This semester is coming to close and so far it’s been a great year! We still have a lot to look forward to next semester, like our spring fundraiser, which we are certain everyone will love.

Our 2011/2012 SEU PRSSA officers

Our officers (pictured from left to right): Lauren Klausmeyer, Ellie Murdock, Veronica Adamcik, Krystal Joseph, Issa Galvan, and Jordan Adams.

 After gaining world renowned experience in smart business practices, marketing and branding, she began her own company. Donna is currently the CEO of a full-service branding agency, Brand Inclusion, that aids in helping individuals, businesses, and corporations smartly and strategically brand themselves for their intended audience.

Tuesday evening, Donna spoke to a large audience of St. Edward’s students and faculty with excitement and motivation. Coming from a sports heavy background working for the NFL and then again for Nike, Donna uses her 10 key tips to success in the business realm with the background metaphor of  sports teams.

The 10 keys to success she gave were:

1. Be Optimistic, it will motivate your team members.
2. Offer aid to a fellow team member.
3. Show your dedication, come early, leave late, ask for constructive criticism.
4. Take responsibility for your actions, learn from your mistakes.
5. Make the team your priority, look at the team as a whole
6. Learn from your experiences.
7. Work on your communication skills, know your purpose and your message.
8. Listen, Listen, Listen, credibility diminishes when you don’t listen.
9. Be assertive, as a leader you must speak up because if not, then who will
10. Manage your stress, set examples for your team members.

She also showed the students how to distinguish yourself from others through her 7 principals of personal branding. These principals are:

1. Be clear
2. Be professional
3. Be confident
4. Be true and consistent
5. Be bold
6. Be connected, NETWORK
7. Be dynamic, have great interpersonal skills.

 Donna spent a significant amount of time answering the students questions about her experience and best advice to college students. She provided an ample amount of insight and wisdom into the business world that every student walked away with. Use these above tips to separate yourself from the crowd, and become a distinguished business professional!

“This will be our biggest event of the semester with the most high profile speaker as well,” Jane Marie Agnew, the Director of the Leadership Speaker Series, said. “We look forward to partnering with PRSSA for the first time in an attempt to get more students involved with the last speaker event.”

The purpose of the Leadership in Athletics Speaker Series is to provide students an opportunity to understand leadership through a variety of fields associated with athletics. The event’s speaker, DeBerry, will provide an alternative perspective discussing the business aspect of athletics and her position as Vice President for a large corporation.

“I am so thrilled to be able to offer this speaker series experience to our PRSSA members,” Veronica Adamcik, President of PRSSA, said. “A large benefit of PRSSA is networking and learning about business and marketing practices, and this event will provide just that.”

The speaker series event will be held on Tuesday, April 19^th, from 7-8:30PM in Jones Auditorium on St. Edward’s University Campus. There will be free food and drinks provided as well as an opportunity for students to network and ask questions with DeBerry. Business casual attire is preferred and all students are encouraged to RSVP in the Student Life Office, on CollegiateLink, or at facebook.com/hilltopleadershipdevelopment.

Her first tip looks at how you stand or approach someone in a first impression and in all business settings. Jan says that it is incredibly important to stand with your hands by your side because this creates an “open body position” making you vulnerable, in turn, showing your strength. Hands in front of your body can signal insecurity or “something to hide,” and hands behind the back signals similar perceptions. Try doing this all day without resting your hands across your body or anywhere other than your side. You will find this feels awkward, but when observing yourself in a mirror will understand the power of the “open body position.”

Her second tip I found particularly intuitive was about introductions. Jan said to always make an effort to extend your hand first as a gesture of being in control and having the upper hand. Regarding handshakes, she mentioned to never shake someone’s hand over an obstacle, like a table or desk. Make an effort to move around the obstacle so there is a more intimate connection as well as a gesture of respect and self awareness on your part. The last tip we want to share from Jan is to replace Hi or Hey with Hello, when greeting someone. She also encourages you to add, instead of the insincere “how are you doing?” A simple, “good morning, afternoon, or evening,” will work even better.

After we heard all of Jan’s incredibly helpful wisdom, the three chapters had an opportunity to get to know each other’s members while enjoying some snacks and beautiful weather on the UT campus. The event was a huge success and St. Edward’s PRSSA looks forward to many more opportunities to partner with Texas State and UT’s PRSSA!

Our chapter is looking ahead at wrapping up the spring semester with one last co-hosted speaker event, a portfolio party for our graduating seniors, and 2011-2012 officer elections! Stay tuned for more news and updates on St. Edward’s PRSSA or follow us at twitter.com/SEUPRSSA.

 Today was the St. Edward’s student organization Involvement Fair and PRSSA had a great turnout at our booth. We are still encouraging students of all majors and interests to come to a meeting, send us an email, or checkout our Facebook page, blog, and Twitter. We are accepting new members through FEBRUARY 21st.

Showing our Topper Pride at 2011 Student Organization Involvement Fair

We are looking forward to some fun activities and events this semester for both PRSSA members and the St. Edward’s community.  As a chapter we are planning on participating in the St. Edward’s Fundraising Fair in February, sending a delegate to PRSSA National Assembly this semester in Seattle, Washington, hosting a mixer with both students and professionals with opportunities to network and get all of your questions answered later in the spring, and other ideas, opportunities, and events in the works. We look forward to a great semester and as always, welcome any thoughts or ideas on other activities and events St. Edward’s PRSSA can get involved with. Stay warm this week! 

 To contact PRSSA:      Email: PRSSA@stedwards.edu       Twitter: @SEUPRSSA

St. Edward’s Organization Attends National Public Relations Conference in Washington D.C.

 Austin, TX – October 22, 2010 – The local St. Edward’s chapter of The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) sent four members of their executive board to The PRSSA National Conference held in Washington D.C. this year.

PRSSA National Committee hosts a conference every year intended to provide vast opportunities for students from all over the country to further their knowledge on different aspects of public relations.

“This year’s program is jam-packed with sessions to keep you on top of industry trends, networking opportunities to meet students and professionals, and an exciting evening social” Nick Lucido, PRSSA National President said. “There isn’t anything else like the people, press, and politics of National Conference in Washington, D.C. Embrace every networking and development opportunity you’ll receive during the next five days.”

The St. Edward’s group left bright and early the morning of October 14^th excited and ready to network with 1,000 other public relations students and professionals.

The conference began Friday morning with development sessions designed to generate new ideas for each chapter to implement locally. The weekend continued with discussions and speaker panels all designed to further each students knowledge about the public relations profession. The conference came to an end Monday evening with an awards ceremony and one last opportunity to network , learn and share new ideas at the farewell lunch Tuesday morning.

The students arrived back on campus late Tuesday night exhausted and filled with ample amounts of knowledge and new ideas to share with the St. Edward’s PRSSA Chapter.

“We met students from all across the United States and got to participate in exciting events in which we interacted with all different kinds of public relations professionals. It was truly a priceless experience for all of the officers involved” Eleanor Solomon PRSSA Treasurer said.

Showing our SEUPRSSA Pride at the evening social

PRSSA Officers Showing our Hilltopper Spirit!!

President: Courtney Medford

Vice President: Veronica Adamcik

Public Relations Director: Blaire Kniffin

Communications Director: Brian Brown

Event Coordinator: Issa Galvan

Treasurer: Eleanor Solomon

Liason: Eddie Rojas

The 2010-2011 SEUPRSSA Officers

 St. Edward’s University Junior, and SEUPRSSA member, Brian Brown, achieves victory at the third annual Passion and Civility Debate Tournament.

The debate final four faced off on February 26^th in the Ragsdale Mabee Ballroom A.  The four participates had been involved in two other rounds before facing one another for the final round.  Three out the four contestants are Philosophy majors with Brown being the exception, a Communication major with a PR emphasis.  Brown was the third non-philosophy student to win the event in the three years it has taken place and vowed to be the first winner to defend his victory when next year’s tournament rolls around.  Last year’s winner, a Philosophy major, chose not to compete in the tournament this year despite still being a student at St. Edward’s.  The debate was not meant to be conducted like most text book debates.  The theory behind it, and stated in the name, is to challenge students to discuss topics from different view points while always maintaining a level of civility.  They are meant to remain conversational and the debaters should always address one another.  The three Philosophy majors were all on debate teams in their respective high schools and struggled with this aspect of the debate.  Brown never broke eye contact and never attacked his opponents view, only stressing why he believed his was the correct stance to take.  The judges responded to his frank but civil arguments.  Brown has little experience debating, although he grew up in Brooklyn and jokingly  points out “you never know when you’ll have to debate someone there.” He points to his PRSSA membership as well PR training in his ease at explaining differing point of views in a calm civil matter.  PRSSA has helped him learn to communicate with people in a serious, important fashion, while never insulting or offending a person for their viewpoint.

This weekend was a very exciting and educational experience for members of the St. Edward’s University Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Chapter who attended the 2010 PRSSA National Assembly. The National Assembly is an annual event, which was held in Austin this year. We were more than happy to welcome students from over 260 universities across the country to our hometown. The purpose of the Assembly is for the election of the PRSSA National Committee. The National Committee election process is something that each Chapter around the nation takes part in. Each PRSSA Chapter elects one member to serve as a delegate at the Assembly, the person who votes for the National Committee on behalf of their Chapter. The election process is very important, and quite formal; in fact, the entire third day of Assembly was devoted to the elections, because it is very a long process.  

The Assembly began on Thursday, March 12th and ended Sunday, March 14th. During the three days of Assembly, there were many activities and sessions for PRSSA members to take part in.

The first night focused on welcoming everyone to the Assembly and networking with other PRSSA members from across the nation. We became familiar with the Assembly schedule and what each day would entail.

 The second day of the National Assembly was filled with informational sessions. The sessions were very similar to the ones Ally Hugg, the SEUPRSSA President, and I experienced last year at the Assembly in New Orleans. Last year, we found the sessions to be very helpful; they provided us with new insights and ideas to bring back to our Chapter. This year, we were excited that our attending SEUPRSSA members were able to experience these sessions and take all that they could from them. The first part of the morning was devoted to Chapter officer sessions. The sessions were broken into groups and members would attend the officer session they were currently in or hoped to be elected into. The sessions were split into:

• Presidents/Vice Presidents/ Firm Directors
• Public Relations/ Liaisons/ Historians
• Secretaries/Treasurers/ Webmasters
• National Officer Preparation

These sessions were to inspire officers and bring new ideas to their Chapters. Ally Hugg, Courtney Medford, and I attended the Presidents/Vice Presidents/Firm Directors session. Through the session, we learned ways to recruit new members, tips on how to decide the tasks of an officer, point system strategies, and ways to make each Chapter the best it could be. 

 ”I was glad to get advice from other Chapter Presidents of the best ways to transition officer titles. I know that when I graduate, the next President will be prepared and ready because of the strategies I learned about passing along my duties,” said Hugg.

As the morning went on, we attended Leadership Training sessions. The sessions were based on protecting your personal brand, problem solving within a chapter, and how personality types can affect group dynamics. Each meeting was insightful and fun. My favorite session out of the three was, “Does my Personality Affect Group Dynamics?”

For this session, we were given a test to figure out our personality type – designed to assign each person a color based on their answers. Once we answered the questions and added up our scores, we split into groups based on our assigned color. The colors were blue, green, gold, and orange. In these groups, we talked about how we fit into the color traits. For example I am a blue person. A blue personality type is someone who is enthusiastic, sympathetic, personal, warm, communicative, peaceful, and sincere. We read about how we interact in work, in love, and in childhood. Everyone in my group shared stories and examples of how the blue personality type fit them perfectly. Next, all of the groups composed symbols and logos that represented their personality type. For the blue group, we decided to focus on how we are emotional and caring for people. We long to be sympathetic to others’ needs, and are compassionate in every aspect of life. The blue team composed a cloud with symbolic raindrops falling into an umbrella. The umbrella held the rain as we hold on to others obstacles and try our best to help them through it. Some of the water missed the umbrella and went on the ground where flowers grew. The flowers symbolized how we are rooted in our ways and stand tall for ourselves and for people around us.

All of the colors in the room presented their personalities to the other groups and discussed how all our personalities were different. I found out that a green person is very analytical, logical, a perfectionist, and hypothetical which is the complete opposite of a blue person.   Though blue and green personalities can clash, they need to be dynamic in group settings for everyone in the team to succeed. This exercise made everyone realize that we all have differences in how we work and feel but we can all work together and be a driven force. I thought of my peers in PRSSA and our different personality colors. Knowing how these personalities are categorized helped me understand my peers and how we can overcome a lot as a group if we distinguish the best ways our individual personalities can work together.