PRSSA Bateman Team to plan public relations campaign promoting increased responses
February 7, 2020 (COLUMBUS, OHIO) – A team of students from The Ohio State University’s Chapter of PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) announced today the start of their #WeCount campaign on behalf of the United States Census Bureau. The campaign will take place throughout February and March of this year which aims to inform OSU students of their vital role in the 2020 US Census.
As a part of the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition, the team of junior and senior-level undergraduates will be surveying student attitudes towards Columbus government and completing the upcoming 2020 Census. After a preliminary research survey has been completed, the team will focus their efforts on gaining signatures for a City-wide pledge to fill out the Census.
“Our goal is to get a better understanding of why there’s such a small turnout of young respondents for each Census,” says team lead Alexis Canty. “College students have notoriously been named as a ‘hard-to-count’ population for the Census to reach. Our team is here to increase our student body’s civic involvement in the greater Columbus community, and have them pledge to complete the 2020 Census.”
In addition to reaching out to OSU students, the Bateman team is hoping to partner with organizations throughout the Greater Columbus area to highlight the importance of the Census for historically underrepresented communities.
“The federal funds that are delegated after each Census have the potential for real impact in our community,” team associate Zoltan Roemer stated. “The more respondents, the more improvement we’ll see throughout Columbus, whether it be in our schools, roads, SNAP programming, government housing, and more. We need to let our government know that we’re here and we count.”
In addition to their outreach efforts, the entire OSU Bateman Team, consisting of Canty, Roemer and fellow associates Katie Turner, Kierston Heins and Mark Leskovek, will be hosting a series of events on and around the Ohio State University campus, which are set to begin later this February.
About PRSSA
Founded in 1967, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications. We advocate rigorous academic standards for public relations education, the highest ethical principles and diversity in the profession.
About the Bateman Competition
The Bateman Case Study Competition is PRSSA’s premier national case study competition for public relations students. The competition gives students an opportunity to apply their classroom educations and internship experiences to create and implement a full public relations campaign.
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Media Contact
Alexis Canty
OSU Bateman Competition, Team Lead
canty.33@osu.edu