PRomo

Public Relations Student Society of America l Rowan University l Glassboro, NJ

Presidents Piece
By Colleen Scott, AJF- PRSSA President Editors Note...

Happy October! At the beginning of the month, fourteen of our Hello Everyone,
members attended the PRSSA 2017 National Conference in
Boston. The conference was a great opportunity for our I hope everyone is getting back
members to brainstorm ideas to make our chapter even better. into the swing of things and has
The conference program- was packed with many sessions adjusted to all of your classes.
featuring some impressive speakers, such as the Director of Every year in October, the PRSSA
Public Relations for Panera Bread, to the Director of Digital & Chapter goes to National
Social Media for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to the woman Conference! This conference was
whose crisis management work inspired the ABC television held in Boston this year. Our
series Scandal. chapter learned many new and
We also had an awesome time meeting PRSSA members from exciting things while away at the
other chapters around the country and making new friends! In beginning of the month, and is
our free time, we had the chance to explore Boston and enjoy going to share experiences
what the city has to offer. If anyone ever has the chance to visit throughout the newsletter. I hope
there, I highly recommend it! It is such a cool city! everyone looks into going to
This issue will feature articles recapping a majority of the National Conference next year.
conference sessions, written by our chapter members who Next years conference will be
attended. To our freshmen, sophomore and junior members, I held in Austin, Texas! It is such an
highly recommend attending next years National Conference if amazing experience and we
you have the opportunity to! would love to have you join us
We hope to see you at our meetings on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. next year. I know this part of the
in the Student Center. For specific times, dates and locations of semester can be stressful with
meetings refer to PRSSAs ProfLink page. I look forward to midterms and what not, but hang
seeing you! k in there, we are almost at one of
In This Issue my favorite times of the year
Thanksgiving! k
PRSSA National Conference- Day One 2
Navigating Fake News 2
How to Score a Touchdown in Sport PR 3
Visual Storytelling 4
Marisa Rugel
PR is a Nonprofits Lifeline 5
Happy 50th Anniversary PRSSA
Publications Editor
6
Profs Corner 7

October 2017- National Conference 2017

PRSSA National Conference- Day One
By Marco Martucci, Treasurer
Not going to lie, the
thought of a six hour
bus-ride to Boston made me
a little uneasy. However,
knowing I would soon be in
one of the most beautiful
cities in the country with
Rowans PRSSA chapter
made it a bit less stressful.
Despite the uncomfortable
ride and the restless leg
stretches, we arrived in
Boston and we were ready to
show the other PRSSA
chapters Rowan does NOT
mess around. After trudging
about 10 blocks with our
luggage, we arrived at the
Boston Park Plaza, a
relatively fancy hotel
located in the heart of
Downtown Boston. We
checked into our rooms and
it was time for the single
most important thing at that
moment a nap. Next, it was
time for some fun.
National Conference
kicked off its opening night
Navigating Fake News
By Nick Sammartino, PRaction Communications Director
Fake news is no modern
issue. Even the earliest
documentations of history
show hints of fake news
influencing public opinion.
The 2017 PRSSA National
Conference saw fit to hold a
session on fake news due to
peoples current fascination
October 2017- National Conference 2017
Join a pre-professional
organization dedicated
to jump starting your
with a baseball themed
celebration, Take Me Out to
PR career
the Ball Game. Rowans PRSSA
chapter and I arrived to the
grand ballroom and the
atmosphere was lit. The hotel PRSSA
GIVES YOU
had various appetizers
arranged while a DJ, located
by the dance floor, dished out
the bangers. I kid you not,
bangers. Now, I myself love to
Opportunities to
dance. As soon as I stepped
into the ballroom the moves
made an appearance. Students
from each chapter began
ENHANCE
filling the dance the floor, and Your Education
it was only a matter of time
before I joined. At first, I was EXPAND
Your Network
the only Rowan chapter
member on the dance floor.
However, the rest of my
And
chapter members joined once
they became comfortable.
Before you knew it, Rowan
PRSSA was moving and LAUNCH
grooving with the other PRSSA
chapters. Needless to say, the
YOUR PR CAREER
first night of PRSSA National
Conference was a success. k
surrounding it. Moderated by
John Carroll, professor at
Boston University, the panel
Navigating Fake News spoke
about an array of fake news
examples in both historical
and modern history.
This phenomenon is an
issue because it lowers the
See Fake News, page 3
2

About PRomo
The Anthony J. Fulginiti
Chapter of the Public
Relations Student Society of
America publishes PRomo as a
monthly newsletter.
Editors:
Marisa Rugel, Professor Lynn,
Dr. FitzGerald
Contributing Writers:
Colleen Scott, Marco Martucci,
Nick Sammartino, Brenna Jones,
Nicolette Giordano, Kyle
Schachner, and Morgan Hurley
Advisors:
Dr. Novak, Dr. FitzGerald,
Professor Schoeinstein, and
Gloria Barone
Interested in
Writing for PRomo?
Build your portfolio by writing
articles for PRomo. Articles
published in PRomo showcase
your writing skills to potential
employers.
If you are interested or have
ideas for PRomo, please
contact Marisa Rugel at
rugelm9@students.rowan.edu
October 2017- National Conference 2017
See Fake News, page 2
credibility of Americas
already faltering media.
Freedom of the Press is one
of the many principles that
make America great, but
panelists agreed the recent
toxicity of news coverage
and rampant release of fake
news impacts the publics
perception of media sources.
As one panelist pointed out,
the rise of digital media
allows everyone to be a
journalist. This could be the
cause of the explosion in
popularity of fake news
today news is no longer
regulated by gatekeepers. A
shocking statistic rippled
through the audience: 52
percent of Americans think
news organizations regularly
How to Score a Touchdown in Sport PR
By Brenna Jones, VP of Special Events and Philanthropy
How does one score a
touchdown in football? A
touchdown can have many
components. It is usually a
TEAM of people, working off
of a PLAY or FORMULA which
is given by the COACH. Now I
ask this because Nikki Barjon
from Barjon Group explained
her career in sports public
relations just like this.
At the PRSSA National
Conference in Boston, Ms.
Barjon explained herself as
the coach of a big team of
people. She explained that she
is tough on her team because
she only produces the best. I
promote fake news, and only
28 percent believe what they
see in the media.
So how do PR
professionals establish
credibility in the release of
news? Be accurate. Know the
facts and present them with
both transparency and
objectivity. It is possible to
frame a story that shines a
positive light on a company
or situation while being
truthful. Be a critical thinker
and do not rely on one
source; seek news that
opposes personal belief and
do not let belief override
facts. With these steps in
mind, fake news has no grasp
on truth. k
shake things up, and I am
good at it, states Barjon.
Barjon has worked for many
big name athletes and
television shows such as
Jeopardy and Oprah. One of
her main points was that you
have to trust your team if you
want to be good. They as a
whole are the key to success
for your company. It is about
my team and who they
become, states Barjon.
She explains herself as the
strategist, the problem
solver. Barjon feels her goal
is to influence people to do
what she believes is right.
See Sport PR, page 4
3
See Sport PR, from page 3
She explains None of this
matters if I dont pass it on.
She discussed a lot about her
playbook in the position she is
in at this time. Her playbook is
her formula behind PR
strategies and campaigns. With
that said, she really
emphasized the idea that we
must all have our own unique
formula. Not one should be the
same. It is our job as public
relations professionals to
discover our tools and the tools
of others to create a positive
Visual Storytelling
By Nicolette Giordano, Firm Director
Produce or perish These
three words embody the future
of the public relations industry
according to Ian Cohen. The
days of the printed word are
over. Seeking out publishers
has turned to seeking out
platforms. Print has
transitioned to digital.
This transition is natural and
way overdue, Cohen
explained. Mother nature built
visuals into our brains; we
instinctively knew how to
interpret them. We dont have
to over think when we see
videos like we do when we
read.
When talking about story
coverage Cohen simply stated,
Every moment of our lives is
an opportunity to engage. By
taking control of your story
and going the digital route you
October 2017- National Conference 2017
PR formula for our own public Connect withPRSSA
relations playbook.
One of the main things I Twitter
walked away from this session @RowanPRSSA
with was, Walk in empty to be
@RowanPRaction
filled with knowledge. In
other words, absorb all that
there is to understand because Facebook
even when the glass is full and Facebook.com/RowanPRSSA
you feel you know it all, there Facebook.com/RowanPRaction
is so much more to learn. You
can contact her at Nikki Instagram
@thebarjongroup.com or PRSSA- AJFPRSSA
@utaccelerators. k
PRaction- rowanpraction
Website
www.rowanprssa.com
www.rowanpraction.com
can increase your coverage. Email
Understand the algorithms for ajfprssa@gmail.com
the digital platforms and
create stories for your brand;
this is how to optimize your
coverage.
Cohen also shared with us
his 5 principles for Brand
content Success in a
distributed world:
1. Adds value
2. Trustworthy
3. High quality
Guess Who?
4. Make a newscycle
5. Experimental
Ian Cohen is the Global
Executive Producer and
President of Content Creation
and Innovation at Weber I have met the cast of
Shandwick. You can follow him Hamilton on Broadway
on twitter at @iancohen. k
Answer: Morgan Hurley
4

Photos From
National Conference 2017
Chapter President, Colleen Scott,
poses with our Star Chapter Award.
We are so happy to receive this
award for the second year in a row!
Vice President of Professional
Development and Internal
Communications, Kyle Schachner,
poses with his award, the Axia
Public Relations Scholarship.
Congratulations Kyle!
October 2017- National Conference 2017
PRis a Nonprofits Lifeline
By Colleen Scott, AJF- PRSSA President
This extremely emotional
session was led by three
speakers: senior PR Mary
Klemenok, student at
Louisiana State University;
Lori Steele, Community
Educator at Louisiana Organ
Procurement Agency; and
Kirsten Heintz, Director of
Marketing and
Communication at Louisiana
Organ Procurement Agency.
The speakers explained their
work for the Louisiana Organ
Procurement Agency (LOPA),
and how one story made all
of the difference for this
specific nonprofit
organization.
Klemenok worked as a
student intern for LOPA. She
wrote a press release about a
story involving a man cycling
from Wisconsin to Louisiana.
The story involved a father
who had recently lost his
daughter, and the recipient
of his daughters heart, a
twenty year old male. This
was a life-saving transplant.
Next thing they knew, the
story was picked up by BBC
London, and phones were
ringing off the hook.
These three women
discussed the importance of
storytelling, especially for an
This topic specifically spoke to me, as our
chapter continues to promote the
conversation about organ donation.
organization with a tight
budget, such as a nonprofit.
Because LOPA was able to
orchestrate something that
was so real and unique,
people felt the emotional
connection as they watched
the clip from the meet up. Its
hard not to feel something
when youre watching it.
They captured the father
hugging the young man for a
solid 10 seconds. He even
had tears in his eyes. In
addition, they decided to
record the young mans
heartbeat to give to the
father as a gift and
motivation for the remainder
of his ride. It was quite
moving. This topic
specifically spoke to me, as
our chapter continues to
promote the conversation
about organ donation.
By the end of the session,
I noticed even the students
around me were emotional.
Hearing this story was such a
good way of learning more
about the importance of
emotional connection when
trying to convey a message. I
look forward to
remembering this with work
in the future! k
5
Happy 50th Anniversary PRSSA
By Kyle Schachner, VPof Professional Development &
Internal Communications
PRSSA hosts thousands of
members across more than
350 chapters in the United
States, Argentina, Colombia,
and Peru. In commencing the
2017 National Conference, it
hosted an awards dinner,
featuring 12 individual
awards and scholarships and
a host of chapter awards
The ballroom-filling
crowd applauded the
winners with claps and
cheers, each receiving some
special hollers from their
respective chapters. About
halfway through the
ceremony, our President,
Colleen Scott, presented the
awards for National Organ
Donor Awareness
Competition (NODAC).
In an ever-so-presidential
manner, Scott delivered a jolt
of excitement to the winners.
Unlike other awards, Scott
sported an Oscar-style
approach, waiting to
announce the winners until
she stood on the stage.
Then all of a sudden, my
heart rate spiked. Ba-dum,
ba-dum, ba-dum. Unlike
Scotts surprise
announcement, I knew what
was coming next. From a
pool of more than 10,000
members to 12 possible
individual awards, I won one:
I developed my work ethic by
overcoming challenges.
October 2017- National Conference 2017
You Know Youre a
PR Major When...
The Axia Public Relations
Scholarship.
I think I floated up to the You can spot a grammar
stage. Not because I was
nervous, but because this mistake from a mile away
moment represented five-plus
years of hard work, resilience,
and persistence.
The scholarship awards a
PR student who demonstrates
academic excellence,
achievement in internships,
dedication to PRSSA, and
promise to the PR profession.
But what if I told you that I
didnt win for any of those
reasons?
The only thing that
mattered: my work ethic. Work
ethic afforded me to earn a
high GPA, drive results during
internships, and dedicate
myself to PRSSA.
I developed my work ethic
by overcoming challenges.
Overcoming challenges
affords me the opportunity to
PR Quote of the
embrace new obstacles.
Month
Challenges make me adapt
and solve problems.
Challenges make me a better
PR professional.
I thank Jason Mudd, The history of PR is... a
founder and CEO of Axia
Public Relations, and his team history of a battle for
for supporting my American what is reality and how
Dream through this
scholarship opportunity. k
people will see and
understand reality.
-Stuart Ewen
6
 Profs Corner
Internship By Morgan Hurley, Publications Assistant
Opportunities
As September comes to a
**Companies Currently Hiring** close, you can feel both the
weather and the environment
changing around campus.
Students are eager for
hoodie season, fall football
South Jersey: games, and other activities
like apple picking, haunted
houses, and hayrides, and so
Future Fitness
many more fun things South
Graphic Solutions Jersey has to offer.
Inspira Health Network But here at Rowan,
Pure Payment Systems students were just as eager
Student Working Professionals for the fun that Homecoming
2017 has to offer. This year's
themes was ProfHistoric,
cleverly picked to promote
Rowans new Fossil Park,
which was donated last year
Central Jersey: by Jean and Ric Edelman.
The organizations of Rowan
M Studio were all extremely excited
Taft Communications for this week with all the
CobbleStone Systems events it had to offer. On
MRB Public Relations Oct. 9, the week began with a
Princeton Partners Inc. Banner Competition all
organizations made banners
that represented their team
and the theme. The next day
was followed by a pushcart
race, then on Wednesday, we
North Jersey: had battleships in the Rec
Center pool. Teams of four
Stern Stratgey Group
Coyne Public Relations
Interested in writing for our next
Evergreen PR Inc.
The Marcus Group
Success Communications Group issue of PRomo?
Please email Marisa Rugel at
**Check out the Google Doc for
more opportunities**
rugelm9@students.rowan.edu for more
information!
October 2017- National Conference 2017
were asked to drown the
other team's boats with
buckets of water. Thursday
night brought the week to a
close with the annual Lip
Sync battle. This was
personally my favorite part
of the week. Each team was
challenged to perform a
dance and lip sync while
doing it. Friday and Saturday
were the Rowan Block Party
and then the Homecoming
Parade and Football game
where the winners of each
competition and the overall
winners were announced.
The Homecoming
excitement is closely
followed by Halloween.
Rowan has many events
planned, like its 15th Annual
Haunted Student Center on
Friday, Oct. 27th from 4-6
p.m. This event provided kids
with the opportunity to Trick
Or Treat room to room for a
fun, safe, environment. All
clubs and organization are
welcome to sign up for
tables that offer activities for
the kids to take part in. k
7
 Looking Ahead...

Upcoming Meetings for the rest of the semester:

11/15- CSC 127

11/29- CSC 127
12/13- CSC 127

Cant get to High Street? Not able to make a meeting? Visit our website
rowan.prssa.com & click on PRomo for our digital newsletter!

October 2017- National Conference 2017 8