PRSSA Fall 2021 Newsletter

Fall 2021, Volume 6

PR ROUND UP

Shippensburg University PRSSA Newsletter

Pubic Relations Student Society IN THIS ISSUE
of America is the leading organization
MESSAGE FROM OUR
for students who are interested in the public
relations and communications industry. Here VICE PRESIDENT pg.2
at Shippensburg University, our chapter prides
itself on inspiring students to take that next MANAGING A HECTIC
step in pursuing this type of career. We assist
members in gaining real-world experience and SCHEDULE pg.3
help them produce professional-quality work.
Through this organization, students HOW STUDENT MEDIA LEADS

Enhance their education. TO A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE pg.4
Broaden their network.
Launch their career. 3 TIPS FOR INTERNSHIP

APPLICATIONS pg.7

A MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT

Stepping into the role of Vice President of PRSSA has been a humbling experience.
My previous roles in this organization consist of Treasurer and Director of Chapter
Development. These roles have taught me so much and helped shape me into the aspiring
PR professional I am today. I am so excited to be able to assist our president, Madeline
Hadfield, in running PRSSA for the 2021-2022 academic year.
This semester we have unfortunately had to face challenges with the Covid pandemic but
it has not stopped us from doing what we do best. Client work, networking and enhancing
our professional careers are in full stride as we leave the fall semester to go home for break.
Our members had the opportunity to work with our marketing team here at Shippensburg
University, as well as our recreation facility. They are able to get the hands-on experience
that is needed in the public relations industry. We as an organization, have been assisting
with photography, videography, social media and more.
Looking ahead, next semester will consist of new clients to work with, key workshops
for bettering our skills, and guest speakers to share their personal experiences as PR
professionals. We are also looking to host a networking event for the communication/journalism department in April.This event
will be a great way to connect, especially after going through the Covid pandemic over the past year and a half.
At the end of the semester, our executive board will be graduating, which means we will be recruiting a new and eager E-board for
the 2022-2023 school year!

Lindsey Spector

JOIN TODAY!

SOCIAL MEDIA: Start discussions and connect with PRSSA members
by plugging into PRSSA social media. Use our hashtag
to follow the conversation: #PRSSA

LEADERSHIP: Add to your portfolio and gain valuable leadership skills
by running for office in your Chapter, student-run firm, or
the PRSSA National Committee.

EVENTS: Network, learn, and interact with public relations students from
around the country at PRSSA events, such as International
Conference, Leadership Assembly and District Conference.

To learn more about PRSSA at Shippensburg University,
please contact Madeline Hadfield at [email protected]

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MANAGING A HECTIC SCHEDULE AS A
FULL-TIME STUDENT

By: Jeremy Satyawan Putra ‘24

College is difficult. No one is going to say it is not. It’s not We meet up weekly in a designated spot and complete
like high school where you have the same exact classes every assignments, but this does not mean that we do not entertain
single day and your teachers remind you daily about upcoming ourselves as well. By having fun and doing our assignments
deadlines. It is not a set schedule and it is not something that at the same time, we can prevent the grogginess that comes
can be easily balanced when you have to work and worry about about from long periods of focus. When I study, I use the
your academics as well. Flowmodoro technique, which is a play on the Pomodoro
My advisor and professor for many of my courses offers great technique of studying. These are two different studying
advice. He is a professor in the Communication/Journalism methods that a lot of people use to have more efficient
Department with 18 years of professional experience as a study sessions. The Pomodoro technique involves working
journalist. You can be sure that his schedule has experienced on assignments and such for a set amount of time and for
its fair share of chaos. Dr. Dhiman Chattopadyay says, “It is every block of time that elapses, you get a break time that
good to be ambitious, and as university students, you should compounds for every set that you finish. The Flowmodoro
be. However, as future leaders, pragmatic calls you must make technique, however, means that you focus on the tasks at hand
are "What is realistic", and "How much can I take on and still until you break focus. For the amount of time that you were
perform at an optimum level?” studying (i.e. a timer that counts up the moment you start),
In terms of how to actually go about managing what to focus you give yourself a break for a fifth of the allotted time (20
on, the use of planners and agendas is a major tool for the minutes of studying is equal to four minutes of break time).
success of your current and future self. By maintaining these Both techniques have their pros and cons, but I have seen
habits, you can schedule yourself time for breaks to prevent myself being able to stray away from procrastination as time
burnout. Google Calendar and Notions are two apps that I use goes on.
quite often to ensure all my classes are in order. Procrastination In the long run, finishing my assignments in advance helps
motivation and pre-exam crams are all fun and games until to lessen the stress that comes about during Thanksgiving
you find yourself struggling to stay awake and finish what you break when final exams/projects tend to sneak up on you.
started. Your weekends are made available since you are not stuck in
your room at night cramming last minute assignments. Most
importantly, your mental health is not taking as heavy of a toll
“It is good to be ambitious, when you can hammer out the little things here and there.
Although what has been discussed is not a tried and true
and as university students, method, it is what has worked for me and many of the people I
have talked to throughout my academic career. While students,
”you should be. professors, and professionals may not have the same schedule,
they can better their time management skills to stay on top of
As Dr. Chattopadhyay said, take only as much as you can so everything.
that whatever you’re doing is still being executed the best it
can be. I get asked a lot how I’m able to manage everything
with the number of clubs and organizations I’m in while still
maintaining a healthy social life. The organizations in question
being Student Ambassadors, PRSSA, Boxing, etc. It helps
that the things I join already place a focus on maintaining
academics while still having a fun environment. This is because
I’m able to use the resources provided to ensure optimal
performance. Every semester, I set up my Google Calendar
with my class and work schedule that will change as the weeks
go by. During this time I will use Notion to set a to-do list for
all of the upcoming assignments that are listed in the syllabus.
In addition, my friends and I hold each other accountable so
that we can excel in the challenges that life throws at us.

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HOW STUDENT
MEDIA LEADS TO A
SUCCESSFUL FUTURE

By: Madison Griffith ‘24

Students often struggle to figure out what career path still unsure of what I wanted to do with my emphasis
they want to pursue and how they’ll be successful in in public relations and I thought it would allow me
the workforce once college comes to an end. A great to explore a variety of career options. Also, it seemed
way to not only get involved on campus but to help to be a comforting way to meet new people and gain
you build a strong career path is through student skills that are used in the field. Now being in my
media. Being a part of the communication and sophomore year I already feel more confident about
journalism program has shown me that joining at least my future aspirations and recommend this experience
one student media group (of course more than one is to any student.
even better!) is extremely important and helpful. Networking is an important tool when it comes
Many people feel discouraged to join these groups to looking for an internship, job, or just making a
because they think they must be a communication connection with another individual. During our
major; however, that is not the case. These groups give weekly meetings in PRSSA, the executive board
a sense of support and are very easygoing and fun for invites public relations professionals to come in and
anyone interested in being involved. My freshman year speak to us about their experiences working in the
I joined the Shippensburg chapter of Public Relations field. These professionals work in all different kinds
Student Society of America (PRSSA) because I was of organizations, so, you get to acquire a variety
of information. Some types of this work include
marketing, crisis management, employee relations,
media relations, public affairs, corporate and social
responsibility, along with many others. Listening to
their experiences in the public relations world has
given me an idea of what type of path I want to pursue;
crisis managament. Also, getting to communicate and
build a connection with these guest speakers may help
you in the future. One of my fellow peers in PRSSA,
Margaret Sobotta, fittingly stated, “Student media
builds relationships not only with peers and faculty
but with future employers.” I know many members
of PRSSA who have found a certain guest speaker
interesting and continued to network with them and it
ended up being a doorway into their first job.

Continues on page 5.

“Student media gives you first-hand experience and can help you see if you want
to pursue this carer in the future, which is super helpful.“ - Elizabeth Peters

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Client Work employers.
During the semester all the members are divided into Although I have yet to hold a leadership position in
client work. We normally work with two client groups, PRSSA, I hope to next year. Student media offers many
which will either be local off-campus or on-campus leadership positions that stand out on your resume. As
student group organizations. Three client groups I have another one of my peers in PRSSA, Jeremy Satyawan
created work for are Shippensburg University’s ROTC, Putra, stated, “Student media helps to build leadership
Bethany House in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (a transitional and networking experience that will translate into skills
house for young women), and the marketing team here you can use in the field.” Stepping out of your comfort
at SU. A lot of the client work entails taking and editing zone to take a leadership role is valued and connecting
video footage and photos, creating websites and social with a student media group will allow you to make that
media content, fundraising or event templates, and leap.
overall just trying to spread the word to others about who Although becoming a part of a student media group
they are and what they do. Not everyone is experienced may seem intimidating at first, I can say it’s truly worth
with some of the tasks we must complete, but that it in the end. This experience has given me so many
doesn’t mean you can’t learn! That is what is so amazing opportunities to network with others, create a lot of new
about student media groups: you don’t have to have any friendships, become more familiar with the work I’ll be
previous knowledge, it can just be a commendable first- doing in the future and especially setting me up with a
hand learning experience. diverse set of skills. PRSSA has made me so excited for
My fellow peer that is also a part of PRSSA, Elizabeth what I’m going to be pursuing after graduation and I’m
Peters, agreeingly stated, “Student media gives you first- not nearly as nervous about looking for an internship or
hand experience and can help you see if you want to job in the future. It has prepared and revealed to me what
pursue this career in the future, which is super helpful.” steps I can take to be successful in my future career.
Joining student media groups is encouraged because
the work you create can be added to your
portfolio for employers to look at. I have
accomplished a few fundraising templates
and taken many photos in my client groups
that I now have in my portfolio, and I hope
to add more pieces of my work soon!
When applying for jobs I’ve learned
that numerous employers look for your
involvement on campus.

Leadership PRSSA members at the November 16th meeting
Leadership is a prominent skill that
you achieve especially in student media
groups. Taking on leadership roles can be
challenging yet exciting. In the workforce,
to have a thriving and strong organization
you must have leaders. These people that
show potential leadership skills should be
able to make important decisions, achieve
and set goals, reach desired targets, and
even share ideas to enhance something such
as a work environment. Therefore, finding
ways to show employers that you can be
a leader is important because one of the
best things a boss can do is encourage their
employees to take on leadership roles. Yet,
if you’ve already shown you have this skill
you become more interesting to possible

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The Ship Rec Center, one of PRSSA’s Fall 2021 clients

TWO BEST PRACTICES FOR FITNESS PUBLIC
RELATIONS

By: Kiayrah Wehr ‘23

The fitness industry is booming this year. Since the 2. Host and attend local events.
pandemic, the online fitness community has grown
dramatically since March 2020 and will continue to do Connecting with the local and online community makes
so. Fitness professionals have had to adapt to some of traditional PR more accessible for a fitness brand. Being
the limiting situations of their clients. Public relations present in real life and online is key to a client’s brand
practitioners have the opportunity to guide the fitness growth. Events provide opportunities for client’s to tell
industry. their story and share their brand. Gary Vaynerchuk says,
Here are two best practices for public relations in fitness. “Brand storytelling is not about pushing advertising, it’s
about bringing value.”

1. Mutually beneficial partnerships. “Brand storytelling is not about
pushing advertising, it’s about
Whether you are working with an individual brand or
a company brand, it is important for partnerships to be bringing value.“
mutually beneficial. This practice maintains the brand’s -Gary Vaynerchuk
network reputation. Partnerships are a great investment,
and they may result in a financial or publicizing reward.

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Delani Overcash ‘21 at Enterprise Rent-A-Car for her Summer internship

3 TIPS FOR INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS

By: Kiayrah Wehr ‘23 experience still provides skills. If you are applying for
your first internship, you probably do not have much
1. Be open-minded. related experience. However, any positions you have
It is important to understand that you should not only held offer you a chance to stand out. Cashiers learn to
apply to postings titled “Public Relations Intern” because communicate, quickly solve problems and research the
you want to be in public relations. Oftentimes your company.
skills apply to areas such as social media, marketing, 3.Research the company.
advertising, and others. It is tempting to get internship applications done
2. Customize your resume. as quickly as possible. Knowing the prospective
Every internship should not see the same resume company’s reputation and internal environment is key
from you. If you move the most relevant information to making sure interning there will be a good fit for you.
to the position toward the top, they are more likely Researching the company is the difference between an
to be impressed by your resume. Your application for internship and a quality internship.
a public relations internship should have skills in a
different order than a marketing internship. Unrelated

KEEP UP WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

@shipprssa @prssaship @SHIPprssa

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MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Lindsey Spector Anna Potterfield Elizabeth Peters

PRSSA Vice President PRSSA Co-Vice President Member
Head of Newsletter Committee Co-editor Co-editor

Jeremy Satyawan Madison Griffith Kiayrah Wehr
Putra
Member Member
Member

Dr. Carrie Sipes 9

PRSSA Chapter Advisor