Texas State PRSSA Bateman Team wins honorable mention for ‘Be the Difference’

Texas State University’s 2013 PRSSA Bateman Team was one of 16 teams nationally to receive honorable mention for its anti-bullying campaign called “Be the Difference.”

 

Seniors Callie Hill, Rachel David, Marissa McMinn, Seth Schoolcraft and Kerri Driver comprised this year’s team. They worked closely with officials with the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District.

 

“The ‘Be the Difference’ campaign celebrated differences among people and tolerance,” said Chuck Kaufman, senior lecturer and faculty adviser of the Bateman team. “Thousands of people were exposed to the bullying issue through traditional and new media to a difficult, but real, local, state, national and international problem.

 

“The students used excellent research, including an extensive survey among students in different age brackets, and teachers, to devise an excellent public relations plan. They executed it well.”

 

Callie Hill, team leader, said, “Through in-school programs and displays, publications, and traditional and social media, the campaign began an important dialogue. We have learned that the education about bullying must be ongoing as new students make their way onto the playgrounds, school hallways and, of course, online. We believe today’s students in San Marcos have an opportunity to develop a trust between themselves and people in authority — parents and teachers.”

 

Among the honorable mention teams in the national competition were Brigham Young University, Butler University, the University of Alabama, the University of Florida, the University of Maryland and the University of Minnesota. This year’s finalists were Kent State University, Loyola of New Orleans and North Dakota State University.

 

Kaufman and the team saluted Pam Guettner, director of Curriculum and Instruction PK-12 for SMCISD, for her insights into the issue and support for the campaign team’s efforts.