Fall 2022, Volume 8 PR ROUND UP Shippensburg University PRSSA Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE Public Relations Student Society of America is the leading organization for students who are interested in the public relations and communications industry. Here at Shippensburg University, our chapter prides itself on inspiring students to take that next step in pursuing this type of career. We assist members in gaining real-world experience and help them produce professional-quality work. Through this organization, students Enhance their education. Broaden their network. Launch their career. MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT 5 THINGS I LEARNED AT ICON CONFRENCE 2022 TIPS FOR MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH IN COLLEGE pg.2 pg.3 pg.4 pg.6 HOW TO MANAGE WORK AND REAL-LIFE RESPONSIBLITES
A MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT 2 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 Madison Griffith at [email protected] Being selected as Vice President of PRSSA has been an amazing experience thus far. Last year as a freshman I was a member and got to work on so many fun and interesting projects with PRSSA. That is why I am so excited to continue my journey in PRSSA as Vice President. I am so excited to help our new President, Madison Griffith, in running PRSSA for the 2022-2023 academic year. This is our first semester coming back from Covid where we weren’t able to do everything as in years past. This semester we had the pleasure of working with two amazing client groups The Slate, our newspaper on campus, and SCRC, Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition. Students were able to get hands-on experience creating social media posts, taking photos and videos, interviewing people, and creating PR campaigns. Getting students ready for the public relations industry is our primary goal. Looking ahead, next semester we will continue to work with the SCRC, have more guest speakers to talk about their PR experiences, and have educational workshops for students. We are also looking to host another networking event for the communication, journalism & media department in the Spring. Another exciting thing we are looking forward to having students attend is the district conference hosted by Temple University this Spring as well. This has been a great semester for our new E-board and, we cannot wait to continue our hard work into the next semester. Madelyn Tursi
College is meant to be a chapter of a student’s life for them to grow, learn, and also have fun. Though, any student who takes 15-credits a semester can tell you that there will be challenges along the way. Students come to college to essentially build a life and a career for themselves, and that on its own can seem overwhelming. There may be times where you feel like you are at your lowest, but remember to believe in yourself and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. A student’s mental well-being is vital to having a successful college career. Here are some helpful tips on how to maintain a positive mental health during college. Think Positively Thinking positively is one of the best things you can do to achieve good mental health. It may sound challenging sometimes, but you can do it. As college students, it can become easy to doubt yourself or not be motivated to study and get what needs to be done, done. There may be times where you may feel like you can’t get out of bed because you are feeling so down. One way to change this mentality is by waking up each morning and telling yourself positive affirmations. Practicing positive self-talk in the mornings will give you a good start to each day. Another way is to surround yourself with positive and uplifting people. You need people in your life who will be kind, supportive, and encouraging. Without them you may feel alone, which is not good on mental health. If you need to find a positive group of people, look at the vast variety of clubs and organizations here on campus. Take Care of Yourself Although prioritizing your schoolwork and other things going on is important, so are you! It can be easy to focus too much on school, work, or something else rather than your own wellbeing. Believe it or not, taking care of yourself will actually help you with your studies and mental health! One of the biggest struggles students have is not getting enough sleep. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep plays an important role in our physical, mental, and immune health. To get plenty of sleep, try to establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. It’s also important to make sure that you are eating at least three meals a day. There are plenty of nutritious food options for students on campus. Also, just taking time for yourself and doing the things that you are passionate about helps with clearing your mind and to not feel so stressed. Doing these things will not only help your mental well-being, but also make you feel better in general. Efficiently manage your time In college, it can be get disorganized off your or routine. However, that is not the best option for you or your mental health. To have good time management, try writing out an agenda. You can do this with a planner, digital calendar, or finding applications on your phone that can keep you on track. Write out your class schedule along with other things that you have going on and this will help to keep you organized. You can also set reminders on your phone for upcoming due dates, exams, events, or anything else you need to be reminded of. Also, make sure that you put aside certain times for different subjects to study each day. This will help to keep track of your classes and what’s going on in them. Find resources available for support Having people that you can go to for support is essential in not only college, but in life. Whether it’s a friend or a family member, make sure that you have someone you can go to in case you ever need help, or just want someone to talk to. If you don’t want to go to a friend or family member, there are other resources on campus that can also help. Going to the counseling center can be very effective support. You may find that having someone that you don’t know is easier to talk to rather than someone you do know. Ask for help when you need it. TIPS FOR MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH IN COLLEGE 3 By: Brooke Evelock ‘25
4 5 THINGS I LEARNED AT ICON 2022 By: SIOBHAN SUNGENIS ‘22 This semester, our chapter got the opportunity to attend the ICON International Conference in Grapevine, Texas. This experience was incredibly eye-opening and provided our E-Board with tools that we will be able to use throughout our career. As a senior, going into the “real world” is daunting and overwhelming. Being able to attend ICON made me feel more comfortable with my transition out of school and made me excited to start my career in the public relations field. At ICON, I was lucky enough to meet with a personal mentor, Philip Poole. Mr. Poole worked in higher education for most of his career and was able to provide insight into my personal questions about the public relations field. He offered advice about graduate school, professional accreditation, and starting jobs as a recent graduate. His advice was comforting, and it was awesome to connect with someone who was able to achieve his own goals and give back to the next generation. It was a jam-packed weekend at ICON, and I learned a lot in a short amount of time. Here are 5 key takeaways I learned through my time at ICON: 1.) Be Intentional The world of PR is all about maintaining relationships and putting your best foot forward. Being intentional with how you speak to colleagues and working to create an inclusive working environment is extremely important to being successful. 2.) Hire Your Boss In college we are taught best interview practices, making your portfolio stand out, and overall, how to be a marketable employee. While all this is important, making sure that you are the right fit for the job you are applying for is equally valuable to building a successful career. Learning the workplace culture, expectations and general lifestyle of a workplace is incredibly important to enjoying your career. Approaching the interview process with authenticity and curiosity will benefit you in the long run. 3.) Be Authentic While being true to yourself in all situations is important in all situations, it is especially true in your career. Being able to stand up for what you believe in, and approach problems with authenticity is a skill that needs to be honed like any other. Continued on page 5.
5 4.) Be Curious Continuing to learn and being curious is invaluable in today’s world. Humbling yourself enough to admit what you don’t know and being curious enough to learn is what makes you stand out as an employee. Learn how to think in a 360-degree way that encompasses not just your own point of view but includes several different perspectives. Being curious about people, places, perspectives, and lifestyles helps you understand you audience and make you an allaround better employee. 5.) Be Able to Say Something that Hasn’t Already Been Said Being able to bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table is what keeps public relations alive. Keeping up with changing trends and translating them into something that your company can use is what makes you stand out as a new employee. Creativity and fearlessness with your ideas will help you grow as an employee. College was not going how I had anticipated. I dreamed of sitting in big green open spaces with a perfectly diverse group of friends who held weekly study sessions. I was just a January transfer student looking to get out of my parent’s house, start completely fresh, and get a degree. I had a 3.6 GPA throughout high school, strict parents, and a reasonably innocent mind. I was cute. I was dorky. Six months later, I sort through my cabinet at night for my mood stabilizer, antidepressant, and sleeping pill. At the same time, I choose between narcotic sobriety and being an ordinary college student. Things were not, and are not, easy. However, my experiences with PRSSA have been a driver in finding motivation and hope by providing a sense of community. Previously, I wanted nothing to do with PRSSA; I spent my time abusing drugs, so why would I go to a weekly 4 p.m. meeting? Well, I had to. Communications, journalism & media majors at Shippensburg University must be involved in student media organizations. I went to my classes on drugs or crying and slept all day. The only time I really did homework was on weekends, all at once. I was struggling, but I had to be involved in this organization. After a series of loudly voiced complaints, I finally gave in; you got me. But, it was not the requirement that motivated me to attend the first of many PRSSA meetings; it was the empathy of a leadership member. This member clearly saw my struggle, and while she did not understand the capacity of it, I knew she had empathy for me; she didn’t see my behavior as erratic or lazy; I felt as if she knew, and I didn’t have to say anything. She knew I was struggling. And in her empathy and understanding, she said the kindest thing she could have at the time; “all you have to do is come to the mandatory meetings.” I felt that was the only thing I had the energy or capacity to do for PRSSA, so kindly allowing my disregard was an act of empathy. After some medication readjustments, therapy, and personal changes, I now participate more within PRSSA like by going to optional meetings. I also enjoy the sense of community when walking in and seeing the same group of people every week. What started as an obligation became an opportunity, and I don’t think I could have done it without the empathy of another PRSSA member. EXPERIENCES WITH PRSSA By: ANONYMOUS
HOW TO MANAGE WORK AND REAL-LIFE RESPONSIBILITES By: Arya Nautiyal ‘ 25 6 In college, we all hear from professors and friends. How hard it can be to manage work and real-life responsibilities. Some people think it’s not that hard to manage work and your personal life. But when it starts hitting them, then they understand how hard it is, especially for women. Work-life balance is a key part of self-care when you have to juggle the responsibilities of your work, home life, family members, and loved ones. Work-Life balance is a term that makes intuitive sense but can be difficult to achieve in life. Work-Life balance is sometimes described as a trade-off, because sometimes work-life affects your family life. It affects you by not having time for your family, friends, and your interests. According to the Mayo Clinic, people who overwork with long hours can have several consequences. Some of them could be fatigue, poor health which leads to stress, neglecting healthy habits, and having negative impacts on relationships. More than a quarter of full-time employees say that it’s difficult to balance work and family. Some stress include increased expenses without a salary increase, increased responsibilities at work, and at home, and working long hours. I had the time to talk to one of my close family members from India who worked as a computer engineer for 33 years. Working in an office for eight hours and being a mother of three she said it was hectic. When she was married, she didn’t have to pay attention to all the duties like paying bills, picking up her kids from school, etc. But after her husband died, all the duties fell on her. She had to leave her job sometimes to pick up her kids, get them ready in the morning, make their food, help them with their homework and clean their messy room. Sometimes there were days when she had to take care of her kids all day and she had to stay the night to do her work. She never had time for herself. She had to juggle her work and her kids. She suggests that people separate their work hours and their family times. Sometimes improving your work-life balance is a good way to reduce stress. Improve your work-life balance is by saying no, taking breaks in between your work makes you concentrate more on your work. Try to invest in your relationships, and make space in your schedule for family time. Yes, work is important, but you also have a life outside of your work. You should always prioritize quality time for yourself and your family.
7 KEEP UP WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! @shipprssa @prssaship @SHIPprssa ICON INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2022 GRAPEVINE, TEXAS STAR CHAPTER AWARD
9 MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS Madelyn Tursi PRSSA Vice President Head of Newsletter Committee Madison Griffith PRSSA President Co-editor Arya Nautiyal Member Dr. Carrie Sipes PRSSA Chapter Advisor Brooke Evelock Member Siobhan Sungenis Director of Digital Communication