Student Group Gains National
Recognition in Prestigious Competition
PULLMAN, Wash. (April 22) – Members of the Jay Rockey chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America at Washington State University were nationally recognized this week by receiving honorable mention in the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition. The team was recognized as being in the top 25 percent of all national submissions. Team members are: Christine Davis, Lauren Lemkau, Renee Parkins, Monica Rodriguez and Samantha Spears, all seniors majoring in public relations.
Each year the competition focuses on a new client. This year the client was Family Caregiving…it’s not all up to you! (FC101), a national public awareness program designed to encourage family caregivers to acknowledge their role and seek available assistance.
The WSU Bateman team found the topic to be challenging, as community members find caring for loved ones a difficult topic to discuss.
The WSU team also found many community members had a hard time identifying with the definition of a caregiver, although they were caring for a loved one.
“We fielded a phone survey and found that one-in-three people said they were caregivers, but we know there are more out there because over 50 percent of people responding said they knew a caregiver,” said Christine Davis, Bateman team member, “so we figure many people look at it as an obligation and don’t realize it’s a separate job.”
The Bateman competition allows members of PRSSA an opportunity to exercise the knowledge and skills gained from course work, while gaining hands on experience in the PR field. It is the nation’s most prestigious and challenging competition for public relations students.
