Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

WSU PRSSA

Fall 2014 Recap LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT:

TERESA LANE

Happy 2015!

We are very excited to introduce the first newsletter for the WSU Jay Rockey Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America! We hope this semi-annual publication will open a dialogue between the Executive Board, current and past members and people in the community.

As we enter the New Year I want to make sure we recognize Adriana Tejeda, our vice president of finance for the last three years. Last month Adriana graduated with two degrees and a minor. We are so proud of her and thankful for everything she did for the Chapter. Good luck on your next step in life, Adriana!

Last semester we also introduced Murrow Public Relations, a student-run firm providing hands-on experience for members looking to get more involved. We are thrilled to watch the firm grow in the future!

We also introduced two new members to our Executive Board in the last few months— Karrisa Cruz as our vice president of finance and senior account manag-er for Murrow Gear, and Gabi Tousignant as our new vice president of external relations. We are proud to have both these women on our team.

Looking forward into the semester, we are enthusiastic to offer more social events and bring in more guest speakers so keep your eyes peeled for more information about these events!

I’d also like to encourage current PRSSA members to consider getting more in-volved in the New Year. There are always positions available in MPR committees for paid members and Executive Board applications will open in March.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who continually supports our Chapter, includ-ing our faculty adviser Rebecca Cooney and the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. We couldn’t do it without you!

Have a happy New Year and spring semester!

All the best,

Teresa Lane

President | PRSSA Jay Rockey Chapter

Washington State University

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Recruitment ........ 2

Murrow Public Relations .............. 2

Clients ................... 3

Letter from Advi-

sor…………………......3

PRSSA on the Pa-

louse ....................... 4

Social Media ........ 5

What’s Coming Up 5

Meeting

Dates………….…..…..6

“Overall membership of our chapter has increased by 25 percent since Spring 2014.”

Fall 2014 was a very exciting time for our chapter due to the creation of our new student-run firm, Mur-

row Public Relations. MPR was created after the dissolution of the Cougar Communications Group,

which was a health-care oriented student PR firm on the WSU campus. After the dissolution of this

group, our chapter saw that there was a need on campus for students to gain real world PR experience.

It is because of this gap that our vice president, Josh Munson, and our faculty advisor, Rebecca Cooney,

joined forces to create Murrow Public Relations.

Including a student-run firm in our Chapter bring additional hands-on experience to all of our mem-

bers. Our VP Josh has worked tirelessly alongside Rebecca since August to put together this firm and

we are very excited to see the heights this new project can take us.

Currently, we have three clients each headed up by their own senior account manager. This year we

welcomed Elizabeth Jones and Gabrielle Tousignant to our team as the senior account managers for the

Professional Convention Management Association at WSU and the scholarship fund, WSU Alive! Aid.

We also hired on Murrow Gear as a client with vice president of finance, Adriana Tejeda, as the senior

account manager. Since Adriana graduated this December, our new Murrow Gear senior account man-

ager and vice president of finance will be Karrisa Cruz. Welcome to the team Karrisa!

Murrow Public Relations is currently looking to take on either one or two new clients for the spring se-

mester. We will also be looking for new senior account managers to head up these projects. If you have

any interest in either becoming a client or a senior account manager please email Josh Munson at

josh.munson@email.wsu.edu.

RECRUITMENT

MURROW PUBLIC RELATIONS

Chapter recruitment went ex-

tremely well this year under

the supervision of our amaz-

ing vice president of member-

ship, Tiffani Caralis. Overall

membership of our chapter

has increased by 25 percent

since Spring 2014. Some of

the recruitment tactics we

used this semester were ta-

bling in the Comption Union

Building and the Goerz-

ten Addition. The beauti-

ful table that was used is

pictured at the right. VP

of membership, Tiffani,

and some of our amazing

members, were present at

the table every week hard

at work recruiting more

members for our growing

community!

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ABOUT MPR CLIENTS

WSU Professional Convention Management Asso-

ciation—Elizabeth Jones

Members represent the Pacific Northwest chapter of na-

tional organization

Open to all majors

Deliver event management support to the Carson Col-

lege of Business and the Pullman community

WSU Alive! Aid– Gabrielle Tousignant

Created to assist incoming freshmen with the cost of

Alive! Orientation

Price of Alive: $230

Raised last year- $321

Goal by the end of Spring 2015: 5 scholarships awarded

to incoming freshmen.

Murrow Gear– Karrisa Cruz

Project began during the summer of 2012

Collection includes professional and casual wear

Created to show not only Cougar but Murrow Pride

Target Audience: Murrow alumni, faculty, staff and cur-

rent undergraduates.

LETTER FROM OUR FACULTY ADVISOR: REBECCA COONEY

Spring 2015 is my 2.5 year mark with PRSSA at WSU. It has been a tremendous experience all around – personally and profession-ally.

I am in awe of the amazing talent produced by the Murrow College and so impressed by the students I encounter as part of the membership every day. I have had the pleasure of working with three leader-ship teams – your peer students who serve in a behind-the-scenes capacity to design, deliver and en-hance programs and activi-ties delivered to our 65+ member group.

Your 2014-15 leadership team is especially gifted at promotions, member re-cruitment, event planning and engagement. We launched the very first in-house PR agency in the fall (Murrow Public Relations [MPR]), as well as refined chapter bylaws, updated our website, increased ac-countabilities and direc-tives for all leadership, hired on senior account managers with the agency and enhanced our brand and message platform.

It is an exciting time to be part of PRSSA with upcom-ing meetings and work-shops, spring events and new leadership opportuni-ties in the fall. Thank you to all students who contin-ue to contribute to PRSSA, show your commitment to the field of public relations and work so diligently to become strong, knowledge-able and marketable young professionals.

Happy spring!

Pictured above is the logo for the brand-new, Murrow Public Relations.

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PRSSA’S ON THE PALOUSE PRO TOUR

A press release from our President, Teresa Lane, regarding

our Pro Tour in Spokane, Washington.

SPOKANE, Wash. (Nov. 19, 2014) — Three Chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)

joined forces Nov. 7 at the first “PRSSAs of the Palouse Pro Tour” in Spokane.

The PRSSA Chapters from Eastern Washington University, Washington State University and Gonzaga University, began

the trip with a meet-and-greet with the board of directors for the Greater Spokane Chapter of the Public Relations Society

of America (PRSA).

“The PRSA Board provided an authentic and real glimpse of

what life as a PR professional looks like,” said Josh Munson, vice president and firm director for WSU’s Chapter. “As a sen-

ior about to enter the PR career force, I felt encouraged by their advice and expertise.”

The group then visited Desautel Hege Communications, a public relations agency specializing in integrated marketing

communications. In addition to an employee-led tour, DHC also presented a slideshow detailing the variety of clients

supported by the firm.

“Visiting Desautel Hege confirmed my desire to enter agency

life following graduation,” said Teresa Lane, WSU Chapter president. “Their enthusiasm about their work makes me ea-

ger to find a similar firm to call my home away from home.”

The group continued the trip at Shriners Hospital for Children,

where Kristin Monasmith, director of public relations, dis-

cussed the ins and outs of working with children in a health care setting.

“It was amazing to talk to all the diverse agencies that all

have a passion for where they work, and it was inspiring to see that radiate through their professional life,” said Erin

Bateman, WSU Chapter vice president of internships and

special events.

The group concluded the trip with a presentation by River Park Square marketing director Elizabeth Mills. From repre-

senting a multitude of retail businesses to working with the outside community and nonprofit groups, Mills provided a

thorough explanation of life in retail public relations.

“The trip was an amazing experience for students,”

said Karrisa Cruz, WSU Chapter vice president of finance. “It really served as a sneak peek into the world we want to

be part of.”

EWU Chapter president, Douglaas Schnepel, also said of

the trip, “Coming together with the other Chapters was excit-

ing. We look forward to more adventures as these Chapters

grow.”

### 4

“We were able to hit our goal of 300 likes on our Facebook page, beating the number of likes on the UW PRSSA page!”

We were able to complete one of our goal this last semester in regards to

our social media accounts. We were able to hit our goal of 300 likes on our

Facebook page, beating the number of likes on the UW PRSSA page! Our

vice president of public relations and marketing, Stephannie Ankrah, is in

charge of all our social media accounts. Currently, we have a Facebook page

and a Twitter account, as well as a Instagram account. Internship and job

opportunities are frequently posted on these accounts so they can be easily

accessed by our chapter members. Stephannie also posts fun pictures of our

chapter meetings and chapter activities.

If you would like to follow any of social media accounts, here are the links:

Facebook: https://w w w .facebook.com /prssaw su

Twitter: @prssa_w su

Instagram: @prssa_w su

Also, the link to our website: https://prssawsu.wordpress.com/

PCMA and WSU

Alive! Aid are team-

ing up this semester

to plan a fundrais-

ing event for Alive!

Aid. Check back lat-

er in the semester

for more infor-

mation.

The 2015 National

Convention will be

held in Portland, OR

from March 12th to

March 15th. All

PRSSA’s chapter

members are invited

to attend.

Murrow Gear will be

planning a fashion

show to showcase

their new line

Member of the week

will be continuing,

who knows? It could

be you!

Summer internship

deadlines are quick-

ly approaching!

Check our website

and Facebook for

awesome opportuni-

ties.

SOCIAL MEDIA

WHAT’S COMING UP…...

5

Chapter meetings take

place every other Tuesday

from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15

p.m.

Meeting dates are as fol-

lows:

February 3rd—

Resume Peer Edit

Workshop

February 17th–

Jobs and Internships

with Lisa Laughter

March 3rd– Brand

Ambassador Panel

March 31st– Digital

Profile Workshop

April 14th– TBA

April 28th– End of

Year Celebration

We hope to see you all

there!

SPRING 2015 CHAPTER MEETINGS

Ready to renew your PRSSA membership or join for the first time? Mem-

bership registration is open now! Membership dues are $75 for the year

($50 goes to PRSSA national, $25 for local chapter dues). WSU PRSSA

member benefits include chapter T-shirt, certificate of membership from

PRSSA National, PRSSA membership card, leadership opportunities.

Members also have exclusive rights to attend chapter-sponsored activities

like the PRSSA Pro Tour to Spokane, regional conferences and unique ac-

cess to industry professionals at events like the Murrow Symposium.

Cash or check are required. Checks should be made payable to WSU PRS-

SA.

Three options for submitting your registration:

Come to a PRSSA member meeting and connect with our VP Member-ship & Recruitment Tiffani Caralis

Drop it off to Rebecca Cooney’s office in a marked envelope with your full name, email and phone number (GCADD 205 under the door is fine)

Mail it to Murrow College – attention Rebecca Cooney. 445 Veteran’s Way, Washington State University The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Pullman, WA 99164-2520. Please also include your full name, email and phone number.

Act fast! Member T-shirts will be ready at the end of February! The last day

to register is Monday, Feb 23. Learn more about member benefits at prs-

sa.wsu.edu.

Questions? Email prssa@wsu.edu

2014-2015 Executive Board

Become a member of PRSSA!