Networking in PRSSA

ImageBy: Hilary Stoeberl 
Vice President of the Dr. Julie Henderson Chapter of PRSSA

 

 

Networking has become one of the most popular ways of not only getting to know the public relations industry, but of meeting the people that represent it. As a young professional, networking should become your best friend.

One of the easiest ways to begin the process of networking is by joining professional student organizations.  By far the best professional organization available to students pursuing a career in public relations I have found is the Public Relations Student Society of America(PRSSA.)

I joined the organization in the spring of 2011 and have enjoyed every minute of my membership.

PRSSA has given me so many amazing networking opportunities. First, it offers a national conference and assembly each year. At these events I am able to meet PRSSA members from across the nation, make new friends and also network with professionals from some of the top agencies and public relations practices in the nation.

PRSSA also offers the opportunity to connect with Public Relations Society of Americamembers in your area. These members are always friendly and more than willing to grab a cup of coffee and share some words of wisdom.

Finally, PRSSA gives you the opportunity to take an hour or two each week and discuss your passion for public relations with peers. I have met so many amazing people from my campus, with my same interests, through my PRSSA chapter. This in itself is probably one of the most amazing experiences the organization has to offer you.

PRSSA is an excellent organization to join for any young public relations professional. No matter what sector of public relations you aspire to grow in, PRSSA has something uniquely perfect for everyone.

NFL: “Protecting” the Shield

Neal Corby

This post was written by PRSSA secretary Neal Corby. 

The criticism of the NFL’s replacement refs was taken to a whole new level on September 24 when the replacement refs blew a number of calls during crucial situations that actually cost the Green Bay Packers the game. This resulted in a horrible PR problem for the NFL.

For weeks players and coaches were complaining about the “refs”. However, the NFL stuck by their guns and backed the replacements while conversations with the real refs continued to stall. The NFL even went as far as imposing fines to those players and coaches who did not show the “refs” respect.

The rag tag bunch of replacements came from the Division 3 college level, high school and even some cast offs from the Lingerie Football League. For the NFL, the major mistakes made by the replacements could not have come at a worse time as the entire nation watched Monday Night Football.

Packers-Seahawks Ending

The reaction from the controversial ending was almost instantaneous. Twitter was registering 56,000 tweets per minute about the game and 23% of the tweets sent were about the refs. To make matters even worse for the NFL, fans were not the only ones tweeting. Opinion leaders and celebrities such as President Barack Obama, NFL poster boy Drew Breese and the most followed athlete on Twitter, Lebron James, contributed as well. Some of the current players chimed in by cussing out the NFL and the referees.

Celebrity/Player Reactions

The NFL had a huge problem on their hands: fans threatening to not watch a game until the real refs come back, players showing open disregard for the rules of respecting the replacements and all of the damage this debacle was causing to the branding of NFL.

The NFL had been the most respected sports league in the nation, but with the help of these “refs” it was becoming a joke. The situation even got to a point where Jalen Rose, an ESPN analyst, suggested the players come out 15 minutes after kickoff was supposed to be scheduled. This would cause a number of different problems for the NFL and the networks, which is where the league makes the majority of its money.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could only do one thing; give the fans want they want. The NFL came to an agreement with the real refs two days later.

To Goodell and the NFL’s credit, the problem was fixed in a timely manner. Their mistake was letting the problem of the replacement refs get that big. There was three weeks where the players let the league know their displeasure with the refs and the NFL did nothing.

The NFL acted quickly and their monopoly on professional football will ensure that the league will be here to stay. However, their horrible experiment with the “replacement refs” will go down in history as one of the NFL’s biggest blunders and showed how the league ignored the pleas of its employees to the point it could have had disastrous effects.

NFL’s Biggest Blunders

UWO PRSSA Hosts Brat Fry

Fundraising is very important to our chapter, especially with the PRSA National Conference right around the corner. Five of our members are attending the event being held in San Francisco, Calif. So, naturally, we wanted to support our attending members and our chapter as a whole by planning an event.

The Dr. Julie Henderson PRSSA chapter hosted our brat fry Saturday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23 at the local Pick’n Save on Jackson Street.  The “venue” for our event was a wooden shack equipped with a cooler, prep table and Nesco, but it did the trick. We were all really excited to interact with the community and spread awareness about our student organization.

We offered a delicious array of grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and brats at our brat fry. We also had soda to help customers quench their thirst. It was really great to see and feel the support from local community members, friends and our lovely advisor Dr. Julie Henderson. Several people just walked up to our brat stand and donated money without even purchasing anything.

Customer at Brat Fry

Member Cooking Food

A handful of our members signed up to work in shifts at our event. We had a lot of great participation from everyone! In the end, we all had a lot of fun promoting PRSSA and fundraising for our organization. It was a great start to a fun-filled year for the UWO chapter of PRSSA. The event was a good morale booster and a preview to events we will have in the future. When all was said and done, our chapter made $170.50. We are very excited to brainstorm more fundraising events and to see what our fundraising director, Cammie Lehmann, has in store.

“Eat brats and be happy, while supporting UWO PRSSA”

PRSSA member

For more pictures from this event, visit our Facebook page.

Meet the 2012-2013 PRSSA Executive Board!

Congratulations to the new UWO PRSSA executive board. After a very competitive election, we are thrilled to announce our new president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The torch has officially been passed, so if you have any questions regarding our organization, please reach out to one of our new board members:

President Taylor Cook 
2012-2013 class standing: senior
Major: journalism/public relations
Minor: business and Spanish
After graduation, Taylor hopes to be working for a couple of years at an agency or non-profit in Milwaukee or Chicago. Her ultimate goal is to move out west and manage public relations and social media for a large ski resort in the mountains.

Vice President Hilary Stoeberl 
2012-2013 class standing: junior
Major: journalism/public relations
Minor: political science
After college, Hilary has big hopes and dreams of working for a large firm in Chicago.

Secretary Neal Corby
2012-2013 class standing: senior
Major: journalism/public relations
Minor: business administration
After graduation, Neal wants to move out of Wisconsin and work for a sports team in football, basketball or baseball.

Treasurer Molly Linn
2012-2013 class standing: senior
Major: journalism/public relations
Minor: Spanish
After graduation, Molly wants to live somewhere warm and find a job in journalism that she enjoys.

A zombie attack is coming and we want YOU to join us!

Get ready, UW Oshkosh! A zombie attack is coming TOMORROW. At 5:00 p.m. PRSSA’s Saving Lives: Dead or Alive event will take place in Reeve Union’s Titan Underground. The event, in support of organ donation, challenges teams of three to five people to make their way through the UW Oshkosh campus in an “Amazing Race”-style competition.

Along with your team members, decide whether you want to take the “dead” or the “alive” route and grab a map! The first teams (one from the living route and one from the dead route) to visit every station on their map, successfully complete each task and make it back to Reeve Union will win season passes to Waterfest in Oshkosh. The winning team members will then compete in an Operation! showdown to determine the recipient of the Kindle Fire.

We hope to see you in the Reeve Union Titan Underground at 5 p.m. tomorrow. We’ll start the night off with our speaker, Teresa Paulus, who will share her son’s organ donation story and discuss the importance of becoming a donor. After her presentation, the race will begin.

Every person who listens to our speaker or takes part in the race will receive tickets to enter for our prize packages. Prizes include: a $20 gift card to Benvenuto’s, a $50 to Oshkosh Tattoo, gift cards to Niko’s Gyros and of course the grand prize, which is the Kindle Fire.

So, join us in Reeve tomorrow and learn how you can save lives: dead or alive. For more information visit:

https://www.facebook.com/savinglivesdeadoralive

You can also find us on Twitter! Follow us at @UWOdeadoralive

WordPress blog:

savinglivesdeadoralive.wordpress.com

Tips from PRSSA’s Resume and Portfolio Critique Session

This post was written by our treasurer, Kim Parsons.

PRSSA was lucky enough to have three guest speakers come in and give us some tips on creating the perfect resume & portfolio. Our guest speakers included Barb Benish, Kelly Karpinski and Karen Schlieve.

When writing a resume here are some basic things to remember that could save your hard work from ending up in the garbage pile:

  • Always write in the present tense if you are still working at a job.
  • Make sure your resume follows correct AP Style.
  • Make yourself stand out—don’t use a Microsoft Word template!
  • Be creative. Stay away from Times New Roman and fonts below size 10.
  • Never say “References Available Upon Request.” Make them available now and include the same header as on your resume.

When putting together a portfolio there are also a few basic tips that can help you stand out in an interview:

  • Make your portfolio prove what you already said in your resume.
  • Show off work you did at particular jobs and show your strengths.
  • Save everything you do. Sort it out and keep your best work.

To help along the interviewing process keep everything you do consistent. Everything from your business cards to portfolio should have a consistent theme that markets yourself to future employers.

 

PRSSA’s Bateman team provides resources for college students to LIVE FIT

This post was written by Bateman team member and UWO PRSSA President Jessica Bedore.

As a part of UWO PRSSA’s LIVE FIT Bateman campaign, we are providing college students with resources to live a healthy lifestyle on campus. We know that it can be challenging sometimes to fit a workout routine or diet into the busy schedule of a full-time college student. Don’t feel like you no longer have control of your daily diet just because you can’t see the nutritional labels. This guide will let you know what choices at big eateries on campus are going to be the most well-balanced and nourishing.

Blackhawk Commons

Take a look at what’s being offered at Blackhawk for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday, every week by going to the Nutritional Menu site below. Even better, check off which items you want to eat in every station at Black Hawk and see the nutrition facts for each dish you choose.
http://www.sdxcampusservices.com/uwosh/thisweeksmenu.htm

Want to see the healthier options at Black Hawk, Reeve and Scotty’s at a glance?          http://reeve.uwosh.edu/dining/nutrition/2011-healthier-options.pdf

Listed below is the nutritional info and lighter options for the following eating locations on campus:

There are also a number of online resources that are designed to help those with an on-the-go lifestyle. We’ve compiled some of our favorites to share with you.

Online Resources for Staying Fit and Healthy

  • WebMD Food & Fitness Planner – http://www.webmd.com/diet/food-fitness-planner/default.htm
    • Set personal weight goals and the planner will give you the calorie recommendations you need to meet them
    • Log your meals
    • Monitor your nutrient intake of saturated fats, sodium,
    • My Food Calculator App – free on iTunes
    • Visit the Live FIT social media outlets for daily advice on nutrition, exercise and tons of FIT-friendly recipes

Healthy Foods Made Right in Your Dorm

  • Chop up strawberries and add them to yogurt
  • Cut an apple and dip it in peanut butter
  • Heat a pack of instant oatmeal in the microwave and add cut up bananas

PRSSA Bateman team challenges Oshkosh to LIVEFIT

This post was written by PRSSA member Lindsey Noack

You might be seeing a message in your school email this upcoming week talking about LiveFIT Oshkosh, a fitness campaign that’s working towards providing the Oshkosh community with information and tips to reach a healthier lifestyle. What you might not realize, however, is that PR students from the journalism department are the brains behind this operation. Each year a group of students from UW Oshkosh’s PRSSA  (Public Relations Student Society of America) chapter compete in the Bateman Case Study Competition, a nation-wide contest for public relations students that gives them the opportunity to implement a full PR campaign.

The focus this year on living a healthy lifestyle inspired our team to create a campaign that would impact people of all ages in Oshkosh. Live FIT Oshkosh, which stands for Fitness, Information and Technology, is working to provide these three things to the community. You might wonder why we decided to include technology as one of our goals in a campaign focused on fitness?

Technology has integrated itself into our daily lives and as college students who are constantly connected to the online world, we should take advantage of the great resources it has to offer us on health, exercise, nutritious recipes and more. UW Oshkosh has even added great nutritional calculators and menus for campus dining locations to its website, so students can make health-informed decisions on what to eat.

Dr. Julie Henderson, a professor for the journalism department and the adviser to the Bateman team, talks about the benefits these online resources can provide UW Oshkosh students looking to increase their level of health.

“Every year, the PRSSA Bateman team tackles a social issue,” Henderson said. “This year, the team is addressing obesity in regard to children and the general public. Because students entering college often face a change in their eating and exercising habits, this is especially relevant to the UW Oshkosh community. I’m especially impressed by the communication tools the team chose, that is, technology and social media to reach the target audience of college students. They have found a wealth of tools that anyone can use to chart their caloric intake, their choices, and their exercise regimen. We’re all hopeful this will help UW Oshkosh students and others attain a more healthful state.”

The team will be posting to the LiveFit Oshkosh Facebook page, Twitter feed and Pinterest account with tips and advice to live a healthier lifestyle on and off campus, so be sure to swing by and grab a recipe or two!

The Third Floor Intern

This post is by our treasurer, Kim Parsons.

During the fall semester I became the Library Communications Intern at Polk Library. When told that my job would be performed on the third floor of the library, I have to admit that I was somewhat reluctant. I really never had been to the third, “quiet” floor of Polk, but have now grown to love the quiet, laid back atmosphere.

As the communications intern for Polk my first duty was to help design the quarterly newsletter using InDesign. Since the articles for the newsletter were already written, my task was not as hard as it could have been, although I did have to master the art of InDesign very quickly. I am very happy with the turnout of course and feel that my skills were strengthened immensely by being forced to learn InDesign in such a short amount of time. Within three weeks the first newsletter Polk has had in over a year was finished. The theme of the newsletter was “metamorphosis,” since a majority of Polk’ periodicals and journals have gone from the print version to an online database.

My most recent task has been creating a variety of Campus Vision slides that will help promote Polk Library and its various databases that students can utilize, but might not otherwise know about. I kept the theme of the slides I created consistent and based them mainly on things found in pop culture. Topics I used included the infamous Kim Kardashian (72 day) wedding, Jersey Shore, and Schoolhouse Rock. I wanted the slides to be informative, yet relatable for college students. Be sure to check them out when you enter Polk, Reeve, or the Rec & Wellness Center.

If anyone is interested in the position as the Library Communications Intern for the Fall 2012 semester email me at parsok77@uwosh.edu.