
friends and find a professional family within
this Society. It’s the people, not the things,
that matter most in PRSSA.
10
www.prssa.prsa.org/forum
The Media’s Portrayal of Gun Violence
& the Public Response
By Teghan Simonton
FORUM Content &
Graphics Coordinator
For many, it started in
Newtown.
That was the first prominent
school shooting involving
elementary-aged children.
That was when demands for
gun control began flooding
into congressional discussions
and media coverage.
That was when news outlets
began devoting special
attention to depicting gun
violence and its long-term
implications.
Of course, for many others,
the battle began long before
that.
For the past several months,
gun violence has gained
attention across media
platforms, including news,
social media and even
music. The conversation is
no longer just about school
shootings, even though that
facet is still prominent in the
discussion. But today, the
debate is much more than
that. It is about the availability
of guns and the correlation
to violence everywhere—in
schools, on the streets, in
homes, etc.
It is important to continuously
question the validity of the
media’s portrayal of social
issues and to analyze how
the public responds to these
portrayals. In public relations,
understanding the context of
the media world in which we
push messages is critical to
communicating effectively.
Even more so, paying close
attention to how the public
reacts to these messages can
teach us a lot about what
strategies are most impactful
to audiences.
In the case of gun violence
reports, journalists rely heavily
on emotional appeal. An
example includes John
Woodrow Cox’s 2017 six-part
series in The Washington Post.
In the series, Cox explores
the lives of young children,
teenagers and adults across
the country who have
been affected by guns —
resulting in a raw, poignant
perspective.
We are moved strongly by
numbers, as well. In February,
in the wake of yet another
high school shooting attack,
data from the website, Every
Town, was reported in nearly
every major newspaper,
including The Washington
Post and The New York Times.
Headlines screamed that
there had already been 18
shootings in the first 35 days
of 2018. This data was later
proven to be slanted—not
all of these incidents were
“shootings” in the traditional
sense but nonetheless,
audiences were affected by
the statistic.
Indeed, an entire movement
stronger than ones previous
has been spurred — now
even the students themselves
are lobbying for gun control,
demonstrating outside the
White House or in Florida’s
capitol, Tallahassee. This
fervor would not be possible
without media coverage,
fueling their resolve with
constant reminders of the
bloodshed and loss.
Media has an undeniable
power to shape social
change. In the debate about
the need for gun control,
news coverage and other
media attention has certainly
shaped the course of events.
It has magnified the voices
of those touched by gun
violence, facilitated the
spread of information and
statistics and put the conflict
at the forefront of all media
users’ minds. Regardless
of personal opinion, the
campaign for gun control is
far from complete.
Learning From One Another
Sponsors & Students: More Than Just PD
By Haley Bussell
Northern Michigan University
Within Public Relations
Student Society of America
conferences and National
Assembly, individuals must
take extra steps to utilize new
knowledge into their day-to-
day life. But applying these
experiences into university
Chapters is difficult, especially
when only a limited number of
members are able to attend
events. Luckily, listening to
keynote speakers and having
conversations with world-class
public relations professionals
can happen closer to home
than many assume. With
more than 21,000 PRSA (Public
Relations Society of America)
members with various
experiences, PRSSA members
have valuable opportunities
only a phone call away.
The PRSA and PRSSA sponsor-
to-student partnership poses
professional development
opportunities to both parties.
Although both groups
are professional societies,
the connections made
within the partnership can
go beyond professional
development. Finding
practicing public relations
professionals and developing
a mentorship is beneficial
in one encompassing way:
Learning from one another’s
experience is an obvious
benefit, but cannot be
overstated.
Professional time spent and
valuable lessons learned
only come from tangible
experience. Mentorships
give people an opportunity
to learn from each other’s
experiences. Hearing how
someone was able to harness
their skills into a successful
public relations career is time
well spent. Getting PRSA
sponsor Chapter professionals
to speak at PRSSA Chapter
meetings creates an
opportunity to learn about
the professional setting and to
form professional relationships.
FORUM ® STAFF
2017–2018
Publications Editor in Chief
Natalie Gloady
Copy Editor
Maura Fenske
Content/Graphics Coordinator
Teghan Simonton
Editorial Assistant
Olivia Kelley
Advertising Manager
Samantha Chadwick
FORUM® is published three times per
year for PRSSA members.
The opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the Society or
staff. The editor in chief reserves the
right to refuse all copy.
Article submissions, comments and
suggestions may be made via email
to the editor in chief at natgloady@
gmail.com.
F ORUM® is produced by students
at Waynesburg University in
Waynesburg, Pa.
See Sponsors and Students,
Page 10
Spring 2018
Teahan Award — PRSA/PRSSA Relationship
This past year, the Dr. F.H.
Teahan Chapter Award for
PRSSA/PRSA Relationship
was given to the Belmont
University PRSSA Chapter for their strong
relationship with the Nashville, Tennessee,
PRSA Chapter.
By Jordan Hogge
Virginia Tech
Univeristy
“We are super thankful to have an amazing
local PRSA Chapter, with members who
are always willing to help students,” said
Cayli Allen, Chapter president of Belmont
PRSSA. “Our relationship has always been
continuously growing since before I joined
PRSSA, but after attending my first PRSA
luncheon once I was on executive board,
I made it a goal to make sure that our
members were informed and connected
with our sponsor Chapter.”
Belmont PRSSA encourages members to
attend monthly PRSA luncheons and has
started a mentorship program to pair PRSSA
Chapter members with Nashville PRSA
members. Additionally, the Chapter utilizes
the PRSA members for alumni spotlights and
PRSSA-themed months, such as “relationship
month.” To show their appreciation for all
of the help that they receive from this PRSA
Chapter, their PRSSA Chapter volunteers at
the Annual Parthenon Awards Banquet.
This marks the third year Belmont has
received the Dr. F.H. Teahan Chapter Award
for PRSSA/PRSA Relationship. Allen said
the Chapter has made it a priority to keep
working together to create and maintain
relationships within each Chapter.
“Receiving this award for the third time
was still so exciting for our Chapter,” said
Allen. “Every year we are thankful for PRSA
Nashville’s support and their willingness to
go along with our (sometimes crazy and
random) ideas. We value them and try to
give back as much as possible. I believe
that we truly have a unique relationship with
our ‘parent’Chapter thanks to members
who constantly help our Chapter as
speakers, mentors and some of our biggest
cheerleaders.”
Allen’s greatest recommendation to other
Chapters was to reach out to nearby PRSA
Chapters. Secondly, Allen suggested coming
up with ideas to give back. By forming a
mutually beneficial relationship between
the pair, public relations students are sure
to strengthen ties between themselves and
their mentors.
Photos courtesy of Belmont University PRSSA
High School Outreach 101
By Maura Fenske
FORUM Copy Editor
Perhaps one of the
most significant and
noteworthy efforts of
PRSSA, on both the
National and Chapter
level, is the High School
Outreach initiative. Made
a requirement for Star
Chapter status in 2016,
High School Outreach
is an ideal way for
Chapters to give back
to their communities
while simultaneously
advocating for the
profession.
The actual layout of
High School Outreach
programming looks
different at each school
that participates in the
project. Some colleges
host students at their
campuses, while others
send Chapter members
into local high schools
to present. Classes that
could be appropriate
to present to include
journalism, English,
composition, literature,
yearbook, marketing,
design and of course,
public relations, if the high
school offers it.
Many Chapters come up
with their own creative
outreach tactics. Ohio
Northern University,
located in Ada, Ohio,
has its own unique
approach. According
to Shannon Jack, ONU
PRSSA Chapter president,
the Chapter takes
High School Outreach
“beyond the typical
classroom visits” in order
to effectively reach the
highest caliber students.
“This year, our Student-
run Firm, TrueNorth PR,
launched a Snapchat
campaign with the ONU
Admissions Department,”
said Jack. “This Snapchat
account gives interested
students a behind-
the-scenes, authentic
look at the fun projects
and family culture our
Chapter embodies. We
also attend events for
prospective students on
campus such as Orange
and Black Day and Polar
Preview Day, where we
foster relationships with
potential PRSSA members
and advocate on behalf
of the Society.”
Belmont University
PRSSA volunteered for a
career day hosted by its
sponsor Chapter, PRSA
Nashville, Tennessee, and
reached students from
all Metropolitan Nashville
high schools, according
to Chapter President,
Cayli Allen. Rachel
Mayhew, vice president
of outreach for California
State University, Fullerton,
PRSSA has redesigned the
Chapter’s High School
Outreach program
to “make it more
personal and efficient.”
The Chapter will send
Spring 2018
students to speak not only
in classrooms at local high
schools but also in the
career centers of those
schools.
Other options for High
School Outreach
recommended by PRSSA
National include inviting
local high school students
to attend a Chapter
meeting or special
event or hosting a Skype
presentation, Twitter
chat or Google hangout
geared toward high
school students.
The end goal of any High
School Outreach is to
advance the profession
of public relations and
simultaneously bring
prospective students to
schools with strong PRSSA
Chapters.
Sponsors and Students,
Continued from Page 10
Taking advantage of the PRSA and PRSSA relationship
is beneficial for both groups because we are
continuously learning from the people around
us. A mentorship is more than just professional
development because it creates the possibility of
meaningful friendships created through learning from
each other’s lives.
21
THOUSAND
PRSSA National offers
resources for High
School Outreach
programs including
a downloadable
presentation template
and a video titled “Why
PR: What Motivates You?”
to share with high school
students.
If your Chapter is
interested in beginning or
strengthening your High
School Outreach, visit the
PRSSA website or reach
out to Allyson Berry, vice
president of member
services, to learn more.
MEMBERS
TO CONNECT WITH
www.prssa.prsa.org/forum
11