Introduction to Public Relations

Your Ministry Remains Strong. (Not).

2012-02-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

Upon reviewing the text on management, crisis and otherwise, I started searching for an example, fictional or real, not offered in the reading. After quite a bit of thinking on the combined topics of crises, exceptional or poor management, public relations and procrastination, the single story that floated to the forefront of my mind was the Ministry of Magic's terrible handling in the later books of the Harry Potter Saga.

(For those of you fuzzy on the stricter details of what the poor MOM had to deal with, I'd suggest catching up on the movies, or geeking out over at the Harry Potter Wikia.)

While any Harry Potter reader with... appropriate... Dumbledore's Army Supportive Leanings holds a healthy amount of contempt for the MOM and their rather terrible handling of not only their Public Relations, but also the general affairs of state, it is fair to state that if a no-win, worst-case scenario was to be devised for them, it wouldn't be far off.

Enemy of the State #1 had re-emerged, with old enemies popping up from within their own organization like persistent and pervasive cancer cells. The public was close to panic already, with nothing but a strong policy of denial preventing all out chaos on the streets. With (Spoiler Alert!) Dumbledore Dead, and a particularly pesky group of school age children insisting on spreading warmongering, the Ministry honestly did what it could.

They started what could be euphemistically be called a vigorous and aggressive campaign to show strength and systematically deny any instability. They even went so far as to replace the former, well-liked peacetime Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, with the "Warlike" Rufus Scrimgeour, putting a more competent and weathered face (figurehead?) on the Ministry.

So while Harry Potter fans the world over love to complain about the MOM's horrible handling, from a Public Relations, and definitely from a Crisis Management situation standpoint, what do you guys think?

Was it their only (viable) option? Did they at least do what they did well?

Mischief Managed,

Brooke Teegarden

PR people make how much?!

2012-02-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

Seriously, average of $82,400 a year? As a student hoping to one day make it big in the $30,000/year slot, this is shocking. I had no idea they were secretly raking in the dough (or at least, you know, able to pay the electricity bills in their mid-size houses).

But I digress.

Chapter 19's focus on crisis management seemed incredibly pertinent, mainly because I still wrongly imagine this is what public relations comprises of. Chapter five gives ample evidence that this is not true, but my mind is slow and feeble. What is probably truer is that, during these crises, public relations often has to take off its invisibility cloak to be scrutinized all its naked glory. As for the daily grudge, public relations seems to be doing its job best when the public doesn't even recognize it's there making you feel warm and fuzzy about its employer.

What resonated with me a lot was the point about the importance of good communication between the public relations agency and management. Much like health and babies, there are easier ways to stop a public relations crisis before it happens rather than after it's occurred, and one of these is clear, honest discussion between the two branches. It is a fairly obvious, though not always used, assumption that management needs to be direct to its public relations about its downfalls and strengths as well as give input on how it wants to be portrayed. However, it seems to me that public relations could do its job more ethically if it is allowed to give input on how the company is run. Often companies portray themselves one way, when their choices display something vastly different. By allowing public relations a seat at the management table, PR has a better chance of avoiding spin by synthesizing the actual company with its public representation.

Business Reputation

2012-02-07T02:55:00.000-08:00

I found it very surprising that reputation management is an actual specialization in public relation agencies. I assumed reputation management was a basic public relations skill workers knew and did often. Apparently, there are multiple online agencies that focus on online reputation management specifically.

For example, Google's top search result for "reputation management" (not including the paid ads) lead to reputation.com. The agency's two top competitors are reputationmanagementconsultants.com and reputationchanger.com.

That said, I wondered what I could do to become a reputation manager.

According to InsideJobs.com, a person interested in this career path needs a bachelor's degree in computer programming, a minor in English, and a personal blog on the side to practice. I have a feeling there are multiple ways of becoming a reputation manager than just meeting those two requirements, though. Perhaps you can find a job listing site that better describes the job and has a better description of the job's educational requirements?

In closing, I thought I'd leave you with a satirical business commercial ad. The video is based on a television series called, "Better Off Ted." The fictional business the series is centered around is called, "Veridian Dynamics." This commercial tries to promote their company's employment diversity. Can you figure out why this commercial fails at reputation management?

Ford 1, Firestone 0

2012-02-07T02:53:00.001-08:00

Chapter 5 and 19

"It has been my observation that most people

get ahead during the time that others waste."

-Henry Ford

When reading chapter five I noticed the sentence on page 82, "Public relations should never shirk its overriding responsibility to enhance the organization's credibility by ensuring that corporate actions are in the public interest." Immediately after reading this I couldn't help but remember 2008, a time that seemed to be fraught with companies and organizations taking bailout money like it was free popcorn at a movie theater. This jumped into my memory because I also remember Ford Motor Company their decision to be the sole American automaker to weather the steepest sales downturn in decades without a government bailout. This ended up being a very wise choice because shortly following the decision Ford eclipsed Toyota as being the No. 2 auto seller in the United States. Many believe that it's attributed to them deciding not to take the loan money. Well done Ford PR.

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While reading chapter 19 I couldn't help but think of one of the worstpublic relations disasters of the past 15 years. It's none other than theFirestone tire recall. For those that don'y remember it, in 1998 Bridgestone began receiving complaints about their Firestonetires treads' tendency to separate, often resulting in horrific accidents. Theworst part about it (yes there is something worse) was that Bridgestone refused to admit that there was a real problem until2000, when the NHTSA launched a large-scale investigation. After much wafflingin the press, Bridgestone finally accepted blame and announced the recall of6.5 million tires (the second-largest recall in U.S. history). When it was allsaid and done 200 deaths and 700 injuries had been caused by the faulty tires.Not so well done.

Punk'd and Prejudice

2012-02-07T01:55:00.000-08:00

In reading the chapters on management/ crisis management, my mind was drawn towards the finale of a wonderful 2011. With any organizational structure, finding primary issues and preparing for THE worst is the safest and smartest routine; formulating a plan of defense allows at least some headway to developing control. Anticipating, identifying, dealing, planning, and orientation of any internal/external structures allow a leg up in redefining an issue even with the rise of negative appraisal.

Following the aftermath of early November's Penn State fiasco that brought football legend Joe Paterno to an even more legendary standstill, a landslide of public involvement plowed through the media networks like a firestorm. Opinions on this and that, why he did or didn't commit to justice, admit to (admittedly) one of the most foul social disturbances of today, flourished among the ranks of celebrity image destruction resulting in his eventual discharge from the world of college football. Public outcry being on the maximum level, shock drew the attention of millions to an even deeper level with the surprise commentary of famous actor and long-standing advocate in the fight against child abuse, Ashton Kutcher. Using Twitter, Kutcher rapidly joined the fray with an offhanded, and obviously poorly planned, "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste," in the eyes of millions of fans. Needless to say, this actor was faced with a very grim reception, causing outrage at his apparent lack of identifying with key aggravating factors.

What I find most interesting, and pertinent is the section within chapter 19, where risk communication is identified under the principle of replacing impulsive decision making, as Kutcher did not utilize. Clearly not thinking his support for Paterno through, Kutcher failed to identify what the issue held in sway to his audience, leading to later mistakes aimed from a lack of identifying his stakeholders, their specific concerns, the way his message would come across, and the actual delivery. Needless to say, Kutcher was quickly reprimanded, and forced to make an emergency self-rebuttal ("Heard Joe was fired, fully recant previous tweet! Didn't have full story," followed later by "As an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more remorseful for all involved in the Penn St. case.") for his impulsive communication by the hands of the public and his personal PR manager. No one's jumping out to relieve you of this scare!

"As of immediately I will stop tweeting until I find a way to properly manage this feed. I feel awful about this error. Won't happen again."

Ronald Mcdonald, the goofy, happy clown.

2012-02-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

I will not pretend to have had a complex understanding of public relations, as I used to connect public relations as some kind of sub-section of advertising. My understanding of what a public relations consultant/expert would do has been updated.

But there are so many options and "tricks" up the public relations sleeve that are not available to the advertising branch. A public relations expert defines an image using their toolbelt of social network marketing, media relations, government relations and community relations. The public relations expert is in charge of setting the beat for the parade of a corporation's interactions with the general public. Advertising, marketing, product design, slogans and public statements are all based on a single understanding of what a company is or what it wants to stand for in the mind of it's potential customers. It all gives me an idea of don't just design a product, design a lifestyle.

For anyone who has seen The Corporation, the beginning of this documentary which discusses the idea of the corporation as a person presents random people on the street talking about their ideas of what certain fast food mascots are "like" as people. How odd! People are truly responsive to the impressions they have of a corporation, of its products and -dare I say without slipping into exaggeration- they begin to create a whole emotional, interpersonal connection between themselves and the product itself. The public relations is the artist is setting the scene, characterizing mascots, creating campaigns, considering products in the context of corporate image; all to accomplish the goal of having people have a personal understanding of a product and it's company.

But! as this seems to be cynical against corporate influence I think that the idea of the complete arsenal of the public relations expert (and how effective it is at motivating us emotionally) should also be seen for its strategic value to businesses. We have already heard a lot of the necessity of public relations experts to be able to have an objective view of whether a product should be promoted or how a company should handle a situation (independent of the opinion of the accountants). This objective view is valuable in that it is the best defense against catastrophe, or in other words, a strong public relations branch not only goes on the offense and has a strategic promotion plan but has a strong defense against accidents (like the BP oil spill) or scandals. Keep your public image -or those interpersonal/emotional connections I talked about earlier- strong and some of the work necessary to handle a worst case scenario (BP oil spill) will be done for you.

Martha Stewart, Public Relations Failure and Triumph

2012-02-07T00:15:00.001-08:00

In December of 2001, Martha Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators about a stock sale and served five months in jail. At the time I didn’t believe that Stewart would ever regain her reputation. Her fall from grace began after her appearance on the CBS News’ The Early Show. Stewart dodged questions about her stock sale from Early Show anchor Jane Clayson on a kitchen set. She chopped cabbage while Clayson attempted to get her to talk about the scandal.

After the CBS incident, Stewart stopped making public appearences. She hired the Brunswick Group to handle damage control and help create a crisis strategy. Having read chapter 19 I believe Stewart should have engaged a crisis team the day the scandal broke. Stewart’s silence made her appear guilty.

Stewart began to turn things around with the launch of the blog Martha Talks. The blog provided support for crisis communications and helped portray Stewart as a normal person. Further, it allowed Stewart to tell her side of the story, and generate support.

After serving her time in jail Stewart made a very public comeback. She signed deals to begin several new television shows, a ration show and a book deal to discuss her time in prison.

"Feeding the Beast"

2012-02-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

Check yourself, before you wreck yourself.
...Domino's Pizza sure did in their efforts to redeem them from a reputation of unpalatable pizza. WATCH IT HERE

Domino's Pizza and their PR team went with the cardinal rule of crisis communication: tell it all and tell it fast. As chapter 19 notes, "the quickest way to end the agony and begin to build back credibility is to fix the action and communicate through the media" (390). I would argue that this was a savvy and ultimately savory PR move for the redemption of Domino's Pizza. It was a bold move, and I happen to love it. They used their toughest critiques as the dough that rose the reputation of Dominos. WATCH THE AMBUSH TASTE TEST

Whether or not you believe the taste of Domino's Pizza has improved, we can appreciate the fact that they are trying!

Management and Crisis Management

2012-02-06T23:22:00.001-08:00

Chapter five addresses management executed in publicrelation and chapter 19 further develops the concept of management by expandingon the subject of crisis management. Both management and crisis management workdeeply with creating and implementing objectives, strategies, and plans ofaction in a public setting.

When reading chapter five I was struck by how many elementsgo into creating a public relations plan. Having taken a marketing class lastsemester I noticed many similarities between the creation approaches of apublic relations plan and that of a marketing plan, which helped the materialfeel familiar. One aspect of the public relations plan that I found interestingwas how the plan is implemented. In current society, it is exciting how manydifferent mediums can be used to communicate to audiences. I find theimplementation portion of the public relations plan interesting because it getsto explore these mediums as well as control timing, cost, audiences, and othersegments. I also liked reading about implementing public relations programs.This part of the chapter showed me the many different angles to a career inpublic relations and I found that I was particularly drawn to learning moreabout special events, public relations writing, public affairs, and community relations.

I enjoyed reading chapter 19 because crisis management issomething that I heavily associate with the career of public relations. The Exxon Valdez case studied in the chapter did a good job highlighting how not toapproach a crisis. The section ‘Engaging the Media’ had some valuable pointsthat I didn’t expect would be protocol for a public relations team. I wassurprised to learn that in face of a crisis it can be beneficial to “feed thebeast” to occupy media and I was also unaware that organizations establishmedia rules as well. I found the many examples used in this chapter veryhelpful for communicating the concepts introduced in this chapter in an understandableway.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

[Image: http://worldpress.org/Americas/3571.cfm ]

Image

2012-02-06T22:52:00.000-08:00

In reading chapter 19 about Crisis Management, I began to think of all the examples that public figures or organizations have to handle "surprise" crisis situations that surfaces. As I thought of the different examples of crisis situations within public figures or organizations, I began to realize that on a smaller scale people in general face crisis situations. A crisis could mean a mistake that someone makes which affects personal image and his or her peers around with relation. As my train of thought continued, I thought of what would happen if a personal crisis occurred would that affected my image. Being apart of the Portland Pilots baseball team, I not only would affect my image, but the image of my teammates, coaches, the baseball program, the athletic program, and the university as a whole. Having such a crisis would force the planning of the crisis, the communication of the crisis, and the engagement of the media.
After realizing the importance of the execution process during a crisis, I thought of one of the most recent examples, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries divorce after 72 days. Humphries, a pro basketball player, wants to prove Kim Kardashian's attempt of a fraud marriage. In order to do this, Humphries and Kardashian is set to have a divorce trial. The funny thing about this is that the trial will most likely be televised. The execution process of this particular crisis is still ongoing, but in terms of image of both individuals, the management of the crisis seems sketchy. Kris Humphries seems to be trying to save his image by putting the blame on Kim, saying she used him as a prop to make money off the marriage. Kim says that she failed at the marriage, not living the thought she had of herself being 30 and married with kids. While the whole drama is going on between the two, money is being made as the trial will be on television and the whole process has been documented on Kim's television show. I do not follow the television show or the whole crisis to begin with, but the fact that this is viral news, both images now have a negative influence. Maybe these two are using public relations to benefit their makings of money. Just as the textbook quotes Mark Twain, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes."

Chapters 5 and 19: The Importance of Honesty

2012-02-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Chapters 5 and 19: The Importance of Honesty

After reading over chapters 5 (Management) and 19 (Crisis Management), I am beginning to understand the importance that honesty and good communication skills have in the public relations field.

Chapter 5, Management, explains the role of modern-day public relations as a part of the management process and not as a department with the sole intention of damage-control. While PR does work closely with management, it cannot be a part of the organization itself because it needs to act as "a liaison between the organization and its external and internal publics" (81). The idea of PR as having a line of direct communication with management is very important. While a good part of this chapter was spent covering a lot of what chapter 1 covered, the idea of "reputation management" was a new idea that plays an important role in the industry, that is, linking an entity's reputation with its business goals. I did not like how the book described the reputation management process, however, as a 5-step system that put the word "persuade" in every step. This definition sounded more like a spin than an actual PR plan.

Chapter 19, Crisis Management, addressed the issue of what a PR firm needs to do once something terrible has happened. Once a crisis has occurred, it is up to PR to define the risk or action that has taken place, describe the actions that can ease the severity of the action, identify the cause of what has happened, take responsibility, and be honest with all publics involved. Honesty is the key component in managing a crisis once it has happened and restoring good standing with the public requires a consistent line of communication.

Whistleblowers

2012-02-06T21:25:00.002-08:00

What I found most interesting about the chapter on management was the idea that the public relations should be the "corporate conscience" of a company. Right now in my Introduction to Advertising class we are working to come up with a new, positive name for the designation of "whistleblower." The word whistleblower is a term used to describe people who act to reveal corruption or illegal activity in government, business, industry, or education. Sometimes in larger companies, the problem or corruption is not widely-known. Thus, the term whistleblower has been associated with the ideas of someone who is self-interested and vindictive, a snitch.

Today, however, many companies are actually designating internal whistleblowers to make sure that someone is looking out for any wrongdoing, or exploitation. I think that this can directly tie into the idea of public relations being the corporate conscience. They challenge ideas or products that might be wrong, or go against the companies ideals or policies. It also makes sense that public relations would have a vested interest in doing this, because if something is wrong, they are the ones charged with dealing with the aftermath or cleaning up the mess and explaining it to the public. Public relations can be the perfect "whistleblowers."

Tiger still not out of the woods

2012-02-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

(c) NikeGolf
In 2009 the world ended. Well, not really but if you lived in the United States you would have thought so when it was revealed that Tiger Woods had been cheating on his wife. A successful, entitled man being unfaithful to his wife? I know, it's a shocker.

The media took over from the big reveal. Everyday, for what felt like years, there were new women coming out of the woodworks to confess to having an affair with golf's golden boy. The nation was gripped by his fall from grace. However, while we were hearing from every expert and woman who had made any form of contact with him in the last decade, the public never heard from Woods himself. Although we finally did hear from him, it wasn't until February 2010 (3 months after the first woman confessed) all the public got was an apology from Woods in person that was obviously insincere.

Chapter 19 discusses the steps to take before the media takes control of a crisis situation. Looking at some of the steps such as "speak first and often," "be open and concerned, not defensive," and "stay calm and be truthful and cooperative," it is clear that whoever was handling his public relations should have studied this textbook. Not only did his message end up sounding insincere, but his message was too late! The chapter discusses the notion of avoiding "no comment" because it gives the media full range to take the stories into their own hands. By avoiding the topic for so long Woods became the butt of every joke and is still attempting to recover his image.

Round two here we go!

2012-02-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

After reading the chapters on management this week, itreminded me of my friend, Justin, who always jokes about how much females plan every intricate detail of their lives. He makes fun of us for it because “guys never plan, they just go withthe flow.” We always argue that it is important so we know what we are going todo, and he just says it takes to much time. What we don’t realize is how muchof our life we actually do plan. Depending on the individual, detailed planning can be seen asa positive or negative. But for public relations, I have noticed it is a verycrucial part if you want to do a sufficient job. Without a proper plan how can youexpect to defend and account for organizations actions? You really can't afford to not plan ifyou want to keep up their image. To plan you must have proper knowledge of budgets, research, andstrategies. These remind me of a girl's night out; you can't just show up andexpect to have a good time. It needs to be planned in advance: where you’regoing, what time your meeting, and who is going. Those are all simple things, but they require a certain amount of planning. In public relations, this would beconsidered short-term planning compared to planning a campaign, which islong-term.

The other topic that I found important was managing acrisis, and how dealing with a crisis proficiently affects all aspects of life not just public relations. Throughoutyour lifetime there are going to be crises, and it is essential to be preparedor know how to deal with them. Difficult things will come up and managing them correctly will really help to gain perspective later on. Something like 911 was a tragedy that no one could be prepared for but how people dealt withit was vital to the country and their own recovery. Some handled it betterthan others, trying to make our country look like a happy, safe place andalmost present it as an opportunity to unite us as one. Similar in publicrelations, managing a crisis intelligently and candidly with the news media willhelp maintain a good reputation for the organization you're working with. As sad as 911 was and wehope that something like that never happens again, there are still lower degreesof tragedies that public relations deal with on a daily basis, so it is necessary to learn how to deal with them efficiently.

Hello Everyone!

2012-02-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amis!
My name is Nico Marquez, most people call me Nicky so call me either, I'm fine with it! I am currently a sophomore Organizational Communications major with Drama and Political Science as minors here at our wonderful U of P! I hail from the beautiful Rogue Valley where I lived in both Rogue River and Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

My life consists majorly of work school and small bits of socialization; meeting new people is my favorite thing. I love cooking, and will be starting a new and improved blog where I will be sharing recipes, making delicious meals, and giving cooking tips! When it goes up, you all should check it out or even volunteer to eat the finished products (I'll need after photos not just before)! I am also a working man, I balance two jobs with one being an awesome hall receptionist in Kenna hall, and the other as a Customer Service/Sales Representative at Leonidas Fresh Belgium Chocolates. I know tons about chocolate, work with various companies that import cacao, and overall, enjoy the wonderful world of decadence. Being a receptionist is fun too, and I'm sure I've seen many of you there. Interesting fact, have you ever seen those blue Kenna shirts that say Kennalodeon walking around campus? I designed and made those shirts through Residence Life to represent our new theme! For those who have seen them, here was my first piloted design for the shirt !

Cool right? Another activity I do outside of my normal work and school schedule is work for a non-profit called Children First For Oregon or CFFO for short. I am the president of their youth advocacy and activist organization the OFYC, and work with former/current foster youth in changing the foster care system from a harmful bureaucracy to a more child friendly experience. This means I get to do all sorts of neat work with grant writing, legislation visits ( I ate lunch with Senator Rosenbaum a few weeks ago, she's really a nice and motivated lady!) Now you know a little about me, and I've read a little about you, so hopefully with the course of this class, we'll get a chance to be friends!

READ THIS

2012-02-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the library, still feeling a little nauseated from combination of the previous night's escapades and a hard run this morning, I was more than obliged to get rowdy with some Public Relations homework! Starting off with chapter 5, we learn all about the importance of public relations management. In order to be able and have an adequate management system, it requires a plan that answers management's concerns and how it can reach those objectives. The objectives must be well defined and realistic in order for them to be reached. Personally, what I liked most about chapter 5, was the Reputation Management piece. Being able to successfully manage a whole organization's branding is what public relations is all about! Reputation managers build, defend, and maintain what is going well and if something needs to change within the organization, they can help with that.
Luckily, another chapter awaited! It was on to learn the in's and out's of crisis management. That last hyperlink wasn't relevant but come on, admit it, there is a slight crisis over how adorbz Red Pandas are. Moving on, we learn about issues management and the role this plays. It is a five-step process that preserves market, reduce risk, create opportunities, and manage image. This form of management can readily anticipate any upcoming, possible speed bumps and help plan internally, rather than react to external elements. The most key part of crisis management is the planning aspect of it all. It would behoove an organization to bank on a crisis happening at some point, that way an emergency plan can be put in place. Everyone needs to be a bit more like Biggie and be ready to die.

That may have been overkill (no pun intended) but, nevertheless, it is key to have a plan and to be ready to communicate with the media apres-crisis. Engaging the media with the appropriate facts, making sure not to bait them into anything that will make the situation even more undesirable is important as well. Overall, a solid two chapters of pure public relations doctrine!

Fellow Peers...

2012-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

This is Lucky Boy. He's a lot cuter than I am. This little rascal is believed to be part-Chow, part-Golden Retriever. He has a terrible fear of any dog that is smaller than him, but loves a good growl at the bigger ones. For fun, he likes to organize his toys, sniff out the news of the neighborhood on his daily walk, eat treats on his special rug and cuddle with humans. He will not get his gorgeous hair wet in the rain or go upstairs without permission.

His owner likes to talk about her dog a lot and procrastinate on assignments.

Howdy

2012-01-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, My name is Greg Perez and I am a senior here at the University of Portland (THANK GOD). I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am an Political Science major and I'm in Army ROTC. Wrapping up my college career is not what I was expecting, but that is probably because it hasn't hit me yet.

My college life consists of waking up at 6am every morning for Army training, classes, working out, eating and then more Army training throughout the day. For the weekends, I love to go downtown with friends and just relax and enjoy a good meal and drink. One of the things I absolutely love is watching old movies from Hollywood's golden era. Humphrey Bogart has to be my favorite actor of all, though Gable and Sinatra are up there to. I'm also a big football fanatic, which is standard for us Texans. I hope to get to know everyone and I look forward to this class

JR's Introduction

2012-01-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

Howzit everybody!

My name is JR Bunda. JR is short for James Robert. I am a Junior at the University of Portland majoring in Communication. I am also on the Pilot's Baseball Team as a pitcher. I am excited for this spring semester as our season is about to get under way. So, don't be afraid to come support our team as well as the other Pilot athletic teams!

I was born and raised from the island of Oahu on the beautiful chain of islands called Hawai'i. My home town is called Wahiawa. I went to high school at 'Iolani School, playing baseball and football. I have musical experience in piano, the saxaphone, the 'ukulele, and singing. Nothing beats "jammin'" on the 'ukulele and singing at the beach with family and friends. God is good and love conquers all!

Fresher than a shot of listerine

2012-01-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hello,

To preface: I clearly have neglected to complete the initial task of an introductory blog post in a timely manner - and unfortunately - do not have a bountiful bag of bagels to make up for it.

ANYWAY... here's the 411:

The name is Adrienne. I am a born and bred product of Tacoma, Washington - or as some like to call it: "Tacompton." Aside from it's pungent aroma, it's a pretty great place to call home.

Some fab facts: I won the spelling bee in 4th grade. That same year I was a pilgrim in the school play. I am quite the indecisive peach, who also loves peaches. Wheel of Fortune is my passion and the happiest day of my life was when they started following me on Twitter (talk about an honor!) That about sums it up for now.

Hi I'm Mia

2012-01-25T00:46:00.000-08:00

I never know how to introduce myself. No matter what, you get pushed into this frame of things that other people think about you, and pretty soon it defines whom you are.

So I guess I'll frame myself for you:

I’m Mia. I’m working on majoring in communications and sociology. I’m part of the University of Portland’s rowing team, we wake up every morning at 5:30. I know it sounds early, but being out on the water and watching the sunrise is fantastic. It reminds me of home. I grew up between Seattle and San Juan Island and most mornings my dad and I would get up early to put the crab pots out.

I’m an all around optimist who loves, traveling, sailing, peanut butter (lets be honest my love for peanut butter is more of an addiction) taking photographs, drinking copious amounts of tea, cooking, hiking, reading, crafting and doing yoga. My yoga matt is my happy place.

Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

2012-01-24T03:22:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Todd Tully and this is my doggy Sarge. This was taken after an epic Christmas that entailed endless binge eating, cigar smoking and bourbon drinking (just the humans of course, except for the binge eating, Sarge participated in that wholeheartedly).

I originally hail from sunny Southern California, specifically, Westlake Village. It is a beautiful and quaint town just north of Los Angeles. There is a multitude of recreational activities one can partake in to pass the time (i.e. driving to Malibu for the beaches, hiking the surreal trails of Triunfo Creek Park, shopping at one of the many boutique stores in the area, etc., etc). Oh, and did I mention there is almost no crime. In other words it is almost a perfect place to live and raise children. So I'm sure some of you are wondering why I would leave such a utopia. I think Maugham Somerset said it best, "Perfection has one grave defect. It is apt to be dull." In other words, I got bored with the quasi "Leave it to Beaver" mentality of Westlake Village. So now I'm in Portlandia and I'm absolutely in love with it's glorious imperfections: bacon sprinkled doughnuts (yet one could argue that this might actually be a perfect food, at least in terms of flavor), being able to participate in a "Zombie Walk", and having the chance to participate in a naked bike ride with thousands of people. No, the city of bridges is definitely not boring.

A little about me!

2012-01-24T01:22:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

My name is Tess Burick and I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah. I chose to come to Portland because I wanted an out-of-state education and I love how beautiful the North West is. I grew upin the private school system starting in Kindergarten so, when deciding onwhich type university I wanted to attend, I guess I thought it couldn’t hurt tobe consistent and UP felt like a good fit. It’s been refreshing to be in aliberal environment after growing up in such a conservative state. Experiencingthe unique culture that the Portland community embodies has never ceased toentertain me. I can guarantee you theinfamous Portland naked bike ride will not be making an appearance of similarnature in Salt Lake any time soon.

Besides the excitement of being in a new city, I am now arecently declared Organizational Communication student and I have chosen thepublic relations focus. I am relieved to no longer be undecided and I amexcited to learn more about public relations and explore it as a potential career.

I have no definitive idea of the job I hope to have when Igraduate- I only know that I’m still trying to figure that out and that Ireally hope to have one. I do know however, that I am motivated most by thingsthat make me happy. I cherish my family and I am enlivened by music, new experiences, and the human capacity for creativity. I think that’s about it fornow!

Just Some Facts

2012-01-24T00:58:00.000-08:00

My name is Dominique Pascua. I'm currently a Junior at the University of Portland majoring in Organizational Communication and am an Army ROTC cadet. I'm also the Promotions Director for the new TOLCS club on campus that deals with group deliberation and facilitation.

I come from the small island of Kaua'i in Hawai'i. A little known fact about me is that my dad is the founder of Ainofea productions (a small clothing line that is now expanding and currently includes paddle boards) and co-promoter of the MMA Kauai Cage Matches.

See you all in class. ^_^

Hello!

2012-01-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

My name is Morgan Rapozo, I'm a marketing major and I'm from Hilo, Hawaii. So last week I went from 80 degree weather to snow in just a few days.

I was born and raised in Hawaii but I'm not actually Hawaiian. My mom is originally from Hong Kong, and while my dad grew up on the island of Kauai, he is pure Portuguese. I have a sister named Chloe who is 21 and she is one of the reasons I decided to come to UP, because she lived in Salem. However, three weeks after I got here, she got a job as a Marketing Director and moved back to Oahu. Despite that, so far I really like Portland and UP.

Since I've moved here a lot of people have asked me why I would want to live here when there's so much rain. Hilo is actually considered one of the rainiest town in the United States. My town gets anywhere from 160-240 inches of rain each year. Because of this a few times a year our downtown soccer fields turn into a huge lake:

So the rain here really doesn't bother me much!

Ta.Day.Oh

2012-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

I know, my name is weird. I've heard about it all my life. I don't know how many times I've been called tomorrow, yesterday-o, any-day-of-the-week-o,two-days-ago tomorrow-o. I get it. My name is Tadeu (pronounced Ta.Day.Oh) and as weird as it seems, in Brazil its actually one of the most common names.

My parents are from Brazil originally. In Latin American culture in general every person has a patron saint that they pray for in certain times of need. After 14 hours in labor my mom began to pray to hers, Sao Judas Tadeu (or Saint Jude Thaddeus): the patron saint of desperate causes. She promised him that if I was born within the hour she would name me in his honor. Hence, my name. I could have gone by Thaddeus, Tad, Thad, or another derivation of my "American" name, but going by the Brazilian version reminds me of my heritage that I'm so proud of.

I'll usually go by any clever nickname though, so surprise me.

Autumn Wedan Introduction

2012-01-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Hi class!
My name is Autumn Wedan, I am a sophomore biology major from southern Oregon. I have one brother who is a year older than me, and two loving parents who want nothing more than to see me achieve all of my dreams. I moved to Oregon from Minnesota with my family when I was six and have lived in this beautiful state ever since. I love nature and spend most of my free time outside enjoying the beauty of nature (yes I even enjoy the rain for the most part). As a result of my love for the outdoors, I was introduced to the world of athletics at a very young age. I played softball and volleyball all of my middle and high school years and was lucky enough to be able to pursue my volleyball dreams into the next level. This is how I ended up at the University of Portland, and I have enjoyed the entire experience as a whole and would not change anything in my life.

On a less serious note, here is the most interesting fact about me that you may find a little more entertaining:
I am probably the clumsiest person to walk this earth. All athleticism aside, I cannot remember the last time I went an entire day without tripping, running into something, or dropping something (most days I'm lucky enough to experience all three).

Forming Our Public Relationship

2012-01-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Class, I'm Brooke Teegarden.

I'm a Sophomore Transfer student here at UP, working on a Bachelor's Degree in Communications & Media Studies. I'm hoping to one day work on scripted television shows.

I'm pretty much your stereotypical nerd girl. I like science fiction, books, Italian food, Great Britain, ballroom dancing, international travel and a good cup of tea. I'm extroverted and a bit of a drama queen, but I've never been too much of an all-around people person. I'm hoping this class could help me understand how to better relate to the public.

I'm looking forward to this class, even if it is one of the dreaded night block periods, and hope to get to know all of you on a more personal level, whether it's online or in these blog posts.

Hello CST 362!

2012-01-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

I'm Daniel Silvey?

Hello class. My name is Daniel Silvey and I am a third-year Organizational Communications major here at UP. I am very excited about taking this class, as I am leaned toward Public Relations as the focus for my major.

Growing up in a town just south of Portland (Wilsonville), I have been around the area my whole life and proudly identify myself as a Portlander. A major factor in choosing to come to the University of Portland was to be a part of the cross country team. Running has been a huge part of my life since early high school and when it came time to find a good place to go to school and run after graduation, I didn't have to look too far to find a team with a proud tradition as well as a great school academically. Midway through my sophomore year, I left UP and earned my associates degree at Lane Community College in Eugene this past term. Although I enjoyed my time in Eugene, the friends and teammates I'd missed throughout the year ultimately led to my return for Spring semester.

My close proximity to home allows me to stay in close contact with my family. I am a proud uncle of 13 (with one nephew only a year younger than me), and I have always had a close relationship with my 4 siblings. Although they are much older than me, we share many similarities and spending time with them during New Years and Christmas time has always been a highlight of my year.

New Years Eve with the bros.

Hello World: Alex Risinger 1

2012-01-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first blog post!

My name is Alex Risinger.
Here is some biographical information about me:

Gender: Female
Major: Political Science and Spanish
Book: The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Food Genre: Japanese
Home City: Austin, Texas
Countries I have been to: Mexico,Venezuela, Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, China, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, France
Extracurricular Activities: ASUP and Mock Trial

I am currently a senior! I am nervous to graduate and go into the "real world" but I also have some exciting plans. I hope to go to the JET program next semester and then go to University of Texas Law.

Here is a picture of the Mock Trial team in Seattle, Washington for the 2011 Emerald Classic tournament.

Imma Do Me

2012-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

I was going to start this off and tell you all about my "daddy issues" but I think I'll stick to the basics for the time being. My name is Stephen Kersh and I am a sophomore originally hailing from beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contrary to popular belief, I do not pledge allegiance to any sort of latin gang or the sort. However, I am part of the Cross-Country and Track team here at UP. We are sort of like a gang. A gang of skinny, malnourished masochists- but a gang nonetheless. Anyways, I left the gorgeous mountains of Albuquerque to run fast and run far here in North Portland.

        I came to Portland an undecided freshman but am now studying Organizational Communication with a minor in Spanish. I am not totally sure what I want (or can) do with my major but I am certain it will be associated with sports. Whether I do marketing for a professional team or end up at law school and then on to the world of sports agents- I know that is what I ultimately want and is what drives me. Hopefully, taking this class in PR will help give me some more ideas as to how I want to tackle my future endeavors.
      The last 5 or so months, I have gained deep insight to another facet of my personality. I am a teensy tiny bit weird about cleanliness. This self-realization has stemmed from living with four not-so-clean teammates and friends in our house. Some nights when the dishes are stacked to the ceiling and the stove grime is still congealing to itself, I find it soothing to pull on my ol' Snuggie and rock back and forth while staring at one of our dingy windows slowly letting the Portland rain in. Self-reflection is always a valuable tool. Pretty sure our friend Confucius spouted that gem out during his stint of rambling the countryside and living with dirty roommates. Classic.
     That's it and that's all for now. Good night and good luck.

Intro: about me!

2012-01-22T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Ellen Parker,

I am a sophomore here at the University of Portland. I am a communications major and also play for the women's soccer team. I'm from Paradise Valley, Arizona so I struggle in the rain and constantly miss the warmth. I love my family and enjoy spending time with them when I go home to visit. My house is a little different than most because my grandparents have lived with my parents and two sisters since I was born. My grandparents who we call, Nona (grandma) and Nono (grandpa) are from Uruguay. They only speak Spanish, so thats why I became bilingual. I am the middle child, and its always fun when my sisters and I hang out because we are only two years apart.

The reason I came to Portland was to play for the soccer team. Being recruited to come here was an absolute honor, but it also takes up most of my time. Sometimes it can be difficult managing both school and soccer, but it is well worth the nights we play on Merlo field and get to experience something most women athletes never will. The amazing field, and the fan base that come out and support us every game is what makes it so much fun here at UP. By the end of my career here I hope to go off and try to play professionally somewhere, but with that in mind I am also thinking about what interests me in the communications department. I am looking forward to learning all about PR and seeing if it is something I see myself doing in the future. That's all on me for now!

If you ever come out to the games, I am number 22 and play in the center of midfield.
Go Pilots!

Copy Pilot help?

2011-12-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

My group is working with a local print/copy shop in the area, and plans to help them get their name out there to the public and especially to the students living and spending time on our University campus. We plan to have them better utilize their website as well as their Facebook page in an effort to gain more business attention that way. We have also suggested that they offer incentives to students who come and purchase supplies and pay for their services.

Now that the background is out of the way; Our group has been struggling with exactly how we plan to get our message out to the world. In effect, how will we make sure that the message is received by our targeted audience and how will we know that our efforts proved fruitful?

What are anyone’s thoughts as to how we might proceed with our project?

We have also decided that there is a definite lack of promotion of the services offered by Copy Pilot on the University campus, but other than simply hanging up posters about the company around campus, how will we get the word out that this place exists? I mean, I had no idea what/where it was until someone who was 'in the know' explained it to me

Healthy employees make a happy company

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you all know, Adidas headquarters in located right here in Portland not far form UP.
What you might not know is how awesome they're employee benefits are.
They provide personalized health packages that may include dental, medical, vision, prescription drug benefits, company paid life insurance, and long and short term disability.

Those benefits are nice and you certainly don't get them from every employer, but wait, there's more! They also provide a "Fit for Today" and "Fit for tomorrow" program to train employees new methods, technology, and skills. And what workplace would be complete without language courses, personal trainers, bicycle share programs, full service kitchen, travel opportunities, discounts on all Adidas products, and company wide sporting events, competitions, and celebrations. There are even several fitness facilities and sports fields onsite.

Adidas says that by offering the best employee benefit packages, they attract the most qualified candidates for the job.

As the text book discusses, when a company treats it's employees well and builds a happy office culture, the employees are driven to work harder. Also, if the staff is healthy (i.e. has good health benefits so they can get preventative care, gives encouragement for exercising and eating well), there will be fewer sick days taken in the year.
Graduation is coming fast and after hearing these benefits, Adidas might be a company you'll want to apply to.

Public Opinons Do Matter

2011-12-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2 talks a lot about how to build and maintain a reputation and the importance of public opinion. A company is based on the consumer, so if a company is not gaining the trust and likings of its consumer, it will not prosper. Sometimes reputation can be damaged and still come back, but other times some are not so lucky.
One example of a company that does a great job of keeping up an outstanding reputation (#1 in the country from the poll that was done by the best company reputation) is Google. The public perception of Google is a favorable one. This can be largely due to the search engine's vision and leadership, workplace environment, social responsibility and products as reason for its high marks.
According to the Vice President of Google, "We have always believed that if we focus on making the best products for our users all else will follow. We're honored to be recognized in this ranking and we will continue to put our users first". He stated this in an interview done with NBC.
Google is constantly advancing and finding ways to compel the public keeping their attitudes positive towards them.

TOMS SHOES: GIVING BACK

2011-12-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

As we have read in chapter 10 it is very important for companies to keep good relations with their customers. I think that Toms does an overly good job of this. There are millions of children around the world who are in desperate need of shoes. In many underdeveloped countries, proper footwear can mean the difference between comfort and debilitating foot diseases that can drastically impact a child's life.

Blake Mycoskie is a young entrepreneur who is turning this need into the business venture of a lifetime. Rather than starting a traditional charity, Blake came up with a practical and profitable way to provide free shoes to kids all over the world. In 2006, he started TOMS Shoes, a for-profit company with one simple business plan: for every pair sold, a new pair of shoes is donated to a child in need. Using this one-for-one model has caught the attention of a new breed of shopper—the compassionate consumer.

TOMS recently gave away its 1 millionth pair of shoes, and there's no sign of letting up. They've even expanded their business to include the same one-for-one deal on a new line of eyewear with the mission of distributing glasses to visually impaired people all over the world.

My Generation got a tour of TOMS headquarters to learn about the unique business plan of this very forward-thinking company.

Do You Know Who Is In Charge?

2011-12-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

My group is looking at the lack of interest in ASUP and why not as many students are involved in the voting process as the school would hope for. Only 4.8% of seniors accessed the university’s web portal on September 20 and 21 to vote on who they wanted to represent their class and school (College of Arts and Sciences/ School of Business/ School of Nursing/ School of Engineering). The breakdown of student participation in the Senate elections for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years by class was as followed:

2010-2011 2011-2012

Freshmen: 25.8% 23.9%

Sophomores: 28.4% 27.2%

Juniors 24.2% 24.3%

Seniors: 4.8% 8.6%

These tend to be normal numbers except the alarming number of seniors that did not vote. This got me thinking...Have I ever voted in the ASUP elections? No. Why not? As a senior this year I realized that it does matter who is running and who has control over certain issues. I know personally that I have not seen very much advertising in the past or maybe I am too busy to even notice the little signs or posters hanging around as I am running from class to class. The three reasons that I have seen that have contributed to these low numbers are a lack of awareness, a lack of interest, and a lack of choice.

This year the ASUP candidates have facebook pages in order to raise awareness and let the student body get to know them on a more personal note where most college students spend a lot of time. Hopefully connecting with the student body in more ways this year will allow these numbers to raise. I know everyone gets really busy and seniors especially may have other priorities and may be thinking who cares since we will not be here next year, but hopefully this year seniors can be a part of the changes they would have like to seen while they were in school.

Go Lady Pilots!

2011-11-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

As Sarah and Kathleen have already stated our group is working to promote the Women's Basketball team! Our PR team captain Sarah has already implemented a lot of our plan and we are excited to evaluate the effects. This was an important topic for all of us for different reason, but one aspect I think is important is for gender equality in athletics in general.

We all know there are discrepancies in woman to male income rates in businesses when they are doing the exact same job, but did you know coaches of female college athletic programs make an average of 62% less than coaches of the men's program in the same sport? That really gives some insight into what program the administration values more. BUT if students and community support the womens' team with the same enthusiasm as they did the men's team, the administrations would be forced to give more financial support which could go to promoting the team further!

On the topic of inequality, here is a trailer for a movie I'm excited to see about how women are portrayed in the media:

ANYWAY, in addition to the WBB team being awesome people and amazing athletes, I also like working towards more gender equality in the campus community.
Here is the Schedule for the Women's basketball team.

When You Just Can't Find the Words...

2011-11-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

When it comes to giving speeches and public presentations, it’s not only about what you say but also how you say it, not just the point you are making but also how you look when you are making it. There are many ways simple ways to improve your public speaking ability and little techniques that could boost you to a whole different level. However, if you find that practicing your speech in the mirror, recording your speech and playing it back to yourself or performing dry-runs in front of family and friends (all great techniques) isn’t enough, you should consider visiting the University of Portland Speech Resource Center. The educators there are trained to help you deliver the most impactful speech you can. They can help you with wording, physical presence, power points and proper delivery.
I know that I have never thought of myself as an excellent public speaker. Moreover, I wasn’t even aware of the Speech Resource Center’s existence till recently. I'm sure that there are some of us that are more comfortable at public speaking than others. I myself, dont really get very anxious; but I still feel there are other areas of my presentations in which i could improve. There certainly are goods ways of giving a speech and not so good ways. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eV6y2C-iEg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLC3A4E29341897B8C
So, based on our own understanding of how important and difficult it can be sometimes to give a well rounded speech, our group has decided to base our project on promoting the available and benefits of the Speech Resource Center. feel free to take advantage of it yourself; and tell your friends.

Public Opinion

2011-11-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

We are doing our project on Copy Pilot, located close to campus, by Lombard. One thing I have learned, through this class and through this project, is how important “interpreting the public management...meaning finding out what the public really think about the firm and letting management know” is.

Spending your time and money on these types of research is very important, because people’s views on a certain company might change, along with that, the company might want to have a certain look, but is not looking that certain way. If that makes sense.

In the case of the company we are doing our project on, they opened to directly attract (kind of) the university students. But most students do not go to that store to do shipping or printing of things. This is an issue for them because they did not market their company very well. It would help if they did a little research on public opinion about their store.

Image: from Google

A pilots printing service... off campus

2011-11-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

Our university has many outlets for printing services and school supplies on campus. From our general printing in the library and computer labs, to the print shop in the basement of Buckley Center. We also have our media and graphics labs as well as the campus bookstore. We have a lot of options. It does not mean we only have to utilize those on campus.

From www.copypilot.com

Our group is focusing on creating a plan to promote the company Copypilot. They are located on Lombard Street, not too far from campus. They are a great resource for students here at the University of Portland and for other students in the North Portland area.

Our group hopes the attention we can bring to the company will attract a wide variety of students. Students can always use more options when it comes to getting their work or projects done. Why not something close to campus? Copypilot is a place worth stopping by for printing, copying, and supply needs.

How to get one to fill out a survey when they did not even vote.

2011-11-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

As stated earlier in the post about ASUP by Mairt, only 15 seniors voted this year in the student election. One way our group is gathering information for our project is through an online survey asking question about what influence them to take the time to even vote. So far 35 people have taken this survey. Of these 35, 29 (82%) people voted in the election. An explanation, maybe people who typically check their PilotsUP regularly would be the type to take a survey.

In order to reach the demographic of our study (seniors who are not influenced by school news). Like Mairt mentioned maybe it is senioritis! And where is the best place to find seniors suffering with seniorits, Facebook! I have created an event on Facebook as well as updating my status with a link to the survey. I also have messaged the event guests (ones who have not responded) to remind them to take the survey. I feel that in general, it may be hard to reach the group of people who do not generally vote and influence them to participate in our study. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

The So Commonly Used Craigslist

2011-11-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

In this week's reading we covered building a career and PR in social media. Social Media is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives that it is just normal to us. Craigslist has been one of the leading job searching networks since the very beginning and is a convenient way to find things one would need.
There are all sorts of interesting jobs on Craigslist. Just find your city, look under Jobs, then look under your job category. Non-profit, systems, government, writing, etc. jobs are all represented here. You can also set up various RSS feeds that pertain to whatever job you might be looking for, in whatever location. One Craigslist caveat: because this is a free marketplace, some of the jobs posted at Craigslist are not legitimate (the vast majority are, however). Everyone should use caution and common sense when replying to job listings on Craigslist.

Having observed people helping one another in friendly, social and trusting communal ways on the Internet via the WELL, and UNSET and feeling isolated as a relative newcomer to San Francisco, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark decided to create something similar for local events. In early 1995, he began an email distribution list to friends. Most of the early postings were submitted by Newmark and were notices of social events of interest to software and Internet developers living and working in San Fransisco Area. Word of mouth spread and Craigslist became bigger and bigger. The web site expanded into nine more U.S. cities in 2000, four in 2001 and 2002 each, and 14 in 2003. On August 1, 2004, Craigslist began charging $25 to post job openings on the New York and Los Angeles pages. On the same day, a new section called "Gigs" was added, where low-cost and unpaid jobs and internships can be posted free.

This is ME!

2011-11-30T11:24:00.001-08:00

My name is Jaimie Coulter. I am a senior at the University of Portland. I have three sisters one who already graduated from UofP and my younger sister Sammie who is only a year younger than me (but everyone thinks we are twins). She and I are both Communication majors so we have a lot of the same classes together.
I am a huge animal lover. I have three dogs. Two Pitbulls named Goochy and Capone and they are brother and sister. I also have a Chiwawa who is the boss of the house and his name is Momo. I spend a lot of time doing things outdoors with my dogs.
I also love working out, hanging out with my boyfriend who I live with, and being around family and friends.

Are we really that apathetic?

2011-11-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

My group has been looking at why UP students, and more specifically seniors, tend to not vote in the ASUP elections. I have to admit I chuckled when Chloe Ruffin, ASUP Vice President, wrote on her Facebook that only 15 (yeah that's right, fif-teen!)seniors voted in the senate elections this last August. Every time I logged onto the webportal during the 2-day election period, I considered taking a look at who the candidates were. I had seen a couple slightly unprofessional rained on signs on campus, but I couldn't read the names of the candidates so I had no clue who were running. And I guess all seniors but 15 brave, involved seniors not yet affected by senioritis, failed to perform the 3 mouse clicks that were needed to cast your vote.

This year's ASUP senate, minus the senior representatives that is

It turns out that there were no candidates for the two senior representative spots in the ASUP senate. We were only able to vote for the off campus and school (CAS, Business, Nursing, Engineering) representatives. Out of 700ish seniors, no one felt compelled to run for senator, and only 15 voted for the other positions. Ouch.

We interviewed the current senators and ASUP executive board members. Their explanation came down to two things: apathy and lack of choice. Lack of choice is obvious, but apathy? Do we really not care?
I guess we don't. According to Zack Imfeld, ASUP president, seniors are too busy figuring out the rest of their lives. We don't need or want more responsibilities. And we spend as little time on campus as possible so how should we know who is running?

Now these reasons may all be true, and I think they are, but our group is still convinced we can get seniors more involved. Our PR plan recommends better use of our student newspaper The Beacon, better use of social networking websites, and a change in the rules so that candidates can start campaigning earlier and use email to reach the off-campus students. Maybe then, the rest of the senior body will take the 20 seconds necessary to cast their votes.

PR Plan: Pilot Women's Basketball

2011-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

Alright, like Jana I don't want to give away my group's PR plan. However, I'm totally pumped about the PR plan my group has created, especially since I totally intend to implement it. Actually, I have already started to! :)

I need to refrain myself from spilling all the details. The general gist of our PR plan is to increase fan-base/attendance at the UP women's basketball games. It is seemingly impossible to come by a decent crowd for a women's game - that is unless we are playing our conference rivals, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are usually ranked among the top teams in the nation... and in that case, it isn't our fans who pack the stands but rather the crazy Zag fans - not cool.

Last season Pilot women's basketball games averaged 452 fans per game, where the average fans per game for NCAA D1 women's basketball game is nearly double that figure at 1,642. Not to mention, the majority of our fans are under the age of 10 or over the age of 60 - where you at, UP students?! (Happen to feel the least bit guilty for not supporting your women's hoop team? Well, the women [and men] have a home game tonight v. Eastern Washington @ 5 p.m. Maybe see you there?)

Anyway, we will share our specific ideas next Wednesday when we present our PR plan. I am looking forward to seeing how it actually plays out!

PS: A little background information as to why we chose to focus on this topic for our PR plan: Long story short - I played basketball for UP but unfortunately, four games into my UP basketball career, suffered a back injury and can no longer play. Luckily, I am still apart of the team but obviously cannot contribute on the court anymore. When I explained my situation to my awesome PR group they were eager to help me find a way to contribute to the basketball team off the court... and so the PR plan unfolds! Thank you, Frances and Kathleen for supporting me! :)

The Incorporated is almost there!

2011-11-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

When thinking about what to blog about for this weeks post, I decided that I should research what makes clothing lines successful and track if The Incorporated is following the experts or not. In an article I found it states, "the primary element for success particularly for a clothing line is consistency." When looking at The Incorportated's website I noticed that they do have a couple different themes with their clothing. Their designs are inspired by a two of things: 1. Sports 2. Their Logo. Everything else falls under a random category. I would agree with the online article that consistency is important, but I think there is a significant importance on innovation. If all their clothing was the same, it would only attract a select audience.

The next order of importance was the ultimate goal of the company. The article asks the question "Would this clothing line be the ultimate career you would have? [or] Is the clothing line more of a hobby that reflects your passion?" By answering these questions the founders of The Incorporated would better understand how to layout the plans of their company. As of now, it is a hobby, as all of the guys involved in the clothing line are in school and it demands more of their attention. Although, one of the co-founders is involved in University of Portland's E-Scholar program and is using this as a tool to further the company. If all goes well, it is intended to be the eventual career.

The article also discusses the importance of financial planning. The benefit, as stated above, is the fact that one of the co-founders is in E-scholars and they will be able to launch The Incorporated even further with the aid given by this program.

Finally, the article stresses the importance of search engines such as google. The company hasn't thought much about using search engines as a part of promoting their company. This is something that the group will bring to the attention of the guys involved in The Incorporated.

Overall, I think they have the fundamentals in order to be successful, but with these suggestions the possibilities will be even greater.

Image

Bringing more fans to women's basketball!

2011-11-29T10:33:00.001-08:00

One rainy Sunday afternoon my freshman year, my friends and I decided to attend a Pilots women's basketball game for the first time. We'd been to plenty of men's basketball games (which are obviously a blast) and decided to check out the ladies' action as well.

We had a great time. We sat in the very front, we cheered, we got snacks, and spent the afternoon watching a great game. Unfortunately, the only reason we got to sit in front was that we were among only a handful of students sitting in the stands. We asked ourselves, "Why have we never gone to a women's game before? How come nobody else is here?" Although we had a great time, it certainly was a different vibe than the men's games, which are always jam-packed with fans.

When my fellow group member, Sarah, mentioned that she'd been working with Athletics to bring more fans to the women's games (take a look at the blog she writes for the team), I thought it was a great idea since I'd seen how pathetic the fans (or lack thereof) are. We're getting our project done and also helping Sarah with her endeavor to increase attendance at the games.

The ladies are doing really well and they deserve our support. Here are some stats that Sarah wrote for our project:

"The lack of support from fans is discouraging; especially considering that the Pilots have shown great improvement in recent years. The Pilots have been to two straight post-season tournaments after receiving an invite to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational following the 2009-10 season. Portland went 18-13 in 2009-10 for the program’s most wins in a season in 12 years. It was also the fifth time ever that the Pilots have won 18 games at the NCAA DI level. Portland also posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years."

Here's some footage of the Pilots vs. Seattle Pacific on 11/2/2011

We've thought of some excellent ideas for Sarah to increase attendance of both students and members of the community. By utilizing social media, some dudes from Schoenfeldt, and accecssing members of the community, we hope that the Chiles Center will soon be packed for the women's games.

Be sure to check out WBB this evening at 5 PM as they take on Eastern Washington!

I get nervous speaking in public!!

2011-11-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

When I was a freshman in college I had to give a persuasive speech about why soccer was better than football. I did lots of research gathering evidence on how soccer players are just as tough and more fit than football players. For example, Football players stand around on the sideline and only play half a game, either offense or defense, I'm not hating but that seems a little lazy if you ask me. Also football players stole the name "Futbol" added some more letters to the name called it "Football" on top of that they butchered a pig and made an odd shaped ball, opposed to the normal round ball used for Soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, etc... anyways.. My point being I had all this great evidence to persuade people why Soccer was better than Football..

However, I went to give the speech and I simply could not perform, my palms started getting sweaty, My cheeks turned red, my notecards were shaking, sweat was beginning to show through my shirt, a complete meltdown!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adp-zuOcco0&feature=related

Maybe it was because there were a bunch of football players in my class and I was already disliked by them. Who knows? All I was concerned about was that I did not want to have that experience again.

Good news folks, the Speech Resource Center at University of Portland will ensure that this will never happen to you again! It is completely meltdown full proof, and will give you the confidence you need to perform a speech any time of day or night!!!

Please contact the Speech Resource Center and learn from my mistakes before it's to Late.

To schedule appointments Call: (503) 943-7229 or online at http://www.up.edu/lrc/speech