Student team wins third national PR competition
"Hat Trick" victory benefits Habitat for Humanity charity, journalism program

Four students from the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communication's Public Relations track proved to the world they “Can Do It” recently by taking USC to the winner’s circle for the third time in five years, earning first place in the national Public Relations Student Society of America’s Bateman Competition.

Two other teams from USC also distinguished themselves in this year’s competition, one earning an honorable mention and the other, a shot at an additional first place title in June.

Can Do Carolina

Titled “Can Do Carolina,” the winning campaign involved creating and implementing a dynamic aluminum can recycling program on and around the University of South Carolina with the proceeds from the drive benefiting Habitat for Humanity, an interdenominational service organization with the mission of building houses for those who need them.

Driven by solid research that indicated that college students are exceptional consumers of aluminum cans, The Can Do Carolina Group’s winning campaign resulted in Habitat for Humanity netting more than $400 in proceeds and a redemption rate of 70 cents per pound (approximately 34 cans per lb.) as well as creating a model that could be implemented on other campuses across the country.

The Can Do team consisted of Ashley Moore, Anna Fox, Melissa Hensley, and Betsy Heckert.

“It was a very challenging and rewarding experience being on Bateman Team and it gave us some excellent experience that I am sure will be beneficial to everyone on our team as we enter the workforce. Plus it was cool to win for the school,” said team captain Ashley Moore.

See the entire Can Do Carolina Campaign Book. (pdf)

The Merlin Group

The second team, The Merlin Group, will compete against four other schools June 1-4 in Knoxville, Tenn., for a shot at their national title.

To get to the finals, the Merlin Group chose to help the local Habitat for Humanity store on Sumter Street.

Their events targeted college students and young adults, encouraging them to shop at the Habitat store and consider either buying or donating materials from the store because the proceeds helped raise money for the charity.

Specific Merlin Group events included a virtual yard sale, and a dorm room makeover. Members of the Merlin Group are Jean Triskett, Jennifer Davidson, Alisha Cooper, and Katherine Salters.

“The contest was a blast and our contact Larry Forsyth said that the event doubled the sales at the Habitat Store. We loved that. Plus our dorm room makeover recipient was really excited and grateful. It was really nice to do something for someone else. It made us feel great,” said Merlin member Kat Salters.

The PRemiere Group

The third group to compete in the Bateman was the PRemiere Group.

One of eight honorable mention winners, the PRemiere Group’s research discovered that students were limited in their availability to volunteer and that traditional volunteer days for others did not work for students.

To solve this problem PRemiere arranged for on-campus shed builds to benefit their charity, so they arranged a local competition.

PRemiere Group members were: Jacqulyne Pouncey, Ashanti Huey, Melissa Beazer and Janet Lawrence.

“We’re glad PRSSA recognized our campaign. We felt it was a good fit, particularly because everyone could participate and like one of our participants said, ‘I’m not sure I trust myself with a hammer and nails around a house but I am sure I can build a shed,” said Janet Lawrence, PRemiere member.

The Bateman teams were advised by faculty adviser Beth Dickey, and professional adviser Jeff Ranta. During the five years the two have served as advisors, their teams have won eight national honors - three first place titles, three honorable mentions, one third place and one to go.

According to PRSSA Headquarters there were 62 competitors in this year’s contest. Details may be found on the PRSSA Web Site, http://www.prssa.org/resources/bateman.