By: Brian Szramek
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a major PR situation going on this past year with a former video coach accused of sexual assault by a former player from the 2010 Stanley Cup winning team. In a July amended lawsuit, a former Blackhawks player accused Brad Aldrich of making him perform unwanted sex. He did this by threatening him that he would never play in the NHL again, and with a baseball bat. Alrich left the Blackhawks in 2010. Since then, in 2014, served jail time for sexual conduct with a high school student in Houghton High School in Michigan. He has had similar allegations from hockey players from Miami University, where he worked before the high school job. The Blackhawks organization knew about this and didn’t do anything about it. Displaying unethical behavior by covering it up. Over the past decade the Chicago Blackhawks have been looked at as one of the best franchises in sports. But after this scandal, the trust-ability of the Blackhawks is in question. The Blackhawks have been under investigation now for over a year and clearly knew they couldn’t keep this cover up much longer. President of Hockey Operations John Mc.Donough was fired mysteriously. The Blackhawks have done so many great things in the past few years so it’s hard for passionate Blackhawks fans to deal with this situation, and the organization has done a good job of distracting them. Now this undisclosed player has now chosen to file for an independent investigation. So only time will tell if these allegations are true or not.
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This semester, PRSSA’s student run public relations firm, PRi, has had the wonderful opportunity to work with the McLean County Health Department as their client. This has not only given members more involvement and leadership opportunities, but it has also allowed us access to professionals in the healthcare field who have taught us about myths associated with COVID-19. Below are, not all, but a few of the most widespread misconceptions about vaccines, testing, and other topics related to COVID-19. Myth #1 - The COVID-19 vaccine contains a microchip. The ole’ microchip myth. This has been a myth associated with a variety of vaccines, and the COVID-19 vaccine is no exception. The overall conception is that there is a microchip in the vaccine that will allow you to be tracked as well as alter your DNA. According to the CDC, not only is this an exaggeration of the truth, but it is a completely false rumor. Their official response was, “No. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips. Vaccines are developed to fight against disease and are not administered to track your movement. Vaccines work by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to the disease. After getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to that disease, without having to get the disease first.” You may have also learned the basics of how vaccines work in your junior high science class. Myth #2 - Herd immunity is achievable if we let the virus spread through the population. For this myth, we are relying on information from the Mayo Clinic Health System. So, what is herd immunity? Herd immunity is when a large portion of the population or community becomes immune to a certain disease making the spread from person-to-person unlikely. This results in the entire community being protected. Now, we will begin debunking this myth. First, there is and never was any proof that being infected with COVID-19 will protect you from being infected again in the future. Since the virus does not create immunity, herd immunity is not achievable. Let’s assume for just a moment that herd immunity is attainable. Even then, experts estimate that 70% of the global population, almost 200 million people would have to recover from COVID-19 for herd immunity to even be considered as a possibility. So, the real question here is are you willing to risk 200 million lives to try and achieve something that might not even be possible. Let’s just get vaccinated so we don’t have to find out. Myth 3 - COVID-19 is the same as the seasonal flu. COVID-19 and the flu are both respiratory diseases that are the result of an infectious virus. There are also a few similar symptoms, such as coughing, fatigue, and headaches. These are also symptoms of the common cold, anemia, and caffeine withdrawals. Basically, the similarities among symptoms mean relatively little. This is where the similarities between COVID-19 and the flu end. While the flu is usually caught very quickly because symptoms typically appear between one and four days, COVID-19 symptoms may not be present for up to 14 days. This means that you could be walking around spreading the COVID-19 virus for weeks without knowing it. It doesn’t help that the COVID-19 virus is more contagious and spreads faster than the influenza virus. Additionally, blood clots and multi-system inflammatory syndrome are fatal symptoms associated with COVID-19 but not the flu. In short, COVID-19 and the flu are not the same thing. The world has changed a lot since the introduction of COVID-19. It is scientifically proven that wearing a mask reduces the risk of being infected with COVID-19 up to 70%. Likewise, being fully vaccinated reduces the transmission of COVID-19 by 71%. Let’s all protect our family, friends, and ourselves by recognizing these myths for what they are: myths. By Erica Paul October 12, 2021
As we all know, the simple responsibility of being a student can be fairly stressful from time to time. Particularly for those of us in college, it can be overwhelming transitioning from high school. I'm currently a junior here at Illinois State University, so here's all the advice I've gathered throughout my experience so far. Use A Planner In my opinion this applies to any student. I'd hope that this is something on your school supply shopping list every year because it's definitely on mine. A planner is essential for time management. I'm more of a visual learner so I prefer to have a physical planner that I can carry around with me during the day and reference as needed. This is something I use primarily to write down assignments and keep track of due dates for classes. Every Sunday, I look through the syllabus for each class and write down what I have to do for the week. Anything from reading a chapter to an exam will be recorded so I can focus on taking it day-by-day. It's important to keep track of the who, what, when, where, why, and how. No matter how much you think you'll remember it, chances are you'll probably end up forgetting at least one thing. Save yourself the trouble and write it down. Make A Schedule The second most important thing next to a planner is a schedule. Academic classes are already going to be set in stone. Something I've been using since freshman year is a website called Free College Schedule Maker. This is such a helpful resource because of how easy it is to personalize. I highly suggest checking it out, https://www.freecollegeschedulemaker.com. In contrast to this I also like to use Google Calendar. This is really convenient, especially because of how easily accessible it is. Since I'm involved in three student organizations, I use Google Calendar to sort out all the dates/times for various events. The cool thing about Google Calendar is that you can share it with others. It's just as easy as sharing a Google Doc for a group project. These are tools I've been using for several years now and I can definitely say that without them I'd be a mess. I'm naturally an organized person so this makes it all the more easy. Give Yourself Free Time Now that you have a better idea of time management/organization, remembering to give yourself free time is something to keep in mind. It's just as important as being caught up with your academics and other activities. I think that everyone could use at least an hour to relax so you don't get burnt out after an exhausting day. We could all use that grace period for self-care. Straighten Out Your Priorities I know how tempting it is to take on every opportunity that's presented to you. I'll often give in and stop what I'm doing to spend time with my friends. No matter how small or big the occasion, I fall victim to FOMO (fear of missing out). Learning to say "no" is something I've been working on improving, and I can definitely say I'm getting better at it. Sometimes it sucks when everyone else is there except you, but it pays off in the long run when you reserve time for what's more important. ………. As a student, time management is something we learn to develop over time. I've had my fair share of practice and still struggle with it here and there, nobody's perfect. Do your best to stay organized but don't work yourself too hard. Remember not to be too lenient or you'll never get anything done. It's all about maintaining a healthy balance. |
AboutPRecisely PR is the blog of the Illinois State University Chapter of the PRSSA. We write about Chapter events, the public relations industry, member profiles, and more. Archives
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