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Home My WebLink AboutTAMU Auxiliary Serviecs 2- Auxiliary Services and The I Public Information Office - i How To Work Together by MARY JO POWELL Assistant Director Office of Public Information Texas A&M University auxiliary services personnel un- t 1- .M 1 Nung heroes on your campus? Do the faculty, students and administrators know what auxiliary services are, who is responsible for them, and how much $Y' t ~ , ~ • such services contribute to the smooth, day-to-day operation of your campus? 3 If your answer to either of the above { ? ~~.~a questions is "no," then you need to discover your university's public re- lations or public information office - ti - and better yet, they need to discover auxiliary enterprises and exactly what they do. Almost every campus, large or small, has someone, somewhere, who is re- sponsible for telling the college's or t university's story to the outside world. On most campuses, it's called the pub- lic information office or the university i relations department or the news ser- vice or the news and information office. And on most larger campuses, that same office is generally responsible for h internal communications as well as ex- temal ones. That office - whatever it's called - TexasA&M University President Frank E. Vandiver presents Food Services Manager can help you tell the auxiliary story in a Daniel Ruiz with the Governor's Volunteer Services Award. Similar accomplish- number of ways and to a number of ments can be duly noted in employee publications and community newspapers. audiences. Chances are, it's the office 48 / NACAS / October 1983 ,iat provides information to the local s newspaper, radio and television 111 -iota 3~ r► stations about interesting activities and individuals on your campus. It's prob- ably also the office that publishes the employee newsletter, and perhaps even the alumni magazine. In short, it's the office that's responsible for telling G the story of your university and its vclk people - students, faculty and staff alike. The public information office can help you tell the auxiliary story, and will probably be willing to do so without r,r ~V much coercion. If they're on the ball, w they'll know that by telling your story ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ everybody benefits - auxiliaries through increased awareness of their,.. activities and public information' - through increased opportunities for presenting a more complete picture of s the university and the people who r.., make it work. If you're not already working with F your public information office, it's a relationship you'll want to explore. Be- The Texas A&M University Printing Center was featured in a recent issue of the gin by finding the appropriate office University's employee newsletter, At A&M. The story focused on the fact that hardly and individual. If you don't already a day goes by that Texas A&M employees don't deal with something printed by these know the right person, the university auxiliary services employees. telephone directory or the staff box of any university publication should give you the information you need. ing. Has an artist or designer in your generally of interest to any and all news Once you've located the appropriate printing shop just won a major award? media. - both internal and external. office, make contact with the individual Do rock stars or Broadway performers Personality profiles (interesting people there who can help you the most. A stay in your hotel facilities while per- doing interesting things, job-related or good starting place is the editor of your forming on your campus? Has a chef in not) are always popular. How-to arti- university's employee newsletter your food services department recently cles have a special appeal, especially if (you'll make more points by going to won a cooking contest? Has your they can be related to areas of interest the editor rather than his or her boss, bookstore recently started to stock outside the university environment. especially if auxiliaries is an area your snacks, candies and other food items? Seasonal stories - having the head of employee publication is currently mis- Did your mail services team win the your transportation center offer cold- sing). Make an appointment for a "get intramural championship in flag foot- weather car care tips, for example - acquainted" meeting - and come ball? Will food services serve its 10 can be found in most publications and prepared with the facts. Know the total millionth meal this month? Is the printer on many televison and radio programs. number of people employed in auxil- responsible for the student newspaper Identify your experts and their areas of iary enterprises on your campus, and retiring after 25 years? Does your air- expertise and then interest your what percentage that is of the overall port service more aircraft during a foot- campus communicators in those workforce. Bring an organizational ball weekend than it does the entire experts. chart that shows exactly what auxiliary month of February? Has an employee And don't forget photographs. Al- services are and be prepared to make recently been a winner on "The Gong most all stories work better with pic- the point that auxiliaries touch virtually Show?" (It actually happened at Texas tures. Employee publications, espe- every phase of campus life. Know your A&M.) Does your bakery do most of its cially, want to use good photographs of budget and how it fits into the "big work while the rest of the campus is people in on-the-job settings. When picture." In many cases, the figures will asleep? There's a score of interesting you suggest a story, be prepared to speak for themselves. (At Texas A&M, angles, and suggesting some of them to suggest a photograph to go along with for example, one of every six non- your public information office might be it. faculty employees works in an auxiliary just the spark needed to interest them Stand-alone photos (those without enterprises operation.) in covering auxiliaries. stories) are another way of increasing It also helps if you can throw out a As a starting point, remember that auxiliary awareness. Be alert for the few choice "plums" at that initial meet- there are certain types of stories that are photograph that tells a story all by itself. NACAS / October 1983 / 49 $f The expression "One picture is worth a f A y thousand words" is especially true in publications. Ideas in this area include that extra special, eye-appealing con- } f i coction from food services and special events that receive special support from auxiliary personnel. The printing of programs etc. for seemingly routine PP44 events like graduation might give your local newspaper a new look at an old t. - t subject A shot of the volume of mail zv~f handled in a day by your mail service ° shows how busy your university is in a new and different way. 1~~ SRS It's essential to remember a few im- portant points once you've gotten your public information department inter- ~ ~ - ested in auxiliary services. First, don't ` suggest anything you're not actually willing to see in print. Think carefully before suggesting a story, considering ~j all the angles. Second, keep in mind sf ' existing policies within your depart- f - ments. If, for example, there's a long- standing food services rule that forbids cameras in the kitchen, don't suggest a story that cries out for photos or film to be effective. Third, urge your employ-~ ees to be cooperative with the reporters (public information or otherwise) who ~ ;;x ~ ._zz..: .~s<=r , •..i{<~; . visit them. Point out that stories in both Bookstore employees were featured in an article that explained the various functions internal and external publications help of the campus bookstore. The article was published in the September issue of At project a favorable image to others in A&M, at the height of the store's busiest season, and served to recognize the hard the university and increase awareness. work of auxiliary employees at a hectic time of the year. People who feel good about their jobs and what they contribute to their uni- versity are generally better workers. Fourth, remember that the best public' relations-approach is personal contact. Communicate regularly with your pub- lic information office and have your _ managers do the same. Finally, in communicatng with the communicators on your campus, use your imagination and common sense. Both you and your public information office want the same thing - increased visibility. Together, you can get it Y ~J 50 / NACAS / October 1983