Senior Suzanne Bingham went to the PRSSA National Conferencelast year ready to ask questions.
She never thought she would be the one being questioned.
However, as Cardinal Communication's executive director, shesoon found herself answering the questions of many students in around table discussion about student-run public relation firms.
"You don't really realize what a great program you have untilyou see someone else's," Bingham said. "Students can come in hereand learn what people would learn in an internship or in anentry-level job, and they can get that experience before everleaving college."
At this year's conference, Cardinal Communications, Ball State'sstudent-run public relations firm, is one of only three student-runagencies chosen to present.
Ball State's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society ofAmerica is one of only 12 out of 248 chapters chosen to present fornearly 2,000 public relations students at the PRSSA's NationalConference.
Nineteen Ball State students majoring in public relations areflying to New York City today for the Oct. 22-26 conference.
Ball State junior Cris Dorman is one of four presenters helpingto give a 30-minute speech on the local PRSSA chapter.
"We are telling the best characteristics of our chapter," Dormansaid. "We focus on the background of our chapter, faculty,leadership, involvement and how all this makes us a family in thechapter we are today."
"Our goal is to inform other chapters and help them realize whatthey need to do to make their chapter better," senior CourtneyBissett, president of PRSSA, said.
Dorman said that there are about 100 members in Ball State'schapter, and they are involved in activities including biweeklymeetings, guest speakers from around Indianapolis and Muncie and amentoring program in which juniors and seniors help give guidanceto freshmen and sophomores.
"We are a pretty professional organization but at the same timewe are college students, and we like to have fun," Dorman said.
Bissett said that PRSSA has much to look forward to during thisconference including the announcement as to whether Ball State'schapter won a Teahan award, a major honor in public relations.
Ball State's chapter applied for an award that focused onstudent-parent chapter relations. The student chapter that winswill receive $300.
Students will also be informed whether Ball State has beenselected to be the site for the regional conference in April.
Bingham said that the agency has 10 clients for whom the firmputs together promotional videos, brochures, newsletters, imagecampaigns and more.
"In the last couple years Cardinal Communications has done anextensive restructuring of our firm, and we will be demonstratingthat to other firms from other schools and giving suggestions,"Bingham said.
She said the presenters will recommend working independently ofPRSSA to allow student-run firms to maintain production andbusiness departments.
"To effectively run the business, you need all the parts,"Bingham said. "We needed other departments and that way we canprovide the best quality products and services to our clients."
Bob Pritchard, adviser of PRSSA and Cardinal Communications,said his encouragement wasn't necessary because the studentsalready knew what they wanted and went for it.
"This is my dream job," Pritchard said. "It's the ultimatelearning laboratory so as much as possible I keep my hands off ofthe operations."
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