by James A. Baumann
W
hen COVID-19 hit campuses, virtually every department quickly had to reassess its work and priorities. It was no different for campus housing communications and marketing staff. And while crisis communication plans and practices are operationalized and regularly used during more routine incidents, the size and scope of the pandemic presented a host of challenges for campus communication teams.
“Communication and marketing was crucial during COVID,” says Raven Robinson, the assistant director of residential operations for Washington University in St. Louis. “When the pandemic began, students and parents were looking for information from universities in every which way they could find it: social media, email, websites, etc. Both audiences required frequent updates in ways that were concise and clear.” In a rapidly changing environment, where available information often changed day to day (and sometimes faster), these teams had to collect information from campus leaders, distill it, and then disseminate it to a variety of audiences. Most everything that was happening during the early weeks of the pandemic – students moving off campus, students returning to retrieve property, health concerns, refunds, and more – all had to be communicated in some way. “The biggest challenges were navigating an uncertain climate,” Robinson notes. “Many schools were having to figure things out on the fly and, for our students, they were being asked to adapt quickly.”
The work only increased as the start of a new academic year grew closer, still with many unanswered questions. “As universities looked to re-open, marketing was even more crucial because now the residential student experience needed to shift to respond to COVID,” Robinson explains. “What universities used to be able to provide would have to look different in order to reduce the spread of the virus. This meant that schools had to tell a new story and bring students into a new normal, far from the one they may have been expecting. Schools across the country had to shift to digital forms of outreach and engagement, find more creative and inviting ways to pull students in to new methods of interaction, and do all of this under an uncertain outcome. So communication and marketing have been vital in order to let people know what is happening, what they can expect, and where universities see themselves going during this time.”
Responding to these outsized conditions inspired the ACUHO-I Marketing Committee to add a new crisis communications category to its annual competition. Campuses submitted a range of materials, from new websites and apps to increased signage and public awareness campaigns, delivering a wide variety of messages in addition to enhancing the campus brand. Robinson, who led the competition process, noted the challenge of “communicating policy and finding ways to market these changes in a way that students will adhere to what is being required of them. Another challenge,” she adds, “has been finding innovative ways to engage with students during COVID. We rely so much on in-person interaction, and COVID has made people rethink their approach with new social media tactics, new email marketing tactics, getting creative with Zoom, and more.”
In response to the new focus on crisis communication, Robinson says, “I’d argue that our attention to how we market and communicate health and safety while living on campus will continue going forward.” The role of marketing and communications likely will also be more prominent within housing departments. “I’m not sure if this is something that started because of the pandemic, or if it just shifted, but more value is going to be placed on marketing and communications teams if it hasn’t already. This will become a permanent agenda item in conversations moving forward because universities have to be careful in the midst of this pandemic and moving forward.”
Other recipients of awards are below and also featured on the ACUHO-I website.
Colorado State University
50 Things Microsite
Team: Bonnie Palmatory, Steve Garten, Kirstie Tedrick, Mary Liang
First: San Diego State University
COVID-19 Crisis Communication
Team: Cynthia Cervantes, Hannah Bowen, Catherine Snapp, Candy Carson, Leobardo Ramirez, Daisy Baran
Second: UCLA
UCLA COVID-19 Campus Signage
Team: Michael Ries, Kimberly Teruya
Third: University of Arizona
COVID-19 Campaign
Team: Ali Santander, Nate Hammond
First: Colorado State University
Indigenous Kitchen Event Poster
Team: Bonnie Palmatory
Spring 2020 Calendar: "Cascade"
Team: Rebecca Cheung (designer), Carlo Morante (residential life sustainability coordinator), Paul Mendoza (designer & copywriter)
Third: University of Maryland, College Park
Residence Hall Move Out – Mask Required Reminders
Team: Maria Gelfond, Gabriela Teran Aguilar, Ronald Molina, Tracy Kiras
First: Morehead State University
Student Leadership Bracelets
Team: John Michael Haky
Second: University of Maryland, College Park
Terp Pins – Specialty Item
Third: Colorado State University
2020 Live On Pennant
Second: Oklahoma State University
OSU – Reslife Website
Team: Kelsey Hutton, Shannon Baughman
Third: Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Residence Hall Policies and Guidelines Website
Team: Michele Lam-Fortes, Marc Russo
2019-2020 Student Marketing Team members: Sarah Walley, Caroline Scott, Oladayo Alade, Radha Dahanukar, Conor Finn, Kirsten Maiwaldt, Esra Kara, Ruslan Diaz, Trey Robinson, Tahj Burnette, Victoria Esperance, Isabella Awalt
First: UCLA
UCLA Housing Student Email Communications System
Team: Magyn Kydd, Kimberly Teruya, Eric Wright
Second: Texas Tech University
Happy Birthday – May
Team: Jenise Wooten, Gahye Lee
Third: The New School
TNS Email Marketing Submission – Housing Selection
Team: Kashish Dusad, Joyce Arias Brown
Bruins at Home Zoom Backgrounds & Snap Lenses
Team: Kiana Abad, Rebecca Cheung, Muling Shi, Ainsleigh Douglas, Paul Mendoza, Lori Vogelgesang
Second: Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Snapchat Virtual Stoles for Graduation Ceremonies
Third: Chapman University
Chapman Student Staff Selection
Team: Nicholas Jakel, Dave Sundby, Amanda Zamora
UCLA Residential Life Weekly Instagram Show Branding
Team: Lisa Steward, Lauren Cramer, Sofia Chang, Paravi Das, Ava Brock, Terry Giang
Second: Florida Gulf Coast University
Residential Curriculum: G.R.O.W. Here
Team: Danielle Galipeau, Haley Levy, Kaitlin Connor
Third: Texas Tech University
Skip the Straw Day
Team: Gahye Lee
First: The University of Alabama
Packing with Big Al
Team: David Walton, Brett McPherson, Chris Largin
Second: University of California Davis
Living on Campus at UC Davis
Team: Alex Fisher-Wagner, Nikolaus Wiley, Richard Ronquillo, Camille Ramos; Student Intern Katherine Lizanne Shera-Seitz
Third: Florida International University
Live FIU 2020 – Housing at Florida International University
Team: Nicole Miller, Cristina Jaramillo, Christopher Necuze, Margi Rentis, Victoria Abella, Lucila Logan, Megan Zorrilla, Ana Gorayeb, Luis Diaz
First: Florida International University
Work with Us
Team: Nicole Miller
Terp Toy Drive – Elevator Wrap
Third: Morehead State University
Core Values Pillars
Team: Jordan Hardin, Alan Rucker, John Michael Haky
First: University of Arizona
Move-In 2020 Social
Team: Nate Hammond, Adam Ciampaglio, Ali Santander
Second: San Diego State University
Housing Social Media
Team: Cynthia Cervantes, Hannah Bowen, Ian Steffes, Daisy Baran
Third: University of California Davis
Latitude Dining Experience
Team: Camille Ramos, Alex Fisher-Wagner, Richard Ronquillo, Lizanne Shera-Seitz; photography student Jeremiah James Noel; video student Nikolaus Wylie; student designer Aisleen Santos
First: University of California Santa Barbara
Study Room Subtlety
Team: Eric Zobel, Mandy Yoshida, Julie Levangie
Second: University of Houston
UH Housing Staff Welcome Box
Team: Alexsaundra Preston, Teeba Rose, Rhoda Arnes, Elise Featherly
Residence Life Staff Apparel "Shop"
Team: Michele Lam-Fortes, Marc Russo; 2019-2020 Student Marketing Team members Sarah Walley, Caroline Scott, Oladayo Alade, Radha Dahanukar, Conor Finn, Kirsten Maiwaldt, Esra Kara, Ruslan Diaz, Trey Robinson, Tahj Burnette, Victoria Esperance, Isabella Awalt
Move-In Guide 2020
Team: Nate Hammond, Ali Santander, Adam Ciampaglio
Second: Portland State University
Continuing Resident Brochure
Team: Stephanie Blair, Sam Person
Third: University of Regina
Live. Learn. Mîkiwâm
Team: James Hsieh, Bettina Welsh, Misty Longman
RAMwich Punch Card
Team: Jarad Heintzelman
UCLA Housing Nutrition Flyers
Team: Susannah Leam, Kimberly Teruya, Ivy McNally
Third: Florida Gulf Coast University
Returning Room Selection – Parent Mailer
Team: Haley Levy, Danielle Galipeau, Kaitlin Connor
First: Kennesaw State University
KSU Housing and Residence Life Move-In Campaign
Team: Tiffany Hartz, Katherine Ellsworth, Kelley Wisniewski, Dan Rabun, Lee White, Kenneth Todd, Benjamin Uranga, Elyssa Reed
Virtual First-Year Experience
Your Arizona Home
Team: Ali Santander, Nate Hammond, Adam Ciampaglio
James A. Baumann is Talking Stick editor.