Be Outrageous. Be Courageous. Be Extraordinary.

I was recently accepted to join AFLV (Association of Fraternity Leadership Values) this winter for their El Salvador immersion trip. I was required to write an essay. The prompt really made me think. What is social justice and how does it effect our society? 

I believe that social justice stands for equality of human rights and the unity of the people in order to recognize the dignity of every human being.  Our society is never constant. It is ever changing and the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

Difference matters.

Whether it’s a man with the courage to continue west, in spite of conventional wisdom that he was nearing the edge of the world; or an equally courageous woman who defied social norms and refused to give up her seat, or a man who preached the strength of nonviolent resistance; or a 21^st century entertainer who’s song  “Born this way,” topped the charts for 3 weeks straight, they all did little things that created massive movements. They were different.

Our society is ever changing and so is social justice. Our culture believes in democracy and that the people have a voice.   Mohandas Gandhi said, “A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” I believe that because our people have a voice, we have the power to make that change and be that difference.

As a nation that values human rights and the dignity of every human being our nation has the privilege to stand up against injustice in our country and abroad. We are one nation, under God, indivisible and we stand for liberty and justice for all.

After taking the class Social Identity, my eyes were opened to the fact that there is still much hate and injustice in our country as well as abroad. We studied many hate and oppressed groups and talked about how we contribute to the continuation of hate and stereotypes by the way we act, treat others or even something as simple as telling jokes about oppressed groups.

The most important thing that I took away from this class was the fact that difference matters. If I lead by example, if I do not stick to the status quo, then others will notice. They might even follow. I might not see the change, but it will eventually come. Again, Mohandas Gandhi said, “Be the difference you wish to see in the world” and I truly agree with him. It might be outrageous, but I will be courageous and maybe something extraordinary will happen.

True social justice begins with me and spreads to you. It is the unity of the people that recognizes the value and dignity of every human being. 

What does this have to do with my blog? Well, it is my turn to serve.  Also, I have been asked to start a fundraising campaign for my trip. This is were I get to put my skills to the test, gain new skills and immerse myself in a new culture and experience. 

I would love your support! And I will keep you updated on my trip! 

Tri it. Live it. Love it.

Tri it. Live it. Love it.

Recruitment Campaign 2011

This is just one of the many media out lets that we will be using for our PR campaign.

Social Marketing is a major part of our lives and youtube is a very popular search engine. The objective of this video is to spread virally over the summer so that PNM (potential new members) can check out our sorority house and see what we stand for and a few events that we do.

This video is very appealing to our Target Market: students seeking higher education and a social organization.

Some other media outlets we will be using in this campaign are twitter, facebook and EIU's Greek Life webpage. Feel free to check us out!

One Love. One Letter. One Cause.

April 16th was our Annual Twist of Hope Tournament! Despite the weather Twist of Hope was a huge success! 

We had multiple Greek Teams as well as Family and Friend teams! Thanks to all who came out and helped support us!  

Congratulations to Sigma Pi who are the 1st place Over-All Greek Twist of Hope Champions for 2011 and congratulations to Brittany R's team who are the 1st place Over-All Friends and Family Twist of Hope Champions for 2011. Excellent job!

With our silent auction we raised over $500 for Taylor Love and her family which is Tri Delta's local phlianthropy. Our national philanthropy is for St. Jude and is what Twist of Hope was designed for. We play Twister for St. Jude. 


One Love. One Letter. One Cause. 


15 million by 2015. 

Slut Walk Campaign

            Toronto’s Slutwalk is a social issues campaign designed to promote the understanding that the way women dress does not encourage or invite sexual assault.  Public relations can be used to promote or prevent change and in this specific case the public wants to establish a new understanding with local organizations to promote change in the way the police force and society view sexual assault.  Public relations uses rhetoric as a tool to change the way in which we view relationships and worldviews and therefore it can promote such change while helping define and interpret context for both the organization and its publics.
             This social issue has been a major problem in our society and the Tornot police department typified how big of a concern naming can be and how stereotypes are not an accurate way of judging someone. The way in which we name people can have major negative consequences. The name “slut” has had a negative connotation and is directed towards predominantly women who are labeled as promiscuous or dress in a less conservative way.  Naming women as sluts has become dangerous in our society. It has been normalized that a woman who has a certain reputation or dresses a certain way is seen as an object or lesser of a human being. Therefore many people believe that if a woman dresses in a reveling way or has a bad reputation she is prone to violent acts and perhaps even invites sexual assault.  On Jan. 24 a representative of the Toronto Police gave insight into the Force’s view of sexual assault by stating, “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” 

             The issue here is that the police and society believes these stigmas and this makes it difficult for many women to report sexual assault for fear that they will be blamed and not seen as the victim.  This social issue campaign is advocating change.  Their mission is to spread the word that those who experience sexual assault are not the ones at fault, without exception.
             People are asked to gather and dress as “sluts” and walk together as allies against sexual assault. The purpose of this campaign is to make it known that slut-shaming is wrong. People should not be judged based on their sexuality and should not be a target for violence because of their openness with sexuality. The community is not pleased with the ideologies of the protective services so they decided to use public relations as a way to communicate a need for change within the police force.

In public relations, relationships are created to build order and predictability. The police are ideally seen as the protectors and heroes. How can sexual assault victims come to these protectors if they could ultimately blame the victim because of the way they were dressed? This social issues campaign test these relationships by advocating for change in the way they name and view sexual assault victims. The community not only challenges the hierarchy of the police force, but they also ask for the police force to rebuild their relationship with the community. They sated, “We want Toronto Police Services to take serious steps to regain our trust. We want to feel that we will be respected and protected should we ever need them, but more importantly be certain that those charged with our safety have a true understanding of what it is to be a survivor of sexual assault — slut or otherwise” (slutwalk).

             This campaign wants to make sure that sexual assault victims can go to these protectors without preconceived judgments.  By doing so this campaign also challenges worldviews.  Sexual assault is a tabooed subject and many people do not talk about. The Slutwalk campaign challenges our view and redefines the name “sluts”. The purpose is to change society’s idea of the way we name women and to insure that sexual assault is not welcome to anyone for any reason. This social issues campaign has successfully used rhetoric as a tool to change the way in which we view relationships and worldviews and therefore has promoted change in the way we name women while helping define and interpret the issue for both the organization and its publics.
             Great steps have been taken towards changing our worldviews. This campaign’s message has spread to many different towns, states and even countries. This is all possible because of public relations and how effective this campaign has been with their message, challenging relationships, redefining the way we name and changing worldviews. The message spread virally and led to multiple Slutwalks in Boston and London, to name a few. The message is the same. Social intervention and rhetoric are key theories used in this successful campaign. Public relations allows for the community to speak to local organizations and help redefine issues and work together with two way asymmetrical communications.

Sadomasochism

Rihanna, one of pop/hip-hops number one female artists, is ruffling feathers, and not in a good way. Her new single S&M is number three on Billboard Top 100. This single is catchy and upBEAT (pun intended).  When I first heard the song I was humming along not know what I was singing about. A popular rhyme in the song made me pause...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones...but chains and whips excite me."

Come again!?!?!

Then i understood...S&M... OMG


S&M also known as Sadomasochism, refers to sexual pleasure of inflicting or receiving pain.

Masochism refers to someone who enjoys receiving pain and Sadism refers to those who gets pleasure from inflecting pain and/or watching pain inflicted on others.

I am currently reading all about Sadomasochism in Stieg Larsson's trilogy, "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo". If you still aren't sure what S&M is then check out an exert from one of his books and I bet you wont be humming along with Rihanna any more. This is some pretty sick stuff and what is Rihanna doing? The popular teen icon is normalizing this subject. Making the tabooed topic look fun and exciting for teens. 

Not only is she promoting sadomasochism, Rihanna is notorious for being a questionable role modle for teens. She and Chris Brown had a falling out, he beat her pretty badly...but if I interpreted her song right, she was probably into it. And then she went back to him, sending the message that it is ok to be in an abusive relationship. Her other popular song she sang with Eminem, "Love the Way you Lie" was again, promoting abusive relationships.

These catchy, number one singles, are being engrained into our societies brains. Rihanna is sending the message that physical abuse is not just a normal thing, but it is sexy and that is what women want. Rihanna is playing into the ideology of patriarch and domination of women. She is feeding into the idea that men have the power and that women like to be controlled. 

WRONG! Get a grip girl. Look at what you are doing. You are one of the most powerful women in our society and these are the messages you chose to send to your fans. Way to go. 

Rihanna, you are gorgeous and don't you worry, your looks will get you exactly what you want. A sadistic pig of a "man." Your PR is not so PRetty. 

Don't be that Dancing Girl

Having PRetty PR is apart of everyday life. I've noticed that many people are afraid of what other people think. In college social life is very important. What they also forget is that social media is not only a look at how you act in a social setting but it is being used by professionals.

Learn how to clean up your facebook and tweets. Promote healthy dialouge on your campus and personal protective skills while drinking.

Here is a good rule: Don't post things that you wouldn't want your mom/dad or boss to see. And be smart when you drink.

This campaign, "Don't be that guy/girl," is what my fellow classmates and I have been working on this semester through the communication department and the Health Education Resource Center (HERC).

Check out this Youtube video: Don't be THAT (dancing) Girl!  

Be smart. Stay PRetty. 

Born This Way

Lady Gaga's newest song  "Born This Way"  has a very inspirational message. 

I'm beautiful in my way, 
'Cause God makes no mistakes 
I'm on the right track, baby 
I was born this way --Gaga

Lady Gaga is one of my favorite musicians. She is special because she is so different and not afraid to address controversial issues. Most importantly this new song is encouraging girls, women, boys and men that it is ok to be different. Matter of fact, everyone is born different. 

Gaga touches many lives, but her message is even more powerful when it comes from one of her many adoring fans. Check out ten year old Maria's cover to "Born This Way."

Wow. This my friends is PRetty PR. Gaga's song has already topped the bilboards, not much of a surprise, right? The real story is ten year old Maria. She is becoming a viral sensation. She sure is causing a stir, at least on my facebook news feed. Gaga's message is a powerful one and it is even more inspirational coming from Maria.  

What better PR can you ask for? I got the goosebumps listening to Maria and I'm sure that Gaga will be contacting her Little Monster soon.